Parcells to use three receivers
By JAIME ARON
Associated Press

IRVING — Bill Parcells’ favorite offensive system is an easy choice. It’s the one that scores the most points.
He’s not the kind of coach who takes one playbook from team to team, insisting that’s how the game should be played. He won big with the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets by using schemes that best fit the players he had.

Two games into his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, Parcells seems to have figured out this team’s best plan of attack: Daring defenses to try and cover receivers Antonio Bryant, Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn at the same time.

Parcells loaded up on three-receiver formations in Dallas’s last game, a 35-32 overtime victory over the Giants, and has hinted since to expect more, starting Sunday against the Jets. His latest tease was saying that his biggest surprise so far is the Cowboys’ offensive potential.

“We have more firepower than I thought we would have,” he said.

Considering the way the running game is going, he’s certainly referring to the passing game.
In the opener against Atlanta, Galloway had seven catches for 139 yards and Bryant had 71 yards on two catches. Glenn was shut out, then rebounded against the Giants with eight catches for 113 yards. Bryant had 98 yards on five catches, including the pass that set up the field goal that forced overtime. Galloway also contributed three receptions for 43 yards as quarterback Quincy Carter threw for a career-high 321 yards.

“These three guys can go out and run routes and make big catches for you,” Carter said. “All I’ve got to do is keep being consistent.”

A lot of factors must fall into place for three-receiver formations to work.

The offensive line, which has been woeful in recent years, must hold off defenders long enough for Carter to pick a target. And the much-maligned Carter must make the right reads, then put the ball where he wants it, something he hasn’t always done.

Then, it’s up to Bryant, Galloway and Glenn, all of whom are reliable targets with fleet feet.

“If we can get some time to throw the ball, these kids will give some people trouble,” Parcells said.

The downside to this approach is giving up a blocker. That tempts defenses to blitz more, thus putting more onus on Carter.

Then again, defenses are forced to change, too, usually swapping a linebacker for a fifth defensive back — one who wasn’t good enough to crack the top four. That creates a mismatch somewhere, a fact of football life that studious Cowboys fans know all about because of the way Dallas has been exploited in its nickel defense this season.

“It spreads things out and makes defenses a little bit more predictable,” Carter said. “It opens up the running game, too.”

Dallas has 256 yards rushing through two games, but nearly one-fourth came on a 63-yard run. Tailback Troy Hambrick leads the team with just 113 yards, an average of 3.1 per carry.

Those numbers probably pushed Parcells to go to the three-wides package, but he probably didn’t need to be pushed too hard.

After all, Parcells inherited Galloway and Bryant, then made Glenn his first acquisition. He’s known all along they were his three most-skilled offensive players.

So expect the Cowboys to use all three whenever necessary — but never on an every-down basis.

For the receivers, they must understand that the share-the-ball philosophy doesn’t provide instant gratification. As tough as that might be on their egos, they must remember their triple threat is far tougher on defenses.

“They can all make a good contribution if nobody is worried” about their own stats, Parcells said. “That’s the way it will to unfold every week. You never know who it is going to be.”