AUSTIN, Texas (KRT) - Broderick Thomas is the kind of linebacker the Cowboys
have not had recently. The Cowboys are the kind of team Thomas always has
wanted.
Former coach Jimmy Johnson demanded speed and quickness from his linebackers,
one of the trademarks that defined the Dallas defense. Thomas reflects the
change forced upon the Barry Switzer-coached Cowboys through the constant
defection of starting players in free agency and the harsh reality of the
NFL salary cap.
Thomas is decidedly slower than Dixon Edwards, the player he replaces in
training camp as the starting strongside linebacker. But Thomas intends
to counterbalance that deficit with a skill similarly difficult to find.
He is a proven pass rusher with a team that has seldom had linebackers compile
impressive sack totals. But in camp, the Cowboys have Thomas working in
pass-rush drills with the defensive linemen. All of this, Thomas declared
after a workout Friday, means he has the chance to play with the kind of
supporting talent that will make him a dominant player on a championship
team.
"I'm not impressed with any of these other outside linebackers in the
game," he said. "I know they can say the same thing about me.
But they've been playing with better supporting talent. Well, it's even
now. We'll see."
Thomas considers himself the winner in what amounted to his trade of teams
and positions with Edwards. Never mind that Edwards is playing for millions
with the Minnesota Vikings, while Thomas makes the league minimum with the
defending Super Bowl champions.
Thomas becomes the third-best pass rusher the Cowboys have the instant he
drops into his stance. Five-time Super Bowl winner Charles Haley ranks as
one of the most intimidating rushers in the league. But Thomas has compiled
39-1/2 career sacks, which is comparable to Tony Tolbert's 41-1/2 during
the same time frame.
Switzer considers Thomas an important factor as the Cowboys prepare to manage
the playing time of their starting defensive ends, both of whom are practicing
on a very limited basis. The Cowboys can depend on Thomas, who at 255 pounds
is heavier than Haley, rather than former first-round pick Shante Carver.
"I tell you what: Broderick Thomas could be one of our nickel pass-rushers,"
Switzer said. "We're looking for somebody who can pressure the quarterback.
We were impressed with him doing that last year with Minnesota."
The Cowboys are uncertain how the diminishing speed of their linebackers
impacts their defense. Thomas must demonstrate he can consistently cover
tight ends and play the run as well as Edwards. Otherwise, speedy second-round
draft choice Randall Godfrey might be considered for playing time on first
downs.
Despite the mild competition, Thomas is as comfortable as he has been in
eight NFL seasons, particularly the five-year sentence he served with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas won with powerhouse teams at Nebraska and was
ranked one of the premier players in the country.
The abysmal Buccaneers made him the sixth player drafted in 1989 and surrounded
him with marginal teammates and temporary coaches. In Dallas, Thomas teams
with two of the players drafted ahead of him, Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders.
The Cowboys are the fourth team Thomas has been with the past four seasons,
following Tampa Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. Tampa Bay personnel director
Jerry Angelo, who drafted Thomas, said he thinks he will be tremendously
successful in Dallas, motivated by constantly playing in high-profile, important
games.
"When I was playing for Tampa, they weren't really trying to win,"
Thomas said. "If I had been hurt in Tampa or one of those other places
I've been, then all I could say was that I played in the league for five
or six years and never got a chance to think about playing in the Super
Bowl.
"I was the best player on the team in Tampa," said Thomas, a nephew
of Bears' great Mike Singletary. "But I never had a football camp during
Tampa time because who in the hell would come to the Broderick Thomas Football
Camp? Who in the hell is coming? Nobody.
"I'm used to being a winner. If somebody knows football, they know
I have had a tough shake. You ask Greg Lloyd and Derrick Thomas what they
think about me. I'm damn good at what I do."
(c) 1996, Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.