Thursday, July 30, 1998

Cowboys coach looks beyond poor practice

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - While the Dallas Cowboys had a poor practice Monday morning, Coach Chan Gailey said their last two practices have been good.

He was especially pleased with Tuesday's practice because it was more than two hours long and ended with a high-intensity, full-contract goal-line drill.

"The thing I'll remember most from this practice was how hard they practiced when they were dog tired," Gailey said of his team. "Today we took a step toward getting better.

"You hope that when guys haven't been hitting much, they will have a lot of intensity when they get a chance to do it," Gailey said.

AT A GLANCE

- ATTENDANCE: 2,800 people attended the morning practice for a total of 44,400.

- TEMPERATURE: It was 95 degrees in the afternoon, with a heat index of 98.

- INJURIES: Cornerback Ronald Bailey (strained left hamstring), receivers Anthony Eubanks (strained left hamstring), Junior Filikitonga (sprained right knee), Jimmy Oliver (hamstring) are day-to-day and didn't practice. Cornerback Wendell Davis (knee) and linebacker Broderick Thomas (knee) are out for the season.

- ODD SITE OF THE DAY: Troy Aikman is not noted for being an especially mobile quarterback, but there he was throwing a jump pass in the middle of Tuesday's practice.

- BLOCK OF THE DAY: Poor Darren Hambrick was officially welcomed to the NFL when Larry Allen and Daryl Johnston combined to flatten him on a sweep.

- INTERCEPTION OF THE DAY: Strong safety Darren Woodson intercepted a pass that was thrown behind him, something he has made a habit of in training camp.

- PASS ROUTE OF THE DAY: Emmitt Smith, coming out of the backfield, threw a move on Nate Hemsley that left the linebacker wondering where Smith went. Smith caught a short pass across the middle for a touchdown.

OFFICIAL PRACTICE:

The Cowboys used three NFL officials to monitor their practice Tuesday.

The officials will monitor practices for the next two days before giving a presentation Thursday night about rule changes.

Instead of throwing flags on rule violations, Coach Chan Gailey has asked the officials to tell the players when they have committed an infraction.

"We want to keep it low-key and make it a learning experience," Gailey said. "I've also told the players to ask the officials questions."

LOOKING AHEAD:

Coach Chan Gailey said he has not decided how much his starters will play in Friday's pre-season game against Seattle.

In the past, the Cowboys have not played their starters for more than a series or two. This year, however, they could play as much as a quarter because the Cowboys are putting in a new offense.

Gailey said the most important aspect of Friday's game is for rookies and young players to use the techniques they have practiced in game situations.

"It's a fine line you walk between seeing the young guys play and playing the veterans," Gailey said. "We've got some young players and we're going to give them a chance to prove they belong on the field."

MYERS MAKING PLAYS:

Defensive tackle Michael Myers, a fourth-round pick from Alabama, has been coming on strong in recent practices.

And he's mostly doing it against the first-team offensive line.

Myers, using a quick first step, has spent much of his time in the backfield disrupting plays.

"The guy has amazing quickness," Coach Chan Gailey said. "He's a changeup for us because most of our other guys are 6-6 and 300 pounds, and here's this guy who's got speed making plays at 6-2 and 285 pounds."

PREDICTION:

- Tim Price, "San Antonio Express-News." What will the Cowboys' record be this season? 8-8 because they have too many holes fill on the defensive line.

PROFILE:

Each day, "The Dallas Morning News" will spotlight a non-starter, who is having a good camp or could make a surprising contribution this season.

- NATE HEMSLEY.

- POSITION: Linebacker.

- HT.: 6-0. WT.: 219.

- EXPERIENCE: first season.

- COLLEGE: Syracuse.

- DID YOU KNOW: Hemsley played four seasons with defensive tackle Antonio Anderson at Syracuse.

- THE PAST: Originally signed as a free agent by Tennessee, Hemsley spent much of last season on the practice squad. He was added to the roster for the final two games.

- THE PRESENT: The Cowboys like his aggressiveness and the way he always seems to be near the action. They also like his speed. He is battling for a backup linebacker job.

- THE FUTURE: His speed and tackling ability should make him a quality special-teams player in addition to his role as a backup to Dexter Coakley at weakside linebacker.

(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.