Dallas Cowboys 2014 Season Thread

[eagle eye]

ZZZZZzzzzzzz. ZZZZZzzzzz..........oh, sorry I'm just in bye week mode. Truthfully, I'm at work wishing I was in bye week mode. A long ordeal at work that has lasted just over 4 months is pretty much over and this is my last day for 2 weeks. I guess you'd say I am almost on my bye week(s). Dallas is enjoying their mini vacation and taking full advantage of a week to just heal up. When they come back they should have Rolando McClain back and maybe even Tyrone Crawford. Tony Romo's back should be feeling a lot better with a week off and Dallas will have to focus on the last six games of the season. I would think they need to win at least half of the six which would give them 10 wins and a good shot a the playoffs. Ideally, the Cowboys will win out but that probably isn't going to happen. A six game winning streak is a rather rare occurance in the NFL and Dallas has had one of those already. Dallas has division games against the Giants, Redskins and 2 against Philly that will probably decide who wins the NFC East. The other two games are against Indianapolis and Chicago. Chicago comes in right after the Giants and Eagles. The last 3 games will be the Eagles again followed by Indy and closing with Washington. Dallas will need to split with Philly making them 1-1. They should beat the Giants whick brings them to 2-1. If the Bears continue to suck like they have been then Dallas should win but it is going to be played in Chicago and weather is liable to be colder than a well digger's behind. Dallas would be 3-1. Dallas is going to get the Colts at home but just for argument's sake I'll say Indy wins. 3-2. As usual it will come down to a final game against the confounded Redskins in Washington 3 days after Christmas. Ho-Ho-Ho. If they can get some payback for the loss to the Redskins in Dallas then Dallas finishes 4-2 and ends up with a final record of 11-5. For a team not expected to get 6 wins before the season began, I'll take it. At very least 11 wins should mean at least a wild card if not the division so Dallas is in the playoffs with a team that really has a chance to make some noise. Now THAT is what I'm talking about.

Now that I've had a chance to look forward a bit and dream my little dream it's back into Jason Garrett mode. Take is a day at a time, one game at a time. We will need to begin tomorrow looking at the New York Football Giants next Sunday night. Today, we get to chill, watch some football and throw back a cold one (or two). Who's got it better than us? What would be even better is if Philly loses to Green Bay! GO PACKERS!!!

Edited November 16, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys who watched division rival Philadelphia get their asses handed to them in Green Bay yesterday had to be happy to say the very least. You would think that after last week's bashing of the Carolina Panthers Dallas had to have some trepidation about the switch to Marc Sanchez as good as he looked in that game. Yesterday however, Sanchez looked like the butt-fumble Jets QB. I'm sure he's somewhere in the middle of the two but the Eagles aren't the well oiled machine they were under Nick Foles. Dallas players and coaches don't look ahead past the coming week's opponent but they had to be feeling pretty good about playing the Eagles.

If they have NFL Sunday Ticket and caught some of the Bears win over Minnesota they had to be feeling less confident. The Bears looked more like the team they were expected to look like. Cutler was good throwing to Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte was chewing up chunks of ground like he always does. It was the defense who looked like they had a clue which goes against the way they have been playing lately. It bears keeping an eye on them to see if it's the Bears getting better or the Vikings being bad.

The Cowboys had to be licking their chops at how bad this week's opponent looked against the 49ers at home yesterday. Eli was just awful throwing 5 picks and personally killing drives and at least one TD opportunity in the game. Dallas certainly can't go to sleep assuming they'll beat the Giants because Eli has some weapons to work with in Reuben Randall and the next super star Odell Beckham Jr. That guy is a pint sized beast who will haunt the Cowboys for years. The Giants also have Rashad Jenning to worry about not to mention Larry Donnell. Dallas has to play well to beat those damn Giants. What needs to be noted was the fact that the Giants defense held San Francisco to 16 points and if Manning hadn't gotten intercepted at the goal line they had a real shot at beating the Niners. When did NY grow a defense? Very disconcerting to be sure. Next Sunday night Dallas begins the stretch run of the season against these Giants in New Jersey. It's a game Dallas needs to win in the first game of the traditional Dallas stretch run of pre Thanksgiviing, Thanksgiving and post Thanksgiving games that will tell the tale of where Dallas is going this season. It all starts in New Jersey. Got to get it done.

[eagle eye]

Dallas returned to their normal routine on Wednesday meaning Tony Romo took his usual day off. As I've said before, it's not a real day off. He participates in the walk through portion of the practice and he goes to team meetings but he just doesn't participate in drills and physical work during practice. When those times come he retires to the weight room and does his on-going rehab for his back with special attention to the area in his back where he has broken bones. The only other guy missing from practice on Wednesday was CB Tyler Patmon who has an MCL sprain.

 

On Thursday Romo was back in uniform and back in practice. He is a full go for their Sunday night game and I don't think there really has been any reason to believe he wouldn't. The real questions this week are whether or not DL Josh Brent will be active for the game this week and who will be the 4th CB playing this week with Patmon unavailable. As for Brent, it doesn't look like DC Rod Marinelli is ready to use Brent in a game. He did state that he's done solid work in practice but wouldn't commit to using him on Sunday night. The inference here is that he still has a way to go before he's in football shape. Brent hasn't played in an NFL game since December of 2012 and he's only practiced for a few short weeks. Jason Garrett has inferred that Brent began working out with the team over weight and in his presser yesterday he said that Brent has lost some weight but he was non-committal about Brent's game status.

As for the 4th CB Jason Garrett said Wednesday that Micah Pellerin would be given the first shot. He has been on the practice squad and he's familiar with the scheme so the Cowboys will give him a chance. If the Cowboys bring in another CB they would have to cut someone and it may be that Dallas likes the makeup of their current roster and would be hard pressed to cut anyone at this point in the season. If they elevate Pellerin to the 53 then they would have to cut someone and the best guess around Valley Ranch is that Dallas is heavy at DL and Davon Coleman may be the odd man out. Dallas likes Coleman's upside but it may be just a numbers game that would cost Coleman his job. Dallas won't make any move until Saturday which would increase the odds that Coleman, or any other player cut, would have a better chance of clearing waivers and Dallas could resign him to the practice squad.

 

While a lot of people are talking about how unfair the quick turnaround from the Cowboys Sunday night game to the Thursday Thanksgiving game against Philly the players are sounding a lot like their head coach. It has been a Garrett mantra since he took over the head coaching job 3-1/2 years ago that the team lives in the moment and they don't look past the current week's opponent. It's inherently unfair to Dallas to play Sunday night and they won't return until around 4:30 Monday morning. Dallas has actually scheduled a practice on Monday afternoon a 4 o'clock to begin prepping for Philly. Philly plays the 12 o'clock game on Sunday and they have, in effect, an extra day to recover from the Sunday game. The equalizer will be Philly having to travel to Dallas for the game. This isn't Dallas first rodeo on the Sunday-Thursday Thanksgiving week turnaround and they are actually sporting a 9-6 record in the last 15 years on Thanksgiving games. Garrett's message has been ingrained in the players and when asked about the week ahead they, to a man, say all they are concerned about is getting better today in their preparation for the New York Giants on Sunday night. Check out this article from DallasCowboys.com writer David Helman.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/11/19/cowboys%E2%80%99-players-%E2%80%9Call-in%E2%80%9D-garrett%E2%80%99s-formula-success

[eagle eye]

Dallas has the 2nd leading run game in the NFL. The Giants are 32nd in run defense. Dallas is going into the game more healthy than the Giants. Dallas is 7-3, the Giants are 3-7. In many ways the two teams are the polar opposites of one another. You what all this adds up to? A trap game. Everyone is picking Dallas to win and everyone is kicking sand in the wimpy Giants faces. Last week Dallas sat around and watched every team in the NFC East lose so without taking a snap or a hit Dallas gained a half game on everyone including moving into a tie for first place with Philadelphia. Six games to go and the way is ripe for a Dallas choke job. That's a glass-half-empty view.

The glass-half-full view is this. Dallas has a powerful run game and even if DeMarco Murray is injured (furiously knocking on wood!) they have Joe Randle to fall back on. The Giants have THE worst run defense in the NFL so you have strength against weakness here. Dallas has a formidable pass game featuring Romo and Dez and Wit. The Giants have Antonio Rogers-Cromartie and a bunch of no-names. Advantage Dallas. On the other side of the ball Dallas is as healthy as they can be going into the game missing only 4th cornerback Tyler Patmon. The front seven is pretty solid and the Giants are missing their starting right tackle. Advantage Dallas, right? Maybe but the last game Dallas failed to record a sack was the last time Dallas played the Giants who were equally O-line challenged. The secondary of the Cowboys is scary in a bad way. You just have trouble trusting them while NY throws Reuben Randall, Larry Donnell and rookie sensation Odell Beckham Jr at that iffy bunch. Advantage NY here. (Got to be honest if you're going to evaluate your chances---you don't have to like it.) Over all though Dallas is a much more talented team despite some flaws. The key will be to put pressure on Eli. I want to see that "Eli face", you know the one where he looks like he might cry, a lot in this game. Dallas does have the ability to force turnovers and they have gotten better at taking care of the ball on the offensive side. Eli always has a way to keep his team in games vs Dallas and despite the fact that Dallas should blow out this weak Giants team, I just can't believe it will happen. Division games, they are a bitch.

This is a different Dallas team. They are tougher and stronger and I believe their identity is defined by the strong O-line and active D-line. They are just different this year. After over a decade of not trusting this team to win when it counts it's hard to believe in them but I do. The question is, do they? If history repeats itself, and it usually does, Dallas will need 30 points to win the game and I believe they will do their job. Final score?

 

Dallas 34 NY Giants 24

[eagle eye]

I don't like to say, "I told you so.", but I really did. I said this would be a tough game and I said Dallas would need to score 30+ points to win. I missed the final score prediction by a little but it was a slugfest all night. Even the final offensive play by the Giants ended by a very physical tackle by middle linebacker Rolando McClain on Rashad Jennings. McClain's tackle stopped the Giants 4th down try for a first down by less than a yard ending the Giants threat and for all intents and purposes ended the game.

 

If you look at the final stats Dallas lost in every single category except 3. Rushing yards (119 to 89), Passing TDs (4 to 3), and the final score (31-28). Just looking at the time of possession NY led Dallas 35:07 to 24:53. It's a wonder that Dallas had enough time to score 31 points. It didn't look good at halftime with the Cowboys trailing by 11, 21-10 but whatever the Giants were doing right in the first half they couldn't do the same in the 2nd half. Dallas tightened up their defense and, except for the go ahead drive in the 4th quarter, they put the clamps on the G-men's offense.

 

Going into that last drive by the Cowboys there was a graphic that said that Tony Romo was tied with Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers with the most (26) comeback wins in the 4th quarter since 2009. Tony broke the tie last night with his 27th come from behind win throwing the winning TD pass to Dez Bryant with 61 seconds left in the game. Who says Romo chokes in the 4th qtr?

 

Now, it's on the Thanksgiving game at 3:00 on Thursday. This one will be for sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East.

 

Notes:

> Dez was Dez with 7 catches for 86 yds and 2 TDs. Cole Beasley was the big surprise here. He recorded 2 grabs for 66 yds and a nifty 45 yd catch and run for a TD helped Dallas climb to within 4 points of the Giants at the start of the 3rd qtr. Beasley has sort of disappeared since he fumbled against the Redskins a month ago but it seems that he may be out of the doghouse after last night.

> DeMarco Murray topped 100 yds rushing for the 10th time in 11 games. last night breaking Emmitt Smith's record of 9-100 yd games. Murray now has 1354 yds for the season 403 yds more than the next nearest man, Pittsburgh's La'Veon Bell with 951 yds. Pittsburgh was on their bye week this week so everyone has played the same amount of games. I think it's safe to say Murray is kicking ass running the ball this season. The next hurdle for Murray will be Emmitt's team record for rushing in a season of 1775 yds in 1995. If he keeps up his current pace by the 2nd Eagles game he should be knocking on that door.

> The only injury of note in the game was to backup safety and special teams tackles leader Jeff Heath who broke his thumb. Ironically enough it's the same injury suffered by Tyler Patmon in the Jacksonville game. Heath will need surgery to repair the thumb and it's not clear just how much time Heath will miss.

> I know if you watched the game you saw the miraculous catch by Odell Beckham in the 2nd quarter. It was beyond explanation so if you didn't see it here is a link to it. It is worth the look.

 

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/11926919/new-york-giants-odell-beckham-jr-catch-deserved-more

Edited November 24, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

It's a great deal. Four days off from work, pretty weather to enjoy and the promise of a great meal or two. Who's got it better than us? The only dark cloud could be a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but I'm going to think about the ifs and buts just yet. Dallas has gotten 3 days of practice in despite arriving back in Dallas early Monday morning.

 

The Cowboys have had to deal with injuries to a couple of important players. S Jeff Heath who broke his thumb on Sunday night and DE/LB Jack Crawford who got his first NFL sack in London three weeks ago in London, his home town. Crawford broke his thumb too but unlike Heath who could still play he has been placed on IR and his season is over. As a special teams player and backup DB Heath could play with a cast on his hand as many DBs have done in the past. But, Crawford plays in the trenches and every play he has to use his hands to fight off offensive linemen and tight ends and he can't be effective one handed.

[eagle eye]

I didn't finish before but part of the deal with putting Jack Crawford on IR Dallas elevated LB Keith Smith up to the 53 from their practice squad. Smith is used to the yo-yo of being on the practice squad and moving up to the 53 and back again as he's done it several times this year. So far he's been active in 4 games, New York, Washington, Arizona and Jacksonville before being released and resigned to the practice squad. Now he's back up again.

 

There is another LB, Dakota Watson will miss this game due to a hamstring problem suffered against the Giants Sunday night. Watson was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2010 and he spent 4 years with the Bucs. In March of this year Watson signed on with Jacksonville and he played for the Jags until the day after the Jags played Dallas in London. 2 days later Dallas signed Watson when injuries at linebacker were holding the Cowboys hostage.

 

A question was asked why the Cowboys don't wear their throwback unis any more and it's very simple. Under the new concussion protocol by the NFL teams are required to wear the same helmet they always wear. Rather than repaint the Cowboys helmets white and install a plain star on the helmet and then having to repaint the helmets with the current star decal it was thought to be too much of a hassle. Another option would be if Dallas wore the alternate unis they wore back in the Nineties which would allow them to wear their current helmets but as yet they haven't done that. Here are a couple of pics of the blue and the white unis. The second pic features Jason Garrett who led the Cowboys to a win over Green Bay in 1994 on Thanksgiving Day. On the day Troy Aikman and 1st backup Rodney Peete were hurt and Garrett came on to have a banner day throwing for 311 yards with 2 TDs and a pick. Dallas beat Brett Favre and the Packers 42-31. It may be this game that ingrained the "next man up" philosophy so deeply in Garrett and gives him cred when he talks about being ready to play no matter where you are on the depth chart.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, here's an article from the Cowboys Star magazine ranking the top 10 Thanksgiving games in Cowboys history. Not all of the games are Cowboys wins but if you were around for them, or some of them, enjoy a walk down memory lane.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/11/26/star-ranking-top-10-thanksgiving-day-games-dallas-cowboys-history

 

I am leaning toward being studiously analytic but I can't do it. It's the Eagles and the last time Dallas played them they knocked the Cowboys out of a playoff berth by beating Dallas 24-22 in Week 17 with Tony Romo already recovering from back surgery. I am NO FAN of the Eagles. For the time being they have replaced the Redskins as my LEAST favorite team and that is an understatement. So cold analytics is out of the question here. The scenario is this. Week 13 and both Dallas and Philly have 8-3 records and are tied for 1st place in the NFC East. There is a lot on the line and with another game against Philly in two weeks A LOT is on the line. You know the matchup. Shaky but effective Dallas defense against the high powered offense of the Eagles and a pounding physically punishing Dallas offense against a Philly defense that gives up a lot of points and passing yards. I would love a blowout of the hated Eagles but that's not happening. No, it will be a close game likely decided by a special teams play or by a turnover or two. I'm going Cowboys which is to say I'm going total homer here. Final score?

 

Dallas 33 Philadelphia 31

Edited November 27, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Happy Thanksgiving-----NOT! Yes, family and friends and good food were in abundance but when it came to the 3:30 to 6:00 time slot it just plain sucked. Nobody on either side of the ball showed up. The O-line, Ronald Leary in particular, didn't show up. Leary was worn out by Eagles DT Fletcher Cox but the rest of the O-line wasn't much better. The QB didn't show up, Romo had his worst game of the season. He was high or behind his receivers all day and his two picks on the day were a direct result of both. Terrence Williams didn't show up but that's nothing new, he hasn't shown up for a few weeks now. He could have helped out his quarterback by at least attempting to dive back to the ball that was thrown behind him but instead he just stood there and watched while the defender caught the ball. Dez Bryant showed up but he can't seem to beat single coverage and it didn't help that the refs let the Eagles defensive backs maul him without a single holding or pass interference call.

Then there was the defense. The only thing they really did was stop the Eagles from scoring touchdowns on 4 possessions to keep the game's score from becoming a total joke. They didn't maintain gap discipline and they were slow covering the plays. The defense's biggest hurdle was the face that their offense couldn't give them any relief.

There were 3 players who displayed any fire and that was S JJ Wilcox who constantly cleaned up plays missed by the front seven or his fellow DBs failed to lock down, Dwaine Harris who had his best game in a while as a kick returner (more about him in a sec.) and Jason Witten who looked like Dez Bryant yelling and carrying on on the sideline. Everybody else seemed to be in a stupor.

The refs seem to have it in for Dallas. All season they have blown calls, missed calls and even when it's reviewed like last week's forced fumble against the Giants it was clear that Rashad Jennings fumbled and it was clear Dallas had recovered the ball but the refs claimed it was inconclusive. Balderdash! Yesterday on a 3rd down pass to Dez the defender had Dez by the shoulder pads preventing him from catching the ball. Then there was play on an Eagles punt that still pisses me off. On the previous Eagles punt Eagle gunner Nolan Carroll ran down the field and actually caught the ball out of the air as if he was the return man downing the ball at the Cowboys 4. On the ensuing punt Carroll had a bead on the ball again when Dwaine Harris, not about to let him field the kick again clocked Carroll who came up angry as a wet hornet. The ball bounded into the end zone for a touchback but Harris was flagged for unnecessary roughness. WTF???!!! It was a legal hit because Harris had not called for a fair catch and it was a clean hit, Harris his him in the chest. In effect, Harris hit Carroll too hard. WTF?????!!!!! Jason Garrett said in his post game presser that he had never heard of such a thing. Me either, The call was bullshit, no ifs, ands or buts about it. The Cowboys were doomed from the start as they had to fight the Eagles, the refs and themselves and the odds were too high to overcome. It's a shame on a national stage that Dallas laid a huge egg but in the back of everyone's mind outside of Valley Ranch, who look at such things as excuses, Dallas having to play a Sunday night game and arriving back in Dallas a 4:30 in the morning was inherently unfair and I really believe they began the week at a huge disadvantage.

Now Dallas has to climb back on their horses and prepare to travel to Chicago who looked almost as inept against the Lions as Dallas did against the Eagles. We'll see how that goes because, in the grant scheme of things, I believe the game in Chicago is a must win game now. All of the games are pretty much must wins in a tight NFC race. If Dallas wants to win the NFC East and guarantee a spot in the playoff they need to win the game against Chicago and the rematch with Philly in two weeks. First off they need to put yesterday's beat down behind them.

[eagle eye]

Just in case you're wondering, today is Saturday Nov 29. But for the Cowboys it's Tuesday Nov 29. Because they are having to play another Thursday game next week they have morphed their schedule to reflect a normal work week. For example, Friday was Monday to the Cowboys which is a normal day off. They come in and do some lifting and maybe watch tape and get a run in, no big deal.

Today was Tuesday, the day they spend in the film room with their position coaches and probably a session with Jason Garrett so the coaching staff could kick them again for the big old turd sandwich they made on Thanksgiving. This was the day the coaches could point the few things the team did right and the MANY things they did wrong and what needs to be done to correct those mistakes. Honestly, I'd burn the tape and just chalk it all up to a bad day at work. It happens and the best thing you can do is forget about it as quickly as possible and move on.

One good thing you can take away from the game is Dallas didn't suffer any bad injuries Thursday. Tony Romo is fine but he will likely resume his normal practice schedule meaning Wednesday is an off day where he attends meetings and does rehab work on his back while the rest of the team practices. It's worked for him pretty well so far this year and I'll bet that routine doesn't change. Rolando McClain seemed to be favoring the knee that has been giving him problems but Jason Garrett said he was checked out yesterday and he sees no problems going forward. DL George Selvie injured his thumb in the game but apparently he didn't break it and he should be good to go as well. We WILL take small victories.

Chicago is the next game and Dallas will have to travel up there. I did a check of the weather this week and travel day (real Wednesday, Dallas Saturday) is clear and cold. Game day (Thursday----you know the drill) is cloudy with a high of 36 and a low of 34. Cold and probably windy. The Bears haven't been very good for a few weeks now and here's hoping they aren't very good for one more week at least. The Cowboys are liable to be a little salty after being embarrassed by the Eagles on turkey day. They certainly will have a little chance to catch up on their rest with normal off days. As for the Bears, they played on Thanksgiving too having been on the road getting spanked by the Lions so they won't have any extra rest either. At least that playing field will be fairly even. We'll see how things go but tomorrow will be the Cowboys first day of practice for Week 14 and we won't even notice as the rest of the NFL is playing out their Week 13. Maybe a little anonymity is just what the doctor ordered.

Edited November 30, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Dallas is in Chicago waiting to play the Bears tomorrow night. Today was a travel day, Saturday if you, will to continue an idea from a previous post, and the Cowboys have a normal week of preparation for this game tomorrow night. Now, last Thanksgiving Day's game was pretty big. After all it was for a one game lead in the division and validation that the Cowboys would not under any circumstances end up with yet another 8-8 season. Beat the Eagles and they are on top of the NFC East and have won their 9th game of the season. Did Dallas rise to the occasion? Hell no! They played like they were on prozac, sleep walking through the game. We are way past wondering the whys and what fors. Like Jason Garrett says we've got to put that game behind us and move on. But, moving on we find what could be looked upon as THE biggest game of the season. Bigger than the Seattle game. Bigger than the New Orleans game. Yes, and even bigger than that Giants game coming off their bye week. This game could define what the Cowboys really are in 2014. Are they a first half of the season flash in the pan or is this team really for real? A gen-u-wine contender like we thought we were seeing or a perpetual 8-8'er? We'll see how Dallas responds to the thrashing they got from Philly but I don't mind telling you, I'm not confident about this outcome. Not one bit.

 

Dallas will be without CB Tyler Patmon, S Jeff Heath and LB Dakota Watson. Demarcus Lawrence is questionable with a leg injury. Now, on the Bears side WR Alshon Jeffrey is questionable as well and he did not participate in Friday's practice. Dallas should be so lucky not to have to deal with both Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall not to mention former Cowboys TE Martellus Bennett. It looks like the Bears will be without DE Cornelius Washington, WR Chris Williams and most importantly kicker Robbie Gould who injured his quad on Thanksgiving vs the Lions.

 

All I can say is this, if Dallas wants any chance of getting into the playoffs and wants to avoid yet another 8-8 record they had better beat the Bears. The Bears as a team are not as good as Dallas although you could argue they may hold a slight edge in skill positions on offense their overall team is not as good as Dallas. Dallas holds their own destiny in their own hands at this point and if history tells us anything it rarely if ever pays to depend on someone else to get where you want to go. So, Dallas needs to win 4 in a row and it begins tomorrow night in Chicago, Illinois.

[eagle eye]

Here we are less than 4 hours away from kickoff. Cowboys vs Bears in Chi-town. I'm so nervous it's almost like I'M playing in the doggone game. Like I said before, this game is a MUST WIN for so many reasons. Dallas has to figure out a way to get pressure on Jay Cutler or he will carve that defense up. Then it turns into a shootout and Dallas is capable of playing a game like that but I don't want to see them forced into it. I doesn't matter than the Bear secondary stinks, guess what? The pundits said the same thing about Philly's secondary and you see what happened there. Dallas has been good about bouncing back from bad games, sometimes within the same game but I'm seriously tired of Dallas having to come from behind to win a game. Dallas defense sucks on the first two drives of a game. Hell, they even trailed Jacksonville early on. I don't want Dallas to give the Bears even a glimmer of hope in this game. I wish Jason Garrett would have a 90's flashback and let Romo pass the ball to Dez and Wit and sprinkle in a run or two and score some early TDs just the way they did when it was Aikman hitting Irvin and Novecek. Then, when they have a decent lead, just like back in the day with Emmitt, run DeMarco Murray down the Bears throats. I really hope that's the way this goes because last year they tried to run, run, run and found themselves down 17-3 at halftime and never really threatened the Bears again. It's important to use Murray but Dallas needs to score points and not field goals. TDs are the only thing worthwhile on the menu and I hope everyone from Garrett on down to the water boy wants to beat the crap out of these Bears. Damn, I think I've got to go throw up. If Dallas is aggressively attacking the Bears on offense and Tony Romo is a lot better than he was on Thanksgiving, I like the Cowboys chances. If they are not aggressive and they just want to run the ball without any TD payoff Dallas will lose by 23 again. I have no feel about this game---none. I hope the final score is----

 

Dallas 31 Chicago 17

[eagle eye]

Whew! I can't believe that they actually did it! And they did it like I'd hoped they would. The Cowboys went after the Bears and when they went for a 4th and 1 on their 3 possession of the game and after making that they went for another 4th down near the goal line that resulted in their first touchdown all I could say was "Hell, yeah!". Jason Garrett sent the message that Dallas was in it to win it and they took it to the Bears eventually building a 35-7 lead in the 3rd quarter. Shoot, it was 21-7 at halftime!

The only downer to the night was the way the defense sort backed off and let Chicago score several times in the 2nd half of the 3rd quarter up until, with a bit less than 2 minutes left in the game when Orlando Scandrick intercepted Jay Cutler in the end zone, Chicago made a few butts pucker up on the Dallas sideline with how quickly they scored. At one point in the 4th quarter after making the score 38-21 the Bears tried an onside kick that bounced up in the air and the Cowboys, who had their hands team on the field expecting the OSK, allowed the Bears to get the ball after Gavin Escobar flat dropped what should have been an easy catch. The Bears drove down and scored and in 1:07 they had two TDs and had narrowed a 28 point lead to 10 points with over 6 minutes left in the game. Orlando Scandrick came off the field after that 2nd TD beyond pissed. He was screaming at anyone who caught his eye. I couldn't read his lips but I'm sure he was telling his teammates that they all needed to man-up before they blew the game. Dallas blew big leads over Detroit and Green Bay last year and Scandrick was having nothing of it last night. That's why Scandrick's interception of Cutler to seal the win for Dallas was so big, he walked the walk after screaming the talk.

Romo was efficient on the night passing for 205 yards but he had 3 big TD passes. One to TE Gavin Escobar and 2 to Cole Beasley who made excellent plays to score both TDs. Even if Beasley hadn't made the extra effort to score Dallas would have pounded in the TDs with DeMarco Murray who was dominant last night. On the night Murray rushed for 179 yards on 32 carries and one TD and he added 49 yards on 9 catches for a total of 228 yards last night. Dallas gained a total of 397 total yards meaning Murray was personally responsible for 57% of the Cowboys offense. The game went just like I had hoped and was reminiscent of the Triplets in their heyday. The only thing to bitch about was Dallas almost complete inability to generate a pass rush. It's a shame but that's the one thing we all knew going into the 2014 season, and that's Dallas wouldn't have a pass rush worth spit. Through 13 games we just have to accept that. Dallas can make stops but the real onus is on the offense's ability to score points and run the ball to keep the other team's offense off the field. Right now Dallas' best defense is their good offense. The O-line rebounded well from being punked on Thanksgiving by Philly and with 10 days off until they play Philly a week from Sunday for the 2nd time in 3 weeks the line, and the rest of the team, should be in much better shape than they were after 2-1/2 days off before the 1st meeting. The main thing is Dallas responded well to the loss last Thursday and made a bit of a statement game they also got over the 8-8 hump. At 9-4 with three games remaining the Cowboys could end up 12-4 and wouldn't THAT be something for win deprived Cowboys fans?!

 

During an interview with NFL Channel post game crew Romo mentioned that besides the ongoing recovery from his back surgery last December and the broken transverse process bones in his back he also dealt with broken ribs. The thinking there was that his ribs were broken either in the St Louis game or the New Orleans game. He also admitted that he didn't take a pain shot in his back before the Philly game and it's the first time he hadn't taken a shot this season. He said he felt that he made a mistake not taking the shot. Hopefully, his physical woes are behind him as Dallas heads into the last quarter of the season with a win in Chicago. Like Tommy Lee Jones character in "The Fugitive" said after the case was closed, "I need some rest." I'm sure the Cowboys know exactly how he felt.

[eagle eye]

Dallas already has their win for Week 14. They punished the Bears on Thursday so we, as fans, can sit back and enjoy this Sunday without all the nervousness, angst, anticipation and excitement we feel when our team actually plays. Heck we have already been there and done that Thursday night. So, we can fire up the grill, set our fantasy football rosters, chill down our favorite beverages and enjoy the day. Let me give you one more reason to feel good. Two of our main rivals for the NFC playoffs are playing each other today and no matter who wins it helps the Cowboys! Is that sweet or what? What I'm talking about is the game between Seattle and Philadelphia in Philly. Seattle is 8-4 and currently tied with Detroit with both getting wild card berths into the playoffs if the season had ended in Week 13 with Dallas, also 8-4 on the outside looking in losing out in the tie breaker. Now, Week 14 has begun and Dallas takes the lead in the wild card race with 9 wins. So, if Philly beats Seattle then Dallas will sit in the catbird seat in the wild card race---for this week anyway. On the other side Philly is 9-3 one half game ahead of Dallas for the division lead. If Seattle wins then it drops Philly into a tie with Dallas for the NFC East setting up Dallas v Philly II next week with Dallas having extra days off heading into the game. It's rare to have a win-win situation when you watch football games but it's a good day to sit back and enjoy some football. Root for whoever you want but personally, I think I ------ crap I can't decide. Let me pop a top and think about it. It's almost kickoff and as Jim Harbaugh tells his team, "Who's got it better than us?!". Who, indeed.

[eagle eye]

Dallas may have all hands on deck when Dallas travels to Philadelphia for Sunday night's game. CB Tyler Patmon who has been out due to ankle and knee issues could begin practicing when Dallas comes in Wednesday for their regularly scheduled practice. Safety and special teams ace, Jeff Heath, who has been out with a broken thumb for the past two weeks is expected back as well. Not only that but Jason Garrett expects LB Dakoda Watson and DE DeMarcus Lawrence are both thought to be available this week as well. In an interview on the Jason Garrett Show an extended interview with Tony Romo he said he feels like he will be healthier than he's been all season. He continues to rehab his back to strengthen the muscles around the surgery area and the transverse process bones in his back that were broken against the Redskins in what seems like ages ago should be pretty close to healed. He said he's looking forward to feeling good for the last 3 weeks of the regular season as Dallas makes a push to get back into the playoffs. That is good news as in recent years the Cowboys have been anything but healthy this time of year.

 

Food for thought: If Dallas beats Philly Sunday night they claim 1st place in the NFC East with 2 games to play. If Dallas can get on a roll they control their own destiny and if they win out nothing can prevent them from winning the division and probably guarantee a first round bye and home game to begin the playoffs. A win in Philly in December kick started the Cowboys run of 3 Super Bowls in 4 years back in 1992. I'd say we are long overdue for something like that to happen again.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys discussion has been less about the Eagles game than it has been about a debate over who is the team MVP in 2014, DeMarco Murray or Tony Romo. Personally to me, it comes down to the simple fact that the Cowboys would be hard pressed to succeed without either of them. Both are important but if you look at the losses it was more about Tony Romo fighting his back injury(s) and the associated pain involved. (RE: San Francisco, Washington and Philly) The other loss was with Romo out and backup Brandon Weeden being just awful. Honestly, IMO, I think the O-line as a whole should be the MVP. They have been unit that has enabled Romo and Murray to be good and for the most part they have dominated every opponent except Philadelphia and in a lot people's minds Philly dominated Dallas' O-line because they were handicapped by the fact that a whole day of prep for Philly was lost to traveling back from New York after a Sunday night game. We'll see Sunday night. I think those 5 guys have a little something to prove and they could be the difference in the game. Dallas had several 3rd and 4 or less plays on Thanksgiving they have normally been able to convert but Philadelphia was able to stop them every time. No only that but a 4th and one was stuffed in the backfield. Knowing that you can see why the 4th and 1 and 4th and goal plays Dallas converted in Chicago were so big. IMO Dallas (the O-line especially) will be looking to make a similar statement in Philly.

 

Today is the Cowboys first day of practice this week and I look for Romo to be taking his usual Wednesday off and I'm hoping everyone else is practicing.

 

Jerry Jones said today on his regular appearance on 105.1 The Fan that he would like to see the NFL expand the playoff teams by 2 going forward. This would mean either the 1st and 2nd seeds would get a bye or everyone would play the first week of playoffs. Either way, I'm against it. I don't want to see the playoffs include sub .500 teams regularly like the NBA does. The NFL doesn't need to do it. You could rightly point out that there will be a sub .500 division champ this year and I would tell you that only one time in the Super Bowl era has a sub .500 team won their division and that was 4 years a go when Seattle (7-9) division champs beat the wild card Saints (11-5) in Seattle. One time. That's why this deal with the NFC South is such a puzzle because the BEST record the division winner can have is 8-8 and that's being kind. This NFC South thing is more anomoly than reality and should be treated as such. It doesn't matter if a team has a better record as a wild card than a division winner because winning your division is the be-all end-all in the NFL. A wild card goes by the grace of Pete Rozelle who initiated the Wild Card way back in the 70's. Before wild cards it was inherently possible for an 11-5 team miss out on the playoffs because they didn't win their division. I like the division system.

 

Dallas had CB Tyler Patmon back in practice for the first since Nov 9 when he hurt his knee and ankle. S Jeff Heath was back at practice as well for the first time since breaking his thumb 2 weeks ago against the Giants. The only guys missing from practice were LB Dakoda Watson and DL Jeremy Mincey. Watson has a hamstring injury while Mincey missed for personal reasons. With Patmon back Dallas waived CB Micah Pellerin on Tuesday and after he cleared waivers today they resigned him to their practice squad. Tony Romo sat out his usual Wednesday practice with Jason Garrett siting that he (Romo) has done well in this routine all season and he saw no reason to change it now. LB Lavar Edwards who was on the Cowboys practice squad was placed on IR today. The Cowboys have not filled Micah Pellerin's spot on the 53 opting to leave it open in case Watson can't play this week Dallas could sign another linebacker or a pass rusher. Speaking of pass rushers, DeMarcus Lawrence was back at practice today after being inactive last week with a rib injury.

Edited December 10, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

Not much going on today. Romo and Jeremy Mincey returned to practice today as expected and the only guy out was LB Dakoda Watson. As noted on the Talkin Cowboys podcast today both the Cowboys and Eagles are surprisingly healthy for this time of year. Dallas especially who has been victimized the past two seasons with an ungodly amount of injuries to deal with. I wasn't 100% correct before. DL Josh Brent was out today nursing a calf injury he suffered in practice yesterday.

 

The Cowboys elevated DE Kenneth Boatwright from the practice squad to the 53 man roster filling the spot vacated by CB Micah Pellerin when Dallas released him on Tuesday and resigned him Wednesday to the practice squad. Boatwright has been on the Cowboys practice squad since the beginning of the season. He was signed after DeMarcus Lawrence suffered a broken foot in training camp. Boatwright was a UFA from Southern Illinois in 2013 who was on the Seahawks practice squad all season last year.

 

Cowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus feels like WR Cole Beasley with again be a big factor in the game this week. He scored TDs against the Giants and Bears but what scares me about Beasley is he lost fumbles in Giants game and the Eagles game. He lost the handle on the ball in Chicago last week but fortunately he had already crossed the goal line. If Beasley is going to become more involved in the Cowboys offense he's going to have to do a better job of hanging on to the ball.

[eagle eye]

Dallas is making me more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Why? Because, I don't trust them. I've pinned my hopes on them before and was disappointed at the outcome. This is a different team this year is what I keep hearing people say. There's something special about this team that hasn't been evident before. Intellectually I know this but emotionally I can't help but remember recent seasons and recent letdowns. Just go back to the last 3 seasons when the last game of the season saw Dallas with a chance to win the game and earn a division title and go to the playoffs.

In 2011 Dallas travelled to New Jersey to close out the season with the New York Giants. Win the game, win the division, go to the playoffs. Simple, right? Not so much as Dallas lost to the Giants who went on to win their 2nd Super Bowl with Eli Manning at QB. Two years ago Dallas lost to the Redskins in Washington to the rookie-led RGIII team. The Redskins win and go to the playoffs, Dallas goes home. In 2013 Dallas finally had a home game to close out the season. Things were looking up, that is until Week 16. Tony Romo guts out a ruptured disc in his back suffered in the game to beat the Redskins in Washington. The Tuesday after the game Romo was on the operating table getting back surgery and we all had to pin our hopes on backup QB Kyle Orton. Orton led the Cowboys into a win-or-go-home game with Philadelphia this time around and they played the Eagles hard despite having the worst defense in team history. But, again, it was the same old song 3rd verse as Dallas ended up losing to the Eagles 24-22 causing them to lose the game, lose the division crown and finish 8-8 yet again leaving Cowboys fans frustrated one more time. You can see why I'm leery about this game coming up. Trust, I've always been told, has to earned and suddenly I find myself a native son of Missouri waiting for the Cowboys to "show me". Damn, I want to believe, I really do but it's hard when recent history tells me it's a foolhardy thing to do. I guess I'm in the quietly hopeful mode right now. Quiet on the outside but on the inside my guts are churning like a washing machine on spin cycle. This article I will link below from DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola is a good article but for the dubious hearts like mine it's a reaffirmation of the worry I have for this game. Thanks, Mick.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/12/12/spagnola-cowboys-must-continue-run-table-playoffs-unofficially-begin

 

As an addendum to Mr Spagnola's article I've included a video of the game he mentioned about Emmitt Smith's courageous performance in that 1993 season ending game against the Giants. It's was an amazing performance from a guy who had to be hurting something fierce. Enjoy.

 

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-top-ten/09000d5d810a63f5/Top-Ten-Gutsiest-Performances-Emmitt-Smith

Edited December 13, 2014 by eagle eye

[eagle eye]

I have stated my fears about this game. I have told you how hard it is to trust these Cowboys. I have such trepidation that---well, you get the picture. All that said, I just have the feeling that Dallas will win the game tomorrow night. Maybe it's the positivity the guys and gals on DallasCowboys.com have shown even though Bryan Broaddus picked the Eagle to win. I think his pick is more an attempt to jinx the Eagles anyway so, good for you Brian. Maybe it's because Dallas looked so gawd-awful bad against the Eagles on Thanksgiving two weeks ago. You have the feeling there is no way they played that bad for any other reason was the scheduling snafu that had Dallas playing a Sunday NIGHT game and resultant arrival back in Dallas around 5 AM Monday morning. That means Monday was lost and the Cowboys probably didn't get a good night's sleep until Tuesday night. The team would never admit it but that looked like a tired, unmotivated team despite what was on the line at the time. There won't be any excuses this time around. Dallas got extra time to prepare and maybe more important than that they got some time to rest. The reasons Dallas didn't play well won't fly this time around. Romo will be as healthy as he's been. His words, not mine. It won't be Romo folding up like a cheap tent with nobody around because he's trying to protect his back. His back hurt on Thanksgiving and because of the quick turnaround he didn't get his usual days off prior to the game to recover from the previous week and he, by his own admission, made a mistake by not taking a pain shot in his back and thus you had a compromised QB trying to play behind a line that wasn't up to snuff either. LG Ronald Leary in particular got severely punked by Eagle DT Fletcher Cox. Leary wasn't the only one to play a bad game on the line. I could go on for pages about who didn't do what but if you're reading this you already know the ways Dallas failed in the first meeting with Philly. I just think Dallas as a whole team and coaching staff has something to prove this week and add to the mix the second opportunity to take the division lead motivation is NOT going to be a problem. I think Dallas is going to win. I just have a feeling or maybe I just want it to happen so bad. Either way, I'm all in on the Cowboys in much the same way they need to be all in against these stinking Eagles. I'm so sick of everyone going on about, 'This Chip Kelly offense' I could just about puke. Listen, the Eagles are 9-4. The exact same record as the Cowboys and 2-1/2 games off the conference leading pace set by Arizona. The way sports commentators fawn over Kelly you'd think they want to date the man. Truth is Philadelphia has lost 2 of the 4 times to the same people Dallas has lost to. Arizona and San Francisco beat both. The one common opponent was Seattle and Dallas won, Philly didn't. The reason Philly lost was they just got beat but you could argue that the reason Dallas lost was because Romo wasn't healthy or did not play. Week 1 Dallas lost to the Niners and it was clear Romo wasn't healthy. In Week 9 Romo didn't play because of broken bones in his back suffered against Washington the previous week. Dallas was in the game most of the way and if Romo had been healthy I feel like they would've beaten the Cardinals. Dallas lost to Washington largely because Romo had his back broken at the end of the first half. Truthfully, the Cowboys didn't handle the Redskins blitzes and it was continuation of the voodoo the Redskins and DC Jim Haslett has on the Cowboys. The Eagles got schooled by SCHOOLED by the Packers in Week 11 meaning Philly is 2-2 in their last 4 games, one of those being the fiasco in Dallas. Time to say what I sat down to say. Dallas wins by a final score of.............

 

Dallas 33 Philadelphia 24

 

As a final parting shot I give you a link to a video from DallasCowboys.com posted on Friday titled simply, "Fight.". It gave me goose bumps and if you don't want to strap on a helmet and hit someone somebody had better check your pulse.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2014/12/12/finishthefight

[eagle eye]

Not a bad prediction, eh? 33-24 and the actual score is 38-27. Either way it was an 11 point win that Dallas really needed. Dez had a career high 3 TD catches and DeMarco Murray added another 2 TD runs and a Dan Bailey field goal rounded out the scoring. It sure was a roller coaster ride though, wasn't it? First Dallas jumps out to a 21 point lead by the middle of the 2nd quarter. Then, Philly comes back to score 10 points by halftime and another 14 to begin the 3rd quarter to take the lead. At that point I'm sure there were a lot of Dallas fans going, "Here we go again.", but after the TD that gave the Eagles the lead the Cowboys marched the length of the field responded with a TD to retake the lead and they never looked back. Dallas tacked on another TD after JJ Wilcox interception of a Marc Sanchez pass and resulting TD drive by the offense ending in Dez Bryant's 3rd TD catch of the game putting Dallas up by two scores with plenty of time left for a Philly comeback. A comeback that never happened. Dallas defense turned up the heat and stuffed the Eagles offense and held them to a lone field goal in the 4th quarter to inch closer to Dallas at 35-27. Dallas responded with a drive that resulted in the Bailey field goal to push the lead back to 11 and that was it. Ballgame. Beating the Eagles is sweet anytime but to shut that crowd up and actually caused them to boo the home team was even more sweet. Another dash of sugar when you add in the fact that Dallas now has a one game lead on Philly with two games to play and it's almost enough sweetness to send a lesser person into diabetic shock.

 

What this means is Dallas controls their own destiny and the win over Philly means nothing if they don't win out. If Dallas is tied with Philly at the end of the season Philly wins the tie breaker to win the division and Dallas could even miss the playoffs altogether despite an 11-5 record. If they lose both of their last two games Dallas finishes up 10-6 and is almost certain to be in line at HEB to buy some beer and popcorn to watch the playoffs at home. If Dallas wins out they would finish the season 12-4 and own at least a two seed in the playoffs and first round bye. That is sweet. For a team that wasn't expected to finish any better than 6-10 they would make the so-called experts look pretty doggone foolish. Even at 10-6 they are a surprise to a lot of people including a big chunk of their fans after fielding the worst defense in the NFL and the worst defense in Cowboys history last season.

Dallas has to take care of business this week against Indianapolis and normally I would be pretty confident they would but events transpired in Philadephia that put a damper on my confidence. First, DeMarco Murray broke the 4th metacarple bone in his left hand. That's the bone on the back of your hand behind the last knuckle on the ring finger. He had surgery on Tuesday and the Cowboys are hoping he will be able to play. Emmitt Smith played a game or two in 1999 after he broke his hand in a game against Minnesota. We'll see. The most impactful injuries may have happened to the right side of the Cowboys O-line. Doug Free left the game in the 4th quarter with an ankle injury and and Zack Martin limped through 3 quarters on a gimpy ankle. If the Cowboys have to put Mackenzy Bernadeau at guard and Jeremy Parnell at tackle it will be significant dropoff on the Cowboys right side. What you'll have in effect is the 2013 line that wasn't nearly as good at running the ball or protecting Tony Romo. IMO the loss of Zack Martin and Doug Free is worse that the loss of Murray. If you asked me who I would rather be without I would have to say Murray. For a game or two I think Joe Randle and Lance Dunbar would be okay behind the 2014 version of the Cowboys O-line. Let's keep our fingers crossed that all three will be able to go this week. We will see what today's practice tells us about their status.

[eagle eye]

Going out of town tomorrow so I've got to make this short and sweet. Dez Bryant got NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 114 yards, 6 catch, 3 TD performance against the Eagles in prime time. Way to go Dez, keep up the good work this week a home against Indy.

 

Speaking of Indy. Dallas needs to win this game just as much as they needed to beat the Eagles last week. Win and they're in as is said. They can be these Colts, they can. They will have to continue to be aggressive on offense and defense and score a lot of points. No matter if Murray or Free and Martin play or not, Dallas needs to win at home. No ifs, ands, and buts. I'm drinking the Kool-Aid here and I'm say the final score will be..............

 

Dallas 31 Indianapolis 17

[eagle eye]

A week ago today I was sailing to Cozumel, Mexico hoping that Dallas could continue it's winning ways against the No 1 offense in the NFL. That being the Indianapolis Colts. I, like a gazillion other people, didn't see a chance in hell that Washington could beat Philly. Smart money was that the best chance of the Eagles losing one of it's final two games was going to be in Week 17 against a slightly resurgent NY Giants. Assuming that to be true, my hopes were pinned on Dallas upping their current win streak to 3 on Sunday.

Me and about 100 other fellow Cowboys fans were sitting around one of the ship's bars in front of one of 3 TVs with the Colts-Cowboys game on in delighted amazement as Dallas just opened a can of whoop-ass on a helpless Colts team. A 28 zip halftime lead and all was right with the world. What was even more delightful was the crawl on the bottom of the Fox broadcast that relayed the news that on Saturday night Washington had, in fact, beaten the Eagles by a score of 27-24! Holy crap on a cracker! By 6:30 PM CST Dallas had clinched the NFC East Division crown! Santa was very, very good to me and all Cowboys fans this year. A mere month ago after getting their clock cleaned by Philly on Thanksgiving I'll bet there weren't many outside of the Dallas locker room who saw this coming. Since the Thanksgiving Day Massacre Dallas has beaten Chicago in Chicago, Philly in Philly and Indy in Dallas. In those 3 games Dallas' offense has AVERAGED 40.3 points a game. Tony Romo has been so good during this stretch of games, a maestro of the Cowboys offense, that he is now in the conversation for NFL MVP. The Cowboys defense has really stepped up as well. Not overpowering mind you but certainly good enough to stop the other team when they need to. How long has it been since you could say something like that about the Cowboys D? The defense actually held Indianapolis to ONE YARD rushing for the entire game. Andrew Luck was pulled in the 3rd quarter for goodness sake. Not because he was hurt but because he couldn't get anything going at all. Nobody in their right mind could see a 42-7 drubbing of the Colts coming and yet there it was. SWEET!

Now, Dallas has one more game. Week 17 against the Washington Redskins. The last two times the Cowboys have played them Tony Romo needed surgery for a ruptured disc in his back and suffered broken bones in his spinal column. I hate the Redskins. Jason Garrett has said they will treat this game like any other and they will be trying to win the game. Good. Dallas needs to get some payback for the game earlier this season, one of only 4 losses so far this season. Get up early and big the way they did against the Eagles and Colts and sit Romo, Dez, Witt, and Murray. Keep the momentum going and put a cherry on top of their perfect road record in 2014. Dallas could still be in line for a 1st round bye with a win and a loss by Arizona and a tie between Detroit and Green Bay. That's to get the No 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The other way for a 1st round bye is more far fetched than that so, in all likelihood, Dallas will get the 3rd seed and play the loser of the Detroit-Green Bay game in the Wild Card round next week. This is the first time in a while that Dallas is truly dangerous. A high-powered run oriented offense complimented by an aggressive turnover oriented defense. I have to admit, Dallas isn't a pushover in the playoffs no matter who they face. Dallas is playing well and appear to be peaking at just the right time. We just need to toe the Jason Garrett line of one game at a time. No looking ahead. The focus is on Washington and that's where it should be but, damn, doesn't it feel good to be back in the playoffs again?

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys close their 2014 regular season campaign on a high note no matter how things go tomorrow barring some freak and devastating injury or injuries. The have won the NFC East for the first time in 5 years. It is the first time in those same 5 years that they make the playoffs. It is the first time since 1995 I personally feel some semblance of confidence that Dallas will do more than just make the playoffs.

In the past Dallas has had good seasons but there was more hope than reality in their trips to the playoffs. Maybe 2007 was the exception. Dallas offense was good and their defense was pretty good. It was Wade Phillips first season and the Cowboys were 13-3 on the season. They took Week 17 off for the most part in a rainy miserable day at the RFK Stadium in Washington losing 27-6. No matter, Dallas was poised for a Super Bowl run beginning with the 10-6 Giants who pretty much sneaked into the playoffs as a wild card. The off week Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson along with Jason Witten and his wife and then Cowboys LB Bobby Carpenter and a companion went to Cabo and enjoyed a week off. Romo and company were just following Wade Phillips suggestion to get away from football for a week. It didn't matter. The press blasted Romo for not staying in Dallas to concentrate on preparing for a team they had already played twice before. Even Troy Aikman said the perception of that trip was sending the wrong message that he wasn't taking the game as seriously as he should. After Dallas lost to the Giants 21-17 the Romo bashing began. The funny thing was I don't remember anyone at all bashing Witten and Carpenter. Nobody remembers that the run through the playoffs the Giants had winning at Tampa Bay (who were actually good then), beating Dallas in Dallas and beating Green Bay in Green Bay to get to the Super Bowl. Then, they beat an 18-0 New England Patriots team who was trying to become the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to go undefeated all the way through the Championship game. Nobody accused Jeff Garcia, Brett Favre and Tom Brady of being a slacker despite losing to those same Giants.

2009 was the next trip to the playoffs as Dallas finished the season 11-5 winning the NFC East with a win over the Eagles in Week 17. The Cowboys beat those same Eagles in the first round of the playoffs for their first playoff win since 1996. That 13 year gap in the Cowboys playoff success was short lived as Dallas lost in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Minnesota Vikings. That was Wade Phillips last taste of success in Dallas as his regime came to a crashing halt the following season when Dallas started the season 1-7 and it looked like Phillips has lost his locker room. Jason Garrett took over as interim coach and the Cowboys finished the season 6-10. Garrett was hired as the head coach the following spring and since then he has been building his team according to a plan. It speaks volumes how badly talent deficient the Cowboys were as it has taken four drafts and free agency periods to get the team where they are right now. Three frustrating losses in the season finales that robbed Dallas of a 9-7 record and three straight trips to the post season are now in the past. The Cowboys arrow is definitely pointing up. Another draft focusing on defense and a free agent signing or two and Dallas will be even better next season. But, we live in the here and now and the present tense is looking pretty good. With the Cowboys offense clicking on all gears featuring a strong ground game seems almost unstoppable. The defense, while talent deficient, is doing something Dallas defenses have not done since the mid-ninties and that's make stops when they need to. Thank you Rod Marinelli. Dallas is top 4 in NFL power rankings behind only Seattle, New England and Green Bay. Not too shabby and not undeserved. There have been times when Dallas, or certain units on the Cowboys, were overrated but not this year. This team is different. It doesn't matter what Dallas does tomorrow against Washington but I think Dallas will beat the Redskins, finish 12-4 and host a playoff game. Don't ask me why but I just do. The final score....................

 

 

Dallas 33 Washington 13

[eagle eye]

Man, it's great to be right! Dallas just put a smackdown on those Redskins and even when Pierre Garcon cheap shotted LB Kyle Wilbur on a TD play Orlando Scandrick got right in his face and said you're not doing that without paying the piper. It was borderline whether Scandrick was kicked out of the game but he wasn't and he had his team mate's back, like he should have. I had the spread at Dallas -20 but it was actually Dallas -27 and the 44-17 score was the third time in the past 4 games Dallas had scored 40+ points. In fact Dallas averaged 41.25 points per game since Thanksgiving. Talk about a team on a roll! It's not just the offense. The defense has recorded, in the games in December, 9 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss and 12 turnovers (7 INTs and 5 fumble recoveries). Yowza! The defense is getting better by the week as Tyrone Crawford is rounding into a force inside after tearing his Achilles in the 2013 training camp. JJ Wilcox is coming into his own as an NFL safety. People either forget or didn't know Wilcox only played defense his senior year of college and the past two years in the NFL. Growth takes time and Wilcox seems to finally be 'getting it'. Jeremy Mincey has really come on and is playing very well, one of the stars on defense the past month. Rookie Anthony Hitchens has played every linebacker position and has gotten better every single week. He tweaked his knee in Washington and he's day to day heading into the Detroit game this week. You can't enough about LB Rolando McClain. Since Jerry talked him out of retirement after Sean Lee was lost way back in May he's been a God-send. He's still played superior football the second half of the season despite a bad knee. A full off season to heal and train with the Cowboys staff he may be in beast mode in 2015 but he hasn't been far from that in 2014. Bruce Carter has come on and he had his best game of the season against the Redskins with 2 INTs in the game. He finished the season with the team lead in picks with 5. Orlando Scandrick has become the Cowboys best CB but in the past month Brandon Carr seems to have found his mojo and he's been really good covering opposing tight ends. Sterling Moore has become a nice 3rd CB with Tyler Patmon showing promise as a 4th CB. I'm not forgetting S Barry Church who is solid as a rock in coverage and defending the run. Hell, even DeMarcus Lawrence has been mentioned the past two weeks. Not bad for a rookie who missed a big chunk of training camp and 10 games of his rookie season. Don't give up on this kid just yet.

Okay, so I've given some love to the defense and they deserve it for a bunch of no-names. The real engine that could is Dallas O-line. Part of Jason Garrett's plan when he was named head coach 4 years ago was to rebuild the offensive line. He believes in the old adage that games are won and lost in the trenches and the O-line needed a face lift. 3 first round picks in the last four years has done just that. LT Tyron Smith came in Garrett's first draft and in year 2 he and Doug Free swapped places. Two Drafts ago Dallas selected C Travis Frederick and this year's draft saw G Zack Martin selected. LG Ronald Leary was a guy who had a 2nd round draft grade that Dallas signed 3 years ago as undrafted free agent because he has a degenerative knee condition. Seems to be working okay to me. Martin was the last piece of the puzzle and he, Frederick and Smith were all named to the Pro Bowl this year and are generally considered the best O-line in the NFL.

This and the other items I mentioned are why Dallas has a shot to make some noise in the playoffs. It all starts with Detroit Sunday afternoon around 3:30 PM. Dallas has lost some heartbreaking games to Detroit in recent years blowing big leads to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. So far this has been a payback year for the Cowboys avenging old debts and it would be nice to slap around the Detroit Lions this Sunday. The Lions thought they would be without Ndamukong Suh when the NFL suspended him for one game after he did a River Dance on Aaron Rodgers legs last Sunday but he appealed the suspension and it was reduced to a $700K fine. Detroit has a stout run defense but I really hope that O-line runs roughshod over Suh and company just because I think Suh is a thug and cheap shot artist.

Tomorrow is the first day of practice per the Cowboys season long routine so expect Tony to take his usual "Romo Day Off". The other guy I know won't be on the field is DT Henry Melton because he was placed on season ending IR today with a bone bruise in his knee suffered against the Redskins. To fill his roster spot Dallas signed veteran linebacker James Anderson.

[eagle eye]

There were 4 players that missed practice today,

 

LB Anthony Hitchens - knee

DT Nick Hayden - shoulder

OT Doug Free - Ankle

CB CJ Spillman - Groin

 

all missed practice. Tony Romo was back on the field after taking a "Romo Day" yesterday and LB Rolando McClain was upgraded from limited to full participation as he's been battling the flu and a knee injury. Speaking of practice, the weather was so cold and nasty in Dallas today their practice was moved indoors at the Highland Park High School indoor facility which is located near the Cowboys Valley Ranch practice facility. Must be nice to have a High School with that kind of facility.

 

DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus gives his scout's eye view of new linebacker James Anderson who was signed after DT Henry Melton was placed on IR for what turned out to be a broken bone just below his knee.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/12/31/scouting-report-new-lb-anderson-has-versatility-cowboys-value

 

Speaking of Henry Melton, there's a strong opinion that Melton has played his last game as a Cowboy. Melton came to Dallas fairly cheap for 2014 as he was coming off ACL surgery but beginning in 2015 he is slated to get a big pay raise if Dallas picks up the 3 year option that was part of the contract he signed this year. Melton has been a nice veteran leader for Dallas but he hasn't really played as well as the coaching staff and fans had hoped. Dallas could let him test free agent waters and if he doesn't get the deal he wants Dallas could still sign him a more doable contract. Dallas surely won't pay a lot for him when they still need to sign Dez, DeMarco and Doug and several others whose contracts are up after the 2014 season.

 

Here's a link to another Bryan Broaddus article about the most important matchup in this week's Wild Card game against Detroit. I haven't read it yet but if you ask me it would be how the Cowboys cover Megatron and Golden Tate. Last year they gave Megatron to Brandon Carr and it wasn't a pretty match up with Calvin Johnson pretty much punking Carr to the tune of 14 catches for 329 yards and a TD. It's incredible with a stat line like that that Megatron didn't have 3 or 4 TDs that day. I think you put Orlando Scandrick on Golden Tate who has been very good for Detroit this year and you double Johnson with a variety of coverages. It all depends on the front seven getting pressure on Matthew Stafford. Dallas' pass rush has been much better the past month and it will need to be even better Sunday. This is the playoffs baby and you've got to ramp up the intensity and bring your A game. Johnson has been nursing an ankle for the past several weeks and hopefully he's still not 100%. I vote Dallas plays nickel or dime which would allow Brandon Carr to play the Lions tight end. You don't know which TE will be on the field but usually it's either Eric Ebron or Joseph Fauria or Brandon Pettigrew. These guys pose problems for defenses when more than one of them are on the field. As I said it all starts with pressuring Stafford and containing Joique Bell and Reggie Bush. Maybe there isn't one important matchup. Maybe it's a complete team effort with each feeding off the other. Let's see what Broaddus thinks.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2015/01/01/scout%E2%80%99s-eye-most-important-matchup-defense-against-detroit-not-megatron

[eagle eye]

I have been busier than the law allows the past two weeks. I have wanted to post because, how often in the last decade has Dallas got 12-4 and made the playoffs? I wanted to be able crow about it because I have had to listen to the crap Cowboys haters have had to say while Dallas hasn't been any better than mediocre. 2014 was all the more sweet because you couldn't find many people who thought Dallas was going to be any more than a 6 win team. Expectations for the Cowboys were based on an epically bad defense in 2013 and one of the reasons for how bad Dallas D was in 2013 was an abomination of injuries. The predictions didn't take those injuries into account even though the Cowboys were almost 180 degrees more healthy compared to how they ended their 2013 season. With a top 5 offense and even a middle of the road defense and Dallas could do special things. That's exactly what happened in 2014. Not only that but the addition of G Zack Martin Dallas became a fieresome running team. Enough so that DeMarco Murray ended up the NFL rushing leader by more than 250 yards.

I was so proud of Jason Garrett for being true to his word and playing balls out against the Redskins to end their season. They beat the Redskins and maintained the serious momentum going into the post season. The NFL tried to stack the deck by reducing a much deserved suspension of Ndumakong Suh to a $70K fine. The why of that is still being discussed. If Suh wasn't "guilty" of stomping on Aaron Rodgers legs, twice, then why the big fine? That whole deal had the stink of the NFL trying to even the playing field for the Lions. I'm just saying. But, despite everything, Dallas prevailed despite a controversy over a non-call of pass interference on LB Anthony Hitchens that I won't discuss right now and now they will head to Green Bay for the first playoff game between Dallas and Green Bay at Lambeau Field since the 1967 Ice Bowl won by the Packers. Dallas will be underdogs but make no mistake, Dallas can win that game. With the strength of the team centered around the run game and the roll the defense has been on since Thanksgiving it's not inconceivable to believe Dallas has a real shot at winning this game. The roll Dallas has been on is reminiscent of the type of roll teams like the Giants and Ravens got on in winning Super Bowls this past decade. I know that Dallas' road to Super Bowl XLIX isn't going to be easy. If Dallas can beat the Packers then they will likely have to go to Seattle again and the Seahawks have been on a roll of their own. However, I really don't care what road they have to travel to Phoenix because I'm just freaking happy they are on the road. Period. As for Super Bowl XLIX? The last time Dallas went to a Super Bowl was after the 1995 season in ---- wait for it----Phoenix. I'm just saying. I'm thinking of the Beatle's Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "It was 20 years ago today......".