Dallas Cowboys Nation

Preseason games mean very little

In the NFL there are many things that matter and a few that do not. The obvious ones that do matter are scoring, turnovers and third down efficiency to name a few. Then there are the ones that do not matter which are the first game of the season, opening drives, the first team to score and preseason games.

Now we all know the Cowboys have been mediocre at best this past preseason. The defense has shown flashes of being dominant while the offense has looked pitiful. The offensive line does not seem to be able to block anyone and the running game was nonexistent but it is preseason.

Preseason games have no bearing on how a team will perform in the regular season. The truth is most veterans are playing at half speed and do not want to get hurt as well as being worn down from training camp. There are also players mixed in that have very little or no experience at all in these games. It’s hard to get continuity when there are different players in and out throughout the games in preseason.

I know we keep hearing the term but the Cowboys have been very vanilla in their playcalling. Against the Texans the Cowboys did not blitz one time. That’s about as vanilla as you can get. Tony Romo has also said that the Cowboys have run most of their offensive plays only in practice and have not revealed them yet.

Preaseason is no time to start to panic. This Cowboys team is loaded and has too much talent to not be successful in 2010. Now there are areas of concern like the offensive line and the running game. If it carries over into the Redskins game then I would say this team is in trouble.

I have confidence that this team will either be 12-4 or more than likely 11-5 and another NFC East crown. I also think they will be in the thick of things at the end of the season and challenge for the Super Bowl. Let’s at least wait to see how the Washington game pans out before we say the sky is falling on the Cowboys.

Turnovers Will Be Key To Defense’s Success

Everyone knows the old cliche that “defense wins championships”. Obviously you still need to score to win but a great defense can certainly make up for a not so good offense.

Luckily the Cowboys going into the 2010 season have arguably the most talented offense in the NFL. They will move the ball and they will score points, but the defense will be the key to a home played Super Bowl or not.

Now it’s hard to say that the defense could use improvement considering in 2009 they were the NFC’s fourth best overall defense, first in scoring, third against the rush and fifth in sacks.

The one glaring improvement is turnovers. They ranked 26th overall in the NFL in interceptions and having a total of 11 picks will not get it done in 2010. This team needs to create more turnovers period. Wade Phillips has been having the team work in the offseason on doing just that.

The Cowboys are also suppose to start playing more press coverage which will allow more opprtunities for interceptions. Can you imagine how much more potent this offense would be with a shortened field?

So what is the best way to create more turnovers? The simplist way is the pass rush. Now again it’s hard to argue especially considering this team had one of the NFL’s best pass rush the last half of the 2009 season.

DeMarcus Ware is the NFL’s best rusher. Fans of other teams can argue this until they are blue in the face but he gets it done. The emergence last season of Anthony Spencer was the key to the pass rush becoming what it was. We all know Jat Ratliff puts pressure on the quarterback which is unbelievable for a nose tackle, but Spencer made the difference. If he continues to improve as predicted the Cowboys will have the best pass rushing outside linebacking tandem in the NFL. That alone will create more turnovers.

Fans and the Cowboys themselves are hoping that Alan Ball can emerge as a good cover safety. Along with the pass rush I think if Ball can be the player most are predicting than that too will create more interceptions. The safety position has been a sore spot far too long. Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman are good cover corners with Jenkins expected to be even better this season. Gerald Sensabaugh is not a great player but he is more than adequate at his safety position. I really think if Ball emerges this team will without a doubt have more than 11 interceptions and will be a top five defense in the NFL.