Super Bowl XXVII : Dallas Defense Will Face Stiff Test in Bills

The Dallas Cowboys had the No. 1 defense in the NFL this season, but they’re going to be put to their stiffest test against the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl.

The thing they’re going to have to deal with is Buffalo’s no-huddle offense, and it’s tough to prepare for. It puts relentless pressure on you when the Bills are running a play every 20 seconds. There’s no way in practice to get that kind of tempo.

The Cowboys are going to have to make sure they get their signals in there and be ready to play against a fast-break offense.

The Bills have a veteran offensive line with good backups. They have two excellent tight ends, and their wide receivers are proven veterans. They have two of the best running backs in the NFL in Thurman Thomas and Ken Davis, who is really not a backup--he’s an alternate. Quarterback Jim Kelly has done it all except win the big one, and I’m sure he’s going to be hungry to do that. And every time backup Frank Reich has stepped in, he’s done the job.

The Bills’ offense has about as much depth, experience and balance as you can have. They ranked No. 2 in the NFL, and they’re very explosive. The only thing that ever stopped them is when they stopped themselves. When we’ve beaten them, it’s been because they turned the ball over.

I haven’t seen the Cowboys play a lot, but they have a lot of great athletes on defense, and defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt has done an outstanding job of bringing them along. I’m sure he’ll have them ready.

Dallas’ offense doesn’t seem to have any weaknesses. The offense is where coach Jimmy Johnson wants it now; they’re strong in every area.

The Cowboys throw short and deep, they run the ball, they pass protect and they have the big-play capability. They have a superstar in two-time NFL rushing champion Emmitt Smith and a quarterback who has really come on. Troy Aikman is accurate and has a great arm.

Their offensive line just kept getting better and better this season and has improved tremendously over the last couple of years. They have wide receivers who can get open and take the ball from smaller defensive backs and run with it after they catch it. Tight end Jay Novacek is a very good possession receiver and a competitive guy. Daryl Johnston is an underrated fullback and blocker.

Against Buffalo, the Cowboys will need to have big plays. That’s what they got against San Francisco in the second half of the NFC championship game. It was their most critical game since Jimmy has been at Dallas, and they beat an excellent defensive team.

The Buffalo defense has two superstars in Bruce Smith and Cornelius Bennett, and they have a lot of other excellent players, including Darryl Talley, Shane Conlan, Jeff Wright and Phil Hansen. Nate Odomes is a good corner, and strong safety Henry Jones has really upgraded them. It’s a solid defense that doesn’t give up the big plays. That’s what they’re going to have to do against Dallas, because Dallas is a big-play team.

Buffalo’s pass rush will give the Cowboys everything they can handle. Smith may be the best defensive player in the game today, along with Reggie White of Philadelphia.

If Dallas can run against them, then the Cowboys will be able to do what they want to do. The biggest challenge Buffalo’s defense has is to curb the Cowboys’ running attack, so they can’t dictate and use play-action passes and have everything flow the way they want it to. Buffalo has to stop the run. The other thing to look for early is whether Dallas is having trouble with Buffalo’s up-tempo offensive.