Saints' Win Proves the Cowboys Are Close

I wasn't cheering for the Saints to win yesterday. I have never been a fan of watching the masses jump on the bandwagon and then celebrating like they've been there all along. There are people all across the country claiming they are Saints fans now and we all know that is not true for the vast majority of them. So I was disappointed by the outcome but I have to admit that their win gets me excited about next season.

The Cowboys may have lost in ugly fashion against the Vikings, but they flat out beat the Saints on their field in December this season. The win the Cowboys had against the Saints was no fluke. They dominated the game and were the better team that day. And now that the Saints are the NFL champions you can see just how close the Cowboys are.

The Cowboys can obviously play with any team in the NFL. But they still need to improve their depth because it is highly unlikely they will be so lucky on the injury front again next year. With improved depth they would be able to overcome an injury to a starter without the season falling apart. And the schedule next season is shaping up to be a tough one so the Cowboys need to field a better team next season if they want to repeat their success and take it to the next level.

I'm certainly not celebrating the Saints win at all. But I am celebrating the fact that the Cowboys are close. The big question will be whether the Cowboys can make the improvements needed to climb back to the top of the NFL. Jerry Jones doesn't have many holes to fill but he has to improve the team or we won't be seeing a championship next year. Next year is going to be Super Bowl or bust for the Cowboys. But at least we know that hoping for an NFL championship isn't a long shot dream next year.

Time for a New Fullback

Deon Anderson has likely played his last down of football as a Dallas Cowboy. After his recent incident outside an Addison restaurant he will be facing criminal charges. The offenses appear to be misdemeanors but the big problem is that there were guns involved. Deon isn't nearly good enough to justify dealing with the mess that he has created for himself and the embarrassment he has brought to the franchise.

Deon has one year left on his current four year deal with the Cowboys but the Cowboys aren't on the hook for any money if they choose to release him. And his play on the field has been less than stellar. He is a below average fullback with a chronically bad knee. There was a good chance that Deon would be cut loose prior to next season anyway based on his play. So the arrest is probably going to be the nail in the coffin for his time in Dallas.

I won't be crying any tears if the Cowboys decide to cut Deon loose. He has never been very impressive as a player and there have been whispers about his attitude for a couple of years. After the embarrassing season ending 44-6 blowout at the end of the 2008 season Flozell Adams had all he could take of Deon's attitude and took matters into his own hands. The story is that Deon was having too much fun on the flight home after the loss and Flozell took offense and a fight ensued. And one of the Cowboys in house writers, Nick Eatman, has mentioned on the Lunch Break on more than one occasion that Deon doesn't seem to care much when the Cowboys lose. Deon may be a fun-loving guy but it seems like he cares more about having fun than he cares about winning.

It boggles my mind that a player in Deon's position would risk it all over a petty argument. I'm sure the story is being blown out of proportion but the last thing he needed to do was give the Cowboys any excuse to run him out of town. Between his subpar play, his chronic injuries, and now his off the field problems it has become apparent that the Cowboys will be in the market for a new fullback this offseason. I think Deon Anderson will be easily replaced.

It Is Going to Be a Long Offseason

Isn't it amazing that just a couple of weeks ago the news out of Valley Ranch was nonstop and the anticipation for the game against the Vikings was growing every day? Now I'm sitting here waiting for the offseason action to pick up for the Cowboys. I did take advantage of the down time by taking some time off from my blogging but it wasn't like there was much to talk about anyway. It is hard to get excited for the Super Bowl when the NFC representative is a team that the Cowboys beat late in the season. It hurts to think how close the Cowboys were even if the Vikings embarrassed them to end the season.

I've been trying to look back at the season and celebrate the accomplishments that we waited for 13 years for our team to achieve. The playoff win satisfied me for a short time and I am not taking it for granted. But I think we are all ready for a Super Bowl run next year. It is going to be a long wait until training camp in July and the start of the season in September.

I don't expect this offseason to be filled with very much roster movement from the Cowboys. They have most of their key players locked up and you can be sure that Jerry Jones isn't going to let Miles Austin go anywhere. There is a search for a new kicker in progress and the offensive line needs improvement, but most of the key pieces to the puzzle are in place. My fear is that Jerry Jones believes that he can stand pat with his current roster and repeat the successes of this season. That would be a mistake.

I don't think we are going to see any major changes at the starting positions but there is a lot of room for improvement in the depth of the roster. The giant class of draft picks from last season need to bust their rear ends to get themselves ready to contribute next season. And the Cowboys have a chance to draft quality players since they'll actually be drafting in the first two rounds this season.

So are we going to see a lot of action and storylines developing this offseason? No. But there are a lot of details that need to be addressed. That is actually a nice change after the way last offseason started. The team was such a mess that Jerry and Stephen Jones had to clean house before they could start addressing the roster. This year they can focus on improving the talent on the team right away.

AFC/NFC Championship Games

Watching the championship games this past weekend was painful. Even though the Cowboys were manhandled by the Vikings it was tough to watch the Saints advance to the Super Bowl when only a month ago the Cowboys beat them on the same field. Both the AFC and NFC championships brought a lot of thoughts to my mind about the Cowboys.

1. Peyton Manning and the Colts made great in-game adjustments after having trouble early in the game. I know Peyton may be the best quarterback of all time but it was amazing to see the Colts adjust during the game and then proceed to dominate the best defense in the NFL. It really made me wonder why Jason Garrett and Tony Romo can't seem to make the same adjustments in the middle of the game.

2. Brett Favre and the Vikings paid the price for running up the score and celebrating like they won the Super Bowl against the Cowboys. I have to say I enjoyed watching Brett Favre get pummeled after what he did against the Cowboys. He may not have called the plays that resulted in touchdown passes late in the game against Dallas but he sure acted like it was the greatest moment in his career. He and Brad Childress got what they deserved. Some of the calls in overtime that went against the Vikings were highly questionable but I felt like it was payback for their bad sportsmanship against Dallas.

3. The Saints ran a lot of the plays against the Vikings that I expected Jason Garrett to run when the Vikings were generating a great pass rush. Screens and quick passes will beat a team overcommitting to rushing the passer, but Jason Garrett didn't call many of those plays when Romo was getting eaten alive by the pass rush.

4. The Vikings are a different team at home. Their pass rush was a lot less effective when they didn't have the advantage at the snap from the crowd noise. I really wonder if things would have been different if the Cowboys had been playing them at home.

5. Kickers are terrible this season. I don't know what is going on this year but the majority of the playoff teams are having trouble making field goals. I'm concerned that there will be a lot of teams in the market for a new kicker and not a lot of good kickers available. The Cowboys are aggressively pursuing kickers now and that is probably a smart move.

6. The Brett Favre interception at the end of the Vikings game scared me. He and Romo play a similar game and when the moment got big Favre reverted to his instincts. I hope were aren't watching a similar play from Romo in a big game in the future. Romo can play smarter football throughout the regular season but I hope he forms a habit that will continue when the moment gets big and he has to be smart.

Who Was the MVP this Season?

Looking back on the season I am trying to focus on the positives to get the bad taste of the season ending loss to the Vikings out of my system. One of the things I want to do is look at the individual and the team successes for the season. I'm also going to address what I see as the major concerns heading into the offseason as well but I'll save the negatives for future posts. Today I want to focus on the team MVP.

At first glance it would be easy to name Tony Romo as the MVP but there are some other viable candidates I want to celebrate as well. I've identified three players I believe could be considered the MVP.

Tony Romo: This was easily Tony Romo's best season. He threw for 4483 yards and had 26 touchdown passes with only 9 interceptions. And with just 4 lost fumbles this season you could obviously see that Tony made a real commitment to protecting the ball this season. Watching the Cowboys lose to the Vikings only reminded me what a difference #9 makes for the offense. With the line blocking like bullfighters I think most quarterbacks would have be sacked 10-15 times against the constant pressure that Tony faced. He did what he could be he managed to make a few plays even without any protection. It scares me to think where this team would be without a mobile playmaker at quarterback like Tony Romo. We saw what the offense looks like last season when Tony is out...it is not a pretty sight.

Demarcus Ware: He is clearly the defensive MVP and you can make a strong case that he is also the team MVP. He forces the defense to account for him with 2 to 3 blockers on the majority of plays which frees up other defenders to make plays. And the performance he had against the Saints just 6 days after being carted off the field will be talked about forever. His performance in that game may have saved the season and definitely sparked the strong finish for the Cowboys. Without Demarcus Ware I don't think the Cowboys could have beaten the Saints, won the NFC East or won their first playoff game in 13 years. While the stats say that Demarcus had a down year with 11 sacks it was easy to see his impact even in the games where he didn't record a sack.

Miles Austin: The Cowboys were struggling early in the season as they kept alternating wins and losses. An injury to Roy Williams opened up a starting spot for Miles Austin. He broke out against the Chiefs with 10 catches for 250 yards and the game winning touchdown in overtime. From that point forward he was the unquestioned #1 receiver that had been missing from the offense early in the year. His emergence as a top receiver changed the offense from a struggling unit to a dynamic, big play offense. You have to wonder how the season would have gone without the play of Miles Austin. He ended the season with 81 catches for 1320 yards and 11 touchdowns. Imagine the numbers he might have put up had he started the first four games of the season.

I think you can easily make a case for any of these three players as the team MVP. But, for me, I can't look past the difference that Tony Romo makes. Romo's ability to escape trouble and elude the rush to make big plays makes him a unique talent in the NFL. Take him out of the lineup and the Cowboys would immediately become a below average team. You might be able to cover up the loss of Miles Austin or Demarcus Ware with the right scheme, but if you lose Romo then you have to redesign the entire offense. I would have a hard time arguing against Romo, Ware or Austin as the team MVP, but I can't get past his ability to make the pass blocking of the offensive line look better than it really is.

Tony Romo is my team MVP. Feel free to leave your comments with your MVP. Make sure to tell us why you think that player is the most valuable player on the team.

Where Was the Pass Blocking?

Heading into the game I believed the Cowboys held the advantage in most of the key matchups. One that I took for granted was the ability of the offensive line to protect Tony Romo. I guess I overestimated the quality of the offensive line. On nearly every play Tony Romo was under duress.

Some people who either didn't watch the same game I watched or don't understand football want to put the blame on Romo. It was pretty obvious that the passing game had no chance against the Vikings. Receivers were able to get open but Tony Romo was constantly ducking and dodging pass rushers. He was sacked a career high six times and probably avoided 10 more with Houdini-like escapes. The one interception that Romo did throw was horrible but that was the one bad play I thought was on him (and Columbo completely whiffed on his man on that play too).

The biggest culprit was Marc Columbo. And, unfortunately, just when I was thinking they might want to put Doug Free in for Columbo, Flozell Adams went down with a calf injury. The line play was a disaster nearly all game long. The Cowboys were able to move the ball when they ran it and when Romo managed to get a few passes off but then the problem at kicker reared its ugly head.

Dallas had a chance at an early lead. Then they had another chance to pull closer in the second half but Sean Suisham missed two nearly identical kicks. If those two kicks had been made it would have been a very different game. Kicker is going to be a major need this offseason.

I know a lot of people are excusing the Vikings and Brett Favre for the late touchdown pass but I believe it was extremely poor sportsmanship. I don't know if Brad Childress made the call or if Favre changed the play but it was unneccessary and classless. I'm glad Keith Brooking said something because I know I was feeling just like he was.

I said before the game and I still believe now that the Cowboys had a good season. They exceeded the expectations of nearly every preseason prediction from the so-called experts. And they won their first playoff game in 13 years. There was progress made and there is hope for the future. Now the Cowboys will have to set their sights higher next season because the Super Bowl talk will start cranking up this summer.

No matter how bad you feel right now, and trust me I feel it too, try to remember to appreciate the progress the team made this season. The loss leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it is going to take some time to get over. But I also appreciate that I can expect the Cowboys to be just as good if not better next season. I'm really not looking forward to waiting 8 months for the next game. One of these days the Cowboys are going to win the Super Bowl again and make us all happy. I guess I have to resign myself to another offseason of frustration. This offseason will be a little less painful knowing that there is real hope for next season.

How to Beat the Vikings

The Cowboys and Vikings appear to be two evenly matched teams on paper heading into the game on Sunday. With that said, you would think that the game will be a tough battle that will be won in the fourth quarter. I'm not so sure that is how things are going to play out. Let me explain why. A closer look at the matchups appears to give the Cowboys advantages in most areas.

The Vikings have a tough run defense primarily because they have massive defensive linemen in the middle of the line. But the Cowboys have Felix Jones to counter that strength. He can run effectively in the middle of the field but his real strength is his speed. He can run outside as well as any back in the league. When he is on the field the Vikings will be forced to respect the outside run which will help open up the inside of the field as well. I don't think the Cowboys will have a consistent running attack but they will be able to break off a big play here and there against the Viking defense.

The pass defense for the Vikings is completely reliant on Jared Allen applying pressure to the quarterback. With the fans going crazy it is going to force the Cowboys into a silent snap count. That works to Allen's advantage because he will get a step on Flozell Adams at the snap. The Cowboys may have to give Flozell some help to keep Allen from having a big day. The good news for Dallas is that the secondary is below average. If the Cowboys can protect Tony Romo then he will have time to find open receivers. The Vikings run a cover 2 scheme which usually results in high catch games for Jason Witten. After a five or six throws underneath to Witten the safeties may get tempted to cheat up and that is when the big plays will come.

The strength of the Dallas defense matches up with the biggest weakness for the Vikings. The offensive tackles for the Vikings have trouble pass blocking so the Vikings will need to run to keep Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer honest. If the Cowboys can get a big lead to eliminate the running game of the Vikings then I believe the Cowboys will hit Favre repeatedly and possibly even knock him out of the game.

The Cowboys run defense has been one of the best in the league this year. But they haven't faced a running back as dynamic as Adrian Peterson. He can take any play the distance so the Cowboys will need to wrap up and gang tackle. But they can't over-commit to the run or Favre is going to kill them with play action passing. I believe the running of Adrian Peterson is the only chance the Vikings have to control the game and win. Limiting the carries Peterson gets is going to be vital to the success of the Dallas defense.

Another strength for the Vikings is the return game of Percy Harvin. Well, the Cowboys have the antidote for that too. David Beuhler has been forcing touchbacks all year long. And kicking in the climate controlled dome should work to his advantage. Harvin may get a returnable kick or two so the coverage teams will have to be on their toes, but Harvin's chances will be limited by deep kickoffs.

One advantage I can see for the Vikings is the playmaking ability of Brett Favre. If he gets hot he can be unstoppable. He has the ability to turn a broken play into a big gain. He gets rid of the ball just when you think he is going to be sacked. And he has some big targets to make plays when he throws up a jump ball. But sometimes he makes silly mistakes under pressure. The more times the Cowboys force him into his freelance mode the higher the probability that he will turn the ball over. The pass rush has to force Favre into mistakes.

Obviously Tony Romo will need to protect the ball. He has the same tendencies as Favre so the offensive line will need to give him time. The Cowboys need to control the clock with long drives. A fast start by the offense will force the Vikings into a pass mode and that will play into the strengths of the Dallas defense while also limiting the impact of Adrian Peterson.

I believe the Cowboys will get off to a fast start. A fast start will quiet the crowd, limit Adrian Peterson's touches, and allow the Dallas pass rushers to attack Favre. I keep envisioning the game ending in a big Dallas win with an injury to Favre ending his season. Maybe I've been "drinking the kool-aid" too much this week but I see the Cowboys winning big. It just seems like the Cowboys match up well with the Vikings. I predict a 33-17 win for Dallas.