Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Improved Cowboys Defense Still Has "Long Way To Go."

In case you missed our post-game coverage yesterday:

Tony Romo Looks Good In Return To Action - Blogging The Boys
Dave Halprin reflects on the loss against the Ravens, but also points out that the big story was the return of Tony Romo to live action.

Cowboys' Defense Makes Strides Against Ravens - Blogging The Boys
Tom Ryle argues that things on defense look a lot less glum after the second preseason game.

Three Takeaways From Cowboys vs. Ravens Game - Blogging The Boys
Neithan20000 takes a look at an improved defensive line, two struggling rookies, and the benefits of hiring TE coach Mike Pope.

Cowboys Defensive Snapcount vs Ravens First-Team Offense - Blogging The Boys
Want to know which Cowboys defensive players were on the field while Joe Flacco led the first-team Ravens offense? Look no further.

Cowboys Defensive Tackle Davon Coleman Is Uncannily Quick Off The Snap - Blogging The Boys
Have the Cowboys found their next UDFA gem?

Rolando McClain impresses in Dallas Cowboys debut - Tim MacMahon, ESPN Dallas
MacMahon writes that McClain "looked like a linebacker who could help the Cowboys this season," and Jerry Jones shares that assessment.

"I liked what 55 did out there," owner and general manager Jerry Jones said without prompting. "He got some good snaps, more snaps than I thought he might get and he did real well. We knew and felt that he was good in coverage and he showed tonight that he drops back good, got a good feel for coverage out there."

Improved Cowboys defense has 'long way to go,' says J.J. Wilcox after 37-30 loss | David Moore, DMN
Moore credits the depleted Cowboys defense with a "competitive spine" and allows that it "had its moments." But he also points out that the defense still has a lot of work to do, even if their performance against the Ravens was much better than against the Chargers. J.J. Wilcox agrees.

"We’re still missing a few guys, but overall I thought we did pretty good," safety J.J. Wilcox said. "But we still have a long way to go.

"A long way to go."

Dallas Cowboys CB Brandon Carr ready to 'mix it up' - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Carr will be back in pads for Tuesday's practice and expects to play against Miami on Saturday.

"I'm ready to get in there and mix it up with the guys," Carr said. "Coach did a good job of getting me back acclimated to this tempo of practice and tempo of training camp. Now it's time to cut the rope and let me back in."

Cowboys rookie Ahmad Dixon suspended Saturday for ‘poor decision’ | Brandon George, DMN
Garrett said about Dixon that the Cowboys "had intentions of playing him," but after Dixon showed up late for Friday's practice he was told he wouldn't play against the Ravens as a consequence. Seems like Dixon took the benching to heart.

"I was late, running behind," Dixon said. "I’m not going to go into details, but I was running behind. I’m disappointed in myself for making a poor decision. I take full responsibility for what I did wrong. This is something I’ve beaten myself up on, but I’ve learned from it and I’m only going forward from here."

Scout’s Eye: Three Young Players Who Stepped Up - Bryan Broaddus, DC.com
Broaddus spent the night reviewing the Baltimore tape, and came away impressed with Jamar Newsome, Zack Minter, and Devin Street.

Ravens 37: Cowboys 30: Comprehensive Analysis - KD Drummond, Scout.com
KD Drummond is still doing his extensive post-game summaries, except he's not doing them on BTB anymore.

Three thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys' loss to Baltimore Ravens - Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Dallas
Future playcallers should take note: the easiest way to ingratiate oneself with the DFW media is to run more.

Linehan is making a concerted effort to run the ball -- the Cowboys starters ran on eight of 14 plays -- and he’s mixed in a liberal dose of play-action passes. He’s using screen passes to slow down the opponent’s pass rush, and it all looks good. Obviously, you can’t get too carried away because there’s a difference between calling plays in the preseason and calling plays in games that count, but the philosophical approach Linehan is taking bodes well for the regular season.

Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin frustrated by New York Giants' offense - ESPN
Eli is now 7-of-16 passing for 49 yards (3.1 YPA) through three preseason games and has been sacked three times. What other people find hilarious doesn't seem particularly funny to people in New York, Dan Graziano writes.

Quarterback Eli Manning was 1-for-7 Saturday night after going 0-for-2 in the preseason game a week earlier against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first-team offense looked lost once again, with most of the short-range and mid-range passes missing their targets. [...]

Manning said he does see progress, even though it's not readily apparent to those of us watching from the outside. The question is whether three more weeks will be enough to get the offense in shape for games that count.

Kelly: Eagles would listen if teams want Mark Sanchez - NFL.com
Same story, different year: Once again the Eagles are trying to find some suckers who'll believe the Eagles backup QBs are worth something. They are not.

Here's another national columnist who's getting a spot on our Accountability List.

It's going to be a long year for the Cowboys.

— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) August 17, 2014