Some Offseason Thoughts

It is sounding more and more like the Cowboys are going to put the franchise tag on Anthony Spencer. I'm not thrilled by the idea of paying Spencer $8.8 million for a season but I do support the move if it means the Cowboys are planning to work out a longer deal for a much lower cap hit. Like I've said before, I think Spencer is a solid player, but I don't think he is worth $8.8 million for a season.

There are a lot of rumors flying that the Cowboys will be going after Brandon Carr when free agency opens up. Carr looks like a good player who could step in for Newman at cornerback and allow Orlando Scandrick to remain playing his slot role where he has been over the last few years. I like the idea as long as the Cowboys don't overpay for Carr. He is only 25 and the Cowboys might be able to lock him up for several years at a reasonable price. If the asking price is too high then the Cowboys would be better off going after one of the big name free agents.

It is sounding more and more like this will be a defense focused draft for the Cowboys. Stephen Jones basically said what many people have come to realize. The Cowboys just don't have enough talent on defense. And there are just too many holes on the defensive side of the ball to think that all of the problems can be fixed in free agency. Signing a bunch of high price free agents usually doesn't work out in the long run anyway. Hopefully the Cowboys can hit on two or three guys in the draft that can make an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball this season.

The Cowboys are in the market for a veteran free agent quarterback. That is pretty obvious with only Stephen McGee on the roster as a viable backup to Tony Romo. Just like a lot of positions there are a lot of players the Cowboys would be interested in but the price has to be right. I'd like to see the Cowboys bring in solid veteran with starting experience like Kyle Orton or Jason Campbell. The Cowboys were interested in Orton last season so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him end up on the team next season.

I'm torn on the decision that needs to be made with Bradie James. On one hand, the Cowboys need to move on and allow Sean Lee to step into a leadership role on the defense. Brooking should be gone without a doubt, but cutting James would leave the Cowboys with Sean Lee and Bruce Carter who would enter next season as a starter with exactly zero career starts and very little meaningful playing time at the NFL level. I'd like to see a veteran backup behind those two. And if Bradie James is willing to let Lee take over the defense and be a spot player I wouldn't mind seeing him back on the team next season if he'll rework his contract.

I'm ready to move on from Abe Elam. He proved last season that he isn't an impact player. I'd rather see Barry Church get a shot or even find a mid-round draft pick at safety with starting potential. The Cowboys need someone who will be around the ball and Elam proved he just isn't that type of player.

Doug Free and Tyron Smith will switch sides next season on the offensive line. It was pretty easy to see this move coming and it definitely appears that Free is better as a right tackle. Now the Cowboys need to fix the middle of the line.

Free agency will be kicking off soon and I can't wait. The Cowboys have a lot of work to do and I'm excited to see how the team will be built for next season. We are sure to see several of the overpaid, aging veterans cut loose but there are a lot of unknowns about the roster right now. My favorite part about this point in the offseason is that everything seems possible for next year. The Cowboys have a lot of work to do but it isn't impossible that they can be a contender next season if they play their cards right this offseason.

Is Keeping Anthony Spencer a Priority?

There is a lot of debate going on these days concerning the future of Anthony Spencer with the Dallas Cowboys. Rumor has it that the Cowboys are considering using the franchise tag on Spencer to keep him from testing the free agent market. I've got some major concerns with the Cowboys considering what I believe to be severely overpaying Spencer for even one season.

I do understand that Spencer has value beyond pressuring the quarterback. If you want to base his value to the team purely on sacks then it looks like Spencer should be allowed to move on since he doesn't put up big sack numbers. But Spencer's real value comes from his ability to play against the run. He is a very good run defender. Unfortunately he is inconsistent at best in getting pressure on the quarterback.

So the Cowboys need to decide if it is worth it to hit Spencer with the franchise tag and guarantee him $8.8 million to be a very good run defender. That seems like a big price to pay for a guy who isn't a premier player and doesn't make many game changing plays. I think the Cowboys would be making a mistake to franchise Spencer.

I'd like to see the Cowboys allow Spencer to test the free agent market. He'll likely find that his free agent value isn't anywhere close to $8.8 million per year. And, if by some miracle, another team makes him an offer like that then the Cowboys should let him walk.

I think Spencer should only be back if he can be signed to a reasonable deal. Somewhere along the lines of 3 years for $15 million or 4 years for $20 million sounds about right. The Cowboys have a lot of areas of need and the last thing they need to do is overpay because they are afraid to go find another outside linebacker who can play the run.

Outside linebackers who can play the run are much easier to find then outside linebackers who are good/great pass rushers. So, if the Cowboys make an offer that is reasonable and Spencer finds a better deal elsewhere, then let him go. I have no doubt that a combination of Victor Butler and a reasonably priced free agent can provide just as much as Spencer has over the last few years.

The Biggest Offseason Need

There are plenty of holes in the Cowboys roster heading into the 2012 offseason. And it is pretty easy to spot most of them. There are major problems on the offensive line, the defensive line, outside linebacker, and in the secondary. But I think there is something that is needed beyond the obvious talent needs.

The defense needs a leader. And I don't mean to say that Demarcus Ware isn't a leader. He gets pressure on the quarterback and he leads by example. He is a great guy by all accounts. But, in some ways, that is exactly what is wrong.

The defense doesn't play with any attitude. They need a Ray Lewis type of player. They need a Brian Dawkins type of guy. What I getting at here is that they need a guy who will get the defense to play with some attitude. There is talent on the defense. But they are soft. The Cowboys don't have the killer instinct that is needed to dominate an opponent.

Unfortunately it isn't easy to find a guy that be the emotional leader of a defense. I love Sean Lee...he isn't that type of guy. I love Jay Ratliff...he is emotional but he isn't a guy who rallies the troops. It doesn't appear that there is anyone on the roster who can step into the role that is needed.

Scouring the top potential free agents there aren't any obvious names that stand out in terms of being a fiery leader. But there is one player that brings a big attitude with him every time he steps on the field. Cortland Finnegan.

I'm not a big fan of having low character guys on the roster. But there is something to be said for having a guy who is willing to mix it up with the opposing team. A guy who won't back down when challenged. And Finnegan isn't a guy who gets in trouble off the field. He just isn't a nice guy on the field.

For that reason I'm hoping that Cortland Finnegan is a target for the Cowboys. I know he isn't the greatest cornerback ever, but he brings the attitude I'm looking for. He isn't afraid to stand up to Andre Johnson in his battles twice a year against him. He won't back down. Sure, he makes dumb plays now and then because he goes a little too far. But he could bring the attitude to the defense that they are missing.

What I don't know about Finnegan is if he has the personality that the defensive players can follow. But the way I see it the Cowboys have a big need at cornerback with the sure to be coming cut of Terence Newman. And Finnegan is a good cornerback who also brings some major attitude to the field. It seems like a match made in heaven to me.

A Few Early Offseason Thoughts

It is really hard to watch the playoffs because the Cowboys are missing yet again. But I have definitely realized that the Cowboys had no business being a playoff team this season. The NFC playoff teams were all much more deserving than the Cowboys to be in the tournament. And I think the Cowboys would have lost to every team on the NFC side.

Dave Campo is out as the defensive backs coach. I have mixed emotions on this move. When Campo was the head coach in the early 2000's I attended a training camp practice in Wichita Falls. He actually took about 5 minutes of his time after practice to talk with my friend and me about the team. I'll never forget that. He is a great guy. But, as a coach, it was time for him to go. I know a big part of the problem is the players but the cornerback play has been sub-par for years. There are a lot of teams in the league doing more with less talent at cornerback.

I will be thrilled if Tony Sparano comes back to the Cowboys. He would help shore up the offensive line and, more importantly, he could be a great advisor to Jason Garrett. Garrett's best season as a play caller was in 2007 when Sparano was around helping out with the offense. I hope he is willing to come back to team up with Jason Garrett again.

Rob Ryan should be back as the defensive coordinator. I know that he should shoulder a big part of the blame for the embarrassing performances by the defense to close out the season. But, with a full offseason to teach his scheme, I think we could see big improvements in the defense. I expect a much greater understanding of the defense by all of the players after an offseason to learn the schemes and pre-play adjustments.

The Cowboys need to find another young quarterback to groom. Tony Romo will turn 32 in April. He probably has 2-4 good/great seasons left in him. After that the cupboard is pretty bare for the Cowboys. Stephen McGee has flashed potential a few times but I have no confidence that he will be able to develop into a starting caliber player. I'd like to see the Cowboys bring in another young quarterback to develop. They might even need to bring in another older veteran to serve as the backup in the short term and draft another young quarterback to develop for the future.

There has been a lot of talk that the offensive line needs a complete overhaul. I'm not sure that I agree with that. The Cowboys are set at tackle with Doug Free and Tyron Smith possibly switching sides next season. And Phil Costa and Kevin Kowalski did a pretty good job at center. Where the Cowboys are hurting is at guard. Kyle Kosier is aging and becoming injury prone. His play isn't good enough to cross your fingers and hope he stays healthy. Bill Nagy and David Arkin should battle for one starting spot next year. But I'd like to see guard addressed in either the draft or free agency.

The biggest needs for the Cowboys seem to be on defense. There is a major need for impact players. Outside of Sean Lee and Demarcus Ware there just aren't any players that make game changing plays on a regular basis.

Jerry Jones is promising changes this offseason. I hope he isn't just blowing smoke to quiet the angry fan base. There are gaping holes on the roster that need to be addressed. And there are aging veterans that need to be cut loose.

The Better Team Won

I'm just going to write a few thoughts after the season ending loss to the Giants.

The Giants were the better team. I really thought the Cowboys were better than this but I guess I was just seeing things with my heart and not my head.

The Cowboys secondary is terrible. It is time for Newman to retire or get cut. Why don't the Cowboys DB's ever make a play on the ball? Eli Manning basically closed his eyes and threw the ball up to Victor Cruz with the Cowboys down 7 trying to get the Giants off the field on 3rd down. Scandrick had position but just got outplayed by Cruz once the ball was in the air.

The defense and the offensive line lost the game. A 21-0 deficit was just too much to overcome without a few boneheaded mistakes by the Giants. Maybe with a full offseason the defense will be able to grasp the complex Rob Ryan defense. There was way too much confusion pre-snap in the defense.

I knew the offensive line would be an issue heading into the season when the Cowboys cut 3 former pro bowlers. Unfortunately their youth and inexperience really showed in the most important game of the season.

Tony Romo is a great quarterback. He was the only reason the game wasn't a complete disaster in the 2nd half. He was sacked 6 times and I think there could have been at least 6 more if he wasn't making free rushers miss.

Why did it take until halftime for the Cowboys to adjust on offense and defense? By halftime it was really too late to comeback without playing nearly flawlessly in the 2nd half.

I came to the conclusion after the first embarrassing loss to the Eagles that the Cowboys were a mediocre team. So 8-8 is a fitting finish to the season.

There is a lot of work to do in the offseason. The secondary needs a serious makeover. And the offensive line needs major improvement.

One Game to Decide the Season

This is it. The game we have been waiting all season to see. Win and the season will likely be viewed a success. Lose and the sky will be falling. One game to decide it all.

There is no way to predict how this game will play out. The easy thing to do is predict another shoot out just like the first game between the Cowboys and the Giants this season. But how often do two games in a row play out the same way? It just doesn't tend to happen that way.

The Cowboys defense just isn't very good. I have tried to justify their performances throughout the season in different ways. But the reality is that they just don't perform at a high level for long stretches of time. Sometimes they are dominant for a quarter or even a half. But at some point they always seem to go soft. And they never seem to be at their best in the critical moments of the game. So the defense is what concerns me the most heading into the Sunday night showdown.

Demarcus Ware has put up 18 sacks this season. But how many of those sacks have come in game defining moments? Sean Lee has had some big plays. But how many of those big plays have come when the team needed them the most? There just doesn't seem to be a player on the defense that steps up when the moment gets big. I don't think we can expect that to change Sunday night.

So that means that the offense and special teams have to be on top of their game. Tony Romo should be good to go coming back from his hand injury. The Cowboys can't afford many turnovers from their offense in the game. And Romo needs to lead his offense to touchdowns, not field goals. The funny thing heading into the game is that Romo is one of the last guys on the team I am worried about. He has been playing lights out for quite a while and he has stepped up in big games before despite what his critics would have you believe.

Felix Jones and Sammy Morris will be very important as well. The Cowboys don't need to get into another game where the last offense with the ball wins. They need to control the clock and the game with the running game. Felix Jones should be healthy for this one. Derrick Dockery starting for Montrae Holland is a bit of a concern but I don't think there will be a noticeable difference in the running game with Holland out.

Dwayne Harris showed a little spark in the return game last week. Maybe he can finally provide some juice to the kick return game. Dez Bryant will be used on punt returns a lot more this week since there is nothing to save him for at this point. I give the Cowboys a big edge in special teams if Dez Bryant is going to get a lot of work returning punts. Of course that means that the defense actually has to force a few punts for Dez to get his opportunities.

I really could see this game going either way. The Giants could get out to a quick start and then pound the Cowboys into submission with Brandon Jacobs. Or the Cowboys could get out to a quick start and control the clock with the running game. Or it could be another shootout. I could even see Eli Manning and Tony Romo both come out a little shaky and the scoring stay down. Both teams have been so inconsistent this season it has been maddening to the fans of both the Giants and the Cowboys.

I'm going to pick with my heart. My head tells me to flip a coin. My heart tells me that Romo is playing the best football of his career and it is time for him to turn the corner and become respected as a big time quarterback. That means he needs a win Sunday night. I think the Cowboys will get the win. I'm picking the Cowboys to win the game 27-20. Of course, it will come down to the last minute. You can bank on that based on the way the season has gone.

It All Comes Down to This

There were about 15 minutes on Saturday when I thought the season was over. Romo was in the locker room getting his right hand x-rayed and it didn't look good. Watching Stephen McGee operate ineffectively made it painfully obvious that the Cowboys can't beat anyone without Romo.

So when the news came that Romo is ok I was all for sitting him out and giving up the Philadelphia game. There was next to nothing to be gained. Felix Jones was pulled around the same time as the news came that the Giants had defeated the Jets eliminating any chance that the NFC East crown could be sewn up early.

We could sit here and try to analyze the outcome of the Eagle game but I don't know what can be gained. Not having a legitimate offense puts extra pressure on the defense. But the defense only gave up 20 points. On the other side of the coin, the Eagles had a 20 point lead and no real reason to try to extend that lead. It was essentially a preseason game in week 16...weird.

In a season that so many of the Cowboys games have come down to the last few minutes it seems fitting that their playoff life will be determined at the last possible moment. It is entirely possible that with 2 minutes to go on Sunday night we still won't know if the Cowboys will make the playoffs. And, if the game a few weeks ago against the Giants is any indication, it might be a very stressful evening for fans of both teams.

The best news out of the game against the Eagles was that Tony Romo is ok. He should be good to go on Sunday night. And that gives the Cowboys a fighting chance in the winner take all matchup.