IRVING, Texas - If taking over as head coach of the St. Louis Rams didn't give Jim Haslett enough to worry about, you can bet the defensive mind is in for some long nights this week.
Haslett and every defensive coach preparing to play the Cowboys now face a huge Catch 22.
That's what the addition of Roy Williams gives the Cowboys offense - somebody defenses have to account for, who is capable of beating single coverage. He forces a fundamental change in the way defenses must play the Cowboys. Once Williams settles in and learns the offense, teams can't double up on Terrell Owens and just stick that eighth man in the box to load up and stop the run all the time.
Say a defense double covers both the Cowboys Pro Bowl caliber wide receivers because they like the way their front seven plays the run - just imagine what that does for Jason Witten?
After the Cowboys lost to Washington on Sept. 26, the book was out on how to stop their offense, and both opponents since have used some form of the same strategy.
They've jammed Owens at the line of scrimmage with safety help over the top, and often brought a safety up toward the line of scrimmage to stop the run.
While the running game has been off and on, the scheme has been particularly successful against Owens. He had seven catches against the Redskins, but the Cowboys threw it to him 18 times. He caught just two balls against Cincinnati and four against Arizona, and has said he knows he isn't getting the ball if teams play cover two against him. Owens had a big start to the season with eight catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns in the first two games before Green Bay was the first team to really load up to stop him. They limited him to just two catches for 17 yards.
"I think everyone knows and sees that since the Green Bay game, there's pretty much been a blueprint for how they're playing me," Owens said. "They're putting two or three guys on me, and it's really tough to get open in those types of situations. But I think with him being on the other side and other guys making some plays, they're going to have some other guys to contend with."
There's the possibility Williams will make opponents pay enough to where they don't double Owens nearly as much, just as the defenses paying so much attention to Owens has opened things up for other guys.
"You kind of spread it out as a result of that," said offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. "That's really what he's dealt with and kind of what we are doing on offense. Anytime you have a weapon opposite him, whether you are running the football, whether it's a tight end or another receiver, you are going to attack the defense in another way."
The attention Owens has been drawing from defenses hasn't made much of a positive influence on the running game lately.
Marion Barber ran wild against the Packers, but hasn't had the same success since. The Redskins loaded up to stop him, so the Cowboys quit running the ball, only giving him eight carries. He has had rushing totals of 84 and 45 yards since, but with averages of 3.7 and 2.6 yards per carry.
Anyone paying close attention knew something was wrong with the Cowboys offense the last three weeks, win or lose. The Cowboys think adding Williams not only injects some hope into an organization going through something of a 48-hour crisis in the wake of the Cardinals game, but makes everyone on the offense better. The offensive coaches couldn't wipe the ear-to-ear grins off their faces even before Williams first stepped on the practice field Wednesday.
Defensive coordinator Brian Stewart is sure glad he doesn't have Haslett's job, or that of any defensive coordinator planning to stop the Cowboys.
"I don't know enough about what we're going to do," Stewart said of the offense. "It's too early to say. I just know that I wouldn't want to be the guy that's preparing for us.
"It's hard because . . . if you double guys and a team has a good running game, then you have two guys over here and two guys over there on the receivers, and that leaves a light box. If you have a box without a lot of people in it they're going to be able to block that up and run the ball."
It may be six weeks or more until the Cowboys can realize their true offensive potential. Savvy as veteran quarterback Brad Johnson is, his game is much different than starter Tony Romo. With Romo possibly out a month, the Cowboys won't be able to show their full arsenal until he returns.
Even then, it will take some time before he and Williams get on the same page and the receiver gets used to running his routes the way Romo likes. But once that day comes, the stress all the talent puts on a defense might be more than most teams can handle.
"It becomes a little bit of a guessing game," said tight ends coach John Garrett. "(Defenses) would have to decide per-play, per-situation, who they were going to defend. For instance, if a team uses double coverage, well who are they going to double? One time it could be No. 81 and No. 82, one time it could be No. 82 and No. 11, you know, so they would have to choose."
Say what you like about Patrick Crayton, but he didn't change the way defenses tried to stop the Cowboys. Once Williams gets accustomed to the playbook, Crayton slides back to the No. Three receiver job, where he should be able to find openings against zone defenses. As good a No. Three as he can be, Crayton couldn't consistently beat one-on-one man coverage.
Williams has all the measurables Crayton doesn't. Think 6-3, 212 pounds. Think 4.37 for a 40-yard dash time. Think 39.5-inches as his vertical leap. Does that sound much different than what T.O. brings?
"I think it's going to put a lot of pressure on defenses," Williams said. "It's pick your poison, which one are you going to do? I think I'm a possession wide receiver. I think I can complement T.O. pretty good. He's more of a deep route guy - big, fast and physical. I'm just big and physical."
Williams is familiar with a three-digit number system like the one that defines the Cowboys passing tree, having learned it in Detroit under former offensive coordinator Mike Martz. His newness to the team alone means it will be a little while before defenses really change what they do.
"I feel like I'm a pretty good wide receiver but I have to show it," Williams said. "Defenses just aren't going to respect me just by my name."
The former Texas Longhorn is used to playing opposite other talented receivers. Calvin Johnson, who now emerges as the real star in Detroit, has off-the-chart natural ability, but is still learning the pro game. For whatever the future holds for Johnson, he's a long way behind Owens at this point in time.
"I always thought that me and Calvin were pretty good but we never put the numbers in the statistics," Williams said. "(Owens and I) want to be the best group in this league, but you never know until you play the game."
While the Lions passing game never lived up to the big names it had at receiver, there were certain limitations. John Kitna isn't Romo and Kevin Jones wasn't Barber. One of the first things Williams said he ogled about the Cowboys when he arrived was the size of the offensive line, which he said he just wasn't used to.
Williams seems to like his new surroundings and the Cowboys like the firepower their new teammate brings to the offense. Running backs coach Skip Peete may have described it best.
"You've got two quality receivers," Peete said. "You're probably going to have to send some attention to both of them so your players have some over the top help. Now you've got to keep seven in the box instead of eight - unless you're a team where you feel you have the confidence in your corners to play with one free safety over the top."
The Cowboys like their odds in that situation too.
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Josh Ellis - 
