A Win This Week Will Put the Cowboys Back on the Map

Things have been relatively quiet for the Cowboys since early in the offseason. Training camp was uneventful and the preseason was the same. It seems like the Cowboys are flying under the radar. Most "experts" are writing them off and even the win against Tampa Bay did little to earn back much respect from the national media. I love the silence, but it might be ending very soon.

While some people may relish the attention the Cowboys usually receive I think the newfound team focus is partially due to the fact that the team has been able to only worry about football. Unfortunately, a win this week would probably change all that. For whatever reasons that I can't completely understand, the Giants have been picked as the frontrunners to represent the NFC in the Superbowl this season. If the Cowboys can go out and slay the "mighty" Giants then people are going to take notice of the Cowboys again.

I wouldn't go so far to call it a statement game since we are only entering week 2, but it certainly could help the Cowboys regain their confidence which is still shaky after last season's December fade. This game is important because it is a division game, its the first game in the new stadium, and it can get the Cowboys off to a 2-0 start. It really isn't a must win game but it really could be a game we look back on in December and realize that it was very important in the overall playoff picture...assuming the Cowboys are in the picture at that point. I believe they will be. You need to win these home division games if you expect to be in the playoff picture.

If the Cowboys can shut Brandon Jacobs' mouth, and, more importantly, shut down his running game they will have a great chance to win the game. They will have to play better than they did against the Bucs but it is a winnable game. If they find a way to win the national media will surely change their tune and tab the Cowboys as playoff contenders. I hope the Cowboys can maintain the same workmanlike approach if and when the national expectations are raised again.

One Win, Many Questions Answered

The Cowboys looked a little out of sync and unprepared in the first half of the game against the Bucs today. They looked like a new team in the second half. A lot of the struggles in the first half probably came from the Cowboys being unable to do a good job preparing for the Bucs offensive and defensive schemes since they are under a coaching regime. The second half was another story. The offense was clicking and the defense became much tougher. I applaud the coaches for making the necessary adjustments at halftime.

One story that can die down for a little while is the question of how the Cowboys will replace the production of Terrell Owens. The Cowboys have been saying all along that they will make up for his production by spreading the ball around. True to their word they did exactly that. Tony Romo threw for a career high 353 yards and had big plays to Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams. How's that for spreading it around? He completed passes to 6 different players and he was actually a little of today but still had a career high in yardage. It was impressive even if the Bucs defense didn't exactly look all world.

On defense, the pass rush was non-existent until the Cowboys took a big 4th quarter lead and were able to rush freely. They put several good shots on Leftwich but never recorded a sack. I'm concerned but I know Demarcus Ware was not operating at 100% after coming back from a big hit early in the game. The middle of the defense was very soft early in the game against the run but seemed to make the necessary adjustments at halftime. Sensabaugh did a good job keeping the tight ends out of the game but Leftwich was able to find open receivers all day long. The cornerbacks need to play better in the upcoming weeks and months and I'm sure they would agree.

Special teams was so much better than I expected. They had a blocked field goal by Gerald Sensabaugh, several touchbacks on kickoffs by Buehler, and great coverage by the punt team. Terence Newman did muff a punt but Patrick Crayton made a heads up play to kick the ball out of bounds to prevent a turnover. I can't believe he didn't get more credit for making that play. Sure it was a penalty, but those Bucs players were bearing down on him and there is no guarantee he could have dove on the ball to recover it in time.

Best Play: To me it was the Patrick Crayton touchdown. The play appeared to be designed to go underneath to Witten but Romo pumped short and Crayton broke deep behind the defense. The safety was so sure that the pass was going to Witten underneath that he allowed Crayton to get 5 yards behind him. That is what we were all hoping to see from Tony Romo. He didn't force the ball into coverage...he found the open man.

Reasons to Worry: The defense didn't dominate the Bucs like I expected them to. We mind find out that the Bucs are better than we thought they were as the season goes on but I doubt it. The defense has to play better in every way.

Injuries: Gerald Sensabaugh left the game after a big hit with bruised ribs, but it appears right now that the Cowboys escaped without any serious injuries. Tony Romo was a little gimpy after getting his ankle rolled and Demarcus Ware is going to have a headache tonight. So far, so good on the injuries.

Week 1 Keys To Victory

The time has finally arrived. All of the talking and speculating that has gone on since the end of last season is finally going to give way to the new season. What can we expect out of the Dallas Cowboys this season? No one knows for sure but I do know that they need to win games like the game on Sunday if they want to be in the playoff picture. We all saw last season what happens when you lose games you should win. It can cost you your season.

It is very important for this version of the Dallas Cowboys to get off to a good start to build confidence in a still developing team. The players can talk all they want about how confident they are about the upcoming season but there has to be some lingering doubt after the way 2008 ended. The defense has gone through a significant transformation in terms of starters and no one really knows what they can do yet.

So what do the Cowboys need to do to win the game against the Bucs? Here is what I think will get it done.

1. Play tough defense from start to finish. The Bucs running game could be dangerous if the Cowboys let the Bucs get it going. If they can stay tough against the run it will force the Bucs to resort to their passing game. That should play into what should be the strength of the defense...rushing the passer. Byron Leftwich has a notoriously slow delivery. If the Cowboys can put the Bucs in obvious passing situations then they can get after Leftwich and dominate by sacking the quarterback and forcing turnovers. Turnovers will come if they can force Leftwich to get rid of the ball before he is ready or strip the ball while he is being sacked. I think the Bucs are going to have a tough time moving the ball against the Cowboy defense with any consistency. Gerald Sensabaugh needs to stick with Kellen Winslow because I can see Leftwich being forced into quick throws to his backs and tight end by the pass rush.

2. Run the ball effectively. I'm not talking about a three yards and a cloud of dust attack. I mean make it count when they do run the ball. It is imperative that the running game get off to a good start. They were so bad early in several games last year that it gave Jason Garrett every reason to essentially abandon the running game. The running game needs to be respected by the defense this season because more of the passing game is going to rely on the defense overplaying the run. If the Bucs start to overcommit to the run then we might see some big plays in the passing game.

3. Limit turnovers on offense. This is going to be a weekly key to victory but it is always important. Tony Romo has made a commitment privately and publicly to change his ways. We've seen throughout the preseason that he is keeping two hands on the ball while scrambling and he is trying to limit his forced throws. I expect to see the fumbles drastically reduced this season, but the one or two boneheaded throws per game that we are accustomed to seeing from Romo are what concerns me. If he can eliminate those bad throws in this game then the Bucs will have a tough time finding ways to score points. This seems like the type of game that the Cowboys have to give to the Bucs and turning the ball over is a good way to lose a game.

4. Tackle on special teams. I think the Cowboys are clearly better on offense and defense than the Bucs, but it only takes a couple of big special teams plays to change the outcome of a game. I don't have much faith they can do it consistently but they need to tackle the returners. It sounds easy enough but I didn't see anything in the preseason to give me much confidence that there has been improvement. Nothing changes momentum of a game faster than a big return.

5. Don't try to win the game on one play. If the Cowboys are patient and play their game then their superior talent will win out. If both teams play a clean game meaning no turnovers or busted plays then I believe the Cowboys are clearly the superior team. There is no reason to force the action on offense if they can't find their rhythm early...especially in the passing game. The defense will get to Leftwich at some point if they keep their noses to the grindstone.

6. Get Felix Jones involved in the offense. This seems like a no-brainer but Jason Garrett seemed to struggle with the idea in the few games he had the services of Felix last season. He will open everything up for the entire offense just by being on the field.

In my mind the Cowboys are just a much better team than the Bucs. I don't see the Cowboys laying an egg in this game after waiting so long to redeem themselves. My prediction is a 27-10 victory for the Cowboys.

Ogletree Changes Everything with Receiver Depth

I have to admit that I was extremely concerned all summer long about the depth at wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. Then something completely unexpected and wonderful happened this preseason. Undrafted Kevin Ogletree arrived on the scene. He is a relatively no-name guy who signed as an undrafted free agent. He slowly and methodically worked his way up the depth chart throughout training camp and the preseason.

When he finally got his big chance to play with the starters in the San Francisco preseason game he exceeded the expectations of almost everyone. He beat man coverage on a regular basis and showed that he had earned the trust of Tony Romo. With every play he made in the game it became more and more apparent that the Cowboys had found a diamond in the rough.

Is he going to be the lead receiver a few years from now? Maybe, maybe not. But at least we are talking about the possibility of it happening. He runs great routes and gets excellent separation from defenders. On top of that he is capable of making tough catches in traffic. Don't discount the fact that he is on his second year off of ACL surgery. It usually takes guys two years to get back to pre-surgery form and it might be a case of the Cowboys finding Ogletree at the perfect moment in his recovery process.

We'll have to wait to find out how good he can be but I am sure he is an upgrade over Isaiah Stanback. I became convinced about Ogletree over the last week when the concern about the hamstring of Miles Austin became a hot issue. Where I would have usually been worried about what they would do without Austin in the past, my new response was...no problem, Ogletree can get it done.

I know it is premature to label this guy as the next great thing. But we do know Ogletree can play receiver and we know that Tony Romo has faith in the guy. The fact that Romo is willing to get him the ball speaks volumes about his ability as a receiver. Somehow there are guys on the field who rarely get a look from Romo and I know part of it is that Romo has to trust that a receiver is going to be in the right place.

Ogletree might not play a lot this season but I know that he can get it done if his services are required. I'm not convinced he won't leapfrog Miles Austin and/or Sam Hurd on the depth chart. He is bound to be called upon at some point because it is very unlikely the receivers will finish the season injury free. The track record of Hurd and Austin tells us that Ogletree will get his shot. I'm excited that we finally have a young receiver who looks like he has a chance to be a special player. The Cowboys may or may not have a true #1 receiver...time will tell. But the Cowboys do have five receivers who are all capable of making plays this season thanks to the addition of Kevin Ogletree.

What Should We Expect from the 2009 Dallas Cowboys?

So the million dollar question heading into the season is whether we should expect a "special" season from our Dallas Cowboys. I have mixed emotions about the team heading into the season. I can see this team going anywhere from 8-8 to 12-4 depending on several variables.

When you look at the starting lineup on both sides of the ball it is hard to find many things to complain about. Some people might point to wide receiver as a weakness but I'm not sure I agree on that one because I believe Patrick Crayton is an underrated player. Remember I am talking about the starters at this point, so I really don't see any glaring weaknesses. So I guess wide receiver is debatable but on the surface the team looks very good on both sides of the ball. The starting lineup give me hope that there is potential for an 11-5 or 12-4 type of season.

The problems start popping up when you take a look at depth at some of the key positions on the roster. It would appear that an injury at several positions could cause the team to sink fast. The positions where I fear an injury the most are outside linebacker, quarterback, inside linebacker, defensive tackle, and offensive line. I'm primarily talking about Demarcus Ware, Tony Romo, Bradie James, Keith Brooking, and Jay Ratliff. All of those guys I listed are capable of putting up pro bowl level seasons but the backups leave a lot to be desired. The Cowboys at least have a decent backup quarterback this year so all is not lost if Romo is forced out of a game or two. If the injuries start to mount like they did last year then I could see the team sinking as low as 8-8.

The bottom line is that every team has key players that they cannot afford to lose. It would be nice to have starting caliber players backing up every key position but that is just not realistic. So like just about any team in the league the Cowboys have to hope they can make it through the season relatively healthy. If things go well on the injury front like in 2007 then the team will be very good. If we have a rerun of last season's endless injuries then it will be another long season.

The most reasonable expectation is probably something in the middle. 2007 was incredibly injury free for the most part and 2008 was the polar opposite. Put the number of injuries somewhere in the middle and that is probably what we can expect. To me that means we are looking at an 11-5 or 10-6 season. If no key players are hurt things could get really interesting in the playoffs and I think the team could make a deep playoff run. If Romo, Ware, Felix Jones or another irreplaceable player goes down then we might be waiting another year for a playoff victory.

And we can't forget how special teams hurt the team last season. I still believe Joe DeCamillis is getting this unit heading in the right direction. I'm still seeing a lot of missed tackles but at least guys are starting to get into position on kickoff and punt coverage. Any improvement is going to make a huge difference in Cowboys' overall record.

My personal feeling is 11-5 with at least one playoff win. I am usually very optimistic but the last few years have forced me to take a more realistic approach to my expectations. 11-5 seems reasonable and I believe the injuries have a way of balancing themselves out from year to year. To me that means there will be fewer injuries which will lead to a stronger finish down the stretch. I'm feeling that the playoff drought is about to end but only time will tell.

What the Last Preseason Game Told Us

The preseason is finally over. There weren't many players on the field who are going to make significant contributions this season unless there is an injury or two. But we did get a final look at a few of the guys on the bubble in terms of roster spots. This was a hard game to watch. I found myself wondering during the first half if Wade Phillips told his players there was a game tonight. The second half was much more enjoyable. Here is how I thought the "bubble" guys fared.

Kevin Ogletree - There is no way the Cowboys don't keep this guy. Another TD and several impressive plays. I even noticed him getting down the field on kickoffs. It looked like he got hit just over his eye pretty hard on punt coverage but appears to be ok.

Isaiah Stanback - Things started badly. A mediocre kick return to start the game followed by a muffed ball on the next return attempt. Throw in the Ogletree touchdown on the opposite side of the field from him and it just was not good. I feel bad saying this but I don't even know if another team will pick him up if he is cut because he hasn't shown anything this preseason.

Cory Proctor - I have to admit that I am not a fan of this guy at all. I know they Cowboys love the fact that he can play backup at two positions, but he isn't a good backup at either spot so what is the point of keeping him? I will be disgusted if the Cowboys end up relying on him again this year.

Steve Octavien - All this guy does is put pressure on the quarterback...and return interceptions for touchdowns. I know he is undersized but he has a knack for getting to the quarterback. With the lack of depth at outside linebacker he has a real shot to make the team after he continued to play well in the last preseason game.

Victor Butler - He is going to make the final roster but I had to mention that he played pretty well. He put pressure on the quarterback and seemed to defend the run pretty well too.

Pat McQuistan - He has had more time to get it together than Stanback but he still isn't showing us much. He was beaten for a sack and was called for holding to negate a big run by Tashard Choice. The problem is that he might be the best available guy to keep to back up Marc Columbo.

Junior Siavii - I don't know about this guy. He made one nice stop, but the defense was very soft in the middle while he was in there for the most part. I won't be surprised if the Cowboys go for a cheap free agent pick up after roster cuts.

Mike Mickens - He won't and shouldn't make the team based on what we've seen from him. He might be a practice squad candidate but he is not ready to help the team this season. He has be burned more time than I can count this preseason.

Patrick Watkins - He was the player of the game. A blocked field goal, an interception returned for a touchdown, and several nice tackles including a big one on 4th and goal. He looked like a superstar out there. He earned his roster spot without a doubt.

Jesse Holley - He has no chance to make the team but at least he got to shine for one play. He picked up a punt off of a bad bounce and ran it back for a touchdown. I am happy for him and I hope he gets a chance either on the practice squad or on another team.

On a side note...I really like the new Wade Phillips. On a terrible pass interference penalty in the 3rd quarter Wade got very animated once again. He clearly screamed "what the hell?" and then muttered "you son of a bitch" towards the official. I can't believe he is actually showing some emotion. I like it a lot.

Is Kevin Ogletree a Lock to Make the Final Roster?

On the surface the answer is easy based on his recent preseason performances. Based on his play at receiver the answer is an easy and resounding yes. But if you dig deeper you have to take other things into account when determining the final 53 man roster. When you really think about it, it seems that Isaiah Stanback still has a chance even if his play at the receiver position has not been at all impressive because he does a good job on special teams.

While Kevin Ogletree has looked very good at receiver, the 5th receiver is going to have to be someone who can perform on special teams to make the active roster on game day. Ogletree has returned a few kicks and actually looked pretty good doing it, but he has to do more to be a factor on game day. Special teams coverage units are where bottom of the roster guys have to make their living. Ogletree has not done a good job in the few opportunities he has had to cover punts.

Stanback, on the other hand, tends to fly down the field with his tremendous speed and make an impact covering kickoffs. I know his receiver play has not been good, but he is always a threat on kickoff returns and actually looks explosive when he gets a crease to run through. The problem, as always, with Stanback is deciding whether you can rely on him to be healthy. I don't see how you can honestly believe that he will do anything but get hurt again, but the coaches just really seem to like the guy.

What makes me nervous is that Kevin Ogletree has looked so good over the last two preseason games that there is absolutely no way he can clear waivers to be signed to the practice squad. So the question becomes whether you can afford to keep him on the roster given his subpar coverage abilities on special teams. He would probably have to be inactive on game day unless another receiver is injured. Depending on how the final roster shakes out there is a slight chance that the Cowboys will keep six receivers. If you cut Ogletree you have to assume that he is gone for good.

I don't see the Cowboys cutting Ogletree under any circumstances at this point, but you never can tell what the coaches are thinking. I don't even think it is Ogletree vs. Stanback anymore. It is now do they keep a 6th receiver on the roster if they want Stanback? My best guess is that Ogletree stays and Stanback goes. My #2 option would be keeping both guys but the numbers don't work out very well when you try to keep six receivers on the final roster. I have a slight fear that Stanback will be cut and finally show he can play receiver in this league somewhere else, but, really, what are the odds Stanback even makes it through the season?

At some point the Cowboys have to pull the plug on the Stanback experiment and I think this is the year it happens. I would still love to see Stanback break out as a player this season but the preseason games have given me no indication that anything is different with him this year. I don't think you can give up a talented receiver like Ogletree to keep the unfulfilled potential of Stanback...especially when you have to be under the assumption that Stanback won't be available for all 16 games this season.

When the final roster is announced in the near future I won't be surprised if Stanback makes it based on his special teams play. I will be extremely disappointed if Ogletree doesn't make the team because he looks like a guy who could be a player on this team for a long time if he continues to work hard. Ogletree will probably have to be inactive on game day as long as the four receivers ahead of him are healthy, but he'll be a great fill in if any of those guys get hurt. Isaiah Stanback better pray that the coaches find a way to keep six receivers on the final roster. I believe the coaches have seen enough from Ogletree to know that he can play receiver at the NFL level...that should be enough to allow him to make the final roster. With Stanback we're still talking about potential after three years of waiting.