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Introduction

Well, the Cowboys have finally lost a game. Beyond that, they actually played a good opponent in the New England Patriots. But in that loss, there was a lot of good to be taken from it. The defense did an excellent job early in the game against Tom Brady.

Meanwhile, the offense moved the ball fairly well against a top-five defense. Tony Romo also seemed to rebound from his 6-turnover performance against the Bills and only threw a interception in the desperate closing moments of the game.

The important question, for me, is what can I take away from this game as a Cowboys fan? Despite being a loss I saw a lot of things I liked but plenty of room for improvement and I'm still excited about the Cowboys' chances.

Cowboys Offense

I have two primary complaints with the Cowboys offense.

First, they start way to slow. The Cowboys are like an old Diesel engine; they take a long time to start up but then can run for a very long time. The Cowboys have yet to manage a touchdown in the opening quarter and scored only a field goal this past Sunday.

They need to change that, obviously, but first we've got to identify why they start so slow.

It could simply be a characteristic of this team (a fatal one if so) that they need to "warm up" every game. It could also be due to play calling, perhaps the Cowboys are less aggressive early (but I seriously doubt that's the case). What I think the real problem is, they have no down field threat and opponents are stacking against the run.

I've noticed the Cowboys like to come out and run it early and often. This would be nice except that their running game is rather anemic until late in the game. The Cowboys have no down field threat so teams stack the box and receive Julius Jones with open arms.

There are a couple remedies to this. First, Terry Glenn's return will help by default. His speed is a threat and teams will respect it. I guarantee if they don't respect him in the first game he's back (testing his surgically repaired knee) they will get burned. Glenn will help open things up for the running backs.

Second, the Cowboys could try a little "West-Coast" variety in the opening minutes. Maybe role the backs out into the flats or have them barely cross the line of scrimmage and toss them the ball for 3-4 yard completions. This will advance the ball and force defenses to spread out. It should also help them get their offensive charge going sooner.

Finally, they could obviously come out throwing and throwing deep. While they don't have a deep threat that makes safeties sit back on their heels they have enough speed and fire power to get down field quickly. A flea-flicker on the second or third play of the game could really open up a chance for Terrell Owens or Sam Hurd to get down field and come up with a long completion. This would at least stoke the fires early.

Cowboys Defense

The more and more I watch the Cowboys' Defense the more I like it. They seem to be really getting what Wade Phillips is preaching and acting upon it. They got to Brady multiple times on Sunday and their pass rush is really picking up. Greg Ellis' return has played a huge part in that and he's gotten to the quarterback in every game he's played.

DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer are also attacking from the edges and adding pressure to opposing offenses. The defense is also covering fairly well downfield with Anthony Henry out and Terrence Newman still not at 100%. However, this shows that once their two starting corner's are back to full health they can have confidence in Jacques Reeves to be tough to throw against.

They also have Tank Johnson on the way. While he is undersized for a traditional nose tackle in a 3-4, his aggressiveness will help him in Phillips' system. More importantly, he'll be able to give Jay Ratliff some rest and keep him fresher as the game wears on. If Tank can flash even some of his promise then the Cowboys pass rush could be excellent.

DeMarcus Ware

DeMarcus Ware's maturation is also a huge plus. While some criticized the Cowboys for taking Ware over Merriman I believe Ware is the more complete player. For instance, after sacking Brady the Patriots tried to use Ware's aggressiveness against him.

They ran a play they love, a screen pass, which entailed the offensive line basically abandoning Brady on one side. Brady then drops back, drawing the defense with him, and then dumps the ball off at the last second. They did this and DeMarcus Ware had a clear avenue to Brady.

Rather than take it, however, Ware smelled out the play and stayed with (I believe) Kevin Faulk. As defenders closed on him and Faulk struggled to get free, Brady was forced to attempt a pass to him. However, Ware's presence ruined what is often a huge play for the Patriots and forced them to punt the ball away.

Tony Romo

Say what you will about Romo, I believe in him. He showed poise in this game and kept his head (answering critics after his terrible performance against the Bills). He managed the game when the Cowboys had the ball and still showed he can make plays.

Romo has the arm, has the legs, and more importantly (I think) has the heart. He has absolute confidence in himself and isn't afraid to keep throwing. He believes in his team and in Jason Garrett's offense.

Romo has shown that he has "it" and I believe he can truly lead this team. With his continued development and all the weapons the Cowboys have I see good things in the Cowboys (and Romo's) future.

Jason Witten

The best tight end nobody knows about is having a great season. He has 32 receptions for 454 yards and 4 touchdowns. He's an effective weapon for the Cowboys across the middle and displays great hands and toughness.

More importantly, he has filled the voided left by Terry Glenn. While he obviously doesn't stretch the field like Glenn he has become a legitimate threat and defenses have to scheme against him. Along side Terrell Owens he gives defenses fits and has proven to be one of the Cowboys' most consistent players.

Coming Improvement

On offense the Cowboys promise to improve. As stated, they haven't been striking early and I'm sure the coaching staff is hard at work on correcting that. But they also have Terry Glenn's impending return.

Glenn has been out with a knee injury but had some cartelidge removed so he could come back this season. Once he is healthy, his speed will add another threat to the Cowboys arsenal. Terry Glenn could stretch the field while Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, and Patrick Crayton have proven they can make plays on a short field. Lining up Glenn and Owens on one side and then Witten and Crayton on the other could pose serious problems for defenses.

On the defensive side of the ball the Cowboys also stand to improve.

For one thing, Terrence Newman (regarded as their number one corner) isn't at full strength. He's still getting himself back into shape and working himself into Wade Phillips' version of the 3-4. Once he gets to full strength and confidence he has shown he can shut down some of the best receivers in the league and will force opposing QB's to throw elsewhere.

Anthony Henry will be patrolling that "elsewhere" and could cause offense's to turn to option number three. Before going out with an ankle injury, he was leading the league with 4 interceptions. He also had a high number of pass deflections and was making a serious case for why he should be called the Cowboys' true number one CB. With a healthy Newman on one side and a healthy Henry on the other offenses will have difficulties getting the ball to their receivers.

Finally, Tank Johnsons' presence I don't think can be emphasized enough. If for no other reason than the fact that he will give Jay Ratliff some rest. But I think he'll have a bigger impact than that.

His aggressiveness will benefit from Phillips' style and allow him to get into the backfield and make plays. He's also going to have a chip on his shoulder and be looking to prove the Bears wrong for giving up on him. This motivation should not be underestimated.

If the Cowboys pass rush continues to improve and they can settle into a strong rotation on the defensive line and the D-B's return to full health the Cowboys defense will be a tough one to play against.

Conclusion

While the Cowboys lost a game there was a lot of promise in that game. There is also some comfort to be taken in knowing that they're going to be getting more talent as the season wears on. If the Cowboys can maintain their advantages and improve on their deficiencies then I wouldn't hand the Lombardi Trophy over to the AFC quite yet.