Another Meltdown, Surprised?
The Cowboys struggles continue, and one staple of this struggling play is that of QB Vinny Testaverde. In the last (2) Games Vinny has thrown 6 INTS! His throws have been inconsistent, and thrown without any whip on them. I watched in agony as he threw more INTS in a game we desperately needed to win.
Fans alike have hoped that Vinny would lead the team on offense, but this simply has not manifested through the 1st half of the season. Now comes the decision that Parcells will need to make very-very soon....Is it time to work in Henson? With another convincing loss, the Cowboys drop to (3-5) on the year. With (3) games in the next 11 days, this team will face a huge challenge. If the Cowboys can sweep those game, we're sill in the hunt, if we lose all three, its over - you can turn out the lights. What's the outlook? Looking at how we have performed at home and on the road, the latter seems more realistic, unfortunately. Can we beat the Eagles, Ravens and Bears in that 11 day stretch?
Die Hards will no doubtally conitinue to support our Cowboys, we still bleed blue, but right now fans everywhere are crying blue...
Your trusted source for Dallas Cowboys news, breaking updates, and expert analysis. Since 2003, we bring you year-round Cowboys editorials, game reviews, and draft coverage.
11/07/2004
10/17/2004
Can't Win at Home? Now what?
Yet another very disappointing lose at HOME, two straight home loses. What is going on you say? Well, were could you begin? Is it the defense, the offense, special teams, coaches? I think so, this is a complete breakdown. The Cowboys cannot get on track, and the scary thing is that we cannot win at home! This begs the question, if we can't win at home, how can we win in hostile away games?
We play the Packers next, and guess what its not looking so good. Its not one person, its not "someone has to step up" ITS the WHOLE team has to step it up and they better pick it up right now.
Sure the season is early, but how many loses can we take before players moral heads south and the 5-11 mindset rears its ugly head.
Buckle your seatbelt this could be a bumpy ride. God I hope not, but we have not done much to suggest otherwise.
Yet another very disappointing lose at HOME, two straight home loses. What is going on you say? Well, were could you begin? Is it the defense, the offense, special teams, coaches? I think so, this is a complete breakdown. The Cowboys cannot get on track, and the scary thing is that we cannot win at home! This begs the question, if we can't win at home, how can we win in hostile away games?
We play the Packers next, and guess what its not looking so good. Its not one person, its not "someone has to step up" ITS the WHOLE team has to step it up and they better pick it up right now.
Sure the season is early, but how many loses can we take before players moral heads south and the 5-11 mindset rears its ugly head.
Buckle your seatbelt this could be a bumpy ride. God I hope not, but we have not done much to suggest otherwise.
9/13/2004
Cowboys Lose to Vikings Again...
The Vikings have had the Cowboys number over the last couple of years. Moss is virtually unstoppable. He did not get many yards but the TDs are the ones that count and Moss made TD catches that hurt us. More offensive penalties killed several key drives. We lost 35-17, it could have been closer, but the Vikings were just the better team on Sunday.
Postives:
ReShard Lee is a playmaker type running back - he looked great.
Antonio Bryant made several catches in traffic and looked pretty good
Negatives:
Tony Dixon cannot tackle
Hunter continues to struggle
Overall defense looked horrible
No pass rush from the front four
Secondary coverage was suspect - blown coverages
Offensive line penalties
Muffed field goal
We can keep going....
Next:
Cleveland @ Dallas
3:15 CST
The Vikings have had the Cowboys number over the last couple of years. Moss is virtually unstoppable. He did not get many yards but the TDs are the ones that count and Moss made TD catches that hurt us. More offensive penalties killed several key drives. We lost 35-17, it could have been closer, but the Vikings were just the better team on Sunday.
Postives:
ReShard Lee is a playmaker type running back - he looked great.
Antonio Bryant made several catches in traffic and looked pretty good
Negatives:
Tony Dixon cannot tackle
Hunter continues to struggle
Overall defense looked horrible
No pass rush from the front four
Secondary coverage was suspect - blown coverages
Offensive line penalties
Muffed field goal
We can keep going....
Next:
Cleveland @ Dallas
3:15 CST
9/10/2004
Cowboys @ Vikings Prediction
The Vikings have dominated the Cowboys in recent years, but that was before the Bill Parcells came aboard. The big talk has been centered around the Vikings Moss...can we stop him, how do we stop him, can we win at Minnesota? Many questions, with many possibilities.
The media has overshadowed our potential to light it up on offense as well. With an accurate QB in Vinny and a pretty good core of receivers we could very well go toe-to-toe against the Vikes offensively. Remember at the beginning of the year, the Cowboys were actually ranked #1 in total offense for the first couple of weeks - not the Rams, not the Vikes, it was the Cowboys. All of this without Vinny, George, or Keyshawn.
The Vikings defense is mediocre and is very capable of giving up a lot of points.
I predict that we will see a pretty good showing by our offense. The Vikings cannot shutdown our various array of weapons. Can they cover Glenn, and can they stop Keyshawn, what about AB? Can they stop Witten from making key 3rd down conversions? How about slowing down our DEEP backfield. You think the Vikings have a deep RB core, maybe, but I like our depth better.
We'll shove Richie Anderson down their throat, along with George, we'll use Julius to make people miss, and Lee will hit the line and leave their D looking back at a dust cloud - that's how good our depth is at RB. Ball control and time control is Parcells type football, and we definitely have the personnel to run on them all day long.
Don't count our receivers out either, we are capable of making plays through the air with playmakers like Keyshawn and Jason Witten with the clutch city catches.
On defense, we will retain the #1 Defense in the league again this year. Expect to see a lot of different looks from our defense. stunts, blitzes, zone blitzes, safety blitz, nickel and dime packages, we'll see a 3-4 set to throw them off, we could see Bradie James and Kalen Thornton making plays in a 3-4 lineup. Trust me, the Vikings will have their hands full on the line of scrimmage with Glover, Ellis, Wiley and Eaton. You want speed and muscle on defense, well, we have it.
Moss will make some catches, but its going to take more than Moss to beat us this time around. We are a team to be reckoned with.
Cowboys 27 Vikings 24
Football is here!!!
The Vikings have dominated the Cowboys in recent years, but that was before the Bill Parcells came aboard. The big talk has been centered around the Vikings Moss...can we stop him, how do we stop him, can we win at Minnesota? Many questions, with many possibilities.
The media has overshadowed our potential to light it up on offense as well. With an accurate QB in Vinny and a pretty good core of receivers we could very well go toe-to-toe against the Vikes offensively. Remember at the beginning of the year, the Cowboys were actually ranked #1 in total offense for the first couple of weeks - not the Rams, not the Vikes, it was the Cowboys. All of this without Vinny, George, or Keyshawn.
The Vikings defense is mediocre and is very capable of giving up a lot of points.
I predict that we will see a pretty good showing by our offense. The Vikings cannot shutdown our various array of weapons. Can they cover Glenn, and can they stop Keyshawn, what about AB? Can they stop Witten from making key 3rd down conversions? How about slowing down our DEEP backfield. You think the Vikings have a deep RB core, maybe, but I like our depth better.
We'll shove Richie Anderson down their throat, along with George, we'll use Julius to make people miss, and Lee will hit the line and leave their D looking back at a dust cloud - that's how good our depth is at RB. Ball control and time control is Parcells type football, and we definitely have the personnel to run on them all day long.
Don't count our receivers out either, we are capable of making plays through the air with playmakers like Keyshawn and Jason Witten with the clutch city catches.
On defense, we will retain the #1 Defense in the league again this year. Expect to see a lot of different looks from our defense. stunts, blitzes, zone blitzes, safety blitz, nickel and dime packages, we'll see a 3-4 set to throw them off, we could see Bradie James and Kalen Thornton making plays in a 3-4 lineup. Trust me, the Vikings will have their hands full on the line of scrimmage with Glover, Ellis, Wiley and Eaton. You want speed and muscle on defense, well, we have it.
Moss will make some catches, but its going to take more than Moss to beat us this time around. We are a team to be reckoned with.
Cowboys 27 Vikings 24
Football is here!!!
9/01/2004
Hunting For A Cornerback!
When there's a weakness in our starting lineup it sticks out like a sore thumb. For example, last year it was Quarterback and Running Back. It would appear that those to holes have been filled with some real talent, only time will tell. Defensive End was addressed as well when the Cowboys signed Marcellus Wiley. Cornerback and Defensive Tackle are two other spots that needed help. We've added some depth at DT with the emergence of Leo Carson and the addition of Chad Eaton.
Only thing left on defense is the RCB spot. Pete Hunter is the favorite to win out the spot, but his play in the preseason has been very suspect and of concern. The other two players have less experience than Hunter ; like, Powell and Thornton. Powell has been severely burnt more than once, and Thornton has not played as much.
The concerns are mounting, Parcells has stated, "someone has to step up" Parcells has even commented that if needed he could "pinch" someone and get a guy. Who? I'm not sure, could be Ty Law, McKenzie or someone else.
One thing is for sure, we're still in the hunt for decent CB, if anything Hunter and Co. will be the stop gappers for this year and you can bet that we'll be in great position for next years draft. There will be a couple of pretty good CBs coming out next year. Eventually someone will step up or someone will showup via the draft.
When there's a weakness in our starting lineup it sticks out like a sore thumb. For example, last year it was Quarterback and Running Back. It would appear that those to holes have been filled with some real talent, only time will tell. Defensive End was addressed as well when the Cowboys signed Marcellus Wiley. Cornerback and Defensive Tackle are two other spots that needed help. We've added some depth at DT with the emergence of Leo Carson and the addition of Chad Eaton.
Only thing left on defense is the RCB spot. Pete Hunter is the favorite to win out the spot, but his play in the preseason has been very suspect and of concern. The other two players have less experience than Hunter ; like, Powell and Thornton. Powell has been severely burnt more than once, and Thornton has not played as much.
The concerns are mounting, Parcells has stated, "someone has to step up" Parcells has even commented that if needed he could "pinch" someone and get a guy. Who? I'm not sure, could be Ty Law, McKenzie or someone else.
One thing is for sure, we're still in the hunt for decent CB, if anything Hunter and Co. will be the stop gappers for this year and you can bet that we'll be in great position for next years draft. There will be a couple of pretty good CBs coming out next year. Eventually someone will step up or someone will showup via the draft.
8/21/2004
From Conditioning to Clinching
The media has pegged the Eagles to win out in the NFC East...again, and that is not a far fetched prediction, will it happen? That's another question. The East could be one of the most competitive divisions in the league and the East promises to be an all out rumble this year and players better be well coached and conditioned if they want to make that run to the playoffs.
What's it going to take to clinch the NFC East this year? Without a doubt the Eagles have dominated the East for several years, but the Cowboys are gaining ground and will be right on their tails if not better in 2004, not to mention, its only a matter of time before Gibbs whips the Skins back into shape. The Eagles know this, and are running out of time - the window is closing on them. So, what do the Eagles do this offseason? They sign Terrell Owens and injury prone DE Jevon Kearse. Signing these two marquee names does not guarantee anything, lets not forget that the Eagles lost some core leaders like CBs Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, RB Duce Staley also jumped ship.
One key to victory this year will be conditioning, and the Cowboys have one of the best, if not THE best conditioning coach in Joe Jurasek. Under Jurasek the Cowboys have had less injuries than the rest of the East. With a better head coach and retooling of the starting lineups the Cowboys will rely on Jurasek's conditioning program to enable our guys to outlast the rest of the division.
Its early in the preseason, and teams like the Redskins and Eagles have already incurred major injuries to key players that will have them out for the year.
In Washington, they lost OT Jansen to a season ending injury, this will only hurt the Skins already weak offensive line, do not expect newly acquired RB Clinton Portis to have the same level of success in Washington as he did in Denver. Talent at RB does make a difference and there's no doubt that Portis will be dangerous, but he will only be as good as his line is this year.
The Eagles have already lost key players like ND Kalu, Grasmanis, Buckhalter, Ike Reese, and Trotter to name a few.
The Cowboys have a lot of positives that could help them make a serious run at clinching the East and another trip into the playoffs, the key could come down to conditioning.
The media has pegged the Eagles to win out in the NFC East...again, and that is not a far fetched prediction, will it happen? That's another question. The East could be one of the most competitive divisions in the league and the East promises to be an all out rumble this year and players better be well coached and conditioned if they want to make that run to the playoffs.
What's it going to take to clinch the NFC East this year? Without a doubt the Eagles have dominated the East for several years, but the Cowboys are gaining ground and will be right on their tails if not better in 2004, not to mention, its only a matter of time before Gibbs whips the Skins back into shape. The Eagles know this, and are running out of time - the window is closing on them. So, what do the Eagles do this offseason? They sign Terrell Owens and injury prone DE Jevon Kearse. Signing these two marquee names does not guarantee anything, lets not forget that the Eagles lost some core leaders like CBs Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor, RB Duce Staley also jumped ship.
One key to victory this year will be conditioning, and the Cowboys have one of the best, if not THE best conditioning coach in Joe Jurasek. Under Jurasek the Cowboys have had less injuries than the rest of the East. With a better head coach and retooling of the starting lineups the Cowboys will rely on Jurasek's conditioning program to enable our guys to outlast the rest of the division.
Its early in the preseason, and teams like the Redskins and Eagles have already incurred major injuries to key players that will have them out for the year.
In Washington, they lost OT Jansen to a season ending injury, this will only hurt the Skins already weak offensive line, do not expect newly acquired RB Clinton Portis to have the same level of success in Washington as he did in Denver. Talent at RB does make a difference and there's no doubt that Portis will be dangerous, but he will only be as good as his line is this year.
The Eagles have already lost key players like ND Kalu, Grasmanis, Buckhalter, Ike Reese, and Trotter to name a few.
The Cowboys have a lot of positives that could help them make a serious run at clinching the East and another trip into the playoffs, the key could come down to conditioning.
8/15/2004
Cowboys/Texans Postgame Views
Well, I was way off on my prediction, lol. I know it was a preseason game, but the Cowboys stunk it up bigtime. I saw the game, and the whole time I was hoping to catch a camera shot of Parcells, I'm sure he was fuming and angered by the poor-poor performance. Redzone penalties, holding, offsides, dropped balls, overthrows, and INTS stopped the Cowboys from doing anything postive as a unit.
Now, what do we know from last nights game?
Let's look at the good and bad news here:
1) Pete Hunter did not do good at all - the Texans threw at him all day, the spot opposite Newman is still open.
2) Eddie George looked slow
3) Dixon played sufficiently
4) ReShard Lee WILL make this team, he ran very well, good speed and fluid, hit the line like a bullet.
5) Henson looks very good, quick release, high velocity and moved the offense pretty accurate except for the endzone INT
6) Julius Jones is the real deal, forget about George taking the bulk of the carries, Julius runs like a veteran Cowboy of yesteryear. Bounce outs, quick cuts and jukes all made pretty good chunks of yards.
7) Patrick Crayton looks good and I expect him to make the team, Zuriel will be out.
8) The Oline held up most of the game, very good protection for our QBs, sure there was some pressure, but much improved from last year. For the rookies - Peterman played well but did get beat a few times and pushed around, he held his own and will improve. Jacob Rogers is a huge OT, and he did a good job last night. The battle for RT will come down to the end as Tucker played pretty good as well.
9)Plays of the game was a semi-deep pass from Henson to Randal Williams and a sideline pass from Henson to Crayton.
10) I liked the play of backups Bradie James and rookie Ryan Fowler, they played well - both were all over the field making tackles.
I have to give the Texans sooome credit though, they played very well, and their two first rounder rookies Dunta Robinson and Jason Babin made some plays - they are going to be immediate impact players for that team.
I'm Parcells and Co. will be chewing some ass this week. We need more work.
Well, I was way off on my prediction, lol. I know it was a preseason game, but the Cowboys stunk it up bigtime. I saw the game, and the whole time I was hoping to catch a camera shot of Parcells, I'm sure he was fuming and angered by the poor-poor performance. Redzone penalties, holding, offsides, dropped balls, overthrows, and INTS stopped the Cowboys from doing anything postive as a unit.
Now, what do we know from last nights game?
Let's look at the good and bad news here:
1) Pete Hunter did not do good at all - the Texans threw at him all day, the spot opposite Newman is still open.
2) Eddie George looked slow
3) Dixon played sufficiently
4) ReShard Lee WILL make this team, he ran very well, good speed and fluid, hit the line like a bullet.
5) Henson looks very good, quick release, high velocity and moved the offense pretty accurate except for the endzone INT
6) Julius Jones is the real deal, forget about George taking the bulk of the carries, Julius runs like a veteran Cowboy of yesteryear. Bounce outs, quick cuts and jukes all made pretty good chunks of yards.
7) Patrick Crayton looks good and I expect him to make the team, Zuriel will be out.
8) The Oline held up most of the game, very good protection for our QBs, sure there was some pressure, but much improved from last year. For the rookies - Peterman played well but did get beat a few times and pushed around, he held his own and will improve. Jacob Rogers is a huge OT, and he did a good job last night. The battle for RT will come down to the end as Tucker played pretty good as well.
9)Plays of the game was a semi-deep pass from Henson to Randal Williams and a sideline pass from Henson to Crayton.
10) I liked the play of backups Bradie James and rookie Ryan Fowler, they played well - both were all over the field making tackles.
I have to give the Texans sooome credit though, they played very well, and their two first rounder rookies Dunta Robinson and Jason Babin made some plays - they are going to be immediate impact players for that team.
I'm Parcells and Co. will be chewing some ass this week. We need more work.
8/14/2004
Parcells Making His Team
The Cowboys kick off the preseason today at Houston, and man has this team been overhauled or upgraded in comparisons to this time last year. Parcells is clearly making HIS team his way. We started out slow in free agency, but historically Parcells has done the same with his previous teams, so we can expect the same thing for 2005 and beyond.
Moreover, Parcells has removed "weaklinks" from this team since his arrival. Notable starters that have been cut from last years team are RB Troy Hambrick and QB Quincy Carter, both were given the opportunity to shine, but both ended up being failing and ultimately shown the door. What we didn't know is that QC had a substance abuse issue, so all the planning and manuvering by the Cowboys this offseason were planned from the get-go. As soon as we lost our Wild Card game to the Panthers, we knew there was going to be change. Deep in your heart you know QC was not going to get it done - sure he seemed like a nice guy, but that will not get it done in the NFL. So, who could we get to replace QC? The Cowboys scout team knew the good QBs from this years class would be long gone by our #22 pick and this was true - some fan favorites Philip Rivers, and Ben Rothlisberger were long gone. Knowing that these guys would probably be gone, the Cowboys made a move before the draft and traded for former blue chipper QB Drew Henson whom the Texans drafted in hopes that he would return to football. The wheels were in motion, so Parcells knew he would need a viable mentor and someone who can add depth at QB. Vinny Testaverde's name was being rumored from the end of the regular season, so as soon as he was released from the Jets, he was in Dallas. This would be the final piece in getting rid of Quincy Carter a second round bust....
Now looking ahead, we know Vinny will start this year, BUT will our Oline hold up for the classic drop back quarterback, if not Vinny (40) could take some hits and could very well get injured. An injury to Vinny would most likely throw Henson into the Lions den sooner that expected. Whether its the 2004 or 2005 season, Henson is the heir apparent to Aikman, and he better be ready.
Early reports have Henson doing very well in camp, showing laser sharp accuracy, high velocity, and NFL arm. The plan from the get go was to get these two guys aboard and phase out QC - another relic from a dismal offensive era.
The new era is here, and Parcells continues to mold his team.
The Cowboys kick off the preseason today at Houston, and man has this team been overhauled or upgraded in comparisons to this time last year. Parcells is clearly making HIS team his way. We started out slow in free agency, but historically Parcells has done the same with his previous teams, so we can expect the same thing for 2005 and beyond.
Moreover, Parcells has removed "weaklinks" from this team since his arrival. Notable starters that have been cut from last years team are RB Troy Hambrick and QB Quincy Carter, both were given the opportunity to shine, but both ended up being failing and ultimately shown the door. What we didn't know is that QC had a substance abuse issue, so all the planning and manuvering by the Cowboys this offseason were planned from the get-go. As soon as we lost our Wild Card game to the Panthers, we knew there was going to be change. Deep in your heart you know QC was not going to get it done - sure he seemed like a nice guy, but that will not get it done in the NFL. So, who could we get to replace QC? The Cowboys scout team knew the good QBs from this years class would be long gone by our #22 pick and this was true - some fan favorites Philip Rivers, and Ben Rothlisberger were long gone. Knowing that these guys would probably be gone, the Cowboys made a move before the draft and traded for former blue chipper QB Drew Henson whom the Texans drafted in hopes that he would return to football. The wheels were in motion, so Parcells knew he would need a viable mentor and someone who can add depth at QB. Vinny Testaverde's name was being rumored from the end of the regular season, so as soon as he was released from the Jets, he was in Dallas. This would be the final piece in getting rid of Quincy Carter a second round bust....
Now looking ahead, we know Vinny will start this year, BUT will our Oline hold up for the classic drop back quarterback, if not Vinny (40) could take some hits and could very well get injured. An injury to Vinny would most likely throw Henson into the Lions den sooner that expected. Whether its the 2004 or 2005 season, Henson is the heir apparent to Aikman, and he better be ready.
Early reports have Henson doing very well in camp, showing laser sharp accuracy, high velocity, and NFL arm. The plan from the get go was to get these two guys aboard and phase out QC - another relic from a dismal offensive era.
The new era is here, and Parcells continues to mold his team.
8/01/2004
Training Camp is Here!
Well Cowboys Training Camp is in full swing, and the big names have already made some impressions. Eddie George has the focus of a wide-eyed rookie showing durability, strength and experience. George has been making people miss, breaking tackles, and finding the holes in the Oline.
Antonio Bryant is being watched closely by everyone, and AB early on has been making big time catches downfield.
Larry Allen is well conditioned, well alot better than previous seasons. LA is exhibiting a much improved work ethic and looks good so far.
Parcells has stated that Julius will be tested in training camp and will get many carries and opportunities to show what he can bring to the team.
Early on, the only disappointing play is coming from WR Randal Williams. Williams is liked by many fans and many have hoped he would have the breakout year, usually Randal has had great camps and pretty good preseasons, is he unmotivated? We hope he can be an asset in the offensive scheme, but he will need to be consistent in camp and beyond.
In other news, Woodson is recovering from his disc surgery, and the team is reporting that he will miss the team opener and should be ready between weeks 2-3 depending on how his rehab comes along.
All drafted rookies have indeed been signed - now they will need to earn that Star.
Well Cowboys Training Camp is in full swing, and the big names have already made some impressions. Eddie George has the focus of a wide-eyed rookie showing durability, strength and experience. George has been making people miss, breaking tackles, and finding the holes in the Oline.
Antonio Bryant is being watched closely by everyone, and AB early on has been making big time catches downfield.
Larry Allen is well conditioned, well alot better than previous seasons. LA is exhibiting a much improved work ethic and looks good so far.
Parcells has stated that Julius will be tested in training camp and will get many carries and opportunities to show what he can bring to the team.
Early on, the only disappointing play is coming from WR Randal Williams. Williams is liked by many fans and many have hoped he would have the breakout year, usually Randal has had great camps and pretty good preseasons, is he unmotivated? We hope he can be an asset in the offensive scheme, but he will need to be consistent in camp and beyond.
In other news, Woodson is recovering from his disc surgery, and the team is reporting that he will miss the team opener and should be ready between weeks 2-3 depending on how his rehab comes along.
All drafted rookies have indeed been signed - now they will need to earn that Star.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)