The Long Road Back:
An Inside
Look
Posted: Wed June 3,
1998
After checking out the atmosphere at Valley Ranch,
SI senior writer Michael Silver reports that the Dallas
Cowboys are feeling pretty good about themselves and their
chances this fall. Silver's story appears in this week's
issue, which reaches
subscribers and newsstands beginning today. He spoke with CNN/SI
about the 'Boys and new coach Chan
Gailey.
SILVER SOUNDS
OFF:
 Will Troy Aikman thrive in Gailey's wide-open
offense? (450K)
Is Jerry Jones a tough man to work
for? (402K)
Would Jones have fired Barry
Switzer? (406K)
CNN/SI:
Chan Gailey was supposedly hired because he was willing to
take less money and stay out of the spotlight, letting
Jerry Jones command all the attention and make all the
decisions. Yet in your story Jones lavishes praise on
Gailey and has pretty much
given him free rein with the offense. Is there a clear line
established between what Gailey has control over and what
Jones has control
over?
Michael Silver:
Yeah, there is, and as weird as it sounds I think that's
one of the reasons that Jerry likes having Chan there so
much. There is a perception out there that Jerry is a
meddlesome owner and that he wants to do everything, and
Jerry brought that up, which
sort of surprised me. He just said, "Look, it's
obvious who does what. He runs the offense, he calls plays,
he's responsible for what's going on on the field; I'm out
there running the personnel department, bringing guys in
and running the greater
organization."
CNN/SI:
A lot was made a month ago at minicamp about Gailey
installing the shotgun. Have you been able to get a feel
for what other wrinkles he is introducing to the
offense?
Silver:
He's done some very interesting things over the last couple
of years. He used five wide receivers very effectively in
Pittsburgh—he told me that's something he can see the
Cowboys doing on occasion. Darren Woodson, their All-Pro
safety, told me that he
thinks Troy is really going to air it out this year, and
you're going to see Troy lining up with four wide, getting
the same benefits Marino and Elway have over the years. And
Troy Aikman has the type of arm that could certainly do
that.
It is an interesting offense because in the past, ever
since Norv Turner was their coordinator starting in 1991,
the Cowboys have run this very specific offense that
doesn't vary the routes much, requires the quarterback to
drop back and throw to a spot
where the receiver will be if all runs well, and doesn't
allow for a lot of audibles or spontaneity at the line. Now
Aikman is in an offense where there's more potential for
creativity, and that can be very, very good, or—as I
pointed out in the story,
if you remember Neil O'Donnell and his receivers trying to
connect in Super Bowl XXX—can be very, very
bad.
CNN/SI:
How does Emmitt Smith look? Can he hold up another
year?
Silver:
He's healthier at this stage than he has been in terms of
nagging injuries carrying over from the previous season. I
went over his numbers from last year: He averaged 4.1 yards
per carry and that surprised me, because I would've
thought, judging by what
I seemed to be watching when I was paying attention, it
would've been closer to three. So with Chris Warren there
as an alternative to spell him either for long stretches or
on third down, and with a less predictable offensive
alignment theoretically,
and probably most importantly with a front that offensive
line coach Hudson Houck—who's one of the best in the
business—believes is vastly improved with better
depth, Emmitt Smith can still be a productive back. Will he
be the same guy who going into the
season two years ago was openly talking with his linemen
about gaining 2,000 yards in a season? I don't think so.
But he can still be a top-notch running back, I think, at
least for the next couple of
years.
CNN/SI:
The tone of your story was one of optimism. Do you share
the Cowboys' upbeat
outlook?
Silver:
It's tough to be too won over by anybody in May or June. I
went into this story knowing that the Cowboys were very
optimistic. But they lost five games in a row to end last
season and they really didn't pick up any big-name free
agents—they got Warren,
who's going to be a backup, and they got this guy Everett
McIver, and that might be a bit of a reach to consider him
a huge upgrade for their offensive line. But I do think
Dallas, talent-wise, still ranks among the top of the
league.
While I see other teams in the NFC East improving—I
believe everyone but Philadelphia in that division has a
chance to be better in '98: Arizona should be better; the
Giants could be better, though they may have a tough time
pulling that off; and I
certainly think Washington will be better, or their coaching
staff will be looking for work soon—that said, when I
look at the NFC, other than Green Bay and Tampa Bay, I
don't see anybody who you would automatically favor over
the Cowboys if they were to
play right now. There's room for somebody else to sneak out of
the East. It could be
Dallas.
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