Saturday, September 26, 1998

Blitz credit goes all down Cowboys' line

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

DALLAS - The blitzes came hard and heavy last season. Rarely, it seemed, did the Cowboys ever stop them.

That has not been the case this season.

Although each of their first three opponents has blitzed the Cowboys with regularity, none has had even moderate success. The Giants, who had 13 sacks in their first two games, stopped blitzing in the second half last week because they couldn't get to backup quarterback Jason Garrett. That left their secondary vulnerable.

The Cowboys have allowed only one sack in three games and rank second in the NFL in sacks allowed per pass attempts. Last season, Dallas gave up 39 sacks, its highest figure in eight seasons.

Offensive line coach Hudson Houck said the credit for protecting Troy Aikman and Garrett should be sprinkled throughout the offense.

"We have a more experienced center this season, we have two guards who are playing steady, and our left tackle is different," Houck said. "We're in the Shotgun in nickel situations, and the receivers are getting open. When that happens, you can get rid of the ball. It' a team thing."

Coach Chan Gailey's multiple-formation scheme also has played an important role in the Cowboys' ability to avoid giving up sacks.

Blitzes are most effective when the defense knows where the quarterback is going to set up. The Cowboys' offense has an array of bootlegs, waggles and moving pockets that keeps the quarterback from setting up in the same spot most of the time.

Even when they go to their four- and five-receiver formations, the Cowboys often move tight end Eric Bjornson from the slot into the backfield to provide more protection.

Then, there are the times tackle Flozell Adams lines up at tight end, essentially giving the Cowboys a six-man offensive line.

Running back Daryl Johnston said Gailey's approach to teaching his offense also has helped the Cowboys' pass protection.

"This year, our approach has been a little more broad," Johnston said. "We know what everyone is supposed to do, not just your job, so guys don't panic when they see a guy come loose because they know who's supposed to pick him up instead of letting their guy run free."

Defensive coordinator Willie Shaw has the Raiders, who have five sacks in the first three games, blitzing quite a bit.

Last season, teams attacked the Cowboys up the middle. They attacked center Clay Shiver and took advantage of poor guard play from Nate Newton and George Hegamin. This season, Shiver has played much better, Everett McIver has replaced Hegamin at right guard, and Newton has played well after losing 70 pounds in the off-season and recovering from foot and shoulder injuries.

"At times last year, teams came up the middle with stuff we had never seen before," Shiver said. "Not only were they trying to physically overpower me, they were trying to mentally mess with me.

"It was a struggle all year, and we were taking heat because we were not picking up the blitz."

Houck and Gailey have said Shiver, in the final season of a three-year contract, has played well. Shiver said experience and confidence have made him a better player.

"Many times last year, I felt like I was the weak link out there," Shiver said. "I wasn't aggressive last year because I wasn't always sure what I was doing or who I was supposed to block. Now, I do.

"There were times I wasn't sure I deserved to be out on the field. I'd make a mistake in the first quarter, and I'd still be thinking about why I did something so stupid in the third quarter. You can't dwell on the mistakes, and I've learned that."

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.