Dallas Cowboys News and Highlights

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2012-01-28T00:47:00.001-05:00

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Dallas Cowboys 2011 Season Preview: What Me Worry?!

2011-09-09T15:52:00.001-04:00

While many writers put up their season projection before Dallas even set their roster, I did not. The reason being is that everyone knows too much happens between the draft and the beginning of the season. Writing a prediction any time between those events is futile.

Something tells me the excitement of this season has just begun. As we started this after the lockout and no training camp, who would have guessed that Dallas would have cut 7 starters from last season. Then did not even address a single defensive need through the draft or free agency, which makes one wonder where this season will go. Many will argue that Rob Ryan is the defensive acquisition which addressed the defensive need. I beg to differ in that scheme cannot fix a porous run defense, or address poor secondary play.

Dallas fans need to fully temper their expectations this season and I can only hope I can let you down easy. I have been a fan myself for over 40 years and while I expect them to win every season, I have to be realistic. However, before I get all pessimistic and write things that only the rest of the NFC East will love to read, let’s take a look at what Dallas did this season to win.

Dallas has the offensive ball carriers pretty much intact. Felix Jones has looked good running between the tackles in the preseason and Dez Bryant showed his normal playmaking ability in the warm up game versus Minnesota. Doug Free held up well against one of the top pass rushers in the league. Jason Garrett seems to be a smart coach looking for every advantage to win be it player or psyche. Rob Ryan brings a good scheme and Dallas has several players who should excel in the new system.

The Dallas defense should not be expected to pull it together until mid season. The Cowboys brought in Ryan and a complex defense. Since NFL was in a lockout, the Cowboys had little time to put in many elements required for a successful season. Defensive system changes as grand as what Ryan brings take more than a two months to implement.

The downside is that Dallas has a lot of moving parts and are really thin on veteran depth at multiple positions. Offensive tackle, Cornerback, receiver, and safety are all positions where if the starter went down, the replacement would have single digit or less NFL starts. That alone will make wins very difficult especially early in the season.

Andre Gurode Cut By The Cowboys

2011-08-29T13:43:00.000-04:00

The Cowboys cut 5 time pro bowler Andre Gurode today. The Cowboys will save $5.5 million dollars in cap space by cutting the 32 year old Gurode. The Cowboys also cut Marc Columbus, Leonard Davis earlier this preseason in an attempt to revamp the offensive line for younger cheaper players.

Gurode should have no problem finding a team, but I don’t think he’ll make the $5.5 million dollars he was going to get from the Cowboys.

your football page

2011-08-17T14:06:00.001-04:00

I love your football page. I was wondering if maybe we could trade links with my Football Watches site? The watches actually play music before the start of every football game. I think my fans would love to see your site since they all love football. Just let me know!

thank you and keep up the great work!

Fan Watches
http://www.fan-watches.com/nfl-watches/

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Rob Ryan Gives Cowboys’ Defense Constructive Criticism After Preseason Win

2011-08-15T14:17:00.002-04:00

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was probably more pleasant to the Dallas media after Thursday’s preseason game than he was to his players. The Cowboys beat the Denver Broncos 24-23 in each team’s first preseason game of 2011, but Ryan’s defense did not perform as well as he’d liked. In his Dallas debut, Ryan’s first-team unit was driven down the field by Denver, but then stood up in the red zone. Ryan talked about his team’s performance and his evaluation of his players after the game.

“We had a little breakdown there on the first third down,” Ryan said. “We didn’t blitz much tonight, obviously. But we did have the one dialed up, and it was ready to go. We just kind of missed the coverage behind it and it ended up being a big play against us. Then, they had a run on a check that we missed. So it was a big run there and got it down to our goal line. I was happy the way they responded in the red zone. We’ve got to be great down there. We can’t give up touchdowns.”

The first-team’s play in the red zone was about the only thing Ryan could be happy about. The Broncos’ offense marched right down the field all the way to the Dallas 3-yard line before the Cowboys’ defense stiffened. However, Ryan’s defense in Cleveland was known for not giving up points even if they did give up yards. The Cowboys were the second-worst defense in the NFL in 2010 in points allowed, so the red zone play is definitely a positive sign that Ryan’s philosophy is starting to sink in. Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he was pleased with his first outing under Ryan.

“You can watch film all day, but you’ve got to get in there, and you’ve got to see it, because it’s not your traditional 3-4,” Ware said. “Guys are going to attack you certain ways and you’ve got to know how to play those. Fundamentally, we played well, and we played hard. But there are always things you can work on.”

Dallas Cowboys to Add Ring of Honor Member; Drew Pearson, Darren Woodson Likely Candidates

2011-08-08T11:54:00.000-04:00

The Dallas Cowboys will add another member to the team’s infamous Ring of Honor this year. At the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, Cowboys team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys would indeed add someone to the Ring of Honor, but would not reveal who it is, saying, “We’d like to make that announcement later.”

Of course, most have speculated the new member will be former Dallas cornerback Deion Sanders, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. However, Jones did confirm that Sanders would not be the one added to the Ring of Honor in 2011.

Possible candidates from the Tom Landry era include players like receiver Drew Pearson. Best known for his Hail Mary catch against the Minnesota Vikings in the 1975 NFC playoffs, Pearson was a four-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team.

Although Pearson is well-deserving of the honor, there are also several players who played for Dallas after Jones purchased the team in 1989 who also have a strong case. Safety Darren Woodson was the last Dallas player from the Super Bowl years of the 1990s to retire, playing from 1992 to 2004. Woodson was a five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. Woodson is the second most-likely candidate to be inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor.

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Out-Maneuvered by Andy Reid…Again

2011-08-01T13:59:00.001-04:00

We are given two reasons Cowboys fans should love having Jerry Jones for their team’s owner: His commitment to winning at any cost and his slick, wheeler-dealer, deal-making skills.

Well, that whole commitment to winning at any cost thing has hardly been provable since Jerry took on the mortgage for the new stadium. He has sometimes rivaled Ebenezer Scrooge for his penny-pinching, passing on free agents in positions of need.

Besides, just how much winning have the Cowboys done since the best move Jerry Jones ever made was run out of town after winning consecutive Super Bowls? Jerry won the pissing contest with Jimmy Johnson by pretty much whizzing all over Cowboys fans. That began a long and storied run of the arrogant Napoleonic dictator trying to prove his manhood and his ludicrous statement that “any of five hundred coaches could have won the Super Bowl” with that talent. Cowboys suffered through regimes headed by the Dave Campos and Wade Phillipses of the world.

Brilliant!

So, let’s chill on that “win at any cost” compliment. It ain’t so. He won’t win at the cost of his own ridiculous ego and he isn’t near the free-spender you think, either.

Now, to the second point: The one about his deal-making skills.

Someone please explain to me how someone with the girth of Philadelphia Eagles’ coach Andy Reid managed to sneak into the bargaining room undetected and snag Nnamdi Asomugha right from under Jerry’s smug nose?

Concerning the Eagles’ Apache-like scalping of the Cowboys and Jets– the two teams supposed to be frontrunners for Nnamdi’s services– Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports wrote, “The move to snag Asomugha from underneath the likes of the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys was cold-blooded. Eagles team president Joe Banner might intimidate Suge Knight right now (and anybody who has ever seen Banner knows what a long shot that is). The Eagles didn’t just send a shot across the bow at the rest of the NFL, they sent 31 blasts at each opponent.”

The insufferable rah-rah cheerleaders masquerading as a news outlet at Philly.com crowed, “The moves back up the team’s promise to be aggressive in free agency. They are also a clear sign of coach Andy Reid’s commitment to win big and win now as he enters his 13th season in Philadelphia.”

I know. I know. This is the time to be optimistic and upbeat. After all, the strike is ended. Football is back. And we are fans of the Dallas Cowboys, dammit!

I’m trying. I just can’t shake this feeling that Jerry Jones is really the Devil incarnate. And I, for one, am a little weary of giving the Devil his due.

What first week of Cowboys camp will look like

2011-07-25T12:18:00.001-04:00

The first week of the Cowboys training camp at the Alamodome is starting to come into focus aftre the NFL lockout has ended.

Tentatively, and pending approval of the NFL’s new 10-year labor deal, the Cowboys will arrive in San Antonio on Wednesday for meetings, physicals and some conditioning work, sources said. The Cowboys are also expected to have a fan kickoff party at the Alamodome that night, although as of Sunday night the club had not booked any musical acts, according to a source. Wednesday could also feature a state-of-the-franchise news conference with owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett.

Practice would begin Thursday, but the players will not wear pads, sources said. The same is true of Friday’s workout. Practices over the weekend presumably would be in pads.

Club equipment personnel will be unloading trucks from Valley Ranch at the Alamodome on Monday. Alamodome chief Mike Sawaya is expected to release some information regarding camp later Monday.

The club could announce a camp schedule as early as Monday.

Training camp could have a new look

2011-07-18T11:29:00.000-04:00

"Two-a-days at training camp apparently are on the way out.

As a key concession to the players in the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, NFL owners have agreed for health and safety reasons to do away with the double workouts, according to ESPN.

"Teams will be allowed to have some helmetless and padless, non-contact walk-through practices in lieu of a second training camp practice on the same day," ESPN reported.

That means if the Cowboys have training camp as planned at the Alamodome next week, fans will have fewer opportunities to see the players in action and fewer opportunities to attempt to gather autographs."

Hefty contracts could cost these disappointing performers ...

2011-07-12T09:25:00.001-04:00

Several teams took care of budgetary housekeeping in the time before the NFL lockout, with players such as Clinton Portis -- once the highest-paid running back in the league with the Washington Redskins -- receiving their release.

Still, ample work will need to be done after the lockout is resolved, with teams primed to cut big-name veterans in many cases and/or work out a new 2011 salary. The list of those veterans reads as a buyer-beware sign for the perils of free agency and, as you might expect, is heavy with quarterbacks.

So here's a look at some players who are set to receive a disproportionate salary in 2011 and the expected results for them and their current teams:

Vince Young, QB, Titans: $12.75 million

Tennessee made it very clear before the lockout that Young isn't a part of its future. A $4.25 million roster bonus assures as much, and trading him will prove impossible. We all see this one coming.

Projected end result: Released shortly after the lockout ends.

Donovan McNabb, QB, Redskins: $12.5 million

McNabb has a $10 million option due just before the season, and his relationship with Washington offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is beyond fractured. However, the Redskins tend to take their time with decisions like this and, just one year removed from making this blockbuster trade, could seek some compensation for McNabb. But who would touch this contract now?

Projected result: The Redskins will wait to see if injuries or rookie QB failures create a bigger market for McNabb via trade, but they'll ultimately release him. McNabb then could land with the Minnesota Vikings.

Reggie Bush, RB, Saints: $11.8 million

No other running back -- especially a situational one -- is making this kind of salary right now. New Orleans is deep in the backfield and moved up to draft Mark Ingram. There will be significant interest in Bush, and I can't see him back with the Saints, getting six to eight touches at best per game, when he can have 12 to 15 elsewhere.

Projected result: Look for the St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and possibly the New England Patriots all to be interested in Bush's services once he hits the street.

Roy Williams, WR, Cowboys: $9.5 million

This is legitimate No. 1 receiver money, but Williams maybe is the fourth or fifth option in that offense because of Dallas' other pass catchers. This pairing hasn't worked out since the 2008 trade with the Detroit Lions, and Williams hasn't been a great locker-room fit for the Cowboys, either.

Projected result: I don't see a restructured contract here. Let him go and move on.

Nate Clements, CB, 49ers: $7.25 million

San Francisco made Clements the highest-paid corner in the league in 2007, signing him away from the Buffalo Bills on an eight-year, $80 million contract, but his impact on the team has been pedestrian. Clements is getting older and the money is steep.

Projected result: Released shortly after the lockout ends.

Brian Dawkins, S, Broncos: $6 million

When Dawkins signed a five-year deal with Denver in 2009, it really was a two-year pact, which makes sense at this stage of his Hall of Fame-caliber career. The contract was backloaded with big salaries he never really would achieve. Dawkins loves being with the Broncos, and they love him. They will explore how to make this work after the lockout because it doesn't make sense to be paying Ed Reed money at this stage of Dawkins' career.

Projected result: I'd be surprised if the sides can't work out a restructured contract.

Albert Haynesworth, DT, Redskins: $5.4 million

We all know what a disaster this has been, with Haynesworth already pocketing over $30 million from the team two years into a seven-year, $100 million deal and not being a part of its future. But Washington continues to tell Haynesworth it won't trade him unless it receives "value" in return. The odds of anyone giving up anything more than a fifth-round draft pick are bleak.

Projected result: Some close to Haynesworth believe Redskins coach Mike Shanahan might keep him around to make an example of him in the doghouse for another year. At this point, nothing would surprise me with this circus.

Jake Delhomme, QB, Browns: $5.4 million

I was surprised Cleveland went this route in the first place a year ago, and Delhomme doesn't fit the plans now with Colt McCoy starting. This is too much money to pay a third option, and Delhomme hasn't been effective for quite some time.

Marion Barber, RB, Cowboys: $4.75 million

Dallas' backfield is crowded, and Barber has taken so much physical abuse over the years with his abrasive, hardcore running style. Plus, older backs aren't paid like this, especially as part of a rotation, and the Cowboys have collected more explosive youngsters in recent years.

Projected result: Trading that contract won't be easy, and I see Dallas eventually letting Barber go.

A real Cowboy sighting on television

2011-07-08T13:07:00.003-04:00

If you have to see a Dallas Cowboy playing football, tune into the NFL Network cable channel on Friday night at 7 for the Arena League game of the week.

Wide receiver Troy Bergeron, on the Cowboys' roster, will be with the Cleveland Gladiators for their game against the Philadelphia Soul. Bergeron finished last season on the Cowboys' practice squad and took the arena-league gig to have an income during the lockout.

Bergeron, who has been on Atlanta's 53-man in-season roster, is having a standout season. He ranks fourth in the league for yards per catch at 14.6 and 10th in points per game at 14.7. He had six touchdowns in a game in April.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: Wade Phillips' job not in danger

2008-10-19T23:07:00.000-04:00

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Sunday's loss to the Rams that coach Wade Phillips' job is not in danger.

"No, it is not," Jones said after Dallas' 34-14 loss. "Emphatically, no."

The Cowboys (4-3) lost for the third time in four games after a week of turmoil, with cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones suspended and quarterback Tony Romo (broken pinkie) deciding he wasn't ready to play after going through pre-game warmups. Jones said it was a good time to assess the state of the franchise, but not to make sweeping changes.

"It's pretty obvious that we need to sit down and look at everything we're doing," Jones said. "That's not to be in any way interpreted as a change of any coaching or dramatic change.

"It really isn't about making a lot of changes people-wise, as much as it's about the change within the people."

Phillips led the Cowboys to a 13-3 record last season. He said the only positive is the Cowboys have nine games to go.

"I'm angry, disappointed and embarrassed," Phillips said. "We shouldn't get beat like that. We didn't want to get beat at all, but we shouldn't get beat like that, for sure."

Phillips held a lengthy team meeting after the game, reminding players last year's 13-win season is history.

"Part of it is, this is not last year's team," Phillips said. "This is this year's team. We came from behind last year and did a lot of good things, and we seem to think we can do those things, and we haven't done them, especially lately."

Jones said the Cowboys should be good enough to win without Romo. Brad Johnson, the 40-year-old backup, threw three interceptions.

He added that he was guilty of looking past the Rams.

"I didn't expect this," Jones said. "No one expected this. I actually had a bad case of taking it for granted that we were going to do better than this.

"And you can't do that."

Romo's broken finger could heal Dallas Cowboys' woes

2008-10-13T23:31:00.000-04:00

Repeat after me, Tony Romo's broken right pinkie doesn't signal the end of the Dallas Cowboys' season.

Actually, it's just what this team needs.

These Cowboys have been going through the motions for the past few weeks, playing without passion or energy. The result: two losses in the last three games, putting the Cowboys closer to last place than first place in the NFC East.

This team, which still has to visit New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, must play well over the next three months just to make the playoffs the way the NFC is shaping up.

That's why I'm officially ending all Super Bowl chatter.

The Cowboys are so talented, they've convinced themselves – consciously or subconsciously – that they don't have to play their best football every week to win.

All of that changes without Romo in the lineup for about a month.

Dallas plays St. Louis, Tampa Bay, the New York Giants and Washington during the next month. All of those teams except St. Louis will be competing for a playoff spot, adding extra importance to these games.

Now, you're going to get a focused team because it has no other choice.

Life as the Cowboys know it doesn't have to be over just because Romo is out. Trust in 40-year-old Brad Johnson, the man known around Valley Ranch as Bull.

His teammates do.

Really.

They don't see an aging veteran with diminished mobility or average arm strength. They see a guy who understands the subtleties of playing quarterback in the NFL.

They see a 17-year veteran who earned a Super Bowl as a starter in Tampa Bay and has a career record of 71-51. They see a player with 164 career touchdown passes.

More important, they know Johnson won't be the reason they lose a game while Romo is out. Johnson might not pass for 300 yards. Or throw five touchdown passes. But he'll manage the game and throw the ball away when necessary. Or he'll take a sack. He understands punting can be a good thing.

If Johnson had to start the final 10 games, then you'd be well within your rights to wonder whether all of the Cowboys' lofty aspirations this season were about to disappear.

All he has to do is keep the ship afloat for a month. Johnson can do that.

Cowboys Vs Eagles Defensive Recap

2008-09-19T17:22:00.001-04:00

Cowboys Vs Eagles Defensive Recap

This game essentially comes down to over pursuit, and extremely poor tackling! In a game in which the Cowboys defense had Donovan Mcnabb on the run all night long, these two elementary items had them look very poor at times! How is it possible for professional athletes to not be able to perform the most basic of tasks? Do they not work on these things on a daily basis? Do coaches stop teaching tackling after high school?

If you look at the defensive performance as a whole unit, it can best be described as average. I am seeing some of the same poor decisions being made that we saw last year. Maybe I am too hard on them, maybe I expect too much from them. When I (an average player 20 years ago) see things such as not protecting cutback lanes, not covering your zone in the cover 2 (Roy Willy) it drives me nuts! Thankfully we have an unstoppable offense.

DEFENSIVE LINE:
Jay Ratliff is a beast I would like to point that out first off. Rat played hard the entire game protected his zones and applied pressure. Chris Canty and Marcus Spears also played hard, sometimes too hard! Over pursuit is the first topic these guys need desperately to address, Followed shortly there after by up the middle pressure. With D-Ware seeing double and triple teams, they must be able to apply pressure consistently. When they play a team with a back such as Westbrook he is looking for one thing and one thing only, CUTBACK LANES!!!! Was this not discussed throughout the week? If it was the team was not listening. It is the D-Lines job to push the runner outside and protect against the cutback, but for the whole first half of the game the entire D-Line chased to the sideline leaving huge holes back to the middle which Westbrook so kindly took advantage of.

LINEBACKERS:The linebackers in this game for the most part played pretty solid. D-Ware saw double and triple teams all night but was still able to apply pressure and containment. Greg Ellis I thought did ok, just wish he spent more time focusing on his job rather than practicing his dance moves after making a tackle after losing containment. Zach Thomas appears to be back to his old self as he continues to be around the ball on every play. He even made an exceptional play in pass coverage on a throw that would have gone for 6. Kevin Burnett played well, although his pass coverage could use some work. The one that is bothering me is Bradie James this makes 2 games in a row in which his name was rarely called and he was rarely seen. I truly expected him to get better with the addition of Zach Thomas, but unfortunately that has not been the case.

SECONDARY:
I have but two main points to make on this unit. First, STOP PLAYING ZONE!!!! And THANK GOD ROY WILLY IS SIDELINED FOR 3 to 4 WEEKS!!! I cannot understand why with the athletes we have in the secondary that we continue to play so many zone coverage's. Can someone please tell Wade Phillips and Brian Stewart that it does not matter how much time or effort they spend with Roy Willy, that he will never grasp the concept of zone coverage. If not for Desean Jackson being a complete idiot he would have gotten beat deep for the first time according to Wade Phillips. I watched that play several times and it amazes me how a player that has played football his entire life, cannot know what his responsibility is on that play! When you are playing cover two the safeties responsibility is the hash marks. So can someone please tell me why Roy Willy is standing less than 10 feet from Adam Jones, who is defending against the out route? This has become very old and I for one am sick of watching this loser! The rest of the secondary played extremely well, Other than a couple of rookie miscues from Mike Jenkins. Anthony Henry got the shaft on the pass interference call, he played that perfectly. It was obvious that T-New was still recovering and not quite himself yet. The only other thing I got is A.J. can you please pick up the damn ball when its rolling around on the field, even if you think it was a touchdown.

You guys better get your act together, stop bullshitting around, and start busting some people in the mouth!

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Going from good to great

2008-09-09T00:07:00.004-04:00

On the first Sunday in September, the start of the NFL regular season got under way. The beginning of a new brand of Cowboy defense began as well! The performance put forth against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday was, well let's say very good! I say very good because, well it's week one. I am trying to stay grounded and not go overboard with my review, but if this happens next weekend it will be hard for me to hold it back!

If you watched "Hard Knocks" on HBO you would have heard a phrase used repeatedly by defensive coordinator Brian Stewart; "Good to Great". This is the battle cry for this defense now. This defensive unit has apparently come to grips with the fact that this year excuses will not be tolerated! Being young and in a new system are no longer facts, and Stewart has let it be known that they must perform or else. I am by no means saying that they played a great game. They did not however sit back and let the browns dictate the game.

The Browns had possession eight times in this game for a total of 22:31, and four of those possessions they were forced to a three and out! One of their possessions was just before half and they had enough time to run the ball once. They had one 16 play 78 yard drive for a touchdown, and a 9 play 61 yard drive that ended with a 34 yard field goal. As I thought about this game throughout the week I wondered what the scheme would be. Well it was very evident what the scheme was KEEP THE BALL OUT OF WINSLOWS HANDS, and did they ever succeed at this. Now for the last 4 years or so this would have been next to impossible, mainly because they did not have a safety who could cover Winslow, and well they still don't. What they do have though is one Anthony Henry. Roy Willy spent a lot of time watching from the sidelines. This was somewhat surprising given the fact that Terrence Newman was unavailable for this game. This left Scandrick the 5th round rookie covering Braylon Edwards, and I thought Scandrick did a nice job on him (although Edwards had a hard time catching the ball when he was open). Henry did a masterful job all day, he was very physical at the line of scrimmage not allowing their receivers to get off the line clean. They played more zone than I would like to see, zone coverage in my opinion only causes missed assignments when you are playing a mobile quarterback. This specific thing happened to the Boys a couple of times.

The D-Line played very well against the run only allowing 91 yards (24 of that was from Derek Anderson) as the only time the browns were successful on the ground was in passing situations ( Draw play). Marcus Spears continued his stellar play that he started in the pre season. I would like to see more pressure up the middle, but I am not going to complain.

The Linebackers were exceptional Greg Ellis in particular; Ellis was a big contributor to stopping Winslow. Whether he was covering him or getting a good chip on him at the line, I am sure Winslow is in no hurry to see Greg again! Demarcus Ware saw double and triple teams all day and still managed a sack and a forced fumble on Anderson. Zach Thomas was every where, he reads and reacts to a play better than just about anybody I have ever seen. Bradie James had ZERO tackles, yes the starting inside linebacker, leader of the defense had ZERO tackles.

Step one for this defense is now complete, they are a legitimately GOOD defense. We will see what they are made of next Monday night against the Eagles. The end result for this defense will not be known until the end of the year, but if they can continue what they have started they will have certainly gone from GOOD to GREAT!

The Browns take the "NO DEFENSE" route

2008-09-09T00:07:00.003-04:00

Well week one is in finally in the books. Only the Cowboys first win of the season and already I can see the potential of this electric offense. I was very satisfied with the Dallas Offense in how they manufactured an 86, 80, and two 69 yard TD drives. The Brown's defense was like a colander. Full of holes. It was almost like a practice for the Cowboys where the d-line just stands up at the snap.

All night long Romo looked very comfortable in the pocket and made very good reads for the majority of the time. He pretty much picked apart the Browns secondary all night. Mainly due to the fact that he barely felt any pressure all night. Cory Procter filled in nicely for Kosier and was a big reason Romo was not sacked for 32 pass attempts. Witten had a big night as always, 6 rec. for 96 yards, as well as T.O. who looked extremely focused with 5 rec. for 87 yards and a TD. T.O. led the league in dropped passes last year and he almost had one against the Brown's that he some how used his ASS cheek and long ass arm to reel it in. I was pretty amazed that he managed to hold on to it. Patty Crayton had a decent night receiving as well, 6 rec. for 82 yards. I really think he took the loss to the Giants last year personal and is going to have a impressive season.

Even though Marion left the game early with "bruised ribs" he still had a great performance. 16 carries for 80 yards and 2 TD's. Hopefully he takes it easy this week and gets ready to molest the Eagles on Monday night. Felix Jones erased any doubts in my mind with a very solid performance for his first game. On his 11 yard TD run he showed how well he can run behind his pads and gave an unbelievable effort to power his way through the line of scrimmage. All in all a good performance by the offense, and that is 1 tally in the win column!

This next game against Philly should be a good one. Although I must say I FUCKING HATE THE EAGLES. And oh yeah, Donovan McNabb....You suck. I hope we drop a bomb on the Eagles and show them what it is like to play against a REAL football team. Anyone can put up 38 points on the Rams who are the worst football team in North America. So if any Eagles Fans are reading this.....GETCHA POPCORN READY!

Cowboys thinking their time is now

2008-09-08T04:37:00.011-04:00

They're more American Idol than America's Team these days. Celebrities in shoulder pads, the Dallas Cowboys have stars on their helmets, on the field and on their guest list.
From T.O. to Romo to Jerry Jones to Jessica Simpson to Pacman (sorry, make that Adam), the Cowboys can dazzle on the red carpet or in the red zone.
They even had their own hit summer reality TV show as HBO's "Hard Knocks" spent a few weeks peering behind the scenes at Dallas' training camp.
True NFL blue bloods, no team has a higher profile. And no team has greater expectations.
"It's always Super Bowl or bust kind of deal," quarterback Tony Romo said this week, "and we start the next year, and it's Super Bowl or bust again. It's just part of it. Every team has pressure at the start of the year because every organization thinks they have a chance to be really good this year.
"We're no different. I think we're going to go out there and hopefully do good things on the field."
Without a postseason win since 1996 — an eternity in demanding Big D — the Cowboys, 13-3 last season with 13 players in the Pro Bowl, will embark on another title run today. They open against the Cleveland Browns, a team with similarly high hopes and an offense capable of matching Dallas point for point.
Although the Browns may not be able to match the Cowboys' Q rating or star power, they also have their eyes on the playoffs — and perhaps something even bigger. And if the football bounces the right way, who knows? The Giants were not exactly the trendy pick to win it all last season. But they did, knocking the Cowboys off their high horses in the first round of the NFC playoffs.
This, though, is supposed to be Dallas' season.
"I think everyone knows across the nation that we have the talent," Terrell Owens said. "We just have to go out there and do what we do best. Everybody is excited with what can become of what we have in this locker room. We aren't going to by any means win the Super Bowl by what we do in Week 1."
As is usually the case, Owens will be in the spotlight Sunday. He will be matched against a suspect Cleveland secondary, which will likely be without starting safety Brodney Pool (concussion) and has two second-year cornerbacks in Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald — both listed generously at 5 feet 10 inches tall. They will have to deal with the imposing 6-3, 215-pound Owens, perhaps the toughest assignment they will ever face.
"Big-bodied guy. Great receiver. Great hands. Great route-running ability. Pro Bowl starter," McDonald said, listing Owens' many attributes. "We've got a few of those guys ourselves. We're going to try to prepare the best we can and get ready for him."
Never one to miss a chance for some publicity, Owens sent T-shirts to a few of the Browns.
Wide receiver Donte' Stallworth wore one that said, "iCompete" on the front and "T.O. win" on the back.
"Just messing with the young guys in the secondary," said Stallworth, one of Cleveland's top free agent signings.
On his last visit to Cleveland, Owens caught a pair of touchdown passes in the first half for Philadelphia and punctuated one of the scores by spiking the ball at a "T.O. has B.O." banner he then ripped down.
Earlier this week, a mature and mellowed Owens refused to discuss his previous trip to the Dawg Pound.
"I'm not really worried about what happened in the past," he said.

NFL Matchups: Cowboys at Browns

2008-09-08T04:37:00.010-04:00

From the moment Terrell Owens broke into tears after Dallas' playoff loss to the Giants last January, the Cowboys have been pointing toward 2008 as the season they will get back to the Super Bowl after a 12-season absence.

The quest starts this week in Cleveland against an up-and-coming team that most folks think isn't up-and-coming enough to deal with the Cowboys. On the other hand, if you listen to and read the jibber-jabber over the air and on the net, no NFL team is in Dallas' class.

So while even the always enthusiastic Jerry Jones avoids saying "Super Bowl," he goes to pains during an interview on ESPN a while back to claim his team really outplayed eventual champion New York in the 21-17 loss that sent it home without a playoff win for the 12th straight season. Sorry, Jerry, but the score is all that counts.

And when talking about first-round draft choices Felix Jones and Michael Jenkins and the addition of Adam Jones, the former Pacman, the Cowboys owner says: "All that speaks volumes to what I think we ought to be."

After a 10-6 season in 2007, a six-game improvement, Cleveland had high hopes for 2008. But it had a poor preseason and this game is the start of a killer schedule.

The Cowboys also have injuries. Owens and Patrick Crayton a still have the weapons that got them to 13-3 in the regular season.

Key(s) to Victory: Week 1 Dallas Cowboys

2008-09-08T04:37:00.009-04:00

Like Smooth wrote a little bit ago, the 2008 regular season is finally here. It is now time to see how accurate our excitement and expectations are for the Browns this season. What makes week 1 even more intriguing is that it features one of the Browns' biggest tests in the brutal 2008 campaign. The Cowboys are an established Superbowl contender and certainly have the talent to back it up. The Browns on the other hand, as we all know, are an up and coming Superbowl contender that has most of the talent to back that up.

So what it is then that is the difference between these two potential playoff teams, you ask. The answer is fairly simple, injuries. The Browns completed a sub-par pre-season due mainly to key injuries and have little game experience as a complete unit this season. This leads to the most general influence of the injuries and that is on the readiness of the team as a whole.

This is seen most on the offensive end with the absence of QB Derek Anderson, RBs Jamal Lewis and Lawrence Vickers, and WR Braylon Edwards for the majority of the pre-season. It will be key for the Browns to be crisp against the strong defense of the Cowboys if they intend to score enough to stay in the game. This will be seen mainly in the passing game with the timing and continuity between DA and the receivers. With the injury to Braylon and the addition of Stallworth, DA will have some quick catching up to do in order to be effective against the Dallas D.

On the defensive end this will again be seen in the passing game. Three key players to the Browns pass D either have been or are currently affected by injuries. First, up front for the Browns, Corey Williams spent a good deal of his first Browns training camp on the sidelines. This is not a long term problem as far as his physical performance or durability, but in the development time he lost early on in the Browns system.

Williams has played DT in a 4-3 type defense almost exclusively during his career. However, upon arriving in Cleveland he was forced to move to the outside and learn to play DE in Romeo Crennel's 3-4 D. I am not one to make a huge deal of this sort of thing as great athletes will usually make big plays no matter how they are used, but with the expectations on the rebuilt d-line nothing too small can be discounted.

Another, much greater loss, is the injury to Antwan Peek. It would have been a similar issue to Corey Williams had he only missed the pre-season and played on Sunday. However, Peek was injured again this week and is out for the season. On the surface losing the 5th linebacker is not usually the end of the world. Although upon further review no one will miss Peek more than his opposite, Kamerion Wimbley. Peek is an effective rush end and forces defenses from focusing exclusively on defending Wimbley, something that undoubtedly limited him to 5 sacks all of last season.

The burden will now likely fall into the hands of talented rookie LB Alex Hall. Hall was a DE in college and has shown much promise this pre-season as a pass rusher. If he is able to step up and accept the challenge, the Browns could be better off both now and in the future.

The final injury concern for the pass defense is the concussion to FS Brodney Pool last month. It is still uncertain whether or not he will be suited up for tomorrow's game, leading to the potential for an even shallower defensive backfield against the Cowboys. It will be imperative for the FS, whoever it is, to provide effective support to Brandon McDonald in an attempt to contain TO. It is unclear who is more effective, Mike Adams or a rusty/injured Brodney Pool, but one thing is clear and that is that I would much rather have a healthy Pool.

To recap the Browns' pass rush will be somewhat limited due to the early injury to Corey Williams and the season ending one to Peek. Also, the concussion to Pool could leave the help coverage a bit lacking against TO and the Dallas Cowboys passing attack.

The final key area affected by injuries is the running game. RB Jamal Lewis will reportedly be a game time decision and he along with FB Lawrence Vickers have missed considerable time this pre-season. Beyond that we will also likely be without either of the two potential starting right guards in Rex Hadnot and Ryan Tucker who like Lewis will be game time decisions. If the Browns are going to be able to control the game on Sunday they will have to do it on the ground. The talent is certainly there for this to happen, but it is unlikely to what degree the injuries will affect that talent.

So there you have it. The key to tomorrow's game against the Cowboys is the performance or even appearance of the many key players that have been injured so far the pre-season. However, as you can see it is certainly not as easy an answer as it seems.

In the end if the Browns' get what they can from their key players this should be all its cracked up to be and a potentially thrilling game. But at the same time a weak performance from the key injured players and this could be a long afternoon for the 2008 Cleveland Browns.

TIDBIT: For the Cowboys, nothing less than a Super Bowl win will do

2008-09-08T04:37:00.008-04:00

The New England Patriots were the latest and the last shocked victims of the New York Giants at the end of the Super Bowl upset in the desert this past February.

But the Dallas Cowboys, for one, believe it never should have come to that.

So dominant among NFC teams in the regular season, the Cowboys were expected to crush the Giants in their NFC divisional playoff opener on the way to their own expected trip to the Super Bowl.

Instead, what arguably is America's most highest-profile team, the Cowboys extended their streak to 11 consecutive seasons without a playoff win and the Giants rode the momentum all the way to a most unlikely championship.

The 'Boys are back, however, preparing to kick off another season thick with expectations this afternoon in Cleveland. As solid 3-1 favourites to capture the NFC title that they believed should have been theirs a year ago, the spotlight once again is on the guys with the blue stars on their helmets.

With a team that is basically the same as the one that took the NFC East and sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl, anything less than a conference title will be seen as a disappointment.

"There are high expectations here every year and for a long time," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said this past week. "That's not unusual for the Dallas Cowboys."

There is unlikely to be a dull moment in Dallas with quarterback Tony Romo and his ongoing female follies plus the soap opera of receiver Terrell Owens and the off-season addition of bad boy Adam (Pacman) Jones.

But a team that scored 455 points last season believes its recent 0-6 run in the post-season is a case of unfinished business.

"We belong in those situations and we are going to try to put ourselves in that situation for the next decade," Romo said. "If we can, we'll eventually break through."

Browns up for challenge

2008-09-08T04:37:00.007-04:00

The Browns are looking for a healthy Derek Anderson at quarterback as they set out to better their successes of last season.
Optimism is a delicate thing in Cleveland.

The city itself has been battered by a lean economy for a generation. Its sports teams have done little but tease fans. No one in northeastern Ohio has to be reminded that none of its major-league teams has won a championship since 1964.

The Browns haven't had back-to-back winning seasons since 1989.

So into this headwind come the 2008 Browns, full of confidence and with their fans practically giddy.

"Super Bowl! Super Bowl!" they chanted at the first practice of training camp. The NFL has bought into the enthusiasm for the Browns. The league scheduled the Browns for five prime-time games.

The Browns will find out quickly how warranted all the optimism is. At 4:15 p.m., they play host to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys were 13-3 last season. They, not the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, won the NFC East last season. With a star-studded roster that includes receiver Terrell Owens and quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys are clearly formidable.

Which is exactly what the Browns say they want.

"It's going to be a lot of fun," Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said. "It's a game you look forward to and have really been thinking about all offseason. It's going to be a great challenge to see where we are as a team."

The Browns took advantage of a weak schedule to go 10-6 last season, but they blew a playoff spot with a loss to a Cincinnati team going nowhere.

This year, Cleveland has a much more difficult schedule. Browns opponents had a record of 140-116 last season.

Next week, the Browns play Pittsburgh. After road games in Baltimore and Cincinnati, Cleveland faces a brutal October. The Browns play the Giants at home and then have to play in Washington and in Jacksonville.

Fortunately for them, the AFC North doesn't figure to be a powerhouse division. If the Browns finish 10-6 again, they would seem to be in good shape. That is a big if, however.

Already, the Browns have been hit by injuries. Quarterback Derek Anderson, receiver Braylon Edwards and running back Jamal Lewis have all missed significant time in August, and their status for today's game hasn't been resolved

A defense that was already short on pass rushers lost Antwan Peek to a season-ending knee injury last week. The Browns' suspect cornerbacks could be exposed by Owens, though they've put on a brave front.

"Ever since OTAs (offseason practices), I've been watching film of him, trying to find anything that would help me against him," Brandon McDonald said. "I face it as a challenge. I'm not going to back down to the guy just because he has done a lot in his years. I am looking forward to competing against the guy."

The Browns had a disastrous opener last year against Pittsburgh before upsetting Cincinnati to spark their surprising season. So they understand that today's game isn't make or break.

But they also know that upsetting the Cowboys -- Dallas is a 5½-point favorite -- would open eyes around the league.

"If we beat them, everybody will be like, 'Wow, the Browns are for real,' " defensive lineman Shaun Smith said.

Projected 53 Man Roster Update 8.19.08

2008-08-20T23:05:00.008-04:00

QB (Romo, B. Johnson)

I wouldn't be surprised to see Dallas pick up either Chris Simms or John Beck off of waivers, but I don't see a trade happening because it's too late in the season to have them unsurp Brad Johnson and neither will probably be as good of a placeholder as Johnson is. It's just not worth trading for. I actually think Johnson is playing pretty well from a decision making standpoint, but he doesn't have the arm strength to be that effective anymore.

RB (Barber, F. Jones, Choice)

This has the makings of a great RB corp as Felix is looking as good as advertised and Choice, a guy that I've watched since college, has looked impressive as well but won't get many carries because Barber and Felix are better. I think the Cowboys like Coleman and I wonder how good he is at special teams. I actually like Keon Lattimore more than Coleman because he moves very well for a guy his size and seems to love the game.

FB (Anderson)

I don't see any fullbacks cracking into the roster so I think they'll keep 4 tailbacks instead. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see them pick up a fullback off the waiver wire before the season starts.

WR (Owens, Crayton, Austin, Hurd, Stanback, Amendola)

I kept Amendola here because of the Austin injury. Since Amendola can play receiver and do returns, it's one of those situations where the team might be afraid of another injury to another WR while Austin is out which would really stretch the WR corp thin.

TE (Witten, Curtis, Bennett)

Nothing new here.

OT (Adams, Colombo, Free, McQuistan)

Haven't heard much from Free in training camp, but same as usual here.

OG (L. Davis, Kosier, Marten, Berger)

There were some rumblings at the beginning of camp that Berger would beat out Kosier for the starting left guard spot, but so far I haven't seen anything that tells me that.

C (Gurode, Proctor)

Gurode's shotgun snaps have looked good so far, but I find that he usually struggles with those and mental mistakes when he faces tough defensive tackles.

DE (Canty, Ratliff, Bowen, Hatcher)

One of the issues the Cowboys have is that Hatcher and Bowen really struggle against the run. The D-Line has good depth, but with their struggles against the run it only really affords the team to put them in on passing downs. They still put them in on other downs, but opposing teams usually run the ball with great success.

NT (T. Johnson, Spears)

The way Spears is going about it is great and could pay off for him. Any guy that has no problem moving to a backup role where he's playing 2 positions instead of one is an attitude teams like. Also, he's adding versatility to his game which only makes him more valuable.

OLB (Ware, Ellis, Spencer, Walden)

Walden isn't doing much, but will probably stick around for upside and special teams.

ILB (Z. Thomas, James, Carpenter, Burnett, Rogers)

Thomas has been playing great so far. I'd rather see Carpenter in pass coverage in the nickel and dime than Burnett. I'm a bit uncertain here because both Burnett and Rogers are injured and they'll want to have at least 4 ILB's for injury and special teams purposes. However, I don't know of any other ILB that's playing well enough to make the roster. This could be a spot for the team signing somebody off the waiver wire who can play special teams coverage and then releasing the player once Burnett gets healthy.

CB (Newman, Henry, A. Jones, Jenkins, Scrandrick, Ogelsby)

A big positive here for the future as Jones is only 24 years old and out of all of the backups, I feel Scandrick is looking like the best of the bunch. That being said, Jenkins is looking solid and I'm really surprised by Ogelsby's play. We still want Newman and Henry healthy, but if Jones can get back in the groove and the others can get past the learning curve, this is a great group of corners.

SS (R. Williams, C. Brown)

Roy looks noticeably thinner on TV and is reportedly playing better. He still hasn't been really tested yet, but my guess is that they'll find ways to prevent him from being tested. Brown was terrible against the Broncos.

FS (Hamlin, Watkins)

Nothing new here.

SPECIAL TEAMS (Folk, McBriar, Ladoceur)

Nothing new here.

PRACTICE SQUAD

1. DoWayne Davis (S)
2. Richard Bartel (QB)
3. Alonzo Coleman (RB)
4. Mike Jefferson (WR)
5. Marcus Dixon (DE)
6. Alan Ball (CB)
7. Cory Lekkerkerker (OT)
8. Darrell Robertson (LB)

Practice squad players are part guys that the team wants to keep around to possibly develop and put on the roster, part scout team and part players they can use in a pinch, particularly on special teams.

DoWayne Davis has been playing very well, but I think the Burnett injury hurts him because that forces the team to carry an extra ILB. Bartel is still in the air, but he could at least be scout team material. I think they like Coleman and he's also scout team material. While I like Lattimore, I'd be surprised to see them put two tailbacks on the practice squad. Mike Jefferson has shown promise. That could be enough to knock out Todd Lowber who stands a chance of making the practice squad because of the Garrett connection and he fits the type of wide receiver Jerry likes (good size, good athlete). Dixon has been out with an injury and they could use another DE. Alan Ball is a guy they like, but he's been terrible so far. Lekkerkerker shows some potential and they usually have an O-Lineman on the practice squad. Robertson is a linebacker and they are stretched a little thin there (Burnett and Rogers injury, Walden only doing okay).

Cowboys vs. Broncos Review

2008-08-20T23:05:00.006-04:00

After the first preseason game where the Dallas starters played very well and were done in by poor play from the backups, the roles were reversed against Denver with lackluster play by the starters and quality time from the backups.

Neither the offense nor defense was particularly good. I'm not going to get into Romo missing a TD pass he should make given it's preseason, but the bigger concerns where things like the O-Line not taken advantage of situations where they had the advantage (i.e. 5 pass blockers versus 3 pass rushers). It's not that the O-Line played bad, but good preseason play consists of the O-Line dominating those situations.

The defense ran a very vanilla style, almost akin to the Parcells/Zimmer 3-4 scheme. So of course they didn't get much pressure on Cutler, but it got a bit ridiculous with the amount of time Cutler had to throw. Even more disconcerting was the stupid unsportsmanlike conduct made by Bradie James. After backing the Broncos up to their own goal line with a 3rd and long, James made a stop short of the first down and then was flagged for a late hit and a woofing it up. The Broncos got the first down from the penalty and then proceeded to drive down and score a TD to go up 14-0. Again, it's only preseason. But when your defensive leader is making a mistake that he should never make and the team had a problem last season with those type of mistakes, you have to wonder about the team's attitude and football smarts.

The backups played pretty well. The backup O-Line was decent as well as Brad Johnson. Felix Jones is still looking like the running back we had hoped for...he's quick, fast and elusive. Even Tashard Choice looked good with a nice catch and a blocked punt (Denver picked it up on the luckiest play you'll ever see). Miles Austin looked great. But in a "what the hell were they thinking?" move, he injured his knee on the very next play in kickoff coverage. I wonder why they did this because by the looks of it, Austin should really be competing for the #2 WR spot, not just the #3 spot. And with his speed and the way he's playing, he looks to have the makings of an excellent #2 WR. It's gotten to the point now where the weakest part of Austin's game is his route running which is still decent. However, he's playing to the point where he's a big WR with speed to burn who plays very physical, is catching everything, and is the best we've got in jump ball situations. All that and he's doing kickoff coverage and getting injured. Initial reports say an MCL sprain which means 2-4 weeks and possibly missing the season opener against the Browns. I know Austin is a good special teams player (Dallas would also lose a kickoff returner), but if they can't function properly without having to use him, then Bruce Read needs to start updating his resume.

A pleasant surprise was the play of Pacman Jones. He was far and away better and almost had 3 interceptions. He also had a nice punt return for 24 yards, but then spiked the ball and lost 5 yards on the penalty. Again, stupid mental mistakes that you want your team to avoid in the preseason. Martellus Bennett looked decent as well. He wasn't John Mackey out there, but he played rather well and showed a glimpse of what he can do as he can really run and is one tough player to tackle. Amendola didn't do much. He had a decent punt return and made one catch for 12 yards and got open properly in the endzone, but Richard Bartel didn't spot him.

From what I interpreted from listening to the players is that they ran a really vanilla scheme in preseason, even vanilla by preseason standards. So they seem to feel that they didn't play THAT bad, but there was still some poor play that should not have happened. Still, you can't excuse mental mistakes by established players in the league who will be contributing. Also, the Austin injury is likely to hurt the team to a degree, although look for Orlando Scandrick to possibly replace him (Scandrick has looked great so far as a corner and special teams player).

I'd like to see the team win a preseason game some time and hopefully they'll at least put everything together where they get quality play from the starters and backups against the Texans.

Keep an eye on Courtney Brown

2008-08-17T07:59:00.039-04:00

Unless you have better things to do. But if you're going to watch the fourth quarter of a preseason game, No. 27 is a good guy to watch.

The coaches want to see whether Brown can tackle well enough to contribute at safety. That's a pretty important thing to find out if the Cowboys decide to part ways with Roy Williams after the season.

Brown opened the quarter by flying off the edge to make a solid tackle on Michael Pittman. Brown got blocked almost to the sideline on a sweep the next play.

Why is Jerry wearing a headset?

2008-08-17T07:59:00.038-04:00

That was an inspiring pep talk Jerry delivered to the kids during the Papa John's commercial, but I'm not sure he needed the headset hanging on his neck to pull it off.

Give Danny Amendola a chance!!

2008-08-17T07:59:00.037-04:00

By my unofficial count, Danny Amendola has had two passes thrown in his direction during preseason games. One landed at his feet last week, and he almost got killed when Richard Bartel hung him out to dry over the middle tonight.

Props to Babe Laufenberg, who has horrible taste in nicknames, for pointing out that Amendola was open in the end zone when Bartel took off running last drive.

UPDATE: Amendola had perhaps the prettiest 12-yard catch in NFL preseason history.

Some early thoughts from the Cowboys

2008-08-17T07:59:00.036-04:00

Here's what some of the Cowboys' starters had to say at halftime about tonight's action.

QB Tony Romo
"We were able to move the ball a little bit, but the penalties really hurt us. We definitely have things to work on, but there is still some time for that.

"Working with them all week, we knew what they were going to play, and they weren't really going to stray from that. It comes down to executing. If they man up or play zone, we still have to make plays. We still have a vanilla offense, and don't want to show our hand this time of year.

WR Terrell Owens
"We pretty much knew what they were going to do. We didn't expect anything different. We practiced against them all week. They knew what we were going to do offensively; we knew what they were going to do defensively. We just had to come out and try to execute.

LB Bradie James
"They knew what we were going to do, and we had to make the adjustments. It's good to have a game like this so we can battle back defensively. We definitely have to stop people, but sometimes you can't stop everybody. You have to rise to the occasion to give the offense the ball. Once we got adjusted to what they were doing, they scored, and that's the bad part about it. We just have to keep them from scoring, and we will be alright."

Stock Report

2008-08-17T07:59:00.035-04:00

We are almost nearing the end of what looks like another Cowboys' loss.
Stock up and Stock down time.

Stock up

1. Richard Bartel. Led the team to a field goal and looked a lot better in completing passes. Struggled at times including missing a wide open receiver in the end zone.

2. Brad Johnson. Can we now leave Brad Johnson alone? Finished two scoring drives including a long pass play.

3. Adam Jones. Returned a punt for 24 yards before the punter stopped him.

4. Evan Oglesby. Played well including strong coverage on a deep ball in the fourth quarter.

5. Rodney Hannah. Has made several catches, including some underneath stuff.

Cowboys gonna have hard time beating spread

2008-08-17T07:59:00.034-04:00

The Cowboys were 2.5-point underdogs tonight, and if you knew that already, please seek help.

If Richard Bartel manages to get the Cowboys into the end zone, Wade Phillips owes it to the team's sickest fans to go for two.

Jim Garrett's going crazy!!!

2008-08-17T07:59:00.033-04:00

His guy Todd Lowber makes a nice grab downfield for his first catch in a Cowboys uniform.

The Hard Knocks crew probably exchanged a few high fives, too.

Miles Austin has knee injury

2008-08-17T07:59:00.032-04:00

Owner Jerry Jones said wide receiver Miles Austin has a sprained right MCL. Austin said he will undergo a MRI exam on Sunday.

"I had expectations for myself," Austin said. "It's early and with any injury, I'm going to be upset or down. I'm just going to get back in rehab and see what the problem is and try to fix it."

Austin has played well this preseason, including catching a touchdown pass tonight from Brad Johnson.

Bennett, Amendola making little plays

2008-08-17T07:59:00.031-04:00

Second-round pick Martellus Bennett and free agent signee Danny Amendola both looked better in their second preseason game. The two Hard Knocks stars both said they felt more confident.

Bennett caught the only ball thrown his direction and bulled his way for an 11-yard gain. He also made a solid tackle on special teams.

"How do you like me now?," Bennett joked in the locker room afterward. "I told people I was going to beast out."

Amendola had one catch for 12 yards and a 9-yard punt return.

"I got my first catch, so that's good," Amendola said. "I got hit the first time pretty good, and after that, I was ready. It's another game under our belt, some more experience. That's what we need."

Hey, at least Richard Bartel made the tackle

2008-08-17T07:59:00.030-04:00

It wasn't exactly a crushing blow, but Richard Bartel got just enough of the Denver DB's shoe to prevent him from taking that pick back all the way.

Bartel tried to force a fourth-down pass to Danny Amendola, who stopped his route after he got held. The pass hit Jack Williams right in the numbers.

Offense needs to improve

2008-08-17T07:59:00.029-04:00

Tony Romo has struggled the last week of practices and it showed in Saturday's game. Romo completed 6-of-9 passes for just 33 yards for a quarterback rating of 72.9. He had no touchdowns.

His longest throw was for 10 yards and he missed a wide open Sam Hurd on a deep ball. Romo was moving to his right to avoid the rush when he threw the ball, yet he appeared to have gotten set.
"I thought the effort was good," Romo said. "The execution wasn't. Bad penalties hurt us, I was talking to Wade [Phillips] and we were talking about how it's like a turnover. We have to stop it, we over came a little bit but they would catch up to us eventually."

Adam Jones feeling much better

2008-08-17T07:59:00.028-04:00

Adam Jones swore that he wouldn't play as bad against the Broncos as he did last week against the Chargers. If he played bad, Jones said, "I give y'all permission to blast me." He felt more comfortable and it showed.

On his first punt return of the preseason, Jones dodged one defender and picked up 24 yards. Jones couldn't believe Denver's punter, Sam Paulescu, made the tackle. Jones got up and spiked the ball in disgust, which became a 5-yard penalty last season while Jones was suspended.

"I'm not supposed to get tackled by no kicker," Jones said. "It possible that I could have broken it. I have to go back and look at it. But that was my first one. It can't do anything but get better, because all I do is work hard."

Jones, who had six tackles, should have made his first interception in the third quarter. He read backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey all the way on a pass intended for Clifford Russell. Jones couldn't hang on, though, and the pass fell incomplete.

"My whole thing is I'm trying to get better every week," Jones said. "I don't think I missed any tackles today. But I'll just keep working hard in practice an dit will pay off at the end."

Will the Cowboys ever win another game?

2008-08-17T07:59:00.027-04:00

Feel free to push the panic button with the Cowboys 0-2 this preseason, especially if you've had too much to drink tonight.

In my opinion, the biggest story to come out of this game is Miles Austin. He made two great plays -- a 37-yard catch after a nice adjustment and skying high for a 5-yard TD -- to follow up his impressive preseason opener. Then he injured his knee on the ensuing kickoff.

How bad is Austin's knee injury? We probably won't know until Monday. If he's OK, Austin has given the Cowboys hope that he's a deep threat who can be counted on this season.

My boss wanted me to blog for a bit after the game, but my little bro is kicking me out of his house. I strongly recommend hopping over to JJT's blog if your Cowboys fix hasn't been satisfied.

Bradie James: "We're not ready to play the season"

2008-08-17T07:59:00.026-04:00

The Cowboys are 0-2 to start the preseason and haven't looked that good doing it.
Inside linebacker Bradie James said it best about the start:

"Yeah, the whole key is to win," James said. "We're not ready to play the season yet, and that's evident."

The Cowboys better get ready soon, because the season opener at Cleveland is right around the corner.

Stewart got E-mails about the blitz

2008-08-17T07:59:00.025-04:00

Last season the Broncos complained about the Cowboys game planning them in a preseason loss. Well, this season the Cowboys were a little basic in their defensive packages.

What does that mean, well not a lot of blitzes or press coverage. The reason is because defensive coordinator Brian Stewart got some e-mails from opposing offensive coordinators saying he broke a code of conduct for the preseason.

"I talked to Stew and last year we got after those guys and blitzed them a lot," linebacker Bradie James said. "He said that he got some E-mail from some offensive coordinators saying this must be you're first time being an defensive coordinator because you broke the etiquette of just playing vanilla. We did a lot of base stuff. I would have loved to really get after them. But we played what was called."

Who you looking forward to watching this week?

2008-08-15T21:42:00.020-04:00

My [1]five from last week (NT Tank Johnson, CB Mike Jenkins, LB Bobby Carpenter, RT Pat McQuistan and WR Danny Amendola) still stands. Follow the jump for five more players that I'll watch particularly closely in the Cowboys-Broncos game.

Practice moved

2008-08-15T21:42:00.018-04:00

Instead of having a walkthrough at Invesco Field, the Cowboys will move to an indoor facility for Friday's workout because of weather.

The Broncos do not have a bubble at their facility, unlike the Cowboys at Valley Ranch. When there is inclement weather the Broncos use an indoor facility about a half-mile from their facility.

Practice is at 12:15 CDT. We'll have more later.

Questions for Wade Phillips

2008-08-15T21:42:00.017-04:00

At the morning walk-through, which I missed because I was getting a haircut, Wade Phillips was asked about whether Adam Jones would see some time on punt returns on Saturday at Denver.

"You know maybe," Phillips said. "We might let him return one or two."

It's strange that Phillips won't let Jones just return punts for the first half and then turn it over to some rookies such as Danny Amendola.

"I just want him to get comfortable with the defense and get used to playing," Phillips said of Jones. "He was a little rusty on defense. We have two more preseason games that I'd like for him to return some, especially at home."

Well, two of the first three regular season games are on the road, who cares if he takes punts at home or not.

I think Phillips is over thinking this. Jones said he wants to play more snaps so he can find a comfort level, not so much in the defense, but in a game as well.

Owner Jerry Jones said he would like to see Adam Jones return a few punts this week.

The forecast for Saturday has rain coming down and that might prompt Phillips from holding off Adam Jones from fielding punts. He doesn't want to put Jones at risk with a wet field.

First-team offense to get more time

2008-08-15T21:42:00.015-04:00

Look for most of the No. 1 offense to play the first half Saturday against Denver with Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Marion Barber probably going a quarter.

That will allow Brad Johnson to take a turn with the first-team offensive line for at least a quarter. He had one series behind the No. 1 unit vs. San Diego.

"I think it's protection first," coach Wade Phillips said. "And I think the running game too even though we're taking Barber out. We feel like we've got some good runners that can help us there."

Need to play well

2008-08-15T21:42:00.014-04:00

We look at five players, or units, that need to play well on Saturday night at Denver.

1. Danny Amendola. Dropped a punt in the San Diego game. Hasn't looked great in practice either.

2. Sam Hurd. Miles Austin has surpassed him with that five catch performance last week. Hurd needs to get going if he wants to be the No. 2 receiver.

3. Adam Jones. Need to find that timing of his and play the run better.

4. Second-team offensive line. Regardless of who its guarding against, the line has to protect the quarterback. Brad Johnson was knocked down too many times last week.

5. Martellus Bennett. The rookie tight end said he's practiced much better the last few days. That's great. Forget the body language, he has to play better in the game. He didn't block well and he suffered a drop in the Chargers game.

Tony Romo's struggles

2008-08-15T21:42:00.013-04:00

Everybody's favorite quarterback, Tony Romo, looked good in the preseason opener at San Diego.

But he hasn't thrown the deep ball well in practice the last few days. During one 11-on-11 drill, Romo was high on a long pass to Terrell Owens and over threw one to MIles Austin and to Owens.

Now, this is not to say we should be worried about Romo. We shouldn't because he's expected to have a strong season.

Brandon Jacobs taunts Cowboys

2008-08-15T21:42:00.012-04:00

I'm a little late on this, since I took the last couple of days off, but better late than never with the latest installment of the Brandon "Big Mouth" Jacobs vs. the Cowboys trash talking war.

Jacobs, who [1]took great pleasure in Patrick Crayton's playoff failures, called the [2]Cowboys an "arrogant" group while appearing on a New York radio station this week. Then he really rubbed the Giants' success in the Cowboys' faces.

"I guess they won their Super Bowl rings in training camp, because they didn't win it last year," he said.

Yeah, well, the Cowboys did go 13-3!!!

Dallas vs. Denver Pre-Game Thoughts

2008-08-15T21:40:00.001-04:00

Dallas plays the Broncos tomorrow night in their second preseason game. It's sort of tough to get a read on this team as the reviews of training camp leading up to the Chargers game were some of the most positive I can remember. Obviously, we were getting good reports from the starters, but plenty of good reports from the backups such as Tank Johnson, Bobby Carpenter, Miles Austin and Sam Hurd. And the rookies as well with good stuff being said about Felix, Jenkins, Scandrick and Amendola. But the Chargers game happened and then the reports became more and more negative.

I'm paraphrasing here, but Calvin Hill once said it best about Cowboys fans, "if you score 2 TD's in a quarter, they want 3 TD's in a quarter. If you score 3 TD's in a quarter, they want 4 TD's in a quarter. And if you score 4 TD's in a quarter, they complain that you scored them at the wrong side of the field." That is still the mindsight of the majority of Dallas fans today. Tony Romo played decent in both playoff games, and really wasn't the reason why Dallas lost those games (hell, Terry Glenn's fluke fumble against Seattle cost them that game alone, yet NOBODY ever mentions that). And as great as Tony has been for the team, there's a big chunk of Cowboys fans that are not happy with him and another big chunk who like Tony, but don't think he can win the big game. The media, particularly the local Dallas media, plays up to that and since Dallas has been practicing with the Broncos, I've heard differing reports with some saying that the Broncos have been getting the better of the Cowboys and other reports saying the exact opposite.

I think this game will give us a better idea of what's going on. While it was nice to see the Dallas starters dominate the Chargers game, this is a game and a league that revolves around injuries and a team's ability to replace those injured players. Very rarely does a team not have a key starter go down with an injury. So while they lost the Chargers game on replacements, it is somewhat important that the backups play well because there's a decent chance they will need to play on crucial downs this year. Plus, history shows you don't want to go 0-4 in the preseason. Just ask the 2006 Washington Redskins.

So the real key for tomorrow isn't so much the starters, but the backups. The Martellus Bennett's, the Miles Austin's, the Sam Hurd's, the Bobby Carpenter (very crucial with Burnett's injury) and of course, the special teams coverage. I'd like a win, but I'd rather take a no injury and good, solid play from each string of players.

Dallas Cowboys' Adam Jones to send letter to NFL

2008-08-14T00:48:00.000-04:00

When the Dallas Cowboys arrived here, Adam Jones went to work.

The cornerback grabbed a laptop computer and typed a 1 ½-page letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell asking for a full reinstatement to the league.

Jones said the letter will be mailed Thursday.

"I'm feeling real good," Jones said following Wednesday's practice with the Broncos. "It's just a letter on why I feel I should be reinstated. It's my chance to respond, and we'll see how it goes."

The NFL also wanted an update from Jones by Friday on what he's doing to keep himself out of trouble.

Jones has participated fully in the Cowboys' player-development program and has forged close relationships with several members on the staff. He's been assigned a four-person security team that doesn't allow him to drive often, with the goal of tracking his whereabouts.

Jones has also pledged to donate 121 school uniforms to fifth-graders in the Dallas Independent School District before the regular season starts.

Jones hopes those factors work in his favor with Goodell.

The Cowboys are encouraged that a decision on full reinstatement could be made Aug. 26, the day the team has to cut the roster to 75 players.

When asked if the letter was hard to write, Jones said, "No, not at all. I was an A student. We'll know something soon."

Jones, who hasn't played in a NFL game since Dec. 31, 2006, was suspended in April 2007 for violations to the league conduct policy.

In April, the Cowboys worked a draft deal with the Tennessee Titans. On June 2, Goodell granted Jones partial reinstatement and said he would review his case before the start of the regular season.

Now that time is near.

"The curtain has come up for him," owner Jerry Jones said of the cornerback. "So I think it [the letter] is real important in terms of influencing the commissioner's decision."

Jerry Jones also said that Goodell is not only interested in Adam Jones' conduct but also any communication he has with the league office.