CowboysBlog.Net

With the Cowboys early bounce from the playoffs, the Cowboys have spent zero time moping around, instead, the Cowboys have been very busy, and as always staying in the news because everyone wants to be a Cowboy at heart…

With Jason Garrett deciding to stay in Dallas, the Cowboys will be plenty ready for another go in 2008, and if anything, this team can only get better. Another year in the Phillips 34 and the Garrett High Octane attack, the sky is the limit. We’re young, and we’re on our way up, we have not peaked.

Jerry Jones, and the rest of the Cowboys Braintrust are in Mobile, Alabama attending this year’s Senior Bowl. The first topic of interest is the re-signing of Marion Barber III. Barber is part of the Quadruplets, he demands the best in his fans, and he fills seats. Jerry knows that Barber is explosive and a main component in this years success, and will be a staple on offense. Barber will be re-signed soon. Jerry has talked with Drew Rosenhaus and the deal will get done soon.

Trade Rumors are always part of the offseason, often these rumors are just that - rumors; however, this does help the average die hard bide their time with interesting rumor topics galore on their favorite blogs and message boards.

The latest rumor has Jerry shopping Marcus Spears and Bobby Carpenter. Trading Spears is good for the team. Its time to get Hatcher in there next to fellow playmaker Jay Ratliff, these two guys on the D-line will be very disruptive. Spears had another typical year, and is now a certified bust, so knowing this, I don’t expect higher than a 3-4th rounder for him.

Carpenter being shopped is risky to me. He’s a solid tackler, he made plays all year long on special teams, and he provides solid depth at LB. If you’re going to trade Carpenter, we better draft another good linebacker on day one because you cannot depend on the health of an aging star in Greg Ellis, and the oft injured Kevin Burnett. This being said, I’d rather trade Spears over Carpenter.

New Coaches

The Cowboys have not wasted anytime in replacing their coaches that have bounced to Miami. The Cowboys have signed Todd Grantham , a former Defensive Coordinator of the Browns (2005) and Coach with the Texans (2002-2004), just seeing these two teams on his resume does not excite me much considering how bad those defenses were during those time spans. He does provide NFL experience, and Wade has always had a strong group of defensive assistants on his squads, so his blessing on this new hire should be ok. We will see.

Condition Guru, Joe Jurasek was also extended a new contract and will remain in Dallas. Good job keeping him here.

Jerry acted fast, and stopped the bleeding by keeping Garrett, and Phillips is staying on top of his staff by hiring “his” type of coaches. We could see an even better defense with his own hirings.

The postgame for this game will be all about Romo, let’s put that out there right now. If we win the game, he gets headlines praising his new contract extension; however, if the Cowboys lose against the Eagles fresh off his new contract the media will turn it into some stupid blabber. Ignore it. We have our man, besides that, we are going to win this game against the Eagles. Jason Garrett has had two weeks to prepare the offense against the Eagles and it’s going to be a show, with Romo, Witten, Barber, and T.O as the featured headliners.

Keys to Victory

Penalties have plagued the Cowboys this season, and if the Cowboys plan on winning against the Eagles then the penalties must be minimal. Game management and opening drive defense needs to improve, I’m hoping to see Jason Hatcher in the opening drives.

Slow Down Westbrook and the Screen

The Eagles have a bad receiving corp, and knowing this, the Eagles will try to open up the receiving game by feeding the ball to Westbrook. They will try to execute some draw plays and the screen pass. The Eagles are one of the best teams when it comes to the screen pass. So, if we slow down Westbrook, we shutdown their entire offense, he’s their main cog in their talent depleted offense.

Beat Up McNabb

McNabb has not been the same since his last two major injuries, but he’s still effective. He’s definitely not as mobile, so if we get some pressure on him we should see some errant throws and if Ware should have a field day going against Winston Justice. We need to apply ample pressure on McNabb, if we do, we win this game for sure.

Cowboys @ Eagles
Lincoln Financial Field - Grass
NBC 7:15 PM CST
Analysts: John Madden and Al Michaels
NFL.com Gamecenter

The Rest of the NFC East:
Redskins @ Jets 12:00 CST
Giants on Bye Week

Browns Watch:
Seahawks @ Browns 3:05 CST
Join us for LIVE GAMEDAY discussion on the message boards!

Madden Forecast: Cowboys 13 Eagles 34
My Prediction: Cowboys 44 Eagles 27

It’s about time DC.com had a headlining article on Jason Hatcher. I’ve been on the Hatcher bandwagon since his rookie season. You can go back in my archives and check yourself. For those in need of joining a bandwagon, look no further than Jason Hatcher. This guy is a playmaker, and has been a playmaker for awhile now.

Like I said in my last article, starting Hatcher should be a premium if we’re going to stop teams on their opening drives. Teams have been able to run and pass down our throats in every game. There isn’t sufficient pressure from the front 3, but adding Hatcher to these opening drives can be the answer we need.

With Ellis complimenting Ware, Hatcher’s pressure could be a good compliment to the other guys upfront too. Bradie James gives us his thoughts on Hatcher:

“He’s always rushed the passer real well, but now he’s learning to be more physical in the run game,” Cowboys inside linebacker Bradie James said of Hatcher’s development. “When he comes in with that second line, we expect not to have a letdown, and at times we’ve even gotten more.

“Now he’s stepping up, and hope he continues to do what he’s been doing. We substitute in waves, and they have that freshness going when they come in.”(dc.com)

Hatcher has a knack for the football, is is always looking for the sack or big play. Hatcher has been making big plays this season, and he knows it. He has the hunger and desire to contribute; moreover, with his recent big plays, he definitely wants more action, and I agree

“I need to get some more opportunities to rush the passer,” Hatcher said of the strides he still needs to make. “Greg Ellis came back and he’s doing a great job. He took my spot when he came back but he’s a great player so he deserves it.

“I just want to get more opportunities in the pass rush.” (dc.com)

I think Hatcher is really getting more opportunities with this new defensive scheme and new coaches. I don’t know if Parcells held Hatcher back while he was here, but this current regime is working Hatcher in more and more. Coach Stewart gives us an interesting quote here:

“Jason Hatcher has been doing a great job,” said defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, who came to the Cowboys from San Diego with Phillips. “When I first came in . . . I thought he was a very good player, and was a very good young player and that we could do some things to utilize him being such a good athlete.

“He’s been able to make plays when he’s been in, and I’m not surprised. Maybe we need to play him a little bit more.” (dc.com)

Yes Coach Stewart, you do need to play Hatcher, but NOT just a litte bit more, ALOT more. He’s clearly outplayed Marcus Spears, I’ve seen it for years, fans have called for Hatcher to start for as well, and the time is now. Let’s get him out there on opening drives and get him more chances to rush the passer - Hatcher will get it done.

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.

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 continue to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. We have not sustained a decent drive. Crayton’s bad finger is effecting his ability to catch the ball, pull him now.

Not only are we playing against the Bears, but we’re playing against the refs in this game. We’re getting some horrible calls, and Im starting to wonder if we have a ref in this game that’s throwing the game like that one ref from the NBA!

The last play off the game was dead with 3 seconds left and we did not get our free kick! we are getting ripped off.

One thing to look forward to is Garrett’s adjustments. Garrett has been the master of second half adjustments with the offense. He’s seen what the Bears are doing, and will come out attacking. Let’s go Cowboys!

Its as simple as that. Its a proven fact that Rex Grossman chokes under the big lights. I’m sure he’s doubting himself going into week three, he’s probably telling himself: “The Cowboys are for real, I don’t know, I hope I can win the game” or “What if I start throwing dumb interceptions, will my defense pick up the slack?

If the Cowboys rattle Grossman, we will win the game. Unfortunately, that’s the big question, “IF”. So far the Cowboys have been lack luster in getting any significant pressure on the QB. Fans are asking why Ware does not have any sacks in this aggressive Phillips34. I will give you three names: Spears, Canty, and Ellis. None of these guys are on the field playing. We know why Ellis is not on the field, but the other two guys, Canty and Spears are not getting it done. Canty is playing like the 4th rounder we picked him as. The whole “we got a steal” is out the window, he’s not a steal. News gets worse when you talk about Spears. Spears is a half season away from being a full-fledged bust, ok. No help, no sacks. Get behind the “Start Hatcher Now” campaign, and let your voices be heard!As for Ellis, he helped collapse the pocket, and Ware was a benefactor of this pressure. With Ellis out, Ware is getting dominated with double teams, and he’s not getting there.

If the pressure is just average as it has been the last two weeks, Rex will have a lot better chance at pulling out the win. The Cowboys have shown some resilience in the second halfs from the last two weeks, but, this week against the Bears, everyone better bring their “A” game.

These are just my first thoughts on the upcoming mega matchup. I’ll look closer into the game as we get closer to Sunday Night. In the meantime, Go Cowboys!

Another solid game from the offense. The similarities between this offensive squads of the ’90s is eeriely similar. Under Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys took a good half to get going, and these Cowboys are the same. Garrett has been surgical with his play selection and Romo has been pinpoint accurate; and, the combination of the two will be deadly effective against our opponents. If anyone has any questions about Romo’s mental strength after that fumble in Seatlle, you can put that to bed. Romo is back, and better than ever. The defense looked average in the first half, but picked it up in the second half. Each unit was feeding off each other today. Players were pumped and it showed on the field. The Cowboys whipped up the Dolphins 37-20.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Tony Romo had another solid game, and continues to be a playmaker at the QB position. Jerry, give Romo the combination to the vault and pay this guy! Man he’s the real deal. Amazing pocket presence, all-pro vision, and a great field general. These upper echelon QBs are hard to find, and Romo is undeniably in the upper tier

MBf’ingIII is a boss. Yes, we use a two back system, but each game we play, Barber is clearly setting the bar high, and Jones is not the same caliber. We need both, neither is a clear everydown back, and that’s not a knock on Barber, but Barber is clearly the man in charge, just a better back.

Jason Witten is money all day long. The Dolphins did an ok job defending against Witten, but as I said in the key’s to victory, Witten will get his touches and he did. Good job by Witten.

Terrell Owens is a force, and he gives defensive coordinators fits all game long. Owens is playing some solid football, and running his routes great under Garrett. Owens has been embraced, and is a fan favorite by many. Great game by Owens.

The Secondary in the second half played good enough for me to get a mention. Hamlin redeemed himself from last weeks stupidity, and Reeves did a little better, still getting burned from time to time.

QUESTIONABLE PLAY
Patrick Crayton is going to hurt us in the return game. He’s reckless with the ball, makes poor decisions, almost fumbling the ball, and once he does get the ball, he does not tuck the ball away.

The Defense is still playing like crap, missing tackles, not getting pressure. Spears and Canty are not getting it done, the pressure is falling completely on Ware, and teams are double teaming Ware and shutting him down. I’ll say it again, GET JASON HATCHER in there!!! You are naive if you think today’s game means the defense is back, because it doesn’t. Green made some very poor passes and the DBs made easy INTS. There’s no pressure from the front seven.

GAMEBALL

Tony Romo gets the Gameball in my opinion. Can you imagine Bledsoe back there? There was several instances where Romo exhibited some amazing athleticism out there. That juke and jive on Taylor was classic. Romo is at the top of his game right now.

BOX SCORE

The Cowboys square off against the Dolphins in what should be a relatively close game despite some blowout predictions I’ve been reading on the web. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for blowouts, and its not out of the realm as a possibility; however, the Dolphins have a good defense which could keep them in the game. As you read in our Phinfever.com Q&A session, Dolphin fans are concerned about their banged up secondary and their young offensive line. This is where we’re going to hit them.

Keys to Victory

As it was last week, the Cowboys must limit dumb penalties, and limit turnovers to nil if possible. Hydration is another key in this game, because Florida’s humidity is unforgiving. I’m not too concerned about it though, Coach Jurasek is a conditioning master.

Let’s try the Fast Start and Strong Finish again. Last week, it took the Cowboys awhile to get going on both sides of the ball. We need to come out and score a TD on the first drive, and make the Dolphins go 3 and out.

Cowboys D

3rd Down defense needs to step it up. Phillips emphasized how the Cowboys would do several things to improve their 3rd down stoppages. It didn’t happen against the Giants, let’s hope Phillips has made the adjustments needed to get those numbers up.

Pressure. The Cowboys need to get after Trent Green, I want to see him running for his life, I’m talking Pamplona’s, Spain Running of the Bulls scared. Get in there and dominant that young inexperienced Dolphins offensive line. I look for us to throw in some stunts and confuse their rookie center. Ratliff should have a coming out party and teams better take notice, this guy is no joke.

Bring out the Hatchet already. Again, Spears and Canty are looking average at DE, stop wasting time and get Jason Hatcher out there. You want swarming defensive line play, you got that with Ratliff, and you will have that with Hatcher in there chasing down the QB. This player is the real deal, and its time. The Cowboys want to make defensive adjustments, and Hatcher starting should be atop that list.

Tackling must be as solid as possible. Watch out for the draw and the delayed draw, this was something the Giants had success with towards the end of the game, and the Dolphins will probably try this as well.

General Garrett

On offense, you’ll probably see more Hoyte and Fasano on the field if Flozell has problems with Jason Taylor, they will be there on assistance. The middle of the field is bread and butter for Witten; however, the Dolphins will be looking for that, but in turn, this will open up the running game and one-one matchups at WR. The Dolphins are in trouble in the secondary if they cannot rush Romo. Witten will still get his touches.

Garrett is a smart, savy, tactician, and you’ll see a whole new set of offensive calls. No more of the predictable play calls from yesteryear. Expect Owens to decimate the secondary with more frequency. The Cowboys just have too many real weapons for the Dolphins to cover at once; if they concentrate on covering one or two players, someone other weapon will get open and punish them.

Special Teams

I still don’t like how the special teams are performing. The Cowboy are giving up too many yards. Where is Keith Davis? This needs to improve or we need to make a changes with Bruce Read. Thompson better not be fumbling around back there, and can Crayton PLEASE-PLEASE tuck in that ball on punt returns, that guy scares me in the return game.

Ted Ginn, Jr. could have a solid return game like Jacoby Jones did in the preseason. Everyone on special teams better play like an allstar.

Cowboys @ Dolphins
Dolphins Stadium - Grass
FOX 3:05 PM CST
Analysts: Kenny Albert, Moose Johnston, and Goose
NFL.com Gamecenter

The Rest of the NFC East:
Packers @ Giants 12:00PM CST FOX
Redskins @ Eagles 7:00PM CST ESPN

Browns Watch:
Bengals @ Browns 12:00PM CST CBS

Join us for LIVE GAMEDAY discussion on the message boards!

Madden Simulation: Cowboys 31 Dolphins 24
My Prediction: Cowboys 30 Dolphins 20