Because the Cowboys were so confident in the ability of their defensive line to dominate in 2000, they allowed them to be more aggressive and charge across the line of scrimmage. That aggression led to 201 yards rushing for Eagles running back Duce Staley. Though tackle Erik Williams wasn't primarily responsible for many of the offensive line breakdowns against the Eagles, Dave Campo said that Williams' 28-day holdout played a factor in their poor play. The Cowboys' offensive line was together for only one preseason game. Guard Solomon Page, who had trouble with Eagles rookie tackle Corey Simon, played tackle for the first four weeks of camp.
Communication is important up front.
There were some communication problems in the game. You can trace it to that. You lose some communication when you move guys from spot to spot. We will handle that.