Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Looking Ahead...

It has been three weeks and Dallas has a record of 2-1... not a bad start. It very easily could have been 3-0 but it is what it is and that's the game... moving on...

There are only 7 teams with that perfect 3-0 record and it's not surprising that the Giants, Indianapolis & Baltimore are in that category. It's a little bit surprising that New Orleans is too. It's even more surprising that Minnesota, the Jets and Denver are also undefeated.

On the other end of the spectrum are the teams that have fallen to 0-3, and there are 7 of those as well. Not surprising, Cleveland, Kansas City and St. Louis are without a win. A little surprising is Tampa Bay and Miami. It's even more surprising that Carolina and Tennessee are also winless.

These next two weeks, Dallas will be on the road to match up with a team from each of those lists. Next week they are heading to face the undefeated Denver Broncos. In two weeks they are heading to Kansas City, who will either be 1-3 or 0-4.

I'm just putting it out there, and I've been disappointed before but I'm going to say that Dallas has a good shot at being 4-1 heading into the bye week.

I should just stop my prognosticating at the bye week since it's never a good idea to look too far ahead in the NFL... but, I started it, so I might as well do a little more guessing...

OK, after the bye week are two games that Dallas has potential to win. Atlanta and Seattle. Atlanta sounds like the tougher of the two, they have been doing good things ever since Matt Ryan became the starter, but they are a young team and can be exploited.

Seattle has been an opponent a lot the past few years so that should help a little bit with game planning... In terms of motivationn, we can't forget about the playoff game loss, but we also shouldn't forget about the 34-9 Dallas victory last Thanksgiving. Winnable for sure.

The next stretch features Philly, Green Bay and Washington and is much more difficult to predict so I'm going to cut my guessing game short... we'll just have to see what plays out.

Observations and Notes

What to talk about? Where to begin? There's a lot of things to take away from last night's victory and I'm not sure where to even start this blog post.

I could talk about the running game, which has been extremely impressive, racking up two back-to-back 200+ yard games for the first time since 1979 (and with 3rd string RB, Tashard Choice, most of the game.)

I could talk about Terence Newman's great performance, shutting down Steve Smith and grabbing a pick six which coupled with a successful 2 point conversion, gave the 'Boys a two score lead.

I could talk about rookie Victor Butler, who led the league in sacks for week 3 with two, and forced a fumble to officially take the game out of reach for the Panthers with less than a minute to play.

I could talk about Tony Romo, who rebounded nicely from last week, did not have a touchdown, but more importantly, did not have an interception. He managed the game like a true pro.

I could talk about Jay Ratliff, who continually dominates at nose guard and gave Dallas their first sack of the season.

I could talk about Anthony Spencer, who made me say, 'Greg Ellis who?' when Spencer darted into coverage and blocked a 3rd down pass from Delhomme, forcing a punt.

I could talk about Wade Phillips, who (as some are reporting,) gave an uncharacteristically fiery and intense halftime speech that motivated this team to cut down on penalties and turn the game around for the second half.

I could talk about the negatives too...

I could talk about the penalties, especially the ones that happen at the worst possible time... this is something that has plagued the Cowboys for years now.

I could talk about missed tackles... everyone from "Barbie" Carpenter to Terence Newman to Mike Jenkins allowed more yards than they should have because of missed or whiffed tackles.

I could talk about injuries... Marion Barber was out this game due to injury and it looks like Felix Jones may miss some time because of an injury he sustained on a 40 yard run in the 3rd quarter.

I could talk about Demarcus Ware, who is still M.I.A. in regards to sacks, although he is getting pressure on quarterbacks... he's definitely not going to reach his 20 sack total of last year.

I could talk about Jason Garrett and the awful play calling of two back-to-back fade/jump balls on 2nd and goal when Tashard Choice was more than able to break for 1 yard.

I could talk about a lot of things... in fact, I just did, so there... Booyah!

Week 3 Recap - Carolina (7) @ Dallas (21)

Last week I declared that this team is not ready to make a run at the playoffs. After this victory against Carolina, I didn't totally change my opinion of them, but this game gave me glimpses of a truly great team.

The entire first half can be practically disregarded figuring the only good drive ended with a missed field goal. It was also filled with plenty of penalties that definitely hurt drives. The only memorable occurrence was the first interception of the season by Mike Jenkins, which unfortunately resulted in only a punt.

The first half ended with a Carolina touchdown, and the score of 7 - 0, which apparently made Dallas pretty mad heading into the locker room.

The second half is when the Cowboys unleashed, especially the defense. They forced four straight 3 and outs and kept constant pressure on Jake Delhomme. Jay Ratliff recorded the first sack of the season. Terence Newman grabbed his second career pick six, and rookie Victor Butler got two more sacks on Delhomme and forced the game clinching fumble to secure Dallas' victory with only a minute left to play.

The offense is still a bit shaky and the penalties have to be cut down if they want to stop killing themselves in close games. The receivers seem to have a hard time getting open and I have to criticize some of the play calling... I mean c'mon... I understand the 2nd and goal fade to Roy Williams... ok, they almost had it... next play... a fade to Martellus Bennett in the same spot?!... When you're averaging about 5 or more yards per run?!? I just don't get why they didn't try to pound it up the middle on 2nd down... horrible decision.

Regardless of the imperfections, it was a win... and a win always makes the imperfections disappear... Dallas is now 2-1 and will be heading up to Denver next Sunday to face the 3-0 Broncos... this game should tell us a lot about both of these teams.

Cheers to the 'W' but there's a lot that needs to be tightened up.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Rants

Even though I'm trying to stay positive about the loss, I just have to rant about a few things...

- Where the hell are the sacks and turnovers? This team was #1 in sacks last year and in two games haven't been able to bring down 'slow release' Byron Leftwich or 'sacked 8 times last match-up' Eli Manning. They also haven't forced a fumble or grabbed an interception... unacceptable.

- Romo took the blame for the loss, Scandrick took the blame for the loss, Gurode said it wasn't Romo's fault that it was the team's fault, Wade probably said it was his fault, Scandrick couldn't sleep last night... whatever... just correct it! There's a problem and that's obvious, how can it be fixed, that's the question.

- Why couldn't any wide receivers get open against the Giants' second string cornerbacks? Was Romo just missing them? Very frustrating to watch and brings into question (once again) the value of the Roy Williams trade. With just one catch this game, his number 1 status should be in question.

- Speaking of wideouts, is it time to give Kevin Ogletree a try? Why not at this point... and what about Jesse Holley? I can picture the storyline now, from winning a spot on the roster through a reality show to catching the game winning touchdown pass in the Super Bowl... now wouldn't that be something.

- DeMarcus Ware... Where... Where are you? I already ranted a bit about the lack of sacks, but Ware is supposed to be on pace to crush his 20 sacks of last season. With zero so far, I don't know if that record will be reached this year.

That's really all I can think of right now... I'm sure there's many more rants to make, but I must take at least another day away from the loss to reflect. Gotta look forward to the Carolina game next Monday. It may be too little too late, but it's a chance to finally grab the first win at the new stadium... Aww Yea!

It's Only Week 2, People!!

Emotions run strong when a team has a loss in the manner that Dallas lost last night. All kinds of thoughts pop up, from firing Wade Phillips to trading Tony Romo to burning down the new stadium, collecting the insurance money and buying a whole new all-pro team next year when there are no salary caps. Most of these thoughts are just the emotionally propelled and desperate yammering of the fair-weather fans who expect the Cowboys to win every game without challenge.

Reality is this... It's only Week 2 and there's still 14 more games to play... they can recover.

Reality is this... Although a win to christen the new stadium would have been nice, there's still plenty of life left in the stadium and plenty of Dallas wins will come there.

Reality is this... The Cowboys have a 1-1 record, which places them alongside teams like the Patriots, San Diego, Philly, Green Bay and both of last year's Super Bowl teams, the Cardinals and the Steelers... 1-1 doesn't sound so bad now does it?

Reality is this... Tony Romo seems to have one of these really bad games at least once a season, but he has a lot more good games than bad. There isn't any other quarterback I would rather have if it were the Cowboys down by 1 with under a minute left to get up the field. It's funny, I heard nothing but praise after Romo had a career day in Tampa Bay, but one week later after a few interceptions and now everyone is ready to throw him to the curb. I just don't get that mentality.

I'm not saying that everything is peachy and there's no reason to feel despair, things definitely need to be tightened up with this team, but they are on the verge of being really good. The Giants should have won by a much larger margin if it wasn't for a few Dallas defensive stops. It just seems, and it has been the case for about 3 years, that the 'Boys make crucial mistakes at the worst possible times. This is the main thing they need to correct. Penalties, bad throws, missed tackles, etc... I pray that I'm not being far too naive, but I think they can turn it around... time will tell.

P.S.
Jerry Jones got one of his wishes for the grand opening of Cowboys Stadium... the attendance was 105,121... about a thousand more than a game played in Mexico which, until yesterday, held the record for most attendance at a regular season NFL game. I'd be willing to bet, however, that Jerry Jones would've happily taken his other wish instead... a victory.

Week 2 Recap - NY Giants (33) @ Dallas (31)


If this was a game for the Cowboys to make a statement, they failed miserably and only made one thing clear... that they are not ready yet.

The stars were aligned (so to speak) for Dallas to win... it was a division game and on top of everything, it was the grand opening of the new Cowboys Stadium. Fate didn't want to intervene, however, and Dallas lost 33-31 on a late Giants' field goal in the last seconds of the game.

Putting all of the 'freak' plays aside... this team did not show the discipline of a team destined to go anywhere in the playoffs, let alone get there.

After having one of the greatest games of his career last week in Tampa Bay, Tony Romo had one of the worst games of his career against the Giants, which included bad throws and 3 interceptions.

The defense must have worked hard on stopping the run as it held the Giants total rushing yards to under 100, but the pass defense was practically non-existent. Eli Manning was not sacked, in fact he was barely touched and he was allowed to throw 330 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Marion Barber impressed with 124 yards on 18 carries and 1 touchdown, but on a 35 yard run late in the game, he appeared to injure his quad and was taken out of the game. We will have to see how this develops... without Barber, a new plan is in order for this offense.

Felix Jones was a mixed bag, with 96 yards on 7 carries and a touchdown, but also a costly fumble early in the game. Other mixed bag players were Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins who made plenty of mistakes but still managed a few 'touchdown saving' plays here and there.

Any Cowboys fan has got to be extremely disappointed in this game, because of not only it's importance in the history of this franchise but also because it's the friggin' Giants. The Giants now take an early lead in the NFC East sailing to 2-0, while Dallas, the Eagles and the Redskins sit at 1-1 records...

If this prime-time, Sunday night, new stadium, home opening devastating loss is leaving a bad taste in your mouth, the Cowboys have a chance to slightly redeem themselves. The second game ever at Cowboys Stadium will be next Monday Night against the 0-2 Carolina Panthers. That gives them an extra day to get their sh*t together and prepare for a nice Rebound Game!! Let's Do This!!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Texas Stadium/Cowboys Stadium Parallels

For just a minute, let's compare the opening of Texas Stadium to the opening of Cowboys Stadium. There are some parallels between the two and if history repeats itself, then we are in for a great year.

Texas Stadium made it's debut on October 24, 1971 and at the time it was considered the most luxurious stadium in all of football. Cowboys Stadium will make it's debut September 20, 2009 and it is considered the most luxurious stadium in all of football.

The players for Dallas in 1971 were great legendary players, Roger Staubach, Duane Thomas, Bob Hayes, etc...etc... The players for Dallas in 2009 are great (potentially legendary) players, Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Roy Williams, etc...etc...

The 1971 team used the energy and atmosphere of Texas Stadium to win 7 out of last 8 games of the regular season, also sailing through the playoffs and winning Dallas' first ever Super Bowl. The 2009 team.......... well, we'll have to wait until January to see if the parallels will continue or end there. Should be an exciting ride.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Week 2 Thoughts and Prediction

All the elements are in place for this Sunday's game to be a big one... maybe the biggest second week game ever.

First, it is the Grand Opening of Cowboys Stadium, and it may also break the record for highest attendance at any regular season NFL game (104,000 +) Secondly, Dallas is facing off against the much hated division rivals, the Giants, and the trash talk has already begun (mostly by Brandon Jacobs.) Thirdly (is that a word?) it's a Sunday night, prime-time game, which means ratings will be through the roof. You couldn't ask for a more exciting match-up and venue... I only hope the Cowboys can pull off a victory at their new home, if they do, it may just be enough to make me forget about that final game at their old home.

It's only Wednesday, and Dallas hasn't even started practice yet, so the question of Felix Jones and Gerald Sensabaugh's injuries are not known. Will they be out this week and how will this affect Sunday's game? We shall see. Regardless of the injury concerns, I am still going to post my predictions (I may update it if any troubling news comes down the wire between now and Sunday.)

The Giants are getting very hype for this game, they would love more than anything to hand Dallas a loss for their home opener. The Cowboys, however, are also pretty damn hype for this game and there's no way they want to lose, especially to the Giants. Dallas is being favored by a field goal and I'm also going to give a slight edge to them because of the (possible) record breaking number of fans that will be in attendance. Combine that with Brandon Jacobs' big mouthed locker-room material and the memory of losing the final game at Texas Stadium, the Cowboys should be able to come out strong and finish just as strong, the atmosphere will be ripe for success... Dallas 42, Giants 27... yea... 15 point margin of victory... I think they'll take it that seriously.

LET'S DO THIS!!! GO COWBOYS!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Week 1 Recap - Dallas (34) @ Tampa Bay (21)


From a shaky start to a punishing finish, Dallas went down to Tampa Bay and racked up the first win of the season, and some records to go along with it. The final score was 34-21 and Dallas starts the season 1-0.

Tony Romo had career high passing yards with 353 total, and his longest career pass, an 80 yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton. Speaking of Crayton, he had career high yardage with 135 yards from 4 receptions.

Everyone seemed to touch the ball and the most impressive touchdowns were all for over 40 yards.

In the second quarter, Romo hit Austin for a 42 yard pass. In the third quarter, Roy Williams got open and broke two tackles as he ran in a 66 yard pass. That should hopefully put to rest some of the talk that Roy Williams is no 'play-maker.' ah..hem...

Nick Folk looked good nailing all extra points and both of his field goal attempts, one being a 51 yarder. Special teams also looked good and gave no reason for concern. I can definitely see Felix Jones busting a kickoff to the house at some point this season.

The running back committee was OK. Choice was surprisingly involved in the first quarter and managed 10 yards on 2 carries. He also was involved in the first we've seen of the Dallas 'wildcat' or should we say, 'razorback' formation (which didn't result in more than a yard or two.) It wasn't used again.

Felix Jones never achieved that breakout play that we may have been expecting, but with only 6 carries and 22 yards, he wasn't bad. He averaged 23 yards per kickoff return as well.

Marion Barber did everything we would hope he'd do. He punished when he had to, especially late in the game, and brought in the final Dallas touchdown to seal their win. I kind of like the idea of Choice and Felix taking most 1st half carries... sprinkle in just a little of Barber and then when the 2nd half comes around, let Barber's leash loose and watch him close the game with aggression.

OK, so it sounds like it was a great victory... the score was 34 - 21, sounds like Dallas did a great job... uhh... no... to every good story is the negative side which no one likes to talk about, so it hides near the very end of a blog post... (hehe)

At first I thought something was wrong with my eyes... was I truly watching my Dallas Cowboys defense out there? The inability to stop the run for the first 2 1/2 quarters really had me scratching my head. This was the team that took pride in their run defense (minus that Baltimore game, mind you,) and they were giving up huge chunks of yardage to... who? Cadillac Williams!? Bizzaro World for sure.

Another problem are penalties... and not just penalties, but penalties in very critical moments of the game. When the Cowboys finally get an interception, which has been as rare as four-leaf clovers lately... and it is negated by a penalty... there needs to be something done.

There were also a few minor flubs and a couple technical things that I hope get worked out. Hate to have to burn a timeout for a 2nd year player that isn't sure where to line up at... ah hem... Bennett... seriously, once Bennett gets more trust from Romo, he is gonna be a beeeaaast. Mark my words.

On the injury front... Romo hurt his right ankle, he will have it examined tomorrow, but says he is fine for next week. Gerald Sensabaugh got hit hard and left the game in the 3rd quarter, he also says x-rays were negative (ribs) and he will definitely be playing next week. Jenkins went down once or twice, but it was probably heat cramps, and DeMarcus Ware got knocked out early in the game, but he was back in their on the next defensive series.

Speaking of... there was not one sack. There may have been a dozen or so hurry ups and knock-downs, but neither DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer ever brought Leftwich down. Sort of disappointing... I'm just not used to them not sacking every quarterback they play.

Well, I've rambled enough... sometime soon I hope to post a preview/prediction of next week, but for now, I am enjoying the victory. No matter how ugly they are, after the fact I'm just happy to see that 'W'.

Oh yea, speaking of my prediction, I was pretty close... my guess was 31-10, they went 34-21 (but really should have been 34-14 if it wasn't for the garbage-time Tampa Bay touchdown... oh well...)

Anyway... will update within the next couple of days... peace...

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Yippee

As sleep refuses to come, I find myself in an excited state that is usually reserved for children on Christmas Eve. The countdown started a long time ago, but in these final hours there is an overwhelming sense of anticipation for kickoff. Only 12 hours remain... tick tock, tick tock...

Anyway... I figured I would post not only a prediction for the Tampa Bay game, but how about a prediction for the entire season too. It's always interesting to read back and see how wrong or right I was. So here goes.

First, Dallas @ Tampa Bay: I could easily see, and almost expect a win. One understated problem may be the weather when these two teams meet up in Florida, but Dallas seems to have most of the advantages in this match-up. Tampa Bay is in a bit of disarray, as they just fired thier offensive coordinator last week. I'd guess 31-10, Dallas.

For the season as a whole, I'm thinking Dallas has the ability to go 10-6 or 11-5. I definately don't see a victory in every divisional game, and so far, Atlanta, Green Bay, San Diego & New Orleans are looking like pretty tough match-ups that could go either way. If the rest of the division and conference doesn't fair that well, 10-6 should be enough for a playoff spot and then we'll see if this team can actually win in the post-season.

Adios for now... will recap the game sometime after tomorrow. Peace...

The Rest of Them PreSeason Games

OK, so I slipped a bit and didn't keep my blog updated with preseason game recaps... my apologies.

In brief, Game 3, San Fransisco at Dallas was a decent effort, but nothing incredibly noteworthy happened. There was a Romo interception which was sad to see, but there was a Felix Jones Touchdown, which was happy to see. Dallas lost though, 20-13. Next.

Game 4, Dallas at Minnesota. A game with nothing but backups, but they managed to impress. Pat Watkins in particular, who had a pick six and was all over the place racking up 7 tackles. Kevin Ogletree also made a case for himself to make the roster (which he did) and even Jesse Holley, winner of Michael Irvin's '4th and Long' had a heads-up play as he grabbed a bouncing punt and return it for the touchdown that won the game. Dallas 35, Minnesota 31.

Now we move on to the big day, the true kickoff to the Cowboys' season, Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET) Dallas will travel to Tampa Bay and battle the Bucs.

There is a lot of expectations for Dallas this year and this game may very well set the tempo for the season. I can only hope it starts off on a positive note with an impressive win... Go Cowboys, let's do 2009 right!