Instant Impressions

This was and remains a developmental year, so our expectations should be tempered by this reality. It’s the first consecutive losses in twelve games of a season when the possibility of the Cowboys going 11-5 was considered a very optimistic, if unrealistic, expectation. Now, we’re looking down on a 10-6, 9-7 season? At the beginning even 10-6 seemed a bit optimistic and 9-7 perhaps reasonable. If we go 8-8 or 7-9, we can take comfort in that the foundation is solid and we will have much to look forward to next season.

But, this season is by no means over! When you get punched, you punch back and you only learn that by getting punched! The Cowboys may not have played playoff-caliber offense today but if they can find their early season form, they can make it into and win in postseason. I just hope they donâ€â"¢t get anymore extended time off because they donâ€â"¢t respond well to it!

StarStruck,

I’m certainly not down on the team for being 7-5. I picked them to be 9-7 and said it would be a bullish 9-7 in that the arrow would be pointing up.

I still believe that. Whether they make the playoffs or not, I know this team is going to be a force next year. The defense is young and good and should get better. I don’t think the offense will struggle like this next year.

Rafael,
You have to think now that rivera’s back is still a problem, and at his age he may retire. do you have any info on our salary cap next year, assuming we sign james and whitten? What is the hit on rivera if he retires or is released?

As Parcells says, “Show Me Something”, I wonder what he is seeing right now in Julius, Gurode, Johnson (I know the surgery may be an issue, but this is not new) and Tucker (Pettiti is a rookie still so I think there will be inconsistensy and next year should be better). When Barber has been in this year, our offense appears more efficient. Additionally, although our defense is playing well, when do Williams and Newman specifically become free agents and won’t they command a significant cap number?

playoffs!!!, forget it, this team has far too many problems on the offensive line. I too thought this team would be a 8-8 or 9-7 team missing the playoffs but heading in the right direction, the defense is the strength of this team and will have to work on the offensive line in the offseason before this team can compete in the playoffs.

I still say Carolina is better than Seattle. They def win on a neutral field.

Rafael

My comments are not directed toward yours specifically, they just happen to coincide. I would have posted them on the last thread to counter some of the negative sentiments there. But the new thread was just sitting there, all clean and shiny! Iâ€â"¢m still a hopeful idiot to go 11-5, as Iâ€â"¢m sure we all will be to some extent. When I say, â€Å"look down on”, I mean looking down from the possibility of 11 & 5—an overachieving view.

Bottom line to all of this is, Seattle, NYG, Bears, Panthers are all showing up to play. Right now only half the Cowboys (Defense) is showing up. Our O-Line is not getting any better and I don’t think the management has made an effort focus on it. Until they do, our offense will play below average. Playoffs right now are a long shot.

There are a couple of OLineman on the roster, sort of “waiting in the wings.” maybe we’ll see one of them.

Skins and Rams going at it. We still play them both. neither teams looks good. Rams D took another hit with D Coakley getting carted off the field. There are two very winnable NFC games right there.

On a brighter note, we are still the 6th seed in the NFC after this week. That’s based on the conference record tiebreaker over the Falcons & Vikings. Doesn’t mean much now, but it’s a little good news after the day we’ve had. Technically we control our own destiny. The Falcons & Vikings have 4 conference losses while we have 3. So if we were to win out then we’re in. Extremely wishful thinking, but just trying to help the mood in here.

I know our offense is playing horrible, but I can’t see how we miss the playoffs. The NFC South is going to beat themselves up. Atlanta has to run the table and won’t. Just because the Giants lead by 1 doesnt mean its over. They could lose next week and we win and we’re tied again with the Giants having the tougher road.

If we win out, we’re more than just “in.”

I saw a little of BP’s press conf. He seems calm and to the point. nothing earth-shattering, but he didnt sound like a guy who is writing off the season and the O.

If anyone cares,
Skins up 17-7 in StLouis. Skins just gave up a safety. 17-9.

How moods change, last year, our excuse for a pro football team was hoping for 9-7 at the end of the season, now, our team, which, if you actually watched the games, would’ve beaten the supposed 2 best teams in the NFC, if not for some simple chip shots were made by our kickers, is now looking at the possibility for a 9-7 record again. On that subject, I read a New York newspaper article today and I have to agree with it. Kickers have too much influence on the outcome of a game. Why should the record of a team largely depend on how a shoe happens to hit a football.

The Cowboys’ offense played better in the 2nd half, although their 37 yards in the 1st half was not good. Maybe Peterman could gain some experience, and give Rivera a rest.

Wyatt-It is called football isn’t it? Why are you reading that crap from NY anyways.

Rafael:
To answer your opening question, the answer is an emphatic “NO!”…at least I hope the Seahawks aren’t the best team in the NFC. If Seattle is the NFC’s best, entertainment value of Superbowl XL could be limited(I’m not a big Stones fan, either).

24-9 skins. Im in the DC area, so now I get to listen to how THEY’RE going to run the table all week. Man, the rams look flat on D. Skins dont look scary at all. Give me bledsoe over brunell anytime.

I am hoping for an 11-5, but 10-6 sounds more realistic, our team hasn’t been able to be consistent enough to win 4 in a row. But it’ll be a good 10-6, not like the 2003 record. We are def going to make the playoffs, it just depends whether as a wild card or as a divisional champ. Buck up guys, if i’m right, the tiebreaker now comes down to, divional record, but no,,, dang it, this game cost us that too, they are 3-1, we are 3-2, but we play redskins so no worries. Anyway, pray for a string of wins here, i couldn’t watch the game but from what i’ve heard, Drew has been handing the ball to the other team AGAIN.

sean, i was in ny today on vacation, i couldnt watch the game cause of it

Yeah I cant see us losing against those 2. That makes us 9-5 with Carolina and KC. KC scares me just because their front line has been getting pressure on Denver.

I personally believe kickers get too much of the blame sometimes. Just hear me out before you think I’m crazy. We just assume because a kicker misses a FG at some point in the game that is the reason you lose. Take Cundiff’s miss on Thanksgiving for example. If Billy makes that kick @ we go up 24-21, the rest of the game plays out totally different. Instead of the Broncos taking over at the 24 after the miss, we have to kick off. We have no idea what the rest of the game holds. The Broncos could go on to score 2 TD’s & we lose 35-24. If the missed FG comes at the end of the half or end of the game it can be costly, due to no time being left to allow for an alternate ending. Stills sucks to miss FG’s.

A few questions. I didn’t see but a few plays of the game since we took our 7th grade Sunday school to the parh to play football. First, were the refs bad for both teams or just for us? Watching on a 10" screen you can’t see much.

It just seemed like every time I looked at the TV there was a blown call. I saw the Glenn “pass interference”, the Johnson and witten non calls on the 2nd or 3rd to last drives, and heard the Reeves “illegal contact” where Sham was confused at how they could call it. I saw the fumble for the TD, but thought it looked like Clancy was lined up way offsides and might have left early, but like I said, it was a 10" screen.

I didn’t see but about 15-20, and most of that was the last drive, so I was kinda just wondering if the refs were equal opportunity offenders today?

I have a really hard time deciding who the best team is in the NFC. Seattle and Carolina are beatable. Chicago’s schedule lacks credibility. Plus, their offense can’t seem to put points on the board – just like Dallas.

Today’s game was painful to watch. Our play calling really leaves something to be desired. I have said this before and will say it again: Give JJ the ball 30 times a game. He will have 2 or 3 long runs, possibly for TD’s. He needs to get into the ebb and flow of the game, and won’t do it with MB in there. Save MB for the red zone. We have to establish the run in order to set up the pass.

MBIII had a big 3rd down gain. But other than that he only had 1 other carry, cuz we werent in the red zone. I agree JJ needs the ball in his hands, take the good with the bad.

I saw the Clancy play slowed down, and I still can’t believe how good he jumped the count. In real time it looked like he jumped early but I dont think he did. It was Gurodes 1st play at C, maybe he did something to tip him off. I only saw it once though so I may be wrong.

I don’t know, but for next season I’m beginning to imagine this lineup:

Offense:
Wides: KJ, TG, Crayton, a FA signee and Copper.
TE’s: Witten, (3rd Round) and Pierce.
LT: Adams/Tucker
LG: Allen/Rivera
C: (1st rounder)/Gurode
RG: Steve Hutchinson/Rivera
RT: Petitti/Tucker
QB: Bledsoe
RB: JJ, MB and TT.
FB: Fred Beasley

Defense:
LDE: Canty/Ellis
NT: Ferguson/Glover
RDE: Spears/Ratliff
WLB: Ware/Burnett
MLB: Burnett/Shanle
MLB: James/Fowler
SLB: (2nd Round)/Singleton
CB: TNew/Glenn
CB: Henry/Reeves
FS: Hope/Pile
SS: RW/Davis

If everything in the end forms something like this then I won’t be able to hold as much offseason as there is.

I just can’t see Rivera not starting for the money we paid. Even if BP wanted it Jerry wont let it happen. I think Rivera will be ALOT better with a good RT next to him. I’m not going to speculate anything, but the only way I see Hutchinson coming in is if LA moves to RT.

Other than that everything looks real good, dont forget about Thornton to back up Ware instead of Burnett.

I dont see this team winning against KC, WASH nor Carolina..8-8 is your record.

This Offensive line is so bad, I would consider sitting Bledsoe and Jones to keep them healthy for next year. It is ridiculous to see what we’re going through…that play at the beggining of the 2nd half was just absurd.

Raphael:

Sparano should be fired before the Cowboys board the plane home.

JJ should approach Rivera about returning the signing bonus he “offered” to return this past spring. He is a disgrace.

This is my 39th year of watching the Cowboys and this was the worst performance by an offensive line I have ever seen and surely one of the most imp;ressive defensive efforts I have seen.

It is clear where we need help for next year. This season is over. Let’s cut our losses, fire Sparano and release Rivera and build for the future on the offensive line. It’s not Bledsoe, it’s not Julius Jones … it’s the offensive line. They don’t have a clue about what they’re doing!

Man, I sure miss Hudson hauck as our O-line coach.

Looking at a couple of mock drafts has AJ Hawk going top 5 lol, but the Boys getting:

FS Michael Huff
RT Andrew Whitworth
FS Laron Landry
RT Winston Justice

All of them look reall good. Others I could see: Ahmad Brooks, Bobby Carpenter. I would love either Justice or Huff, both look real solid players.

Scooter,

And who will coach the o-line the rest of the way? Do you want Bledsoe to get killed? Sparano may be out of his element, but that change won’t come until January, if it happens at all.

As for Rivera, I’m guessing we’re going to find out when the season is over that he’s been playing hurt. He was hurt in camp. He was doing stretching drills but did a lot of watching. I’d like to see him get a full offseason of rehab and lifting before I declare him a complete disaster. This guy was a leader in Green Bay and has a long playing streak. He’s been very durable, but if his body gave out is that his fault? Nobody put a gun to Jerry and Bill’s heads and forced them to sign him.

What are we talking about mock drafts for! Get with it people! I’m not an old boy on this site but there need to be major changes on our offensive line. Sparano is out of here! Rivera is out of here! This season is over. Why did we waste salary cap money on the likes of Anthony Thomas and Peerless Price? We could have gotten a young and up and coming offensive lineman that could be helping us right now. Not the millions we laid down on the worthless Rivera who will be 34 next year. Come on people, wake up! It’s not about what is available in the draft. We need a solid young offensive lineman with some experience. We don’t need to make stupid decisions like Marcellus Wiley on the defensive line like we did last year either. It’s not that difficult. Julius Jones and Marion Barber are both studs. We are set at wide receiver. Our defense is one of the best in the league. Can you beleive losing to a team with a QB rating that Manning posted today? It is likely a record for the Cowboys.

Raphael:

I would like to know if Rivera was JJ’s or Bill’s signing. JJ has a history of looking for short term solutiones (e.g. Galloway) and sacrificing who know’s what for the long term. For sure, the Rivera signing, in Cap terms, hurts us long after he’s gone. He has shown nothing to me this season and is the first offensive lineman I have ever seen called for illegal motion before the other offensive lineman even lined up for the play. Run your TIVO if you have one.

As far as Sparano, the Cowboys say he is the offensive line coach and tight end coach. It looks like that was too much a responsibility for him. As far as “who will coach the offensive line?”, there are any number of options. There are plenty of coaches out there, many with head coaching experience in their background. The point is, they have not been “coached” to this point as it is.

Scooter

How do you just drop Rivera with the impact on the salary cap? Like it or not, I think we’re stuck for the time being. And the season is NOT over.

Lou

I’m not very well informed about his intentions, a lot of mock drafts had him entering the 2005 draft as a sophomore, but I don’t see Ahmad Brooks leaving UVA after the season he’s had. For one, it has been sub par due to injury recovery and he is overweight and his performances have suffered for it. Given that, I think his draft-day stock will diminish. I think heâ€â"¢ll be better served to return for his senior campaign to reestablish his first round value.

You cant just sign people, you have to build through the draft. We still have a good chance this year, but with another 2-3 players we have a good chance at the SB.
- Rivera hasnt been pro bowl level, but he still looks good next to Petiti and Tucker. Those 2 are more to blame than Rivera.

StarStruck:

Salary cap implications be damned. Rivera is a loser! His bonus money and his contract make the Cowboys chumps. History is, most teams are hurt more the the players they lose in free agency than by the players they sign. I never liked Rivera’s signing. I was appalled at the signing of Eddie George, Anthony Thomas and Peerless Price. You can say “win some and lose some”. Yeah, and we’re 7-5 and this season is history. 9-7 at best and likely the Redskins beat us out.

Scooter,

So what? What’s wrong with 9-7, unless you believe this team has 12-4 talent and is underperforming. If you do believe that, I’d like to know why.

Why DID we sign people like Peerless, the A-Train, and Eddie George? Especially the two halfbacks; did BP not have enough faith in either MB or TT to stay healthy? Best case scenario with these people: they revive their careers and then retire in two years. Worst case: they do nothing, average two yards a carry, and waste cap room.

Although I do have a soft spot for Peerless cause he did catch that 52-yarder in Philly.

Salary cap be Damned??
Maybe you should go look what happened to this team when jerry salary cap be damned sign Deion Sanders to win a superbowl when we really didn’t need him and others and completely ruined this team when every good player was either cut, couldn’t resign and we could sign any other free agents because we were in salary cap hell for years.5-11, 5-11, 5-11, yeah, that works.
Ask washington how its worked signing all those free agents because at the end of this season, they are going to have to cut and not resign good players as they are in bigtime salary cap hell.

Lou, you are right on, you have to build your team through the draft and add a key free agent when available, A-train, Peerless price and eddie george were insurance and didn’t cost us much, not brought in to be starters.

while certainly, the oline was horrible. i think bledsoe is partly to blame. he had a number of opportunities to at least sidestep and get out of trouble, but he’s just too immobile.

I actually think it isnt that Bledsoe is too immobile, I just think that he has trouble under pressure. He looks at every read and sometimes when hes looking downfield to recievers he will run into blockers. He is going to be HEAVILY second guessed because on the play with 50 seconds left when he ran up the middle and had to call a time out, he had Witten wide open near the sideline. If anyone watches it again you will see Witten in the background wide open. I think Bledsoe needs to trust Witten a little bit more before our offense can do something.

I think that next year, with or without a better o-line, we need to get back to running some shot gun. Bledsoe holds the ball too much and I really really think a shotgun would help. Instead of max protecting and bringing in another blocker, send in another WR and run quick outs and slants with Crayton, Glenn, and KJ.

Derrick, Raphael:

We got a Super Bowl win with Deion when we got him from the 49ers. We would have beaten them out the year before if they didn’t have him. Yeah, the 49ers said we were irresposible for siging Deion for that kind of money but they never won another Super Bowl and got into worse salary cap hell than us. Looking back on it, I’m glad we got Deion. Super Bowl wins are priceless.

My point about Rivera is his lack of performance. He has shown nothing to me since he has been here. We should cut our losses and move on. Why should we stick with an underperforming bum just because we were foolish enough to hand him big bucks? Peerless price got at least 125K per catch by my reckoning. Am I worried about Bledsoe getting killed? Hell, he is already getting killed! Have you been watching the games? I have watched the Cowboys for 39 years and have never seen so many defenders with their hands on the quarterback a split second after the snap.

Am I dissatisfied with 9-7? Duh … I think so! Do you think Parcells is sastisfied with 9-7? This team could easily have been 11-5. It has underperformed and I don’t believe Bledsoe is the reason. The absolute worst thing we could do is throw Bledsoe under the bus going into next year. If we address our failings along the offensive line, we have a solid chance to be in the Super Bowl next year. We have the defense.

Looking at the posts on this board during the past week, I noted several people picking the Cowboys to win going away against the Giants and JJ having a breakout game. Those people need to wake up. Changes need to be made along the offensive line and it starts with canning Sparano and Rivera. If they don’t, I don’t even think they are a 9-7 team. Little Danny Snyder is a very happy man tonight!

Scooter

Did the Cowboys anticipate Rivera getting hurt and probably playing on a bad back all season? Would you have been happier with Gurode playing there all season?

But I guess you’re right. The coaching staff could have filled all the whole on the roster in one season. Give me a break, you’re exactly the type of fan that drives everbody crazy. I think you need a little dose of reality.

Dan:

Dose of reality, huh? I actually cried when the Cowboys lost the Ice Bowl, suffered through the Cleveland disasters and rejoiced when the Cowboys did come back to win it all after Jack Fette’s call in SB V. The offensive line has been a huge problem for five plus years. Many of you were throwing Emmitt under the bus in the Campo years and still we have a crappy offensive line. It didn’t have to be solved in one year. Yes, I would much rather Gurode have played the entire season and Jerry Jones had taken Rivera up on his publicized offer of returning his siging bonus following his “injury”. Rivera is a scam artist. He got, what? 9-10 million dollars. He ain’t hurtin’. Get rid of the bum. You can shove it about me being the kind of fan who drives everybody crazy. I have never given up on the Cowboys. I even watched every play of their 38-0 loss to the Cardinals on a Monday night when your “nice” fans were calling for Dandy Don to come down from the press box and quarterback the Cowboys. I say, cut our losses and look to next year.

this team isn’t a 11-5 team,period. If you thought they were, you’re not watching the games. this team had a ton of holes after last season, I thought they done a great job in filling those holes, but you cant fix every hole that this team had in one offseason. Everyone want us to sign Smoot, well, I guess you are glad we signed Henry as he’s been the MVP of this team as far as I’m concerned. Years of poor drafts,no depth, questionable coaching and a owner/Gm that doesn’t have an understanding of evaluating talent. I thought this team was an 8-8,9-7 team, but the base is there for this team to grow together and to add a few more players on the O-line, fullback and another young wide reciever in this offseason and this team should start to be able to compete for the playoffs and a superbowl, you have to crawl before you can walk and then run.We have a team that cant overcome our mistakes, penealties and we’ve been given a chance to win these game because of our defense, not our offense. When the offensive line is fixed this offseason and our young defense with another year of playng and learning together,another good draft, we will be right there next year.

Not saying you have given up, just being a bit dramatic. Can you blame a player for getting what he can when he can get it? Iâ€â"¢m sure youâ€â"¢re the type to turn down a raise when its offered to you. â€Å"Injuries” happen and if you donâ€â"¢t think that the one he suffered could hamper his play this year look into it. Plus if Adams didnâ€â"¢t go down early in the season the passing offense could still be very efficient. I think you are also failing to realize that they have played some decent front sevens the last little while.

Scooter,

We’re 7-5 and the wildcard team. Not 1-11. The NFC is weak, and whoever makes the playoffs all have an equal chance. The Texans and Packers can cut their losses and look towards next year, not a 7-5 team.

I wouldnt blame any of this on Bledsoe…none of this. The guy is what he is, a good QB given time. This line does not give more than 2 seconds nowadays. Nt even a mixed clone of Favre, onatana, Aikman and Staubck would succed.

I am watching the San Diego game now…are these guys really that good? I mean, LT is better than Barry Sanders and Emmitt combined? Brees looks like Montana? naaaa….c’mon, the guys are good but the line just gives them time….look at LT backup….is he a miracle man too? Turner gets 6 yards a carry everytime he touches the ball as well…..same deal with Larry Johnson in KC….good O-line play makes your playmakers way better

Mantab,
Amen brother…

After weeks of thinking aw might be an idiot, I have now gone over to his side. He is right. There are no play makers on offense at all.

I found myself at halftime thinking back to the 1-15 year, trying to recall an offensive performance that inept. The line play was awful, and Bledsoe rarely had time. When he did, nobody came open. The few times they actually did, he missed them completely. Julius had some great looking runs just to get back to the line of scrimmage, then played like Dandy Don at the end, twice trying to gain an extra yard instead of getting out of bounds.

I don’t think it was play calling or anything else like that. I think the whole unit was exposed. They have been leading up to this all year, and now it finally hit. The question is, how many of the teams remaining on their schedule are good enough to take advantage of it? I still think 10-6, with the loss to Carolina. If they play like today, 7-9.

It’s true…I dont think the combination of Brees, Parker, McCardell, LT and Gates is that much better than Bledose, Glenn, KJ, JJ and Witten….I would say that;s dead even in talent.

Th difference is they dont have Pettiti, Tucker, Johnson and Rivera playing O-Line….and Lorenzo Neal makes a helluva difference. Bring that guy to Dallas and watch JJ run for 200 a game

Cowboy bert, bot you an AW are wrong….give these guys to time to develop plays and they’ll make some pretty good ones……what do you expect? Glenn to get downfield in 2.3 seconds? who do you think he is? Carl Lewis? Or you want Bledose to go through three receiver reads in 1.7 seconds? ….it is not about the players, it is about the line…not even the playcalling…

Lou:

A 7-5 team needs to run the table to get to 11-5 which is likely what it would take (pending tie-breakers) to make the playoffs in the NFC. That’s not a likely possibility with our schedule. We have regressed, particularly on the offensive line, for the past five weeks. I believe our defense is solid, even without Henry and will be even better if he can make it back. We do have dramatic problems on the offensive line.

Lou:

I do not see Rivera as a player for us nor Sparano as the offensive line coach from this point on. For the kind of signing bonus Rivera received, I expect results. I firmly believe Rivera has scammed the Cowboys. I don’t believe his poor play is a result of his “injury”. At this point, I don’t believe Parcells buys into it either. If he is “injured”, then put him on injured reserve. Hell, they put Al Singleton on injured reserve for a broken clavicle. I had a broken clavicle and was fine in two weeks.

Derrick:

Yes, I believe the Cowboys are an 11-5 team but are underperforming of late. They are as good or better than the Seahawks, Chargers and the Giants. At any rate, I will continue to watch what unfolds. We could get lucky. This would just Parcells’ second time to go two years without making the playoffs and if the Cowboys do not win a playoff game this year, it would be the longest draught in their history.

I didn’t notice Polite on the field all day. Did he even go to NY? I saw only TEs in the backfield with JJ.

Polite was inactive

Scooter you’re are Ridiculous.

How did anyone scam the Cowboys?

Do they have a suitable replacement if they put Rivera on IR?

Were you playing pro ball after breaking your clavicle?

Just ridiculous!

Sorry boys,I know you’re trying to talk about football.Scooter is my grandpa and he’s drunk again.We called the people at the retirement center and they are on the way to pick him up.Sorry for the inconvienance.

Dan:

Well, I did play football after breaking my clavicle. The call on Singleton was the Cowboys’ call. The point was, if Rivera’s performance is due to his injury, then put him on IR. If his performance is not due to his injury, then release him, he’s a bad player. It’s one or the other, Dan. I think you will see his “suitable” replacement soon. Pretty much any big guy that you can put a suit on would be better than him at this point. I think his 9-10 million dollar signing bonus pretty much qualifies as a scam at this point. Much worse than the wuss (can’t remember his name) from USC that so pained Jerry when he insisted on surgery and IR. BTW, Dan, it’s “you’re ridiculous” not “you’re are ridiculous”.

As bill always says, you are what you are, underachieve, what??? This line is what it is and thats horriblle, with no consistant running game, no tackles that can play without help and a Qb that defenses are just pinning their ears back and attacking leaving him no time to even set up to throw and when he does for the odd tme he has the time, his wide recievers are all covered, Underachieve, PLEASE!!!!

JoAnn, by way of introduction, is Marco’s illegitmate daughter and she likes the signing bonus just fine! Thanks Jerrah!

Looks like some folks just don’t want to face reality here. They would like to slam Bledsoe, argue about Barber vs. JJ, trash Meshawn and wonder where the real fullbacks went! I say it starts with Rivera.

Thanks for the for the tip.

Lets not get nit picky here.

“The call on Singleton was the Cowboys’ call.”

hmmmm. Two weeks after breaking your clavicle you played football?

No chance Rivera gets yanked. Well I guess they would yank him if really wanted to tank the rest of the season.

Department of the redundancy department

Scooter,

Thanks for the oh so perceptive arguments that the offensive line is at fault. That’s only been a major theme here since the Seattle game if not earlier.

Rafael:

Agree, that the offensive line is our major problem. It’s been going on for sometime before the Seattle game, though (like years). I just hope the Cowboys recognize it as their problem from here on out. I think Columbo (? spelling) has put on about 20 pounds in the past 2-3 weeks and has been able to get some weight training in with his legs. I think the Cowboys took him to the game today. We need to get lucky. As you can tell, I am more down on Rivera than anyone because I decided to watch him closely on every play. I was horrified with what I saw. I did the same thing with Marcellus Wiley last year (the few times he was in) and was similarly stunned. I am wary of free agents with huge signing bonuses.

They may get lucky with Columbo and that would be a gift from the football gods and for Columbo, who was a 1st round pick. I don’t see him being ready, however, until next year. It’s a lot to ask a guy off the street, even if he has been working out, to jump into NFL-level games cold.

Well, checking in on the threads and I see evrything I expected! Pedictable after that game. Man, how disappointing, because our off. looked so good early in the year. But it’s the same Oline with only one exception, Adams. Is he THAT good?? No-I think this team is running out of steam, something I predicted earlier. On offense we have old players and young players, but few that are in there primes. I think Larry Allen, Rivera and some of the older guys are slowing down, and some of our younger guys’ bodies think it’s supposed to the end of the year. Also, nobody is commenting on the effect the death of Parcell’s brother has had on him. He seems subdued and not as emotionally into the games (Can’t blame him). He’s a guy who relies on emotion and motivation, and I think his attitude is carrying over to the team. The only thing that can save this season is anger-either from Parcells or from some players in the locker room, somebody (on offense) has to get ppissed and say ‘this is enough!’ Our Oline sucks (I’ve been saying that all year) But look at what the Vikings are doing. In the NFL there’s so much parity, that if you don’t play with 100% emotion, you’ll probably lose. Luckily our defense is great and has kept us around, and pulled out a miracle in Philly.
     OK, now I’ve been waiting to say this for a few weeks, and maybe now people will listen-WE NEED TO GET IN THE PHILIP RIVERS SWEEPSTAKES! Hey, I don’t know exactly what the kid can do, but if SD will take our 1st rounder, a D lineman, and who knows what else, we have to do it. Bledsoe has been servicable, but so what? When this young team is ready to peak in 2 years, he’ll be too old! No more bringing in free agent QB’s to ‘drive the bus’. As for the cap, all we need besides a good young QB is another WR and Oline Oline Oline. Our defense is set. Davis looks fine. OLB good enough-you can’t have excellence at every position. What’s the feedback……

Also, for all of Parcell’s genius at rebuilding the defense in one year, don’t forget he knows how important the Oline is, and attacked that problem FIRST-but the picks spent on Peterman adnd Jacobs(?) are looking like all-time busts-that poor draft has set us back……….

All three starting linebackers from last years Cowboys are out for the rest of the season. Wierd.

I think we’re all disappointed because this Cowboys team has shown flashes of being an elite team and has been in every game this year. It’s obvious that we need to evaluate the offensive line in the offseason. Don’t underestimate how big of a loss it was to us when Flo went down for the year. Bledsoe’s production hasn’t been the same since the Giants game. Winning three out of the next four will be tough, but who knows, 2-2 might be enough to get us in. I hope we make the playoffs, but it will be disappointing not winning the division because we had a realistic shot at doing so.

Kudos to Aaron Glenn! He did a nice job on Burress today.

Love Parcells as a coach. Think he is our second most qualified behind TL.

That said here is my criticism of him. He has a shelf-life here of at most 4 more years, more likely just 2 years. That is leading to some bad decision making such as the $18M signing bonuses for Ferguson and Rivera…no way Jimmy Johnson would have done that during the early stages of his rebuilding…he had a longer term vison, and for us, a better one.

You build through the draft and only add 31 and 34 year-olds when you are on the cusp of a SB…Dallas isnâ€â"¢t and this is going to bite us in the behind, if it isnâ€â"¢t already in Rivera.

Scooter:

I’d be careful when saying that Rivera scammed us, saying that is like saying that he was a bad player in Green Bay too while he was a leader and a heck of a player. I’m up for signing Hutchinson, yes, but that’s based more on that I’m disatisfied with both Rivera and Allen and I think that move would mean particularly good depth as the one Dallas has on Defense, Hutchinson, Allen and Rivera could be swaping positions every diferent possesion. I too think that altough Flozell wasn’t playing that good, him counting for one sack a game and a couple of pressures is much more better than 2 sacks a game and 5 pressures. While in the other side, Petitti is what he’s, a rookie that was supposed to give us headaches at the beginning of the season, and at times he looks to have the tools required for the job and then he messes everything up. And then comes Center, that has to be upgraded and that’s a definite.

Scooter,

No way Rivera was a bad signing. He went to the Pro Bowl last year and was widely considered the best Guard available in FA. That was the going rate. His back is the problem along with Pettiti. No way they get rid of him.

I’m starting to buy into Rafael’s argument on a weak Center, but am not ready to give up on AJ. He is just a second year guy and actually plays well most games. It was just way too early after the scope.

But we all know the problems start and end on the edge. Our tackles suck. If they could go one-on-one, then the middle guys can pick up the blitz without max protection, allowing receivers to exploit single coverage, screens are more effective, as well as draws.

Two OT’s are all that’s needed. Here’s hoping the football gods sent us a gift in Columbo. And maybe Rogers decides he wants to play football next year.

I am going to be careful here because Julius gained 162 yards yesterday, but we played our best games with Marion Barber in there starting. Payton calls an aweful lot of stretches and draws (soft plays) with JJ lined up behind Bledsoe. With MB III, the Cowboys ground and pound straight ahead, and hold onto the ball, while taking a few shots down field. Hence they win games with their defence. This is this team’s strength!!! … I said back when Barber played in Jone’s absence, “you don’t just get better overnight”, which seemingly the offensive line did once Barber stepped in. Back in Marion’s first start, the O-line played with momentum and good confidence, especially Petitti and Tucker. JJ comes back and inherits the starting roll, and now this young O-line’s confidence is shot. I predicted this very thing would happen if Julius started over Barber. …

Even from what I see here at this site … when Barber played, all of us Cowboys fans were raving about how well the O-line was playing … yet BEFORE and after, I have seen regular ridicule of this unit. Is this a coincidence? Does the line just stop playing for Julius? .. I don’t think so, I just think Barber fits their style better. They are bigger guys that like to lean on a defense, going straight ahead. Julius best plays are stretches, sweeps, and draws. For a big offensive line this side to side movement actually may tire them down. … Remember when Barber was in there, Larry Allen and Torrin Tucker were exploding off the line. Riveria was getting to the next level of tacklers, and Dallas was holding leads in the 4th quarter of games. Power football!!

I am not usually big on differing from what the coaches put out there on the field, but if the Boys are going to salvage this season then its worth a try putting Barber in there.

Have to laugh at Eric R trying to put the whole blame on JJ. talk about
blind. Barber would not have done as well as JJ did yesterday since he is not as quick as JJ. Simple as that. He is better on short yardage but that is about it. The O line stank up the place- the whole world admits that- and you say its because of JJ starting. Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?
JJ is not the back he was last year- the bulking up and the ankle have taken some of his quickness. That and BP’s messing with his head- not looking for cutbacks and holes that are not where the play is designed- the things he did best last year. Having him run all the time with two hands on the ball- that does not help either. Barber would have stunk yesterday- JJ was avoiding people in the backfield all day- Barber would not have been able to do as well.

I’m out of town for a week so I wont be on the blog much, but consider:
With this D, we will be in every game.
A little re-tooling on the O and a some better play from the line, and we put up some points.
There are 4 games left to play, and the cowboys know they are still alive.
Have a little faith baby.

Hey Cowboy Fans,

Boy was I wrong !
You don`t have to go any further than the offensive line. They were horrible. I knew they probably wouldn`t help much getting our running game going, but where was our pass protection. BP says you are what your record says you are. After 12 games we are a 7-5 team. I don`t want to hear how we almost won or how we almost beat the best teams, fact is we didn`t. I am not giving up hope but unless we start playing much better on the “O” line we are not going anywhere.
Problem with that is it`s probably the hardest spot on a team for a quick improvement !

Back to analysis now.

The Good: The D played superb ball Sunday, holding the Giants to 3.7 ypc, 4.7 yppass and 2 ints. Despite starting two backup LBs and 1 backup CB (Glenn, who got both picks). The single glaring weakness: only 1 sack.

The Bad: The O-Line allowed 4 sacks, 3.0 ypc, 2.9 yppass. And they were entirely responsible for the Giants’ defensive TD, too.

The Ugly: Drew will be seeing even more pressure in every NFC East game until he leaves Dallas, now that he’s shown that he is prone to bad decisions. 4 sacks means 4 times he should have thrown the ball out of bounds sooner. Plus 2 picks and 2 fumbles. He has looked great with good protection, but boy is he bad with bad protection.

Fortunately, the Giants have perhaps the best bookends of pass-rushers in the NFL, so this may just be the low-water mark for the O-line and Drew. Let’s hope so!

well this team i think will be 10-6 with that loss being at carolina.will that be enough?probably not minnesota is hot atlanta you figure will not keep losing.and i think we have the tougher remaining schedule.i really thought this team had a real legitimate shot.looking at it now the o line looked horrible if they didn’t step up for that game.it ain’t gonna happen the rest of the way.plus i like drew bledsoe but the book on him is pressure him and either the pick will come or the fumble.and that’s exactly what the giants did.we need to develop a young quaterback mix it in with the young team we have and in about 4or5 years have a solid team.drew not the answer!!

Maybe we sure hire an NFL offensive line coach instead of a college coach(Sparano) next time……jeeze,just painfull to watch!

We suck, our offense is a joke. Once again the D does a great job for nothing. Yes the line sucked but Bledsoe suck right there with them. The offense again gave away points. I would be shocked to get to 9-7. How many teams have we beat with winning records right now. 2-4 against teams with winning records right now. I see us as 8-8 this offense doesn’t show it can change it is what it is. BP and JJ have a lot of work to do this off season. The d is giving up under 15 points a game. Like I said before if your D give up 14 points in 4 min or in 60 min it is still the same at the end of the day. This team shouldn’t go to the playoffs.

You’ve got two guys playing injured (AJ & Rivera), a rookie, and a third-year guy that should have been cut.

What do you expect?!

KC has a very mediocre D that should make our Offense look presentable. W

Skins have a good D, but not great. W

Carolina has a great D, but no O. W

St Louis has no D, W

I really believe we’ll run the table.

david
you are so right.

NY is not a great D. I see one more win at best two if our d can score some points.

bring on romo!!!!

Parcells tried to fix the O-line in his first draft, but whiffed. Rogers turned out to be an injury bust, Peterman has done nothing yet, and Johnson has been up and down. If that draft had worked out, this team would be awesome now.

Time to try again in next year’s draft.

Oh, and kiss the playoffs goodbye. 9-7 is possible, but won’t be enough to make the playoffs this year.

The three games we gave away to Washington, Seattle, and Denver have come back to haunt us….

Romo may or may not be better next year-asuming you’re serious- Nobody wants to talk about the Rivers kid? Then you’re all forgetting that the Giants had about the 26TH RATED PASS DEFENSE before yesterday’s game! It was our one hope of winning-there was no way we were going to run against that D. Other teams passed the ball on the Giants and we couldn’t. They had a starting corner out and played a rookie, right? We should have been able to at least put together a few more drives and score 17-20 points. And now that our weakness has been exposed 2-2 against our schedule will be the best we can do………..

This offense has come back to haunt us. No playmakers and not upgrading the line. I would like to see Romo in there to see what he can do.

I was too angry to post yesterday, but here goes: OL problems indeed there are, still; I say F*CK Bledsoe! I have run out of patience.

But, boy do we have a beatiful defense!

AW,
I was also hoping to see Romo yesterday, but knowing BP; Romo probably won’t play a down this year.

Mike Holmgren hasn’t won a playoff game with Seattle yet and he won’t this year either. Seattle has been lucky thus far, but luck runs out. To win it all in the NFL you MUST have a defense and while his defense is better this year, it’s still less than middle of the pack (25th of 32) I beleive they were like 29th of 32 last season. I bet Philly beats them tonight.

eyeamkugan
You are right romo wont play. What is mess up is nobody talks about how good our D is because we are not winning. Our D has done it against every one this year just about.

Hey guys I live in Kansas City Chiefs are pumped after beating Denver — and why shouldn’t they. The media is already talking smack about how the Chiefs will beat Dallas
BP can’t fix the O’line but I hope he can fix the team’s psyche so that they play like it
As far as Chief’s defense, their defensive coordinator is agressive and likes to blitz

Forget the playoffs and forget JJ. Mediocre O-line play, lousy running ame and conservative calls all add up to an 8-8 season if we are lucky. We need a real running back a solid center and better play from the entire o-line before we cn be anything but an average team especially in our division. JJ is probably the biggest disapointment of all, he just doesn’t seem to be able to break a big one at all and has not yet gone for a hundred yards this season…..maybe we can finsih low enough to get some good draft choices……???

Linus,
Good point about the psyche of the the team. It has been going downward the last few weeks. Has anyone else noticed this?

AW is absolutely right about our D. Another GREAT effort for nothing!

The Chief’s defense is 27th out of 32. Thats worse than Seattle’s. The Cheif’s have a good offense, but Dallas has a great defense. (2 yards shy of being 3rd in the league and 1 point shy of being 3rd in points allowed) A defense that has shutdown high powered offenses all season long. (Denver, Seattle, Giants twice, Chargers, and Philly twice with McNabb when the Eagles were the top offense) The #1 defense in the league is the Bears and yet they’ve only played a single team with a high powered offense and gave up 24 points. (Cincinnati) With all dew respect, I doubt the Chief’s will have enough to take down the Cowboys.

Canty and Ferguson started for Ellis and Glover. Good move I wish BP use this same approach on offense. I think KC is going to kill us 31-9 it will be the first time the D and offense play bad together. Raf and every one else will say afterwards how bad KD is but wont say much about how bad our offense is and say we need a olb and fs. I know we need an olb and could use a upgrade on fs but the biggest problem are on offense and not just the line. We can get by with KD another year.

Transplanted
I think you have your stats wrong on Chief’s defense Think they have moved into mid range and certainly had a great game against Denver. They have improved greatly and played much better in the second part of season
KC has also had similar problems with o’line tackle (all pro Roaf) being injured. When Roaf was out, KC offense really suffered. He was back and KC offense flourished
Just shows you have easy it is to break down an otherwise good offense by the tackle position
Bledsoe psyche is messed up because of this He throws all the time like he’s in a hurry — whether he needs to or not That is why blitzing him early gets him to fall back into that mindset early in a game Defending Bledsoe via Denver / Giants strategy will be repeated by KC

Synergy
What JJ is one of the best back in the league right now he can’t be the problem no not JJ. How can you call yourself a cowboy fan. Did you see what JJ did last year in those three games???? He is going for 1200 yards next year watch. lol

Our OL is certainly a problem, compounded by WRs that do not separate and a QB that hesitates to throw into tight coverage under pressure, taking sacks and occasionally fumbling.

This is a combo effort with 3 interdependent parts. If one is out of sync, the others struggle.

Another type of QB perhaps could buy some time with a couple of escapes and make the defenses pay for playing so close to the line of scrimmage. A QB that will get rid of the ball or move around to buy time is the only answer unless we fix the other 2 parts.

linus. your are absolutely right this team is on a downward spiral especially on offense.their is no rhythm on the offensive side of the ball.feel bad for the defense.they have played their ass off week in and week out.

aw. i was against you in that washington game.but i agree this offense just does not do their part.yesterday was a good example.

Linus,

I got those stats from NFL.com while posting that message. I didn’t get to see the KC/Denver game. Congratulations on the win! You gotta love big intra-divisional wins! (and hate the painful intra-divisional losses :( )

Nando, I don’t think the Cowboys are in a downward spiral at all. Sure they are having trouble on offensive, but this isn’t anything new. They were better earlier in the year, but injuries have taken their toll. Sure even if they hadn’t had them they still have problems. QB and the O-Line need patching up. There is word that Dallas could look at Philip Rivers from the Chargers.

You guys overrate the competition so much. Atlanta not losing again? Come on, they got killed by the Panters, and they still have to face them again, at the Bucs, at the Bears. NO WAY THEY WIN OUT, and thats the only way they get in with a 4-4 record. Minnesota? They have a gimme against St Louis, they WILL lose against a hungry Pitt team, they will win against Baltimore, and they will LOSE against the Bears. Thats 9 wins.

The Cowboys only need 2 wins to have a good shot at the playoffs. A win at WAS and STL gives us a 8-4 record in conference. That gets us in.

Whats our biggest problem? Only our D gets fired up and knows what we’re playing for. The offense could be bad but show emotion and at least make it look like their fighting for the playoffs. Thats what pissing all the fans off. It isn’t Rivera, or JJ, its the fact that they don’t show up to play like the other teams. If no1 noticed, our D outplayed theirs. We shut down the better offense without our starting ILB, OLB, and CB.

Next week, we face the hungry Chiefs. The game will be close again. Its the simple fact that the Chiefs, in the playoff hunt, will act like that. We win if our offense plays just as fired up. When your all fired up, and have some confidence, watch how much better you play. The problem is I’ve never seen Parcells as the type of coach that likes to fire up his players.

Right now we’re in the playoffs. Have some hope people, BP isn’t going to throw away a season. HE WILL DEF NOT PLAY ROMO, thats out of the question. Should the Falcons bench Vick becase he lost? No, he’s gotten them to 7 wins. Just like Bledsoe. Next week is our hardest game, we win it and everyone, including AW will come back here and say that we could make some noise in the playoffs.

Bledsoe sacked 4 times, that is an offensive line problem.

We have playmakers on this offense, too bad it takes until the last 10 seconds to give Julius the ball in the flat and let him make the Giants pay………Mike Anderson and Tiki Barber both do that well……why don’t we. Cuz we got leave him in to block for the lack of play from Rivera, Johnson, Gurode, Petitti, and Tucker and hech lump Allen in there too.

I knew Flo’s injury was going to hurt, but the way the interior of the line is playing is shocking. Terry Bradshaw is right the book on the Cowboys is stop Julius and Blitz Drew……it takes away the play action pass that Bledsoe is so good at and used very successfully earlier in the year. We are facing 3rd and long and only sending out 2 WR and a TE…..hech a defense can send five and double cover our 3 and still register a sack or a knockdown. Sorry folks but that ain’t a WRs fault. That is having to cover up the holes in the Offensive line. TO could line up alongside Terry Glenn and Bledsoe would still have trouble getting either the ball with our current offensive line.

For my part, I ain’t so sure it is the players……we got a Cowboys reject starting for an Atlanta Falcons offensive line that usually has a pretty good running game, I say it is time we hire Alex Gibbs or one of these other Offensive line gurus……Tony Sparano ain’t impressing me. He was fine with Witten but he ain’t getting it done……Allen and Rivera are pro bowlers for crying out loud.

I ain’t throwing in the towel, our Defense will keep us in every game this year. I think we can win 2 or more maybe even 4 but we gotta block and run better. Otherwise our play action pass is done, and that is all this offense has going for it.

Fighter15,

Love your optimism, I trully hope you dont hit a brickwall…..

Here’s the way I see it:

KC: The beat Denver at home which we couldn’t do…Loss

Wash: They beat us at our own house playing good D and two minutes of Offense, how do we revert that playing away…no clue…Loss

Car: Julius Peppers will mae the HOF that weekend…Loss

St Louis: Hey we win this one…Win

8-8 that’s what we are.

AW

How stupid do you sound? Who else you gunna put in there for JJ? Are you going to draft a rookie and put him behind there and he will outplay JJ? LT, Alexander, etc. wouldnt do sh!t behind this line playing like this. How bout we put TT in there? You can’t get rid of the whole team. We have 7 wins, with 5 losses combined by 20 points. You people overreact like crazy when we lose. Every game all you people do is, well the 95 cowboys wouldnt have done that". We’re not the 95 cowboys, never will be. That team was so good and there was no salary cap.

maybe we can beat Denver and we’re 9-7….they way Minnessota is playing and with Atl, Tampa, and Carolina making a agood run, that won’t be enough for the playoffs either.

This is team is not mentally prepared to accept the responsibility f being winners. The offensive line is just a freaking joke. The D failed at stopping several teams(wash, seattle, Denver) when we needed them to.

JON,

AMEN BROTHER. I HEAR YA, WE MISS HUDSON HAUCK,THE O-LINE GURU

Lou
I’m realistic this is not the second or third game of the season. We have played 12 games we are what we are. Our D is good I can only name one Defense that is better. Our offense is not good, who have be beat that was good? When you get beat once or twice against good team its ok but when you keep getting beat that is just the way it is. We should have beat this team or we should have beat that team. Maybe we should start saying we should was lost against SD and NY because the problems on offense are deeper than just oline and I don’t see any reason why the offense can change this year. I’m not saying we can’t win anymore or get to 9-7 but we don’t look that part. Vick wont sit because he is not the problem. With the line we have Bledsoe is a problem Wr is a problem and rb is a problem. We have players that can be good if we had a great line but we don’t a good line or any great players on offense

I agree with that, we’re not a SB caliber team, we SHOULDNT make the playoffs, I just think we will bc the NFC is weak. If we were in the AFC we could then probably try fixing things towards next year. Our offense needs a turnover, mainly the tackles and 2nd TE. Witten has to block too much, thats why he isnt as dominant as last year. Campbell hasnt been the same.

THe rest of the way, the one thing about our opponents is that they are inconsistent. Is WAS playing at the same level as Week 2? No. Carolina lost BUF and NO. STL is just flat out bad. They won’t even try in that last game.

I’m still for benching Petiti and seeing what somebody else gives us.

I do know 1 thing, we have 0 chance at the playoffs if Henry misses one more game OR isnt ready to come back and start. He helps in the running game.

AW:
First thing first, I’m not talking about how good the Defense is playing because I’m, along with several people in here, taking that for granted, I know what that team’s capable of.

Second, yeah, well, Glover and Ellis didn’t got the start and you can bet that they played less than the starters did, right? Actually they might be in the field more than the starters, I saw lots of 4 man fronts.

And lastly you’re talking about our playmakers and Oliners not being addressed in the offseason. About OLine Parcells addressed, he has drafted players and signed FA’s and things didn’t worked out for several reasons and the only mistake I can see is drafteing Rogers with all the durability problems of his.

And then the playmakers come in, with a higher emphasis on Bledsoe, he didn’t made plays in this past game he got some rythm in the 2nd half, NY saw that and schemed for it with 5 to 8 guys in coverage and with 3 guys they got Bledsoe for a sack! You’ve got to be kidding me if you believe that Bledsoe is capable of doing something against double coverage on all his passing targets and still gets sacked.

ManTab
yea the D is the problem please, the d give up 14 to wash, 13 to Seattle and 17 to Denver which 3 came in over time. Teams are going to score period.
Lou
yes 5 losses combined by 20 points but look at how many points we put up in those games and that will tell you what you need to know. The line hasn’t played well but Bledsoe hasn’t played well either or has JJ. I not going to give up on JJ because this is his second year. I just wouldnt hand him the tag of starter he would have to out play the other guys in camp next year. I’m not against drafting a rb next year either. We need a back that can run inside but with a better line he might be able to do it a little bit.

Aw,

looks like you have found a lot of converts to your way of thinking. Yeah the offenase needs a playmaker, but #88 is retired and we got what we got.

this D is too good to say wait til next year. I luuuuv Canty!
If we can just get the Offense to STOP giving the other team Seven points we will be fine.

We are going max protect every play and that limits our offensive options.

And unless Bledsoe gets hurt, we are stuck with him, but we don’t have the line or an offensive playmaker that would help him succeed.

If Crayton gets back his timing and turns a few short passes into longer gains, and if the OLine somehow(!?!) mans up for three of the next four games, we are in the playoffs.

And with our Defense, I like our chances against anybody in the NFC.

Last season teams tried to do the same to Peyton Manning, handing double coverage to Harrison and Wayne, and they were also shadowing James with a LB. So how did the succeded? Manning usually made the best thing to do in those situations, he waited from 5 to 10 Mississippi for someone to break open. And everyone can with that much time, even that TE we have as a receiver (LOL).

Several things became clear to me this weekend.
1-The Cowboys are not a playoff team this year.
2-They still don’t have a running game and haven’t had a consistant back since Emmitt Smith left.
3-Julius Jones is an embarrassment.
It was bad enough he fumbled deep in Cowboys territory,giving the Giants Defense an easy TD,but there is NO excuse for not getting out of bounds on a sideline pass with the game on the line,no time-outs and 40 seconds left on the clock.To make matters worse,he didn’t get out of bounds on the NEXT PLAY either with 20 seconds left and that’s how the game ended!!
You would expect more from a third string rookie. I’m done with this guy and hopefully the Cowboys are too!
If I were Parcells,I would de-activate him for the rest of the year and they should trade him on the off-season. He should never play another down for the ‘Boys.
4-The Colts are clearly the best team in the NFL. They are the complete team. Coaching,Offense,Defense,Special Teams,QB,RB,WR’s,good TE and consistant. Something the Cowboys can only dream of at this point.
5-There are five bottom feeders:49ers,Jets,Packers,Saints,Texans. A few more that aren’t much better Most fall into the average category,then you have the Colts at the top.

All comes down to the O line. With the money we have tied up in Rivera, we are stuck with him next year. I just hope he gets fully recovered. Johnson- just gets over powered when he comes up against the big guys. ALlen- ok. Hotel- need a OL COACH that will get on his butt all the time. Pettiti- should be better nest year but we need to look for options anyway. Tucker- a back up.

Last year the line was a problem so we bring in a probowl RG. He was older but was a probowler, they could have went after a younger guy from GB that could play LG and RT. People questioned this move but it was an upgrade from last year. Even back then I wanted the younger guy from GB. We didn’t upgrade RT this year we took a step backwards. Last year we didn’t do anything about a corner and we had problem all year so now we have problem with the line all year. Bledsoe is compounding problem by playing poorly the same can be said about JJ. I think the whole offense unit sucks. Play calling oline coach no playmakers. I remember getting into with Raf over this line saying its not going to be a good line and he was saying they can improve. This is not a problem can can be fix this year.

JJ is an embarassment???

Where is Shaun Alexander going when he gets a handoff from the oppositions DT? Or Tiki? Or The Dane? Or anyone?

Nobody can run when there is nowhere to go.

aw,

I got really high hopes for Crayton. He seems smart, tough, and has great hands.
Watch him next game. I really think he might be the linchpin for this offense.if he plays well I think we win hands down.

Talking about going to the playoffs are for losers, we’re the Dallas Cowboys, we talk about championships, not playoffs.If all you hope for is to make it to the playoffs so you can get bounced in the first game, then you should go hope for a different team, unless this team is competing for championships, Im not interested in just getting TO THE PLAYOFFS, this O-line sucks and I’ve seen nothing in the last 8 games to think this team is going anywhere, if we lose next week against KC, its time to get peterman, columbo, Romo, henson and others on the field to see what we have and if they are going to be long term solutions for this team. Hoping for just a playoff berth is for losers not Dallas Cowboy fans, we strive for championships.

alantdot
Its not about me converting, sometimes people just need to see something over and over and over again to finally get it. We no our d has giving up an avg of 14.66 points a game. The problem is our D can stop our offense from giving away points. You are right we have what we have and what we have wont allow us to do much on offense. We have to max protect but we don’t have the WRs to make plays.

AW:
They didn’t went the Wahle route more on the fact that the Dallas unit needed a leader, something that Rivera was while in GB and I haven’t seen here. And Wahle played LT and wasn’t that good at it he added weight because he plays near 300 pounds and looked slow against speed rushers, that was in 2000, just for you to know.

derrick
I’m with you.

alantdot
I have been talking about Crayton before the start of the season and I still think he should start next year. But I still want them to draft a wr and a rb if one looks good.

And we’re in the same page AW, I also don’t think that the OLine is going to get better any time soon, not now that the rest of the league knows that they can stop Dallas passing and running attacks with 6 to 8 man fronts until Bledsoe starts getting some rythm, then they back off and play to keep a lead.

Chandus
Wahle looked good last year, how does he look this year? Wahle got the same money if not a little more than what we paid. I would have went with him because he could play both plus is he young. I don’t know about him sucking at LT but I know they say he can play both. I know it is easy to second guess now but I was first guessing when we signed Rivera.

The only embarrassment is you, Daryl Scott, as a Cowboys fan. JJ had over 75% of the yards. He ran rather effectively, or at least as well as the line allowed.

There is nothing wrong with the playcalling. They threw the ball 43 times. Too open for you? A bad line is a bad line. Why is it that our offense suddenly quit being efficient after the Giants game? Losing Flozell was HUGE. Like another post stated, look at what happened to KC.

You can’t blame BP on the Offensive line upgrade. Going into training camp he had 3 Pro Bowlers, two good options at center, and his draft pick from the previous year headlining a three-man race that eventually defaulted to the fourth guy, a 6th round draft pick.

NO TEAM can survive losing their starting tackles. Same with QB (with a few notable exceptions).

You know on the coaching matter…..and I would welcome Hudson Houck……..Jimmy Johnson had a good point. The Cowboys had the best kicking coach in the game in Hoffman, in fact he worked with Cundiff for free after his injury……had we had Hoffman working with our kickers this year…….like the last 15 we might well be 10-2 even after we lost on Sunday and the Giants would be behind us.

I ain’t for paying big money for kickers…….and I think they are walk on FAs………but Hoffman was the man that made it that way…….I don’t remember us missing many from inside 40 while he was the kicking coach.

Sprano should be replaced as soon as the season ends. The offensive line coach takes a lot of heat from the head coach anyway, and rightfully so. I think Sprano was fine as a TE coach or in college but this is the bigs.

We will beat Washington, and St. Louis easily. If we can stop Larry Johnson then we can beat the Chiefs. He is killing teams. The Panthers are better than us on offense and defense. JP is the best DE in the league…….and he is young and only getting better, can we beat em yeah…….but if we play like we did against the Giants……..we will lose a lot worse than Atlanta did this week!

Dallas can beat anybody……..ok maybe not the Colts…..but anybody else……..if they bring their A Game! We have not seen it all year…….and now fumbles, sacks and interceptions are killing us just like last year.

The day Romo or Henson start…….Bill Parcells is either done coaching or Bledsoe is knocked out cold. It ain’t the QB! Have yall forgotten that Steve Young and Doug Williams both played for the BUCS……..back in the ugly orange days……..yet both won SUPER BOWLS once they had an offensive line!!!!

It ain’t the QB!!!

If they draft a WR and RB from rounds 4 to 7 is fine by me, I want from rounds 1 to 3 this guys:

Round 1: Mike Degory, C, Florida / Nick Mangold, C, Ohio St.

Round 2: Kamerion Wimbley, DE/OLB tweener, Florida St. / Parys Haralson, DE/OLB tweener, Tennessee.

Round 3: Anthony Fasano, TE, ND / Troy Bienemann, TE, Washington St.

That means Al Johnson is gone (probably headed to Denver where they are gonna like him), Campbell (who isn’t playing at the level in which he played in past seasons) and Fujita. This also means that Dallas has to be after a FS in FA where I want Hope of Pitt over Demps of Balt.

we wont be drafting a running back in next years draft, were deep there, A fullback definitely, but the first two of the three picks will be on the offensive line, the other will be a linebacker.

I agree with daryl scott about trading JJ, but if you deactivate him, he will lose his value. If we are going to just concede this year, then play the hell out of him so people think he is good enough to trade for. We won’t get Hershel value, but would be able to get an O-line for Barber next year. Barber had the same line as JJ and ran better in those two games he started.

And I’m supposed to believe that the Defenses that Seattle and Arizona have are better than the ones Philly, Detroit, Denver and NY have. Right, keep day dreamin’.

Chandus,

Do we really waste a pick on a FS when KDavis is doing fair and we have last years draft choice Beriault in the wings? Along with Pile?

i don’t think we are going to get a TE in the third round. Why draft one in the third round? We can get one further back. We have a Talented TE that can catch.

 A blocking TE can be had in the later rounds.

I know it ain’t the QB but he aint helping….

If a rb or wr are available in the first two rounds that can upgrade this team I say take them. I’m all for oline help. I’m not giving up on JJ he is just a second year back. I wouldnt be mad if he didn’t come back next year. I just don’t think he should get a pass next year as the starter. I think he should have to out play MB, TT and if they bring in someone else. I would like to see more of MB and TT. I just don’t think JJ can run inside. I think he should get one more year. Maybe JJ should be the third down back, a lot of team run draws on third downs…

This defense is too good to waste right now. If we get a WR in the draft he won’t make an impact till year 2 or 3. WR’s never do much in their rookie year – except for Randy.

Our OLine needs work.

We lost to a giants team that matches up with us too well. Their All pro DE’s against our first year starter Tackles.

Their DT rotation against our inexperianced Center and underperforming guards.

Our Defence was awesome. If we get a line we will be a totally different team. We need another RB?
MBIII and JJ and maybe by next year TT learns to chip block.

alantdot
Beriault was playing good before he got hurt but he is a SS not FS and its not like he was 1st, 2nd or even a high second day pick. People talk about him like he is going to jump in and start. I’m not saying to draft a FS because KD is doing a good job to being a first year starter. Next year if Beriault makes the team he will be a back up to Roy. We could use an upgrade but he have so many other needs that need to be addressed.

I think we go
R1 – C
R2 – DE/OLB tweener
R3 – Tackle/Guard
R4 – Tackle/Guard

Aw,

no way Beriault is playing SS at 195lbs in this league. He will back up KDavis and RWilliams. We don’t need to waste a pick there…

Actualy Beriault is a free safety, at ball state, he is listed as a free safety, but had to play more of a strong safety at ball state as their linebackers were horrible and beriault lead the team in tackles every year. he iwas also listed as a free safety at the combine, if his knee is fixed with surgery, I think he’ll be the leading candidate next year to be the free safety on ths team.

JJ fumble? Did you see that play? What was he supposed to do?

Never trade JJ. Start running draws like we did last year. Does anyone remember all those delays we would run? We stopped this year for some reason. You will never get value for him. Remember last year when the Seahawks and Colts wanted a 2nd round pick for Alexander and James? Its a good thing that BP is coach and not some of you guys, you have to give players time to develop.

We all said before the season started that Keith Davis would give up some plays but make some plays. He hasnt made any plays in the FS spot. He’s a different player than he was in the beginning of the season.

If we can sign Hope, get an OT. If we don’t, get Michael Huff if hes there.

Daryll Scott,
You have no clue what your talking about.

alantdot
No Moss was all pro his rookie year, young wr do make impacts their rookie years. I know not all but some do. AZ two wr had good first years, Johnson in Houston had a good first year that guy from TB had a good first year don’t know what happen to him this year. Higher picks are going to be more productive as a whole, your chances of getting playmaker are higher in higher rounds. So what I’m saying a first year WR can make an impact.

alantdot and derrick
Beriault is a SS he played ss in camp. He didn’t play any FS in camp. I’m going by what he did im camp this knock was he was slow. Like I said you guy act like he was a high pick. He looked good at SS not FS. I’m not saying he wont get a look at FS but right now if he was playing he would be the back up to roy. Did you guys follow the team during camp pre-season?

charles Rogers—bust
Roy Williams- often injured
Mike Williams- Tightend,slow, not wide reciever
Braylan Edwards-Always injured-gone for the season.

 are these the impact wide recievers you are talking about early in the first round.

Wide recievers are a dime a dozen, you dont waste a first round pick on one, you can get a good wide out in the later rounds, you’re talking about a position that on average is in on 6 plays a game.

aw,

I did say except for Randy.

We can’t waste a pick on a FS after we held onto this kid all year on IR.

we need that Tweener – or two – and lots of Olinemen.

Did you see SD linemen make that Kid out of Northern Illinois looks like Emmitt when LT left the game?

Crayton and a better Oline, that’s all we need.

I think the WR draft class is too weak to draft one this year. I’d rather have a Winston Justice type player, or another OLB. Jerry Jones will sign a FB over the offseason, BP will make him do it. Instead of going after Owens we will offer big bucks to make Chris Hope leave Pitt. Our Defense is then clearly SB material, with the best Secondary in the league.

Bradie James is starting to look like a real solid player week after week. He still makes stupid mistakes, but hopefully that will corrected.

derrick
If wr are a dime a dozen why dont we have one?

aw,
BParcels said that he didn’t want to harm the kids development by switching him in his rookie year. I’ll bet he has been studying the playbook with both Safety positions in mind while on IR.

how the hell is he going to play SS at 195? Even with the ‘NFL Diet’ he doesn’t look like he wil get much beyond 215 in two or three years.

AW,
please go read this on Beriault’

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2005/beriault_justin

http://www.nfl.com/draft/analysis/expert/brandt/s

alantdot
You didn’t get what I wrote, there are wr that make impacts there rookie years I was just saying moss has been the best since he was a rookie. nobody should expect an impact like that. Glenn had an impact his rookie year. And again right now beriault is not a fs. I’m not saying just draft a wr I want a wr high if he looks the part same as rb, oline and olb. I don’t want to draft a project at rb or wr.

He doesnt look like anything more than a good ST player to me. But thats just my opinion. BP preaches Special Teams and i think he kept him around for that reason.

AW,

Really it seemed like five years ago was the last time I saw Beriault. Enough about him.

I just think we need a better Oline. I think we have that playmaker and he is Crayton.

Just my opinion.

All or offense needs to do is STOP giving the other team seven points!!

alantdot
why did he play ss in camp and in preseason then? what is the reason for that tell me? If BP didn’t want to hemp him by switching him then that would mean he is a SS, because you can’t switch a FS to a FS…..I’m going by what he was doing when he was on the field. Tell me how many players go a whole camp playing a position they don’t intend to play?

aw,

we will solve this in next years trainig camp and preseason games.

i think BP wanted to se what the kid had at the position he had played for his senior year cause he was on the Cut bubble.

As an earlier poster said beriault played both at Ball State.

I don’t think Parcells was loking for more than a ST player from beriault in his first year.

aw. cmon. who is playing SS in this league at 195? in This division?

Anyway. We will see in preseason next year.

btw, those criticizing JJ earlier. He had 161 total yards yesterday. (74 rushing and 9 catches for 88 yards receiving) That (to many anyway) appears to be the best performance of any offensive player yesterday. He was 70% of the total offense against the Giants.

who is playing ss in this league at 195? it would have been beriault backing up roy if he didnt get hurt. But we do need a lot of help on this team.

Transplanted Dallas native in NYC,
You are absolutely correct about JJ. He was very impressive yesterday. He was the entire offence. He was 88 of the 146 yards that Bledsoe threw.

Julius had 9 catches for 88, the rest of the team had 6 for 58.

Anyone who believes BP is drafting anyone but an OLB or OT, OG or Center is freaking crazy. He will not draft a RB, WR or safety nor should he.

If a good CB or TE were available he would jump on that if the OLB or OL were not available.

The value of the position is just as important as the quality of player. An above average LT is more valuable than a great fullback for instance.

Beriault does not have the range for a FS, not enough top end speed. He is a good tackler in run support, strictly a backup SS.

Jerry Jones knows two things.

Offense Sells Tickets and Defense wins Super Bowls. Selling tickets makes Jerry a rich man. In the era of our Dallas Super Bowls of the nineties there were several high flying offenses that fell flat come playoff time. Minnesota, SF, and the perpetual Defenseless Miami Dolphins.

Bill has built his Defense and OH what a defense this is going to be. But ole Jerry he knows to fill those stands and get more primetime appearances you gotta a do more than score 10 points. Jerry does just want to win, but he wants to sell more Jerseys.

He looks and sees a QB that can suffice. A couple of RBs that could be stars one day. Some aging WRs and a young TE that is already a pro bowler.

He sees Michael Irvin on the TV and TO at home. Intead of going for a legitimate OT he will opt for TO. Bill Parcells will have to MIFF KJ, cuz he is due to get his due and make real wr money, which Jerry will pay to TO, who as of that day will have done nothing for the Cowboys other than not appear in our 2nd game meeting of the season last year against the eagles.

Bill agrees to TO the same as he did with A Train, Eddie George, Price and other Jerry Jones ideas. Cuz Jerry pays the bills, and Bill and even though Bill cooks the groceries, Jerry can ask for a bowl of soup on the menu and specify the flavor.

The thing that worries me is that we don’t address the OT position and instead put all our hopes in yet another over 30 victim of fate arriving too late arriving too late…..Terrel Owens. And yes he is a pirate traveling to plunder for his own gain……..but the guy can play.

We are more than a WR away from being an elite team. We are another OLB, a few Offensive Lineman that can block both on run and pass, and another guy that will step up like Bradie James did this year in the linebacking corp. Fujita, Shanle, Fowler…….somebody else needs to step up next year not just in the draft or FA.

I like our front rotation, love WARE and James……..need more out of Burnett……..Shanle has been ok…….Fujita not so sure about yet……

Other than the Henry injury our 2nd is great. Other than the Bears ability to score points I say we got a great secondary and even with Keith Davis or Willie Pile or Beirault…….who is really going to be a Special Teamer and part time FS/SS. Don’t discout his 195 this kid was and is a hitter…….he would be a nice backup to Roy Williams and Keith Davis and another beast on Special teams. Rotation rotation rotation…….no reason to not get some series out of yet another S. Henry Glenn and Newman are in my book the best 3 CBs playing on the same team. Henry might well have been our first half MVP and gave TNEW the much needed help he needed.

Well Santa all i want for Christmas……..hmmmmm……..a healty FLOZELL ADAMS……..a healthy and former pro bowler MARCO RIVERA TO SHOW UP………a healthy AJ and add another C to the roster why don’t ya……Gurode is an FA lets take a chance on another rookie…..Petitti to keep developing while we add yet another legit tackle to the roster……and larry allen to find the founatin of youth. (jacob rogers injury really hurt here…..if he was healthy we would have solved one side and had better options on the other)

The battle is won in the trenches. We got one heck of a defensive trench. But our offensive attack is getting killed. We are solid at RB, and will keep Witten and Campbell. Maybe we add another FB, not sure I know Bill likes Polite, but not sure he has shown much yet.

Oh yeah Santa and one more thing, if Jerry signs a deal with the devil……TO…….make it incentive laiden with shut your mouth and catch the damn ball in every other clause……..oh yeah and Bill Parcells to suck it up and resign Houck and Hoffman……..while he also makes a deal with Jerry for 4 more years. No reason to stop cooking now Billy Boy…….this is the last dance…….don’t quit on us now. Lead us to the promised land.

Besides what would football be without Bill Parcells soundbites. Oh and one more thing Santa, thanks for the SWEEP of the EAGLES……next year how about the whole NFC EAST!!!

it is very simple to see. its too bad its not that easy to fix. injuries and youth on the offensive line is the the main problem. the only ingredient that is missing from the dallas cowboys to make them one of the best teams in the nfc this year is the offensive line problems. that is the reason bledsoe cant throw, that is the reason jones cant run. if that doesnt get fixed be prepared to see the same of what we have saw the last 2 games.

wow does anyone remeber last year??? we would have 5 losses by nov and by a combined 80-100 pts. we are making strides we will be good. yes the defense came together faster then the offense did but cmon we signed a pro bowl rg who was hurt before training camp and maybe still is… anyways we are ALOT better off now then a year ago. have faith we will be fine and if we dont make it this year, then next year we will.

Hey Raf,

Do you know why our defense sack production has dramatically dropped off over the course of the season? Is it due to a drop-off in performance level or a change in defensive scheme?

the offense is good, all of the weapons are in place. the protection and the line is the problem. now teams know how to beat us.

Burmfrd,

I have to laugh at you. It is so so simple to see. The first 5 games the offensive line sucked. Then for a few games they were playing great. Now they suck again. … That is what the fans on this site have seen. What is the difference? Marion Barber maybe? When he played everyone here, including Rafael, was ranting about how well Tucker and Petetti were playing. Riveria and Allen were regaining their ProBowl form. Now once again, all of a sudden, they lost it … the O-line stinks again. So they stunk before Baber’s starts, and stink now after Barber’s starts. But during his time the O-linemen were really good?? … You tell me, what is your answer for this? Why did the line look so good when Barber played? Why do they look like crap when he doesn’t? …. Please lend me your insight.

nah, its simple. the youth and inexperience have caught up with the o-line. it looks so horrible how the line could just get manhandled for 2 games straight. i have a question for yall. during the last 7 weeks or so didnt parcells sign some other lineman? and why arent they getting thrown in there at one point or another. its not like they could have done any worse.

EricR:

As I said before when a fellow that thinks like you said something close to what you’re saying: Am I supposed to believe that the Defenses that Seattle and Arizona have are better than the ones Philly, Detroit, Denver and NY have. This is really simple, Seattle and Arizona are ranked 14th and 18th in rushing D. While Philly, Detroit, Denver and NY are 19th, 25th, 3rd and 6th. And then you remember that since that Philly game teams have been stacking 6 to 8 man fronts in every 1st and 2nd down, because that way they stop the run and as a bonus in passing plays get to Bledsoe. There’s no point in what you’re saying, none whatsoever.

problem child
I don’t care if we don’t get another sack this year as long as we stop teams. What do sack do for your team stop drives maker harder to get first downs which all breaks down to points. We still get pressure on the qb which create bad throws and picks.

golden
what weapons are in place, we don’t have any weapons. What is the difference between avg vs good and good vs great? I think with a great line avg players can look good and maybe sometime great. I think we have an avg line with avg talent on offense. I don’t think you can throw any rb or qb with a great line and they will be great. I think with a great line we still don’t have any great players on offense. We would be better overall but we do need a playmaker.

Looks like the SS minnow or LOVE boat crew, otherwise known as the Minnesota Vikings have battled their way back into the playoff race after winning five games in a row and now sit 7-5 right in the race with the Rams,Bal,Pitts,and the bears on the schedule.

Some points:

AW:
Wahle isn’t havng much success in the running game as Carolina is ranked lower than Dallas in average per carry, while at pass protection they’re quite better, only allowing 21 sacks.

AlanTdot:
What is the bad thing with going from decent (as in Keith Davis at FS) or uncertain (as in Beriault there) if you can afford having a FA that’s proven. As of now, according to my calculations we should have something close 3 million in cap space, next season there won’t be a 1.5 million charge named Price nor a million named Thomas, so that’s 5.5 million. Ogbogu won’t be signed again, that’s close to half a million (he’s been paid an 8 year veteran minimum). And that makes up for 6 millions in free cap space, more than enough to resign Shanle and rework James and Witten’s deals or just to exercize their contractual clauses. The you add the increase of the salary cap and you have enough room to operate a couple of big signings and a couple of less known contributors. Hope or Demps would make decent and uncertain turn into great.

And as far as I remember, for those who were talking about Beriault, I remember Parcells saying that Beriault was limited in practice and that he was going to work him in what he thought he would be ok, and that being SS. I guess his knee was having Beriault some problems early in camp and wasn’t looking too good in coverage.

We’re good at home, we should be able to beat Kansas City and St. Louis. Our backs will be against a wall with Washington and we will have revenge in our subconsciousness and win. Carolina will be a great opportunity :)

chandus
that doesn’t mean wahle isn’t doing good. And beside it looks like they are turning things around with Foster being the main back Davis is slow. One more thing they may have a lower yard per avg but I’m sure they have more rushing TDs than we do.

aw, what the hell are you talking about. i will tell you what weapons are in place. 1-running backs=they can run if there is a hole to run through, they can block and they can catch well. 2-receivers=we have 3 good receivers, 3-quarterback=he can throw and can read defenses very well and can make the long pass and is accurate. i am sure you will say that these are no weapons. however bledsoe was the most acurate passer in the league, in the top 3 in yards, and in the top 5 in completion percentage until the line has screwed up the past 3 or 4 games. the running back have not had 100 yard games but have been decent most of the times, and keyshawn, crayton, and glenn were having some of the most outstanding numbers also. when did this stop might you ask??? the last 4 games where the o-line has been exploited. before then the boys were right up there in the nfc on offense. glenn had led all receivers in yards per catch and johnson was the goto guy on short situations, crayton was in the middle catching everything thrown to him. if you say im wrong i bet you someone else on here will tell you that you are stupid. when the o-line was working the cowboys had weapons, keyshawn was a weapon, crayton too and especially terry glenn, and bledsoe did get the ball to them. the run was targeted heavily and still did decent expecially when it came to chewing up the clock. the cowboys have plenty of weapons but cant utilize them if the line dont make holes, if the line dont give bledsoe time. the line has gotten pushed back all game over the last 3 or 4 games

AW:

As stated before, we’re not in the same page in almost the whole book… Examples of good QB’s not working in bad lines and working in good ones: Testaverde, Trent Green, Drew Brees, Steve McNair, Jake Plummer, Brad Johnson, Troy Aikman and the lis goes on and on…

Take Marino as example, he always had one of the best OLines in the NFL and I remember that he could be waiting for his receivers to break open all day and night on his 2 feet. Time allows any WR to break open, as we saw on Sunday, a couple of times Bledsoe had time and in the 1st one he threw against the NY wind and the pass came short, while in the second Bledsoe totally missed Witten.

I said it back during training camp that our biggest priorities were Offensive Line and Linebacker. After this game that should be even more apparent. We could have Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith back in their primes, but if the O-Line can’t block the Defense it wouldn’t matter…they will end up on their backsides behind the line of scrimmage.

At this point I don’t know which is a better plan: use a 1st round pick on one of the many high quality offensive lineman in the next draft, or sign a veteran free agent.

I think I would rather see BP and JJ sign a free agent veteran right tackle at this point and use their 1st round pick on a linebacker. Pettiti is a good example of how difficult it is to develop young linemen. When I think about how many 1st round offensive linmen have been complete busts it makes me all the more convinced that it is easier to build a defense through the draft and build an O-Line through free agency (Rivera is an exception, Wahle worked out well for the Panthers this year, maybe we took the wrong guy).

On the other side of the ball, I am a bit disappointed in our lack of a dominating pass rush. The only guy who seems to be getting to the quarterback with any regularity is Ellis. When I see Strahan and Umenora bringing the heat, I am jealous. The Cowboys have the talent, but they need to put way more pressure on the opponents. They remind me of the defense we had the year that we lost to Detroit in the playoffs, the year before the first Super Bowl win of the 90’s. Solid defense, but lacking a true beast of a pass rush specialist. The next year we got Charles Haley and suddenly our defense was good enough to get to and win the Super Bowl.

If Flozell comes back healthy, then all that is needed is a RT and a Center on the line and it should be ok. Add a strong pass rusher and an inside LB to replace Dat and we should be where we need to be.

BTW, I forgot that I also got some heat on my Round 3 (Anthony Fasano, TE, ND / Troy Bienemann, TE, Washington St.) prediction. Witten is a weapon as a pass catcher and a good blocker, are we all in the same page? What’s wrong in having 2 guys that are like that? In the paper Fasano and Bienemann are like that, while Campbell’s testing the FA waters in a season that isn’t his best by a mile. He’s better than Pierce, though, and that and the fact that we will be in a great cap position could mean that he’s brought back to be the starter until 3rd rounder takes charge.

golden
the number at the end of the season will tell the real story with the record. JJ hasn’t played well all year MB had two good games. You can blame the line for this but not all of it goes on the line JJ just hasn’t looked good all year. Bledsoe yes the line again but he hasn’t been playing well he need to step up throwing picks and not hitting open people when he does have time is not the line fault. There is a reason why two other teams let him go. WR we don’t have a #1 period. They would be much better with a #1 guy on the team. Yes our line need to be upgraded but it don’t stop there. Our offense can be taken out of its game to easy. We are 2-4 against teams 500 or better. This is the way it is now. The two games we won are looking lucky now. Right now it looks like we can’t beat good teams.

I think the Panthers are a better team than the Seahawks in the NFC. I would much rather go up to Seattle again in the playoffs (if the Boys can pull out a Wild Card and a win in the first round) than go to Carolina. We’ve had some tough games in Carolina, especially in the playoffs (1996 playoffs, 2003 playoffs).

I actually think Chicago might be better than Seattle. I doubt if Alexander would get too many yards against that defense in cold January weather.

aw. do you think emmitt was a playmaker? do you think troy aikman is in the top 5 quaterbacks?do you think irvin is one of the greatest recievers?absolutely not!!!these players were surrounded by other good players and an awesome offensive line and emmitt can thank the o line and moose for that.when this team started collapsing did you notice the o line was not the same.i don’t wanna hear age.i mean you look at troy and emmitt in their last 3 years.they were average players.don’t get me wrong these guys were great players but the point is they were also surrounded by good solid players. look at tom brady he gets all the credit for the patriots everyone forgets the rest of the team.i know i live in mass.buy you are right average players can be great with an o line.

im not saying 100% the lines fault AW but i will say 80% and thats more than enough. if the cowboys didnt have o-line problems the boys would be way better and could be 9-3
its mostly the line. you cant expect drew to do well if he dont have time, he needs time, julius jones cant make holes, he can only run through holes. look at the plays when they run, there is hardly ever any hole for him to run through. yeah jj and drew need to perform better, but it starts with the line. if they line does better then they do better, hell do you see how they were gettin pushed back so easily. how does one of the giants lineman almost beat jj to the hand off????

I with ya Golden

The Giants havent really beat any good teams either. In this league, if you beat the teams you are supposed to beat, you usually make the playoffs. And the Giants are 7-1 at home. That damn extra home game is going to screw us in the end, we all know that.

Ways that I would spark the offense:
Sit Petiti, Start Columbo.
Either sign Jamar Martin or play Polite.
Pass more to Witten.
More draws and delays to JJ and MBIII.
When Al Johnson is in, run some shotgun. BP said he wouldnt do it because Gurode isnt good at it.

This may sound bad, but I think we need some more trick plays in there. Some direct snaps to Crayton in the backfield or flea flickers. They worked real good in the beginning. We need to be creative to get the crowd into it and get our players pumped.

Chandus,

The 4 teams you mention. Two better and two worse. Barber had the two best rushing performances all year. How many starts did he have? … Oh that is right … TWO!!

Sure the line is not perfect, but they played their best games when Barber played … PERIOD!!!!

There is no doubt, none whatsoever, that Jones and Barber have two distinctly different styles. I can’t see how you and others don’t see the corrolation between Barber’s starts and the offensive line playing better together. Marion’s north-south power running game is better suited for these linemen. …. There is no doubt in my mind, if Barber didn’t have fumblitis he would be starting over Jones. He blocks better, runs better routes, and gets the tough yards.

If you go back to previous threads, I said that if you start Jones over Barber, we will never really know if it was the line or JJ or simply the teams they are playing having better defenses. .. That is were we are now. No one knows for sure what the problem is. All I can say is BEFORE and AFTER Barber’s starts this blog’s fans ripped and have been ripping the offensive line play. Their ONLY bright spot throughout the season has been when Marion Barber got the rock. .. Coincidence? I doubt it. I think Barber’s straight ahead style is a better fit for what we have.

AW, you’re right. I would cut Julius Jones and MBIII. I would draft a RB every season and then cut him whenever a lineman missed a block. We need playmakers. I would sign and cut RBs until we found one that suited you. If the search lasts forever, so be it. We need playmakers.

I’ve said it already, but JJ can’t get into the ebb and flow of the game w/o 25-30 carries. Lots of running backs are like that – He no different.

Give BP a lot of credit for the defense the Boys have had this year, especially with all the injuries. No doubt A. Glenn and A. Henry were great pickups.

I am really surprised that BP had 10 days to prepare for the Giants game, and we were dominated. Bill needs to start showing emotion and telling these players that if they don’t start performing, they are outta here – no ifs, ands or buts about it. No one gets preferential treatment. He is a master psychiatrist, I’d like to see him use more of it. He has been rather ho hum about their performance of late. Granted, I think it’s all well and good that he’s being positive – he actually said that we will be the team that we choose to be this year – rather than giving ‘em hell. I do think the death of his brother is having an effect on him. I also think the playcalling by
Shawn Payton is aweful. It’s predictable. We need to do something about this as well as the OLine. There are lots of pieces to the Cowboys puzzle. I could go on and on, but I am interested to see what ya’all have to say.

Eric R,

It is coincidence. Who did Barber start against? The Giants, Seahawks and Cardinals. He got most of the work against the Lions. The Lions and Cards are the worst teams Dallas has faced since San Francisco. He had a pretty good game against the Seahawks but how many points did the offense score in his first two games? 26 by my count.

The season ain’t over…The O-line isn’t good…it ain’t all Rivera’s fault…JJ’s a more explosive back than Barber, thus should be the main guy…Bledsoe is more than a serviceable QB (he was leading the NFC in QB Rating at the start of the NY game)…TO won’t be a Cowboy (I hope)…and all us Cowboy’s fans are a bunch of whiney little b**ches, if you ask me – we are 7-5, in control of our own destiny, and heading into a stretch that could feasibly see us go 3-1…c’mon people we went 5-11 three years in a row and went 6-10 last season (throw in a dash of lucky playoff season two years ago), you’d think we’d be more grateful that we have a more than fair chance at seeing the beloved post season again.

Poke

PS I pray to Jesus that Jerry steers clear of TO.

Rafael and EricR:

I believe that Barber success in those games has something of the 2 factors, coincidence and the teams he played. The first one is coincidence, NY hadn’t seen anything out of Barber that wasn’t of him playing for Minn, while Seattle and Arizona aren’t that good at stopping the run.

Then JJ returned and played against Philly and they had Jim Johnson planning on how to stop the running game, just like he planned to stop LT, and he succeded in quite a way that he also got to Bledsoe in passing plays.

And as this copycat league should have us all acostumed, teams that were in Dallas schedule took notes and we have been seeing 5 to 8 man fronts in 1st and 2nd downs and 3 to 4 in 3rd and long. I’m sure that we’re going to see more of that at Dallas on Sunday and then at Washington.

Barber’s yards per carry and yards per game are better than Jone’s. He has about 60% of the amount of carries as JJ, yet has 2 more TDs, and his longest run is longer than Julius’. … Julius has been far too ineffective to keep him in there. The offensive line plays better when Barber is the RB .. period! His style fits this team better. … If you want draws and stretch plays and sweeps, then Julius is the guy. But everything about this team is a power running team. Big offensive linemen, and for the most part two TE sets. … And listen, I can’t take anything away from Julius Jones. He has done everything the coaches asked of him. But Marion Barber is the ground and pound type back. .. Its just a better fit, in my opinion.

Wow,

did you all see how many yards SAlexander ran for in Philly?? So JJ isn’t a punk then right?

No holes=No yards.

No protection+no offensive playmaker=Bledsoe sacked

Isn’t there anything more interesting we can talk about?

EricR:

We haven’t seen enough of Barber against good defenses to say with any degree of certainty that he is better or worse than JJ. Whatever stats you throw out contrasting Barber and JJ’s production have to be looked at with the thought that Barber wasn’t game planned against his first two starts, while every game JJ has started he has drawn the attention of the opponent’s Defensive Coordinator in their game plan and defensive schemes.

Barber might be more of a “ground and pound” type of back, but he isn’t ever going to be a Jerome Bettis or Christian Okoye style pounder because of his build. He is solid and fairly consistent (except for the fumbles), but far from spectacular from what I have seen of him so far. He doesn’t have much burst when he hits the hole, and doesn’t look like he accelerates very quickly into the secondary. I haven’t seem him take on a LB or DB and knock them back 3 more yards like a real “ground and pound” RB can do. My suspicion is that at the end of the day he will be a decent 3rd and short, goal line, and change of pace back…but not a starter.

Julius Jones reminds me more of a poor man’s Tony Dorsett, he can slash and spin and has enough speed to break some big plays if he can get into the open field. My main question mark with JJ is if he can stay healthy, learn to block better, and gain enough confidence to become an elite back. Last year he impressed me a lot the second half of the season, but this year he seems to lack the killer instinct…or as we used to call it when I played “the smell of the end zone”. He needs to step up in the last 4 games this year and the first 4 of next season or I fear BP may lose confidence in him and look elsewhere. I think he has played himself onto the bubble this year.

Ultimately it gets down to the O-Line though. If Drew doesn’t even have enough time to make the handoff to the RB before the nose tackle gets there, it doesn’t matter who our ball carrier is.

We can pound the J.J./MBIII debate into the ground, and we already have. I’m just glad there are two good RBs in Dallas right now. I found a tape of the ‘03 game against Carolina this past week, when Dallas won to go 8-3 in probably their best overall game of the year. Let me tell you, there’s no comparison between the teams, even though that one was 8-4 through 12 games and this one 7-5. In fact, I will, when I get more time, probably tonight or tomorrow.

MB style does fit better this year than JJ. JJ style hasn’t worked this year. I don’t care about what JJ could have done or could do I want to see what he is doing. JJ isn’t so great that he should be the starter with no question. I think JJ should be the third down back the rest of this season because then he could run the draw a couple times a game. MB can run inside. Another reason is BP has shown us time and time again only one back is going to get the carries. I would like to see MB get 25 carries. When you stop a playmaker it allows other player to get the ball. We don’t have the player to step up or the player maker. Everybody know this line is not good and its not going to be fix this year. So other things that can be changed need to be. Its time to try some different things on offense to help out the lack of a line.

i think JJ’s injuries put him on the bubble more than his play. He nor Barber have had many openings even against less than stellar defenses.

JJ was our only offense against the Giants. We had no passing game other than to JJ. I would like to see him used more out of the backfield…….TD was very effective on screens…….TD was also effective between the tackles and on toss and sweeps……i dont understand why we arent using JJs speed to the outside with a HB Toss?

The offensive line is yet to gel and injuries and rookies are too blame. If Rivera is hurt I give him another year to get healthy and show up.

I have not heard bill complain about the running of JJ, I have heard him mention his durability. That more than anything else puts him on the bubble. But if we are going to go with rb by committee it is less of an issue……..i would like to see a whole season out of the kid though.

Raf
What does 03 team have to do with this team? This team is better but that doesnt mean this team is going to the playoffs.

I think that team offers some good perspective on how good or bad this team is. There is a reflexive tendency after a loss to proclaim everybody on the team, from the coach to the waterboy, suck and should be drawn and quartered. And we’ve heard just about every permutation of that argument since Sunday.

And so what if they miss the playoffs? Even if they go 8-8, this year has been a success, IMO. And that is my point, to maintain the long view of things.

Sterling,

nice analysis of the rb situation on the team.

I think a lot of people seem to think that a back should be tough enough to gain some positive yards after getting the handoff from your oppositions DT.

I think BParcells press conference said it all when he said they had the OLine problems fixed. I think he meant that this is as good as the line is going to get, and that is not very good.

Our centre gets pushed around (the starter) or gets out quicked (the back up).

Our big ticket free agent Guard has been quite underwhelming.

Our Tackles are a seventh rounder with limited Athletic Ability and an Up and Down guy who hasn’t ever shown consistancy.

LA has had a better year this year, but he can’t make up for the poor play around him. Sometimes he contributes to that poor play.

aw,
you say we have to deal with the fact that the oline is not good and scheme that way. Use MBIII instead of JJ because he runs inside better. Adjust the playcalling so it reflects the fact that our OLine is not very good. To really adjust our playcalling to reflect our OLine, we would have to start Tony Romo and roll him out of the pocket once every offensive series.
That won’t happen.

We don’t have that playmaker who can make something out of nothing – unless Crayton is the guy, and they enjoyed their best offensive cohesion when he was in.

Our main problems begin and end with the OLine.

As Slick Willie Clinton would say, ’it’s the OLine stupid’.

8-8 is not a success take that to BP and JJ and see if they would think the same thing. The Defense will go down as a success a team as a whole no. The 03 team was nothing like this one.

Rafael:

I completely agree with you on the ’03 team!! I remember watching that Carolina game and coming to 3 very clear conclusions:

1) We need a running back with some explosiveness and elusiveness, Troy Hambrick is too slow and plodding and Richie Anderson had more speed but no elusiveness or shake/spin moves.

2) Quincy Carter was not going to ever get us to a Super Bowl.

3) T-New looked promising, but the other side of our secondary looked soft.

No question this team is a significant upgrade, no matter what the record ends up being. That year we also had only one really competitive team in our division and we took one game from the Eagles that year too. The Giants and Redskins had terrible coaching then and no QB worth a damn.

The 2003 Cowboys were no where near as good as this year’s team. I only hope we can look back in 2 more years and say the 2005 Cowboys are not even close to as good as the 2007 team.

aw,

that’s right, it’s nothing like this one. The ’03 was inferior, on BOTH sides of the ball.