Thursday, July 30, 1998

Lett will benefit as Cowboys alter defense to stop run

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - Defensive coordinator Dave Campo spent the off-season tweaking a scheme the Dallas Cowboys have occasionally used and made it their base defense.

It's called an over-shifted 4-3.

Although the Cowboys will still have a four-man defensive line, they will use Chad Hennings at noseguard, creating a 3-4 look.

The defense will use first-round pick Greg Ellis as the defensive end on the strongside - the side the tight end lines up on - and Kavika Pittman on the weakside. Defensive tackle Leon Lett will have the option to move to either side based on matchups, though he will often be on the weakside to help Pittman against the run.

"We have to play strong run defense and this will help us do it," Campo said. "We're trying to put guys in the best spots to take advantage of their abilities."

This scheme could make Lett a superstar.

Before he was suspended for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy in 1996, Lett was on pace to have 66 tackles, four and a half sacks and nine tackles for losses. In 1994, his best season, he had 68 tackles, four sacks and seven tackles for losses.

Now, the Cowboys are using a scheme designed for him to make plays.

The Cowboys will move Lett along the defensive line to take advantage of perceived weaknesses in the offensive line.

"The scheme will have less to do with it than how Leon plays because he still has to beat the guy in front of him and get to the football," said head Coach Chan Gailey. "But this will create situations for him to make plays."

The Cowboys couldn't stop teams from running the football last season. It's no coincidence they struggled to win games.

The Cowboys finished 24th in the NFL against the run, their worst finish since 1984, when they also finished 24th.

"Everybody talks about the defensive ends, but it's the play of the tackles - Leon Lett and Chad Hennings and the emergence of guys like Darren Benson and Antonio Anderson - that will determine how good we are against the run," said Campo.

This defense also plays to one of the Cowboys' strengths: speed at linebacker.

With the middle plugged by Hennings and Lett, Campo hopes running backs will have to bounce outside, where Godfrey and weakside linebacker Dexter Coakley can run them down.

"Last year, a lot of teams tried to run at Dexter," said Godfrey, "but we're giving him more help by having Leon over there this year."

In the new scheme, the players will do a lot of flip-flopping at the line of scrimmage. Their movement will depend on which side the tight ends line up on and motion.

One of the problems of flipping sides is that defensive linemen get used to playing with a particular hand on the ground. When they flip sides, they have to flip hands, which can make a player uncomfortable.

Campo's unit is also still trying to learn all of the adjustments that have to be made based on whether the tight end or a running back goes in motion.

More adjustments have to be made if Campo calls a blitz from this alignment and the defense sees motion.

The Cowboys want Ellis on the strongside because he is a 285-pounder who is good against the run and can handle the 300-pound tackles he will face at the point of attack.

Most teams run to the strongside because the tight end gives the offense an extra blocker.

The Cowboys want Pittman on the weakside - he will play outside the tackle's left shoulder - because they want him to use his speed and turn the corner before the tackle can turn his body and block him.

"The defense puts me in a position where I can't get trapped by the tackle because I'm not as strong as most tackles, but I'm faster and quicker," said Pittman, who lost 20 pounds and weighs 263. "I felt slow and sluggish last year. This year, I feel like I got my burst back."

Pittman also will occasionally drop into pass coverage.

"It's a little bit like playing outside linebacker," said Gailey, "because Kavika is really a glorified rush linebacker."

Hennings' job is to stabilize the middle of the defensive line and create a stalemate.

"I'm probably going to see more double teams, but I like it because it allows us to create an eight-man front easier," Hennings said. "That will make it harder for us to run against."

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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