Friday, August 21, 1998

Cowboys need to make an impression

By Gil LeBreton

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

FORT WORTH, Texas - Rare is the worker who hasn't tried to please a new boss.

We want the new person in charge to think that we always dress this nicely, arrive this promptly and work this feverishly. We want the new boss to see that we haven't lost our fastball. We want to make the new boss smile.

The Cowboys, therefore, have to be wondering what in the name of Rod Hill must their new guy be thinking.

With only eight quarters of dissecting left in the preseason lab, Chan Gailey must be wondering whether he has a prince or a frog. He knows the Cowboys' reputations. He has seen the glint from their Super Bowl rings.

But, having heard the fans' whistles of disapproval Monday night in Mexico City, Gailey must be wondering when his alleged contenders are going to stand up and make the boss some coffee. Saturday night in St. Louis? Next week in Jacksonville?

Opening day against the Arizona Cardinals?

"We're not where we want to be," Gailey said this week. "But we still have time."

In two weeks, alas, that disclaimer will no longer be valid. Time is wasting. The Cowboys need to show something immediately or, failing that, even sooner.

With the Cowboys' platinum lineup scheduled to perform for at least one half against the Rams Saturday, a vibrant pulse must be spotted. Perhaps even a third-down conversion or two.

It would do wonders for an offense which, frankly, couldn't move the ball Monday night even when it was upwind from the mariachi band. Over the past two weeks of NFL preseason, the Cowboys are averaging less than 10 first downs and 170 yards total per game.

The boss is not impressed. The boss, you see, also has a boss.

Owner Jones can say all he wants about Gailey's character and credentials. In the middle of August, it's easy for an owner to stand by his man.

But if the first-teamers don't dazzle the critics Saturday night, people are going to wonder what the owner really thinks. A lackluster two periods would almost make it imperative that Gailey come back in the preseason finale and play the starters for a full half again.

Meanwhile, it would take a stout fan to defend Gailey. With another bad outing in St. Louis, Gailey's new offense could and should come under inevitable attack. Maybe it just doesn't "fit" Troy Aikman's style. Maybe the Phi Beta Fumbla Cowboys can't learn it. Maybe it's Barry Switzer's fault.

As the new guy in town, Gailey was due for a mandatory six-month-or-so media honeymoon. You've seen the stories, the ones where we wrote about his Georgia accent and Bible collection rather than his offensive line.

But Gailey, let me suggest, lost part of his honeymoon charm when he downplayed and then clammed up about the Everett McIver stabbing. Nothing woos the media like down-home candor. But clam up, as your team screws up, and the head coach becomes the easy target. (See Switzer, circa 1994.)

That may not be fair, but it's fact. And history tells us that players won't go out of their way to correct that. (See Switzer, circa 1997.)

"We still have time"?

Maybe. But to spoiled Cowboys fans, it's always later than you think.

Thus, it isn't just Gailey's offense that will be under heightened scrutiny Saturday, but the new coach himself. Somebody - somebody not named Jones - needs to start believing in this new "era" soon, or people are going to wonder whatever happened to good, old Terry Donahue.

To Gailey's credit, he has been, for the most part, a pillar of consistency this summer, even if his team hasn't. Forget the McIver thing, where Owner Jones orchestrated the official reaction. Gailey hasn't played favorites. He reportedly has kept players and coaches alike on edge.

They all want to please the new boss. But when?

The Cowboys need it to be Saturday night. Just as importantly, so does the new coach.

(Gil LeBreton is a sports columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Write to him at: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Worth, Texas, 76101.)

(c) 1998, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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