IRVING, Texas - Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips made one thing very clear when he first took over some 20 months ago.
While he arrived in Dallas with a specific defensive scheme, he has always stated that he fits the system around his players and their talents, rather than asking the players to fit the scheme.
Cornerbacks such as Terence Newman and Adam Jones and Anthony Henry might prefer to play more man-to-man coverage than zone, but the Cowboys and Phillips' defense has been playing a majority of zone coverage here in the first four games.
The players have indicated they would like to play closer to the line of scrimmage at times, but so far the coaching staff is hoping to see some improvement in that area.
"We haven't played man as well as I'd like to play," head coach Wade Phillips said. "We say we have guys that can play man, but we haven't played man that well.
We've been trying to and some games we did play well. There were some series and games that we played well man-to-man, but we're not there man-to-man-wise yet."
And that was evident in the Cowboys' loss to the Redskins on Sunday, although the team played its cornerbacks mostly off the ball.
That seemed to work right into the Redskins' hands as Washington used its West Coast Offense and ran many short passes against the Cowboys' off coverage.
Newman, who admitted to playing one of his worst games of his career, said after the game that he wished the team mixed up the coverages more.
"They knew what we were going to be in . . . they got us on a couple calls," Newman said. "We just didn't adjust as much as I thought we should've early on. We have to mix it up a little bit. But I think we'll be all right."
Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said game plans change from week to week, and added there will likely be a new approach to Sunday's game against the Bengals, who feature arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the league with T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Ocho Cinco.
"It may change game to game. Some receivers can't get off the press, you want to be on those guys," said Stewart, who makes the defensive calls in the game. "Some guys, with the route combinations of teams, it's better (to be off) and have vision and see the ball when it's in the air.
"I just think everyone has to understand what our players do well. The players have to understand what we play well as a team, as a defense. With that mix, that's what we come up with on Sunday."
To Stewart, the idea of playing off the ball is simple: not to get beat deep.
"It's better to give up a five-yard pass than a 25-yard pass," Stewart said. "Plus we have pressure and lot of things going on. When you have things going on, you have a chance to see the ball and maybe get an interception or a big hit. If we're playing close to the guy, you can't see the ball. If you're beat, you're beat."
So far this season, the Cowboys have allowed a total of seven pass plays of 10 yards or more. Last year through the first four games, when the Cowboys played the Giants, Dolphins, Rams and Bears, the defense allowed 11.
Giving up seven, and only three of more than 30 yards, is just fine with the Cowboys.
"That's very minimal. We're probably leading the league," Stewart said, referring to big plays against the defense. "We're in the minimum in that. Definitely."
Stewart added that playing close to the line of scrimmage isn't just a coaches' decision, and that the players can often cover a receiver how they want.
"A lot of times, he can. It's on them," Stewart said. "Now some of our zones, you can't be bump and run on a zone. But sometimes, it's at their discretion."
Newman has been a longtime proponent of playing man coverage, but even he has admitted that his latest injury, a strained groin suffered early in training camp that kept him out until the second week of the regular season, has made him somewhat limited here in the first part of the season.
Phillips agreed, saying Newman is just now starting to return to his old self. Last year, a foot injury in training camp forced him to miss the first two games, but it took a few more games played before he was back to 100 percent.
"It took a while. He came back slowly because we brought him back slowly," Phillips said referring to last year's injury. "We brought him back a little faster this time, I think. But I think he'll be, I think in a game or two games more, he'll be back to his normal self."
With Newman out for the majority of camp and all of the preseason, the Cowboys got a better look at rookie corners Mike Jenkins, a first-round pick, and fifth-round selection Orlando Scandrick.
And the addition of Adam Jones, who has also played a majority of man coverage in his two years with the Titans, the Cowboys have been working in some new faces to the defense.
Wit that, Phillips was on the fence when asked if he was surprised his team hasn't played better in man coverage.
"Yes and no. We've got new players," Phillips said. "Some of them are trying to fit in, in a new defense. We're getting a feel for what they can do and what they can't do."
Phillips said he isn't set on playing just one style, whether it's in coverage or the way his defense attacks the quarterback.
"I've played it all. It's all (about) personnel and what you can do best," Phillips said. "I've played straight zone some years. One year in Buffalo, we've played almost all man-to-man. It's what the players can do. It's not what I can come up with."
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