The VRR: Redskins (3-6) @ Cowboys (6-3)
The Cowboys can accomplish quite alot in beating the Redskins. Most importantly, they can regain the momentum they lost up in Lambeau. They can also increase their division record to 2-1 and their conference record to 6-2, which could come in handly for tie-breaking purposes down the road.
And, by handing the Redskins their seventh loss on the season, they could pretty much force them to begin waving bye-bye to their playoff chances.
Much of the talk this week at Valley Ranch has centered on Big D's offensive lack of production last week. On the flip side, Washington's offense seemed to show some signs of life for one of the first times this season. At home against Denver, RB Ladell Betts and QB Jason Campbell each scored, WR Devin Thomas showed some play-making potential, and the special teams found success on a fake field goal.
More VRR after the jump.

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Cowboys Injury Update
Here is the report on who practiced and who didn't yesterday for the Cowboys.
Ken Hamlin, S - No Practice (Ankle)
Allen Rossum, CB - No Practice (Hamstring)
Marion Barber, RB - Full Practice (Thumb)
Mike Jenkins, CB - Full Practice (Elbow)
Gerald Sensabaugh, S - Full Practice (Thumb)
DeMarcus Ware, LB - Full Practice (Foot)
Make the jump for the Redskins' injury report.
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Cowboys vs. Redskins: A Chat With Hogs Haven
This week, I got together for a little instant message chat with KevinE over at Hogs Haven to discuss the upcoming game against the Redskins. Since it was an IM conversation, I left the spellings and errors in the text so you can read it just how how it went down.
Blogging The Boys: So what's the story with Jim Zorn and Vinny Cerrato? Do you guys think Zorn will survive past this year?
Hogs Haven: if you had asked me last week I'd say Zorn had 0% chance, but there aren't any big names out there. And the way they stripped the play-calling from Zorn...it was a real turn-off for coaches (Holmgren publically stated his displeasure of the move)
As for Cerrato...no one knows. It certainly would win some popularity points for Snyder if he canned him. I think it depends on Cerrato's 3 2nd round picks from last year (THomas, Kelly, Davis)...if they show a lot of production the rest of the year, it'll prob be enough to save his job. Shanahan rejected Snyder's offer to come here as well...as did Cowher. So...its anyone's guess.
More after the jump...
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BTB Talks To Daryl Johnston: He Likes The Cowboys But Dislikes The Shotgun
Daryl Johnston is a former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl fullback and is a present Fox analyst. His Cowboys relationships run deep. ... but so does his talent and commitment to broadcasting. So he wears multiple hats here ... and acknowledges that it is a juggling act as he goes one-on-one with Blogging The Boys to evaluate:
*A Cowboys team that he says "should've beaten Green Bay.''
*Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, a close pal of Johnston's who D.J. nevertheless says ought to dump the over-reliance on the Shotgun.
*The Cowboys' chance of success in the NFC East and in the NFC overall: "They're going to be fine,'' he says. "If you are 6-4 or better, you are going to be fine. You are solid. If you are 5-5, it's going to be tough to catch up.''
Read on for BTB's visit with Daryl "Moose'' Johnston:
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Yesterday, it was reported that K David Buehler has a pinkie toe injury. It's now confirmed as a fracture. He still expects to kick Sunday, though.
Kicker David Buehler has a fracture of the pinkie toe of his right foot. But the Cowboys kicker said he plans to kick in practice today.
"Just test it out and see who much I can do," Buehler said before Thursday's practice. "If I can do the whole practice effectively that's what I plan on doing. If I can kick today, I can kick Sunday."
1 day ago
Aaron Novinger
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The VRR: Can the Cowboys Regain their Balance Against the Redskins?
The first time the Cowboys hosted an NFC East rival in their new stadium, the offense featured a devastating rushing attack that mixed both power and speed. Marion Barber ran 18 times for 124 yards and a score. Felix Jones averaged 13.7 yards on seven carries and picked up a score of his own. Tashard Choice didn't have a big game, but you could tell the coaches were trying to get him involved. Typically, that's how many of us imagined the Dallas ground game producing for the rest of the year.
Much has changed since that Week Two game against the Giants. It all began with a strained quad, and then a sprained knee, a fractured thumb. But it was okay. Miles Austin saved the day, and then Tony Romo got hot. Their success has helped make up for the fact that the Cowboys no longer lead the league in rushing.
Choice has maintained his injury bug repellent, and the team is still ranked 8th in rushing - averaging 130 YPG. That's great, but the worry is that the rushing YPG is slipping every week. The worry is that the Dallas offense is growing unbalanced. The worry is that too many passing plays draw more hits on the quarterback, and can effectively lose the time of possession battle. Losing that can wear out a defense.
Shouldn't it be the Cowboys' offense doing that to opposing defenses this back half of the season?
More VRR after the jump.

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Anthony Spencer: So Close to Being a Playmaker
Instead of forcing game balls on an unproductive game against the Packers, I went back to take a look at one player who did have a productive game for the Cowboys: Anthony Spencer.
The Dallas rush defense in now ranked 10th in the league, allowing just over 103 YPG. Spencer is a big part of that. Often playing next to Marcus Spears with Keith Brooking behind him, Spencer rounds out the trio to provide the Cowboys with a physical presence that attacks opposing offense's strong side.
In Green Bay, Coach Phillips would sometimes line up Spencer across from the slot receiver and rush him at the quarterback. When he and DeMarcus Ware would flip, he often began in a three-point stance. Sometimes, he would backpedal from his stance to cover the short zone. On at least one occasion, Ware lined up next to him.
Obviously, moving Spencer around is a direct result of Phillips trying to get the best possible mismatches for Ware. Although Spencer still does not have a sack on the season, he is continuing to match Ware in quarterback pressures and is dropping running backs for losses.
On the Packers' second offensive drive, Spencer dropped back into a short zone coverage, read the HB-screen to Ryan Grant and darted forward to drop the RB for a one-yard loss. On the very next play, he collapsed the pocket by overpowering the LT and forced Aaron Rodgers to scramble. He ended up tackling Rodgers for a two-yard gain.
Make the jump.
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Doug Free: What The Game Tape Said
After reading that Wade Phillips was considering the possibility of moving Leonard Davis out to right tackle and inserting Cory Procter or Montrae Holland in at guard, or that Pat McQuistan might even get some practice snaps; I got to thinking - Why the heck would Dallas do that?
Was Doug Free that bad in the Packers game? The franchise has invested time and money in Free, this would seem like the perfect opportunity to see what they have in the player. We've seen Procter and Holland play, and I don't think anybody is clamoring to get these guys playing time, ditto Pat McQuistan. Why break up the continuity at two positions? It all seemed a little nutty to me, so I did what any responsible blogger would do - I just made up an opinion.
I kid! I actually watched the game again focusing exclusively on the play of Doug Free.
[UPDATE]: The Cowboys are going to start Doug Free at right tackle. Line coach Hudson Houck gave the news to Todd Archer.
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