AUSTIN, Texas (KRT) - The most intense competition of this Dallas Cowboys
training camp pits a bald man who smokes against a curly-haired man who
wears glasses.
Dallas offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese and defensive coordinator Dave
Campo must decide which of them needs Deion Sanders the most. Sanders could
not have been in greater demand Thursday as the defending Super Bowl champions
held their first practices of training camp.
The positions initially making the Cowboys the most nervous are wide receiver
and cornerback. Currently, Michael Irvin and Kevin Smith are playing neither.
Of course, Sanders plays them both.
As the two-way player completed the first day of what should become his
first full training camp in eight NFL seasons, Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones
predicted Sanders could play more offense than defense this season. Jones
called the proper division of Sanders' playing time the most compelling
challenge for Barry Switzer and his coaching staff.
Jones insists logic mandates Sanders could play more wide receiver than
cornerback. Not only does Jones consider football more of an offensive game,
but passing offense has become increasingly important around the league.
And, as Zampese put it, the football belongs to the owner of the team.
"Certainly now that Michael may miss some time, Deion becomes that
much more important," Jones said. "We know we have to move the
football. I'm not trying to place more of an importance on one or the other,
but if Deion turns out to be one of the premier receivers in the NFL, we'll
do some compromising on defense. The real key is to have him in both positions
when you need him."
Zampese depends on Sanders becoming more of a playmaking wide receiver the
instant Irvin is suspended. Meanwhile, Campo regards Sanders as the finest
cover cornerback in football and needs him more than ever if Smith, still
not practicing, cannot overcome the ruptured Achilles' tendon that sidelined
him for all but one game last season.
While Jones seems to throw in with Zampese and the offense, Switzer maintains
a defensive-first philosophy.
"I don't think you can take the best cover cornerback in football and
not use him in certain situations against certain teams in critical situations
and let him do what he does the best - and that is cover people," he
said. "If I was an offensive coordinator that had to play us, I would
be smiling if I knew he wasn't out there playing defense.
"How many first-down snaps he gets, I don't know. But Deion is going
to play defense. He has to play defense."
There are numerous uncertainties complicating the already confused situation
regarding Sanders.
When will Irvin return to the team? How long will he be suspended? Will
Smith be healthy for the regular season? How does Sanders develop as a receiver
and what kind of impact can he make?
The Cowboys have Sanders playing the position Kevin Williams played last
season. Williams, now the most proven receiver the team has, shifted to
flanker when Irvin abruptly decided to return to Miami with his family rather
than report to training camp with his teammates.
During camp, Sanders will concentrate on developing his offensive skills
while taking enough defensive snaps to keep sharp. His defensive playmaking
skills should not diminish through neglect, since he normally would be playing
major league baseball this time of year.
Sanders practically is certain to become the only two-way starter in the
league this season. He made a football-only commitment to the Cowboys and
worked throughout the off-season to improve as a receiver. But he remains
somewhat unproven with 13 career regular-season receptions.
"Deion has tremendous talent, but it takes more than having great hands
and great speed," quarterback Troy Aikman said. "You have to have
a willingness to go over the middle and get hit and catch the football.
And I think it will take time for us to develop a rapport. Michael and I
have been throwing together since I've been here."
Since they are not together now, the Cowboys would be confronting a serious
manpower shortage if Sanders were not in camp. Zampese would be pushing
for the team to pursue a veteran receiver. Campo would be pressuring for
a proven cornerback. As it is, they both merely want Sanders.
"My goal is to win Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys," Sanders
said. "The personal goals and achievements are not important to me
any more. I have enough personal accomplishments to last three or four athletes
a lifetime, so those things do not matter to me."
(c) 1996, Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.