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.

Keeping A Positive Outlook

The training camp injuries just continue to mount. Kyle Kosier was the second starting offensive lineman to go down today. Preliminary reports are estimating he will be out 4-6 weeks with a sprained MCL which puts his availability for the season opener in question. MCL's are tricky, but I will actually be surprised if they don't get Kosier out there for the opener wearing a knee brace. Time will tell, but again, at least it wasn't a season ending injury.

It is easy to feel like the Cowboys are snake bitten this preseason, but I'm trying to look at the other side of the coin. Offensive line depth has been a major concern all offseason. Now the backups will get extended playing time in the remaining preseason games. It will help guys like Robert Brewster, Travis Bright, and Sam Young to get more live game action.

To prove my point about getting the young guys more time on the field all we have to do is look back to last season. When Marc Colombo went down with his injury it appeared the Cowboys were in deep trouble at right tackle. But Doug Free stepped in a played so well that the offense didn't miss a beat. And he was so impressive that it gave the Cowboys enough confidence in him that they cut Flozell Adams in the offseason and handed Free the starting left tackle job.

Coaches have a tendency to go with the guys they know. It is tough to break into the league when you aren't a big name college player. But now the young offensive linemen on the roster get a real shot to show what they can do against tougher competition. In the end it makes the backups that much better because they will have more experience and confidence.

Of course we do have to hope that one of the players filling in doesn't mess up so badly that they get someone hurt. But I'm sure guys like Romo and Felix Jones will have such limited playing time that we won't have to worry for too long on Saturday against San Diego. Next week and maybe even this week Alex Barron should be back to play right tackle so that should help the offense while Colombo recovers. And Montrae Holland has done a decent job in his limited playing time with the starters a couple of seasons ago.

Another Injury Scare

The Cowboys dodged a major bullet yesterday with the Marc Colombo injury. He is out 2-4 weeks and will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. But it could have been much worse. Colombo got his knee rolled up on during team drills in practice and had to be carted off the field. For a short time it appeared he might be out long term. I don't think there is anyone on the roster behind Colombo that we want to count on long term at right tackle.

And in the same practice there was a scare with Jason Witten. He also had his legs rolled into during team drills and stayed down for a few seconds. Luckily he was ok, but it just shows how quickly things can go wrong during the preseason.

I find myself watching the preseason games and just hoping no one gets hurt. When Romo decides to run the preseason I shout "Get Down!" or "Slide!" every time he runs. My worst fear is that he will be injured before the season even really gets started. I feel like a worrywart during the games but we all know what would happen to the season if Romo went down with a serious injury.

Sure, it is fun to watch when the offense is clicking and the defense is shutting down the opposition. But in the end we all know the final score doesn't mean anything in the preseason anyway. I'm just relieved when the starters get off the field without a major injury.

Practice injuries are going to happen but we have to hope that the severity of the injuries continues to be minor. Dez Bryant was hurt pretty badly but if he is back for the season opener then I think the Cowboys will feel pretty lucky about his injury.

For the most part the Cowboys have been pretty fortunate with injuries. There have been a lot of players injured but nearly all of them are short term injuries. If the worst injury that happens this preseason is John Phillips I'll consider the Cowboys lucky. But there are several weeks to go before we can breathe easy heading into the season with the starting players on both sides of the ball healthy. I'll continue to cross my fingers, knock on wood and perform any other superstitious ritual I can think of until the start of the regular season arrives.

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.

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.

Training Camp Thoughts - 7/27/10

With so much information flowing out of training camp I am going to try to keep up with the developments with a quick reaction to the hot topics every few days from now until training camp is over. Even though camp only started a few days ago it seems like the media is in mid-season form already.

- I'll start with the "hot" topic. Dez Bryant should have just carried Roy Williams' pads and this wouldn't be a story. I don't think it automatically makes him a diva receiver just because he refused to take part in a typical training camp tradition. I would bet that the problem has already been dealt with behind closed doors by the veterans and we'll never hear about it. I was expecting to see Dez taped to a goal post and left there after practice but I guess that isn't going to happen. Either way Roy says it is a non-issue and Dez says the same thing. It is over. Let's move on. But I will file that move by Dez in the memory banks and hope that it was an isolated incident.

- I really want John Phillips to push Martellus Bennett down on the depth chart. I can't stand the fact that Marty B. has to be told where to line up repeatedly in every game he plays. Add the fact that Tony Romo doesn't trust Martellus to run the right route or run it correctly and you can see that Phillips has a real shot. With Martellus out with an ankle sprain John Phillips has been showing that he has made great strides this offseason. Phillips was already starting to take some snaps from Martellus at the end of last season and now he might be on the verge of taking his job. Like I said, I'm pulling for Phillips in this training camp battle. And I didn't even mention the continuing off-the-field news that Marty B. keeps creating.

- The Bengals have recreated the locker room mess that Dallas dealt with in 2008. The have managed to add Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Roy Williams, and now Terrell Owens over the last year. Throw Chad Ochocinco into that mix and I smell disaster. Those guys are all ok as long as the team is winning. Carson Palmer better pray they win a lot of games or his team is going down in flames.

- I'm wondering what is going to happen with Patrick Crayton. It seems pretty clear that he has dropped down to the #4 slot and I wonder how long he is going to keep quiet about it. I seriously doubt that he will unseat Roy Williams or Dez Bryant to get back on the field with the first team whether he outplays them or not. I'm not saying what it happening to Crayton is fair, but it is the reality of the NFL. I hope he can be a team player because it would be nice to be able to keep him for depth.

- Doug Free, Alan Ball, and David Buehler have all done a decent job so far. We won't really know about any of them until the preseason games start. And even then we might have to wait until the regular season to find out if these three are ready to step up this year. Only time is going to tell what we have at left tackle, safety and kicker.

- So far the injuries have been minor. Let's hope that continues.

Everyone Signed for Camp

I'm sure ESPN is disappointed in the news out of Valley Ranch. The Cowboys have all of their 2010 draft picks signed before the start of camp. The media is waiting for Dez Bryant to slip up or give them a reason to slam him. I applaud the Cowboys, Dez and his agent for recognizing the importance of getting Dez to camp on time.

More important than shutting up the Dez Bryant naysayers is the message it sends to his teammates. Dez is ready to play football and he wants to get to work. He isn't trying to be a "diva" receiver before he has done anything at the NFL level. Dez needs all the practice reps he can get to prepare for the season and his signing insures that he can maximize his practice time.

On top of that, the Cowboys got Sean Lee signed as well. The Cowboys will have all of their rookies at camp from day 1. I love it. And I think it is a good sign for the upcoming season. The Cowboys appear to have added players that are ready to play football and aren't going to hold out for ridiculous money at the expense of their rookie year.

Now we just have to hope that this year's crop of rookies can survive training camp. We can't forget the rash of injuries that occurred last year in training camp. Rookie after rookie went down with injury until the depth at some key positions was completely eroded. I have to believe the Cowboys will have better luck on the injury front with the rookies this year. But I'll keep my fingers crossed and knock on some wood just to be safe.

Going To Training Camp

It looks like I'll be heading to training camp this weekend to check out the 2010 Dallas Cowboys. Although it will be extremely early in the evaluation process I have several things I will be looking at while I'm there.

1. How does Roy Williams look? Last training camp/preseason he seemed to be developing a nice rapport with Tony Romo but then he injured his shoulder late in camp and they never really clicked after that. With Dez Bryant waiting to take his job I expect to see a determined Roy Williams.

2. Does Alan Ball look ready to start? It is one thing to work with the first team in OTA's when everything goes at three quarter speed. I want to see how he performs in the team portion of practice when things start to move a little faster. We won't really know if Alan Ball can excel at safety until the real games start but we will know early on if he is in over his head.

3. Is Sean Lee as good as advertised? He seems to have everything it takes to be a key player on the defense for the next decade. I want to see if he looks as good against NFL talent as he did in college.

4. Is Dez Bryant practicing? I am going to camp extremely early so there is a good chance that Dez won't be under contract. I hope he is because I want to get a first hand view of the amazing natural ability he possesses.

5. Is there any depth at cornerback after the top 3? There are a lot of candidates vying for the #4 slot but none of them have proven anything at the NFL level. It will be an interesting battle. Hopefully the Cowboys find a player on the roster who can get it done so they don't have to overpay for an aging free agent veteran. The one-on-one drills between the cornerbacks and wide receivers usually expose a cornerback who doesn't have the ability to play at the NFL level.

6. Is Doug Free going to be able to protect Tony Romo? The best tool that Doug Free has to develop his game is Demarcus Ware. Free gets to practice against one of the best pass rushers in the league every day. Pass blocking on game day should seem easy for him after he faces Ware for the next month and a half.

7. Can Beuhler handle the kicking job? Field goal kicking is still a major concern. Beuhler never looked to good during camp or pre-game warm-ups last season on field goals. Hopefully he will show improvement in camp but we won't know how good he is until the pressure is on in the regular season.

8. Has Martellus Bennett matured? Last year while I was at training camp I witnessed Martellus at his worst. While the rest of his teammates warmed up for practice he was dancing around a joking with the crowd. Then he didn't know where to line up on offense half the time just like the regular season. Hopefully we'll see a guy who takes his job more seriously this year.

I'm hoping to attend a few training camp practices. Let me know if there is something I can watch that you are interested in. I also plan to post some pictures from training camp.