Friday, August 21, 2009

Thoughts From the 2nd Preseason Game

Tony Romo looks great. He stayed calm in the pocket and made quick, decisive throws. I was most impressed by the way he kept two hands on the ball as he slid in the pocket to find a throwing lane. I don't know if there is a better combination than Romo to Witten. And the timing with Roy Williams is not a concern to me at all any more.

The offensive line is doing a great job pass blocking. I'm not sold on their run blocking yet but they were going against the Titans defense so I'll give them a break for now. What I love the most is how comfortable Tony Romo is in the pocket because he has trust that his line will get it done.

Felix Jones is the big play guy in the offense without a doubt. He took a short pass and broke it for a 42 yard gain. He is the only guy on the offense that can go the distance on any play. And he can do it running wide, running between the tackles, or catching the ball. He is the one guy who will keep the defense honest.

The starting defense looked good but not great. I like the way the run defense looks but I still have concerns about the coverage of the secondary. Mike Jenkins seems to be a guesser and was repeatedly beaten deep because he was looking in the backfield and trying to get a break on the short passes. Terence Newman looked very good coming off of his injury and was the best tackler on the starting defense. Anthony Spencer looked better and had a quarterback pressure but I still want to see more from him. The reserves looked better too but I think it had more to do with the poor quarterbacking of Vince Young than anything else.

Special teams is still a problem. I'm waiting for the genious of Joe DeCamillis to show up on the field. Matt MacBriar is back to his old form, but Folk and the coverage units need major improvement before the season starts. I don't know why the Cowboys can't tackle on special teams but somehow they need to improve. They seem to get in position to keep the returns short but then can't break down and wrap up to bring the returner down. DeAngelo Smith should not return any punts in a real game this year. He can't be trusted to catch the ball.

What can the Cowboys do to reduce the number of penalties? They always seem to come at the worst time. I don't know if it is a lack of focus or what but it sure is irritating.

Anyone who thinks Jon Kitna will ever take the starting job from Tony Romo is an idiot. Kitna is clearly better than Brad Johnson, but there is a big drop off in talent when he takes over. I think he can fill in for a few games but the team is in trouble if Romo goes down this year. Kitna does throw a better ball on the fade than Romo but that is about it. For some reason Romo just can't get that pass down.

Kevin Ogletree is the 5th receiver. I don't care what happens from this point forward. Ogletree won the job tonight. Stanback is a great athlete but he has never shown ability as a receiver. Ogletree already has done more in two preseason games than we have ever seen from Stanback.

And the best news once again...no major injuries. Brandon Williams hurt his knee but I'm not counting on him being healthy at this point. I would love to see the Cowboys make it to the regular season with all of their key players at 100%. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

3 comments:

  1. Romo looked like he was in total control. The way he handled himself at the line and the great 10 - 15 yard passes.

    All of our wr's looked good except for Miles Austin. I think Hurd and Ogletree will be the 3rd and 4th wr's. Austin will make the team because of his physical attributes.

    I think our defense looked good but not great. I think they need to get better at the blitz. Sometimes they send 6 or 7 and can't get anywhere passed the o-line.

    You are 100% right about the special teams. When are they going to start looking good? They still need an answer at punt returner, I don't think Crayton is the guy.

    Does anyone else think Jerry is being a little stubborn by not raising the huge video board? Just raise it a little and it won't be a problem ever again. It was suppose to be a showcase of the best building in the world, but it got overshadowed by a really high punt.

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  2. 1st Jerry needs to raise the big azz TV! LOL...2nd once again Felix is a beast and Romo doesn't have TO in his head! I love the offensive weapons. I think Crayton will be open a lot. I think M. Bennett will make a lot of 1st downs on 3rd down plays if they do 2TE's. If we keep the penalties at a minimal we will be very good on offense.............Now defense....Like always we need to tackle better and cover better....the pressure on the QB will be good. I think Keith Brooking will be good this yr, and upgrade from Zack Thomas. I love our LB's! GO COWBOYS!!!! -Atl_Cowboy

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  3. I don't think Jerry minds a bit that the video board is getting talked about all across the league. Any press is good press in this case. I completely agree that Ogletree has shown more already at receiver than Stanback ever has. Something tells me Austin is primed for his own breakout during the regular season though. I was really hoping the mental errors in the secondary would decrease. Oh well. It is preseason. I'm also pleasantly surprised that our offense is still a big play offense. That really plays to Romo's strengths and it didn't seem to hurt our advantage at tailback either. I'm optimistic!

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