RAM NOTEBOOK / JOHN WEYLER : Turner Tunes Cowboy Offense

The Cowboys had Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek, but Coach Jimmy Johnson still felt something was missing. Johnson has turned the football version of worst-to-first in Dallas by trusting his intuition and he went with his gut feeling, hiring Norv Turner to fine tune his offense.

The former Ram receivers coach took over as Cowboy offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after the 1990 season. The Dallas offense, last in the league in 1990, was ranked ninth last year, making the largest one-year jump ever in the NFL. Aikman, Smith, Irvin and Novacek all made postseason trips to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

“Norv really was, I guess you might say, the last piece of the puzzle,” Johnson said. “We started to play strong offensively in late 1990. In fact, it was against the Rams that we started to have a spark. We won by a field goal in Anaheim and then came back to beat the Redskins, the Cardinals and the Saints.”

Aikman injured his shoulder and the Cowboys lost the last two games of the season, but Johnson had a glimpse of the future and believed Turner was the man to help him mold it.

“We were able to do some things offensively and we had the players in place, but I felt like we still needed some input,” Johnson said. “Norv has done a great job, both with our offense and with Troy Aikman. He’s really helped improve our confidence. I think he exudes that. And I think it’s really solidified our team.”

The Dallas offense is No. 2 on the NFC charts with a bullet. The Cowboys have scored 85 points in the last three games and that includes a victory over the Eagles, who have allowed the fewest points in the league.

“They’re on a heck of a roll,” said Ram offensive coordinator Ernie Zampeze, whose offensive theories Turner now employs in Dallas. “Norv has done a great job down there for them and there was never any doubt in mind that he would be successful.

“He’s just a good coach and he has a real good feel for the game. He expects things to work. The players have to make it work, no matter where you are, but he expects it to work and the players are talented enough to make it work.”

*

Mirror images? Ram safety Anthony Newman says the Cowboy passing game resembles the Rams’, but the presence of Smith gives Dallas an added dimension.

“The passing game is the same, but their offense is more simple than ours,” Newman said. “They do a lot of the same things, but they use Emmitt Smith a lot more than we use our backs. He’s averaging 24 carries a game. That’s unreal. He’s got incredible balance along with quickness and speed and strength.

“Then, when they want to throw the ball, they have Irvin and Novacek, just like when we had Pete Holohan and Henry (Ellard) there. They’re just executing. (The receivers) are just beating guys and making the plays.”

*

Alter-ego soothsayer: Cleveland Gary has a feeling that the Rams will upset the Cowboys Sunday.

“I really do believe we can win,” he said. “I look at our past record, at how close we’ve come in the last three or four losses. Teams like that are usually sleepers.

“I know we’ve got a very good football team and I feel we can play with anybody right now. I think we match up with them personnel-wise. Dallas, no doubt, is playing great football right now, but that’s just the way Cleveland feels.”

*

Charles on a charge: Charles Haley was labeled a troublemaker in San Francisco, but since being traded to Dallas on Aug. 27, the only people he has bothered are quarterbacks. According to Cowboy statistics, he has put pressure on the quarterback 32 times this season, more than three times as often as any teammate.

Haley, the quintessential pass-rushing defensive end, has helped Dallas develop the league’s best defense. In the last five games, the Cowboys have allowed just four touchdowns.

How much difference can one player make? Last year, Dallas ranked 26th in sacks with 23. They already have 25 this season. Haley has just two, but he’s drawing enough attention to open things up for his teammates.

“He’s making a big difference because you have to assign more than one person to block him,” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said, “and he’s got other people around him who can play.”

Haley’s presence is evident in another statistic: Opponents have picked up a first down in just seven of 51 third-down plays.

“We had pretty well addressed the offense during the first couple of years and we tried to address the defensive backfield in the draft this past year,” Johnson said, “but one thing we were lacking was the outstanding pass rusher.

“I was visiting with John McVay (49er vice president) on some other possibilities, and Charles Haley’s name came up. After some discussions, we were able to make that trade, and it has really helped our defense.

“And Charles has been fine. We have a good relationship. He’s an extremely hard worker in practice and a tremendous competitor. I’d heard stories before, but I couldn’t ask for anything more from Charles Haley.”