While the Cowboys have been relatively quiet this off season
the media channels make it seem like they are the most active team. Every day
there is a new rumor or expansion of a rumor associated with them. It seems
every NFL player that is unhappy where they are seems ready to jump to Dallas.
Even though they often name other teams Dallas is always focused
on for three years. One, they are the Cowboys, America’s Team. Everybody loves or hates them so
they are sure to draw ratings just by virtue of who they are. Second, they are
competitive. An impact player here or there could make them the Super Bowl
favorites. Third, Jerry Jones is willing to take risks to get his team to the
top.
So, I’ve been thinking about all these rumors and the
upcoming draft and about what the Cowboys could feasibly do over the next
couple months.
No McFadden
There’s been a lot of speculation about the Cowboys jumping
up the draft to get Darren McFadden. Besides not needing a top-five back the
money they would have to pay him is simply too great. The Cowboys will sit pat
towards the tail end of the draft and, if anything, move out of the first
round.
Unfortunately for those who love McFadden and the Cowboys he
will not have a star on his helmet
come next year.
Pacman Jones and Chad
Johnson
These are the two prominent rumors regarding the Cowboys
right now. “Pacman” Jones has made it clear that he wants to play for the
Cowboys. If he’s willing to suck it up and take 90% of the risk then he will.
He’s good enough for the Cowboys to take a little chance on but he won’t be
commanding huge money or a high draft pick.
Chad Johnson has made it clear he wants to play anywhere but
Cincinnati. He mentioned the Cowboys and suggested that with his addition the
Super Bowl is guaranteed. While that’s certainly a stretch an throwing game
combining the likes of Owens, Johnson, and Witten would be formidable to say
the least.
While I originally thought the Adam Jones trade was much
more likely I’m beginning to think there’s a real possibility with Chad
Johnson. This is solely based on some comments by Jerry Jones. He stated that
the Cowboys are assuming Terry Glenn won’t be back and their number one
priority is getting some firepower opposite Terrell Owens. When pressed about
whether he thought that firepower would come from the draft Jerry Jones said it
wasn’t likely.
The Draft
Well, the Cowboys have two first round picks this year. That
gives them an edge in this year’s draft. Combine that with the fact that they
have no glaring needs and they have many options. They will not trade
one of these picks to get Chad Johnson or Jones directly but could use them to maneuver.
For the purposes of this piece that’s what I will assume the
thinking is. These first two choices will be looked at as pieces to build
towards these trades.
Pick 22: From the
Cleveland Browns for QB Brady Quinn
There is much speculation about what the Cowboys will do
with this pick. In this scenario they are going to trade this bad boy to either
the Falcons or the Dolphins (who ever offers more). I’m going to assume the
Falcons will in order to #### up a QB the Dolphins otherwise would have. So…
***Dallas Cowboys
trade pick 22 to Atlanta Falcons for 2009 First Round Pick and pick 34 (Second
Round, pick 3)***
Atlanta Falcons select
Quarterback Brian Brohm from Louisville.
This is a repeat of what happened last year when the Browns
traded from early in the second round up into the first to insure they got
Brady Quinn. Here, I’m betting the Falcons fear the Dolphins scooping up Brohm
enough to want to jump up.
Pick 28: Antoine
Cason CB/S (Arizona)
This is called hedging your bet. The Cowboys select a good
young DB just in case “Pacman” doesn’t shake out. They also give themselves
someone to groom behind Henry and Newman. If Newman’s price is too steep after
next season then they will have his replacement waiting. Cason also gives them
some depth at Safety and could be moved there if necessary.
This pick gives them lots of options moving forward. They
have fulfilled a serious need and set themselves up for the future. They also
protect themselves against Jones if they manage to get him and he tanks.
Pick 34: From the
Atlanta Falcons for QB Brian Brohm
The Cowboys now have two picks in the second round. They
also have two first round selections in 2009. One of which is from a team that
seems destined to struggle for years to come (but isn’t that what they thought
about Cleveland too?).
I think this is where they make their big move. ..
***Dallas Cowboys
trade pick 34 (Second Round, pick 3), pick 61 (Second Round, pick 30), and LB
Bobby Carpenter to Cincinnati for WR Chad Johnson***
This is about as close to market value as the Browns can
hope to get for Chad Johnson. It gives them a lot of options are where to go.
They will have three picks in the second round to help bolster their defense
and add a talented receiver or whatever they want.
For the Cowboys, it removes a few things. First, Bobby
Carpenter hasn’t really found a place in this defense. He’s out of favor with
the coaching staff and seems to need a fresh start. He’s young and talented and
with the right team could become a stud Line Backer.
Second, they don’t have to worry about busting on a WR
selection. This will give them the ability to continue to wait on two promising
young Wide Receivers (Sam Hurd and Isaiah Stanback) while assuring they are
competitive on the field.
Third, they will have some leeway with Terry Glenn. He won’t
be called on to step immediately back in and will be given some time to heal.
If he’s anything like what he once was then a one-two-three punch of
Owens-Johnson-Glenn will be nearly unstoppable (not to mention the continued
presence of Barber, Romo, and Witten).
…and the Rest
The rest of the draft is relatively uneventful (though I’m
not sure anything could compete with what they did above). The Cowboys use the
later rounds to shore up their Defensive and Offensive lines. With the final
few picks they may pick up a DB or two just to keep the churning going on
there.
The real story of the rest of the Cowboys draft is this…
***Dallas Cowboys
trade pick 157 (Round Five, pick 30) to the Tennessee Titans for Adam “Pacman”
Jones***
Jones and the Titans get their wishes. Those are,
respectively, to play for the Cowboys and to be rid of Jones.
As the Cowboys demonstrated by using their first round pick
on Cason they are not playing games with Jones. He will either come in to
compete for a job and stay on the straight and narrow or will be dismissed without
hesitation.
With this scenario the Cowboys would be stupid not to at
least pick him up. He’s a proven talent and a dynamic return man. If he really
has learned then the Cowboys have their DB’s for the future in Cason and Jones.
Henry would be moved to Free Safety and Hamlin to Strong Safety (if the Cowboys
so desired) and Williams released after the conclusion of the 2008-2009 season.
Summary
Cowboys acquire WR
Chad Johnson from the Bengals, draft CB/S Antoine Cason with the 28th
overall pick, and acquire Adam “Pacman” Jones from the Tennessee Titans
WR’s: Terrell Owens
(81), Chad Johnson (85), Terry Glenn (83), Patrick Crayton (84),Sam Hurd (17), Isaiah Stanback (86)
CB’s: Terrance Newman
(41), Anthony Henry (42), Antoine Cason (43), Adam “Pacman” Jones (32), Alan
Ball (20)
Conclusion
So after being fairly quiet the Cowboys absolutely take over
the hype of the offseason. Their two trades dominate headlines and promise to
make them better on both sides of the ball.
By being crafty the Cowboys assure they have two picks in
2009 and many more options then and shore up their Defensive Backfield. The
only obvious missed opportunity was a RB but the Cowboys have one more trick up
their sleeve when they trade for Ricky Williams…
…just kidding. The Cowboys use a later pick (or two) on a
Running Back their willing to take a chance on. It could be a committee of
three to at least begin the season but Marion Barber is clearly the starter.
Keep in mind this is a hypothetically and purely for fun.
There’s no way this would go down but it would be a lot of fun if it did. It
would also significantly improve the Cowboys on both sides of the ball and give
them plenty of options for the future.
Another season down, another first round playoff exit. After a hot
13-3 start all Cowboys fans are left to wonder is “what happened?” Many
have taken the path of blaming Tony Romo’s trip to Mexico during his
three day weekend. I think that’s a bit ridiculous. What happened was
systemic and not the result of one man’s (actually TE Jason Witten was
there too) actions.
At the same time offensive line coach Tony Sparano was
“interviewing” for the Miami Dolphins. Maybe that distraction is what
caused the awful offensive line play we witnessed from a group that had
an otherwise solid season. Or maybe the fact that Jason Garrett was
busy doing interviews explains why the Cowboys problems of starting
games with a score continued. Or the fact that the wide receivers
seemed unable to haul in passes when it mattered most.
Tony Romo was forced to scramble around and try to make plays on his
own. Twice he probably should’ve thrown it away but in at least one of
those two instances if he had time to set his feet it was a TD
(assuming Austin Miles would have caught it).
But that’s really all irrelevant. The Cowboys lost and now they stare another off season of “fixing” in the face.
Step One
Step one is completed: retain Jason Garrett. Garrett got a hefty pay
raise and a shiny new “Assistant Head Coach” title. With a season of
experience under his belt Garrett should be a much more balanced OC
next season and we’ll see a healthy dose of Marion “the Barbarian” and
some “trickeration” next season.
I think he’ll be able to puzzle out why the Cowboys started so slow
and I anticipate the Cowboys starting many games in a “hurry-up”
offense. One more year of tutelage will give Garrett enough confidence
in Romo to let him do it. Also, Barber starting the game will
immediately force teams to respect the run (something they didn’t have
to do with Jones) and open up some options in the passing attack.
Step Two
Step two is shoring up the rest of the coaching staff. It’s
important to have a complete staff who understands (and believes in)
the philosophy of the team. They’ll need to fill some holes as Tony
Sparano (offensive line coach) is gone and it appears Todd Bowles
(secondary coach) may be leaving too.
Hudson Houck seems to be on his way to coach the line.
I expect the Cowboys will fill the rest of their voids quickly with
some of Wade Phillips’ guys. Another thing the Cowboys have to look at
is the organization of their scouting department.
The head of College and Pro Scouting, Jeff Ireland, left to be the
GM in Miami and the Cowboys may want to fill that void. However, I
understand it was created for Ireland and the Cowboys already have
College Scouting and Pro Scouting heads so they may simply eliminate
the position. Regardless, it’s important that the scouting department
and coaching staff are on the same page and ready to go for the off
season and especially the draft.
Step Three: Phase One
With the coaching staff and scouting departments set it’s important
to look at what free agents are to be signed. Phase One is to look at
your own free agents and make some decisions about them.
First, Marion Barber (RFA) will be resigned to a comfortable,
multi-year deal. He’s the starter for next season and Cowboys fans
expect great things from him. Can his physical running style hold up
over an entire season? Isn’t that the same thing they said about Adrian
Peterson?
Second, Ken Hamlin (UFA) had a great season. He’s made the Pro Bowl
based on what he was able to do in the Cowboys secondary and was a
pleasant surprise for fans like me. I’d like to see the Cowboys lock
him up for a few more seasons and see if he can continue on the track
he’s on. However, I wouldn’t break the bank for Hamlin and I believe
the Cowboys will give him a conservative offer to remain in a good
situation.
Third, Flozell Adams (UFA) the Cowboys have an interesting decision
with Adams. While at times he simply dominates his opponents at other
times he shows his age and appears slow. Also, his focus is sometimes
questionable as he virtually guarantees one or two false starts a game.
The Cowboys have a number of options here. They could let him go and
place Pat McQuinstan or Doug Free in his place. Both are highly
regarded by Dallas coaches. Or, they could let him go and move Leonard
Davis to left tackle. That means Cory Proctor (who was decent filling
in for Gurode at times) could be put in at Right Guard. Finally, they
could simply resign him and trust the line to play like it did last
season.
I don’t have enough info to make this decision but I would like to
see McQuinstan or Free take over. As much as I love Adams his false
starts kill me. Besides that, he’s getting up there in age and another
long term deal could have detrimental consequences over the next couple
years.
Finally, Julius Jones is gone. Done. Good riddance. Jones did
nothing after his rookie season and proved to be as soft as Bill
Parcells predicted. He proved that if there wasn’t a hole big enough
for a Mack truck then he couldn’t make it. He was slow getting around
the edge and once he was hit his run was all over. Jones is a backup at
best and it’s up to another team to somehow resurrect his dying career.
There are some other free agents but these are the most important.
Most of the Cowboys important FA’s had been extended before the season
and the others (like Canty) can be dealt with rather easily. Jaques
Reeves is probably gone too but he was never more than a “maybe” nickel
corner at best.
Step Three: Phase Two
Now, after you’ve decided which of your free agents are absolutely
essential you begin to look at the free agent market. The Cowboys are
about $16 million or so under the cap so they have ample room to
manovure. I think the most imporant issue they must address is their
defensive secondary. They have a solid pass rush (off the edges anyway)
and need to be able to shut teams down in man coverage (something they
struggled doing). Safety help only comes from one side as Roy Williams
regressed even further this year and, honestly, risked his job.
Therefore, I think the Cowboys should go for a home run here and
throw a lot of money at premiere corner Asante Samuel. Since Samuel did
so well this year the Pats can’t franchise him again the fact that he
hasn’t already negotiated an extension says he’s willing to explore
deals. The Cowboys can toss a lot of money at him and give him the
chance to go from one great team to another. However, the Pats also
have a lot of money and are sure to be right back in the hunt next year.
But if the Cowboys could some how convince Samuel to part ways with
the Pats then they could solve many problems with this one move. First,
it would give them another shutdown corner. With Samuel on one side and
Newman on the other teams will be fearful of the Cowboys secondary
(something they haven’t been since Darren Woodson retired). Also, the
Cowboys need a solid nickel corner and Anthony Henry would fit that
role well. He’s getting up in age but is still a solid corner and the
extra rest would only help his game.
With those three corners the Cowboys could trust man coverage while
allowing Ken Hamlin to float in the backfield. This would also free Roy
Williams up to simply swarm the ball on every down. With more than
capable corners in all three positions Williams’ coverage deficiency
wouldn’t be as glaring and he could even earn a Pro Bowl spot.
Of course, Samuel is the biggest fish this offseason and will be
hard for the Cowboys to reel in. After him I’d like them to go get
Marcus Trufant. Easily the second best corner on the market he would
slide into the number two spot on the Cowboys roster. While he wouldn’t
necessarily inspire the fear Samuel would the Cowboys secondary would
be seriously upgraded. Either way, the Cowboys need a known quantity in
the backfield and that’s why I’d like to see them sign a vet instead of
draft a top corner.
Depending who the Cowboys sign, they may want to pursue Bernard
Berrian; especially if Terry Glenn retires. However, I think the
Cowboys could avoid having to pay someone and draft an adequate
receiver. But if they don’t get that home run in the defensive
secondary then they may aim for one for the receiving corps.
Other than that the Cowboys could go big and sign Lance Briggs. He’s
looking to be the lead linebacker on a team of his own (and that’s not
happening any time soon in Chicago) and as well as Bradie James has
done Briggs is better. Again, I doubt the Cowboys would go here but
it’s a possibility. They desperately need a strong pass rush up the
middle and a linebacker like Briggs or a tough NT could be
possibilities.
Step Four
The draft. The Cowboys traded Brady Quinn to the Cleveland Browns
for the Browns’ 2008 first round draft pick. At the time, I was certain
it would be a top five pick, instead it’s number 22. Regardless, having
two draft picks opens up a list of options and the Cowboys must be
looking forward to the draft with eager anticipation.
So, I’ll assume for my own benefit that the Cowboys some how land
Asante Samuel. If that’s the case then there are three positions they
should look at on day one. In no particular order: Wide Receiver,
Running Back, Nose Tackle.
As for Wide Receiver I’m not sure who will still be on the board by
the times the Cowboys pick. WR is a difficult position to project and
I’m not sure the Cowboys will use a first round pick on one. I think
instead they’ll scoop up Felix Jones out of Arkansas and maybe someone
like Kentwan Balmer who could play either NT or DE.
The Cowboys could pull any numbers of moves like trading up into the
top five or ten, trading down, swapping a round one pick this year for
one next year. But I anticipate they’ll try to load up for a Super Bowl
run and use both round one selections. I am almost certain they’ll take
a running back and depending what they do either a WR or DB after that.
Step Five
Intensity. The Cowboys have lacked intensity on both sides of the
ball for a long time. I just don’t see anyone really stepping up with
energy on a consistent basis. The closest I’ve seen is Marion Barber
and now that he’s starting things could change. However, they need a
leader on defense who will give that unit a spark. That’s why I believe
signing someone like Asante Samuel is so important. Samuel gambles to
make plays but is successful most of the time and his intensity would
add a whole new dynamic to the Cowboys.
I think Jason Garrett will be spending his time this off season
figuring out how to get the Cowboys scoring early (something they
didn’t do despite their numbers). Meanwhile, Wade Phillips will be
working on how to help the defense finish. Consistently the defense was
stout early and then broke down as time went on. If the Cowboys defense
can hold up throughout the game and the offense can start hot then the
Cowboys will have a much better shot next year.
Conclusion
I happen to know for a fact that Jerry Jones checks this blog hourly
so look for these things to happen. If they don’t then surely Mr. Jones
T3 line must be down and the satellites he owns disabled (probably by
Bill Belichick).
But these are things I would be doing if I were owner of the Dallas
Cowboys and I sincerely hope Jerry Jones does something dramatic to
return my team to greatness.
We’re halfway through the season and I felt compelled to try my hand
again at a weekly piece. What I plan to do here is to list off my top
five NFL teams heading into this weekend. I’ll give you my reasoning
and my general feeling about the team’s.
Then I’ll list off the top five NFL teams from the following sources:
Peter Schrager, Foxsports.com; Mike McAllister, ESPN.com; Jonathan Comey, ColdHardFootballFacts.com; and Dr. Z, SI.com.
Then I’ll combine all our rankings and develop consensus rankings.
After that I’ll probably tack on some notes with additional thoughts.
Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment.
1. New England Patriots (9-0)
The reason should be obvious. Not only are they sole remaining
undefeated team in the league they have simply been dominating in their
victories. Besides the Colts game the Patriots haven’t faced a
challenge all season. Even in Dallas once they got halfway through the
third quarter the game was over.
The Patriots have a cake schedule the rest of the way and run the
risk of going undefeated. Based on Bill Belichick’s tactics late in
games that have already be won, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brady,
Moss, Welker, etc. playing extensively in the last several games of the
season. While that may be the right way to go undefeated if Tom Brady
gets hurt in one of those unnecessary games then the Patriots historic
season will be brought to an abrupt halt.
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-1)
The Colts had the game against the Patriots. Even without Marvin
Harrison, the Colts’ offense put up enough points to over come the
league’s highest scoring team. However, Marvin Harrison’s absence ended
up costing the Colts the game. Several times the Colts came within
striking distance but could not score a TD. On play in particular, a
Gonzalez dropped ended a promising drive.
The next time these two teams meet Peyton Manning should have his
favorite weapon. If that’s the case then the Colts could easily win
that game. But they didn’t win this past Sunday and that drops them to
a very solid number 2 (really, more like 1.b.).
3. Dallas Cowboys (7-1)
The Cowboys crushed the Eagles this weekend to assert their
dominance in the NFC East. Of course, they’ve got a far greater
challenge when they travel to Giants stadium to take on the resurgent
New York Giants. This will be the battle for number one and could have
implications of home field advantage in the playoffs.
Dallas is cruising. They seem to be curing their first quarter
scoring woes and that does not bode well for opponents. Their defense
is also coming on and it appears they will finally have both starting
corners in the lineup soon. The Cowboys seem to be improving
week-to-week and they will be awfully hard to beat.
4. Green Bay Packers (7-1)
The Pack have a tough match up this week against the Vikings. Adrian
Peterson is simply ripping the league a new one and will test the young
Packers defense. On the other side of the ball the Pack are running
more but nothing that you could call a legit run game has developed.
That’s going to be a problem (or so they’ve been saying for about 5
weeks now).
As much as I love Brett Favre it seems that he’s a ticking time
bomb. As the level of competition increases the Pack will have to
answer with a running game. If they can’t then Brett could easily slip
into “Bad Favre” and the Packers season might end before the playoffs
begin. However, they certainly seem on track for the playoffs and have
a stellar defense. If they can get their run game going then they could
beat the Cowboys later this month and supplant them as the NFC’s team
to beat.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 5 touchdowns in the first half of last
weeks game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Pittsburgh Steelers
defense is still one of the toughest in the league. The combination of
a much stronger offense and an ever powerful defense will spell trouble
for Steelers opponents.
The Steelers appear to be the only legitimate threat left against
the Patriots in the regular season. Ben Roethlisberger is playing at
high level right now and has opened up this offense. If the defense can
attack Brady I believe that the Steelers offense can score on the Pats.
I also trust AFC teams much more than NFC teams so the Steelers get the
nod over the Giants.
- This discussion of the asterisks to be placed next to the Patriots
record if they go undefeated is ridiculous. It should be a foregone
conclusion. If we’re going to consider placing an asterisks next to
Barry Bonds’ record because we think he cheated then we must place an asterisks next to the Patriots’ (read Belichick’s) record because we know they (he) cheated.
- The best way for NBC to go green is to eliminate all the extras
around their football broadcasts. I mean, have Al Michaels do
play-by-play alone. John Madden produces enough Carbon Dioxide by
himself to melt a small ice berg, he will not be missed. Bob Costas is
an embarrassment to studio hosts everywhere and Cris Collinsworth has
to be one of the worst analysts/commentators I’ve ever heard. If NBC
just got rid of all these extras, they would reduce NBC’s carbon
footprint significantly.
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.
After failing to even post the second edition of The Morning After, I’ve gotten the crazy idea that I should try another weekly piece.
This time, I think I’ll try to rank the top five teams as of this
week. While early in the season this is an easier task, I hope to have
more controversial picks as time goes on.
Hopefully, I’ll find time this weekend to actually watch the Sunday Night game and complete a post for Monday morning.
I don’t care about any of this, “you gotta beat the champs,” none
sense. Do you really believe the Patriots aren’t the best team in the
league? I mean, the Patriots have been clicking on both sides of the
ball and have man handled their opponents almost effortlessly.
While their opponents do have a combined record of 4-12 the Patriots
performance can not be denied. The defense is as stingy as ever and the
offense is more prolific than it every has been. Statistically, this team is second in total offense (having been supplanted by Dallas only this week) and first in total defense.
The Patriots are dominating and could make a serious run at 19-0.
However, that’s highly improbable and I expect they’ll have at least
one bump along the road. That being said, until I see otherwise, the
Patriots are the team to beat.
The defending champs are undefeated and, yet, are still playing
second fiddle to the Patriots. A drubbing of the Patriots (or a grind
out win for that matter) on November 4th would go a long way to putting
them back on top. In fact, if they remain unbeaten through that game
then they’d obviously be the top team in the NFL.
But the Colts aren’t exactly dominating teams like they have in the
past. Their games are tight and they’ve had to come from behind a
couple times this season. In fact, they appear more like the Patriots a
couple years ago in their attempt to control the ball and beat the
team’s with stoic defense.
The Colts are still one of the best teams in the NFL but I can’t
deny what I see when I watch the Patriots. Until I see a chink in the
Pats’ armor, the Colts are still in their shadow.
The Cowboys have been downright prolific. Their offense is the best
in the league and Tony Romo looks like he’s been playing in the league
for years. Terrell Owens is quiet after the game but makes plenty of
noise during it. Jason Witten is also making his way back into the NFL
limelight and Marion Barber is a stud.
The defense, meanwhile, is getting better each week. In fact, they
held the Rams without a touchdown (St. Louis’ lone score coming on a
kick return). While that’s not a great feat the little things the
defense is doing are improving. Greg Ellis is back on the field, as is
Terence Newman, in a reduced role and defensive line is upping its
tempo.
The scary part about the Cowboys is they only promise to get better.
Terry Glenn is aiming for a mid season return and would add a whole new
dimension to the Cowboys stellar offense. Tank Johnson is preparing to
join the defense, with a major chip on his shoulder, and hopefully
provide some help on that d-line.
The Cowboys opponents are a combined 3-13 but they, like the Pats,
have been playing some simply outstanding football. They have the Bills
this week and once they get through that we’ll have a clash of titans
on October 14 when the Pats come to town.
Brett Favre looks like Brett Farve circa 1996. The guy has been
making plays and his young receivers haven’t let him down. He’s now the
touchdown king and more importantly the Packers are 4-0. What’s truly
impressive is that the Packers are the youngest team in the league and
they are winning with virtually no running game.
The Packers defense is proving itself as the new cornerstone of this
team. They stuff the run and play the pass well. They put plenty of
pressure on the QB and play with the fire of youth and smarts of
experience.
The Packers first real test won’t come until October 29 when they
play the Broncos and I wouldn’t be surprised if they go the longest
without a loss. The Packers are much better than we thought and now the
only question is how good are they? The sky appears to be the limit but
I really think their ceiling is lower than the Cowboys’.
Afraid I have to agree with the consensus, the Steelers are one of
the best teams in the league. They lost to Arizona in, what I consider,
a fluke game (they were without Hines Ward) and I think it was one of
the Steelers bumps this year.
Big Ben’s been looking good this year. He’s spreading the ball
around and moving like he did in their Super Bowl year. The offense has
been opened up and Roethlisberger appears to be up for the task. The
defense is still preforming well and are statistically the second best
total defense in the league.
As time goes on, they’ll still be a team to beat. Unless the injury
bug plagues them again they’ll be in this thing near the end. They
still have Seattle, New England, Baltimore, and (dare I say it)
Cleveland on the slate. If they can get by all those opponents, or at
least put on a good showing, they’ll be in this thing deep into the
post-season.
There is pretty strong consensus among the top five. The only real
dissension is whether the Colts or Pats are number one and whether the
Seahawks or Steelers belong in the fifth slot.
Well, there’s always room for debate and I’m hoping that space gets
bigger after next week. Several upsets this past weekend shook things
up some but given time and the disagreements should grow. Thanks for
checking it out and please feel free to leave your own top five.
Recently, Donovan McNabb sat down for an interview with James Brown
and made some controversial comments. Basically, what he said was that
African-American Quarterbacks have to do a “little extra” because of
their skin color.
Well, there’s one position where I think the minority has to do a lot extra because of their skin color.
White running backs, nearly extinct in the upper echelon of
football, face strong opposition from the earliest stages and a
strongly held belief that they simply can’t play the position. All that
may be about to change…
A Little History
Shortly before the NFL draft this season I wrote a little piece about this phenomenon. It was titled “Position Available: White’s Need Not Apply” and focused on the story of a prospective white running back named Brian Leonard.
Over the course of the article I discussed the anomalous game of Brock Forsey against the Cardinals and the questions that followed (including, “Is it surprising you came out and had a great game and you’re white?”).
I also talked about how, according to Tony Dungy,
white’s are discouraged from a young age from pursuing the “skill
positions” (RB, WR, CB) and funneled into more appropriate positions.
Finally, I concluded that Brian Leonard, despite his size, skills,
stats, speed, and toughness, would face a strong current against him
because of his race. I don’t think it can be denied that to be a white
running back you have to be truly special.
During my research I was very discouraged about his chances. Most
sites agreed that he should be shifted to full-back despite running a
4.49 40 (Reggie Bush ran 4.38, Adrian Peterson ran 4.40, and Marshawn ####
ran 4.46) and stating he preferred to be a running back. I thought he
would surely be drafted as a full-back, if at all, and never get a real
shot in the NFL; all because he was white.
Current Events
But that all changed today. I recalled that he had been drafted by the Rams
in the second round but also that he had been drafted as a full-back.
Besides, no matter how good he was I seriously doubted he could
supplant Steven Jackson. Then Steven Jackson went and got hurt.
Now, the Rams are likely to elevate their number two running back
into the starting slot. And that number two running back is, of course,
Brian Leonard.
This development is stunning and quite unbelievable. I honestly
didn’t know how to react when I learned that Brian Leonard would likely
start this Sunday at running back. I thought it was a joke or a dream
maybe even a Pepsi-induced
hallucination. But, nay, it appears the Rams are seriously preparing to
launch us into a brave new era in the NFL; an era in which franchise
black quarterbacks are handing the ball off to elite white running
backs.
Great White Hope
Now, Leonard’s not going to have an easy task this Sunday. He’s
going up against the number 8 rush defense in the league and a team
that is sitting atop the NFC. The Cowboys are sure to key on struggling QB Marc Bulger and will be looking to improve to 4-0.
Brian Leonard will face a determined defense Sunday and a group of
guys determined not to let a white running back do well against them.
We have yet to really see if he’s capable of doing the things he did in
college in the NFL. And I’m not sure Leonard has had enough experience
to be truly prepared for Sunday and I don’t think he’s going to set the
world on fire, at least not yet.
But he has brought his “Leonard Leap” to the NFL in the preseason:
I’m really torn this Sunday. On the one hand, I’d love
to see Leonard do really well this Sunday just to put a #### wrench
in people’s perceptions. On the other hand, the Rams are playing the
Cowboys and I, therefore, would love to see them completely crushed.
But even if Leonard isn’t successful this Sunday I
think there is still one up and coming running back who could give
white people everywhere reason for hope:
Conclusion
Are we going to see this stereotype torn down before
our eyes on Sunday? I seriously doubt it. I think we’ll see Leonard
struggle in his first start against a pretty good run defense but his
struggles will not be because he’s white.
Will we see a day when both Brian Leonard and Sam McGuffie
are starting in the NFL? Will we see a day when white running backs are
as prosperous as they once were (post-integration I mean)? I don’t
know. But be sure and tune in on Sunday because even if we don’t see
those barriers torn down, we’re going to see a little crack form in
them, and then it’s only a matter of time.
Forget the fact that it’s now afternoon. I think a good name for this column (which I plan to make weekly) is the The Morning After, just has a nice ring to it.
Last night the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Chicago Bears
in what many considered to be a potential NFC Championship preview.
Afterwards, the Bears were left wondering who exactly they are and how
much longer Coach Smith will stand behind Rex Grossman.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys offense came alive in the second half and Tony Romo demonstrated a poise that many critics felt he didn’t have. Terrell Owens lit up the Bears and Jason Witten continued to be one of the toughest Tight End’s in the league. Finally, Marion Barber III showed he deserves to be the Cowboys number one running back and punished the Bears defense.
First Half
This game was really a story of two halves, with the first half being a defense slug fest.
Before the game there was a lot of talk about how the Cowboys were going to kick away from Devin Hester. To me, it sounded like a good strategy, and the Cowboys employed it early; the opening kickoff sailed out of bounds.
Then the Bears defense came on during the Cowboys’ first series.
They sacked Tony Romo and the quarterback struggled early. It looked as
if Romo’s critics were right and that his image was bloated by facing
weak opponents. The scariest defense in the league had finally brought
the young “gunslinger” back to earth.
By half time, the score was 3-3 and neither team’s offense was
clicking. Both quarterbacks had been intercepted without throwing a
touchdown and the Cowboys had only 18-yards of rushing offense.
Then in the second half, the Cowboy came alive and put up the most
points on the Bears since 2004. And the Bears have to be thinking it’s
finally time to take the crown off of Grossman and hand it over to Griese.
Nothing Special
The first key to the Cowboys victory was limiting Devin Hester. They
changed their strategy and began actually kicking to the phenomenal
returner. But the coverage was near perfect and Hester was frustrated.
He muffed one kick and was striped on another. He had to fair catch
a couple and did nothing of note all game. The Cowboys punter, Mat McBriar, used a special kind of kick to maximize hand time and allow his coverage team to get down the field.
Nick Folk also helped matters by getting some good hang time and booming his kickoffs to within the 5.
Pay the Man
Tony
Romo is the real deal. It’s time the Cowboys pay him and lock him up
long term. He showed tremendous poise and recognition. He dodged a
great defense and picked it apart. There’s no question now as to what
kind of a quarterback he is.
Tony Romo sparkled against a great defense and inspired hope in the
offense. And he did so while still missing his number-two wide
receiver, Terry Glenn. If he keeps this up he’ll be headed back to another Pro Bowl and maybe the Cowboys will be headed to the Super Bowl.
Rex Grossman
Rex is not the Bears quarterback. He’s terrible. Enough is enough. He’s so bad he makes Roy Williams
look good in coverage. It’s time for the Bears to accept that he simply
isn’t he answer and hand the reins over to Brian Griese.
The Bears can maybe groom Kyle Orton
but they’ve definitely got to give up on Rex Grossman. The Bears should
see if they can pull a Cleveland and see if they can’t trade Grossman
for a late pick. I mean, if Seattle would take Frye there’s got to be a team that will take Grossman.
Marion Barber III
This guy is a stud. A complete contrast to either of the other two major running backs in this game (Cedric Benson and Julius Jones).
Barber doesn’t have the break away speed of an elite running back. What
he does have is toughness and intensity and that makes up for it.
He will push the pile every time and he doesn’t bounce backwards.
Barber smashed up the Bears in the late parts of the game and broke off
a 54-yard run when just trying to run out the clock. He also swatted Adam Archuleta aside for another TD.
Meanwhile, Cedric Benson continues to make the Bears look foolish for trading away Thomas Jones. Benson had a total of 46 yards on 16 attempts (2.9 yards a carry with a long of 12 yards).
Granted the Cowboys are fairly good team against the run, a number
one running back should still put up better numbers than that.
Especially on a team with Rex Grossman under center. Trading Jones now
looks like an even greater mistake than it did when the trade went down.
Cowboys Defense
Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys first round pick, got his first sack. DeMarcus Ware got two sacks. Anthony Henry got two interceptions. This defense is starting to click.
Terence Newman
returned after missing the first two games, and while he didn’t have
much impact today, his presence will help as the season continues.
While the defense played against an anemic offense, and the
secondary still struggled. However, each week the Cowboys’ defense has
been doing the little things better. They seem to be getting more
comfortable in this new scheme and their play making is up.
If they continue to develop and improve they could do some damage once Newman is back to full strength and Ellis
finally returns. If those two come back near 100% then they could
catapult this defense towards the top and give the Cowboys a truly
great team.
Conclusion
This game was really a game of contrasts. Tony Romo shined while Rex
Grossman faded. Marion Barber hit the Bears’ D in the mouth while
Cedric Benson was quiet. Terrel Owens dominated while Muhsin Muhammad is still wondering why he left Carolina.
The Cowboys demonstrated they are one of the best teams in the NFC
(if not the best) and showed maybe those Super Bowl prognosticators
aren’t crazy. Meanwhile, the loss of confidence was evident all over
the Bears’ faces. Even the defense surrendered in this game and you
knew no one in that locker room believes in Rex Grossman anymore (maybe
not even Grossman himself). If the Bears don’t start Griese next week,
then Smith should be fired immediately.
In the end, what should’ve been a close game turned into a blow out. And the Cowboys showed how unpredictable the NFC still is.
Note:
Donovan McNabb (21/26, 381 yards, 4 TD’s, 0 Int’s), Kevin Curtis (11 Recs, 221 yards, 3 TD’s). What a difference a week makes. McNabb looked good against the Lions
and so did Curtis, and put to rest all this “controversy” from the past
week. And my favorite part of this whole thing is that he did it with a
white wide receiver.
First, let me say this is in no way a shot at
SouthernCheeseHead or her post. In fact, I think it’s a well written
post and a good point. It just got me thinking about this whole “America’s Team” thing and how much I like applying it to my Dallas Cowboys.
But I’ve always wondered why the Cowboys adopted the title. I mean, they didn’t coin it. It was coined for them after they lost Super Bowl XIII to the Steelers.
I think part of the reason it was coined was because the Steelers were
the dominant team of that decade. They were the dynasty and we all know
how much people hate dynasties. The Cowboys seemed like the only true
and consistent challenger to the Steelers dominance so, I feel, that’s
part of the reason they were so embraced.
So, I began to do a little research and theorizing on why exactly
the Cowboys are called “America’s Team” and I’ve stumbled upon some
interesting results.
In the Beginning
Way back in 1960 when the Dallas Cowboys were being born there was one man loathe to allow them into the league. His name was George Preston Marshall and he was the owner of the Washington Redskins.
He opposed the move because up to that point the Redskins were the
only team representing the southern United States. They were “Dixie’s
Team.” This monopoly was something Marshall was not in a hurry to
relinquish and he had been key to stopping Lamar Hunt’s
initiative to start a team in Dallas the previous year. Then the claim
was the NFL couldn’t afford to “oversaturate” the market and that
suited Marshall just fine.
However, two men by the names of Clint Murchison Jr. and Bedford Wynne saw his opposition coming. In a sly move they purchased the right to the Redskins’ fight song “Hail to the Redskins.”
The song epitomized the Redskins’ status as “Dixie’s Team” and was a
critical marketing tool for Marshall. When Murchison and Wynne
threatened to stop allowing him to use it Marshall caved and voted for
expansion.
1960 and Onward
After they were started, the Cowboys quickly sought ways to maximize their exposure. And they had to.
The Redskins had entrenched themselves since the 30’s as the team of
the South and that loyalty would be hard to shake off. Also, the
Cowboys were in a city with another pro football team. After Hunt’s NFL
proposal was shot down he founded a whole new league, called the AFL, and started a team in Dallas (called the Texans).
The Texans did better than the Cowboys during those early seasons
so the Cowboys had to find other interesting ways to gain attention.
Beginning in 1966 the Dallas Cowboys began hosting a game every Thanksgiving Day,
making sure a nation wide audience saw them. This allowed them to gain
exposure in regions that didn’t have NFL team’s and helped tremendously
in their effort to gain popularity.
Besides that exposure (which was shared by the Detroit Lions)
the Cowboys were also extremely successful. Beginning in 1966 the
Cowboys had a record 20 consecutive winning seasons. Their “Doomsday
Defense” was feared throughout the league and their high powered
offense, lead by scrambler Roger Staubach, made them exciting to watch.
Tex Schramm had been hired as the Cowboys President and General Manager and had helped shape the team. He was responsible for hiring coach Tom Landry and negotiating the deal to televise the Cowboys annual on Thanksgiving Day. Another innovation was his creation of the Dallas Cowboys’ Cheerleaders.
Cheerleaders were common in the league, but in the 1970’s Schramm
changed everything. He had a squad of attractive, athletic women train
to be a professional squad (at the time most groups were formed from
local highschoolers) to combine sex appeal and intense choreography.
This drew nationwide attention and garnered the DCC many television appearances. They went to South Korea with the USO and later began publishing their annual swimsuit calendar.
The squad even inspired a pornographic movie in the era of Deep Throat, called Debbie Does Dallas,
which only helped add to their popularity. All these factors drew
attention to the squad and, by extension, the Dallas Cowboys.
“America’s Team”
The term America’s Team has been used for a lot of teams. But not quite embraced it like the Dallas Cowboys have.
After their 1978 loss to the Steelers, NFL Films was putting
together a highlight video of the Dallas Cowboys season. They wanted a
unique handle and had noticed that anywhere the Cowboys went, a large
crowd of supporters was sure to be. For whatever reason, they saw this
as somewhat of a novelty and so called the Cowboys “America’s Team.”
The following season, against the objection of Tom Landry, the team
began using it for themselves and the rest is history. I believe Tex
Schramm had something to do with the embracing of this title since he
knew it was a great marketing ploy.
America’s Team is catchy and was another tool in Schramm’s arsenal.
It contrasted the old claims of the Redskins as “Dixie’s Team” and
allowed the Cowboys to separate themselves from regional loyalty (as
dumb as it might sound, it probably made it easier for non-Texans to
#### being fans of the Cowboys).
Conclusion
Do I think there is still an America’s Team? No, no I don’t. The Packers have always been at least as, if not more, popular as the Cowboys. Same for the Steelers and sometimes even teams like the Raiders and Bears.
But the Cowboys have embraced it and used it as a brilliant tool in
their marketing team. No matter who you are and what your feelings may
be when you hear “America’s Team” you instantly picture that blue star
and think of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys have done a good job of making themselves one of the
most loved and hated teams in the league. No matter who you are, you
have an opinion about them. They are one of the most popular team’s in
the country, and maybe even the world, and every American pays
attention to them.
The term has nothing to due with popularity just with marketing and
for that reason they have been and always will be “America’s Team.”
Last Sunday the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 37-20. In the Fourth Quarter Tony Romo hooked up with Terrell Owens
for a touchdown. The wide receiver quickly dashed around the goal post,
lifted the ball to his face, and briefly mimed filming the Dolphins’
sideline.
Afterwards, the referees threw the flag and penalized the Cowboys 15-yards. Wade Phillips visibly disapproved of Owens’ actions and so did the league, fining him $7,500 yesterday.
This is just ridiculous. Terrell Owens did an excellent satire of
the biggest story in sports. All Owens did was bring a little levity to
the whole situation and hopefully help us move on from this scandal.
Owens’ celebration was awesome and I think he showed he is a very
cerebral player.
What was even better was his response to the fine and the NFL
stating that he violated their rule of using the ball as a prop. He
said he, “misinterpreted the rule.” Brilliant! I hope T.O. keeps having
fun with his celebrations and keeps his sense of humor. After all, it
is just a game.
The Bad
The Juice
is back in jail again. How can a man be so dumb? He knows there are
plenty of people out to get him and yet he still does this. While it
seems like he was set up, he still had to barge into the hotel room and
threaten those within.
Simpson has been a train wreck ever since he allegedly killed his
ex-wife and fled from cops lo those many years ago. He moved to Florida
to keep the Goldman family from getting his pension and his house but
he just bounced from one disaster to the next.
Of course, the latest nightmare was his authoring a book
about how he “hypothetically” would’ve killed his ex-wife and Ron
Goldman that night. He said he wrote it for the money, but would
somebody still searching for the “real” killer do such a thing?
Now, O.J.’s in jail in Las Vegas
and facing a potential life sentence. Regardless of his guilt or
innocence I am shocked by his stupidity. If I had come within a knife’s
edge of a murder conviction I wouldn’t be caught within 2 miles of a
deadly weapon. I mean, if you hang out with guys with guns in a public
place, bad things are going to happen.
While it seems like he’s been set up I really have no sympathy for
him. If he wasn’t smart enough to avoid these situations, especially
considering his past, then I don’t know if he should be allowed back
into society. O.J., if you get away with this, start living in a commune or something and stay far, far away from any of your old friends.
The Ugly
Isiah Thomas‘
comments were just plain ugly. Why? Because they’re tinged with racism.
Saying that certain people can only say certain words based on the
color of their skin is ludicrous (however true it may be).
Especially when it’s a word like “####.” I would think that no
woman would appreciate being called a #### by anybody, regardless of
race. But Isiah disagrees. In his humble opinion, a black man can feel
free to call a black woman a #### while a white man may not. Why? Not
because the word itself is offensive but because is offensive but
because of the color of their skin.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but why are we still talking in racial
terms? I mean, why do we just accept that we’re so different because of
our skin? Why not just get past this and say there is no distinction between white and black men calling a black woman a ####, in either case it’s just wrong.
Isiah Thomas is dead wrong on this one. Certain offensive words
aren’t acceptable simply because of skin color. And until we stop
believing they are then we’ll never go any farther than we’ve already
come.
So, the first week of the NFL season is officially behind us. As
great as it was to finally start the season it’s sad to know that in
only a few short months we’ll be again at the Super Bowl. But, there’s
still plenty of NFL football to digest until then and we all still have
hope our teams can win it all (well….most of us anyway).
The Cowboys played the Giants in their season opener this year. I
figured the game would be a struggle, with the Cowboys ultimately
prevailing. Never did I imagine we would have the
game we had. The final score was 35-45 in favor of the ‘Boys and the
offenses each got over 400 total yards!
A lot happened in that week one game, and both team’s suffered
critical injuries. Here, I’ll look at some of the Cowboys’ pro’s and
con’s from their first game.
Pro’s
Tony Romo
Romo was freaking spectacular. The kid came out and
showed he is well over the Seattle loss. He hooked up multiple times
with Jason Witten (who is the most under rated Tight End in the NFL)
and in the second quarter finally got things going with Terrell Owens.
Romo showed he can still do the things he started doing last year.
For all the haughty stats (15/24 completions/attempts, 345 yards
passing, 4 passing TD’s, one rushing TD) he was extremely careful with
the ball. He ended up throwing one interception when a defender was
screened on his right but he also took what the defense gave him (or
didn’t, when he simply accepted the sack).
We shall see if he keeps this up next week but he did great things
in game one. Keep in mind, he did all this without Terry Glenn and a
running game that was only really adequate. If Romo keeps this up then
the Cowboys have truly found a “diamond in the rough.”
Marion Barber III
This guy is a stud. He crushes defenders when he meets
them and has an intensity that helps him drive toward the endzone. On a
fourth and one play he fought his way to a touchdown. On several other
players he dove right into the pile in the middle and pushed it back
for 5 or more yards.
Barber is the best running back on this team, no doubt. Jones has
flasher runs from time to time but he doesn’t have Barber’s toughness
or stubbornness. Barber will ultimately be viewed as the “starting”
running back in this tandem and will be a great compliment to Darren McFadden.
Jason Witten, Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd
I decided to combine all these guys into one heading
since a blurb about each wouldn’t do them justice. They were phenomenal
against the Giants. Jason Witten just did what he does, catch the ball
and punish you for trying to tackle him. He has hands to catch almost
anything, the speed to beat most line backers, and the power to beat
most Defensive Backs. He was impressive and I personally don’t regret
starting both he and Tony Romo on my fantasy team.
Terrell Owens was also awesome. No, not for the two touchdown
performance but for all the little things he did. During a comment by
the commentators that he hadn’t caught the ball all game I saw him
nodding as the huddle broke. He then ran a crossing route which
screened Patrick Crayton’s defender and allowed Romo to sling Crayton
the ball for the first.
Later, Marion Barber was breaking off a run and T.O. was making a
fantastic block. Barber run up behind him and the two of them pushed
the Giant defender for a couple yards before Barber went out of bounds.
T.O. was jacked on the block and showed that he’s no Rany Moss, he’ll
do more than just catch the ball.
Crayton and Hurd both did great in the absence of Terry Glenn. While
neither are as fast as Glenn they played their roles perfectly. Crayton
continues to have some of the best hands I’ve seen and Hurd shows that
he has a solid understanding of the game. Both helped take pressure off
of T.O. and really helped Jason Garrett open up the offense.
45 Points, without Terry Glenn
I was seriously shocked the Cowboys put up the points
they did. I thought the loss of Terry Glenn was huge but luckily, the
Giants secondary is sub-par and the offense is deep enough to absorb it.
The Cowboys put up 45 points on opening night. I haven’t checked but
I would bet it was the highest scoring game of the weekend (total
score). I am thrilled that the Cowboys have shown they can do this.
They really spread the ball around and scored lots of points. If they
do this every week they just might have a shot.
Con’s
Secondary Still Sucks
Granted, the Cowboys were without their best corner but still. They
got eaten up several times, giving up big plays. I place most of the
blame on the secondary for allowing the Giants to score 35 points. Roy
Williams continues to demonstrated why he can’t be left a lone in
coverage (a big problem for a safety) and would be much better suited
to simply blitzing every play.
Ken Hamlin provided some stability but the secondary still looked
weak. Jacques Reeves did a better job than I expected and showed the
Cowboys may not have been fools in cutting Aaron Glenn but he still
isn’t starter material. If the Cowboys Secondary doesn’t improve, it
won’t matter how good the offense is.
Pass Rush
Once, that’s how many times the Cowboys got to Eli
Manning. What?! I thought the whole point of bringing in Wade Phillips
was to improve our pass rush. Granted, the Giants have a solid
offensive line but still.
The Cowboys pass rush has to be better. As stated above,
their secondary is atrocious and the only thing that will mask that is
a solid pass rush. DeMarcus Ware has got to get at least a sack in next
week or I’ll be seriously worried. I only heard his name mentioned
once, and it was because he was getting blocked so well.
If the Cowboys don’t turn this around then they won’t even make the playoffs.
Jason Ferguson Out for Season
For the past couple years the Cowboys have been playing
with fire. They’ve failed to pick up a true Nos
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.
Tony
Romo is the real deal. It’s time the Cowboys pay him and lock him up
long term. He showed tremendous poise and recognition. He dodged a
great defense and picked it apart. There’s no question now as to what
kind of a quarterback he is.
Way back in 1960 when the Dallas Cowboys were being born there was one man loathe to allow them into the league. His name was 
