OK, I've finally come to terms with the Philly beatdown and realised that 2008 just wasn't our year...for a number of reasons. But It keeps coming back to me...what could we have done differently.I'm going to give my assessment on Offense,Defense,and special teams. I'll also give my recommendations for moves or needs that need to be addressed.

DEFENSE

OK....Defense this year,especially at the beginning,was of a bend and but not break variety.Later in the season,after it was purported that wade take a bigger role in the defense,we really turned it on and become a dominant front 7 in regards to putting pressure on opposing QBS.

Defensive line

Canty Rat and Spears are our starters. First off let m,e say that I think Canty should be resigned, I think he has way more upside than anyone else on the roster at this position. Canty is a good run stuffer...and he'll only improve.

RAT. Rat is awesome....But is playing out of position. we need a Real NT in this defense. Rat has performed above expectations...however Imagine him lining up opposite canty, talk about adding more pressure to the QB.....LOOK...the D just got better...LOL...and I'm just getting started here!

SPEARS....What can you say about Marcus,He shows up some sundays....then goes MIA for games at a time. I think the cowboys should seriously consider trying Marcus out at NT....He's got the frame for it....As a matter of fact,most years its a struggle for spears to report under 315....If we allowed him to bulk up a bit, I think NT would be a great place for him to back up tank, or maybe even start. Lets face it Spears is a HUGE man, he can carry the extra weight and has plenty of strength to hold his ground.

LINEBACKERS

What looked to be a strength during preseason,didn't quite turn out to be. I'm not quite sold on the Zach thomas experiment,I feel that Zach was playing out of position and that he wore down as the season went on.

Bradie James....Well the James gang came on...well..Like gangbusters late in the season,recording a number of big plays. It should be noted that Bradie's forte is NOT in pass coverage. But Bradie is a solid LB and he'll remain a major contributer on this defense.

Greg Ellis.....Hey Greg its been a good run Brother...But maybe your time has come. I don't think you can hold anthony spencer off any longer. Spencer is a playmaker and will only get better,and you've got to wonder how long Gregs spot on this roster will remain. He may have a fight on his hands come training camp.

DWARE....BWARE OF DWARE.....Time to pay the man. I guess the arguement was settled in the Merriman vs. Ware debate. Demarcus has become the speed rusher extrodinaire in the NFL these days. He's also added some moves,so he's not only about speed but he can beat you with technique.

Reserves, Burnette is a solid backer,needs to stay healthy and could take over for Thomas,if he doesn't return. Bobbie (Barbie) carpenter....Man I hate it for him...but...he IS A BUST. I defended him and defended him on this board...But he's had 1 good game in 3 years. That was the playoff loss to seattle. This was his year to make the next step. He , quite frankly didn't do it. I don't even think being Romo's buddy is going to save your job this year Bobbie....But hey...theres always Miami (if parcells doesn't jump ship!)

Defensive Backfield

Terrance Newman....when healthy can be as good as any corner in the league.He hasn't lost any of his closing speed. The thing with TNEW is staying healthy. Rest that groin in the off season Terrance....We need you healthy. TNEW tried to come back too early from injury and it extended his rehab.....But ,as evidenced in the second Washington game,he can become a shutdown corner and a game changer.

Mike Jenkins IMO should be starting in place of Anthony Henry. The rookie showed he's got the goods. His forte is being a physical,Bump and run corner...If he were only allowed to play that way all season,you'd have seen a much more productive Jenkins. I was proud of the way Jenkins played this year...Especially after being thrust into the starters role at one point this season. I think he's ready to take over opposite TNEW.

Orlando Scandrich....The other half of our dynamic duo . OSCAN may end up being a better corner than Jenkins. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and lives for the big hit. He was a steal in this draft! And he is my man who will man the slot in 3 CB sets....Yes he is that good!

Henry needs to go somewhere....Either to Safety (my recommendation) or he won't make the team. Could be trade bait leading up to the draft. I really don't see him beating out Jenkins or OSCAN for a spot. His sloppy coverage skills cost us plenty this past year. It won't be a problem next year.

Adam "Don't call me Pacman" Pacman Jones, an assaualt charge waiting to happen....HeHeHe...I personally like Adam. I think he has more natural born atheletic ability than 90% of the players in the league. And there, my freinds is his problem. He's been so atheletically gifted that ,at every level,he got a free pass and never worked on technique. Yeah...he'll still make some plays on defense,just because he's more gifted than most wideouts in the league. ANYHOW I'D BE SURPRISED IF HE MAKES IT TO APRIL without getting arrested. Sad to say...I really think he could help this team....and In my opinion you need 4 good CBs in the NFL these days. If Adam doesn't make it ,we'll need another...CAPABLE of actually playing.

SAFETYS

We're a mess back there,and everybody knows it.I'm guessing that Roy Williams will be gone....I think his contracts up....Somebody let me know if it isn't. I really don't see Roy making any contributions that would validate him taking up a roster spot...I really don't. Othe than his ability to trail Tight ends and his finger pointing abilities (usually precedied by a long reception for the opposition) I don't see any redeaming traits that keeps him here in 2009....Although I could be wrong.

Ken Hamlin was a dissappointment this year. He definitely did not play up to his ability. Hamlin needs to regain the focus he had in 2007. Needless to say,safety is a matter of great concern for this team and needs to be addressed. Killa did a good job filling in for roy But he's not a long term answer.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Special teams SUCK!

OK maybe thats overly simplistic,and firing Bruce read will go a long ways to fixing this problem. No matter who we bring in it will be an improvement. My heart tells me Joe avvezano....But I've got a feeling that the rumors are that we'll hired the specail teams coach from the Jaguars....As I said...Still an Improvement.

Punter- WELCOME BACK Matt Mcbriar....while Sam Polesku (sp?) filled in admirably and gave us our first Punter Highlight in years.....He was merely auditioning for a new job in 2009.

Kicker- FOLKIN'AAAAAA......Nuff Said.....However kickoffs are a concern....however coverage of those kicks would help immensely.

Return teams-Kickoff returns are fine....Punts,lets please find a replacement for PAC/Crayton....Neither is doing a very good job...But at least Crayton doesn't Fumble.

OFFENSE

OFFENSIVE LINE

If ever there was a more apt moniker for this group "Offensive" line is it! They were indeed offensive! I know that we had injuries to Kosier, then later to Holland....But the whole line had issues at some point or another during this past season. Flozell has issues with speed rushers and thats being subtle. I mean speed rushers used him like a broken turnstile at the New york city subway station. Columbo was pretty solid this year. Bigg had probably his worst year as a cowboy, Gurode was adequate.

Lets face it Our O LINE is getting old and there is no help on the way. Proctor is a joke,McQ really hasn't had a chance to sow anything...however if he can't beat out Proctor then.....Well, that speaks for itself. Doug free was supposed to be the next one in line but he was inactive for much of the season.

TIGHT ENDS

Witten- Jason witten is without a doubt....A warrior,he is the heart and soul of this offense,if not the entire team. If everybody on this team gave the effort of witten....well we'd still be playing this weekend.

Tellus- Mr. high and Tight.....Bennett had a stretch of 3 games that he caught TD passes in. Tellus has a bright future with this team and was a major upgrade over Fasano.

Wide Receivers

Terrell owens- TO was productive this year....Just not up to his usual standards. He had trouble with bump and run coverage as well as being doubled with a Safety over the top. Some of the problem was the offensive line....not giving the QB time to allow the WR's to get open.

Roy Williams- Its kinda hard  to give an accurate assessment on Texas Roy,since he was thrust into the lineup mid-season....and then had to deal with a leg injury. I have great visions of the TO/ROY combo creating havoc for opposing defenses...But it didn't really pan out for us this year. I hope that TO's practice regimin will rub off on Roy this year. We should see a different Roy with a full offseason and training camp.

Patrick Crayton- Back at his natural position in the slot, Crayton is a great weapon on 3rd and long...which we found ourselves in WAY too many times this year. Crayton may have trouble holding off Miles austin for the 3rd WR slot.

Miles Austin- When healthy,has the speed to be a legitimate field stretcher. His hands have improved and If he could stay healthy he could unseat Crayton for the number 3 spot. Miles is also a Huge asset in the kick return Game.

Sam Hurd- Injuries hit Sam hard this year. Sam Must be prepared to fight for a spot on this roster,especially with the emergence of a healthy miles austin.Hurd may not even make it to camp if interest is shown in the free agent market.

Isiah Stanback- A shoulder injury waiting to happen.Has been injured for most of his career here in Dallas. The upside is he is a project. He's converting from college QB to Pro WR. He'll make the Roster again this season,but must show that he can stay healthy. His talent is obvious and may be the fastest athelete on the team. Also has value in the kick return game.

Running Backs

We have an embarrassment of riches in this unit.Having lost MBIII and Felix Jones....Tashard Choice showed the world what we ACC fans have known for the past 3 years...the kid is a warrior! He hits the whole quick and reaches the 2nd level with ease. The future looks bright for Tashard!

MBIII- He is the barbarian....He's tough as nails and runs violently....Looking for contact. However as good as he is,His running style does not instill confidence in the longevity of his career. Plus I feel that Barber started to wear down even before the toe injury. We need to get back to using Barber as the closer in games. It is when he's most effective.

Felix Jones- Man he came on like gangbusters and then all too soon it was over. Felix has that WOW factor that Jerry covets and he's a Home run waiting to happen. He can bust a huge run from anywhere on the field.

The fight in Training camp for the #2 spot will be interesting,with choice making a strong surge at the end of the season.

Cricket was solid at the FB position and even caught a TD in the latter stages of the season.

Quarterback

Tony Romo- Tony,Tony,Tony....As much as I hate to admit it....And most of you already know.....That I've begun to lose confidence in Tony Romo as the QB of this team. Yeah I've been mad as hell at Romo since our season ended. Not just for his play on the field....But for his non-chalance on and off the field. I know I get emotional as hell over the games....the good as well as the bad.....And I'd like to see a little emotion from the Face of the franchise. I mean....COME ON....Act like you give a damn.....Not this "Golly ...Gee...Shucks, we shoulda done better,but Heck we'll look at it and try to get better" stuff. Heck I think Wades Laid back attitude has rubbed off on not only Romo...but the whole team.

Anyhow on the field we have issues as well. Romo spent last offseason Stuying Tom Brady's stance in the pocket. I think at the beginning of the season,Romo was too focused on staying in the pocket. It hurt the team...Plus it made him an easy target. Romo is most dangerous rolling out....whether by design or out of necessity... He got away from what made him special early in the season...even up until the cardinals game when he got injured.

When the O line was completely out of whack by the time Romo Returned from his hand injury. Tony went directly into survival mode.....Trying to make plays when there was none to be had. But what really bothers me is not only his rate of inteceptions (14 in 13 games) but the times that they occured. At the beginning of the season our offense would drive the length of the field only to have Tony throw an INT due to bad decision making. Later in the seaon the turnovers started happening on our side of the field and putting our defense in poor position to hold off the opponents.

Our offense became Incredibly inept. It was totally baffling that our offense had so many 3 and outs during the last 4 games of the season. Our defense,as weird as it seems, WAS keeping us in Ball games due to our lack of a viable offense. We became way to predictable....as Ray Ray was only too happy to tell the MSM.

It just seems that with Tony...Things just don't seem to work out. I really can't put my finger on it....But something is amiss. What is that stands in Tony's way from coming up big under pressure. By pressure I don't mean the pass rush. I mean in pressure packed situations...BIG GAMES.....He just doesn't seem to come through. There's always some goofball play that arises.....and it takes the winds out of our sails....you can just feel it slipping away.

            Tony needs to start playing better football. Whether he wants to be a leader or not...he needs to realise that it is his responsibilty to guide this team to victory. He needs to learn when to take a sack. To many times this year he forced things...on 1st and 2nd downs at that. Patience...it really is a virtue...one Mr. romo has yet to get a grasp upon. If its not there...throw it away! Hold on to the ball and take a sack. It's ok to do that, much better than a turnover.

            I'm not a Romo Hater. I'm really not....But if we Live and die with Romo's antics...we have no future. He must protect the ball, make good decisions,and not feel he has to win the game by himself. I'm confident he CAN do it.....If he allows himself the chance to mature,and provide this offense with some self discipline...we can be a very competitive team. We have the weapons...but you must sustain drives to use them.

COACHING  

OK...Wade has a plan...LOL...But he's not telling anybody about it. Jerry is not going to fire Wade. So we'll have to deal with him at least one more year. Jason Garrett is no bodies head coach....If he becomes one somewhere else....Good luck! His play calling is generic and Vanilla. No creativity whatsoever. With all the assembled talent on this team....there is no excuse for this unit ever being held under 20 points.

Bruce read is gone so special teams WILL get better. I don't see our staff getting raided like it did last year. I hope we'll keep ray sherman,Campo did a great job with the DB's going from 14th in the league to 3rd....That should continue to improve.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

We need a REAL NT. We need help at safety and Linebacker. We need depth all along the offensive line. We need a legitimate backup QB.....whether a free agent or through the draft. We've lost Matt Moore and Richard Bartel...Two young QBs we could have developed. Another CB wouldn't hurt...knowing Pacmans penchant.

WE need an Offensive coordinator to craft together game plans and to make adjustments. Whether thats Jason Garrett or not.....I could care less...we have entirely too much talent at the skill positions to have as many 3 and outs as we had this year.

Any suggestions you guys have would be appreciated.

Right nOw....Being a UNC GRADUATE.....It is definitely Basketball season so all I can say is :

HOW BOUT THEM TAR HEELS!!!!!!!