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.
Showing posts with label David Buehler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Buehler. Show all posts
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Can the Cowboys Be a Playoff Team This Year?
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.
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.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Training Camp Thoughts - 8/14/10
I just saw that Martellus Bennett still isn't practicing in Oxnard today. I know it is better to be cautious with injuries in the preseason but this injury to Marty B. is really dragging on. Now that there are really only two legitimate tight ends on the roster it is going to be imperative that Martellus is on top of his game all year. He needs the practice reps so I hope he is back soon. But at the same time I also understand that aggravating the injury could be devastating since there is no depth left at tight end. It seems like the severity of Bennett's ankle injury was downplayed too much heading into camp.
Dez Bryant is out of his walking boot and has started rehabbing off to the side during practice. That is great news. My feelings towards his injury are a little different than Marty B.'s. The Cowboys have plenty of depth at wide receiver and Dez is just the icing on the cake for an already potent offense. I'd like to see the Cowboys bring him along slowly and safely so he doesn't risk re-injuring his ankle.
The starting defense has looked really good so far in the two preseason games. My worries for the defense are free safety and defensive tackle depth. I know Alan Ball has done a decent job so far but he hasn't been forced to do much yet. I want to see him hit someone and be forced to make a play down the field in the passing game before I'll feel comfortable. Junior Siavii is probably going to be the backup defensive tackle again but he sometimes gets manhandled against the run.
Roy Williams should be working against press coverage during camp. He couldn't get off the ball on Thursday and that scares me. He really has a hard time getting separation from his defender.
I feel pretty good about Doug Free at this point. Working against Demarcus Ware in practice has to help. There was some criticism of the offensive line after the Raider game on Thursday, but they did a decent job. The pass protection problems seemed to be more of a result of problems with the receivers and quarterback than the offensive line. But I still don't understand how they don't seem to dominate the line of scrimmage in the running game like you would expect a line so massive to do.
David Buehler still has a long way to go to prove himself but he looked a lot better on Thursday. I think he should be working on longer field goals during practice because that seems to be where he hasn't quite figured it out yet. The 42 yarder against the Raiders was perfect but I think the team needs to be able to depend on him from 45-50 yards as well. With his leg power there is no reason he shouldn't be able to make long field goals consistently. I like that they make him kick in live drills in practice but I think they need to increase the distances.
The offense still should be working on their red zone production. Tony Romo mentioned that they aren't really calling their red zone plays during the preseason games, but I'm not sure they shouldn't. It would be nice if the starting offense could get in the habit of scoring touchdowns heading into the regular season. More than the lack of execution in the red zone what worries me are the stupid penalties down there. That seems to be the biggest red zone battle the offense faces.
Dez Bryant is out of his walking boot and has started rehabbing off to the side during practice. That is great news. My feelings towards his injury are a little different than Marty B.'s. The Cowboys have plenty of depth at wide receiver and Dez is just the icing on the cake for an already potent offense. I'd like to see the Cowboys bring him along slowly and safely so he doesn't risk re-injuring his ankle.
The starting defense has looked really good so far in the two preseason games. My worries for the defense are free safety and defensive tackle depth. I know Alan Ball has done a decent job so far but he hasn't been forced to do much yet. I want to see him hit someone and be forced to make a play down the field in the passing game before I'll feel comfortable. Junior Siavii is probably going to be the backup defensive tackle again but he sometimes gets manhandled against the run.
Roy Williams should be working against press coverage during camp. He couldn't get off the ball on Thursday and that scares me. He really has a hard time getting separation from his defender.
I feel pretty good about Doug Free at this point. Working against Demarcus Ware in practice has to help. There was some criticism of the offensive line after the Raider game on Thursday, but they did a decent job. The pass protection problems seemed to be more of a result of problems with the receivers and quarterback than the offensive line. But I still don't understand how they don't seem to dominate the line of scrimmage in the running game like you would expect a line so massive to do.
David Buehler still has a long way to go to prove himself but he looked a lot better on Thursday. I think he should be working on longer field goals during practice because that seems to be where he hasn't quite figured it out yet. The 42 yarder against the Raiders was perfect but I think the team needs to be able to depend on him from 45-50 yards as well. With his leg power there is no reason he shouldn't be able to make long field goals consistently. I like that they make him kick in live drills in practice but I think they need to increase the distances.
The offense still should be working on their red zone production. Tony Romo mentioned that they aren't really calling their red zone plays during the preseason games, but I'm not sure they shouldn't. It would be nice if the starting offense could get in the habit of scoring touchdowns heading into the regular season. More than the lack of execution in the red zone what worries me are the stupid penalties down there. That seems to be the biggest red zone battle the offense faces.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Training Camp Thoughts - 7/29/10
A few more practices down and still now Marty B. It was deemed a minor ankle injury at the start of camp but now we are hearing the Martellus will be limited when he finally starts practicing this weekend. Every practice report that I read seems to include something about John Phillips playing great. The clock is ticking for Marty B. I'm sure he knows that at this point.
Flozell Adams is a Pittsburg Steeler. It is always sad when a player spends his whole career with one team but has to finish out his last few seasons with another franchise. It is going to be strange to see Flozell in gold and black. But we all could see he was in serious decline. The reason he kept committing personal foul penalties last year was primarily due to the fact that he has lost a step and was trying to compensate. Good luck to him but I think the Cowboys did the right thing.
David Buehler is the only kicker on the roster now. I guess the coaches are sold on Buehler. Either that or the roster spot being taken up by the second kicker was too valuable to keep Delbert Alvarado around. Either way Buehler is going to have a lot of pressure on him until he proves he can get it done.
Matt McBriar is again the holder for field goals. Nick Folk used up every excuse in the book last year during his mental breakdown so Romo tried to come to the rescue as the holder. Unfortunately it didn't make a difference. Now McBriar has his job back.
It looks like the Cowboys will have improved depth at outside linebacker this season. Brandon Williams and Curtis Johnson are both looking very good. So maybe Demarcus Ware can actually get a breather once in a while this season so he can be fresh for the 4th quarter. Of course that is all contingent on the backups making it to the regular season healthy.
Flozell Adams is a Pittsburg Steeler. It is always sad when a player spends his whole career with one team but has to finish out his last few seasons with another franchise. It is going to be strange to see Flozell in gold and black. But we all could see he was in serious decline. The reason he kept committing personal foul penalties last year was primarily due to the fact that he has lost a step and was trying to compensate. Good luck to him but I think the Cowboys did the right thing.
David Buehler is the only kicker on the roster now. I guess the coaches are sold on Buehler. Either that or the roster spot being taken up by the second kicker was too valuable to keep Delbert Alvarado around. Either way Buehler is going to have a lot of pressure on him until he proves he can get it done.
Matt McBriar is again the holder for field goals. Nick Folk used up every excuse in the book last year during his mental breakdown so Romo tried to come to the rescue as the holder. Unfortunately it didn't make a difference. Now McBriar has his job back.
It looks like the Cowboys will have improved depth at outside linebacker this season. Brandon Williams and Curtis Johnson are both looking very good. So maybe Demarcus Ware can actually get a breather once in a while this season so he can be fresh for the 4th quarter. Of course that is all contingent on the backups making it to the regular season healthy.
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