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.

5 Reasons the Cowboys Can Win It All

With training camp getting ready to start in just over a week I find myself filled with optomism for the upcoming season. Now admittedly, I usually find a silver lining in just about anything I can related to the Cowboys. But this year I'm not forced to come up with forced justification and statements that start with "if" too many times to convince myself that the Cowboys could win the Super Bowl this year.

Here are the top five reasons I believe the Cowboys are poised for a Super Bowl run this season.

1. The core of the team has reached its prime. This will be season #6 for Demarcus Ware. This will be Tony Romo's 4th season as the full time starter and you could count 2006 if you want and say this will be his 5th season as the starter. Jay Ratliff is entering season #6. Miles Austin is playing season #5 even if this will only be his 2nd as a starter. The offensive line is experienced across the board even if you count Doug Free since he got on the field so much last year. And Doug Free is playing his 4th season this year so it isn't like he is a wide-eyed rookie manning the left tackle spot. All of the running backs are at least in their 3rd season. Ditto for the top 3 cornerbacks and both safeties. So we aren't talking about a team who will be in over its head like it was in 2008. There is experience across the board on the roster.

2. Tony Romo has figured out how to make big plays while limiting turnovers. Last season was a huge step forward for Tony. He entered the season with a lot of question marks about whether he could ever learn to control his bad impulsive plays. Just 13 turnovers in 16 games showed he has become much better at protecting the ball. At age 30 he is in the middle of what are considered the prime years for a quarterback.

3. Wide receiver depth is no longer a question mark. In fact, the Cowboys seem to be loaded at wide receiver. How can the defense double Jason Witten and Miles Austin every play if Dez Bryant and Roy Williams are there to make them pay? Even if you don't believe in Roy Williams like I do, what about Patrick Crayton and Kevin Ogletree? The Cowboys could sustain an injury or two at wideout and still have a very potent passing game.

4. There is depth on the defense this season. Last year the Cowboys were extremely thin at outside and inside linebacker as well as defensive tackle. That should be different this season barring any major training camp injuries. The #4 cornerback position is a big question mark but the Cowboys have three starting caliber corners manning the top 3 positions on the depth chart. With Mike Hamlin, Gerald Sensabaugh, Alan Ball, and Patrick Watkins the Cowboys have a lot of depth at safety. And I didn't even throw in Akwasi Owusu-Ansah or Jamar Wall into the mix at safety yet because they have to show something at training camp first. Both of those rookies look to be following in Alan Ball's footsteps by providing depth at safety and cornerback.

5. The players finally learned how to win big games at the end of the season. Sure, some will point to the Minnesota playoff game and say I'm crazy. But I remember a team on the brink that won 4 big games in a row in December and January against the Saints, Redskins, Eagles, and then the Eagles again last season. The Cowboys may have been destroyed in Minnesota but it was a valuable learning experience. One of the lessons learned involves the importance of home field advantage in the playoffs. The offensive line was horrible against the Vikings primarily due to the fact that the defensive line was off the ball faster than the offensive linemen due to the crowd noise.

The bottom line is that the Cowboys have reached the prime years for the roster as it is currently constructed. The players have battled through adversity and learned how hard it is to win big games. They've finally taken the step of winning a playoff game and now it is time for the team to set its sights on the ultimate prize. Do I think the Cowboys are a shoe-in for the Super Bowl? No, but I believe they have as good a shot as anyone else in the NFC.

The Quietest Offseason in a Long Time

There hasn't been a lot to talk about lately. I can't remember the last time I was honestly at a loss for topics to discuss about the Dallas Cowboys. Recent offseasons have been filled with endless drama. Whether it was T.O. coming or going, Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, Greg Ellis whining or any other big story it seemed like the stream of news from Valley Ranch was endless. Until this year.

Sure, there has been a little controversy this offseason. Flozell Adams was cut by the Cowboys and the move has been endlessly debated by fans and the Dallas media for months now. And Ken Hamlin was also cut but I don't think that caused much concern for most people. Alan Ball and David Beuhler have been discussed and debated to the point of boredom.

Marty B. tried to spice things up over the holiday weekend. He concocted and filmed another video that I'm sure he thought was hilarious and entertaining. This time he dressed up as Osama bin Laden and performed a horrible rap. You would think that would be big news but I think everyone is numb to his childish antics at this point. His video only lasted a few hours on the internet before it was mysteriously removed. Something tells me he will be paying another fine to the team for his ignorance and immaturity.

Miles Austin is making some waves with his dating life, but does that really mean anything to me? Probably not. As long as he isn't going Hollywood or getting the idea that he is bigger than the team then I really couldn't care less who he is dating. Same goes for Tony Romo or any other player on the roster.

So what do we do to fill the time before training camp? I have found myself taking a break from the team for a few weeks for the first time in years. I didn't check the news for a few days and when I finally did I realized that absolutely nothing had transpired. What a concept. A real offseason from the Dallas Cowboys. It was nice for a few weeks but now I am getting antsy for training camp to start. A break is nice but I'm excited for the season to officially start with training camp in a few weeks.

Players in Limbo

The uncapped year in the NFL has put a few players in unique situations as we head towards training camp. Patrick Crayton, Marcus Spears, and Sam Hurd are still unsure of their futures. The extension on the years of service required to earn free agency has allowed to Cowboys to essentially low ball Marcus Spears. Patrick Crayton is feeling the effects because the Cowboys can afford to keep him as an insurance policy even with his $2 million base salary and Dez Bryant now ahead of him on the depth chart. Sam Hurd is in a similar situation to Crayton with Dez on the roster and also had no way out of Dallas since he was limited by his restricted free agency status.

Marcus Spears probably was insulted early on when the Cowboys tendered him at a lower salary than both of his back ups at defensive end. You can't blame the guy for being a little irritated by the way things played out. But he has had a great attitude about the situation. The NFL is a business after all and you can't blame the Cowboys for taking the frugal approach when the rules allow for it. I respect Marcus Spears for going about his business like a true professional even while the money on the table is somewhat insulting. But he understood what a lot of us regular Joes understand...$1.226 million dollars for playing football is nothing to complain about. Not many people are going to join in if you throw a pity party for yourself with money like that coming to you.

The bottom line for Marcus Spears is that he is a victim of the unsettled situation between the players and owners. He is a starting quality player but he isn't so good that the Cowboys feel like they can't win without him. The result is a low salary, one year offer. Spears is a very good run defender. Pass rush from DE's in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme is hard to judge. No DE in the Cowboys defense will put up big sack numbers as long as they stick with the current defense.

So Spears will probably end up starting if he can fend off Bowen and Hatcher in training camp. He'll be the starter and be paid less than his backups. It is obviously an unfair situation but if he plays another year at a high level he might get more money somewhere else next year. Fortunately for all of the fans of the Cowboys it looks like Spears is more concerned with winning than he is with money.

Patrick Crayton's situation is different. He entered the offseason as the #3 receiver even though he was more productive with fewer opportunities than last years #2 receiver, Roy Williams. Crayton is a solid pro. He runs excellent routes, has great chemistry with Tony Romo, and he does a good job fielding punts. He lacks the explosiveness of a top tier receiver or returner but he plays above his natural ability with good fundamentals.

Crayton finally showed up to work with the team last week and seems to have finally accepted the reality of his situation. While he has made public comments that implied he wanted out of Dallas he didn't really have any leverage to work with. The Cowboys want Crayton on the team to provide depth and experience and there is very little trade value for a 31-year-old, average at best receiver. So Crayton also appears stuck in Dallas at least until the Cowboys decide whether they want to keep him for another season. I do understand Crayton's complaints about getting his family settled if he on his way. But the millions of dollars he has made more than make up for the inconvenience of dealing with any uncertainty he might face if released.

Sam Hurd is hanging on by a thin thread. If Crayton stays that puts the number of quality receivers ahead of Hurd at 5 if you put Kevin Ogletree in that mix. But Hurd is taking the professional approach that Spears is taking. Hurd is going to work hard and try to win is roster spot. The odds are stacked against him but he is a lot younger than Crayton so he might be able to stay if he can stay healthy. Hurd is 5 years younger than Crayton and he has kept his mouth shut about his situation. Jerry Jones has shown over the last few years that he isn't going to let malcontents hang around to poison his locker room.

You have to feel a little sympathy for all three of these guys. They have all worked hard and contributed to the success of the team over the last few years. And none of them are at the point in their careers where their skills are eroding. But the NFL is a business and it is a young man's game. The labor dispute and the young talent on the roster are going to keep Spears, Crayton, and Hurd in limbo until the end of training camp.

Cowboys Have Good Super Bowl Odds

It is certainly extremely early in the process but it is interesting to take a look at what the oddsmakers think of the Dallas Cowboys chances to regain Super Bowl glory. The Cowboys are currently ranked as anywhere from the 3rd to the 6th most likely team to win it all in the Super Bowl XLV depending on which betting line you consult. They are almost unanimously picked as the 2nd best NFC team behind the Saints. Yahoo! Sports has a list of the odds to win the Super Bowl for every NFL team.

Do these betting odds really mean anything? Not really. But they do offer a chance to cash in on the performance of the team if you are so inclined to spend your money in that way. I like to look at the NFL Odds as a reference point for setting realistic expectations for next season.

The flaws in the Cowboys roster have been discussed and analyzed in so much detail at this point that it almost feels like the Cowboys are hurting from a talent standpoint. But in reality, the Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters across the board in the entire NFL. Left tackle is still an unknown (but I like the multiple options on the roster) and safety falls in the same category. Kicker may or may not be an issue depending on the development of David Beuhler.

After that what can you complain about? The 4th cornerback on the roster? I'm not saying that the 4th cornerback isn't important but most teams have a lot more issues than Dallas. Even the mighty Saints have some serious holes to fill after the departures from their defense and the unknown health of Darren Sharper's knee.

As usual with the upcoming season the biggest factor in Cowboys chances will be on the injury front. Tony Romo and Demarcus Ware are irreplaceable. If either of those guys go down to injury you can probably cancel your Super Bowl plans. But I like the depth everywhere on the roster heading into the season. There are multiple options for depth at nearly every position. Of course if the injury bug of 2008 returns then it really doesn't matter how much depth is on the roster. You can have a few backups fill in but any team no matter how talented has to be a little bit lucky on the injury front to win the Super Bowl.

I like the makeup of the roster more than I did entering the 2007 season. And that year I decided to spend my $20 in gambling money on my trip to the casino on a bet for the Cowboys to win the Super Bowl. Obviously I'm not a big gambler with a $20 limit but if I am going to bet it is going to be on my faith in my team. I like the Cowboys chances at this point. It is still early and a lot can change between now and September. But things are looking promising. Maybe I'll put my money where my mouth is and put another $20 on my team.

Sometimes Injuries Can Be A Good Thing

It is never good to hear that players are going to be missing offseason workouts. It means that there is less time for the offense or defense to mesh as a unit. That would be a problem in most cases, but I think the relatively minor injuries the Cowboys are dealing with are actually going to help them in the long run.

Let's start with Orlando Scandrick. Scandrick broke the left index finger on his left hand last week and required surgery to insert a pin to help the finger heal. That means he can't get out there and practice with the defense until the start of training camp. But the Cowboys have a giant hole in the depth chart behind Scandrick. Now there will be a legitimite battle for the #4 cornerback spot because Scandrick's replacements will get plenty of first team reps. Most of the time the younger guys don't get to work with the starters. The coaches now get a real chance to evaluate the younger cornerbacks on the roster. Maybe they will find someone who can fill the role or maybe they will realize they need to go out and sign a free agent. The injury forces them to take a long, hard look at the #4 cornerback now instead of during training camp.

Keith Brooking had a minor clean out surgery on his knee and will miss a few weeks of OTA's while he recovers. Brooking is a veteran and probably could play the position with his eyes closed at this point in his career. So now Jason Williams and Sean Lee can get on the field with the first teamers to get some quality reps. Both guys get a chance to really learn the defense and start the battle that will probably be resolved in training camp.

Now obviously I don't want to continue to see guys getting hurt. But I don't think it hurts when a veteran guy like Bradie James misses a couple of days because it gives the younger guys more reps. As good as the Cowboys were last season they lacked depth at several positions. They got lucky with injuries but they can't count on that again this year. The younger guys need to be ready to step up when their number is called.