Lower Expectations Might Make This Season More Fun

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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.