Youth Quake

I think this team is a perfect blend of youth and talent. Questions regarding Aikman vs. Bledsoe are just that, questions. We have every reason to believe Drew will perform at a similar level to Troy in the early 90â€â"¢s. Remember Troyâ€â"¢s success waned as the talent began to leave. The key is the supporting cast and that is building fast.

BTW, the only difference in Troy and Drew is age. The issue is who can lead this team. Troy had interesting comments on ESPN yesterday regarding age, basically saying age is overrated. He said it takes years to learn defenses. The trick was keeping your body in shape so when the mental part is mastered, the body is still able.

Remember by 1995 Troy was done with Superbowls; perhaps Drew can hang in a couple of more years? Troy seems to think so given how some (VT for example) have genetic gifts. Drew has been very durable and from what I understand is a freak physically.

As usual, a great analysis. There is definitely a lot of similarities…A LOT! I actually believe our defensive has better potential than that of the Johnson era. I am not saying that they are better right now on defense, but the all around potential is better. When you have rookies who are effectively sharing time with pro bowl caliber veterans, what else can you say! Say what you want, but I also think Pile is doing a pretty good at job at safety as well. He sure has been sharing a lot of time with Davis.

Talent aside, the biggest factor is leadership on both sides of the ball. We have not had that in a long time. Drew is a general, in all aspects…I actually think he is in his prime, and playing smarter football than he ever has. In his earlier years, even with the trips to the Superbowl, he held on to the ball to long our tried to force things that were not there. He doesnâ€â"¢t do that as much anymore. WHY? CONFIDENCE!!!! He has confidence in himself (and his teammates) to throw the ball away when nothing is there, knowing that he can make up for it the next go around. AND, it is when you have confidence in yourself, that you become a great leader, because the others on the team feel it and feed off of it.

True leaders on defense would be…I would say Dat and Glover. But look what Bradie James did when Dat went down. He stepped up and filled his shoes without pause. How good is it to have your younger players to fill the roles of the leaders when one goes down. There is all this talk about depth on the line and stuff…how about depth in leadership? THATâ€â"¢S HUGE!!!!! And something we have not had for a long time either.

Rafael,

Love the comments. For me, the questions are not on defense, where it is obvious we are building a winner with few gaps left to fill. Nope, for me the question is on offense, where our ’90s ’Boys had Aikman, Emmitt and Irvin—all perennial Pro Bowlers and future Hall of Fame.

Now we have an older Bledsoe (otherwise good), Julius Jones (pales in comparison to Emmitt right now) and…Glenn I guess (not the complete player Irvin was). I do believe our #2&3 WRs are better now. Of course, that O-Line was just dominating, too.

Of course, the other thing that is different is the level of competition now. Back then, there were powerhouses like the 49ers. Now there’s the far weaker Eagles. Parity has closed the gap between good and bad, so perhaps we don’t need the Triplets any more.

But I think we’ll still need at least the duo: Bledsoe and an improved Julius/O-Line.

off topic, interesting article on ESPN by KC Joyner about the Cowboys’ vertical passing game:

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=joyner_kc&id=2189163

Rafael, thanks for the comparison. I’ve written the mediots at DMN a number of times about this and they’ve never considered it worth a mention in an article. Baffles me.

i think the comparisons are easy to make……..except for one thing……Bill has used FA to build the WR and QB position……….Jimmy inherited Michael Irvin from Landry’s Cowboys even though he was familiar with him from Miami and then Drafted Troy and Emmit. They have both been drafting strong on the defensive side of the ball and I like that. I see this team continuing to get better and better………….honestly if Terrance Newman, Anthony Henry and Roy Willams all had their best game on the same night……….along with that front 7 of rotation………..we can beat anybody anywhere………they have shown it in every game for a while except the Philly game where they did it for 4 quarters. Keep that up and this team wins the NFC East. After that the sky is the limit………….nobody but nobody is going to want this team in the playoffs……….cuz they are only still improving.

Burnett getting into the mix is great……glad to see him recovered.

Canty needs more playing time. The guy is a tackling machine. He is awesome against the run, more so than the pass in college. He is only going to continue to improve and has a frame that could easily go over 300lbs and still be a lean mean sacking machine!!!! He used to shoestring tackle tailbacks from 6 feet away in college……while that may not happen in the pros……..he has a heck of a wingspan! He needs more playing time. The more he is on the field the more tackles for loss and sacks and stops at the line of scrimmage you will see……….Dat, Bradie, Ware, and Burnett won’t have to make as many cuz they will already be down by the time those guys show up!

In watching the game I thought Ellis had a sack against the Eagles…….did somebody else get credit for it.

Looking at the way the sacks are getting spread around compare it to the first Giants squad…….you had NT, DE, LBs, S and Corners all getting at the QB………especially LBs and DEs………but everybody was converging on the QB………it shaping up to be that kind of team here as well.

While I think we are another draft and another year away from being Great……….looking around the NFL there is no reason for Bill Parcells not to say the FUTURE IS NOW……..while Bledsoe is still upright and TG and KJ are around………..

Let’s go get the GIANTS!!! BTW one thing I have noticed is the respect we now get from the true Giants fans. They still love and respect BP and know he is building a winner. Even if they see him as a bit of a mercenary they would almost rather have him in Dallas than across town at the JETS. Everyone of em to a man admits they wish they still had BP instead of Coughlin but they are a hech of a lot happier with TC than the Ravens touted offensive coordinator. LOL.

I agree with you Raph,

BUT!

Could it be that this team will benefit from the NFL head coaching experience that BParcells has? No learning curve for him, and how well have JJohnsons proteges done as opposed to BParcells??

Maybe this team is 0ne year ahead of those early nineties teams cause of BP…..

(Protages? Spellcheck anyone?)

BP has brought in his guys…………Jimmy had to make do with leftovers of Landry which contributed greatly………Irvin, Jeffcoat, Tuinea, and others……..actually Bill has done a damn good job of getting his guys and getting them on the Cheap……….Terry Glenn, KJ, Drew Bledsoe, Aaron Glenn all came CHEAP and ON SALE>……..the only guy we paid for was Ferguson……..these rookies grow up fast we are going to put Drew in the HALL OF FAME as a Dallas QB!!!!

There are actually eight starters (Spears is now ahead of Coleman), and with the proliferation of 3-wide sets, you should probably add Crayton in there as well.

Jon,

Ellis was credited with half of a sack, along with Ratliff. Newman, Ware and Williams recorded our other sacks.

Remmant,

The biggest complaint was Aikman vs. Bledsoe. But what’s wrong with Bledsoe? He’s not beaten up. He can run as well as Troy ever did. His arm is every bit as strong. He’s actually bigger than Aikman. He’s got 12 years of seeing pro football so he’s not confused by anything. He’s actually much farther along mentally than Aikman was in ’90.

And need I mention that Bledsoe does not have the concussion problem Troy had, even then? This is a moot point for me.

At the WR, Irvin may have been better than any of these guys, but when did the ’90s Cowboys ever have a UNIT? In ’93 and ’94 when Harper and Kelvin Martin were still around, as well as Kevin Williams. But this unit, overall, is as good.

I’ll give you Emmitt, but Jones is not a mediocre back.

Very insightful. The thing that really sticks out to me is Burnett’s future position. It seems like a perfect fit for him to be inside. He could become a blitzing nightmare from there.

Kevin Burnett is one of the few rookies we really haven’t had a chance to watch yet due to limited playing time. I am somewhat worried he’s always going to be injury-prone. Hopefully I’m wrong.

All things considered, I would love to see Burnett manning the inside linebacker spot more often. I think it would be interesting to see the inside linebackers constantly rotating in a similar fashion as the front line. It could be Dat and Burnett in one one squad. And with James now giving us SOME confidence that he can control the helm of the inside, we could mix him in with Shanle. I like the idea of mixing a vet with a less experienced guy. Or if experience doesn’t matter, throw in Dat and Bradie as one pair and then Shanle and Burnett as another pair. Does anyone know if Burnett has played inside yet this season?

Another possible strategy Parcells plans to use Burnett once he aquires more experiece is a floater going from weak-side linebacker to spell Ware and then to Inside linebacker to spell James or Nguyen. This could be a cool fit. But, that’s probably a long way from now since learning one position is hard enough. Learning two is probably way too much to ask.

Another possible idea that’s just fun to bring up is to use Pepper Johnson 2 as a run stopping middle linebacker. Of course he probably is way too slow to cover any passers, but for any running back, it would be a serious headache. Maybe times like 3rd and 1 or 3rd and goal. But even as I’m writing this, I’m imagining a QB’s salivating after noticing Johnson has been put in at inside lineabacker. Then the QB would immediately change the play, faking a run and passing to Johnson’s assigned receiver. Scary thought. Maybe that’s a bad idea.

BUT Parcells did recently commented on Philadelpia’s Jerimiah Trotter saying at 260 lbs., Trotter’s more like a nose tackle playing middle linebacker. That’s why I thought Johnson could possibly fit as a tweener. But maybe Trotter has amazing speed for his size, I don’t know. But I think Johnson could work out just fine against offenses that depend mostly on the run instead of the pass (Miami, Chicago, Baltimore, etc.). But those teams suck anyway and I would hope any of our guys could stop them regardless.

Rafael,

I agree that right now, QB is close to a wash. Bledsoe is playing at a Super Bowl level. I doubt he’ll keep putting up insane numbers like this all season, but more important, I doubt he’ll stay 100% healthy for more than 2-3 more years. This summer many said he’d never make it through the season; most QBs don’t play all 16. Drew’s a big target back there and he’s taken a lot of hits in the past. Someday, one of those will create ongoing problems for him. And then we won’t have a Super Bowl caliber QB any more.

And I don’t think JJ is mediocre, far from it! A definite starter, maybe a top 10 back, maybe even top 5. But Emmitt was very special. And his O-Line was better than this group (so far). How many teams have won Super Bowls without a good running game? Very few. We don’t have one—yet.

You know me, Raf, I’m all about the future….

Raf,

I must object to the Bledsoe – Aikman comparison. Aikman ran better than Bledsoe. He slowed down over the years sure, but he ran the option better than Bledsoe.

Aikman has three rings.

Other than that they are pretty much equal.

mmm…I don’t know about compairing this team to the early 90s team…sure their are alot of young players, but can really compair any new set young players that come around to that early 90s class? Personally, I think not. Drafting Emmitt Smith alone is worth more than 10 Chris Cantys or 15 Marcus Spears. I’m really not knocking these new guys…I love ’em. But none of them are Emmitt Smith…so early 90s cowboys outdoes this team by a long shot for me.

Alan:
Bledsoe also ran better the option when he was younger… In their 30’s Bledsoe runs better than Aikman.

problem child:
Right now deciding the 48 actives is a problem, Johnson only chance to see the field is with a player coming down due to injury (and I’m crossing my fingers) and he’s a tweener between DT and DE, I don’t see him playing LB anytime soon.
Also, Burnett was removed from nickel packages because it was assumed that for him to learn 2 roles on Defense (nickel backer and SSLB) would be too much for him, now he’s learning WSLB (Ware’s backup). His head must be spinning by now…

Rafael:
Great entry, made me think where would we be if we had as good a second draft from Bill Parcells in 2004 as what Johnson had in 1991… Time cold still make Peterman another contributor but that 2nd rounder invested in Rogers is a heavy burden… I also think that another draft is needed to be better round up, even if isn’t a draft as good as the one of this year, hell, even if is half as good! In the end of the season this draft will be remembered as one the top 5 drafts by a team in the history of the league.

Hey guys, cut Rafael some slack. He’s not saying these teams were mirror images of eachother. I think he makes a good point about the influx of youth in both teams.

I think that as the season goes on, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of guys like Burnett, Ratliff, Spears, Canty, and even Pepper.

And on the Julius Jones personal goal counter:
1293 yards to go
17 TDs to go
11 games to go

hmmm, and if he doesn’t play against the Gmen, only 10 games.
That’d be 129.3 yds/game & 1.7 TDs/game
think its possible?

And right now, I’m going to say that Audi will START against the Giants

Which isn’t to say that JJ won’t play, but I think if he does, he’s not going to play more than 15-20 snaps maybe as a 3rd down back, because really, ATrain is not a good 3rd downer, period.

We are gonna need our passing game to continue to flourish since JJ has a slight tear above his joint and will probably be out for a few weeks.We should see lots of TT!

Rafael Vela
You can compare all you want that Bledsoe is looking like #8 JJ has some of the same numbers that Emmitt had at that stage but bottom line until Bledsoe win some rings, JJ win some rushing title there is no comparing the two teams period. I would take Irvin , Harper and Kevin Williams over Glenn ,KJ, Crayton any day of the week. Irvin is better than Glenn and KJ put together. Bledsoe is putting up great numbers one thing Aikman would play his best in the playoffs. Time will tell on Bledsoe. JJ is not looking like a top 10 back this season. You can blame the line all you want but his numbers are his numbers he hasn’t looked good for what every reason. He would have gotten over 100 last week if he didn’t get hurt but he didn’t get it. I believe in 13 career games he as been over 90 yards three times. In three games he has looked like the next coming but in the other 10 he has looked mediocre. What ever the reason is something needs to be done about it.

Andyz

Where’d you hear the specifics about JJs injury?

I too see the comparison between the Cowboys of this year and the early 90’s edition. I think we have better Veteran talent now that we did in 90 and 91, which is why we are more competitive. The youth on this team so far is a main reason we are not as consistent as we need to be. That is why we struggled to win the San Fran game, lost the Redskins and Oakland game. This team showed what they can do when they all come together and play up to their best against the Eagles. I hope consistency developes, if so, we will go far this year and for years to come.

Speaking of youth, Audi won rookie of the week
http://www.nfl.com/rookies/vote

Who’dve thunk it?

AW,

And I will compare all I want. How many rings did Aikman have at this time in his developement (years two and three of the Jimmy regime)? Zero. How many people were questioning Jimmy’s decision to bring him early into the Detroit playoff game in ’91 to replace the immortal Steve Beuerlein, who had led the team on the five game season ending winning steak and the playoff win over Chicago? A lot.

You’re completely missing the point. The parallels between those ‘90s teams and this team AT THE SAME POINT IN THEIR HEAD COACHES’ REBUILDING EFFORTS, meaning five games into year three, are looking eerily similar. You’re operating completely on hindsight. I’m not. I remember vividly that there were a lot of people screaming for Jimmy’s head when he a.) traded Herschel Walker; b.) stuck with Aikman and traded Walsh; c.) was only 6-5 eleven games into year three and had lost a tough game in Houston when Emmitt fumbled the ball in the Oilers’ red zone. NOTHING was obvious until the Super Bowl was won and then everybody would tell you that they could see it coming a mile away.

We’re five games into year three. We can’t really tell a thing. I’m looking for signs that this team might be able to produce RESULTS similar to those teams, which is all that any subsequent team can do. The rapid influx of young people tells me they just might be on the same track.

Will Bledsoe be Aikman. No? But that’s Parcells point. It’s impossible to recreate that team player for player. But you can re-create a team in philosophy and in overall talent. And the parallels are looking favorable.

As for the Julius Jones is dirt argument, yawn. Emmitt was special, but was he ever the same after he pile drove himself into the Solder Field turf opening day ‘96? No he wasn’t. He was fearless before that game and he was always tentative leaping into a pile afterwards. Now, imagine he had done that in the Bears playoff game in ‘91. Do you have a Hall of Fame career? Think not. There’s a great deal of luck involved in being a runner. Is it Jones fault that Mark Simoneau dropped on his ankle like some guy from the WWF? Is it some inferior quality about him that sees him injured, or just bad luck?

Guys I’m sorry to be off topic, but I need some help. I am taking a class in Prague (Czech Republic) for the next month and I don’t have any idea where to see the Cowboys game. I know the NFL has a license agreement over here to show games, but I don’t think anyone here wants to watch American football. Does anyone know a place I could watch the game, a website that lists viewing locations in every city, or a station that broadcasts the game over the internet. I would be greatful if someone could help me out.

Guys I’m sorry to be off topic, but I need some help. I am taking a class in Prague (Czech Republic) for the next month and I don’t have any idea where to see the Cowboys game. I know the NFL has a license agreement over here to show games, but I don’t think anyone here wants to watch American football. Does anyone know a place I could watch the game, a website that lists viewing locations in every city, or a station that broadcasts the game over the internet. I would be greatful if someone could help me out.

AW wrote:

“JJ is not looking like a top 10 back this season. You can blame the line all you want but his numbers are his numbers he hasnâ€â"¢t looked good for what every reason. He would have gotten over 100 last week if he didnâ€â"¢t get hurt but he didnâ€â"¢t get it. I believe in 13 career games he as been over 90 yards three times. In three games he has looked like the next coming but in the other 10 he has looked mediocre. What ever the reason is something needs to be done about it.”

Okay, let’s stack those “mediocre” performances up against the legend’s:

Emmitt after 15 starts:
241att., 937yds., 3.9 avg., 48yd. long run, 11tds., 4 20+ yd. runs.

Julius after 12 starts:
309att., 1226 yds., 4.0avg., 53yd long, 10tds., 5 20+ yd. runs.

Hmmm. These lines look pretty similar to me. So can we assume you would have also labeled Emmitt a mediocrity after the ’90 season? Or does your ability to see the future prevent such mistakes?

I never was one to compare one team to a past team…I love our cowboys right now, I wouldnt change hardly anything, except maybe if I could magically wave a wand, maybe put Ladanian back there (I do love Jones, of course if LT ran all over everybody, maybe we wouldnt have any passing game…so no, I love our team, Ima cheer for em every game like I have every year since our last super bowl, if we dont make it, hey, it happens, well be there, go cowboys…by the way, in 1990 I was only 8, so I didnt REALLY catch on to the whole aspect of the whole team until like 93-94, but oh well…

actually I do like that last stat shown though, emmitt and jones first 15 starts…interesting, nice stat, thanx for showing us that…ugghh, they just showed Montanas touchdown to Dwight Clark against us, I get so sick of seein that

I like the comparison. I think its a testament for both coaches to their drafting abilities. While the 2004 draft has not looked as good as 03 or 05 (Bruce Thornton and Jacob Rodgers gone, verdict still out on Peterman), Parcells was still able to get two young playmakers in Crayton and Jones, Crayton in the 7th. We all know Jimmy’s stockpike of picks with the Hershall trade. And especially this year, Parcells seemed to pick out 5 starters

(cont….whoops)…..out 5 starters, with two looking like those ‘wave’ defenders (ratliff, ‘pepper’ johnson still a maybe) and a free agent steal (thompson). It’s been 4 games, but the future indeed looks promising, at least while Bill is heading the Cowboys.

Rafael Vela
I don’t know what emmitt on opening day in 96 has to do with anything. He still got the job done after that and still made TDs. And Emmitt won the rushing title in his second year I believe.

 How many rings did Aikman have at this time in his development (years two and three of the Jimmy regime)? Zero.

 Yes you are right but Bledsoe is not in his development, he is 33. This year is BP rebuilding year one. His first two years he didn’t change much if at all. So its not at the same point in their rebuilding efforts. When Jimmy came on he said he had a plan, 5 five years a SB he did in in 4. This team is so different from 91. What JJ getting hurt about? Its not like in the other games this year he was running wild. What I saw in a young Emmitt was a player that could make all the runs, I don’t see that in JJ. Like at the film at his biggest games all his big plays came from that draw. And what play has been missing this year??? that draw. But its not like JJ is a vent so things can change.

Guys,

Dont forget about Beriault. If he can cover, then the secondary will be nasty. we could play like when Woody was here. line up both safeties close enough have one or both drop back into coverage. what a deadly combo that could be.

Raf,

Aikman ran for 350 or so yards his rookie year, Bledsoe has never come close to that. So no, Bledsoe can’t run as well as Aikman ever did.

Tyson Thompson’s average per carry is no better than Julius Jones.

Rafael Vela
nice stats but this is year two for JJ. He has had two training camps. Emmitt looked good for a rookie and then in his second year he looked all pro. Going by your stat it would look like JJ will go on to be better than emmitt. Emmitt could run on good teams JJ hasn’t showed us that yet but was on his way this past sunday. I haven’t seen JJ made all the run yet have you???

Hoo EEE!!!!
We got us a hot topic here!!!

Raf,

Don’t get me wrong, I think Bledsoe is very close to Aikman this season. Just that I remember Aikman running better than Bledsoe.

I saw Bledsoe throw that 65-70 yd bomb to TGlenn and I see the zip he can put on the out pass, so I don’t worry about his arm at all.

It is hard to compare the three legends to what we have now. For me it is almost impossible to remember exactly what they were like before they went on to make us all so proud.

And that is what it is folks, pride.

I remember when Emmitt would take his helmet off after making a crucial TD and we could see with our own eyes the fire of a champion.

I remember when he knelt down on that star against the Giants and went out a destroyed them with one arm.

I remember Troy Aikman holding in the pocket until his reciever released and hitting him on the spot just before he got smoked by a lineman.

I remember Micheal Irvin making catch after catch in that playoff game against the Niners and almost beating them on his own.

I remember how it felt to be a Cowboys fan at the time: Proud.

I watched my team and it’s three stars win like champions and that my friends is impossible for me to forget, and damn near impossible to see around.

Aikman didn’t have the happy feet that Bledsoe has, and a much quicker release.

JJ has played a full 16 games so he hasn’t played
two seasons.

Sorry i meant to say jj has played a full 16 games yet.

One more time JJ has not played a full 16 games so
its a little early to compare him.

Interesting how many of you forget Aikmans favorite
target wasn’t Irvin but novacek.

The big difference from previous teams is the mental toughness. We have won 2 of three games on the road and stayed with teams until the end of the game. Last year, it was frustarting watching teams come from behinfd in the second half. Now we are the ones coming from behind and the defens has played better in the second half (other than the washington game). I don’t think we will be a SB contender until Ware bulks up a little.

I think if we beat the Giants on Sunday, we’re an early contender to play in the Superbowl.

Why not? We will have beaten our conference’s current champ, the Eagles, and our division’s current leader, the Giants. (Skins I ain’t worried about.) We don’t have to go through NE or Pittsburg or Indy to make it to Detroit in Feb. Atlanta you say? Please.

But if this team is stangely similiar to the 90’s Cowboys (which I don’t see or care about, really, btw) then we might just get beat in the 2nd round this year, Superbowl next year, I guess…. huh.

Novacek = Witten!

Play along here, Becker. Aparently we’ve all gone comparison crazy….

Hey, guys- Has anyone else noticed that Parcells is kinda combing his hair like Jimmy did? Weird, huh? OH!! And Jerry DID get a face lift, so he does look kinda like he did back in 1991! Wow. I’m really getting creaped out by all these craaazzy similiarities.

Oh, well. I guess it is kinda neat to think that our current team may achieve the same greatness as their 90’s Cowboys counterpart. Tell you what, if our young defensive stars grow up fast enough, since they’re sure to be around the next 4 years, maybe we’ll have a shot at that THREE-PEAT we shoulda gotten back in ’94!

noooo!!!! this has gone to far you guys…3peat??? we’re 3-2!!!!! I’m just going to stay out of this one

Emrdog,

I’m just screw’n around here, man. Just having some fun with all this 90’s comparison mess that everybody’s so high on right now.

Nobody’s call’n 3-peat!

(But we can dream….)

I will say that by seasons end this team should be a BEAST……a beast from da East!

Rich,

Keep please the conversation strictily football as this is a very serious football site.

… Damn.

Okay… I guess I ruined THAT interesting topic. Sorry.

Well, since I’ve got the blog to myself here- after having chased everybody off….

Know what’s always pissed me off? Some of the Greatest Superbowls NEVER played are without question: Cowboys vs. Raiders.

Anyone ever think about that?

These are two of probably the coolest, most storied franchises in all of football, and their contrasts go beyond their uniforms. Each team franchise has their own mystique, with winning teams that have spanned decades. And yet, they’ve never gone at it in the Championship game.

So many times they’ve just missed each other in the Championship game. Either the Cowboys made it but the Raider lost their conference championship game or vise-versa. Coulda happened in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s (stupid Buffalo!).

Anyway. Just thought I’d sound off about that. Any opinions about who’d have won if these teams had met up during their respective Superbowl runs?

Any other great Superbowls that never happened? Dallas vs. Oilers comes to mind….

Rafael, I apologize for all these people who can’t get a general comparison and want to nitpick at he details. Not much was said about what I think are the two obvious differences: 1) Our offensive line then was DOMINATING, not “Good.” Right now we have a good line WITH NO POTENTIAL to be dominant! Only Pettitti is young and has potential. 2)The other thing is that this defensive line cannot produce pressure in obvious passing situations without blitzing. Hopefully Ware can learn to be a Haley clone in the next couple of years. Both of these points go to the core of football, boring as it ti-you win up front in the trenches. 3) And, I’m afraid we may be closer to the team that went 7-7 and was in the hunt before finishing 7-9 (after an Aikman injury?). You like to use analogies-if the eason is like a boxing match I think this team is young and is going to run out of steam in the final rounds, esp. with all the road division games. Or have that one injury it can’t overcome. I hope I’m wrong! At leas we’re competitive and it’s fun to be a Cowboys fan again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So in other words Raf your saying we look like SuperBowl contenders right now giving the same comparison for our early RING years?

     I say YOU DAMN RIGHT……I said this in earlier blogs but it’s always down played and ignored as this is too soon or we have gaps in this area and that area……and oh look how many rookies we got…..Some of you argued to say our running game is too suspect to do anything especially thinking SuperBowl bound……Look know further than New England before they obtained Cory D… Their running game remained suspect even after winning rings…..If it was’nt why get a Cory D. Yet they won, but understanding without at least a decent running game they were’nt going to win all the time…….

          Your looking at a Superbowl bound team right now that is being beat when we do get beat by small margins and doing a heck of job beating really good teams…….If you ask me our talent wise overall is better then those years we won…….Give Bledso the same looks as Aikmen who has a better down field arm and he will kill you……..Give open holes and block for Jones like we did for Emmitt who is slower then Jones was we got something…..And last but not least throw to a tru possession reciever such as K Johnson like Irvin but with less speed ….oh but then making up the speed with a tru speedster such as Glen and guess what you have The New SuperBowl Champs…….

Sorry I forgot to campare Witten and Novie……Oh no need you guys see that I know…..

What I meant to say at the end was………………..

Sorry I forgot to campare Witten and Novie……Oh know need you guys see the same thing I see…….

Larry, Larry, Larry,
                               7-7 ….Stop smoking that ESPN analysist theory, because your chocking on your thoughts of “what have I seen you do Lately”….The Cowboys are the truth this year by far and to hear you guys that proclaim to be fans doubt are abilities even though you’ve seen them displayed on good teams baffles me………

I guess when they say just keep watching and you will see means the only proof you guys will believe is when their standing at the ceremony holding up the trophy…………….This year and next are our years trust me…..I ’ve seen enough of the BOYS to know when the cylinders are clicking or when their just blowing smoke……………….

Raf,

This year’s version of the Cowboys would have to improve in two critical areas to mirror the Championship teams of the 90’s. 1) The offense needs to show consistancy converting on 3rd down and short. 2) The defense needs to stop the big play. … In 1992 Dallas converted 41.8% and allowed their oppenents to convert 3rd downs 27.2% of their chances. The next year Dallas converted 41.9% of their 3rd down chances. .. Ironically Dallas has converted on 44.4% (a very impressive number) of their chances this year, but its the 3rd down and short plays that worry me. It just seems to me that in the 90’s, if it was 3rd and short, it was in the bag. I don’t have that type of confidence in this team ….. yet.

For all you dreamers……just imagine the current edition with a better than average to dominant offensive line. We’d not only convert 3rd and short….we could have a sane conversation about SB’s sooner rather than later. Right now it’s out of the question.

i don’t see it as out of the question…………we just ROLLED the Eagles……….the defending NFC Champion……….New England looks beatable……….Pitt? is wounded and not all that great anyway….Atlanta is struggling and has a slew of injuries on defense…….Vick has already missed two games………..we already beat SD……….I think there is also a shift in power from the AFC back to the NFC………..we are not that far away from Philly, NE, Indy…….they may still have better overall teams………but on any given Sunday……….this team can beat anybody………if they bring it like last week…………..SB ain’t out of the question………in fact if we can win this division……….the NFC East I think we will be in as good as shape as any…………the offensive line played pretty good last week……….Rivera shut down there main guy……….Petitti was good against Kearse…….I would like to see us have a better push on the o line when Running the ball……….funny I always thought run blocking was easier but we seem to be pass protecting better than run blocking………

While I ain’t saying Super Bowl and agree we are another year and another draft away from being an elite team…………..I don’t see too many teams that much better than us……….and none with the youth movement we got in our favor………..we have the best coach in football……….and we got a QB who is playing his best season ever and well on his way to a PRO BOWL………..why not the Super Bowl too?

If we win the NFC East we can win the Super Bowl. We might see Atlanta, Philly, Tampa in the playoffs………..we can beat any of those teams if we play like we did last week. Atlanta I think is going to start struggling with all the injuries piling up on Defense. This team should continue to improve on offense and defense. The oline looked to be coming together last week………did ya notice the rushing yardage against the eagles? Plus a passing attack? We have not even unleashed Peerless Price yet……….we seem to have depth at RB……..something we lacked last year………..I say if Drew Bledsoe is still standing and plays all 16 we are in the playoffs with a bye a week and a home game!!!

Jon:
I’ll expand your idea, if Bledsoe, TGlenn, the OLine, Ware and the Safeties stay healthy for the whole season and playing at the level of this past Sunday, they could face the playoffs with a bye. Those are a lot of variables.

Keeping the record I posted in his due time, 10-6 and a Wild Card ticket to the P’s.

Other than the positions I posted, I guess we have the depth to survive (as in Nguyen missing last game and DLine depth).

Jon,

I agree with everything you say. It just seems like our Oline is so up and down as opposed to consistently solid that along the way it will cost us too many games. You are absolutely right, “on any given Sunday” we can play with and beat any of the teams people say are top tier. We just saw it last week. That inconsistency will also allow some lower tier teams to play with us and win more than they should.

I think my only disappointment with this team is the Allen/Adams combo. They can be so dominant yet seem to make more “rookie” (mostly penalties at critical times) mistakes than the younger players.

Oh, BTW, for those who thought in the past and continue to do so, we do have some really old and slow guys at receiver, that’s why we have 6 receptions of 40+ yards tying Dallas for 1st in the League with Pittsburgh. Me thinks that Glenn is really old but the other perception must be erased and may have some gas left in his tank. And Price hasn’t even played more than some snaps!

Chandus,

I have no issues with the current abilities of Glenn, Keyshawn, or Drew. (Add LA to that list, too.) My concern with them is simply that we may not have those great abilities for long. Hopefully, they all make it through the season uninjured. But time is going to catch up with each of them someday—perhaps shortening the window for us to win Super Bowls.

Still, love ’em today!

hater,

I agree Allen and Adams should be the best G and T combo in the NFL and sometimes they play like it, and sometimes they don’t. I don’t get that either. I was hoping Adams would be more Dominant like Erik Williams in his heyday but have yet to see it consistently from a guy that BP called potentially the best tackle in football. I did not think Allen deserved Pro Bowl last year. I am glad he stuck around and he is at times as good as guard as their is in the NFL but it would be unbelievable what a team we would have if Allen and Adams played to their full potential. If that happened………Julius Jones would have close to a 2000 yard season and Thompson Barber and Thomas would add another 500 between them. We could run on any down like in the early nineties when handing off to Emmit was as good an option as passing to Michael or Jay. If that happens this team will be dominant once more and winning a lot more games with scores like last week.

Jerry Rice the greatest reciever ever to lace up a pair of cleats was never the fastest guy on the field. We are fine at WR for now, as long as KJ and TG are healthy……Crayton keeps developing…….I wonder how Copper is doing……..I thought he was pretty good late last year. But we do need to add a good wideout to the roster eventually……..probably sooner than later………Key and Terry won’t play for much longer. I think it takes some recievers a year or two to develop so we should add a talented player in the draft next year. Looking around the league I really don’t see too many rookie wideouts burning it up this year. I don’t think Bill Parcells puts anymore importance on wr than Bill Belichek does……I think they just look for good hands guys that are smart players more so than the speed or size guys. Patriots don’t have a great wideout to mention yet have 3 super bowls one without a very good running back. Pretty amazing really……..

If Jones doesn’t play Sunday I think we must play Price and destroy them throwing the ball.

lou,
I agree! if you cant run then pass it!The boys obviously have enough weapons to air it out,but something tells me that Bill is not gonna change anything drastically.I think you might see something similar to the Philly game just because the fact that new yorks offense really sucks,I expect well executed plays on a NY defense that is struggeling,and Drew will pick them apart.I also expect alot of big plays,and if you ask me i think Julius Jones will play,he will be active but knowing bill its gonna be a last minute thing so the G-men dont spend all there time preparing for JJ including that there coming off a bye week,and the only team in the nfl to have 9home games those bastards!with that in tact they better damn have that record they have other wise they would be a disgrace,and any way dont count out JJ he is young and that means will heal fast,and besides he has shown his toughness!I expect him to play

sorry i caught that i said new yorks offense really sucks,i meant to say defense

chandus by the way i think your gay

Jesse
I hope JJ doesn’t play so he can heal. I think TT is going to break a long run off this Sunday.

Remnamt
lol

AW,
yeah i was thinking about that too,and yeah your right let him heal and then he can have breakout games like last year when he came back from the injury atleast im hoping,honestly i think that before the season begin everyone put to much pressure on him to continue where he left off and comparing him to “his greatness”(Emmitt),including bill was giving him complements which he usually doesn’t do that to his players and he’s the only player at camp that i think bill didnt critisize he did the opposite but didnt brag of him either im not saying that either,but like i said your right let him heal he’s too valuable,and i think its a good opportunity to now see what the A-Train has to offer to this team,cause now he has no excuses he’s had enought time to learn the system in and out especially since he’s been sitting in the bench i would atleast hope he’s studying plays and the o-lines habbits while watching from the sideline that way he has a clue how to pick his holes and which types of running plays best suit him

Remnamt:
Well, it’s a free country, you can think and say that the Earth is flat and you wouldn’t be right. Same goes for you AW.

NYG so far looks like the San Diego of the Dan Fouts era………gotta outscore the opponent cuz you cant stop em. However, they do have an offense and a lot of weapons on that side of the ball. I think their secondary is suspect and we should be able to run and pass.

One thing about airing it out……as some have said……..dropped passes stop the clock………we still want ball control and time of possession like against Philly. Keep all those weapons on the bench and then when they are in release WARE on ELI.

I do have one wish for this game………I want Roy to put a smackdown on Shockey and for us to shut him out like we did two years ago. You know Bill Parcells still has a bone to pick with him, and I hope the D mans up and puts the hurt on Tiki, Eli, Plexiglass, and Shockey!

I think TNEW is going to have a pick for a TD on a Manning this week!

although JJ is obviously our most versatile and most talented back I don’t think we have too much to worry about with Thompson, Thomas, Barber and Polite around. And next time we try a reverse with a wide reciever make it Crayton or Glenn not KJ!

Go COWBOYS!!!

Chandus,
:) so by you saying that!! “you are gay”!!!wow i was only kidding,but i guess thats the only way the truth comes out,by accusing!!LOL

Jon,
I like the way way you said release ware on eli! that sounded so cool…it sounded like your releasing a pit bull or something and saying attack..attack…sweeeeet!!

Remnamt,
LOL!!!!

Chandus:
can i call you Ms.Chanandeler

Hey Chandus,
Aren’t you the one that thinks John Madden is hott!! in a two piece bikini

Jon
I don’t think we will miss JJ that much if he doesn’t play because its not like he has been running wild this year. But we will find out if he doesn’t play.

Remnamt:
daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannng!
any way now about football,i think the cowoys will destroy eli and by the time ware is done with him he’s gonna look like a hockey player with his teeth knocked out,maybe then he can try out for the NY Rangers lol

Jesse/Remnamt, off to nap time so the adults can talk now.

I guess to get this back on topic, prediction time: this being an even week, it’s time for another bad game. This time, the offense stinks for no apparent reason; many will blame TT and (of course) Bledsoe. Fortunately, the D stops ’em most of the time and gets a timely turnover or two. Thus, Giants 13 Cowboys 16.

Remnant,
Excuse me you got no business firing at me! im sticking to football so dont dare call me out,other than that you take a nap with that lame prediction!!

anyway aside of remnant having some personal issues,I think the only thing that concerns me is TT holding on to the ball on sunday,and other than that i dont doubt that he will have good runs and good plays,just hang on to the damn ball,quote:“Drew bledsoe” lol

Interesting that “Jesse”, “Jesse New York” and “Remanmt” all post within minutes of each other on three separate threads.

Remnant:
its interesting that you want to accuse me,my name is jesse and i live in texas and dislike new york no offense to “jesse new york” sorry about calling your prediction lame,but i dont like the way your coming about and accusing me,im logged into this blog all day in my office at work so i don’t miss a beat,and again it upsets me that your accusing me im fairly still new to this blog

Sorry if I touched a nerve, Jesse, just thought I spotted a trend. Guess not.

As for my prediction, yep, it makes little sense. Except they’re coming off a spectacular game/win and due for a letdown, the Giants had two weeks to prepare, the Giants saw how we neutralized Kearse so they can predict what we’ll do to Strahan, they have two 300+ pounders manning their interior D-Line, they shut down the Patriots offense, and JJ may not play. Alsom our defense is discovering its strengths in the nickel and in ever-more exotic blitzes.

So low scoring on both sides despite the lofty stats. But our veteran QB should be able to make just a few more smart plays than their young one.

hey guys, keyshawn and drew was enough cowboys fightin aight, keep this all civil, I think the giants game isnt gonna be one sided or anything, but we got it, our defense is gonna hold JUST enough to give us the edge, I mean after all, Randy Moss 0 td’s, T.O. 0 td’s, not to mention, Tomlinson, held in check, Portis, held in check, Barlow, held in check…people dont give our d enough credit, but we all do, and with the Giants weak secondary and overall defense, well get enough plays to win…umm…Ima go with…

Cowboys-24 Giants 20-realistically, really I like…

Cowyboys-27 Gaints 13-well see…

Remnant,
its cool dont worry all forgotten,but really good points there and sound level and fair without taking either sides.I expect a little more scoring that though cause the fact that they both have weaknesses on defense,i think the reason they stunned NE was because there alot like philly which proved last weekend that teams are more prepared for those type of offenses this year than last,but i expect more points than predicted.Either way the boys got this one down due to more play makers on defense

Jesse,

Agree on the play makers and hope to see us score all day long…. Back-to-back blowouts sure would make the mediots sit up and notice!

Check this out from espn

The league’s offensive rookie of the year in 2001, Thomas has fallen precipitously down the Dallas depth chart, has carried just nine times for 14 yards, and has been shopped around to other teams for the past two weeks. At age 27, one might think a team in need of a back should take a chance on the “A-Train,” but Dallas has gotten few nibbles for the five-year veteran runner.

Hey, fellas let’s keep this about football…this is killing me…who cares what we say on here??? I mean it’s not like if we break down the team and their games enough it’s going to make them successful…who cares…we’re having fun…just speculating.

1992 Super Bowl Champion Cowboys vs 2005 Cowboys

Time of possesion: 33:57 – 33:22
3rd down efficiency: 41.8 – 44.4
Rushing yards per game: 133 – 125
Rushing yards allowed per game: 78 – 96
Points per game: 25.6 – 24.2
Sacks per game: 2.75 – 3.20
Average yards per play: 5.5 – 5.4

Pretty close comparisons huh?