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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

I’m going to break down who has the stronger starting rosters in this upcoming game. The player in bold is the better player, and bold italics means even, at their respective positions.

OFFENSE 

QB: Romo vs. Manning

RB: Jones & Barber vs. Jacobs & Droughns

WR: Owens vs. Burress

WR(2): Glenn vs. Toomer

WR(3): Crayton vs. Smith

TE: Witten vs. Shockey

FB: Hoyte vs. Douglas

LT: Adams vs. Diehl

LG: Kosier vs. Seubert

C: Gurode vs. O’Hara

RG: Davis vs. Snee

RT: Colombo vs. McKenzie

DEFENSE

DE: Spears vs. Strahan

DE: Canty vs. Umenyiora

NT: Ferguson vs. Cofield/Robbins/Joseph

LB: Ware vs. Kiwanuka

LB: James vs. Pierce

LB: Ayodele vs. Blackburn

LB: Spencer vs. Mitchell

CB: Newman vs. McQuarters

CB: Henry vs. Madison

FS: Hamlin vs. Wilson

SS: Williams vs. Butler

K: Folk vs. Tynes

P: McBriar vs. Feagles

KR: Thompson & Austin vs. Moss & McQuarters

PR: Crayton vs. McQuarters

On offense, we clearly have the better offensive line, and our WR/TEs are superior to the Giants as well

On defense, the Giants clearly have the better DEs, Ferguson is the better player at the NT/DT spot, After DeMarcus Ware, the LBs corps of the Cowboys and Giants are close, I think we split at CB; however, we clearly have the better safties. I think our kick returners are better, but we’re even at punt return.

Field position is key in this game, and actually an area of concern for me. Our special teams coverage has looked worse this preseason than in previous seasons. I’m not sold on Bruce Read as our ST coach. He put together some solid units at the collegiate level, so hopefully this will get fixed for us. Game 1 will reveal alot.

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.

The preseason is half over, and injuries around the league are piling up at an exponential rate. The Cowboys got a few scares in our last game, but nothing too major. Here’s the latest injury reports (DMN):

Look for cornerback Quincy Butler and defensive end Jason Hatcher to return to practice this week. Coach Wade Phillips said there is nothing new on Greg Ellis’ return.

Tight end Anthony Fasano sounded more optimistic about his shoulder injury than Phillips did. Fasano said he expects to practice Tuesday but Phillips was awaiting word from the trainers.

Fasano has been bothered by this injury since last year. He re-injured it earlier in the off-season and had the shoulder driven into the turf in the second quarter vs. Denver. Not sounding too alarmed, Fasano said if it was a regular season game he would have returned.

Running back Jackie Battle is sporting a boot on his left ankle. He’s picked the wrong time to get hurt.

I expect Jason Hatcher to be fully involved once he returns to the field. In my opinion he posseses a better pash rush than Spears, but to Spears’ credit he appears to be a different player this year. So, in the end, Spears and Hatcher should both have solid numbers, and you can’t ask for a better situation than that. Jackie Battle could be out of the 53-man roster now, I doubt he makes it now. There was a chance he may have. But as I wrote in a previous post, Stanback was the key for Battle. Stanback is playing now, making plays, and looking the part in practice. In addition to Stanback looking good, he may have leap frogged Miles Austin who had a horrible game against the Broncos. So, with that being said, depending on Battle’s health outlook, he could be looking at the practice squad, which may not be a bad thing for him with his injury, we could carry him there, rehab him, and have him ready for 2008 for sure, when the RB makeup could be revamped again. We’ll see.

Miles Austin could have single handedly dropped himself out of a spot. Austin should be able to make the first cuts on the 28th, but he better make some plays at WR and not depend on his special teams skills. Tyson Thompson has re-emerged as the featured return man, so Austin is in trouble there too.

Wide Receivers that make the team are: Owens, Glenn, Crayton, Hurd, Stanback

Austin is on the bubble now, and may not make it.

Joey Thomas is playing well, and has flown past Nate Jones in the CB position battles.

Cornerbacks that make the team are: Newman, Henry, Glenn, Reeves, Thomas

Jones and Ball are climbing an uphill battle at this point

Safeties that make the team are: Williams, Hamlin, Watkins, Davis, Brown

Brown makes the team, because of his diversity, he’s been playing at safety, but can also play at CB

The Fullback position is still somewhat clouded, it appears Hoyte is the man, but I think rookie Deon Anderson may be earning his stripes on special teams, he’s laying the wood on people everytime, and that’s the type of player you want on the field come gameday.

Dude, are we getting Ayodele?

There could be some hope at the NT position, it looks like Remi Ayodele could be distancing himself from the rest of the backups, and now has a shot at making the team. The others are pretty much out. By game three, the rosters are beginning to mold into that 53-man version we’ll see for 16 games. Ayodele played a lot of snaps after Ferguson sat down for the night. That’s promising.

The Ellis watch

Supposedly Ellis was “very close” to practicing. Who knows what is going to happen here at this point. His future remains clouded, and with that, so are the linebacker rosters. If Ellis is unable to return soon, or can’t continue on, we have some questions. I know Junior Glymph makes the team as a backup, and next would probably be Alex Obomese as a potential backup to Spencer.

Basically, I’m not equating Ellis into the starting 53-man roster. Obviously, if the Cowboys keep him on, he won’t start, this is a for sure thing. Ellis has an injury that takes over a year to fully heal, and he’s not ready. He stated he still has pain that won’t go away, so that’s a red flag. Obomese is making plays, but would he be able to play a few snaps to spell Spencer in relief? This next game is big for the backup LBs.

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