Wednesday, February 18, 1998

Privately or publicly, Chan Gailey must show force

By Randy Galloway

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

DALLAS - Here in the honeymoon period for Chan Gailey - enjoy it while you can, Chan - a philosophical answer will be provided for the one question he has conveniently dodged since arriving in Dallas.

A renewal of team discipline is obviously a pertinent topic for the Cowboys. Even the players are asking for it, at least the players who have an interest in restoring football law and order to Valley Ranch. Which is most of them.

In truth, this has become a team that needs its butt kicked all the way to, well, Wichita Falls, and then back again. That would add up to about 240 miles of round-trip butt-kicking.

But when asked for public comment on discipline, Gailey talked over it, around it, and, really, he has rambled a bit. At his introductory media conference last week, Gailey mentioned that if there's a problem, "even if it's in the janitor's closet," then it brings down the whole team. I bet that's one place Marty Griffin forgot to look - the janitor's closet.

Actually, all this crawfishing from Gailey can be interpreted in a positive way - remember, it's the honeymoon period, and because of the class and character displayed by the newcomer, he is entitled to bonus grace points.

But Gailey knows. And because he does know, the last thing he wanted to do was come to town talking immediately like Sheriff Buford Pusser. By allowing discipline to be a private subject between Gailey and each individual player, the importance can be emphasized even more.

The players have been in charge at Valley Ranch for four years. But if Gailey is the right coach for this job, he will overthrow that cozy little kingdom without ever saying a word to the media. And that starts with even the most minute demands being placed on players - always be on time for team meetings, always be attentive in team meetings, and either consider the practice field a work place, or be gone. This is football discipline at its most basic form, but even that had been trampled at Valley Ranch because of toothless leadership.

With the exception of Bill Bates, who tries to be Diplomat, any player ever heard praising the dearly departed previous coach didn't want to see the lazy, hazy days end at Valley Ranch. Some had enough talent that they could avoid work. Others did so anyway. But 6-and-10 caved in the playpen.

We will know soon enough how successful Gailey becomes with this new challenge, but maybe his NFL coaching roots already provide an answer. At this level, he has worked under two head coaches - Dan Reeves and Bill Cowher. Neither ever has compromised on discipline. Players cut no corners on Reeves or Cowher. It stands to reason a bunch of Reeves and Cowher rubbed off on Gailey.

The guess is Gailey purposely downplayed making a public issue of discipline, but, again, he knows the score here.

It was laughable four years ago to hear the excuse that after the Jimmy Johnson era, an easy rider was needed as head coach. Easy riders in the NFL eventually drive teams off the side of a cliff, and the Cowboys took that drive.

Johnson's sledge-hammer approach may be different from Gailey's, but as long as there is still the emphasis on discipline, style doesn't matter.

In 1989, linebacker Steve DeOssie's days were numbered at Valley Ranch when he greeted the news of Jerry Jones buying the Cowboys by whistling the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies." And then DeOssie back-talked defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt during a mini-camp. Bye-bye, Steve.

Be it Oklahoma State, Miami or the Cowboys, Johnson was confident with a certain thug element because he knew he could handle the outlaws. Only when the next coach came in at each place did the inmates take over the prison, which was a credit to Jimmy.

Squeals of protest were heard from Jimmy critics when he signed Public Football Enemy No. 1, Lawrence Phillips, in December. But have you heard a peep from Phillips since? Johnson didn't make that Phillips signing for immediate or long-range reasons. But if Phillips is still trouble-free in July, he will be in Miami's training camp with a chance to win a starting job at running back. At the first hint of trouble, he will be gone. Jimmy's discipline is the best kind of discipline, and it worked wonders as he built the Cowboys into a mighty football machine.

What Johnson constructed, however, has been destroyed over the last four years. Now, Gailey has to start all over with discipline. Doing it his way will be fine, just as long as he does it.

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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