| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- For years, Dave Campo, then the Cowboys defensive coordinator, cornered the market on aggressive blitz packages because he had two of the best coverage cornerbacks -- Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith. Sanders blanketed one side of the field. Smith was hard to beat on the other.
The Cowboys turn the corner of a new century with a scary situation
at cornerback. Prime Time's huge cap number didn't fit into the Cowboys
budget, so he's off to the rival Redskins. Smith, who's been fighting back
and hamstring problems for three years, left camp Wednesday with thoughts of
retiring. Charlie Williams had an infection on a surgically repaired knee crop up and set back his return until close to the season opener.
|  | | Mario Edwards, a sixth-round pick, is in the Cowboys' mix at cornerback. |
The Cowboys will start the season with Ryan McNeil, signed during
the offseason, and one of three rookies -- Dwayne Goodrich, Kareem Larrimore
or Mario Edwards -- at corner. After so many years of Prime Time, Campo must
prep the "Not Ready For Prime Time" cornerbacks.
"I didn't feel like we've had real quality at corner for a while on
this team," Campo said. "I thought our starters were good with Deion and
Kevin, but Kevin's struggled for three years or so with injuries. If we
faced teams with our regulars, I felt we were one of the top four or five
defenses in the league. But when teams put that extra wide receiver out to
spread us out, we didn't have the depth."
Campo believes that he has the athletic depth with three cornerback
draft choices and McNeil. What he doesn't know is whether the group will be
good enough to win games. Like the Vikings, who are using Kenny
Wright and converted wide receiver Robert Tate at cornerback, the Cowboys' playoff hopes may
depend on how well the corners survive.
"We are better right now with talent than experience, but the
question is whether we can get enough experience in the preseason," Campo
said.
Reviews are mixed. Goodrich, the second-round choice, hasn't had
much of a training camp. A hamstring injury has sidelined him. During his
limited exposure, though, he struggled. Larrimore and Edwards, a sixth-round
pick, moved ahead of him.
"Dwayne struggled a bit early," Campo said. "Whenever you changed
into a new scheme, some adapt quicker. I think some of the media here is
ready to jump on the bandwagon and say he was a bust. After only two weeks
of the preseason, nothing could be further from the truth."
Larrimore moved to the front of the line because the Cowboys style
of cornerback play was what he was taught in junior college. He feels
natural playing inside of a receiver. Larrimore's only handicap is that he's
playing with a cast on his right hand.
He broke a bone loose in the hand a week ago. Everytime he tries to
squeeze the hand, the bone separates a little more. It's not an injury that
will prevent him from playing, but it could affect his ability to jam
receivers.
"I'm progressing a little bit faster because I've cut down on my
mental mistakes," Larrimore said. "I pick up things fairly quickly. Plus,
working with the starting group helps. All the safeties chatter so much that
you know what to do."
|
“ |
One of us has got
to step up. ... We just have to grow up fast. There is a lot to learn. ” |
|
|
— Mario Edwards, Cowboys rookie cornerback |
Campo calls Edwards a steal of a sixth-round choice. A week ago, he
had an edge on Larrimore for a possible starting job. How they finish the
exhibition season will determine who will be the starter.
"One of us has got to step up," Edwards said. "Maybe two of us
will get to start this year. We just have to grow up fast. There is a lot to
learn."
Campo's ace in the hole is the defensive line, which he believes is
the deepest in Cowboys history. His hope is that pressure the defensive
linemen put on quarterbacks will cut down the amount of time cornerbacks
will have to cover.
Still, the Cowboys will be under the 16-game comparison of how their
corners perform versus the impact that Sanders has on the Redskins. Though
it may have been unlikely, Sanders could have had his Cowboys contract
restructured to stay in Dallas. The team elected to let him go to the Redskins.
"Deion is an outstanding player, and I really like him," Campo
said. "He was enjoyable to be around. To restructure the contract may have
had to been a miracle. By not keeping him, we are able to help some other
areas, getting guys like Joey Galloway and Jackie Harris.
"In order to win you need to score points. We had nine games where
we held teams to 13 or less points and lost four of them. We needed
firepower."
But if the cornerback decisions backfire, the Cowboys won't have many
13-point defensive games.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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