Reflective Future

Is there really such a thing as a Monday morning quarterback for the season? That’s about what I feel like for the last few weeks watching the _(Va)Giants not only make their way into the playoffs but win out the hard way – one game at a time; no byes, no advantage, just good tough football.

I still firmly believe Eli Manning is a child and want Osi to slam him to the turf every time he sulks and pouts after a play gone awry, but he did his part. So congratulations go out to the Super Bowl Champs.

Now that I’ve vomited and rinsed, let’s talk some Cowboys…

Coaching:

Jason Garrett had his blunders – and oh were they stupid and agonizing to watch – but overall I think he made a positive impact on this team. He’s still too iffy about the running game but it doesn’t appear his personal style as a quarterback has anything to do with it. When he had a capable back he used him and we were better off for it. Here’s hope DeMarco Murray returns to health quickly and hasn’t lost a step. Garrett can call the plays and do it well when he’s got capable – not great – receivers, tailbacks, and quarterback on the field. The opposing defense is an after-thought, this team can make any play they want when they execute properly.

Houck – He’s been a great coach for us in the past and that’s probably the doom for us. He’s been good and Garrett knows that as well Jerry Jones does and for his past contributions we would have never fired him, damning these ‘Boys to an archaic running game that doesn’t work anymore. So my hat’s off to him for retiring. What’s coming next is a surprise for us as we get a change of pace, but with Murray we should be able to make it work. Fingers and Toes crossed!

When Dave Campo returned I thought it would be a good thing. At the time we still had Roy Williams I playing and he was in a slump, a slump that Campo couldn’t bring back despite his success with Roy years earlier. And Maxie wasn’t getting it done either. Both are solid changes and again I have to thank Maxie for making the change, considering the Cowboys offered him a new contract.

Offense:

The offense for next year really boils down to three things – The line, the back, and the receivers.

The offensive line got a shade better this year with Tyron Smith coming into his own. He’s an athletic giant on the line and though he had a few mistakes, the rookie proved himself. Now the question is will he make the switch to the left side and will he be able to perform at the same level on the left – I say yes. He’s young and learning.

But Doug Free is a pussy cat who needs either a major attitude downgrade or a nice and cozy bench to keep warm. He’s got all the make-up of a good lineman but he’s just too tame – he needs a bigger bite to go with his bark. Phil Costa is simply bad. I know he’s young and has a lot of learning to do but damn son, how do you forget the snap count more than once? I think he’s scared and unfocused. He snaps when he should hold, and he snaps badly in anticipation of the defensive linemen coming.

DeMarco Murray has the ability to become a great running back in this league and he was well on his way when injury forced him to a stop. He’s got speed, vision, quickness, and he’s tough enough to withstand a few tackles (attempts). Add in Felix “Greatest running back in the NFL – NOT” Jones to give some relief and a change of pace at the line and we’ve got a duo that is easy to maintain, easy to game-plan for, and about as effective as any tandem in the league since Smith and Moose tore it up back in the day. High praise I know, but it’s mostly for Murray. That kid has something special.

By the by – anyone else find it strange that two years in a row, in the first meeting of each year the Giants have broken one of our primary producers bones? First Romo’s collarbone and now Murray’s ankle… Just saying.

Dez is doing whatever the hell he’s doing to undermine his potential, but we still have Austin (Fad) and Robinson (Hype). Miles Austin has flashed brilliance a few times but a number one receiver he is not.

His break out game against the Chiefs a couple of years ago was mainly due to the fact there was little to no game footage on him – he was an unknown for the Kansas defense. He had some good games after that but once an off-season came and went he lost his edge.

Bryant is our number one and Robinson our number two. Robinson isn’t real flashy but he’s consistent and can make the big plays when the ball is within his arm span. He’s just one of those pieces of a puzzle that you can’t make a full picture without. Then again, if Bryant doesn’t step up and focus and execute then we’re in trouble. During the final minutes of the Jets game it was all Bryant. People look back now and say it was Revis verses Bryant but it really wasn’t. It was a short route and Bryant had position on Revis – just not the position Romo was throwing to. Bryant goofed on a fundamental aspect – run the route, catch the ball.

Meanwhile Romo had a great year, but ESPN pointed out the tell… Romo had a record passer rating and yet the ‘Boys were middle of the pack on scoring. Those are two things that shouldn’t go together. I don’t blame Romo – he did his job. He threw short, long, low, high, whatever was asked of him. He had his mistakes as any QB does but his team didn’t help. His receivers need to focus and run their routes, they need to be mindful of where defenders are, and they need to catch and then run. And in Bryant’s case he needs to run up the field a little more. That kid is like a hamster in a wheel – legs are churning but he’s not going anywhere. As an added bonus, we see him take on three and four times the hits for it too.

There’s no great mystery to this offense for 2012 – if healthy they do what they did mid-season with a solid mix of run and pass. It worked. Not because the other guys’ defense was off but because it was a powerful combination that worked.

Defense:

They say defense wins championships and while that’s hardly accurate in the full spectrum of things, it’s a damned fine place to start for these ‘Boys. The line played well for what they are – you don’t get huge sack totals from the line in a 3-4. They’re merely for blocking and redirection and they did both effectively.

The linebackers fell a little short though. I’m not saying the line shouldn’t do more because they always should, but the obvious miscommunications and confusion behind them was a serious problem that can’t be repeated without the same 8-8 result. Lee was a bright spot and from what I’m hearing he’ll take over signal calling next year. He’s young and that could creep up into an issue but for now he’s our top defender hands down.

I love Ware, the guy gets it done, but in 2011 he was swimming upstream far too often. Spencer again lacked any demonstration that warranted his praise or pay. James and Brooking signed their names next to Missed Tackles most of the year and missed assignments the rest of it. A few rookies got some play and managed when more than managing was needed – not exactly their fault what the other linebackers and secondary do or don’t do.

I’m one of these types that believes you can’t cure an illness by fixing a symptom and 2011 seemed like a whole lot of symptoms were trying to be fixed with personnel. Look at ILB – Brooking and James, two very experienced and previously dominating forces rotating at the head spot, signal caller. Why on earth do you need that much experience to point out a run or pass? It comes down to the coach usually, the guy saying what’s to be done when a certain condition is met. Maybe it was the lack of an off-season or maybe it was an overcomplicated scheme; either way, these Cowboys did not get it. Some plays worked great, others were just disastrous. But who says the coach is to blame for this teams defensive woes?

T-New is all over the place. From hurdled to beat, missed catches to penalties, he’s simply not worth a rookie salary anymore. It was said during the year that the game plan was to play him off his receiver 10 yards, we universally balked at that and for good reason – why is a formerly great cover guy playing 10 yards off the ball? Because he lost a step, guts, and because all the corners were playing off! They simply did not have the confidence in the corners to play press or man coverage and get it done. 70 yard TD passes over their head will do that. But why is Ryan making a defense centered around making up for what his guys can’t do? It makes no sense.

I see the ‘Boys drafting hard in the DB market this year to get some fresh and able blood at corner. Jenkins played with a ton of heart but he missed the mark as well – probably due to his constantly injured shoulder, probably. But Scandrick was horrible, as was Ball. Sensabaugh actually didn’t do as bad as the others but he’s still just an average safety. Of course when you have catastrophic failures in every other part of your coverage game, an average guy looks like a new contract.

Many think he should be dumped as well as Newman, Scandrick, and Ball but the basic truth is that they’re going to have a hard enough time replacing the corners, never mind adding a safety into the mix. Elam isn’t great but he’s a good start. Essentially, the safety spots are both filled by average players who aren’t glaring liabilities at present, so leave them and focus on the liabilities around them. Down the line, theoretically, you’d reach a point where those average safeties become the liability and that’s when you deal with them.

Special Teams:

Rookie kicker had a few tough games, but let’s remember two of them were directly because of his own head coach. Garrett icing him certainly did the trick and literally cost us the game as he made the first kick, but it also paved the way for the second iced kick by showing how well it worked on our boy. Bailey is good though, and will get another season to show it.

McBriar says today that he feels the surgery to remove a cyst believed to be causing his nerve issues is all he needs to return to form, and a mere recovery is all he needs. He’s a rock at punter and we need him back. He’s also a free agent and will just be getting healthy again around the week free agency starts. I predict we’ll resign him if he can pass the physical and kick the ball. His skill isn’t a question, only his health.

The special teams units looked good all year – most of the year – had a few run backs gone too far late in the season but otherwise it was a solid unit for once. And luckily DeCamillis is here to stay for another year.

All-in-all this team needs a lot of work and much of it is now down to new players – through the draft, free agency, and our own talent pool (practice squad and backups). The offense needs health and the defense needs better players. It’s at least an easy problem to figure out, even if the solution isn’t quite so clear.

Cowboys Beat Saints? Unlikely, Yet Reasons for Hope.

Who dat say dey gonna beat them saints? Not the Cowboys. Sorry guys, the Cowboys team you’ve watched the last two weeks is much improved that’s true. However, It’s a long shot the Cowboys beat the defending Super Bowl Champions on Thursday.

We can’t rely on Kitna doing another 30-yard scramble. We can’t rely on Bryan McCann defying odds and once again changing a game. We certainly can’t rely on Marion Barber to be efficient with his carries, and I’m fairly certain we can’t rely on Alan Ball and the Dallas Secondary to shut down this Saints passing attack.

So if we can’t rely on any of those things what hope do we have?

My hope is there every Sunday and this is why it’s been restored:

Jason Garrett has gone from interim head coach to head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the matter of two weeks. Not because he won 2 games but because of the presence he brings to the organization. For the first time in 10 years (besides Parcells) we have a disciplinarian who understands the steps that need to be taken to have a disciplined football team who can execute on and off the field.

You may or may not like Jason Garrett but you’re going to have to learn to accept him as this teams coach. I fully expect that Jerry will continue his continuity theme and keep Garrett not just for next year but I think we can expect to see a 5-7 year tenure unless he completely tanks out.

The second reason for hope? How about the rookie Dez Bryant? With Kitna in, Bryant will always be a red-zone nightmare. Those two have developed an obvious rapport that’s allowing Dez Bryant to grow into a legitimate NFL receiver.

Suddenly, comparisons of Dez to Michael Irvin don’t’ sound so crazy. Dez has really started showing up, in his last game he has 3 touchdowns and in his last six games he has 6. It might now show it on the depth chart but the Cowboys have two number 1 wide receivers and one of them is not named Roy.

Dez Bryants talents as a receiver hardly justify the comparisons to Irvin. It’s the presence he brings, the fact that no matter where Dez Bryant is he needs to be accounted for because he’s a playmaker waiting for his chance.

So hope? There is some. Hope lies solely in the presence of two the emerging Cowboys personalities. We’re 3-7 so we’ve got nothing to lose, how about the Boys give us a good Turkey Day?

Brain Injuries in The NFL

I’ve been watching and reading about the NFL and its interest to help reduce brain injuries. Some of the things I’ve heard about, such as eliminating the 3-point stance for linemen, are just ridiculous to the game of football, but I do understand why it’s an issue to be concerned about. Below is an article on the subject submitted to me by Chelsea Travers of CareMeridian, let’s give it a read.

Sports and TBI II

Athletics are a great way to stay active. Millions of people each day take part in different activities that allow them to compete and stay healthy. However, some contact sports, like football, can cause serious damage and life long injuries like a Traumatic Brain Injury. A TBI can permanently alter someone’s life by changing their personality, creating physical ailments and may even require long-term rehabilitation from special care facilities like CareMeridian. These injuries are too common when participating in sports, but if the right precautions are taken prevention is possible.

According to the Brain Injury Resource Center, an estimated 300,000 sports related brain injuries occur each year. While the majority of these injuries appear minor many involve concussions. A concussion may seem mild initially, but can result in significant damage over a long period of time if untreated. Concussions are head injuries that are caused from blows to the head that cause the brain to shake violently within the skull. This can cause the brain to bruise, bleed, and/or tear. Concussions occur in every sport, but in football this injury is especially common and often times ignored.

It has been reported that the NFL has a concussion rate of 61%, which is one of the highest percentages for professional sports. This is why recently the NFL has established medical summits that bring in medical professionals to study concussions and head injuries. By inviting scientists and doctors to these summits the NFL is allowing awareness to be presented to both management and players. This will hopefully both curb concussions and prevent the long term damage that can result from a brain injury.

The article is very clear and to the point ~ football causes brain injuries at a pretty alarming rate of occurrence. It’s not rocket science. Men + banging heads = brain injuries like concussions.

Where I jump off the bus is the NFL trying to reshape the game of football to reduce head and brain trauma. These guys, football players, all know the risks heading into it. Yet when something happens, some freakish accident that severely injures a player, possibly ending his career and many aspects of his normal life to that point in time, the affected player always tries to act like a victim.

The fact is that football is a physical and dangerous game. That’s something I learned as a young boy because of knee issues that weren’t caused by playing. My knee problems did make me overly aware of the risk of injuring my knee(s) further, and so I chose to not play football. These guys all have the same choice, but it’s up to the players to make the choice, not the NFL. It certainly isn’t up to the fans and other spectators. But that’s just my view on it.

What’s your view on concussions and other brain injuries in football? Sound off in the comments below after throwing in your vote on the poll.

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Tomlinson, Westbrook Cut: Nick Folk Signs With Jets

It looks like a bad year to be a veteran running back in the NFL. First the Chargers release 9 year vet LaDainian Tomlinson and now the Eagles have delivered a shiny new axe to Brian Westbrook.

I must say that L.T. leaving San Diego is a story that’s been in the making for a while now. It was just this time last year when the rumor mill was swirling with the pending decision to keep or cut him. It’s the first of his nine seasons to finish the year with under 1,100 yards rushing.

Though the general consensus is that his release was due to monetary constraints. It doesn’t hurt that Darren Sproles was technically backing Tomlinson up either.

Brian Westbrook, however, has come on as a franchise runner in Philly so I doubt anyone expected that he’d be released.

Westbrook did have some issues over a concussion that helped put a spotlight on the late and great movement toward player safety and giving concussed players ample time to heal before checking back into the game. He missed a few games and ended the year well short of his best season yardage with only 274 yards on the ground.

Personally, I’m surprised enough by the Eagles’ move that I’d now think twice before saying with any degree of confidence that Andy Reid or Donovan McNabb wouldn’t be released. Westbrook may not have been the top rusher in Philadelphia the past two years, but he wasn’t considered expendable either.

Nick Folk is going Green
Looks like that trip to New York for tryouts wasn’t a wasted effort after all for the former Cowboys kicker. The Jets have signed him to a one year deal, opting to go with a rebounding Folk over veteran place kicker Jay Feely.

Maybe Folk can turn things around before they get any worse for him.

Don’t forget, I want your reactions to Tomlinson and Westbrook being released, and Folk’s future with the J – E – T – S.

Dallas Cowboys Hire Bobby King To Replace Dat Nguyen

Earlier this year former Dallas linebacker turned Dallas assistant head coach and assistant linebackers coach Dat Nguyen announced that he was not interested in returning to the Cowboys in 2010. Reasons cited took focus around the notion that Nguyen felt there wasn’t room for the kind of advancement he wanted in the near future.

He has since returned to Texas A&M as the linebackers coach.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys officially hired Bobby King to replace Nguyen today. From the DMN Cowboys Blog:

“Bobby King, a defensive line coach at West Texas A&M the past two seasons, has been added to the staff as a defensive assistant. Before his latest coaching stint with the Buffaloes, King worked defensive tackles at Baylor in 2006 and ’07. He was a teammate of Cowboys quality control coach Wes Phillips at UT El Paso and also worked on staffs with Phillips at West Texas A&M (’05) and Baylor (’06).” – Feb. 17, David Moore

Ex-Cowboys Kicker Nick Folk On The Hunt

After leading the league in 2009 with 10 missed field goal attempts at the three-quarter mark, Dallas’ star kicker Nick Folk was cut in search of consistency on the three-point-tries.

Dallas went on to sign Shaun Suisham who has flopped so far and Folk went to the unemployment lines.

Some of us Dallas fans struggled with the decision to release Folk. Some said he still hadn’t gotten right after his preseason hip surgery and others simply maintained that he needed time to work through a tough spell in his young career. Neither has yet to be settled as anything more than mere speculation.

As of today, though, the clock starts ticking down to the moment when we’ll all know if Folk was a two-year man or just in need of some refocusing.

According to Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com, Nick Folk is headed to New York for tryouts with both the New York Jets and New York Giants. The Giants still have a guy under contract while the Jets’ only kicker is an unrestricted free agent. Read the full article at PFT: Nick Folk Has Two Tryouts Coming Up

Apparently few have forgotten what Folk has done when at his best and seem to be willing to give him a shot. We’ll have to keep an eye out to see what happens.

Anyone think Dallas could/should/would resign Folk before the 2010 season starts? Give your answers in the comments.

Connor Hughes Faced Off With Shaun Suisham

What a year for kickers in Dallas. First we start off thinking that we’re golden, set to go.

We got the newbie David Buehler ready to handling the kick offs and Pro Bowl strong-leg Nick Folk coming back as the place kicker. The worst things we had to worry about were injuries or maybe the rookie fluffing out, in which case Folk would just go back to kicking short kick offs again.

Nobody expected Folk to struggle the way he did.

Connor Hughes was one of the guys who tried out with Folks replacement, Shaun Suisham late in the year. He’s basically got nothing by way of experience having played a year for Philly in the AFL, plus two training camps, one with Pittsburgh and the other with New Orleans.

It would seem that his lack of experience is exactly why he wasn’t retained to finish out the year. Instead we resigned Shaun Suisham shortly after the Redskins cut him for missing a couple of field goals. Actually he missed a couple of tries against the then unbeaten Saints, and they had a shot to win it late too. Suisham easily got the blame for that loss.

So now, after being resigned to the team, Hughes is saying that he out-performed all of the other kickers who tried out during the year, and only lost out because of his lack of playing time.

He did go 5 for 5 in exhibition games with the Steelers and Saints, though most were under 30 yards.

The possible Cinderella story Hughes hopes that now he can come in and do a good job for the Cowboys. Maybe he can shore up a kicking game that has been lacking consistency, aside from a great year with folk, for more than a decade.

As for Suisham, this was a return to Dallas for him, and he didn’t do so well. He’ll be most remembered for missing two field goals, chip shots at that, against the Vikings to stunt momentum in the Divisional round of the playoffs.

So long Suisham…I’m tired of spelling your name.

Read the full story on DMN – Cowboys Kicker: I Outperformed Shaun Suisham in December

Deon Anderson Facing Jail Time: Matt Stover’s Dream is Alive

As we reported earlier this week, Deon Anderson was arrested do to traffic warrants. It seems as though things have gotten a little deeper since Deon was charged with misdemeanor deadly conduct after allegedly pulling a gun on a valet staff member outside of an Addison, TX restaurant.

Anderson has been quoted as being unsure of his job security and you have to believe his career is in jeopardy.

The Cowboys are a year removed from a successful locker room spring-cleaning and this is the very thing that Jerry Jones said he was trying to get rid of. With Anderson facing a year in jail, you have to believe his time to go is now.

Matt Stover’s Childhood Dream Could Come True

Matt Stover is a 20-year-veteran NFL kicker. After growing up in Dallas, none of his pro games have been played as a Cowboy. Despite Stover’s age, he is still a pretty reliable kicker, finishing the season 9 of 11 with a long of 43 and a 93 percent career accuracy rating.

One thing that is starting to rust on Stover is his kickoffs, which has limited his looks from other teams. He was signed to Indianapolis after an injury to Adam Vinatieri and has proved he still has some gas left in the tank.

Being a Dallas native, his long held dream has been to play for the Dallas Cowboys, something he’s joked about still wanting with reporters from Miami this week.

Stover will be a free agent this year. Could it be time for some veteran assistance on field goals next year?

Super Bowl Memories

In a game where Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach both suffered injuries, the Doomsday Defense was able to prevail against the Orange Crush Denver Bronco’s. The Cowboys forced four fumbles that day and Morton threw 4 interceptions as the Dallas Cowboys rolled through this Super Bowl for it’s second world championship.

Final Score:

Dallas 27 Denver 10

Deon Anderson Arrested: Cutting Nick Folk Was Justified

Cowboys starting fullback Deon Anderson was arrested for traffic warrants when police were called to a local restaurant for a dispute between the player and staff. Typically this wouldn’t make news except for the fact that two weapons were confiscated from Anderson’s car.

Anderson posted bail from the Irving, TX jail the next morning. Though no charges were directly filed against the Cowboys player, it’s worth keeping an eye on. The Cowboys expressed knowledge of the incident and we will follow any subsequent action from the organization.

An Old Folk Tale

Sometimes you’ll hear an organization criticized for its moves throughout the season. The same is true for Cowboys ex-kicker Nick Folk. It seems as though everyone says the Cowboys acted too fast on the release of Folk. I strongly disagree. This is a job and if you are not performing your job you shouldn’t have it. Sorry if that’s harsh but it’s true, the dude’s getting paid millions to kick a ball weekly.

Am I being to harsh? Maybe, because I can’t kick field goals. I do know however that there are people in this country being shot at daily so that the NFL can still exist and saving lives and they make what? $40-70,000 dollars? Get real.

Super Bowl Memories

In Super Bowl 28 the Dallas Cowboys played a Buffalo Bills team that seemed ready to finally win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, one man stood in their way—Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys were down 13-6 when Leon Lett forced a fumble and Safety James Washington scooped it up for a defensive touchdown.

This sparked the Cowboys offense and Emmitt led the way on a perfect drive where he produced 61 yards on 7 touches and a touchdown to cap it off. Smith finished with 30 rushes for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, earning himself the game MVP award.

Final Score: 30-13

Dallas Cowboys Nation

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