Dallas Cowboys Off Season Debate Thread III

[eagle eye]

To start off this third edition of this thread is some non-football Cowboys news. C Phil Costa is now engaged to Hulk Hogan's daughter Brooke. Brooke Hogan is pretty hot and how she met Costa is a bit of a mystery but she says, "I'm marrying my best friend!". Could there be a pro wrestling future awaiting Costa? If he doesn't make the Cowboys is he going to be a wrestler?

[eagle eye]

Okay, now I'm pissed. In an article on NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling wrote a piece that was headlined "Dez Bryant had the worst background ex-scout has even seen". The thrust of the story was the crap shoot NFL teams face when drafting prospective players but it was a rehash of Bryant's life story in relation the murder charge Aaron Hernandez is facing. It's a BS article that throws Dez under the bus big time. The writer took what I believe is an out-of-context quote from former Dallas scout and current DallasCowboys.com analyst Bryan Broaddus in which Broaddus reportedly said Bryant had the worst background he'd ever seen. The fact is that's true from a family background perspective but if you have ever read about how Dez more or less willed his way through school in order to obtain a football scholarship and the fact Dez has NEVER been involved in drug, gang, or violent behavior he seems to be what he is--a good person who is learning what it means to be an adult. I know you could throw the domestic violence charge into the hat but I am firmly convinced he and his mother argued about something and she went off on him. Her bruises were on her arms in a place where Dez would be trying hold her at bay to keep her from hitting him. Dez is a child in a man's body who is walking the straight and narrow with the help of the Cowboys player support group led by Calvin Hill. Now, Dez is firing back at Wesseling's article because he's upset at being compared to Hernandez and having his past drug through the mud again. Boomer, who gets updates on his phone from the Bleacher Report, saw an article that said Dez very upset at Wesserling and others in the media who are comparing him to Hernandez. I don't blame him one bit. Whether you like or hate Dallas or Dez you have to see this is just a ploy to create a headline at the Cowboys, and Dez Bryant's, expense. This isn't journalism, it's total crap.

[eagle eye]

Several notes for Valley Ranch:

DC.com's Bryan Broaddus is predicting that WR Miles Austin will have a big year in 2013. He said that in the OTA's and mini camp Austin had a detectable spring in his step. He's been flying under the radar and that's how they say he likes it. He played in all 16 games in 2012 although he struggled with hamstring issues all season. He is certainly due since he has yet to live up to the breakout season of 2009. I do like Austin. He runs good routes, catches the ball with his hands and he is very good at protecting the ball during runs after the catch. He should have ample opportunity with defenses keying on Dez Bryant.

In a related article DC.com began a position-by-position analysis of the team that began with wide receivers on Monday. Here are the analysis of the WR's and RB's from the Cowboys web site:
WR's - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Position-Series-After-Dez-Plenty-of-Questions-at-WR/806e8800-079b-4f20-a91d-a57be841f158
RB's - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Position-Series-Focus-Point-Centers-On-Murrays-Health/788893ec-1abc-4b8c-8994-c513b23f2c84

[eagle eye]

Continuing the position by position break down of the Cowboys roster with a look at quarterbacks and tight ends.

QB breakdown - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Position-Series-Great-Expectations-Still-Linger-At-QB/54713892-4696-498a-8f68-256ea8e88fb2

TE breakdown - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Position-Series-Great-Expectations-Still-Linger-At-QB/54713892-4696-498a-8f68-256ea8e88fb2

NOTE: Only 16 days until training camp!

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys position series continues with a look at the beleaguered offensive line. In the last couple of year that's what the line has been, offensive. Hopefully, better days are ahead. Let's see what DallasCowboys.com has to say.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Position-Series-More-Questions-Than-Answers-On-The-Line/a28e3ed0-6f01-4cb5-85a5-e8c3f33256f8

Just think, two weeks from today will be the 2nd day of Cowboys training camp! Twelve days from today the Cowboys arrive in Oxnard, CA and in thirteen days training camp officially begins!

[eagle eye]

Good grief! The job I get paid for is interferring with my real job --- keeping up with the Cowboys! Still not much news but the DallasCowboys.com guys are cranking out their position by position series previewing the upcoming season. With the offense polished off the last post with O-line it's time to focus on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive Line - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Position-Series-Same-Pieces-But-New-Roles-On-Defensive-Line--/755d6f53-167b-43a0-98fd-1e8faa41d19a

Linebackers - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Position-Series-LB-Corps-Looks-Young-Should-Be-Hungry/95ee9161-dc98-49e1-8389-19bfd0b3f918

This weekend will be the last weekend until February there won't be football. This gives me goosebumps! The first practice of spring training for the Cowboys and Miami Dolphins begins one week from Saturday! Life is good. Sports talk shows can stop boring the crap out of me talking about Dwight Howard and Ryan Braun ad nauseum. Now I know summer is beginning to heat up!

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys will be in Oxnard, California this time next week for the kickoff party for the beginning of training camp the next day! There are a couple of notes and significant roster cut and the end of the position series evaluation of the Cowboys roster heading into training camp. So without further ado let's get started.

A mere week before the start of training camp Dallas has cut the only fullback on their roster, Lawrence Vickers. Vickers spent two rather disappointing years on the Cowboys roster and the handwriting seemed to be on the wall when Dallas drafted TE Gavin Escobar in the 2nd round of this year's draft and then signed veteran TE Dante Rosario a few weeks after the draft. Dallas is making a serious attempt to make their two TE "12" personnel package work.

Here's a take by DC.com's Bryan Broaddus who feels the lack of a fullback may actually help DeMarco Murray.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Broaddus-Cutting-FB-Won%E2%80%99t-Affect-Murray-Might-Help-Him/4f4fdae1-4bd1-4ab4-97d0-6b14d91d0d79

The conclusion to the positions series features cornerbacks, safeties and the kicking game.

CB's - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Position-Series-CB-Spot-Has-Depth-Needs-Production/25906020-7285-4524-9e0e-4baa004204ab

Safeties - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Position-Series-Safety-Spot-Has-Plenty-Of-Question-Marks-/e3c70bb0-1fbd-49e5-9392-a0b335d97f50

Kicking Game - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Position-Series-Questions-In-Kicking-Game-Can%E2%80%99t-Be-Ignored-/ecd9efd0-4a67-451d-a03a-d62369b10cf8

[eagle eye]

Here's an article from DC.com that affirms that the Cowboys are currently healthier than they have been going into training camp in several years.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Cowboys-Near-Full-Strength-As-Training-Camp-Approaches/5085bcdf-64a0-4e7a-be0e-f5d5328fac82

Roster moves made today giving the Cowboys 87 men on their 90 man roster as they prepare to head to Oxnard for training camp.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Cowboys-Release-QB-Williams-OT-Shugarts-From-90-Man-Roster/6b588841-50c6-47e3-a098-1d2e85be4f10

Here's a revealing article written about Bill Parcels whom he interviewed recently. Interesting things he said about Jerry Jones.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Parcells-Enjoyed-Time-In-Dallas-Still-Admires-Jones%E2%80%99-Passion--/716aed55-43c1-4a4a-ba0c-b616e68b07a9

An interesting look at the dynamic between Bill Parcels and Jerry Jones as written by DC.com's Bryan Broaddus.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Broaddus--Jerry-Jones-And-Parcells-Helped-Each-Other/b63eb7fb-8bd4-48b2-9c30-c8a6e532938a

ONLY 3 DAYS UNTIL TRAINING CAMP BEGINS!

[eagle eye]

As I write this post the Cowboys are likely on their way to training camp in Oxnard, California. Tonight is the kickoff party for the training camp and tomorrow the march toward the 2013 season begins. With the baseball All-Star game as a distraction, not to mention a killer home run derby I have been distracted enough not to climb the walls in anticipation. I have also had the British Open golf championship to watch but now it's all football and all Cowboys for me. Here are a couple of articles from DC.com as the organization follows Horace Greeley's advise to "go west, young men!".

Bryan Broaddus Five Thoughts Before Training Camp - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Broaddus-Five-Thoughts-Before-Departing-For-Camp/7c69afbd-b43b-404c-93da-be854979c713

Rowan Kavner on probable roster moves once the Cowboys arrive in Oxnard - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Cowboys-Expected-To-Add-Three-Players-One-Spot-Still-Open/ae29b8b3-0a2f-4582-85cd-954bc88488e1

A cool infographic by Lindsey Mears on the logistics of the Cowboys trip to Oxnard - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Infographic-All-The-Info-To-Know-About-2013-Training-Camp/dd371dbc-417e-42a4-beb1-8378a9eb48b3

Rowan Kavner's article on Jason Garrett as they leave for training camp - http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Garrett-Expresses-Excitement-For-Camp-Getting-Players-Back-/18df97c5-6707-45b2-ae1f-6ef7edbec294

I really liked the infographic article. It's just amazing what it takes to do an undertaking of this scope. What a nightmare it must be for the people who plan and carry out a trip like this. Think of the hassle it is to go away for a weekend with your family or friends. Then try to imagine a whole football team, coaching staff and all the gear for 29 days not to mention road trips to games. Unbelievable.

One sad note. Josh Brent the DL for the Cowboys who is accused of intoxicated manslaughter in the death of his friend Jerry Brown last December. Brent announced yesterday that he is retiring from football to get his life in order. To his credit, Jerry Jones has stuck with Brent making good on his promise to Jerry Brown's mother to support Brent as he copes with his legal troubles and his responsibility for his friend's death. Josh Brent showed real potential to become a good player in the NFL and the switch to the Tampa 2 defense under new DC Monte Kiffin would have benefited Brent's career tremendously. But, football is now an afterthought for Brent as he faces challenges much more profound that football. Any one of us could have gone through what Brent is facing. Admit it, there have been times you swear you don't know how you got home after partying. Have some sympathy for Brent and say a prayer or two because by the grace of God it wasn't you or me having to live with killing a good friend.

[eagle eye]

Holy crap on a cracker! Less than an hour into their first practice Dallas has lost one of their young players they were going to really count on for the entire season. DE Tyrone Crawford is done for 2013 after he popped his Achilles tendon during a drill. This really sucks for him and the Cowboys because if he performed up to, or beyond, expectations he could have replaced Anthony Spenser who is playing his second year under the franchised player tag. Now Dallas has to rethink the contract situation for Spencer and deal with the loss of a player they were counting on this year.

Jay Ratliff missed practice yesterday due to a pulled hamstring. His availability is day to day. Ratliff missed almost all of 2012 with injuries and now he's missing time already. Ratliff's age may be rearing it ugly head and if he is lost it will be a big blow to the defense.

Dallas is missing it two starting guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings due to injury. It ain't good to miss your starting guards on a unit that struggled the way it did last year. Backup Ronald Leary who was expected to make a push for one of the starting guard positions is on the active non-football injury list. Spencer was listed as limited and long snapper LP Ladouceur is on the active non-football injury list as well.

Dallas signed three players T Demetress Bell, QB Alex Tanney and TE Lavasier Tuinei. They were not at practice yesterday because they were doing the conditioning test the rest of the roster did on Saturday. Backup C/G Ryan Cook also had to do the conditioning test as well.

[eagle eye]

So my boy Boomer turned me on to a video from the web site for SI reporter Peter King. It is a video of Jason Garrett's opening meeting at training camp. According to the web site this is the first such video from any team and it's pretty amazing. It's about 35 minutes long but it's riveting if you're a Cowboys fan. The web site is Monday Morning Quarterback.com. Actually it's MMQB.com and Peter King is usually pretty good with interesting info.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/17/jason-garrett-dallas-cowboys-speech/

Notes from Cowboys camp:
> Anthony Spenser will miss all of training camp due to arthroscopic surgery on his knee. It's a relatively minor procedure to clear up a nagging issue he's had with it. It will also give a bone bruise in the same knee a chance to heal. You'd like Spencer to have the reps since this is a new system but he came from a 4-3 defense and his transition shouldn't be that tough. It will also give guys like Kyle Wilbur, Ben Bass and whoever else Dallas wants to give reps to that need them way more than Spencer. Barring complications Spencer should be ready for Week 1.

> Another hamstring issue popped up yesterday with T Jeremy Parnell pulling his and missing practice.
> Two guys who are ruining their own chances of playing for the Cowboys are S Matt Johnson who sat out most of practice yesterday due to cramping and WR Danny Coale who is experiencing swelling in his knee. Both players were rookies in 2012 but never say the field because of knee injuries and now to begin 2013 training camp both are missing practices. Johnson's absense is opening the door for 2013 draftee JJ Wilcox who has been showing up in practices and doing a good job. Coale's chances of making the Cowboys are slim to begin with but if he can't get on the field his career may be over before it gets started.
> To address their depleted defensive end position Dallas signed veteran George Selvie. Selvie has spent time with St Louis, Carolina, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay since he came into the league in 2010.
> Players who have impressed so far according Bryan Broaddus:
* Morris Claiborne
* Dez Bryant
* Doug Free
Broaddus is impressed with the battles between Dez and Claiborne. Both players are in top form and Claiborne has been impressive covering the run game as well as the passing game.

[eagle eye]

Dallas is off today so there won't be any reports of further injuries today which is a good thing. The biggest news is that Jerry made a deal to sell the naming rights to Cowboys Stadium. They are in partnership with AT&T now with the stadium now going to be known as AT&T Stadium with additional plans to create a new mobile-first experience for fans.

Players who got noticed in yesterday's practice were new DE George Selvie and he was practicing like he meant to take advantage of this latest opportunity. Another newcomer to the D-line Landon Cohen practiced hard as well. Orlando Scandrick was singled out by Bryan Broaddus of DC.com as was Tyrone Crawford to was matched up against DeMarcus Ware most of the practice.

Yesterday Jason Hatcher left the field clutching his calf. It was only a scare though as he was suffering from cramps.

[eagle eye]

Notes from Cowboys training camp on Friday:

> G Nate Livings returned to practice and DC.com writers see this as a plus giving the Cowboys 4/5's of what their projected opening day O-line in practice. This will especially beneficial to rookie center Travis Frederick.

> DE/DT Ben Bass left with a bit of a foot or ankle tweek. The injury isn't serious and shouldn't cause him to miss much, if any, practice.

> Mickey Spagnola has a great article about Dez Bryant and DeMarcus Ware in Friday's DC.com postings. In it he describes how they are both influencing practice on their side of the ball. Both are practicing and playing with an intensity and level of enthusiasm that has coaches very impressed. Here's a link:
http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Spagnola-These-2-Undeniable-Truths-Are-Quite-Evident/88c13c7d-3944-452a-97ed-612af5c3c7e0

> Will Allen is proving to be more than a safety valve in case the young safeties on the team falter. He is playing quite well and, as noted by Bryan Broaddus, will be a steadying influence and a great veteran teacher to help Barry Church develop. It looks like Allen is elbowing his way into a starting job next to Church.

> It seems running backs coach Gary Brown was involved in drafting RB Joseph Randall this off season. If not, Randall appears to have taken Jason Garrett's opening speech at training camp to heart because when he isn't on the field he isn't more than arms length away from Brown trying to learn all he can. It seems right now the top three RBs on the roster are DeMarco Murray, Randall and Lance Dunbar who is really showing up with his speed, quickness and burst. Dunbar seems to have "3rd down back" written all over him.

> Miles Austin and Jason Hatcher were on the sidelines Friday getting 'veteran's day off' at practice.

> With all the talk about the injuries to the D-line some good has come from them. First, the new players get more reps which is accelerating their development. Second, the Cowboys are learning about the strengths and weaknesses of their players. Like Kyle Wilbur is better suited to play weak side DE and Ben Bass has position flexibility to play either DE or DT and among the other things a new guy most haven't heard of, Nick Hayden a 3rd year player from Wisconsin Dallas signed this off season, has been catching the eye of the coaches.

Sunday is the Cowboys annual Blue-White scrimmage. It will be broadcast on the Cowboys Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan and can be heard on the internet. There may be a post on DC.com Monday or Tuesday with the replay with video on the Cowboys web site. Brad Sham and Mickey Spagnola will be doing the broadcast.

[eagle eye]

The only words about Miles Austin so far in training camp have been how he could be trade bait or how everyone is worried about him staying healthy for the entire year. I totally disagree with the trade Austin talk. I like Austin a lot as a receiver. He's fast and he's excellent after the catch and he takes care of the football. As far as his health, well, the non-word about that is very encouraging and hopefully continues for the rest of his career. I'm glad Austin is a Cowboy and with him AND Dez we have a nice one-two punch at WR.

Players noted in yesterday and today's practices;
> Ernie Sims with the hit of the day. Sims has been a really good pickup by the Cowboys. High marks were also given to DL Jaris Pendleton and George Selvie.
> A couple of new DL players are also doing everything they can to take advantage of the opportunity to make the team. Jerome Long, Landon Cohen and Nick Hayden.
> WR Eric Rogers, a rookie UFA from Cal Lutheran his also making strides. He seems to know how to use his 6'3" 211 lb size to his advantage.

[eagle eye]

Here is some notes from DC.com's Bryan Broaddus from last evening's Blue-White Scrimmage;

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouts-Eye-Williams-Improving-Pendleton-An-Early-Surprise-At-DT/eef0aacf-bd20-4f5b-8804-1fa1823dd025

Here's an article from David Helman of DC.com concerning rule changes to be implemented for the 2013 season. Some involve player safety and one amends the infamous "tuck rule".

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/NFL-Officials-Discuss-New-Rules-Changes-For-2013-Season/12908b33-b66b-4c40-9c54-cdf9f0d6cab5

As part of their recent alliance with AT&T the Cowboys will debut a new 360 degree view of red zone plays. Here's an article from DC.com about the new fan friendly feature. This will actually debut in the season opener with Giants and will only be available at the beginning at Cowboys Stadium.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/NBC-Sports-Partners-With-Cowboys-For-New-Red-Zone-View/a9a4c7b9-0128-4b48-bc75-426325f945f0

From Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine come ten thoughts from staff writer Jeff Sullivan from last night scrimmage.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-JeffSullivan/STAR-Ten-Random-Thoughts-On-Sundays-Blue-White-Scrimmage/0093f92f-caf3-4b15-adbe-e0bd1a72026f

[eagle eye]

Notes from Monday's practice from DC.com. The good thing is the good work Miles Austin is getting and he was a player of note in the camp notes. The thing that makes this encouraging is his is staying healthy. This is good news for Cowboys and Miles Austin fans. Let's hope he continues to stay healthy.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Mon-Practice-Report-Criticism-Not-A-Problem-For-Rookie-WR/2ce81008-e0cd-49e0-9279-baf23449e404

Every day since he was signed DE George Selvie has had positive write ups in Cowboys practices. It could be that Dallas has stumbled on a diamond in the rough and they have a veteran guy who is taking full advantage of this opportunity. Some players are late bloomers and for this 2008 draftee he has finally become an NFL caliber player.

[eagle eye]

It appears that Tony Romo will only see very limited action in Sunday's Hall of Fame game. He has been quoted saying he would like to play in Sunday's game but he defers to the coaching staff about his playing time. It's quite possible that Romo won't play a snap but if he does it likely won't be more than a series. No big deal and if he doesn't play I believe it's because the O-line is just now coming together and the Cowboys want to protect Romo while the O-line begins to gel.

Here's a recap of practice yesterday from DC.com. It noteworthy because WR Cole Beasley returned to practice after resting a strained quad muscle. 2nd year WR Danny Coale is still missing time with swelling in his knee. In yesterday's recap he thought he'd be back in practice yesterday but he obviously had a setback. His injury keeping him out of practice as other guys are stepping up to make sure he never sees the field. It's too bad because Dallas had such high expectations for Coale.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Tues-Practice-Report-Randle-Punches-It-In-From-The-Goal-Line/86450abc-e45a-46f2-9915-252f8327fbcf

Speaking of WR's who are getting noticed Jared Green is really making an impression so far in training camp. An interesting note in Green's dad is Hall of Fame cornerback from the Washington Redskins Darrell Green. Here's an article from DC.com featuring Jared Green.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Local-Standout-Rogers-Turning-Heads-In-WR-Depth-Chart-Battle/eda2fcc6-31ae-480e-93ea-00275acf7958

[eagle eye]

Today was a scheduled day off but it doesn't mean nothing happened at Cowboys camp. First Dallas waived another DE. This is not unusual for this camp but it wasn't anyone you've heard of unless you're related to him. Dallas cut Ikponmwosa Igbinosan who has missed all but a few days of training camp with foot injury and he's been in a walking boot since his injury.
Second, Dallas signed defensive end Toby Jackson who hails from University of Central Florida. He only spent one year there and was out of football in 2012. Jackson was one of 4 players Dallas worked out Monday and so now Jackson gets his dream shot to play for America's Team.
Third, yesterday late in practice OL Kevin Kowalski left practice with a sore knee. Today the Cowboys announced that Kowalski has soreness behind his knee and the Cowboys say he will miss 2-3 weeks in the hope that rest will calm the knee down so he doesn't need it scoped.
Fourth, I have neglected to mention that G Ronald Leary, a player Dallas hoped would compete for a starting job this season based on his OTA's and mini camp performances, came back to practice on Tuesday. He started out with the 2's and according to reports that although he's rusty he looked pretty sharp.

[eagle eye]

Just a reminder Dallas plays Miami in Canton Ohio in the Hall of Fame game Sunday night beginning a 7 PM on the NBC network. On DirectTV which is what I have it's channel 50.

It's highly unlikely Tony Romo will play in the game. This may be a move to protect Romo because the offensive line has been hit hard with injuries. In fact in Thursday's practice OG Nate Livings left with a knee injury and on Friday after an MRI it was determined that he needed to have his knee scoped. Livings actually just came back to practice after another injury had kept him out from the beginning of training camp. This could be the final straw in the Cowboys patience with Livings who didn't play all that well in 2012.

It's not all bad on the O-line. On Friday Machenzy Bernadeau returned to practice after missing all of training camp after pulling a hamstring in the opening conditioning test on day one of training camp. Bernadeau will likely not play Sunday night since he has so little practice time but he should be back for next Friday's game against the Raiders. Not only that but Ronald Leary camp back earlier this week and he could play Sunday. I have the impression that Dallas was hoping Leary would claim a starting guard job and that he and Bernadeau would be the starting guards in Week 1.

Rookie WR Terrance Williams will miss Sunday's game and likely the Raiders game because he suffered a concussion in Friday's practice. After a leaping catch Williams came down on his back and his head bounced off the turf and he was then on the sidelines getting a concussion test. Minor setback but when you say concussion red flags fly in today's NFL.

Another player who returned to practice was WR Danny Coale. Coale has had nothing but bad luck since he was drafted by Dallas last year. One thing after another has sidelined a player Dallas had, or has, high hopes for. Coale torn his ACL last December and he has experienced swelling in the knee since the beginning of camp. He will be eased into practices but it's a good thing that he's back and hopefully he can stay healthy to show Dallas what he has to offer.

Not only has Danny Coale returned to practice but Dez Bryant returned after nursing a sore quad this past week and James Hanna is back after missing a week with a pulled hamstring. The whole receiving corp was finally back on the field but it didn't last long with Terrance Williams going out later in practice.

Newly signed OT Toby Jackson was on the field playing right tackle behind Doug Free. Jackson is guy I mentioned from an earlier post from Central Florida.

Matt Johnson will get his first real opportunity to show what he's got this week when he will play with the 2nd team defense against the Dolphins. He will be paired with rookie JJ Wilcox who has been making his own good impressions during training camp. Dallas has really been hopeful that Johnson will evolve into a really good NFL player. They showed their faith in Johnson by keeping him on the active roster all through 2012 despite the fact he never got on the field. I will be paying close attention to him Sunday night.

Another player I'm interested in seeing is QB Alex Tanney. Tanney is famous for his trick passes video but he has impressed coaches during camp so far. It could be Dallas has found their QB of the future. Of course, the other QB in camp, Nick Stephens, isn't just rolling over and playing dead for Tanney. Both will get playing time Sunday night.

[eagle eye]

Last night several men were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among the inductees was G/T Larry Allen who made his bones as a Dallas Cowboy and Bill Parcels who, among his accomplishments, helped change the culture in Dallas and began building Dallas back into a winning franchise. Two of Parcels biggest contributions was signing QB Tony Romo and drafting TE Jason Witten. The Cowboys went to the playoffs twice in Parcels 4 years as the Cowboys head coach. Larry Allen is widely considered the best offensive guard in football and he made the Pro Bowl at every position on the offensive line except center. Pretty freaking impressive. I am posting links to the introduction videos and the acceptance speeches for both Allen and Parcels. Very nice to hear these men speak. Parcels because he is a gem of wisdom and Allen because he rarely spoke to the press in his career.

Jerry Jones Presentation of Larry Allen
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Jerry_Jones_Presents_Larry_Allen_For_Enshrinement/5b2801ba-b368-42a5-ab56-8c29e99c61f0


Larry Allen's Acceptance Speech
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Larry_Allen_Hall_of_Fame_Speech/8317dfe2-4578-4868-be20-c835602b60ef

Giants George Martin Presents Bill Parcels
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Bill_Parcells_Presented_For_Enshrinement/9179104d-afd7-45f9-81e3-64e38c0a5f07

Bill Parcels Acceptance Speech
http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Bill_Parcells_Hall_Of_Fame_Speech/b58f7373-8671-4c9f-810e-f1eec0de02ce

[eagle eye]

The Hall of Fame game was a decidedly one sided affair despite the final score of 24-20 in a Dallas win. There was no real game of it. Dallas never really unleashed a passing attack preferring to stick to a very potent ground game.
Dallas runners gained 170 yards and Dallas passers only threw for 98 yards. Dallas has made a commitment to improving their league worst running game and they looked really good doing it especially when they ran to their left side. This was behind Tyron Smith and Ronald Leary with a lot of help from center Travis Frederick. David Arkin played right guard and Dallas was not able to run nearly as well to their right. Later in the game their runs to the right improved when Phil Costa played center and Frederick moved over to right guard. It appears that Frederick was worth the price Dallas paid to draft him late in the first round.
The Cowboys runners were all impressive and that doesn't include DeMarco Murray who didn't play a snap. Led by Phillip Tanner who ran with furocity the Cowboys runners have taken to the new zone blocking scheme Dallas is implementing for their running game. What this means Dallas' runners move behind the line and make a single cut into an opening in the line. This one-cut style has been very successful in the NFL. Just look at the stats put up by Washington's Alfred Morris, the latest in a long line of runners who have thrived in this system.
Tanner looked really good but so did Lance Dunbar who played only two series and rookie Joseph Randall who played most of the second half. Randall was actually the leading rusher but Phillip Tanner was the most impressive of the lot.
On defense the star of the game was George Selvie. The same George Selvie that was signed two week ago when Tyrone Crawford was lost for the season with a torn Achilles. Entering his fourth year Selvie has impressed coaches with his work and it only carried over into the game. Selvie appeared to be everywhere logging 2 sacks, several QB hurries and another 3 tackles. Entering his fourth season Selvie is taking full advantage of his opportunity.
The play of the night on defense was a 75 yard interception return for TD by rookie LB DeVonte Holloman who picked off a pass that was tipped by Miami receiver Chad Bumphis. Holloman showed his speed easily out running his pursuers including Miami QB Matt Moore who had an angle on Holloman to make the tackle only to whiff in the attempt.
Dallas looked good especially since very few of the No 1's even played. No Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Jason Witten on offense and no DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Brandon Carr and Mo Claiborne among the on-field no shows. Colin Cowherd gushed this morning that Dallas is definitely a playoff team. I don't know about all that but Dallas backups were better than the opposing team's first stringers and that hasn't been the case in recent years.

[eagle eye]

There has been no controversy or tabloid news out of this Cowboys camp so far. Lack of drama seems to be the way things go since Jason Garrett has been the head honcho on the field. Without any doubt the Cowboys have changed their demeanor both on the field and off. I was asked the other day if I thought the Cowboys were better with Garrett as head coach. What followed was about 5 solid minutes of substantiated reasons why I believe he is. The guy tried to interrupt by citing his play calling was questionable, icing his kicker, not running the ball enough...please. Every coach in the league makes bad decisions but play calling isn't what beat Dallas the last two years in the win or go home games to end the seasons. There a number of reasons why but it boils down to two things. 1. The offensive line wasn't up to the task and 2. the defense couldn't stop anyone. Throw in the fact that they were on the road and what you get is a recipe for failure. Bottom line, Dallas didn't have a good enough team. But, one thing is for sure, Dallas has gotten better since Garrett has been named head coach. They have done it through the draft and they have done it via selective free agency. It's no coincidence that the Cowboys roster has improved during strong coach's tenures. Bill Parcels turned the franchise around and Jason Garrett is building the foundation for success not seen since before most of the people reading this post have been alive. I believe that. Dallas had so many holes in it's roster it was virtually impossible to fill them all in one or two drafts. Now you are seeing the fruits of the past three drafts. The Cowboys have gotten younger and more talented than they've been in years. Not just the No 1's but the 2's and 3's are better too. Did you notice Dallas' 2's and 3's whooped Miami's 1's and 2's last Sunday? Most Cowboys fans did.
I don't think that Garrett was all in on Rob Ryan. Ryan and Garrett are polar opposites personality wise and Garrett doesn't strike me as a guy who appreciated the Ryan bluster. Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli, that smells like what Garrett likes to cook---guys who are no nonsense experienced winners who know how to teach football. They may not be a great quote source for the press but when the lights came on their defense recorded several sacks, QB hurrys and two turnovers, one for a touchdown. Yeah, that's Garrett's style. Stay close to the vest and expect results. There is even a phrase growing in Arlington, it's called "The Cowboy Way". It's a way to go about your business and it's about getting better every day and doing things on or off the field the right way---the Cowboy way. Don't believe me? Just hang on because I sincerely believe the bandwagon is going to get crowded pretty darn soon. My detractor had to stop and consider what I said. It was obvious I had made him think. I could hear the gears grind as he thought "Wait a minute, this isn't some blind homer taking up for his team. This guy seems to know what he's taking about here." At least that's what I hope he thought because I had the feeling I changed his mind a little bit. And, do you know what? That's pretty cool, even if I do say so myself.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys are looking for help at offensive guard. One of the positions that has been hit on the Cowboys is OG. So far in camp every player on the roster has missed or is missing time due to injury. Nate Livings just came back to practice last week and now he's hurt again. Phil Costa began training camp hurt, Mackenzy Bernadeau just came back to practice after nursing a hammy, and the litany of players is just as long as the roster of O-linemen. Dallas thought they had someone to step in for Livings day before yesterday in ex-Jets guard Brandon Moore. The Cowboys and Moore agreed in principle to a one year deal and yesterday he woke up and decided he didn't want to be away from his family and re-retired. It's about time Dallas got on a streak of GOOD luck injury wise.

Another position Dallas is quietly hurting at is offensive tackle. After Tyron Smith and Doug Free all you have is a couple of 2nd year players recently signed to add depth to a depleted position. Just to have enough guys to take practice reps is thin. The biggest hit is Jeremy Parnell, who split time with Doug Free last year at right tackle, who has been out since the beginning of training camp. To say Dallas is thin at OL is a bit of an understatement.

The first fight in training camp came Tuesday. It was between RB Lance Dunbar and LB Ernie Sims. Sims has been very aggressive in camp. This is a good thing and since he was signed last year after Sean Lee went down he has carved out a niche for himself with his solid play. The fight was all on Sims who slung Dunbar to the ground at the end of a play and Dunbar took exception to it. It was a harmless shoving match but it shows that Sims is taking this football thing seriously and Dunbar won't take crap off his teammates. I like both attitudes as long as the eye is on a common goal.

This Friday night will likely see the first appearance of what figures to be the Week 1 starting offensive line for the first time in training camp. Tyron Smith, Ronald Leary, Travis Frederick, Machenzy Bernadeau and Doug Free have been taking first team reps together since Bernadeau's return to practice on Monday. Now don't blink because these guys may not be on the field long but it will be interesting to see how they work together.

Morris Claiborne suffered a minor knee injury in Tuesday's practice. The Cowboys are not overly concerned about the injury but he was held out of practice Wednesday as the team continues its practice of exercising caution where injuries are concerned. Claiborne will likely miss the game vs Minnesota as will Brandon Carr who has missed practice the past couple of days to be with his fiance for the birth of their first child.

Last week WR Terrance Williams suffered a concussion in practice and it was feared that he would miss Friday's game as well as last Sunday night's game. Well fear no more. Williams will be out. As yet, he has not been cleared to practice and just to be on the safe side he will most certainly miss this week's game vs Oakland.

Latest injury report from Oxnard:

Position; Player; Injury; Status; Last Full Practice

Status Unchanged

LB; Alex Albright; Back; Day-to-day; July 30

OT; Demetress Bell; Conditioning test; Failed; N/A*

DL; Tyrone Crawford; Achilles; Season; July 21

G; Ray Dominguez; Shoulder; Day-to-day; July 29

S; Matt Johnson; S; Ankle; Out indefinitely; Aug. 2

G; Kevin Kowalski; Knee; 2-4 weeks; July 30

G; Nate Livings; Knee; Out indefinitely; July 30

G; Jeff Olson; Head; Day-to-day; N/A*

RT; Jermey Parnell; Hamstring; 1 week; July 22

DT; Jay Ratliff; Hamstring; 2 weeks; N/A*

DE; Anthony Spencer; Knee; 2-4 weeks; N/A*

WR; Terrance Williams; Concussion; Day-to-day; Aug. 1

Status Changed

OL; Ryan Cook; Back; Day-to-day; Aug. 6

CB; Morris Claiborne; Knee; Day-to-day; Aug. 6


*Haven’t practiced since training camp start date.

[eagle eye]

Notes going into tonight's game against the Raiders. The start time is 9:00 PM.

> Tony Romo endorses new center Travis Frederick. He says that Dallas "got a good one" in Frederick and elaborated that Frederick is smart and strong and very mobile. All three traits have been serving him well so far in training camp. His intelligence especially has enabled him to catch on quickly. He still has a lot to learn but he's picked up so much he is already making line calls and identifying protections. Frederick may be the best prospect at center the Cowboys have had since Mark Stepnoski back in the 90's. What I'm saying is there seems to be a lot of upside to Frederick and he seems to be a guy who will anchor the offensive line for years to come. Romo said it best when he said, “They picked a good one there. He’s going to be a guy who’s going to help us a lot for a long time. I don’t know whether people are talking about whether or not we reached for him and stuff like that I guess at the time, but he’s good football player and we got a good first-round draft pick there.”

> Mo Claiborne did not make the Thursday walk-through so it's virtually a certainty that he will sit out the Raiders game.

> Brandon Carr who missed a couple of days this week due the birth of his first child. He did make the Thursday walk through and it's possible he makes a cameo appearance in the game tonight.

> With the game tonight tight ends coach Wes Phillips remembers this time last year in a preseason game vs these same Raiders when Jason Witten lacerated his spleen after being hit in the mid section making a reception over the middle. The injury caused Witten to miss the entire preseason and probably should have caused him to miss the first couple of regular season games. He was in the lineup in Week 1 though and although he didn't do much statistically he was an inspiration to his teammates as Dallas opened the 2012 season beating the New York Giants. Witten ended up having a career season which included setting a new NFL record for most catches by a tight end in a season but after the Raiders game there was a concern about his life. After getting past the initial fears there followed concerns about whether he would miss the entire season. As it turned out Witten gutted out the soreness and was the All-Pro player we have come to expect. But for a while there we wondered if his career was in jeopardy. Now, he goes back to Oakland. I hope the Cowboys decide to sit Witten out tonight---just in case.

> Here's an article from Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine by writer Jonathan Bales about left tackle Tyron Smith. Nice piece about a guy who is only 22 years old and beginning his third season in the NFL. Hopes are this is going to be a breakout season for Smith and this article will make you hopeful too!

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/STAR-Tyron-Smiths-Hard-Work-Goes-Well-Beyond-Playing-Field/d2c20bee-0375-4e7c-93db-64afb8f489fa

[eagle eye]

The old clock on the wall is ticking its way down to quitting time at work and then I'll be beginning the countdown to kickoff between the Cowboys and Raiders in some preseason football. Luckily, there will be some other games to keep me occupied until the 9 PM kickoff. Last week there were several individuals who caused Cowboys fans to sit up and take notice. Here is a link to the DC.com staff writers article about which players they will be keeping an eye on tonight.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Staff-Watch-List-Writers-Pick-Players-To-Watch-For-Friday/0014cc73-60f3-41a0-af1c-8d42b7dfe3b5

For me, I'm going to watch the O-line. Tonight will be the first time the projected starters in Week 1 will be on the field together. Can they open holes like they did against Miami for their running game to click? Also, I have read about how well DeMarcus Ware is playing in training camp practices. I want to see him do it against an opponent. The other player I want to see, and I agree with Nick Eatman, is DE George Selvie. He dominated last week and I want to see if he can do it again.

What about you, Cowboys fans? Who will you be looking at?

[Mahler]

http://prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com/assets/clubimg/raiderettes/2011/Caitlin_uni_card_2011.jpg

It won't be the cheerleaders!!! Sorry couldn't resist. I hate everything Raiders!

Before anyone gets upset - this is all in jest.

[eagle eye]

http://prod.static.raiders.clubs.nfl.com/assets/clubimg/raiderettes/2011/Caitlin_uni_card_2011.jpg

It won't be the cheerleaders!!! Sorry couldn't resist. I hate everything Raiders!

Before anyone gets upset - this is all in jest.


Pretty funny!

The game Friday night was not funny per se but the Cowboys worked so hard to win but special teams really cost them the game. It started in the first quarter when a Dan Bailey field goal attempt was blocked and in the second half a fumbled punt by rookie CB B W Webb gave the Raiders a field goal. Dallas lost 19-17 so if neither of those things happen Dallas wins 17-13. Or, if only one of those things don't happen Dallas wins by one. Either way, I can certainly see a little extra work and a little extra behind chewing when Dallas returns to practice today. Dallas did force two turnovers to up their preseason tally to 4. In the first quarter Jason Hatcher recovered a fumble by starting QB Matt Flynn after Flynn was sacked by a blitzing Sean Lee. In the second quarter Dallas avoided a TD when rookie safety JJ Wilcox picked off Terrelle Pryor in the end zone. The first team defense was only in for a couple of series but they dominated Oakland. As Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com wrote yesterday this group has a real potential to be better than good. It was good to see Miles Austin and Dez Bryant catching the ball. Both looked very good. The run game was not as successful this week as the focus was more on the passing game. After a slow start 3rd string QB Nick Stevens had a nice outing while 4th stringer Alex Tanney was to play the fourth quarter but he didn't get much of an opportunity. Two guys who stood out to me were backup QB Kyle Orton who led Dallas on a nice 2nd quarter TD drive capped by a beautiful pass and catch by Cole Beasley. Beasley was my other standout player in the game. He left the game in the 3rd quarter with an ankly injury but X-rays on his ankle were negative which was good news and he'll probably be day to day in practice for a little while. Beasley ended up with 3 catches for 49 yards and a TD and he added a 28 yard kickoff return.

[eagle eye]

The late Sunday practice held both good news and bad news personnel wise. The good news was WR Terrance Williams returned to practice and not only practiced but stood out with some outstanding plays. Backup tackles Jeramy Parnell and Demetriss Bell both returned to pracitce on a limited basis.
On the bad side of the ledger, LB Ernie Sims and DT Sean Lissimore left with groin injuries while CB Eric Frampton left practice with a hamstring issue. OT Darion Weems also missed practice joining Mo Claiborne and Cole Beasley on the sideline. JJ Wilcox missed practice after being excused to attend his ailing mother.
Back on the positive side, WR Danny Coale finally was able to make a play in practice. After missing all of training camp so far with a swollen knee he made it back on the field Sunday and made a nice play on a crossing pattern on a throw from QB Nick Stephens. Coale also worked as punt returner in the absense of Cole Beasley. It's a good sign that Coale is back in practice after missing all of 2012 training camp and regular season. The Clock is ticking on Coale who needs to make an impression to keep his job.
The last bad thing was that S Matt Johnson was still a no-show in practice. Like Coale, Johnson missed activities in 2012 and he has missed all but a couple of practices in 2013. Regardless of the protential he has shown Johnson has to get back on the field before Dallas is forced to cut bait with him.

[eagle eye]

As mentioned in previous posts rookie DB JJ Wilcox is not with the team because he needs to be with his mother who is very ill and on life support. Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett have excused Wilcox from practice and told to take whatever time he needs to so he can be with his mother. No matter what you think of Jerry Jones he has always been supportive of players in need. Maybe that's why most of the players who've been in Dallas love Jones.

The Cowboys are working on an extension to keep Dallas going to Oxnard for training camp for years to come. This would continue a tradition of Dallas going the Oxnard area dating all the way back to the early years of the Tom Landry era Cowboys. When Jones took over the team they continued going to Thousand Oaks California until they decided to hold training camp in Austin or Wichita Falls during the Jimmy Johnson era. Since 1998 Dallas has been back to Oxnard, to San Antonio for a full camp and a split came or two. The advantages of the camp in the Cowboy opinion is the mild temps and favorable weather conditions are conducive to getting a lot of quality work done.

Dallas will be moving from their current headquarters and practice facility at Valley Ranch in Irving Tx to a new location in Frisco Tx, a Dallas suburb. It will be a state of the art facility that will include an office building housing the Cowboys corporate offices, offices for coaches and administrators and the DC Cheerleaders. The site will be on a 91 acre tract and will include, beside the office building, a 12,000 seat indoor multi-use arena and two outside practice fields. The arena will be used for sporting events for the City of Frisco and the Frisco ISD sporting events as well as acedemic, fine arts and entertainment events. The Cowboys have signed a 25 year agreement with the City of Frisco and the Frisco ISD and ground will be broken soon to begin construction of the facility scheduled to open in 2016.

Here's a recap of the evening practice yesterday by DC.com's Nick Eatman. Note the instances of tempers flaring in yesterday's practice classified by Eatman as the most intense practice in training camp.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Tues-Practice-Recap-Offense-Defense-Get-More-Than-Chippy/73d0d187-3dc5-4fc4-ae0e-351224b663e3

[eagle eye]

CB JJ Wilcox with be off the next week after his mother passed away after a long battle with lupus. Wilcox' mother was able to be at his side when Dallas drafted him this spring, something Wilcox is extremely grateful for, as she was in and out of the doctor's for her treatments. We will keep Wilcox and his family in our prayers as the days go by.

G Ronald Leary missed today's walkthrough due to a knee problem. He will have an MRI done tomorrow to determine what is wrong. It is thought that it's not the degenerative knee issue that caused him to go undrafted in 2012.

Mo Claiborne is still listed as day-to-day with his knee injury. It's being reported that he's getting better and the Cowboys won't rule Claiborne out for Saturday afternoon's game against Arizona.

Yes, I said Saturday afternoon. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 PM start.

Jason Garrett gave the team the afternoon off after indicating that the team has had some really good practices this week and he wanted to reward them for their effort. The will resume preparing for Arizona tomorrow.

This is the last week Dallas will be in Oxnard. When they depart for the Arizona game they will be bidding California adieu as well until next year.

[eagle eye]

G Ronald Leary will be out the next two weeks as he went back to Dallas to have his knee scoped. The Cowboys are saying it is a minor procedure and it shouldn't cause him to be out for any great length of time.

Here's a good article on new Cowboys center/guard Travis Frederick from DC.com.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Rookie-Center-Feels-Like-A-Different-Player-From-Start-Of-Camp/3a2ef854-2334-4da4-8c52-0bb52eac8200

Here's an article from Bryan Broaddus in camp notebook.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouts-Notebook-TE-Brings-It-Daily-Rookie-CB-Still-Battling/2496a83b-404b-4a1f-8e26-bf583547a488

Finally, here's Bryan Broaddus' list of his top 10 performers in training camp so far.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Broaddus-My-Top-10-Performers-From-This-Four-Week-Camp/8654b4a9-f323-41bb-9372-503c37a61c0b

[eagle eye]

Dallas goes into their third preseason game today and it bears noting that the game starts at 3:30 PM on the NFL Network.

Here is a look at some of the players the Dallas Cowboys staff writers will be keeping an eye on.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Staff-Watch-List-Writers-Pick-Players-To-Watch-Saturday/57e32344-c8e0-459a-aa98-05fedb0c1662

To add to this list I will be watching George Selvie. In the HOF game Selvie was all world but in last week's game he was a non factor. I want to see which Selvie shows up against a newly formidable Arizona offense. On offense I agree with Nick Eatman. I want to see Terrence Williams play. He has been getting good reviews from his training camp practices but I want to see him face Patrick Peterson and company.

We may want to see how the O-line goes too with 4 of the 5 expected opening night starters in place and David Arkin doing better than in past training camps. Here's an assessment of the line from DC.com's Mickey Spanola.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Spagnola-Nothing-Seems-To-Come-Easy-On-O-Line/c4cf1cc3-dde1-45fe-b888-090add025933

[eagle eye]

Dallas lost to the Arizona Cardinals 12-7. Mostly on the back of 5 first half turnovers by the Cowboys. A fumbled punt by Dwayne Harris , one fumble each by Lance Dunbar (after a 43 yard catch and run), and Dez Bryant after a nice catch and run and two picks off Kyle Orton.

The offense moved the ball but the Dunbar and Bryant fumbles came deep inside Cardinal territory. Tony Romo looked pretty sharp except on one play when broken coverages on the same play saw Terrence Williams wide open on a fly pattern on the left sideline and Dez Bryant wide open deep down the right side. Romo chose to throw to Williams and he overthrew him -- badly costing Dallas a sure TD. The Cowboys haven't been nearly as committed to the run since Romo has come back into the lineup after being held out of the HOF game. DeMarco Murray had his moments and Dunbar will be deadly doing his best Darren Sproles imitation coming out of the backfield in the passing game.

The first and second defenses stopped Arizona time after time holding Arizona to 3 field goals in the first half when it could have been way worse. The third team D was another matter as they gave up yards in bunches making Arizona's third string look Super Bowl bound. No big deal--its third string. This is the second week in a row Dallas has lost the turnover battle and today's game was a mess.

As for the players I was going to watch, George Selvie had one sack but I didn't hear his name called again. As a matter of fact he was credited with one tackle which was the aforementioned sack. Not good since he started the game at defensive end. Terrence Williams was a rookie. He ran a poor route that cost Dallas a first down and Orton one of his picks. He did get open for Romo as mentioned earlier but at best it was an up and down first game for him.

The hit of the game was delivered by Miles Austin. After a first half catch he was running out of bounds with Curtis Taylor bearing down on him when Austin lowered his shoulder put Taylor on his backside. The hit pumped up all the Cowboys and the fans in the stadium after that and, for a while anyway, the Cowboys tried to emulate Austin's hit.

The seventh pick in this year's draft LB DeVonte Holloman has been making plays all preseason. He added to his resume after he picked off a pass aimed for the Cowboys goal line when Holloman laid completed out and caught the ball for his second pick in three games. Holloman is considered undersized by NFL standards but he is always around the ball and he makes plays. I would bet a million bucks he makes final 53.

[eagle eye]

The fumble by Lance Dunbar at the end of the 43 yard catch and run wasn't the worst thing that happened on the play in the first quarter of the Cowboys games vs the Cardinals. After avoiding the last tackler before he could score the Cowboys first TD of the game he seemed to get his foot caught in the turf that totally threw him off balance as well as fumbling the ball. It appears that awkward step also did damage to Dunbar in the form of a sprained foot. The Cowboys are expecting Dunbar to miss 3-4 weeks. DeMarco Murray missed 6 weeks with a sprained foot last season. Dunbar looked to be that change of pace back and third down back and he will be missed. Fortunately it's only a few weeks.

The Cowboys got some good news this morning. The guard poor Cowboys got some relief with the return of Kevin Kowalski and Ray Dominguez' to practice. Another thing that has been a nice revelation for Dallas as their guards are falling left and right with injuries is the play of David Arkin. Arkin was drafted in 2011 and he has needed to put on weight, get stronger and use better technique. This year it seems Arkin is putting the past 2 seasons work to finally start becoming the player the Cowboys hoped he'd be when they drafted him. The Cowboys now have a quality backup who can handle both left and right guard positions. Ronald Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau are better than Arkin but he has upped his game to the point he can be a reliable backup.

On defense the Cowboys got some bad news over the weekend. LB Alex Albright has been missing practice and games for the last three weeks as he nursed a back injury suffered at the beginning of training camp. Now, Albright will miss the entire 2013 season due to a herniated disc in his back. This was a big blow because Albright was expected to challenge Justin Durant for the outside linebacker spot opposite Bruce Carter. To make matters worse the guy who has stepped up and played great in training camp is Ernie Sims and he's been out for a week or so with an injury of his own. Sims is expected back soon which is fine considering it's giving young guys more reps which DeVonte Holloman has been taking full advantage of.

Four players former scout and current DC.com staff writer Bryan Broaddus singled out for their good play in the Arizona game. Broaddus liked the play of G David Arkin, LB Devonte Holloman, RB Lance Dunbar and QB Alex Tanney.

[eagle eye]

Late this afternoon Dallas waived LB Alex Albright who, as I posted earlier, will be lost for the season due back surgery. The Cowboys also waived DL Alex Chappelear and Toby Jackson. Both were signed during camp to fill in for injuries along the D-line but they likely wouldn't have made the first cut coming up soon.
Albright is a very versatile LB who played well enough in 2012 to be expected to vie for a starting LB spot with free agent signee Justin Durant. If Albright clears waivers Dallas can retain his rights by putting him on injured reserve. That would be a good thing for both the Cowboys and Albright.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have LB Sean Lee wrapped up for the next six years. It cost them $51mm to do it but the anxiety over his contract is over. This year is the final year of the rookie contract Lee signed with he was drafted in 2010. The deal is actually worth $41mm which could escalate to the $51mm if playing incentives are met. At the press conference after he signed the deal Lee said the contract is fair and the extra $10mm in incentives are fair because he understands that he has missed a lot of playing time due to injury. It's was a no-brainer to think Lee have a deal in place considering the positive impact he has on the team on and off the field. NFL.com's Elliot Harrison has Lee projected to be a Pro Bowl player in 2013. It's goes without saying that Cowboys fans hope Lee is a Pro Bowler for the next six years.

CB JJ Wilcox came back to practice on Wednesday after missing the past week due to the illness and subsequent death of his mother. Wilcox told DC.com that he's relieved to be back to work after such a traumatic week. He said it was good to get back to work despite the fact that it was really hard to leave his father and younger sister behind. He said he was aware that he needed to get back to work, it is his professional obligation to the Cowboys and he needs to earn a living to take care of his father and sister. Jason Garrett said he had a good practice but he understood it would be difficult to maintain focus all things considered. The days ahead will get easier but you never really get over the loss of a loved one.

Dallas will play the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night at 7:00 PM at AT&T Stadium. It will be the first home game for Dallas this preseason. The starters are expected to play at least a half getting their longest playing time of the preseason in this game. Mo Claiborne and Lance Dunbar are the most notable scratches to the Cowboys lineup but maybe the most missed will be guards Ronald Leary and Nate Livings. The offensive line was a major weakness for Dallas in 2012 and it looked to be better with the addition of 1st round draft pick Travis Frederick in April but nagging injuries have hampered the Cowboys O-line continuity. This is one area, while the 1's are in the game I will be paying close attention to Saturday night.

[eagle eye]

Here's a link to this week's DC.com's Watch List article by the web site's staff writers.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DallasCowboysReport/Staff-Watch-List-Writers-Pick-Players-To-Watch-Saturday-/9004a015-4083-4355-81c2-12412fb8b8c3

As usual I'm throwing my two cents in here and first off I'm not watching any one player on offense I'm looking for mistake free football and one or two scores from the first teamers. This whole preseason has only seen the 1's on the offensive side of the ball play only a handful of plays. DeMarco Murray has only 7 carries this whole preseason. What we've seen so far is that the offense is capable of doing good things but between turnovers and penalties Dallas' starting offense has only one measly field goal. It would be encouraging to see a score or two.
On defense I'll be looking at the safety play. I want to see dynamics between Barry Church and Will Allen. Allen missed a lot of PT in last week's game after getting kicked in the ribs and Barry Church is still looking for the confidence he had last year before a torn Achilles sidelined him for the year in game 3. I really think he is feeling his way along learning to trust his leg. He hasn't been the same standout player that earned the starting nod last year. He's overrun some plays as pointed out by DC.com's Rowan Kavner and you just have to wonder if he's still worrying about that Achilles. It's been just under a year since the injury so his comeback is quite remarkable when you realize it used to take a full year to recover from an Achilles tear and another year to get back to where you were prior to the injury. Orange native and Dallas Cowboys CB Kevin Smith tore his Achilles and he came back and had a good career but most would agree he was never the same player he was before the injury. Let's hope that modern medicine is able to restore Church to that player we were so excited about this time last year.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys won their home opener at newly named AT&T Stadium on Saturday night over the Cincinnati Bengals and there was plenty to be encouraged about.

1) The starting defense has not allowed a TD in any of their first 4 preseason games. Not one. It looked like the Bengals were about to break through in the first quarter but S Barry Church forced a fumble near the goal line when he stripped the ball away from a Cincinnati receiver and Dallas recovered the ball to take away the Bengals only real threat to score a touchdown against the 1st teamers. Another thing of note, teams just do not run against the first team D. Cincinnati came in after their first 2 games leading the NFL in rushing with over 400 yards. Dallas' D held the Bengals to 45 yards rushing in the first half and 101 yards total while the 1's were on the field.

2) The Special Teams unit needs to get better. Punter Chris Jones had to rekick a punt in the first half after he hit the score board on his first attempt. The rekick was a bad thing because punt returner Ben Tate returned the second kick for a 75 yard TD. The coverage unit almost blew the Cowboys 24-18 lead in final minute or two of the game by allowing a 53 yard return that was almost broken for a score. Dan Bailey lined up for a 50 yard field goal attempt and he shanked it badly to the left for a dismal try for points.

3) Dez Bryant is going to be a beast again this year. He has taken right up where he left off at the end of 2012 and he has just dominated in the preseason not only against teammates in practice but against some the best corners in the NFL in the 4 games Dallas has played. It's looking quite like Dez will be a top 5 WR in all of the NFL in 2013.

4) Miles Austin is healthy and looking great. After Dez dominated on one drive which included a TD reception Miles came back the next series and he dominated his series. He caught 4 passes on the drive including his TD pass at the back of the end zone. All of his receptions came on third down.

5) The O-line sported a new look on the right side. Normally, Doug Free lines up at right tackle but Saturday he was playing right guard and Jeremy Parnell played right tackle. Free continued his good play during the preseason and QB Tony Romo remarked that his job at guard was even more remarkable because he had only played the position in practice for one week. Parnell was obviously rusty. He had several breakdowns while the first team offense was on the field but toward the end of the first quarter he seemed to find himself a little bit. This lineup is only a contingency because of injuries but now Dallas has tape of Free and Parnell working together which is a good thing.

6) The biggest story of the night was the benching of DeMarco Murray in the first quarter after only 5 carries. The fifth carry was his downfall. Murray was fighting for some extra yardage when he fumbled the ball. He was able to recover his own fumble but Jason Garrett wanted to send a message to Murray and the team about taking care of the ball. As much as the defense has stressed forcing turnovers Garrett wanted to make a point about how important it is to hold on to the ball. Murray sat out the rest of the first half watching Phillip Tanner carry the rock and doing a respectable job of it with no turnovers. Murray came back to start the second half with the first team O-line and back up QB and receivers and he played mistake free ball and played with that proverbial chip on his shoulder. He rushed for 51 yards on 12 carries and he caught two passes for 14 yards and a score. The TD pass was a thing of beauty as he evaded at least 3 tacklers and forced his way into the end zone on one of the best seven yard receptions you will ever see. Jason Garrett praised Murray for the way he responded to the benching. He didn't mope or pout he went out and played good football. It's nice to see Jason Garrett will do what needs to be done to hold even the best players accountable. For this Garrett deserves a lot of credit. Now, it remains to be seen if he will do it in a regular season game but for now you have to admit it was a very Jimmy Johnson type of move.

[eagle eye]

In the grand scheme of things this Thursday's game with the Texans is meaningless. It won't even be a representative game for state bragging rights. Neither team will be playing their starters and so the game comes down to whose scrubs are better on that night. That said, as a longer time Cowboys fan that I've been a Texans fan I hope Dallas wins. Honestly though, I think Houston is deeper depth-wise and I think the Texans will come out on top.

Dallas got down to 75 player limit late yesterday afternoon and the most notable of the cuts or roster moves was QB Nick Stevens who was in the thick of the QB hunt two weeks ago didn't see the field in last Saturday's game. The other move was a little unexpected. DL Jay Ratliff, the former pro bowl D-lineman who missed most of 2012 and has missed a good bit of OTA's and all of training camp, was put on the PUP/Injured Reserve list. This means that Ratliff will miss the first six games of the season. This is a big blow to the D-line that was counting on Ratliff to anchor the middle for the Cowboys as they moved to the Monte Kiffin-led conversion to the 4-3 Tampa 2 defense. A defense that was considered a great fit for Ratliff. This perpetual injury situation with Ratliff had come to a head and Dallas was forced to put him on PUP in spite of the fact they were counting on him being ready to go on opening night vs the Giants.

The next bunch of cuts comes Saturday when all NFL teams must get down to their final 53 man rosters. You can imagine seeing what happened to Ratliff a guy like 2nd year player Matt Johnson might really be HOPING he gets put on injured reserve instead of being cut outright. Tough choices and the order of the week and Thursday's games are the last chance for a lot of guys.

[eagle eye]

Well, it happened just like I thought. The Houston backups were better than the Dallas backups and it was reflected on the scoreboard. The 24-6 loss was meaningless unless you're a Houston fan and/or a Cowboys hater but it proved a point about the depth of the Cowboys. It's better than it has been but it has a ways to go to be as good as the top teams like the Texans.

It's hard to say if Dallas should keep a 3rd QB on the roster because Alex Tanney was pretty ineffective last night in his 3-1/2 quarter final audition. I'll give Tanney credit though, he can sure take a beating. Dallas O-line depth, or lack thereof, was on full display last night as Houston continued pound Tanney on almost every play and the line couldn't do anything to slow down the onslaught. Houston rushed 5 or 6 guys on every play or it seemed like it. Dallas was able to run the ball somewhat effectively but it didn't matter because when Dallas needed to make a yard or two they couldn't do it. Jason Garrett still has some work to do to build up the offensive and defensive line depth. That's across the board not just the backups. Dallas is getting there and it might take another year of two to accomplish it.

What I didn't see was anyone who played so well that you thought, that guy needs to be on the final 53. That's a little disheartening. Hopefully, none of the starters get hurt this year. At least nobody got hurt last night so Dallas and Houston will get their rosters down to the 53 man limit on Saturday and then the countdown to Week 1 begins and the games start to count. Summer is over and the fall has commenced. It was actually a very nice evening last night. The breeze out of the south was cool and with the official beginning of college football taking place yesterday we can see summer begin to fade in the rear view mirror. It's still hot but don't you feel that fall has kind of arrived? Yeah, me too!

[eagle eye]

Here's Friday's article from DC.com's senior writer Mickey Spagnola. He gives us a perspective of where we were to end last season to where we are now as we count down the next 8 days to opening night vs the NY Giants. It's amazing to me to look back and realize how hurt these Cowboys were and they actually had a chance to go to the playoffs. Truthfully, Dallas wouldn't have done much in the playoffs due to the injuries including the broken rib Romo suffered in that Washington game to end the season but it's a wonder they did what they did as short handed as they were. Maybe Jason Garrett is a much better coach that he's given credit for. Nice article by Spagnola, check it out.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-MickeySpagnola/Spagnola-This-Is-Not-The-Same-Ol-Story-For-The-Cowboys/716aec08-79af-438d-b098-15ea901cf97e

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys fans who pitched a fit over the cut of backup QB Alex Tanney can turn the boiler down. Dallas signed Tanney to their practice squad along with a draft pick they don't want to give up on in Danny Coale. Here's a rundown of the guys signed to the Dallas PS today.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-RowanKavner/Tanney-Coale-Among-Cowboys-Heading-To-Practice-Squad/776635e8-5c54-4fca-9d8d-4423cf94f304

Here's a look from a scout's point of view as Bryan Broaddus details a couple of moves Dallas made today that added a couple of linebackers to the roster. The Cowboys were short handed a the position and this should help Dallas add needed depth to the LB spot as well as improve the Cowboys special teams units that struggled during the preseason.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Subject-Scouts-Eye-Edgar-Jones-and-Kyle-Bosworth/95de0d77-8107-4f96-98d3-4fe0a11fd11d

[eagle eye]

You know, there does seem to be a plan for this team going forward. It may be under the guise of making the 2013 team better but just look what has taken place in the last three days. First, the Cowboys put G Nate Livings on injured reserve which mean he lost for year as he recovers from knee surgery that he had early in August.

Then, they made a trade for KC LB Edgar Jones who will add veteran depth to the linebacking corp and help improve the team's special teams unit. The Cowboys got Jones and a 7th round draft pick in 2014 and they only had to give up next year's sixth round pick.

Next, Dallas trades DT Sean Lissimore to the Chargers for a 7th round draft pick in 2014. Lissimore was pretty good in the 3-4 defense but he was having issues with the 4-3, he just wasn't getting it down like he needed to so Dallas got value for him.

The Cowboys claimed former NY Giants LB Kyle Bosworth off waivers to fill the open spot left by Lissimore's departure. Bosworth (former No 1 pick Brian Bosworth is Kyle's uncle) is a veteran player who actually spent the last two seasons in Jacksonville but was in the last cuts made by the Giants. Bosworth is young and he will help the Cowboys special teams which has been his main contribution to the Jags.

Now, the Cowboys fourth TE on the roster, Dante Rosario, has been traded to the Chicago Bears for a seventh round 2014 draft pick. It was a little surprising that Dallas kept 5 tight ends on the final roster. They had Jason Witten, James Hanna, Gavin Escobar, Rosario and 1st year player Andre Smith. Smith turned heads during training camp enough to make Rosario expendable but Dallas' plan was to try to shop Rosario and try to get some value which they have done.

So, if you're keeping score. Dallas has acquired 3 seventh round picks for basically nothing except a sixth round pick. They had removed a player who wasn't fitting into the new 4-3 defense Dallas has moved to this year and they have added two linebackers to bolster a position Dallas was thin at and gotten two core players for special teams. To sum up, they increased the number of draft picks for next year, the have purged themselves of dead weight and improved the team with additions to the roster. Don't tell me Jason Garrett isn't having an influence on this team in more ways than the locker room.

One last thing that is good news for the Cowboys. As Dallas begins serious prep for their season opener next Sunday night vs the NY Giants Ronald Leary, the man Dallas is hoping will step in a become their permanent left guard, returned to practice after missing the last few weeks due to a minor knee surgery early in training camp. He may not be ready for this Sunday but it's great to see Dallas getting healthier for a change.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys have acquired a new DE to plug into their lineup. The team traded an undisclosed draft pick to Indianapolis for undrafted free agent Caesar Rayford. Rayford led all of the NFL with 5 sacks in the preseason. Rayford is tall (6'7") but he's a little undersized for DE at 267 lbs. However, he's considered rangy, whatever that means, and he does have long arms which is a good thing. He also seems to have a knack for blocking kicks so special teams just got better too. To me, the most glaring need the Cowboys have is at DT. With the Jay Ratliff situation hanging over their heads Dallas has failed to make a move in that direction since Saturday's final cuts were made. The Giants cut a DT, their 2nd round pick in 2011 Marvin Austin in what was reported a numbers glut rather than poor play. I was hoping Dallas would take a look and maybe they did but so far nothing has come of it. Here's an article from DC.com giving more details of Caesar Rayford's career.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-NickEatman/Cowboys-Acquire-DE-Rayford-From-Colts-For-Late-Round-Pick/5f25801a-a27e-4303-b561-ac7c4c7a73c8

Here's another post from Bryan Broaddus on DC.com giving us his "scout's eye" of Caesar Rayford.


http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scout%E2%80%99s-Eye-Quick-Look-At-Newly-Acquired-DE-Rayford/2182a757-d08c-4171-9d88-19f51b6cfff2


Dallas signed 14 year veteran guard Brian Waters on Tuesday night. Waters, who spent most of his career in Kansas City likely won't play Sunday night vs the Giants but isn't completely ruled out. Waters should have fresh legs as he hasn't played in an NFL game since 2011 and he's used to quick turnarounds. Right now the starting lineup will include guards Ronald Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau which allows Dallas to keep Doug Free at right tackle. To make room for Waters Dallas placed S Eric Frampton on the injured/waived list as he has been nursing a calf injury and wasn't expected to play Sunday anyway. Water is expected to practice today as he begins his one year deal worth $1.5 mm that could escalate to $3 mm with incentives.

RB Lance Dunbar came out of the walking boot he's been in since injuring his foot vs the Bengals. He was moving around much better but it is not clear as yet if he will be available Sunday night. Dunbar was having a really nice preseason before he got hurt so it will be nice to get him back. He is listed as the No 2 on the depth chart but he's likely going to get most of his snaps on third down with Phillip Tanner and Joseph Randall coming in to relieve DeMarco Murray.