What They Did on Their Mid-Season Vacation

The Cowboys will finish 11-5 after losses to Denver, and Giants.

Wow! A first. I disagree with you Rafael.

The whole premise that each team takes the bye week differently may be so, but there is no way in heck you could come to the conclusions you did, based on the “work” during the bye week.

Washington had their bye week in Week 3! Gonna give the guys a week off to recuperate after two games? Do you really find any trends that you didn’t know about in the preseason? Heck, they were 2-0 going into the bye.

The Giants? They were 3-1 going into their bye in week 5. The scoring stats are skewed because they got blown out by SD (45) and shutdown Washington(0) and SF (6). They beat bad teams and struggle with good ones. Dallas had 4 turnovers and Denver 5, I think. Otherwise, each would have been much higher totals. No, their D is still very suspect.

The Eagles? Come on…yes, they gave their players the whole week off, basically. But they haven’t been the same all year and it’s not because of bye week preparation. It’s because Donovan McNabb has been hit on more than the Carolina Cheerleaders. And that other guy thing.

Fighter 15,

You can razz me for a false dichotomy, but I am amazed at how the Eagles didn’t use their bye. As you’ve said, their biggest problem is that they’re setting McNabb up to get killed. When you get two weeks to work on it and still choose to neglect the run, that’s not using your bye.

Now, I see C Hank Fraley’s out for the year. Think Mike Zimmer will throw every middle blitz he has in his playbook at the Eagles in the first 20 minutes?
If I’m LaRoi Glover, I’m salivating.

I think dallas’ schedule this season is jacked up!!! They play what is it? Like, 3 games in 14 or 15 days coming up. I’m really concerned about that stretch taking the wind out of this bye. I do think this bye has come at a good time but I think they really need this win to keep any improvment/momentum going. If they beat Philly, then they have a “gimme” with the lions (I stress the quotations on the gimme)…after that they can focus on the rough stretch coming up. But I have to disagree with a loss against denver. I really think dallas can beat denver especially at home on thanksgiving…I hope I didn’t just give dallas a leon lett jinks or something…

whoa!! I just read that carolina panthers cheerleaders comment…that was gold man!!!!

Good catch. I saw that also.

Between McNabb’s immobility and the loss of (arguably) the best lineman, this game may digress into a death watch. I agree. Zim will bring the house until the Eagles prove they can beat it.

Over/Under is 3rd quarter for Detmer appearance.

Defense!! As in defense wins championships!! Dallas now stands at #5 in total defense and #7 in scoring defense. But the last five games the Boys have been incredible. Expect this trend to continue in the second half.

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING compliments a good defense more than a healthy running game. Riveria finally looks to be the Pro-Bowl player we all expected when we signed him this off-season. Petitti and Tucker played the best games of their careers their last time out. While Larry has been more than his All-Pro self, by stepping up to be the leader of this group. The end result is the offensive line is starting to come together, and that should mean plenty of oportunity for the three headed monster we’ll call J.B.T. (that is Jones-Barber-Thompson). One thing is for certain, if the three young RBs are successful running the ball, it will put Bledsoe and the passing game in an opportunistic situation. The key to the success of the offense in the second half is to have Bledsoe pass when the Cowboys want to attack, and stay out of situations where they need to pass.

If a self evaluation is done it might prove wise to have practiced getting the screen play down to perfection. If there is one play that Dallas has failed to execute and shot themselves in the foot with, it is the screen pass. A couple illadvised holding penalties brought back two potentially game changing plays. .. More self evaluation might conclude that if Dallas could have “closed the deal” with a better 2nd half running game, then the Boys might be sitting at 7-1, possibly 8-0. We can’t go back and fix yesterday, but you can prepare for tomarrow!!

With all the stories of the “Wounded Eagles” and how the Eagles will take their frusterations out on the Cowboys, expect the Boys to come flying out into the second half with a chip on their shoulders. This game is huge for them!! Dallas will bury McNabb with all sorts of blitzes up the middle!!

Run more … more effectively … more times … more efficiently!! Just run more!! Ground and pound and win with our defense!! Use the screen play as a weapon!! Use the passing game to keep defenses honest, especially on 1st down. Dallas has run the ball 53% of their plays, I am guessing the target might be 55-60%.

… do that and 7-1 or 8-0 in the second half is a possibility.

EricR,

I don’t know if the percentage of runs will go up.
What I’m hoping for is the average yards per run
to go up .8 to 1.0 yards in the second half.

Rafael Vela
Come on now what games are you watching? 4 games is year which is half the offence was a no show period. 13,13,16,10 points in those games where was TG? S Smith is a playmaker Moss is a player both of the them, TO playmaker, Glenn not playmaker. The numbers for Glenn and Bledsoe look good but they havenâ€â"¢t been able to put point up in half of the games. Glenn is not on Mossâ€â"¢s level so go somewhere with that little fact. Moss has been hurt this year or he would have better numbers. Iâ€â"¢m not saying Glenn is not good but he is not a number 1. In the Washington game both teams had max protection. Glenn scored on a trick play Moss score twice just by beaten us. That is a playmaker. Maybe if we had a better line Glenn could be more of a playmaker but I wouldnt call him one right now. Do you really think Glenn is a #1?

the best bye weeks are on Lakes in Minnesota…….unless you are the crew evidently.

The best ON weeks are in the Ladies Restroom wherever the Carolina Panthers are playing.

I think if we can come out of the next three games 3-0, which is highly possible, then we’d have another mini-bye after Thanksgiving.

The only game that really worries me going into the second half is the Carolina game.

I say we go 11-5

http://CowboysCentral.com

Rafael,

I believe that with the lead in the second half of games, the runs will go up. Plus traditionally, down the stretch run, in the cold whether running takes a more predominate roll in games. .. So I am hoping that we have a few second half leads and the running game can put the games away.

AW,

13, 3, and 10 points posted by the mighty Eagles offense in 3 of their 7 games with T.O. … So the fair question is where was Owens? The playmaker?

I’m confused, EricR. Aren’t you the same guy that was complaining about the playcalling being too conservative? If not, my apologies.

And I agree with you both.

FYI-

Sports Illustrated predicted an 11-5 finish with an NFC East champsionship, wins in the playoffs over Philly and Seattle and a championship game loss to Carolina

Parcells said today’s practice was not good, except for Terrance Copper, and that the rest looked tired and dull. So he asked them if he should work them harder or give them more rest next practice, but he said they all just stood silently like penguins. I hope it’s better tomorrow.
I’m not going to say that Tucker is better than Adams, but Flozell was limping several times before the Giants’ game, and Tucker’s run blocking may have less finesse, but more agression.
A 3rd(?) catch for Peerless Price would be nice, if they can work on that before Monday.
The Eagles’ game in Denver looked ridiculous, but at least they were able to try a few more runs against Redskins, in a closer game.
Jamal Jackson was the backup center who replaced Fraley, and the other Eagles’ backup center is Trey Darilek, freshly up from the practice squad.
The Eagles 1st string line seemed incapable of run blocking, and maybe these practice squad linemen are about the same. The result could be too much of the wrong kind of excitement for McNabb. I hope the showers clear by 9 pm, because rain often seems to drag both teams down to a level more influenced by random chance. I haven’t seen Suisham mentioned again, and that’s another unknown, although I did hear Parcells say Suisham had improved in some recent practices.

aw,

Glenn has been a playmaker since his rookie year. He’s had some years where he was out with personal problems or injuries, but why are you saying he’s not a #1? You seem to be basing it on size and reputation. I’m basing it on production. Glenn had a 70 yd. TD in the Redskins loss. That’s a big play. What does it matter what the protection is? He had big plays in the Raiders loss. The only game where I can’t think of him factoring in the play was Seattle.

I watched Glenn beat Newman and Henry silly every day in practice for a week. Do you think they suck? He’s been beating good corners in the season too. Charles Woodson, both the Eagles corners, Shawn Springs. If you can beat people deep and short consistently, I don’t care how old or short you are. You’re the driver of the passing game.

Maybe AW can define “playmaker”. I’ve haven’t understood people on this blog who constantly dog TG. He consistently makes big plays for us. He may be penalized by the fact we have a balanced passing game….but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a playmaker. He’s also been a model citizen since he’s been here. If people want TO & Moss types as their “playmakers”, I say you can have them. Neither of them elevates their teams.

TG has been the only playmaker we have had.

He goes down last year and our passing game went to crap. He came in as a castaway from GB and has been trouble free under BP.

Somebody’s been watching too many ESPN highlights instead of the Cowboys games. Glenn has awesome hands and separation speed……..other than that one game by Crayton he has been our playmaker. Hey Moss, Smith, Mohammed, TO, the other Moss yeah they make plays………but how many of them are getting 19 yards a grab! That is definition of a playmaker!!!

All this talk is great but I can hardly wait to see the game. I expect we drive a stake through the Eagles hearts in this one and as a result they stay in the basement. This is one team that will be dangerous coming out of the bye. We are rested and if I know parcells ready for the second half of the season.

notice how they the schedule makers gave it to us again, after a bye week we should have a sunday game lined up, the extra day off only helps the eagles and hurts us for the next 2 games we got lined up.

NYGHater,

I think a definition of playmaker is needed as well.

Raul,

did you say you thought that TGlenn will be beaten out by PPrice next year?

If Glenn is such a factor, are they getting the ball to him enough? Carolina’s offense is pretty much Delhomme to SSmith and now they are 6-2 and no-one has stopped them yet. Are we not getting TGlenn the Damn ball enough?

Midswat,

WTF??

Way way off the subject, but the article by Spagnola concerning Bill Parcell’s brother Don is very worthwhile reading. Not being the emotional type (as I would guess most here aren’t), I was touched and moved.

Let me start by saying that I don’t know whats going to happen in the second half of the year. I don’t think Parcells knows, for that matter.

I will say that the next three games are crucial. If we can go 2-1 or 3-0, we will be playoff team and probably win the East. If we go 0-3 or 1-2, its going to be a struggle.

The other big issue is injuries. No one can predict them. Now we have withstood some injuries to this point. Some areas we have some depth, some areas we dont. I can tell you that I would be rather nervous if one of the following went down: Bledsoe, Allen, Rivera, Witten, Henry, or Roy. To a lesser degree, I would be concerned about losing: T Glenn, Keyshawn, Glover, Ellis, Ware, and Newman. Again, these things can’t be predicted and they can/will have a big impact on the remainder of the season.

If we can be ok on the injury front, I have a feeling that this team is going to come on and develop into what Parcells wants. They play a tough schedule from here out, the toughest in the NFL, I believe. But if they can make it through that and into the playoffs, they will be battle-tested and a very tough out in the playoffs.

rha,

you’re right. That is a touching article.

It’s gonna be a tough week for BP.

AlanTdot,

Yep.

LEST WE FORGET

Dear Veterans,

I would like to express my deep appreciation for your dedicated service and the many sacrifices you made on behalf of our nation. Your efforts have played a vital role in the long and difficult process of helping others know freedom and democracy. I am sure I speak for many grateful people of our nation when saying “thank you” for the sacrifices you made on our behalf.

me too, thank you Derrick.

Well said Derrick

Yes it`s nice to sit here & go back & forth talking about football.
But let us not forget all the people who gave their lives so we could be free!

Remember when Irvin got hurt in Philly(which ended his career) and the fans jeered and clapped? Well,kuddos to Irvin for ’baiting" his dim-witted comprade TO into dissing his team,QB,and organization! Old cowboys never die,they only get revenge…lol

LOL…never thought of that shawn…that might be right…

Nice theory, But quite frankly I don`t think Irvin was smart enough to think of it ! But I`ll take it anyway.

Derrick, rha, Sean & Jesse New York:
As a vet who has served I thank you for your words. I would like to send a special thank you to the young men who are in harm’s way right now. They are fighting the worst kind of war. Hope they are headed home soon to be with their families.

On the subject of a no. 1 receiver, why does Glenn not qualify? I don’t quite understand what you want from a receiver that Glen does not provide. He can get deep, thus stretching the defense. He makes catches while going deep thus requiring the defensive coordinator to scheme to control him. He makes first down catches which makes the defender who is covering him have to respect both his speed and his versatility. Are you sure he is not a No. 1 receiver. As far as being as good as Moss, or Terminal Orifice. Who really cares. Their negatives far out weigh what they bring to their respective teams. You can have all the stats in the world but if you do not help your team become a cohesive unit then you are just spitting into the wind. Those of you from West Texas will understand what that will get you. We have had our flamboyant receivers in Big D and for the most part they have been not as devisive as the two afore mentioned bad boys. If T.O. is signed in the off season to the Cowboys and he finds within himself a way to eschew the negative part of his professional repetoire then bring him on. I may not like his attitude but his ability is undeniable. I do not believe that it is a wise move, but I am not Parcells. He has taken bad boys in the past and made them effective team players. Never say never. Just the musings of a long time Cowboy fan.

Tommy,

I totally agree with you !!

If you have Great Speed, Great Hands, Know at all times where the sideline is, Are conscious of the clock & Run Precise Routes, In my opinion you are a #1 Receiver !!!

Tommy,

I totally agree with you !!

If you have Great Speed, Great Hands, Know at all times where the sideline is, Are conscious of the clock & Run Precise Routes, In my opinion you are a #1 Receiver !!!

Of course I am talking about Terry Glen !

jesse new york,

c’mon, you need have more faith in #88! i wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out that he did it on purpose, but did anybody else think irvin seemed to side with t.o. a bit?? a wide-receiver thing?

we’re gonna take philly’s head off on monday and give it to bill parcells, who’s going through a rough time this week…

GREAT NEWS!!! Every Moron capable of using a word processing program or holding a microphone is picking the eagles to win Monday night. These mediots are so consistently bad, that I take this as a great sign. I can’t wait to hear if the Sunday night ESPN crew has anything to say about the game. Bunch of friggin morons. (I have finally resorted to muting the tv during the Sunday night game just to maintain my sanity)

I can see this turning into a blow out if the Cowboys don’t let them get any traction in the 1st qtr. The wind will run out of their sails pretty quick. Has anybody seen how long their injury report is? I’m just hoping Henry is back in at least a partial role.

J-on ESPN website 3 out of 5 columnist are picking the Cowboys. You’re right though about them being morons.

I think the Cowboys are going to shut the eagles down to 10 points. The key is if the Offense can put up more than 13.

fighter,

No not me. My person belief is each game and each opponent brings different obsticles, so game planning changes from week to week. .. I just think that Parcells would like to finish teams like they did Arizona, and will attempt “close out” games with a strong running game.

I think its sad how people dont support our troops, even if they dont believe in their cause. They’re fighting to bring freedom to people, just like we did about 300 years ago, so buck up and think about the risks they’re taking

Yes,thank-you to all the veterans on veterans day!on a lighter note I stopped by a local Exxon tigermart(convience store) and they have a sign that sez free cup of coffee every Monday if the Texans win,at 1 win they are really going out on a limb there…lol

haha juan valdez wont be working any overtime that’s for sure

First of all, I’d like to personally extend condolences to Bill Parcells. His personal loss certainly weighs heavily on his mind. Obviously, his way of dealing with his grief is with a determined focus upon getting the ’Boys ready for MNF. Now, it is up to the ’Boys to help him with his grieving by beating the living crap out of the Eagles and going on to win each and every remaining game … including the SB!

To our veterans the world over, thank you for the jobs you do. It is not easy for anyone to leave job, country, and family to put yourselves in harm’s way in order to protect us here at home. If it were not for your efforts, we could very well be fighting the terrorist onslaught in our own streets amoungst the rubble created by fanatics that seek Allah through the cold blooded murder of innocents. Frankly, it makes me sick to my stomach when I see the senselessness of their actions. Now I know there are those who will criticize the war and grouse about who did what to whom when. However, I challenge those who do that to stop and think about the few, non-sensational mediot reporting of soldiers being hugged and greeted by appreciative Iraqis for the job they are doing. What we are exposed to is the old tried and true headlines of “body count” … holdovers from Viet Nam. After considering both story lines, if you still want to criticize, then do so intelligently and not because of mediot influence peddling of political assassination.

Now, back to the ‘Boys. As I posted in another thread, the ’Boys have to be very alert come Monday. Supposedly, Philly is playing down the vengence factor and promoting the “get it together without T.O.” approach. In all seriousness, I don’t buy that load of BS. They are out to embarass the ‘Boys on their home turf to show the league (and T.O.) that they are still a contender for a playoff berth. Someone referred to them as a “wounded Tiger” and quite honestly, that’s how the ‘Boys should view this encounter with them. The ’Boys should win this one to show that they are for real and to announce to the league that they are constantly improving to a formidable opponent for any team. We see the pieces coming together with each week’s passing. Now it is time to put the warm-up behind us and go for it all without ever looking back.

sorry to be so outa the loop, but what is Bill Parcells’ personal loss???

His brother just died with a brain cancer. The funeral is scheduled for Monday I think.

Digger, you are right. The mediots are not to be taken literally, whether their topic is football, war, science, religion, or politics. Like everybody else, they have biases, but unlike most of us, they claim theirs do not affect their behavior. They are a lot like the Congressmen who argue that sticking their hands into lobbyists’ pockets doesn’t affect their votes. What a load, on both of their parts.

I am more open about my biases. I like good, tough, winning football. I prefer to see it coming from the Cowboys. I really strongly dislike the Eagles, and it would make me feel really good for about a week to see the Cowboys manhandle the Eagles on Monday. I don’t root for injuries, either—I want no excuses left for the ass-whipping I hope to watch the Cowboys administer. I don’t want easy victories (which won’t come Monday, anyway), just utter physical domination that breaks the Eagles’ spirit. That would sit about right.

Cowboy Bert …

Here, here! I, too, am a devout ‘Boys fan … even when they play badly. I’m not inclined to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” when they don’t perform up to my expectations. After all, we as fans, whether it be the ‘Boys or the Texans, always expect our teams to win. When they don’t, we feel the remorse and sometimes have to eat a little crow when our associates that have their favorite teams gloat over our misfortune.

BTW, ESPN has the ’Boys as a 2 point underdog for Monday. Somehow, taking the points might just be a good bet.

AlanTdot:

I think that because of the age difference, Price will replace Glenn. Just a personal opinion.

Glenn is scheduled to make $2M for 2006 and $2.25M for 2007 in salary. Price is 3 years younger and making $1.3M this year (1-year deal). If Glenn makes it through the season then I’ll be wrong but he’s had one full season since 1996, which is not a good track record.

In either case, I think that the WR corps will get younger next season.

T.O. and Keyshawn Johnson on the same team? Trying to share the same damn ball? That’d be a sight for sore eyes.

Dallas’ schedule the rest of the way is hard – Detroit is the easiest team on the schedule, and though inconsistent, they have occasional good games. Cowboys’ defense is good, and Parcells is a great coach, but the two keys are that:

 1) cowboys stay injury free, or almost injury free. I could see the cowboys suriving while losing just one of the players listed ealier, (maybe not Bledsoe) but two or more would be very hard to overcome; unless the rest of thier opponents suffer similar injury problems.

2) Dallas’ many rookies and younger players maintain their focus and concentration throughout a long, hard season. Every game has to be a 60-minute effort; as we he seen so often before. Especially considering that whenever the Cowboys get a lead they like to become extremely conservative in their play calling and put all the pressure on the defense – a very young defense.

my prediction:
@ Phi – W
vs. Det – W
vs. Den – L
@ NYG – W
vs. KC – W (tough call at this point, no more Priest)
@ Was – W (revenge)
@ Car – L
vs. Stl – W

11-5, wild card for sure, maybe NFC East winners. Depends on whether giants and skins pan out. I think skins will burn out in a month, you have to be careful with the giants, even though dallas won

Raf,

The only critical thing I have to say about Terry Glenn is that he hits the turf too much after the catch. Just like Rocket used to do. But I can’t blame him for it. I’m very impressed with him this year, and drafted him in every fantasy league.

Cash, Good points on Terry Glenn. I too am impressed with his near 19 yds per catch which, by the way, leads all NFC receivers. While not ranked among the top ten NFC recevers on number of catches, it’s what he does after the catch that’s impressive. Bledsoe spreads his passes evenly among Glenn, Johnson and Whitten averaging roughly 36 per. Now if Jones, Barber and Thompson continue their productive running game I envision a 11-5 season and a playoff berth….maybe even a Super Bowl apperance.

Raul………You don’t think Crayton takes over for Glenn? He has shown more so far than Price…….at least with the Cowboys.

Price is young I was wondering if they would sign him for next year too. I still hope Glenn stays healthy when he is healthy the offense has that guy sneaking and streaking down field………not sure if Price is as good as Glenn has been for us when healthy.

glad that Henry is healthy.

I dont think Price is on this team next year. The future is Crayton, maybe Copper, and we can still pick one or two players on the draft. I think we’re pretty much set on deffense except for maybe a safety and an extra linebacker.

We need to draft O-line men (2 – 3 maybe), a WR, see what happens with Beriault and Burnett and we should be in the superbowl pretty soon. That also depends on how long parcells decides to stay or who replaces him.

Jon:

Crayton has done great work in the slot. I think he’ll continue there next year – maybe move outside after another year of experience. I was talking strictly about Glenn/Price.

As a side note – isn’t it great to be talking about which one of the guys we have will stay instead of what holes we need to fill??

Jon:
I do think that Price was brought in as insurance replacement for Glenn coming down via injury, they play the same flanker spot, things didn’t turned that way this season, Crayton came down and Glenn’s still in one piece. But also, I don’t see Crayton with the kind of speed Glenn has and when you already have a guy in the other side which best known quality isn’t his speed you need a burner in the other side, that’s as easy as arithmetics.

It’s going to interesting to watch the rookie center for Philly(who has never played in an NFL game) handle Glover and Ferguson,that should be a matchup we should be able to exploit…….

Cash,

Glenn is not the most durable guy. I don’t blame him for ducking under the hits. He’s so fast, it’s good enough that he simply catches the ball most times.

Raf,

Agreed, if it keeps him healthy I’m all for it.