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Everything clicks, especially Herschel Walker

By Randy Galloway

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Hopefully, Troy Aikman will make good on his pledge about not trying to tell American Airlines how mechanics should fix planes.

But when it comes to pumping jet fuel into the Cowboys' offense, maybe Aikman should be seeking more input from the very sources he wanted to hush.

Talk show callers and bar stool offensive coordinators have offered Valley Ranch a ton of corrective offensive measures over the last month, all of them, of course, immediately trash-canned.

But the central theme of this street chorus had always been the same:

Unleash Herschel as a receiver.

That idea appeared to have the same chance of happening as Ernie Zampese doing 1,000 situps a night. But along about the fourth quarter here Sunday, with an entire season about to bottom out on the Cowboys, darn if Herschel Walker, pass receiver, didn't unleash himself.

"Told you sos" rained down across North Texas as Walker went barreling through tacklers (he broke four) en route to 64 of the most clutch touchdown yards seen around here in several years.

Even though Aikman had to later admit "it's a fluke" for that particular play to (ital) go ... all ... the ... way, (end ital) there was nothing flukey about Cowboys 26, Jacksonville 22.

Something kicked in Sunday, and it was more than Herschel's 35-year-old legs. Be it pride, be it embarrassment, be it whatever, the Cowboys played as hard as they could for as long as they could, and were eventually rewarded, thanks to Herschel.

That a three-time Super Bowl winner in this decade had to be at its very best to merely survive against a third-year expansion team is not a ringing endorsement for the Cowboys. But it certainly was far superior to what was on display six days earlier in Washington. And also far superior to any performance since Labor Day weekend.

Asked if the season had been on the line in Sunday's game, Aikman paused, smiled and replied, "don't try to over-analyze it. See how it goes next week first."

But most armchair football shrinks would have predicted psychological hell for the Cowboys - to go along with a growing injury problem - if they hadn't survived against the Jaguars.

By midway through the third quarter they were playing their best combination of offense and defense going way back to the opener in Pittsburgh. The Dallas lead was 19-7, and the Jags had a worn-out defense plus an offense buried in three-and-out misery.

The Cowboys were cruising. Two Jacksonville possessions later, they were behind, 22-19, and faced a second-and-22 at their own 36-yard line. Unable to mount any sort of running game, Jags quarterback Mark Brunell - a good one - simply barbecued the heart of the Dallas defense, meaning the secondary, which by this time was missing a reinjured Darren Woodson. And Brunell did his damage by using a trio of receivers, two of whom are former Cowboys. Bring Aikman the head of anyone responsible for Jimmy Smith and Willie Jackson no longer being here.

Anyway, the Cowboys were playing at a season peak in effort and execution, but (ital) were still behind (end ital) in the fourth quarter. Rather scary.

That's when Herschel, in the starting backfield because of Daryl Johnston's injury, circled into the flat from his fullback position, then ran a post route. Aikman found Walker in the middle of the field on a play designed to hopefully result in like a third-and-10. "We were just trying to have a chance on third down," said Zampese, the offensive coordinator.

Herschel would have none of that. Said Zampese: "Herschel kept breaking tackles, and I'm thinking maybe it will go for 15 yards , then maybe it will actually go for a first down, then I'm screaming, 'Go ahead on with it, big man.' "

Twenty minutes after the game, and it was Zampese who looked like he had personally made the Herschel run. "I think I'm getting too old for this," he said, grinning.

It, of course, has been an offense that was making old men out of all involved. But red-zone touchdown success was experienced - twice - Sunday, and overall it was the most balanced and disciplined effort of the season despite Johnston and tackle Mark Tuinei going down this week.

"We were better today," said Aikman, "because we didn't have the penalties, which meant we didn't have so much negative yardage, and therefore we had a chance to convert on third downs and did so."

This time the opposition came unglued because of yellow flag stupidity. Jacksonville created penalty-induced disaster for itself through the first 2 quarters. But despite it all, the Jaguars rallied, had the lead, lost the lead, and were threatening again in the final minute until Tony Tolbert's huge pressure on Brunell caused an interception.

But basically, the Cowboys played well and hard. It has been a long, long time since either was the case. Then again, talk show callers and bar stool QBs knew the cure all along.

(Randy Galloway is a sports columnist for the Dallas Morning News. Write to him at: Dallas Morning News, Communications Center, Dallas, Texas 75265.)