Thursday, August 27, 1998

Cowboys are concerned with preparation, health

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

DALLAS - The Dallas Cowboys made their position concerning the possibility of a winless pre-season quite clear this week: It's no big deal.

The players and coaches have scoffed at the notion that a loss in Thursday's game against Jacksonville (1-2) at 7 p.m. Central time at ALLTEL Stadium serves as a harbinger for a poor season.

Still, it's worth noting that the 1986 Cowboys who went 0-5 in the pre-season went 7-9 in the regular season and that the 1962 team that went winless in the pre-season finished 5-8-1.

Both missed the playoffs.

But as Dallas' veterans have noted, the Cowboys have not had a winning pre-season since 1989 and they finished that regular season 1-15.

That also means the Cowboys had losing pre-seasons in each of their three championship seasons.

"We want to win, and we're going to try to win," said cornerback Kevin Smith of Thursday's game, "but the most important thing is for us to play well and make sure we're ready for the season."

Coach Chan Gailey is taking the same approach. He has said he will play his starters a quarter, perhaps a series into the second quarter.

Gailey liked the starters' performance in Saturday's 22-14 loss to St. Louis, so now his main objective is to make sure no one gets hurt before the opener Sept. 6 against Arizona.

"You have to be smart in how you play guys," Gailey said. "You can't forget this is still the pre-season."

While the game has little significance to most starters, there are still two positions - wide receiver and free safety - up for grabs.

Billy Davis seems to have taken a slight lead over veteran Ernie Mills, who has not caught a pass in three of four pre-season games. Davis caught two passes for 12 yards and a touchdown against St. Louis, and both were difficult catches.

"You can't forget that this is the pre-season and this is a time for the team to prepare for the regular season," Davis said. "I know I'm still preparing. I'm still trying to make sure I know what my assignment is on every play. But we're getting better."

Kenny Wheaton, Omar Stoutmire and George Teague are battling for the starting free safety position. Stoutmire holds a slight edge over Wheaton and a bigger advantage over Teague.

Stoutmire's strength is his ability to play the run strong. With the secondary of Smith, Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson, the Cowboys can afford to have a player who's not as strong at pass coverage at free safety.

Wheaton is better against the pass than the run, and Teague has a knack for making big plays.

"I feel comfortable with any of those three guys starting," defensive coordinator Dave Campo said. "We're looking for the guy who fits our needs best. Just because the other two guys aren't starting doesn't mean they aren't going to play."

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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