Thoughts on the Redskins Debacle

My reaction to last night's game is probably coming a little late. But I don't like to post my comments on my blog when my blood is boiling like it was last night. I don't want to come off as someone who turns on his team at this first sign of trouble. So I've waited for about 24 hours to allow myself to gain a little perspective.

Don't mistake what I am saying. I am furious over the way the game went last night. It was embarrassing as a die hard fan to have to face the mockery today from the seemingly endless Cowboy haters. And there was no defending what happened last night. There were two plays in that game that were so ridiculous I wouldn't believe they happened if I didn't see them myself. The last play in each half basically determined the outcome of the game. And Alex Barron had a hand in both of them.

I'll start with the last play of the first half. I was shocked the Cowboys decided to run a play to finish out the half once they were moved back by a penalty. But I figured that they would just let Romo throw the ball as far as he could and hope for a pass interference call or a miracle catch for a score to end the half. The play was such a mess it was hard to determine if it was supposed to be a screen pass to Choice or a Hail Mary play that was defended by quick pressure on Romo. Either way I don't fault Romo for the dump off to Choice. Sure, it would have been nice if he had just slid down for a sack or just run for a short gain. But the dump off seemed safe until Tashard decided he would fight against three defenders for a meaningless extra half yard on the play. It was a horrible call by Jason Garrett/Wade Phillips and an even worse play by Choice. And the missed block by Barron caused the rushed throw from Romo that started the disaster.

The last play of the game was just ridiculous. I can't remember a game where I actually celebrated an apparent victory for a few seconds only to have the moment snatched away by a penalty flag. Alex Barron flat out stinks. And the holding penalty he committed was ridiculous. I can understand trying to slow the guy up when you are beaten, but wrapping him up with both arms and begging for a holding call was too much. The officials probably would have let a little bit go on the play and Romo probably still would have escaped the pressure to make the winning play. But Barron made the penalty so obvious that the officials had no choice but to throw a flag.

And what was worse about Barron was his post game reaction. He was shown on the field just a few seconds after single-handedly costing the Cowboys a win smiling and fist bumping friends from the Redskins. He clearly didn't care one bit that he was the goat. He has a big salary for this season and that appears to be enough for him. I wish the Cowboys would just cut him loose but they will probably at least have to wait until they know Colombo is ready to go and Sam Young is healthy as well. Even without Colombo next week I don't see how Brewster doesn't get the start. Barron is a complete joke as an NFL player.

But, on the positive side, the last time the Cowboys played a disaster of a game like this one the outcome was far worse than a loss. I'm referring to the Arizona Cardinals game that ended with a blocked punt for a score in overtime in the 2008 season. Not only did the Cowboys lose the game due to horrible play on the offensive line and countless mental errors, but they also suffered multiple injuries that ended up ruining the season. As bad as the loss Sunday night was, the Cowboys did escape without any major injuries. There was a big scare when Demarcus Ware went down late in the game but he appears to be good to go for next week.

So the end result is this. It was an embarrassing and potentially costly loss down the road in the playoff picture. But it isn't a season ender. The Cowboys will be much better next week with the starting offensive line back together. And I think the last of the preseason kinks were worked out during the Redskins game. It is very early in the season and I'd much rather see the Cowboys take a loss now than late in the season when it is too late to make up for it. I still believe this is a team that can go deep into the postseason but they need to get it going now.

The sky is not falling. The season is a lost cause. But things need to get better right now. The real Dallas Cowboys better show up against the Bears next week or there will be major cause for concern. The team should be ashamed of their performance and that should provide motivation for next week.

Week 1 Preview - Cowboys @ Redskins

It has finally arrived. The start of the regular season is actually here after months upon months of waiting. We can finally end all of the over analyzing and conjecture. Sunday will reveal what the 2010 Dallas Cowboys are really all about. Here is a list of a few things I expect to see during the game.

1. The Cowboys playing conservatively on offense. While we would all love to see the Cowboys light up the scoreboard on Sunday I don't think this is the week for that to happen. The Cowboys are down two starters on the offensive line so they will have to scale back the game plan to insure that Tony Romo is protected. Expect to see a lot of max protection blocking schemes which means a scaled back passing attack. The success of the running game is vitally important to the offense this week.

2. Dez Bryant to make an impact. I don't think Dez is going to get many touches offensively due to the offensive line issues. But I still expect him to make a couple of big plays during the game. I'm expecting to see a dynamic return or two by Dez and maybe a circus catch to wow the viewers. While his touches will be limited I think the plays that Dez make are going to be momentum changers.

3. The defense to dominate. We've heard endless talk about the impact that Mike Shanahan is going to have on the Redskins offense. While that might be true it really appears that the offense lacks the talent to dominate a good defense. Donovan McNabb was able to make plays with his legs earlier in his career but now he has slowed down a little. That means his passing accuracy becomes a bigger factor. McNabb is almost guaranteed to give the defense 3 or 4 opportunities at turnovers during the game. The key will be whether the defense can take advantage of those chances.

4. David Buehler is going to be an important factor in the game. How many times last season did the Cowboys move the ball down the field early in the game only to have Nick Folk miss a field goal and totally deflate the offense? Buehler needs to become automatic from inside 40 yards and this game would be a good place to start. The Cowboys are shorthanded on the offensive line and the Redskins have a good defense so I expect Buehler to have several field goal attempts in the game.

5. Felix Jones breaking off a long touchdown run. I think the Cowboys are going to struggle to move the ball consistently, but Felix Jones only needs a small crease to break off a big run. I think he'll be bottled up most of the day but I expect at least one big run from him due to his gamebreaking speed.

It is hard to know exactly what to expect from the Cowboys this season. Especially since they haven't shown anything offensively in the preseason. But I just don't see the Cowboys losing this game even with the problems on the offensive line. The Cowboys are simply a better team across the board than the Redskins. I predict a 19-10 victory for the Cowboys.

Predictions for the 2010 Cowboys

I've waited as long as possible to make my picks for this season. It helps to know the final makeup of the team heading into the regular season when deciding how the season might go down. I'm going to go through the schedule game by game and then make my overall prediction.

Week 1: Cowboys @ Redskins - I expect the Cowboys to come out slowly as they still need to find their rhythm offensively. But, in the end, I believe the Cowboys win this game. Prediction: Win. Record: 1-0.

Week 2: Cowboys vs. Bears - The Bears are an unknown at this point. But they have major problems along the offensive line and that spells doom against Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. Prediction: Win. Record: 2-0.

Week 3: Cowboys @ Texans. I can't wait for this game. The Houston fans thought the Super Bowl took place during the preseason this year. It will be a tough game and probably a shootout, but I expect the Cowboys to get their revenge. Prediction: Win. Record: 3-0.

Week 4: Bye.

Week 5: Cowboys vs. Titans. The running game of the Titans will pose a challenge for the defense. But the Cowboys will score plenty of points to pull out the victory. Prediction: Win. Record: 4-0.

Week 6: Cowboys @ Vikings. I don't like the thought of a return visit to Minnesota. I think the game will be closer than the playoff game last year but I think the crowd still makes the difference. Prediction: Loss. Record: 4-1.

Week 7: Cowboys vs. Giants. The Giants are going to be a better team than most people realize. I'm giving the Cowboys the edge in a close game based on home field advantage. Prediction: Win. Record: 5-1.

Week 8: Cowboys vs. Jaguars. The Jaguars simply do not have enough talent to hang with the Cowboys. Prediction: Win. Record: 6-1.

Week 9: Cowboys @ Packers. The Cowboys will be rolling at this point but a visit to Green Bay is a tall order. I don't think the Cowboys will be able to overcome the Packers and their crowd in this one. Prediction: Loss. Record: 6-2.

Week 10: Cowboys @ Giants. The loss to Green Bay isn't a shocker but the media will start writing the obituary for the 2010 Cowboys after they lose a hard fought game against the Giants. Prediction: Loss. Record: 6-3.

Week 11: Cowboys vs. Lions. This game comes at the perfect time on the schedule for the Cowboys. Although the Lions will be dramatically improved compared to recent years I still think the Cowboys will win easily. Prediction: Win. Record: 7-3.

Week 12: Cowboys vs. Saints. This will be a colossal matchup. The Saints will surely be one of the NFC's best but the Cowboys match up extremely well with the Saints high powered attack. Prediction: Win. Record: 8-3.
Week 13: Cowboys @ Colts. The schedule does the Cowboys no favors here. The Colts aren't unbeatable but winning against the Saints and Colts in back to back weeks is too much to ask. Prediction: Loss. Record: 8-4.

Week 14: Cowboys vs. Eagles. The Cowboys proved last season that they have the perfect defense to stop the potent Eagle offense. Kevin Kolb doesn't change that fact. Prediction: Win. Record: 9-4.

Week 15: Cowboys vs. Redskins. The rivalry between these two teams makes a sweep hard to predict, but I don't think the Redskins have the offense to hang with the Cowboys. Prediction: Win. Record: 10-4.

Week 16: Cowboys @ Cardinals. The Cardinals are not the team they have been over the last few years. Despite the distractions of playing on Christmas I believe the advantage goes to the road team because they can easily block out the holiday distractions staying in a hotel. Prediction: Win. Record: 11-4.

Week 17: Cowboys @ Eagles. The schedule makers tried to recreate the drama of last season. But the Cowboys will already have the NFC East and the #2 seed in the playoffs wrapped up at this point. With the starters resting the Cowboys lose. Prediction: Loss. Record: 11-5.

Divisional Playoffs: The Cowboys will be playing this game at home by virtue of the #2 seed. That makes the difference this season as the Cowboys advance. Prediction: Cowboys advance to the NFC Championship. And there will be no repeat of the 2007 bye week Cabo trip. You can be sure of that.

NFC Championship: This is where things get difficult. With the tough regular season schedule the Cowboys face I believe they won't be able to lock up the #1 seed in the NFC. If they end up playing at home for the NFC championship game I think they can win. But I believe they will end up on the road in New Orleans or Minnesota. With that said, I think this is where the season ends for the Cowboys. Prediction: Loss.

I made these picks with my mind and not my heart. In my heart I know the Cowboys can win it all this season. And I know in my mind that they can do it too. But the uncertainty along the offensive line prevents me from making a Super Bowl prediction with any conviction. I have no doubt that the Cowboys can and will advance to the NFC championship this season provided there are no injuries to any key players.

So there you have it. 11-5 and a trip to the NFC championship game. I'm hoping for more, but I'll be disappointed if the Cowboys don't at least advance to the NFC championship game. I really hope I'm wrong and the Cowboys surprise me by winning it all this season.

Thoughts on the Final Roster

The Cowboys only kept three full time cornerbacks on the final roster. Wow! That seems like a dangerous move when you consider what would happen with just one minor injury to Terence Newman, Orlando Scandrick or Mike Jenkins. I know Alan Ball, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Danny McCray can all fill in at cornerback but it seems like a dangerous move to count on those guys if a long term injury happens to any of the top three cornerbacks. I have a feeling the Cowboys might be scouring the roster cuts around the league for a better 4th cornerback option.

Junior Siavii didn't make the final roster either. This move isn't shocking but I didn't think the coaches had seen enough from Josh Brent or Sean Lissemore to justify cutting Siavii. I like the fact that the coaches are going younger where they can on the roster but, just like with the cornerback situation, it makes me a little nervous to think where the team will be if Ratliff goes down with a long term injury.

Sam Hurd made it through the cuts. I like the fact that the team kept him around. His play on special teams is obviously why he stayed over Patrick Crayton. I don't think Hurd is the same player at receiver that Crayton was but I do think Hurd brings a lot more to the table on special teams.

Kevin Ogletree managed to stick on the final roster as well. I was not impressed with him at all early in the preseason but the last two games probably saved him. He started playing more like the guy who made several big plays late in the season last year as the preseason drew to a close. I think the potential of Ogletree at receiver played a big part in Patrick Crayton being traded to San Diego.

The Patrick Crayton trade was a little surprising but certainly not shocking. With Crayton set to be stuck on the bench on offense and probably even losing his punt return role it didn't make a lot of sense to keep him around. Although some of Crayton's complaints were legitimate, the Cowboys didn't need a guy around who wasn't happy to be there and was vocal about it.

Seeing that Bobby Carpenter was cut by the Rams made me sad and happy at the same time. It is sad because he always seemed like a good guy who worked hard and really wanted to get better. But, at the same time, it really justified the move the Cowboys made to trade him. The Cowboys are often criticized for the trades they make but I think Jerry Jones and the rest of the front office deserve a big pat on the back for essentially stealing a valuable backup swing tackle from the Rams. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Carpenter ends up with the Dolphins to be reunited with Bill Parcells.

The Cowboys Have Found Their Kicker!

It was only a preseason game. I understand that. But when David Buehler stepped up and calmly kicked the game winning 31 yard field goal right down the middle as time expired I let out a huge sigh of relief. It was a big moment for Buehler. If he makes it you know his confidence will soar. If he misses you have to wonder if the Cowboys need to go find a new kicker. Buehler hit two big pressure kicks during the game and I think those kicks will give him the confidence to be successful in the regular season.

Buehler showed that he has improved a great deal since the first preseason game. His first field goal came at the end of the first half. It was a 51 yarder as time expired and he nailed it with 10-15 yards of distance to spare and nearly right down the middle. Buehler also hit from 45 and 40 yards. One kick barely squeaked through but he was 4 for 4 overall.

Stephen McGee looks like he has a future with the team. I'm certainly not predicting greatness for McGee but he at least finally made some throws that would make you believe he could develop into a solid backup quarterback in another year or two. He threw for 304 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The 46 yard touchdown pass was a beautiful deep ball to Sam Hurd. And another pass that caught my eye was a 12 yard out pass that McGee fired between two defenders to Kevin Ogletree. There were also some ugly plays for McGee but I think he did enough to prove he should stick around this season.

Sean Lee looked a lot better this week. He still looks a little unsure of himself at times. But when he knows what to do he gets to the ball quickly and he makes the tackle. As soon as he gets more comfortable with the scheme he is going to be a very good player. I expect Lee to get more and more playing time as the season goes on.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah is obviously a natural returner. You can see watching him that he has the vision to find the seams in the punt and kick coverage and he has the burst to hit the hole when he finds it. He had some trouble with his footing but that was an equipment issue that is easily corrected.

Victor Butler looked like he was a starter. The Dolphins had their starting offense on the field for a large portion of the first half and Butler did a great job pressuring the quarterback.

The defense overall looked pretty good against the Dolphins' starting offense. Considering the Cowboys had second a third team defensive players matching up against the Miami starters I was very impressed by their performance. Some of the defenders later in the game were not good at all, but the primary backups looked good.

Sam Hurd certainly made a case for himself. A lot of roster predictions have left Hurd off the final 53 man roster. But Hurd showed, like he usually does in preseason, that he is a very capable receiver when given opportunities.

Kevin Ogletree appears to have made a complete 180 from his early training camp and preseason struggles. He looked quick and confident throughout the game. I realize he was matched up for much of the game against Miami backups, but he is starting to resemble the guy that showed so much promise last season. The offense may need him at some point so I'm glad he is back.

Robert Brewster still needs more time to develop before he can be counted on. His play in the San Diego game a few weeks ago was pretty good but he has been very inconsistent in the last two games.

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.