Peter King ranks Cowboys sixth in his Fine Fifteen - SI.com
We'll have a full rundown of the NFL power rankings sometime this afternoon, but here's an appetizer from Peter King, who ranks the Cowboys ahead of, in order, the Redskins, Giants and Eagles. Could this be an early glimpse of the division standings after week 17?
"I'm not sure the offensive line is going to hold up, but I know one thing about one of the 2011 weaknesses that killed last year's team: These Cowboys can cover."
Tony Romo nominated for Air & Ground Player of the Week - NFL.com
Tony Romo joins Robert Griffin and Matt Ryan as the three QBs nominated as the week 1 standout players. Follow the link to cast your vote for Romo.
Cowboys' secondary about to get better - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Dan Graziano argues that with the imminent return of Mike Jenkins to the lineup, the Cowboys secondary could get even better. Hard to argue the logic, but we'll take it one day at a time.
Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray: "I could’ve scored on 48-yard run against the Giants" - DMN
After reviewing his 48-yard run, Murray acknowledged that he probably could have scored if he'd just kept running in a straight line.
"Looking at the film, I could have probably walked into the end zone," Murray said. "I definitely made a mistake but I just thought they were so far in front of me that I wasn’t going to be able to outrun them."
Was Murray a little winded at that point?
"You could say that," he responded. "I made a few moves in the backfield. It was a long run."
I didn't see a video of the interview, but I imagine Murray must have been grinning sheepishly when he said this.
DAL at NYG: Week 1 Highlights 2012 - YouTube
I know that Garrett wants the team to move on, but this video is just too good not to get some frontpage recognition. We'll move on to the Seahawks tomorrow. Hats off to whatever video editing wizard put this thing together.
Garrett's message: ‘Time to move on' - San Antonio Express-News
As sweet as the victory over the Giants was, Garrett told the team it's time to move on, and kept it simple when he talked to his players yesterday:
"It was a short meeting," Garrett said. "I was probably in there 45 seconds. I laid out the day and said it's time to move on. The only thing that matters is what we do today."
Cowboys Prepare to Play In League’s Loudest Stadium - DallasCowboys.com
The Seahawks claim the crowd noise in CenturyLink field can reach 112 decibels, which is close to the sound level of a rock concert. The Cowboys are aware of that, said Jason Garrett, especially after failing to account for the crowd noise at the Meadowlands last week:
"This is a very difficult place to play," Garrett said. "It’s loud. It’s almost like a college-type atmosphere."
"We have to make sure we handle that better this week than we did last week," Garrett said.
"We had too many pre-snap penalties last week. Noise was probably a factor in that, not the only factor in that. We have to get better in that area so we’re going to try as coaches to put our players in the best situation to get ready for that."
"There will be sound in practice," Garrett said. "All week long there will be sound in practice."
Safety Danny McCray returned to practice Monday - DallasCowboys.com
McCray practiced for the first time yesterday since suffering a stinger in the preseason game against the Rams, when he collided with Gerald Sensabaugh in the endzone. It's not clear yet whether he'll be ready for the Seahawks game on Sunday, but if he is, it would allow Rob Ryan to put his favorite 'Dollar personnel' on the field. This is basically a dime defense in which the Cowboys take an inside linebacker off the field and replace him with McCray. This gives them a physical safety at the point of attack who can also cover.
Cowboys work in an extra practice day for Seahawks - Star-Telegram
The Cowboys have a day off today, but practiced on Monday. This gives them an extra day of preparation versus the regular three practices during a normal week.
"We have an extra bonus day here, so we’re going to take full advantage of it," Garrett said. "We love the rhythm of the week in the NFL, the Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practice, but when you’ve had a little bit of a break like we’ve had, you’ve got to get back to work, and we’re going to take advantage of this bonus day against them."
Jones Confirms Costa Likely Out At Seattle; Cook Likely To Start - DallasCowboys.com
Jerry Jones told the press on Monday that he doesn't expect Costa to play against the Seahawks. This means that Ryan Cook will likely get his first NFL start for the Cowboys on Sunday. And it may not be Cook's last start for the Cowboys this season. There are rumblings around Valley Ranch that Costa's injury could keep him out for longer than currently anticipated.
Cowboys putting plans for Bernadeau work at center on the shelf for now - Star-Telegram
With Ryan Cook on board as a center now, the Cowboys aren't looking to get Mackenzy Bernadeau more snaps at center during practice. This could mean that David Arkin, who played center for most of training camp, could be active as the backup center for the first time in his NFL career.
Gosselin: Cowboys don't need to look around for center replacement - DMN
Gosselin doesn't have many positive things to say about the Cowboys these days, but for once he doesn't press the fire alarm about the center position:
"I really like what I saw from Cook the other night. The guy entered the league as a second-round pick and has the size to start at tackle. He was part of a blocking front that helped Adrian Peterson win a rushing title in 2008. The Cowboys want to run the ball more and better than a year ago, so Cook appears an ideal fit. I'd play my hand out with Cook before I started swapping draft picks for someone else's backup center."
Tony Romo deal will surpass Matt Schaub's - ESPN Dallas
Romo's contract doesn't technically expire until 2016, but the final three years will void after next season. Signing Romo to an extension sooner rather than later makes a lot of sense, as the Cowboys can get stability and cap health with an extension. Todd Archer uses Matt Shaub's four-year, $62 million extension with a $27.5 guarantee as a reference point and suggests that Romo should be looking at a five-year deal with $45 million guaranteed. Sounds about right, and the Cowboys would be well advised to sign him quickly before that Super Bowl ring jacks up Romo's price.
A statistical look at the impact of week 1 on year-end results - Footballperspective.com
This is not an article for the statistically faint at heart, so here's the summary in a nutshell: If your team won their opening day game, the team's win projection for 2012 should go up by about one win. Shocking, I know.