ESPN has fallen in love with the fact that Jason Garrett told Tony Romo that he needs to lose weight. Big deal. We all could see with our own eyes that Romo was overweight at the end of the season. I'm sure part of it could be attributed to his back injury but it needed to be addressed regardless of the reasons. Why is this news? I'm not sure but ESPN loves to make a mountain out of a molehill. I would be willing to bet that there are a lot of players, including quarterbacks, on every team that were told to lose X amount of pounds.Roy Williams looks leaner and quicker now that his foot is healthy again. I like the fact that he is out there working his butt off every day. All of the scrutiny surrounding his play and what the Cowboys gave up to get him seems to be great motivation for his offseason work. I hope his work can translate into a big 2009 season.
Overall, there is a new found motivation surrounding the team. A lot of players cruised through the offseason last year as if the Super Bowl had already been guaranteed to them. Not this year. The disappointments of last season combined with the roster moves have added intensity and a competitive nature that has been missing ever since the 2007 13-3 campaign.
Some of the injuries are becoming more and more concerning by the day. Miles Austin and Sam Hurd are both working on the side during mini-camp and that is not a good sign after they both battled injuries last season. The Cowboys are counting on these guys to be big contributors and if they can't stay healthy then I would expect a move for a wide receiver before training camp. Felix Jones is out and I am really starting to fear that he is going to be the guy who is explosive when healthy but never seems to be able to get on the field. I hope Felix Jones has a great season in 2009 and quiets my fears but I will be holding my breath every time he touches the ball out of fear for another injury.
The secondary seems loaded with talent suddenly. Gerald Sensabaugh is proving to be quite a steal for the low cost deal the Cowboys gave him. Mike Mickens might be the late round surprise of the entire 2009 NFL draft. And it looks like Mike Jenkins is starting to settle into the role as the starter opposite from Newman. I would love to see Newman and Jenkins outside with Scandrick covering the slot. Things are looking up for the pass defense. The big question mark on defense is now Anthony Spencer and the depth at outside linebacker. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out.
ESPN loves to trash the Cowboys because it makes for good tv, but that's what Jerry wants isn't it? I'm glad Garrett is starting to get mean to his players, somebody needs to hold them accountable.
ReplyDeleteI hope Roy Williams isn't becoming Owens 2.0...it seems like he runs his mouth as much as Owens did. If he can be like Owens on the field i'll take the good with the bad.
Felix Jones makes me appreciate Marion Barber III even more. Barber is such a violent back, but is in there every game. He battled with injuries at the end of last season, but that's nothing compared to what Jones has had. I hope he's not gonna be another Brian Westbrook.
Finally the WR's. Hurd and Austin seem like they will never be able to get on the field and stay there. I like the kid from Oklahoma, i'm hoping he gets the chance.
According to DC.com, Romo is saying that no such conversation took place. Romo doesn't strike me as a liar, guys. I think his limited mobility (and perhaps a weight increase) at the end of the season is more about the back injury, as you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like we can cover this year, but my question is, can we tackle? We've lost Zach Thomas and Roy Williams. Ken Hamlin showed he's not a reliable tackler. Mike Jenkins needs to be taught some technique. He has a tendency to get frozen. Scandrick may be the best natural tackler in our secondary and I fear that may not be saying a lot.
I will say that we still might have an upgrade with Brooking over Thomas just because Thomas' center of gravity is so high that he has trouble getting off a block unless he's falling over.
I think...Anoymous is right in that we need to tackle better cuz the tackling was HORRIBLE last year but Roy was one of the horrible. After the Roy Williams rule came out he hasn't been the same tackler.
ReplyDeleteKen Hamlin definitly can't tackle.
At this point, I'd go with Romo as far the get in shape conversation goes...the media tends to make stuff up and quote "sources". Romo could be lying, but I think for this one I'd say Romo is telling the truth.
Austin and Hurd better stay healthy. One or both should be cut otherwise. Speed, good hands, and upside mean nothing if you are on the sidelines injured.
Agree...Roy was a devastating tackler early in his career when he could square someone up, but even then, he had a hard time with guys in space...the horse tackle thing was more about lack of speed and bad angles than a 'technique.'
ReplyDeleteMore than tackling, I'm looking to see if the defense can get off the field on third and long...way too often last year they couldn't.
This weight thing with Romo is really getting ridiculous. First of all, everyone could see he needed to drop some weight at the end of the season. Part of that was his back injury. Maybe the coaches didn't need to tell him to do it, but he appears to be thinner. Now ESPN has turned it into a story that he needs to lose weight before training camp. I don't know where they come up with their BS. I guess they just attribute any bogus story they make up to "sources". The sad thing is that the vast majority of sports fans think that ESPN is feeding them real news about our team. That is just sad.
ReplyDelete