DAILY REPORT : Former Ram Assistant Makes Mark in Dallas

In 1991, when Coach Jimmy Johnson went looking for someone to revamp the Dallas Cowboy offense, he found Norv Turner, who was the Rams’ receivers coach under offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese.

Two years later, Turner is the Cowboys’ high-profile offensive coordinator, and his name is being mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate.

“I take that as a compliment,” Turner said. “That’s something I’d like to do at some point, but I’m really not in a hurry. I want to enjoy what I’m doing. You couldn’t ask for a better job.

“We’re a talented young team, so I want to enjoy this. I think there’s plenty of time for (becoming a head coach).”

Johnson credits much of Troy Aikman’s development to the quarterback’s relationship with Turner, and to Turner’s implementation of Zampese’s short-passing system.

“I think we hit it off well,” Turner said. “I think he was really looking for someone to come in and give him directions. So it made it easier.

“He was real receptive to getting going. Obviously, coming from (the Rams), an offense that had had some success throwing the football, and coming in with some background putting the film on of (Jim) Everett throwing to (Henry) Ellard and those guys, (here were) some things we can get done.

“I had (film) cut-ups of (former San Diego Charger Dan) Fouts, showing him the same plays maybe eight years ago, saying, ‘Hey, when we get good at this, it’s something we can do for a long time.’ So I think that got his attention.”

Cowboy defensive tackle Tony Casillas hopes to return to Los Angeles to try a career as an actor. But from what he has seen during the last week, he isn’t sure he will fit into the Hollywood scene.

“The only thing about L.A. is that I’ve found out that you meet all these people, and I’m not saying anything against L.A. or anything like that, but I mean, it’s kind of artificial,” Casillas said. “You see these actors, you see these people . . . it’s not reality.

“If I’m an actor, I’ll definitely set a kind of precedent for entertainment people. Because you are a person and that’s what you are. I’ve noticed some of these people are all caught up in themselves, and that’s just not what it’s about.”