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IRVING – If Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart needs to find Bradie James or Zach Thomas, he knows where to look.

They'll be watching film together or by themselves. Two Fridays ago, usually the shortest day of the work week for the players, Thomas asked to be the last player to go through the normal production meetings with the broadcast crew so he could study a little more on Philadelphia.

"They're some of the better guys I've been around in terms of preparing," Stewart said. "It's important to them."

James and Thomas are like treasure hunters during the week, searching for clues to make their jobs on game day easier. And that work pays off, especially when they are called on to blitz.

Through three games, the Cowboys' inside linebackers, including Kevin Burnett, have five quarterback pressures. Last year that group, which included James, Burnett and Akin Ayodele, had five pressures all season.

The linebackers need that mental edge because physically, they are going against lineman who outweigh them by more than 100 pounds. If it's a running back, they're taking on faster players.

Timing is the most important factor when blitzing. Inexperienced quarterbacks are easier to read because they don't change the snap count much. Experienced quarterbacks know how to draw a defender offside or get him off balance.

"The quarterback might go, 'Blue 50, Blue 50, set, hut,' all the time, but that one time when he doesn't, and you jump everybody's like, 'Another penalty,' " James said.

So what do they look for?

"Sometimes when you time up a blitz, you go off their motion, that helps a lot," said Thomas, who had 19 ½ sacks in 12 seasons with Miami. "And sometimes if you think they're going on first sound, they'll get up there real fast, and the quarterback will be coming right behind them. Then you look at the play clock, too."

James looks for another indicator.

"Sometimes a quarterback might hit the center before [the snap] with his hand and you know [when the snap's coming]," said James, who had a career-high three sacks last season.

There is also faking the blitz.

James and Thomas have hinted at blitzes to make the quarterback think one thing, then back off at the last second.

"I can do that now because in the last year I've blitzed more," James said. "They'll start to think, 'You know, he might be coming.' "

With teams focusing so much on outside pass rushers DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis, the Cowboys are using Thomas and James to pressure the quarterback, even if they are not every-down players. Burnett takes over in the sub packages, and his two pressures are already a career high.

"I don't know if you can teach it," Stewart said. "You just have to be aware, and they are."