Freshmen First -- Rookies Lead Dallas to Win Over Seattle

Ware is the stuff. Tonight, I feel hope.

Think about this: in the last 3 years the Cowboys have added how many promising young players through the draft: Roy, Newman, JJ, Witten, Ware, and who else knows yet. There could be 3-4 perennial Pro Bowlers right there, plus this year’s class. This team has a core for a future in place.

Great analysis! I’ll add a couple of points.

The block in the back on Barber’s fumble was huge because Seatle would have probably gone for two and possibly tied the game at 18. Kudos to Romo for hustling out there.

We still played a Vanilla defense tonight. Considering that, we did pretty well.

Overall, it was a well played, 2nd preseason game.

I like our possibilites much more than this time last year.

Quick Hits:
-I need to see more from the offensive line.
-It seems Parcells is holding this team back slightly. I think the offense will look more like that touchdown drive then the rest of drives with the first teamers.
-Demarcus Ware is a terror. I am so happy we have playmakers on defense. Think about if we can get anything out of Spears. . .
-Jason Furgeson and Marco Rivera better get on the field soon, I have been waiting to see them at full strength.
-The secondary looked hungry tonight. Newman and Henry will make a great pairing, even though they didn’t look super last night. It’s great that Beriault is playing well, insurance on Roy Williams.
-I hope the wide recievers play better in the regular season, it looked like Bledsoe had to check down because his receivers simply weren’t open.
-What is up with Quincy Morgan, I haven’t noticed that guy in either preseason games. Patrick Crayton on the other hand. . .

Oh yeah, did anyone notice when Barber fumbled the ball that Romo had to pause for a second to put his chin strap on before going after the recoverer and getting blocked in the back. I thought that was pretty funny.

Big Jim,

It’s because you can see young playmakers at a lot of positions. It has to make the coordinators’ jobs easier when they don’t have to pitch perfect games to get a win.

And God will look down on his team (through the hole in the roof) with joy when they do pitch a perfect game.

Anyone found a link to listen to Bp’s post game remarks?

I thought Petittie did pretty well considering it was his first start. He had some rough moments early, but like someone else said he got better as the game went on. He will be confused some more and will learn from it. JJ looked like the JJ we saw late last year. When the o line jells we may see something real special in Big D on offense. The defense didn’t tear it up but I think we saw some of the explosiveness of some of our new talent. Ware obviously had quite a game. Canty and Ratliff did pretty well when they were in there. Beriault made me remember Bill Bates with his play. All in all a pretty solid game and we saw some rays of hope on the horizon. I hope the progress that we saw tonight continues as we approach our date with San Diego. If they continue to improve the NFC East better strap it up cause they got trouble brewing in Big D. How bout them Cowwwwboys!

What’s also encourgaging is that the Cowboys only had 4 penalties charged against them. I hope this trend continues ‘cause we’ll never win if we have to convert 3rd and 50 yards in the regular season.

Rafael,

Great analysis, as usual.

I concur complete with your take of Petitti’s play. When he went one-on-one with his man, he did a fine job. But he couldn’t figure out those stunts to save his life. Rookies!

Barber? I don’t know. He had a few very good plays, but also, too many lackluster ones, and way too many mistakes. Is he in danger of losing a roster slot? It might be between him and Thomas, because I think Thompson will make this team. As will Polite.

did Polite make the team with this game?

I kept watch on Henson and was very disappointed at his performance. Very slow out of the exchange, sometimes it seemed like the line was already up and in block or protection mode BEFORE he even straightened up his back. Further he made horrible decisions. On his interception he had a wide open receiver coming across the short middle who had already gained 1st down position and was in view for at least 2 seconds as he came across the line. However Henson was locked into going downfield. Very Very disappointed.

Two things:

1.) The coverage from the ILB spot got better as the game went on because Shanle, not James played there.

2.) Dallas was using 5 and 6 man fronts and backing into zone (blitz) coverage, with Ware and Ellis to the outside of the shoulders of the tackles. Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn’t both those positions be considered OLB positions?

DEMARCUS WARE! DAMN! Seeing him do it like that once let,s me know that this guy is for real. I don’t expect performances like that every time out, but he has shown me that he’s capable of that kind of dominance. I am truly convinced about this guy. I know it’s only a preseason game, but that was the first unit he was out there against, and he’ll only get better.

Shawne who?

Another guy who was making plays but got no mention was Kalen Thornton. He also got into the mix and was making plays at and behind the line of scrimmage.

Have to agree with AV, Henson looked so slow taking the snap. He seemed most comfortable in the Shotgun. Ware looked awesome, but as BP says, “Don’t put him in Canton yet”.

Did Seattle use the 2nd teamers in the 2nd quarter or did Julius just start to find the holes?

Biggest concern I saw was the wide open middle. Seemed like every pass was over the middle for 12-18 yards. I thought Newman was getting better… Engram made him look average.

Raul,

I said the same thing about Thorton on the last thread, but it also seemed to me that Seatle’s offensive line (especially the 2nd unit) was having all types of problems picking up Dallas’ blitzes. … Somebody who is getting overlooked though is Glover. I guess we all expect it from him, but he burst into the back field a couple of times.

I realy liked what Parcells was doing with Ware and moving him up to the line with 4 other down linemen. It was pretty obvious that the guys up there were creating all kinds of blitzing lanes. Roy came untouched on the goalline but missed the tackle, Dat and a few others came virtually untouched. They have to make those tackles!!! .. But it was great to see an offensive line so confused …. that didn’t have a star on their helmets.

Twerent,

No corner can cover the entire field. On that play Engram ran the legth of the field and not another Cowboy was in sight. It was our LBs that were often out of position and giving Seatle the middle, but as I said that toned down markedly once James left and Shanle replaced him. James had the same problems last year, both Philly and Minnesota got huge plays to dump offs to the RB in the middle of the field, mind you in critical moments in the games. I would really like to see Shanle play with the first unit. Boy!! He blew up a would-be blocker when the RB got in his way! .. Shanle dropped back and was seen making plays in the middle of the field, were James was out of position totally vacating the middle. Overall Shanle just looks better than James.

Kalen Thornton is a full step slower than Demarcus (Be)Ware.
Drew Henson won’t get it, doesn’t get it and won’t be a full time QB in the NFL. The game is still lightning fast for this guy, and I don’t think the light will ever fully come on.
Beriault played OK. It’s weird that his story is the story the MNF producers used to apply to the 2nd half. His sacks were much, much more a result of defensive play calling and the 3rd string QB’s inexperience than a diamond in the rough. He doesn’t hit like Bill Bates, who was built more compactly. He looks like Bill Bates because he wears his number, is white, and doesn’t really have a position. I think had Beriault played against the 1st team, we’d have seen something altogether different.
Quincy Morgan had a few key drops. That can’t help him.
Newman got flat beat across the middle, and the Seahawks sure did move th eball easily on their first 3 drives. Thank you Lord for Demarcus Ware.
Isell Reece doesn’t look like he has what it takes. I can see that he knows where he needs to be, but I don’t think his feet can move fast enough to get him there. He was half a step late to all his responsibilities.
The Seahawks’ WRs dropped an amazing number of passes. I think the game’s outcome could’ve been very diiferent if they hang on to 80% of those drops.

On the other hand, Romo looks the part. It appears like he can feel pressure, knows where to deliver the ball, and can get the ball there.
Petititi looked great. He handled his side of the field, despite being fooled on a blitz and a stunt – two issues easily remedied.
Marion Barber is fast, and has some zip. He lost the ball, big deal. It’s good that a rookie does this in a preseason game, and gets reamed. Barber: “Note to self, never, ever, ever bobble the ball again.” I liked the look on his face when Parcells asked him what was up. I think he’s gonna be a keeper.
Keith Davis knocked the snot out of some poor guy.
The CBs got their hands on a lot of balls.
The punter is ridiculous.
There was one pass down field, the one to Witten that was overthrown, which tells me Parcells is keeping his downfield plans to himself.
Patrick Crayton is terrific. What hands.

I’d like to see Roy play better, and I’d like to watch Ferguson and Rivera play. By the by, Rivera would’ve helped out Pettiti on those blitzes and stunts.
I can’t wait for the preseason.

To what has already been written by others, most of which was on point, I would like to add:

(1) Ware loked great as a LB, especially for the first preseason game. At LB, he indeed showed flashes of Lawrence Taylor, as promised. However, as a D end, he showed flashes of Kavika Pittman—getting stoned at the line, getting ridden past the play, and blowing outside containment. He is not ready for Canton just yet, but he shows promise. On the other hand, if the nickel will really be 40% of the team’s defensive snaps, they (he) had better get that fixed.

(2) Kalen Thornton is not the player Ware is, but he looked pretty good, himself. While Madden prattled on about some silly crap, Ogbogu also kept making impressive plays. He is going to make it hard to cut him.

(3) On that note, Madden has now made the transformation from informative announcer to buffoon complete. He makes Terry Bradshaw look intelligent.

(4) Shanle kept being around the ball, but looked a half step slow at times. He made good form tackles, but I did not see him really punish people. Still, Bradie James is playing for his career, and losing.

(5) Singleton made the key defensive play that saved points by making Seattle settle for 3, then I never saw him again.

(6) For whatever reason (personnel, weight, matchups, scheme adjustments) the first D line got pushed around more than the 2nd and 3rd D lines. That may also be troubling, depending on the reasons for this.

(7) Justin Beriault reminded me less of Bill Bates than he did of Cliff “Crash” Harris, throwing his body like a missile at receivers, arriving when the ball did, blowing people up, and giving people headaches, including his teammates. Note to Bill: When you get time, please give this kid some reps at FS with the first unit, or at least the first unit nickel. Make the other team’s receivers scared to come across the deep middle. He may not be ready yet, but see if he can make some plays, given the chance. You can always go back if it doesn’t work.

(8) The O cut out all their silly penalties from the AZ game. That bodes well.

(9) The RBs all took a while to get untracked, but hit the holes pretty well.

(10) In answer to the mediots’ questions, yes, I feel totally comfortable with the idea of Patrick Crayton as third receiver. He looks smooth and physical.

Our first team dline is not as physical as the scond team. Elis just did not look good and I thought was really over powered. Glover and Elis will give us a very nice nickel line but Ferguson and Canty will do much better in the 3-4.

cowboy bert,

You must have been to bathroom break when Shanle blitzed and just ran over the RB trying to block him. He also broke up a pass with a pretty nice hit, or from my opinion forced a fumble after the catch, but it was called incomplete. Made a tackle on 3rd and long stopping the 1st too.

Joey2zs,

Beriault should not be compared to Bates. He’s much faster than Bill ever was, even with his balky knee. I was long in the minority with this, but I always thought Bates was a sign of how far the Cowboys had to go because he was starting and yet was so lousy in coverage. When he finally made a position he could excel in, it was as a nickel linebacker not as a safety.

Pettiti and Ware: No doubt that Ware IS the real deal. I was watching how well he covered on passing downs and was impressed. Pettiti WILL be our guy at RT, although he definitely needs some schooling on how to check off on stunts and blitzes. Both are studs and the future looks good. Just keep in mind that there will be breakdowns with both as they learn.

Crayton vs Morgan: After last night, my mind is made up. The ’Boys might consider suckering someone for a 6th or 7th rounder in exchange for Morgan, rather than just cutting him.

Henson vs Romo: Henson stunk it up again, enough said. The ’Boys could save over a half million against the cap by cutting Henson. He has too large a signing bonus to be the 3rd QB.

Players who impressed: Beriault, Thornton, Ogbogu (surprisingly), Crowder, Fowler. Polite improved his chances, but not by much.

Players that did not impress: Tucker (BP, please cut this turd now!), Ellis (what’s up here?), Cortez (he made them all, but they had no gusto-no power).

There will be about a half-dozen cuts before the next game. For indications as to whom it might be, go to nfl.com and open up gamebook for last nights game. Look at who did not play, exclude the injured guys back in Dallas, and you will have a good indication of whom it might be.

Overall I was pleased . It looks like we’ll be able to stop the run as well as run it down our opponents throats. The D will only get better as we go along. As will the OL.

Rafael,
Very true what you said about Bates, even though he is one of my all time favorites.

James, You would rather have a kicker with gusto rather than one you can make the kicks. I don’t understand that at all. Seems he had plenty on his kickoffs. He seemed very smooth to me. Maybe he only gives the kick what it needs to crosss the posts. I have no problem with that. As long as they go through I am happy! The way our team has performed in the redzone the past fews years FG’s are a premium for us.

Pettiti will be fooled on stunts as he is a rookie; but he seems to learn quickly- as versus Tucker. The stunt froze him when 2 guys came at him and he could not pick which one to block- he will get it pounded into him that you ALWAYS choose the inside guy. Berrio is good now- imagine if he can get some time to heal his knee. Ware is learning- but the talent is THERE. Davis- yes in the dime you have him, Berrio and Roy patrolling the middle- no WR would ever make it out alive after a few plays of that. Leaving a few broken bodies on the field would get the message around the NFL real fast!! I am not worried about Bledsoe- he has never been known to lock on a receiver- I think it is more that he was told by BP to concentrate on certain things so that they could evaluate the receivers.
The same with the coverages- I think the CB’s were told to lay back so that the LB’s would have to really cover a lot- clearly there needs to be improvement there. James just does not look like he can be a full time guy since he is so weak in coverage. Shanle will probably end up there more since he is able to figure it out.

As regards the D line- Seattle has some very good linemen so maybe it is not suprising that we struggled some there. Glover was eating up the center any time they singled him; I saw him work over Hutchinson a couple of times- no suprise since Glover is still the best DL on the team.
Ellis- did not seem to do that well- though there was one play that he pulled the tackle out and left the LB a free shot at the QB, since GLover had the center and Hutchinson occupied. Which is what the DL is supposed to do. But overall Ellis did not look as good as he did last week. Canty was on the Pro Bowl LT a lot, so not suprising that not a whole lot was heard from him- but he did hold his ground. Ratlif was solid, and Johnson was good untill he got his bell rung. Coleman definitly works better in the 3-4.
When we get Ferguson and Spears back we are going to be able to switch out them every other series- keeping fresh bodies always pressuring the O line.

Tough on our D-line. Our LBs and Ss were running free at the QBs all night, that is a big indication that our defensive line was doing very well. We had 4 sacks and should have had two more against a good offensive line. That is very good production.

thunder stormed wrecked havoc with my satelite feed soooooo. can anyone fill me in on tyler thompson did, seems he will be practice squad, agree on crayton over morgan and yes a 6th rd pick would be great but so would a dedicated antonio bryant, cundiff picked a bad time to get injured, thought kalen thorton looked good last yr in preseason and hope hemakes it, and romo looks better from what i heard than henson and much cheaper. thanks all for the great input and a wonderful site.

Ware is great, Petitti gave me hope but Crayton is it. He has some great hands and I think he will be around for a long time and could be the steal of last year’s draft. We still need a WR but Crayton will be a starter in the next two years. The middle of the field is to open on D and Bledsoe still doesn’t look good. A-train was up and down but I wouldnt be mad if he didn’t make the team I would like to trade him. Morgan is a 4th.

Ken,

Tyson Thompson will not be on the practice squad. If the team tries to run him past waivers they’ll lose him. He’s made the team, unless he gets injured or fumbles the ball three times next week.

te thing i saw about ware was, when he forced the first fumble look how his body was titled and was running full speed around the lt. he didnt have to studder step or anything its full speed ahead. kids got ALOT of talent. i didnt get to see much was tucker that bad again?? if petitte shows he has what it takes which i think he did then let tucker go. pick up a free agent, dont know what tucker makes but im sure you could get an out of work veteran thats better then he is for similar money. cortez i dont care if his kicks have power, break the damn net when he kicks them as long as they go through the up-rights. i saw beriault flying around, i think hes in for sure, especially with the questions at fs, although davis looked good. remember we are still playing without ferguson spears and rivera, potentially 2 probowlers.

Romo did look the part better and it seem they gave him more room then Henson but Henson did have a couple of his passes dropped.

troy hambrick was cut by the cardinals.

cundiff has a torn quad muscle hes out for 6 weeks, just reported on nfl network. hes deff. gone

Forgot to mention what a prescient article it was that Rafael wrote about MNF awhile back. He hit the nail right on the head. Watching Madden and Michaels make asses out of themselves was downright painful. These are two guys who were once extremely good. Makes you wonder if Summerall shouldn’t have talked some sense into John when he retired from TV.

Thanks, Rafael. Your coverage is by far the best I’ve seen, and I’ve been a season ticket holder for years.

Everybody slow down on how great our offense looked. Remember that Seattle had the 26th ranked D last year. So when we saw the right side of our line getting pushed into the backfield by Seahawks shmucks, that is BAD news. The NFC East is chock full of quality defensive studs who’ll line up opposite our right side. But at least our left side was opening enormous holes against those same shmucks.

And welcome to the team, Patrick Crayton. You’re the 3rd WR we’ve been needing for 3 years.

As for the D, I am excited. Seattle’s O is very good, yet we still hung with them on all but their interior passes (BP better find ILBs who can cover—quick). What have we lacked since Jimmy on D? Playmakers. What have we found the last few drafts? Playmakers. Ware looks great, if he can just figure out when to keep containment on his side instead of just rushing the passer blindly.

Berriault also looks good, especially for a guy working on a bum knee. But as much as I love Roy, has anyone else noticed how often he’s a little out of position when not blitzing? Coverage is still not his strong suit.

Bring on the season!

roy is a punisher who will hurt rb and unexpected qb, his strong suit is deffinetely not coverage, hes adequate but thats about it. id still take him on my team anyday. we have 2 more preseason games to get the ilb to get better on coverage. im just real happy to see some pressure on the qb.

What I learned……….

WARE is for REAL……..and worth the 11th Choice in the draft!!!! 94 looks as big as Ellis and our other ends and runs like a deer. This guy is for real, and although Parcells ain’t saying it, he sees it and has to be looking forward to turning this kid loose against McNabb. I love the way he swats at the ball instead of just sacking the guy. We needed Catalytic players…….playmakers………turnover masters……..and this kid sure looks the part. Some of that stuff cannot be taught it is just instinctive and he sure has the instincts.

Barber looked good. If Tyson Thompson is for real………I say cut the the ATrain. I wish Polite would have caught a few more. Call me old fashioned but I like a big ole fullback on the roster. I wish Bickerstaff and Barnes were healthy so we could get the best of the three as a FB and then the 3 best tailbacks. I never really thought of ATrain as a power back he was getting taken down one on one at or behind the line of scrimmage. That ain’t my definition of a power back.

Bledsoe looked ok. I think he can have a good year. Madden made a good point, you cannot say we are not going to put the onus on Bledsoe there will come a time hopefully not every game where he has to step and make plays to win the game. I think he can and I hope he can.

Where was our Secondary? Seemed like they completed everything they tried. Those quick passes seemed like our guys were slow or were not reacting to the ball.

Bierault is for real. I see this guy getting on the team as a Special Teamer and might even get some time on the field in Nickel. Remember when Bill Bates used to come in as the linebacker in the Nickel back in the day. I could see this kid doing that as well. For a tall skinny kid he delivers the wood. I don’t think it matters that he is from Ball State and ain’t going to break nobodys stopwatch in the 40. He knows how to find the guy with the ball and showed that. He has instincts for the ball and he might just be the right guy to wear ole number 40.

Davis looked ok. He made some good tackles.

Petitti might be allright. You put Rivera out there next to him and I think he improves some. He gave up a sack, but for the most part did not look too bad.

Bradie James looked a tad slow to me. He was around the plays and made some tackles but it looked like he could have made more plays and broken up some passes. Maybe I am just spoiled from Dexter Coakley, but I think James needs to step it up a bit. Maybe I am just being a little too critical. Perhaps Burnett will move inside next year if Parcells can find another Ware to play the other OLB. If so this defense will be downright NASTY!!!!

Romo looks more natural and relaxed in the pocket than Henson. Drew seems tentative. As if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. I did not see him play much at Michigan and I know he has been out snagging flies for Steinbrenner but he has to just relax and be a quarterback again. I think he has all the physical skills and he seems like a smart kid. Just gotta get out there and DO IT!!!! YOU CAN DO IT! But hey Tony Romo does look pretty good. I do see him as the backup for now.

Hey Mike,
Beriault’s position is SS, at least for now. He sure looks like a FS to me, though. I assume he’s not quick enough for FS, nor savvy enough. To me, Beriault is a very, very poor back up to Roy Williams. Roy has to play every down all season, or else.

Ware actually did stutter step around the left guard. He exploded a few steps, froze for a blink, and exploded around the LG almost untouched. That guy is a Pro Bowler, and Ware cold juked him like he was the rookie. It’s incredible to note the difference in speed between Thornton and Ware. I hope that Thornton is so slow due to injury. Ware would’ve planted Seneca Wallace when Thornton just got pressure.

Confirmed the Cundiff story. It’s on nfl.com, Adam Schefters column. He has a torn quad, out until October. I would say that he is done. Especially if Cortez can find a way to get ’em through the uprights. (no matter how much they look like a wounded duck.)

joey2zs
when i say stutter step he did but when he turned the corner watch alot of guy have to stutter step to turn the corner yet he does it while leaning over and at full speed. hes gonna be good (duh)

too bad about cundiff but its buisness.

To get Beriault more time on the field start Roy and Davis and then rotate Beriault in as the backup to both. You would have the Waters, Harris, and Hughes thing from the ’70s going on. Scott will be there as insurance. Does anyone else have an impression of Scott and Reese from last night. Scott looked dependable but unspectacular, Reese looked lost.

Guys Barber fumbled twice, so he didn’t look that good, especially considering he fumbled at crunch time and could have cost us the lead. Looks like Parcells wants him as the run out the clock type back with a lead in the fourth quarter.

Parcells has some tricks up his sleeve yet. Don’t be suprised if he just moves a player out of position to OLB and FB to save roster spots. I thought he might do that with TE, but he has too many good ones.

We’ll see Ogbogu at OLB before we see Ellis there. Speaking of TE’s, I didn’t see Pierce mixed up in things too much. Did anyone spend some time keying on our TE’s last night?

I think Beriault plays back up at both S positions and gets clean up time, for now. Davis punished a guy too, and it seemed like he had decent coverage, but also seemed to play very safe and too deep at times. Who knows maybe that is what Parcells wants. .. Dallas still may get a FS via a trade. The most likely candidate is Cleveland as we have a couple young defensive linemen they might want in exchange for maybe Crocker. If so, Beriault will back up Roy, and that is not a bad position for a rookie. Beriault too can be used in special packages as Parcells game plans against certain teams, probably to have the three out there together as an “inforcer” type defense, and make WRs weary about coming across the middle.

The TE thing reminded me of when Witten was split out to the left and ran a fly route that Bledsoe missed him on. He blew right past Marcus Trufant, who, if you can remember; was the guy many ’Boy backers wanted us to draft over Newman in 2003. If a TE can blow past him like that, and given the rest of his performances last night; I think we took the right guy in that years draft.

I don’t like the idea of splitting up our nucleus of young DL to trade for a FS. Next year’s will have 3-4 FS of first round quality. We should be able to get one of them. No matter what we do, we are not going to the SB this year. Look how well Pettiti is working out, so far. Was a lot of talk of trading or signing somebody at RT too. Remember Jimmy J’s first teams of young guys, who can forget what they did with an extra year under their belt. Let’s go with what we got.

Call it what you will but Ellis and Ware were out there together both playing the edge outside the OTs shoulders. Once Ellis backs into a zone coverage do I officially get credit for calling that. … I mean to get technical Dallas was either playing a shifted 4-3 or you can call it a 5-2, but the reality of it is the three “pluggers” in the middle of Ellis and Ware, its really a form of the 3-4 defense, with Ellis having the OLB responcibilities. I can see Ellis lifting his hand and dropping back very soon, but hey what do I know.

No not one of our 53 man roster guys. The player who might get cut, possibly Johnson. Unless we do keep him and possibly trade Carson for a lesser quality FS.

James, yeah, Scott looked OK, no glaring mistakes but no spectacular plays, either. Agree, Izell looked lost. Berriault probably can’t learn FS this year, so he’ll just back up Roy at SS and crush guys on special teams.

Anthony Thomas (A-Train) is done. Parcells gave him a full load last night, in deference to the veteran, and the train barely left the station. Goodbye.

EricR, I agree, looks like Bradie James is playing himself into a backup role. BP will be torn now between wanting to give him another chance (he likes James) and wanting to get Shanle some reps with the 1st team. I think we’ll see Shanle start next week. And Dat was sure quiet.

Canty was fine. Ellis was fine. Glover was fine in a tough role. But we need better than fine, so bring on Fergusen and Spears to mix it up—without a pass rush, no CBs can cover that long, and Newman wasn’t exactly a world-beater last night. I think we’ll see more blitzes once the real games start.

Keith Davis looks to have quietly locked down the starting role. For a FS, quiet=good. He had a couple of nice open field tackles and looked ok in coverage against a very good passing team. Anthony Henry seemed fine, too, plus he’s great (for a CB) at tackling RB’s who make it outside.

Looking forward to seeing Chris Canty next week. He was quiet against some very stiff competition, but had no obvious breakdowns. Also no pressures or tackles, though. We need him to be more active.

While La’Roi looks great with 4 down linemen, he was almost completely stalemated last night in the 3-4. Two tackles is fine for an average NT, but this is a Pro Bowler. I hope that “40% nickel” comment is accurate or we’ll see one of our best players playing the wrong position all season.

At least this year we’ve got some young talent on D. Next year, we’d better be looking to improve our talent on offense. Then we’ll be able to say that the BP experiment was a success.

Remnant,

I think what keeps A Train in Dallas is Barber’s lack of focus. If Parcells thought he could trust Barber, it would be bye bye. No way Parcells lets A Train go in hopes TT can be the man. Barber’s miscues I think just means we are keeping 4 RB’s on the roster.

Eric R,

Shut up about Ellis being an OLB he was playing DE last night. You only get credit for being a blind homer, nothing more.

sadly, sports bars here in duesseldorf that show cowboys games are few and far between. anyone here have recordings for ‘non-commercial’ viewing of the game and/or regularly records the games?

moderators, please feel free to delete this comment if you find it inappropriate, and thanks for such a great site!

Everyone needs to relax, the D got torched by Seattle starters. Ware looked great early and played the entire game. He had very little inpact vs 3rd stringers during second half. Why risk him getting hurt late?
Seattle dropped at least 3 ints, Bledsoe was late throwing downfield to Witten, Hensen needs to be cut, two of his passes seemed to hang in the air forever.
T Newman continues to get burned. K Davis looked real good and Cortez looks like he can handle all the kicking.
The D is going to go through growing pains. Right now everyone is thinking,n the reacting to plays. It will take 4-6 games for everyone to get on the same page.

Thank you Cash, I was getting miffed myself. Ellis played DE, in a three-point stance, all night. Just because a zone blitz is called doesn’t make a DL into a LB. Give it a rest Eric.

I think everyone is a little too critical of Henson. I only saw three series with him before I had to catch a plane, but he really didn’t look that bad. I saw 2 drops (both for first downs), a really live arm, tight spirals, and a little mobility. Nothing exceptional, but I thought he did OK.

Cortez, by the way, was a kickoff specialist for the Vikings for a number of years and has plenty of ‘pop’ to his leg. Two for two on 44 & 46 yard kicks is quite good. Much better than Cundiff. And, it looked like he “chipped” them in. Plenty of leg if you ask me. Might be something to him.

Mike:

The reason for the corners being burned, be it Newman or Henry has more to do with Newman being burned in crossing patterns, where the corners need LB or Safety help, those were usually late, you need to remember that the corner don’t know where the ball’s going, if the receiver is brave enough to go to the middle of the field risking his body he has the edge over the corners. And Henry was beaten because he didn’t played his best, he’s a physical corner that gets minimum separation from the receiver, while in the game he was 5 yards or more from the receiver, being unable to jam the receiver.

Cash:

That position is called an edge pass rusher, which is boundary position between OLB and DE, don’t misunderstand me, I don’t see Ellis playing against coverage, just in those rushing schemes.

Fighter 15,
Can’t agree with you about Henson. You must have missed the INT he threw. No tight spiral there. IMO the experiment should be ended now. Jerry J and his $#@^%$# baseball players. The only quaterback he was ever right about was Aikman. Romo will be the backup and all the Bledsoe doubters should have no doubt now why he was brought in.

James,

Did you read Peter King’s piece on cnnsi.com about visiting Cowboys camp?
Jerry was trying to bullshit him that Henson was having a fine camp.
Henson did not have a fine camp, at least the part I saw. One day he’s
overthrowing and bouncing everything short. Another day he’s reverting
to throwing sidearm and is scattering the ball. Another day all his deep
passes came fluttering out of hand, hung in the air and had three DBs
waiting to fair catch them when they came down. Sure, he’d mix a good
pass in here or there to keep you interested, but the really disappointing
part of his game is how lost he still is mentally. If he was making proper
reads and getting the ball out on time you could live with the mechanical
flaws. Those you can fix.

But the stupid throws into double coverage you saw last night were regular
features of his camp. It does help when your owner has made a huge investment
in you, in money and in a high pick. It buys him some time, but he’s really
lost. Don’t be at all surprised to see a good young college QB drafted high,
around round three or so. Cause Henson’s either got to find a brain or Jerry
will have to swallow his pride and admit that Henson is a bust.

Barber make a mistake that is what is going to happen but he still looked good for the most part and really good considering his the 3rd back right now.

James

Marcus Trufant is good and has had a better two years then Newman. I say this because Newman had a little better rookie year then Trufant but its debatable but last year he was way better then Newman. This year we will see what Newman is made of. Being pick as high as he was he should be looking at a probowl spot this year and be in one next year.

Fumbling which was Barber’s problem can be fixed. Just ask Tiki the other Barber. It can be coached and fixed.

I liked the way Barber moved and he looked like a good backup he will learn to hold on to it or he won’t be on a Parcells coached team very long. LOL……….Reshard Lee is a liability anytime he does not have the football in his hands…………Marion Barber is a liability anytime he has the football in his hands. Which do you prefer Coach?

He will fix it. I was hoping to see some Thompson last night. Maybe Bill has seen enough and wanted to see Thomas and Barber last nigt. JJ we know we got a stud there.

Henson does appear to have gone backwards. Where is all this work he did this offseason. Well I ain’t for abandoning the experiment just yet. I think you give the kid another year or two. What was it Bill said last year…….it ain’t like I can just dial up 1-800 Quarterback. Maybe he will get Chris Simms from Tampa. They only have like 50 qbs on their roster and I think Simms is in Gruden’s doghouse for some reason. Bill made a pro bowler out of Phil maybe he can turn the left around as well. Hey maybe Aikman was right and getting pulled in that Chicago game did ruin the kid. Who knows……..shake it off Drew or you will be peddaling Nationwide Life Insurance on the Michigan Peninsula. You already proved you couldn’t hit a fastball, now show us some of that Wolverine magic. Hech you had Tom Brady on the bench as a freshman……..what happened………you didn’t get into some of Quincy’s stash did ya?

there were some dropped balls……..but you see that he looks tentative back there. He lacks confidence and comfort in the pocket two things that you need to be a qb in the NFL. Even the good ones have a bad pass now and again but it seems like he is forcing things…..he also had an awkward motion when handing the ball off. Needs to work on that too to be an effective play action QB.

James
Henson had two of this passes dropped one of them would have been a first down. Romo had an INT dropped. None of the QBs are looking good. Bledsoe is looking like a back up. He missed a lot of throws.

One good thing here is Henson and Romo can get better. Bledsoe is what he is. Hopefully they will be fighting to start next year and not just to back up Mr happy feet.

It has been said by many wiser than me that it takes 3 years for a QB to develop enough to show signs of greatness. The first year, they are lost. The second, they usually improve as the game “slows down” and the third they blossom (or don’t).

Jerry stated as much, saying Henson will be treated like a first round pick. That means 3 years. Plus, his bonus is the cap killer, not his minimum base. I believe he gets a roster bonus after next year, meaning they’ll have to make a decision then.

Give him another year before bemoaning his ability and giving him the “bust” label.

AW for our sake I hope Bledsoe can improve also!!! I agree though none looked good but Romo and Henson should both have upside potential.

Henson screwed up by taking that Baseball money. Maybe he does not like football. I just don’t understand why he looks so uncomfortable back there. Maybe we should let him wear a ball cap instead of a helmet. Put a mit on his non throwing hand……..who knows maybe he needs to wear womens underwear like Bull Durham. Whatever it takes he needs to improve. I think Lang Campbell might be a better QB than anybody we got on our roster…….and you will have to do a little searching to find out who he is.

Maybe we can trade with Atlanta for Matt Schuab or San Diego for Phillip Rivers those two kids can play QB and have not developed a baseball motion.

Fighter,

Ellis and Ware both lined up outside the OT shoulder with 3 DL between them. You tell me what scheme we are playing, and would Ellis’ roll be of an OLB in the 3-4 or a DE in the 4-3. All 5 players had their hands down. What are Ellis’ responcibilities closer to? .. When I explained before Dallas played the preseason game that Ellis and Ware would be outside the OT with 3 “pluggers” in between them, I explained my view of Ellis’ “OLB roll”. True to form it happened. Tell me please was Ware an OLB in that formation? But Ellis wasn’t? Its all about perception, but when I explained my point of view as edge rushers lining up wide with 3 DL between the two, that will some times blitz sometimes back into coverage, I think we saw that last night. And when the LB roll to one side and the OLB opposite the RDE walks to the line, the RDE’s roll becomes more like an OLB in the 3-4, and that is what I have been saying. But call it what you will.

… and my original point was that playing Ellis opposite Ware with 3 D-linemen, then Parcells could get the % he wants from his players, and I noted that playing Ware in the traditional 4-3 defense at OLB would line him up inside the OT, thus deminishing his strengths, so some form of the 3-4 would suffice, and I suggested that form of the 3-4 might be with all 5 players at the line with both edge guys outside the OT.

… but no Ellis was not an OLB, but his respocibilities closely resmbled that position, and I still wouln’t be suprised if he picks up his hand and backs up off the line at times, as he gets more comfortable.

After watching the game:

1. Pettite looked good for the most part. Fell for some DL craftyness but that can be Coached out. Didn’t notice Tucker, but that side didn’t seem like a sieve when he was in there.

2. Davis looked OK as FS. I wonder where he was for all that TE stuff they threw at us underneath early though? Could Parcells be schemeing for the rematch in wk 6? Cause I saw Berry-o blow that up a few times late in the game.

3. JJones. If he can stay healthy, he will be in Hawaii in Feb. No Doubt. Very shifty inside and even ran right for a few yards. I know Seattle can’t stop the run but he had them catching air.

4. Bledsoe is getting warmer. Notice not a ball to TGlenn who he has worked well with in practice. Looked like he was getting his groove on with Keyshawn. Also – no deep routes. That long one to witten should have been picked, BUT, I don’t think the opposing secondary will be able to hang back like that when Dallas pounds the ball on the ground and Julius breaks one.

5. Berry-o had some nice hits, but i did not notice him on Special Teams.

6. Crayton does hold the ball like a loaf of marble rye, but he has some strength in his hands! He snatched two away from the DB.

7. I can’t wait to see this Defense play with Ferguson and Spears. I think that line rotation wears down most O-Lines going into the 4th Quarter.

8. Ware did look avg in the 4/3, often pushing his man straight back for a few yards then getting locked, or bouncing into the pile in the middle a few times like a moth to a lightbulb.

9. Henson looked pretty bad. No flow at all.

Jon
I would like to think Bledsoe can get better but there is no upscale with him he cant get much better then he has been the last two years. His best years are behind him. He is not looking like a starter right now. But hopefully he will have enough around him to hide him.

perhaps not……..old Vinny tosses more yards than Aikman used too. Now before anyone goes accussing me of saying vinny was better…….I aint. Statistically Vinny had a pretty good year. Would Quincy Carter be our starting QB still if wasn’t on the Ricky Weed?

Just pointing that Drew could have a resurgence. Some good points were made about T Glenn. We did not throw him the ball. You know i actually liked seeing Drew take off and run for one. Instead of taking a Vinny sack. He had his best years playing with Bill Parcells Terry Glenn and a TE named Ben Coates. Assuming Witten is our Ben Coates…..and he is………we got a nice mix to give Drew both the Deep threat and the steady eddy KJ and the TE as the security blanket. Hey like everybody else I want another Franchise pro bowl QB, and a lot of the other pieces sure are falling into place. The youth movement on Defense looks good. Even if Petitti is not our starter this year he looks to be a Tackle for the Cowboys in the near future. We got a couple decent young guards…….we got a couple Centers…….Julius looks legit.

Personally as QBs available out there……Drew made the most sense with the relationship with Bill and he came on the cheap. Personally I wonder what would be happening right now if Henson was just tearing up the training camp and the 2nd String Defenses. Wonder if Bill would give him a shot at starting. I was hoping to see that, a little disappointed it ain’t happening and guess we have to wait another year on the Henson experiement. I ain’t ready to give up on him and it does not look like the Cowboys are either. Hey maybe he should have been sent to Europe this year.

Crayton will be the x-factor this year. I think he will get a lot of third down grabs.

Crayton looks good. That is one benefit from T Glenn injury last year. At least we did look at Crayton and Copper. Glad to see one of them has stepped up. Sort of disappointed in Morgan but not surprised. We have needed a good third wideout forever and a day. If he continues to improve maybe we don’t have to go after a WR in the 1st round again, and can get a QB or another OLB that Bill wants as a bookend to Demarcus Ware.

I thought Keith Davis made some plays. He put some hits on folks. I think we might be ok at FS, I was disappointed in all the underneath stuff that was being completed. I don’t think the LBs have figured that part out yet.

You know I had to agree with ESPN last night, they mentioned the Jake Delhomme visit and that he wanted to play for Dallas but Jerry did not want to pay him. Kid sure looks like another Ragin Cajun to me. I think if we had him at QB we might just be the class of the NFC. Oh well enough daydreaming………

Listen, this team has issues that seem to be very clear to me. Bledsoe needs to be a solid, drive the bus type QB, and Dallas needs to find a RT asap! Be it Terry, Verba, or Gragg, they need to get one of those guys signed and in uniform before Dallas gets going for real. I understand Verba is a jerk off in the locker room, and Terry has major off the field issues, so it seems Gragg should be the man they sign. Pettite needs time and he may develop, but this is not the year to experiment, with Bledsoe at the helm. Guys like Kerse and Strahan will eat Pettite alive with their quickness.
Henson needs to be let go yesterday! He just doesn’t have the poise, footwork, or understanding that it takes to be an NFL QB. This is the third strike for the Cowboys with x-baseball players trying their hand at playing QB for America’s Team (Carter and Hutch being the others). Don’t be shocked if Vinny is brought back to be the third QB, with the understanding of him moving up to start if Drew getshurt for any length of time. Remember, product knowledge is important to Big Bill.
Davis is not the answer at FS. Sure he can bring the wood, and he is indeed a wonderful special teamâ€â"¢s player, but he is out of his comfort zone playing FS. He is too aggressive, not fast enough, and unaware of how to play his position at this level. The touchdown play from last night involved Davis being out of position and running into Roy Williams. Roy is going to be up in the box a lot more this year, which requires the FS to be a center fielder most of the time. I just donâ€â"¢t feel Davis has the rage or ability to be patient enough to play this position. If not Davis who? Good question, but understand this, Bill has been hesitant for a reason with Davis.
This leads me to my final conclusion, which many of you have hit on already. Braddie James needs to be a special team player only. He is totally lost, always out of position, never seems to be around the ball, and always chasing the play and never making it. The starting backers need to be Dat, Ware, Burnett, and Shanle!
Also, someone help me with this, did Frazier play? The starting CB from last year. I thought he would compete for the Dime spot, yet didnâ€â"¢t see him at all last night.

I just took a closer look at that touchdown pass to Hackett. What had struck me at the time it happened was that we only rushed 3 men. I can’t remember another time in the game when we did that. As a consequence of that 3-man rush, Hasselbeck had time to peel and eat an apple, while surveying the field.

Here’s how it played out.

Ellis was at RDE. He was singled by Walter Jones. Ellis tried to bull rush, but didn’t get far enough to matter. Glover was doubled by the LG and C. Coleman was doubled by the RG and RT. Neither got any penetration. Singleton was over the slot receiver on their right. He got a chuck on him, released and went into the shallow flat. Davis picked up that coverage and Nguyen also dropped deep to help on that receiver, who was running right to left across the end zone. James picked up the running back who came out from their right and ran shallow across the field. Ware was lined up outside of Ellis, on our right side. The fullback was over on that side and Ware would have been his responsibility. Ware briefly faked a blitz, then dropped off into the flat. There was no one there to cover, although the fullback did swing out that way, after he saw Ware wasn’t coming after the QB. Williams was coming over to help with that slot receiver, who seemed to draw an inordinate amount of attention. Henry was out of the play on the other side of the field. Newman was over Hackett. He got a jam on Hackett, but seemed to be playing for an outside move. When Hackett broke inside off the jam, Newman had no chance and was trailing badly. The pass was thrown over a leaping Singleton.

I couldn’t tell if they were playing man or zone. If it was man, the primary fault lies with Newman. I would have liked for Singleton to have taken a deeper drop, though, since Hackett was the only receiver remaining on that side of center, with everyone else having gone right to left.

What I really would have liked to have seen was Ware trying to beat that FB and applying more pressure on Hasselbeck. I obviously don’t know what defense was called and what everyone’s responsibilities really were. Ware was definitely faking a blitz and seemed to deliberately drop into coverage. But there was no one to cover. There was only one receiver split wide left and he was covered by both Henry and Williams (until Williams broke off to help with the slot receiver). No one else made a move to rush the passer. If that was the way it was planned, it sure seems like a strange time to give the quarterback so much time in the pocket by reducing your pass rushers. With the RB going in motion to the right to join the slot receiver and wide receiver, and only one receiver and the fullback on Ware’s side, I think he should have been rushing the passer. But, like I said, I don’t know what his responsibility really was.

Delhomme got more money from Carolina- but at the time a lot of people were thinking carolina overpaid. Really, no one thought he would be as good as he is. Carolina was willing to gamble more then Jerry was- but then Jerry is not known for his sight regarding QB’s. So we lost out-but that is the way it is.

Jeez, Rafael, only the 2nd preseason game and already every thread gets taken over with QB talk. Shoot me now, because I can’t bear to talk about the relative merits of Henson vs. Romo vs. Bledsoe. blech

Now all you guys getting overexcited about rookies just cool down.

Ware totally blew containment a number of times. In technical terms, that’s BAD for a DE or OLB. Mostly ‘cause he still can’t read plays fast enough.

Petitti did nothing good against a below-average defensive front. When the ‘Boys ran right, they went nowhere because he was getting pushed into the backfield. Remember the 1st drive? When the ’Boys tried to pass, he did a little better but still never impressed. Nothing against him personally, but I’m just pointing out that we still have a huge problem there, although Tucker looked better last night (and better than Petitti).

I’m glad someone else noticed it. Last night, Bledsoe had a tendency to not “look off” the safeties. As an end result, they were able to follow his eyes right to the play. Case in point, the deep pass too Witten, which you described very accurately. This is a little disconcerting for a 33y.o. vet to be locking onto his WRs. I can only hope that this is a temporary trait while Bledsoe becomes more comfortable with the plays and his WRs. Otherwise Sundays will turn into “pick parades”!

HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!! I ve been a cowboy for i don’t know how long.when i seen the cowboys starters it gave me hope. I told myself this may be the year. Some of our rookies looked like veterans out there. Example: the player of the game WARE. That is all i here about on t.v and by fellow cowboys fans. He is a killer. QB should play with there helmets off cause when u least expect it he’ll come out of no where hit u from your blind side and cause a fumble.

For those thumping on Drew Bledsoe, he wound up with a QB rating of 106.6. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would happily take that over a 16-game season.

James,

The uninjured Cowboys who didn’t get into yesterday’s game (not even on special teams) were: Woody Dantzler, Lance Frazier, Mike Goolsby, and Reggie Love. The only name on that list which surprises me at all, is Frazier’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all cut before the next game, even though no cut is required until a week from today.

Wade Roberts
Pettite is getting better but I think he will be the starter. Davis will be fine mistakes will happen, he had a near pick what else do you want from him? Henson is not going anywhere anytime soon. Vinny is not coming back unless someone gets hurt and it wont be to start.

Mr. Bill
I dont care what his rating was Bledsoe is a back up. He played better then the first game but he is still not showing anything. I need to see some deep balls.

Delhomme had shown a lot of promise in New Orleans. If they had a head coach with a half a brain, he would have started over Aaron Brooks.

Given what was out there, Jerry should have paid up. I mean Delhomme had actually played in the NFL and been a QB in college and had not run off to swat flies on a diamond. Delhomme wanted to compete as a starter and given what we had he would have won the job hands down. He went to the Panthers as a backup. Carolina had that old qb from FSU Weinke or was it rodney pete down as the starter and were only giving Delhomme backup money. He went in on an injury and never looked back. Still just cuz he played at Louisiana Tech ain’t no reason not to take a chance on him. I think they produced a Hall of Famer that used to scorch us in the Super Bowls.

I ain’t throwing in the towel on Henson or Romo. It was also pointed out that Bledsoe only threw towards KJ, Crayton and what one bomb to Witten? Maybe Bill told him to work that side of the field. Who knows. I think if the o line improves Bledsoe will be a decent bus driver. Unfortunately we don’t even have a 2nd guy to yell at the coach if Bledsoe sucks it up. We have the ONUS on the legs of Mr. Julius Jones. Teams are going to be playing 8 man fronts against us and Bledsoe is going to have to deliver some strikes downfield.

Bradie James looked weak in pass coverage. He needs to improve or be benched. Rafael has suggested another big OLB and Burnett moves inside next to Dat. That sure sounds good to me. Ware, Nguyen, Burnett and another Ware to be named later. We spent big bucks on Henry, and Aaron Glenn and the inside of the field was wide open. Hasselback is a good qb, if he can do that, imagine what McNabb and company will do against us with TO.

If Bledsoe ain’t cutting the mustard Jerry Jones will be the number one fan with a paycheck calling for another QB.

Matt Mosley of DMN.com is reporting Kurt Vollers has a wrist injury that looks pretty bad. He could be out. Looks like we’ll be bringing in that veteran RT pretty quickly.

Jon
Aaron Brooks is good he is not a back up. I would have done the same thing. New Orleans would do the same thing again. If he was still there he would still be a back up. Remember he didnt beat out Pete but he would have by that next year.

AW
Let’s me put it to you this way, Pettite was a 6th round pick for a reason, and it wasn’t only because of his weight issues. He is slow footed, not strong enough, and questions still remain about his footwork. He may develop, but he is not ready for the likes of Kerse and Strahan right now. Dallas needs to get a starting quality Right Tackle yesterday, and Keith Davis is a special team play only, on about 27 other teams in this leauge.

Wade Roberts,

I’m right there with you on Petitti (spelled correctly here, I looked it up). He will be below average at best, and likely among the worst at his position this year. That says nothing about next year, by which time he may get stronger and more technically sound.

As for Keith Davis, I’m going to reserve judgement on him for now, but I’m thinking you’re right there, too. He’s got the physical tools, but lacks the experience and football moxy to be in the right place all the time. But, hey, lots of teams have issues at FS, that’s why it’s a common resting ground for older CBs. Hopefully, he’ll catch on more and more as the season progresses.

Wade Roberts
Are you telling me only other teams can play with or find low draft picks that turn into good players??? Doesn’t matter where he was drafted if he can get the job done. Lets gave Pettite some more games before you say he can’t do it. And back to Davis he played ok and is getting better he is an upgrade to what we had last year. He will make some plays and he will give up some plays. This is his first real chance to play. We are playing with a QB that wouldnt be starting anywhere else right now unless someone got hurt.

Mr Bill,
My sentiments exactly. The only guy on that list that surprised me was Frazier.

Remnant,
No way Tucker played better than Pettiti.

Remnant,

Thanks for the correct spelling, but I like to use the Big Bill technique, calling guys by the wrong name, as a subtle motivational technique. (Maybe he is reading the blog, do they still teach reading at Ohio State?) Hey I hope I am wrong on both of these guys, but I just don’t see it. As long as it is not Lynn Scott at FS, I guess I can handle it for now.

AW,

OK, you don’t like Bledsoe. We get that, and I respect your opinion. Bledsoe may well prove to be inadequate, but, a decent game is a decent game, regardless of who had it.

Do they teach reading at Pitt and or Ohio State?

Remnant
Davis will be alright and will make plays. He is like a rookie give him time. Petitti is a rookie so its going to take time but playing him now will only help him.

Mr. Bill
I don’t dislike Bledsoe, I just see him for what he is and good back up. He didn’t have a decent game he had a lucky game he should have had a pick with that throw to Witten. But like I said before he played better then he did in the first game.

Just read the Mosley article. Here’s a copy of the section that contains information about Vollers.

"Vollersâ€â"¢ injury appears serious, â€Å"Pepper” Johnson OK:

Kurt Vollersâ€â"¢ right wrist injury does not look good. Vollers had his right wrist wrapped in ice and heavily taped as he left the locker room.

Parcells hoped Vollers could be the backup at both tackle spots. With him possibly out, the Cowboys will probably attempt to sign another offensive tackle later this week.

Defensive tackle Thomas â€Å"Pepper” Johnson suffered a mild concussion and should return for Saturdayâ€â"¢s game against Houston."

I don’t know how Mosley can infer the seriousness of Vollers’ injury, based solely on tape and an ice bag. There is nothing about this yet at DC.com. I would hold off on any doom an gloom until we get some more information. Vollers wouldn’t be the first lineman to play with a wrap and a soft cast on his hand.

By the way, that was the most informative article I have read from Matt Mosley. He must have visited this blog and been embarrassed into action.

AW,

I saw Aaron Brooks play in High School and college and he is still making the same mistakes he made then. Only back then he was the most talented player on the field. Ask UVA fans and they will tell ya. That is not the case in the NFL and he continues to make mistakes that cost his team victories. He could be much better than he is, but if I had the choice between Delhomme and Brooks I am going with Jake.

Did you watch the Super Bowl. I mean Delhomme drove his team and scored a TD in the last 2 minutes. His only mistake was leaving too much time on the clock for Brady and Vinateri. That was after he scorched our Cowboys. Last year he showed more guts without a RB and a bunch of wounded WR and a beat up defense than any QB we have had in a long time. The kid is a gamer like Favre he has what it takes and will probably win a Super Bowl. Maybe this year! How many playoff and super bowls has Aaron Brooks played in?

AW, why do you think you didn’t see any deep balls? How many 5 or 7 step drops did you see in the 1.5 quarters Bledsoe played? If you didn’t see many of those, why is that?

James,

What is with this love fest for Petitti? I like him. I really do. Nice guy, may turn into a nice player. Has some talent for sure. But he isn’t ready.

OL is a place where some age is typically a good thing. Continuity, too. It’s all about experience, and all I’m saying is that Petitti doesn’t have any — yet. Maybe next year, but right now starting a newbie at RT has me very worried.

And watch the game again. Petitti was ok on passing plays (except for the sack he allowed on a stunt), weaker blocking for the run. JJ’s big gains came behind the big veterans on the left side of our line, except for one near the end of the 2nd quarter. Petitti didn’t push his man off the line or even turn him consistently. That’s ok, he’s young and inexperienced and he’ll improve. But how are we going to run left on every play and succeed this year?

As for Tucker, he worries me, too. Experience hasn’t taught him much of anything, but at least he’s faster and stronger. And yes, I thought he looked better last night than in the previous week, and even better than Petitti. Allowed no sacks and moved his man around a little on runs.

My bet is that Bill will keep practicing and starting Petitti on the 1st team, hoping he shows something, until the last preseason game. Then he’ll make the swtch to Tucker.

Unless the Vollers injury is for real.

Then if they haven’t signed some free agent RT by next week, I’ll turn my season tickets back in and become a soccer fan or something. Oy!

Joey2zs
First of all he did throw the ball deep and it should have been an INT. He makes bad throws and hold on to the ball too long. Every QB is going to make a bad throw from time to time but he does it a lot. The bill won 9 games last year on d and running with a different QB they would have make the playoffs. What is funny is JJ make that trade last year knowing Bledsoe wasn’t going to take the Bills anywhere and now we have him.

all the Verba Gragg and other tackle retreads forget about it………LA is our option at RT if Petitti cannot get it figured out. We got enough decent guards and it would make our right side our best side with Rivera and Allen…..there will be a few others we can look at once the final cuts and pratice squads go into effect….then you got maybe Peterman and Adams or Gurode or one of those other guys. I want a strong offensive line too, but I don’t see Gragg or Verba as the answer. We can get by if these guys are healthy. Those guys want big paychecks. Crennel could not deal with Verba what makes yall think Parcells will. We might need cap space if Bledsoe goes down, who knows we might all be calling for Vinny or God forbid Jeff George and Bill Parcells. Now that would be fun to watch. If we were having a good year and Bledsoe got hurt, I think at this point of the Drew Henson and Tony Romo Experiment we would be forced. Is Vinny still living in Dallas? Don’t sell your condo just yet Vin. Suprised we did not take a chance on Tim Couch…….hech we even brought in Ryan Limp Wristed Leaf for a while.

No reason to spend money on RT. Let Petitti get plenty of snaps and figure out the position. Let him get comfortable switching sides. Let him do the NFL weight training with Larry “how much do ya bench………700lbs” Allen. I have spent a lot of time in the gym and I ain’t never seen 700lbs on a bench before. Squat sure, but bench no way. 600 maybe once. I mean that bar has to be bending unbelievable. But it sure won’t me. At any rate………I am thinking Petitti will be a RT but maybe not yet. Parcells sure likes the kid and had he come in to the Meat Market weighing what he weighs now he would not have been there in the 6th round……..he would have gone in the 3rd or 4th. He played well against a guy named Dwight Freeney, and that kid is a gamer in the NFL. Maybe even higher. He played against some pretty good competition at Pitt and could develop. All in all I think our Rookies look pretty good. I mean Bierault, Petitti, Barber, Burnett, Ware all look to contribute this year. Ratliff maybe too. Spears gets off the bike and starts earning his check I think ole Billy boy aced the draft just like Rafael predicted in his 3rd year with a team.

Yeah Ware missed some coverages. He also had a heck of a game against a pro bowl Tackle, forced fumbles, got to the QB and and INT. This kid is going to be special. Just wait til he actually knows what he is doing and it is going to be fun to watch. He is only going to get better each week and learn from his mistakes. If Bill can stick around two or three more years and add another LB or two and get us a QB we can have a competitive team that hey……even Barry Switzer might be able to take to the super bowl.

On another note Matt Lehr is going to make the Atlanta Falcons squad. They seem to have a little more patience and develop one of the best lines in football along with the Denver Broncos and do not spend high draft choices on lineman. We cut him. That is a system we need to implement!!! I think lower round picks and letting the guy learn and workout. I mean look at Jacob Rogers that was our 2nd round pick and he ain’t played a whole NFL game yet. I ain’t for giving up on him yet either. I think you give a kid 3 years or more for the tackle position. Al Johnson has shown great improvement. Is staying healthy since his knee as a rookie.

I sure hope somebody learn to play the inside so we ain’t sorry for letting Dexter go. Can we move Burnett inside now and stick another guy at the OLB…….why not let Burnett and Singleton play both or Shanle. Bradie is disappointing again. Can he play outside better than in? This is his 3rd year he better step it up or he is going to find some walking papers from Bill and Uncle Jerry. If Hassleback and his butterfinger WR were completeing all those passes on us we are in for a long season against Philly and NYG. Sure hope that ain’t the case.

I was one who was predicting the Cowboys would bring in Gragg this week. After watching the game, I think that Petitti and Tucker did well enough to hold off on a veteran RT for another week. Of course, if Vollers is really seriously hurt, that changes things once again.

One of the articles I read stated that Larry Allen has offered to sit down and review the game tape with Petitti. That should be a big help to Petitti with his stunt and blitz recognition. Then there will be the small matter of practical application. We can but hope.

This is preseason and Parcells has said Tucker and Petitti will get all the reps. But don’t be surprised if they don’t work out to see LA at RT on opening day. Jones and Parcells have said they are looking to get the best 5 lineman on the field. If it ain’t Tucker and Petitti fitting that description then look for the switch. No reason to do it yet. Bill does not know what he has in Petitti yet and the kid is making the switch to the rigth side.

Had this been a regular season game Crayton would not have lead all WRs. Terry Glenn and Jason Witten would have. I think Bill told Drew to stay on the other side.

Crayton’s hands are looking good. Rafael said so in camp too, but it was nice to see they work under the bright lights of a Monday Night game. If he can develop into a 3rd or even a 2nd WR we are in much better shape. How is it that a QB and athelete in college from some small school is a better WR than A Bryant ever was after one offseason of doing the work? CUZ Antonio wasn’t and that is why he ain’t a Cowboy. He is also in a contract year so he has to have a big year or he ain’t getting paid. Good riddance. Besides all the moaning ya’ll want to trade KJ back for Joey Galloway…….so what if A Bryant is better than Morgan…….he was a bad apple and head case. You might want to look up our great solution at WR Joey Galloway and see how he has fared down there with Gruden.

Rector ain’t making this team. He was tentative on punt returns and ran backwards too much.

Allen doesn’t go to RT because Peterman hasn’t shown enough to warrant the move. If BP is unsatisfied with what we have a RT now we will go get a veteran. Besides even Parcells said that he likes having LA and Rivera where they are at, because most team will try to push up the middle to get to Parcells otherwise as that is what he did when he played against him.

Remnant,
I did watch the game buddy. The love fest you speak of for Pettiti is pretty wide spread, so be careful singling ME out. You wanting Tucker to be the starter on opening day says it all. If you do turn in your tickets, I know plenty of deserving Cowboy fans that would love to have them.

If Vollers is hurt for any length of time, I think its a foregone conclusion that a Vet will be brought in and then Petitti will be moved back over to the left side to back up Adams.

There’s one Huge factor that will not come into play this pre season, but will be a tremendous plus for our team.

Our #1 defensive players against a first team offense in the fourth quarter once we have worn them down.

We’re going to win a lot of games this way.

dont know if anyone listens to sports radio but jim rome had alot of good things to say about ware on last nights performance

and then on espn radio colin cowherd had mortenson on and he said it looks like ware is gonna be one of those players who every team that past on him are gonna be kicking themselves.

nice to see some dallas players get some credit, albeit preseason game

Read Mosleys report about Vollers and it would seem to be pure speculation on his part. As of right now there is nothing on dc.com about it, which is no surprise given BP’s gag rule on injuries and that the mediots there have taken another day off. LOL! If Vollers does go down, then I agree that we would have to bring someone in. Because that we leave us with, dare I say it, Tucker. If Pettiti shows even more improvement this Saturday, I think that we’ll be sticking with him. BP drafted him for a reason.

mike
good to know….

Just read this on nfl.com and thought it was on the money.

Dallas: The ‘Boys place their fortunes in the hands of Drew Bledsoe. Last fall, this space described Bledsoe’s career as “over,” and I am standing by that assessment. For the past two seasons, only Bledsoe’s name, certainly not his performance, has kept him on the field. His accuracy is a thing of the past. Watch old Buffalo tape and behold numerous instances of the ball striking the synthetic grass-like substance at receivers’ feet or sailing over receivers’ heads. For the past two seasons, Bledsoe has looked exclusively at the receiver he intends to throw to, and safeties have figured this out, let me assure you. In 2004, the Bills played four of what TMQ calls “authentic” games — high-pressure contests against quality opponents. Two tilts with New England, one game at Baltimore and the season-finale home date against Pittsburgh in which the Steelers rested starters and a victory would have put Buffalo into the playoffs. The Bills lost all four authentic contests, and Bledsoe was just utterly awful in every one. In those games, Bledsoe threw a mere one touchdown pass while committing 11 turnovers on interceptions and lost fumbles, with three of the turnovers returned for touchdowns. That is, when the pressure was on, Bledsoe produced more touchdowns for his opponents than he did for his own offense. TMQ will be surprised if Bledsoe is the Dallas starter past United Nations Day, and the hook may come sooner — though even if Bledsoe plays only a while, he stands a chance of moving ahead of Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana on the all-time passing yardage list.

Now consider the overall transaction ledger for the big 2004 trade between Dallas and Buffalo and the Bills’ decision, based on obtaining quarterback J.P. Losman in that trade, to waive Bledsoe. In effect, the bottom line is that Buffalo got Losman (using the draft pick obtained from Dallas) while the Cowboys got Marcus Spears, Julius Jones, backup tight end Sean Ryan and Bledsoe (using the choices obtained from the Bills, plus signing Bledsoe after he became expendable in Buffalo). If Losman is a bust, Dallas will be seen as the huge winner in this deal. If Losman becomes a star, Dallas will be the huge loser. Conventional wisdom assumes that had the ‘Boys kept their 2004 first-round pick, they would have taken running back Steven Jackson. Why assume that? Given Dallas’ desperate need for a young quarterback, Tuesday Morning Quarterback assumes that had the ‘Boys kept their 2004 first pick, they would have selected Losman. Either way, Dallas remains desperate for a young quarterback. Last year, the Cowboys’ most apparent problem on the field was that their pass defense dropped from first in 2003 to 20th. But the team’s core dilemma remains lack of quality at quarterback, where the deflating Bledsoe is backed up by Drew Henson (18 career pass attempts) and Tony Romo (no career pass attempts). Should Losman become a star, ’Boys faithful will be tormented by the fact that they might have snagged him.

the mediots will all be jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon. Parcells is usually a sure bet to win 10 games in a season. He finally has his QB and his type of players. Jerry tossed up some bones for the FAs Parcells wanted.

Julius Jones is LEGIT! and Eddie George is not our backup!

Witten is as good as any TE in the league!

Demarcus Ware sure looks like something special. Can only see him getting better!

Anthony Henry and Terrance Newman could potentially be two of the best corners in the league. Add in Roy Williams and even without a marquee FS we got one heck of a secondary and vet like Aaaron Glenn for nickel? A few young ens still learning and improving like Reeves, Frazier, Jones and Thornton.

We got a pretty good offensive line and we got our other TE back. We got some old WRs but hey the first four games of last season mediots were calling our threesome of Bryant, Glenn and Johnson one of the best threesomes in football. Glenn goes down and Bryant goes AWOL on route running and now we have old broken down WRs? Crayton might add some snap. Morgan is supposedly improved.

Even Peter King says when in doubt write about the Dallas Cowboys. People either love em or hate em but they will definitely read about em.

Now honestly I think we another draft away from Bill having what he wants. Another nasty OLB to bookend Ware. Another speedy WR or a mr. reliable across the middle type with the size and strength of a KJ or Mike Williams. Can always add another lineman on both sides of the ball. And depending on how Drew and Tony our farm system of QBs is looking who knows maybe a QB. I just do not see him wanting to teach a rookie QB. I think Bill wants to walk away with a veteran at the helm after a Super Bowl. I think he believes Bledsoe can be that guy. If he ain’t he will cut him and find another. Maybe Henson or Romo become the guy maybe not. That is in their hands.

I think we are going to improve each and every week with all these rookies rotating in. Our secondary has experience though and hopefully we are much better against the pass and the run. Ware, Spears, Canty, Ferguson give Glover and Ellis something they have never had………a legit FRONT SEVEN……and this team could be very good.

Still under the cap if we had to add a veteran due to an unforseen injury or whatever. Nice mix of veterans and youth at most positions.

What’s not to like. Mr. McNabb I would like you to meet Demarcus Ware no more 5 minutes of running around the backfield and then completing a pass for 40 yards. Oh yeah, that hole you are looking at in the ceiling of Texas Stadium………that is so God can watch his team! If you need a hand up I will go ask TO to come help ya up! Oh by the way next play we are sending Roy Williams on blitz you might want to DUCK!

James,
I couldn’t agree more with you on MNF !!What a nightmare!
It was almost as if the game interrupted the fluff(no pun
intended).The game is going and we get a picture of Jones
pushing his Escalde!! The best was M.T. asking Shaun A
about him saying coach H. stabbed him in the back last
year….that wasn’t too akward.

One thing that surprised me was the amount of blitzes
the cowboys used …not like b.p. hopefully he has taken
 the reins off Zim some and that will continue.

AW,
For this to play out Losman needs to become a star and Spears and Jones need to become busts. Jones is already one of the best young RB’s in the league, and he is on his way to getting rid of the ‘young’ caveat.

 I don’t think Bledsoe is the answer, but he doesn’t need to be. Assume 70 offensive plays per game.
 Say 17 are fourth down punt.
53 plays left.
You KNOW BP is running for 35 of those esp in competitive games where the score is tight. Why else so many backs? And that is BP’s history.
18 plays left.
Five bombs per game ( 30 yards+ ) two to TGlenn, one to Witten, One to Keyshawn, maybe one to Crayton. All deep balls where the int pressure is low. The ball will either go out of bounds or be too deep for anyone. The underthrown ball from last night to Witten? Tell me that safety is getting there so fast after we run JJ down their throat for a little while. He would be hanging around the box in a regular game.
12 plays left.
8 balls underneath to the big TE/Keyshawn and be willing to scramble for a few yards at times.
4 plays left.
Dink to JJ, Dunk to Keyshawn, Dink to fullback, Dunk to Thompson/Barber/Thomas on a screen.
Bledsoe will make mistakes, but BP will put him in a position where he doesn’t have to do moe than he is capable of doing.
Think Dilfer in Baltimore or Greise in Miami. Or even Carter from the 2003 Cowboys. As long as we don’t ask him to be more than a caretaker, we should be OK.

AW

Why give any more creedance to Losman’s upside rather than Romo’s? Both haven’t done S**T in the league.

Another MNF note-Al Michaels saying that Anthony Thomas was trying to earn the backup spot to Shaun Alexander???? Anybody else catch that?

AW,
I read the Easterbrook article as well. He does know his stuff, but I wonder if he is off on this one. Watching Bledsoe last night I got the impression that he was holding back in some way. Some posters here have suggested that BP might be holding back on both offensive and defensive game plans until later. The next two games will tell us a lot.

Becker,
The ONLY good thing about MNF anymore is Michelle Tafoya. Speaks well and easy on the eyes, pregnant or not.

i dont care if he is a blundering idiot, i still love john madden

check out this cowboy’s fans coverage of last years monday night game against seattle, i think its hilarious
http://www.cowboysguy.com/pages/2/index.htm

John Madden is a boob, give me Aikman as an analyst any day.

Easterbrook (if he is the one who wrote that TMQ article) is out of his *@$# mind!

The Cowboys would have taken Losman! In what alternate universe? There has been absolutely no speculation before, during, or since the draft, that the Cowboys were interested in Losman at all, whom they could have had by just turning down the trade. I don’t think they would they have taken Jackson either. The best bet for that pick (without the trade) would be Kevin Jones. He’s the guy they tried to trade back into the first round for.

Don’t forget that we had given up a third-round pick just before that draft to get Henson. We weren’t about to take somebody like Losman, considered a reach at #22, to compete so early after getting Henson.

This guy knows diddly-squat about the Cowboys.

My main gripe is the focus is clearly not on the game.The pieces
are set up in advance like Jones and the escalade so they have
to use them relevant or not.The problem is they don’t let the game
or players dictate the show.A good example is the H.S. film of
Tyson Thompson set up because they thought he would do
well in the game….only problem is he barely played.The
game is in essence a vehicle for their bits.
I like madden i don’t care for Micheals because he never
shuts up although i must say last nite he was much better
but that was only because there so many side bits.
I fail to see why they can’t update who is on the
field as far as rookies and FA especially during the
preseason and that goes almost every telecast
not just MNF.But then the announcers would have
to do some work……

Jon
Not to be to picky, but I think Delhomme went to University of Louisiana @ Lafayette. Regardless I agree we may have missed the boat on that one. No correct that we did miss that one.

I was surprised that TT didn’t play any and I think he was surprised as well. I wonder if maybe BP learned something from last years yanking of Henson. He seem to go out of his way to keep Barber in the game after his fumble. I would think we will see more of Mr. Tyson Saturday. I thought the game was a significant improvement from the first game. If they continue to improve going into the season we might see something special. Bledsoe will do enough to keep the wolves off the juice but I don’t expect a Pro Bowl season out of him. Bledsoe needs time and to get that I am afraid we need another RT. I am not saying that the youngster won’t make it before the end of the season. He may very well be the long term answer at that position.

Bledsoe is ok in my book.Any veteran QB willing to put his
head down to take on a linebacker trying to get a first
down in a preseason game has got some guts.
Bledsoe is in his 3rd system in 3 years.It takes some for
the offense to jell… hopefully not to long but he still has
strong arm .
As for “happy feet” i remember Jim PLunkett .After he
got the stuffing beat out of him in N.E. the raiders
picked him up.He never looked comfortable in the
pocket with any kind of rush(not that anyone could blame
him) but he did win a Super Bowl with the raiders so
hope springs eternal.

I think all of you are mistaken about the QB situation.
What could Jake Delhomme have done that QC didn’t do 2 years ago? Win 11 games? Lose in the first round of the playoffs? Cost a fortune? Throw to Joey Galloway and Troy Hambrick? His price would’ve cost us Larry Allen, Flozell, Glover, Dat, Dexter, etc…

What could Jake Delhomme have done last year? Play RB for 8 games? How about FS? Play CB? Play NT? Could he have played RG or RT? No? But at least we overspent for a journeyman QB. Maybe he plays out of his mind and the Cowboys finish 7-9 instead of 6-10.

Delhomme is the luckiest guy on earth. He fell into a great situation and made the most of it. The Cowboys of the past 3 years would’ve killed his career. He’d be the laughingstock most of us suspected he might’ve been.

The current QB situation is due to Campo, Lacewell and Jones’ decisions from 6,5 and 4 years ago.
Quincy, Vinny and Bledsoe were the very best options available to the Cowboys for many, many reasons. There is simply nobody out there to be had that wouldn’t cost the Cowboys dearly. Not in the draft, not in free agency, not through trades. Period.

Perhaps if Schaub sits all year, we trade Glover/Spears and a pick. Perhaps Rattay sits due to the rookie’s contract, we make a trade. Phillip Rivers or Drew Brees? Things will happen, a QB will be found. Haven’t any of you learned you can’t reach on a whim and hope some youngster is the guy? Perhaps with basic needs and basic building blocks now finally addressed, they get a kid in the draft who sits at the feet of Drew Bledsoe and Parcells and learns for a few years.
In the interim, i’m thrilled that a QB of Bledsoe’s caliber is on the squad.

By the way, Losman will bust.

Mr Bill,
I agree with you whoever wrote the piece is a moron.First
of all Bledsoe signing in Dallas had nothing to do with the trade
Drew could have signed anywhere, or still be out of a job.At the
time of the trade the starting Qb was Q Dallas did not need
another project to go with Henson we needed a RB with speed
which we got.For me the trade was a good just based on JJ’s
performance Spears is just icing.I know what we got Buff.
will have to wait and see.

AW
why do you keep putting up crap about bledsoe? we get it, hes our qb for the year so let it go.
madden is past his prime but i do still like the guy, hes pretty funny kinda like harry carey towards the end of his career.

realistically if we have 65 plays a game- 8 will be punts at the most.
57
BP wants to run 35 times.
22
Of those 22, 4-6 will be dinks to the RB.
16-18
4-6 will go short range to the TE/WR
12-14
are passes that will go medium or long range.
If the opposing secondary is weak- more bombs.
If it is strong- shorter stuff.
Also of course factor in protection.
All Bledsoe has to do is complete 12-14 passes a game for 150 or so yds- and one TD- and as long as the D does its job we will win.
YAC will be critical this year- that is where Witten, Glenn, Crayton and Jones will have to pick it up. that 150 yds could go to 200+ if our people get good YAC. If we average 4.0 on 35 carries we get 140 yds rushing.
We will get more since JJ will pop long ones every now and then, plus a bunch of 10-20 yd runs. So we could average nearly 400 yds a game on offense- which should add up to 20 points a game. Our D should have opponents down to 17 or so per game. All in all that should add up to 10-6.

On Barber, I think it says a lot that after a couple of big mistakes, he was even allowed to touch the ball again. Obviously that wouldn;t happen in a real game, in fact in a real game I doubt PArcell would have even looked at him again.

But it seems to me that Parcells knows there is talent there, but doesn;t know a lot about his character and mental strength. I think we all understand by know that Parcells doesn’t like to rely pm players that he doesn’t know what to expect from.

MB3 took a big step towards answering those questions, by looking PArcells in the eye after making the mistake, he didn;t appear to make any excuses. He just went out there when given the chance and did what he needed to do, and stayed aggressive while doing it.

Thats a big test for a rook, and he did very well. He’s looking like a keeper to me….

Burmafrd,

thanks for correcting my punt error.

AlanTdot
A all pro QB is worth more then a all pro rb and D line man. but if one of the other rb become a star too picked ahead of JJ two plus Losman it would be a bad trade. Think about this maybe could have ended up with Losman and JJ with no Rogers on the team……But hopefully Bledsoe can do something.

Zeke,

I watched the second half again last night, and my opinion of Barber has risen. He made some good cuts, and got some tough yards after contact. He also had a great blitz pickup. He has GOT to stop that fumbling, though, or Parcells will never let him see the field in a real game.

Hey, I want in on the Seattle Game. My favorite player to watch is Chris Canty #99 and I also thought that he had a great game, at times he had two and three men guarding him. I love the Dallas Cowboys and their rookie 2005 class, however #99 Canty is what my son and I wear.

Hey, I want in on the Seattle Game. My favorite player to watch is Chris Canty #99 and I also thought that he had a great game, at times he had two and three men guarding him. I love the Dallas Cowboys and their rookie 2005 class, however #99 Canty is what my son and I wear.

Oh, my aching eyeballs! How many seasons have we as Cowboys fans seen preseason as doom and gloom? The Landry teams would win the first one with precision and generate uncontrollable enthusiasm that put the Boys in the Super Bowl even before the season started. Then the next game would bring out the naysayers by the droves, then…well, get the point?

This year’s team is nonetheless susceptible to the thrills and “turn in my season tickets” emotions as any of the past teams. However, with the performances of “Demo Man” Ware, Patrick “Hands” Crayton, and “Berry-O”, there are glimpses that this season should be one of the more exciting ones for us fans. At least, from the improvements we’ve seen so far, it would appear so.

The RT situation will not be resolved by a FA vet that doesn’t know the system immediately. Therefore, the jury is still out on just what will happen as far as any solution. Wait until the final preseason game b4 we enter a verdict. Everyone seems to be looking for a silver bullet here and sadly to say … there ain’t one. Even vet players have a learning curve to get through b4 they can contribute their potential with a new team and that takes time.

In regards to the QB controversy, only the days of Staubach and Aikman seemed to not have one and even during the early career of Aikman, there was doubt about him. Now, don’t go inferring that I think Bledsoe is in the same category as either Roger or Troy. Quite the contrary. However, BP seems to be doing a good job at rebuilding a strong team with a strategic direction. Remember, he did not inherit a Super Bowl caliber team and squander it all away as Switzer did. Instead, he’s had to scrape and claw through salary caps, “prima donna” attitudes, and mediocre talent to get the team to where it is now. Frankly, I perceive this year as a “springboard” year to challenge the best of the best for many years to come. BTW, I don’t see either Romo or Hensen ever being more than back-up QBs. Let’s face it, folks…we are spoiled with having had 2 of the best QBs to ever play the game and we tend to forget that they, too, had their lackluster moments.

Ware is the next big thing, not only for the Dallas Cowboys, but in the whole NFL.