Thoughts on the Final Roster

The Cowboys only kept three full time cornerbacks on the final roster. Wow! That seems like a dangerous move when you consider what would happen with just one minor injury to Terence Newman, Orlando Scandrick or Mike Jenkins. I know Alan Ball, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Danny McCray can all fill in at cornerback but it seems like a dangerous move to count on those guys if a long term injury happens to any of the top three cornerbacks. I have a feeling the Cowboys might be scouring the roster cuts around the league for a better 4th cornerback option.

Junior Siavii didn't make the final roster either. This move isn't shocking but I didn't think the coaches had seen enough from Josh Brent or Sean Lissemore to justify cutting Siavii. I like the fact that the coaches are going younger where they can on the roster but, just like with the cornerback situation, it makes me a little nervous to think where the team will be if Ratliff goes down with a long term injury.

Sam Hurd made it through the cuts. I like the fact that the team kept him around. His play on special teams is obviously why he stayed over Patrick Crayton. I don't think Hurd is the same player at receiver that Crayton was but I do think Hurd brings a lot more to the table on special teams.

Kevin Ogletree managed to stick on the final roster as well. I was not impressed with him at all early in the preseason but the last two games probably saved him. He started playing more like the guy who made several big plays late in the season last year as the preseason drew to a close. I think the potential of Ogletree at receiver played a big part in Patrick Crayton being traded to San Diego.

The Patrick Crayton trade was a little surprising but certainly not shocking. With Crayton set to be stuck on the bench on offense and probably even losing his punt return role it didn't make a lot of sense to keep him around. Although some of Crayton's complaints were legitimate, the Cowboys didn't need a guy around who wasn't happy to be there and was vocal about it.

Seeing that Bobby Carpenter was cut by the Rams made me sad and happy at the same time. It is sad because he always seemed like a good guy who worked hard and really wanted to get better. But, at the same time, it really justified the move the Cowboys made to trade him. The Cowboys are often criticized for the trades they make but I think Jerry Jones and the rest of the front office deserve a big pat on the back for essentially stealing a valuable backup swing tackle from the Rams. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Carpenter ends up with the Dolphins to be reunited with Bill Parcells.

The Cowboys Have Found Their Kicker!

It was only a preseason game. I understand that. But when David Buehler stepped up and calmly kicked the game winning 31 yard field goal right down the middle as time expired I let out a huge sigh of relief. It was a big moment for Buehler. If he makes it you know his confidence will soar. If he misses you have to wonder if the Cowboys need to go find a new kicker. Buehler hit two big pressure kicks during the game and I think those kicks will give him the confidence to be successful in the regular season.

Buehler showed that he has improved a great deal since the first preseason game. His first field goal came at the end of the first half. It was a 51 yarder as time expired and he nailed it with 10-15 yards of distance to spare and nearly right down the middle. Buehler also hit from 45 and 40 yards. One kick barely squeaked through but he was 4 for 4 overall.

Stephen McGee looks like he has a future with the team. I'm certainly not predicting greatness for McGee but he at least finally made some throws that would make you believe he could develop into a solid backup quarterback in another year or two. He threw for 304 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The 46 yard touchdown pass was a beautiful deep ball to Sam Hurd. And another pass that caught my eye was a 12 yard out pass that McGee fired between two defenders to Kevin Ogletree. There were also some ugly plays for McGee but I think he did enough to prove he should stick around this season.

Sean Lee looked a lot better this week. He still looks a little unsure of himself at times. But when he knows what to do he gets to the ball quickly and he makes the tackle. As soon as he gets more comfortable with the scheme he is going to be a very good player. I expect Lee to get more and more playing time as the season goes on.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah is obviously a natural returner. You can see watching him that he has the vision to find the seams in the punt and kick coverage and he has the burst to hit the hole when he finds it. He had some trouble with his footing but that was an equipment issue that is easily corrected.

Victor Butler looked like he was a starter. The Dolphins had their starting offense on the field for a large portion of the first half and Butler did a great job pressuring the quarterback.

The defense overall looked pretty good against the Dolphins' starting offense. Considering the Cowboys had second a third team defensive players matching up against the Miami starters I was very impressed by their performance. Some of the defenders later in the game were not good at all, but the primary backups looked good.

Sam Hurd certainly made a case for himself. A lot of roster predictions have left Hurd off the final 53 man roster. But Hurd showed, like he usually does in preseason, that he is a very capable receiver when given opportunities.

Kevin Ogletree appears to have made a complete 180 from his early training camp and preseason struggles. He looked quick and confident throughout the game. I realize he was matched up for much of the game against Miami backups, but he is starting to resemble the guy that showed so much promise last season. The offense may need him at some point so I'm glad he is back.

Robert Brewster still needs more time to develop before he can be counted on. His play in the San Diego game a few weeks ago was pretty good but he has been very inconsistent in the last two games.

Now Is the Time for McGee

Wade Phillips came to a decision on playing his starters in the final preseason game Thursday night against Miami. Despite the poor performances by his team in the last two preseason games the Cowboys will be resting the vast majority of their starters. No Tony Romo, no Jason Witten, no Miles Austin, no Demarcus Ware, and on and on.

So why would anyone want to watch the game tomorrow night? If you are a hardcore fan of the Cowboys like I am then you can find reasons for games without the starters to be compelling. Many of the players who take the field tomorrow night are not household names and might never be. But several of them are the future stars for the Dallas Cowboys.

The guy who is getting the biggest shot to prove himself this week is Stephen McGee. He has been unimpressive throughout his time with the Cowboys. But he is young and still has time to develop. And now he gets probably the entire Miami game to show what he can do.

Tony Romo developed himself early in his career in games just like the game Thursday night. McGee needs to show us that he can at least develop into the primary backup or the Cowboys will probably start looking for another young guy to groom after this season.

I'm not expecting McGee to light it up but I am expecting to see him show the ability to read the defense and make all the throws required at the NFL level. Every chance he has had so far since he joined the team last season McGee has seemed a little gun shy when it comes to throwing the ball down the field. He always seems to check down to the back or tight end very early in the play and he has rarely thrown the ball more than 10 yards down the field.

I would love to see some flashes of future greatness like we saw from Tony Romo early in his career. No one really knew for sure that Romo would develop into a top tier quarterback but you could sense that he definitely was a natural playmaker when he got on the field early in his career. I hope for the Cowboys' sake and for McGee's sake he can at least go out there and show the coaches that he deserves more time with the team to develop.

The Starters Need More Preseason Work

I've seen the debates running rampant over the last few days. The big question is whether playing the Dallas starters in the last preseason game is worth the risk. In most seasons I would say no. But after the awful showing by both the Cowboys' starting offense and defense Saturday night I think this season should be different.

You can say that it would be dumb to get someone hurt in the last preseason game before the season starts. And you would have a point. But can you honestly tell me that you believe the Cowboys are ready for a regular season game after watching the Houston game? Are you willing to sacrifice the first game of the season to protect against the small chance of an injury to a starter?

I just can't find a way to justify letting the starters sit after watching them trip all over themselves literally and figuratively last week. It is clear that the Cowboys have not found their rhythm on offense or defense yet. And it may only take a series or two to find it. The players can say they practice at the same speed as a game but until they show me the can translate their strong practice play into live game action then I don't really care how good practice is going.

Confidence plays a huge role in how a team performs. Right now the confidence of the Dallas Cowboys can not be good no matter what they are saying to the cameras. How can you be confident that you can score points when you can't protect the quarterback consistently and a ridiculous number of running plays are going for negative yards. How can the defense feel good about letting Houston go up and down the field against them even if Wade Phillips blames himself for not adjusting the defense at all during the game?

I say get all of the starters out there for at least a few series. If I were in charge I would tell the offense that they are going to play until they put the ball in the end zone. With the Dolphins likely to sit many of their starters the Cowboys will have a big advantage. And sure, even if the offense scores right away you can say it came against the Dolphins' backup players. That doesn't matter to me.

Success is a habit just like failure can become a habit. The Cowboys need to taste a little success on both sides of the ball before they head into the season opening game. Otherwise the Cowboys risk seeing another pitiful display of football in the season opener. I would hate to see the Cowboys lose the first game to the Redskins because they were too scared to play their guys for a few series in a preseason game. This is the NFL after all. You can't expect your team to improve if you only worry about playing it safe with injuries.

Observations from the Texans Game

The first team offense is really hurting along the offensive line. I expected more out of Holland and Barron than I saw in the game. I'm officially concerned about the offensive line depth.

The defense needs Marcus Spears. After all the news that was made this offseason about the contracts that were offered to Spears, Stephen Bowen, and Jason Hatcher it has become apparent that the run defense misses him. Spears should be back for the season opener so hopefully it will help improve the run defense. I think Spears has gained a lot of value by missing a few games and exposing what the defense is without him.

I know the score in preseason games doesn't mean anything but it is amazing to me that the Cowboys couldn't flip the switch when things were going bad in the game. I kept thinking the defense would get fired up and make a play but they never really did. I kept thinking the starting offense would find a new gear and put the ball in the endzone but it never happened.

The only thing I can find as a positive about the game was the play of Roy Williams. He looked really good for the first time in a long time.

The first team offense did move the ball up and down the field after their slow start. But they were still plagued by false starts, fumbles, interceptions...just think of a team mailing it in and that is what it looked like for the most part. They were just so sloppy it is hard to picture them turning it all around in the next two weeks.

Mercifully, Jon Kitna was able to hit Kevin Ogletree on a long touchdown pass to help the Cowboys avoid the goose egg on the scoreboard. Ogletree looked a lot better out there tonight.

Buehler didn't get any attempts for the second straight game. There was an opportunity late in the game for the Cowboys to give him a shot at a 47 yarder but the coaches chose to go for it on 4th down instead. I hope Buehler gets some more field goal attempts next week because he needs more work.

I'm keeping my comments short because I see no use in piling on about the poor play of the Cowboys. There will be plenty of that coming from the media. I hope the team finds a way to flip the switch over the next two weeks.

What to Watch for Against Houston

The last preseason game was not good for the starters on either side of the ball. We have all heard about it for the last few days. I've chalked it up to players who were completely worn out from a seemingly endless training camp.

This week the Cowboys have had a lot of time to get their minds and bodies right. Wade Phillips has allowed the players to recover by running multiple "walkthrough" practices so the players aren't exerting themselves physically nearly as much as they had been for the last month. I expect to see a team with a new spring in its step on Saturday night. Here is what I will be watching for:

1. The offense finding a rhythm. We have all been waiting for it for a long time now. This is the last preseason game for the most of the starters on offense. I really hope we finally see the offense that set records and was the #2 offense in the NFL last season. I know Colombo and Kosier are still out but that shouldn't stop the offense from moving the ball up and down the field.

2. The defense returning to its form. For the first two preseason games the starting defense was downright dominant. Then, last week, San Diego moved the ball up and down the field for the entire first half. I hope last week's performance was an aberration and not a sign of things to come.

3. Alan ball making a play for the pass defense. I've seen Ball make some tackles now and he looks like he can get the job done in that regard. But I'd still like to see him make a play on a pass and break it up or intercept it. I think Ball's confidence would soar if he were able to make a few plays before heading into the regular season opener.

4. David Buehler continuing to show improvement. We didn't see much of Buehler last week since the Cowboys never attempted a field goal. I hope he gets a few more attempts this week so he can get more game experience.

5. A re-emergence for Kevin Ogletree. I'm not sure what the problem has been, but Ogletree seems to have regressed from last season. I hope to see him break out of his funk before the season starts. We might need him at some point this year.

6. Alex Barron getting the job done at right tackle. We saw Robert Brewster do a decent job last week playing both right and left tackle. I hope we see Barron handle the pass rushers and dominate the line of scrimmage in the running game. I like Brewster a lot but I'm not ready to count on him if Colombo or Free go down during the season.

7. Mike Hamlin and Barry Church fill in at strong safety for Sensabaugh. Hamlin has a huge opportunity to play with the starting defense and show that he can be a starter in the future. His rookie season was non-existent due to injuries so this is the first time we'll really see him in any sort of meaningful situation. Barry Church has looked impressive in camp and the preseason games so far. He might get a few snaps with the starters and I'm excited to see what he can do.

8. Stephen McGee finally show us something. I'm starting to think that McGee is a lost cause. He doesn't seem to do a good job of keeping his eyes down the field as the play develops. And he seems to check down to the safety valve on nearly every pass he actually does throw. I'm sure part of his problem is poor offensive line play but, at some point, he has to show us something or the Cowboys will have to find another young quarterback to develop.

9. Akwasi Owusu-Ansah in the return game. AOA broke off a big punt return last week that was called back for a penalty. But he looked quicker than I expected and he had good vision on his returns. I hope he corrects his issues with protecting the ball during his returns because he could be a great asset on kick returns this season if he does.

10. Sean Lee making plays all over the field. Lee seemed to be in on every other tackle last week. When I watched him he looked good on some plays and a little late or unsure of himself on other plays. It was his first game so I expect to see improvement this week. I think Lee is going to be a fixture in the Cowboys defense for the next 10 years.

Wade Finally Backs Off on Intensity

It sounds funny to say it after all of the uninformed media accounts of "camp cupcake" surfaced a few years ago. But it appears that Wade Phillips may have gone a little overboard with his training camp schedule this year.

The San Diego preseason game was ugly. The first team offense was out of sync and sloppy. The first team defense got beaten up and down the field. If it weren't for two turnovers by the defense the score could have been one-sided at the end of the first half. Fortunately the Cowboys were able to hang in the game and give the backups and shot to take over down the stretch.

After the game I found myself wondering what the problem was. I know that this team is stacked at nearly every offensive skill position. They are stacked at linebacker and the secondary looks pretty good with Barry Church and Danny McCray emerging as standouts among the rookies. I know they have talent. I realize the roster has some weaknesses but I'll take the Cowboys roster over just about any NFL roster.

Sunday morning I woke up with what I thought was a reasonable excuse for the poor play the team displayed. Overtraining. Sure, it sounds convenient to make excuses and you might tell me I'm fooling myself. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that this team is loaded with talent.

On Monday I was listening to Talkin' Cowboys on DallasCowboys.com and Nate Newton came on the show. Mickey Spagnola and Rob Phillips asked him what he thought was going on. His answer was the same as my thought...overtrained and tired players. Hearing that from a long time NFL player convinced me that my suspicions were correct.

All you have to do is look at what happened with the first team offense. Miles Austin dropped a pass. Roy Williams fell on what would have been an easy completion. Jason Witten dropped a perfect pass. Tony Romo just looked uncomfortable and inaccurate. Each one of those problems individually would just be a bad day for a player. But all of those things happening not just in one game but in one half of one game tells me that something else was going on.

Just think about how your work performance slips when you feel overworked and tired. You lose focus. You make silly mistakes. You overlook things that you would normally spot easily. But if you give yourself a day or two of recuperation typically you can bounce right back and get on track quickly. Overtraining affects you mentally and physically.

I don't know if Wade Phillips is thinking the same thing or not, but he finally gave the players some rest. The players were given Sunday off. No meetings and no practice. Monday was an easy walkthrough practice. And Tuesday morning was another walkthrough practice followed by a regular practice Tuesday afternoon.

We won't really know if the recuperation time will make a difference until we see the Cowboys get back on the field against Houston on Saturday. But I have to believe the time off will help the players feel refreshed and refocused. And maybe the injuries that keep popping up will stop since the player's bodies have a chance to heal.