eagle eye Posted September 6, 2016 Share Posted September 6, 2016 The wheels keep turning as the machine rolls along toward the opening game Sunday afternoon. QB Jameill Showers, who was cut to make room for QB Mark Sanchez on Sunday afternoon cleared waivers and was added to the Cowboys practice squad yesterday. The scary thing is Sanchez will have all of 6 days to learn enough of the Cowboys offense to come if Dak Prescott is injured. People, please pray for Dak's continued health. An interesting note is that all nine of the Cowboys 2016 draft picks are still with the team in capacity or another. Seven are on the 53 man roster while LB Jaylon Smith is on the reserve/non-football injury list as he recovers from his knee injury and Rico Gathers the behemoth TE from Baylor's basketball team cleared waivers and was signed to the Cowboys practice squad. One guy who is on the 53 is the Cowboys fourth round pick DE Charles Tapper who has missed all of training camp with a bad back. The Cowboys finally said what was wrong with Tapper's back by saying he has a pars defect which is causing him discomfort. A quick look at Wikipedia and I found out way more than I wanted to know about his condition. What it is in a nutshell is a stress crack that is mostly found in adolescent athletes. It is really a condition called spondylolysis (spon-dee-lo-ly-sis) in the pars interarticularis which is a pair of bones on the outside part of the vertebrae, the superior and inferior bones, that are located by the transverse process bones we learned about when Tony Romo broke one a few years ago when he got kneed in the back in a game against Washington. Tapper's condition isn't caused by that sort of trauma it is a result of repetitive motions coupled with hyperextension of the spinal column during athletic activity. The only way to deal with this is rest and rehab which consists of strengthening of the core muscles to give greater support of the back. I spent way too much time reading about this on Wiki and emedical.com. The bottom line is Tapper is getting better and the Cowboys hope to have him back soon. I'm not sure if that's going to happen because according to emedical.com it's a 3-6 month recovery/rehab time frame. Tapper has had about 5 weeks. What we don't know is how severe the spondylolysis was to start with so he could be back much sooner than emedical said. Here's a practice update from DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatmon. There is a link in the article to a photo gallery of yesterday's practice. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/05/practice-update-sanchez-takes-field-new-teammates-injury-news The Cowboys are said to have reported that Tony Romo will undergo some tests to further determine his health status as they continue to mull over the possibility of placing him on IR/Scheduled to return rather than keeping him on the active roster. That consideration goes back to having a new guy like Sanchez coming in cold learning the offense on the fly without benefit of many reps. If Dallas truly believes Romo will be back prior to Week 9 then they have no choice but keep him on the active roster. I was wondering why PUP is not an option. PUP is only 6 weeks before a player can come back but no mention has been made about PUP only IR/Scheduled for return. The rules for PUP have apparently changed. The NFL didn't clear it with me but then again they don't have to, do they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 It's sure a good thing the Cowboys secondary is going into this opening game against the Giants healthy because in a revealing "holy crap" moment you look at the Giants offensive depth chart and you have a serious problem with pass coverage in terms of who the Giants will put on the field. They have Odell Beckham Jr who is a huge threat and they added a really good receiver in the draft in Oklahoma's Sterling Shepard AND they now have a healthy Victor Cruz back at full strength for the first time since 2014. The Cowboys will be hoping that Morris Claiborne, Orlando Scandrick and Brandon Carr are all up to the challenge. Even more importantly the Cowboys revamped defensive line can put pressure on Eli Manning enough to cause him to make some mistakes that result in some turnovers. The d-line rotation of Tyrone Crawford, Maliek Collins, Terrell McClain and Cedric Thornton at defensive tackle and David Irving, Benson Mayowa, Jack Crawford and Kyle Wilbur at defensive end can put Eli on his backside early and often. On the other side of the ball the Giants spent a lot of money to upgrade their defense signing D-linemen Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison to go along with Jason Pierre-Paul and Janoris Jenkins at CB. They also drafted Ohio State CB Eli Apple and S Darian Thompson as well as ILB from Clemson BJ Goodson. The upgrades will put a premium on the Cowboys O-line to actually be the best line in the NFL because they will be protecting a rookie QB at least for the first 6 weeks of the season. Dallas is set with a good set of offensive weapons and they will also need to put their best foot forward to help out their rookie. Of course I'm talking about Dak Prescott whose phenomenal preseason vaulted him to the top of the Cowboys QB depth chart when Tony Romo was injured against the Seahawks two weeks ago. Dak hasn't faced an NFL defense who will be game planning for him which probably includes the whole kitchen sink of looks and blitzes and prevent packages. We'll see just how good this kid really is this Sunday afternoon. If anyone thought I was crazy listing linebacker Kyle Wilbur as a pass rushing defensive end check out this article from DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatmon. The Cowboys will trying everything to bolster their pass rush they can until DeMarcus Lawrence and maybe even Randy Gregory back in four weeks. There seems to be a lot of faith in a group of untested players and the fact that the Cowboys 4th round draft pick Charles Tapper is still nursing a bad back no stone is being left unturned. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/08/need-more-pass-rush-cowboys-turning-steadily-moving-wilber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 The Cowboys are ready, as ready as their ever going to be, for the start of the 2016 season. The projected inactives for tomorrow's game will be QB Tony Romo, DE Charles Tapper, RB Darius Jackson, CB Dax Swanson, S Kavon Frazier, LB Mark Nzeocha and OG Ronald Leary. Romo, Tapper, Nzeocha and Leary are all currently injured with Romo likely out the longest of the four. On Friday WR/KR Lucky Whitehead was in a minor car accident. He sustained just a small cut on his arm but no other injuries and he's expected to play tomorrow. I guess there's a reason he's called "Lucky". Earlier in the week the Cowboys and Jason Witten agreed on a restructure of his contract in a deal that frees up about $2.7MM of salary cap money for the Cowboys. What they did was take Witten's $5.5MM salary for 2016 and converted a big chunk of it as signing bonus. Despite reports to the contrary, Jerry Jones said the move was a bookkeeping move and not really geared toward signing a free agent. Jones said he did not foresee any signings in the near future. Dak Prescott's alma mater, Mississippi State, purchased space on 5 Dallas area digital billboards in support of their favorite son as he begins his NFL career as the starting QB for the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow afternoon. Cowboys Vote 5 Team Captains For 2016 Season FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys on Friday voted their five team captains for the 2016 season: tight end Jason Witten, center Travis Frederick, safety Barry Church, linebacker Sean Lee and kicker Dan Bailey. Read Being voted a captain by his peers again is a "great honor," Lee said, "especially with all the leaders we have on this team." Read "When you’re voted a captain, you have to step up every single day," he continued. "You have to lead by example every single day. “You have to take your game to another level. So it’s something that I’m proud of, but I know it’s something that I have to work to live up to.” Read With quarterback Tony Romo currently sidelined with a fractured bone in his back, Frederick takes the second offensive captain spot alongside long-time captain Witten. It’s the first captain selection for the All-Pro center who’s entering his fourth season. Read --Rob Phillips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Game day at last! Cowboys vs Giants for the 4th time in 5 years to lead off the season. First game of the season, first division game, first start for Dak Prescott and first start for Ezekiel Elliott. Another first is this the first time since 1969 that the starting QB and the starting running back are rookies. Can you name those two from 1969? I'll give you a sec. (Buzzer sounds) Time's up. Some of you may have guessed Craig Morton and Duane Thomas but you would be totally wrong. Morton was a rookie playing behind Dandy Don Meredith after being drafted with the 5th overall pick in the 1st round in 1965. Duane Thomas didn't come to the Cowboys until 1970 went Dallas drafted him with the 23rd pick in the first round. For those of you who may have guessed Roger Staubach and Thomas you were only half right. The correct answer was Staubach and a little known RB from Yale named Calvin Hill. Hill was the Cowboys draft pick in the 1st round at #24. Hill was a big back (6'4"-227 lbs) especially for the time. He could run with power but he seemed to prefer jump over defenders rather than run over them. This year, 47 years after 1969, Dallas will bring on Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Hopefully, this pairing turns out as successful as the other pair was going to back to back Super Bowls in 1970 and 1971 winning Super Bowl VI over the Miami Dolphins. I hope it is this year against the Houston Texans at Houston's NRG Stadium for Super Bowl LI. With all due respect to Texans fans, by next February Tony Romo will be back in control of the Cowboys offense and I want him to win a Super Bowl really bad. It would finally be the ultimate validation of a career where he's had to put up with a hard headed GM in Jerry Jones who failed miserably to field a defense that was on a par with the offense. Romo has Hall of Fame numbers but because of the Cowboys poor playoff record he may not get in the HOF. A Super Bowl win would make him a shoe in especially if, heaven forbid, Dallas should win more than one. But, I digress. This is Week 1 and there such a long way to go before we even talk about Super Bowls. Beat the Giants. That is the task at hand and it's the only way Jason Garrett does business. Forget tomorrow and be your best today. I think Dak and Zeke will surprise people with how good they are. In the link below is an article by DallasCowboys.com's Mickey Spagnola who chronicles the journey Prescott has gone on to get to the NFL especially as participant and then a councilor at the Manning QB Camps. You know the Mannings, Peyton, Eli and even Archie. They can take credit for helping groom Prescott as he takes the field today. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/09/spagnola-mannings-are-about-find-out-about-qb-they-helped-develop The next link from DallasCowboys.com comes from Rob Phillips as he discusses how the Cowboys front four need to work as a "Four Equals One" unit to pressure Eli Manning today. Teams didn't run effectively against the number ones in the preseason even though the "ones" were often a piecemeal group because of all the time the members of that front four rotation missed due to injury. Most of the gang is here today with the exception of 4th round pick Charles Tapper with a bad back and suspended DE Randy Gregory who is still in rehab trying to straighten out his life. In the past Dallas had guys, especially at DT, who were hard workers but for the most part didn't give Dallas any real push up the middle. It looks like this situation is different in 2016 with the interior D-line a real strength of the front four. I'll shut up and let Mr Phillips tell you all about it. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/09/pass-rush-vs-giants-must-be-collective-%E2%80%9Cfour-equals-one%E2%80%9D-effort I don't like the NFC East opponents of the Cowboys. Let's get that straight right from the git-go. From a true loathing of the Eagles to a general hatred of the stupid Redskins to a basic dislike of the Giants. If you don't think I don't relish Dallas making Eli put on that silly pouty face he has when things don't go right you just don't know me very well. I would like nothing better than for Dallas to stick a giant Texas sized foot in the Giants collective arses today but that's not usually how these things work. To win this game the victor will probably need to put up 30+ points to win. And wins don't come easy as the series between these two goes all the way back to 1961 and they are tied with a 31-31 head to head record. Since 2010 the winner of the two games these teams play each season as division rivals, a total of 12 games the winner has scored 30 or more points in 7 of those games. The lowest point total by a winning team is 24 points and the average margin of victory is 6.7 points. In the last 8 games Dallas is 6-2 including a 4-0 record on opening day games. The Cowboys are better than last year just by the fact they are currently healthier than since Week 4 of last season plus they have added a QB, a RB and defensive players via the draft and free agency. The Giants are better too. They have a healthy Victor Cruz for the first time in 2 years and they have a highly touted rookie in Sterling Shepard at receiver as well. The signed high profile defensive players in free agency like DE Olivier Vernon, CB Janoris Jenkins and LB Keenan Robinson as well as drafting players like CB Eli Apple from Ohio State. Dallas is at home and they are better than they are given credit but I think this one of those games that the winner will need 30 or more points. So what does this mean? It means Dallas wins of course! Dallas 34-NY Giants 31 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 I was right about this game being close I just never figured only 20 points would win the game. That's what happens when on WR drops a sure TD in the first quarter and your best WR yet again can't hold on to the ball as he hits the ground in the end zone. Instead of kicking field goals Dallas scores TDs and those 8 points mean Dallas wins 27-20. Instead of me being nearly suicidal because I waited 9 freaking months for this game and it's just the same old story with these Cowboys just a different day. Dak looked good but his accuracy escaped him in the 2nd half and he made you wonder just who the hell he was throwing to sometimes. Zeke looked okay but the Giants stacked the box daring Dak to beat them and the strategy worked because Zeke only managed 51 yards on 20 carries and Dak couldn't make the Giants pay for daring him like that. Dez caught only one pass out of 5 targets and most were jump ball type passes that Dez had almost no shot at catching. Jason Witten led all receivers with 9 catches but it was for only 66 yards. I know that Terrence Williams is going to get roasted for the bonehead move he made with time running out at the end of the game but it should never have come down to that play. Williams caught a pass with 12 seconds left in the game and instead of heading for the sidelines he turned up field with Dez clearly pointing him toward the sideline. Williams knew he messed up as he sat on his knees with his hands on the sides of his helmet knowing he never gave Dan Bailey a chance to pull the game out for Dallas. The defense did a good job against the Giants offense at least until around half way through the 4th quarter when all of a sudden the Giants began gashing the Cowboys with their running game. Dallas had a series stall after the Giants took the 20-19 lead and New York took over with 3:57 left in the game. Dallas had to know that the Giants wanted to burn clock by running the ball but the defense just got gashed. 7 yards, 12 yards, 3 yards and 11 yards and by then the 2 minute warning was upon them. When Dallas did finally stop the Giants and got the ball back there was only 65 seconds left in the game and they were starting from their own 20. To make matters even worse they burned all their time outs on the Giants previous drive so Dallas had none to work with on the last drive. Dak and company tried their best and if Williams runs the ball out of bounds and kills the clock Bailey might have had a chance to kick a 65 yard field goal to steal the game from the G-men. But that's not how the script went and Dallas loses their opening game by one point. You go back to that dropped pass by Cole Beasley on the Cowboys very first drive and know that if he catches that pass at the 4 yard line nobody was withing 3 steps of him and he scores easily giving the Cowboys a 7 nothing lead. Instead the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal and those four lost points were the difference in the game. It goes back to the old saying, "If ifs and buts were fruit and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas.". The Cowboys will need to play better next week against Washington or they may be digging a big hole for themselves. I know it doesn't sound good but with a rookie QB things could go downhill awfully quick unless they can right the ship somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 13, 2016 Author Share Posted September 13, 2016 I'm not the only one who was moping around yesterday after the Cowboys lost to the NY Giants by one point Sunday afternoon. I had people go out of their way looking for someone to reassure them that the world was not coming to an end because Dak and Zeke didn't have enough magic to win the day. Losing just sucks especially when there are so many haters who gleefully rub your nose in the fecal matter that comes with losing. You can't argue with them but you live for the day when you can talk that smack right back at those folks when the Cowboys lose. I had many more good days in 2014 when Dallas went 12-4 and won a playoff game than I did last year when the home team went 4-12. There was a steady diet of fecal sandwiches last year and the hopes going into this year were much higher and the anticipation of the beginning of the season was pretty high. Probably unreasonably high considering Romo was not in the lineup but we saw enough of Dak Prescott to give us hope in the preseason. Dak was decent and if Cole Beasley makes a play and Dez could hang on to the ball in the end zone it would be a way different story. We are all down off the ledge today but the sting is still there. The monkey in the wrench to ruin our hope came from Colin Cowherd yesterday who said Dak made good decisions but he was too enamored with the check down. Cowherd disparaged Prescott for targeting Jason Witten and Cole Beasley way more than Dez Bryant. Colin continued by comparing Dak to Jimmy Garoppolo who led the Patriots over the Cardinals, who are much better than the Giants, on the road because when he threw passes they were down the field. Even guest on Cowherds show pointed out that you can't win games in the NFL with an average of just over 5 yards per pass. Garoppolo, Jameis Winston, David Carr and even fellow rookie Carson Wentz threw the ball down the field. Dink and dunking down the field doesn't win you games. What was the complaint about Brandon Weeden last year. He checked down too much preferring to dink and dunk. What was the end result most of the time? A field goal, which is what Dallas had to settle for 4 times on Sunday. And yet, Dallas lost by one measly point. I think there is one failure of this coaching staff. They don't use Dez like they should. Back in the day Michael Irvin was targeted by Troy Aikman multiple times a game because he was the primary threat on the outside and his bread and butter was the slant. If the WR get inside position on a DB the slant is almost impossible to stop without pass interference being committed. Dez, like Michael Irvin, is a big strong guy with very strong hands. I would wear defenses out with that play until the rolled over to stop it then I'd wear out the guy in single coverage on either Bryce Butler or Terrence Williams down the field or I'd go underneath to Cole Beasley or hit Witten down the seam. When teams have to worry about Dez it opens everything else up for the other guys including Zeke Elliott. I have one more thing. If the Cowboys have the best offensive line in football why on earth can't they open up more holes for Zeke? I've heard that question but if you watched the game you saw the Giants loading up the box to stop the run as well as dialing up run blitzes. The Giants geared up to stop the run and 5 guys just cannot block 7 or 8 or 9 guys. What you saw from Zeke was a guy who constantly got what Jason Garrett calls 'dirty yards' which is another way of saying he ran tough. There were times that Zeke was stopped with a no gain or just a yard but he finished these runs so they ended up 3 or 4 yard gains. He suffered because the Giants loaded the box to stop Zeke because they weren't afraid of Dak burning them with the pass. It didn't help that Giants DE Olivier Vernon, who couldn't do much against Tyron Smith started burning La'el Collins who got a case of lazy feet and Vernon's quickness gave Collins fits. Jason Pierre-Paul also challenged Doug Free on the right side. The Giants dialed up pressure on Dak when he did drop back to pass and his accuracy suffered greatly as a result. The thing was Prescott could not, or did not, do was make the Giants pay for loading the box the way they did. Dak didn't make any bad mistakes but he didn't burn the Giants the way Romo would have. The line was okay so don't let people tell you otherwise. Dak will learn but it takes time. Randy Gregory is no longer in rehab and he was moved from the Reserved/Did Not Report list to the Reserve/Suspended list. This means that Gregory can go to the Cowboys new practice facility but he can't practice or play in games for the first 4 weeks of the season because of his drug related suspension by the NFL. There is still no resolution as to whether or not Gregory will get an additional 6 games because he failed to show up for scheduled drug screening earlier this year. There is still a chance that Gregory will not be suspended more games because of circumstances around the missed drug test and the fact that he missed all of training camp because he entered rehab to straighten his life. It's also being reported that if he does get the additional 6 games he will go back to rehab. Given that knowledge, I kind of hope the NFL does increase his suspension to 10 games because it sounds like Gregory needs rehab much more than he needs football right now. I would love to see him get his life together first and foremost and when, and if, he does then he can be a trusted member of the team. Best line of the day yesterday? When Jason Garrett asked if he intends to do anything about the sunlight coming through the glass in the end zone during late afternoon games Garrett replied, "Yeah, the sun has been burning for 5 billion years and it will be there 5 billion more. The way I look at it is if there are conditions that affect the players it affects the players on both sides of the ball. What needs to happen is accepting the challenge and make plays." Basically, he means that regardless of the conditions you need to fight through them and make things happen in a positive way for your team. I heard a podcast which included former O-lineman Nate Newton and he laughed his behind off at the 5 billion years remark. He also agreed with Garrett's point of fighting through conditions to make plays. Funny way to make a serious point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 The other day the Cowboys released CB Dax Swanson, a rookie from SAM and it was thought it was to make a spot for Randy Gregory for one day until they place him on the suspended list. Apparently that wasn't the case because Dallas held tryouts the next day with was yesterday. Later in the day the Cowboys signed former Jacksonville Jaguars DE Ryan Davis. DallasCowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus gives us a scouting report on the new player. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/14/scouting-report-new-de-signing-davis-versatile-rotational-player The pregame ceremonies prior to last Sunday's game to earmark the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 disaster was typical of the ceremonies held around the NFL but in Dallas it was a little different. The Cowboys didn't engage in the typical pregame protest during the National Anthem and along with words from former President George W Bush who was president 15 years ago was a solemn and respectful ceremony. So much so that New York Giants Vice President and Executive Producer Don Sperling wrote a note of thanks to the Cowboys which is chronicled in the link below. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/14/cowbuzz-heartfelt-letter-new-york-giants Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 17, 2016 Author Share Posted September 17, 2016 We've all heard the experts say that Dak Prescott cannot continue to have a yards per catch average of just over 5 yards and hope to win. We all want to see Dak throw the ball downfield and we naturally blame the offensive coordinator Scott Linehan for calling too conservative plays. We heard Scott Linehan say that the team needs more explosive plays, that teams cannot have success without them. So, maybe that gets us to wondering if maybe Dak decided to check down because he didn't want to make a mistake throwing into tight coverage. Then, on a Cowboys podcast this past week Bryan Broaddus, a former NFL scout, said he went over game film and he said he saw open receivers down the field but Dak did not throw to them. What can we surmise from this set of facts? I suppose you have to come to the conclusion that a rookie QB making his first start ever in the NFL, despite all the poise and self control he showed on the outside belied a ton of uncertainty and deer-in-the-headlights awe of his situation. There was really no pressure on Dak. After all it wasn't as if the game was the featured game on Fox on Sunday afternoon against one of the bitter division rivals and one of the most storied franchises in the NFL coming into AT&T Stadium with people already talking about him taking over for Tony Romo and assuming the helm of America's Team. Nah, no pressure at all. People talk about Prescott's future without realizing he has to play in the present. I'll bet it all got pretty freaking real about 10 minutes before kickoff last Sunday. It's okay, take a breath. Give the kid a chance. What's going to happen is the game will slow down for Dak. Maybe not so much this week but I think each week he will get better and the game will slow down for him so he can start living up to all the hype. The problem is, every game in the NFL is a "must win" game because one loss can mean the difference whether or not you make the playoffs. The NFL didn't do the Cowboys and Prescott any favors by scheduling two division games to begin the season. The game in Washington tomorrow will be like throwing Prescott into a viper pit and we will see if this kid is really able to handle that hostile atmosphere at Fed-Ex Field. Another thing we found out last Sunday is that just calling a line the best in the NFL doesn't necessarily make it so. La'el Collins and Doug took turns getting bitch slapped by the Giants D-line and everyone agreed the unit didn't play all that well particularly as run blockers. What's wrong with Zeke turned into oh, the line sucked by Wednesday so his 20 carries for 51 yards was actually pretty good for the lack of holes the line provided for him. The line didn't do bad in pass protection but if they want to be compared to The Great Wall of Dallas, which is what the Cowboys O-line in the 90's came to be known as, the line had better find that mean, nasty kick ass demeanor that 90s line had on the way to paving the way for Emmitt Smith to become the NFL's all time leading rusher. Zeke needs to be better too. Alfred Morris looked better than Zeke in his short time on the field and it was because Morris has learned you need a little patience before crashing a hole. Zeke will get it. It could be this week against a defensive line that allowed Pittsburgh's DeAngelo Williams to romp for 134 yards on Monday night. Another advantage for Dallas is the Redskins played on Monday night and only have a short week to recover and prepare for the Cowboys. All the questions don't rest totally on the offense. Dallas' D had one of their predictable 4th quarter meltdowns in which they completely forgot how to play run defense allowing the Giants to march down the field eating up clock and Cowboys first downs in the process. By the time Dallas got the ball back they had only 65 seconds and 80 yards to go to try to win the game. Dallas didn't get much pressure on Eli Manning either so the pass rush is still a work in progress. If Dallas can't pressure Kirk Cousins tomorrow he will pick apart the Cowboys and it will be a very disappointing game for the second week in a row. Damn, why can't Dallas be good a SOMETHING? ANYTHING! A strength the team can lean on to inspire them and get them through? They do, it's Tony Romo and he's on the sideline with a broken back. Dak and Zeke and the O-line had better be much better this week or it could get really ugly. So what happens...................................................................... Dallas 24 Washington 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 (edited) I did pretty good with my 24-23 prediction for this past Sunday's game with the Redskins. I had such a bad feeling all week that Dallas was going to go 0-2 by losing to the 'Skins who pretty much got their asses handed to them by the Steelers the previous Monday night. Every aspect of the Cowboys played better last Sunday. Zeke ran the ball better, at least until he fumbled twice then he had to go sit on the bench which football's equivalent to a "time out" for a player who doesn't do well. To say Zeke was in Jason Garrett's dog house is probably and understatement. Dez was involved getting targeted 12 times and catching 7 balls for 105 yards. Dak played better actually throwing the ball down the field this past week as he came up just shy of his first 300 passing game as a pro. I'm not forgetting about the defense who bent but rarely broke against the Redskins offense. Sean Lee put such a hit on a guy you hear the pads pop. Tyrone Crawford was moved to DE late in the game and he got a sack. Jack Crawford also got a sack. Morris Claiborne is living up to that 6th overall pick in the 2012 draft at last as he's emerged as the Cowboys best cornerback in these first two weeks. If this keeps up Dallas had better try to get this guy signed before the season is over to prevent him from leaving as an unrestricted free agent next spring. Byron Jones is proving every week that he is the captain of the DB's and he none-too-shabby covering TEs like Washington's Jordan Reed. The only negative you could say is that Dan Bailey needs to work on his onside kicks. Dallas won 27-23 and that's despite a lost fumble by Zeke in the fourth quarter and that bad onside kick attempt by Bailey in the 3rd quarter. BTW, I like the notion of that onside kick and if Bailey hadn't messed it up I think the Cowboys would have caught the Redskins napping and got that ball. You don't hear often how Jason Garrett rolls the dice and takes a chance in a game so you've got to acknowledge it when it happens. The bad thing about the this past weekend was the win by the Giants over the Saints and the smackdown Philly put on Chicago last night. That means the Giants and Eagles are 2-0 in the NFC East and overall with Dallas next at 1-1 and the Redskins are 0-2. The other bad news is Carson Wentz is looking like he will live up to all the pre-draft hype and the Eagles, early on, look like the team to beat in the division. The Cowboys really blew an opportunity to beat the Giants in Week 1 and I hope that game doesn't come back to haunt the Cowboys on down the road. Before anyone gets their panties in a twist don't think that Dak is going to remain the Cowboys QB even after Tony Romo gets back. Even Dak acknowledges the Cowboys are Romo's team and those sentiments are echoed by Jerry Jones. The way Dak has begun his pro career I think we are all confident the Cowboys have their QB of the future but right now, this is Tony's team. Of course if Tony sucks when he gets back then all bets are off but, for now, the Cowboys finally appear to have a bright future at QB and the Cowboys are in the best shape at the position since Bernie Kosar was the backup to Troy Aikman back in 1993. I might've said Rodney Peete in 1994 but Kosar was better than Peete. Talk about a trap game, the same Chicago Bears who were humbled and battered on Monday night are coming to Dallas on Sunday night. The Bears looked like a team that couldn't get out of their own way and it started with Jay Cutler who was pretty awful in the game. He took himself out of the game in the fourth quarter because he injured his hand and of course he's getting bashed for not being tough. Nobody knows how bad the injury is or if it will keep him out of the lineup this week but it doesn't matter if either Cutler or Brian Hoyer starts it's looking like just the kind of game that happens against Dallas. Just when you think the deck is stacked in the Cowboys' favor, teams that are beat up and looking like warmed over do-do seem to rally and have one of the games that come out of nowhere and they dominate Dallas with an upset win. Despite the positive development of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott and the fact that the Cowboys are pretty much healthy and the Bears are not has "trap" written all over it. Yep, this doesn't look good. I hope not but............................... The word from The Bleacher Report is that DE Randy Gregory has withdrawn his appeal of a ten suspension he is facing for missing a drug test this past spring AFTER he was given a 4 game suspension under the NFL's substance abuse policy. Actually, the NFLPA was appealing his suspension and they are dropping it. If the NFL goes ahead and levies the punishment Gregory won't be eligible to play until Week 15. It was reported a few weeks ago that if Gregory lost the 10 game ban appeal he would likely re-check himself back into the rehab facility he was in prior to a couple of weeks ago when he finally reported to Cowboys new headquarters at The Star in Frisco. The word from Jerry Jones is Gregory is not "cured" and he could be in addiction rehab conceivably for the rest of his life. That's kind of what addiction is, a never ending battle for sobriety. I hope Gregory makes it the way Chris Carter did. Carter is sort of the NFL poster child for drug abuse survival and, if Gregory needs someone to talk to, Carter would a great resource for him. Wondering who the second WR is behind Dez? That seems to be an ongoing query in Cowboy-land. Is it Terrence Williams? Or maybe Brice Butler? Nope and nope again. Look at the stats and you'll see the 2nd WR for the Cowboys is Cole Beasley. It looks like Dallas finally found it's "Wes Welker". In the first two weeks of the season Beasley has caught the most passes (13), he's tied with Jason Witten with the most targets (18) and he leads the team in receiving yards (140). Now, we all know Dez is #1 but Beasley has emerged at a clear 2nd choice in the WR pecking order. That's what happens when you get open, QB's throw you the ball. I am happy if Beez really is a new age clone of Welker because he had a heckuva career playing with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Edited September 20, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 I was thinking this morning about the Cowboys and the home field advantage they ought to have at The Death Star in Arlington. I don't know why I was thinking about that, chalk it up to my mind in free form mode because I was, and still am, not fully awake. I still haven't had my morning joe yet. A disturbing thought crept into my brain as I had trouble remembering the last time Dallas even won a game at home so I decided to investigate and what I found is Dallas can't rightfully claim to even claim to have a "home field advantage". Since The Death Star opened in 2009 Dallas has a losing record at home with a 27-30 record. Even in 2014 when the Cowboys went 12-4 the team was only .500 at home going 4-4. The damnable thing about that is Dallas set a franchise record by going 8-0 on the road. Go figure, huh? The Cowboys last home win came, believe it or not, in the very first game of the season when Dallas beat the Giants on opening day, September 13, 2015. That means the Cowboys haven't won at home in over a year. So, here is the break down of wins and loss at AT&T Stadium since it opened in 2009; 2009 - Overall record 11-5 - Home record - 6-2 2010 - Overall record 6-10 - Home record - 2-6 2011 - Overall record 8-8 - Home record - 5-3 2012 - Overall record 8-8 - Home record - 4-4 2013 - Overall record 8-8 - Home record - 5-3 2014 - Overall record 12-4 - Home record - 4-4 2015 - Overall record 4-12 - Home record - 1-7 2016 - Overall record 1-1 - Home record - 0-1 I'm quite certain Jerry Jones doesn't feel he's getting a good enough return on his $1.2 billion investment in AT&T Stadium with a 7 year, 1 game record that's 3 games under .500. The whole point of this is to expand on the trap game aspect I talked about yesterday. The last four times the Cowboys have played the Bears, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 the only game Dallas won was in 2014 in Chicago. The Bears won the other 3, 2 of which were in Dallas. In 2013 Jay Cutler was out and Josh McCown was the QB. Dallas was favored despite being on the road but McCown tore the Cowboys a new one passing for 348 yards and 4 TD's on the way to a 45-28 win. Even though the Bears will put Brian Hoyer on the field and they have a butt-load of injuries I still don't have a lot of confidence Dallas can win this game. Conditions are taylor-made for a Bears win if Dallas doesn't come out hungry with ill intents. They can't afford to come out over confident even though the Bears have looked like steamed crap in these first two weeks. Dallas needs to start building a home field advantage and they need to begin with a win Sunday night with the Bears. Let's hope the Bears cooperate with the plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 The last two days I've harped on how much I am worried about Sunday's game with the Bears so now that horse is dead and it's time to move on and it's time to be that glass-half-full guy. So, let's look at some unsung heroes that have emerged in the first two games of the season that are crucial to the long term success of the defense this year. > DT Terrell McClain - The guy was signed prior to last season but he missed all of 2015 due to injury. He's healthy now and he's been the best player on the Cowboys defensive front four so far. The last few years the Cowboys have tried to play with medium level guys like Nick Hayden, Jeremy Mincey and George Selvie but they didn't give the Cowboys any real push up the middle and certainly no pass rush either. McClain has been a definite upgrade even better than the free agent from Philadelphia Cedric Thornton Dallas signed in the spring. As a matter of fact Thornton has struggled since coming Dallas. Dallas needs McClain to keep this high level of play up to give the Cowboys a definite presence in the middle of the D-line. > LB Justin Durant - This is Durant's second stint in Dallas. His first was marred by injuries but he had the best season of his career in 2014 at least up until about Week 11 when a torn bicep ended his season. Durant signed this off season even though he was mulling over retirement after being released by the Falcons whom he played for in 2015. Durant wasn't impressing anyone when he got to training camp. He was out of shape and definitely underwhelming in his play. But, as time has passed, Durant has gotten in shape and he's started to play better too. Against the Redskins last Sunday he played well including an important 3rd down play where his instincts led him to be in the right spot to knock down an Kirk Cousins pass that would have given the 'Skins a first down otherwise. He has shown he is a better middle linebacker option than Anthony Hitchens who the Cowboys feel is best suited as a Will LB anyway. That's why Durant was signed to provide depth at the Mike in 2016 until Jaylon Smith can come back in play in 2017. Dallas needs to hope Durant can play a whole season without getting hurt. > CB Morris Claiborne - This is a spot Mo should have occupied 4 years ago when Dallas traded up to the 6th pick to get him in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately for Mo and the Cowboys a list of nagging injuries kept him from living up to all the promise he showed at LSU. This season beginning way back in the spring Claiborne has finally been 100% healthy. No broken wrist issues, no patellar tendon issue with both knees, no pulled quad or hamstring muscles, no this or that that kept him either off the field or not very good on it just a healthy and motivated player anxious to finally do right by the Cowboys. Shoot, Dallas decided not to exercise their 5th year option on Claiborne because they couldn't trust him to stay healthy. It was strictly a business decision by Dallas and Claiborne said he understood and he wouldn't have exercised his option either if he was a GM. No hard feeling but that is not to say he's not motivated to prove he's worth a long term deal and he's playing at a very high level right now. If he's still playing this well in December Dallas had better try to work out a long term deal so Claiborne doesn't test the free agent waters and get a deal that Dallas can't compete with. Claiborne through 2 games is the Cowboys best CB. I know 2 games is a very small sample but everyone has been waiting for THIS Mo Claiborne to show up and it finally appears the real Mo has shown up for the party. > WR Cole Beasley - He's the Cowboys leading receiver after two weeks. Most catches, most targets, most yards. I said the other day Dallas finally has their Wes Welker. This after a very disappointing 2015 when all the backups Dallas trotted out seemed to not be able to find the guy, at least not often enough to make a difference for Beez or the Cowboys. Dak Prescott, like Tony Romo, has found that Beez is a go-to guy when you need a first down or to move the chains on any down. The one drop Beasley had was a critical pass around the New York Giants 4 yard line with nobody within 4 steps of him that ultimately cost the Cowboys 4 points when they failed to score a TD on the drive and having to settle for a field goal. If Beez catches that ball he scores, no doubt about it, and those four extra points would have been the difference in a one point 20-19 loss to the Giants. Outside of that Beasley has been a reliable and open target for Dak Prescott who trusts Beez maybe more than Tony Romo which is saying something. > TE Jason Witten - Unsung hero? Kind of is. When the experts talk about Dallas' weapons Witten gets a mention but it's also as if the guy is a secondary threat. This guy is a shoe-in first ballot Hall of Famer so to say he's "unsung" is basically wrong but he does fly under the radar. For example, did you know Witten is the 2nd leading receiver behind Cole Beasley? It's true. So far he has 12 catches for 117 yards and he's come up with some big receptions in these first two games. If you project his stats out to the end he will end up with 96 catches for 936 yards. This is guy in his 15th year in the NFL still highly productive. Heck he's just a couple years removed from setting a record for receptions in a season by a TE in a season with 110. A lot of people don't know that. When you ask people who the best tight end in the NFL is they mention Gronk, Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Witten is just an afterthought but in a lot of people's minds Witten is the best tight end in the history of the NFL because of his ability as a receiver but also his ability as a blocker and all around game as a tight end. Maybe unsung is the wrong word, unappreciated is probably more apt. > TE Geoff Swaim - Who? You remember, the tight end from the University of Texas that Dallas gave up a sixth round pick in this year's draft to get him in last year's draft? Turns out that the guy who was hardly passed to at UT is pretty good receiver. He has definitely surpassed Gavin Escobar who the Cowboys expected much more than they've gotten in the TE pecking order. Swain benefited for injuries to Escobar and James Hanna by getting snaps he would not have otherwise gotten had they been healthy. Swain has proved to be a good blocker which Gavin Escobar isn't and he's turned out to be a good receiver, maybe better than Hanna, and he's showing signs that he has a similar all around skill set similar to Jason Witten which could mean that the Cowboys have both their QB of the future in Dak Prescott and their TE of the future in Swaim. I could go on but this post is already too long. There are things to like about this team and if Dallas starts using their high draft picks on the defensive side of the ball beginning next year it wouldn't take long for Dallas to have a beast of a team at long last. Heck, if this year's defensive picks Maliek Collins, Charles Tapper, Jaylon Smith, Anthony Brown and Kavon Frazier all pan out this will be considered a superior draft. Tapper has yet to play because of a bad back and Smith is out while the nerves in his surgically repair knee heal but Collins, Brown and Frazier have all seen action and have shown potential. Brown has played some but he could see a lot action this week as Orlando Scandrick is fighting hamstring issues in both legs as he muddles through practices. Frazier has to wait his turn as JJ Wilcox, while not a reliable guy over the long run, continues to make plays that matter for the Cowboys. I heard a guy speculate that instead of taking Jaylon Smith with their 2nd round pick knowing he wasn't going to play in 2016 the Cowboys should've taken Myles Jack out of UCLA. If Smith was available in the 3rd round take him then meaning when Smith is healthy and on the playing field Dallas would have the best linebacking corp in the NFL with Sean Lee, Jack and Smith. Smith and Jack were projected as top 5 picks until their injury history caused them to drop like a stone in the draft. Getting Jack in the 2nd and Smith in the 3rd was a real possibility that I wish Dallas had taken a chance on. At least the Cowboys would have Jack on the field this season and by all accounts Jack has been playing really well for Jacksonville who selected him with the next pick after Dallas in the 2nd round of the draft. You can only dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 25, 2016 Author Share Posted September 25, 2016 The Friday injury report contained pretty much the same names that has dominated the lists so far and, in all honesty, that's a pretty good thing considering the list is pretty short. The most notable addition is Tyron Smith who was limited by some back pain. Right now he's is considered likely to play. Orlando Scandrick is still on the list but instead of one of his hamstrings giving him problems he dealing with soreness in both of them. He is listed as questionable and he's a real possibility of being a game time scratch. Rookie Anthony Brown is next in the pecking order and he has already gotten some pretty significant snaps so far this season. In the grand scheme of things that is not a bad thing because you can never have too many good cornerbacks and giving a rookie some much needed game snaps goes a long way. The other important addition to the injury list is RT Doug Free who has got a sore quad. He was a full participant in Friday's practice so it looks like he will give it go. All week on the Cowboys podcasts there has been a debate over whether Dallas should actually trust 2nd year tackle Chaz Greene. Greene got a lot of work in training camp and preseason because the Cowboys wanted to see if he could actually be their swing tackle. Tyron Smith got a neck stinger in preseason so Greene played mainly left tackle. If the decision of whether he was going to be the swing tackle had to be made in preseason Week 1 he would have been cut because he was really not good at all. However, he really did improve each week through the preseason and he made the final 53. Greene was the Cowboys 3rd round draft pick last year but he missed the whole season with a hip injury during OTA's which required surgery to repair. So, in effect, Greene hadn't played football for nearly two years coming into this training camp. He was playing catch up from day one of OTA's and he got almost every snap in preseason. Some of the staff writers for the Cowboys website considered moving Zach Martin to right tackle and putting Ron Leary in at left guard but the general consensus was that wasn't a good idea. Why create two question marks in that scenario when you have just the one by using Greene. I agree especially considering Dallas will need a new right tackle soon seeing as how Doug Free is 32 years old and he will turn 33 in January. Considering his age and his projected $6.5MM cap hit next year it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Free is playing his last season in Dallas. Add to that is the fact that the past 2 seasons Free has been injured more than he's played and his value to the Cowboys for price they are paying him doesn't add up. All the DallasCowboys.com staff writers see this as a tough game, tougher than you'd expect considering the amount of injuries the Bears have. I have discussed my fear that this is a trap game that Dallas could lose if they don't go into it with the right intensity. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/23/dallascowboyscom-writers-share-their-gut-feelings-cowboys-bears It really doesn't help that Chicago played the Texans so tough in Week 1 and they were in the game against Philadelphia this past Monday until the 4th quarter when injuries started taking their toll on their defense and on Jay Cutler. The Bears defense has been the star of their show and if Dallas can't manage to score a bunch of points this game could turn into a big slap in the face similar to what Houston suffered only Houston was on the road and Dallas is at home. Losing a home game to a down but not quite out Bears team could be pretty bad for the Cowboys long term. The thing is Dak Prescott has gotten better each week as he learns how to be an NFL QB and Ezekiel Elliott improved from Week 1 to Week 2. We have to remember these guys are rookies and very rarely to rookies excel at the beginning. Emmitt Smith didn't even start his first game until Week 2 of his rookie season. This is the hope, that both Prescott and Elliott are better this week than last which would be a good thing for the Cowboys offense. Another rookie who is starting emerge is DT Maliek Collins. Collins made some plays in the Cowboys win in Washington last week and his push for more playing time is a pleasant surprise for the Cowboys who probably figured his impact on the defense would come later in the season considering he missed most of the work this past summer due to a broken foot suffered in OTA's. It's a good thing to see the rookie coming on because Dallas needs help on their D-line. They are still waiting on Charles Tapper, who was draft a round after Collins, who was the fastest DE at the combine this past spring. Tapper has a back issue that is taking a long time to heal and all the while Dallas is struggling to get pressure on opposing QB's from the D-end spot. Tapper being out and DeMarcus Lawrence out for 4 games and Randy Gregory out indefinitely because of suspension over drug abuse issues you'd have to say the Cowboys are playing from behind without their most recent draft picks at D-end not even on the field. With that in mind, it's nice to see Collins coming on strong for one positive thing from the defensive side of this year's draft. Two more games and Lawrence will be back so that will help and all the while Collins will be improving. Let's hope the move of Tyrone Crawford to DE will harvest some positive results. The Cowboys will officially open their new Stadium Club at AT&T Stadium on Monday. It will be open because fans said they missed the old Stadium Club at Texas Stadium and being ever responsive to fans the Jones family will be making it happen. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/23/grand-opening-new-stadium-club-restaurant-set-monday-sept-26 With all that is going on there is still a game to play tomorrow night. Prime time, the only game on, national audience. All the things Jerry Jones loves because he loves to see his Cowboys shine the brightest of all. There are question marks like no Tony Romo and a shaky defense over the last couple of weeks and the end result has been one loss and one win. Dallas has pretty much gotten over the "wait until Romo is back" syndrome that crippled them last year--that really lousy play by the backup QB's the team had last season. It looks like Dallas has addressed the crappy backup situation by drafting a guy who actually looks like he will be the Cowboys QB of the future. The defense needs to shore up some things but actually they have played better more often than they've played badly. It's just that every time they play bad it costs the team points from the other team. The encouraging thing is Dallas already has half as many turnovers from their defense than they got all of last year. They are getting pressure too but it just hasn't translated into the number of sacks you'd like. The other thing about the defense, they held Washington at the end of the game to preserve the win. We fans have not been able to say that too many times lately and it's nice to be able to say it. The Bears will be missing a lot of key players Sunday night like Jay Cutler, Danny Trevathan, Lamar Houston and Eddie Goldman among a long list of injuries where most of the players who are listed as doubtful will probably not play. It's a 'backs against the walk' scenario for Chicago and it's times like these that teams rally around each other and play way above their heads. That's why this is a trap game for the Cowboys. If they aren't ready they could be walking right into a hornet's nest. Dallas is at home and they definitely healthier than the Bears. All the pundits think this will be a close game because of the Bears defense and I'm not inclined to disagree. So what does all this mean???????????????????????????????????????? Dallas 24 Chicago 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 27, 2016 Author Share Posted September 27, 2016 (edited) The Cowboys won the game much easier than the final 34-17 score would suggest. If Dan Bailey didn't miss a 47 yard field goal attempt and if Terrence Williams doesn't lose a fumble after a 47 yard long catch and run at the Chicago 16 Dallas would have had, at minimum, 37 points but the way they were scoring in the red zone Sunday night it would likely have been 41. Williams fumble was really a mistake you'd expect from a rookie who doesn't know that you change hands with the ball so it is being carried in the hand nearest the sideline to protect the ball. Dak Prescott hit Williams on a crossing route about 15 yards from the line of scrimmage and he took off for the left sideline heading diagonally up the field. When he reached the Bears 18, instead of running out of bounds, he tried to cut back on the defender back toward the middle. The Bears in pursuit caught Williams from behind and almost immediately the ball popped out and the Bears Adrian Amos picked it up and returned it back to the Bears 37 where Dak tackled him. That fumble resulted in potentially a 14 point swing as Dallas didn't score a TD on the drive and the Bears did score a touchdown after the fumble recovery. If Williams doesn't fumble Dallas likely scores no less than a field goal extending their lead from either 27-3 or 31-3 depending on if the Cowboys got the TD or had to settle for a FG. Instead the Bears, given new life, drove for a TD of their own to close the score to 24-10. https://www.instagram.com/p/BKzefS5DzHa/ The best of the game: > Dak Prescott - He threw for 248 yards and a TD and for the third game in a row, no picks. He also ran for 36 yards on 4 carries including a 1 yard TD to open the scoring at the end of Dallas' first drive of the game. The guy looks and plays like a veteran and you don't see many rookies play this well right out of the box. So far this year you have Dak and Philly has Carson Wentz who are the undisputed wunderkinds of the NFL so far this season. Dak got his first passing TD as a pro on a 17 yard in route in the 4th quarter that iced the game for the Cowboys. > Ezekiel Elliott - He learned from his mistakes from last week and he took care of the football with not even a hint of a fumble in 30 total carries last night. He busted his first 100 yard game gaining 140 yards rushing for a 4.67 YPC average. His first run from scrimmage was for 21 yards and kind set the tone for his night. The highlight everyone is playing is a spectacular play where Elliott hurdled a Bears safety as part of a first down run in the second half. https://www.instagram.com/p/BK0dIfIDNPB/?taken-by=sportscenter > Terrence Williams - Despite his fumble he did have a nice game. After not even being targeted in the Redskins game the previous week Williams was targeted several times converting 4 catches for 88 total yards. He did some nice blocking in the run game and in support of teammates who caught passes. Too bad all people will remember is the fumble. > Morris Claiborne - He had a terrific game locking down the defensive left CB position all night. The only big play made on him was by Bears WR Kevin White and even then Mo was right there stride for stride with White and it took a marvelous effort on White's part to haul in a 32 yard pass from Brian Hoyer. Hoyer picked on Mo a lot in the second half and Claiborne was up to the challenge. So far, in the first 3 games, Claiborne is hands down the best cornerback on the team. > Terrell McClain and Maliek Collins - These two guys have been pretty darn good so far with Collins coming on strong in the past two weeks. By Collins' improved play it has allowed the Cowboys to move Tyrone Crawford to DE to help out with the pass rush. > Cowboys defense - The Cowboys have the classic bend-don't-break defense meaning they give up a lot of yards but he can stiffen and hold when needed. It has been a long time since the Cowboys have stood up to a team in the 4th quarter and denied them a comeback and now they have done it 2 weeks in a row, both Cowboys victories. The Cowboys need to weather one more game and the pass rush will get some help with the return of DeMarcus Lawrence from his 4 game suspension. It would be even sweeter if the back issues that have plagued rookie DE Charles Tapper would go away. You can't cry over spilled milk and it's nice to see the defense be a little clutch for a change. The bad from the game: > Tyron Smith ended up not playing because a back issue that flared up this past week sidelined him for the game. The Cowboys aren't sure how long they will be without their All Pro left tackle. One bright spot was Chaz Greene who played pretty well in his first ever NFL start. Greene made a couple of dumbass mistakes but overall he did a nice job. > LG La'el Collins left the game with what has been discovered as a torn ligament in his toe. Collins and the Cowboys are still trying to determine if Collins will need surgery to repair the ligament as he is seeking a second opinion today. Whether or not he needs surgery he will need an estimated 6-10 weeks to recover. The Cowboys will determine soon whether or not he will need to go on IR. If he does and expects to come back this year he will miss a minimum of 8 games. Anyone out there admit to wishing Dallas should trade former starting left guard Ronald Leary before the season began? I know you're out there. This is why you don't trade or release Leary. Leary was a former starter before an injury shortened his season last year and opened the door for a surprise UFA Collins. Despite playing with a left side of the O-line with a first time left tackle and veteran guard who hasn't played since last season Dallas' line was still good enough to pave the way for 140 yards rushing by Zeke. Maybe sometimes Dallas' player personnel department actually does know what their doing. > Dez Bryant was sort of horse collared and he sprained his right knee as a result on his first catch of the game in the first quarter. The Cowboys were able to put a sleeve on his knee to give him support and Dez made it back to the field and eventually caught the game clinching TD pass from Dak which was Dak's first ever pro TD pass. Dez was scheduled to have an MRI yesterday but x-rays didn't show any structural damage. Hopefully the MRI comes back saying the same thing. He has what is being called a sprained MCL and it's an injury Dez could play through. It's a huge relief because when I saw the replay of the injury I was sure the ACL was toast but, thankfully, his ACL was okay. Two non-football notes: > Dez Bryant and Texas State senator Royce West were suing each other over damages of West's rental property and Bryant's claims West was guilty of professional malfeasance and misappropriation of funds. West countersued Bryant for 1/2 million bucks for making false accusations. It got a little nasty for a while but both parties agreed to a compromise and both signed non-disclosure pacts going forward. It has been reported that West is happy the matter is settled and that makes me think Dez knew things about West that would've hurt or killed his political career. > Former Cowboys DE and noted malcontent Greg Hardy was arrested for cocaine possession in Richardson Texas. He is actually being charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, cocaine. Hardy was released on $5K bail. Hardy was a shunned person in the NFL prior to last season because of a conviction in North Carolina of domestic violence. Dallas took a chance on him and Hardy responded by being a total dick. The Cowboys wouldn't even comment on him after the season was over. He had been signed on a one year deal and when that contract was up Dallas had no intentions of resigning him. Jason Garrett abjectly refused to even talk about Hardy falling back on his cliché response that he only wanted to discuss players who were under contract and it was clear by his demeanor that Garrett wanted no part of Greg Hardy. Since Hardy left Dallas no team has expressed any interest in him whatsoever and considering his domestic violence issues and the ingratitude he showed toward the Cowboys for being the only team who dared to take a chance on him you can't blame the rest of the NFL for ignoring Hardy altogether. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2666045-greg-hardy-arrested-latest-details-comments-and-reaction Dallas moves on from their win over Chicago as they resume practice today to prepare for a tough 4 game stretch leading up to their bye week. They will play, in order, at San Francisco, at home against Cincinnati, at Green Bay and at home against Philadelphia. That's a pretty rough stretch of games and it could go a long way towards determining whether or not Dallas has a shot at the playoffs. Yep, October is going to be a real sonofagun. Edited September 27, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 28, 2016 Author Share Posted September 28, 2016 Okay, what ever made us think we could have a normal week of prep for the next game --- any next game. It's always something with the doggone Cowboys. First Dez Bryant has a knee issue stemming for a play early in last Sunday night's win over Chicago. Trouble is Dez still hasn't gone to get that MRI on that knee to find out what is really going on there. Why hasn't Dez gotten the MRI yet? Who knows, maybe Dez is afraid it will reveal something he doesn't want to hear. Maybe the knee swelled up on him and he couldn't go to the MRI. Who the hell knows. Certainly not Jason Garrett or Jerry Jones who are as much in the dark as anyone why Dez didn't get the MRI yet. Yesterday was a day off for the Cowboys, maybe Dez just wanted to rest it. Again, I don't know but I hope he gets off his keister and gets it done. La'el Collins isn't going to need surgery to repair the torn ligament in his big toe, at least not yet. Collins is hoping resting his foot and taking treatment will help resolve the issue and allow Collins to get back on the field in just a couple of weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 28, 2016 Author Share Posted September 28, 2016 Still no word on Dez but he is supposedly having that MRI he's supposed to have done Monday today. He isn't at practice today according to Jason Garrett. La'el Collins isn't going on IR to let his foot heal because he's holding out hope with rest and treatment he can come back sooner than he could on IR. The Cowboys still need to replace Collins, not in the starting lineup because that will be Ron Leary, but to add depth to the guard position. As a matter of fact Dallas has signed someone to fill that open spot. Dallas has signed former Giants G Emmett Cleary. Cleary is in his fourth year out of Boston College and he's a big dude not that makes him good. He is 6'7" and 324 lbs but he's a big guy who hasn't been able to stay with a team mainly because of injuries. He was signed as an UFA by Indianapolis in 2013 but he was injured in training camp and placed on IR and later waived with an injury settlement. Later in 2013 Cincinnati picked him by Tampa Bay. He stayed with the Bucs until June of 2014 when he was waived. Oakland signed him but later cut him near the end of training camp. Cincinnati signed him to their practice squad on Sept 14th in 2014. He lasted with the Bengals through the end of the season when he was released. The Giants signed Cleary to a futures contract in January of 2015. The Giants cut him with final cuts in September of '15 but as soon as he cleared waivers they brought him back to their practice squad. The Giants released Cleary waived/injured at the final cut down to 53 players. Apparently he wasn't all that hurt since Dallas signed him today. In the link below is an article from DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatman giving us an early preview of this week's opponent, the 49ers. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/27/big-picture-cowboys-look-first-3-1-start-2014-road-trip-vs-49ers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 29, 2016 Author Share Posted September 29, 2016 (edited) The Cowboys just can't catch a break or at least they can't seem to enjoy riding a wave of good luck. When your best example of good fortune is captioned with the phrase, "It could've been worse." things just aren't rolling your way. It's so messed up being a Cowboys fan. Just when you think you're back on top a bad call in a playoff game or an injury to your QB steps in to slap you back into reality. The Cowboys have finally found a good backup and QB of the future candidate and Romo gets hurt and the kid is pressed into service. But wait! Hold the fort! The new kid is pretty frickin' good and you have won a couple of games in a row for the first time since Week 2 of last year. Then you get another steaming load of good news. 1) LT Tyron Smith has had back spasms and was out the last game and his status for this week is on shaky ground. 2) LG La'el Collins tears a ligament in his big toe and is out indefinitely What this mean is 2/5 of your much heralded offensive line is in the training room instead of the field. 3) Your best WR, Dez Bryant is tackled on Sunday night in which his knee bends the wrong direction and he's down on the field and you're thinking, OMG he just tore his ACL. However, Dez gets up and heads to the locker room with a trainer and you wonder if it's the end of the season for Dez. Wait, what's that? Dez is back on the field and he's catching the first ever TD pass from Dak Prescott in the second half of the game. You breathe a sigh of relief and move on thinking all is well. 4) Dez got x-rays that showed nothing wrong with his knee but he was supposed to get an MRI on Monday. Monday came and went and no MRI. Tuesday came and went in the same fashion and we're all thinking across Cowboys nation WTF! Yesterday Dez missed practice but he was really, really supposed to get the MRI done. Later in the day we found out Dez actually went and got the MRI and the results are that Dez has a hairline fracture in the bone at the top of the lower leg (the tibia) where it connects to the knee. Sounds bad but reports are Dez could actually play this week against San Francisco. Here's where the "....it could've been worse." thing comes in. Personally, if resting a week or two will be better for Dez' knee, especially in light of this JJ Watt mess, let's err on the side of caution. We can thank our lucky stars it wasn't an ACL but we don't want to jeopardize Dez's long term health by rushing him back into games. The Cowboys may not need Dez against San Francisco but we'll definitely need him against the next three opponents Cincinnati, Green Bay and Philly. Here's a gif of Cowboys fans finding out Dez doesn't have a serious injury. https://giphy.com/gifs/dancingwiththestars--dancing-with-the-stars-abc-dwts-3oz8xRsDpwPs9BSdfG There is still trouble is Dezworld. By missing his treatment and failing to show up for an MRI on Tuesday Dez is going to be fined by the Cowboys who probably still don't know why Dez took so long to get the MRI done. Dallas is glad they didn't listen to fans who wanted to trade G Ron Leary in the offseason. If was for the reason of just what has happened, an injury on the O-line that requires a good backup be available to step in and play. Leary was the starting left guard last season until he was injured and La'el Collins took over. It was clear Collins was going to be the starter as the 2016 preparations began way back in the spring. Leary saw the handwriting on the wall and asked to be traded but the Cowboys refused and they kept Leary in the Cowboys fold. Now, the Cowboys will reap the dividends of a smart personnel decision. Leary, for his part, is happy for this opportunity to remind the NFL GMs he can play because Leary will be an unrestricted free agent next year and it's pretty clear Dallas is going to lose this guy. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/28/leary-never-doubted-his-ability-excited-new-opportunity Back to the Dez or not to Dez category. Dak Prescott is so confident in the team he says, ".....we have the guys to get the job done." if Dez can't play this week against San Fran. It's a little cocky and a lot confident. You gotta like the kid's moxy so far. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/09/28/dak-%E2%80%9Cwe%E2%80%99ve-got-guys-who-can-get-job-done%E2%80%9D-if-dez-can%E2%80%99t-play-sunday Here's the injury report from yesterday's practice for both Dallas and San Fran. http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/injury-report Edited September 29, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted September 29, 2016 Author Share Posted September 29, 2016 The mystery about why Dez didn't show up for treatment. Here's what the last three days were about. Sunday night Dez was told something about his knee that apparently inferred that he had a serious knee injury which cause him to miss a lot of games. With that limited information Dez, was avoiding facing up to potentially bad news by not showing up for the MRI and treatment on Monday. It was the same story Tuesday when he didn't show up on the team's day off to get the MRI and treatment. Somewhere in this time frame Jason Garrett indicated that they had communicated in an indirect way with Dez to let him know he had to get his butt into the Cowboys facility and get the MRI done. Dez showed up on Wednesday and he missed a team meeting while he got the MRI. In today's press conference with Jason Garrett he explained the timeline of the past few days. Garrett also explained that Dez didn't handle the situation the right way and that he has been told what he did wrong and they expect Dez to do a better job in the first place. Garrett said that when the MRI came back and injury was not nearly as serious as Dez and maybe the Cowboys thought it was everyone was relieved. Dez did not practice today but he was moving around better than he was yesterday. Some on the Cowboys podcast The Break criticized Garrett for airing out the saga of Dez since last Sunday. I'm not sure what the argument is because Garrett didn't throw Dez under any buzz, he just told the facts of the last few days. I'm sure behind closed doors Jason Garrett asked Dez what the f**k he was thinking hiding from his responsibility to the team and to himself. It's not really out of character for Dez, being child-like and immature. Considering his upbringing he is still childish in his thinking and his behavior. He's definitely gotten better since he was drafted but there is still a lot of immaturity in him. If you caught the part earlier that Garrett got in touch with Dez indirectly, which means Dez didn't answer when the Cowboys called but Garrett communicated to someone who could contact Dez that he needed to get into the Cowboys facility. Another sign of Dez' immaturity by hiding in his closet like a little kid to avoid bad news. I'm sure there was a Leave It To Beaver moment when Jason as Ward Cleaver had a heart to heart with The Beaver, played by Dez, over what he did wrong. The local Dallas media is pissed because in the weekly conference call to the opponent's media, this week San Francisco, they are under the impression that Garrett told them about Dez before he told the Dallas media about it. Wah, wah. In today's press conference with Jason Garrett the Dallas media tried to roast Garrett which Garrett didn't allow to happen by his answers. Here's a link to Garrett's press conference this morning. http://www.dallascowboys.com/video/2016/09/29/garrett-more-details-dez-bryant-situation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 (edited) Dez could still play but everyone around The Star in Frisco don't think so. So, the Cowboys will have to expect either Terrance Williams or Brice Butler to step up and make a difference. The scouting report on the 49ers is that their secondary is not very good and a couple of players who are good are out with injuries. The Cowboys want to run the ball but the strength of the Niner's defense is the front seven highlighted by LB Navarro Bowman. The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks abused them but they were on the road. At home, in the first game of the season, the Niners shutout the Rams 28-0 on a day when Rams QB Case Keenum admitted he didn't know what the hell he was doing in that game. Frankly, I believe him because he sucked and I don't think it was all because of the 49ers either. The consensus is that Dallas has a better team even without Dez and they should win. You get the feeling from DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus that he doesn't think the Cowboys can run as well as they did last week against Chicago but he thinks the Cowboys will win the game. His colleague Nick Eatman is pessimistic about the Cowboys chances and he thinks Dallas will lose. He feels that Dak Prescott will struggle on the road and even though Dak has been playing well people are looking for that bad rookie mistake filled game. It could be this week but with Blaine Gabbert the 49ers QB and not looking very good you would have to think Dallas has a big advantage in the QB matchup. If Gabbert does struggle then folks might see Colin Kaepernick for the first time on the field in 2016. It would be a different challenge for Dallas who has trouble stopping the run anyway and if you throw in the read-option the way Kaepernick can run it Dallas will face a big challenge. The hope is if Kaepernick is pressed into service it's because Gabbert has struggled and Dallas has a big lead and I'd be okay with that, especially the big lead part. The big questions are, can Dallas stop Carlos Hyde and can the Cowboys offense thrive without Dez? If the answer is yes to both questions then Dallas will beat San Fran tomorrow afternoon. Another thing in Dallas' favor is they seem to focus better on the road with an "us against them" mentality which is a good thing. Finally, Dallas has a stretch of 3 games in four weeks that are going to be a real bitch. Cincinnati, Green Bay and the suddenly resurgent Eagles are ahead and how they survive that stretch of games will go a long way toward whether or not Dallas is good enough to make the playoffs. If Dallas goes into that stretch 2-2 losing 2 or all 3 of those games will be a disaster. If Dallas is 3-1 it will not be as bad. Don't make a mistake, I'm not saying it wouldn't suck to go 1-2 or 0-3 in that stretch but if the Cowboys are 2-2 it will be simply awful to the Cowboys chances of winning the division and making the playoffs. With all that said what the heck is going to happen? Some contend it will be a close game and others feel like it could be a blowout that goes either way. Vegas thinks Dallas will win as they've made them 3 point favorites on the road. Me? I have to go full on homer where my Cowboys are concerned in this game because of the historical rivalry between these two teams. I just don't ever want to lose to this team so ...................................... Dallas 33 San Francisco 12 Edited October 2, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 (edited) Dallas won 24-17 in San Francisco yesterday which is what we wanted them to do. It looked a little shaky at first when the 49ers went up 14 zip on the Cowboys but the team behind Dak Prescott didn't panic and they came back to tie the score just before the half on a nice Prescott to Brice Butler TD. It was a dog fight all the way but Dallas O-line was the difference in the game as they kept opening up big holes for Zeke Elliott to run through and his way to 22 carries for 138 yards on the day. Dak threw for 245 yards but he didn't offset his 2 TD passes with two picks the way Brock Osweiler did. He continued to make good decisions and the one bad pass he threw that could've, and probably should've, been intercepted was dropped. Dak wasn't perfect in the game especially throwing to his right. He was high all day on 8 yard out routes but he got the job done with TDs to Butler and Terrence Williams. My one gripe was late in the game with the opportunity to go up by 2 scores Dallas had a 1st and goal at the one and they failed to get the TD which would have completely eliminated any hope San Fran could come back but they had to settle for Dan Bailey FG. Instead of the score being 28-17 it was only 24-17 giving the Niners the hope they could come back and tie the game and sent it into overtime. The thing was the defense, after giving up two quick TDs in the first quarter settled down and stuffed the 49ers for the rest of the game allowing just one field goal in the final 3 quarters. That field goal came in the 3rd quarter giving the 49ers a brief 17-14 lead. Dallas came right back and retook the lead at 21-17 with an impressive 10 play 78 yard drive in their second possession of the 3rd quarter. The Cowboys final points came on that Bailey 22 yard FG with 4:15 left in the game. The most impressive play of the game came on Dallas' last possession of the game. The Cowboys stopped San Francisco on the possession after their FG with a failed 4th and 6 at the Dallas 35. Blaine Gabbert threw a short pass to WR Torrey Smith on the right side of the field but Morris Claiborne knocked Smith out of bounds after just 3 yards. Dallas took over at their own 32 needing to run out final 1:49 of the game. That wasn't going to be easy if Dallas didn't get a first down because the 49ers had all 3 of their time outs. The Cowboys committed a false start on first down that made it 1st and 15 from their own 27 and Zeke only made 2 yards on the next play. The play of the game was a bubble screen called by Scott Linehan on a play action to Zeke to Cole Beasley who weaved his way for 49 yards down to the Niner's 24 yard line. I swear I was calling for a pass play because the 49ers were stacked at the line expecting the Cowboys to run the ball. It was a great call that forced the Niners to use their last time out on 1st down and two victory formation kneel downs later Dallas had win number 3 on the season. Dak has set a rookie record of 138 straight passes without an interception so far this season. Zeke went over 100 yards for the 2nd week in a row. Cole Beasley led the Cowboys in receiving yards with 66 on 3 catches. Jason Witten had the most catches with 7 for 47 yards and the other WRs for Dallas did, in fact step up without Dez on the field. Terrence Williams had 4 catches for 44 yards and a TD while Brice Butler had 5 catches for 41 yards and a TD. Chaz Greene did another good job in relief of Tyron Smith at left tackle. Greene maybe had one penalty the whole game and he and the other sub starting for Dallas Ron Leary protected Dak pretty well and their run blocking was excellent as was the whole line's work yesterday in the run game. Dallas gained a total of 194 yards rushing as a team which is very good indeed. It seemed like every time Zeke broke a long run Troy Aikman was pointing out what a good job Zack Martin did opening the hole. Martin, in particular, had a big day for the Cowboys. Morris Claiborne played his ass off. He defensed several passes, he intercepted a pass when the 49ers were driving and returned it 27 yards to the Cowboys 34 and he made the play on Torrey Smith at the end of the game to stop the 49ers on fourth down. CB Antonio Brown, who played for an injured Orlando Scandrick had a nice game too. He had a couple of big passes defensed in the game. Last but not least, I heard Sean Lee's name mentions a bunch during the game. He had 9 solo tackles and one assist as he seemed to be everywhere yesterday afternoon. The Cowboys pass rush is still a work in progress as they only got one sack on the day that was recorded by Tyrone Crawford in the 2nd half. Still, the way the Cowboys held Carlos Hyde to just 74 yards rushing and the 49ers to just 106 total rushing yards. Couple that with holding them to just 196 yards passing and the Cowboys defense did a nice job on the day. Fantasy owners should have taken note that the 49ers seem to have a new favorite receiver. That would be former NY Jet Jeremy Kerley who led the Niners with 6 catches and 88 yards with a TD on the day. The Redskins beat Cleveland who can't seem to stop shooting themselves in the foot and the Eagles, along with the Packers, were on bye week. The Vikings and Giants play tonight and it would be sweet if the Giants lose in Minnesota. Dallas is 1/2 game back of Philly for the division lead. Philly is 3-0 while Dallas is 3-1. New York is next at 2-1 and Washington brings up the rear with a 2-2 record in the NFC East. If the Giants were to lose that would leave Dallas alone in 2nd place in the division. Edited October 3, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 4, 2016 Author Share Posted October 4, 2016 OG La'el Collins tried to avoid it but he underwent surgery to repair the torn ligament in his big toe yesterday. The Cowboys have placed him on IR as he will immediately be facing rehab of several weeks. Collins and the Cowboys were hoping rest and rehab would be enough to help Collins but after consultation with 3 different specialists it was decide that Collins' best option for his long term health would be surgery. Fortunately, the Cowboys kept former starting guard Ronald Leary and it is the opinion by many that Leary is actually better than Collins at this point in Collins' career anyway so Dallas was smart not to trade him as many fans wanted Dallas to do. Another frustrating item for Jason Garrett to worry about is their kicker of all things. Prior to the San Francisco game the Cowboys stayed at a local hotel which DallasCowboys.com writers reported a having very soft mattresses and pillows. Some folks like that but, it could be a coincidence, Dan Bailey woke up with his back hurting Sunday morning. Bailey missed a 47 yard kick attempt in the first quarter of Sunday's game and he didn't just miss it, he hooked it badly. Dallas has enough problems with backs on their roster without having to worry about Bailey. Tyron Smith has missed two games with a bad back. Rookie DE Charles Tapper is on IR because of his back. Tyrone Crawford has had issues with his back and everyone knows about Tony Romo's back problems. I'm tired of this crap. C'mon Lord, can't you give the Cowboys a little break here? You know you're oppressed when the friggin' kicker is hurting. Dallas personnel department is probably scouring all available kickers in case this isn't a temporary thing caused by a soft mattress. One really good option may be a kicker Dallas took to Oxnard this summer. Matt Wile, a UFA from the University of Michigan, went to training camp with Dallas as an extra leg to keep from wearing out Dan Bailey. Wile is used to a big stage and he was a decent kicker while at Michigan. He was an UFA when he came of out college in 2014 and was signed by the Carolina Panthers after the 2015 draft. From May 8 to August 30 Wile was signed and cut 5 times before his final release in late August. He was signed by Dallas in March with an eye on training camp and he was among the final cuts on September 3rd. Wile is also able to punt if it comes down to it if Cowboys punter Chris Jones is injured which, considering the crap for luck Dallas has had so far, isn't too far fetched. As of 12:01 Monday morning DeMarcus Lawrence was no longer on suspension and he will be back in the DE rotation this week when Dallas takes on the Cincinnati Bengals. Lawrence was the Cowboys sack leader last season with 8 sacks to go along with 31 QB pressures (2nd on the team) and 56 tackles. He finished 2015 with at least one sack in 7 consecutive games. These all came when Lawrence was moved from right (strong side) defensive end to the left (weak side) defensive end position. The Cowboys knew way back in the spring that Lawrence was going to be suspended but they gave him a lot of reps in OTAs, mini camps and training camp with an eye on his return. He should be slightly rusty and bit out of football playing shape but if he's in rotation at DE he should be good to go. It was reported that he was impressive during training camp so his return could be a real shot in the arm the Cowboys pass rush needs. There has been a lot of talk (by me) about the upcoming stretch of games that will challenge the Cowboys and Dak Prescott prior to the return of Tony Romo. It's true the next 3 games will be very challenging as Dallas faces Cincinnati, Green Bay and Philly after their bye week but the Cowboys have a very tough schedule ahead of them this year. The NFC East plays the AFC North and the NFC North and that isn't chopped liver my friends. With or without Romo Dallas will play the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals and Browns with no real easy game in that list. You might figure Cleveland is an easy one but no, if you've been paying attention, Cleveland is playing decent ball this season and they have some real playmakers like Isaiah Crowell and Terrelle Pryor to play with. Then you go to the NFC North and the Cowboys face the Vikings, Packers, Lions and Bears. Who know what you will get from Detroit. They have been up and down and last week they were down losing to a Bears team Dallas spanked two weeks ago. There is no break with the Vikings and Packers as the Vikings strength is their defense and they have already beaten Carolina on the road and the Packers at home among their 4 victories so far. Dallas is supposed to have a last place schedule because they were last in the NFC East last year but I don't see a break on the horizon. This first four games were the easiest stretch Dallas has this whole year. That's okay. What Jimmy Johnson used to say about the tough NFC East in the early 90's was that it made them battle tested. If they survived a regular season with those teams on the schedule twice they would be ready for anything in the playoffs. If Dallas runs the 2016 gauntlet with a record that gets them into the playoffs they will surely be battle tested. As a matter of fact they will be playing a schedule full of playoff caliber teams. If Dallas goes 10-6 or 11-5 with this schedule they would have to be considered legit contenders for a Super Bowl come January. I don't want to get ahead of myself, let's just try to beat Cincinnati this week, okay? I was asked by a coworker yesterday if I thought Tony Romo would get his job back when he is healthy enough to play based on how well Dak Prescott has played so far. I said I felt like this was still Romo's team and he will get his job back. I heard a reply to this same question on the Colin Cowherd show yesterday on replay going home from work. I wish I had Colin's answer when my coworker asked me my opinion. My coworker listened to me but it I had the answer Cowherd had he might have believed me. Cowherd pointed out that we all have to tap the breaks on Dak a bit. Yes he has looked impressive but the Cowboys first 4 opponents haven't been all that good. The best of the bunch was the Giants in Week 1 and Dak and Cowboys lost that game. The real litmus test will come over the next 4 weeks when Dallas faces the beginning of what I already said was a brutal schedule over the last 12 weeks of the season. Playoff caliber teams with more good players throwing the kitchen sink at a rookie QB. All this without their starting left tackle, their stud WR and now maybe their Pro Bowl kicker. Romo could handle all this because in 15 years he's seen it all. He is not easily fooled. Many contend that if Romo was healthy from day one of the season the Cowboys would be 4-0 because the Giants would not have gotten that one point win to begin the season, Dallas would have won by 7 or 8 points at least. Dak is a really nice prospect for the QB of the future but this is still Tony's team, especially given his status in the hearts and minds of Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones. They want Tony to win a Super Bowl and not get it sitting on the bench but directing the Cowboys on the field. Romo deserves that for the crap he's been through. He deserves it for a Hall of Fame caliber career that will never happen if he doesn't get a ring at the helm of the Cowboys ship. A ring sitting on the bench doesn't do anything for his legacy. Jones and Garrett know this and they want Tony to get a ring, especially Jones. Those are the reasons Tony will get his job back when he's healthy. You can also consider that Romo is 15-4 in his last 19 starts so to say Romo is washed up is wrong to assume it's just that the most popular player to fans is the backup. It happened to Troy Aikman, to Emmitt Smith and people are in love with Dak so it is happening with Romo now. The thing is, if and when Tony struggles in his first game or two back you will really hear it from fans but if Garrett stays the course and Tony doesn't get hurt again he will be the good Tony after that just like what happened in 2014. Remember? Dallas didn't play Tony in the preseason much at all and he got "Romo days off" because he was coming off back surgery. He struggled in Week 1 in a loss to San Francisco and he struggled but less so in a Week 2 win over Tennessee and he just kept getting better week to week as Dallas ran off 6 straight wins. He missed a game and a half when he got kneed in the back in Week 8 and missed half of that game and he was out the next week against Arizona, both losses, because of the broken transverse process bone in his back. Romo returned in Week 10 and the Cowboys finished the season going 6-1. Their only loss was to Philadelphia on Thanksgiving, a short week of rest, that was avenged with a win over Philly in Philly in Week 15 that really put them in position to take control of the NFC East division lead. The Cowboys won 3 of the 4 games Romo started last year losing only to Carolina on Thanksgiving on a short week after beating Miami the previous Sunday. If you have a concern, don't play Romo on a short week. Give the spot to Dak. It protects Romo giving him ample rest before he next start and gives Dak a little more experience. I'd be cool with that. Romo wouldn't but he's not the coach so if Garrett were to work it like that then Tony wouldn't have much to say about it. Good grief I should be a coach, except that I'd suck at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 5, 2016 Author Share Posted October 5, 2016 (edited) Does anyone remember who the Cowboys 2nd round draft pick was this year? Time's up. The answer to this Jeopardy question is, "Who is Jaylon Smith?". We remember Smith's story. Top 5 talent who fell to Dallas in the second round because of a devastating knee injury as well as nerve damage suffered in his last college game with Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl this past January playing against current team mate Ezekiel Elliott. He tore his ACL and his LCL which he had surgically repaired shortly after the game. The real issue with his recovery was the fact there was nerve damage in the knee and ankle and the time table for that to heal was not a medical issue it was time. The nerve needed time to begin to function again. No medicine, no magic elixir is available to help the nerve recover is available. Time is Smith's friend and his enemy. The Cowboys will certainly give Smith time to heal because they believe when he is healthy again they will have superior athlete at a position of need. As time tick-tocks away Smith is still waiting on the nerve to 'wake up' and that the main item of concern that saw his draft stock tumble wasn't so much when he fully recovered it was IF he ever would recover. As the link below shows Smith is making definite progress. In the article you will be encouraged by the things Smith says he able to do now as he goes through rehab and conditioning work. Within the article is a link to a tweet Smith posted that roused the curiosity of the local media. Smith said in an interview with the media yesterday when questioned about the tweet he said it wasn't necessarily about his knee but rather being thankful for the situation he's in. Maybe but it seemed like he was happy about something like maybe the fact that he can feel his nerves starting to respond in significant way. Jerry Jones said earlier in the week he was not ruling out the possibility that Smith would be on the field this season and, in the article, Smith wouldn't rule out playing this season either. Logically, you'd have to think that Jones and Smith are exercising their right to practice wishful thinking but you never know. Personally, I know it generally takes a full year to come back from an ACL surgery. An ACL with significant nerve damage? I wouldn't try to push anything to rush a player who is likely a franchise type talent back too soon. I would give Smith the whole year off and look toward 2017. By the time the draft rolls around and OTA's start at the end of April, first of May he will have had a full 16 months to heal, to train and to be really ready to play football again. That would mean that Dallas will essentially have two 1st round picks stepping on the field for them next May. http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2016/10/04/jaylon-smith-encouraged-his-progress-no-injury-news-report I don't know why God hates his team so much that he keeps bringing pestilence down upon them. It's almost biblical the way Dallas is plagued with injuries in the past few years. Maybe it's me concentrating on the Cowboys but I watch the Texans too and they aren't besieged by the amount of injuries they have to deal with the way Dallas has been. I'm not even talking about Jaylon Smith anymore, he was a calculated risk the Cowboys took in the draft in much the same way they did with Sean Lee and Bruce Carter back in the 2010 and 2011 drafts respectively. All three players were selected in the 2nd round of the draft after they fell because of torn ACL's suffered in their last year of college. Sean Lee is a star on this team and after undergoing a rash of injuries in his first few years Lee has been a cornerstone of the Dallas defense. Bruce Carter could also be considered a success as well, though not the extent Lee has been, but he was good enough to make significant contributions to Dallas 2014 12-4 playoff team before leaving when he became a free agent after that season. That's why you can't consider them to be in the conversation of the blight of injuries Dallas has had to endure. It's not just injuries but also suspensions that have taken their toll on the Cowboys. Dallas needed pass rushers so in the past 3 drafts and free agency Dallas has selected DeMarcus Lawrence (suspended 4 games for substance abuse this season), Ben Gardner (bust) in 2014, Randy Gregory (suspended 14 games this season for substance abuse) and Ryan Russell (bust) in 2015 and this year Dallas drafted Charles Tapper (on IR with a bad back) not to mention a failed attempt to help themselves by giving troubled DE Greg Hardy a second chance in the NFL after domestic violence issues got him cut by Carolina and made him a Marvel super villain in the process. Hardy was a head case who never got the fact that life wasn't back to normal because he was the poster child for domestic violence around the NFL, even surpassing Ray Rice. Dallas was crucified in the media for the signing but the Cowboys believed their support staff could help Hardy but before you can help someone they have to admit there is a problem. Hardy never admitted to anything and Dallas cut bait with him as soon as the season was over. The NFL still hasn't forgiven him because as of right now, in Week 5 of the 2016 season, Hardy remains unemployed. Jerry was hoping he was getting a new millennial Charles Haley who came to Dallas as a troubled player. The difference was that Haley was crazy in large part to being ADHD whereas Hardy is just crazy with violent behavior thrown in. Back to the injury thing. In the last season and a half the Cowboys have had to deal with a rash of injuries to key players. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant have missed significant time. Defensive lineman Terrell McClain and Tyrone Crawford have either missed significant time or played through injuries that left them a shell of the players they could be. Throw in a crap load of injuries to their backup D-linemen and you understand why Dallas has struggled so. There is no position group unscathed. Orlando Scandrick was out all of 2015 with he tore his right ACL and MCL in training camp. He was also suspended 4 games in 2014 for substance abuse. Throughout the first four years of his pro career CB Mo Claiborne battled one injury after another and was constantly burned in the press for being a bust after Dallas traded up to the 6th pick in the 2012 draft to get him. The injury plague has swept through the entire defense and it has caused misery to their starting QB and best wide receiver over the last year and a quarter and now it's started in on the O-line. It began with G Ronald Leary getting hurt at about the mid point of 2015 allowing another guy Dallas got on the cheap because of off field issues, La'el Collins, to step in for him. Leary recovered but never got his job back until last week when Collins suffered a torn ligament in his toe that landed him on IR. Collins' season may or may not be over but his allowed Leary to regain his starting left guard position. Dallas made a good decision not to trade Leary in the offseason for a defensive end. Doug Free has been hurt causing him to miss time over the last 2 seasons and he's currently playing through some minor stuff right now. Next the Cowboys starting All Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, who hadn't missed a down since being drafted in 2011, is out with a bad back missing the last two games. His replacement Chaz Green, a 3rd round pick out of Florida last year missed all of 2015 because he needed surgery to repair a hip injury suffered in training camp. Green was given a lot of snaps in preseason because Tyron Smith was held out because of back soreness and the extra work paid off as Green was able to step in for Smith the past two weeks and play pretty well. Now it's being reported that Green has a foot strain to deal with. Jerry Jones said in his weekly radio interview that he has been told Green can play. The even better news is that Tyron Smith could return to the field this week. The point is we have had enough crap with the injuries already. When Dallas went through their first great heyday from 1966 to 1982 injuries did not hit Dallas like they have recently. In the Cowboys 2nd heyday in the 1990s injuries again were no big deal. Every team has to deal with some setbacks but Dallas in the last 10 years has been beset by one debilitating injury after another and I feel like it's time the Good Lord or the Gods of Football to cut the Cowboys some slack. They have suffered enough so that the next Cowboys heyday should last for 16 years like their first Golden Age. They've earned the right to a little, or rather a big, reprieve from this glut of injuries they deal with seemingly every single year. YOU HEAR THAT OH SPIRIT WORLD? TAKE A FRIGGIN BREAK IN DALLAS, OK? Edited October 5, 2016 by eagle eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 7, 2016 Author Share Posted October 7, 2016 I'll get into Cowboys-Bengals later but I just wanted to throw out a couple of tidbits in the meantime. LT Tyron Smith has been back at practice on a limited basis on Wednesday and Thursday which is encouraging especially in light of the fact that the guy who played in Smith's placee the last two games, Chaz Green, hasn't practiced this week because of a strained foot. If neither player can go the Cowboys might have to do some major shuffling on the O-line. CB Orlando Scandrick did not practice yesterday after going on Wednesday. It's a bad setback for for a guy who was considered the Cowboys best CB. Fortunately, Dallas has had rookie Anthony Brown do a pretty good job in relief of Scandrick. The status of K Dan Bailey is still up in the air because of a back issue that cropped up last Sunday morning before the 49ers game. Backup S Jeff Heath took Bailey'a place in practice both Wednesday and Thursday. It is being reported that Dallas is bringing in free agent kickers Robbie Gould, Kai Forbath and Aldrick Rosas with work out for the Cowboys after this morning's practice. Dallas had Dez back at practice in a limited basis but his status is still up in the air for Sunday. 3rd string QB Jameill Showers is no longer the 3rd string QB because it has been decided he just won't work out as a QB. It doesn't mean he is being cut. It is being reported that Dallas will convert him to safety. It has been reported that Showeres will be moved up from the practice squad as a safety and special teams guy. This wrong because Dallas can't use a roster spot for Showers when they need roster pots for a spare kicker and for DeMarcus Lawrence who is coming back off suspension. Jerry jones said on his 105.5 The Fan radio spot this morning that he expects Tyron Smith, Dan Bailey and DeMarcus Lawrence are all likely to play Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 9, 2016 Author Share Posted October 9, 2016 It's a good thing Dallas is playing at home because if you listen to all the foo-fer-all on the Cowboys website and local Dallas radio this team doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning today's game. Andy Dalton, AJ Green, Vontaze Burfict, etc, etc., the Cowboys are just over matched and doomed to lose. The Bengals defense has not surrendered a rushing TD yet this season. The Bengals defense is ranked 9th in yards allowed but the Bengals have given up 82 points which means teams have scored an average of 20 points per game. Dallas defense, despite all their warts, is ranked higher in points allowed, points per game and the Cowboys actually allow fewer rushing yards per game than Cincinnati. On the other side of the ball the Cowboys are ranked 3rd in total offense in yards with 1583 yards behind only Atlanta and Arizona while Cincinnati is 11th with 1487. Dallas has scored more points than Cincy, 101 to 78, due in large part to the Bengals struggles in the red zone. They are oh-fer in the RZ scoring TDs which means they kick a lot of field goals. Dallas is second in rushing TDs with 8 while Cincy has just 3 and since they haven't done it in the RZ they have gotten their rushing TDs outside of the opposition's 20 yard line. Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing yards until Arizona's David Johnson blew up with 157 yards when the Cardinals beat the 49ers on Monday night. Jeremy Hill and Giovanni Bernard combined (289) can't touch Elliott's 412. AJ Green has 489 yards but nobody else is even close to the top 20 in receiving for Cincy. The Bengals biggest RZ threat, TE Tyler Eifort is out this week. That's the trouble with Eifort, he's hurt more than he's healthy. For Dallas, that's a good thing. Cole Beasley is the Cowboys leader in receiving yards in large part because Dez Bryant has missed some time with a hairline fracture in a bone in his knee. He may or may not play today. If Dez can't go then Terrence Williams and Brice Butler will need to step up like they did last week against San Francisco. Combined the two accounted for 9 catches for 85 yards and two TD's. If Dallas gets that again I will be happy. Four games into the season there isn't a lot of separation between team's stats. What we have is a 2-2 Cincinnati Bengals team coming into AT&T Stadium to play the 3-1 Cowboys. This will be the sternest test the Cowboys have faced yet this season and a win will be important for so many reasons going forward. Strictly based on home field I have to give the edge to the Cowboys in this game. Now, home field advantage doesn't mean squat if your team stinks but this Cowboys team doesn't stink. The energy and vitality provided by Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott give this team a little extra spring in their step and Dallas also gets a little shot in the arm in their pass rush with the return of DeMarcus Lawrence. He's back just in time to feast on an O-line that has allowed Andy Dalton to be sacked 13 times so far this season. That's a hair over 3 sacks a game so this week would be a golden opportunity to add to that sack total. The D-line has got to step up and stuff the run and sack the passer. Dallas has dominated time of possession in the games so far and if the defense does it's part and Dak can keep the chains moving I like Dallas' chances this afternoon. This game is going to be physical and there is no doubt this game will be won or lost in the trenches. Hopefully, Tyron Smith is a full go for the game. Hopefully DeMarcus Lawrence is like a Tazmanian Devil and leads a surprising assault on Dalton. There is just something about this team that speaks to hope and higher expectations. What does that mean for today's game?......................................................... Dallas 27 Cincinnati 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 12, 2016 Author Share Posted October 12, 2016 Who saw what Dallas did to Cincinnati coming? Nobody, that's who. The Cowboys domination of the Bengals was unexpected and pretty doggone awesome at the same time. I couldn't even bask in the glow of it. I have a buddy who lives in Round Rock that kept texting me about how the Cowboys were kicking ass and chalking up a Cowboys win and it was halftime. I'd seen this kind of thing before. Detroit down 20+ in the first half a few years ago and Dallas fell apart and lost with a lousy second half. In Dallas' last 8-8 season of 2013 the Cowboys had a 20+ point lead over Green Bay who had a backup QB starting for an injured Aaron Rodgers come back and win in the second half. Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com wanted Jason Garrett fire over that that game. I have seen too much heartbreak to dismiss the Bengals even though the score was 21 zip at the break. Then came the opening of the 3rd quarter and the Bengals were moving the ball and the table was set for another Cowboys meltdown. With the ball at the Cowboys 33 a long pass by Andy Dalton to AJ Green had TD written all over it but Mo Claiborne, looking for all the world like he was beaten, knocked the pass away in the end zone. Maybe Dallas isn't going to choke after all, I thought. Then the Bengals try a fifty yard field goal and one of the best kickers in the NFL, Mike Nugent, missed wide left. Cool, the Cowboys are still pitching a shutout. Then, on the very next play, the O-line with a nice trap block by TE Geoff Swaim thrown in opened a hole big enough to drive a car through gave Ezekiel Elliott the opening he needed to take the ball 60 yards virtually untouched for a 28 nothing lead and we're still just 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter. I started to believe this was day was going to be different. Dallas didn't score again in the game but it really didn't matter because the way the Cowboys defense was playing Cincy wasn't coming back. The Bengals may have been down even more than 28 to nothing if not for a strip sack of Dak Prescott in Bengals territory and the subsequent fumble return back into Dallas' side of the field setting up their first score. That was at least a 10 point swing because Dallas was definitely driving for another score of some kind and now instead of being 31 zip the score was 28-7 late in the 3rd quarter. That was Dak's first NFL turnover and it prevented a route from turning into a full blown massacre. No matter. After that Dallas got way too conservative for me but all they were interested in was eating up clock. It didn't matter if they did it themselves or allowed the Bengals to do it by making them drive the length of the field dinking and dunking Dallas all the way. The Cowboys didn't care, they forced the Bengals to use up a huge chunk of the 4th quarter doing it. Even though they scored a TD at the end of the drive there was only about 4 minutes left in the game and Dallas wasn't about to let the game slip away in that amount of time. One interesting side to this game was in Dallas entire history, from 1960 until last Sunday, Dallas had never won a game with the final score 28-14. Weird factoid but true. So Dallas wins and since the opening day loss to the Giants and they have won 4 straight. It took the Cowboys a full 16 game schedule for them to win 4 games but now Dallas has done it by early October. Can we enjoy the win streak and be glad it's not 2015? Hell no. All I've heard is the looming QB controversy over what's going to happen when Tony Romo gets back. He had an MRI to check the status of the broken bone in his back and he's totally healed. It's just a matter of how long it takes to complete his rehab. He could be back as early as the Philly game which comes after their bye week which comes after this week's game against Green Bay. Just can't be glad we're winning. We just have to find a way to muck it all up. What if the Dak-led Cowboys beat the Packers and go into the bye week 5-1? Frankly, it's not likely but what if? I guess Cowboys fans just can't leave well enough alone. It's become part of the collective fan DNA. The closet GMS aren't helping. I heard a caller to a Cowboys podcast suggest trading Tony Romo yesterday. Never mind the $19 mil in salary he's being paid this season and never mind the $20 mil next year. The guy obviously plays fantasy football and doesn't have to live with real money in a real league not to mention Tony Romo is 15-4 in his last 19 games he's started. Romo isn't washed up and he had the best off season in years until that fateful Game 3 of preseason when he was pile driven into the turf by a Seattle defender and broke his back for the second time in 3 years. The last time was in 2014 against the Redskins but Tony only missed the rest of that game and one more and he was back on the field leading the Cowboys to a 12-4 record with a win in the playoffs and looking like the true Cinderella of the 2014 season until a totally crap call in Green Bay ended it all. Now, Dallas goes back to Lambeau Field on a 4-1 win streak and more controversy than they deserve to try to gain a measure of revenge from January 2015. We won but it feels like, in some ways, like we really lost. What is wrong with that picture? Good Grief, Charley Brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle eye Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 Lambeau Field in October isn't bad. Coming from the Texas heat it's down right awesome. Guys, forget that you've lost the last 4 games on the frozen tundra because this time it isn't frozen. And you guys don't suck like you did before. Even the defense which sort of let you down in 2014 in the 'was it a catch' game is better now. You have a good team. You have the leading rusher in the NFL. THE WHOLE NFL! On a day when Tom Brady makes his first start in Boston since his suspension the Patriot mantra that has been taken up by your coach rings so true. "Do your job." Do your freaking job and things will be alright. Simple. You guys know your job, you've been together since May and worked and sweated and fought to get to where you are right now. You take your 4-1 record to Lambeau and you will face the 3-1 Packers. This could be a day that launches you to bigger and better things as you head into your bye week. Do your job and I believe you have the better team. Seize the day, Cowboys. Final Score: Dallas 31 Green Bay 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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