FRISCO, Texas – Had to be about 34 years ago when given a demonstration on how important a pass rush is to a secondary, a lesson these Dallas Cowboys must learn.
Like by Sunday might, since after three games the Cowboys have but three sacks, no one with more than one, and don't need to mention who is coming to town with the 2-1 Green Bay Packers.
We were in the locker room at The Ranch one day that 1991 season with Cowboys cornerback Ike Holt, a veteran acquired in the Herschel Walker trade with Minnesota that head coach Jimmy Johnson decided to keep. Google him. Ike played his college ball at Alcorn State. And in the big 1984 SWAC showdown between Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State of Jerry Rice, Ike was chosen by head coach Marino Casem to cover one of the premier receivers in the nation at the 62,000-seat Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi.
Neither campus stadium was large enough for this extravaganza drawing 63,808 that was moved to an unheard of Sunday afternoon and televised statewide. And if this speaks to Rice's prolific ability, Ike was credited with holding the future Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver to "just" eight catches for 134 yards and a touchdown, well below his season average in Alcorn's 42-28 victory.
Said Ike after the game, "Somebody said he's all-world, so if you shut him down, you must be all-universe."
Ike was a card, and he knew the Cowboys team coming off that 1-15 season of 1989 and 7-9 of 1990, still was a work in progress. And he had witnessed the Eagles in the third game of the season sack Troy Aikman 11 times – 11 now – with the likes of Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Mike Pitts, Mike Golic and Seth Joyner up front. These guys totaled 49 sacks in 1990 and were on their way to 55 in 1991.
Talked turned to the value of a pass rush. Ike marveled at the pressure the Eagles could apply to quarterbacks on a regular basis.
So Ike gets up, mimicking Eagles corner play, to explain the importance. He gets down in his ready stance, bends over, hands resting on his knees. He says, "Hike," to simulate the snap. Then he begins to backpedal, as if he's an Eagles corner.
"One, two, three," Ike said with each step. And on the third, he stands, crosses his arms and proudly says, "I'm good, I'm good," as if the play is over already, knowing with that Eagles pass rush, that's about all the time their corners are required to cover.
Get it.
Sure, the current Cowboys secondary has been porous. This defense has already given up in three games pass plays of 51 yards, 50, 28, 25, 29, 52, 32, 48, 31, 35, 65, 41 and 29. That's 13 receptions of at least 25 yards, every one of those resulting in scoring drives, 11 touchdowns and two field goals, with five of those completions for touchdowns.
And we're talking 900 yards worth of completions in three games. That takes a clean pocket. That takes time for those explosive plays to develop.
"Are we getting enough pressure on the quarterback?" head coach Brian Schottenheimer asked rhetorically. "No, you know, when you look at it we could be better. Come out of (the Chicago) game with no sacks. That's not good enough.
"Certainly, the coverage's best friend is the pass rush."
Heck, Ike could have told you that.
• Take II: Well, speaking of that, veteran Jadeveon Clowney is participating in his second week of practice with the Cowboys, but on Wednesday his first in pads since like the first week in January, Schottenheimer says he's "trending" toward being able to play on Sunday. Clowney says there is precedence for him playing Sunday against Green Bay without having participated in a training camp, and Schotty witnessed this in Seattle. Clowney said to me, "Look it up." Well, here it is. In 2019, Clowney, holding out of Houston training camp while refusing to sign his franchise tag, is traded to Seattle on Sept. 1. On Sept. 9 in Seattle's season opener,Clownery plays 46 snaps, finishing with two tackles, one sack, one TFL, one QB hit and one pass defensed. So no wonder he earlier insisted, "I'm ready to get out there and go," after Wednesday's practice. "I was hoping I could last Sunday." No wonder Schottenheimer said Clowney was "trending" toward playing on Sunday; he was in Seattle for that game. Might be a good bet, Clowney reassuring to me, "This ain't nothing new to me."
• Rush Street: That's a good thing since the Cowboys' pass rush needs an energy boost. The Cowboys not only go into the game missing Micah Parsons and his 12 sacks of last year, but of the 52 team sacks in 2024, guys responsible for 38 of those are no longer here. Lot of sacks to fill. Watch for it, Clowney will be wearing No. 42
• Next, Next Man Up: Now dealing with Tyler Booker's high ankle sprain likely keeping him out three to five weeks, T.J. Bass would seem to be the next right guard up. That's fine and good, but the Cowboys also need to figure out who the next guard up becomes, especially since Brock Hoffman, a potential backup guard, is now the starting center in place of the inured Cooper Beebe, who is on IR and required to miss at least four games before being eligible to return. According to Schottenheimer, the Cowboys must also get sixth-year veteran Hakeem Adeniji and second-year veteran Trevor Keegan ready too. Keegan now is the likely backup center, since Bass, a potential backup center, must get ready to play guard.
• On The Corner: Great news, sorta, at cornerback. The injured DaRon Bland, having missed the past two games with a foot injury, did return to practice on a limited basis Wednesday, another guy Schottenheimer says is "trending" toward playing on Sunday. During the period open to the media, Bland at least went through individual drills and skeleton drills with the first unit. Problem is, while Treveon Diggs was out at practice, he didn't do much more than watch, and is being listed as DNP, now nursing a bum knee. Cowboys just can't seem to get those two guys on the field at the same time.
• Stolen Property: The Texans created a small nuisance by signing practice squad cornerback Zion Childress away to their 53-man roster. Remember, with Bland out these past two games, Childress had been elevated off the practice squad. The rookie had one elevation leftbut makes a wise financial decision heading south since players signed off another team's practice squad are guaranteed three checks. Depending on Bland and Diggs' game-day status, the only other corner on the practice squad is Robert Rochell, elevated the past two games with only one left.
• Missing Lamb: Of course, with CeeDee Lamb, his high ankle sprain projecting to keep him out three to five weeks, the Cowboys are needing to replace the receiver leading the team with 16 catches on the game-day roster with at least a body for insurance. Over the first three games, the Cowboys had kept five receivers active. They now must elevate off the practice squad either Jalen Brooks, Jalen Cropper or Traeshon Holden. Brooks has the most NFL experience, 21 games worth over the past two years with 18 catches.
• Here We Go Again: Good news for former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, selected among the top 128 initial candidates in his first year of eligibility for consideration into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And yes, knocking on the door again after advancing to the top 15 the past three years is Cowboys safety Darren Woodson. I'd say it's about time, right? But dang, it's past time. Maybe for Woody the fourth time's a charm, for gosh sakes.
• Say Cheese: Here is an interesting cheese bite: The Packers' weekly media information packet that all teams produce has been called The Dope Sheet since its inception in 1921. Back then, the word "dope" meant like all the information, another sign of how times do change … As for a little Cowboys "dope," they have now rushed for at least 119 yards in the first three games, and the last time the Cowboys have hung a hundred rushing at least four times in a row would be in 2023 with five straight. They also opened the season with four straight during Tony Pollard's 1,005-yard season … Dak Prescott needs 29 completions to pass Troy Aikman (2,898) for the most in franchise history … And one more Dak: He's thrown multiple touchdown passes against the Packers in six consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history against a single opponent to begin a career.
And once again, time for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to command our final word of the week. Speaking during his 105.3 The Fan weekly radio segment, he was asked if the stalled contract negotiations with Micah Parsons became too personal, and was that the impetus for trading away the team's leader in sacks for three consecutive seasons to the Packers instead of making the trade a football decision.
"Absolutely not, not at all," Jerry began. "It was nothing personal. I told you, I like Micah. There was no issue regarding, as much as people wanted to make that of it, there was no issue regarding the feelings relative to the negotiation. Certainly not on my part. It was just par for the course.
"The facts are the negotiations were on-going. Now, people made a lot of we weren't talking. I had on the table the best I could do. Period. And really, I wanted to see by chumming it up out there so that we could see what Micah might be worth in trade value. And that was the plan all the way through the quote 'negotiations.'
"As a matter of fact, cool as a cucumber as far as feelings, as far as flaring."
And there you go.
