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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In part one of this two-part series, I discussed how the departure of Greg Ellis, Terrell Owens, and Zach Thomas will affect the team going forward.

There are a ton of questions facing the Cowboys, as with any offseason, but this seems to be a make-or-break year for a team that is expected to make a Super Bowl run every season.

Part two of the series discusses how the Cowboys will fare in the “NFC Beast” this season, and addresses those pesky rumors about Garrett and Bum Phillips’ son.

With the departure of Plaxico in New York, the Eagles spurning Dawkins and allowing him to walk to Denver, and an owner in Washington who has no confidence in his quarterback, how will the Cowboys fare in the NFC East?

For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys seem to be one of the most stable teams in NFC East. Terrell is gone and the focus has shifted to Romo, but the circus atmosphere that surrounded the ‘Boys the past few years isn’t as prevalent this season.

The New York Giants running attack will be strong, but not as potent without Derrick Ward. Sack machine Osi Umenyiora will be back from a knee injury, but the offense will be without its lightning rod, Plaxico Burress.

While I believe that the Giants will having a winning record and make a run at the playoffs, I don’t see another improbable Super Bowl run like a couple years ago.

Heading south to D.C., the Redskins have a huge question mark at quarterback. I’m not questioning the skills of former Auburn man Jason Campbell, but his owner seems to have lost all confidence in the kid.

Campbell was left out to dry when the team unsuccessfully tried to trade for quarterback Jay Cutler and then attempted to draft former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.

The team may not have much faith in Jason, but from all accounts, he still thinks that he can get the job done.

Washington’s only hope at the playoffs this year may be the mental stability of its “star” quarterback. If Campbell can hold steady and Clinton Portis remains healthy, an 8-8 season isn’t that far out of reach.

Over in “Illadelphia,” Donovan McNabb has a new contract, Brian Dawkins is now a Bronco, and blitzing defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is out indefinitely due to a battle with cancer.

As much as I disdain the Eagles, the team seems to be poised for another playoff run as their skill position players are still in place.

The battle for 1-2-3 in the NFC East will be between the Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles. The Cowboys ran away with the division in 2007, and they have the chance to do so again this year.

The ‘Boys have a dastardly tough schedule to end the year with road games against the Giants, Redskins, and Saints. Like last season, the team will face off against the Eagles in the last game of the year, but this time it will be in Texas.

History will be the judge of the future in this case, and I can’t defer from where the ‘Boys have finished the last few years. Their schedule in December is daunting, and the team hasn’t had a winning record during that part of year in over a decade.

Look for the Cowboys to finish second in the NFC East to the Giants or Eagles, but make a serious playoff run in January.

Will this be Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett’s last season in Dallas?

Wade Phillips is entering his third season as head coach in Dallas, and I’m not sure if Jerry will continue to make excuses for Phillips.

As many were calling for Wade’s dismissal after last season’s debacle, Jerry stood by his head coach. Instead of feeding him to the wolves, Jerry decided to give Bum’s son another shot.

If Tony Romo has taken the reigns of the team, the same must be said for Wade Phillips. After last season’s shootout against the Eagles early in the year, which ended with the cowboys winning 41-37, Phillips defended his defense by saying the Eagles were just receiving good breaks and capitalizing off of a few turnovers.

That type of explanation will not fly this season. Wade either has to lead this team deep in the playoffs or to a Super Bowl birth in order to keep his job. His defense has to stand up in the latter months of the season against teams like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

A few years ago, when Jerry brought back former back-up quarterback Jason Garrett to serve as offensive coordinator, it seemed a match made in Heaven as Romo flourished under Garrett’s tutelage.

Last season, though, Romo floundered a little under Garrett’s system and seemed to criticize Jason’s play calling.

Garrett probably has a longer leash than Phillips, simply because he isn’t the head coach.

Heading into training camp, Phillips may have a little sense of urgency because the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game this decade.

The defense may be a little meaner and the offense a little more disciplined. The turnovers have to stop, and Romo can’t throw his customary one interception a game just to get it out of his system.

If Phillips and Garrett are to remain in Valley Ranch, they both must turn the Cowboys into a more streamlined outfit.

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the most talent-filled rosters in the league. Of course T.O. is gone, and so is Greg Ellis, but the team is still poised to make a serious run at the Super Bowl.

I predicted that the Cowboys will finish second in their division this season, but that could bode well for them. Flying under the radar isn’t something they’re accustomed to doing, and this season just may be the one where they do so.

Overall, I think the team will finish 11-5 with losses against the Giants and Eagles in the division. But, we have to get past training camp to enter into a total season preview.

-JH

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This marks the beginning of a highly controversial and highly opinionated series. We have deeply analyzed the 2009 Dallas Cowboys Schedule and will target those teams that have the potential of giving us problems. Today we start with those crazy New York Football Giants.

The Giants will immediately come to town in Week 2, as the Cowboys open the new stadium. Here is the outlook:

Key Offseason Additions:

DE Chris Canty from Dallas.

OLB Michael Boley from Atlanta.

DT Rock Bernard from Seattle.

DB C.C. Brown from Houston.

Key Offseason Subtractions:

RB Derrick Ward

WR Plaxico Burress

CB R.W. McQuarters

CB Sam Madison

S Sammy Knight

Key Draft Picks:

WR Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina- Nicks is a potential game-breaker, whose known for making spectacular catches

OLB Clint Sintim- A great linebacker with good size, should start opposite Boley. Read the rest of this entry »

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Miles Austin has finished up his visit with the New York Jets, and while it isn’t clear yet if he’s left the area where his family is during this Easter weekend, he did leave the Jets facilities without an offer being made.

It’s anything but a sign of the Jets intentions that they did let him leave without making an offer since the type of offer they could make would take a few days to develop. According to Dave Hutchinson at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, the Jets informed Austin that they plan to put together an offer for him over the coming days.

The NFL has some say in how long they wait, as the signing period ends next Friday, April 17th, and that would leave the Cowboys exactly one week to match any offer made by the Jets before draft weekend, or receive the Jets second round draft pick in return for Austin. The Jets could make an offer to Austin at any time before then as well, which would still give the Cowboys seven days to match it.

Since Terrell Owens was released in early March Miles Austin’s stock has been on the rise. Known in Dallas as a speedy receiver with the ability to stretch the field and make big plays, Miles Austin poses a threat to any team that he plays for in 2009 with his inability to stay healthy for a full season yet. He does have the talent and upside to be well worth a second round pick in this year’s draft however.

The real issue at this point for the receiver slated to replace T.O. this year in Dallas rests in how creative the Jets get with their offer to the fourth year receiver. The Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum could decide to include a poison pill in the offer similar the one they made to Curtis Martin a decade ago to snag him away from New England.

An example of this poison pill could be a clause stating that Austin’s entire contract would become guaranteed should he play five games in the state of Texas. This type of language would virtually prevent the Cowboys from matching the offer and would thus send Austin to the Jets in return for the 52nd overall pick in this years draft.

Dallas released Owens saying that it was a move in favor of letting the younger guys on the team step up, specifically Miles Austin. They’ve been grooming since signing the undrafted free agent as a rookie.

But if the Jets do decide to put a poison pill in the offer, the Cowboys would have no choice but to let him go and try to replace him through the draft and free agency. Matt Jones, Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, and Plaxico Burress are some of the most notable free agent receivers on the market right now, and there are some good receivers in the draft that could come in and play behind Williams and Crayton this year.

Picking midway through the second round at 51 and 52, should the Jets get Austin, the Cowboys wouldn’t be likely to find a receiver to step in as the number 2 receiver this season unless they package some picks together to move up in the second round, or into the first round. For Dallas, the upcoming offer to Austin from the Jets could change the outlook of the season drastically. Stay tuned for more.

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According to Calvin Watkins over at DMN, quite possibly.

I’ve got to admit that it does make more sense that Owens has some word that he will be around Dallas next year, though it’s still possible there’s another explanation for Owens’ agent not mentioning Owens in his contacts with all 32 teams that several of his other clients are available for a trade.

Those clients include, an likely feature, the usual suspects of Chad Johnson, Anquan Boldin, and Plaxico Burress. It’s no secret that any of those guys would be shopping themselves around, but Rosenhaus didn’t include T.O.

It’s either a ploy to show how confident he is that owens will be a Cowboy next year, which is rather dumb considering how he’ll look if he’s wrong, or he’s got some information that we don’t have and knows that Owens will be here. That certainly would make sense.

Check the article here.

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