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.

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An injury update for Cowboys Fans starts today’s Daily Dose!  Marion Barber and OLB DeMarcus Ware have been listed on Thursday’s injury report.   Ware sat with back pains, however, it is hard to believe he’ll even consider missing this game.  Ware has been playing with a wrist and neck injury through the past few weeks.

RB Marion Barber, was listed as not practicing with a knee injury.  The injury is not expected to be serious, and Barber is expected to go Saturday night against Philly.  If Barber is limited, it is good news that the Cowboys were able to get Tashard Choice back in the lineup.

Lastly, You can expect Marc Colombo to go Saturday, which will be a huge boost.  Doug Free has been playing some good football and will rotate snaps with Colombo.  Free hasn’t done enough to take Colombo’s spot, but has done enough to comfort some Cowboys fans who might be afraid what life will be like after Flo.

Giants look to hire

It has been reported through the Newark-Star Ledger that the Giants have contacted Defensive Coordinator/Head Coach Romeo Crennel.  If you remember Crennel paired with Charlie Weis to help the Patriots become a dominant dynasty earlier in the decade.  Crennel would be a smart choice for the Giants, despite his 3-4 scheme, he is a brilliant defensive mind who could easily translate some of the issues on the defense into strengths.

What can Brown do for you?

Eric Mangini has been granted a reprieve.  He will indeed be the coach of the Cleveland Browns next season.  That being said, he better figure out something with star player Joshua Cribbs.  Mangini really started to get things going at the end of the season, thanks in large part to Jerome Harrison and Cribbs.  Cribbs was quoted on Sirius NFL Radio as saying “We all just started to by into (Coach Mangini’s) system.” If the end of the season is any indication about how the Browns can play now that players and coaches are on the same page, bit things could happen.  Especially with a mastermind like Holmgren at the helm.

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Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX When: January 9, 2010, 7:00 PM on NBC

This is it – the matchup of the weekend.  There is nothing left, you win or go home.  The Cowboys are all too familiar with going home, having not won a playoff matchup since the 1996 season.  Last week the Cowboys displayed dominance over this Philadelphia Eagles team in Dallas, getting their second straight shutout this season. You can expect the Eagles to bring everything they have – as Tony Romo said, “Every blitz in the book.”  They are the masters of blitzing and their schemes are disguised brilliantly.  This game won’t be a shut out, it should be a blood bath.  We’re talking old school NFC East rivalries at their best, the winner is likely to have the Super Bowl in their grasp. Fans or not, if this game isn’t in your plans for Saturday night, I doubt you really enjoy football.  Tough D, Play making offenses – Are you ready for some football?

How They Stack Up

11-5 Record 11-5 6-2 Home 6-2 5-3 Road 5-3 4-2 Division 4-2 429 Total Points 363 21.1 Avg Points Allowed 15.6 26.8 Avg Points Per Game 22.7 5726 Total Offense 6390 4098 Pass Yards 4287 1637 Rush Yards 2103 47 TD 43 44 Sacks 42 Lost 1 Streak Won 3 2nd, NFC East – #6 Seed NFC Position 1st, NFC East – #3 Seed NFC

Eagles (11-5)	Key Matchups	Cowboys (11-5)
Dallas Defensive Line (3-4) DE DT DE The Dallas Cowboys come into this matchup with a defensive line that has helped attain 38 sacks this season, while limiting teams to a rushing yards per game average of 94.1 – good for 5th in the league. This unit is highlighted by Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle Jay Ratliff who had 2 sacks against the Redskins last week. Opposing the Cowboys in the trenches is a tough offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles. This line has allowed 34 sacks this season and is responsible for the play of Donovan McNabb. If this line wasn’t good, DeSean Jackson wouldn’t be so dominant. The Eagles rank 21st in rushing offense, and have lost their starting center for the remainder of the season. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Offensive Line LT LG C RG RT
Dallas Offensive Line RT RG C LG LT The Dallas Cowboys have one of the largest offensive lines in the league. They lead the way for the leagues 8th best rush offense. They have gotten better lately in protecting Tony Romo but still have obvious weaknesses and that mostly lies at Left Tackle where Flozell Adams isn’t always reliable. Trent Cole is an animal and will be able to beat Adams from time to time, match that with the improved play of Defensive Tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson and you have a formula for the leagues 8th best rush defense. The real story will lie with the pass rush, the Cowboys have allowed 32 sacks this season, and Tony doesn’t like feeling pressured. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Defensive Line (4-3) DE DT DT DE
Dallas Wide Receivers WR WR WR WR WR I’m really struggling with analyzing this matchup. On one hand Miles Austin, Kevin Ogletree, and Crayton have been spot on. Austin is someone you have to account for on every play and even when you do, you still might get burned. Whereas Ogletree and Crayton have offered great plays when they are called upon, they are not called upon as often as Austin. On the other hand, Roy Williams can’t hold onto the ball and Sam Hurd, while good, has been dropping some as well in his limited playing time. Roy says he’s going to get back to basics, but only time will tell if it helps. Philly offers a decent, not stellar, pass defense that ranks in the middle of the league. There is only one man that really jumps out at me as a game changer and, unfortunately, he’s a big game changer. Asante Samuel is a tough DB to face, he’s a pick 6 threat all day long. This matchup will shape the game. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Defensive Backs DB DB FS DB DB
Dallas Defensive Backs DB DB FS DB DB The Dallas Defense has been stepping up huge lately and may possibly be one of the best defenses in the NFL right now. We’ve seen that they’ve improved many of their flaws but the deep game remains to be seen. Jenkins and Hamlin have been locking down their side of the field, but my biggest concern is Terence Newman. Despite his All Pro repuation, he hasn’t been playing at the level he’s capable of. Not to say he’s not good, because he is, but he needs to lock down his side of the field this week to keep us in this. Philly’s wide receivers are among the most dynamic in the league. From DeSean to Maclin to Avant you can believe that these receivers can break any game wide open. With their deep threat capability, Brent Celek is given a lot of chances to make short gains. This is a versatile passing game that is almost impossible to control. Our only hope is fundamental containment … maybe that will work. Advantage: Philadelphia Philadelphia Wide Receivers WR WR WR WR WR
Dallas Running Backs & Tight Ends RB RB RB FB TE TE TE The Cowboys have one of the most impressive running back rotations in the league. Combine that with Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett and even John Phillips and you have yourself a pretty amazing core. Jason Witten is going to tear through Philly’s mediocre front 7 and it’s going to be an all day combination with Tony Romo. Felix will dash, Barber will Smash, and Tash will run that wildcat to perfection, allowing plenty of offensive balance. This Eagles unit to me is mediocre. Will Witherspoon is talented, but Trotter has lost a step and besides those two the unit as a whole is young. Inexperience will hurt these guys and they will not be able to contain the Cowboys balanced offensive attack. Advantage: Dallas Philadelphia Linebackers OLB LB OLB SS MLB MLB OLB
Dallas Linebackers OLB OLB MLB SS MLB LB LB If you’re a football fan, names like Brooking, Ware, and Bradie James should keep you listening. This linebacker team is the core behind the re-emergence of the Dallas D. Ware and Spencer seem to be almost unblockable while Brooking and James have been wreaking havoc on running backs and tight ends. Most experts would consider this a top 5 unit and it’s going to be hard to break through. Westbrook is dangerous when healthy and McCoy has potential. However, neither of these two are going to make a difference in this game. Philly has a secret weapon in the run game and that is their fullback, Leonard Weaver. Weaver can run, catch, and block and it’s just plain difficult to gameplan for a fullback with that potential mixed with dangerous running backs. I’m originally from Philly and my father is a die-hard Eagles fan and he repeatedly tells me that Weaver is the difference maker and I believe him. Advantage: Dallas Philadelphia Runnings Backs & Tight Ends RB RB RB FB TE
	Players To Watch
LeSean McCoy	HB LeSean McCoy Since last weeks gameplan of complex aerial attacks didn’t seem to work against the stingy Dallas Defense, I expect the Eagles will try a gameplan that will involve controlling the clock and game.  Brian Westbrook proved ineffective in the last meeting, and LeSean McCoy is young and talented enough to be what the Eagles need in a HB.
	QB Tony Romo It will once again be Tony Romo who wins this game.  Tony played brilliantly again last week.  He has evolved into one of the leagues most elite game managers.  If Jason Garrett can keep him prepared for a complex Eagles defense, Tony will be patient enough to pick this defense apart once again.	Tony Romo
DeSean Jackson	WR DeSean Jackson After being shut down by Mike Jenkins and Company, Jackson has been talking a lot of trash via twitter.  He’ll be looking to smoke the competition and bring in a big win for Philly.  He’ll be dangerous and the Eagles might be using him on more short yardage plays, so it’ll be up to the likes of James and Brooking to keep an eye on that.
	The Dallas Cowboys Crowd Not really players to watch, but the Cowboys Fans are known as being soft and have never created such an energy that has intimidated other teams.  The noise and excitement from the crowd will impact the Cowboys as a team, so if they are loud and supportive, expect the Cowboys to meet their energy.
	Key Injuries
WR Reggie Brown – Shoulder (Full Participation) C Nick Cole – Knee (Full Participation) S Quintin Demps – Ankle (Full Participation) WR Jeremy Maclin – Foot (Full Participation) QB Micheal Vick – Quadricep (Full Participation) T Marc Colombo – Ankle (Out) S Pat Watkins – Knee (Out) WR Miles Austin – Thumb (Full Participation) CB Terence Newman – Knee (Full Participation) S Gerald Sensabaugh – Thumb (Full Participation) LB DeMarcus Ware – Wrist (Full Participation)
Winner
I’m not straying far from my decision last week.  I believe the Cowboys play an impressive game, I’m going to give them the edge but only because they are at home.  I think the Cowboys could definitely lose this game.  Even if they do, don’t count it as a lost season.  This is a young team that will be competitive for years to come. Dallas 21 Philly 17

Keys To The Game Cover 2 – Having 2 safety’s clouding the top worked perfectly and I expect the Cowboys to keep that strategy up.  Despite giving Celek the middle all day, the Boy’s were able to contain most large pass plays.  It’s important to not give up on whats working. Stuff the Run – We want a recap of last weeks gameplan.  So basically we have to stop the Eagles from achieving dominance on the ground.  This will shut down McNabb’s play action and make them one dimensional. Pressure – Pressure McNabb all day.  Make him unsure and untrusting of the capability of his offensive line and the game will become pretty easy. Stay balanced – Jason Garrett called a great game last week.  His balance of inside runs, toss’s, play action passes, and screens has kept a young Eagles D confused.  Not much will have to change here, just keep it effective.

Some Other Reading Cowboy’s VS. Eagles! Take 3 NFL.COM analyzes this matchup.

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How They Stack Up

11-4 Record 10-5 6-2 Home 5-2 5-2 Road 5-3 4-1 Division 3-2 429 Total Points 339 20.9 Avg Points Allowed 16.7 28.6 Avg Points Per Game 22.6 5498 Total Offense 5916 3898 Pass Yards 3992 1600 Rush Yards 1924 47 TD 40 42 Sacks 37 Won 6 Streak Won 2 1st, NFC East Position 2nd, NFC East

Eagles (11-4)	Key Matchups	Cowboys (10-5)
Dallas Defensive Line (3-4) DE DT DE The Dallas Cowboys come into this matchup with a defensive line that has helped attain 38 sacks this season, while limiting teams to a rushing yards per game average of 94.1 – good for 5th in the league. This unit is highlighted by Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle Jay Ratliff who had 2 sacks against the Redskins last week. Opposing the Cowboys in the trenches is a tough offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles. This line has allowed 34 sacks this season and is responsible for the play of Donovan McNabb. If this line wasn’t good, DeSean Jackson wouldn’t be so dominant. The Eagles rank 21st in rushing offense, and have lost their starting center for the remainder of the season. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Offensive Line LT LG C RG RT
Dallas Offensive Line RT RG C LG LT The Dallas Cowboys have one of the largest offensive lines in the league. They lead the way for the leagues 8th best rush offense. They have gotten better lately in protecting Tony Romo but still have obvious weaknesses and that mostly lies at Left Tackle where Flozell Adams isn’t always reliable. Trent Cole is an animal and will be able to beat Adams from time to time, match that with the improved play of Defensive Tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson and you have a formula for the leagues 8th best rush defense. The real story will lie with the pass rush, the Cowboys have allowed 32 sacks this season, and Tony doesn’t like feeling pressured. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Defensive Line (4-3) DE DT DT DE
Dallas Wide Receivers WR WR WR WR WR I’m really struggling with analyzing this matchup. On one hand Miles Austin, Kevin Ogletree, and Crayton have been spot on. Austin is someone you have to account for on every play and even when you do, you still might get burned. Whereas Ogletree and Crayton have offered great plays when they are called upon, they are not called upon as often as Austin. On the other hand, Roy Williams can’t hold onto the ball and Sam Hurd, while good, has been dropping some as well in his limited playing time. Roy says he’s going to get back to basics, but only time will tell if it helps. Philly offers a decent, not stellar, pass defense that ranks in the middle of the league. There is only one man that really jumps out at me as a game changer and, unfortunately, he’s a big game changer. Asante Samuel is a tough DB to face, he’s a pick 6 threat all day long. This matchup will shape the game. Advantage: Draw Philadelphia Defensive Backs DB DB FS DB DB
Dallas Defensive Backs DB DB FS DB DB The Dallas Defense has been stepping up huge lately and may possibly be one of the best defenses in the NFL right now. We’ve seen that they’ve improved many of their flaws but the deep game remains to be seen. Jenkins and Hamlin have been locking down their side of the field, but my biggest concern is Terence Newman. Despite his All Pro repuation, he hasn’t been playing at the level he’s capable of. Not to say he’s not good, because he is, but he needs to lock down his side of the field this week to keep us in this. Philly’s wide receivers are among the most dynamic in the league. From DeSean to Maclin to Avant you can believe that these receivers can break any game wide open. With their deep threat capability, Brent Celek is given a lot of chances to make short gains. This is a versatile passing game that is almost impossible to control. Our only hope is fundamental containment … maybe that will work. Advantage: Philadelphia Philadelphia Wide Receivers WR WR WR WR WR
Dallas Running Backs & Tight Ends RB RB RB FB TE TE TE The Cowboys have one of the most impressive running back rotations in the league. Combine that with Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett and even John Phillips and you have yourself a pretty amazing core. Jason Witten is going to tear through Philly’s mediocre front 7 and it’s going to be an all day combination with Tony Romo. Felix will dash, Barber will Smash, and Tash will run that wildcat to perfection, allowing plenty of offensive balance. This Eagles unit to me is mediocre. Will Witherspoon is talented, but Trotter has lost a step and besides those two the unit as a whole is young. Inexperience will hurt these guys and they will not be able to contain the Cowboys balanced offensive attack. Advantage: Dallas Philadelphia Linebackers OLB LB OLB SS MLB MLB OLB
Dallas Linebackers OLB OLB MLB SS MLB LB LB If you’re a football fan, names like Brooking, Ware, and Bradie James should keep you listening. This linebacker team is the core behind the re-emergence of the Dallas D. Ware and Spencer seem to be almost unblockable while Brooking and James have been wreaking havoc on running backs and tight ends. Most experts would consider this a top 5 unit and it’s going to be hard to break through. Westbrook is dangerous when healthy and McCoy has potential. However, neither of these two are going to make a difference in this game. Philly has a secret weapon in the run game and that is their fullback, Leonard Weaver. Weaver can run, catch, and block and it’s just plain difficult to gameplan for a fullback with that potential mixed with dangerous running backs. I’m originally from Philly and my father is a die-hard Eagles fan and he repeatedly tells me that Weaver is the difference maker and I believe him. Advantage: Dallas Philadelphia Runnings Backs & Tight Ends RB RB RB FB TE
	Players To Watch
Sav Rocca	P Sav Rocca & Mat McBriar Special teams are going to have a heavy influence on the outcome of this game. Thats why I’ve highlighted these punters as players to watch. With extremely explosive offenses for both teams you need to give them the longest field possible.	Mat McBriar
	QB Tony Romo Tony’s been brilliant as of late. Throwing only 1 interception in the last month. It’s not only about his improved play though, it’s been his ability to manage games and read defenses that has attributed to his success. Maybe the hottest quarterback in the league, Tony will have to manage, read, and deliver in this game. It’ll be up to him to make the proper changes and get this offense clicking early.	Tony Romo
DeSean Jackson	WR DeSean Jackson DeSean Jackson is the Eagles X-Factor. There is no doubt he has playmaking ability and explosive potential. In this game he’ll face a defense that has been known for being weak against the deep ball and you have to expect him to be able to find holes. The only question is if he’ll be able to burn up-and-coming CB Mike Jenkins who has played some of his best ball as of late.
	images via yahoo.com
	Key Injuries
WR Reggie Brown – Shoulder (Probable) C Nick Cole – Knee (Probable) S Quintin Demps – Ankle (Probable) WR Jeremy Maclin – Foot (Probable) QB Micheal Vick – Quadricep (Probable) G Max Jean-Gilles – Ankle (Probable) T Marc Colombo – Ankle (Out) S Pat Watkins – Knee (Out) WR Miles Austin – Thumb (Probable) CB Terence Newman – Knee (Probable) S Gerald Sensabaugh – Thumb (Probable) LB DeMarcus Ware – Wrist (Probable)
Winner
The Cowboys battle hard and won’t lose by a lack of effort but are unable to contain some of the big plays and lose, which might turn out to give them a better road to the playoffs. Philadelphia 30 – Dallas 24

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Typically the “Daily Dose” is an article pertaining to the news around the league, but what happens when the Dallas Cowboys are the news around the league.  That’s right, for once the Cowboys are the talk of the media world for something besides drama and December woes.  This week the Cowboys have set the mark of team who is playing on all cylinders and poised to make a play off victory.

Most will attribute it to Tony Romo, others to DeMarcus Ware, and some to Miles Austin.  While these 3 players are well known as some of the best in the league and the true future of this franchise, there is one player who isn’t getting his due.  Mike Jenkins has done a tremendous job of shutting down his side  of the field in pass coverage.  He is quietly becoming an all pro cornerback who is capable of shutting down any receiver.

In his most recent blog at MikeJenkins21.com, he writes about how he went from a cornerback who wasn’t sure of his starting job to a break out star.  He attributes it directly to the battle with Scandrick that helped mold him.  Check out the article from the link below.

Check out Jenkins Blog here.

Ochocinco Playing With Fire

Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinatti Bengals has called out Pro Bowl Cornerback Darrell Revis.

“Darrell Revis couldn’t cover me in a brown bag on a corner of a Manhattan street inside a phone booth, it’s impossible.” Ochocinco told reporters.

Now Ochocinco and Revis are friends and nobody can be sure just how long the Bengals will play their starters, but if it’s up to Ochocinco he’ll be in the whole game.  You don’t want to miss that matchup.

Slaying the Giant

Brandon Jacobs, often referred to as one of the most feared and powerful running backs in the game today, will miss his game against Minnesota this week.  Tom Coughlin announced yesterday that Jacobs would require arthroscopic surgery next week.

It is unknown how this will affect Jacobs bruising running style, but this could be bigger news then it’s being broadcasted as.

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That’s right, we’ve got six again this year, and while there are a couple of names you would expect, some I certainly didn’t expect to see.

Miles Austin	Leonard Davis	Jay Ratliff

Jason Witten	Andre Gurode	DeMarcus Ware

Not that any of us want it to matter though. Since the Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl, if the Cowboys do make it that far, none of those six will show at the all-star game. One can only hope … I guess.

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What a game, eh? I’ve only been watching the Cowboys since the 91 season, since I was seven years old, but that Cowboys-Saints game was the most exciting game I’ve ever watched.

My nerves were going haywire at kickoff wondering just how the ‘Boys would do, and low and behold, they go out and start running a muck. When is the last time any of us have ever seen a Cowboys team play so methodically and dominating? I’ve never seen it. It wasn’t just luck folks, nor was it just a fluke – these Dallas Cowboys played to win and showed what happens when they live up to their potential and talent.

Now shall we go with why that hurts so much to see? I mean we could, these guy have that talent every week and it took until this, this game in which nobody believed they had a chance in hell of winning for them to do it, but I’d rather not as that could quite easily go on for days here.

Instead let’s talk about Mr. Folk.

Talk about a bittersweet feeling seeing him cut. I used to see him as one of the leagues best kickers and I honestly think he’ll be that once again, but it won’t be this year and it very likely won’t be in a Cowboys jersey.

Simple math tells me that, whether he believes it or not, hip surgery was the doom of his season. Maybe it doesn’t hurt him, but it sure as hell cut into his prep time during the preseason. Call me crazy but I find it hard to believe a guy who had as much success as he did his first two years would need that much preparation, but clearly he does.

Moving forward, though, we’ve brought in former Redskins and Cowboys kick Shaun Suisham – a name I never really intended to be mentioning again on this website. Was he horrible? No. Was he as bad as Folk has been this year? No. I mean he was cut from the Skins roster having kicked 18 of 21 field goals – Folk kicked 18 of 28 I believe.

But he did miss a field goal that was almost identical to the proverbial final straw in Folk’s Dallas run. A fourth quarter 23-yard field goal in a tied game against the Saints for the win. Let’s just hope he doesn’t have any confidence to shake off or we might as well have kept Folk.

Overall it was a masterful win. Game balls could easily go to Mike Jenkins for his outstanding coverage of the Saints top guy, including an interception that looked like something out of the movies, DeMarcus Ware and his similarly happy ending-ish sack and forced fumble to put the game away when we needed it most, and Tony Romo for his amazing ability to keep the plays going without making stupid decisions. Those are my game balls.

Of course it’s hard to escape the fact that even while the game announcers for the NFL Network kept saying how perfect the Cowboys played and how perfect Romo played, Romo made two mistakes that almost turned out very bad for him. Thankfully both of those ill-thrown passes were dropped instead of intercepted.

Actually, that makes four games in a row now that Romo has not thrown an interception. Is it just me or is that a big deal? I mean this gunslinger isn’t supposed to make heads up plays; he’s a bad decision maker, right? Wrong! He’s only thrown an interception in five games this year, that’s nine games that he didn’t.

Unfortunately for the Romo haters of the world, we didn’t win or lose games based on his interceptions or that might be a troubling statistic. Of the nine pick-less games he’s had this year; we’ve lost two of them. Let us be reminded once more that this is a team sport, and no one guy determines our fate on gameday.

So now we head into Washington D.C. for week 16 to face off against the Redskins, and anyone who doesn’t think this could be a huge game isn’t paying attention. The Skins were virtually crushed by the Giants last night in a very lopsided 45-12 score. The Skins just couldn’t do anything right the whole game. But at the same time, this is the team that came within a single missed 23-yard field goal of beating the Saints a few weeks ago, and now we have the kicker who missed that one.

They have nothing left to play for, unless you consider a job worth playing for. With a new GM on staff spending the rest of this season evaluating his moves for the coming off season, every red and yellow/gold jersey in Washington is up for grabs depending on how they play now. This is also a heated rivalry, the Redskins and Cowboys, that has been long standing and the Giants-Redskins beef pales in comparison. Some of you may have seen their attempt to get a TD before the half, using that old swing gate formation twice! They are desperate for a win; let’s just hope the cards don’t fall their way.

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Once again through the first 2 weeks of December the Dallas Cowboys were being haunted by December’s past. Fans and media alike had one phrase circling through their minds, “Here we go again”. This time however, things would be different.

As soon as the final second ticked off the clock, with the loss at home to the San Diego Chargers Sunday a week ago, Cowboys coaches, players, and front office personnel were enveloped by a storm of fans and media, calling for the dismissal of Wade Phillips, and Jason Garrett. No one and I do mean no one, gave this team a chance to knock off the “unbeatable” Saints.

Quietly however, a transformation had begun to take shape inside the locker room. That transformation was ignited, not by coaches, or by fans, or even by the owner, no this transformation was ignited by the two “Leaders” of this football team, Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware.

Read the rest of this entry »

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As one of my co-writers wrote recently, the Cowboys caught a lucky break by watching all three of their NFC East foes lose while they say comfortably at home during a bye week, but they are still far behind the competition as things stand now.

Overall the Cowboys have yet to show that they deserve to be in the playoffs this year. Their play, while it has had some flare at different points so far this season, hasn’t exactly been something other teams might look at in awe. It’s left me feeling a bit uneasy actually. Normally I’d go to work and talk smack with my manager, who is a Dolphins fan for some ungodly reason, but lately I’ve been a little timid to speak up that this is the year for my beloved ‘Boys.

Next week we invite the Falcons to Cowboys Stadium for a game that really has no initial hope for a blowout in either direction, but it certainly has the potential for one. The Cowboys offense has been hit or miss, while the defense has been mostly miss.

From sacks to coverage and basic tackling, the Cowboys have looked unprepared and unwilling when it comes to wrapping up the ball carrier in the open field. DeMarcus Ware didn’t even get a sack until week 5 … who would have ever predicted that?

The new formation we were told about during camp has been all it was promised to be – simple. It’s called the 12 formation it simply means 1 running back and 2 tight ends. But we’ve yet to really see any opportunities for Martellus Bennett and Jason Witten’s production has been down as well, though he has been just as clutch as we’ve come to love him for being.

Even Roy Williams hasn’t been as bad as many thought he would be, though we can’t really praise him either. Against Kansas City, a team we should have beaten quite easily, we struggled at times in every area. In fact it really had to come down to an overtime victory because we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities earlier in the game to wrap it up for a decided victory. The end fit our performance.

But the only bright spot in that game was Miles Austin and his breakout performance, but it still had enough flaws to keep it from being anything more than a good game on his part.

He dropped easily catchable touchdown passes again and again.

His speed was nice, and his ability to stay on his feet after the first hit was nice as well, but his hands need work. Maybe it was jitters since his hands seemed to get better the more plays he made.

But who’s to really know if his great game was the result of hard work and talent or just the lackluster ability of the Chiefs defense to contain him – only time will tell.

As we invite the Falcons home to Cowboys Stadium this coming weekend it’s an obvious concern that these Cowboys will once again be inconsistent. Should a game between these two teams really be as close and hard fought as I expect it will be?

I mean this game could be a blowout, and either team could be the one blown out. It has every bit of that potential and it worries me, as it should you.

But at this point in the year, six weeks down, these Cowboys should be doing better than just 3-2, a mere score away from being 2-3. They have the talent, the skill and experience to be a 5-0 team right now, but have failed to stay consistent and passionate and have made far too many mistakes. The penalties are obviously something that hasn’t changed over these last few years, and ole Flozell is still leading them all in that category, but there is no reason that this team should be so undisciplined.

I’m worried about Sunday, this one and the next and every one after that if this team doesn’t get on track right away.

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Where do we go from here? As much as I want to sit here and say “people do not go into hysterics, this team will be there in the end” I simply cannot!

This team is in trouble! The type of trouble no one wants to be in, the type of trouble that could send this team spiraling out of control, like a speeding car on an icy road.

Our quarterback is trying to play in a way that is uncomfortable and unknown to him. Our coaching staff is so enamored with creating exotic plays that they think can cause other teams to play a style that they are uncomfortable with, that they have stopped trying to do the small things. The things that win championships!

The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are now officially in desperation mode, and it’s only the second week in October!

My associates here with this blog are doing there very best to try to keep everyone’s spirits up, and I am very appreciative of that!

The problem with trying to keep everyone from freaking out is that when we preach allegiance and “staying true to your fandom” we tend to block out what the truth is!

I do and always will Love the Dallas Cowboys, but I cannot sit quietly and not call this team out for failing to do the most elementary of football things. My disgust has nothing to do with winning and losing, but all to do with people simply not putting forth enough effort.

Effort is what will win and lose you football games! This effort thing that I am speaking of is something that this team is missing. To hell with T.O.! To hell with how many times Romo plays golf! To hell with “Roy Williams is not a #1”, To hell with Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett! To hell with “we just gotta keep working and getting better”!

None of those things mean anything! This team has gone thru hundreds “meetings” and “practices” with only a handful of players that actually “get it”! They are soft mentally and physically, and to be honest with you judging by the way they have played so far, I don’t think that bothers them!

Keep in mind now I am not calling one individual out, and I am not just referencing the players. I am talking about the entire staff! The saddest thing about all of this is that I really do like the people on this team.

The coaching staff here is a very intelligent staff, and very good people. The players on this team are some of the most gifted in the league. They simply have no guts!

I have tried my best to keep up with the “rah, rah, go team” stuff, but enough is enough! It is time to call it like I see it!

Jason Garrett continues to refuse to work the middle of the field while having not one, but two very big, athletic tight ends (oh by the way one of them is the best this team has ever had), no instead he decides to use one of them as nothing more than a decoy! He has as sure handed a receiver as you can find in the NFL in Roy Williams, yet cannot seem to understand the concept of the slant route (come on Jason how many times did you sit on the sidelines and watch Troy and Mike hook up on this route?). Hey Jason here is a novel idea, how about you get some receivers in motion to maybe help them create some space? How about you try and help Romo a little bit and play to his strength’s? You know maybe an occasional roll out! No your too f*@# hard headed to do that!

Wade Phillips while I commend you for trying to become what this football team needs in its leader, you just simply cannot do it! Maybe it’s time to meet with Jerry and make it known that you would be willing to step down and become solely the Def. Coordinator?

Notice to all players if your name does not appear on the list I am about to give, then I am talking to you!

Demarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, Keith Brooking, Marion Barber, Tashard Choice, Jason Witten, Felix Jones. Tony Romo you will have your own section!

Are you guys tired of hearing the media and fans rip you guys to shreds every week? I am sure you are! Well I have a sure fire way for you to rid yourselves of all of that negative press, if you are interested in hearing it.

This is a very simple and elementary idea. Play the game like it is your last! For many of you this game of football is all you know, and you are smart enough to know that you cannot play forever. So why not go out there each and everyday and play the game like you will never get to suit up again?

The fault does not lay with your ability, it really doesn’t! The problem is with your will! You guys have lost that thing that got you to the “league”. All of you guys in college had a desire to become a professional, and now that you are one you have stopped playing with that killer instinct that got you there! Why? Is it the money? Have you all made so much money now that you are content to just ride it out? Or have you just lost the “want to”?

I and many of your fans have become so accustomed to you playing half heartedly that you no longer have to make excuses for your poor play, we make them for you! I am sick of it! YOU and only YOU are responsible for the effort that you put forth each Sunday, and the one you have been giving SUX!

Tony, Tony, Tony, I can understand the predicament you are in, I really can. We the fans have beat you over the head with wanting you to be more like Troy, that now you do not even know how to be you. Tie that in with Jason Garrett calling the plays and you are in a losing situation.

However you are in control of your destiny, not the coaches and certainly not the fans! My father told me many, many years ago, “Son be yourself and to hell with anyone who does not like who you are”! That stands true with the way you play football too. You were a very confident football player, so confident in your ability that you were willing to take a chance! Now you do not have enough confidence in yourself to find your way to the lunch room? It is gut check time Tony, time for you to step and take control of the situation or fall back to obscurity, the decision is yours.

My allegiance to this team has not wavered, but my patience is wearing thin with the group that is here.

While I still have high hopes for this team, those hopes and dreams are becoming cloudier by the second. Now if only someone would hear me and start the recovery process!

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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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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.

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As a Dallas Cowboys fan I am excited to know that it’s only two days until the first game of the season, albeit only a preseason game I’m still looking forward to seeing my ‘Boys in blue kicking some tail on the turf once again.

Needless to say, I, and many of you too, was left with a bitter taste in my mouth after the crushing defeat at the hands of the Eagles last season. It was the icing on a crap cake after all the injuries and drama fueled on by the mediots in need of a story. So some of it turned out to be true, or more true than the Cowboys organization wanted us to believe at the time, it merely turned a sad and frustrating situation into a disappointing end of an era and end of a season that started so full of promise.

But as a blogger I’ve been feeling somewhat without during this training camp.

Maybe it’s because my fandom has found itself in the backseat for the last month as life presented me with much more pressing issues to contend with than finding a way to watch the games at work and the best places for complete camp coverage.

From the numerous and annoying references to “Coachable” Roy Williams on the DMN – you know what I’m talking about – to the news of players being held of practices and those slated to miss the preseason opener in California this Thursday evening. It’s been enough to read, but nothing to get excited about.

The only real bright spot coming out of camp, considering that we don’t get the full scoop on everything being done as far as plays and schemes go is the increased communication between Williams and Tony Romo. You know, the kind of communication that makes Cowboys fans cheer until their throats are sore and opposing fans boo their own teams’ secondary. Pass and catch.

So now we have Terence Newman and mike Jenkins both out and while the word is that neither injury is serious, it causes me great concern. Didn’t we hear the same thing last year when Newman got hurt in camp? Didn’t he end up missing like six games in total because of that “not too serious” injury?

What about the injuries that aren’t too serious, after last season how can any of us really believe that the severity of the injury at first means anything? I mean we pretty much knew what was up with Felix Jones last year, and it was a totally different and non-football related injury that landed him on injured reserve for more than half of the season.

It makes it harder to be a fan when you see things like I am seeing them now, undoubtedly, but it’s the eternal optimist in me that still peaks it’s head to let know these Cowboys could do it this year.

We’ve got all but one of the weapons that we had in 2007 when we outscored all but one team in the league and lead the NFC. The one weapon we’re missing is missing because he began to backfire on us every other game by doing interviews with the likes of Deion Sanders and steadily causing the ball to be forced his way far too often, and I might add into the hands of a quick defender far too often as well.

Our defense is missing some of the bigger and long standing forces of the past in guys like Greg Ellis and Anthony Henry. But we’ve finally broken free of the liability known very simply as Mr. Horse Collar a.k.a. SS Roy Williams. Not only that, but we also replaced him with a guy that can do what safety in a 3-4 defense should do best – cover – and he does it better than a lot of other guys around the league at his position. Now maybe that’s an overstatement since we haven’t seen him in a game yet and especially since the first preseason game will be a very short one for him. Gerald Sensabaugh is likely the biggest upgrade we’ve made on defense in several years, aside from the miracle of drafting DeMarcus Ware.

We even get the sheer joy of having one the leagues all-time defensive minds not only leading our defense, but taking direct and hands on control of it as the new defensive coordinator by title and duty.

Even the special teams unit has gotten a huge face lift with a new coach known for running a tight and very effective unit in Joe DeCamillis. Add to it the return of a healthy core of kick and punt returners and the addition of some muscle and athleticism from the new linebackers drafted this year, and you’ve got a special teams unit that should be vastly better than the one we booed so often in 2008.

So yeah, maybe the steady and somewhat unremarkable progress during camp has made things boring for a blogger like me, but for a fan, things are definitely looking up.

Are you ready for some football?

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First, my apologies for the lack of contribution as of late.  My workload has recently been increased exponentially and, as a result, I barely have enough time to keep up with training camp.  Now that I’m all caught up:

Is anyone else catching the hype bug?  After the infamous 44-6 drubbing at the hand’s of our hated inter divisional foe, the Eagles, while I refused to renounce my fanship, I swore I would never allow myself to buy into the hype again.  But one week out from the first preseason game, and once again, I’m a 5 year old fighting to go to sleep so Christmas morning will come faster.  I can’t help it.  The big question is will we Cowboy’s fan’s at least get a gift wrapped playoff win or will it be another year with coal in our proverbial stocking?

I feel pretty confident, but I think I’ll feel a lot better with positive results two games into the preseason. I’m not so much looking for a win as I am looking for certain units to perform well against units that will, at least, present issues on one side of the ball or the other.  First the Raiders.  This game should present our offense an opportunity to gain some confidence in themselves, as the Raider’s defense shouldn’t present too many issues against our bevy of weapon’s.  On the other side of the ball, however, the Raiders offense do present some obvious challenges for our defense; namely Darren McFadden.  I won’t put him on Adrian Peterson’s level quite yet, but I will say for him being the one player standing in the way of Felix being the highly touted RB coming out of Arkansas in 2008, our defense should have their hands full.  Then there are the speedster’s Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy, the Raiders were able to pick in the 1st and 4th round respectively in this years draft.  I don’t expect them to be world-beaters at this point in their career’s, but I don’t think they should be ignored either.  Speed is speed, and if all they have to do after beating a guy is catch the ball, I’m pretty confident they can be devastating if allowed to be.  And speed is the primary point of emphasis Al Davis has a tendency to draft for, so every player within the offensive ranks are likely the fastest available when the Raider’s where on the clock on that given draft day.  Did the Cowboy’s get faster on defense?  We will know for sure late August 9th.

The second game into the preseason the Cowboy’s face the Titan’s.  While there offense is dangerous with Chris Johnson’s 4.2 speed (fastest rb from 2008′s draft; yes, even faster than Felix), the Titan defense is where this team’s identity is born.  This is where the Cowboy’s offense will truly be tested.   When measuring a defense, personally, I don’t look at yard’s allowed, sack’s, interceptions  or any other stat that is otherwise meaningless until I look at the amount of points a team allows.  In 2008, the Titans ranked 2nd only to the Steeler’s with 234.  For a little perspective, the Cowboy’s ranked 20th, allowing 365.  But the Titan’s also excelled in the other area’s of defense, placing 6th in interceptions with 20, 5th in sacks with 44, 2nd in forced fumbles with 23, and 3rd in defensive touchdown’s with 3.  In other words, the Titan’s are a team that place alot of emphasis on doing everything perfect and it shows.  Can the Cowboy’s offense move the ball, despite the release of T.O.?  We will know for sure late August 21st.

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Here we are again in the second installment of the series. Last time we added the New York Giants as an obvious threat. Next, in week three the Cowboys will be home against the Carolina Panthers. Though the buzz hasn’t been surrounding Carolina, they are still a dangerous team.

Key Offseason Additions:

None.

Key Offseason Subtractions:

FB Nick Goings

WR DJ Hackett

CB Ken Lucas

Key Draft Picks:

DE Everette Brown, Florida State: Brown is a speedy guy with great size, he should compliment Peppers nicely.

S/CB Sherrod Martin, Troy: Martin is a speedy guy with great range and versatility. Won’t start but should be in on nickel packages.

Projected Top Performers

(courtesy ESPN 2009 Projections)

DeAngelo Williams 267 car 1325 yards 11 Td

Steve Smith 90 rec 1390 yards 9 TD

Jonathan Stewart 196 car 936 yards 9 TD

Read the rest of this entry »

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ESPN.com NFC East blogger Matt Mosley said in an entry yesterday that the Cowboys made the right decision in drafting Ware over Merriman.

Of course being a Cowboys fan I agree with his assessment, but the only way to truly find out is to simply break down the numbers.

Shawne Merriman, better known as “Lights Out,” was drafted by the Chargers out of Maryland 5 years ago. So far he has amassed an impressive total of 39.5 sacks, his career high coming in 2006 when he notched 17.

That was also the same year that Merriman tested positive for steroids and missed four games, dashing any hopes of breaking the all time sack record.

Delving deeper into Merriman’s stats, in 2007 he had an imposing six sacks in the month of December. If you can recall, that’s the year that the Chargers went to the AFC Championship to face the Patriots.

Shawne had an ok showing in the playoffs that season where he totaled 13 tackles and one sack. However he did have a game or two where he had four or five tackles where he wasn’t really noticeable.

Within the AFC, Merriman does his best work against the Kansas City Chiefs where he sacked their main signal caller four times and had 16 tackles in 2007.

Shawne missed all of last season with a knee injury, which will probably take him at least a season and a half to fully recover from. Will his sack totals decrease due to lack of burst off the line?

Shawne has never had over 70 tackles in a season, so will his tackle total suffer as well?

At first look it seems as if the Chargers were right in their choice. Merriman has a motor that never quits and gives 110% on the field.

However there is a cloud of deceit around his true abilities. Did the steroids contribute to the 17 sacks or was it just pure strength and skill?

Moving on to DeMarcus Ware.

He was drafted the same year as Merriman out of Troy in southeast Alabama.

Ware had his best statistical output last year as he had 20 sacks, 84 tackles, and 6 forced fumbles. He also had 84 tackles in 2004 coupled with 14 sacks.

Ware has more career sacks than Shawne with 53. But to Ware’s advantage, Merriman was injured all of last season.

DeMarcus seems to do his best work against the Giants of New York. Last season he had 12 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

Ware also remains consistent as the game progresses. Like Merriman he has 6 sacks in the fourth quarter, but Ware has more tackles than Shawne during the final period amassing 17.

Another situational stat shows that Ware has 3 sacks on 3^rd and long, forcing the team opposing into an obvious 4^th and long situation.

Merriman on the other hand had no sacks and only 1 tackle on 3^rd and long in 2007.

Comparing these two players is like appraising the abilities of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. The thing about Jordan and Johnson is that there is one player that is better than the other. You know the one with 6 championship rings?

Well, that’s kind of like Ware and Merriman without any rings between the two.

Over and above Ware just seems to be the better overall player. He tackles, shows up in crucial situations, and had 20 sacks through an injury riddled season.

Both players will prove to be great by the end of their career. But at this moment in time, who would you choose? The player with the knee injury or the guy with 20 sacks?

-JH

This post was submitted by a DCNation member to our FanPosts section. To submit your own posts to DCNation, Register here and Add New under the Posts menu! Dallas Cowboys Nation: Seeking Cowboys Fans Everywhere!

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The Dallas Cowboys 2009 version of training Camp is now only two weeks away, and there is no better time than now to try and get a head start on some of the positional battles that we need to keep an eye on.

It has been awhile since my last post, I have been in a little bit of a slump, so I would like to apologize ahead of time for a poorly done post!

The Cowboys currently have 82 players on the roster, but do not expect it to stay that way long!

The first position I would like to take a look at is the one containing the most applicants. No big surprise it’s the Linebacker position!

Now I can speculate all day long on how many backers the Cowboys will keep and odds are good I still would not get it right, and since I have next to zero insider information, we’ll take it for what its worth!

Here are this years nominees to fill the Linebacker corps:

1. DeMarcus Ware
2. Bradie James
3. Anthony Spencer
4. Keith Brooking
5. Bobby Carpenter
6. Steve Octavien
7. Justin Rogers
8. Matt Stewart
9. Victor Butler
10. Jason Williams
11. Brandon Williams
12. Stephen Hodge

The Top four of this group are essentially locked in as your starters, from here though is where the water gets awfully murky!

Let’s take a look at the guys vying for position at the inside linebacker spots and keep in mind, last year the team kept only four!

Through the OTA’s we must assume (after all the praise handed down) that Stephen Hodge is going to get a serious look at taking over the nickel position vacated by Kevin Burnett.

Bobby (Barbie) Carpenter also gave the coaches something to think about during the work outs. We are all well aware that Barbie practices like a first round pick, but he has yet to play like one.

Jason Williams was the Cowboys first selection in this years draft, and by all accounts is going to need some time to develop, but has some serious athletic ability! And we cannot forget about Victor Butler as he will be in this group of inside guys trying to secure a spot on the roster.

Last but not least Steve Octavien, who spent most of last year bouncing from practice squad to practice squad, does have some ability as a special teams player.

We have five players battling for two spots, who do you think is in? And who is on the outside looking in?

In my opinion Stephen Hodge and Jason Williams are my leading candidates heading into camp, followed closely by Victor Butler and Bobby Carpenter.

The Cowboys do not want to face the fact that the Carpenter selection was one of the worst first round draft selections on record! That is what has kept him on this team, but the coaching staff can no longer afford to carry his dead weight. So he has more to prove than any of the rookies, and I personally do not believe he will hold up to the pressure.

There is one aspect of this that we need to look at. If the Coaching staff decides to cut ties with Carpenter they will be left with only rookies and we know that one of those rookies is a “project” player. So would they at that point decide to carry an extra guy? Quite possible and they may be thinking that way already!

ILB Leading Candidates                                     ILB Outside Looking In

1. Stephen Hodge                                                       1. Victor Butler

2. Jason Williams                                                     2. BobbyCarpenter

3. Steve Octavien

Now let’s take a look at the Outside spots! First let’s meet the contestants!

For those of you who live under rocks the starters are DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. These are the starters and there is only one player who could possibly change this.

Brandon Williams has been the talk of the town around Valley Ranch, not only among the coaches but his teammates as well. The time is now however for Anthony Spencer and he will get the first crack at being the starter opposite Ware, but he better get a grip on it quick because the longer he lets Williams hang around the more opportunity Williams will have at proving he should be the man!

Matt Stewart and Justin Rogers will be battling each other for one available spot, with Ware and Spencer as the starters and Brandon Williams having a tight grip on the 3^rd spot, it will be down to these two guys to state their claim to the 4^th and final OLB spot.

There is one other very distinct possibility that could occur here! It is very possible that the Cowboys could decide to keep neither Stewart nor Rogers and keep an extra inside guy!

The more I have contemplated the scenarios I would not be one bit surprised to see the Cowboys hold on to Victor Butler and use him as a “swing” player, giving them the ability to keep an extra secondary person.

Victor Butler was an undersized OLB at the University of Oregon State, and while they would rather use him inside in an emergency situation he could fill in outside.

Who knows how this will ultimately work out but I believe the Cowboys will stick with eight!

Here is my final eight leaving camp!

1. DeMarcus Ware

2. Bradie James

3. Keith Brooking

4. Anthony Spencer

5. Brandon Williams

6. Stephen Hodge

7. Jason Williams

8. Victor Butler

Who are the eight that you would want to start the season with?

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Hey guys….I’m sitting here watching the Home Run Derby and still can’t manage to get the Cowboys off my mind. So I’m going to try something new, an opinion corner of sorts with a hint of quick shots. So here we go.

- According to US magazine Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson have split up. A close friend of Romo’s has been quoted as saying “it’s been a long time coming.” This will create some closure and happiness for Cowboys fans all around the world. This breakup came on July 10th before Jessica Simpson’s “Barbie and Ken” themed Birthday party.

My Take: I’m a bit upset because I know Romo really probably wanted this to work out, however, the way it benefits the organization is incredible. Romo will instantly feel less pressure because the focus is off of his personal life, and fans will finally find something else to complain about.

- I’ve been gone for a week or so and have come back to hear a lot of chatter about DeMarcus Ware giving up some plays for Greg Ellis. Some skeptics are talking about rehydration, some are saying that it’s crap that Ware would do that. The bottom line is this: Ware is the best defensive player in the league, bar none! He plays hard, and I don’t’ know about you guys but I help a friend out whenever I can. So here’s to you DeMarcus Ware…Way to understand what it means to be a teammate.

- Last thing here my friends, the ‘boys are a legitimate title contender. I read the comments on DC.com and I’m tired of the pessimism. If you’re a fan be a fan, not a ranting annoyance to the organization and the Dallas Faithful. You don’t’ like Romo’s personal life? You don’t like Demarcus Ware helping out a friend? You don’t like Roy Williams half season effort? I don’t care, find a new team. I surely don’t see you all playing in the NFL. As for the rest of you, thanks for being loyal.

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It’s a tradition for Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles fans to debate year after year which team will suck and which will claim the NFC East Throne. This year DCNation has partnered with Bleed Green to debate the subject and try to determine exactly who has all the answers. Cowboys fans know just what’s happening at Vally Ranch though.

Kyle Flip has given a good argument to the debate, here’s an excerpt:

The 2009 season has the potential to be an Eagles season we will never forget. With their new found passing game, and the emergence of DeSean Jackson, the Eagles have grown into a lethal pass team. In 2009, the passing game will only get better. Rookie Jeremy Maclin will utilize his quickness and agility to outrun the secondary, while veteran wideout Kevin Curtis will look to improve upon his injury plagued 2008 season. The Eagles have dumped tight end L.J Smith, who never lived up to all the hype surrounding him, and now Brent Celek will take over after Smith’s departure. Looking at the Eagles matchups with the Cowboy’s secondary, the Eagles’ wideouts have the favorable advantage. Besides Terence Newman, the Cowboys are stuck with Orlando Scandrick, Mike Mickens, and Mike Jenkins. Right there, the Eagles already have the advantage.

It’s a nice effort and you can’t really blame them for hoping but after a three mistake season for Mike Jenkins and zero mistake season for Orlando Scandrick it’s a little nuts to point them out as weak spots on this defense. Then again, with such a monster that we have DeMarcus Ware even a good player can be weakness next to him.

Here’s a piece of our side of the debate:

In 2009 we’ve got a healthy team, a much more capable safety than Roy Williams, and were light one pain in the ass receiver – something I know you guys can understand exactly. We’re focused, young, and energetic with enough experience to keep us plowing ahead for another 13-3 season.

The Eagles have too many rookie wide outs to field McNabb’s crooked passes, and they can’t cover the pass much better without the proven leadership ability of departed veteran Brian Dawkins.

Check out the full debate at Bleed Green Forever on Blogspot – The Great Debate: Part 1 and stay tuned to Bleed Green as they continue with parts 2 and 3 against the Redskins and Giants.

Also, don’t forget to check out our feature on MVN for the 2009 Dallas Cowboys Season Preview. Leave a comment over there and show us some love.

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I’ve noticed that there are plenty of lists going out lately. Most of which shed no respect to Cowboys players who have rightfully earned it. So to fulfill the appetite of you fans I’ve created a list of the Best Cowboys of the last 15 Years. .. So get ready!

1 Emmitt Smith-The leagues leading rusher. Smith proved to be a “Go to guy” by coupling hard nose, downhill running with incredible durability. With 3 Super Bowl rings, Smith may be the most noticeable player in Dallas Cowboys History.

2 DeMarcus Ware- Perhaps the most naturally talented player to emerge on this defense in years, Ware consistently strikes fears into opposing offensive coordinators. Ware has increased his sack total in each of his 3 seasons ending with 20 last year. There is no signs of slowing down which is good news for this defense!

3 Troy Aikman- Concussion Troy can’t be forgotten for all the marvelous things he did in Dallas. He was a model field general, orchestrating 3 Super Bowl victories and becoming the Cowboys all time leading passer with 32,942 yards.

4 Darren Woodson- The one player that ANY of us would give ANYTHING to have back. Darren Woodson played the secondary perfectly forcing 23 interceptions. He was the backbone in many great defenses and earned a reputation as one of the fiercest safeties in the league.

5 Michael Irvin-A distraction? Sure. However, Michael’s production was unmatched. He averaged over 15 yards per gain and had over 60 touchdowns in his career. He was a consistent target who was reliable and a HOF athlete.

6 Larry Allen- A big strong offensive lineman who was versatile in his play. At 325 lbs he was an immovable force and a good reason for Emmitt’s success.

7 Jason Witten- Witten is a Blue Collar, Smash mouth player who has, in my opinion, defined the future play of tight ends. He blocks well, He’s intelligent, and He’s a bigger threat in the passing game then most receivers, He can shed tackles, and he’s not afraid to throw his body around.

8 Tony Romo- Though under constant scrutiny, he has produced more 300 yard passing games then any quarterback in Dallas history in 3 years. With a 64 percent completion rate, and a ratio or 2 td’s to 1 interception, his regular season play is comparable to some of the greatest quarterbacks of all time (Coming soon: a comparison against Peyton, Aikman, and Young in there first 4 years) I believe that given the opportunity, Romo will thrive in future playoff appearances.

9 Deion Sanders- Prime time, Sanders electrified the field with his wonderful coverage, ability to force interceptions for touchdowns, and punt returning skills. Sanders had abilities that we will forever miss and may not see for years to come.

10 Terrence Newman- Not Deion Sanders, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily worse. Terrence doesn’t produce stats like some of the other elite DB’s but that’s because he’s never really tested. He is a shut down corner with speed and game breaking ability. He will be the staple in this defense for years to come.

11 Greg Ellis- A bitter end to this story. Greg has given his all to this team and that has to be respected. He was a feared defensive end, but an even more devastating OLB with the ability to get to the passer; he’s registered 77 career sacks with the Cowboys.

12 Daryl Johnston- The moose led the way for Emmitt throughout his career… Enough said.

13 Dat Nguyen- Nguyen solidified the middle linebacker slot in his second year after leading the team in special teams tackles the first. His run stopping ability and hard hitting made him well known throughout the league. If it weren’t for a disc injury, Dat would be along Bradie James, supporting the same number 1 defense he helped solidify in 2003.

14 Marion Barber- A hardnosed runner this team hasn’t seen since Smith. After going through Troy Hambricks stages and a little flash of Cason, Barber was a breath of fresh air. He has become a “Closer” and has the talent to become a franchise back and league leader.

15 Flozell Adams- Though penalty prone, Flozell has provided stability to the offensive line in Larry Allen’s Absence. He is big, strong, and mobile. He also uses his hands well and is also a talented blocker. An excellent round out to this list.

**Notable Mention** George Teague- For his incredibly memorable hit on Terrell Owens, when Owens was boastfully disrespecting the star.

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Dallas Cowboys Football; was there ever a better hobby or pastime? Not for me, aside from family of course, and as we near the midway point in June, and these OTAs wrap up before the minicamp starts, I’ve still got a ways to go before my next Cowboys football fix.

It’s nothing to fret over though, not when we have such brilliant “expert” analysis and coverage as we do from the likes of Fox no less. More specifically, let’s talk about Peter Schrager and his list of the “Top 99 players for ’09” – moreover his brown nose special, as I call it.

I’m betting that most of you have heard of it already from the DMN where we learned that only four Cowboys made the list at all. I know many commenters over there were hung up more on where each of those four players were ranked, but there is something to be said for those that didn’t rank at all.

I mean you’ve got Jay “The Rat” Ratliff first and foremost who wasn’t selected to the list. I guess it’s a fair assumption to say that these types of lists usually are directed more at the offensive guys since it’s offense that’s counted on to score touchdowns, but it’s defense that wins games. There are always exceptions to that rule, such as last year in the first match up between the Cowboys and Eagles with a total score of 78 points during that game. But rarely does a pro football game turn out to be a homerun derby anymore.

But let’s take a guy like Albert Haynesworth and put him up against Ratliff for a moment here, and I’m only talking about 2008 regular season stats here. Haynesworth got a top rating of 14 while Ratliff didn’t even make the list. Both are defensive tackles, both have several years of experience. We could go into the vitals here, but size doesn’t always matter if there is solid production, and both guys obviously perform each week.

• Haynesworth hasn’t played more than 14 games in a season since 2002 while Ratliff hasn’t played less than 15 games in a season since his rookie year.
• Haynesworth had 51 total tackles in 2008; Ratliff also had 51 total tackles.
• Haynesworth registered 8.5 sacks to Ratliff’s 7.5 sacks.
• Ratliff’s sacks netted him 56.5 negative yards while Haynesworth only managed 52.5 with an extra sack.
• The only real benefit I see that Haynesworth has over Ratliff is having forced 3 fumbles to Ratliff’s zero, no forced fumbles.
• Ratliff deflected 5 passes and Haynesworth deflected 2 passes.
• They both recovered 1 fumble each.

I look at the numbers, the actual production of each man, and to me it seems more than just a little one-sided for Haynesworth to make any top X list when Ratliff doesn’t. It’s not a bias on my part, it’s just simple math. You have one guy that is great against the run and in getting pressure, and another guy who good against the run, great at getting pressure, and even gets into the passing game.

It’s only worse for picking Haynesworth since his numbers are significantly higher from last year than in years prior. It was a contract year, and as we all know, he has his $100 million dollars now. Ratliff has been playing like he has and hasn’t faced a contract situation yet. Anyone else really interested to see what he does in a contract year?

But the farce goes on though. DeMarcus Ware headlined the Cowboys’ effort on this list making it in at 6, with Tony Romo following behind him in a distant second at 28’th place. Now Ware, well no one for any team would argue that he deserves at least that high of a ranking. Not only are his numbers great, his attitude positive, and his ability tremendous – but his character is high as well. Being the overall sack leader since being drafted helps too.

Romo is another story. It’s a positive of this list in my mind because while there are a lot of bad things to be said for Romo from last season, there are many good things as well. I actually would have expected a much lower rating given the abundant criticism of him lately. He’s a quarterback though, so he would rank higher overall even though he only ranked 9th among quarterbacks. Putting him behind McNabb and Carson Palmer though? Seriously?

I know the guy seems to tank in the final stretch, but surely he’s worth a better ranking than Carson Palmer.

Marion Barber and Jason Witten also made the list, and that’s where my next point starts – Jason Witten ranked 96th of 99 by this fruitcake of a journalist/expert/assclown as one commenter stated it.

He was the third tight end to appear on the list behind Antonia Gates and Tony Gonzales. I’ll agree that Gonzales is good, and has been good for many years, but to say that Witten in his early age isn’t as good as the old fogy Gonzales just isn’t practical.

So yet again this year we are seeing how the rest of the NFL nation is rooting against the Cowboys in 2009, and that’s a great thing to see and hear. This time last season the Cowboys were being hyped as the Super Bowl winners, a mightily premature assumption to say the least.

But this year, while we have been favored at one point to win the Super Bowl in certain betting circles, once Owens was cut, the outlook went downhill. Our draft was rated like a D I think by the experts; the experts say we have huge problems facing us in our passing game and call it for both the QB and WR positions.

Yet all the while Roy Williams is still a top caliber receiver who had a bad year. Tony Romo had the same – a bad year that featured a finger injury that sidelined him for three weeks, and limited him for another three after that. He also had the task of dealing with Owens and his unwarranted and loud requests for more touches.

I think Owens, a 13 year veteran at the time, should be quite well aware of how it works in the NFL – if you produce at a high level, then you get more opportunity to produce, and if you continue to produce with the extra opportunities, then you keep getting them.

He just never seemed to understand that past success does not warrant current and future security. He started dropping balls, he started bailing on routes too early, he did get older and therefore slower, and he did forget to adjust his own way of thinking to fit his age and the new limitations that came with it.

Do I think a team can win games with Owens running routes? I sure do – do I think it can happen on any team currently in the NFL? I really don’t. He simply fails to account for the other 10 guys on the field with him at any given point, and that is why he became expendable for unproven and in some cases rarely tested youth in Dallas. He simply overstayed his welcome, and his vocal complaints and inability to really be a team player are to blame.

So in 2009 Romo gets to actually follow the rules of being a top quarterback again. He can go through his reads, he can release quickly, and he can find the open man – whether it is Witten, Barber, Jones, Williams, Crayton, Austin, or Bennett – he can return to being a quarterback again, instead of simply a TO placeholder.

Maybe Williams won’t be as good as Owens was in 2007, it won’t be because he isn’t producing, but rather because other guys will be producing too. There are only so many balls in a game.

But hey it’s June; we are silly and desperate fans who have no clue what’s what, right? We need to be spoon fed just enough crap to sell the papers and attract visitors. I got to admit that it’s a good theory, write enough bad crap and people will go there simply to see if the rumors are true – someone really is that moronic.

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Since the departure of Greg Ellis earlier this week, I have had a question tumbling around in my head. Can Anthony Spencer take the next step? I have yet to be able to answer this question.

The opinions, much like the Swine flu, are wide spread. Although I do not feel we should be wearing a mask and disinfecting everything we touch when trying to figure this out, the thought did cross my mind though.

Anthony Spencer has shown flashes of brilliance and mediocrity. Just when we think he is taking the next step, he fails to do the most elementary of tasks or gives a lack luster effort.

Anthony has as much talent as you could ask for in a 3-4 scheme OLB, so what seems to be his major hold up? That is a question I have been struggling with – on one hand one could say that he is a little lazy (as evidence showed in hard knocks last year by failing to go to rehab) but you might also say he lacks drive. Then on the other hand one could reasonably say that “well he is a young guy, and with the small number of reps he has had it is just going to take a little more time.”

As the old saying goes “There are two sides to every story and the truth lies somewhere in the middle!” and this case is no different.

The time however has come for Anthony Spencer to either “shit or get off the pot!” Neither the Cowboys nor he have the luxury of him giving half hearted efforts. There are several young men who were recently drafted by the Cowboys, eager to take that spot.

As a general rule I try not to question a professional athletes “drive” too much, just because if you have made it to “The League” you have obviously been at least somewhat driven, and who am I to speculate on what they have been through to get where they are, because if it were easy we would all be doing it!

The hope is that Anthony has been paying attention and absorbing all he could from Greg Ellis and DeMarcus Ware, and that he has been training hard, and is ready to explode onto the scene this year.

This is his chance! And there will not be another chance quite like this one, and he knows it. Now he just needs to prove that he deserves it, and if he does no one will question the decision to release Greg Ellis.

Spencer will have the opportunity this year to wreak havoc on opposing team’s quarterbacks. Teams will be focusing their attention towards the likes of DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, and Jay Ratliff leaving Spencer in one on one situation’s.

The thing that concerns me about Spencer is he has shown a knack for having big plays and big games, followed immediately by such sloppy, and half hearted play. These things simply do not just go away.

The team has now completed its OTA campaign for this year, and while there was certainly a lot of talk about him getting the opportunity, there was not much talk about his actual play during those OTA’s.

I understand that there are no pads being worn and it they are primarily walk through and individual work outs, but with as much talking as Wade Phillips likes to do about the status of his players, it’s been somewhat odd to not hear anything about Spencer, Don’t you think?

The jury is still out on Anthony Spencer and will probably be in deliberations for quite a while yet. So for now I am going to wait on answering my questions concerning him, how long I hold onto them is in his hands.

What do you think – Can he be what we all want him to be? Or is he the second coming of Barbie Carpenter?

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Will the Dallas defense expand its attack this year? In one sense it is hard to believe that the NFL’s leading sack team could become more of a force this year than last. However do not be surprised if that is not exactly what happens.

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Well I’m excited to start writing for the site however I am not excited about our recent offseason moves. Don’t take this as me slamming the Cowboys I’m just simply highly aggravated lately with our front office management.

So far my grade for this offseason’s moves is a D it certainly can be worse but not much.

We all know Jerry Jones is the GM for the Cowboys and I have to say I am completely disgusted already with the off-season moves.

First we trade Anthony Henry whom lead The Dallas Cowboys in interceptions in 2007 and we already cut Pacman Jones so now all we have is Terence Newman who can’t seem to stay healthy for an entire season to save his life and the Dallas cornerbacks  are weak to begin with!

So we get rid of Henry now it’s Newman, Jenkins, and Scandrick as the top three corners?

Give me a break; remember when Jenkins refused to even attempt to tackle Derrick Ward last season? (footage here) that’s a great guy to have in your top three corners.

I’ve heard rumors about Shaun Springs coming to Dallas and that would certainly help the cornerback situation. However, either way, by trading Henry we lose much needed depth at Corner and actually lose cap space because of Kitna’s contract, when we could have just signed a free agent backup such as Kyle Boller or Rex Grossman who is younger and likely better.

Dallas gave up another late round pick to the Lions did Dallas give them enough this year? We already gave them our 1st round picks and 3rd for Roy Williams and we don’t learn we get ripped off by them again. Kitna is 36 years old I really don’t see much of a difference between him and Brad Johnson.

The Lions were 0-16 last year and by those standars aren’t by any means a good football team yet we keep giving them picks and taking their players that leave much to be desired.

Lastly, hasn’t our entire defense had a problem with this guy? Terence Newman, Ware, and Bradie James. Definitely a good way to get a locker room closer together.

We get the chance to sign Ray Lewis a MLB something we actually need, someone who would take command in the locker room and instead we get Keith Brooking.  The Cowboys had their most disappointing season possibly of all time last year and what do they do to start the off-season? Trade a needed Corner, get a washed up outside linebacker we don’t need and waste a bunch of cap space.

Dallas also has not resigned Chris Canty who was a vital part of the 3-4 defense last year, now he is on the New York Giants.

Now im not completely ignorant not everything you want can happen. Maybe signing Ray Lewis was a strech but wait Demarcus Ware had this to say

“You know, actually, when we played Ray Lewis and Baltimore at the end of the season, he came over and pointed to my helmet. He said, ‘I want to wear this star on my helmet, that’s my dream…that’s my dream.’ When we got to the Pro Bowl, he did it again. He came at me every day. It’s a great opportunity for him. His door is open. He’s an unrestricted free agent. He’s trying to get down where the star is. He told me he needed me to get him Jerry Jones’ phone number for him. I just busted out laughing.” (Link here)

Wait a second…You’re telling me Demarcus Ware and Ray Lewis our both good friends off the field. Yes they are, so with me typing this seething I think to myself we could have had Ray Lewis and Demarcus Ware the two captains of the defense and take over the entire locker room.

There would be no split locker room or animosity with Lewis coming into the Cowboys defense and Ware saying “this is my defense” The two are already friends!

 We aren’t getting a 1st round pick this year so virtually we head into next season with the same exact team as last year. If not a little worse. If that doesn’t scare us Cowboys fan’s i’m not sure what will.

 I hope I’m wrong about all this, because all I want is the Cowboys to actually succeed and not be a joke to the media and fans. 

But I’m starting to think the longer Jerry Jones is GM the worse this team is going to be. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great owner and business man and has made the Cowboys into an economic powerhouse in the NFL. But looks how many coaches we’ve been through in the last 13 years of not winning a playoff game. How many times do you think he would have fired the GM if it wasn’t him?

Dallas fan’s deserve better, and so does this team.

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