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Cowboys set high-octane standard for their offense — for a week, anyway - Carlos Mendez, Star-Telegram
The Cowboys are cautioning that they may not be able to maintain the score-on-almost-every-possession pace they established against the Broncos. Balance remains the preferred approach for the Cowboys on offense.
"I think we play our best football when we’re balanced, and we attack a lot of different ways," Garrett said. "There are games when we have run the ball a lot and we have been balanced and then all of a sudden we run it a lot. And then similarly, we have had some games where we have been fairly balanced and then we start throwing it, making big plays in the passing game. That’s a part of making the right adjustments in the ballgame and attacking the defense where they need to be attacked on that particular day."
Offense Hopes To Maintain Efficiency If Not Its Stats - David Helman, DallasCowboys.com
Jason Witten points out that the plays the offense ran against the Broncos were not new ones – just well-executed:
"We had a lot of big plays that guys executed. We’ve called them before, it just was a good outcome this week. You hope that you can continue to do that," Witten said. "You want to be a powerful offense that can run and pass and play action when it wants to. Hopefully we can build on that from last week."
Cowboys better as a three-wide receiver team - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Archer writes that the Cowboys have been better in the three-wide receiver set than in the highly touted two-tight end personnel.
"We feel pretty good about both of them, how we've done in those personnel groupings and sometimes they're more favorable based on matchups," coach Jason Garrett said. "You might have a certain week and another week, a scheme they might be playing to this personnel group as opposed to that personnel group, so we like to have both those things ready and available to us. Some of the empty stuff we've done with receivers and the tight end have been effective for us as well. You're trying to create matchups with whichever personnel group that you're in. You're trying to attack the defense. Each of those personnel groups will be part of what we do going forward."
Williams Shining For Cowboys After Slow Start - CBS DFW
The rookie receiver recovered from his slow start to be the No. 3 guy behind Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, only to have a good game in San Diego spoiled by a fumble that ended all hopes for a comeback two weeks ago, but responded well again in the game against the Broncos.
Phil Simms defends Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo: Haters need to be quiet - DMN
Phil Sims on if Tony Romo deserves blame for the Cowboys’ loss to the Broncos:
"Were you watching what he did? He had every imaginable throw in the game that you could want to do as a quarterback. His movement was fantastic. And the people that go oh, it’s the typical Tony Romo, be quiet! I’ve watched basically every game of his career, and he’s come through in the clutch many more times than he has not. It’s always the same. Oh, we’ll see. 48 points. Over 500 yards. I think there is another reason the Cowboys lost besides Tony Romo."
A more mature Dez Bryant ready for battle with DeAngelo Hall, won’t let him get to him - Clarence Hill, Star-Telegram
The last time the Cowboys played the Redskins at home, Dez Bryant and Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall almost started exchanging blows. Bryant said that nothing happened in the season finale when the two met again, but admitted that Hall knew how to push his buttons and get under his skin.
"Of course. No doubt. No doubt. No question. He did," Bryant said. "I think I’m kind of past that and I think he thinks that too. It’s a respect between me and him. Last game that we played, we didn’t say a word, as far as disrespect. It was more, ‘Let’s go. Let’s play.’ Basically competing against one another."
DeAngelo Hall looks forward to 'hell of a football game' covering Dez Bryant - Foxsports
After watching the Cowboys hang 48 points against Denver's defense, the 10-year veteran is hoping to be able to shut down the high-powered Dallas offense.
Dez Bryant climbing wide receiver rankings - NFL.com
Chris Wesseling breaks down the best receivers in the league and ranks Dez Bryant right behind Calvin Johnson. Bryant was the best player I saw in preseason action, and he's carried that excellence over to the first five games. He can't be handled by any cornerback in man coverage.
Cowboys' Ware: It's all about getting pressure on the QB - Keith Whitmire, FSSouthwest
Ware, who has struggled with a stinger the last two weeks, says he's feeling great and that there's a pretty simple reason why the unit has struggled.
"It's all about getting pressure in our defense," Ware said Thursday at the Cowboys' practice facility. "We've got to be able to get pressure. And also, when there's times when the corners are making the quarterback give us a little extra time, hold the ball, we've got to be able to get pressure on the quarterback."
Former LB Bart Scott: Kiffin’s Tampa 2 "Is Extinct" - CBS DFW
Former NFL LB and current CBS analyst Bart Scott doesn't blame the players for Dallas's defensive struggles, but instead believes Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 scheme is at fault.
Big plays killing Dallas' pass defense - Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas
For a defense that's designed to prevent the big play, the Cowboys have given up the fourth most big plays in the league, MaMahon writes. One of the biggest problems, according to DC Monte Kiffin, is that players are trying to do too much.
"The players really do want to win bad," Kiffin said. "They’re hustling their butt off. Sometimes you want to do so well and play so hard, but you have to play hard every week, and you try to do too much. If you try to do too much, you have to just do my job. Just take care of my responsibility. If you try to make someone else’s play, then you just can’t do that."
Romo defends Cowboys' defense after recent struggles - Keith Whitmire, FSSouthwest
Romo with a little pep talk for the defense:
"Our defense, they have a lot of pride," Romo said Thursday after practice. "They have a lot of good players over there who are going to be fine. More than anything, I trust them to go out and get stops when we need them, and they will."
"It's a long season and they [the defense] know how important each week is, and each week that's coming up," Romo said. "I know that they're going to be all right."
Cowboys Injury Report: Jason Hatcher Back At Practice - Blogging The Boys
Good news for Dallas as both of the big guns on injury watch were practicing yesterday and both look like they'll play on Sunday.
Miles Austin running well, will be one of the team's featured receivers if he's ready to go - Clarence Hill, Star-Telegram
There really isn't anything of substance to add to that headline.