The Cowboys Need a Winning Streak

When is the last time you really felt that the Dallas Cowboys were on a roll? For me it was probably when they jumped out to a 3-0 start at the beginning of last season. That was actually the last time that the Cowboys won three games in a row. I think the Cowboys need to build some momentum to recreate the winning atmosphere that was around the team in 2007 when they went 13-3.

Winning is a habit just like losing games in the 4th quarter can become a habit. With the games coming up on the schedule a winning streak is no guarantee, but it is certainly possible. The only way to start a winning streak is to win them one game at a time. Kansas City provides possibly the best opponent in the NFL right now if you are looking to start a winning streak. The Cowboys usually beat the bad teams and struggle against the good teams. That should mean a win going into the bye.

If you look ahead on the schedule the Cowboys then have Atlanta at home and then Seattle at home. Atlanta will be a tough game but they are certainly beatable. Seattle is another one of those games that the Cowboys win since they are the better team going in. After that the schedule gets much tougher. At Philadelphia and at Green Bay are not easy games. If the Cowboys can't fix whatever is ailing them right now in the close games then they will struggle to beat Philly or Green Bay. So the winning streak needs to get going now so they can go into those games with a renewed confidence.

The task at hand is simple. Win one game. The Cowboys aren't good enough to look past any team right now. But winning one game could spark a streak that finally gets this year's team over the hump and gets them going again in all phases of the game. They have got to win this week.

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.

The 2009 Cowboys Are A New Team

As the days and months have passed since the season ending loss to Philadelphia there has a been a slow, but steady stream of changes within the roster and coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys. It is funny to hear people make predictions about the upcoming season based on the last two year's results. The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are a very different team than the 2007 and 2008 editions. I'm not even close to feeling like I know what the future holds for the Cowboys. What I do know is that I can't expect more of the same from my beloved team.

Here is a list of some of the players who are no longer on the roster for one reason or another: Terrell Owens, Anthony Henry, Roy Williams, Terry "Tank" Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Tra Battle, Chris Canty, Kevin Burnett, Keith Davis, Brooks Bollinger, Brad Johnson, Tony Curtis, and in the near future, Greg Ellis. I'm sure I forgot a few, but that is a big list and some of those names were key contributors to the team over the last few years. Don't be fooled, this is a different team than we have watched over the last few years.

12 players were drafted and several were added via free agency. There have been so many players added to the roster it is easy to forget some of them. The defense looks like it will have 5 new starters this season: Keith Brooking at weak inside linebacker, Igor Olshansky at defensive end, Mike Jenkins or Orlando Scandrick at cornerback, Gerald Sensabaugh or one of the rookies at safety, and Anthony Spencer at outside linebacker. That is a huge amount of change from last season.

The offense is actually pretty stable with one huge exception. Roy Williams will now be the lead guy at receiver and Miles Austin, Patrick Crayton, or Sam Hurd will start at receiver. Other than that the only remaining possible change could be left guard. Kyle Kosier is probably going to have to fight off Montrae Holland during training camp to retain his starting job. So there are many changes but the one major change was a franchise defining move. Roy Williams has some very big shoes to fill.

My point here is that you need to point out to anyone that will listen that it is unfair to predict what this team will do based on the teams from the last few years. This is a much different team and I don't think anyone can say with any certainty what we can expect the Cowboys to do. I tend to lean towards the optimistic side but I don't have much to go on but blind faith right now. It is going to be very interesting to see how the team comes together over the next few months. There is still a lot of talent on the roster but the coaches are going to have their hands full getting everyone on the same page before the season gets underway in September.