Dallas is Still in Hibernation

It was unbearable, pun intended.

The regular season began this past weekend but nobody told the Dallas Cowboys offense. A mistake prone unit wasted a strong performance by the Dallas defense, allowing the Chicago Bears to break open a close game and post a 22-6 victory.

The blame could be evenly spread. Kevin Williams dropped three catchable passes. Troy Aikman sprayed the ball, underthrowing it on some occassions and overthrowing on others. His interception before the half brought the Cowboys most promising drive of the night to a screeching halt.

The offensive line was out of sync. Erik Williams was called for illegal procedure on consecutive plays on the Cowboys' opening series, and things only got worse. Derek Ware drew a crucial holding penalty while the game still hung in the balance. Even the dependable Nate Newton was flagged for holding. The poor execution also spread to the receiving corps. Dallas was penalized have having two men in motion on several occassions.

On this night even Emmitt Smith made a mistake, fumbling a pitchout at the Bears' 47 one play after a Kevin Smith interception. Smith's drop ruined an impressive opening night; Smith barely amassed 70 yards, but he leveled several Bears linebackers with crushing blocks. His hit on safety John Mangum in the second quarter knocked Mangum off his feet.

Smith's aggressiveness removed any doubts about the condition of his injured right knee. Sadly, Dallas fans may have to worry about another Smith ailment. Late in the fourth quarter, Emmitt dove over the line of scrimmage faking a run and landed on his head. Smith complained of a sharp, shooting pain through his back and was removed on a stretcher as a precaution. He spent the night in a Chicago hospital for observation.

Gadget Plays Make the Difference

Across the field, Bears' coach Dave Wannstedt hit his former team with some trickery. The Bears' offense had sputtered after it's opening drive saw receiver Michael Timpson fumble at the Dallas one yard line.

Determined to erase a 3-0 Dallas lead late in the second quarter, Wannstedt called for a flanker pass off a reverse. Curtis Conway's pass was badly underthrown, but on this night bad was good for Chicago. Fullback Raymont Harris saw the ball and stopped for it. Darrin Smith did not. The resulting touchdown gave the Bears a slim lead they would not lose.

Later in the half, Chicago called for a pass from a punt formation and caught Dallas in a full rush. The play gained 47 yards. The defense held, but Carlos Huerta's short kick gave the Bears a seven point halftime lead.

The tricks had to frustrate a Cowboys defense that played well. The Cowboys secondary limited Erik Kramer to slants and dumpoffs to his backs. Kramer missed eight consecutive passes at the end of the half, when Chicago first threatened to put the game away. He finished the game with only 12 completions in 27 attempts for 133 yards. The Bears got their receivers into single coverage, but were foiled by a stingy Dallas nickel defense.

The most encouraging sign for the defense was the play of Kevin Smith. Smith did permit a long gain when he jumped an out pattern and missed the ball. Despite the play, Smith provided tight coverage on the Chicago receivers. Kramer tested him several times on the first two series but abandoned that plan when Smith broke up some passes.

Deion Does Four Quarters

Lost in the rubble was Deion Sanders' debut as a fulltime player. Sanders was amazing, taking the field for 107 total plays. On defense, he jarred the ball loose from Timpson at the Dallas one, preventing an early Bears score. He effectively shut down Curtis Conway, allowing only a pair of short throws to be completed to his side.

On offense, Sanders was the Cowboys' only consistent weapon. He often lined up against rookie cornerback Walt Harris, who gave Sanders a ten yard cushion. Deion took advantage of the soft coverage, running comeback routes in front of Harris time after time. He finished with nine receptions for 87 yards.

But alas, even Sanders wore goat horns. His fumble early in the fourth quarter led to a Bears field goal that pushed the Bears lead to 16-3. A fumble by Troy Aikman on the following series was recovered in the end zone by Bryan Cox, ballooning the lead to 22-3 and dashing any thoughts of a Cowboys comeback.

Dallas Opens Slowly, Then Takes Control

The Cowboys first series was a microcosm of the game to come. On the first play from scrimmage, Aikman threw to an open Williams, who had run a hook in front of Donnell Woolford. The pass bounced off the turf in front of Williams. On second down, Aikman overthrew Johnston, who was open in the left flat. The next two plays saw Erik Williams flagged for lining up too far off the line. The first penalty wiped out a fourteen yard completion to Sanders.

After Dallas punted, Chicago opened from its 28. An out from Kramer to tight end Keith Jennings gained six yards. A draw to Raymont Harris netted five more yards and a first down. Two plays later, Conway ran a slant in front of Kevin Smith and beat his tight coverage for a twelve yard gain.

Two plays later, on third and seven, Michael Timpson ran an out on Smith. Smith cut in front of Timpson and tried to intercept Kramer's pass. The ball was high and went over the leaping Smith. It was brought down by Timpson, who scampered to the Dallas ten before he was tackled by George Teague.

A running play to Harris on the next play gained only one yard. Leon Lett then barreled through the line to knock down a Kramer throw. On third and goal, Kramer threw to Timpson, who was running a crossing route at the five. Timpson pulled away from Bill Bates and tried to leap over Deion Sanders and into the end zone. Sanders knocked the ball away from Timpson. Brock Marion picked up the fumble and ran to midfield. The ball was stripped by a hustling Conway, but it was recovered by Darren Woodson at the Bears 37.

On the second drive, Dallas abandoned the one back set it had used to open the game and put Daryl Johnston at fullback. On first down, Emmitt Smith followed Larry Allen on a counter play and gained twelve yards. Two draws to Smith gained five more. On third down, Aikman tossed to Sanders, who ran a slant in front of Donnell Woolford. The completion gave Dallas a first down at the Bears' sixteen.

A reverse to Kevin Williams lost two yards. On second down, Aikman found Williams between the Bears' linebackers, and he slithered his way to the ten. On third and five, Aikman checked off to a draw play. Smith was stopped for no gain by Mark Carrier. Chris Boniol's field goal attempt was good and Dallas had a 3-0 lead.

When Chicago regained the ball Kramer went back to attacking Kevin Smith. A slant to Conway gained six, but a fly pattern by Bobby Engram was well covered by Smith. Kramer's bomb fell incomplete and the Bears punted. A booming Todd Sauerbrun kick pushed the Cowboys back to their ten yard line.

Dallas then began a promising eight play drive. The Cowboys opened the drive by passing ten yards to Sanders. Two plays later, Aikman found Herschel Walker, who was running an out against a Bears linebacker. The catch game Dallas a first down at the 35. Two plays later, Zampese set Walker wide left, then lined up Williams and Johnston together in the left slot. At the snap, the three receivers scattered. Williams cut across the middle and ran a short Aikman toss to the Chicago 48. Here the drive stalled. Aikman's short throw to Smith on third and six gained nothing, and Dallas had to punt a second time.

Starting at its 20, Chicago gained only six yards on three plays. A run blitz by Fred Strickland stopped Harris in the backfield on third and two. Here, the Bears got a huge break. Dallas set up a return and rushed no one at Sauerbrun. When the snap went through his hands and into the endzone, there was no Cowboy there to tackle him. Sauerbrun was able to get his kick away.

Dallas started on its own 40, and began another steady, but ill-fated drive. Aikman opened the series with a nine yard out to Sanders. Daryl Johnston then hammered two yards on a fullback dive. Smith followed Larry Allen on a sweep right and gained seven yards to the Chicago 42. Two more Smith blasts gave the Cowboys a first down at the 38.

On the following play, Herschel Walker circled out of the backfield and carried an Aikman pass to the Bears 21. The Cowboys were set to take a significant early lead, but poor execution did them in. On first down, Zampese called for a reverse to Williams. Bryan Cox read the play and stopped Williams after a one yard gain. The Bears then blitzed on second down. The Cowboys recognized the blitz but failed to exploit it when Aikman badly underthrew an open Williams.

A procedure call against Erik Williams set the Cowboys back to the Bears' 25. On third down, Aikman threw right to Williams, who beat Woolford on a comeback pattern at the Bears' eight. Williams dropped the ball. The play would have been nullified anyway; Nate Newton was flagged for holding, moving the ball back to the 35. On third and 24, Aikman scrambled to the 25. Dallas tried to salvage a field goal but failed when Boniol hooked the kick wide left. The Cowboys had just run a 50 yard, eight play drive and a nine play, 36 yard drive. They had nothing to show for them.

The Bears Cash In

Chicago had survived the Dallas push, and now counterattacked. Starting at their 32, the Bears marched 68 yards in only five plays. On the first play of the drive Kramer hit Conway for a twelve yard gain. Two draws by Robert Green moved the ball to the Dallas 44. From there Kramer threw an eleven yard stop pattern to Timpson, who beat Deion Sanders to the ball.

On the next play, Timpson lined up wide left with Conway in the slot. Conway came in motion and took a handoff from Kramer. Conway stopped and threw deep to Harris, who was running down the left sideline. Darrin Smith was running stride for stride with Harris. Had Smith looked up, he might have intercepted the ball. When he kept his head down Harris cut in front of him. Harris made a sliding catch of Conway's fading pass on the goalline. Carlos Huerta's PAT made the score 7-3. Dallas had failed to expand its lead over Chicago and now that lead was gone.

The Cowboys responded to the Bears' score with their most impressive drive of the night. The Cowboys quickly drove from their 20 to the Chicago 35 in six efficient plays. Aikman opened the drive by throwing nine yards to Sanders, who again ran an out in front of rookie Walt Harris. Smith then ran a draw to the Dallas 40. On the next play Aikman faked a pass to Smith and threw a screen to Johnston, who rumbled to the Chicago 48. After a two yard draw and an incompete pass, Aikman again found Sanders open in front of Harris. Aikman took a timeout. 1:30 remained in the half and Dallas had two time outs.

Dallas then lined up in an I formation with Williams flanked outside of Derek Ware. Ware ran a seam route up the middle and Williams ran go route outside him. The Cowboys hoped that Ware would keep the safety in the middle of the field. Strong safety Marty Carter ignored Ware and drifted outside to apply double coverage to Williams. When Aikman forced a pass into coverage Carter intercepted it and returned it to the Bears 39. For the third time, Dallas had driven easily into Bears' territory. But again, the Cowboys came up empty.

One More Trick Before the Half

The Cowboys defense gave the team one more shot for a first half score, holding the Bears to one yard on three plays. Joe Avezzano crowded the line with ten men, hoping to get another bad snap. The Bears were ready for the heavy rush and beat it when Sauerbrun threw a pass to a wide open Raymont Harris. Kevin Williams came up to challenge Harris, allowing Darren Woodson to run him down at the Dallas 15.

With 32 seconds left in the half, the Bears had a chance to open an eleven point lead. That opportunity was nullified by strong Cowboys coverage. Kramer threw three incompletions and Wannstedt waved Huerta onto the field. His short kick was good. The Cowboys went to the locker room knowing they could have a short lead. At worst, the deficit should have been four points. Instead, it was seven.

The Offense Self Destructs

Halftime was no tonic for the struggling offense. The defense gave it another golden opportunity when Kevin Smith intercepted Kramer on the third play of the second half. Starting at the Bears 45, the offense needed only fifteen yards to get into field goal range. Even that modest plan was scrapped when Smith let a pitchout slip through his fingers. Bryan Cox recoved the ball at the Dallas 47 and the Cowboys were once again on the defensive.

Four carries by Green and Harris gave the Bears a first down at the Dallas 20. The defense then stiffened. Tony Tolbert dropped Green for no gain. Two Kramer passes gained but two yards. The Cowboys got a reprieve when Huerta missed the field goal. Twenty five minutes still remained, plenty of time for the Cowboys to settle down and score.

The offense sputtered and showed minor signs of life. The Cowboys now used Daryl Johnston as the main weapon for another incursion into Bears territory. On first and ten from the 25, Johnston caught a swing pass for six yards. Two plays later he slashed across the middle of the Bears zone, gathered in Aikman's pass and rumbled to the Dallas 47. Two plays later Sanders made a leaping catch of an Aikman toss at the Bears 42. Two Smith runs gave Dallas a first down at the Chicago 38.

Here again, poor execution stopped the drive. Aikman read a Chicago blitz but overthrew Sanders. On second down Aikman threw to Williams at the Chicago 20. The pass was low, but catchable. Williams dropped the ball, his second important drop of the night. Dallas then got a break when Chicago jumped offsides. It could do nothing however, as Donnell Woolford knocked away a slant pass intended for Sanders. The Cowboys were at the 35, too far out to try a field goal. Trailing by only seven, Barry Switzer elected to punt.

The defense again complied, forcing the Bears to punt after three ineffective plays. Dallas started at its own 42, and seemed to to get the running game untracked when Emmitt Smith followed Larry Allen around left end for ten yards. Derek Ware was called for holding on the play, killing the drive.

The Bears then mounted their only sustained drive of the second half. The key play came when Kramer threw for 22 yards to Harris, who outraced Broderick Thomas down the sideline. The drive stalled at the Dallas 15. This time, Huerta's kick was true and Chicago's lead was 13-3.

The Dallas offense now started to press. As a result, it cracked. On the first play after the kickoff, Deion Sanders caught a nine yard pass and tried to stretch for extra yardage. His fumble was recovered by the Bears inside the Dallas 25. The defense again held, but Chicago's starting position was too good. Huerta kicked another field goal, pushing the lead to 16-3.

On the third play of the subsequent Dallas position, cornerback Kevin Miniefield hit Aikman as he was winding up to throw. The ball was knocked back into the end zone, where Bryan Cox recovered it for a score. Over seven minutes remained, but this match was clearly over.

The search for the first win of the season will resume next week against the Giants. Hopefully, more members of the offense will bother to look.

COWBOYS NOTES

• It may have looked like the Cowboys gave up on the run, but that was only an illusion. Through three quarters, Ernie Zampese called a nearly 50/50 split of runs and passes. It was penalties and dropped passes which shut down the Dallas offense.
  
  
• Dave Wannstedt's game plan was similar to that used by Norv Turner last year. Get a lead, stay in a conservative, run based attack and wait for mistakes. Dan Reeves used a similar game plan when he scared Dallas last December. Cowboys' fans should be aware of one fact: Reeves is quite fond of gadget plays. The Bears' success with them will surely tempt Reeves to use some of his own.
  
  
• Won't you come home Jay Novacek? The biggest flaw in the Dallas passing game was the lack of a legimate receiving tight end. Dallas completed a handful of passes in the middle, but only two went to Daryl Johnston and Herschel Walker. Most of Dallas' passes were to the perimeter of the field.
  
  
• The Cowboys need to get either Novacek or Eric Bjornson on the field, or the Dallas receivers will get double coverage on every third down play. The Cowboys also missed Michael Irvin's ability to go over the middle. Crossing routes and deep in routes were not part of the Dallas game plan against the Bears.
  
  
• Dallas moved its cornerbacks around. Deion Sanders started on the right side and Kevin Smith on the left. When Kramer started passing right, Dallas switched its cornerbacks for a series. A positive sign was Deion Sanders' breakup of a pass for Curtis Conway when Conway was lined up in the slot. Opponents burned the Cowboys last year by putting their best receivers inside and matching them up against linebackers. Sanders' defense shows that the Cowboys are adjusting to this scheme.
  
  
• The Cowboys were fooled by a fake punt on their last visit to Soldier Field. In the 1991 wild card game, Mike Dikta called for a pass by his punter. The play caught the Cowboys by surprise. It did not prevent them from scoring a 17-13 win. The Cowboys defensive coordinator that day was Dave Wannstedt. Dikta's gamble clearly made an impression on him.