DALLAS -- A good part of the Dallas Cowboys' defense is missing and coach Tom Landry is not sure it will turn up any time soon.
It is an inconvenient time for such an absence since Dallas opens its season next Monday night against the defending Super Bowl champion WasOington Redskins.
'We are not as good defensively as I want us to be,' Landry said Tuesday. 'And we won't improve all at once on Monday night.'
Landry's chief concern is the fact that during the preseason teams seemed to have little trouble moving the ball on the ground against the Cowboys. Such old foes as Franco Harris and Earl Campbell bounced off tacklers and generally made life miserable for the defense.
Dallas' four opponents gained an even 700 yards on the ground during the exhibition season for an average of 175 yards per game. Awaiting the Cowboys will be John Riggins, who gained more than 100 yards in each of the Redskins' four postseason games last year.
'We haven't been aggressive enough,' said the Cowboys' coach. 'And we have not been in the right position enough.
'Offenses are much more multiple than they have been. It has become more of a pushing game in the line because the offensive linemen can use their hands more. We have to adjust to the new techniques.
'We need to improve in a lot of areas. We are still turning the ball over in our territory. We need to work on our quarterback traps.
'But the No. 1 thing so far has been our defense against the rush. It has to get better.
'The best thing we have had going for us is our pass defense. I just hope that part of our team stays up there until the rest of the team catches up. If they do, maybe we can win a few games along the way.'
As the Cowboys began preparations for their first regular season game, other developments involving the club included:
-- A decision by Landry to make no lineup changes from the end of the exhibition season. But the coach said backup players would be quicker to move in this season. 'I told the team I'm going to play more backups than before,' Landry said. 'I feel better about the backup people than I have in some time.'
-- The placement of running back James Jones on the injured reserve list after having been protected on the final 49-man roster. Dallas recalled tight end Cleo Simmons of Jackson State, who had been one of the final cuts from the team on Monday. That leaves the team with eight rookies going into the opener.
-- A ruling by the coach that receiver Butch Johnson's antics in the end zone following a scoring catch last weekend did not constitute a violation of Landry's ban against post-touchdown celebration. Johnson was forced to abandon his 'California Quake,' routine because of Landry's edict, but after the touchdown he slapped hands with a number of photographers standing behind the endzone. 'He was just saying hello to people,' Landry said.
