The Dallas Cowboys last week apparently took the advice that was given by former head man Jimmy Johnson, “KISS Keep It Simple Stupid” and unfortunately some of us do not like this plan!

After going back and watching the Monday night game against the Panthers for the second time, it became crystal clear to me what was happening.

People will call it a lack of confidence in Tony Romo or that Jason Garrett is an egomaniac out to prove how innovative he can be, but what I saw was a completely different picture all together.

The game plan of that game on the offensive side of the ball was one of the most vanilla I have ever seen this team take. It appeared to me that Garrett did an outstanding job of simplifying things and letting the players concentrate on just doing there jobs.

The Cowboys have relied so dearly on the play of Tony Romo and on his decision making that they simply put too much pressure onto his shoulders. Jimmy Johnson stated last week that the true way to build a players confidence (Tony Romo) was in big games to simplify things and let him focus on the nuts and bolts of things instead of trying to create things that simply are not there.

While Romo’s stat line was as average as average gets it’s what does not show up on the stat line that was so great. He was composed. He had a purpose. He did not get too high or too low. Tony Romo simply played within the confines of the plan.

People! This is a gigantic move in the right direction for this team and Tony Romo do not ruin it by failing to see what happened.

I am by no means trying to tell you that everyone did everything perfect on Monday night. I am trying to tell you that this performance was more about building confidence, a confidence that can carry this unit to all the places we aspire for them to go.

Do you all remember the 90’s? and how everyone in the stadium would know what play was about to be run, but it did not matter because the Cowboys could execute that play better than anyone could defend it.

The Cowboys made there first step towards trying to become that executing machine that they once were. The Cowboys running game is extremely good right now and that is due simply because of execution! They ran the same delayed draw at least 15 times the other night, with two different backs and each time was as successful as the time before.

Now I have read in several different places Cowboy fans highly upset with the play calls by Garrett in that one sequence down at the goal line, where the Boys through two fades in succession.

At first I like you could not understand the play call, but after listening to Romo after the game and then watching the film again I understood the calls.

Garrett saw that the Panthers had there “Big” unit in the game (the Panthers were committed to stop the run) it was at that point that Garrett and the gang decided to attack the point of least resistance. More importantly on the first fade to Roy Williams he had the preferred match up, he also got a perfectly thrown ball by Romo, but Roy could not hold on to it.

The second play designed for Marty B was an even greater mismatch but Romo simply over threw him. I will take those match ups every time! They tried to punch the thing in on first down and could not get enough push against an overloaded line.

I would love for this team to be able to just over power folks, but we are just not that team. So why beat a dead horse? TAKE WHAT THE DEFENSE GIVES YOU! That is our motto, and that is what will win games for this team!

It is time to put our egos away, we cannot continue to just cuss this team every moment of everyday. It is not there responsibility to inform us of how they plan to attack teams, but rather ours to become smarter fans of the game and recognize what is taking place.

I challenge all of you to question not only the team but yourself as well. For the most part we have some of the smartest fans in the league, it is time to put that smarts to use.

Popularity: unranked

According to Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins will get the nod at starting right cornerback once again this week against Denver.  Jenkins has been solid so far in two starts, notching what should have been 2 interceptions.  Jenkins has 9 tackles and 3 passes defended so far in a season where he is beating out Scandrick before our eyes.

At the beginning of the season I called for this to be Scandrick’s job but with a tough assignment last week he wasn’t able to produce the plays he needed to when it counted.  Scandrick has however, played very well in the slot again.  He has 11 tackles and 2 passes defended.

Marion Suits Up

Marion Barber is suited for practice today, but the extent of his participation is yet to be seen.  We hope that Marion is good to go Sunday in Denver to give Choice some air.  I see Choice starting regardless and Marion coming in on third down, short yardage, and closing situations.

Next?

The Dallas Cowboys march into Mile High Stadium to face a 3-0 team that has similar strengths.  The Bronco’s are 4^th in the league in rushing, led by Buckhalter and Moreno.  The key will be forcing turnovers in this game, but it wont be an easy task seeing that the Broncos have yet to throw an interception all year, even with Kyle Orton as their QB.

Brian Dawkins adds a new look to the Bronco’s D, and he’s had significant success against Tony and the ‘Boys in the last 3 years.  Tony is 2-3 against a Brian Dawkins led defense and averages 235 yards a game against him.  Dawkins however has picked Romo off twice in 5 meetings and has caused 3 fumbles.  Between Him and Champ Bailey he must at least be cautious. Read the rest of this entry »

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I’m a Cowboys fanatic just as much as you all are.  I read your comments on DC.com and I just try and  understand where you are coming from.  I hear your cry to sit Bobby Carpenter and I agree.  However, it seems as though there are a lot of you pulling for Tashard Choice to get start, comparing him to Emmitt, and saying he’s just plain better then Barber.  I say you’re crazy.

In Choice’s short career he has been impressive, getting 114 carries and taking them for 572 yards and 3 touchdowns.  So that equates to a 5.0 average but only 1 touchdown per 38 touches.  He is simply a compliment back and anyone, even Tashard himself, who thinks that Dallas isn’t the perfect fit for him isn’t familiar with the type of league this has become.

Now let me re-familiarize you with Marion Barber, that STARTING tailback for the Dallas Cowboys.  Barber has been the option for the boys, in his 5 year career he has 747 carries for 3255 yards and 54 touchdowns.  A 4.4 yard average and a touchdown about every 13 carries.  Oh yeah, this season, the one some of you are calling for Choice to become the starter in, Barber is out rushing choice, with only 10 more carries Barber has 103 more yards, and averages 1.3 more yards-per-carry.

Now I’m not selling Choice out, I’m just saying lets not be too hasty.  Any one of these guys have starting potential but the move just doesn’t make sense.  We clearly have a backfield set for success, why change it?  Choice and Felix will be the tandem in a few years, but why not give them time to learn.  There is much to love about this group and not much to change.  Let the races begin!

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Carolina came into Big D with a challenge. Trying to prove that they aren’t the team that the media has painted them to be. Unfortunately for them, Dallas was on that same mission. After a slow paced first half, Dallas came up fired up, and honestly looked like the team we expect them to look like.

The Cowboys stuck to their gameplan, running the ball for over 200 yards for the first time since 1979. Felix Jones had 8 carries for 98 yards before leaving in the third with a left knee strain (severity unknown) and Tashard Choice filled in nicely with 18 rushes for 82 yards.

Tony Romo fired back after a week full of media warfare completing 22 of 33 passes for 255 yards. Though he didn’t have a touchdown, you can thank Romo for this victory. It was his ability to read the field, escape the blitzes, and make great throws to his receivers that got the victory. Witten had 77 yards off of 9 targets, Roy 4 catches for 75, Crayton battled for his 44 yards, and the backs totaled for 56 yards receiving.

The real story tonight though was the defense who until tonight had 0 sacks and 0 turnovers. That changed tonight. The rushing defense was strong allowing only 73 yards. The secondary allowed 220 yards, which is a great improvement. The real big deal is the two interceptions, mostly the one for a touchdown by Newman. The Cowboys were able to amass 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in a good victory to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Victor-y

Victor Butler got his share of snaps tonight and he made the most of it. He fought to rack up 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble to seal the game. Victor Butler, a 4th round pick, was drafted because of his pass rush abilities. He will be a project for Wade Phillips but honestly, his development along with that of Jenkins, Scandrick, Jason Williams and even Ware will mean everything to the future of this organization. Victor should see more snaps after tonight’s performance.

Draw the Line

Once again Ware was held to 0 sacks. Cause for concern? I don’t really think so. He is game-planned for week in and week out. He still gets there often and still pressures often. Ware will have trouble duplicating 20 sacks ever again, but expect a 10 sack season. Wares impact on this defense wont be statistic as much as it will be seen on the field.

The problem does however arise when talking about Bobby Carpenter. Carpenter has looked lazy and continued to do that tonight. I expect some changes to be made especially when Jason Williams returns.

Game Ball

Every game I’m going to try and hand out 3 game balls. Tonight they go to the following:

1. Terrence Newman- Newman held Steve Smith to 4 catches for 38 yards. Not an easy task. He also had a pick six to put the Cowboys up 2 scores.

2. Felix Choice??- I’m cheating here, but our running backs played well totaling 176 yards and a TD. (Patrick Crayton and Romo also accounted for 36 yards)

3. Tony Romo- Based on a hard week, he rebounded nicely, carefully orchestrating these drives perfectly.  No Interceptions… Enough Said.

Final Word

Tashard Choice said that you can thank Witten and Romo for kick starting the offense during halftime……. Keith Brooking had a wonderful game, and looks to be a great pickup……. and just like the skins, Jason Witten could be seen praying with the Panthers players at the end of the game.  Some class to end the game.

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…or at least he should have.

This was going to be a dissertation on how the bulk, if not all, of the blame should fall on Tony’s shoulders for that loss against the Giants.  I started on it last Monday, and had a book written but soon realized I’d be beating a dead horse if I submitted as is.  Briefly, my point was not only did his mistakes lead to points for the other team, he also hurt our time of possession ratio, meaning that are defense was exposed to prolonged play.  When that happens, players will lose a step, particularly in the secondary where all three corners were torched on a regular basis throughout the game.  In other words, going back in time and taking away those turnovers doesn’t only take points off the board, it keeps the defense off the field and likely other points off the board.  Granted, it doesn’t excuse the poor play of our Corners, in particular, but it, at least, makes me wonder how their performance would change minus a few interceptions thrown by Romo.

But that has been harped on enough.  Now it is time to look forward.  Normally, I’d take the positive angle, but it look’s as though our own Bryan Martin has already covered the bright side of having North Carolina in town.  If you haven’t read it, here’s a brief summary:  Carolina, thus far this season, has underperformed on both sides of the ball and Dallas should be able to dominate.  I’m pretty confident the Cowboys will win, as well, but there are a few things that bother me about this match up:  1.  The Panthers are 0 – 2.  Considering that only three teams since the early 90′s have made the play off’s after starting 0 – 3, the Panthers realize that this game may define the rest of their season.  In other words, the Panthers will be fighting like it’s a win-and-in situation.  2.  We have seen every aspect of the Cowboys game wow in the last 3 years, but we have yet to see it all at the same time.  The offense fires on all cylinders and the defense falters.  The pass game works great, but the running game is lacking.  The secondary shut’s down the field, but the defensive line and linebackers allow the opponents running back to gash us for large gains.  And visa versa.  Again, when do we get to see all of the Cowboys show up in the same game at the same time?

Carolina does offer us a great opportunity to see just that, but considering how much this game means to them, I’m not as confident as I’d like to be.   With Chris Harris (SS) likely out tonight, the Cowboys 12 formation (otherwise known as double dynamite with Witten and Bennett lining up as bookends to the offensive line) should have some success, but then again, it should of had success against the Giants and we all know how that story ended.   Opposite Steve Smith is 36 year old Muhsin Muhammad, whose production barely grant’s him the solid descriptor, but not enough to force Wade to reconsider focusing on shutting down the run and bracketing Steve Smith out of the game with a corner up front (likely Newman) and a Safety deep (likely Sensabaugh).  On paper, considering the above, the Cowboys win.  But on paper, in my mind, the Cowboys beat most teams in the NFL.  It will come down to execution and protecting the ball; like the wise Jimmy Johnson said earlier this week, “K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, stupid!”  I’ll subscribe to the same approach with this contribution.

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Tonight begins the epic journey to the Superbowl. I am an optimist on all accounts. I pull for Romo and I defend the team, but tonight is BIG. There is a very big difference between 1-2 and 2-1, and that difference more then likely in a tough division means everything. When the Eagles and Giants are winning with injuries, you must do the same, or find yourself on a tough road to no where.

The Carolina Panthers come into the Jerry Megaplex tonight looking for redemption. They look to prove that their Quarterback is the man, their running game is stellar, Steve Smith still has it, and the defense can hang with the best. On the otherhand, the Cowboys have much to prove also. After starting the season very well and coming in last week on a more upsetting game, this is the defining game. THIS IS THE BIG GAME for Tony Romo. So without further introduction, we’ll look at the keys to the game for this week at home against the Carolina Panthers.

1. Run The Ball: The Carolina Defense has allowed 168 rushing yards a game so far. Not only are they 29th in the league in rush defense but they will be without starting linebacker Na’il Diggs, Everette Brown and Starting Strong Safety Chris Harris. If our running game can be productive expect bigger things to come out of Romo. Since the Play Action Fake will be more effectively Utilized and Bennett and Witten will be regarded a little easier with Felix and Tashard keeping the ball so much. Note: Marion Barbers Status is still Questionable, you can expect a limited role if he plays.

2. Stop The Run: The Panthers haven’t been outrageous on the run this season like some expected, ranked merely 14th in the league. However, the potential or this backfield is limitless. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart present a true challenge, and if we let them get rolling, it’ll be a long night. On our side, the running defense looked good last week and I expect it to be better this week. We have the most talented linebacker core in the NFC East I believe and the talent should prevail tonight.

3. Pressure the Quarterback: Jake Delhomme has been sacked 4 times so far and has thrown 5 interceptions. That bodes well for a defense who is sackless and pickless in two weeks of ball. DeMarcus Ware is starting to get attention from the media, but let it be known the pressures still there just sacks not being registered. If the Cowboys can rattle Delhomme’s cage, expect turnovers and sacks to ruin Carolina’s evening. Read the rest of this entry »

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Okay so we’re all here for some football right? Well let’s make it more interesting for us. The staff here is keeping a score of our own, and we’ll update weekly the staff picks and records in the sidebar. Just a little something fun on the side for us. We missed the first two weeks due to life, so I’m going to start each of us out with perfect records, 10-0. That’s four games a week plus a bonus pick. So let’s get started.

In week 3 we’re picking from the following:

1. Washington @ Detroit
2. Atlanta @ New England
3. Indianapolis @ Arizona
4. San Fransisco @ Minnesota

And for the bonus pick – of the teams still sitting at 0-2 for the season (Saint Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers), which will be able to snag their first win this week?

Bryson -

1. Washington Redskins
2. Atlanta Falcons
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. San Fransisco 49ers

Bonus pick is Jacksonville.

Bryan -

1. Detroit Lions
2. New England Patriots
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Minnesota Vikings

Bonus pick is Tennessee.

Jonathan -

1. Washington Redskins
2. New England Patriots
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Minnesota Vikings

Bonus pick is Miami.

Phillip (Bags030404) -

1. Detroit Lions
2. New England Patriots
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Minnesota Vikings

Bonus pick is Tennessee.

Good luck to us all!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Do you remember playing football in middle school? The coaches trying so hard to teach you mechanics and basic skills. I remember hitting that solid blue tackling dummy so hard and feeling so good that I thought I was an instant pro. Turned out I was wrong. Well this Monday… DeMarcus meet Tackling Dummy. I’ve been studying the play of Jake Delhomme and it is not impressive.

The Carolina Panthers come to town Monday night, and I promise you you’re going to see a show. These Panthers offer something to the Cowboys that no other team has yet. Redemption. A struggling quarterback will give our pass rush a chance to achieve dominance and our secondary the opportunity to silence the critics. A solid rushing attack offers our rush defense the chance to finally prove they aren’t soft.

Doomsday has arrived, it’s a unit that has a lot of the similar look of the original doomsday defense. Bob lilly (Jay Ratliff), Demarcus Ware (Randy White), and Mel Renfro (Newman). Now before you get crazy, I understand that evidence of this eruption is well, non-existent. However, I feel confident that we have a talented defensive unit that can dominate. We have talent, speed, and intelligence. Wade Phillips actually IS a good defensive play caller, and DeMarcus Ware can only be contained so long.

Running Duo set to explode?

The Carolina Panthers rank 27th in the league allowing 168 rushing yards a game. The Cowboys lead the league in rushing. Get where I’m going? Marion Barber expects to be ready to go, and Felix Jones is starting to look good. I expect over 200 yards rushing total between our 3 backs.

Romo has a tough rebounding game.

The Carolina Panthers also rank 3rd in the league allowing only 151 yards per game passing. This is tough since Romo seemingly must have a good game to find himself back among all of your graces. Our recievers will have their hands full with Gamble, Marshall and Beason. Romo will have to be spot on to be able to play big on this stage.

Prediction?

I predict a Cowboys Victory winning 27-13.

Follow me on twitter DCN_BryanMartin

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Earlier this week we were asked to participate in a podcast segment on Cat Crave Radio. John White at Cat Crave Radio was kind enough to invite me to give the Cowboys perspective on their weekly segment entitled “The Enemy.” This was our first such venture, and hopefully not the last.

You can hear the full program on Cat Crave Radio, or you can listen below. Afterward, be sure to let me know what you think!

Thanks again to John and the folks at Cat Crave Radio I had a great time and look forward to doing this sort of thing again.

Read the rest of this entry »

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The time has come to put the misery of last week behind us, I have wanted to do this since moments after the Giants defeated our beloved Cowboys on Sunday night. This has been very difficult for me to do, and hopefully the players on this team have struggled as badly as I.

Let’s take a look at what we have in store for us on Monday night when the Carolina Panthers come to town.

The Panthers are almost a mirror image of this Cowboys team in many ways. They have a very strong rushing attack, led by DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart. This pair of tailbacks is leading the Panthers ground game at just over four yards per carry.

Much like the Cowboys the Panthers offense depends heavily on how effective the rushing attack can be.

John Fox the Carolina Panthers head coach must like Wade Phillips rely on a very streaky Quarterback to lead his team. Jake Delhomme has moments of brilliance, much the same as Tony Romo. Unfortunately for both players and coaches those moments are usually followed quickly by moments of shear stupidity!

The Panthers finished last season with a 12 and 4 record only to get shellacked at home by the eventual NFC Super Bowl representative (a game that they were heavily favored to win) and ended their season prematurely.

It seems the Panthers end up on the same roller coaster the Cowboys have been on for 12 years now! Just when you think they are going to make a push, the wheels fall completely off the bus.

This off season this Carolina team has been riddled with injuries and contract disruptions, none of this has helped them get off to a good start.

After a classic Delhomme meltdown in week one against the Eagles (in which he was benched during the game), they lost a respectable game to the Atlanta Falcons.

I warn you all however, do not think this will be a cake walk win for the “Home Team” ! The Panthers are a very prideful team, and they are fighting to save their season. Expect John Fox to have his defense fired up and ready to fight come Monday night.

Through the first two games of the year Fox’s defense has been rather shaky, giving up almost five yards per carry on the ground. Where they have been strong however is in the secondary.

They have faced two of the leagues best QB’s in McNabb and Ryan and have allowed an average of 151 through the air per contest. They also can create turnovers as through the first two games they have recorded 2 INT. and 2 Fumbles.

The Dallas offense must account for a few players on the Carolina Defense, these guys will absolutely make their night tough if they do not know where they are on every play.

1. Julius Peppers
2. Jon Beason
3. Thomas Davis

How will the Panthers defense decide to attack the Cowboys offense? Well my

Guess is that they will follow the lead of the Giants and Bucs, and load the line of scrimmage with 8 men to try to stop the Cowboy ground attack, and dare Tony Romo and the boys to beat them through the air.

If Tony Romo and the rest of the offense is ready, and prepared they will have the opportunity to rip this game wide open very quickly, but if they let this team stay around well they are going to find themselves in a real brawl!

The Panthers Offense much like the Cowboys are going to use their wealth of backs to open up the passing lanes for Delhomme. Do not forget that Jake has one of the most electrifying receivers in the league at his disposal, you know the real Steve Smith! Not the imitation one that torched the Cowboys secondary just 3 days ago.

The Cowboys will not be able to continue to allow their safeties to take chances by playing close to the line of scrimmage. Whoever draws the assignment of Mr. Smith is going to need help, so they best be ready, and in position to do so.

I cannot express to you and to the Cowboys how extreme the situation is as far as them being able to create pressure! This Cowboy team can only go as far as their defense will take them, they MUST get the lack of pressure problems fixed, and it must begin now!

This may be the most crucial game of the year for the Cowboys, a loss on Monday night could cause this team to spiral out of control much worse than last year! They have an opportunity here to get things going in the right direction and begin to come together.

The Cowboys defense is saying all the right things and showing emotion which is great and I am glad to hear it, but the time for talk is gone, only results matter now!

I have never been big on predicting things especially when it comes to the Cowboys, but I feel an urge to predict this week.

So my prediction is the Cowboys come out firing on all cylinders, scoring early and often, and put the game away before the end of the third quarter.

COWBOYS – 35

PANTHERS – 13

Popularity: unranked

Sunday night in Arlington, Texas was supposed to be the grand opening of the greatest NFL stadium, and it was supposed to open with the Cowboys dismantling the New York Giants.

Unfortunately for us the fans and the Cowboys, things did not go as planned! So there must be someone or some people to blame right?

There are plenty of people to blame for this loss, but the finger should be pointed first and foremost at one Tony Romo!

This was by far the worst game I have ever seen him play. From the beginning he looked out of sync, and out of rhythm. Everyone will have an opinion on why, but I do not want to hear it! NO EXCUSES!

The Dallas Cowboys are not a bad football team, but they are not a contending team at this point in the season.

Tony Romo if he was not already has firmly planted his butt onto the “Hot Seat”. There is but only two ways off of that seat.

1. Simply continue to make the same stupid plays that have plagued him his first 3 years in league, and find himself in a different uniform.
2. Step up to the challenge, and accept nothing but perfection from himself, and lead this team.

Tony is a very likable guy, an extraordinary athlete, and the leader of the Dallas Cowboys. It is time for him to act like it!

The second person on the list of many is one that I did not see coming. Orlando Scandrick! I thought last year and heading into this year was the better of the two DB draft picks. Orlando absolutely got his ass handed to him on Sunday night.

The performance he put in on Sunday night was down right pitiful. The best comparison of his performance that I can give is to one of a Matador.

Not only was he not physical with the Giants, he looked lost and scared! We have heard all through Training camp about his “Head Knocking” prowess (just ask Roy Williams) yet when it was his chance to prove his worth in his first start, he looked like the fat kid in fifth grade that everyone picked on.

The Dallas Cowboys better change there outlook at that position and they better change it quick! Mike Jenkins is by far and away the better of the two, not only on draft status, but more importantly by his on field actions.

Through two games Mike Jenkins has heavily outplayed Orlando Scandrick, and after the performance Sunday night his confidence is shaken, and a confidence lacking corner is not what this team needs right now.

The third and final finger that I am going to point is at none other than Terrence Newman. T-New is the mentor to both Jenkins and Scandrick, let’s just hope they do not watch the film on Newman.

T-New looked slow, and on more than one occasion Lost! How you get lost in man coverage I have no idea but he was able to accomplish that feat with very little effort. Is there a Hamstring issue we were not privy to?

I have not seen T-New play that poorly since the Washington game last year when he was playing on a hurt hammy. Hopefully his play Sunday night was just an anomaly.

I am forcing myself to stay away from the edge of the cliff, after all it is only week two, but many things must change and they must change quickly.

This team played very stupid and sloppy and that is not going to get it done. The only difference between the Cowboys play on Sunday and their play at the end of last season is at least now they are not publicly making excuses! Well at least we got that going for us.

Who are you pointing the finger at?

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The Dallas Cowboys opened their new stadium to a record crowd of 105,121 people in attendance. Not bad for a stadium that costs more than some countries’ gross national product.

On a night where Tony Romo played like a backup and the Cowboys’ defense leaked worse than the levee’s in New Orleans, the Cowboys inconsistency killed them in a close 33-31 loss to the Giants.

The loss drops the Cowboys to 1-1 and a tie for second in the division as the Giants improve to 2-0 and command over the NFC East.

The battle between these two rivals went back and forth all night. The Cowboys racked up over 240 yards rushing and Eli Manning looked just fine without Plaxico Burress, as Manning passed for 330 yards.

But the story in this one has to be the amount of turnovers, not to mention the offensive play calling by the Cowboys, along with the breakdown in coverage by the secondary late in the game.

Romo played bad enough to warrant a benching, as he sailed a pass 10 yards over Sam Hurd’s head for a pick, had an interception kicked into Giants’ cornerback Kenny Phillips hands, and another pick returned for a touchdown.

Combine that with a 44 percent completion rating with only one touchdown and that usually doesn’t spell victory.

To Romo’s credit, overall, the team didn’t play well enough to win. Maybe that is a testament to the play calling or just an overall lack of discipline from the team as a whole.

A bright spot for the team was its running game. All summer we heard about the Cowboys and the two tight end set and how they would utilize Tashard Choice, Marion Barber, and Felix Jones.

Tonight we saw each running back in action and they looked pretty good. Barber banged out 124 yards on only 18 carries and Felix Jones added 96 yards and both players scored key touchdowns in the loss.

But the win goes to the Giants, not the Cowboys.

Throughout the first half, Dallas was able to stop the Giants, but the G-Men scored 24 points off of Cowboys turnovers.

Even without Burress, the Giants’ receivers made big plays throughout the game, especially in the second half.

The Cowboys’ secondary had no answers for Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, who combined for 20 catches and 280 yards receiving. That’s a stat line the Giants hope to see throughout the season from its young corp of receivers.

Perhaps the most telling defensive stat of the night is this: The Cowboys had zero sacks against the Giants, that’s zero for the entire season after leading the league with 59 last year.

As with the 2007 Super Bowl, though not quite as big, Manning drove the Giants down the field and set the team up for a winning field goal from kicker Lawrence Tynes.

The Cowboys try to bounce back next week on Monday Night Football against the Carolina Panthers, while the Giants face off against the 0-2 Buccaneers down in Tampa Bay.

Injury report: Cowboys running back Marion Barber suffered a left-quad strain after breaking for a 35-yard run, he did not return. Some reports state that Cowboys’ defensive end/linebacker DeMarcus Ware was injured toward the end of Sunday’s game, no word on the type of injury or if it’s serious.

Giants’ defensive lineman Justin Tuck injured his left shoulder after being tripped up by Cowboys’ offensive lineman Flozell Adams. He left early in the first half and did not return.

Popularity: unranked

Down and out? Don’t be. Yesterday, despite a heartbreaking loss in the final :04 seconds of the game, we learned a lot about our Dallas Cowboys. Today, We learned a lot about Tony Romo, and Tomorrow we’ll learn a lot about the team.

It’s not December but the Cowboys kind of looked like it was. Romo throwing 3 interceptions in a game that had huge implications despite being only week 2. Upon further review I’ve learned a lot about Romo, and may even be willing to discredit two of those Interceptions.

For now we’ll take a look at the Good, Bad, and just plain Ugly of this weeks game:

The Good:

-The Cowboys showed excellent resilience in a game where they could’ve have been emotionally, mentally, and physically depleted. The heart of this team is much better then it was last year, and heart will eventually create deep chemistry which ultimately creates wins.

- Our Rushing Attack featuring Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice was epic. They accounted for over 250 yards of rushing and at times you weren’t able to distinguish some of the backs (I.E. Tashard Choice running over some blue jerseys). If this continues look for dominance to become status quo for the Cowboys.

- Our Rushing defense was top notch, keeping the best running back group under 100 yards total. While doing that the Cowboys were able to consistently put pressure on Eli Manning. These are both upgrades from a week ago.

- The team seems to be improving, perhaps (in theory) if they play like December this month the other months will be smooth as silk? Just trying to give you all a different aspect.

The Bad:

- Orlando Scandrick, who I’ve been a big supporter of, has not been able to impress me at all these last two games. Instead it’s been Mike Jenkins who, to me, has earned the starting role. Scandrick was just sorry on tackling and coverage, once again letting mediocre receivers have huge games. Read the rest of this entry »

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Every week we’ll be bringing you a little blog about whats going on in the NFC East so that you know what your Cowboys are up against.

Let me make this perfectly clear, I hate the Eagles. I mean hate! However, last weeks game left me with one work in mind…Wow! That’s right, the Eagles provided football fans with a glimpse of jaw dropping ability. Lets just focus first on the fact that Carolina isn’t a joke of a team. Steve Smith is always a threat deep and they have tremendous running backs. However, Philly’s defense handled them with ease producing 2 fumbles, 5 interceptions, and 5 sacks.

Enjoyably, the Eagles weren’t too stellar on offense. Donovan McNabb was 10/18 totaling 79 yards and 2 Tds. He also threw a interception and was sacked twice. Brian Westbrook looked pretty impressive (which is typical) but LeSean McCoy looked less then formidable with his 2 fumbles despite his YPC avg.

DeSean Jackson, who’ve I’ve listed as a breakout player of the year, took a punt back to the house in the opener.

Looking Into the Future:

Donovan McNabb has suffered some broken ribs and will be out for a little. That leaves Kevin Kolb and Jeff Garcia to man the reigns. However, it appears that Andy Reid’s trust in Kolb isn’t sufficient enough to expect much out of him. If Michael Vick was allowed to play the world would be upside down. Don’t be surprised if by the end of the season you hear the Philly faithful screaming for McNabbs head and the re-emergence of Vick.

On an NFC East look of things, the Birds are short handed headed into a tough game with New Orleans. If Drew Brees looks half as good as he did last week, this game is going to be tough for the Eagles to win. I believe that their defense has what it takes but it just wont go right for them. The Eagles move to 1-1 this week and the NFC East begins to become conjumbled, no one is able to see a clear cut winner, and each game becomes vital to ALL teams.

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Back by popular demand (popular demand being defined as, at least, one person asking me to do this), I will now attempt to predict how the Cowboy’s can stop the otherwise vaunted run attack of the Giants and their potentially dangerous aerial game.

But the first thing we have to do as a collective fan base, is brain dump everything we thought we learned from this unit against Tampa Bay, for three reasons:  1.  It was the first game.  The players adrenaline is higher than normal, the pressure to prove ones value is higher, it’s the first game the starters play a full 4 quarters, and the coaches have very little film to game plan against the opposing team (I’m sure there are the factors, but those are the major ones).  2.  I honestly believe the Bucs are better than what they are getting credit for.  Admittedly, they could use a different QB.  But Antonio Bryant, Michael Clayton, Kellen Winslow, Jerramy Stevens, Cadillac Williams and Derek Ward are not pedestrian weapons; they have all been considered dominant players at their perspective positions at some point in their careers, if not as early as last year (Bryant, Ward, Stevens).   Furthermore, that OL played an outstanding game, in my opinion.  3.  For the first time in a long time, despite the win, the defensive players are not satified with their performance and are committed to correcting what many have agreed are correctable issues.

Feel better?  Okay, let’s move on.

First, our starters:

Defensive Line:

Jay Ratliff (6’4″ 303):  This analysis is going to be long; we all know who Ratliff is.  Next.

Marcus Spears (6’4″ 309):  Like many players returning from last year’s squad, he committed to improving his game over the offseason.  Be that due to personal pride or the fact that he is entering a contract year, I think we can expect him to be solid throughout the year; against the Giant’s, though, we will need more.

Igor Olshansky (6’6″ 315):  For the time being, I have to give Igor an incomplete on his grade.  The trouble is, in the 3-4, defensive lineman effectiveness is very hard to evaluate because their job vastly differ’s from a 4-3 lineman.  But, if Demarcus isn’t getting his sacks, that’s should be a good indication that Igor is not doing his primary job:  keep Ware in one on one blocking situations.

Jason Hatcher (6’6″ 305):  Of all the back ups, Jason seem’s to have the most potential to eventualyl unseat a current incumbent.  He get’s good penetration, and can push the pocket on even starting quality offensive lineman.

Junior Siavii (6’5″ 318):  Thus far, he has been invisible.  On the defensive line, that’s probably the most significant criticism you can offer.

Stephen Bowen (6’5″ 306):  He comes in at a close second, behind Jason Hatcher as a back up.  He has good size and a decent motor.

Linebackers:

Demarcus Ware (6’4″ 262):  Listening to an interview following the Bucs game, he admitted he was never quite right after that first hit that sidelined him while they assessed the severity of what was later revealed to be a concussion.  My understanding of league rules is that he should not have played from the point forward, but there is little trainers can do when a player like Ware makes his mind up that he is going to pass every test they throw at him to determine rather or not he is good to go.  Beyond ability, let this serve as a reminder to his committment to this team and his awareness of how important it is he is standing on the field as a factor in the game or not.

Keith Brooking (6’2″ 241):  This quote says everything:  ”We’ve got to go in with a mentality that we’re not going to allow them to run the ball on us, period.  No matter what happens, no matter what we call, no matter what they run, it’s on us to be where we’re suppose to be.  And when we get there, get there with bad intentions!”  To that, all I can say in reference to his position is, ‘Zach who?’.  For those of you who contend that talk is cheap, he has the career stat sheet to back his talk up!

Bradie James (6’2″ 247):  Following the ugly Bengals game last year, players seemed content to squeak out a win against a lesser opponent.  Flash forward to this week and from the vast majority of the defense from the Head Coach down the mantra is the same, “We have to play better,” Bradie James admitted.  ”We know that.”  Nuff said.

Anthony Spencer (6’3″ 255):  Throughout his career, thus far, he’s been inconsistent.  He has all the physical tools and speed, but he tends to revert to his college day MO of trying to outrun the tackle/TE by going around the block to get to the QB/ball carrier.  In the NFL, in the 3-4, it is imperative, regardless if it involves being taken out of the play by a blocker, that he own his gaps of responsibility.  The 3-4 can be a very effective defense (as the Steelers and Baltimore’s chart topping defenses should suggest), but it requires unselfish players at every level, who obey their assignments.  If he doesn’t take the blocker in his gap, the blocker will have the opportunity to pick up someone in the secondary and that typically mean’s a long run, if not TD, by the ball carrier.  For an example of what to do, take a look at what Demarcus Ware has become excellent at.  He takes on the block and while using one arm to disengage the blocker, he uses his other arm to bring down the carrier or corral him towards other manned gaps.  It requires Demarcus trusting that his teammates will be where they are supposed to be, but again, that is absolutely crucial for the 3-4 to be effective.

Bobbie Carpenter (6’2″ 249):  Bust.  We’ve establish this much.  But I do believe he is, at least, a servicable replacement for Kevin Burnett.  And if you think about it, had we drafted Bobbie in the 3rd round, like Burnett, instead of the 1st, the criticism of Bobbie wouldn’t be nearly as bad; and that was Parcells fault.  At any rate, the one thing the Cowboy’s are doing with Bobbie that I ardently oppose is him being a member of the goalline defense.  His instincts, size, and frame do not matchup well to most NFL team’s goalline offense.  And I really just cannot envision him getting in the air meeting a RB trying to dive over the pile.

Corners:

Terence Newman (5’11″ 195):  When healthy, he’s clutch.  If health had not been an issue in 2007 and 2008, I might even say he’s pretty close to being a shut down corner.

Orlando Scandrick (5’10″ 192):  Thus far, I’d say he has proven he should be the 2nd starting corner over Mike Jenkins.  A true student of the game, we can expect him to be well prepared for the Giants.

Mike Jenkins (5’10″ 198):  He has the tools and the frame defenses like for their corner.  It’s the mental side of his game that typically get’s in the way.  Rather it is over-thinking or a lack of thinking, the jury is still out.  But, I will say, I like him starting over Anthony Henry, Pacman Jones, and Alan Ball.  And if I’m not mistaken, the guys at football outsiders actually think pretty highly of him, as well.

Alan Ball (6’1″ 188):  He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the best corner behind the above 3 in training camp and in preseason.  But with his only competition being the likes of Courtney Brown, Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith and Julian Hawkins, that really isn’t saying much.

Safeties:

Gerald Sensabaugh (6’0″ 210):  We’ve seen good and we’ve seen bad.  He’s certainly a better coverage guy than Roy Williams, Keith Davis and Patrick Watkins, but he has not been as good as advertised against the run.  Thus far, preseason included, team’s have not had opportunities deep, but he sure has been called for quite a few penalities; most notably the defensive holding call that nullified a Mike Jenkins interception against the Bucs this past Sunday.  I have a theory:  As much as Wade Phillips gushed about what Sensabaugh, in particular, add’s to his defensive scheme’s, I can’t help but wonder if he is over-thinking and committing these stupid penalties to live up to the hype.   Honestly, I think that little bit of phsychology may have also been an issue for quite a few of the Cowboy’s players in 2008.   Regardless of his excuse for mental error’s, it’s unacceptable and against the Giant’s the Cowboys will need every part of his focus.

Ken Hamlin (6’2″ 209):  Much has been made about those two infamous missed tackles at the end of the game against Baltimore, closing the door forever on Texas Stadium.  But for the most part, considering the injuries that created a turnstile at various positions in the Secondary, I honestly believe Ken Hamlin did the best he could with what he had.  As the Quarterback of the defense, it is his job to ensure that all of those rookies and bottom of the roster feeders forced to play due to the suspension or injuries, are lined up correctly.  Ultimately, it comes down to his ability to trust the other guys lining up back in the secondary, to do their job.  He could not do that last year.  In his trying to compensate for poor play by those other positions, his position suffered.  But that’s just my opinion.  Either way, Hamlin has been known to throw everything he has into hit’s and he will be primed to hurt people when the Giants are in town.

Special Teams:

Matt McBriar (6’1″ 220):  Prior to his injury early last year, he was on pace to be a Pro Bowl selection.  He has a boot that can put the ball 60 yards from scrimmage, but from what I understand, DeCammalis has wisely requested he adjust his kicks to not out-punt the coverage.  Thus far, this adjustment has paid off.

Nick Folk (6’1″ 222):  The dynamic of a defense changes when backed against it’s own endzone.  The Cowboy’s may rely on Nick quite a bit to ensure we don’t leave points on the field.

David Buehler (6’2″ 228):  He will likely end the season as the Touchback king of the league, which is huge, but that’s not the only place he will contribute.  He also helps on punt coverage and for a guy who beat out all of the highly touted linebackers drafted from USC this year in the combine at the 40 and on the bench, he is not to be taken lightly as an open field tackler.

Of all the defensive player’s above, Special Teams will likely be where the Cowboy’s win this game.  The Giants, barring turnovers, should have a long field to traverse each time they start a drive.  This will be huge in the wanning moments of the game, particularly considering that of all the attributes their receivers can offer, burning our defense for a quick score likely won’t be one of them.

Now here’s the motley crew the Giant’s will be throwing at the Cowboys:

Offensive Line:

For any NFL team, anything done offensively begins in the trenches.  Partly because I’m lazy, but mostly because it’s unnecessary, I’m going to skip the individual breakdown of the Offense Line.  When you think of the Giant’s OL, most Cowboy fans can’t name one player from the offensive side of the ball with a hand on the ground, anyway.  And for the Giant’s, that’s a good thing.  Why you ask?  Because that mean’s they are a cohesive unit that get’s recognized for their cumulative efforts and not just that one dominant presence; example:  Joe Thomas of the Browns.    But, if you consider the 5 sacks the Cowboy’s were able to compile the last time these two team’s met, you know they are not without their flaws.  Granted, the Giant’s didn’t have Brandon Jacobs in that game, so that should change Wade’s approach a bit.  But keep in mind, despite his TE like frame, Jacobs is actually notoriously horrible at pass blocking, which is why we won’t see him catching to many balls Sunday night (unless it’s on the chin, figuratively speaking; I’m sorry, I had to).  In for sure passing situations, we will likely see Ahmad Bradshaw manning the RB position.

Running Backs:

Brandon Jacobs (6’4″ 264):  To be honest, he doesn’t scare me.  Personally, I believe if you took away his stellar offensive line and committee of RB’s around him, he would be considered an average RB, at best.  With a full head of steam, he is extremely difficult to bring down.   But if the Cowboys can slow his initial acceleration, by simply hitting him (notice I didn’t say they have to tackle him at this point) before or shortly after he crosses the line of scrimmage, his overall production will be marginal.  I will admit, however, if the Giant’s are within 3 yard’s of the Goalline, because of his presence, and, of course, that offensive line, it’s an automatic 6 in my opinion.  By the way, if you didn’t quite get the clowning I was delivering at BJ’s expense in paranthesis at the end of my assessment of the Offensive Line, in other word’s, I’m predicting he’s going to suck against the Cowboys.

Ahmad Bradshaw (5’9″ 198):  I wouldn’t say he scare’s me, but he does draw more concern from me than BJ.  First, he is the RB they will rely on the most in pass protecting, now that Derrick Ward is gone, meaning that he is the guy most likely to catch are defense with their pant’s down expecting the pass.  Furthermore, he is in the mold of those RB’s from last Sunday the Cowboys played against, though I’ve forgotten their names adhering to my own advise.  Last year, Ahmad only compiled 60 yard’s, but with those 12 attempt’s, he averaged 5 yards per carry.  In 2008, he had 355 yard’s on 67 attempt’s for an average of 5.3 yard’s.  And in 2007, he averaged 8.3 yards per carry, with 190 yards on 23 attempts.  If anything, you can say he consistently put’s the Giants in 3rd and relatively short.

Danny Ware (6’0″ 234):  Statistically speaking, we don’t know much.  In 2008 he had 2 carries for 15 yard’s, averaging 7.5 per carry, but that could hardly be considered a trend.  Judging from what I’ve read, he likely could be described as a cross between BJ and Bradshaw, not only in size, but in style, as well.  Last year, he was the preseason team MVP amassing 180 yard’s on opposing team leftovers and bubble-riders.  What that says about him and how he will fare against the Cowboys, if he even see’s the field, is beyond me.

Wide Receivers:

Steve Smith (5’11″ 195):  With 6 passes for 80 yards against the Redskins, Smith was Eli’s favorite target.  His longest reception of the day was 26 yard’s, so if the Giants do try to test our Safeties, it will likely be with him.

Domenik Dixon (6’2″ 182):  Last year, he owned the slot, amassing 596 yards on 43 receptions.  He is also dangerous after the catch.  Scandrick will have his hand’s full, but with our selection of cover Safeties, Scandrick shouldnt’ have to many problems keeping Dixon in check.

Sinorice Moss (5’8″ 185):  The younger brother of self-proclaimed Cowboy-killer Santana Moss, he never has lived up to the Giants expectations.  He has shown flashes, but thus far has failed to be consistent, particularly at catching the ball.

Mario Manningham (5’11″ 183):  He scored a 6 on the Wunderlich and was considered as too slow to play receiver in the NFL.  Most team’s had scratched him off of their draft boards.  But the Giant’s saw something in him and if the Washington game is any kind of indication, with one year under his belt, they are beginning to reap the rewards.

Ramses Barden (6’6″ 227):  Though he likely will never be Plaxico Burress, his size affords him the ability to be that type of weapon in the readzone.  His performance for a 3rd round pick was impressive in preseason, but he has yet to catch a ball in the regular season.  If the Giants are within 10 yards of scoring, I would not be suprised if the Giant’s don’t, at least, put him on the field to give the defense something more to think about.

Hakeem Nicks (6’0″ 215):  The Giant’s 1st round pick was touted as being the most NFL ready receiver available; Jeremy Maclin perhaps being the lone exception.  Early in training camp and preseason, though, Ramses Barden was earning the vast majority of the buzz.  The light’s seemed to come on late, but again, it was preseason.  Against the Redskins, he collected two passes for 18 yards, 11 yards being his long.  If anything, you can say he catches what is thrown at him; Darrius Heyward-Bey, the top receiver drafted, unfortunately, cannot make that claim.

Tight Ends:

Kevin Boss (6’6″ 253):  Jeremy Shockey was the Giant’s T.O..  And Kevin Boss is the Giant’s Roy Williams.  Kevin may not have the amount of talent Shockey possesses, but the Giants, with the baggage Shockey added brought to the team, are better off with out him.  Parallel aside, Boss would still be the 3rd TE on the Cowboy’s depth chart.

Travis Beckum (6’3″ 239):  Drafted in the 3rd round, behind Ramses, Travis topped quite a few list for TE’s available this year, making him a steal in the 3rd.  However, he has not been targeted in the regular season, and only caught two passes for 37 yards throughout preseason.  It may take a year or two to see him reach is potential.

Darcy Johnson (6’5″ 252):  If he does see time, he is mostly considered a blocking tight end.  In 3 years with the Giant’s he has only caught 4 passes for 46 yards.

Analysis:

Like the Cowboys, having jettisoned Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer in the offseason, the Giants have an offense that flourishes by spreading the ball around and keeping opposing defenses off balance by pounding the run, using a few different types of ball carriers.  The Cowboys defense likely won’t dominate the Giants.  That may be asking a little much.  What I am counting on is that the Cowboys will win the field position battle through special Special Teams and the Cowboys offense will ultimately outscore the opposition.   The key for the Cowboy’s defense is to keep the pressure on Eli, even if it doesn’t result in Sacks, and ensure that their running game cannot be relied on to extend drives and dominate the time of possession ratio throughout the game.

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“Whoever gets the mismatch gets the ball with us,” Bennett said. “I think it’s a great tool and a great weapon we showed.”  Martellus Bennett dead panned.

Personally, I think this may have been the definition of tipping your hand, but then again, I think most defenses in this league expect the mismatches to get picked on.  And then, to take that a step further, how will defenses applying that information use it against us?  Honestly?

Here’s what opposing defenses, provided our weapons can stay healthy, are up against.

Wide Receivers

Roy Williams (6’3″ 215):  I think we can, at least, all agree he is a clutch possession receiver.  Though, I have to say, that Touchdown early in the second half looked alot like the Touchdown Larry Fitzgerald scored late in the Super Bowl last season.  Romo throws a beautiful rope hitting Roy in stride, effortlessly pulling in a ball that would break my hands off.

Patrick Crayton (6’0″ 204):  He has often been regarded as having the best hand’s on the team.  But after that 80 + yard touchdown against the Bucs, I’d say his offseason work added quite a bit to his explosion and overall speed.

Miles Austin (6’3″ 214):  Speed has never been a concern.  It’s what earned him a look from the Cowboys in the first place.  But last year, when he turned up field rather than keeping his orginal direction allowing the defense to thrwart his otherwise touchdown against Green Bay, we all saw why he was still a work in progress.  But against the Bucs, he showed the speed and the moves to complement him, as he took a 40+ catch in for a Touchdown, making two players miss one shortly after the first, to take the lead shortly before the end of the 1st half.

Sam Hurd and Kevin Ogletree (6’2″ 208 & 6’0: 192):  Unless one of the above see injury, it’s unlikely we see much of either this year.  But as a quick reminder, Hurd was the receiver who arguably had the best training camp of all the receivers making acrobatic catch, one after another and Kevin Ogletree played the best in preseason, unseating a fairly rooted 3rd year receiver Isaiah Stanback who was much better in Special Teams than Kevin; that mean’s the coaches must have thought alot of Kevin to drop Isaiah, considering the 5th receiver spot typically goes to the Special Teams standout.

Tight Ends

Jason Witten (6’5″ 263):  He won’t wow you with speed or explosion, but he find’s the soft spots in coverage and does not drop balls, as a general rule.  He is also a fairly dominant lead blocker out of the backfield and from the standard TE lineup.  Furthermore, he is Romo’s favorite target.  That speaks volumes to Witten’s reliability.

Martellus Bennett (6’6″ 265):  Big mouth.  Big personality.  But he is all business on the field.  He, too, has displayed the ability to make some clutch catches, even when contested by a would-be defender.  This teamed with his wide receiver like speed, makes him extremely dangerous after the catch.

John Phillips (6’5″ 255):  Think Jason Witten in the early years.  Of course, rather or not he can maintain intensity through severe adversity, such as a deabilitatant injury, remains to be seen, but in terms of his hands and his ability to block, he certainly seems to have the tools to be described as Witten-esqe.

Running Backs

Marion Barber (6, 0″ 222):  Has proven on a fairly consistent basis that he is a reliable target out of the backfield.  If we are being honest, we haven’t really seen the Barbarian like play, a moniker earned in the 2007 season, but he is still solid and can typically pick up 3 to 4 yard’s after the 1st contact with the opposition.

Felix Jones (6’0″ 218):  The first thing you notice is his explosion.  In space, he can turn a check down from Cowboy’s 5 yard line to a touchdown 95 yards down the field in about 10 seconds.  After his initial explosion, you might notice that second gear he hit’s when turning the corner.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about look for Romo on a pitch to Jones on 4th and 3 against the Bengals on youtube or google it.  If you can, watch it in slow motion; when he turn’s the corner watch as it seem’s as though for a brief moment he is running in real time while everyone around him is still moving slow.  Lastly, there is his vision.  The ability to set up the next defender while making the 1st defender miss.  It’s a rare ability that among Cowboy great’s, only Emmitt Smith had and, though I’m not sure on this, perhaps Tony Dorsett.  But outside of those two, I don’t think any RB’s had vision that rivals that of Felix.

Tashard Choice (5’10″ 212):  A combination of Felix and Marion, is the best way to describe him.  And, yes, he too can be threat out of the back field in screen and check down situations.

Deon Anderson (5’10″ 245):  His colleague’s describe him as a devastating lead blocker.  Considering his compact size and, yet, considerable weight, I don’t doubt it.  But I’ve also seen him be pretty reliable in catching situations, as well.  So, he is something else an opposing defense has to think about.

Now, let’s think of the above as a big odd number that a team has to find a common denominator to divide the Cowboy’s by utilizing the combination of size and weight  and the respective talents of their own defensive players.  Quick note:  some players, regardless of size, play big, so you can’t always just compare size and say it’s a mismatch.  How do they match up to the various looks the Cowboys can create utilizing the above weapons?  I feel a series coming on.

Let’s take a look at our next week opponents the Giants starting unit in the secondary.

Corners

Cory Webster (6’0″ 202):  Clutch, but by no means what you would consider a lockdown corner.  So Roy Williams and company, with precise route running, will have opportunities.

Terrell Thomas (6’0″ 199):  A second round pick by the Giants from 2008, you could say he’s on Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick’s level, which means, once again, Roy Williams and company will have opportunities.

Aaron Ross (6’0″ 197):  According to the injury report, Aaron has a hamstring injury and is definitively out for next week’s game.  Though, it would not be the first time Coughlin had a player miracously recover from an injury to play afterall.

Bruce Johnson (5’11″ 182):  Who?  Oh, that undrafted rookie free agent.  Not much can be said, other than he beat out the rookies DeAndre Wright and Stoney Woodson drafted in the 6th and 7th rounds respectively to make the 53 man roster.

Linebackers

Danny Clark (6’2″ 245):  A 10 year veteran, he is solid, particularly against the run, but I can’t see him running with any of our TE’s down the seam.

Antonio Pierce (6’1″ 238):  A 9 year veteran, same issue as Danny Clark.

Bryan Kehl (6’2″ 237):  Logged the least amount of tackles in his first year with the Giants last year, despite starting all 16 games.  If a Safety doesn’t move up to cover our TE’s, he will likely be the unlucky soul charged with the responsbility.

Safeties

Kenny Phillips (6’2″ 210):  He’s my favorite Giant, in a weird “I still hate you because of the team you represent” kind of way.  Not only is he good in coverage, but he can still lay the wood like the orginal prototypical SS.  Think 1st and 2nd year Roy Williams, with the coverage ability of  Gerald Sensabaugh.

Michael Johnson (6’2″ 207):  I don’t know much about him, but looking at his stat’s, I’ll say he is, at least, solid.  I would expect nothing less from a Coughlin staffed defense.

Four corners, with one definitely out for the game and the other an undrafted rookie, 3 safeties, and 4 linebackers.  That is the price the Giants paid to win battles at the line of scrimmage.  But for that ideaology to be effective, they have to win every battle at the line and, honestly, I don’t think they can do that against the Cowboys, particular when the Cowboys show the 12 formation (i.e. two receivers, two TE’s and one RB).  Considering the aforementioned, we will likely see a much more effective version of the Bucs defensive gameplan.  The Giants are going to force us to beat them deep, which also means the Cowboys offensive line is going to have to give Romo time; and that, admittedly, considering the talent and depth on the Giants defensive line, is going to be a tall order.  I said it of the Bucs game, and I’m sticking to this philosophical belief, the Cowboys will also need to employ some screens to back off that blitz, but I would not be suprised if Jason Garrett didn’t come out of the gate wanting Romo to sling it deep to test that very thin secondary.

Now for the fun part.  Consider the above described 12 formation.   Webster and Thomas will likely pick up RW and Crayton.  Brian Kehl will likely pick up either Bennett or Witten, dependent on their alignment.  Who pick’s up the other TE, particularly if they get motioned out wide?  The Safety.  What does that leave?  Either Crayton or William’s in a one on one situation.  Are we getting the picture?  All of our receivers last Sunday displayed the ability to beat single-coverage.  It come’s down to protecting Romo long enough to take advantage of the obvious mismatches:  The receiver in single coverage and/or the TE matched up with Kehl.  Pretty simple, actually.  I could do this all day, but I hope most of my reader’s can read the above and imagine the amount of different alignment’s the Cowboy’s can do that will create several different undesirable situations for the Giant’s defense.

The other side of the ball is a different question entirely.  Given the Cowboy’s performance last week and considering the above, one could surmise that Sunday could turn into a shoot out.  I seriously doubt it, though.  It will be a close game, that will likely be decided by Special Teams and the turnover ratio.

Prediction:  Cowboys 24 Giants 20

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So I’m driving along listening to the Ticket and Goose Gosslin was the special (ed) guest.  To be honest, I don’t listen to sports radio during the day enough to know whose show it was, but that’s really not important.  So, the show host make’s the point that the Cowboy’s received quite a bit of negative press for their defensive performance, but when the Patriots and Chargers both squeak past what many thought to be vastly inferior opponent’s, all analyst seem to want to talk about is “that’s what good team can do; in the end, they now how to win!”  To this Goose respond’s without missing a beat “Yeah, but they’ve won play off games in the last decade!”

Ooh, snap!!!  Wait.  What?  I’m sorry, I’m not sure if that even make sense!  That’s like George W. Bush bringing up 9/11 to garner support for invading Iraq.

What in the hell does not winning a play off game in the last decade have to do with an obvious media bias driven towards down playing anything and everything the Cowboy’s do.  Now don’t get me wrong.  Not here, but on a separate forum I did make the statement that you can’t take that performance to our interdivisional foes and expect the same results.  I stand behind that.  But by no means am I saying that these issues experienced from any of these teams are not correctable.

I didn’t watch either of last night’s games, so don’t ask me what woes they experienced, but I do know that the primary problem for the Cowboy’s against the running game was poor tackling from everyone on the defensive side of the ball and, specifically, a lack of blocker shedding and gap control on the linebackers part.   I’ve read and heard each of the linebackers, for the exception of Spencer, take accountability for it, but in that same breath say it’s correctable and they are committed to correcting it before they face the Giants this week.  I’ve read and heard everything I need to read and hear about that topic and feel confident we will see a different defense against the Giants.  Mark it down!

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If this is your second time looking at this, you may have noticed I had my number’s backwards.  It was the Giants that led the Redskins by 10 going into the half, 17 to 7.  So the Redskins are pretty much who we thought they were.  But as I will expound on further down, this game really mean’s nothing, considering that they lost to the Giant’s in the opener last year and still beat our beloved Cowboy’s in week four last season.  Therefore, there really isn’t much you can take from the stats compiled in this game; especially if you consider how mediocre our otherwise capable of being dominant, Cowboys defense played against the Bucs.

The running back that seem’s to have broken the Redskins back was actually Ahmad Bradshaw, averaging 5 yards per carry on 12 attempts yielding 60 yards.  The perennial trash talker Brandon Jacobs was held to a measely 2.9 yards per carry with 16 touches totalling 46 yards.  Real quick side bar – the Cowboys, regardless of this next weeks meeting’s outcome, should be able to shut Brandon Jacobs up, albeit temporarily. On the other side of the ball, Clinton Portis had the most yard’s for the day, but was well below average in terms of production with 3.9 yards per carry on 16 attempts, 34 of which was on their first play from scrimmage; in other word’s, after his first run, he averaged 1.8 per carry.  The big question here is, is Clinton Portis that poor of a runner, or is the Giant’s run defense that stout.  Considering Portis’ career average of 4.4 per carry, I’m leaning toward’s the latter.  Of course, this could also be an indictment of the OL and/or coaching, but considering Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Barry Cofield, and Fred Robbins, with back-ups who could start for most team’s such Chris Canty and Mathias Kiwanuka, I suspect it’s mostly because the Giant’s are just that good against the run.  But getting back to the team in question…the Redskins defense, looked stout throughout the majority of the game against the run, but came up short when stop’s were crucial.  Of course, many fan’s are pointing towards the play calling of Jim Zorn, whose three back-to-back unimaginative running play’s following a goal line stand, gift wrapped a short field for the Giants, where the Giants eventually scored.

As I was digging for a description of the game, I happened upon the following, from an actual fan and since I have thing’s I’d rather be writing about and the following is about as unbiased as you can get considering it’s criticism from an actual fan, I’m going to steal it.  So, with out further ado…

Jim Zorn was determined to rush the ball, but the Giants would not permit it. After a 34-yard run on their first offensive play from scrimmage, Clinton Portis and the rest of the running backs did nothing, gaining 51 yards on 20 carries.

For anyone planning on walking away from this thinking that’s two more W’s we can add to our win/loss ratio prior to the actual games, please note that regardless of how the Redskins play other team’s, they always show up against the Cowboys.  For as long as I have been trying to predict what to expect from these Deadskins, the only thing I’ve been right about is to not underestimate them.

Furthermore, Albert Haynesworth, regarless of the apology and accepted apology exchanged between he and Andre Gurode, will be looking to be vindicated.  Why?  The storyline that you don’t hear about, when the infamous face stomp is brought up, is why Albert was so frustrated he lost his temper.  The truth is, he was getting man-handled, Gurode refusing to give up any ground, despite Haynesworth pile-pusher reputation.  Any NT worth 100 million should draw double-coverage, especially from the Center.  If he doesn’t against Gurode, the Redskins, as well the rest of the nation will know he is what we all think he is:  Vastly overpaid.

And then of course there is the Cowboy killer Santana Moss.  Newman shut him down in our last meeting, but the big question is will Newman remain healthy throughout the year?  (cricket’s chirp)

All in all, the first game is somewhat of a waste of time to analyze, for several reason’s:  First and foremost, there is no game tape from the previous game to study, for the exception of preseason, where most team keep it basic so they don’t tip their hand.  Second, many player’s, particluarly the younger one’s, will get a mad case of the jitter’s, likely taking a half to really get into the flow of the game.  Third, it’s the first game the starters play for 4 quarters.  Not only are these players physically tested in terms of their conditioning, but their mind set changes when they know they have to maintain the same intensity for 1 hour.  It might not seem like much, given the relatively small amount of time transpired during each play, but with the excitement of playing and the concentration that has to be applied for each position, it can be very taxing on the body, mind and spirit of a given player.  Combine the above 3 and the result’s will vary for team’s.  The Cowboy’s were fortunately able to reign in their collective focus and put together what most of us thought they could be as a team in the 2nd half against the Bucs.  The Redskins fell flat in their opener on the road, but by week 11, the first time the Cowboys and Redskins meet, will know alot more about this team and what they are capable of.

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The Cowboys started the game against Tampa sluggish, pedestrian, and uninspired. First few drives only yielded field goals and the defense had more than a few holes in it.

After the 1^st quarter the score was a shock to most as the Bucs stuck with the ‘Boys as they only trailed 6-0.

The second quarter was even more ordinary as both teams seemed to maneuver their way around the field about as good as a blind person. Tony Romo threw in front, behind, and over receivers as they marched to an eventual 13-7 halftime lead after a 42 yard pitch and catch between Romo and Miles Austin ended in a touchdown.

Going into halftime the team still seemed to be finding its way as the defensive secondary looked confused and out of sync.

But the second half was a different story.

Bum’s son must have fired the troops up in the locker room because the Cowboys emerged more focused in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters.

Immediately out the gate the ‘Boys were swinging as Romo tossed a 66 yard touchdown pass to Roy Williams and the Cowboys went up 20-7.

Seemed as if Dallas was about to blow the doors off, but Leftwich marched the Bucs back down the field and newly acquired running back Derrick Ward scored on a one yard touchdown run.

That was pretty much the last ray of hope for the pirates as the Cowboys took control from there and never looked back.

Touchdown for Crayton? Check.

Running score for Marion Barber? Check.

It’s on now; the Cowboys are riding on “28’s with the windows down on a 2010 all blue Range Rover.

Romo finally pulled his head out of the clouds and the defense patched the holes in the submarine.

All in all it turned out to be a great day for the Cowboys. Tony Romo ended up with 353 passing yards (a career high), three touchdowns, and no turnovers. Now if he could only go on a run of zero turnovers for more than one game.

Romo also completed 66% of his passes thrown over ten yards and had a healthy 149 quarterback rating.

For Roy Williams, he ended up with a solid outing. He caught three balls for 86 yards and one touchdown.

Terrell who?

The worrisome part of the game was the Dallas defense actually. The Bucs ran for over 170 yards and scored two touchdowns, racking up 5.6 yards a carry. The Cowboys cannot play that way against the Giants and expect to win, not with Brandon Jacobs in the backfield.

Cowboys secondary gave up a few big plays down the middle, something Bum’s son will have to address this upcoming week in practice.

The Cowboys beat the Bucs 34-21 and head back home to face the Giants to open their new billion dollar stadium.

Injury note: Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo says that he injured his right ankle during Sundays game, the ankle will be re-examined on Tuesday. Cowboys new starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh was helped off the field after a big hit on Buccaneers wide receiver Michael Clayton, no word on if he’ll return next week.

-JH

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As we all know, Tampa Bay offers the Cowboys a solid test for their new offensive and defensive schemes. With a commonly stout defense, our offense should be able to prove whether or not it’s as proficient as it claims it can be.

Here are a few reasons why our Offense can succeed:

1) Jason Garrett is a offensive mastermind, with Felix Jones and Marion Barber coming out in a possibly sloppy day, the formations and versatility that can be created with just those two names alone are limitless. We know what to expect with this tandem, but really who can stop them?

2) Tampa has to gameplan for more receiver threats then they’re actually expecting. With the emergence of Hurd and Ogletree, the speed of Austin, and the combinational attacks of Crayton and Williams, the utilization of talented wide receivers will be evident throughout differen’t packages. They should all receive ample reps to produce. However, with the impressive and underrated talent in the receiver position, 2 other receivers produce a bigger threat. Marty-B and J Witt are great all around tight ends, who will either produce big or create a distraction and draw double teams and schemes that will allow our Wide outs to produce significantly enough to score over 14 points.

3) Lastly, Tony Romo. Earlier this week Emmitt Smith called out Romo’s leadership. I truly believe that Romo has evolved into the leader that he wants to be. That’s all we can ask. Tony Romo is a capable top 10 Quarterback who can deliver. Don’t believe me? We’ll in his 2 Season Openers he’s started in he’s undefeated. Not just undefeated but he’s been dominant. In 2007 he opened against the Giants, producing 15/24 345 yards, and 4 TD’s. In 2008 we opened against Cleveland with 24/32 320 yards, and 1 TD. In total that’s 39/56 665 yards and 5 TD’s. That’s a total passer rating of 136.97.

Oh and last time Romo played the Bucs? 22/29 305 yards 5 TD.

As for the other side of the Ball. Byron Leftwich will lead an inconsistent offensive unit. Antonio Bryant will likely produce, but Cadillac Williams is a great unknown.

Here are a few Reasons why our Defense will succeed:

1) Byron Leftwich has an unusually slow release. With an offensive line that is barely mediocre, the likelihood that the Cowboys star studded linebackers will be knocking on the door all day, is highly likely.

2) Byron Leftwich has an unusually slow release. With all that time to read the Quarterback, Our coverage units could have a field day. Not saying it’s going to be pick central, but I expect some good defended passes and a pick or two.

3) Our Defensive lineman, are run stopping, QB droppers. They will dominate TB’s O-Line and create nightmares for Cadillac and Ward.

Last Word

Listen I’ve been doing some looking around lately. All I see is pessimism, from fans, Dallas/sports reporters, and even people close to the organization. This is what I say, we are Cowboys Fans, we are supposed to be loyal and supportive of a team that brings us so much. If you are just rooting for the cowboys when they win, or disowning them when the screw up, then the bus stops here. I don’t want to hear your stupid pessimism and your ridiculous claims. You aren’t playing football, you’re sitting on your couch with a beer, a brat, and maybe a PS3 controller contolling your Madden Superstar. The point is, if you’re a fan, love and support your team. If it’s hard to do that and you can’t be a tad optimistic, shut up and color.

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Welcome to the first regular season installment of “The Weekly Roundup”!

This week I had the pleasure of exchanging thoughts with Nicholas over at Buc’em a Top notch Buccaneer fan blog.

As is the case on every Weekly Roundup make sure you head over there to see our answers to their questions, and by all means let them know how you feel about the Cowboys and the game!

The game last year between these two teams was defensive and sloppy (thank you Brad Johnson) should Cowboy fans expect this same sort of game again?

Probably not as much.. Jeff Garcia was terrible in the 4th Qtr last year, and in the red zone too. Which explains so many trips inside the Dallas 30 yard line but only 9 points? With Tony Romo at full strength, its doubtful the Cowboys can be held under 21 points. If they are, the Bucs have a better chance to win

The Buccaneers have made several big changes this year, even making a change at Offensive Coordinator last week. How will all of these changes impact the mindset of this football team?

Its all be positive when viewed from the inside. Players were tired of Jon Gruden’s “Luv ya Bro” message. New Coach Raheem Morris is a rah rah guy, who has gained the respect of all the players during camp with his discipline, and has the team physical practicing in pads from Day One of camp. Expect a Bucs team that will make no excuses over injuries, heat, refs, and will play hard till the end of the 4th.

Byron Leftwich has had a very roller coaster type of career, do you believe, and better yet do the Buccaneers believe that the ride begins to flatten out for him to become a top flight quarterback in the NFL? Is he the QB for now? Or is he there for the long haul?

Very few Bucs fans feel Byron is anything more than a hold over until 2010 when Josh Freeman will start after getting a year of #2 QB Reps. Only if the Bucs go deep into the playoffs will you see Byron Leftwich QB next year.

Most Bucs fans are no really in ANY QBs corner right now, if anything, 4th string Josh Johnson has caught the fancy of many Bucs fans with this excellent play during preseason. Everyone agrees Josh Freeman is not ready, although a lot of fans are willing to roll with him, and the rest feel neither McCown nor Leftwich won the job, they just got it by not losing.

The Dallas Cowboys and most of its fan base believe they have what we like to call “Three headed monster” backfield. All three backs will be used on Sunday in Tampa, is this triple threat an area of deep concern for the Bucs? Or is our 3 headed monster merely impressive on paper?

No, Bucs fans and I’m sure coaches are very concerned about your three headed monster, and hope to counter with one of our own. Derrick Ward and Earnest graham make up two of them, but Cadillac Williams is back to full strength and will actually start. Then you have pro bowl special team returner Clifton Smith who will run the ball too. Bucs fans expect to run the ball often.

What can Dallas fans expect to see on both the Offensive and Defensive sides of the ball from the Bucs on Sunday? And what are you keys to a Bucs win?

Honestly, Dallas fans will have to wait like their Bucs counterparts, because even we don’t know what we are going to put on the field. We do fell one thing, how things go Sunday will probably be a very good indicator on how the season will go too!

There are some Bucs fans that feel we can win, however the majority of Bucs fans are very pessimistic on the season, and obviously the opener.

Once again a big thank you to Nicholas and all the guys over at Buc’Em for answering our questions. Be sure to head over There and see our answers to their questions

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Posturing.  I really love that word.  I hear it quite a bit during the football offseason, as I watch UFC and WEC to feed my love for all contact sports.  In fighting, in short, it is used to describe the strategy fighters employ to set up their opponent for submissions, knock outs, or to defend against either.  But you could also use posturing to describe various statements from the media, as well as, how teams prepare for upcoming games.

Take for instance the now infamous comments from Emmitt Smith stating that he can see the Cowboy’s winning 7 games, delivered in a manner that would suggest he was being generous with that prediction.  The posturing element, of course, is that had Emmitt adhered to the status quo, you probably would not have heard about it and it would not have any way helped Emmitt’s now dying options as a sports analyst.  This posturing, breathed new life in his visibility to the sports loving world; though, I doubt it helps his chances catching on again with any media outlets.  Maybe Tashard Choice could allow him to be a guest on his Cowboy’s insider column with the Dallas Morning News.

In response to Emmitt’s comment’s, Wade reasserted that the Cowboy’s have leader’s and have had leaders.  He further pointed out that in 97 the Cowboys went 6 – 10, questioning what happened to their leaders then?  In this scenario, Wade was posturing to protect his team.

Or how about Jean-Jacques Taylor’s recent article entitled “Trust Busters:  Dallas Cowboys haven’t rewarded fans’ faith.”  In this he points to the Cowboys lack of a play off wins since the mid-90’s, trying to lend credibility to a trend that, in his mind, should continue to haunt the Cowboys, despite being a completely different team every year, including this one.  As usual, JJT is posturing to look intelligent at season end with his finger lightly tapping the “I told you so” button likely located in full view somewhere on his computer keyboard.

Of course, my favorite use of the word “posturing” involves what Wade intends to do to stifle the big arm of  Byron Leftwich with the slowing, but still effective trio of receiving weapons Antonio Bryant, Michael Clayton, and Kellen Winslow.  Not to be overlooked is also another effective trio of RB’s, Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward, and Earnest Graham.  Footnote to Mike Jenkins:  Ward may grant you an opportunity to redeem yourself.  Don’t usher fate by this go around!

Coincidentally, we faced Kellen Winslow last year in the 1^st game when he was with the Brown’s.  Acknowledging our deficiencies at Safety last year, Wade challenged Greg Ellis to jam Kellen at the line throughout the game to upset his timing with Derek Anderson and it worked to perfection, Ellis limiting Kellen to 5 receptions for 47 yards and 1 touchdown.  That’s not bad for a linebacker who had played very little in coverage against what many consider to be an elite pass catching TE.  With Ellis gone, though, how does Wade address him this year?  Does he have Anthony Spencer, Greg Ellis’ successor, shadow him, allow Sensabaugh to prove his worth in coverage, or does he try a combination of both?  Anthony might be able to match him in physicality, but he won’t be able to run with Kellen stride for stride down the field.  Sensabaugh should be able to keep up with him, but I have to think Kellen win’s the battle when it comes to getting to the ball in the air.  In my mind, it probably will be a combination of both.  Spencer will frustrate Kellen at the line, but will peel off to either watch for the check down or to pursue the normally statuesque Leftwich while Sensabaugh will pick him up to ensure Kellen doesn’t have an opportunity to create in space.

On offense, the double-move wide receiver route is apparantly the big upgrade Greg Olson brings to the table.  Trouble is, the more moves in a given route, the more time your QB needs.  Add to that the fact that Leftwich has a slow release and a long wind, and Ware and company should have plenty of opportunities to but him on his back.

Much has been made about the lack of tape our defense will be armed with to attack the Bucs offense, considering the recent dismissal of their Offensive Coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski and promotion of quarterbacks coach Greg Olson.  In short, the Cowboy’s don’t even have the benefit of tape from the preseason.  In my mind, too much has been made of it.  Considering that most coaches, including that of the Cowboy’s, like to keep things vanilla throughout the preseason, I’m not sure this will really make that much of a difference in the game.  The key, as is always, is execution in all aspects.  Execute identifying the play; run or pass?  Execute flowing to the ball and prevention of play development.  Execute the tackle.  Execute the ball carrier.  As the season wears on, then the film study becomes paramount, because the real meat and potatoes of success comes from knowing each opponent’s tendencies as a team and individually.

From what I’ve looked at, the Bucs are weak on the edges and a big part of their strategy will be to pin their ear backs and try to keep Romo on his back.  Watch for the Cowboy’s to employ a variety of different screens (RB, TE, or WR)  to keep the Bucs defense from putting pressure on Romo.

It’s all posturing, in the end.  The big question is what are the Cowboys trying to do:  Force the Bucs to submit, knock them out, or defend against both?  Hopefully it’s not the latter.

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Four days before the season opening game, the greatest running back to don a Cowboys uniform, has decided that he needed to give his old team a good old fashioned tongue lashing.

Emmitt Smith was the perfect back for the Cowboys, outside of what he did on the field however was less than to be desired.

Known for being egotistical, arrogant, SOB. Maybe you have heard the story about the presents he used to give his O-Line? If you followed the Cowboys in the 90’s then I am sure you heard about them.

There is one story that some of you may have not heard about! As the story goes Emmitt had another spectacular year (won the rushing title) and the present he chose to get his linemen was???? None other than an autographed copy of his autobiography! How freaking nice of him!

Somewhere along the line of his career he has become the greatest (self proclaimed) prognosticator of talent in the NFL! Always having something to say (whether or not you can understand what he is saying is a different story).

Now apparently he has become so well schooled on what it takes to be a Head Coach, Wide Receiver, and Quarterback he has decided to drop some knowledge and let us know why the Cowboys can (via The DMN Blog)

“Realistically, I think that the Cowboys can win seven games,”

Seven Games! Seven games, is Doctor Dipshits win total for the Cowboys in 2009!

At first sight of this I thought “well maybe he has some inside information that none of us have!” but then he drops this as his reasoning behind his prognosis,

“I mean, when I start hearing things are going to change, I keep asking myself as a player, how much are they going to change?” he said. “Are you going to be a hard-nosed coach now since things are going to change? Are you going to be more focused than you were last year? Those kind of things, I’m like, c’mon. This is not a game where you can just turn it on and turn it off.”

Emmitt Smith obviously pays next to zero attention to the goings on of the Dallas Cowboys! Bradie James back in August had this to say about the HC Wade Phillips,

“He’s almost like a new coach,” James said. “He knows what’s at stake, and he knows we need to have a winning season. He’s been different. He said he was going to be different, and I didn’t know how he would pull it off, but I think he has.”

That was not the first time or the last time statements like that were said. We even got to see Ol Wade unleash on Courtney Brown on the sidelines after a stupid pass interference call, all these things were not seen last year! So evidently it is possible for a human being to change the way they do things!

Then as if he had not dropped enough knowledge on the fans of the Dallas Cowboys, he decided to give us an insight on Roy Williams.

“The question is, can Roy step up and be what they need him to be? I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s possible.”

“I do not see him as a No. 1. I never have saw him as a No. 1. Never have. When I say No. 1, I mean your No. 1 go-to guy. He’s not your No. 1 go-to guy.”

Let me say something to those of you who believe this line of thinking, THE COWBOYS DO NOT NEED ROY WILLIAMS TO IMITATE TERRELL OWENS! With the backs and Tight Ends they have this team does not need a pure #1 (ala Fitzgerald, Owens). This team needs Roy Williams to do what he does best, MOVE THE FREAKING CHAINS! SO STOP THE NONSENSE!!!!!!

Then he decides to get a few shots in on every ones punching bag Tony Romo,

“So when you have your off-season and you say things are going to change and you’ve never been that dominant personality or in that leadership position then, as a player, you lose me,” Emmitt said during an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio (via Pro Football Talk). “You lost me. I’m sitting there saying, ‘OK, now you’re going to become a leader?’ What happened when we had all this great talent over here and we had a chance to go, not only in the playoffs, but in the first round of the playoffs when we got knocked out both times?”

Once again in the land of Emmitt people are not allowed the opportunity to grow and possibly change the way they do things!

The Cowboys however have created this monster themselves, and the only way to make this retarded way of thinking go away, along with dipshits like Emmitt is by just shutting up and proving the naysayers wrong!

Emmitt I think maybe you should go back and listen to some of the crap you and your illustrious teammates told the fans of the Dallas Cowboys. It seems to me that I heard you and Michael, Troy, and Deion saying things like “we are just biding our time; we can turn it on whenever we get ready!” Do you remember those days? I sure do, and yet that grand switch you guys talked about in 1996 never got “turned on”, I think you might need to remember that old saying “people who live in glass houses should not throw stones!”

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Note: Just wanted to take a moment and welcome the newest member of our team at DCNation – Shaun Wellman. He’s been a commenter here since the beginning and always has some insight to share, so read carefully and pay attention. Welcome to the Team Shaun!

Excitement in the preseason is very rare. Most people watch these games hoping to see the starting units perform well and provide a glimpse of what the regular season version of the team will look like. A smaller percentage watch the second and third teams to get an idea of how the teams backups will perform. Of course underneath it all we hope for a win, but in the grand scheme of things most understand that whether or not your team wins in the preseason is the least important factor of all. What is important is how they play the game.

Putting all that aside for now, can anyone say that they sat down to watch the preseason finale versus the Vikings with any feelings other than “Thank God the Preseason is About to be Over”? I highly doubt it.

There were still some questions to be answered about the last few roster spots before the final cut down to 53 on Saturday.

1. Will Isaiah Stanback do anything to show that he deserves another year on this team?
2. Will Kevin Ogletree step up one more time and slam the door in Stanback’s face?
3. Can Patrick Watkins do anything besides play special teams?
4. Does Mike Mickens have any business being on an NFL football field?
5. Will Jesse Holley even get on the field?
6. Can Rudy Carpenter even throw a forward pass?

Anyone committing themselves to sit down and suffer through 3 hours of spare to fair preseason finale football had to be watching to get the answers to the above questions and probably several more. No way were we expecting entertainment.

No way.

Not only were a lot of questions answered, but we as fans were treated to a whole lot more. Maybe it was all the turnovers, penalties, missed assignments, and improbable touchdowns. How about the fact that the game was played on a Friday night, and there was a sense that everyone on this team played like there was no tomorrow.

Maybe it’s just me, but that sure felt like watching a High School Football game, and a very exciting and entertaining one at that.

A bunch of no-names pulling it out in the end, coming back from double digit deficits twice, with improbable play after improbable play to cap off an off season of philosophical change, and a preseason of no-nonsense nothing but football due directly to said changes. No T.O., not much hype, (except for the 4th and Long Guy,) and the only thing close to controversy being the competition between Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

Alot was said about this teams chemistry or lack there of last year. How great was it to see the starters on the sidelines cheering on the back up and bubble guys? I was happy to see their involvement on the sidelines during a meaningless game that none of them played in. To see the vets on the sidelines coaching up the young guys portrayed a team oriented atmosphere that literally brought a smile to this fans face. How fitting was it that mister 80th man himself Jesse Holley was the one to make the play to win the game. He got me up out of my chair yelling and screaming just like he got the entire Cowboys’ sideline running with him to the end zone, basically clearing the bench.

I think that explosion of emotion really said something about this team, and I can honestly say now that because of a meaningless preseason game where they all showed that they cared, that I believe this TEAM is very focused and headed in the right direction.

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