Fans Growing Restless in Dallas

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Everson Walls still had ringing in his ears Wednesday after spending the early part of this week being scorched by fans upset at Dallas’ 0-3 start.

“I did four radio call-in shows in a 24-hour period,” Walls said from Dallas. “A lot them were on me for dropping two interceptions against the Redskins. A lot of them wanted to know what Jimmy (Johnson) is going to do. I know it’s frustrating for them. I try to tell them to just be patient. We’ve got 13 games to go. There’s no need to push the panic button, yet.”

While panicking is still a distant option, “gloomy” is a suitable description for the current climate in Big D. The Cowboys, 3-1 in preseason under Coach Jimmy Johnson and new owner Jerry Jones, have gotten off to a woeful start. Not since 1963 have the Cowboys lost their first three games. And the manner in which they’ve lost suggests that a turnaround won’t come Sunday when they play the unbeaten New York Giants in Texas Stadium.

How bad have the Cowboys played in losing to the New Orleans Saints (28-0), Atlanta Falcons (27-21) and Washington Redskins (30-7)? This bad:

--The Cowboys have lost three games against teams that are 0-6 against the rest of the league.

--They’ve been shut out on offense in two of three games, five of six halves and have advanced the ball past midfield just nine times in 37 possessions.

--They’ve been outscored 37-0 in the second half.

--Kicker Roger Ruzek has more pass receptions (one) than field-goal attempts (zero).

--The Dallas defense is the only one in the NFL without an interception.

“We’re struggling,” Johnson said in an obvious understatement. “We were hoping to have some early success. But we knew it would be a difficult time. We’ve just got a long way to go before we become a good football team.”

Johnson’s problems, which are numerous, include a slow defense that can’t provide a pass rush, an inability to create turnovers, a non-existent rushing game, even with Herschel Walker, two rookie quarterbacks who have thrown eight interceptions and one touchdown pass, a shaky offensive line and a poor 1989 draft that saw only five prospects make the 47-man roster.

Injuries also have hurt, as four Cowboys went down against the Redskins Sunday. Backup running back Kevin Scott is out for the season with torn knee ligaments; linebacker Ken Norton (sprained knee), cornerback Robert Williams (sprained knee) and center Tom Rafferty (dislocated thumb), all starters, are out for at least two or three weeks.

The bottom line is that the Cowboys have lost 14 of their last 15 games, and Johnson already has lost more games this season than he did in his last three years at the University of Miami.

“No one likes to lose,” said Johnson, who has the security of a 10-year contract. “But I’ve been able to put it out of my mind because I knew it was going to be tough coming into this situation. The good thing is that we’re in for the long haul and not a short duration.”

Walls, a nine-year veteran, has tried to preach patience to the fans and optimism to his teammates, who are beginning to hear the negatives that follow a losing team. “If you start listening to fans and listening to the newspapers, then you start believing you’re as bad as they want you to be,” Walls said. “You can’t let outsiders influence you. You’ve got to tune them out.

“Every team has its peaks and valleys. Right now we’re in a valley. But if we keep working hard we’re bound to hit a peak.”