Five Major Factors For Our Dallas Cowboys
by AirforceBat on Apr 7, 2009 3:20 PM CDT
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PrintHey I don't really do fanposts too much, but I decided to do something on the five things that will have an impact on the 2009 Dallas Cowboys season. I didn't want to venture into WR's or Lockerroom issues, because alot of that will be affected by these five things.
Jason Garrett
Will we see the one who utilized an offense that lit the scoreboard in 2007, or the one that became predictable and stale by year’s end? My guess… somewhere in the middle.
While there seems to be a growing sense that Garrett had somehow devolved into a high school coach overnight and are eager to cast away the 2007 golden child, I’m not so sure. First of all, maybe I’m too optimistic and think that this might just have been a huge sophomore slump. If he was so bad, why is it that he was still being interviewed for head coaching jobs? Was his entire 2007 just a product of Tony Sparano, and if that is the case then what was holding the offense back in 2006? Bill Parcells?
Tony Romo
Leader?
Celebrity?
Just an average QB?
Statistically, besides some of the boneheaded turnovers, I think Romo is probably one of the better QB’s in the league. He has won more games than he has lost and there isn’t ever a time in a close game that I feel like he can’t pull off a win.
Some people will be critical and say, “Well he hasn’t won a big game.” True? Eh. Not Really. No playoff game, but it seems like every game at one point is the “this is a game Tony Romo has to win” and then he wins it and everybody just seems to forget about it. I think this might be a career defining season for Tony Romo. This will be the third complete season that Romo will be starting and I think fair or not, he needs to take over the reins and take control of this team.
Special Teams
Caught up in all the craziness that is TO and the billion dollar stadium, is the fact that as fans we once again saw some of the most God awful special teams in the history of football. The good thing is… can’t get that much worse. Kickoff coverage has cost or attributed to some of the untimely losses for Dallas the past couple of years which include the game against New York in the playoffs.
My hope for kick off coverage? I hope we aren’t talking about kickoff coverage at all next year.
Consistency of Defense
Now some of the posters on here would act like Dallas’s defense was swiss cheese, but that isn’t exactly true. The defense had stretches where they were very good and even times when they were great. Unfortunately those stretches would be forgotten because of 70 yard TD runs and a bomb to Santonio Holmes.
I don’t pay a lot of attention to the scoring defense, because a lot of those points came off of the defense being put in a bad position because of the offense OR special teams.
I don’t expect a shutout every game, but would like to see Dallas’s defense play like they did against the Giants, Tampa Bay, and 3 and a ½ quarters at Pittsburg.
Penalties
Being penalized is bad, but what Dallas had in 2008 was horrible.
119 penalties: Worst in the NFL on offense
952 Yards: Second worst in NFL on offense
Those false starts and holding calls add up quickly. I’m not really sure what has to be done to fix these issues. It seems like this has been something talked about since Bill Parcells took over.
My hope is that Kyle Kosier or some offensive lineman that doesn’t have the last name Proctor will help cut back on the false starts and holding calls. I think a few of the penalties were to overcompensate for his perk of being blown off the line, but I don’t think that will fix everything.
The good news is that the likeliness for a horsecollar has reduced quite a bit in the last couple of months.
I’m eager to hear the opinions of the masses.
Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.
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Excellent
Good topics to discuss. I hope it was just a slump last year for Jason. Troy and Moose speak very highly of his football knowledge and intelligence. Gotta think they know the guy. Tony is going to be a different guy this year. I think he is just now beginning to understand that he IS the leader of the Dallas Cowboys. As a sidebar to Tony , you might add the holding on to the ball thing. That too should improve greatly. Special teams are dealing with new rules. The coaching will be all important this year. I honestly don’t remember being really happy with our special teams play. The defensive problems I feel were mostly from dealing with short field and being on the field too long. Hopefully both those will be fixed this year. If the offence can sustain drives with the running game, the defense should get more rest . Penalties have been a problem for a long time now. Hudson Houck used to go nuts on the guys for stupid penalties. Maybe the are just not listening any more. These are veteran guys too. They should know better. That’s what I hope for.
Haha...
Yeah I consider the holding onto the ball part of the boneheaded turnovers. You’re going to fumble sometimes, but there has to be sometimes when he cuts bait and either tucks and takes a sack or just throw the ball away.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
I don't care what anyone thinks
I’m excited to see this team, and its only a few weeks till the draft
by nicholas.rodriguez on Apr 7, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions
my only additions would be
the OL and injuries. For the Cowboys offense to really be productive, this unit must play much better because if they don’t we won’t score like we should no matter how much of a leader Romo is or how much he improves on turnovers, the big uglies up front have to get it done.
This team has to stay relatively healthy, especially among our key players, otherwise you’re looking at another 9-7 season.
In Romo we Trust
Agreed.
Although injuries aren’t something you can control, everything else can be.
The O-line is definitly a major thing as well… I just got too lazy after writing 5 things haha.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
I included injuries
because you were listing things that will have a major impact on the season and obviously injuries have the greatest impact IMO.
In Romo we Trust
It's cool...
I guess I should have said controllable impact.
Injuries impact every team.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
LOL...
Great point about Oline, we need to see them resemble the 2007 more than 2008. If Flo is having issues and Free or McQ can’t play then leave Deon back there to block. Last year our backs always went out for a pass and rarely stay behind and block
by nicholas.rodriguez on Apr 7, 2009 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice post AFB
But when I read,
The good thing is… can’t get that much worse.
I though it was funny, and sad, at the same time.
Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.
Thanks...
But sadly it is true.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
I think we move nowhere but up on ST. Excited to see what the new coach can do.
I hope he’s another Joe Avezzano.
Joe DeCamillis
That’s right I almost forgot about him. Nice…
Things are looking up!
Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.
Airforce, I agree with about 98% of what you said
The 2% that I disagree with….
A slight miscalculation: you said that the OFFENSE committed 119 penalties for 952 yards.
Acutally – the ENTIRE TEAM committed 119 penalties for 952 yards.
Here is the breakdown:
The Offense was penalized 58 times (427 yards)
The Defense was penalized 42 times (343 yards)
The Special Teams were penalized 19 times (182 yards)
The Grand Total is the number you used in your post: 119 penalties (952 yards)
2nd – you singled out Kosier in your remark on holding and false starts:
Actually – Kosier was the LEAST penalized O lineman last year:
Here is the breakdown:
The Offensive Line = 33 penalties (235 yards)
Adams – 13 for 85
Davis – 6 for 55
Columbo – 8 for 45
Gurode – 3 for 30
Procter – 2 for 20
Kosier – 1 for 10
Kosier was ONLY penalized ONE TIME all year: Week 11, Game 10 versus WAS – 1 hold for 10 yards.
NFL.com is to blame for the confusion on penalty count
They show the entire team’s penalty count, whether from O, D or special teams, on the Offense stat page.
They then show the OTHER team’s penalty count while playing against us, whether from O, D or special teams, on the Defense stat page.
I guess its a shorter way of displaying the stats, but it is very confusing.
"Where's Woody? - We need another Darren Woodson
Aaaah
OK. I got my statistics from NFL.com, thanks for the clarification.
Thanks.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Bishop...
I never said Kosier commited the penalties, I think him being injured lead to more of them.
People trying overcompensate for Cory Proctor sucking so bad.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Penalty counts on tackles can't be compared to interior lineman
Tackles are far more exposed to penalties for false starts and holdings
- they have to protect against speed rushers on the edge and are further from the ball
- interior lineman have to defend much more limited space
- they are more easily viewed being on the edge rather than the mess in the middle, thus penalties are easier to spot
A fairer comparison would be against the season average for tackles vs interior linemen across the league.
My guess would be that Adams is high (we know this from his absolute count), Columbo is average.
Davis is high, Gurode and Procter/Kosier slightly below average
"Where's Woody? - We need another Darren Woodson
Nice post
+1 on the penalties, it’s shameful. Has to change.
I’m feeling a lot better about ST simply because Bruce Read was horrible. New guy has a good reputation. Lets watch Felix take those KO’s and let one of our new draft class get a crack at PR’s. They can always go back to steady Crayton if it doesn’t work out.
Also this Romo-friendly offense concept should cut down those frustrating turnovers and keep field position advantage as well as help TOP. I think the defense is good enough to not take those unnecessary risks on offense.
Feb. 27 -- Veteran free agency signing period begins. Trading period begins.
April 25-26 -- NFL Draft
Good post, and I agree with alot
except calling the D last year great. Sure they played well at times (TB game), but all teams have that. Great defences are consistent, and that was something we lacked last year.
Red and Black!! Red and Black!! Red and Black!! Congrats boys first time in team history over .500
We played very well
untill the roof fell in in the baltimore game and Wade’s 46 obviously wasn’t going to do anymore.
Bucs, Redskins, Seahawks, Steelers, Giants, 3/4 of the ravens game we played pretty darn well. I don’t think we played poorly against the giants in the first game eiher – give us a competent offense that can at least keep the defense off the field and we would’ve done much better that game. I think they played with heart.
Consistent safety play and getting depth at lb will be the keys to the season on defense imo.
Boys Are A Work In Progress
I was encouraged last year when Wade took over the defense.I am hopeing for far better play at safety and cornerback.Thomas played hard but really didn’t make muich of an impact.Improvement from that position should be expected.Spencer, Spears and Hatcher must step it up this year.Carpenter is at the crossroads become a player or go home.
The thing I would most like to see is an effective running game.I hope for a three pronged attack similar to that when Julis Jones and Barber shared carries.Barber comes in strong and is able to close out the game for us.
Romo should show significant improvement this year.If he doesn’t we are back to plan B and a trip to the Super Bowl will be a long time coming.
I wish I was that optimistic
About our defense. We still don’t have a stud NT. We need someone comparable to Jammaal Williams to get the most out of Wades defense. Ratliff was great, but he is vastly undersized and would be best at DE.
Besides that fatal flaw in our D, it is littered with possible 1st round busts. I’m not ready to call them busts yet, but they are well on their way. Mike Jenkins, Anthony Spencer, Marcus Spears all need to step up their game if we are too be successful.
Also, cherrypicking spots where our defense played well during certain games doesn’t make our defense good. “Yeah we were great all game… except for the part where we let them get a 3rd and 17 and it cost us the win.” I don’t buy that, a quality defense doesn’t need excuses.
Ummmm....
Marcus Spears has been a good but not spectacular first round pick.
Mike Jenkins… maybe a LITTLE early to even say he’s even a possible bust don’t you think?
Dallas has a good defense and at times very good, NOT great.
They lead the league in sacks and ranked 5 against the pass and 12 against the run. That’s a good defense.
Before you make remarks on articles, perhaps you should read the entire thing instead of just “cherry picking” your spots.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
+1
Red and Black!! Red and Black!! Red and Black!! Congrats boys first time in team history over .500
by aussie_cowboy on Apr 8, 2009 7:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Jenkins
Looks like a guy that is going to try and get by on natural talent alone. The fact that he was outplayed by Scandrick shows that he might not be willing to put in the work necessary to be successful. Just my opinion though, I hope he does turn out to be a solid corner.
You are correct in that we led the league in sacks. But what good is a 10 yard sack when we give up 20 the next play? How does that figure into statistics?
Our safety play was atrocious even before anyone got injured, and our front seven is mediocre. I’d characterize that as a bad defense, I don’t care what the stats say.
Well statistically...
Dallas was 5th against the pass in the NFL, so I doubt everytime there was a sack they gave up a 20 yard play.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Looks like a guy that is going to try and get by on natural talent alone.
What makes you say that? Is it really a fact that he was outplayed by Scandrick? I thought both CBs had remarkable rookie seasons.
Everything's looking up, Milhouse!
by accidental innuendo on Apr 9, 2009 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
this is ridiculous
everyone judges jenkins by ONE SINGLE MISTAKE in a game we were being blown out in without any hope of help from the offense. And even there, we’re talking about a cb who on ONE PLAY didn’t want to tackle a rb, which isn’t exactly uncommon in this league. Yes he screwed up, its a rookie mistake. If he continues to make those types of errors, then he will be rightfully judged.
Throughout the year, both jenkins and scandrick provided very good coverage – from late october-december, you really didn’t see wrs running wide open through our defense. I think that had a heck of a lot to do with our massive sack totals last year.
I know...
That’s also strange considering that Jenkins also returned a pick for a TD in that game.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Jenkins got lucky
The old Eli came back for one play and threw that to Jenkins. A big time gift. If he’s an idiot to throw it out there, than take advantage of it of course
You still have to catch it and return it.
Get off of it dude, Jenkins made some good plays last year, definitly against Tampa Bay.
One play doesn’t define a career.
If that was the case than Roy Williams wouldn’t be unemployed.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
Jenkins
how can anyone even mention him and bust in the same sentence? He played well last year.
Spears is not a bust, hes a dependable player at a position where you don’t get noticed really. Hes performed at about the level he was drafted at. The defensive players drafted ahead of him were erasmus james, david pollack and travis johnson.
Spencer the jury is out. Hes shown flashes, but we expect more than flashes from him.
When we talk about 3/4 of the last 10 games, thats not “cherry picking” spots where the defense has played well.
Spears = Bust
And he will be gone in 2010.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
spears might be a bust
But Jenkins is no way a bust yet. hes had 1 bad play and you want to label him.
I didn't label him a bust
I said he’s on his way. Nobody can be labeled a bust from last years draft, not yet. I wasn’t real happy with what I saw though, Scandrick made him look like a chump.
I thought Jenkins looked solid--apart from that dumb Ward TD-run.
He did have that pick6 against Eli in that game and some really remarkable pass defenses throughout the year. He usually plays more vulnerably on the outside, while Scandrick should be working more on the inside, covering guys like Westbrook or Steve Smith.
Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Say that fast, five times!
by Aaron Novinger on Apr 9, 2009 12:51 AM CDT up reply actions
A dookie year from him might make him cheap to keep.
What I want to know is: What’s Hatcher gonna bring this year?
Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Say that fast, five times!
by Aaron Novinger on Apr 9, 2009 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Good question
I thought about that when Canty didn’t get re-signed and we signed Drago to replace him.
I rate Spears value about the same as Drago’s, so for that price he might be worth re-signing If somebody better hasn’t come along.
Or how about just making him a RFA (if that can happen in 2010)?
Feb. 27 -- Veteran free agency signing period begins. Trading period begins.
April 25-26 -- NFL Draft
Basing Spears' contract on Igor's would seem logical.
That would be, of course, unless he blows up this year.
Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Say that fast, five times!
by Aaron Novinger on Apr 10, 2009 12:07 AM CDT up reply actions
In reference to the Baltimore debacle
I like Spears but this video is painful to watch. Go to about 2:55 into the tape for the first td run. Baltimore is lined up with 2 TE’s to the left. Spears looks like he is playing over the Guard and Spencer is outside the Tackle. Spears is knocked back 5 yards into the LB and Safety. I know everyone trashes the safety play, but I put more blame on Spears for this play.
The second td run is at 3:30 mark on the video and it just makes everybody look bad.
The defense still gave up way too many firsts on 3rd and longs last year...
… for my tastes. I’d like to see them get off the field in thos situations next year.
0 = The number of Super Bowls the Eagles have won.
I may be wrong here
but we like drastically improve in this area from the bucs game on? The cb coverage was infinitely better the second half of the year with jenkins and scandrick.
Newman got healthy too...
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yeah...
But Newman wasn’t healthy for the Bucs game, that was actually the young guys that pretty much shut Tampa down.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
and besides
newman can only cover 1 guy. I remember a string of games where henry would go out with injury and jenkins would and we magically had a pass defense again.
I hope this year will be the Newmanium.
He’s gonna be an old man back there with all those kids!
Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Draft Nick Reed. Say that fast, five times!
by Aaron Novinger on Apr 9, 2009 12:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Defense is good but not great
We need to be that great defense if we want to get to the playoffs. And definitely….. NO DUMB PENALTIES, TURNOVERS AND ST COLLAPSES!!!! I mean you’ll commit turnovers, have some penalties but excessive ones are just embarrassing. That’s the reason why we didn’t make the playoffs last year
nah
we need a great defense if we want to win a superbowl. I think our defense last year was FAR better than the 07 version, which managed to get us a 1 seed. but injuries to the offense and just overall dumb plays on the offensive side of the ball killed some pretty good defensive efforts last year.
+1
The offense wasn’t too hot last year. The Ravens game though was painful. This team needs to be consistent. What I mean is the offense and defense do good at the same time. There were times where the offense kicked butt and the defense totally sucked (ex. 1st Eagles game). Then there were other games where the defense was very good but the offense was terrible (Steelers + Bucs games). In the Ravens game, our offense was getting handed to them for 3 quarters and the defense did very good. Then in the 4th, when the offense figures out the Ravens defense and goes down the field on them for TDs late, the defense collapses twice. If we have more consistency and being on the same page, we’ll do better than last year
I never claimed that...
Dallas had a great defense to be clear.
I said they played great at times.
They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.
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