The Dallas Cowboys: Everything Is Quieter In Texas, They Let Play Do The Talking

The Dallas Cowboys are notorious for making noise during the preseason.

The 2007 preseason talk featured new faces at premier positions, as Tony Romo took over at quarterback while head coach Wade Phillips tried to make the Cowboys into a more laidback team.

In 2008, the preseason was focused on whether Dallas could rebound after a disappointing playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

But contrary to past history, the Cowboys’ preseason has been relatively quiet, which is a big surprise to most people.

Despite hearing crickets in Big D, there are a few big surprises still happening with the Cowboys.

 

Romo-Williams Connection

People have been questioning all offseason whether or not Roy Williams can replace disgruntled wide receiver Terrell Owens as the top wideout in Dallas.

After two preseason games, the former Detroit Lions receiver seems to be the man for the job, as he has caught six passes, five of which came in the Cowboys’ 30-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Friday. Williams finished the game with 36 receiving yards.

Williams’ performance can be credited to the hard work he and Romo have put in this offseason to develop team chemistry, a bond that Phillips said takes time to develop, according to a DallasCowboys.com report.

“Tony is throwing the ball before Roy cuts. It’s happened a few times already,” Phillips said in the story. “That’s a good sign. You don’t see that all the time. That’s real timing there.”

In the same article, Williams said he hopes him and Romo can fuse together just as well as the quarterback does with Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten.

“Yesterday, he threw a ball that was on time and right at the landmark where it was supposed to be,” Williams said. “I think that’s the second or third time that’s ever happened where I was in the right spot and the ball was in the right spot and it just clicked and looked real pretty on film. We want to get to that 100 percent of the time.”

 

Breaking into the Huddle

Coming into the preseason, Sam Hurd seemed to be an afterthought in the Cowboys’ playbook.

With an offense featuring playmakers such as Witten, Williams, Marion Barber, and Miles Austin, no wonder Dallas listed him as the fourth wide receiver on its depth chart.

Despite the crowded talent, Hurd has kept working hard to break into the huddle.

In fact, the fourth-year pass catcher showcased his hard work on the field, hauling in six receptions for a team-leading 96 yards in two preseason games. Hurd’s six catches are tied for the top mark on the Cowboys’ reception list.

Even though Hurd may have played against backup defenses, he still has a shot at being the third wide receiver on the team, as Austin hasn’t recorded a catch in the first two games.

 

Not So Special Teams

In the first two games, Dallas has put together only five touchdown drives in 23 possessions.

In those 23 drives, the average starting position for the Cowboys was on the 23 yard line.

This mediocre placement can be attributed to a couple of lapses on Dallas’ special teams.

The Cowboys’ punt returners have bobbled two punts and fumbled another in five attempts. Also, the coverage team hasn’t made enough key blocks to let Austin or Felix Jones sprint down the field.

Even when the Cowboys have good field position, their kicker Nick Folk has not come through for them, going 0-for-2 in field goal attempts.  

The Jumbo 12th Man

Another huge surprise in Dallas doesn’t involve a bench player or a group of fans causing problems for the Cowboys’ opponents.

Rather, it’s the stadium’s new JumboTron.

The 60-yard digital scoreboard, a part of the new $1.15 billion stadium, may be too low to the field, after Titans reserve punter A.J. Trapasso hit the bottom of it in the third quarter.

The giant scoreboard, which is 90 feet above the playing surface, drew some criticism not only from Titans players and coaches, but also from league officials, according to a USAToday.com report.

“It’s an issue, yeah,” said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who is also co-chairman of the NFL’s competition committee. “So something has to get worked out. It can become a problem.”

The committee met on Tuesday to discuss the scoreboard issue, but no decision has been made about moving the structure.

However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones felt the issue wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m not worried about it,” Jones said in the article. “…The real world is if you look at the thousands of punts in the NFL and the trajectory of the punts, where they are on the field, and where they’re going, and the fact they like to kick to the sidelines, you don’t have any issue with this board.”

Even though some people think it is too low, the NFL approved the huge structure before the stadium was built. In addition, the NFL’s minimum height requirement for any object above the playing field is 85 feet.

Phillips, Garrett Try to Lead Dallas Cowboys Back to Winning Tradition

Coaching for any team in the National Football League would be a tremendous job for most football minds. 

But calling the plays for the Dallas Cowboys, most people would feel it is a dream career.

In fact, only seven men have had the privilege of coaching America’s Team in its 49-year history.

The first three coaches, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and Barry Switzer, put the Cowboys on top of the football world, winning five Super Bowl Championships, 10 conference titles, and 17 divisional crowns. These three playcallers posted a combined 366-241-6 record in their 37 years at Dallas.

However, the next three coaches, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, and Bill Parcells, could not find as much championship success in Big D, as they only brought in one NFC East title while tallying a 67-79 record in nine years.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, the Cowboys decided in 2007 to give the coaching reigns to Wade Phillips, hoping he could bring them back to the top.

Let’s look at the man who looks to bring back the winning tradition in Big D.

Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Wade Phillips:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said at a press conference on Feb. 8, 2007 the organization “got it right” when it hired Phillips as the new head coach.

This feeling seemed to be true at first.

Using a laid-back approach, Phillips produced early success in his first year in Dallas, leading the Cowboys to a league-leading 13-3 record and a division title. But the speedy success ran into a brick wall, as the Cowboys lost to the New York Giants 21-17 in the divisional round of the playoffs after having a first-round bye.

In 2008, Phillips continued using his easy-going philosophy, focusing on giving his players rest in practices and games in order to be fresh for the latter part of the season.

This coaching way worked for the first five weeks, as the Cowboys went 4-1 and looked to repeat as NFC East champs. Then, the Cowboys took a turn for the worst, as quarterback Tony Romo fractured his pinky finger and wide receiver Terrell Owens started causing a controversy between him and Romo.

The result: Dallas finished the season 9-7 and missed the playoffs by a half a game.

After the Cowboys got trounced by the Philadelphia Eagles 44-6 in the season finale, critics wondered whether or not Phillips was the right fit in Dallas.

Phillips responded, saying he would vow to change the way he is coaching, according to a report by The Dallas Morning News. 

“I’ve got to evaluate all of those things, see where we are, and see what we need to do and change,” Phillips said in the article. “You can’t say, ‘Well, OK, everything’s going to be all right,’ because it’s not going to be all right if you do the same thing, and I’m talking about myself.”

Phillips has looked to fulfill his promise so far this offseason, as he has officially taken over defensive coordinator duties after Jones fired former defensive mind Brian Stewart.

A former defensive coordinator, Phillips started taking charge of the defense in October after the Cowboys gave up 30-plus points in two straight games, both of which were losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams.

In addition, he has helped Jones and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett focus on making it more “Tony Romo friendly.”

These changes are a start for Phillips’ new style, but the only way he will know if it works is if Dallas wins its first playoff game in 13 years and gets a shot at a sixth Super Bowl title.

Assistant Head Coach Jason Garrett:

However, Phillips can’t do all of this work alone, which is why he has Garrett as his assistant head coach.

The Cowboys knew what they were getting with Garrett. They realized he had the potential to build a great offense. It was all a matter of giving him a shot.

In his first season as offensive coordinator in Dallas, Garrett made the Cowboys into an offensive firepower, as his unit scored 455 points while averaging 365.7 yards per game, good for second and third in the NFL respectively.

Garrett’s offense scored at least 20 points in 14 of Dallas’ 16 games, tying for the most in club history with the 1995 squad. Moreover, seven members from this crew made it to the Pro Bowl including star players Romo, Owens, and tight end Jason Witten.

Romo set franchise records in touchdown passes (36) and passing yards (4,211) while Witten established franchise marks for most receptions (96) and receiving yards by a tight end (1,145). Owens caught 81 passes, 15 of which went for touchdowns to lead the NFC.

Despite building one of the greatest offenses in team history, Garrett’s group still kept the 12-year playoff draught going after the Cowboys lost to the Giants in the playoffs.

In the offseason, Garrett was rewarded for his work, as Jones selected him to be the assistant head coach of the Cowboys. The promotion made Garrett the highest-paid assistant coach in the NFL, as he will collect around $3 million dollars per year.

After receiving a new contract, Garrett went back to work on his high-flying offense, trying to figure out how to make it the most unstoppable unit in the league since he returned every player except for running back Julius Jones.

Garrett’s offense took off in 2008, as Dallas scored an average of 29.1 points per game in the first six weeks of the season. The Cowboys posted a 4-2 mark during the stretch.

But like Phillips, Garrett had to deal with Romo’s injury and Owens’ shenanigans, ultimately affecting the chemistry of the offense and his coaching style. 

During these tough times, the Cowboys offense averaged 18.7 points per game while committing 2.4 turnovers per game, resulting in a 9-7 record and another lost season.

After the season, Cowboys management helped relieve some of Garrett’s problems, as the team released Owens in March.

Even though he will miss Owens’ production on the field, Garrett feels great about the offense he will be working with in 2009, according to a DallasCowboys.com report. 

“We’re excited about the group of players we have, the guys we have coming back from last year’s team and the guys we added, and we’re going to go about doing things the right way each and every day and accept the challenges that are going to be ahead of us,” Garrett said. “We’re excited about the group we have and going forward.”

Garrett’s number one priority on his list in 2009 is making Romo comfortable.

So far, Garrett has worked hard to put enough weapons on the field for his star quarterback to use, creating plays involving both go-to players (Witten, running back Marion Barber, wide receiver Roy Williams) and role players (running back Felix Jones, running back Tashard Choice, wideout Patrick Crayton).

But if Garrett can give Romo confidence in using these plays while letting him have the freedom to change them up on the fly, the Cowboys may be looking at an elite offense moving in the right direction.

2009 Dallas Cowboys coaching staff:

Wade Phillips- Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

Jason Garrett- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator

Ray Sherman- Wide Receivers

John Garrett- Tight Ends

Wade Wilson- Quarterbacks

Hudson Houck- Offensive Line

Wesley Phillips- Offensive Quality Control

Todd Grantham- Defensive Line

Dave Campo- Secondary

Reggie Herring- Linebackers

Dat Nguyen- Assistant Linebackers/ Defensive Quality Control

Brett Maxie- Assistant Secondary

Joe DeCamillis- Special Teams

From Media Spotlight to Super Bowl Stage? Dallas Reshapes Focus

The Dallas Cowboys have made many flashy headlines over the last 13 seasons of the National Football League. They generated all types of stories from the good “Smith becomes NFL’s all-time leading rusher,” to the bad “Romo drop helps Seahawks win,” and to the ugly “Report: Terrell Owens-Tony Romo rift.”

Despite the massive amounts of media attention each season, America’s Team has failed to make the ultimate headline: “Cowboys rope sixth Super Bowl title.”

Even though the Cowboys haven’t won a Lombardi Trophy since 1995 and a playoff game since the NFC Wild Card round in 1996, the Texas squad still faces high, championship expectations every year. 

After finishing with a 9-7 record and failing to reach the playoffs, the Cowboys look to move forward from an offseason filled with controversies, player departures and tragedy to a season filled with fresh starts, young faces and a new outlook on the game.

Dallas enters the 2009 season with the same great precedent that was set during their championship runs in the early and mid ’90s. But in order to bring a Super Bowl title to Big D, the Cowboys have to address a few major concerns.

 

It’s all about number one

The main question on every Cowboys fans mind is, “How will the Cowboys adjust to life without Terrell Owens?”

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the main focus of this offseason was to make the team more “Tony Romo friendly.” Jones and Cowboys management helped this cause, as they released Owens on March 5.

Romo, who passed for 3,448 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2008, became the third quarterback to be scrutinized by the disgruntled wide receiver. In an ESPN report, Owens claimed the star quarterback and tight end Jason Witten held private meetings to create plays without including him. This assumption, Owens said, was the reason to his drop-off in production. 

Even though Owens compiled his least productive year as a Cowboy (69 receptions for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns), his body-of-work on the field will be missed, as he hauled in 235 catches for 3,587 yards and 38 touchdowns in his three years at Dallas.

With Owens gone, this gives Romo and company the chance to play a little more relaxed in games, but not too much given the high expectations. 

In order for the Cowboys to be successful on offense, they need Romo to feel comfortable. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback has plenty of go-to players (Witten, running back Marion Barber III, and wide receiver Roy Williams) and role players (running back Felix Jones, wideouts Patrick Clayton and Miles Austin) to get the job done on offense.

If Romo can play at a high level each week while keeping his composure late in the season, the Cowboys will have a shot at not only winning its first playoff game in 13 years, but also a chance to win another Super Bowl for America’s Team.

 

Defense, Defense, Defense

Based on statistics, most people would believe the Cowboys were a top defensive team in the NFL. Dallas allowed 294.3 yards per game, 106.6 of which was rushing and 187.7 was passing, giving them rankings of eight, 12th, and fifth respectively.

However when people look at the amount of points allowed last season, it makes them cringe and realize that the Cowboys finished 9-7 on the year for a reason.

The Cowboys gave up 365 points, or 22.8 points per game, good for 20th in the NFL. This staggering statistic and the failure to re-sign free agents Chris Canty, Zach Thomas, and Kevin Burnett are probably two reasons why Jerry Jones focused on signing and drafting new defensive players this offseason.

To revamp this below-average defense, Jerry signed linebacker Keith Brooking, defensive end Igor Olshansky, and Gerald Sensabaugh, all of whom are projected to start this season for the Cowboys. The Cowboys owner didn’t stop there, as he used seven of his 12 draft choices in April’s draft on defense. 

The Cowboys hope they can develop rookie linebackers Jason Williams, Victor Butler, and Brandon Williams to complement a defense filled with polished veterans like DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Greg Ellis, Terrence Newman, Ken Hamlin, and Marcus Spears.

In addition, head coach Wade Phillips will play a bigger role in calling defensive plays after Jerry Jones fired former defensive mind Brian Stewart this offseason.

With all these changes, the Cowboys could see an improvement on the defensive side of the ball. If they form a top defense that can be mentioned in the same sentence with great defensive teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Giants, then the Cowboys will be sitting pretty come playoff time.

But if these replacements fail to produce a top-tier defense, then the Cowboys will be watching the Super Bowl again from their homes in February.

 

Who’s going to wear the Big C in Big D?

With all the problems that surrounded the Cowboys last year, there seemed to be no true captain or leader in the locker room. Players were talking about each other. Coaches and management denied allegations of controversies.

These headaches caused Dallas to lose focus on the task at hand: Winning!

The only way the Cowboys can get back on track is for somebody to become the established leader of the squad.

This leader needs to be the first player on the field and the last one to leave it. This leader needs to be the man guys can turn to when they are having problems. Moreover, this leader needs to be the guy who calms and brings everyone together during hard times.

Most people feel Romo, Ware, or Witten should be this leader, but are having second thoughts after last year’s collapse. In order for the Cowboys to succeed, there has to be a player that is willing to step up to this colossal challenge.

 

Predictions

For the last three years, the Cowboys always had the makeup of a championship team on paper. However, the teams on paper never translated fully onto the field.

Dallas finished the 2006 season with a 9-7 record and an early exit in the Wild-Card round after Romo dropped the snap on a 19-yard field goal attempt to give the Seattle Seahawks a 21-20 win.

The Cowboys rebounded in 2007 with a 13-3 record and an NFC East title, but they fell flat on their faces as the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants beat them in Dallas during the divisional round 21-17.

In 2008, Dallas started off hot, but a pinky injury to Romo and the rift between him and Owens caused the Cowboys to finish the season with 9-7 record, the last loss coming from a 44-6 trouncing by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite this trend, most experts believe the Cowboys are a top-five favorite to win the Super Bowl. Dallas has 9-1 odds to win the title, according to Sportsbook.com. 

Before the Cowboys can have the Super Bowl talk, they have to get through a tough 2009 schedule. Dallas plays 14 games versus teams with a .500 or better record in 2008, six of which are against the Giants, the Eagles, and the Washington Redskins.

The Cowboys can get through this brutal road if they answer these three questions:

Is this the year Romo establishes himself as an elite quarterback in the NFL?

Can the defense in Big D return to one of the top units in the league?

Who is going to be the true leader of one of the most storied franchises in the league?

Frankly, this is the year Romo redeems himself as a true quarterback, meaning he not only excels on the field, but also becomes the established leader in the Dallas locker room. The defense will improve slightly, but it won’t be a top-five defense in the NFL given the amount of new personnel. As for team unity, the Cowboys will improve drastically in this department now that certain drama-filled players are gone.

 

With that saying, here are the rest of the 2009 predictions for America’s Team.

Record: 10-6, 2nd NFC East, Wild-Card Birth

Playoffs: Lose in NFC Championship game

Team MVP: Tony Romo

Number of Pro Bowlers: Six (Romo, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, Flozell Adams, Andre Gurode, Marcus Spears)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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