Dallas Cowboys Off Season Debate Thread III

[Guest Mahler]

http://prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com/assets/clubimg/raiderettes/2011/Caitlin_uni_card_2011.jpg

 

It won't be the cheerleaders!!! Sorry couldn't resist. I hate everything Raiders!

 

Before anyone gets upset - this is all in jest.

[Guest eagle eye]

http://prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com/assets/clubimg/raiderettes/2011/Caitlin_uni_card_2011.jpg

 

It won't be the cheerleaders!!! Sorry couldn't resist. I hate everything Raiders!

 

Before anyone gets upset - this is all in jest.

 

Pretty funny!

The game Friday night was not funny per se but the Cowboys worked so hard to win but special teams really cost them the game. It started in the first quarter when a Dan Bailey field goal attempt was blocked and in the second half a fumbled punt by rookie CB B W Webb gave the Raiders a field goal. Dallas lost 19-17 so if neither of those things happen Dallas wins 17-13. Or, if only one of those things don't happen Dallas wins by one. Either way, I can certainly see a little extra work and a little extra behind chewing when Dallas returns to practice today. Dallas did force two turnovers to up their preseason tally to 4. In the first quarter Jason Hatcher recovered a fumble by starting QB Matt Flynn after Flynn was sacked by a blitzing Sean Lee. In the second quarter Dallas avoided a TD when rookie safety JJ Wilcox picked off Terrelle Pryor in the end zone. The first team defense was only in for a couple of series but they dominated Oakland. As Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com wrote yesterday this group has a real potential to be better than good. It was good to see Miles Austin and Dez Bryant catching the ball. Both looked very good. The run game was not as successful this week as the focus was more on the passing game. After a slow start 3rd string QB Nick Stevens had a nice outing while 4th stringer Alex Tanney was to play the fourth quarter but he didn't get much of an opportunity. Two guys who stood out to me were backup QB Kyle Orton who led Dallas on a nice 2nd quarter TD drive capped by a beautiful pass and catch by Cole Beasley. Beasley was my other standout player in the game. He left the game in the 3rd quarter with an ankly injury but X-rays on his ankle were negative which was good news and he'll probably be day to day in practice for a little while. Beasley ended up with 3 catches for 49 yards and a TD and he added a 28 yard kickoff return.

 

 

 

 

[Guest eagle eye]

The late Sunday practice held both good news and bad news personnel wise. The good news was WR Terrance Williams returned to practice and not only practiced but stood out with some outstanding plays. Backup tackles Jeramy Parnell and Demetriss Bell both returned to pracitce on a limited basis.

On the bad side of the ledger, LB Ernie Sims and DT Sean Lissimore left with groin injuries while CB Eric Frampton left practice with a hamstring issue. OT Darion Weems also missed practice joining Mo Claiborne and Cole Beasley on the sideline. JJ Wilcox missed practice after being excused to attend his ailing mother.

Back on the positive side, WR Danny Coale finally was able to make a play in practice. After missing all of training camp so far with a swollen knee he made it back on the field Sunday and made a nice play on a crossing pattern on a throw from QB Nick Stephens. Coale also worked as punt returner in the absense of Cole Beasley. It's a good sign that Coale is back in practice after missing all of 2012 training camp and regular season. The Clock is ticking on Coale who needs to make an impression to keep his job.

The last bad thing was that S Matt Johnson was still a no-show in practice. Like Coale, Johnson missed activities in 2012 and he has missed all but a couple of practices in 2013. Regardless of the protential he has shown Johnson has to get back on the field before Dallas is forced to cut bait with him.

[Guest eagle eye]

As mentioned in previous posts rookie DB JJ Wilcox is not with the team because he needs to be with his mother who is very ill and on life support. Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett have excused Wilcox from practice and told to take whatever time he needs to so he can be with his mother. No matter what you think of Jerry Jones he has always been supportive of players in need. Maybe that's why most of the players who've been in Dallas love Jones.

 

The Cowboys are working on an extension to keep Dallas going to Oxnard for training camp for years to come. This would continue a tradition of Dallas going the Oxnard area dating all the way back to the early years of the Tom Landry era Cowboys. When Jones took over the team they continued going to Thousand Oaks California until they decided to hold training camp in Austin or Wichita Falls during the Jimmy Johnson era. Since 1998 Dallas has been back to Oxnard, to San Antonio for a full camp and a split came or two. The advantages of the camp in the Cowboy opinion is the mild temps and favorable weather conditions are conducive to getting a lot of quality work done.

 

Dallas will be moving from their current headquarters and practice facility at Valley Ranch in Irving Tx to a new location in Frisco Tx, a Dallas suburb. It will be a state of the art facility that will include an office building housing the Cowboys corporate offices, offices for coaches and administrators and the DC Cheerleaders. The site will be on a 91 acre tract and will include, beside the office building, a 12,000 seat indoor multi-use arena and two outside practice fields. The arena will be used for sporting events for the City of Frisco and the Frisco ISD sporting events as well as acedemic, fine arts and entertainment events. The Cowboys have signed a 25 year agreement with the City of Frisco and the Frisco ISD and ground will be broken soon to begin construction of the facility scheduled to open in 2016.

 

Here's a recap of the evening practice yesterday by DC.com's Nick Eatman. Note the instances of tempers flaring in yesterday's practice classified by Eatman as the most intense practice in training camp.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Tues-Practice-Recap-Offense-Defense-Get-More-Than-Chippy/73d0d187-3dc5-4fc4-ae0e-351224b663e3

[Guest eagle eye]

CB JJ Wilcox with be off the next week after his mother passed away after a long battle with lupus. Wilcox' mother was able to be at his side when Dallas drafted him this spring, something Wilcox is extremely grateful for, as she was in and out of the doctor's for her treatments. We will keep Wilcox and his family in our prayers as the days go by.

 

G Ronald Leary missed today's walkthrough due to a knee problem. He will have an MRI done tomorrow to determine what is wrong. It is thought that it's not the degenerative knee issue that caused him to go undrafted in 2012.

 

Mo Claiborne is still listed as day-to-day with his knee injury. It's being reported that he's getting better and the Cowboys won't rule Claiborne out for Saturday afternoon's game against Arizona.

 

Yes, I said Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 PM start.

 

Jason Garrett gave the team the afternoon off after indicating that the team has had some really good practices this week and he wanted to reward them for their effort. The will resume preparing for Arizona tomorrow.

 

This is the last week Dallas will be in Oxnard. When they depart for the Arizona game they will be bidding California adieu as well until next year.

[Guest eagle eye]

G Ronald Leary will be out the next two weeks as he went back to Dallas to have his knee scoped. The Cowboys are saying it is a minor procedure and it shouldn't cause him to be out for any great length of time.

 

Here's a good article on new Cowboys center/guard Travis Frederick from DC.com.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Rookie-Center-Feels-Like-A-Different-Player-From-Start-Of-Camp/3a2ef854-2334-4da4-8c52-0bb52eac8200

 

Here's an article from Bryan Broaddus in camp notebook.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouts-Notebook-TE-Brings-It-Daily-Rookie-CB-Still-Battling/2496a83b-404b-4a1f-8e26-bf583547a488

 

Finally, here's Bryan Broaddus' list of his top 10 performers in training camp so far.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Broaddus-My-Top-10-Performers-From-This-Four-Week-Camp/8654b4a9-f323-41bb-9372-503c37a61c0b

[Guest eagle eye]

Dallas goes into their third preseason game today and it bears noting that the game starts at 3:30 PM on the NFL Network.

 

Here is a look at some of the players the Dallas Cowboys staff writers will be keeping an eye on.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Staff-Watch-List-Writers-Pick-Players-To-Watch-Saturday/57e32344-c8e0-459a-aa98-05fedb0c1662

 

To add to this list I will be watching George Selvie. In the HOF game Selvie was all world but in last week's game he was a non factor. I want to see which Selvie shows up against a newly formidable Arizona offense. On offense I agree with Nick Eatman. I want to see Terrence Williams play. He has been getting good reviews from his training camp practices but I want to see him face Patrick Peterson and company.

 

We may want to see how the O-line goes too with 4 of the 5 expected opening night starters in place and David Arkin doing better than in past training camps. Here's an assessment of the line from DC.com's Mickey Spanola.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Spagnola-Nothing-Seems-To-Come-Easy-On-O-Line/c4cf1cc3-dde1-45fe-b888-090add025933

[Guest eagle eye]

Dallas lost to the Arizona Cardinals 12-7. Mostly on the back of 5 first half turnovers by the Cowboys. A fumbled punt by Dwayne Harris , one fumble each by Lance Dunbar (after a 43 yard catch and run), and Dez Bryant after a nice catch and run and two picks off Kyle Orton.

 

The offense moved the ball but the Dunbar and Bryant fumbles came deep inside Cardinal territory. Tony Romo looked pretty sharp except on one play when broken coverages on the same play saw Terrence Williams wide open on a fly pattern on the left sideline and Dez Bryant wide open deep down the right side. Romo chose to throw to Williams and he overthrew him -- badly costing Dallas a sure TD. The Cowboys haven't been nearly as committed to the run since Romo has come back into the lineup after being held out of the HOF game. DeMarco Murray had his moments and Dunbar will be deadly doing his best Darren Sproles imitation coming out of the backfield in the passing game.

 

The first and second defenses stopped Arizona time after time holding Arizona to 3 field goals in the first half when it could have been way worse. The third team D was another matter as they gave up yards in bunches making Arizona's third string look Super Bowl bound. No big deal--its third string. This is the second week in a row Dallas has lost the turnover battle and today's game was a mess.

 

As for the players I was going to watch, George Selvie had one sack but I didn't hear his name called again. As a matter of fact he was credited with one tackle which was the aforementioned sack. Not good since he started the game at defensive end. Terrence Williams was a rookie. He ran a poor route that cost Dallas a first down and Orton one of his picks. He did get open for Romo as mentioned earlier but at best it was an up and down first game for him.

 

The hit of the game was delivered by Miles Austin. After a first half catch he was running out of bounds with Curtis Taylor bearing down on him when Austin lowered his shoulder put Taylor on his backside. The hit pumped up all the Cowboys and the fans in the stadium after that and, for a while anyway, the Cowboys tried to emulate Austin's hit.

 

The seventh pick in this year's draft LB DeVonte Holloman has been making plays all preseason. He added to his resume after he picked off a pass aimed for the Cowboys goal line when Holloman laid completed out and caught the ball for his second pick in three games. Holloman is considered undersized by NFL standards but he is always around the ball and he makes plays. I would bet a million bucks he makes final 53.

[Guest eagle eye]

The fumble by Lance Dunbar at the end of the 43 yard catch and run wasn't the worst thing that happened on the play in the first quarter of the Cowboys games vs the Cardinals. After avoiding the last tackler before he could score the Cowboys first TD of the game he seemed to get his foot caught in the turf that totally threw him off balance as well as fumbling the ball. It appears that awkward step also did damage to Dunbar in the form of a sprained foot. The Cowboys are expecting Dunbar to miss 3-4 weeks. DeMarco Murray missed 6 weeks with a sprained foot last season. Dunbar looked to be that change of pace back and third down back and he will be missed. Fortunately it's only a few weeks.

 

The Cowboys got some good news this morning. The guard poor Cowboys got some relief with the return of Kevin Kowalski and Ray Dominguez' to practice. Another thing that has been a nice revelation for Dallas as their guards are falling left and right with injuries is the play of David Arkin. Arkin was drafted in 2011 and he has needed to put on weight, get stronger and use better technique. This year it seems Arkin is putting the past 2 seasons work to finally start becoming the player the Cowboys hoped he'd be when they drafted him. The Cowboys now have a quality backup who can handle both left and right guard positions. Ronald Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau are better than Arkin but he has upped his game to the point he can be a reliable backup.

 

On defense the Cowboys got some bad news over the weekend. LB Alex Albright has been missing practice and games for the last three weeks as he nursed a back injury suffered at the beginning of training camp. Now, Albright will miss the entire 2013 season due to a herniated disc in his back. This was a big blow because Albright was expected to challenge Justin Durant for the outside linebacker spot opposite Bruce Carter. To make matters worse the guy who has stepped up and played great in training camp is Ernie Sims and he's been out for a week or so with an injury of his own. Sims is expected back soon which is fine considering it's giving young guys more reps which DeVonte Holloman has been taking full advantage of.

 

Four players former scout and current DC.com staff writer Bryan Broaddus singled out for their good play in the Arizona game. Broaddus liked the play of G David Arkin, LB Devonte Holloman, RB Lance Dunbar and QB Alex Tanney.

[Guest eagle eye]

Late this afternoon Dallas waived LB Alex Albright who, as I posted earlier, will be lost for the season due back surgery. The Cowboys also waived DL Alex Chappelear and Toby Jackson. Both were signed during camp to fill in for injuries along the D-line but they likely wouldn't have made the first cut coming up soon.

Albright is a very versatile LB who played well enough in 2012 to be expected to vie for a starting LB spot with free agent signee Justin Durant. If Albright clears waivers Dallas can retain his rights by putting him on injured reserve. That would be a good thing for both the Cowboys and Albright.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Cowboys have LB Sean Lee wrapped up for the next six years. It cost them $51mm to do it but the anxiety over his contract is over. This year is the final year of the rookie contract Lee signed with he was drafted in 2010. The deal is actually worth $41mm which could escalate to the $51mm if playing incentives are met. At the press conference after he signed the deal Lee said the contract is fair and the extra $10mm in incentives are fair because he understands that he has missed a lot of playing time due to injury. It's was a no-brainer to think Lee have a deal in place considering the positive impact he has on the team on and off the field. NFL.com's Elliot Harrison has Lee projected to be a Pro Bowl player in 2013. It's goes without saying that Cowboys fans hope Lee is a Pro Bowler for the next six years.

 

CB JJ Wilcox came back to practice on Wednesday after missing the past week due to the illness and subsequent death of his mother. Wilcox told DC.com that he's relieved to be back to work after such a traumatic week. He said it was good to get back to work despite the fact that it was really hard to leave his father and younger sister behind. He said he was aware that he needed to get back to work, it is his professional obligation to the Cowboys and he needs to earn a living to take care of his father and sister. Jason Garrett said he had a good practice but he understood it would be difficult to maintain focus all things considered. The days ahead will get easier but you never really get over the loss of a loved one.

 

Dallas will play the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night at 7:00 PM at AT&T Stadium. It will be the first home game for Dallas this preseason. The starters are expected to play at least a half getting their longest playing time of the preseason in this game. Mo Claiborne and Lance Dunbar are the most notable scratches to the Cowboys lineup but maybe the most missed will be guards Ronald Leary and Nate Livings. The offensive line was a major weakness for Dallas in 2012 and it looked to be better with the addition of 1st round draft pick Travis Frederick in April but nagging injuries have hampered the Cowboys O-line continuity. This is one area, while the 1's are in the game I will be paying close attention to Saturday night.

[Guest eagle eye]

Here's a link to this week's DC.com's Watch List article by the web site's staff writers.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Staff-Watch-List-Writers-Pick-Players-To-Watch-Saturday-/9004a015-4083-4355-81c2-12412fb8b8c3

 

As usual I'm throwing my two cents in here and first off I'm not watching any one player on offense I'm looking for mistake free football and one or two scores from the first teamers. This whole preseason has only seen the 1's on the offensive side of the ball play only a handful of plays. DeMarco Murray has only 7 carries this whole preseason. What we've seen so far is that the offense is capable of doing good things but between turnovers and penalties Dallas' starting offense has only one measly field goal. It would be encouraging to see a score or two.

On defense I'll be looking at the safety play. I want to see dynamics between Barry Church and Will Allen. Allen missed a lot of PT in last week's game after getting kicked in the ribs and Barry Church is still looking for the confidence he had last year before a torn Achilles sidelined him for the year in game 3. I really think he is feeling his way along learning to trust his leg. He hasn't been the same standout player that earned the starting nod last year. He's overrun some plays as pointed out by DC.com's Rowan Kavner and you just have to wonder if he's still worrying about that Achilles. It's been just under a year since the injury so his comeback is quite remarkable when you realize it used to take a full year to recover from an Achilles tear and another year to get back to where you were prior to the injury. Orange native and Dallas Cowboys CB Kevin Smith tore his Achilles and he came back and had a good career but most would agree he was never the same player he was before the injury. Let's hope that modern medicine is able to restore Church to that player we were so excited about this time last year.

[Guest eagle eye]

The Cowboys won their home opener at newly named AT&T Stadium on Saturday night over the Cincinnati Bengals and there was plenty to be encouraged about.

 

1) The starting defense has not allowed a TD in any of their first 4 preseason games. Not one. It looked like the Bengals were about to break through in the first quarter but S Barry Church forced a fumble near the goal line when he stripped the ball away from a Cincinnati receiver and Dallas recovered the ball to take away the Bengals only real threat to score a touchdown against the 1st teamers. Another thing of note, teams just do not run against the first team D. Cincinnati came in after their first 2 games leading the NFL in rushing with over 400 yards. Dallas' D held the Bengals to 45 yards rushing in the first half and 101 yards total while the 1's were on the field.

 

2) The Special Teams unit needs to get better. Punter Chris Jones had to rekick a punt in the first half after he hit the score board on his first attempt. The rekick was a bad thing because punt returner Ben Tate returned the second kick for a 75 yard TD. The coverage unit almost blew the Cowboys 24-18 lead in final minute or two of the game by allowing a 53 yard return that was almost broken for a score. Dan Bailey lined up for a 50 yard field goal attempt and he shanked it badly to the left for a dismal try for points.

 

3) Dez Bryant is going to be a beast again this year. He has taken right up where he left off at the end of 2012 and he has just dominated in the preseason not only against teammates in practice but against some the best corners in the NFL in the 4 games Dallas has played. It's looking quite like Dez will be a top 5 WR in all of the NFL in 2013.

 

4) Miles Austin is healthy and looking great. After Dez dominated on one drive which included a TD reception Miles came back the next series and he dominated his series. He caught 4 passes on the drive including his TD pass at the back of the end zone. All of his receptions came on third down.

 

5) The O-line sported a new look on the right side. Normally, Doug Free lines up at right tackle but Saturday he was playing right guard and Jeremy Parnell played right tackle. Free continued his good play during the preseason and QB Tony Romo remarked that his job at guard was even more remarkable because he had only played the position in practice for one week. Parnell was obviously rusty. He had several breakdowns while the first team offense was on the field but toward the end of the first quarter he seemed to find himself a little bit. This lineup is only a contingency because of injuries but now Dallas has tape of Free and Parnell working together which is a good thing.

 

6) The biggest story of the night was the benching of DeMarco Murray in the first quarter after only 5 carries. The fifth carry was his downfall. Murray was fighting for some extra yardage when he fumbled the ball. He was able to recover his own fumble but Jason Garrett wanted to send a message to Murray and the team about taking care of the ball. As much as the defense has stressed forcing turnovers Garrett wanted to make a point about how important it is to hold on to the ball. Murray sat out the rest of the first half watching Phillip Tanner carry the rock and doing a respectable job of it with no turnovers. Murray came back to start the second half with the first team O-line and back up QB and receivers and he played mistake free ball and played with that proverbial chip on his shoulder. He rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries and he caught two passes for 14 yards and a score. The TD pass was a thing of beauty as he evaded at least 3 tacklers and forced his way into the end zone on one of the best seven yard receptions you will ever see. Jason Garrett praised Murray for the way he responded to the benching. He didn't mope or pout he went out and played good football. It's nice to see Jason Garrett will do what needs to be done to hold even the best players accountable. For this Garrett deserves a lot of credit. Now, it remains to be seen if he will do it in a regular season game but for now you have to admit it was a very Jimmy Johnson type of move.

[Guest eagle eye]

In the grand scheme of things this Thursday's game with the Texans is meaningless. It won't even be a representative game for state bragging rights. Neither team will be playing their starters and so the game comes down to whose scrubs are better on that night. That said, as a longer time Cowboys fan that I've been a Texans fan I hope Dallas wins. Honestly though, I think Houston is deeper depth-wise and I think the Texans will come out on top.

 

Dallas got down to 75 player limit late yesterday afternoon and the most notable of the cuts or roster moves was QB Nick Stevens who was in the thick of the QB hunt two weeks ago didn't see the field in last Saturday's game. The other move was a little unexpected. DL Jay Ratliff, the former pro bowl D-lineman who missed most of 2012 and has missed a good bit of OTA's and all of training camp, was put on the PUP/Injured Reserve list. This means that Ratliff will miss the first six games of the season. This is a big blow to the D-line that was counting on Ratliff to anchor the middle for the Cowboys as they moved to the Monte Kiffin-led conversion to the 4-3 Tampa 2 defense. A defense that was considered a great fit for Ratliff. This perpetual injury situation with Ratliff had come to a head and Dallas was forced to put him on PUP in spite of the fact they were counting on him being ready to go on opening night vs the Giants.

 

The next bunch of cuts comes Saturday when all NFL teams must get down to their final 53 man rosters. You can imagine seeing what happened to Ratliff a guy like 2nd year player Matt Johnson might really be HOPING he gets put on injured reserve instead of being cut outright. Tough choices and the order of the week and Thursday's games are the last chance for a lot of guys.

[Guest eagle eye]

Well, it happened just like I thought. The Houston backups were better than the Dallas backups and it was reflected on the scoreboard. The 24-6 loss was meaningless unless you're a Houston fan and/or a Cowboys hater but it proved a point about the depth of the Cowboys. It's better than it has been but it has a ways to go to be as good as the top teams like the Texans.

 

It's hard to say if Dallas should keep a 3rd QB on the roster because Alex Tanney was pretty ineffective last night in his 3-1/2 quarter final audition. I'll give Tanney credit though, he can sure take a beating. Dallas O-line depth, or lack thereof, was on full display last night as Houston continued pound Tanney on almost every play and the line couldn't do anything to slow down the onslaught. Houston rushed 5 or 6 guys on every play or it seemed like it. Dallas was able to run the ball somewhat effectively but it didn't matter because when Dallas needed to make a yard or two they couldn't do it. Jason Garrett still has some work to do to build up the offensive and defensive line depth. That's across the board not just the backups. Dallas is getting there and it might take another year of two to accomplish it.

 

What I didn't see was anyone who played so well that you thought, that guy needs to be on the final 53. That's a little disheartening. Hopefully, none of the starters get hurt this year. At least nobody got hurt last night so Dallas and Houston will get their rosters down to the 53 man limit on Saturday and then the countdown to Week 1 begins and the games start to count. Summer is over and the fall has commenced. It was actually a very nice evening last night. The breeze out of the south was cool and with the official beginning of college football taking place yesterday we can see summer begin to fade in the rear view mirror. It's still hot but don't you feel that fall has kind of arrived? Yeah, me too!

[Guest eagle eye]

Here's Friday's article from DC.com's senior writer Mickey Spagnola. He gives us a perspective of where we were to end last season to where we are now as we count down the next 8 days to opening night vs the NY Giants. It's amazing to me to look back and realize how hurt these Cowboys were and they actually had a chance to go to the playoffs. Truthfully, Dallas wouldn't have done much in the playoffs due to the injuries including the broken rib Romo suffered in that Washington game to end the season but it's a wonder they did what they did as short handed as they were. Maybe Jason Garrett is a much better coach that he's given credit for. Nice article by Spagnola, check it out.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-MickeySpagnola/Spagnola-This-Is-Not-The-Same-Ol-Story-For-The-Cowboys/716aec08-79af-438d-b098-15ea901cf97e

[Guest eagle eye]

The Cowboys fans who pitched a fit over the cut of backup QB Alex Tanney can turn the boiler down. Dallas signed Tanney to their practice squad along with a draft pick they don't want to give up on in Danny Coale. Here's a rundown of the guys signed to the Dallas PS today.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Tanney-Coale-Among-Cowboys-Heading-To-Practice-Squad/776635e8-5c54-4fca-9d8d-4423cf94f304

 

Here's a look from a scout's point of view as Bryan Broaddus details a couple of moves Dallas made today that added a couple of linebackers to the roster. The Cowboys were short handed a the position and this should help Dallas add needed depth to the LB spot as well as improve the Cowboys special teams units that struggled during the preseason.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Subject-Scouts-Eye-Edgar-Jones-and-Kyle-Bosworth/95de0d77-8107-4f96-98d3-4fe0a11fd11d

[Guest eagle eye]

You know, there does seem to be a plan for this team going forward. It may be under the guise of making the 2013 team better but just look what has taken place in the last three days. First, the Cowboys put G Nate Livings on injured reserve which mean he lost for year as he recovers from knee surgery that he had early in August.

 

Then, they made a trade for KC LB Edgar Jones who will add veteran depth to the linebacking corp and help improve the team's special teams unit. The Cowboys got Jones and a 7th round draft pick in 2014 and they only had to give up next year's sixth round pick.

 

Next, Dallas trades DT Sean Lissimore to the Chargers for a 7th round draft pick in 2014. Lissimore was pretty good in the 3-4 defense but he was having issues with the 4-3, he just wasn't getting it down like he needed to so Dallas got value for him.

 

The Cowboys claimed former NY Giants LB Kyle Bosworth off waivers to fill the open spot left by Lissimore's departure. Bosworth (former No 1 pick Brian Bosworth is Kyle's uncle) is a veteran player who actually spent the last two seasons in Jacksonville but was in the last cuts made by the Giants. Bosworth is young and he will help the Cowboys special teams which has been his main contribution to the Jags.

 

Now, the Cowboys fourth TE on the roster, Dante Rosario, has been traded to the Chicago Bears for a seventh round 2014 draft pick. It was a little surprising that Dallas kept 5 tight ends on the final roster. They had Jason Witten, James Hanna, Gavin Escobar, Rosario and 1st year player Andre Smith. Smith turned heads during training camp enough to make Rosario expendable but Dallas' plan was to try to shop Rosario and try to get some value which they have done.

 

So, if you're keeping score. Dallas has acquired 3 seventh round picks for basically nothing except a sixth round pick. They had removed a player who wasn't fitting into the new 4-3 defense Dallas has moved to this year and they have added two linebackers to bolster a position Dallas was thin at and gotten two core players for special teams. To sum up, they increased the number of draft picks for next year, the have purged themselves of dead weight and improved the team with additions to the roster. Don't tell me Jason Garrett isn't having an influence on this team in more ways than the locker room.

 

One last thing that is good news for the Cowboys. As Dallas begins serious prep for their season opener next Sunday night vs the NY Giants Ronald Leary, the man Dallas is hoping will step in a become their permanent left guard, returned to practice after missing the last few weeks due to a minor knee surgery early in training camp. He may not be ready for this Sunday but it's great to see Dallas getting healthier for a change.

 

[Guest eagle eye]

The Cowboys have acquired a new DE to plug into their lineup. The team traded an undisclosed draft pick to Indianapolis for undrafted free agent Caesar Rayford. Rayford led all of the NFL with 5 sacks in the preseason. Rayford is tall (6'7") but he's a little undersized for DE at 267 lbs. However, he's considered rangy, whatever that means, and he does have long arms which is a good thing. He also seems to have a knack for blocking kicks so special teams just got better too. To me, the most glaring need the Cowboys have is at DT. With the Jay Ratliff situation hanging over their heads Dallas has failed to make a move in that direction since Saturday's final cuts were made. The Giants cut a DT, their 2nd round pick in 2011 Marvin Austin in what was reported a numbers glut rather than poor play. I was hoping Dallas would take a look and maybe they did but so far nothing has come of it. Here's an article from DC.com giving more details of Caesar Rayford's career.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Cowboys-Acquire-DE-Rayford-From-Colts-For-Late-Round-Pick/5f25801a-a27e-4303-b561-ac7c4c7a73c8

 

Here's another post from Bryan Broaddus on DC.com giving us his "scout's eye" of Caesar Rayford.

 

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scout%E2%80%99s-Eye-Quick-Look-At-Newly-Acquired-DE-Rayford/2182a757-d08c-4171-9d88-19f51b6cfff2

 

 

Dallas signed 14 year veteran guard Brian Waters on Tuesday night. Waters, who spent most of his career in Kansas City likely won't play Sunday night vs the Giants but isn't completely ruled out. Waters should have fresh legs as he hasn't played in an NFL game since 2011 and he's used to quick turnarounds. Right now the starting lineup will include guards Ronald Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau which allows Dallas to keep Doug Free at right tackle. To make room for Waters Dallas placed S Eric Frampton on the injured/waived list as he has been nursing a calf injury and wasn't expected to play Sunday anyway. Water is expected to practice today as he begins his one year deal worth $1.5 mm that could escalate to $3 mm with incentives.

 

RB Lance Dunbar came out of the walking boot he's been in since injuring his foot vs the Bengals. He was moving around much better but it is not clear as yet if he will be available Sunday night. Dunbar was having a really nice preseason before he got hurt so it will be nice to get him back. He is listed as the No 2 on the depth chart but he's likely going to get most of his snaps on third down with Phillip Tanner and Joseph Randall coming in to relieve DeMarco Murray.