CowboysBlog.Net

NFL Free Agency is in full effect today, and several teams wasted no time in revamping their rosters. If you’re anxiously awaiting the Cowboys to make a big splash, don’t…The Cowboys don’t have much money left under the cap to make a big signing. Most of our money has been gobbled up by signing our own potential free agents. The Cowboys have been very pro active this offseason, and have been very methodical in their offseason moves.

The Cowboys did trade NT Jason Ferguson to the Dolphins, in doing this, the Cowboys will free up about $2.4 million dollars in additional cap space which will now jump up to an astonishing $4million. So, again, don’t expect any big moves, we may pick up a mid level nickel corner.

There’s also some speculation the Cowboys could bring in WR Javon Walker. Walker was just released by the Broncos. Walker was considered an elite WR a few seasons ago; however, injury riddled seasons have taken their toll on his knees and his market value. Walker is injury prone, there’s no doubt about that, so would the Cowboys take the risk on a player like Walker. He has the deep threat speed, but his health over the season would be a big concern. Walker could work out a cap friendly deal, and there’s a chance that our WR Coach, Ray Sherman could be the clincher. Sherman coached up Walker into a solid WR while in Green Bay, and he could seek to reunite with his WR coach. We’ll see.

The Cowboys still have some of their own players out in the market. Nickleback, Jacques Reeves is drawing the most interest so far. CB Nates Jones, FS Keith Davis, and RB Julius Jones are the other notable free agents, I don’t see any of them returning to Dallas.

The Rest of the NFL

The Eagles swoop in and sign CB Asante Samuel for a 6yr deal for $57million.

The Dolphins have been the most active team, and Parcells has this team going in the right direction already. The Dolphins jumped all over some keys players and have signed QB Josh McCown, OG Justin Smiley, WR Ernest Wilford, DT Randy Starks, LB Reggie Torbor, and new acquired NT Jason Ferguson. Parcells is acting quickly and already revamping the roster from top to bottom. Their defense will clearly be solid in 2008 with the players they added, and the players they still have, like Jason Taylor to name a few.

The Raiders sign SS Gibril Wilson from the Giants

The Jaguars signed WR Jerry Porter

The Jets acquired DT Kris Jenkins in a trade

The Buccaneers signed C Jeff Faine

Big Names Remain

RB Michael Turner met with the Falcons, but is expected to visit with the Titans, WR Randy Moss does not have a deal in place with the Patriots, so he could look around the league for a better deal, LB Lance Briggs is still available as well.

FREE AGENCY TRACKER 

Its a boring week with the Cowboys on their Bye Week. Thankfully though, we have some bye week news to keep our minds busy. The latest rumor hitting the net is Chad Johnson. Its believed Chad Johnson will NOT be with the Bengals next season. The Bengals will probably move the receiver in a trade or release him. There will be a market for Chad’s services, and look no further than Dallas for a potential landing ground.

Jerry Jones is seeing what the Patriots are doing on offense, and you can bet that Jerry wants the same, and adding Johnson would make our offense even more devastating than the Cheatriots. The thing about this scenario is money and the cap. We have ALOT of contracts that need to be attending to this offseason, core players like, Marion Barber and Tony Romo to name a few. Then you have players like Patrick Crayton and Keith Davis that play important roles, but could be seeking greener pastures. There’s going to be alot of money being spent this offseason.

The Greg Ellis Effect

The DMN Blog has this to say about the re-emergence of DeMarcus Ware:

Another pressure player emerging — The concern was whether another pass-rusher would emerge to take pressure off DeMarcus Ware. Rookie Anthony Spencer was solid, and Greg Ellis looks almost as good as ever. Ware was quiet the first two weeks, but he’s been a beast since then.

Anthony Spencer will develop this season, he’s shown flashes and still brings the pressure, but its clear that Greg Ellis is a boss at OLB, he’s back, he’s the real deal and has always been solid with the pass rush. DeMarcus Ware can thank his latest successes on the return of dominance, Greg Ellis. We saw it last year, and this year just proves that with Ellis in the lineup, Ware gets more pressure. Ellis is a great asset.

Start Hatcher

That’s all that needs to be said. How much longer is Phillips going to keep Jason Hatcher from starting? Hatcher is clearly the player we need at DE. We need to stop teams on their opening drives, we need more pressure, and that means Hatcher. Hatcher is a playmaker on defense, he brings the heat, and has a high motor. Seriously, start Hatcher already. I’m gonna take a twist from T.O.’s “Getcha popcorn ready” and give Hatcher his one liner he can use in locker room interviews: Getcha gurnies ready

The Rest of the East

While the Cowboys are off this weekend, the rest of the East will be on the road and they will have their hands full. I look forward to watching these losers lose in their games this weekend.

Giants @ Dolphins: The Giants should win this game, but the Dolphins will play them hard, and they will not let them win easily. Should be a decent game. Go ‘Fins!

Eagles @ Vikings: The Eagles have fallen on hard times this year, and will probably play spoiler towards the end of the season, as they are on pace to having a losing season, they could knock out someone in the NFC East race down the line. The Vikings probably win this game at home. They have a good defense, and Peterson should be able to run over the Eagles. After another Eagle’s loss the “start Kevin Kolb” drums will beat louder. I love it.

Redskins @ Patriots: The Patriots are going to destroy the Redskins, we’ll be taking notes, and when we play the Redskins we will destroy them as well. The Redskins don’t have a chance in this game. I hoping both teams get beat up though. I can’t stand the Patriots and Belicheat, and I really hate the Redskins even more.

Let me preface this by apologizing to my avid fans, its been busy at work and home, so the blog has not been updated as much as I had hoped this past week. We’ll back to the normal article load this week. Now, back to the state of Cowboys Nation… The fans showed up against the Vikings this week, so that’s a positive. The Cowboys defeated the Vikings, but it was not a very convincing or dominating win, and this brings me to the big controversial question:

Are We Overrated?

Yes, I’m asking it, I did not studder. I’m posing the question. If you want to throw down your two cents post your response in our fanpacked message board. For now, I will take a look at our recent “body of works” and you can be the judge.

Personally, I would not say we’re overrated per se; however, I don’t think we’re as good as our record (6-1) would indicate. This version of the Cowboys has a supercharged offensive scheme with Garrett at the controls, and the defense has improved somewhat since week 1. If you look at ALL of our games, we have faced some sort of adversity, mainly penalties. Penalties have throttled down our scoring potential immensely, and its going to catch up to us sooner or later.

We have been a 2nd half team all year long and we’ve kept teams in the game up all year. The Patriots played well, but we clearly beat ourselves, so this is somewhat encouraging. Meaning, if we didn’t commit so many dumb penalties, we could have won this game, it didn’t happen, and the end result was a large helping of rancid Clam Chowder.

The Buffalo game, was just a miraculous game, but we played horrible. A mix bag of penalties and tons of turnovers. With some luck, and bad defense by the Bills, we pulled out the win, but we looked bad.

Same thing with the Rams. We did not win the game until the second half. For a brief time, I thought we were going to get upset. I felt it, you felt it too, but we won the game.

The game at Chicago and at Miami was close until the 3rd Quarter.

Point is, we’re not the completely dominating team that our record indicates. When you think 6-1 you think we’re just kicking people’s ass all game long, you think we have a dominating defense and dominating offense. We have a really good offense, but the defense is still catching up.

Then this game against the Vikings was good, but not dominating. Yes, I know we cannot dominate every team and I know we cannot win all the games; however, when you think about our Super Bowl teams in the past, we won in dominating fashion. The Colts and Patriots are winning in dominating fashion. We’re winning right now, but its not very convincing to me. Call me spoiled, call me a pessimist, but I’m being honest. We roll into these games, and let all these teams in the game. The Bills exploited both sides of the ball, the Patriots did the same thing, the Vikings stayed in the game despite having a crap passing game. The Rams, Dolphins, Buffalo, and Vikings are bad teams, these are teams we should have destroyed early in the first half. We failed to do that. Fix that stuff!

Penalties and lack of discipline are keeping this team from being a completely dominating team. Right now, we’re the cream of the crop in the NFC, but the rest of the East is hot on our tails. There is no room for error, and no room for floundering down the stretch. We have a stretch of games that will test our innerself. Two straight games on the road with divisional rivals - the Giants and Eagles. But we do have some help with three straight home games as we host the Redskins, who always play us hard. Then we host the Jets in a “trap game” Then a possible preview to the NFC Championship game against the Packers. The rest of the season is not any easier: @Detroit, Philly, @Carolina, @Washington which could have major playoff positioning implications.

We are very capable of winning all these games. I don’t see any of these teams slowing down our offense, but the penalties need to be cut down if we’re going to get to the big game. If we keep playing the way we’re playing, teams will use our slow, sloppy starts and beat us up. Championship teams get into the postseason with convincing fashion and they peak when the time is right. Will we be that team? The second half of the Cowboys season is coming, get ready!
Enjoy the bye week, we have ALOT of work ahead.

The Patriots are who we thought they were and we let them off the hook. We beat ourselves with the penalties, plain and simple. We fall to 5-1, but remain atop the NFC. Let’s regroup and look forward to the Vikings.

Barber looked good, the defense was ok, but just gave up at the end. Sloppy tackling reared its ugly head, and with a team like the Patriots, you will lose that battle everytime.

We need Terry Glenn back to give us the deep threat. That would have helped out in this game. Terry, help us!!

Overall, I’m very disappointed in our lack of concentration. We should have won this game, but we can’t win them all, can we?

BOXSCORE 

The Cowboys have gotten in sync on both sides of the ball, especially the offense. Garrett’s ingame adjustments will carry over into the 2nd half. The defense needs to hunker down, as they are giving up 3rd downs.

Marion Barber has been the man in the first half. Romo is on track for another solid game. Witten was snuffed out in the 1st Quarter, but has gotten open, and punishing the Patriots. On defense, Ellis is making his presence known, and Ware is terrorizing Brady.
The Cowboys have had success in slowing down Randy Moss; however, Wes Welker has been hitting us hard. We need a better showing on defense in the 2nd half.

We are very much in this game, and the Cowboys have seen what the Patriots are doing, and Garrett is figuring it out. Look for the game to stay close, but we need to cut the penalties out completely if we’re going to win this game.

Let’s go Cowboys@

The Cowboys have been tested early and often this year, and have become a battle
hardened team in my opinion. From Week one until last week, each of those games have posed some sort of issue, and the common denominator in all those games has been halftime adjustments. I will reiterate how awesome Phillips and Garrett have been at the half. In EVERY single game, I knew the Cowboys would turn it up and fix problems posed in all the games this year. This time will be no different. Like I said before, play Cowboys football like we’ve played all year. Don’t force the quick pass and get burned like last week. Play smart and we will win this game.

Keys to Victory

Same as always, limit turnover, limit stupid penalties, sustain drives, create pressure and earn some take aways. Composure on both sides of the ball will be vital. The Cowboys will be tested early in the secondary. Knowing this, the Cowboys better get to Tom Brady. Phillips has had great success in containing Brady each of the times he’s faced him, and with rejuvenated defense, it’ll be a battle. Romo must play smart, no risky or off the range stuff this time.

Contain Randy Moss

The defense kept us in the game last week, and they continue to show great improvement. The defense will have another big task at hand in containing Moss. BUT in stopping Moss, they better have Welker and Stallworth covered, the Patriots are very capable of winning game with those WRs.

Cover Watson 24/7

Second to Moss, Ben Watson has become a big weapon for Brady, and Watson has speed and will catch the ball all over the field. The Cowboys will need to have a hat on Watson at all time, or he will punish us. The Patriots will try to matchup Watson on Roy Williams, and we could get beatup there. Control Moss and Watson, and we’re in business.

Blocking and Execution

The Cowboys can short circuit the Patriots defense with effective blocking schemes and
execution. Garrett will unleash some very pinpoint calls this week, and everyone will need to execute to near perfection for some of these plays to work. The offensive line, TE, WRs, FBs, will need to block effectiveluy to help the running game this week. We have to pickup the blitz as well.

Play two or three steps ahead

The Patriots will want to shutdown our most effective weapons offensively. To me, the Patriots will cover TO man to man, and help with a saftey, but they will try to shutdown Jason Witten. Witten has been our number one offensive playmaker, and he keep drives alive. If the Patriots shutdown Witten, it’ll be up to TO and Crayton. We can still hit them
there, but it’ll slow us down considerably and the effects can snowball.

Look for the Patriots to try to shutdown Marion Barber III, the Bills showed how to slow down the running game most of the game, and if we have any success we need to get the running game going with Barber or Jones, preferably with both. So, the Cowboys job will be to make the right calls to offset the Patriots plans on defense. I’m confident in Garrett.

Patriots @ Cowboys
Texas Stadium - Artificial Turf
CBS 3:15 PM CST
Analysts: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
NFL.com Gamecenter

The Rest of the NFC East:
Redskins @ Packers 12:00 CST
Eagles @ Jets 12:00 CST
Giants @ Falcons 7:30 CST ESPN

Browns Watch:
Dolphins @ Browns 12:00 CST

Join us for LIVE GAMEDAY discussion on the message boards!

Madden Forecast: Cowboys 10 Patriots 41
My Prediction: Cowboys 38 Patriots 24

Everyone should have the Bills miracle game behind them by now. We all spent all day rejoicing and discussing the game with fellow fans, coworkers, and rival fans, but its time to hunker down for the Cowboys biggest test in several seasons - The New England Patriots.

The players will be at full speed today, practicing and breaking down the Patriots. Wade Phillips is 3-1 alltime against Bill Belicheat, and he’s seen first hand what the Patriots bring to the table offensively.

You want to talk about being the masters of halftime adjustments, look no further than Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. They bring a one-two punch, and you can bet these coaches WILL have their players well prepared. This game will come down to execution and turnovers. I expect a close game all the way through.

One thing I do not see the Cowboys doing is the whole “fast start” thing. That’s hasn’t been Cowboys football all year round, and its overrated as far as I’m concerned. Don’t try to fix something that’s working perfectly. The Cowboys tried the fast start against the lowly Bills and it backfired bigtime, it just about cost us the game, and we never recovered from the 1st quarter debacle. The Cowboys defense will slow down the Patriots offense, and the Cowboys offense will play their game. Play the way we’ve had success in the past; meaning, don’t rush for the quick points, stay composed. Let the Patriots show what they are doing in the first half, and in the second half, drop the boom on them.

Browns and Bills showcased weaknesses

The Browns may have layed out a blueprint to stopping Randy Moss and running on the Pats defense.

Jamal Lewis: Pats’ Weakness Is Run Defense

It’s too bad Jamal Lewis left Sunday’s game against the Patriots just as soon as he entered it. He broke off an 11 yard run on the team’s first play from scrimmage, but came out after the play with a foot injury. His X-rays during the game came out negative, so he’s scheduled to have an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury. Here’s my favorite part about Jamal missing the game:

Lewis said the injury was “disappointing, because I kind of felt like we could’ve had a big day running the football on them. That’s kind of where their weakness pretty much is, I feel. But things didn’t work out that way.”

Well, we’ve already seen the Browns stop Randy Moss, and now we’re hearing that New England’s weakness is their run defense, too? Seems like they have everything figured out. Household name Jason Wright finished up the game for Cleveland rushing for 59 yards on 15 carries, which could be worse, but certainly wasn’t great. Though I don’t think much of Lewis, they sure would be better off with him healthy. The Browns kept him out of the game for precautionary purposes, so we’ll see how this plays out — it would be a big hit to the Browns running game if he’s seriously hurt. (Fanhouse)

I think we will work off the success the Browns had on limiting Moss, and add our twist to it; however, we will have to do a good job on Stallworth and Welker, both are capable WRs. The part about the Pats run defense is intriguing.

As for the Cowboys, the Bills did their homework, clearly, they were WELL prepared, it was scary at times. Their DBs blanketed our receivers, and there wasn’t much breathing room. I think this may have showed that we’re running the same plays with great frequency because they worked well in the previous four games, but the Bills had it pegged it seemed like. What does this mean? It means, Garrett will need to drop the extended playbook on the Patriots. We cannot afford to be predictable, there needs to be some fresh plays and formations for this game, but stick to the bread and butter.

Overall, the Patriots are the bullies of the NFL right now, and the Cowboys will be on a mission to dethrone them. In my mind, we beat the best offensive team in the Colts last year, and we can definitely do the same against the Patriots this weekend. I’m amped, Cowboys Nation should be amped, and the Patriots better be ready for war.

I need time to enjoy this unbelievable win, so I will keep this short!! Tony Romo had his worst STATISTICAL game ever, BUT, his determination and focus is unmatched. As Romo piled on the INTs, he looked deflated to me, but no one really knows what goes on inside Romo’s head. I think its something special, something at another level. To gather yourself, and take the team down the field in the do-or-die drive and pull out the TD, and the game winning drive to setup the field goal is what champions are made of!

Aikman had a record 5 INT game in his Hall of Fame career, and Romo tied Aikman with his horrific 5 INTS.

Take your hat off to this whole team. The defense could have crumbled, but they did not, they wanted to give Romo more chances on the field, and they held up their side of the ball. Most impressive.

With all the pregame hype, looking ahead to the Patriots, all the pressure, and all this in-game adversity, this team as a whole came together collectively and did not die, they literally kicked the nails off the coffin, crawled out, and won the game.

Heart and Soul, this team is just amazing. I know I’m ranting now, but you will not see many games like this in your lifetime.

Drafting Nick Folk was genius. Period. Dick Jauron tried the whole last second time out BS, but Folk stepped up and nailed the 53yrd field goal twice. Eat that Jauron!

What does this win mean? It means alot, the Cowboys have alot to work on, but these guys have heart, something the Cowboys have not had in years. The experts ask whether or not the Cowboys are in the same league as the Pats and Colts..I emphatically say hell yes. Never say die baby, we fight until the last second. This team will never give up. That’s what we know about this team. Go back a season or two ago, and this team would have crumbled.

Bring on the Patriots! Get Ready, its on!
BOX SCORE

The Cowboys go into Buffalo as the last undefeated team in the NFC. The Packers dropped one to the Bears. It seems like forever since the Cowboys last game, but fans remain pumped over this upcoming game. A win over the Bills will further solidify their supremacy atop the NFC. The Cowboys cannot take the Bills lightly, they do have some strong points in their game despite being banged up. They have a solid running back in Marshawn Lynch and he’ll be the first good back the Cowboys have faced this season and their special teams are also solid with McGee and Parrish.

Keys to Victory

Same as always, limit turnovers, limit stupid penalties, sustain drives, create pressure and earn some take aways. If we do all this, we will win the game. The Bills cannot double team all our offensive weapons. Romo knows this, and his quick throw will punish the Bills defense.

Go for the fast start this week. The Patriots come to town next week, and these guys have been very consistent with the fast start, so the Cowboys need to see if we can execute a fast start in a real game. So, let’s do what we do in the 2nd half, and smother the Bills for 4 quarters.

Pressure Edwards Early

The Cowboys defense is feeling confident, and resurrected with the return of Newman and Ellis. This defense will be looking for blood early and often. Edwards had success against the Jets, but we now know that the Jets are a horrible team on both sides of the ball. The Bills will have their hands full with Ware, Ellis, and Spencer bringing the pressure at any given time. Phillips wants to whip the Bills, and the defensive playbook will drop down on the Bills.

Special Teams

Special teams has also improved over the last few weeks, and this week the Cowboys will have to contain Roscoe Parrish, he’s speedy and elusive. If the Cowboys contain Parrish like we did against Hester, then we should be fine. Mat McBriar should have another great game. We’ll see how Folk does at this stadium. Ralph Wilson Stadium is one of the windiest stadiums in the NFL, so we’ll see how he responds to those variables.

Feed the Quadruplets

Romo will lead the way, as the head of this four-headed beast, but the Cowboys will be looking at a fast start this week, its been talked about all week. We’ll probably see a good dose if it early, and that means feeding the Quadruplets early and often. I think we’ll see TO, Witten, and Barber fully involved on the opening drive.

Cowboys @ Bills
Ralph Wilson Stadium - AstroTurf Gameday Grass
ESPN 7:30 PM CST
Analysts: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Tony Kornheiser
NFL.com Gamecenter

The Rest of the NFC East:
Redskins defeated the Lions (3-1)
Giants defeated the Jets (3-2)
Eagles BYE WEEK

Browns Watch:
Brows lost to Patriots (2-3)

Join us for LIVE GAMEDAY discussion on the message boards!

Madden Forecast: Cowboys 26 Bills 24
My Prediction: Cowboys 30 Bills 20

We’re five weeks into the regular season, and some teams are taking shape into Contenders, while others are looking doomed. I’ll take a look at the League in general, and update you on our draft positioning through week 5.

AFC East: Patriots, Bills, Jets, Dolphins

The Patriots are clearly the front runners in the East at 5-0, and the rest probably won’t make any sort of impact. The Bills are too banged up right now, they have Edwards as their starting QB, so there will be some growing pains there, and if Losman returns, they are still the same team. Losman is a near bust. The Jets are another horrible team, and need some players to step if they want a chance. The Dolphins are in trouble, these guys are just about down for the count and would need to reel off 5 straight wins to be back in any sort of wildcard race down the line.

AFC North: Steelers, Ravens, Browns, Bengals

The Steelers are one of the top teams in the AFC this year, and they will win the North. After the Steelers, I think its completely open. The Ravens, Browns, and Bengals all have issues on both sides of the ball, and who ever wins more games within this division will probably earn a wildcard, but right now its wide open. The Ravens are stalling on offense, McNair is horrible and has taken a step back. The Browns are a lot more competitive than people thought they would be, and they will win more games this year. The Bengals have had some tough loses and some injuries that are slowing them down, but I think they are still in it, but they need some wins starting next game and beyond, otherwise they could be out of the running in the tough North.

AFC South: Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Texans

The Colts are virtually unbeatable and still the team to beat in the NFL, they are the real deal again. The Patriots are getting a lot of attention, but the Colts are still bad to the bone, and their defense has improved since last year. After the Colts, its open. The Titans and VY are good, but Young is throwing too many INTs right now. He’s winning games, but down the stretch, those turnovers will catch up to them with upper echelon teams. I do think the Titans are probably slightly better than the Jags and Texans right now, but not by much. The Jaguars have never impressed me, so who knows what they will do. The team to watch in this division will be the Texans. The Texans are clearly more improved this year, the defense is stout, and the offense has been good and despite missing Johnson and Jones at WR, Schaub has managed to find ways to move the ball. Once Johnson and Jones return, this team will be a team to watch.

AFC West: Raiders, Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs

There is no clear cut team in this division; however, the Chargers may have turned the corner with a convincing butt whipping on the road at Denver. If Turner can work off that momentum, the Chargers could gather themselves back to the top of this division. The Raiders are playing everybody tough, and could be a surprise this year. Culpepper has been able to move the ball and jumpstart the offense. The Broncos look very average, but every year they seem to sneek into the playoffs, so its way too early to write them off. Their defense is horrible, and Cutler is still learning at QB, so we’ll see how they stand in a few weeks. The Chiefs are in the same boat as the Broncos, they just look average to me. They had a good game last week, but got beatup this week, they need consistency.

NFC East: Cowboys, Redskins, Giants, Eagles

This division is shaping up to being another barn burner. After a shaky week or two, the Redskins and Giants are looking solid on both sides of the ball, and the Cowboys cannot let up, this is going to be a close division. The Eagles will be on the road next week at the NY Jets, so they should win that game, but if not, this team is in trouble, they would drop to 1-4, and would have a huge mountain to climb. If the Cowboys remain atop, the second team will probably earn a playoff spot as well, that’s how close this division will be. I like what the Redskins have been doing on both sides of the ball, they look good. The Giants are getting some people back from injury, and their defense is much improved, so they will be a team to be reckoned with.

NFC North: Packers, Lions, Bears, Vikings

Despite the Packers being 4-1, I think the Bears showed the Packers weakness and blueprint for beating the Packers - shutdown the run. The Packers do not have a running game, and they will be in the market for a better tier running back in 2008. The lack of running game will bring the Packers back down to earth. Besides that, the Packers are much improved at WR, and on defense. If the Packers can improve the running game, they will win out. The Lions are overrated, they are reverting back to their former selves right now. The Lions have the Bucs and Bears next, and that’s going to be a big challenge there. The Redskins defense had their way with Kitna & Co. so I don’t see them beating the Bucs or Bears, this will drop them back towards the bottom of the pack. The Bears needed to beat the Packers on the road and they did, this may have saved their season, but they have a long way to go. They should be getting more players back from injury next week and Griese should be a bit more comfortable as their QB, so that being said, the Bears could still turn this team around back into contention. The Vikings are horrible. They have Adrian Peterson, and that’s it. I see them at the bottom with the Lions towards the end of the year. Jackson is still too raw, their receivers are not that good, their defense has potential, but nothing that solid either. The Vikings need some wins in the coming weeks, or they’re out of it real quick.

NFC South: Panthers, Bucs, Falcons, Saints

This division is still open, but it’ll probably come down to the Panthers and Bucs. I think the Panthers are running out of time at QB, and this could be Delhommes last year as the clear starter. He’s not that good, never has been that good. They were expected to be improved, but they have stumbled out the gates, and don’t scare anyone on either side of the ball. The Bucs have a pretty good defense, but the offense will slow this team down. They don’t have any receivers, and the running game is non existent. Look for the Bucs to add someone at WR in 2008. Forget about the Falcon’s, this team is horrible, Joey Harrington is horrible. Even if Vick was there, this was going to be a bad team. The Saints are in serious trouble. Teams have figured out Payton’s offense, they don’t have any receivers that can catch the ball. Brees has lost confidence in his receivers, his offensive line, and himself. Reggie Bush needs to be in a two-back system, he clearly cannot carry the full load, he’s a good player, but he’s nothing spectacular at RB/WR, he’s a watered down version of Brian Westbrook at this point. I just don’t see the Saints improving. Losing Deuce was a major loss. The defense is a squad of backups from other teams, so this unit needs to be overhauled - bigtime.

NFC West: Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers, Rams

This is another division that is wide open for the taking. No one in this division is playing consistent. I still think the Seahawks are the team to beat in this division, but the other teams have closed the gap considerably. The Cards and 49ers are similar on both sides of the ball, so its hard to say which is the better team right now. The Rams on the other hand are in trouble. Linehan has not improved the team at all in his second year. They are beat up all over the place, and I don’t see them recovering from the injuries and the bad football play. The Rams will be at the bottom of the league this year.

Undefeated Teams: Patriots (5-0, Colts (5-0), Cowboys (4-0)

Zero Wins Teams: Dolphins (0-5), Rams (0-5), Saints (0-4)

Cowboys Current Draft Pick Positioning: #14 and #31 Overall