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Right now we’re 8-1 and taking names, but how good could we really be if we didn’t have so many penalties this year, straight up. The Cowboys could be blowing people up if it weren’t for the consistent barrage of penalties we incur each and every game. The high scoring offense has been able to offset the ridiculous penalties, but the odds only increase that this will hurt the Cowboys at the worse possible time - the playoffs.

Kevin Burnett idiotic penalty just about sunk the team, but our resilience overcame it in the 2nd half. Consequently, the League fined Burnett $5000 for his taunting foul. Coach Phillips has made it his personal challenge to the players to give him their word that the dumb penalties will cease.

“I want their word that they’re going to try to do the right thing,” Phillips said rather candidly after Thursday’s practice, with his team preparing in earnest for Sunday’s game against Washington. “That’s my feelings on it. It may be silly, but I was serious about it and I feel like I need something that they need to respond to. And everybody saw that it cost us points.”

Phillips then commented on the Burnett penalty specifically by saying:

“As far as the taunting (on Burnett), one of our receivers was walking across the field about 15 yards and their guy was right in his face and it wasn’t called taunting,” Phillips said. “We did it, but there were players on the other team that I thought could have gotten penalties. I don’t think we were the only ones doing it. Both teams were emotional.”

I’m sure we’ve all seen the same thing every game, these officials are targeting the Cowboys for whatever reason, its blatant and very obvious. I would agree with Coach Phillips with his assessment of last week’s game, but its not just last week, we’re getting penalized every game for very nit picky crap, and its just out of hand.

Redskins Next

Looks like cheap shot Sean Taylor will miss the game, and the Cowboys will have their way with the middle of the field. This means Witten, Owens, Crayton, Fasano and anyone else willing to go in the middle will have some ease at doing whatever they want. Either way they cut it, the only way to beat the Cowboys right now is to have a better offense, a high scoring offense, and the Redskins do not have this. We’re going to kick their ass.

In an effort to add depth to the nose tackle position, the Cowboys claimed Remi Ayodele from waivers.

From DMN: The Cowboys have signed nose tackle Remi Ayodele to their 53-man roster Tuesday and placed Jason Ferguson on injured reserve.

Ferguson suffered a torn right biceps in Sunday’s season opener vs. the New York Giants and will have surgery on Friday. Ayodele, the younger brother of linebacker Akin, was among the Cowboys’ final cuts coming out of training camp.

The Cowboys hoped to put him on the practice squad, but he was claimed by Atlanta. The Falcons released Ayodele over the weekend, giving the Cowboys a chance to re-sign Ayodele.

Ayodele, 6-2, 300, spent the spring playing in NFL Europa. He spent part of last year on the Cowboys’ practice squad before he was released.

If the Cowboys wanted to add another veteran presence at WR with Reche Caldwell its too late, the loser Redskins snatched him up and will now Redskinize (destroy his career) him.

You can cross Terry Glenn off the Giants game, he’s developed a new injury, his knee. Great. Just Great. No reason to get too uproared; however, this is very disappointing and basically takes out the speedy deep threat Glenn brings to the table.

IRVING, Texas - Three days before their regular-season opener, the Cowboys learned wide receiver Terry Glenn’s problematic right knee likely will force him to miss two weeks and possibly more, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said late Thursday afternoon.

Glenn missed all of preseason after having arthroscopic knee surgery Aug. 1 to remove a tiny cyst from the back of his right kneecap. The 33-year-old receiver returned to practice Wednesday but sat out Thursday because of what Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips described as swelling in his knee.

Without Glenn, the Cowboys would have to rely even more on Terrell Owens, fourth-year veteran Patrick Crayton and second-year veterans Sam Hurd and Miles Austin. Crayton started three preseason games in Glenn’s place, with Hurd entering the lineup in three-receiver sets.

The Cowboys also have rookie Isaiah Stanback, but the fourth-round pick is more of a developmental player making the transition from college quarterback. (DC.com)

I expect to see Hurd and Romo connect on some key drives, these two have chemistry, Crayton will also supply some support in the slot.

Now, in regards to our All-Injury Prone Team:

1. Kevin Burnett

2. Marcus Spears

3. Terry Glenn

4. Anthony Henry

Its a miracle if any of these four players go through the year without missing a game or two due to injury. Kevin Burnett leads the way at #1, he’s been injured year round since his rookie year (not much of an exaggeration). Marcus Spears comes in 2nd; however, to his credit, this has been the 1st training camp/preseason in which he was not out due to injury.Terry Glenn is in at #3, he’s always been bugged injuries, and there’s the famed “she” quote from Parcells, when they were in New England, and Anthony Henry rounds out the list, Henry has been known to have the injury bug since he’s been in Dallas.

UPDATE: GLENN OUT FOR 2007 SEASON!!!!!!

IRVING, Texas - Three days before their regular-season opener, the Cowboys learned wide receiver Terry Glenn’s problematic right knee will force him to miss the entire 2007 season, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones said late Thursday afternoon.

Jones said Glenn’s knee injury is similar to that of former Cowboys center Al Johnson, who missed his entire rookie season in 2003 following microfracture surgery.

“You hate to see this with one of your top players and we need all of those we can beyond the field,” Jones said. “”It’s a real blow for Terry and for us.”

WOW, we are really taking a beating with injuries. I think this ends Glenn career, we’ll be moving in a new direction. Microfracture surgery has ended the careers of several young players in the past, and at 33, it’ll be a huge uphill battle. My best wishes, Glenn is a weapon, and could be a huge blow. When GLenn missed games we lost games…
UPDATE 2: The above has been removed from dc.com, and the previous quote at the top is now the headliner, so here we go…Expect Wade to be evasive on the Glenn injury as he has been with the Ellis injury. I’m going to watch the game tonight, will check back and see if this mess gets figured out.

Cowboys Nation has hit its first crossroad before the season even starts. In fact, I would say 50% are unsure if we can win against the Giants with the roster we have right now. The main concern is CB and LB.

Some fans cannot believe Glenn is gone? and I ask why? Neither Glenn nor Reeves or any of the other backups have quality skills to be a #2CB in relief. Now we’re in trouble. Some people say “don’t panic”…get real. Its time to worry. And if you think we can fill some of our inadequacies from the waiver wire you’re dreaming. I’ve looked, and there’s nothing out there. Even if there was someone out there, you’re taking someone that another team had all offseason and in the end did not like for whatever reason.

No, the waiver wire is not the way to go. Unfortunately, the only way to get some help is via trade. There’s rumors swirling that Marcus Spears is on the trading block, but nothing has manifested yet.

Linebacker is also paper thin. You can’t count on Burnett, he’s injured all the time, its becoming detrimental to the team. Ellis is the great unknown, who knows anything about Ellis, anything solid on this guy? No one seems to know anything about his status. Spencer is slated to start, and Carpenter will probably relieve the MLB and OLB on opening day, and special teams…Superman or what? What the heck is going on here??

No one is going to be happy about the roster right now, but either way you slice it, if we would have kept “this guy” over “that guy” is irrelevant. We simply don’t have quality, championship depth. When you make cuts on a quality roster, it should be easy to see who you are keeping. We shouldn’t have to be sacrificing one position for another, and that’s the situation in Dallas right now. You need depth if you want to make it down the stretch. The best teams out there have quality depth at various positions.

I wasn’t surprised by the first round of cuts today; however, I hope Jackie Battle can return via the practice squad, assuming he can recover from the ankle injury. After watching training camp and the first three preseason games, the 53-man roster is becoming clearer. Here’s my latest roster projections:

QB (2): Tony Romo, Brad Johnson
RB (3): Julius Jones, Marion Barber 3, Tyson Thompson

FB (2): Oliver Hoyte, Deon Anderson

WR (6): Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Isaiah Stanback, Miles Austin

TE (3): Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Tony Curtis

OL (9): Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo, Pat McQuistan, James Marten, Doug Free, Cory Procter

Offense (25)

DL (4): Jason Hatcher, Jay Ratliff, Chris Canty, Marcus Spears

NT (2): Jason Ferguson, Remi Ayodele

LB (8): DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Akin Ayodele, Greg Ellis, Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Spencer, Kevin Burnett, Junior Glymph

CB (6): Terence Newman, Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, Jacques Reeves, Joey Thomas, Quincy Butler
FS (3): Ken Hamlin, Patrick Watkins, Courtney Brown

SS (2): Roy Williams, Keith Davis

ST (3): Nick Folk, Mat McBriar, L.P. Ladouceur

Defense (28)

With injuries and quality depth issues, I see the Cowboys carrying just (2) QBs again this season. Matt Moore has show his ability, and should be able to run the scout team on the practice squad, he’ll continue to work with Garrett, and that will only make him a better prospect for 2008. Deon Anderson makes the team with his big hits, blocking and special teams play. Miles Austin makes the team as a return specialist, but would not be surprised if he does not make the Sept. 1st cuts. Tony Curtis has come a long way, he’s had a strong camp and solid preseason, so he’s probably in. No big surprises on the Offensive Line. Junior Glymph continues to play well and has drawn praise from Phillips several times, so he’ll be solid in rotation. Cornerbacks is where we could see some surprises. Right now I have Aaron Glenn at #3, but he hasn’t really separated himself from the other backups at all, so he’s on the bubble with the rest of the guys. If we can mount a trade to add someone solid at cornerback, this will give us some relief. The cornerbacks are not getting any props from the staff at this point, and its a concern as we draw closer to the game opener against the Giants. Courtney Brown makes the team with his good play, and his versatility as a safety and cornerback experience.

Can Kevin Burnett go one season without an injury. There were rumors the Cowboys would be looking at moving a LB for a CB, and I’m hoping this comes true. Please take the injury prone Burnett off our hands and get us a capable cornerback. The latest news from Cowboys camp is not good, Newman has a tear in his heel, and says the injury will bother him all year. Not good, not good at all! In addition to that, we have Burnett being injured again, and will require surgery. Ellis will not be ready, and could go on PUP for 6 weeks, and in all honesty, Spencer and Carpenter have just been average at OLB. I’m not hitting the panic button yet, but it’s looming.
DMN on Burnett:

LB Kevin Burnett said Saturday night that he didn’t think his ankle injury was serious, but X-rays showed bone chips. He’ll have an operation tomorrow, and the plan is for him to be ready to go against the Giants.

Other injury news:

OLB Greg Ellis, who has been day-to-day for a month, is visiting Dr. James Andrews in Alabama to get a second opinion. “We think he’s pretty close [to playing],” Wade Phillips said. “We’d like to get a second opinion for both parties, so he’ll be comfortable.”

K Martin Gramatica has a slight pull in his right hamstring. Phillips wasn’t sure whether Gramatica would kick against the Vikings.

LT Doug Free and WR Terry Glenn, both recovering from knee injuries, are both expected to practice Saturday.

Phillips said he thought Terence Newman will “be fine.” By that, I assume Phillips meant Newman wouldn’t miss any regular season action.

Gramatica is all but assured to be cut here soon, the kicking battle was close upto about two weeks ago, and then this last weekend, Gramatica missed a chipshot. Its’ Folk time.

And on Newman’s latest injury news:

CB Terence Newman said he doesn’t have plantar fasciitis after all. He has a tear in his plantar fascia near his right heel.

“I think it’s something that’s probably going to be bothering me for the whole year,” Newman said. “At the same time, there’s ways that we can deal with it that will limit the pain that I have. Right now, the problem that I have is I can’t plant on it. There’s no way that I can plant on my foot.

“We can do things that can help me out during a game – maybe freeze it a little bit, I don’t know. It would have been better if I completely tore the whole thing, I think, than just to tear half of it.

Newman said the Cowboys’ trainers have told him this is an extremely rare injury. Doctors they discussed it with could only think of two cases they’d seen. That makes it very tough to predict a timeframe for his recovery.

“I’m going to try to be ready for the opener,” he said. “That’s the target date. I don’t think I’m going to miss the opener, one way or the other. If I’m ready, I’m playing. If I’m not ready, I’m playing.”

Newman sounds optimistic enough, unfortunately, I don’t share this optimism. Sure, he says he can play, but how effective would he be, we won’t know until the time arrives. If anything, a Newman at 75% is still better than our backup CBs, that looked like crap against the Texans. Newman’s heel could be our Achilles heel this year, and just all the more the reason for us to get a solid #2CB, and reload the backup CBs, we are paper thin.

The game is over, and the first things that stand out are the defense. The defense showed a few different things tonight, and they stepped it up again with a strong showing on 3rd down defense. These guys are playing with a mission, more intensity, swarming to the ball. We’re seeing a whole other level of defense out there now.

Jason Garrett has this offense firing on all cylinders; moreover, he keeps the offensive scheme fresh and dynamic. Gone are the predictable, boring offensive gameplans. The gameplan was executed to near perfection by both sides of the ball. Offensively, the team was well balanced with 190 yards rushing and 178 yards passing. The Cowboys also took over with time of posession with 35:03.

Who stood out tonight:

The running backs, every single one was on point tonight. Julius has the quick burst and had pretty good runs in his somewhat limited appearance. Barber has the brutal runs. Barber’s style really pumps you up, and makes you want the season to start right now, very hard running with 2 TDs and Thompson with this superior speed. Thompson was solid in the return game and in rushing. Thompson has officially locked up his roster spot.

Jacques Reeves was a monster tonight on special teams, and he made some solid plays in defensive coverage. Reeves is the #4 CB without a doubt in my mind. Which leads me to the next stand out.

Joey Thomas had a very strong showing for the most part. Solid pass defense most of the night, made some stops on deep passes, pass deflection in the endzone. Thomas had a solid night, and has just about locked up that #5 CB

Bobby Carpenter was all over the field, and his roster spot is dynamic because he may not be the starting ILB, but he can play all LB positions, and Phillips had Carpenter all over the field at LB and on DE in the nickel, impressive, he’s really coming on now. All that junk about questioning his status because of a slow camp were way overdone and uncalled for. I knew when Carpenter got in front of the opposition we would see that fire he had at the end of the season when he got playing time.

Anthony Spencer was harassing the QB, and is also coming right along. He looks like he’s definitely going to be the opening day starter, and might not ever look back.

Isaiah Stanback, I’ve been riding the draft pick since the draft, and he finally makes his gameday debut, and what a debut he had. He gives me some hope. And as Phillips alluded to, he was not brought in as a punt returner, so it would appear he meant it. Stanback played WR, made some nice catches, and made a TD. Don’t get the anointing oil yet either, he has a long way to go still

Who was OFF tonight?

Miles Austin had a horrible night, just when you thought Austin was up there at the WR spot, tonight’s performance makes you say, “uh oh” He missed routes, didn’t go hard enough for the passes Romo threw him, disappointing game. Sam Hurd didn’t have as bad a night, but he did have a fumble, but made up for it later and solid in special teams.

Nate Jones is fighting to get past the first round of cuts at this point. He hasn’t had a solid camp, and the preseason has not helped; moreover, he gave up a big TD tonight. Just bad play tonight

Adam Bergen didn’t have the best night, he had two dumb penalties, a third of tonight’s penalties. Right now I think Curtis has the upper hand on Bergen.

The Kicking Battle:

I called it earlier in the week by projecting Nick Folk the winner in this fierce position battle at PK. Folk clutched out a 52 yard FG, straight and true. He continues to boom the kick, and brings stability for years to come. Conversely, Martin Gramatica, did well on kick offs, but he missed a 51 yard FG, and with the battle so close, each clutch FG counts.

Injuries:

Jay Ratliff had his head knocked around, should be ok

Jackie Battle had an ankle injury and taken in for x-rays, but the x-rays came back negative. His availability for the rest of the week is in question.

Anthony Fasano was in street clothes in the 2nd half, right now its being said that he has a right shoulder injury, not sure the severity as this time

BOX SCORE

MVP of the 2nd half has to be CB Joey Thomas. Thomas furthered his climb up the ladder, and looks to be the #5 CB. The defense stayed solid with the #2s and other backups. Tyson Thompson is solid. Austin stunk it up again in the 2nd half, not sure what happened to him tonight. On the other hand, Stanback got on the field and performed Stanback made a TD.

Here are my notes from the 2nd half:

3rd Quarter
game begins with delay of game on kickoff, 5yrd penalty
Watkins, Jay Ratliff, Bowen, Glymph, Reeves, Ayodele, Carpenter at ILB, by Burnett, Spencer still in. Joey Thomas comes in as well
Patrick Ramsey is in at QB for DEN
Carpenter at LB, and DE on another play.
Ayodele getting a good look tonight, could he be separating himself from the rest of the guys?
Jeremy Urban is at PR now
Brad Johnson is the QB
Miles Austin still in there, messes up yet again…just a horrible game
Carpenter back at DE, Glymph on DE in Nickle Defense
Joey Thomas knock away deep pass, good play
Offense takes over, Stanback is in at WR!
Tyson Thompson is in at RB, nothing doing. punt.
Nate Jones gave up a big TD, no good…
(24-13)End 3rd Quarter

4th Quarter
Cowboys have first possession to start the 4th qtr
Tyson Thompson 22 yard rumble
Isaiah Stanback catches his first pass in the middle for 15yards
Thompson now has 70yards rushing
Jackie Battle got rolled up on, comes off the field, Alonzo Coleman come is to replace him
Stanback in the endzone for a TD! ah yeah! thank you.
Folk gets the XPT
(31-13)
Joey Thomas continues to make plays
Jackie Battle taken in for Xrays on his ankle, not sounding good
Courtney Brown and Elam are in at safety
Carpenter playing hard, sideline-2-sideline, looking good
Joey Thomas breaks up pass in endzone
Ramsey pass TD to Quincy Morgan, booooooooo
(31-20)
Stanback and Urban at KR
Matt Moore comes out at QB
Balanced attack: 173 rushing 178 passing so far.
Tyson Thompson is still in the game
Jackie Battle xrays came back negative, very good.
Fasano in street clothes, right shoulder injury
Joey Thomas deflects the ball, Carpenter gets the INT
Matt Moore still in at QB
Coleman in at RB
TE Bergen gets his 2nd penalty
Game over 31-20 

The defense is going to be stout this year. The defense was able to man handle that Bronco offensive line, which are usually the guys delving out the punishment, not tonight! Swarming tackles are back in Big D. Miles Austin had a horrible 1st half. A lot of errors from the young WRs. Nick Folk connects on a 52yrd FG, Gramatica misses from 51yrds out.

Here are my notes from the 1st half:

1st Quarter:

Gramatica: Missed 51yd FG
Marion Barber run for a TD
Cowboys Forced Fumble on Den 7yrd line
Julius Jones physical run up the middle for a TD
(14-0)

2nd Quarter:

Marten & McQuistan are in
TO, Witten are done
Flo & Marc are done
Romo is still in
Fasano came off the field, possible shoulder injury…
Romo missed Austin, and threw INT, could have been Austin miss route, not good. DEN takes over on DAL 37.
Dime defense, Roy Williams at LB
Denver make a 34yrd FG
(14-3)
Tony Curtis is still in
Eb Ekuban out with strained achilles(DEN)
Miles Austin ran another miss route, Romo missed him
Romo converts big 3rd down, with 27yard pass to Crayton
From the 5 yrd line, Marion Barber TD
(21-3)
Jacques Reeves making special team plays, solidified that #4CB spot.
Swarming tackling all game long, very impressive.
Remi Ayodele, has been playing 2nd qtr in place of Ferg.
3rd down defense has been good
Crayton fumbled punt, but recovered, no good…
Very next possesion, Hurd fumbles, DEN takes over, no good…
WRs making Romo look bad, missing routes, fumbling around
Cowboys D stop the Denver offense near the goaline, Spencer got the pressure to flush the play down
DEN FG
(21-6)
Tyson Thompson, doing great in kick returns, #3 RB for sure.
Austin drops catchable pass, Austin is pulled, horrible night for Austin!
Nick Folk comes in for 52 FG, straight and true, FG is good. Folk inches past Gramatica in the kicker battle
(24-6) End Half

After seeing the Cowboys live in training camp, and watching them in their first preseason game against the Colts, I’ll take an early look at who is likely to make the 53-man roster.

September 1st, is when all NFL rosters must be trimmed down to the mandated 53-man roster size. First wave of cuts will be on August 28th. Now, let’s take a look at who’s in and who’s out.

OFFENSE (26)

QBs (3)
Tony Romo
Brad Johnson
Matt Moore

RBs (4)
Julius Jones
Marion Barber III
Tyson Thompson
Jackie Battle

FBs (1)

Oliver Hoyte

WRs (6)
Terrell Owens
Terry Glenn
Patrick Crayton
Sam Hurd
Miles Austin
Isaiah Stanback

TEs (3)
Jason Witten
Anthony Fasano
Tony Curtis

OL (9)
Flozell Adams
Kyle Kosier
Andre Gurode
Leonard Davis
Marco Colombo
Pat McQuistan
Doug Free
Cory Procter
James Marten

DEFENSE (24)

DL (5)
Jason Ferguson
Chris Canty
Jason Hatcher
Marcus Spears
Jay Ratliff

LBs (8)
DeMarcus Ware
Akin Ayodele
Bradie James
Anthony Spencer
Greg Ellis
Bobby Carpenter
Kevin Burnett
Junior Glymph

S (5)
Roy Williams
Ken Hamlin
Keith Davis
Patrick Watkins
Courtney Brown

CB (6)
Terence Newman
Anthony Henry
Aaron Glenn
Jacques Reeves
Joey Thomas
Nate Jones

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
PK (1)
Nick Folk

P (1)
Matt McBriar

LS (1)
L.P. LaDouceur

ON THE CUSP
Matt Moore, Jackie Battle, Deon Anderson, Tony Curtis, Courtney Brown

These players could make the team, some are close to making the team, and if they continue to play well, it’ll be hard to keep them off the team; moreover, it’ll be harder to keep them on the practice squad (Curtis has would not qualify for the practice squad)

Moore looks good, really good so far. This guy could be the future backup. Battle is in the same position. I love what Battle has been doing for the team, he’s quick and he runs really hard. Anderson’s value looks to be in special teams, being late to practice did not help his cause. Brown is in the same boat as the rest. Drafted as a CB, he’s been moved to FS, his versatility mirrors Reeves, but not at his level yet.

ON THE BUBBLE
Nate Jones, Isaiah Stanback

These particular players could make the team, but its going to be very close. Right now Joey Thomas is looking to unseed one of the DBs and its looking like Jones could be the odd man out. Stanback has not practiced, hasn’t done anything for the team, its really hard to keep someone on the team without seeing anything from them. Stanback could be heading to IR. Even if he returns, its hard to imagine he would be better than the players that already have experience in the return game. I’m doubting this pick right now. 4th rounder, probably could have gotten him late round or as undrafted rookie. His injury must of turned off alot of teams, and no one was going to draft him as a QB, and who else would have wanted to convert him to a return specialist?