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Cowboys vs. Texans: What They're Saying

Time for “What They’re Saying” after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans in a preseason game.

First up is a scary little piece from DallasCowboys.com about Kyle Kosier’s injury

The Cowboys trainers indicated even if the MRI does not reveal a torn ligament, which obviously would be a serious blow to the stability of the offensive line, Kosier likely at least sprained the ligaments badly enough to sideline him for a couple of weeks.

 Not good. Of all the injuries, this one has me worried the most. Even though Kosier is on the bottom of the totem pole in terms of our starting line, he is heads-and-shoulders above Joe Berger, Cory Proctor and James Marten. It looks like Berger will get the first shot at any time missed by Kosier and if this is a long-term injury, we are going to suffer from the drop-off.

There was quite a bit of criticism about the way the Cowboys were playing in the preseason, but Wade thinks this was the game that counts and the Cowboys did what they needed to do.

"I feel good about where we are," Phillips said. "It was one of those games that you needed to turn it on. I think everybody felt that – even the novices that don't know as much as coaches do. I thought everyone was right on. We needed to be able to turn it on, and I think we did."

Romo was almost perfect on the evening save for his overthrow of T.O. in the endzone and his brain-cramp interception in the endzone

"I was trying to bait the guy a little bit and he did a great job," Romo said of trying to force the ball to tight end Tony Curtis on the run, leading to the interception. "I've just got to put it out in front."

 Yeah, put it out front by five yards or so and safely out of bounds. Curtis was covered, Tony.

Many were disappointed that we didn’t see Felix Jones in the first half with all the starters, but Wade wanted to get MB3 some work.

"We were in a rhythm and we wanted to see Barber get some work in," Phillips explained. "He needed to carry the ball some. If you put Felix in you're going to share it a little bit and we really didn't need that this game. We'll need it during the regular season, certainly."

Nice to hear it’s just a preseason thing and when it counts, El Gato will be mixing it up with the starting offense.

El Gato wasn’t happy with his own performance.

"This wasn't my best game tonight at all," said Jones, who doesn't seem to get too excited about his big plays, therefore it wasn't a surprise that he kept an even keel when asked about his off night. "But I'll be fine. This isn't the type of game I want to play. I need to get better all the time. You're always going to try to do that. So I'm just going to go back and look at the film and correct my mistakes."

I noted last night that they used Jones as a more conventional RB than what we’d see in the regular season and Jason Garrett confirms that’s the case.

"Right now, we're just trying to be a little more traditional with our personnel," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said. "We want to play Marion in a traditional set with a fullback. And the same with Felix. That's the way we're trying to do it right now."

OK, no one has been more critical of Marcus Spears than me. I’ve wanted Jay Ratliff to take over at DE and move Spears to second string. Well, I’m here to tell you – If Spears plays the regular season like he has the first three preseason games, then I’ll totally recant that statement and sing the praises of Spears. The guy has been phenomenal so far – could it be the threat of less playing time that has him motivated?

"If it looks like that, it's because I've been real focused on getting off the ball fast," Spears said of possibly being motivated by the threat of reduced playing time. "I think I've put a lot of emphasis on playing technique and being in the right places all the time since I got here. My mentality is to stay within the defense but try to get in the way and create a mess in the backfield more than usual."

Everybody seems to think Isaiah Stanback’s injury isn’t too bad, including Stanback.

"It's one of those things that happens," Stanback said. "It should be all right, though. It was a lot worse last year."

Pat Watkins didn’t like the penalty called on him for pass interference.

"It was bull," Watkins said. "I thought it was ticky-tack."

Cricket Anderson had a nice game including a good catch-and-run and some powerful lead blocks.

"I've got hands," Anderson joked. "Our offense is crazy. Sometimes they'll have me go in motion all the way out. I've got to work on my speed, though. You saw I got caught from behind on that catch."

Just keep blocking Cricket and we’ll love ya.

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OK, no one has been more critical of Marcus Spears than me. I’ve wanted Jay Ratliff to take over at DE and move Spears to second string. Well, I’m here to tell you – If Spears plays the regular season like he has the first three preseason games, then I’ll totally recant that statement and sing the praises of Spears. The guy has been phenomenal so far – could it be the threat of less playing time that

I’ll believe it when I see it in the regular season. I’m all for recanting my statements as well on him, but he has to show it when it counts the whole game, not just a quarter or two. Maybe he knows this is his last chance, because the way he was going this was his last season more than likely.

Look up... get up...Don't ever, ever give up!!

by Boyzfan94 on Aug 23, 2008 4:56 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

He certainly did it last night against the first teamers

Spears has been taking alot of heat from fans since he got here, expecting sacks from a defensive end in a 3-4 scheme where that’s not there first reponsibility, but the last eight games last year and so far this preseason, he looks like a different player.

I think alot of the credit should go to the position coaches especially todd grantham on the D-line, another coach that I thought was a good hire during the offseason, along with Hudson houck. The offensive line as a whole was outstanding last night.

by Deke on Aug 23, 2008 5:26 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

+1

Spears is playing much better this pre-season, our D-line depth is really good. I think Grantham is a big improvement over the guy we had when BP was here.

Houck is one of the best, I’m very glad he’s back.

T-New, shutting down WR's for Dallas since 2003

by APerfectStar on Aug 23, 2008 6:07 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

+2

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 23, 2008 6:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Kosier

I hope it isn’t too bad. This is really our first major first-team injury that might keep a starting player out of a regular season game.

While we all have been excited to see Miles’ performance in the first two games and are eager to see what he can contribute, fact is he’s still our #4 wide receiver and everyone in front of him has improved as well, and we did fine without him last year, so he’s more of a bonus, with hopes that he can eventually step up and be the speedy #2, but not someone we’re really depending on.

While Spencer and Burnett both test the depth of our LB corps and force the other backups to step up, and give us a little less flexibility especially in passing downs, they are still not starters. And hopefully both of their knees will be on the mend and they’ll be able to start the season anyway, or at least miss not more than a game or two.

Stanback’s seems minor, and other than kick returns we’re not really depending on him at all, and we do have other kick returners, but with Miles out too, maybe we’ll see more of Felix after all. At any rate, this does show why it’s important to have some depth at the return positions, because especially kick returns are indeed a dangerous job.

Overall, the biggest impact of all these injuries is special teams, as Miles, Spencer, Burnett and Stanback are all important special teams contributors. What is already an area of concern sometimes is getting more concerning with these injuries.

But despite the fact that the injuries have started to rack up a bit more in the last couple games, we’re still in relatively good shape compared to a lot of teams, and it looks like Kosier is the only starter who may actually miss the opener against the Browns.

by scottmaui on Aug 23, 2008 5:23 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

TNew

BTW, not counting Newman, who I fully expect to be back for the opener, and his absence has actually been a blessing for the rest of the CB squad…

by scottmaui on Aug 23, 2008 6:10 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Losing Stanback is no loss whatsoever

He was going to be nothing more than a special teams contributor this season anyway. He wasn’t going to be a factor in the way we run our offense. Thats the facts….

I think Amendola or Jefferson would give us more from the WR position anyway. I really like what I saw from both last night. Time to get off the Stanback bandwagon because he is NOT that special. 4th round picks are crap a shoot anyway. Him being a project makes him even more of a long shot to succeed.

Losing Kosier is the real problem. Thats what we should be concerned with.

Look up... get up...Don't ever, ever give up!!

by Boyzfan94 on Aug 23, 2008 5:33 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I can live with that, not this year anyway

next year is different. Like I said, he is not a major factor in this offense anyway. It shouldn’t surprise anyone he is injured. He’s already got that label.

Look up... get up...Don't ever, ever give up!!

by Boyzfan94 on Aug 23, 2008 8:04 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

What I Can't Understand

is why in the hell was Stanbach returning kicks? He is way too careless with the ball and I blame the Head Coach for that, the buck stops there.

   Stanbach fumbled twice last night. Watch his first return, careless with the ball and the ball came loose before he hit the ground. The redeeming factor is that he was out of bounds. Two KO returns and two fumbles. Ridiculous. Never should have been in there.

by MooEChili on Aug 23, 2008 7:17 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Have you ever seen Crayton carry the ball on kick and punt returns

He’s just as careless. The fact is, if you are the fifth or sixth receiver on a team, you have to contribute on special teams, either covering kicks or returning kicks. Stanback isn’t T.O, so in order for him to be active on gameday, he has to be able to contribute on special teams.

by Deke on Aug 23, 2008 7:21 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I Never Recall

seeing Crayton be so careless with the ball. Watch Stanbach’s 2 returns again, do you want someone like that returning KOs for you? I don’t.

by MooEChili on Aug 23, 2008 7:30 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Crayton carries the ball carelessly too

seen it many times over the past three years when he was returning kicks. Austin miles did it too. They’re young players, thats what happens. Felix Jones put in on the turf last night too, as did Amendola two weeks ago.

by Deke on Aug 23, 2008 7:38 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

When I See Someone

who handles the ball so badly during the run, you just yell NO. You don’t see it very often, and Stanbach’s first return is a prime example. First, and you really can’t lay the blame for his fumble on this, he was running left while holding the ball in his right hand. He should have switched. The coaches should have coached it. But to me, the obvious was his holding the ball away from his body, you just cannot do that.

   I just watched the KO return again, you have to admit it was a terrible job of ball security, from start to finish, he never ever protected the ball during that run. He’s lucky he made it that far without fumbling, it wouldn’t have taken much to knock it loose.

by MooEChili on Aug 23, 2008 8:05 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'm sure they do coach it

some guys just get it sooner than others. i think they just get caught up in the excitement of the run and forget to think about it. but it has to be pounded into them, and will come with experience. hopefully losing one will be a teachable moment for him.

by scottmaui on Aug 23, 2008 8:09 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

The Thing That Bothers Me

is that the coaches put him in as a KO returner again. And he fumbled to The Texans. Go figure.

   He did have the ball in the correct arm this time, but that didn’t matter, he had to ball so far out there that Stanbach wasn’t the target anymore, the ball was.

by MooEChili on Aug 23, 2008 8:25 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Crayton holds the football

Like he is palming a basketball.. I am always screaming tuck it away..

The problem on KR is when you truly secure the ball, you can’t reach top speed. That is why Hester fumbles so much..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 24, 2008 10:51 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

we know he's not

just that I really don’t think he is the (Potential Star) everybody thinks he is

I just have not seen it would have seen something by now

it was wasted pick IMO seems like all of J Ireland fourth rounders are – S Green

by GimmyJ on Aug 23, 2008 6:20 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Dallas is doing it right

Not every drafted player is going to be star, but we have hit on a couple of UDFA’s in the last 5 years, so that makes up on a couple of bust in the draft. Drafting is all about potential and upside, some players just will not reach full potential-Injury, work ethic, and other variables..

You just have to be right more then you are wrong..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 24, 2008 10:53 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Good Job Irving

Your team looked good last night. The game planning, especially all of the blitzing, worked very well. You guys played it like it was your Super Bowl. Congrats and good luck.

It's Our Time.... or something...

by bennprince on Aug 23, 2008 7:19 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

believe me we could have cared less about that game. In fact, through most of the year Cowboys fans and players sometimes forget there is another team in Texas.

by quincyyyyy on Aug 23, 2008 7:39 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Yeah I have been really happy with the way Cricket has been developing

That was a steal in the 6th round. I think Cricket has been our best fullback since… well Moose.

by quincyyyyy on Aug 23, 2008 7:36 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Cricket in the Slot

In the part about Cricket, Josh Ellis notes that they actually lined him up in the slot several times, throwing it to him once and running off right tackle the other times. How many teams put their fullback in the slot? One more weapon for Garrett to use his offensive imagination with.

Speaking of weapons, we had 12 different pass receivers yesterday. And only Amendola and Jefferson were bubble guys.

BTW, Mendenhall just lost a fumble. We’re going to be comparing him with Felix all season, so there’s a certain parity on that.

by scottmaui on Aug 23, 2008 7:40 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I dont think it's fair to compare the two

Mendenhall is an every down back where Felix Jones is a complementory back, so their yards per carry and receiving yards stats are going to be deceptive.

I really like Cricket, and there are lots of things the cowboys can do with him. The cowboys have done a pretty good job with their picks from the fourth round on in the last few years, something you need to do to build a great team.

by Deke on Aug 23, 2008 7:57 PM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

nice

I love the potential for big plays late in game by el gato.. He should come and have a couple of big plays after Marion has worn the down..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 24, 2008 10:54 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Romo and Schaub both had 166 yards passing and 1 TD

And both had 15 completions to get there.

The difference (other than the INT)?

It took Schaub 27 attempts (55) and Romo only 19 attempts (78).

by scottmaui on Aug 23, 2008 7:48 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I'll take

 a lower completion percentage if that means less interceptions in the Red Zone. 4 turnovers is not good for a team that expects to be in the Super Bowl.

by Baked Potato Soup on Aug 23, 2008 9:18 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

ahead of schedule

This is goes in to peaking to Early, the way we played on Friday we could beat 90% of league.. Not very many good teams have looked good in the pre-season.. I am just not buying Kitna with 4 incompletions so far in the Pre-Season. Although Calvin and Roy look money so far this pre-season..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 24, 2008 10:57 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Better than Texans

Being at the game I only saw the replays on the video board. However, it appeared to me that we are better than the Texans at virtually every position. The friend with me grew up in Houston and follows the Texans and was raving about Andre Johnson prior to the game. I liked Kevin Walter and David Anderson, but I wouldn’t trade them for any of our starters. With respect to Stanback, he seems to have potential, but so did Woody Danzler, and I’m still waiting for him to break through.

by rrb on Aug 24, 2008 8:52 PM CDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Andre Johnson

Is a beast and you can tell he was a little rusty, plus we were putting the heat on Shaub..

"If you see me up in the mountains with a lion, I ain't lyin
don't help me, help the mountain lion"

by Wmillion on Aug 25, 2008 1:44 AM CDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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