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The Battalion
TANK JHFNAMARA
Too Small’
The Cowboys’ Tony Tolbert needs a big weight
gain to fill Ed Jones’ shoes at defensive end
IRVING (AP) — He answers to
the nickname of “Too Small,” in part
because Tony Tolbert is the heir ap
parent to Dallas Cowboys defensive
left end Ed “Too Tall” Jones.
At 6-6 and 241 pounds, Tolbert is
small by NFL standards. Not to men
tion collegiate standards, according
to a recent survey conducted by the
College Football Association that
found the average weight of rah-
rah-type linemen to be 253 pounds.
“I’ve always had a problem with
weight,” said Tolbert, a rookie who
broke into the starting lineup in
Jones’ place at mid-season.
“I used to eat three times a day,
snack in between and lift weights two
hours a day. I was running every
day, and that helped get me to about
245. As soon as I became active, I
started losing weight. But I’m still
young, and my metabolism rate is
still high.”
What that means is that Tolbert
would like to add about 14 propor
tionate pounds next off-season, the
better to stack up against the best de
fensive ends in the NFL.
Too Tall has anchored the Cow
boys defense for 15 years at 6-9 and
270 pounds. Chris Doleman of the
Minnesota Vikings — the top quar
terback sacker among defensive
ends in the National Football Con
ference with 11 — is 6-5 and 262.
His counterpart in the American
Football Conference — Leslie
O’Neal of the San Diego Chargers
with lOVa sacks — is 6-4 and 259.
Indeed, Freddie Joe Nunn of the
Phoenix Cardinals rates as the
“runt” of name players at the posi
tion. Nunn is 6-4 and 255, Tolbert’s
{ ireferred weight, and 30 pounds
ighter than Bruce Smith of the Buf
falo Bills.
The notion of Tolbert beefing up
is fine with Dave Wannstedt, the
Cowboys defensive coordinator.
“He’s got to add weight, but he
should have said ‘strength’ with
that,” Wannstedt said. “And that will
come with it. And that would make
him that much better. I think he’s
got the instincts for it. I mean, you
can become stronger and faster and
all that stuff. But unless you’ve got
the instincts, you’re kidding your
self. He has those.”
Wannstedt said Tolbert, the
team’s fourth-round draft pick from
UT-E1 Paso, already has exceeded
expectations.
In his starts and in spot duty as
Jones’ replacement on pass-rushing
downs, Tolbert, the youngest player
on the team at 21, has become one of
the most active members of the de
fense.
“I would like to get stronger in the
upper body,” Tolbert said, figuring
that as the quickest way to enhance
his sack potential. “Maybe I don’t
need to get up to 270 like the other
he NFL is not a
of who weighs the
game
most. It’s a game of
leverage —who gets the
better position.
— Tony Tolbert,
Cowboy’s Defensive End
guys, but I know I need to get
stronger.”
Tolbert said he weighed approxi
mately 200 pounds as a freshman at
UTEP. The Miners, he said, did not
have a top-notch weight room or
program installed until he was a ju
nior.
“I’ll see the guys lifting here, and
how big they are.” said Tolbert, who
lifts weights three times a week at the
Cowboys’ Valley Ranch headquar
ters.
Line play often is a matter of le
verage, Tolbert said.
“The NFL is not a game of who
weighs the most,” he said. “It’s a
game of leverage — who gets the
better position. A light guy like my
self may get out-muscled by a Joe Ja
coby because of weight. But in a lot
of situations, I have gone against
guys like that and done a good job.”
However, Tolbert has not done it
play after play for 16 regular-season
games.
Defensive tackle Danny Noonan,
an avid lifter from his days at the
University of Nebraska, said 10 to 15
pounds could make a critical differ
ence for Tolbert. And not at the ex
pense of his speed and quickness.
“When your legs get stronger, you
can move them faster,” said Noonan.
“As long as you keep stretching out,
you’re going to get faster. Back in
the old days, the thing was if you
lifted weights you’re going to get
musclebound and become slow.
That’s not true at all.”
A bigger, quicker Tolbert could
find himself inserted at right de
fensive end, Wannstedt said. Such a
move could not be made until after
this season and involve some kind of
shuffle affecting Jeffcoat, Noonan
and Tolbert.
“I think Tony’s got enough quick
ness and pass-rushing skills,”
Wannstedt said, “that as he gains ex
perience, he could be as good as any
of them rushing from that right side.
He plays as hard as any defensive
playef we’ve got. You talk about a
guy chasing the ball, we’ve got films
where he has run by two players get
ting to the ball. So, he’s got the right
attitude.”
The right side generally is re
garded as the premier pass-rushing
position because it is blind side to the
majority of NFL quarterbacks. And
home to players like Dexter Manley
of the Washington Redskins, who
checks in at 6-3 and 257. Opposite
Manley is Charles Mann, who tips at
6-6 and 270.
“I don’t remember Dexter Manley
or Charles Mann coming in their
first years and totally dominating,”
said defensive tackle Dean Hamel,
who spent four seasons with the
Redskins before joining the Cow
boys in a trade Aug. 29. “Tony looks
a lot like Charles — smaller version.
You put 15, 20 more pounds on him
and ne’s going to be dominating the
line of scrimmage.”
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Juniors, Vets, Meds, & Grads
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Curtis Strange bags $265,000,
Nicklaus $90,000 in Skins Game
LA QUINTA, Calif. (AP) — Curtis Strange chipped
in for a $135,000 prize and capped golfs Skins Game
with a $70,000 putt on the final hole Sunday.
Strange, shut out of money-winnings in his first Skins
Game appearance last year, emerged as the big winner
this time, collecting $265,000 from the total purse of
$450,000.
Jack Nicklaus won $90,000 —$35,000 of it on a rou
tine, two-putt par-5 — in the 18-hole, two-day event at
the PGA West Stadium course. Ray Floyd won $60,000
and Lee Trevino avoided a shutout with a three-foot
birdie putt on the 14th hole worth $35,000.
“A lot more fun than it was last year,” said Strange,
who automatically qualified for next year’s Skins Game.
Not only did he win the most money, Strange also
was involved in most of the drama; the chip-in birdie,
the last-hole putt and a sandy adventure on the 16th.
But the match, which revolves around money-win
nings, was centered on the 13th.
It was there, with $135,000 on the line, that he all boi
called his shot in a response to television commentate!
Vin Scully.
The two-time U.S. Open champion was in the fringe,
about 35 feet from the cup, and backed away fromhis
chip when he heard Scully’s voice from a televisios
tower.
“I hope he’s saying it’s an easy shot,” Strange said a
the time.
“It was a pretty easy shot, almost flat, but it’s still one
you have to make,” he said later.
And make it he did, running the ball into the cup
with a 9-iron from about 35 feet. Floyd had a 12-foot
putt to tie Strange and halve the hole.
Trevino won the-next hole, worth $35,000, after a
sand wedge shot from 95 yards nestled in only three
feet from the flag. Floyd followed with a 4-iron ap
proach that set up a winning, six-foot birdie puttontlie
next hole. That, too, was worth $35,000.
Seniors welcome latest legend
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.
(AP) — PGA Seniors Tour officials
bestowed a lavish welcome on golf
ing great Jack Nicklaus Tuesday as
he prepared to join the increasingly
popular circuit.
“Having people like Jack Nicklaus
and Lee Trevino coming to the tour
is a huge boost,” Paul Bremer, gen
eral chairman of the 1990 PGA Se
niors Championship, said. “It’s like a
great reunion.”
Nicklaus, who will be 50 in Jan
uary, announced plans to compete
in at least a dozen tournaments next
year on both the Seniors and PGA
Tour. Trevino is eligible to join the
Tour next month when he becomes
50.
The first unofficial Seniors event
for Nicklaus is scheduled to be the
nationally televised Skins Game
event in Hawaii a week after his
birthday.
In April, Nicklaus plans to enter
the Seniors’ Tour event The Tradi
tion at Desert Mountain in
Scottsdale, Ariz. Later that month,
he will play the PGA Seniors
Championship at the PGA National
Course in Palm Beach Gardens he
recently redesigned.
He also plans to compete in the
U.S. Open, British Open and PGA
Championship, which he has w
five times.
“I have set a goal of trying tom
an event on each tour,” said Nid
laus, whose last major PGA Tour™
tory was the Masters in 1986.
Nicklaus said he would remainon
the regular PGA Tour as long as bt
remains competitive.
“It’s not my desire now to plaw
full Seniors season,” he said.
Nicklaus, who won the first ofbs
71 PGA Tour titles in 1962, earntc
$28,845 th is year to place 177th, he
lowest ranking ever. He hastotaia
reer earnings of more than S5 mil
lion.
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