Defending the Star - Dallas Cowboys Fan Blog

A Few Early Offseason Thoughts

2012-01-10T19:56:00.003-06:00

It is really hard to watch the playoffs because the Cowboys are missing yet again. But I have definitely realized that the Cowboys had no business being a playoff team this season. The NFC playoff teams were all much more deserving than the Cowboys to be in the tournament. And I think the Cowboys would have lost to every team on the NFC side.

Dave Campo is out as the defensive backs coach. I have mixed emotions on this move. When Campo was the head coach in the early 2000's I attended a training camp practice in Wichita Falls. He actually took about 5 minutes of his time after practice to talk with my friend and me about the team. I'll never forget that. He is a great guy. But, as a coach, it was time for him to go. I know a big part of the problem is the players but the cornerback play has been sub-par for years. There are a lot of teams in the league doing more with less talent at cornerback.

I will be thrilled if Tony Sparano comes back to the Cowboys. He would help shore up the offensive line and, more importantly, he could be a great advisor to Jason Garrett. Garrett's best season as a play caller was in 2007 when Sparano was around helping out with the offense. I hope he is willing to come back to team up with Jason Garrett again.

Rob Ryan should be back as the defensive coordinator. I know that he should shoulder a big part of the blame for the embarrassing performances by the defense to close out the season. But, with a full offseason to teach his scheme, I think we could see big improvements in the defense. I expect a much greater understanding of the defense by all of the players after an offseason to learn the schemes and pre-play adjustments.

The Cowboys need to find another young quarterback to groom. Tony Romo will turn 32 in April. He probably has 2-4 good/great seasons left in him. After that the cupboard is pretty bare for the Cowboys. Stephen McGee has flashed potential a few times but I have no confidence that he will be able to develop into a starting caliber player. I'd like to see the Cowboys bring in another young quarterback to develop. They might even need to bring in another older veteran to serve as the backup in the short term and draft another young quarterback to develop for the future.

There has been a lot of talk that the offensive line needs a complete overhaul. I'm not sure that I agree with that. The Cowboys are set at tackle with Doug Free and Tyron Smith possibly switching sides next season. And Phil Costa and Kevin Kowalski did a pretty good job at center. Where the Cowboys are hurting is at guard. Kyle Kosier is aging and becoming injury prone. His play isn't good enough to cross your fingers and hope he stays healthy. Bill Nagy and David Arkin should battle for one starting spot next year. But I'd like to see guard addressed in either the draft or free agency.

The biggest needs for the Cowboys seem to be on defense. There is a major need for impact players. Outside of Sean Lee and Demarcus Ware there just aren't any players that make game changing plays on a regular basis.

Jerry Jones is promising changes this offseason. I hope he isn't just blowing smoke to quiet the angry fan base. There are gaping holes on the roster that need to be addressed. And there are aging veterans that need to be cut loose.

The Better Team Won

2012-01-01T22:36:00.003-06:00

I'm just going to write a few thoughts after the season ending loss to the Giants.

The Giants were the better team. I really thought the Cowboys were better than this but I guess I was just seeing things with my heart and not my head.

The Cowboys secondary is terrible. It is time for Newman to retire or get cut. Why don't the Cowboys DB's ever make a play on the ball? Eli Manning basically closed his eyes and threw the ball up to Victor Cruz with the Cowboys down 7 trying to get the Giants off the field on 3rd down. Scandrick had position but just got outplayed by Cruz once the ball was in the air.

The defense and the offensive line lost the game. A 21-0 deficit was just too much to overcome without a few boneheaded mistakes by the Giants. Maybe with a full offseason the defense will be able to grasp the complex Rob Ryan defense. There was way too much confusion pre-snap in the defense.

I knew the offensive line would be an issue heading into the season when the Cowboys cut 3 former pro bowlers. Unfortunately their youth and inexperience really showed in the most important game of the season.

Tony Romo is a great quarterback. He was the only reason the game wasn't a complete disaster in the 2nd half. He was sacked 6 times and I think there could have been at least 6 more if he wasn't making free rushers miss.

Why did it take until halftime for the Cowboys to adjust on offense and defense? By halftime it was really too late to comeback without playing nearly flawlessly in the 2nd half.

I came to the conclusion after the first embarrassing loss to the Eagles that the Cowboys were a mediocre team. So 8-8 is a fitting finish to the season.

There is a lot of work to do in the offseason. The secondary needs a serious makeover. And the offensive line needs major improvement.

One Game to Decide the Season

2011-12-29T22:17:00.003-06:00

This is it. The game we have been waiting all season to see. Win and the season will likely be viewed a success. Lose and the sky will be falling. One game to decide it all.

There is no way to predict how this game will play out. The easy thing to do is predict another shoot out just like the first game between the Cowboys and the Giants this season. But how often do two games in a row play out the same way? It just doesn't tend to happen that way.

The Cowboys defense just isn't very good. I have tried to justify their performances throughout the season in different ways. But the reality is that they just don't perform at a high level for long stretches of time. Sometimes they are dominant for a quarter or even a half. But at some point they always seem to go soft. And they never seem to be at their best in the critical moments of the game. So the defense is what concerns me the most heading into the Sunday night showdown.

Demarcus Ware has put up 18 sacks this season. But how many of those sacks have come in game defining moments? Sean Lee has had some big plays. But how many of those big plays have come when the team needed them the most? There just doesn't seem to be a player on the defense that steps up when the moment gets big. I don't think we can expect that to change Sunday night.

So that means that the offense and special teams have to be on top of their game. Tony Romo should be good to go coming back from his hand injury. The Cowboys can't afford many turnovers from their offense in the game. And Romo needs to lead his offense to touchdowns, not field goals. The funny thing heading into the game is that Romo is one of the last guys on the team I am worried about. He has been playing lights out for quite a while and he has stepped up in big games before despite what his critics would have you believe.

Felix Jones and Sammy Morris will be very important as well. The Cowboys don't need to get into another game where the last offense with the ball wins. They need to control the clock and the game with the running game. Felix Jones should be healthy for this one. Derrick Dockery starting for Montrae Holland is a bit of a concern but I don't think there will be a noticeable difference in the running game with Holland out.

Dwayne Harris showed a little spark in the return game last week. Maybe he can finally provide some juice to the kick return game. Dez Bryant will be used on punt returns a lot more this week since there is nothing to save him for at this point. I give the Cowboys a big edge in special teams if Dez Bryant is going to get a lot of work returning punts. Of course that means that the defense actually has to force a few punts for Dez to get his opportunities.

I really could see this game going either way. The Giants could get out to a quick start and then pound the Cowboys into submission with Brandon Jacobs. Or the Cowboys could get out to a quick start and control the clock with the running game. Or it could be another shootout. I could even see Eli Manning and Tony Romo both come out a little shaky and the scoring stay down. Both teams have been so inconsistent this season it has been maddening to the fans of both the Giants and the Cowboys.

I'm going to pick with my heart. My head tells me to flip a coin. My heart tells me that Romo is playing the best football of his career and it is time for him to turn the corner and become respected as a big time quarterback. That means he needs a win Sunday night. I think the Cowboys will get the win. I'm picking the Cowboys to win the game 27-20. Of course, it will come down to the last minute. You can bank on that based on the way the season has gone.

It All Comes Down to This

2011-12-26T09:38:00.003-06:00

There were about 15 minutes on Saturday when I thought the season was over. Romo was in the locker room getting his right hand x-rayed and it didn't look good. Watching Stephen McGee operate ineffectively made it painfully obvious that the Cowboys can't beat anyone without Romo.

So when the news came that Romo is ok I was all for sitting him out and giving up the Philadelphia game. There was next to nothing to be gained. Felix Jones was pulled around the same time as the news came that the Giants had defeated the Jets eliminating any chance that the NFC East crown could be sewn up early.

We could sit here and try to analyze the outcome of the Eagle game but I don't know what can be gained. Not having a legitimate offense puts extra pressure on the defense. But the defense only gave up 20 points. On the other side of the coin, the Eagles had a 20 point lead and no real reason to try to extend that lead. It was essentially a preseason game in week 16...weird.

In a season that so many of the Cowboys games have come down to the last few minutes it seems fitting that their playoff life will be determined at the last possible moment. It is entirely possible that with 2 minutes to go on Sunday night we still won't know if the Cowboys will make the playoffs. And, if the game a few weeks ago against the Giants is any indication, it might be a very stressful evening for fans of both teams.

The best news out of the game against the Eagles was that Tony Romo is ok. He should be good to go on Sunday night. And that gives the Cowboys a fighting chance in the winner take all matchup.

Cowboys Need a Better Start This Time Around

2011-12-22T21:01:00.004-06:00

When the Cowboys and Eagles played earlier this season the game got out of hand very quickly. And that basically took the offense out of their game plan. The defense was scrambling to adjust to the onslaught of the Eagle offense. And by the time things settled down the game was long gone.

Their were obviously some tactical errors in Rob Ryan's game plan defensively. He left the middle of the field exposed and the Eagles attacked the middle with ease. LeSean McCoy ran wild all game long. And what is scary is that I'm not sure that the defense is any better now than they were in that game. But I am sure that the game plan will be different this time around. Ryan was aggressive early in the game with blitzes but the Eagles called the perfect plays every time to burn the blitz and that made Ryan go into a conservative shell defense which the Eagles then shredded to pieces. I expect a better mix from Ryan this time around.

The most important thing to help the Cowboys this time around will be a good start by the offense. Last time they got out of the gate slowly and Martellus Bennett tipped up a well thrown ball by Romo right to the defense for an interception. And by the time the game settled down the Cowboys were so far behind that running the ball was out of the question. The Cowboys will need long, methodical drives in this game to control the ball and the time of possession.

The defense isn't good enough to have to defend Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson, and LeSean McCoy over and over and over. The offense can limit the opportunities that any of those players get by keeping the ball away from them. That means that the Cowboys need to be able to run the ball and convert third downs.

I really hope that the Cowboys are being honest when they say that they are just being conservative with Felix Jones and his tight hamstring. Sammy Morris looked good last week but I wouldn't want the Cowboys to depend on him for 20+ carries. Felix Jones needs to be the primary ball carrier because he is more explosive and he is in far better football shape than Morris.

This game can go one of two ways. It is either going to seem like a playoff game if the Giants lose or it will almost be meaningless if the Giants win (unless Atlanta loses out but the have Tampa Bay in their final game). The Cowboys can clinch the NFC East with a Giants loss and a win on Saturday. It would be awfully nice for some of the banged up players to get some rest in the final game of the week with a playoff game clinched. But I have a sneaking suspicion that the Giants will find a way to beat the Jets and make the season finale essentially a playoff game.

I have no idea what to expect going into this game. I am sure that the Eagles aren't going to steamroll the Cowboys like they did the last time. But I don't see the Cowboys blowing out the Eagles either. I think the game will come down to the fourth quarter as usual. The good news there is the the Eagles have been a horrible 4th quarter team this year in close games. I'm not saying the Cowboys have been great in the 4th quarter but they have certainly been better than the Eagles.

It is hard to predict a score for this game without knowing what happens in the Giants-Jets game earlier on Saturday. But I am going to assume that the Cowboys will be playing everyone for the entire game. I think it will be tight but I think the Cowboys will find a way to get it done. I'm picking the Cowboys to win 27-25. Whether that win actually means anything will be the bigger story.

Step One Complete

2011-12-18T19:58:00.003-06:00

The Cowboys completely dominated on Saturday night. Looking at the final score, 31-15, it doesn't look like complete domination. But if you watched the game it was easy to see how much better the Cowboys were than the Bucs.

If the Cowboys hadn't taken the pedal off the gas in the second half they could have easily put another 10-14 points on the board. But after an early strip sack returned for a touchdown by the Bucs in the second half Jason Garrett went a little conservative. But it was the smart move. Winning by 30 points doesn't get you anything extra.

And some might point to the way the Bucs moved the ball in the second half as a sign that the defense went soft again. First of all, Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff sat out the entire second half. Take away two pro bowl caliber players from any defense and there will be a drop off. Secondly, most of Josh Freeman's completions were underneath the coverage because the Cowboys were forcing the Bucs to use a lot of clock to get the ball down the field.

What was even more impressive than the play of the defense was the performance of Tony Romo. He is playing the best football of his career. It is too bad that the Cowboys lost in the final minutes to the Cardinals and the Giants because there would be more recognition nationally for just how great Romo is playing. Romo played so good in the first half with three passing TD's and one rushing TD that he didn't need to do much in the second half but manage the game. The blowout score prevented him from having a career game.

The trio of wide receivers for the Cowboys are making the offense very dangerous. Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Laurent Robinson all have the ability to make big plays and they are forcing the defenses to stop over-committing to the run. And Jason Witten is finally starting to find a little room to work again.

Felix Jones played pretty well for the second straight game. He was tough between the tackles and was explosive when big play opportunities presented themselves. I just hope he can stay healthy because the more touches he gets the more concerned I become. If he can keep running like he is then the running game will be ok. Especially if Sammy Morris runs with power for the rest of the year like he did against Tampa Bay. Morris might be a good short yardage back for the offense with the power he showed in this game.

It isn't all roses for the Cowboys coming out of this game. It is still worries me that the pass rush seems to disappear whenever Demarcus Ware is out of the game. Ware's health seems like a big concern heading down the stretch. Anthony Spencer and the rest of the pass rushers need to make a bigger impact over the next two games. Sean Lee missed several tackles in the game and it is obvious that he needs to get full use of his left hand to be at his best.

The loss the Giants suffered to the Redskins this week was helpful but doesn't change much if they can beat the Jets next week. But there is at least a chance now that the Cowboys could clinch the NFC East next week with a win over the Eagles and a Giants loss to the Jets. It just feels like that would be too easy. My gut tells me that this season will come down to the final game of the year. The luxury the Cowboys have now is that they can lose to the Eagles and still come away with the NFC East title with a win in the final game.

The great thing about the schedule next week is that the Giants and Jets play in the early slate of games. The Cowboys have a 3:15 CDT kickoff so they will have a good idea at kickoff if the are playing for the NFC East title. I'd love to see the Cowboys clinch next week but things just don't usually play out so nicely for the Cowboys. Either way, bring on the Eagles!

It Is Do or Die Time

2011-12-15T19:44:00.006-06:00

I think most of us have come to the realization that the Dallas Cowboys are most likely not destined for the Super Bowl this season. That doesn't make this season a failure. But it would be hard to imagine not viewing the season as a failure after the Cowboys held a two game lead in the division just two weeks ago and seemed to be a lock for the NFC East title.

But a funny thing happened along the way. The team performed with a two game lead just like they have in the 4th quarter of too many games this season. They found a way to screw it up. And it happened so quickly it left everyone wondering what happened. But, just like in the games they lost, there is still time to salvage a playoff spot.

If that is going to happen then the game against Tampa Bay has got to be a win. The Cowboys need to not only win but they need to make a statement. I know it is hard to make a statement in a game that should be an easy win. But a great performance could start the ball rolling in the right direction again for this team.

The Bucs are a mess. They are in an awful downward spiral very similar to what happened with the Cowboys right before Wade Phillips was fired last year. Sure, they will come out fired up for a big game against the Cowboys. But they are also only a few early scores away from quitting completely.

And so a quick start is what they Cowboys will need this week. They can't mess around with taking this game down to the last minute. The Cowboys have no more margin for error on the season. They need three straight wins and this should be the easiest of the three.

I'm not going to spend too much time breaking down who needs to do what in this game. We all know it at this point. Felix Jones needs to play this week like he did last week minus the fumble. Tony Romo needs to continue to play excellent football. And, for the love of God, the defense needs to pull their heads out of their rear ends.

Rob Ryan has promised that many of the communication issues that have plagued the defense have been fixed. I find that hard to believe. If it were so easy why wasn't it fixed months ago? I don't want to hear any excuses from anyone on the defense. They all need to play better. Line up and beat the man across from you. Scheme plays a part in the outcome but there haven't been many guys winning their one-on-one matchups lately.

I think the Cowboys will come out very motivated this week. I think the team will have a chip on their shoulder after the way things went down last week. I expect to see a blowout victory that is clinched in the third quarter. I like nothing more than to see a healthy dose of Sammy Morris and Stephen McGee in the 4th quarter. I'm picking the Cowboys to win 35-20 and it won't be as close as that score sounds. And Jason Witten is dues for a big game. Don't be surprised if he has 10+ catches in this one.

Another 4th Quarter Collapse

2011-12-12T19:57:00.006-06:00

I was at the game last night. It was probably the most exciting game I have ever attended. And I have never walked out of a game as angry as I was last night.

I'm not going to blame Tony Romo. All he did was put up 321 yards, 4 touchdowns, and lead his team to a 12 point lead late in the 4th quarter. Miles Austin says he lost the deep ball late in the game in the lights and I'm going to take him at his word. A completion there might have sealed the win but the Cowboys missed it.

I blame the defense. Rob Ryan's crew was flat out awful pretty much from start to finish. It has become painfully obvious that the defense can't run the scheme that Ryan has tried to bring to Dallas. The pre-snap adjustments that are required with Ryan's defense are just too much for the players to handle. It is amazing how often the secondary completely misses assignments. The pass to Mario Manningham that went for a touchdown was a perfect example of that. No one even thought about covering him.

Demarcus Ware really blew it in the game too. The only game I've seen him play that was as bad as this one was last year against Jacksonville. His offsides penalties couldn't have come at a worse time. And he didn't get to Eli Manning all game long and he made no impact, except in a bad way, as the Giants completed their furious comeback.

Terence Newman. Need I say more? He dropped a pick six early in the game. And he appeared to give up on the deep ball that Mario Manningham dropped in the endzone at the end of the game. And Newman was getting burned all game long. He was terrible in this game.

What really hurts coming out of that game besides the huge loss is the fact that so many players were hurt in the game. Phil Costa left the game with a concussion and is questionable for the Bucs game this week. Mike Jenkins is hurt again. Barry Church has a separated shoulder and is probably out this week. Jay Ratliff is hurt. And, the biggest injury of all, DeMarco Murray is out for the season with a broken ankle.

After Romo and Miles Austin made a phenomenal effort to get the Cowboys in position for a game tying field goal the field goal team let the Cowboys down again. It looked like Dan Bailey's kick was headed in the right direction but it was blocked so early that we'll never know if it would have gone in. It doesn't really matter. All that matters is the field goal unit broke down at the worst possible time for the second week in a row. I have lost all faith in the coaching of Joe Decamillis.

I know technically that the Cowboys still control their own fate. Win three straight and they win the NFC East and make the playoffs. But nothing I saw from the defense last night leads me to believe this team deserves a spot in the playoffs. I expect and one and done if the Cowboys do miraculously bounce back from the loss and win out. I realized about 6 or 7 weeks ago that this team was very mediocre. It is a shame because the offense did everything they could to win the game. But you aren't going to win many games when your defense gives up 37 points and over 500 yards of offense.

I'm still hopeful that the Cowboys can pull it together but I have exactly zero faith that it will happen. We just have to hope that this team gets it together like the Cowboys did at the end of the 2009 season and wins out.

Feels Like a Must Win Game

2011-12-08T19:10:00.004-06:00

This is it. Finally a big time game to get excited about. The Cowboys head into the game with the NFC East lead but for some reason I get the feeling they need to win this one or the season will end without a playoff appearance.

I know the Giants have lost 4 straight. But they come into the game with a lot of confidence after going toe to toe with the defending Super Bowl champions last week and nearly coming away with a win. Eli Manning is on fire. And the defensive line can be scary good when they are motivated. They will be this week.

I don't want to make it sound like the Cowboys can't win this week. They can and I think they will. But the running game is going to have to be great this week so the Cowboys can keep control of the ball and keep this game from turning into a shootout. Thankfully Tony Fiammetta will be back at fullback after missing the last few games with an inner ear infection. Hopefully his presence will get the running game back on track.

And, just as importantly, Miles Austin will finally be back on the field for the offense. It was painfully obvious last week that the Cowboys missed his speed on the outside last week as the Cardinals put 8 men in the box and dared Dez Bryant and Laurent Robinson to beat them deep. They couldn't and they allowed the Cardinals to shut down the running game of the Cowboys all game long. With Austin back the offense gets a deep threat that helps prevent the defense from selling out against the run.

My biggest concern heading into the game is whether the defense can contain the explosive passing game of the Giants. Eli Manning has been playing very good football this season. As usual with a hot quarterback the key is getting pressure in his face. Eli is similar to Tony Romo in that most of his errors happen when there is pressure right in his face. He'll make a few bad passes every game that can be picked off if he is under pressure. Rob Ryan needs to attack and stay aggressive all game long. I'm tired of seeing the three man rush show up in critical situations. The defense needs to dictate the pace of the game to the offense. That means they need to be attacking.

Sean Lee having use of his hand is going to make a big difference. He probably isn't going to be back to picking off passes with a partial cast on his wrist, but at least he'll be able to wrap up with two hands when he tackles. The Cowboys can't afford to let the Giants have success running the ball because they'll have enough trouble stopping the pass without worrying about the run. The defensive line needs to control the line of scrimmage so we don't have to see Brandon Jacobs steamrolling anyone. I don't want to have to watch that idiot running his mouth. If they keep him moving sideways he becomes a terrible running back. That can only happen if the Cowboys are winning at the point of attack.

The secondary needs to have a good game covering Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Jake Ballard and Mario Manningham. But I think they can only be successful if Anthony Spencer, Jay Ratliff and Demarcus Ware are keeping Eli Manning from getting comfortable in the pocket. I don't think the Cowboys can win if they are planning to sit back and let Eli Manning survey the field.

Dez Bryant on punt returns could be the X-factor in the game. Of course that can only be the case if there aren't yellow flags flying every time he returns the ball. Dez is a dangerous returner and the blockers need to be smart about avoiding penalties.

I'm fired up for this game. I'll be at the stadium doing my part to help the Cowboys win. A victory in this game would nearly wrap up the NFC East. A loss could spell doom for the season. The stakes are high. And that is what makes this game so exciting to think about. I'm picking the Cowboys to win the game 27-26.

Garrett Is To Blame For the Loss

2011-12-05T19:54:00.003-06:00

Jason Garrett blew it. And I don't mean the timeout that he called with 7 seconds left. I mean the timeout he didn't call after Dez Bryant caught the pass for a first down at the 32 yard line with 25 seconds on the clock. He should have called timeout and tried to get another 10-20 yards to make the field goal attempt for his kicker easier.

Garrett claims that he was afraid of a negative play. Playing football afraid to make a mistake usually results in a loss. And Garrett's lack of trust in his offense cost the Cowboys their 5th straight victory.

I'm not saying Jason Garrett is a terrible coach and he needs to be fired. I know some people feel that way. And is was a mistake that shouldn't happen. But we have to hope that Jason Garrett learns from his mistake and plays that situation more aggressively in the future. He will be the coach in Dallas for a long time regardless of the one bad game he called against the Cardinals.

I saw a stat today that said that a field goal from that spot is basically a 50-50 proposition. If the Cowboys could have moved up 15 yards the percentage goes up over 80% that Bailey will make the kick. It was a horrible decision by Garrett no matter how he tries to explain it away.

Lost in the end of game disaster was the stellar 4th quarter play of Tony Romo. He did everything he needed to do to get his team the victory. Let's not forget that he was clutch yet again. And he threw for 299 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions on a day that the offensive line was terrible both pass blocking and run blocking. The line gave up 5 sacks but it could have easily been 8 or 9 had it not been for some Romo magic. And Romo got the Cowboys down the field in the 2 minute offense and gave his team a shot at a win.

Dan Bailey finally had a bad game. But it is hard to fault the kicker for missing a 53 yard field goal and a 49 yard field goal. I didn't understand why the Cowboys chose to kick a 53 yard field goal early in the game on 4th and 1 instead of being aggressive and going for the first down. That was another bad call by Garrett that got lost in the shuffle.

The defense went in the tank in the 2nd half for the second game in a row. I don't understand why Rob Ryan has so much success attacking early in games and then backs off. The three man rushes that he calls in two minute situations drive me crazy. Give any quarterback all day to throw and he'll eventually find an open receiver. I'd like to see aggressive defensive calls on a consistent basis.

I don't want to sound like I am giving up on the Cowboys. But they haven't done anything over the last five games to convince me of what I concluded after the game against the Eagles. Right now the Cowboys are a very average team. The offense is average. The defense is average. And special teams is average at best.

Next week is a make or break moment in the season. If the Cowboys lose at home to the Giants I feel like the season will unravel. But if the Cowboys can find a way to win they will likely end up with the division title. That doesn't mean we should expect much in the postseason. But at least they would be in the tournament which is a huge improvement over last season. I hope the Cowboys find a way to play at a much higher level next week. Another performance like this one next week will result in an embarrassing blow out loss.

Avoiding the Trap

2011-12-02T19:40:00.003-06:00

I've already mentioned how this feels like a trap game for the Cowboys. So the key this week will be avoiding the pitfalls that usually result in losing a game like this one. The Cowboys are the better team. I think that is clear. But if they come out lackadaisical or sloppy they can easily lose to the Cardinals. The Cowboys are good enough to play a bad game and win.

So what do the Cowboys need to do to beat the Cardinals? I think the #1 priority needs to be to get out to a fast start. If the Cowboys can put 10 or 14 points on the board on their first few drives and keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard I think this game can be a cake walk. But the longer the Cowboys let the Cardinals hang around the more you can expect a tough battle that won't be won until late in the game.

Tony Romo needs to protect the ball. The Cowboys don't need a banner performance from Romo. It would be nice if he can hit a few big plays but the Cowboys can beat the Cardinals with a relatively conservative game plan if they don't give the Cardinals any easy points off of turnovers. DeMarco Murray will help the Cowboys control the time of possession and prevent 3 and outs. The Cowboys just need to protect the ball on offense.

Patrick Peterson needs to be a non-factor in the return game. Sounds simple enough but certain things have to take place to keep him out of the game. The offense needs to sustain drives. Even drives out to the Cowboys 40 or the 50 yard line allow McBriar to boom the ball inside the 10 yard line and prevent any returns. If the Cowboys do have to punt from deep in their own territory it is vitally important that McBriar gets good hang time and pins Peterson along the sidelines. Again, easier said than done but at least McBriar is getting healthy again.

The defense needs to keep pressure in Kevin Kolb's face. It looks like Kolb will start this game after missing the last few weeks with several injuries to his foot. Kolb doesn't worry me after what I have seen from him this season and against the Cowboys at the end of last season. If the Cowboys can pressure Kolb he will be inaccurate and he'll turn the ball over. The Cardinals have allowed the 3rd most sacks in the league so getting pressure shouldn't be a problem.

The run defense can't let Beanie Wells get going. He is the X-factor that can open everything up for the Cardinal offense. Larry Fitzgerald can be contained by pressuring Kolb but it will take a good performance by the linebackers and defensive line to make sure Wells doesn't force the defense to back off of pressuring the quarterback and focus on stopping the run.

The Cowboys need to play with passion and intensity. There is a good chance that the Cowboys will be playing for the NFC East title next week against the Giants if they can win this game. But they can't get ahead of themselves. I know Garrett has been preaching the one game at a time approach to the season and this is the type of game that will show us if the players have been listening.

I am very nervous heading into this game. The last two times the Cowboys have visited Arizona strange things have happened that have caused the Cowboys to lose. I think this game will be different but it won't be any easy win. I'm picking the Cowboys to win 29-20 but I think the game will be close heading into the 4th quarter.

It Feels Like a Trap Game

2011-11-30T21:46:00.003-06:00

I don't have a lot to say here. I'm mainly just throwing this thought out there. With the Cowboys coming off of 4 straight victories and with the first game with the Giants coming up next week this is the type of game that defines what a trap game is. Jason Garrett's one day at a time mantra will be put to the test this week.

Can the Cowboys come out focused and execute efficiently against the Cardinals? A quick start by the Cowboys would probably result is an easy win over the Cardinals because they won't have much desire to fight back from a deficit. But if the Cowboys come out playing flat or sloppy the Cardinals will gain confidence and make it a tough game.

I hope my feeling is wrong about this week. But all I am hearing about is how the Cowboys are in first place and that this should be an easy win. This is the type of game that Bill Parcells would have hung mouse traps from the ceiling for. I hope Jason Garrett finds a way to keep his guys focused on the Cardinals before moving on to the Giants.

The Cowboys Keep on Rolling

2011-11-25T23:49:00.000-06:00

It wasn't pretty. It wasn't easy. And they Cowboys get no style points for their 20-19 escape act victory. But it was a win. And that is now four in a row.

My thoughts during the game kept drifting to where this team would be this season without Dan Bailey. As he lined up the game winner it was money in the bank. But if that had been David Buehler lining up that kick there is no telling where the ball would have gone. The Cowboys could easily be 3-8 this year with a bad kicker. He has scored the winning points in the fourth quarter of 4 of the 7 Cowboy wins this season.

Tony Romo started off slowly but he was at his best when the Cowboys needed him most. The touchdown drive that gave the Cowboys a 17-16 lead wouldn't have happened with any quarterback in the NFL except Tony Romo. He made four plays on the drive that should have been sacks or throwaways but he turned them into positive plays. And his touchdown to Laurent Robinson was a perfect throw after he escaped pressure and rolled left.

The defense continues to be a concern. For the second straight week they made a marginal quarterback look like a pro bowler. You can blame the secondary but the pass rush seems to disappear at critical moments in the game as well. And Rob Ryan has a tendency to go to the three man rush in critical situations that usually results in the opposing quarterback having all day to pick apart the defense. The defense has to improve or the Cowboys won't go anywhere if they manage to get into the playoffs. Hopefully the return of Mike Jenkins will help.

I'm still very disappointed in the return game of the Cowboys. Felix Jones didn't do anything of note with his kick returns. But at least Dez Bryant gave the team a spark with his 20 yard punt return to start the final possession of the game. The Cowboys have to be one of the worst return teams in the league.

I'd like to say that there are a lot of signs of improvement from this team but that wouldn't be accurate. The one big improvement I can see is that the Cowboys are finding a way to win close games instead of losing them like they did early in the season.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining about a win. I'm thrilled the Cowboys found a way to pull out a fourth straight victory. But looking at the team long term this season it is pretty obvious that there needs to be improvement in all phases of the game if the Cowboys want to make any noise in the playoffs. It was nice to finish off a great Thanksgiving day with a win by the Cowboys.

The Cowboys Need Another Win

2011-11-23T23:12:00.004-06:00

The Cowboys come into the Dolphins game riding on the high of a three game winning streak. But just because they have won three games in a row doesn't mean they can afford to lose a game against an inferior team. It is very likely that the Cowboys will need 10 wins to make the playoffs. That means that they need to go 4-2 over their last 6 games. And that means they have to win the remaining games on the schedule against teams with losing records.

A few weeks ago it appeared that this would be an easy game for the Cowboys. The Dolphins were winless and they were finding a way to lose every week. But the Cowboys three game winning streak has been mirrored by a three game winning streak for the Dolphins.

Matt Moore has been on a roll during the winning streak. I felt that when the Cowboys released Moore a few years ago that they had made a mistake. It isn't like Matt Moore is going to be the next Tom Brady but I thought he had potential. He has developed into a guy who would have been a good backup option for the Cowboys.

I think the bigger concern for the Cowboys has to be Reggie Bush. The Dolphins have finally figured out how to use Reggie Bush in their system. And he creates matchup nightmares for any opponent. Sean Lee has the athleticism to match up with Bush but he is still playing one-handed. Lee's ability to contain Bush will have a big impact on whether the Cowboys can contain the Dolphin offense.

I think the offense will put up points for the Cowboys. The Dolphins aren't world beaters on defense but they are decent. They are currently ranked 9th in the NFL in yards allowed so it isn't like we should expect Tony Romo to throw for 5 TD's and DeMarco Murray to run for 150 yards. But I do think the Cowboys will be able to put up at least 24 points which should be enough for a win.

The Cowboys defense needs to force a few early 3 and outs and maybe a turnover or two so the Cowboys can get out to an early lead. The Dolphins don't have an explosive offense that can play from behind. Matt Moore has been great over the last 3 games but his history includes a lot of high turnover games. The defense needs to make this another one of those games.

I'm expecting a relatively easy win for the Cowboys. But I don't think that it will be a complete blowout. Tony Romo will continue his excellent play and Sean Lee will find a way to limit the big plays of Reggie Bush. I'm picking the Cowboys to win the game 24-13.

3 In A Row

2011-11-20T20:54:00.004-06:00

For the second time this season the Cowboys won a game against the Redskins that felt a little like stealing. Dan Bailey squeaked his game winner just inside the right upright to win the game in overtime this time around. The Redskins had their shot to win in just a few minutes earlier in overtime but Graham Gano missed wide right by about 2 feet.

This game could have easily resulted in a tough loss. But thanks to a missed field goal they come away with a win and a shot at a first place in the NFC East if the Giants lose to the Eagles. So the Cowboys come out of the game at 6-4 and on a bit of a roll.

There was a lot to be happy about in the game. But there was a lot to be concerned about as well. Considering the game was a win you would think there would be more good than bad but really not so much.

Tony Romo played another good game. He wasn't perfect. But I'll take 3 TD's and no interceptions any day of the week. And he made a few plays during the game that only Tony Romo makes. The touchdown to Laurent Robinson that tied the score at 17 was an improv play by Romo. And the touchdown to Witten for 59 yards and a 24-17 lead was another improv special. And finally, the big gain to Dez Bryant to set up the game winning field goal was all Romo.

Dan Bailey just continues to make field goals. I thought he had missed the game winner and I wasn't convinced he actually made the kick until after FOX came back from commercial and showed the replay. He has been a great addition to the team. I wonder how many games the Cowboys have won that they would have lost if Buehler was still the kicker.

The defense played very well for about a quarter and a half. And then the wheels fell off. They allowed Rex Grossman to look like a pro bowl quarterback from the 2nd quarter through the end of the game. There wasn't enough pressure on Grossman and the secondary allowed a bunch of no name receivers to rack up big play after big play. I'm concerned about the play of the defense because I expected them to be rounding into shape at this point in the season. Hopefully this game was just a blip on the radar.

The running game for the Cowboys struggled all game long. Jason Garrett stayed committed to running the ball even though the Redskins kept DeMarco Murray in check all game long. At least the Cowboys were able to convert on 3rd and short by running to extend one of their drives. I don't know if Tony Fiammetta's absence hurt the running game that much or if the Redskins just played that well against the run.

There was good and bad with Dez Bryant. He made a great play on his first quarter touchdown and another great play to get open in overtime. But he disappeared for a big stretch of the game again. Until his route running improves I don't think we'll see a full 4 quarter of dominating play from him.

Jason Witten is a beast. The Redskins doubled him all game long. But he still came up with 3 receptions for 85 yards and, of course, the huge scoring play in the 4th quarter. He is just a great player.

The Cowboys nearly lost the game in large part due to bad punting and bad punt coverage. Matt McBriar shanked a punt to set up one of the Redskin scores. And a big punt return set up another score. Joe DeCamillis needs to get his punt team going. And the Cowboys kick and punt returns were awful as usual. I hope we see Felix Jones on kick returns against Miami because Akwasi Owusu-Ansah just can't get it done.

What originally looked like it would be an easy Thanksgiving day game against Miami is now looking like it will be a tough test. Miami has won three straight coming into the game and they are playing good football. The Cowboys will have to play better all around if they expect to make it a happy Thanksgiving for Cowboys fans.

Get Ready for Another Wild One Against the Redskins

2011-11-18T16:34:00.003-06:00

I don’t know what it is about the rivalry the Cowboys have with the Redskins. But for some reason the games are decided by some sort of wacky play on a regular basis. You don’t have to look back more than a few games to see what I mean.

Last year the Cowboys appeared to win and then lost on the final play of the game when Alex Barron was called for a holding penalty that nullified the game winning score.

This year Dan Bailey hit six field goals to provide all 18 of the Cowboys points as Tony Romo made a miraculous play on 3^rd and 18 late in the game to get the Cowboys in position for the game winner.

You can go back not only for a few years but for a few decades and you’ll see similar games that have been played between the two teams almost every season. So why would this game be any different?

On paper it would appear that the Cowboys and Redskins are heading in opposite directions. The Cowboys are just starting to get on a roll and are beginning to look like a playoff team. The Redskins have lost 5 straight and appear headed for a top 5 draft pick. But those types of things don’t usually matter in the Cowboys-Redskins series.

The year the Cowboys went 1-15 with first year coach Jimmy Johnson guess who they beat for that lone victory. That’s right, the Washington Redskins. No one expected it that day and no one expects the Redskins to be able to win this week.

I’m not saying all of this to predict a loss by the Cowboys this week. I just think we need to realize that another 44-7 win is probably not in order this week. The Cowboys should win, but it will likely be much closer than that if history tells us anything.

The Cowboys will obviously try to keep their running game rolling this week. But with Tony Fiammetta out battling a mystery illness the running game will lose one of its biggest assets. The good news is that Felix Jones will return and will likely give a nice #2 option to the running attack.

The Redskins have a good defense despite what their record shows. The majority of the losses the team has had are due to the completely inept play they have had at the quarterback position. Tony Romo and the rest of the offense won’t have to be special to win the game this week. But they need to protect the ball so that the Redskins have to work for any points they get.

The defense will be challenged to stop the run yet again this week. You know that Mike Shanahan wants to be able to hide Rex Grossman with his game plan. That means a heavy dose of the running game. If the Cowboys can shut down the run then Grossman will be forced to throw the ball. The Redskins have no receivers who can provide a threat and Fred Davis at tight end is the only real playmaker on the offensive side of the ball.

It is hard to envision a scenario where the Cowboys lose this game barring a catastrophic injury to Romo or a Romo meltdown. But, as I say that, all I have to do is picture a few of the crazy things that have gone on in this rivalry over the last few years to realize that it only takes a few odd plays here or there and suddenly the Cowboys will be on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

I think the Cowboys will find a way to overcome any odd moments that come up in this game. I’m not expecting a blowout this week. But I wasn’t expecting one last week either. The Redskins just can’t score enough points to keep up with the Cowboys offense. I’m picking the Cowboys to win 24-12.

The Tide Might Be Turning

2011-11-13T18:14:00.000-06:00

The Cowboys played their most complete game of the season today. And as I write this the Giants are in the process of losing to the 49ers. And just like that it appears that the Cowboys will be just one game out in the NFC East and ready to start rolling through the next three games on their schedule.

I'm certainly not going to make more out of the Bills game than I should. But the win and the absolute complete domination of a team that many thought was a quality team heading into the game can't be overlooked. The Cowboys started scoring early in the game and they never stopped.

Tony Romo was finally Tony Romo again. He was moving around with ease and taking shots down the field without hesitation. And, what was even better, he seemed to be picking his moments to be aggressive. A few times in the second half he had a thought to go deep on play action passes. But when the defense didn't bite he either checked the ball down or simply ran it. Lessons were learned in the Detroit game but he finally got his mojo back today too. Games like today make all of the idiots who talk about how terrible Romo is look like fools.

DeMarco Murray looks better in every game he plays. I have no idea how Jason Garrett can possibly justify making Felix Jones the starter when he is finally healthy again. But it will be nice for DeMarco to be able to get a rest more often when Felix is ready to play. It is really starting to look like the Cowboys might have found a franchise back in the third round of the draft.

What was most impressive to me today was the performance of the offensive line. I can't think of any hits that Romo took outside of plays that he ran the ball. And the running game was dominant even when the Bills knew the run was coming. Maybe the line is starting to gel. Time will tell, but that is two straight weeks that they have looked great. And Jason Garrett even felt confident enough in them to pound the ball into the end zone from one yard out with DeMarco Murray. The ability to run in the red zone has been the missing link for the offense.

The defense was able to force 4 turnovers but I wasn't overly impressed by their performance. I realize that the Bills had a very good offense coming into the game. And I know the Cowboys only gave up 7 points. But the Bills were moving the ball with ease on the ground and through the air. Ryan Fitzpatrick missed a couple of deep throws in the 2nd half that could have gone for touchdowns. Luckily it didn't hurt the team but the defense has a lot to work on despite the fact that they only gave up 7 points.

Dan Bailey was perfect as usual and I am really trying to remind myself not to take his consistency for granted. I love the way he nails his kicks right down the middle and they don't hook or fade at all. And the kickoffs for Bailey today were great. He had touchbacks on all but two kickoffs which makes the thought of having Buehler on the team next year seem ridiculous.

The Cowboys are heading in the right direction. After the Eagles game I had to admit that the Cowboys were mediocre. But good teams continue to improve throughout the season as Jason Garrett likes to say. It certainly appears that the Cowboys are still improving and it is exciting to think that their best football still might be in front of them. It is going to take a great final 7 games for the Cowboys to find a way into the postseason. But today makes it feel like anything is possible.

No Sure Thing Against the Bills

2011-11-11T16:30:00.002-06:00

For some reason the media seems to be picking the Cowboys to win on Sunday against the Bills almost unanimously. I don’t understand why. Yes the Cowboys are at home. And the Bills have been fading after their fast start to the season. But this is the same Cowboys team that only played 2 quarters of good football last week.

I’m certainly not saying I think the Cowboys will lose. But I think that is a real possibility. The Cowboys will need 4 quarters of good football and the run defense needs a dramatic improvement over their last two performances.

There are a few things that make me worry about this game. This is a game that will likely prove to be the pivotal moment in the season. Win and they could go on a pretty good run against a weak schedule to get back in the NFC East and playoff race. Lose and they are probably in too deep of a hole to get back in the playoff hunt. So far this season the Cowboys haven’t been able to win any games that felt like they were season changers. We all know how the Jets game went down and the Eagles game was a disaster. Should I even mention the Lions game?

The run defense has me very worried. They have given up big yardage in two straight games. The good news is that Sean Lee will be back in the lineup this week. But he’ll be playing with only one hand. But Sean Lee with one hand is leaps and bounds better than Keith Brooking on any day. Hopefully the missing link in the run defense has been Lee because the Cowboys won’t win this game if they can’t stop Fred Jackson. I have to believe that Rob Ryan is making the adjustments to the defense that will help shore up the huge cutback lanes that have been opening up over the last two games.

Miles Austin is injured again. Laurent Robinson has been an unexpected surprise as the #3 receiver but now he will get more attention from the defense. Hopefully he can do enough to keep the defense from focusing on Jason Witten and Dez Bryant all day. Dez Bryant is going to have to step up and become the receiver he was drafted to be. Dez is long past due for a 10 catch for 200 yards and 3 TD’s type of performance. Maybe this will be the week.

As usual I have no doubt that the outcome of this game will probably depend on Tony Romo’s performance more than anything else in the game. Tony needs to be aggressive but also protect the ball. He has seemed a little gun shy since the disastrous second half of the Lions game. Maybe now that he is fully healthy he’ll get his swagger back. The offense needs him to hit big plays to keep the defense from focusing on stopping DeMarco Murray.

I’m really uneasy about this game. Half of me thinks I should pick the Bills to win because they are coming off of a tough loss and they have been a good team this year. But the other half of me feels like the home field advantage and they Rob Ryan defensive schemes can do enough to shut down the Bills offensive attack. Either way I think it will be a very close game down to the end of the 4^th quarter. I’m going to stick with what my heart tells me and pick the Cowboys to win 26-23.

Good & Bad from the Seahawk Game

2011-11-07T19:59:00.003-06:00

Rather than just a recap of the game I thought I would try something a little different this time. I know there were a lot of things to dislike about the game yesterday, but there were also a lot of things to like. Let's take a look at things that should give up hope and things that should make us worry.

The Good: DeMarco Murray is starting to look like the real deal. It is now three straight weeks that Murray has looked like a legitimate starting running back. It will be interesting to see how many touches Felix Jones gets when he gets healthy. Hopefully Garrett will keep Murray as the starter and use Felix as the change up.

The Bad: The running game still isn't punching the ball into the end zone from close range. I don't know if Jason Garrett just doesn't trust the offensive line, but the Cowboys didn't make much of an effort to power the ball into the end zone from close range. Until they start running the ball in they red zone offense will continue to struggle.

The Good: Tony Romo didn't turn the ball over at all. By protecting the ball the Seahawks were always forced to drive the length of the field to score. That helps the defense prevent touchdowns more than any scheme Rob Ryan can draw up.

The Bad: Tony Romo is still playing too safe. It feels like Romo is still gun shy after what happened in the Detroit game a few weeks back. Romo is definitely protecting the ball but he seems to be lacking what makes him great right now. Romo is at his best when he is in gunslinger mode. He is a very average quarterback when he plays the bus driver role.

The Good: Dan Bailey continues to nail his field goals right down the middle. He is having the best season by a Cowboys kicker since Nick Folk's rookie season.

The Bad: The return game for the Cowboys is awful. Kevin Ogletree is just a very bad kick returner. And Dez Bryant made a horrible decision to field a punt inside the Cowboys five yard line.

The Good: The defense came up with 3 turnovers. The interceptions in the second half helped turn the tide in the Cowboys favor.

The Bad: The run defense was bad again. Last week seemed like a blip on the radar when McCoy went crazy for the Eagles. But Marshawn Lynch made it back to back weeks that the run defense has struggled. Run defense is becoming a major concern.

The Good: The offense had great balance with both Romo and Murray coming up with good games.

The Bad: Jason Garrett is still struggling to find a way to get the offense in the end zone consistently. I don't know if the offensive line is just handcuffing him in critical situations, but it is frustrating to see some of the questionable calls in short yardage situations.

The Good: Anthony Spencer finally woke up. He came up with a sack and a huge blocked field goal. Now he needs to show up next week again.

The Bad: Keith Brooking was terrible starting in place of Sean Lee. Brooking is so bad it is embarrassing. It seems like he should have retired 2 years ago. He is always a step or two late, he gets run over, and he seems lost in pass coverage. Lee can't get back on the field fast enough for me.

In the end a win is a win. It wasn't pretty but the Cowboys just need to start getting on a roll before it is too late. Buffalo is coming off of an embarrassing loss and will present a tough challenge next week. If the Cowboys can win that game we might see the Cowboys make a run to 8-4 against a very soft schedule. With the Giants playing with a 2 game lead in the NFC East getting to 8-4 is going to be needed to get back in the playoff race.

This Should Be An Easy Win

2011-11-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

The game on Sunday against the Seahawks reminds me a lot of the game against the Rams a few weeks ago. The Cowboys just have an overwhelming talent advantage entering the game. That should be a recipe for another dominating victory.

I am still reeling from the beat down the Cowboys took from the Eagles. It has convinced me that the Cowboys just aren’t as good as I thought they were this season. Good teams don’t lose 34-7 to a 2-4 team. I have come to the realization that the Cowboys aren’t going to do anything this season if they don’t start getting on a roll right now.

Fortunately the Seahawks are coming to town at the right time. The Cowboys need a win. Any kind of win. The Seahawks are a team that could beat you if you took them lightly. But the Cowboys can’t afford to take anyone lightly.

I have some big concerns about Keith Brooking filling in for Sean Lee at linebacker. Brooking was absolutely terrible last week. He looked like a guy who should have retired a few years ago and it made me wonder if a big part of the defensive problems last year came from his performance. Hopefully he can get the Cowboys through this game before Sean Lee can hopefully return for the Bills game next week.

Is the offensive line ever going to improve? There has been a lot of talk about the lack of deep passes by the offense in recent weeks. It seemed pretty obvious to me against the Eagles that Romo just didn’t have time to get the ball down the field. Deep routes take time to set up and Romo isn’t getting enough time from the offensive line to get receivers open deep down the field.

On the positive side with the offensive line at least their run blocking seems to be rounding into shape. As bad as the game was last week was at least DeMarco Murray found some big running lanes on his limited attempts last week. I expect to see that continue this week against the Seahawks. I don’t think he’ll be running for 250+ yards but I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t break 100.

I’m confident the defense will be able to force a few Tavaris Jackson turnovers even without Sean Lee and Mike Jenkins. As long as Romo doesn’t have one of his high turnover games there is no reason to think that the Cowboys will lose this game. I’m picking the Cowboys to win big, 27-16.

Maybe the Cowboys Are Just Mediocre

2011-11-01T19:34:00.002-05:00

After watching the Cowboys get completely destroyed against the Eagles on Sunday night I am finally convinced about the state of the team. The Cowboys are just a completely average team right now. They aren't as terrible as the Eagles' game might make you believe. But they also aren't nearly as good as the dominating win against the Rams might fool you into believing. The Cowboys can beat any team and they can lose to any team. That is a sign of a team that is very average.

I think it is pretty obvious that the odds of the Cowboys making a run at the Super Bowl are not good at this point in the season. It isn't impossible but it doesn't look very likely. But I also don't expect to see the Cowboys collapse down the stretch either. 8-8 or 9-7 appears to be where this team is headed if something doesn't change.

No fan wants to see their team go 8-8 or 9-7, but I can't be completely disappointed in that type of a season either. Let's be honest. The Cowboys have problems on the offensive line. It is preventing the offense from establishing a consistent attack. Tony Romo is very rarely comfortable in the pocket against the better teams in the league. It was wishful thinking to believe that an offensive line could be pieced together on the fly a few weeks before the start of the season that could be playoff caliber.

I'm not ready to give up on Tony Romo or Jason Garrett like many members of the fan base are ready to do. I feel like Jason Garrett is slowly whipping the roster into shape. He was dealt a bad hand with the moves that had to be made right before the season thanks to salary cap issues. But Garrett isn't standing pat with the players he has. He is churning the roster to try to find new pieces that the Cowboys can rely on for years to come.

And for those who think that there is any chance that Romo is fighting for his job...dream on. First of all, Tony Romo is a top 10 quarterback in the league. His stats are no aberration. And Tony's contract isn't the type that the Cowboys can afford to dump now that they are already handcuffed by the salary cap. Romo's contract was restructured before the season started, and the adjustments that were made virtually guarantee that he will be here for at least 2-3 more years.

Just because the Cowboys are average at this point in the season doesn't mean that they are destined to be average at the end of the season. The team can improve. But the Eagles game was a step back. The schedule for the Cowboys gives them a shot to make a run at a playoff birth but the improvement has to start now. I have no doubt that the Sunday night game was a wake up call. I expect to see a dominating win against the Seahawks. But all that will do is get the Cowboys back to .500 for the season. They need a winning streak. And they need to start beating quality teams.

I won't be convinced the Cowboys are done this year until they prove they can't beat the lesser teams on their schedule. But injuries could change that view as well. I'm really hoping that Sean Lee will be able to play through his wrist injury. It was obvious against the Eagles that Keith Brooking can't get it done any more. And Matt McBriar's injury is a major concern as well. The hamstring pull that Mike Jenkins had on Sunday night isn't going to help the defense either.

So this is where we are right now. The Cowboys are just a run of the mill team right now. They are very average. Some would argue that they are below average. So now we'll see what Jason Garrett is made of. A great coach can find a way to get his team to play above their talent level. The final 9 games will tell us a lot about whether Jason Garrett is a coach that can be the difference.

Time to Start a Streak

2011-10-28T23:44:00.004-05:00

Let's go ahead and say this ahead of time. This is a big game. There is always a debate after the fact whether Tony Romo has played well in big games. Although this is just the 7th game of the season it feels like this game could be a turning point for the Dallas Cowboys. Win and the Cowboys could be at the start of a big winning streak. Lose and we could be looking at a team that will be up and down all season long.

It is hard to know exactly what to expect heading into the game. The Cowboys have been very good on defense this season. But they have been inconsistent on offense. The Eagles have been bad defensively and inconsistent offensively. But Andy Reid is 12-0 with his team coming off of a bye.

I don't think I am going out on a limb thinking this is going to be another close game. The recent history of the Cowboys tells us that we should expect to see a close finish. The Cowboys have been horribly inconsistent in close games this season. The Eagles have been terrible in close games. But it is hard to believe that the Eagles aren't going to get their season going in the right direction at some point.

I think the Cowboys are going to win this game. And I'm not just going on a gut feeling. The Cowboys are good at everything that has given the Eagles trouble this season. The Cowboys do a great job confusing the opposing quarterbacks with the multiple defensive looks. Michael Vick struggles to decipher the opposing defensive scheme. That is a big advantage for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have turned a corner with their running game. In both games that the Cowboys played with Tony Fiammetta at fullback they have been very good running the ball. He is playing this week. The Eagles have had a very difficult time stopping the run. With DeMarco Murray providing a more physical running style I think the Cowboys will be able to control the time of possession and get first downs consistently.

The Eagles have the number one running offense in the NFL. The Cowboys have the #1 running defense in the NFL. Something has to give here. Remember that the primary reason that the Eagles are rated so high with their running game is due to their quarterback. I think we are going to see Michael Vick get knocked out of this game with another concussion. He has been hit so much this year that there is real concern that Vick isn't going to finish the season. I don't think he'll be out for the season after this game but I'll be surprised if he finishes the game.

The Eagles' kicker has been wildly inconsistent kicking field goals. The Cowboys kicker has made 16 consecutive field goals. Again, advantage Cowboys.

Even if this game somehow turns into a shootout I think the Cowboys have plenty of offensive fire power to keep up with the potentially explosive Eagles offense. But do the Eagles have the type of team that can win a physical, hard-hitting battle? I don't think so. The Cowboys can win the game in many more ways than the Eagles can.

I'm picking the Cowboys to win in a close game. The difference will be the defense of the Cowboys and the reliability of Dan Bailey. In a close game you have to be able to come away with points every time you get an opportunity. Dallas will get their points. The Eagles will not get points from their kicker every time. And the biggest moment in the game will come when Vick gets knocked out of the game. I'm picking the Cowboys to win 27-21. I might be fooling myself but it feels like the Cowboys are at the beginning of a big winning streak.

Domination

2011-10-23T20:33:00.003-05:00

Finally, the Dallas Cowboys found a way to win a game without waiting until the last two minutes to decide the outcome. It was total domination basically from start to finish. The Rams were completely overmatched by the Cowboys in every way. And DeMarco Murray provided a surprising spark to the running game.

The game was well played across the board for the Cowboys. Obviously Murray gets the headlines and rightfully so after going for 253 yards on 25 carries. I'm not ready to say he is the next great Dallas running back but he will at least be a big part of the offense for the rest of the season. Maybe Felix Jones will return to his role as change up back now that we see how effective Murray is between the tackles.

Tony Romo played a solid game but he really didn't have to do much thanks to the dominating running game the offense had all day. Romo threw for 2 TD's and never threw a pass that was the least bit dangerous. And he smartly took a couple of sacks rather than forcing the ball down the field when he was under duress.

The defense kept Steven Jackson bottled up for the most part. Jackson did break off one big run and scored a TD but he managed only 70 yards on 18 carries. The Rams passing game didn't do much of anything all game long. And Mike Jenkins ran a better route than Brandon Lloyd to come up with a nice interception. Abram Elam also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble to stop a potential scoring drive by the Rams.

Dan Bailey has now made 15 consecutive field goals. I was ready to cut him after he missed a short kick against the 49ers but he has been money ever since. I'm assuming the Cowboys are waiting for David Buehler to get healthy so they can avoid an injury settlement when he is cut.

The good news for the Cowboys is that they looked like a quality team. Good teams handle poor teams with ease. The Cowboys did that. Of course that doesn't mean the Cowboys are playoff bound. It just means that they have the potential to be a playoff team this season. Now they need to start handling quality teams with a little more ease.

Next week is going to be a big test of just where the Cowboys are right now. The Eagles are only 2-4 but they have their backs against the wall. The Cowboys can essentially bury the Eagles' season but you can bet they will get the best shot the Eagles have. Next Sunday will be a big game without a doubt.

Cowboys Need a Convincing Win

2011-10-20T20:13:00.002-05:00

The more I mull over the first five games of the season for the Cowboys the more I am becoming convinced that they still have a shot at a good season. Yes, they are finding a way to lose close games in the clutch. But they are also learning to compete with the best the NFL has to offer this season.

In order for the Cowboys to be the team all of the fans hope they can be they are going to have to start winning against quality opponents. Well, this isn't the week to worry about that. The Cowboys need to win against the Rams and they need to do it convincingly.

I am not subscribing to the idea that this is a trap game. The Cowboys aren't good enough to take any opponent for granted. Entering the game with a 2-3 record should be enough to make the Cowboys realize that they need a win in the worst way.

The defense should be dominant in this game. The Rams have struggled on offense all season long. And, if Sam Bradford finds a way to play, their quarterback will be hobbling around and be nearly immobile in the pocket. The defense should be able to completely shut down Steven Jackson since he will be the only offensive threat the Rams can put on the field.

The defense for the Rams isn't terrible. But the Cowboys should be able to score a lot of points because they will have a lot of opportunities to wear down the defense. They need to find a rhythm and start putting the ball in the endzone more consistently. This is a good game to find that rhythm. The running game hasn't been good at all this season but maybe with some more bulk in the middle of the line with Montrae Holland at guard the Cowboys will be able to establish a decent running game. Demarco Murray is going to get plenty of opportunities to show what he can do. Hopefully the offensive line will give him a real shot to rack up yards on the ground.

The way this game plays out will tell us what kind of season we are in for. If the Cowboys can win in dominant fashion then we at least know they have enough talent to overwhelm inferior teams. But if this is another 3 point heartstopper then we might just be looking at an 8-8 season.

The Cowboys have proven they can hang with anyone. Now it is time to prove that they can win the games they are supposed to win. I think the fans finally get a chance to relax during a dominating win. I'm expecting the Cowboys to win big. I am picking the Cowboys to win 31-13.

Odds and Ends

2011-10-18T19:59:00.005-05:00

I find it to be really tiresome to keep hearing the second guessing of the late game play calling of Jason Garrett. Garrett was crucified for calling a pass play at the end of the Lions game with the Cowboys clinging to a 6 point lead. The call led to a Romo interception and, eventually, a loss. So this time he tries to go more conservative and put the game in the hands of his defense who had limited the Patriots to just 13 points prior to their last drive. And, since the Cowboys lost, he is called an idiot again. The reality is that if they had won either or both games with the exact same play calling sequence we wouldn't be hearing a peep about it. Maybe he should have been more aggressive with trying to keep the ball away from Brady but his conservative approach is understandable considering what when down against Detroit.

Jerry Jones really needs to learn how to filter his comments to the media. He went out a second guessed Garrett's conservative calls late in the Patriots game to several reporters. It doesn't matter how he phrased it or what he really meant. The media is going to take any sound bite they can get and run with it. Jerry has every right to question his head coach but he needs to do it face to face and leave the media out of it.

I was very surprised to see that Dwayne Harris was cut today to make room for another offensive lineman since Bill Nagy was lost for the season with a broken ankle. Hopefully he will clear waivers and make it to the practice squad. He seems to have a lot of potential long term and I would hate to see him go flourish somewhere else in a slot receiver role like Danny Amendola with the Rams. I'm curious to see how the punt return duties will shake out now that the primary punt returner is gone.

Felix Jones is out for 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain. It certainly isn't a devastating injury but it does hurt the offense. Demarco Murray did a good job filling in on Sunday but he lacks the explosiveness that Felix Jones gives the offense. Felix's injury probably saved Tashard Choice from being traded prior to the trade deadline.

The Cowboys are extremely fortunate that no team is running away with the NFC East this year. Normally a 2-3 record would mean you were in a very deep hole but the Cowboys are still very much in the mix in the NFC East. I think the Eagles and the Cowboys will end up being the top 2 teams in the division by the end of the season.

You certainly can't call the Rams game a trap game this week. Sure, the Cowboys are expected to not only beat the Rams but to do it in convincing fashion especially now that it looks like Sam Bradford will miss the game. I just don't think you can have a trap game when you are 2-3. Trap games are reserved for teams that have been winning games and can afford to take an opponent lightly. That isn't the Cowboys.

I don't want to be negative about the Cowboys but it is time for them to start winning these close games down the stretch. It is great to be competitive in every game against even the top levels of competition. But that becomes meaningless if you can't start coming away with victories in those situations.

Brady Saves the Day for the Patriots

2011-10-16T20:18:00.003-05:00

The Cowboys played a good game on Sunday. They were solid on offense, they were good for most of the game on defense, and they were good on special teams. Unfortunately they needed to be great to beat the Patriots at New England. The Cowboys didn't need everyone on the team to be great. But they needed one or two great performances. They didn't get one.

Tony Romo was just ok. He threw a bad interception early in the game but found his rhythm in the second quarter and played pretty well for the rest of the game. Demarcus Ware had two sacks but couldn't come up with a big play on the final New England drive. Sean Lee had a nice interception but finished with just 6 tackles.

I could go on but you get the point. A lot of players had good games. But no one was a difference maker for the Cowboys today. And Tom Brady was the difference maker for the Patriots. The Cowboys had no answer for his heroics on the final Patriot drive.

It is a little hard to swallow the fact that the Cowboys just lost to a better team. But facts are facts. The Cowboys forced 4 Patriot turnovers. But they couldn't cash in with touchdowns and that was the biggest difference in the game. When the Patriots needed a touchdown at the end of the game they got one.

Now that the Cowboys are 2-3 the Lions loss hurts even more. It would have been easier to stomach a 3-2 record. But 2-3 is the reality the team faces. Fortunately there isn't a team running away with the NFC East. The path to the playoffs for the Cowboys is looking like an NFC East championship. That won't be impossible but they need to start winning some games. They should get back in the win column next week against the Rams.

The Stage Is Set

2011-10-14T21:07:00.004-05:00

Here we go again. Tony Romo is once again the worst quarterback in NFL history. The Cowboys have no shot to win against the Patriots in Foxboro. Tom Brady and Wes Welker are the greatest of all time. Bill Belichick is a genius. I could go on but you get the point. The media would have you believe that there isn't much of a chance of the Cowboys coming away from the game on Sunday with a victory.

But something tells me that this is going to be a defining moment in the season for the Cowboys. And I mean that in a good way. The Cowboys are due for a big win. And they are due to knock out a top team. Romo has done it before against future hall of fame quarterbacks. He led his team to victory against Peyton Manning and also against Brett Favre. Now it is Tom Brady's turn.

This isn't going to be an easy task for the Cowboys. Rob Ryan's defense will be under the gun all game long. Turnovers by Tony Romo will lose the game. And missed field goals or allowing big kick returns could lose the game as well. The Cowboys don't need to play a perfect game, but they need to play very good for 4 quarters. That is something they have not done yet this season.

I realize that Tom Brady is going to be hard to stop. I have accepted the fact that the Patriots are going to score some points. But as much as possible the defense needs to force field goals and turnovers. Brady and Welker will get their yards. But if the defense can force field goals then the Cowboys offense can score enough to win the game. And if the defense can force 2 or 3 turnovers it could be enough to allow the team to win. Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer need to force Brady out of the pocket. Brady on the run is not a good quarterback.

On offense the Cowboys will be able to move the ball. It sounds like the Patriots are going to focus on stopping Jason Witten. That is ok. The Cowboys have plenty of weapons to make up for a low stat game from Witten. Dez Bryant and Miles Austin are both back at 100% for the first time since the first half of the Jets game. And Felix Jones has had two weeks to allow his shoulder to heal. Romo's cracked rib has had two weeks to heal as well. I think the Cowboys can put up 30 points if they can keep from turning the ball over.

Dan Bailey will need to hit all of his kicks. The Cowboys can't afford to go on a long drive and come away with no points this week. And, more importantly, the kick coverage needs to force the Patriots to drive the length of the field as much as possible. As crazy as it sounds, Matt McBriar is very important in a game like this. If he can pin the Patriots deep in their own territory a few times it will do wonders for keeping the Patriots' scoring down.

I know there really isn't a reason to trust Romo this week. But I loved the way he dealt with the media like he had a chip on his shoulder after all of the Romo bashing that has been going on for two weeks. He has something to prove and he knows it. And winning against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at Foxboro will definitely help him regain some credibility.

I think the Cowboys are going to pull off the upset this week. You can call me crazy if you want. I just feel like the Cowboys have had two weeks to think about how close they came to making a real statement against the Lions before the late game collapse. This will be the week that everyone around the league realizes that the Cowboys are building a team that will be very good for years to come. I am picking the Cowboys to win the game 32-27.

The Real Dallas Cowboys?

2011-10-11T21:42:00.002-05:00

We finally get to see a nearly healthy version of the 2011 Dallas Cowboys this weekend. After the first four games there seem to be just as many questions about the team as there were before the season started. But now that the Cowboys have had a week off and will be getting most of their injured players back it is time to find out if this team can really compete at a high level.

The Patriots will certainly test every facet of the team. And I don't mean to say that the Patriots are an unbeatable opponent. But they will present challenges that are beyond what the team has faced up to this point. Wes Welker and Tom Brady are going to provide a big test for the new Rob Ryan defense. And you know they will score some points no matter how well the defense plays.

So that means that the offense will also be under the gun. We already know that Tony Romo has the weight of the world on his shoulders based on his second half performance in the Lions game. Add to that the pressure of having to go score for score with Tom Brady. The offense is going to have to play a clean game and put up a lot of points if the Cowboys expect to win. With Miles Austin and Dez Bryant both back to 100% there are no excuses this week.

I don't know what to expect from the team this week. I do have confidence that the Cowboys can win the game. But the big question is if Jason Garrett can get his team to play good football for four quarters against a quality opponent. This isn't a make it or break it game but it will go a long way to answering the question of how good the Cowboys can be this year.

The Blame Game

2011-10-03T19:22:00.002-05:00

I don't even know where to start. I was at the stadium for the worst collapse in the history of the Dallas Cowboys. It was a completely helpless feeling to sit there and watch Tony Romo and the Cowboys give away a 27-3 lead and lose a game they should have won in a blow out.

I place the majority of the blame for this loss on Tony Romo. Like I said when he made the throw on 3rd and 21 last week against the Redskins, Romo does things that a quarterback isn't absolutely not supposed to do. Sometimes it pays off like last week and sometimes it loses the game like yesterday.

The first interception just looked like Romo didn't see Carpenter covering out in the flat. A boneheaded mistake but at least understandable. The second interception is probably more on Laurent Robinson than on Romo because the receiver has to get inside the defender on a slant.

The third interception is the one that really makes me mad. The Cowboys were still clinging to a 6 point lead. The game was still in the hands of the offense. A few first downs and the game is over. The worst part of the play was the fact that Romo threw the ball late off his back foot and forced it into coverage when all he had to do was throw the ball away. It was just a flat out stupid play by Romo.

But we can't forget Jason Garrett's role in this disaster. He is the one who was calling high risk passes with the game on the line. All the Cowboys needed to do was run a ball control offense for a 4 minutes and the game was over. But instead he went for the jugular. The smart move would have been to be safe and milk the clock. It was just horrible on Garrett's part to even allow Romo to have the option to screw up again in the game.

And as much as I don't want to put blame on the defense they had a lot of chances to make a play to stop the Lions as the collapse slowly occurred. Sure, Romo and Robinson handed the Lions 14 points. But the pass rush disappeared for the Cowboys in the second half. All it would have taken was a sack or two or even just one turnover in the 4th quarter and the game would have been won even with the mistakes by the offense. It seemed like Rob Ryan went conservative in the second half when the aggressive, attacking style was what helped shut down the Lions for the first quarter and a half.

So where does this loss leave the Cowboys? They have won two games they should have lost and lost two games they should have won. So 2-2 feels about right considering the inconsistency that the team has shown. All is not lost. But at some point this team needs to put it all together or we are looking at an 8-8 team who can beat any team in the league or lose to any team in the league.

I'm giving Jason Garrett until midseason to clean up this mess. It seems like a lot of the mistakes that plagued the team last season are still popping up. I realize Garrett didn't get an offseason to fully implement his system and that is why I am cutting him just a little slack. But the slack is starting to run out. Either he gets the team to pull it together or I have to start questioning whether he is ever going to change the culture of the team. I believe he has improved the team's practice habits but he needs to get them playing smarter. The clock is ticking.

If there is a bright side to the mess we saw it is that we got a glimpse of how good the Cowboys can be if they can play good football for four quarters. It will just be a question of whether the players on the team are capable of playing smart, fundamentally sound football. There are 12 games to go. Hopefully the Cowboys will find a way to fix the mistakes that are costing them games.

Cowboys vs. Lions

2011-09-30T16:25:00.004-05:00

This is going to be a big test for the Cowboys. I’m not ready to say that the Lions are one of the best teams in the NFL but they are certainly a big step up from the last two opponents the Cowboys have faced. It definitely looks like this will be the best offense that the Cowboys have faced this year. And the offense will be very limited again without Miles Austin and a hobbling Dez Bryant.

There are two guys playing for the Lions that are going to be quite a handful for the Cowboys. Calvin Johnson is probably the best wide receiver in the NFL. And Ndamukong Suh is a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the defensive line for the Lions. The Cowboys don’t have a good answer for either of those guys if you try to take them on with one guy. So the Cowboys won’t try to stop these two with just one man. You can bet that Suh will be double teamed on the majority of plays throughout the game. And Calvin Johnson will surely get extra safety attention on most plays.

The good news is that the Cowboys have a few guys that will cause big problems for the Lions. Demarcus Ware has to be the biggest fear for the Lions. They will try to double him when they can but now that Rob Ryan is moving him all over the field that becomes much more difficult to do. And I have to throw in Sean Lee on the defensive side of the ball. He seems to be all over the field this year and I don’t know if there is any good way to contain him. If you try to focus too much on Lee and Ware then someone else in the defense is going to be left unblocked and make some big plays.

And on offense it is hard to stop Jason Witten and Tony Romo. It helped last week that both guys were playing with hurt ribs. But Witten seems to be feeling better this week and Romo is getting better every day. While the pressure the Lions will bring at Romo is certainly a concern you also have to remember that what makes Romo so good is that he can escape pressure and then make a big play. So, in a way, Romo will neutralize the front four of the Lions that everyone keeps talking about.

I think there are two keys to victory this week. Dez Bryant has to make plays to open up the offense and the defense has to contain Calvin Johnson. I know Dez still isn’t going to be 100% for the game but there is a noticeable difference in the way the defense plays when Dez is on the field versus when he is off the field. Opposing defenses just aren’t worried about Ogletree, Holley, and Robinson. But Dez puts fear into the defense and keeps them honest.

Notice I didn’t say that the Cowboys need to stop Calvin Johnson. That isn’t going to happen. He is just too good. What the Cowboys need to do is prevent Johnson from going crazy for 10 catches for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns. To me if they can keep him to numbers like 5 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown I would consider that a success.

It is going to take a total team effort to win this game. Last week special teams and the defense allowed the offense to have an off game. This week all three phases need to play well. I think the offense will be improved enough to allow the Cowboys to win. I predict a win for the Cowboys 26-21.

Another Heartstopping Finish

2011-09-27T18:11:00.001-05:00

What a game last night. And what a season it has been so far. The Cowboys could easily be 0-3. But they could just as easily be 3-0. After escaping last night with a win that felt like stealing you have to be happy with the Cowboys sitting at 2-1.

Say what you want about the embarrassing performance of some of the players on offense last night. There is something to this Jason Garrett guy. For some reason the Cowboys have suddenly remembered how to come through in the clutch and win the game late. And, like I have said many times, winning in situations like that becomes a habit just as much as losing games like last night’s does.

It was another gutty performance from Romo. I have never seen him get so visibly angry with his teammates as he did last night. I’m sure the “leadership” questioners were loving the fact that he was yelling at his teammates to get things fixed. That is what many people think leadership is. But it really isn’t too shocking that a guy playing in immense pain is going to get more than just a little frustrated with repeated boneheaded mistakes. What I really liked about Romo was the way he kept fighting throughout the game even though things just weren’t going right. That is what I am looking for in a leader. I don’t mind the yelling but I think what he does when he is coaching up his teammates on the sidelines is a bigger sign of leadership.

The play on 3^rd and 21 late in the game was the back breaker for the Redskins. They sent an all out blitz and the Cowboys did a decent job picking it up. Nothing was there for Romo so he retreated and rolled right to buy time. Dez broke deep and Romo made a Romo play. He threw off his back foot across his body running away from the line of scrimmage. It was basically everything that a quarterback is taught not to do. But it works for Romo when he is in the zone. It was one of those plays where it was amazing but it could have also turned out to be like the interception late in the Jets game where you wonder what in the hell Romo it thinking. It’s what makes him Tony Romo.

I have to admit I was wrong about Dan Bailey. I was ready to cut him after he missed the 21 yard field goal early in the 49er game last week. After nailing the kick to send the game to overtime last week and the game winner last week and then going 6 for 6 with another game winner this week I think he’ll be the kicker for years to come. I love the way his kicks go right down the middle. I am actually starting to have a little confidence when the Cowboys line up for a field goal that the kick will go through the uprights.

Is there any doubt that Sean Lee is a force to be reckoned with at this point? The guy is just all over the field. He reminds me of one of my favorite Cowboys of all time, Dexter Coakley. The reason I loved Coakley is the same reason I am loving Lee. Just watch where Sean Lee is and that is where the play is going. He has a natural feel for the game and he just keeps making plays.

And let’s not forget that this game was really won by the defense and special teams. Sure, Romo gets a lot of credit because he is the quarterback. But the offense was not very good most of the night. The defense kept the Cowboys in the game. And Dan Bailey’s field goals speak for themselves. In a low scoring game like last night’s game it reminds you how important Matt McBriar can be. He completely swung the field position on a couple of punts and you can’t overlook how important that can be.

I’m certainly not going to complain about a win. But there are a lot of problems that need to be fixed. The biggest problem has to be the confusion with the wide receivers on where to line up and what route to run. Not knowing your job is at least understandable if you are new to the team like Laurent Robinson. But Kevin Ogletree should be ashamed of his performance outside of one nice catch that he made late in the 4^th quarter. One more game like that from Ogletree and he’ll be packing his bags at the end of the season. I’m not going to harp on the botched snaps too much because it turns out the Redskins were illegally mimicking Romo’s snap count to get Costa to snap the ball early. The Cowboys should have adjusted once they realized that the horrible officiating crew wasn’t going to call a penalty but it is a problem that is easily corrected.

At the end of the day the Cowboys escape with a win and a 2-1 record. Not bad for a team with so many injuries. Next week’s game is going to be a real test. The offense better find a way to play much, much better or it is going to be a long day against Detroit. Hopefully the defense will be able to continue their stellar play and shut down the Lion’s seemingly unstoppable offensive machine.

Beating the Redskins

2011-09-25T20:38:00.005-05:00

With another unexpected loss by the "dream team" today the Cowboys have a shot to pull into a tie for first place in the NFC East with a victory on Monday night. While the Redskins are coming into the game at 2-0 it isn't like they are world beaters. The Cowboys will have to play good football to win but they don't have to play a perfect game to beat the Redskins. Here are my keys to victory.

1. Make Rex Grossman uncomfortable. A lot of people laugh off the prospect of getting beaten by Rex Grossman. But when Grossman is on he is a very good quarterback. That is the bad news. The good news is that Grossman is also one of the worst quarterbacks in the league when he has a lot of pressure on him. It will be very important for the Rob Ryan defense to bring pressure at Grossman all game long.

2. Contain the Redskins running game. The best way to pressure the quarterback is to put the offense in obvious passing situations. The Cowboys need to keep Tim Hightower under control and it will make priority #1 (see above) much easier to achieve.

3. Don't let Santana Moss get deep. We all know what can happen when Moss gets behind the defense. Moss is the type of receiver who will disappear if you take him out of the game early on.

4. Protect Tony Romo at all costs. While I would love to see Romo come out and throw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns I really don't think this is the week for that. Miles Austin is out and Dez Bryant will be a game time decision. With the limited options in the passing game it will be important for the short passing game to efficiently rack up first downs. It could be a big game for Jason Witten and for the running backs in the screen game.

5. Run the ball. I don't expect the running game to suddenly put up 250 yards. But it will be important to control the time of possession and keep the offense in manageable down and distances. I'm not looking for 60 yard touchdowns. But 4 yards a carry would be nice.

This game isn't like climbing Mt. Everest for the Cowboys. All they need to do is play solid football and they will win the game. It would be nice to get help from the defense with a few turnovers and on special teams with some nice returns. I expect the Cowboys to come out focused a play solid football. It won't be a blowout but the Cowboys will win. I predict a 23-13 win for the Cowboys.

Should the Offense Adjust for Romo's Injury?

2011-09-21T19:27:00.002-05:00

Heading into the Monday night game against the Redskins there has been some speculation about the status of Tony Romo for the game. But let's be real here. Tony Romo is playing. There isn't much of a chance that Romo will be forced to miss the game due to the injuries he sustained in the 49er game.

And there is good reason Romo is playing. The team needs him on the field. Can they win without him? Yes. But the odds of winning without Romo on the field drop dramatically. And as nice as it was for the Cowboys to get their first win of the season they can't afford to lose any of the winnable games on the schedule if they expect to compete for a playoff spot.

So let's go under the assumption that Romo is playing. Does Jason Garrett adjust the game plan to try to protect Tony Romo? I'm sure he will try. Conventional wisdom would say that you run the ball more and do a lot more max protect in the game plan to limit the hits that Romo takes.

That's all fine and good but the Cowboys have been terrible running the ball this season so far. And running a max protect protection scheme means that you usually only have three receivers out in routes on any given play. That requires your receivers to be able to regularly beat a double team. Miles Austin is likely out. The only hope for a receiver who can beat double teams is Dez Bryant getting back on the field this week. I think Dez playing and playing with a little spring in his step will be the key to the success of the offense this week.

I think Jason Garrett is going to try to call a conservative game that protects Romo. But that game plan will only last as long as the Cowboys are able to keep the game close. If the Redskins find a way to get a lead more than 7 points I expect that the Cowboys would be forced to open up the offense. Of course that would open up Romo to more hits.

Hopefully the running game can finally find its way this week against the Redskins. And hopefully Dez Bryant can take over as the #1 receiver who can keep the Redskins from over-committing to stop the running game of the Cowboys. Otherwise it is going to be a tough game to win with no true threat at wide receiver and a quarterback who is only one good hit away from heading to the locker room for the evening.

Romo's Redemption

2011-09-18T19:46:00.004-05:00

Tony Romo, you are officially forgiven. In what will go down in one of the all-time performances by a Dallas Cowboys quarterback Romo led his team back from a 10 point 4th quarter deficit playing with cracked ribs. It wasn't just that Romo played. It was that every single breath he took after he cracked the ribs early in the game made him wince with pain. And he took all of the abuse in the media throughout the week after the 4th quarter melt down against the Jets last week.

The Cowboys did not play well in the 1st half. They were flat on offense and the defense just couldn't seem to get home on their blitzes as the 49ers built a 14-0 lead. Romo was under fire all game long and took shot after shot in the first half. But he was able to hit Miles Austin for a 53 yard touchdown late in the half to get the Cowboys back within striking distance.

But then coming out of the half we found out that Tony Romo would not be returning to the game. And the medical staff forced him to go back into the locker room. We were told he was out for the game with broken ribs. I started thinking about how the Cowboys could find a way to get to 2-2 heading into the bye week. I still felt the game was winnable with Kitna but the defense was going to have to step up.

The defense did step up and start making plays. Alan Ball came up with a big interception to set up a Kitna to Austin touchdown to tie up the game. Unfortunately Kitna followed that up with an interception on the next Cowboys possession to set up the 49ers for another score and a 21-14 lead.

And then Romo came back to save the day. His first possession went nowhere and gave the 49ers a short field that allowed them to hit a 55 yard field goal for a 10 point lead.

Trailing 24-14 I would normally feel like the Cowboys were in deep trouble. But with Romo playing the hero role and playing through the rib injury it just felt like they were destined to win the game. So with about 11 minutes to go the Cowboys got the ball back and it was Romo time. He just kept making plays and was hit on seemingly every single play. But he kept peeling himself off the ground in obvious pain and kept going.

While I would love to give all of the credit to Romo for the win you have to recognize several other things that helped out. First, Jon Kitna managed to give the game back to Romo exactly how he got it...with the Cowboys down 7. Miles Austin played lights out from the end of the 2nd quarter on. And the defense made the stops they needed to keep the Cowboys in the game. Most importantly, they got the ball back for the Cowboys in overtime to set the stage for the Jesse Holley play. Dan Bailey shanked a short field goal early in the game but nailed a 48 yarder as time expired to tie the game and then calmly hit from 19 to win the game.

Think about this. The Cowboys played without their top 2 cornerbacks. Dez Bryant was out. Felix Jones played hurt. Martellus Bennett played hurt. Phil Costa went out and Kevin Kowalski had to take over at center. Tony Romo played hurt. Miles Austin tweaked his hamstring and didn't play during overtime. The Cowboys were shorthanded on both sides of the ball. But they battled to the end and they won.

If you blamed Romo last week like I did you have to give him his due this week. He has earned a new level of respect from me. And I don't ever want to hear this ridiculous leadership debate about him again.

I also give a lot of credit to Jason Garrett. Early last year when Wade Phillips was the coach it always seemed like the team would fold when a top player went out with injury. But when someone gets hurt this year the next guy just steps in and makes plays. This team somehow seems more capable of overcoming injuries. I have to give the coach credit for that because he has everyone prepared to play.

Let's remember that this is only one game. But, wow, what a game it was. This is the type of game that will be a signature victory for Tony Romo. And it could be the start of something special this season. It feels like the Cowboys found their mojo today.

Beating the 49ers

2011-09-17T19:39:00.003-05:00

Entering Sunday's game with an 0-1 record should eliminate any worries about the Cowboys taking the 49ers lightly. And coming off a 6-10 record last season it would be a ridiculous thought that the Cowboys could be overconfident going into any game right now. But it sure feels like the type of game the Cowboys should win and win easily. In order for the Cowboys to get their first win of the season here are some of the keys to victory.

1. Stop Frank Gore. The 49ers would love nothing more than to keep the ball away from the Cowboys offense as much as possible. And if they establish a good running game with Gore they'll be able to limit Romo's chances to put points on the board. The defense needs to stop Gore early in the game and for the 49ers to throw the ball.

2. Put pressure on Alex Smith. A lot of people think Alex Smith is a joke. But he is actually pretty decent when he has time to throw. There is a reason he was the first pick in the draft a few years back and it is because he has great accuracy from the pocket. Smith's problem has always been that he has rushers in his face constantly and he makes back decisions under duress. Demarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Jay Ratliff need to keep Smith moving and he will give the Cowboys several chances at turnovers.

3. Contain Ted Ginn. The 49ers were on the verge of blowing a big lead last week against the Seahawks when Ginn came to the rescue. He returned a kick and a punt for scores to seal the victory. The Cowboys need to contain Ginn and force the 49ers to drive the length of the field for scores.

4. Get out to a fast start. The 49ers don't have a high powered offense. And they really prefer to control the game by running and using a short passing attack. If the Cowboys can put up a couple of early scores they can get the 49ers out of their game plan.

It has been a long time since the Cowboys have entered a game as the clear cut favorites. But I think that is the case here. The key is to handle it by taking care of business. Jason Garrett isn't going to let his players walk into the game thinking they just need to show up. I think the Cowboys will win and win big. I predict a 33-16 win for the Cowboys.

Time to Win 3 Straight

2011-09-14T21:35:00.000-05:00

It is time to let last week’s game go. I’m not going to forget that it happened but I can’t keep thinking about it or I might never watch another NFL game again. The Cowboys are 0-1. There is now way around that. They lost a game they should have won. And there is a good chance that we’ll think back to the Jets game in December and talk about how they Cowboys could really use that victory.

The only remedy for a game like last week is for the team to win. And not only win one game but win several games. If you look at the upcoming schedule it definitely lends itself to the Cowboys getting on a bit of a role. And, in all honesty, the Cowboys need to head into the bye week (week 5) on a 3 game winning streak.

Why is it so important for the Cowboys to streak into the bye? Actually there are several reasons. First and foremost is that the Cowboys needs to re-establish the belief in the team that they are winners. I know they aren’t all wallowing in their own misery right now but there is something to be said for someone who believes deep down that they will win when the game is on the line. And that kind of confidence comes from winning on a regular basis.

Look at the game following the week 5 bye. The Cowboys will be playing at New England in week 6. Now I’m not saying the Cowboys can’t beat the Patriots. But I am saying that they won’t stand much of a chance if they don’t go into that game with a great deal of confidence that they can win against any team. Again, that confidence will only come if the Cowboys start winning games in bunches.

Tony Romo needs a winning streak right now more than possibly any player in the league. I know he is a very good quarterback. But he has got to prove that he can consistently perform at a winning level. He did it for 3 and a half quarters on Sunday night. Another half quarter would have been nice. But he needs to play three good games in a row so not only the fans get over the Jets game, but also so that any of his teammates that have a little bit of doubt in Tony can remember why they believed in him to begin with.

Jason Garrett needs to get his team winning on a regular basis. It certainly seems that his players have bought into his system. But he needs to get results in the games or his players might start to develop a little bit of doubt in their head coach. And things can go downhill fast if the coach loses even a few of his players. Winning breeds winning and winning makes players believe in their coach.

I’m not looking past the 49ers on Sunday. The Cowboys aren’t talented enough this season to try to sleepwalk against any team in the league. The Cowboys needs to go out and play good football against the 49ers and win handily. And then they need to handle the Redskins at home. Then follow that up with a win against a tough Detroit team. Maybe then we can all start to believe that this team is capable of making a serious run at a playoff spot this season.

Blown Opportunity

2011-09-12T18:33:00.003-05:00

The Cowboys had everything going their way last night. They were up 14 points in the 4th quarter and seemed in control of the game. And then everything went wrong. It almost seems as though this team has forgotten how to win games in clutch moments. It was going to take a total collapse by the Cowboys to let the Jets back into the game and that is exactly what happened.

Now I'm not going to blame the entire game on Tony Romo. But it is awfully difficult not to. The blocked punt was as much to blame for the 4th quarter melt down as anything else. But the goal line fumble with the Cowboys poised to go up by 14 or at least 10 points halfway through the 4th quarter was disastrous. And the late interception thrown by Romo was possibly the worst play of his career. When he threw that ball I yelled out "What the f*!% was that?" And I'm still saying the same thing to myself today.

Not only was the pass bad but I sincerely wonder what in the world Dez Bryant was doing on that play. He didn't fire off the ball, didn't really run any sort of defined route, and didn't make much of an effort to tackle Revis after he picked off the ball. If Dez was hurt that badly either he should have taken himself out of the game or the coaches should have. I honestly put half the fault on Dez for the interception and half on Romo. Romo clearly forced the ball against the wrong coverage. But it sure seemed like he expected Dez to come back for that throw. Both guys should be ashamed of that play.

In the end I have to remind myself it was only one game. But it would have been such a huge win. And it is becoming so common that Romo pulls something like this in big moments of big games that I am starting to just expect it to happen. I love Romo. I think he is talented and a great team player. But enough is enough with these boneheaded plays. At some point it has to sink in to him that he has to play smart. The fumble in the red zone was inexcusable. You have to throw that one away and take the field goal. That is football 101.

You have to give the defense a lot of credit. The Jets never really got a good running game going. And their passing wasn't much to talk about until both Scandrick and Jenkins were off the field in the 4th quarter. They made play after play to keep the Cowboys in the game. But the offense and special teams failed them when they put up a winning effort. Rob Ryan deserves a lot of credit for getting so much out of his undermanned defense. And Sean Lee had another game similar to last season against the Colts that hints that he could be something special. Let's hope there is more where that came from.

I know Jason Garrett is saying all the right things about the team playing hard and showing a lot of heart. But I hope he is laying into Tony Romo behind closed doors about some of the decisions that he made late in the game. At some point the light has to come on for Romo or we are going to have to expect the same late game antics for 4-5 more years. For some reason he has to be reminded of the consequences of playing recklessly about once a season. At least it happened in week 1 so hopefully it will be the last time this season.

The season isn't over. It just feels like it is. There are 15 games to go. The Cowboys are going to have to win a game somewhere in the schedule that they were expected to lose to make up for letting this one slip away. I can only hope that this game serves as a lesson to the team in how to handle big moments in big games. And as much as some people hate to hear it, this team will only go as far as Tony Romo takes them. I sure hope this was the game that finally convinced him to play smarter.

Cowboys @ Jets

2011-09-09T21:11:00.004-05:00

It is finally here. The 2011 season kicks off for the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night against the Jets. The Cowboys will have to battle the Jets and a very highly charged crowd thanks to the September 11 ceremonies prior to the game. It is already a tall task to ask the young offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys to take on Rex Ryan's complex defense. Now they can add extreme crowd noise to the list of things to overcome for the Cowboys.

If you break this game down into a position by position battle it appears that the Cowboys are over-matched. But I think that simply matching player for player to analyze a game simplifies things too much. There are some intangible factors that are difficult to account for in any NFL game.

I'll start with the traditional look at things. The Cowboys offensive line has to be one of the biggest concerns heading into the game. Clearly they will be under fire as Rex Ryan will undoubtedly throw everything but the kitchen sink at them to try to cause confusion. But what it being discounted here is what a good game plan can do to an overly aggressive defense. Running the ball effectively will keep the defense honest. And the screen game that Jason Garrett plans to use regularly this year helps keep a team honest on defense because they can't simply let loose and go straight after the quarterback on passing downs. If Tyron Smith is able to play I feel like the offensive line can do a good enough job to give the Cowboys a chance to win.

On defense for the Cowboys there are major concerns. The run defense has been terrible all preseason long. I'm hoping the return of Marcus Spears will help solidify the run defense, but I'm not sure he'll be enough to be the difference maker. The other concern has to be the starting cornerbacks. Mike Jenkins appears ready to go after hyper-extending his knee on Wednesday. But Terence Newman is out. Fortunately for the Cowboys the Jets are a run first team. But you can expect them to take more shots down the field knowing that the Cowboys secondary is vulnerable to the big play. While Mark Sanchez gets a lot of press because he starts for a New York team he really isn't a player to fear. I think the key to the entire game is the ability of the Cowboys to effectively stop the running attack of the Jets.

On special teams David Buehler should eliminate any possible kick returns for the Jets. And the Cowboys have possible the best punter in the NFL in Matt McBriar. The concern on special teams is whether Dan Bailey will be able to handle the pressure of kicking at the NFL level. He did a good job in the preseason but kicking on the road with the crowd in a frenzy will be a new world for him. At least the Cowboys can fall back on the wildly inconsistent Buehler if Bailey completely loses his nerve. Don't discount the game changing ability of Dez Bryant on punt returns. I don't think the Cowboys will hesitate to use him on a punt return or two if he can be a difference maker.

What excites me about the Cowboys chances more than anything is the atmosphere that Jason Garrett has created with the team. Don't forget how the Cowboys were able to win seemingly unwinnable games last season with Jon Kitna and even Stephen McGee playing quarterback. And even when they did lose with Garrett running the show the games were very close. Coaching can make a big difference in the NFL. Hey, Bill Parcells went 10-6 with Quincy Carter and a terrible roster and qualified for the playoffs in 2003. Coaching can make all the difference in the world.

And for that reason I am picking the Cowboys to pull of a shocker on Sunday. I think Jason Garrett will try to control the clock with a heavy dose of running and a short passing attack. By controlling the ball Garrett can help hide the defensive flaws that still exist while the players continue to learn Rob Ryan's scheme. As long as the Cowboys avoid more than one or two turnovers they should be able to keep the game close. And I think the Cowboys will pull it out 20-17 in a very close, back-and-forth game. Call me a homer or overly optimistic if you want, but there is something special about Jason Garrett as a head coach that I think a lot of people are about the learn.

Predictions for the 2011 Season

2011-09-05T21:13:00.004-05:00

The Cowboys have announced their 53 man roster for the season. There might still be a few changes here or there but we finally have a clear picture of what the team will look like this season. With the roster complete it is finally the right time to make some predictions for the season.

Cowboys @ Jets (Sept. 11): I know the Cowboys are underdogs in this game. But the core group of players on this team seems to be at their best when people are counting them out. I think the Cowboys win this game and force everyone to realize that they will be a playoff team this season. (WIN)

Cowboys @ 49ers (Sept. 18): Let's be honest here. The 49ers will be terrible this season. There is no reason the Cowboys should lose a game like this. And they can't afford to win easy games like this one. (WIN)

Cowboys vs. Redskins (Sept. 26): Crazy things always happen when these two teams meet. I am giving the Cowboys this one because they are at home. (WIN)

Cowboys vs. Lions (Oct. 2): The Lions are no longer the laughingstock of the league. But the Cowboys will be on a roll heading into this game and playing with confidence. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Patriots (Oct. 16): I'd really like to see the Cowboys pull off the upset here. But I don't think they will be goo enough on the defensive side of the ball early in the season to deal with Tom Brady. (LOSS)

Cowboys vs. Rams (Oct. 23): I know the Rams are a much improved team. But this is another one of those games that the Cowboys have to win if they expect to be a playoff team. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Eagles (Oct. 30): The Eagles are the chosen team this year or so they believe. They get the best of the Cowboys on this day but the Cowboys will get the last laugh. (LOSS)

Cowboys vs. Seahawks (Nov. 6): This is another one of those games that a good team has got to win. The Seahawks are not expected to be good at all this year. (WIN)

Cowboys vs. Bills (Nov. 13): You can see the theme here. The Cowboys have an easy schedule this season for the most part. They have to win here. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Redskins (Nov. 20): I can't pick a sweep for the Cowboys against the Redskins. History says something crazy will happen to let the Redskins pull out a squeaker. (LOSS)

Cowboys vs. Dolphins (Nov. 24): The defense should be getting very good by this point in the season. Chad Henne will be overwhelmed. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Cardinals (Dec. 4): It still turns my stomach to think about how the 2008 season unraveled thanks to an overtime loss against the Cardinals. I think the Cowboys pull this one out in a close game. And Romo survives this one. (WIN)

Cowboys vs. Giants (Dec. 11): The Giants are in a transition year with their roster. But they will still be dangerous. I give the Cowboys this one because they are at home. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Bucs (Dec. 17): This will be a tough game. The Bucs are an up and coming team. It might be a battle for a playoff spot. I give it to the Bucs. (LOSS)

Cowboys vs. Eagles (Dec. 24): The Cowboys clinch a playoff spot with a win here. The dream team falls in a close game. (WIN)

Cowboys @ Giants (Jan. 1): The Cowboys have clinched a playoff spot and the Eagles have clinched the NFC East. So the Cowboys rest many of their starters. (LOSS)

I probably have a pretty optimistic outlook on the overall record but the schedule is fairly easy this season for the Cowboys thanks to a 6-10 record last year. With so many more winnable games on the schedule I don't think 11-5 is out of the question. I see 10-6 at worst. But either way I think the Eagles will win the NFC East and the Cowboys will make the playoffs as a wild card team. I expect at least one playoff victory.

Is it realistic? Maybe, maybe not. There are a lot of unknowns heading into the season. But I have a lot of confidence in the new attitude and focus that Jason Garrett has brought to the organization.

Who Impressed Against the Dolphins

2011-09-01T18:52:00.003-05:00

The players on the roster bubble had their last opportunity to impress the coaches on Thursday night. Most of the veteran starters had the night off so many of the younger players got extended playing time for the first time in the preseason.

One thing I really liked about Jason Garrett's plan was that Tyron Smith and Bill Nagy were both in the starting lineup. Those guys need all the work they can get heading into the regular season since they will be counted on to start. There is no reason to rest a player who is still learning on every game rep they receive. Nagy even got some playing time in the second half although Tyron Smith sat for the second half.

The Cowboys have to be planning on keeping Kevin Kowalski on the final roster as a backup. He started at center again and there is no way he would be able to clear waivers now that he has played two full games at center this preseason and done a good job. I think the Cowboys are getting him as much work as they possible can in case he has to step in for Phil Costa at any point this season at center.

DeMarco Murray had a big gain on a screen pass to start out the game. The blocking on the play was exceptional so I can't say the play had much to do with Murray. Murray is much bigger than I thought he was but he doesn't have the top end speed I expected when he was drafted. He is quick but he is not that fast. He looks great running the ball both in the middle of the field and in space. He is going to be a factor in the offense this season.

Stephen McGee really looks comfortable running the offense now and I have more confidence that he is going to develop into a solid backup. He looked controlled and confident throughout the game but he made a bad decision and throw on an interception in the end zone.

Kevin Ogletree got a chance to start and show that he deserves the #3 receiver role. He made a nice move after the catch on an option route for a first down. But he looked slow on an end around later in the game.

Dwayne Harris returned punts and he looks much more dynamic as a returner than Akwasi Owusu-Ansah has looked over the last few weeks. I don't know how Harris could not make the final roster. He ended up leaving the game early with what appeared to be a slight concussion. He has so much potential he seems like a keeper.

The backups on defense started out strong but then allowed a long run by Larry Johnson for a touchdown. The score doesn't bother me. What bothered me was the atrocious tackling on the play.

If Barry Church isn't starting at strong safety next season I will be surprised. He gets better every time he is on the field.

Phillip Tanner is making the decisions at running back very difficult for the coaches. Every time he carries the ball he looks good. There is no way the Cowboys can sneak him onto the practice squad. On that same note I have come away unimpressed by Lonyae Miller after 4 preseason games.

In the kicking battle David Buehler made an extra point length field goal at the end of the first half. Later in the game he missed a 48 yard field goal wide to the right. He was also kicking off through the end zone as usual coming off of his hip injury. Dave Rayner missed from 51 yards and 36 yards. No one has made the decision at kicker easy for the coaches. It seems as though they will have to go on a gut instinct. My gut tells me that Buehler keeps the job.

As the game entered the 4th quarter it became very difficult to watch. The vast majority of the players on the field will not make the team. The 3rd/4th string offensive line was very bad and the offense couldn't move the ball at all. The only thing I watched for at this point was another field goal attempt. Unfortunately I got my wish but it was another ugly miss by Rayner.

The worst part of the night was Rayman Radway's injury on the last offensive snap of the game. He went out on the cart with an air cast on his leg and he is undoubtedly done for the season. That is sad to see.

The Offensive Line Will Be Even Younger This Season

2011-08-29T20:14:00.003-05:00

The speculation started on Saturday when Andre Gurode was held out of the 3rd preseason game based on a "business decision". And now it is official. The Dallas Cowboys have released Andre Gurode. In the process of just a few weeks the Cowboys have gone from one of the oldest offensive lines in the league to one of the youngest.

So the Cowboys have cut Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis, and now Andre Gurode. All of them were aging overprice veterans but the release of Gurode was somewhat surprising considering he had made it this far into the preseason.

Gurode's last minute knee surgery this offseason probably cost him his job. While he stood around watching practice for the first two weeks of camp Phil Costa was impressing the coaches with his play filling in as the center with the first team offensive line. Costa was so good it made the coaches realize that there really was no drop off at center with Costa filling in. In fact, Costa showed athleticism and quickness that Gurode no longer possesses after his 10 years in the league.

There are a lot of doom and gloomers lamenting the fact that this has turned into a rebuilding season. I completely disagree. What is going on is a change in philosophy mixed with some cap restructuring. Anyone who has seen the Cowboys offense in action at training camp can tell you that screens are going to be heavily used this season. No longer will the Cowboys go with the bigger is better offensive line and try to maul the opposition into submission with their offensive line. That approach hasn't worked the last few years anyway.

By going younger the Cowboys will be a much better screen team because the younger players can get out in front of the ball carrier more effectively since they are so much quicker. So far there doesn't seem to be a sacrifice in the running game due to going smaller and cheaper. Pass protection is a major concern for me at this point. There will undoubtedly be protection break downs this season due to the inexperience of the offensive line. The hope is that the offense will be more diversified thereby keeping the opposing defenses from playing in attack mode on every play.

Tyron Smith doesn't seem to be too much of a concern at right tackle. He has been solid this preseason but he still has a long way to go before he is a dominant player. But he seems better than what the Cowboys had a right tackle last year already and he will only get better with experience.

Bill Nagy is going to start at left guard. Normally I would say no problem because it is easy to hide the flaws of a guard since they have help on both sides of them. But with a young center now starting next to him Nagy won't have that safety net. So he has to be ready now. I think he still needs to work on his strength and I fear that he might get overpowered by some of the stronger defensive linemen the Cowboys will face.

Phil Costa is in his second year with the team. Normally that would mean he would have had an offseason with the strength and conditioning program to build up his strength. But with the lockout he missed out on that opportunity. And now he is sitting out likely until a few days before the season opener with a sprained PCL. That is certainly concerning considering his lack of experience and the missed time for the offensive line to gel as a unit.

From a salary cap perspective these moves make a lot of sense. The Cowboys have overpaid for high priced free agents for the last few years and it has finally come to a head. Not only did they have to cut salary just to make it under the cap this year but they also have a lot of dead money counting against the cap next year thanks to those bad contracts. Going young is a great move as long as the young guys are actually ready to play. Time will tell if the massive overhaul of the offensive line was a good thing or a bad thing. It certainly seems like a good move in the long term. The hope is that there isn't a sacrifice in the short term.

Observations from the Vikings Game

2011-08-27T22:05:00.001-05:00

It is going to be very interesting to find out what exactly is going on with Andre Gurode. Jerry Jones said that he was sitting out because they need to make a business decision. I'm guessing there is a trade in the works but we will see.

With Gurode out of the game the Cowboys had three rookies starting on the offensive line. While they did a decent job in pass protection you could tell that Romo was a little jittery in the pocket. He didn't step into he throws a few times and looked a little hurried on a few plays when there was no pressure on him. If Gurode really is gone then Romo is going to have to learn to trust the young guys very quickly.

The run defense still looks soft. They just seem to be getting manhandled at the point of attack. I know Marcus Spears is out but I'm tired of seeing the opposing running back get 5 yards down the field before being touched. Sean Lee looked like one of the primary culprits on a couple of the big runs.

Abe Elam made a nice tackle on a run early but he did a terrible job allowing a long touchdown pass. He should have intercepted the ball that Bernard Berrian caught for a touchdown but the ball just went right through his hands.

I am starting to get concerned about whether the defense is ready for the start of the regular season. I know they are learning a new system and they will get better as the season goes on, but they are not very good right now. The offense might have to score a lot of points early in the season if the Cowboys want to win any games. The starting defense didn't come back on the field after half time. I would have liked to see them get more work.

Brian McCann is was way too hesitant on his kick returns. He needs to either take the touchback or run up the field with a purpose. You can't half speed it up the field and expect to get many yards on a kick return.

Kevin Ogletree got his shot to win the #3 receiver job outright. He had a chance for a touchdown on a beautiful throw by Romo down the sidelines but he failed to get his second foot in bounds. He did a nice job finding a hole in the coverage on a square in route. He also made an easy catch on a quick slant early in the second half.

Dez Bryant looks primed for a huge season provided he can stay healthy. He caught a ball on a crossing route for a big gain. I love the way he always looks determined to score when he has the ball in his hands.

The kicking battle still isn't settled. Dan Bailey made a 36 yarder look routine on his first field goal of the preseason and then hit a 41 yarder easily in the 4th quarter. Shayne Graham had a very short kickoff that allowed a big return, but he did hit his field goal and extra point attempt. Every one of Graham's kickoffs were short so you are certainly giving up the automatic touchback if you go with Graham over Buehler. Maybe Bailey wins the job because he has the accuracy and enough leg to get the ball in the end zone on kickoffs.

Gerald Sensabaugh blocked a field goal after the special teams spent a lot of time working on field goal blocks in practice this week. Alan Ball picked it up and took it in for an easy touchdown. It sure would be nice if special teams could make a big impact in the regular season this year. Unfortunately Ball hurt himself on the return.

Jesse Holley probably made the final roster with three nice first down catches tonight. He has always been a special teams ace but he needed to show something as a receiver to make the team this year.

Felix Jones again looked like a guy ready to have a break out season. He didn't get many running attempts but he looked good on a few swing routes out of the backfield and had a nice 5 yard touchdown run.

DeMarco Murray finally got on the field in the game. He had a couple of nice runs and really had a burst when he carried the ball. I'm glad he got some real work before the start of the regular season. I hope he gets more work in the last preseason game on Thursday.

Martellus Bennett might be out for a while after getting his leg rolled up on at the end of a running play. He had to be carted to the locker room. Hopefully it isn't too serious because he is a big asset in the running game. It sounds like it is a high ankle sprain so it could be a while before he gets back on the field.

Josh Thomas had a rough night but he looks like a guy who will develop into a long term player on defense.

What to Watch for Against the Vikings

2011-08-26T20:30:00.004-05:00

The third preseason game is basically the dress rehearsal for the regular season. While there will be a few key players sitting out due to minor injuries this is the best chance we'll get to judge how good the team will be heading into the regular season. I'm excited to finally get an extended look at several parts of the team. Here is what I'll be looking for:

1. Is the offensive line ready for prime time? The season opener is going to be on Sunday Night Football against the Jets. There will be blitzes and pressure coming from all over the place. The offensive line needs to be ready to go. It seems like we might finally have an idea of what the starting line is going to look like. From left to right it appears that Doug Free, Bill Nagy, Andre Gurode, Kyle Kosier and Tyron Smith will be the starters. The Vikings don't run a sophisticated blitz scheme like the Jets but they can put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. Hopefully we'll see an offensive line that can open running lanes and protect the quarterback.

2. Is the defense rounding into shape? Without the two starting cornerbacks it will still be tough to judge exactly what to expect from the defense. But I hope to see the missed assignments that have plagued the defense so far this preseason kept to a minimum. My biggest concern right now is the run defense because they have looked really soft up the middle on several occasions.

3. What can DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice bring to the running game? Felix Jones is running like a guy who is ready for a break out season. But the depth behind him is a big question mark. Murray just started practicing this week so his playing time will probably be limited. But since he wasn't on the field for training camp I'm excited to see how he looks on the field. And Tashard Choice has a lot to prove based on the performance of Lonyae Miller and Phillip Tanner both in practice and in the first two preseason games. I have a feeling Choice is going to come out very fired up to prove his critics wrong.

4. Is Kevin Ogletree going to win the #3 receiver role or will the Cowboys need to start looking for a cheap veteran free agent? When Ogletree makes plays he always looks like a dynamic receiver who is capable of big things. But he also disappears at times. If he wants to be counted on in a more prominent role in the offense he needs to show that he can consistently get open and make plays. He'll get his shot with Miles Austin sitting out with a sore hamstring.

5. Will someone win the kicking job outright? Shayne Graham wasn't signed this week to be another training camp body. Clearly the Cowboys are either concerned about Buehler's hip injury, Buehler's inconsistency on field goals, Dan Bailey's inexperience, or a combination of all three. Shayne Graham wasn't sitting around in free agency for no reason. He really struggled early this preseason with the Redskins, but maybe he can find his groove again considering he is one of the best field goal kickers of all time statistically. But then again the Cowboys thought they had cured their kicking woes a few years ago when they signed Mike Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in NFL history at the time. The only way we'll know if Graham can get it done is if he gets a few opportunities.

There are still a lot more unanswered questions about this team than I would hope at this point. But there are still potential solutions to all of the perceived problems. I'm just hoping that the solutions can be found before the games start counting.

The Depth Chart Is Changing Day to Day

2011-08-23T20:56:00.003-05:00

With the surprising news that Shane Graham was signed to battle for the kicking job a loud message was sent to David Buehler and Dan Bailey. It is pretty clear that the coaches aren't comfortable with what they have at kicker right now. And with Graham the team would have a proven kicker with over 10 years of NFL experience. Bringing in veteran kickers hasn't worked out very well for the Cowboys in recent years but I have to admit that I like the idea of Graham right now if he can out kick the other two guys over the next couple of weeks. I'm tired of wondering whether every extra point and field goal is going to go through the uprights. Maybe Graham can change that.

The depth chart at running back changed dramatically today with the return of Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray to practice. It will be very interesting to see how things play out at running back over the next two weeks. Murray has a great chance to make the final roster purely based on the fact that the Cowboys drafted him this season. As long as he can stay healthy heading into the season he'll make the final roster. Tashard Choice is going to have to battle with Lonyae Miller and Phillip Tanner for the third spot. Choice's lack of special teams value is going to work against him. It is possible that the Cowboys will keep 4 running backs but unlikely. Choice has his work cut out for him.

Igor Olshansky has lost his starting spot and is now battling to make the final roster. If Olshansky isn't going to start it is hard to justify his $3.34 million cap hit. Working in Olshansky's favor is the groin strain that Marcus Spears suffered in the last preseason game. But the coaches seem pretty comfortable with Jason Hatcher and Sean Lissemore providing depth at defensive end. I'll be surprised if Olshansky isn't cut or traded in the next week or two.

Wide receiver depth remains an issue. While the top three seem set at this point there is a lot of uncertainty behind Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree. Dwayne Harris played great in the first preseason game but was invisible in the second game. Jesse Holley is almost exclusively a special teams player and the Cowboys might not have the luxury of roster space to keep a specialist. Raymond Radway has great speed but is very raw and inexperienced. And Manny Johnson hasn't shown much to prove that he deserves to stick around. I still think the Cowboys might look at a bargain free agent to help provide depth.

On the offensive line the left guard spot is still up for grabs. David Arkin and Bill Nagy are locked in a battle for the starting spot while Montrae Holland recovers from a lower back strain. Nagy seems to have surged ahead in the fight but the next two preseason games will determine the winner. Either way the offensive line has become much younger and more agile heading into the season. You can see the difference when the Cowboys run screen plays because the lineman are doing a great job getting out in front of the ball carrier.

I'm very interested to see how things play out at inside linebacker now that Keith Brooking is finally practicing again. Lee looked good in the preseason game but was invisible in the second game. With the complex defense that Rob Ryan is calling I have to believe that Brooking has a lot to learn. I'd like to see Lee win the battle because he is much more athletic at this point in his career than Brooking will ever be again.

Observations from the Charger Game

2011-08-21T22:08:00.001-05:00

The defense was attacking from the start. Even without both of their starting cornerbacks Rob Ryan was attacking. They blitzed on 2nd and 3rd down on the opening series and forced a 3 and out. On the second series Abe Elam made a great tackle behind the line on a run blitz.

The defense is definitely boom or bust because any time Rivers got time he could find an open receiver against man coverage. Barry Church made a great play to knock down a pass and force a field goal on the second series.

It does seem like the starting defense is missing the two starting cornerbacks but it doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as it would have been in the Wade Phillips defense thanks to all of the pressure on the quarterback in the Rob Ryan defense.

On a couple of plays no one covered the back coming out of the backfield on passing plays. I don't know if it was a hole in the coverage or a missed assignment. There was also a blown coverage on a Rivers to McMichael touchdown in the 2nd quarter.

Patrick Crayton dropped a pass on the first play of the game. Anyone still want him back?

Dan Bailey got a chance to handle all of the kicking duties with David Buehler out with hip soreness.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah looked better on his only punt return. He got up the field this time instead of dancing around.

Felix Jones looked good running the ball again. Martellus Bennett and Tyron Smith both made some great blocks. On one play he threw down the safety at the end of the play with a Marion Barber-like stiff arm. I am really impressed by Felix Jones so far this offseason. He looks like a different player this year.

The starting offensive line did a very good job while they were in there. They opened up big running lanes and they gave Romo time to survey the field on passing plays.

Dez Bryant dropped an easy ball that would have been a first down. But he made a couple of nice runs after the catch on a wide receiver screen and a quick hitch.

Romo started strong but threw a bad interception on a play action pass. Overall he looked comfortable in the pocket and was on target with his throws. His only bad play was the interception. He made a great improve throw to Witten to get the starting offenses first preseason touchdown.

Martellus Bennett dropped a ball from Romo that was right in his hands and probably would have been a touchdown. Put that in your memory banks for later in the season. There is a reason that Romo doesn't trust Bennett and play like that don't help. John Phillips just seems to have a better feel for the passing game than Bennett.

Kevin Ogletree made a nice run after the catch on a quick hitch. He made another short catch at the end of the half but couldn't do anything with it after the catch. He needs to pick it up before the coaches start looking at other options for the #3 receiver. Ogletree also made some plays in the 2nd half but he needs to show it against the top players

Sean Lee didn't do anything overly impressive but he also didn't make a glaring errors. It will be interesting to see if Brooking is able to get his job back once he is healthy.

The defense is so much better at tackling this season it is hard to believe these are the same players.

Stephen McGee still needs work. He always starts out slow and won't step into his throws all the time. When he does he is pretty good.

I'm still not really impressed by Lonyae Miller. He does ok when there is a lot of space but he doesn't make anyone miss and he can't get yards unless there is good blocking. When he bails out he is terrible. And fumbling isn't going to help his cause. Phillip Tanner just looks much better than Lonyae Miller. I wouldn't be surprised if Tanner makes the final roster.

David Arkin is looking better every week. I don't know if he will start but he looks like a keeper.

Looking at wide receiver depth I was expecting to see more of Dwayne Harris. But it was Manny Johnson's turn this week to make big plays.

Overall, the first team offense looked pretty good outside of the Romo interception and the couple of drops. The offensive line did an excellent job. On defense, there were still some missed assignments but there were some signs that they will be making a lot of big plays this year. But the defense still needs a lot of work. Unfortunately we didn't learn anything in the kicker battle since Bailey didn't get any attempts. The next preseason game is the dress rehearsal so hopefully we'll learn a lot more next week.

The Revisionists Are Questioning the Crayton Trade?

2011-08-18T20:36:00.004-05:00

I can't believe this is still coming up. The media is trying to re-write history and call into question the trade the Cowboys made last year shipping Patrick Crayton to the San Diego Chargers. While it is easy to second guess the decision now, you have to go back to the 2010 preseason to really evaluate what the Cowboys did at that time. Too much has changed in the last year to now go back and re-evaluate the trade based on the current roster situation.

Last preseason it really looked like it was finally time for Roy Williams to shine. And with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant filling out the rest of the top three receivers it didn't leave a lot of potential playing time for Crayton. And Crayton didn't like it. And he didn't mind talking about how he didn't like it either. And he even mentioned that maybe he needed to go to a team that could get him on the field.

Given Crayton's history of causing controversy in the media the last thing the team wanted to do was force Crayton to sit on the bench and then listen to him whine to the coaches and the media throughout the season. Crayton had asked for his release right after the draft when the Cowboys picked Dez Bryant with their #1 pick. You can't forget that fact when you look back at the events that led to Crayton's trade to San Diego.

So the Cowboys go what they could in a trade a shipped him off to San Diego. Problem solved. Or so it seemed for a while. Roy Williams started the season out on fire. Miles Austin was the clear #1 receiver with Williams and Bryant sharing time at the #2 spot. But then Romo got hurt. And without Romo Williams' promising start to the season fizzled out and he finished out the year in a serious decline.

Now that the Cowboys finally had to cut the cord on the gargantuan Roy Williams contract it is easy to second guess what the Cowboys did a year ago. Sure, the Cowboys need help at wide receiver. But Crayton isn't exactly a young player and it would have made it very difficult to develop any young talent since Crayton wouldn't have been willing to take a lesser role in the offense while Kevin Ogletree and/or Dwayne Harris got on the field.

Don't be fooled by the reporting that calls the trade from a year ago into question. It is easy to say what someone should have done a year later. But, at the time, the trade made perfect sense.

Lower Expectations Might Make This Season More Fun

2011-08-15T20:35:00.003-05:00

Last season there was constant chatter about the Cowboys playing in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. The season before, in 2009, the Cowboys were coming off a 9-7 record and people weren't quite sure what to make of the team. It probably isn't the best comparison to draw based on how badly the season went last year. But which season was more fun for you as a fan?

And I'm not just talking about the fact that the Cowboys won a playoff game following the 2009 season. I'm talking about that feeling of impending doom every time the Cowboys got off to a bad start in the game last season. For me it isn't always just being angry about the Cowboys losing the game. A lot of times it is partly due to knowing that I am going to have to endure razzing and teasing from an endless stream of people who come out of the woodwork when the Cowboys lose.

But what makes so many of these haters so happy to see the Cowboys lose? A lot of times it is the way the media builds up the Cowboys before the season starts. The media has a tendency to pump up a lot of hype around the team and set unreasonable expectations. And the people who dislike the Cowboys always somehow spin the media comments into a feeling that the actual team has some sort of feeling of entitlement. Those of us who follow the Cowboys closely know that it is almost always the media talking big about the Super Bowl and not the actual members of the team. But the huge expectations built up by the media put a lot of people off.

This year is different. No one really knows what to make of the team right now. It isn't trendy to pick the Cowboys to go deep into the playoffs. The hot picks this year are teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots. But you don't hear anyone talk about the Cowboys making a run deep into the playoffs.

The Cowboys have big questions on the offensive line, the defense, at running back and even at kicker. So why would anyone pick the Cowboys as an odds on favorite right now? They really shouldn't.

What makes a season the most fun for me is when the team exceeds all expectations. I think the Cowboys are primed for that type of year. They are still a very talented team. Sure, there are a lot of questions to be answered. But it isn't like the Cowboys are the Buffalo Bills. There is a lot of talent on the Dallas roster. And all of the big questions about the team aren't insurmountable.

I doubt I'll be expecting the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. I certainly would love to see it. But I will be thrilled if the Cowboys can find a way to qualify for the playoffs and win a playoff game or two. I'm not saying I won't be devastated if the Cowboys end up losing the NFC championship game. I'm just saying that the regular season will be much more enjoyable without the weight of unreasonable expectations weighing down the enjoyment of the season.

Thoughts from the 1st Preseason Game

2011-08-11T22:36:00.001-05:00

The Cowboys finally got back to some "real" game action on Thursday night. While you can't really predict how good a team will be based on a preseason performance, you can evaluate individual players and get a feel for what the coaches are working on for the regular season. It was exciting to get a good look at what Rob Ryan's defense will look like this year.

You immediately notice the change in the defense before the snap of the ball. Guys are moving, talking and causing confusion for the opposing offense. But you also see the boom or bust nature of the defense. When you bring players on blitzes from all over the field you are gambling that you will get to the quarterback before he finds the weakness in the coverage. It seemed that some of the starting defense is still trying to learn their assignments.

The starting run defense needs work against the running game. The running backs for the Broncos weren't getting hit until they were 5 or more yards down the field on most plays. Sean Lee had a chance to make a big play on a run blitz but missed the tackle that would have resulted in a 4 yard loss.

It was hard to get much of a feel for the passing defense for the starters. The majority of the Broncos offensive play calls were runs since they were so successful every time they ran it. But they did come up with a couple of nice stops on the goal line to force a short field goal by the Broncos.

The starting offense looked sharp. Romo looked very comfortable in the pocket...no happy feet or bailing out to avoid contact as a result of last year's injury. Felix Jones had a nice run up the middle and broke a tackle for an 18 yard gain. Felix Jones looked much more comfortable running in the middle of the field than he did last season. I saw about 10 straight screen plays at the only training camp practice I attended. And it looks like all the work paid off.

The kicking battle is fun to watch. Dan Bailey kicked the ball through the end zone on the opening kickoff and got the ball at least 5 yards deep in the end zone on every kickoff except the very last one. David Buehler just snuck a field goal inside the left upright from 42 yards that sure looked wide to me.

It seems like the defensive players are much more aggressive about going after the ball to force a fumble. Maybe that is something Rob Ryan preaches because guys were clawing and punching at the ball on almost every tackle.

The Cowboys don't seem to have much at punt returner behind Dez Bryant. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah dances around too much after he field the punt instead of getting up the field. Dwayne Harris ran backwards on his first two returns.

With Martellus Bennett missing the game with a sore hamstring, John Phillips picked up where he left off last preseason before he was injured. It looks like Marty B. needs to start looking over his shoulder again.

I didn't notice Tyron Smith very much which is a good thing. He was solid in pass protection although I thought he might have been partially responsible for a sack of Stephen McGee. From what I noticed he got the job done in the running game as well. I was happy to see the coaches get him a full half of playing time.

It will be interesting to see if David Arkin has any real shot at starting this season. The coaches gave him a full half of playing time at left guard.

I was hoping to get a good look at Lonyae Miller, but every time he got the ball it seemed like there was a breakdown in the run blocking. Either the blocking was really bad or he just isn't as good as some people thought. Phillip Tanner showed a lot more in his playing time than Miller did without a doubt.

I'm glad that the Cowboys signed Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh because Barry Church looks like he still needs some work. He made Tim Tebow look great by biting on a run fake and letting a receiver get behind him for a big gain.

We aren't going to see many kick returns in the NFL this season based on this game. Most of the kickoffs resulted in a touchback.

I was hoping to see something from Dwayne Harris and he didn't disappoint. He had a nice kick return and a monster game catching the ball. His best play was a short pass over the middle that he took 76 yards for a TD. But he also made a great play with 15 seconds left in the game to score his second TD of the game. He has a lot more speed than I thought but he certainly isn't a speed burner. With the Cowboys lack of depth at wide receiver he needs to be ready to play this season and he appears to be.

I don't know what it is about Stephen McGee but the guy is just a winner. He plays average to poor for the majority of the game but when the clock hits 2 minutes in the 4th quarter he turns into Joe Montana. His pass on 4th and goal to win the game was awesome. He is really progressing into a decent backup quarterback.

The only significant injury in the game appears to be a left shoulder injury to Danny McCray. No word yet on whether it will be a lingering problem but his X-rays were negative.

What to Watch for Against the Broncos

2011-08-09T19:22:00.003-05:00

The Cowboys finally get a shot to go against a live opponent Thursday night. While the scrimmage over the weekend helped to show some obvious strengths and weaknesses we really don't know much about the team until they face another team. I know that people like Witten, Romo, Ware, Ratliff and some of the other proven veterans will be ready for the regular season. But there are a lot of new starters on both sides of the ball to watch. And several of the rookies who have shined in camp get a chance to show up what they can do. Here is what I'll be watching for:

1. Does Tyron Smith look like the real deal?

2. Is there any chance that David Arkin can start at left guard in week 1 of the regular season?

3. How much of an upgrade is Abram Elam at safety?

4. Is there enough depth at cornerback on the roster?

5. Is Sean Lee ready to be the permanent starter at inside linebacker?

6. This will be the first of probably four weeks in the battle for the place kicker job. Will David Buehler or Dan Bailey take the lead in the battle?

7. Has Barry Church progressed from last season?

8. Does Dez Bryant look like he knows the offense better than last season?

9. Is John Phillips' knee 100%?

10. Could Lonyae Miller really make Tashard Choice expendable?

11. Is Brandon Williams finally ready to provide some depth at outside linebacker?

12. Is Shaun Chapas going to take the fullback job from Chris Gronkowski?

13. Is Dwayne Harris good enough to make a contribution this season?

14. Is Kevin Ogletree ready to step into the #3 receiver role or do the Cowboys need to go looking in free agency?

15. Does Jon Kitna have enough left in the tank to fill in for Romo if needed again?

16. How much of the new defense is installed?

17. Is the defense causing confusion and forcing the issue with the opposing offense?

18. Who is going to return kickoffs this year?

19. Does the team look more physical this season?

20. Does the team look more disciplined this season?

Coming up with a list of 20 questions was really easy. And I could have kept going. That isn't necessarily a good thing. It means there are a lot of questions to be answered. We really don't know how good or bad this year's team can be yet. But this first preseason game will be the first true indicator of what we might see in the regular season. It will be fun to watch.

Can the Cowboys Be a Playoff Team This Year?

2011-08-06T15:11:00.004-05:00

Now that the roster for the 2011 Dallas Cowboys is virtually complete it is finally possible to start thinking about how good the team can be. One of the big arguments being made against the team is that the majority of the roster is unchanged from last season. But that doesn't begin to tell the story of this team. Anyone who watched the team last year knows that 2010 was basically two seasons rolled into one. There was the Wade Phillips season and the Jason Garrett season. The second half of last season showed that there is enough talent on the roster to compete with any team in the league.

There will be changes at both one starting safety position with Abram Elam taking over for Alan Ball. That is an obvious upgrade. Sean Lee may wrestle the starting role away from Keith Brooking while Brooking tries to regain his health. On offense the #3 receiver spot is still unsettled but it appears that Kevin Ogletree is doing his best to win the job. Many believe that the team will be better off without Roy Williams but his size gave an advantage in the red zone that is hard to match. Montrae Holland is penciled in at right guard but there is still a chance that the Cowboys could sign a free agent there or that David Arkin could take the job. And Tyron Smith will be the new starter at right tackle.

So there are changes but not the type of wholesale roster turnover you would normally see from a team coming off of a 6-10 record. But with Jason Garrett running the show it appears that he has a coaching style that will get the most out of his talented players. And the new defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, is bringing a new attacking style and a new attitude to the defensive side of the ball. Changing your defensive scheme is not just a small tweak so you can't just look at the players but you also have to consider the tactics.

Tony Romo is the X factor in all of this. Sure, the team won some games with Jon Kitna and even Stephen McGee. But the playmaking ability of Tony Romo makes the offense exponentially better. If the offensive line can gel quickly and give Romo time there are a lot of weapons for opposing defenses to handle. Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and Felix Jones are four skill position players that can scare a defense as individuals let alone as a collective group. But it will all depend on how good the offensive line plays this season. If the line is even decent then you can expect the offense to be high scoring.

Rob Ryan's defense is going to attack and confuse the opposing offense. The Cowboys will no longer line up a basic front and simply react to the offense. The defense will be aggressive and make big plays but probably also give up some big plays. But you can expect more sacks and turnovers and probably more defensive scores. I have no doubt that the defense will be improved this season.

On special teams the big difference may be the kicker. David Buehler is in an intense battle right now for the starting kicker role with Dan Bailey from Oklahoma State. We all saw last season how erratic Buehler can be. He can make kicks under pressure and even hit game winners with the pressure on but he can also miss an extra point to help lose a game. I'll take consistency over the big leg any day. I just hope that the coaches go with the kicker who proves to be the most consistent during the preseason.

So the big question is whether the Cowboys can make the playoffs this season. I think they absolutely have the talent to do it. But the biggest question mark for me will be the play of the offensive line. I believe the defense will be good enough to take the Cowboys deep into the playoffs based on scheme alone. But you have to score points to win and the Cowboys won't go very far if Tony Romo is running for his life every play.

The Cowboys have four preseason games to get the reconstructed offensive line to gel. To me that will be the most interesting thing to watch as the preseason progresses. Hopefully we will see them improve as the preseason goes on. By the end of the next four weeks we should have a very good idea of just how good the Cowboys can be this year.

Finally Some Safeties!

2011-08-04T11:07:00.003-05:00

It looks like the 2011 Dallas Cowboys have finally taken shape. With the signing of Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam to one year contracts it would appear that the roster is very close to complete. There aren't any major holes remaining on the roster at this point. You could argue for wide receiver depth and cornerback depth but it seems as though the Cowboys want to go young there.

It is expected that Sensabaugh and Elam will man the two starting safety spots with Barry Church and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah providing depth. I'm happy to have experience back there but I hope that the coaches are going to get the young guys some real game experience this season because they need to be ready to start next season.

The best part about the two safety signings is the fact that the safeties came at relative bargain prices and the short term deals set things up for the young players to move into starting roles next season. I really like what I have seen from Barry Church in his limited time last season and from what I saw at training camp. He seems too good to get buried on the bench for much longer.

Unfortunately Terence Newman went down with yet another injury at practice yesterday. But on the bright side it appears that he may be able to return for the season opener. The Cowboys do have some young players at cornerback who will need to step up.

The silver lining here is the new defense that Rob Ryan is installing. With the multiple defensive looks they will give the offense and the blitzes coming from all over the field it makes the cornerback position a little easier to hide. But it still is a concern if Newman is expected to start and he is already out with an injury again.

The Defensive Line Is Complete

2011-08-01T19:36:00.005-05:00

The Cowboys have managed to piece together their defensive line at a relative bargain by bringing back Marcus Spears and Jason Hatcher and signing Kenyon Coleman. Marcus Spears is a proven run stopper and Jason Hatcher has been a solid backup who get pressure the quarterback for the last few years. Adding Kenyon Coleman for depth makes sense because he has worked with Rob Ryan for the last two years in Cleveland.

I was thrilled when I heard the Cowboys had resigned Marcus Spears a few days ago. While Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher have been solid contributors at defensive end there has always been a noticeable difference when Spears is out of the game. My only concern about Spears is the fact that he has really battled injuries over the last couple of seasons. But when Spears is healthy it is very difficult to run to his side of the field.

I love the fact that the Cowboys brought Kenyon Coleman over from the Browns. His knowledge of the new defense will be invaluable. The defensive players have been talking about how many new defenses and schemes they have to learn in a very short period of time. Since Coleman is so familiar with the Rob Ryan defense he can essentially serve as an extra coach on the field to help the rest of the team learn the defense. And he started 14 games for the Browns last season so it isn't like he is some no name bench warmer coming to the team to ride the pine. He'll be part of the regular rotation in the defensive line.

The Cowboys have still not addressed the safety position in free agency but that has to be the next move to expect. Abram Elam has been talking with the Cowboys and would be very valuable in the same way that Kenyon Coleman is because Elam has played for Rob Ryan for the last 2 years as well. Not only would he be a huge upgrade over Alan Ball last season but he also will be able to help keep the secondary organized in their new complex scheme. I'm hoping this is the next piece of the puzzle to fall into place heading into the start of preseason games.

Observations from Training Camp

2011-07-31T06:39:00.004-05:00

I made a trip down to San Antonio yesterday to get a look at this year's team. It was a very long practice but the first hour was devoted to allowing the younger players and rookies to get some extra work. Saturday's afternoon practice was the first full pad practice of the year.

Once the full practice got under way it was amazing to see the difference between a Jason Garrett run practice and a Wade Phillips run practice. There was no wasted time this year. No one stood around joking or laughing. Everyone was there to work. Everyone ran from drill to drill. And you could tell that players were worn out by the end of practice. Based on what I witnessed I would expect the Cowboys to be one of the most well conditioned teams in the league this year.

All of the offensive and defensive lineman were wearing knee braces. I remember that Bill Parcells required all lineman to wear braces when he was the coach. I don't know if Garrett is going to require braces for the entire season but I do like the injury protection especially this early in training camp.

I won't be the least bit surprised if the Cowboys enter the season with a new kicker. Dan Bailey from Oklahoma State looks like the real deal. He went 5 for 5 during the team portion of practice and all his makes were right down the middle. He doesn't kick the ball nearly as hard as Buehler but I'll take accuracy over distance any day at this point. Buehler went 4 for 5 during the team drills but his kicks always just seem all over the place.

Dez Bryant is a freak of nature. Miles Austin is no slouch. But there is a noticeable difference between the explosiveness of Dez with the ball in his hands and any other player on the team. And Dez seems to catch everything with ease. The Cowboys are lucky to have a 1-2 punch at receiver as skilled as Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

I think Kevin Ogletree is ready to step into the #3 receiver role. He looked the best I have every seen him look at practice. His routes were crisp and he was making great catches all day long. Seeing him operate really put my mind at ease in terms of the #3 receiver. Dwayne Harris, the rookie from East Carolina, has great hands but he needs to work on his routes because he was getting no separation from defenders. Manny Johnson did nothing to impress me.

Tony Romo was his usual excellent self. His arm was accurate and he threw with great velocity. Don't be fooled by the media reports of his practice stats due to the current offensive line situation. He had no time to throw and was always under pressure due to the back ups currently manning nearly the entire first unit of the offensive line.

Also on the quarterback front, both Kitna and McGee looked good as well. The Cowboys have great depth at quarterback as it stands right now. I certainly don't want to see either of these guys on the field in the regular season because that would mean Romo was hurt again. But I have a lot of confidence that all is not lost if Romo does go down again.

The offensive line is a mess right now. It is frustrating that Kyle Kosier and Doug Free are standing around watching practice even though they are under contract due to the new CBA. Tyron Smith is really struggling to block Demarcus Ware. With Gurode still rehabbing his knee the Cowboys have only Tyron Smith and Montrae Holland as actual starters who are currently playing with the first teamers. I'm going to give Tyron a break for now because it was the first padded practice and he is going against the best pass rusher in the league. But he needs to get it going.

Felix Jones still looks a little heavy to me. I thought he was planning to go back to his rookie weight but I didn't see that in his physique. I'm not saying he was fat, but he looked very stout compared to his younger days. I really don't care what he weighs as long as he regains his explosiveness. Unfortunately both Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray aren't practicing right now due to injuries.

The Cowboys are stacked again at tight end now that John Phillips is back. He looked good but I want to see him in a game before I'm convinced about his knee. Martellus Bennett seems to get bigger every year. Pretty soon he is going to look like an offensive tackle. As long as his run blocking continues to be excellent I don't care what he weighs. Jason Witten was great as always.

Watching Rob Ryan coach the defense was exciting. There were blitzes coming from all over the place. And several times Demarcus Ware started by lining up all the way back at safety and then ran to different spots along the line to rush. The defensive will make a lot of big plays this year.

I didn't get a good feel for the play of the secondary because most of the action during the team portion of practice was running game and screen passes. But at least Scandrick, Jenkins and Newman are all healthy for now.

I like Barry Church at safety but I still think the Cowboys need a free safety. Again, it was hard to judge any of the secondary guys in practice but I would feel better with at least one seasoned veteran back there. I keep hearing rumor about Abe Elam but we'll see how that plays out.

Jay Ratliff looks like he is in great shape. He claims to have lost 15 pounds and it shows. I just hope he didn't lose so much that he gets pushed around. Igor Olshansky looked a lot more fit as well. Josh Brent looked huge out there. He is expected to get a lot of playing time this year and he looks ready.

Sean Lee started at inside linebacker with Bradie James because Brooking is injured. It was easy to notice Lee because he was always around the ball. He seems a lot more comfortable reading the running game this year. I hope he steps into a starting role this season.

It was so early in camp I can't really draw any big conclusions from what I saw. But I did see a team that clearly was in shape even after the long lockout. And I saw a coach running practices that are no joke. The Cowboys are working hard and that is all you can ask right now.

Philadelphia Snatches Asomugha Away

2011-07-29T20:13:00.004-05:00

For about 30 minutes today it really looked like the Cowboys were going to get a deal done with Nnamdi Asomugha. But, at the last minute, the Eagles swooped in and stole him away. I consider it to be a narrow escape.

I know Jerry Jones likes to go for the gusto. But this move was wrong on so many levels I don't know where to start. Just look at the glaring needs remaining on the roster as it stands right now. The Cowboys are in dire need of a safety and they have very little depth at defensive end, wide receiver, and they are still in the market for a right guard. Signing Asomugha would have made any additional free agency moves very difficult to pull off.

And the dead money counting against the cap next year is bad enough without throwing in Terence Newman's cap hit had he been released to make room for Nnamdi. I could have lived with throwing money at a guy like Nnamdi if the Cowboys weren't heading for salary cap hell next year and weren't struggling with the cap this season before signing a high priced free agent.

I know that everyone is in love with Asomugha right now. But I still have visions of Miles Austin going for 7 receptions, 145 yards and a touchdown against him in 2009. Don't get me wrong here. Nnamdi is a very good player. But to get the money he wanted I think you have to be great and I don't know that he is great.

And hey, it isn't like the Cowboys are one guy away from making a Super Bowl run. Coming off a 6-10 season it is hard to imagine that ignoring several areas of need to obtain a luxury item is going to help you turn things around.

I know people are down on the Cowboys secondary right now but I think the secondary is going to be much more effective this year now that Rob Ryan is going to be constantly mixing things up on defense. Nnamdi would have been great in the Cowboys defense. But can he also play safety and defensive end? Can he fill in a right guard if needed?

In other news, the Cowboys were able to come to terms with Marcus Spears today to start to fill the glaring need at defensive end. The contract is for 5 years and $19.2 million. That is a relative bargain compared to the 5 years, $27.2 million contract that Stephen Bowen got from the Redskins. Spears has always been the best Cowboys defensive end against the run so I'm glad he'll be back. Now he just needs to stay healthy.

Unfortunately the injuries in camp are mounting very quickly. Tashard Choice is out with a strained calf and Keith Brooking strained a hamstring today. Injuries are a part of the game but the Cowboys have just seemed to get more than their fair share in training camp over the last few years.

As another crazy day of free agency starts to draw to a close I am actually very thankful that the Eagles saved Jerry Jones from himself today. I know there are promising young players on the roster but you don't want to count on too many of them if you want a real chance at a playoff run this season. Like I said before, getting Asomugha would have make it next to impossible to address the rest of the roster needs. Hopefully the rumors of Astante Samuel being shopped in a trade are true because the Eagles are loaded at cornerback right now.

The 2011 Dallas Cowboys Are Slowly Taking Shape

2011-07-28T19:22:00.005-05:00

As expected, Marion Barber and Roy Williams were cut today. And along with them Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo were also let go. A few other guys got the axe as well but those four were the headliners. I'll miss Marc Colombo's intensity but he was clearly on the decline. I won't miss Marion Barber.

Now that the Cowboys have signed Kyle Kosier to a three year deal the offensive line is almost complete. Tyron Smith signed his rookie contract so now there is only a hole at right guard. But at least Montrae Holland is capable of starting if the Cowboys don't sign another offensive lineman. That leaves defensive end and safety.

Stephen Bowen is now with the Redskins so he is no longer an option at defensive end. And it is looking like Jason Hatcher might be headed for Denver. I'm still hoping that the Cowboys can bring Marcus Spears back but only if his price tag is reasonable. Sean Lissemore played defensive end during practice today so maybe he can provide some depth there.

Practice finally got under way today. While that is exciting I find myself frustrated that we are already talking about injuries to our rookie class again. Bruce Carter will likely start camp on the PUP list and DeMarco Murray will probably miss the first two weeks of camp. It seems like the Cowboys are cursed with their draft picks over the last few years. I know Bruce Carter was coming off a major knee surgery but DeMarco Murray's injury is a big surprise. I hope this isn't the beginning of another year of rookie injuries.

I can't wait to see the new defense in action. From the sound of it the Cowboys will now be moving around before the snap to disguise their defensive look. And the blitzes are going to come from everywhere. It should be exciting.

Stephen Jones made it clear that the Cowboys are ok with moving forward with just the receivers currently on the roster. That scares me. I really hope that Sam Hurd is brought back at a minimum just to add a little experience to the depth chart.

I'm hoping to get to training camp on Saturday to get a first hand look at the team. It should be exciting but it will probably be odd since all of the newly signed veterans won't be able to participate until August 4. I want to see how Tyron Smith looks in person. And I am very interested to see if Dez Bryant looks ready to take a big step forward this season. Can Sean Lee step into a starting role? Is John Phillips all the way back from his knee injury? I could go on. So many questions. So little time this year to answer them before the season starts.

Getting Free Under Contract Reshuffles Priorities

2011-07-27T16:10:00.005-05:00

Priority #1 of the start of the 2011 league year was taken care of pretty quickly. Doug Free agreed to terms with the Cowboys late last night. There had to be a big sigh of relief with the Cowboys when Free agreed to remain with the team. Now the offensive line doesn't appear to be in complete disarray like it might have been if Free had gone elsewhere.

So Free will play left tackle and Tyron Smith will play right tackle. Andre Gurode will be back at center even though he'll need a little time to heal up before he is ready to participate in training camp. Both guard spots are a question mark. It looks like the Cowboys are working hard to get Kyle Kosier under contract. That would leave just the right guard spot open. The Cowboys are still considering bringing Leonard Davis back under a reduced contract. Montrae Holland is still with the team and is capable of starting if necessary. I expect Colombo to be cut now that Free is under contract.

Along with the guard position the focus has to be defensive end, safety, and wide receiver depth. There are young, unproven players on the roster at safety and wide receiver. But defensive end is in bad shape right now.

Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears and Stephen Bowen are all available in free agency and I expect at least one of them to return. The Cowboys have to find some help at defensive end because the cupboard is pretty bare at that position right now. There was some talk of the Cowboys going after Cullen Jenkins but it seems like he is out of their price range due to the salary cap.

At safety the Cowboys are in bad shape but at least there are some young guys on the roster who might be able to play. Barry Church showed some promise last year and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah didn't get a chance to play much last year due to injuries. I would hate to see Alan Ball back at safety again this year but at least he is a back up plan if all else fails. I think the Cowboys need to sign at least one free agent safety and maybe even two. I would like to see Barry Church get a real shot at the starting strong safety spot.

I'm a little concerned about the depth at wide receiver. We've seen flashes from Kevin Ogletree but not enough to believe with any certainty that he is ready to move up the depth chart. It is hard to imagine that Dwayne Harris (7th round pick, East Carolina) will be ready to be on the field regularly early in the season. And Manny Johnson, Teddy Williams and Jesse Holley have done next to nothing in their time with the team. Stephen Jones indicated that wide receiver is not a priority right now but I don't see how the Cowboys don't at least bring back Sam Hurd to add depth.

The good news is that Free will be back. It would have been scary to have two unproven players manning the offensive tackle positions. The offensive line has got to do a better job protecting Romo this season. With Free and Tyron Smith on the outside the Cowboys are off to a good start in building a new offensive line. There is still a lot of work to do to get a contending team put together for 2011.

Big Changes In Big D

2011-07-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

We knew a lot of this was coming. Marion Barber cut. No surprise. Marc Colombo rumored to be cut. Check. Leonard Davis likely cut. No shock there.

But then we get to Roy Williams. I am floored by this one. With the rules in place now the Cowboys actually save money this season by cutting Roy Williams. But they are pushing dead money into next year's cap which is never good. And now there is a big question mark at the #3 receiver. And Roy will still count more than $4 million against the cap this year and he won't be giving anything to the Cowboys in return.

I think the Marion Barber cut not only helps free up cap space but it also sends a message. Don't mess with the new coach or there will be a price to pay. Barber defied Garrett a couple of times last year and it appeared that he escaped without punishment. Maybe not so much.

It is hard to defend Leonard Davis. When you are one of the highest paid players on the team and you have to be benched during a game because you are playing so badly it isn't a good sign. And so the Cowboys cut their losses before Davis' play could decline any more. They probably could have held onto Davis for another season or two and gotten decent play out of him. But for his salary you want more than a decent player. If Davis wants to resign for a reasonable salary then I could see him coming back for one or two more years.

The Marc Colombo move is interesting. It appears the Cowboys are holding off on that move until they know what is going to happen with Doug Free. If they cut Colombo now and then Free signs with another team the Cowboys could find themselves in bad shape at tackle. But if Free comes back then Tyron Smith steps in to start at right tackle and the starting tackles could be better this year than last year. The next few days are scary from the standpoint of the offensive line. You don't want a rookie starting a left tackle and an unproven commodity like Sam Young forced into a starting role. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things will work out with Free.

Jason Garrett has a lot of work to do during training camp. It was obvious that changes were coming. But with this compressed free agency period the roster is turning over at an amazing rate. Hopefully Garrett and the rest of the staff can put the old a new pieces together quickly.

The NFL Is Back!

2011-07-25T14:28:00.003-05:00

It is finally over. The NFL is open for business. And while the last four and a half months have been agonizing for the hard core fans like me, what is coming is going to help make up for lost time very quickly.

We are about to see free agency and trades happening at a pace that has never been seen before. It is going to be exciting. But I hope all of the Cowboys fans out there have realistic expectations for what is about to transpire.

The Cowboys won't be signing the big name guys in free agency. They don't have the money to do it. The focus has to be on getting Doug Free signed and then filling out the roster as quickly as possible while managing a bad salary cap situation.

It is highly unlikely that Roy Williams will be cut or traded. It is very likely that Marc Colombo and Marion Barber will be cut.

But the good news is that we are finally going to get answers on all of the roster decisions that have been debated for months. And the answers are going to be here in a matter of days and maybe even hours in some cases.

Things are about to get very exciting. It is about time. I can't wait to get down to San Antonio to see the 2011 Dallas Cowboys get back to work!

Where Should the Cowboys Start?

2011-07-19T21:35:00.006-05:00

Things are going to get absolutely crazy across the league next week. And for the Cowboys there is a lot of work to be done in a very short amount of time. Let's look at the priorities for the Cowboys heading into the shortest free agency signing period in the history of the NFL.

Priority #1 - Get Doug Free signed. I list this as the top priority because accomplishing the goal of locking Free into a long term deal not only helps shape the salary cap picture but it also impacts whether Marc Colombo can stay or go. If Free somehow ends up with another team the Cowboys will be forced to hold onto Colombo and start Tyron Smith at left tackle.

Priority #2 - Identify what dead weight is going to be cut from the roster to save salary cap space. There are some easy picks here. I know getting Free signed is the top priority for Jerry and Stephen Jones. So Colombo will be gone which will save the Cowboys $1.9 million in base salary and a $2.6 million option bonus. Cutting Barber saves $4 million on the cap and they Cowboys need to get rid of one of their backs anyway after drafting DeMarco Murray.

Priority #3 - Restructure some of the big money players to save cap space. Tony Romo, Demarcus Ware, Terence Newman and Miles Austin are all prime candidates for contract restructuring. I would love to see the Cowboys find a way to restructure Roy Williams' deal to make his cap number lower this season without making it impossible to cut him again next year. Leonard Davis is another prime candidate for contract restructuring.

Priority #4 - It looks like all teams will get 3 days to deal exclusively with their own free agents. The Cowboys need to resign Gerald Sensabaugh, Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Kyle Kosier. I would love to see the Cowboys upgrade the offensive line but the lockout is going to prevent that this season. With very limited offseason work in the offense it is hard to imagine any of the young players progressing to the point that they can start the year at left guard. Bringing Kosier back is the safe option and they can buy another year of development. David Arkin was drafted to be a starter but he won't be ready this season. The Cowboys can't afford to go into the short free agent period needing two starting safeties. Hopefully Sensabaugh isn't trying to break the bank with his new deal. The Cowboys are in bad shape at defensive end if they don't resign at least one and hopefully two of their soon to be free agent ends (Jason Hatcher, Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen)

Priority #5 - This is the beginning of open free agency. I seriously doubt the Cowboys will cut Newman and make a run at Nnamdi Asomugha. There won't be the cap space available to go after a high priced guy like that. The #1 priority should be finding a free safety. The Cowboys can't afford wait another year with Alan Ball as the only other starting option. There have been a lot of names thrown around as targets in free agency at safety. I'll be happy with anyone back there who isn't named Alan Ball.

Priority #6 - Depth, depth, depth. The Cowboys need more depth at cornerback, linebacker, offensive line, and wide receiver. They need to find quality depth at as many positions as possible. Obviously some of the rookies will be providing depth at some spots but you never know what you have from your draft picks until you get them on the field.

It is going to be a wild and fun week of free agency starting hopefully on Monday. The Cowboys have plenty of work to do to keep things interesting for Dallas fans.