2013 Dallas Cowboys Thread

[eagle eye]

So, now Big D is 1-0 and they got the Giants monkey off their back playing at home. No time to rest on their laurels it's time to worry about Kansas City. KC is acknowledged as one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. Their fans are, in the words of Howard Wolowitz "Cah-razy", as in very loud and very partisan. Should be a good game. If you remember it was Dallas' last trip to KC in 2009 when Miles Austin had his breakout game against the Chiefs catching 10 balls for a team record 250 yards and two TDs including a 60 yard catch and run for the game winning TD in overtime. This will be the first time since '09 that Dallas has made the trip back to KC.

Dwayne Harris won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 1 with his efforts against the Giants including 3 tackles on the punt coverage team and hounding Giants return man Reuben Randall all night. Harris averaged 9.5 yards per return on 2 punt returns and he contributed to the fumble recovery by DeVonte Holloman on a muffed punt in the second half. On offense he had two catches for twelve yards but on special teams Harris was---special. This was the second time Harris has won the honor capturing it in November of 2012 against the Eagles.

Anthony Spencer, Lance Dunbar and Danny McCray all returned to practice today making this the first time all year all 61 players on the Cowboys roster (53 man roster plus injury allowances) were in uniform and on the field although LB Ernie Sims was declared a non-participant. Spencer was limited since this is the first work he's had since the conditioning test on the first day of training camp when he injured his knee and had "minor" surgery on it. It's not known as yet if Spencer can play against the Chiefs but it was a good thing to have him back on the field according to Jason Garrett.
Dunbar was having an excellent training camp until he injured his foot in the Cincinnati preseason game. It will add an element of pure speed Dallas could really use with him back in the lineup.
McCray is generally a liability at his given position of safety but he is an excellent special teams player and will help the Cowboys in that regard the most.

Dez Bryant was in practice with no noticeable effect of the foot injury he suffered against the Giants. Also back were Tony Romo (ribs) and Morris Claiborne (seperated shoulder). Claiborne said the pain of the injury was as bad as the frustration he felt getting another injury. Claiborne has dealt with wrist and knee issues since being drafted last season would not leave the field against the Giants even though the trainers wanted him to. Claiborne finished the game and came out none the worse for it. He was limited in practice today and he wore a brace on the shoulder to keep it stable. He should be ready to play against the Chiefs.

OG Brian Waters was on the practice field and aside from language issues that will get better with practice he seems to be catching on pretty well. It may well be possible he replaced Mackenzy Bernadeau at right guad this week.

Speaking of the O-line did you see RT Doug Free knocked on his ass by a linebacker in the Giants game? He wasn't just knocked down he was knocked back off his feet and flat on his back. Don't you know he's hearing it from his teammates in the film room. I have never seen a linebacker do that to an offensive tackle before.

[eagle eye]

It looks like DE Anthony Spencer will be back taking limited snaps tomorrow in KC. He has missed all of training camp and he's only had a little bit of practice time this past week so he won't be in game shape as yet. The Cowboys are being cautious with him and he will be more and more part of the game plan in coming weeks. The starter will be Week 1 starter and preseason standout George Selvie.

Lance Dunbar is back too. He is not going to be limited, mainly because he is a role player with limited snaps anyway. He returned to practice last week and has been a full participant this past week and he's said he's excited and ready to go. The Cowboys are happy to have him back too. Dunbar was really emerging as a real threat in the passing game and he gives Dallas an infusion of speed they have lacked without him.

OG Brian Waters has been practicing for about a week and half since he was signed last week. He's had some good practices and according to Bryan Broaddus Cowboys beat writer he will be active and play this week. Broaddus doesn't believe Waters will start but rotate in for Mackenzy Bernadeau getting some snaps as he gets into game shape.

Morris Claiborne who suffered a separated shoulder against the Giants will play this week against KC. He will wear a shoulder harness to help stabilize the shoulder and he said he'll just figure out a way to tackle while protecting the shoulder.

It was announced this week that new Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen will receive his HOF ring in a ceremony at halftime of the Washington-Dallas game on Oct 13th.

[LUSportsFan]

The game against KC was not broadcast in Houston. Based on the final score, I am almost glad I didn't see it. I might be buying a new TV. Don't know if it is still the case, but one of the great things about living in the Triangle in the "old days" was I could watch both the Cowboys and Oilers. I rarely see Cowboys games now. It might be a good thing. I don't know if I could contol my blood pressure watching both of my favorite pro football teams on the same day.

Good news is the Eagles and 'Skins also lost. Maybe another favorite team of mine, the Broncos, can put another "L" on the Giants.

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk 2

[LU4LIFE]

Horrible offensive game today your not going to beat many teams in the NFL only putting up 16 points.

[LUSportsFan]

9/15/2013 - The Broncos defeated the Giants so all division teams lost today. The losses will have an impact in a possible wildcard race, but I think minimize the Cowboys' loss today. Agree that the Cowboys need more offense. They would have had a little pad in the division if they had scored a couple of more points at least.

[eagle eye]

Three things I take away from this game;
1. Why did Romo not go to Dez more when he had one-on-one coverage?
2. This was the same Cowboys we've seen in past years, carry a lead into the fourth or within striking distance and the defense can't make a stop. The Cowboys shut down the run all day until the last drive when KC ate up about 3-1/2 to 4 minutes and never allowed the offense back on the field.
3. Why isn't the hot read down the field a bit. I got tired of seeing 2 yard crossing routes (that Romo threw badly) and nothing up the field. I think Ray Woodard disguised himself as Bill Callahan and screwed the pooch for Dallas in KC (lol)

It's lucky everyone else in the division lost. Can the Cowboys beat the Rams next week at the "Death Star"? You'd think so but the real question is, can Dallas win back to back at some point in the season?

[eagle eye]

On Tuesday Dallas waived DL Landon Cohen and they also gave up on WR Danny Coale who they drafted last year but never saw the field in a regular season game because of injuries. To replace Cohen the Cowboys signed DL David Carter who was a sixth round draft pick in 2011 by Arizona coming out of UCLA. He's played in all 32 games for the Cardinals the past two years. Carter played well his first season but struggled last year as the backup nose tackle. At 6'3" and 300 lbs Carter is big enough but he lost out in a position battle with Ronald Talley from the University of Delaware who the Cardinals claimed was stronger at the point of attack than Carter at the nose. Carter did play well in 2011 and he has more game experience than Landon Cohen does. He fills a real need on the D-line, he's young and he won't have to deal with double and triple teams on the line playing D-tackle in the 4-3 like he did in the Cardinals 3-4 defense.
The Cowboys also signed WR Jamar Newsome to the practice squad to replace Coale. Newsome came into the NFL in 2011 as an undrafted free agent signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. From 2012 up until the final cutdown on August 27th Newsome was on the Chiefs practice squad. Newsome went to college at Central Florida. Newsome is 6'1" and 201 lbs meaning he has nice size to play the position.

The lack of running game is a big worry for the Cowboys coaching staff but for DeMarco Murray this weeks' opponenet, the St Louis Rams, holds only good memories. The last time the Cowboys played the Rams they were at home in Dallas in 2011 which was Murray's rookie season. That day Murray set the all time single game rushing record logging 253 yards on 25 carries (10.1 ypc) on the afternoon that featured a 91 yard TD run on his first carry and ended with a Cowboys record performance. The Cowboys have struggled to run the ball especially in Week 2 vs Kansas City when Murray and Lance Dunbar combined for 37 yards rushing on 13 carries. The Cowboys will likely see and lot more playing time for new guard Brian Waters who demonstrated a lot more power at the point of attack than Mackenzy Bernadeau who he spelled on a very limited basis in KC. Whether or not that helps a struggling run game remains to be seen.

How many times have you heard someone say they were not too happy with Bill Callahan's play calling? I've heard it about a half dozen times so far this week. I kind of agree, Callahan didn't impress with his job on Sunday. Then again, Dallas didn't execute very well either. There's usually plenty of blame to go around after the team loses.

[eagle eye]

So maybe Dallas did lose by 1 to the Chiefs with many believing Dallas blew a chance for win on the road. 4 days later KC goes into Philly and beats the so-called high flying Eagles offense and holds them to the same 16 points they held Dallas to. KC was clearly better that the Eagles last night despite LeSean McCoy's 158 yards rushing with a TD. It was the same formula as the Cowboys game. The lead was different, KC was up by a score of 23-9 went Philly scored on a 41 yard run by McCoy. The resulting kickoff was muffed by KC and the Chiefs began their biggest drive of the game on their own 5. Advantage Eagles, right? Not tonight it wasn't. With 11:29 left in the 4th qtr KC began driving nails in the Eagles coffin. After a clutch third down pass to Donny Avery on a 3rd and 10 play out to their own 20, Alex Smith drove KC down the field chewing up 7:57 of clock and resulting in a game clinching field goal. This KC team is pretty good so maybe Cowboys fans should lighten up a little bit because there is a team that may be 0-2 but they are better than than their record shows and that's the St Louis Rams.

Know that St Louis has not allowed a sack of Sam Bradford so far this year while they have recorded 6 sacks of their own. They have been stingy against the run only allowing 42 yards in two games. It could be because the Rams have allowed 661 passing yards so far in 2013 and allowed just over 50% in 3rd down conversions. Dallas is a 3.5 pt favorite and Colin Cowherd is saying he's going with the Rams. Dallas isn't getting any love this week. I know one thing, the offense better put up more than 16 points.

Dez Bryant missed or was limited in practice this week but he was back on the field today in full participation mode. Good news was that his back was sore because of a hit he took in KC and not a structural or spinal issue.

Despite playing in last week's game and doing rather well Anthony Spenser is being listed as questionable for the Rams game Sunday. He did not participate in practive either yesterday or today relegated to treadmill work both days.

DeMarcus Ware has been limited in practice this week but it's been just precautionary because he is listed as probable for the game.

Jerry Jones went on the Cowboys flagship station in Dallas, 105.3 The Fan, saying that G Brian Waters would definitely start against the Rams while out at Valley Ranch Waters was reported as working with the 2's and Mackenzy Bearadeau was working with the 1's.

Rookie S JJ Wilcox has worked with the first team defense this week replacing veteran Will Allen and it appears he will get his first NFL start Sunday.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys won what initially looked like a tough game. After all these Rams are a new and improved team from the one Dallas played two years ago. They hadn't allowed a sack so far in the first two games and they only allow 42 yards rushing in the same two games---total. Sunday Dallas recorded 6 sacks including two for DeMarcus Ware making him the all time leader in sacks for the Cowboys passing Harvey Martin for sole possession of the record. He also moved into 17th place all time in NFL history since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
The Cowboys came out of the game relatively unscathed except for Miles Austin pulling his hamstring, which was said not to be anything big and and an issue with a hip pointer but he was able to return and catch a late TD pass from Tony Romo who tossed 3 TD's on the day.

Romo's stat line looked more old school that type of stats we're used to seeing from him. Romo was 17-24 for 210 yards, 3 TD's, and no picks. With the run game working on all cylinders the offensive balance was impressive. The defense pressured the Rams all day and one thing is clear, nobody is able to run on this defense, nobody. In Dallas' first three games they have only given up 199 total yards rushing. That's a 66.3 ypg average. If they had been able to corral Jamal Charles on the Chiefs last drive last week it would be way lower than that. Before that last drive Alex Smith was the game's leading rusher with 62 yards. The Cowboys need to tighten up their pass defense some or hope their pass rush that dominated the Rams yesterday continues to be a factor going forward.

JJ Wilcox made his first NFL start at safety yesterday in place of Will Allen. Allen was not hurt but Wilcox is bigger and faster than Allen and I suppose Dallas coaches figured that they drafted Wilcox and if he's going to be their future safety they better get him started sooner rather than later.

Morris Claiborne had his most complete game as pro yesterday. Those aren't my words, they're his. He said he wasn't bothered by his separated shoulder like he was in Kansas City last week and between his preparation and his lack of pain he was able to fly around to the ball and make plays without having to think about it first. That's a big step for a young player, to get to where he can let his instincts join with his skill to play the game. Looking for big things from Mo as the year goes on.

[eagle eye]

Tuesday is the player's day off but there are some news items and notes to look at.

> Jerry Jones said in his weekly radio interview that DE Anthony may need to have knee surgery again. He has missed all the preseason and all but a bit of the Chiefs game since having his knee scoped prior to training camp. This time it is slated to be microfracture surgery which is a risky surgery because it is only considered 75-80% successful and the rehab time is about one year with no guarantees that it will be successful in a sports environment and athletes often don't come back with the same speed they had before the surgery. I'm sure Spencer will explore rehab alternatives before jeopardizing his career. G Ronald Leary has a degenerative knee issue that caused a player with first round talent to not get drafted at all. At some point Leary will need microfracture surgery or possibly knee replacement. He deferred having the microfracture surgery prior to last year's draft primarily due to the risk and he was able to come back. The Cowboys took a flying on Leary because of his talent and they hope he can play well for 8-10 years before his knee gives out.

So, George Selvie who has really done a nice job in Spencer's absence will continue to start with the Cowboys likely to move free agent Caesar Rayford from his D-tackle spot to what is considered his natural spot DE to spell Selvie. The Cowboys could also choose to move Jason Vega, a man signed late in training camp who made a good push for the final 53 with his play against the Texans, off the practice squad play behind Selvie. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

The Cowboys have released DL Jerome Long and signed DT Drake Nevis off the Colts practice squad as the Cowboys churn the bottom of their roster. Nevis was a standout for the LSU Tigers while in college but he's had rough luck since he was drafted in 2011. He actually missed the 2011 and 2012 seasons because he had to go on IR for hand and back issues respectively. The Chargers signed him after he was released by Indy in the last cutdown prior to the beginning of the season but he was released shortly thereafter.

[eagle eye]

It's official, Dallas has placed DE Anthony Spencer on IR and he will undergo microfracture surgery very soon. I hope he will be available next training camp.

Prior to the official designation of Spencer to IR the Cowboys did sign a cornerback off the Lions practice squad. The Cowboys have only played so far with 4 cornerbacks on the roster despite Morris Claiborne having a separated shoulder. The player's name is Chris Greenwood from Div-III Albion (Michigan) College. He was the Detroit Lions 5th round pick in 2012 and he was also on of the 30 pre-draft visits in Dallas before last year's draft. So, he has been on Dallas' radar for a while. With the Cowboys facing San Diego and Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning and the Broncos coming to Dallas next week it was decided to shore up the depth at CB.

Interesting Stats:
> Dallas leads the NFC and is second in the NFL with 13 sacks. (Kansas City leads the NFL with 15)
> Dallas 13 sacks in 3 games equals the total sack count in 2012.
> Dallas has 6 turnovers in 3 games. They had 7 all of last season.
> Dallas is ranked 2nd in rush defense giving up 66 ypg. (Denver is No 1 giving up 43 ypg)
> Tony Romo in 115 attempt has only thrown 1 pick and that wasn't his fault. Rookie Terrence Williams ran a wrong route. So far in 2013 he has thrown 6 TDs against the one pick.
> Dallas will have played against 3 of the 4 teams in the AFC West by next week when Dallas will have faced the Chiefs, Chargers and Broncos. Oakland will be the Cowboys opponent on Thanksgiving.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys look like they go to San Diego a little short manpower-wise. I looks like Miles Austin will miss because of hamstring that he pulled against the Rams. Dwayne Harris has also been limited because of a hip pointer he suffered last Sunday. According to reports Austin and Harris have been replaced in practice this week by rookie Terrence Williams and fan favorite Cole Beasley. Beasley will also handle punt returns. The Cowboys don't plan to call up anyone from the practice squad they will rely more on their "12" package which utilizes TE's Jason Witten, James Hanna and Gavin Escobar in two TE formations.

San Diego's Manti Te'o will make his NFL debut on Sunday after missing the first 3 games of the season with a foot injury.

DC.com is reporting that OC Bill Callahan is expecting G Brian Waters to make his first start as a Cowboys against the Chargers. Waters was signed the week after the first game of the season and the Cowboys have worked Waters into the lineup slowly over the past two games to allow him to become more familiar with the Cowboys offense and allow him to get into game shape. Apparently, now is the time for him to start. Mackenzy Bernadeau will likely be the swing guard and backup center saving a roster spot for another linebacker or receiver.

DeMarcus Ware has been limited in practice due to a neck stinger suffered against the Rams but it isn't considered a problem and he is listed as probable on the Cowboys injury report.

[eagle eye]

Did you guys see the game Sunday? I'm still pissed at the way San Diego bitch slapped the Cowboys. The end came after Sean Lee picked off Phillip Rivers on a tipped ball and ran it back for a TD and the Cowboys allowed the Chargers to march down and kick a field goal to cut their 21-10 lead down to 8 points at 21-13. The drive at the end of the half and the dominance of the Chargers in the 3rd quarter doomed Dallas to being beaten in a game they should have won.
Dallas defense had no answer for the dink and dunk offense that the Charger employed to negate the pass rush Dallas showed in the first half. You have to blame Monte Kiffin for not making adjustments to stop the Chargers from gashing Dallas with quick slants and Danny Woodhead in the flat. The Cowboys made Woodhead look like an All Pro. He's a nice player but he ain't Darren Sproles. Kiffin tried using zone coverage and man coverage but he stuck with the linebackers in the game. To me, if he takes out Bruce Carter, who looked terrible especially against Woodhead, and Sims and put in cornerbacks and or safety's to match up against the backs and receivers in much the same type of defense the Patriots used against the Falcons in their victory Sunday night it might have given the Cowboys pass rush a chance to get to Rivers.
The defense isn't the only culprit. DeMarco Murray continued being effective and his 14 carries for 70 yards (5.0 YPC) was effective but the Cowboys didn't ride Murray like they should have. Romo was efficient but he didn't go down the field much and even when he did his receivers failed to make a play. Any comeback was shot down after Terrence Williams fumbled at the Chargers one trying to stretch the ball for a TD he had no prayer of scoring. Even Jason Witten looked bad missing a pass down the seam. The main reason Dallas couldn't take advantage of a San Diego secondary that has been at the bottom of the league in passing defense because the O-line couldn't keep Romo clean in the pocket. It was ridiculous. I am really not liking Bill Callahan's play calling.
The bottom line is it's the same old mediocre Cowboys. They play a good game and come back with a crap game. They looked like doo-doo after beating the Giants when they played the Chiefs and the same thing has happened again. Dallas looked good against the Rams and stunk it up against the Chargers. As bad a Phillip Rivers tore up the Cowboys pass defense with his half-assed receivers what the heck is going to happen next week against the Broncos with Peyton Manning and his elite receiving corps to pick them apart? Bad things, man. Bad things. I can see the line on that game starting out with Denver -7.5 favorites. If Dallas plays like they did Sunday against the Broncos Manning and company will win by 3 TDs.

[eagle eye]

What is going to be said in break rooms and cafeterias and living rooms this week is the general consensus that Dallas is going to be embarrassed by the Broncos this week. That very well could be. After all the Broncos are on a real roll through the first 4 games of the season. They've got more weapons than NATO and a field general who is pretty much unsurpassed and he's as hot as a cheap pistol. But......There's always a but. The last time a Peyton Manning-led team came to Dallas Manning was with the Colts and they were riding a 9-0 record into the Lone Star State. Dallas upset the Colts that day 38-35 in a game that saw Dallas record 4 INTs including a TD each by Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick. Dallas is going to have to have that kind of day Sunday. They're going to have to get more pressure on Manning than they did Phillip Rivers last Sunday for sure. The Cowboys D is going to have to force some turnovers and last but not least the offense will have to continue to run the ball effectively and Tony Romo will need to pass the ball down the field some. Dink and dunk won't beat these Broncos.

Note:
> Anthony Spenser underwent successful microfracture surgery on his knee yesterday. Of all the losses to injury up to this point Spenser's may be the most damaging. Spenser was going into the first year he could rush the opposing QB every down in their new 4-3 scheme. In the 3-4 he spent a lot of time in coverage as the strong side LB and he still put up pretty decent numbers as a pass rusher. Spencer's presence and the emergence of George Selvie would have given Dallas a nice rotation at DE but now there doesn't seem to be anyone to step in if Ware and/or Selvie go down.
> Speaking of George Selvie, he did not participate in Cowboys practice yesterday due to the Cowboys following the NFL protocall for concussions. The Cowboys are hoping Selvie will be able to return to practice this week in time to play against the Broncos.
> Miles Austin was out of practice yesterday as well still nursing his hamstring injury.
> Former NFL scout and DC.com writer Brian Broaddus is speculating that if Selvie is out this week Dallas may elect to call up DE Jason Vega from the practice squad. According to Broaddus, Ronald Leary and James Hanna made a name for themselves playing on the scout team last year and Vega is showing the same promise this year. They say he has a high motor and has been very good coming off the edge in practice.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys will be without Miles Austin again this week.
George Selvie is listed as questionable but I'm thinking if he can play he will. He had limited participation in yesterday's practice.
Starting LB Justin Durant is doubtful. He did not practice this week. Ernie Sims will take his place.

A huge thing for Dallas to be aware of is how they deal with kick returner Trindon Holliday. The guy gets a little gap he's gone. He came up huge in Denver's win last week. If Dallas wins tomorrow the MVP could be punter Chris Jones.

Tony Romo is going to need Dez Bryant and Jason Witten to come up big to help keep the chains moving against the Broncos. It sure wouldn't hurt to have either Dwayne Harris and/or Gavin Escobar to step up too. The biggest factor will be Dallas committing to the run. If they can keep the score close then Denver is susceptible to the run and the only question is will Bill Callahan stick with it if it's working?

No predictions but this is a game Denver could lose if Dallas plays well.

[eagle eye]

I am so sick of the cliches surrounding Tony Romo and what he is in the 4th quarter. On SVP and Rusillo they has a stat that in his career Tony Romo has thrown 23 picks in the 4th quarter with 8 coming with Dallas leading or tied for the lead. So you have eight games out of around 115 games that was "blown" by Romo. Not all that bad. Especially when you consider Romo has: Fact: Romo has the highest fourth-quarter passer rating among active quarterbacks. And it’s not even close. His 102.1 rating is more than five points higher than the second man on the list, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. Fact: Romo has 19 4th qtr comebacks/game winning drives. Including 5 in 2012. It would have been more had Dan Bailey made field goals against the Giants, the Cardinals and the Ravens over the last couple of years that would raised that total to 22. Please don't include the fumbled snap on the field goal attempt against Seattle in 2009. That wasn't a QB play. It was a part of a rash of fumbled snaps in the NFL late in the season linked to slick kicking balls. Romo's fumble was the highest profile because it involved the playoffs and because it's the Cowboys. Besides, if Martin Grammatica didn't have his head up his butt and just got in the way of Seattle's Jordan Babineaux who caught Romo by his shoestrings then Romo would have gone from goat to hero in the matter of about 8 seconds.
You want to rag on Romo about the pick yesterday you have to know that there were extenuating circumstances. One, he was being pressured in the pocket, two he had a defender in his face, three the intended receiver Gavin Escobar didn't run his route properly and four Denver LB Danny Trevathan made a career catch diving and completely horizontal when he made the play. Sometimes the other team just makes a play and as much as you hate it, Trevathan did.
What I'm saying is don't buy into the mistaken cliche that Romo ALWAYS chokes in the clutch. It just isn't true. And BTW would it have killed the defense to make a stop when Dallas was up 48-41? I'm just saying.

[LUSportsFan]

I agree that yesterday's interception was not the reason the Cowboys lost. However, I ddn't see any extraordinary circumstances with that play. I didn't see any pressure until just before his throw. He was hurried then, but I've seen a lot of plays with more pressure than yesterday's interception play. For most of the play, I thought he had good protection. The defender was blocked by two of the Cowboy linemen.

I had to refresh my memory. Here is a link to the play video. There are two views in the video. The second view, about half way in gives an idea of the protection and how the play transpired.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000257594/Romo-throws-late-game-interception

I can't say Romo lost that game. He was not on the field when Denver scored 51 points. He had 506 passing yards. He has been very accurate this year. His team scored 48 points. That's usually enough to win an NFL game. Romo helped to keep the Cowboys in a position to win the game. There were two quarterbacks on the field who were having what would usually be classified as a career day for most other NFL quarterbacks. Maybe Romo shouldn't have tried to complete that pass. Maybe he should have just thrown it away. The only problem is that if every play we armchair, after-the-fact quarterbacks think should have been played differently, we would have to accept that a lot of spectacular plays that make the sport what it is would never occur.

I just think it was a great game saving pick by Trevathan.

Here's a link to a Sports Illustrated article. The writer saw the game as I did.

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/10/07/tony-romo-monday-morning-quarterback/?sct=hp_t2blog_a10 (http://mmqb.si.com/2013/10/07/tony-romo-monday-morning-quarterback/?sct=hp_t2blog_a10)

If I wasn't a fan of either team, it would have been a great game to watch. It was still a good game even though my team came out on the short end. It may be forgotten, but Manning also had a pick in the game.

Here are the game highlights. Plays like the ones on this highlight reel are why I love watching football.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000257613/Week-5-Broncos-vs-Cowboys-highlights

[eagle eye]

I made the post about Romo at work and was going by the description of the play by Tim Hasselbeck on Mike and Mike. I couldn't look at it at work because our company computer security blocks all streaming. There is an excellent pitcher of Travathan's pick on the Cowboys web site on the home page and that was exactly as I described.

[eagle eye]

In a rather shocking move today the Cowboys have released veteran safety Will Allen. Allen was signed in the off season to lend veteran leadership to the young Cowboys DBs. He started out the season as the starter along side Barry Church but by Week 3 he was replaced by rookie JJ Watt. It could be that Dallas is shaking things up a bit because they have seen their defense give up 774 passing yards in the last six quarters. Never mind the QBs pulling the trigger were Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning. Even in the opener against the Giants Dallas allowed 450+ yards passing to Eli Manning. It is a real surprise to me that the Cowboys let Allen go but they see him in practice every day. He either isn't all that great any more or the Cowboys are making room to sign some defensive line help.

There is some mystery about why Ernie Simms has passed Bruce Carter on the depth chart. In his first season he was very good, even stepping in and playing the middle for Sean Lee after he was injured. The only reason I can surmise is Carter is having a tough time learning the Tampa 2 under Monte Kiffin. It doesn't help that the D-line is a M*A*S*H* unit with a bunch of no-names manning the front. They aren't doing bad but without Jason Hatcher and DeMarcus Ware in the lineup a good bit of the time due to nagging injuries the line isn't putting the pressure on opposing QBs line they were through the first three games when they were 2nd in the NFL with 13 sacks. A definite lack of pass rush isn't helping the linebackers or the DBs. Personally I'd rather they sit Hatcher and Ware for a game or two to allow them to get healthy and as close to 100% as possible. But, that isn't likely. Sheesh, isn't it time for Dallas to have some good luck injury-wise for a change?

In yesterday's locker room interviews Dez Bryant stepped up to say he and rest of the team are 100% behind Romo. Neither Bryant nor Romo pay much heed to the crap on the local radio and TV stations belaboring the cliche that Romo can't win in the clutch. Here's a couple of quotes from Bryant;
“The radio, whoever, they’re going to do what they’re going to do. As long as we know who Romo is in this locker room, he don’t care, and that’s the only thing that matters,” said Bryant. “He don’t care what nobody else say, as long as he know that we got his back, that’s the only thing that matters.”

“I feel damn good about the way we played yesterday. I just feel like if we can continue to keep doing that, we can stack some wins up. We was explosive, we didn’t back down like everybody expected us to.”

“In my eyes Romo is a fighter,” Bryant said. “I don’t think no quarterback in the NFL could take as much criticism as he takes, and he still goes out there like he hasn’t heard anything -- I know he heard it, but he don’t let it get to him –and he goes out there and he performs the best way he possibly can. And we’re going to forever back him for it.”

That's the only thing that matters---thanks Dez for being a good team player and vocally standing up for a team mate who is getting raked over the coals unfairly. I think Dez would really like to tell the local and national media who are attacking his team mate, "F**k all y'all.

[LUSportsFan]

I made the post about Romo at work and was going by the description of the play by Tim Hasselbeck on Mike and Mike. I couldn't look at it at work because our company computer security blocks all streaming. There is an excellent pitcher of Travathan's pick on the Cowboys web site on the home page and that was exactly as I described.


No dispute with Travathan's interception. It was a great catch. Also, I guess I'm not seeing something (probably likely) or I'm discounting something in the play. I counted 4 seconds on the CBS clock before Romo made his pass so it looked like the linemen did their part except at the last. There were two main threats by the Broncos. The threat from the front was taken care of by a double team. The threat from the left ended up causing some problem. While holding off the leftside rush, Romo's own lineman kicked Romo's left foot as Romo was throwing the ball. It looks to me like Romo may have helped that since it looks like he took one to two steps toward the left side just before the release. Romo threw into coverage with three defenders.

On the negative side, Demarco Murray was all by himself about 3 yards past the line of scrimmage (about 5 yards behind the primary target). Looked liked Murray thought the ball should have gone to him since his was raising his hands while trotting off the field. Looked like something I would do in disgust. It also looked like Murray might have had some running room.

Here are a couple of links that support Eagle Eye's post. I totally missed the foot trip by #77 until listening to Ron Jaworski's description. I was looking for contact with a Bronco.

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9784960&s=espn

Here's a link to an "Upon Further Review" segment from cowboys.com. It is great because stop motion and analysis are used.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/videos/Upon_Further_Review_Week_4/8accb8b5-2af4-41e1-a5cf-5dfdeb4df557

I heard something with Hasselbeck, but he was questioning why Romo threw the pass. Demarco Murray was mentioned in the discussion. Maybe Hasselbeck changed his viewpoint during the Mike and Mike program.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/9788731/dallas-cowboys-back-tony-romo-tough-loss-denver-broncos

I'm not as critical as Hasselbeck is in the above discussion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EVEN WITH ALL THAT, I DON'T THINK ROMO COST THE 'BOYS THE GAME. It was a game that someone had to lose and could have gone either way. It was a great game to watch. Romo was about as good as I've ever seen him. Before that play, I was all set for Romo to drive the Cowboys down the field for the winning score. He had played like Superman most of the game. Again, it's hard to win a game in the NFL when you have 51 points scored on you. Romo was not playing defense during any of those 51 points.

[BSFwins]

Bottom line, is short and to the point. You can't win in the NFL giving up 51 points. Can someone please invite the defense to the next game!!

[eagle eye]

I don't know what's going to happen this week against the Redskins but I sure hope the offense plays like it did against the Broncos. Dallas is facing a team who barely beat the Raiders two weeks ago and have a had a bye week to heal up and prepare for the Cowboys. One thing is for sure Dallas needs to fix whatever it can to play better than they have the past two weeks. Normally, when an offense scores 48 points you figure to win the ball game. But as BSFwins noted you can't win many, if any, games giving up 51. Is RGIII healthy now? Who knows and it really doesn't matter if the defense can't make stops. Will Dallas have a Broncos hangover and stumble against the 'Skins? Will Dallas' D figure out how to make a stop on third down? To me, these are the primary questions that will be answered on Sunday Night Football this sunday.

Just an observation. If Miles Austin does get back on the field and stay on the field he may be looking for another team to play for in 2014. I like Miles but you can't have your number two receiver in the training room more than he's on the field. As Terrence Williams emerges and shows what he is cabable of he is making the oft injured Austin expendable. Since Austin's breakout season in 2009 and since he's gotten his big contract extension in 2010 he hasn't given the Cowboys their BIG money's worth because he can't stay on the field. Like I said, I like Miles. I like the way he catches with his hands instead of trapping the ball against his body. I like his ability to run after the catch and I like the way he protects the ball when he runs. But he just needs to stay on the field. Maybe if he takes a pay cut in 2014 Dallas can justify keeping him but only if he shows he can stay in the game.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys look to have Miles Austin ready to go for the game on Sunday night. He's practiced the past two days and has looked good according to DC.com. Austin pulled a hamstring against the Rams and has missed the past two games.

Jason Hatcher has been limited this week because of a neck stinger he suffered during the Broncos game. It's not considered serious and he should be in the lineup sunday.

Lance Dunbar pulled a hammy against the Broncos and doesn't look like he'll play against the Redskins. The Cowboys are getting Joseph Randall ready to go this week.

So far the Cowboys have played nickel on defense without too much luck against Phillip Rivers and Peyton Manning. They also gave up 400+ yards to Eli Manning in the opener. With the release of Will Allen the Cowboys have an open roster spot. Despite that they have been giving practice squad DBs Jakar Hamilton and Jeff Heath more work in practice this week. It may be that Dallas will try a dime defensive package against the Redskins this week that will remove linebackers from the field and feature extra safeties and cornerbacks to better cover multi-receiver sets. All that will still depend on the pass rush from the front 4 and how well they stop Alfred Morris from running the ball.

[eagle eye]

The most important thing that needs to be answered is this, will Dallas suffer any hangover from the emotionally draining loss last sunday? Unfortunately, that won't really be answered until about 10 o'clock sunday night. We all hope they come back strong and actually play to the strengths of the offense that was discovered last sunday and improve on the quality of defense they have been playing the last two weeks. Dallas needs, at some point very soon, to step up and take control of their division. They have got to find a way to find some consistancy. The NFC East, once the best in football have become the new version of the NFC West that some dismal just a few years ago. The loss to the Broncos was heartbreaking on so many levels but it's past news now and it's time to move on. The Cowboys have 11 games left to show some level of dominance and they have the opportunity to really show something with the upcoming schedule filled with tough matchups. It all starts this week against an old nemesis at home on Sunday night. C'mon dammit! Let's go Cowboys!

Note: This game will see a reunion of former Baylor Bears teammates. RGIII and Terrence Williams will be on the field together for the first time since RGIII's Heisman Award winning season in 2011.

[eagle eye]

Dallas won a hard fought game last night. It was a gutty performance for a defense that had been torched the past two weeks and who, in the course of the game, lost DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher. The Redskins won the time of possession battle 34:32 to 25:28 and total yards 433-213. In fact Washington won every statistical comparison except two--turnovers (Dallas won 2-1) and the score which Dallas won 31-16. Dallas needed a Cowboys record 222 yards of returns by Dwayne Harris who had an 86 yard punt return for a TD and a 90 yard kickoff return to set up another TD. Harris also had a nice tackle on kick coverage so don't be surprised if Harris isn't the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this year.
Tony Romo threw a pass after the Harris kickoff runback to Terrence Williams that initially I thought was just a throwaway by Romo because he was being pressured but it turned out to be a perfectly thrown ball to Williams who made an equally beautiful catch for the score.
Last night's MVP was the defense. They bent but did not break except for one 45 yard TD run by Alfred Morris and long run by RGIII the defense held the Redskins run game in check. It was the effort by the backup D-linemen that harassed RGIII to the point he was all but ineffective in the passing game and the defense held the Redskins to a TD and 3 field goals despite giving up that 433 yards.
Dallas will face a Philly team 2nd in total offense and with the leading rusher in the NFL in LeSean McCoy. Not only will they do that but they will have to do it on the road. The saving grace here is Philly's defense is one of the worst in the league so it looks like it may be a shootout similar to the Broncos game. No time to gloat over this win. Enjoy it for a minute then we will turn our attention to next week.

Cowboys injuries
> DeMarcus Ware - Right quad strain, severity not known as yet. Waiting on MRI results
> DeMarco Murray - sprained MCL in his knee. Severity not know yet. Waiting on MRI results
> Jason Hatcher - possibly a left arm issue, details not yet known.

[eagle eye]

Dallas will be going into a critical stretch of the season without DeMarcus Ware who is going to miss 3-4 weeks with a bum quad. There was no issue with Jason Hatcher and a good thing because he's the only projected starter going into the season that's left standing. He's determined to assume the leadership role going forward while Ware is out. Good thing because here's the players he will be leading on the field. George Selvie we know and he's played pretty well to this point. He's a role player in a starting position but he's made the best of his opportunity. Nick Haden who's been thrust into a starting role due to injuries. Kyle Wilbur, a guy who was drafted last year as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 who is trying to make the transition to defensive end in the 4-3 the Cowboys now run. Backups include Drake Nevis, Caesar Rayford, David Carter and Edgar Jones. "Who?" is the question to that answer. Few people outside of their friends and family have ever heard of these guys.
Jay Ratliff is off PUP and he could really add something to the D-line if healthy but he hasn't even practiced since last year. In many ways he's been more pain in the ass than anything else including a blowup at team owner and GM Jerry Jones after a loss to the Redskins last season on Thanksgiving in the locker room after the game. It's not often you can go off on your boss without some animosity been present going forward. I think it's telling that Ratliff's first day off PUP he was not a Valley Ranch. There is obviously some disconnect here and maybe the field report by NBC's Michelle Tafoya that Ratliff may not even BE a Cowboy or play a down for Dallas the rest of the season may have had merit. It seems like Dallas can't avoid some form of controversy no matter how hard they try not to.
Also, Dallas will be leaning on Tony Romo to drive the bus like a Mazerati. At least for the forseeable future due to the apparent loss of DeMarco Murray with a sprained MCL. The Cowboys are reporting that Murray will be an end of the week decision but he's likely out at least this week. So, the run game falls on rookie Joseph Randall and 3rd year backup Phillip Tanner. Randall did most of the work after Murray went down against the Redskins but 11 carries for 17 yards isn't what you get real excited about. Philly's defense isn't great by any stretch but I'm sure they're glad not to face a bruiser like Murray. It's going to be an interesting time the next few weeks.

[eagle eye]

OMG! This is a huge news day for both Texas pro football teams. First, we find out that Case Keenum will make his first start of his career in Kansas City this week and now today the news out of Valley Ranch is that defensive tackle Jay Ratliff has been RELEASED! This is a guy the Cowboys hoped would anchor their D-line and actually enhance his carerr with the move to a 4-3 defensive scheme. Instead, Ratliff who missed most of last season due to a sports hernia and groin issues and who has missed all of this years' activities including training camp and the regular season to date rehabbing after surgery to repair the hernia. That's the Cowboys story.

Ratliff's agent, Mark Slough, issued a statement saying that Ratliff did not have a sports hernia injury. Never did. They contend that Ratliff tore tendons that attach to the inside of the his pelvis, an injury that is very painful and requires a year to recover from. Slough said that Ratliff's career is definitely not over and he fully expects to play again in 2014.

Ratliff issued a statement following his release thanking the Cowboys for the opportunity to play in the NFL and in Dallas when he was drafted in 2005 and he played well in the Cowboys 3-4 under Wade Phillips and Rob Ryan up until his injury occurred in the game against the Cleveland Browns last year. Ratiff also thanked his team mates and expressed his regret he could be on the field with them and his continued support and hope for their success. He also thanked the fans of the Cowboys saying they are the greatest fans in the world. Ratliff was a quality player who went to 4 straight pro bowls from 2008 thru 2011.

In a press conference today Jerry Jones would not comment on the details of Ratliff's injury because there may be legal considerations involved. When asked what he meant Jones said all player movement issues have potential legal implications and neither he or Jason Garrett in a later press conference would comment any further than Ratliff was a good player they wish him well going forward.

On Tuesday the Cowboys waived two players, DE David Carter and CB Chris Greenwood. The Cowboys also signed two players, DE Jarius Wynn who is a four year veteran who earned a Super Bowl ring in 2010 while with Green Bay and RB Davin Meggett was signed to the practice squad. Meggett was a standout RB at Maryland and has been on the practice squads of the Colts and Texans the past two years. Meggett will run with the scout team to begin with. With DeMarco Murray out a projected 2 games and Lance Dunbar out with a hamstring issue the Cowboys needed the depth at RB with only Joseph Randle and Phillip Tanner on the current depth chart. Meggett is the son for former NY Giants RB Dave Meggett.

Lastly, here is a scouting report from DC.com's Bryan Broaddus on former Georgia Bulldog and new Cowboys DE Jarius Wynn.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scouting-Report-A-Look-At-New-DE-Jarius-Wynns-Game-Tape/cd1641d1-3645-40a9-881d-732bed366f4b

[eagle eye]

Dallas played a really good game. Forget what the pundits say about the Cowboys playing down to the level of their competition, it's all hogwash. If you've been paying attention, NFC East games can go every which way and often do. Division games are different animals and the job the Cowboys defense did against the Redskins and Eagles was really good work. I'm not even putting the qualifier on this statement about the Cowboys many injuries. It was a heckuva game in all three phases and Dallas showed they are clearly better than the Eagles especially with Michael Vick out of the lineup. I thought that Nick Foles, being the better passer, would be better than he actually was. I believe a lot of his ineffectiveness was due to a Cowboys defense that is learning how to play the Tampa 2 under Monte Kiffin and Rod Marinelli. The epiphany was probably reached after Dallas gave up 51 points to Peyton Manning despite the offense putting up 48. The shame of not being able to hold the Broncos when their offense has such a stellar day caused the defense to rededicate themselves to being a better unit. It was also a case of Kiffin and his fellow coaches realizing that his cornerbacks are better at man coverage than zone and he allowing them to play to their strengths.
Tony Romo was efficient and had a very quiet 300+ yards passing day which included a nice pass on a slant to Terrence Williams for his only passing TD of the day. Dez Bryant had a big day despite being mauled by the Eagles DBs in a game where the DBs could have been flagged several times for pass interference. The refs finally call one on a short pass in the end zone where Dez was clearly interfered with. Phillip Tanner did the honors of carry the ball into the end zone for the Cowboys first score.
Nick Foles was shaken up in the 3rd quarter but by then the fans were more than ready for Foles to head to the showers and they embraced the rookie from USC Matt Barkley until he tossed 3 picks. I bet the Eagles fans would have cheered if Koy Detmer had come in for Barkley. It was all Dallas despite Tony Romo tossing two picks. The first was a Hail Mary at the end of the first half that Dez flat whiffed on and the other was in the second half because of a wrong route run by Phillip Tanner. Tanner admitted his mistake after the game.

Interesting Notes:

> Today was Dallas' first back to back win this season. Their challenge now will be to win 3 in a row in Detroit next week.
> Tony Romo set the record for most yardage after his first 100 starts, today being his 100th start. His 27,485 passing yards is the most in NFL history in a QB's first 100 starts. He passed No 4 Peyton Manning, No 3 Dan Marino and No 2 Kurt Warner for the mark he set today.
> Romo also tied his own team record of throwing at least one TD pass in 20 straight games today.
> Everyone expected a shootout (including me) similar to the Broncos game three weeks ago but it never materialized.

[BSFwins]

That is why, I laugh at Houston Texans fan's who say Tony Romo sucks. The Texans could be really good if they had Tony Romo. He isn't the problem with the Cowboys (JJ maybe??).

[eagle eye]

[color=navy]Dallas players got the day off as a reward for a good game against Philadelphia. They still had to come in and get in a lifting session in the weight room and a run in as well as meeting in their groups to review tape of yesterday's game but no team related activities were scheduled. Tuesday is the player's normal day off so it will be back to work Wednesday to prepare for Detroit next Sunday.

Work at the Ranch isn't cancelled though as Dallas signed DT Marvin Austin to shore up their depth on the D-line. Austin was a second round draft pick in 2011 like his North Carolina teammate Bruce Carter also drafted in 2011. The New York Giants drafted Austin but he missed all of the 2011 season with a torn pectoral muscle and he played in 8 games last year. Austin was cut in the final cut down this past preseason and he was signed by Miami but cut two weeks later.
When asked about the signing Jason Garrett said he didn't want to talk about the past. He preferred to talk about what they knew and that was Austin is this,

[eagle eye]

Dallas has a full 8-man practice squad again after signing former Baylor Bear and Terrence Williams teammate, not to mention Josh Gordon and Kendall Wright, Lanear Sampson. In 2012 Sampson was named All Big 12 Honorable Mention honors posting 52 catches for 642 yards and 6 TDs. Sampson finished his Baylor career ranked 5th all time in receptions at Baylor with 165. He also ended his time at Baylor with a 43 game reception streak. Maybe the most attractive thing about Sampson is his 4.35 40 yard time at the Baylor pro day this past spring.

Dallas actually had 3 spots to fill because when they left for Philly last week a little known rule stating that 3-year practice squad veterans could not be carried if the team doesn't have a full 53 man roster which Dallas did not, they only had 52. So, Dallas was forced to waive WR Jamar Newsome and G Ray Dominguez so they could resign them if they cleared waivers. They did clear waivers and both were resigned yesterday.

Here's a link to DC.com's Bryan Broaddus' column giving a scout's point of view regarding newly signed DT Marvin Austin.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-BryanBroaddusBlog/Scout%E2%80%99s-Eye-Full-Scouting-Report-On-DT-Marvin-Austin/ce982990-4476-4719-95b6-9500fc19c2c3

Sean Lee was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Eagles last Sunday. Lee recorded 11 combined tackles in the game and also nabbed one of the three interceptions Dallas posted on the day. Last Sunday was the 5th week in a row Lee led the team in tackles.

[eagle eye]

Imagine that. Newly released DT Jay Ratliff has been cleared to play by his surgeon, a Dr Meyers from Philadelphia , and Ratliff's agent Mark Slough has sent notices to NFL teams declaring Ratliff available without limitations. This news comes a week after the Cowboys released Ratliff because he was deemed as not able to play this season. Ratliff only played 6 games in 2012 due to injuries and he had surgery to repair a sports hernia in December of 2012. Ratliff injured himself during the conditioning test prior to the start of training camp and never practiced or played down for the Cowboys in 2013. Just prior to the start of the season Dallas put Ratliff on PUP to retain his rights but when the six weeks of PUP expired after the Redskins game Dallas gave Ratliff his outright release. That release was clouded in mystery as no real reason was given for it and Ratliff's agent said in a press release Ratliff did not have a sports hernia, never did, although the Cowboys reported his injury as such. The agent said that Ratliff had torn tendons that attach to the inside of his pelvis. This is a very painful injury and one that takes a full year to come back from. Ratliff's agent said last week Ratliff would not be able to play until next season. Now, Ratliff's doctor has cleared Ratliff to play which makes for a very interesting situation. Dallas renegotiated Ratliff's contract prior to the NFL scouting combine and had full expectations he would be available to anchor the D-line as Dallas switched to a 4-3 under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. There has been friction between Ratliff and Jerry Jones since last season when Ratliff went off on Jones in the locker room after the Cowboys loss to Washington on Thanksgiving. In the press release after his release Ratliff's agent said there had been friction between Dallas' medical staff and Ratliff and Ratliff chose to rehab after his surgery on his own away from team trainers. At the time of his release Jones was asked about the Ratliff situation and he refused to comment on the release other than to indicate they appreciated Ratliff's tenure with the Cowboys. Jones said that he could not comment further due to legal implications which was a bit of a mystery at the time. Now, it seems like there really could be litigation on the horizon. If I was Jones I would be suing Ratliff to get some of the money he paid him this past winter since it appears the money was taken under false pretenses. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens next.

[eagle eye]

Dallas will be without S JJ Wilcox who injured his knee in practice yesterday. Wilcox is coming off his best game as pro during his rookie season. The likely replacement for Wilcox will be fellow rookie Jeff Heath out of Saginaw Valley State. Heath is 6'1" and 209 lbs. Heath will be going back home this week as he hails from a Detroit suburb of Lake Orion, Michigan. Wilcox isn't completely ruled out of the game this week but results from the MRI he did yesterday haven't been published but, even Wilcox admits he will likely miss this week's game. His status for the Minnesota game in two weeks is still up in the air.

[eagle eye]

Jerry Jones said yesterday that he's not as worried about Calvin Johnson as he about Reggie Bush. Not bad thinking here. Bush will touch the ball more than Megatron and he will have the opportunity to be more of a factor in the game as a result. When you think about Bush think LeSean McCoy. Both players are fast, elusive and good in the passing game. Bush may be a better receiver than runner which makes him a big threat to the Dallas D. If Dallas plays their lanes like they did against Philly and they can take Bush out of the game like they did McCoy it will be a big plus for Dallas' chances of winning.
Don't count on Matthew Stafford stinking up the place like Nick Foles did but part of Foles problem was a newly found pass rush by Dallas. If Dallas can pressure Stafford like they did Foles I really like Dallas' chances in Detroit.
The only thing I am really worried about is the Detroit front four. Dallas O-line needs to play their behinds off and keep Romo clean. They especially need to protect Romo from that psycho Ndomican Suh. Captain Cheat Shot will put late licks on Romo and I'm convinced if the Lions are losing and Suh gets frustrated he may actually try to hurt Romo. C'mon boys up front, protect your quarterback.

[CoachPace]

Let's go cowboys finish the job against the lions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[eagle eye]

Is it hard to be a Cowboys fan or what? This team seems to be uniquely able to snatch defeat right out of the jaws of victory don't they? 62 seconds away from a really nice victory on the road. The first back to back road victories since--I'm not sure if anyone knows. Even the guy on TV was chalking up a W for Dallas just prior to the start of the Lions final drive. At the time I said to myself, "Not yet buddy, not yet." Spoken by a fan who knows what Dallas is capable of. Fateful sentiments.
What I didn't know at the time was that S Barry Church was not in the game due to a pulled hamstring. Same with Morris Claiborne. So, in the defensive back field you have Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick at CB and three rookies playing in their first NFL game. The fault I see here is Jason Garrett's lack of consideration for the defensive dilemma and trying to get a first down to really run out the clock. If I am that depleted in my secondary I don't want Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson on the field to exploit that weakness. I would've passed on second down off play-action and got another first down. With a fresh set of downs Dallas could've run out the clock, victory formation, game over. Dallas wins 24-21. All that said, if Tyron Smith doesn't get flagged for holding stopping the clock Detroit would have gotten the ball back with about 20 seconds or less. Unfortunately, hindsight is always 20-20. Fiddle-sticks. (That's me self censoring)
This one hurts. It hurts us as fans and I'm sure it hurts the Cowboys from Jerry Jones down to the security guards at Valley Ranch. All you can say is one big "DAMMIT" and move on. We should rebound and win against Minnesota but if Barry Church and Mo Claiborne are hurt long term we are in a world of trouble against the Saints two weeks from yesterday. It would sure be nice if Dallas had their bye week before the Saints game instead of after. I can't believe we lost yesterday. I don't like the Lions in general and I don't like their coach. Jim Schwartz is a guy I'd like to kick in the his nether ya-ya just for general purposes. Is there a guy who feels worse than Tyron Smith does? Maybe Jason Garrett. Either way, Dallas lost a game they had won and that is as demoralizing as it gets.

[LU4LIFE]

Thus was a tough one to swallow for sure

[eagle eye]

Can we just please stop the Dez bashing. Everyone who has been in front of a microphone the last two days is saying Dez needs to grow up. They have assumed that his demostrative behavior on the sideline was a selfish plea for the ball a la Terrell Owens but there is a video linked below that clearly shows that Dez's so-called "blowup" was far from that. In that instance Dez wasn't complaining he was, if anything, encouraging the coaches and Romo by saying, "...we're the best in the NFL!". The conversation evolved into a strategy session. Dez' post game comment that he was making positive comments, in this case, was completely true.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/0ap2000000271580/Dez-Bryant-sideline-sound

The audio/video I want to see and hear is the exchange after Detroit scored the winning TD between Dez, Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware. Dez was beside himself on the sideline and whatever he said pissed off Jason Witten who seemed to be reminding Dez they had 12 seconds left to pull out a win and to stay focused. Then, DeMarcus Ware wedged Witten away and he took Dez by the front of his shirt and you saw a fire in Ware's eyes and a determination in his face that showed he is force to reckoned with. You see a glimpse of the mean streak Ware has. I'll tell you one thing, Dez may have been on TV when the Cowboys blew the game but he was among a legion of Cowboys fans ready to kick an Orc's ass out the frustration and disbelief at what happen at the end of the game. Dez deserves an apology for what media people have said about him. Unfortunately, he probably won't get even one.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys the past two seasons have not had any luck at all injury-wise especially on the defensive side of the ball. Last year they lost pretty much all their linebackers and some on the D-line. This year it's been almost all D-line with some safety issues thrown in. Now, toss cornerback into the hat too. It looks like Morris Claiborne will miss at least two weeks with a pulled hamstring. That is on top of the issues he was already having that dates all the way back to Week 1. Claiborne's hammy hasn't been right all season. It's hindered him enough that he lost his starting job to Orlando Scandrick. The problems don't stop there.
Safety Barry Church also is nursing a pulled hamstring. The prognosis on him is not really known just yet but hamstrings don't completely heal, maybe ever (see Miles Austin). That big muscle on the back side of your thigh is son-of-a-gun to get over.
The defense isn't the only side of the ball hurting although the offense has escaped the number of injuries suffered by the defense. DeMarco Murray is currently missing his yearly quota of games and now G Brian Waters looks like he'll miss the rest of the season with a triceps injury suffered against the Lions. Mackenzy Berdadeau will step in and take his place. Bernadeau at least knows the offense and should be adequet going forward. Make no mistake Waters will be missed because he is a Pro Bowl caliber player who brings an element of nastiness to the O-line that had been missing. Hopefully his teammates have picked up on that attitude and will continue it going forward.

Dallas has made yet another move on the D-line. They released Jason Vega (who?) and signed Everett Brown the former 2009 2nd round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers coming out of Florida State. The fifth year player has started 3 games and played in 28 games in his two year stint in Carolina. After the 2010 season he went to San Diego and after that he went to Detroit when he was released at the end of training camp in 2012. He spent 2012 season out of football. He came back this year and was with Philadelphia until he was cut at the end of training camp. If I counted correctly Brown is the 16th D-lineman to be on the 53 man roster since the season began.

[eagle eye]

The week will not see the return of DeMarcus Ware. He has been limited in practice but he's not well enough to go against the Vikings this week. Honestly, I hope the Cowboys sit him until after the bye week after next week's game against the Saints. I really want to have Ware for the last six games and the playoffs. (I'm making a lot of assumptions here, aren't I?)
DeMarco Murray could and probably will be back this week which will give a big boost to the run game and he is the best of the RB's in pass protection which, considering the beating the Lions gave Tony Romo last week is a welcome addition to the offense. I heard a wild prediction that Murray will gain more yards that Adrian Peterson. But, when you stop and think about it, the Vikings don't have any weapons that scare you including Christian Ponder. I'm holding off on that one because Dallas just has too many injuries on defense to get cocky about anything.
Dallas really needs to win this game. The Vikings are 1-6 for a reason---they stink. They do have some talented players but they don't have a true No 1 WR. Cordorelle Patterson may be that one day but he's not even No 1 now. To me if Dallas would just embrace the notion they are a pass first team and forget that crap about being balanced they'd be a lot better off. That said, Dallas needs to win this game because I believe they will lose to New Orleans next week and they NEED to go into the bye week 5-5. I know it isn't sexy but we might actually get some players back and the rest of the team will get a long over due break. The last six games after the bye Dallas could realistically go 5-1 which would put them at 10-6 for the year and definitely in the playoffs. The Cowboys play the Eagles, Redskins and Giants as well as the Raiders, Bears and Packers. Dallas could be favored in every game except against Green Bay.
It all starts Sunday against the Vikings. A real must-win if there ever was one.

[eagle eye]

Holy crap on a cracker! The Chicago Bears sign former Cowboys disgruntled D-lineman Jay Ratliff! What's more Dallas plays the Bears in December so he will face off against the Cowboys. The only question is who wants to put a smackdown on who worse? Ratliff or the Cowboys after leaving the team with his agent saying he can't play until 2014. That will be something to look forward to and I hope Dallas kicks his natural ass.

G Brian Waters was put on IR today. The leadership the All Pro lineman brought to the Cowboys O-line was immeasurable. He brought experience, a particular work ethic and a nastiness that had been missing before he got to Valley Ranch. Hopefully he'll hang around as a player-coach in much the same vein as DeMarcus Ware has been to the D-line while he's been injured. I'm sure in the very near future Waters will have surgery to repair his torn triceps. But, before he goes this line still needs some sage advice from a guy who's been the best at his position in the NFL. Let's see if Frederick, Smith, Free, Bernadeau and Leary learned anything in the last few weeks. They'd better have or Dallas won't be going far.

With the move of Waters to IR Dallas called up DB Micah Pellerin from the practice squad. This is the 4th week in a row Dallas has had to call up a practice squad player. In the last three weeks Dallas has called up LB Cameron Lawrence, DL Jason Vega and S Jakar Hamilton. Dallas released Vega this past week when they signed Everett Brown. Lawrence and Hamilton are still on the roster. Pellerin is able to play either cornerback or safety but he's worked out in Dallas mostly as a cornerback. His position flexibility is very valuable and he was one of the real bright spots for Dallas in training camp.

[eagle eye]

A few weeks ago LB Bruce Carter looked clueless against Danny Woodhead of the San Diego Chargers and as a result he's had to split playing time with Ernie Sims ever since. It seems to have taken a while for Carter to catch on to the 4-3 defense Dallas converted to this season. Carter admitted as much in an interview on DallasCowboys.com yesterday. He said he was having to think about his assignements too much and not play instinctively earlier in the season with his low point coming against the Chargers. He looked so bad it cost him his starting job for a few games and he's continued his timeshare with Sims.
That may have come to a head this past Sunday. There were several plays I noticed that Sims missed his assignment, got faked out or just didn't make a play he was in place to make. In a word, he sucked. I guess that two words but you get my point. On the other side of the coin Carter played with speed and instinct and he did a really good job. So good, in fact, that Jason Garrett singled him out at his Monday press conference. It looks like Carter is finally getting comfortable in the new scheme and that's a good thing because athletically he's worlds better than Ernie Sims. Sims is a backup but it seems Garrett has been using Sims to motivate Carter and it seems to have worked. Sims is energetic but he's not as good as Carter and it really showed against the Vikings. Sometimes Sims is overly energetic and takes himself out of a play or as happened Sunday he came in to try to help Jason Hatcher on a tackle and he bashed into Hatcher causing the neck stinger that forced Hatcher out of the game. Something tells me you don't want a guy on the field who clocks his own teammates. It was an accident and Hatcher said as much but Hatcher is the anchor of the D-line and you don't want to lose him at crunch time like they did against the Vikes. The Cowboys will need Carter's athletic ability and his speed when they face the now-pissed-off-Saints who got beat down by the Jet this past Sunday. Let's hope Jason Garrett and Monte Kiffin think so too.

[eagle eye]

Interesting note about this past Sunday's game against Minnesota. The 90 yard drive that began with 2:44 left in the game and ended with 28 seconds left in the game engineered by Tony Romo was his 19th win when Dallas was either losing or tied in the 4th quarter (It would have been No 20 if the defense had held the lead against Detroit) and came back to win. In any case, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com Romo holds the franchise record in this category. He has more than Dandy Don, Roger, Danny or Troy. I was surprised to learn this. For Romo to hold more come-from-behind wins than Captain Comeback (Roger Staubach) kind of freaked me out. So for one week anyway nobody can say Romo chokes when the game is on the line.

[eagle eye]

Dallas has signed another defensive lineman and could be the 17th D-lineman to play since the start of the season. Today they signed Everett Dawkins a rookie from Florida State. He was a 7th round draft choice in this year's draft by Minnesota and he's been on their practice squad. Dawkins is 6'2" and 300 lbs. He was considered a high motor player that was projected as a mid round draft pick but he ended up falling to the seventh round. Dawkins was signed because the Cowboys had to place Marvin Austin, who was signed just a couple of weeks ago, on the waived/injured list after hurting his back against the Vikings last Sunday.

Dallas also signed two more players to fill out their 8 man practice squad. Guard Phillipkeith Manley out of Toledo and DE Hall Davis out of Louisianna-Lafayette.

DeMarcus Ware was back as a full participant in practice today. Jerry Jones had said as much earlier in the week but until you see it it may not be true. If Ware is 100%, or close to it, he will offer welcome relief to the band of no-names on the D-line.

If Dallas can't run the ball effectively why not go to the original Bill Walsh west coast offense that featured short passes which served as the run game? They kind of already do that anyway, don't they? Just embrace the fact that they are a passing team and go with it.

[eagle eye]

What is a stinger and what does that mean? Well, for Jason Hatcher a stinger is pinched nerve in his neck which caused him the ability to control his arm. In fact when he left AT&T Stadium last Sunday he no control over his left arm. None, nada, zip. He's feeling better and the feeling is coming back into his arm. It's a darn site better now that it was on Sunday but he is questionable for this week's game in New Orleans. To have a healthy Hatcher to go with the returning DeMarcus Ware would be a big boost to the Cowboys defense. Let's hope Hatcher can recover enough to play.

Here's a link to today's practice update from DallasCowboys.com's David Helman.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-DavidHelman/Practice-Update-Dez-Practicing-Thurs-During-Early-Portion/da2898cb-a077-4c1f-ba40-dd862374d0a9

[eagle eye]

Dallas got steamrolled last night and they looked like crap doing it. Yes, the defense couldn't stop New Orleans offense and it was true even with Sean Lee in the lineup. Dallas couldn't stop the pass or the run. It was set up to be a shootout in the same vein as the Denver game but Dallas' offense has been on vacation since that Denver game. They ran a grand total of 43 plays on offense. Compare that with the 40 first downs, an NFL record for one game, the Saints recorded and you have the makings for what it was-- a blowout. The defense shoulders it's fair share of he blame and they had to be getting tired in the second half but the limp dishrag offense has to accept some culpability too. Not some, a lot. Where the heck was Jason Witten, Terrence Williams and Cole Beasley? No where to be found which is bad since Dez Bryant was being double teamed all night. Nobody could seem to beat single coverage at all. Dallas ran the ball nine times on a TD drive in the first half and then the Cowboys seemed to abandon the run altogether until the game got out of hand. Film study showed that the Saints were gouged by the Jets and Dallas was showing signs of doing the same. They just gave up on the run. I don't know about anyone else but I'm tired of the Bill Callahan experiment calling plays. He sucks. Anyone missing Miles Austin yet. I am. He could win some of those one-on-one battles.
Everyone said Dallas needs more balance in their attack. Well, last night Dallas had 24 passes and 16 runs. How'd that work out? The Saints were 3 yards shy of being the 5th team to pass for 400+ yards against the Cowboys and if they hadn't run so well there's no doubt they would have with ease. The run game scalded Dallas for 242 yards. Rob Ryan's defense didn't have to play well for the Saints to win but it did anyway. It was Rob Ryan's big "F" you to Jerry Jones for firing him at the end of last season. He ain't looking so bad compared to how poor Monte Kiffin's defense has played.
I just had to vent a little. It's a little aggrivating to see Dallas play THAT bad with so much at stake. Now, The Eagles are tied for first place and the Giants and Redskins probably think they are are right in the mix too.
I haven't even considered Jason Garrett's job in jeopardy until last night. It was a beat down by Green Bay that cost Wade Phillips his job and last night's game was every bit as bad. The only thing that was different between the two games is Dallas didn't have near the injury issues under Wade. It looked like the team had quit and dispite everything else, under Jason Garrett, this team doesn't quit. I'll give them credit for that. Even so, you almost have to feel Garrett may feel the fire getting hotter under him after last night. Frankly, he should. Now the Cowboys have a bye week to lick their wounds, get some people healthy and try to figure out how to come out and play better football. I don't know if they will get Jason Hatcher back with that neck stinger or if DeMarcus Ware will ever by healthy again. IMO he should have sat out last night's game and take this week and the bye week off to really heal up. As bad as he looked walking to the locker room, Sean Lee may be done for a while with a hamstring or quad injury of his own. Christ, Dallas could use a break from all these injuries. That's not me swearing, that's me praying for some mercy for the Cowboys players who can't seem to catch a break.
Sorry this post is so long. Like I said, I just had to vent and my co-workers are tired of my whining. You talk about a team who needs a time out, Dallas is that team. I hope it does them more good than it did for Houston.

[eagle eye]

This may be a bye week for the Cowboys players but it's business as usual for the player personnel guys and the coaches who are working out 16 players today. Most of those players are on defense as Dallas tries like heck to find some relief from the unbelievable slew of injuries that has decimated the Dallas defense so far in 2013. The offense has been hit too but not like the defense and now it looks like Dallas will be without starting middle linebacker Sean Lee 3-4 weeks as well as starting strong side LB Justin Durant both suffering hamstring injuries against the Saints Sunday night. Holy crap on a cracker, indeed!

Among the 16 players being worked out is safety Michael Huff who spent most of his career in Oakland and he became a free agent this past year and was signed by Baltimore but he was released after Week 7. The concern is what is wrong with Huff, who has been a good NFL player since coming out of UT in 2006 as the 7th pick in that draft. Why didn't Baltimore want a veteran 30 year old safety? Dallas is working out mostly defensive players including 5 other defensive backs including Jordan Pugh and Brandon Hughes who were former draft picks. They are working out 4 defensive linemen including Corey Irvin, who was a second round pick in 2009 by Carolina, and Torell Troup who was a 2nd round pick by Buffalo in the 2010 draft. Troup is recovering from a back injury and he hasn't played a down since 2011. Dallas is also working out 6 offensive linemen 4 of which were draft picks.

Jerry Jones said in a radio interview that no changes were forthcoming to any of coaching staff in general and to Monte Kiffin and Bill Callahan specifically. Jones understands the injury issues Dallas has had to deal with and how it's handcuffed coaches who are plugging in free agents off the street every week to field a team. The only change Jones said was coming was more man-to-man coverage in the secondary. Dallas has been getting torched playing the Tampa 2 zone coverage which hasn't been helped by injuries to starting DBs JJ Watt and Morris Claiborne. People have been blaming Callahan as the new play caller for Dallas' struggles on offense since the Denver Broncos game just as Kiffin has come under fire for a pourous defense that gives up more than it's fair share of yards but is somewhat balanced by forcing a lot of turnovers. In Sunday's game Dallas looked like kids playing adults on both sides of the ball as New Orleans crushed the Cowboys even though it seemed New Orleans was merciful in the restraint used by Sean Payton and the Saints. It damn sure could have been a lot worse.

[eagle eye]

Of the 16 players Dallas worked out earlier this week they only signed two players. One was Corvin Irvin the 6'2" 302 lbs defensive tackle in his fourth year out of Georgia and guard John Wetzel. Irvin was signed to the 53 man roster and Wetzel was signed to the practice squad. To make room for Irvin Dallas released DL Caesar Rayford. The Cowboys also released two practice squad players, DT Jason Vega and OL Phillipkeith Manley. Dallas does have one open practice squad spot to fill.

How bad was former Longhorn Michael Huff in that workout considering how bad Dallas' safety play has been since JJ Wilcox was injured? Dallas is getting killed in their secondary because of poor safety play. You'd think Dallas has some regret cutting Will Allen after Week 3 but Michael Huff was one the most sought after safeties in the 2006 draft but evidently his skill set is not even good enough to help a desperate team like Dallas. If they aren't desperate they should be after giving up 600+ yards in two out of the last 3 weeks they played.

One thing I heard this week was that Monte Kiffin was asked about how good Dallas' defense would be in 2013 before the season began. He said it will take 3 years to get the right people in place and for the players to fully realize how his defense is supposed to work. Their version of the 4-3 is supposed to be a bend-don't-break defense but it isn't supposed to be a swinging door for opposing offenses. That's the bad but when starters return to the lineup and the best players are manning the defense it will get better. Unfortunately, some of those starters won't be back until next season. The players are getting better at understanding the system, now they just have to do a better job of executing it. The one thing that has gotten better is the Cowboys ability to force turnovers and that has enabled Dallas to win or at least stay in games so far.

Cool item: In the Dallas area Walmarts, like those around the country, there were people waiting in line for the release of the new Sony Playstation 4. In one particular Dallas Walmart customers were treated to something special. Dez Bryant, a big playstation player was one of the people in line for the debut of the newest version of the game system. Feeling extremely generous or just happy to be on a bye week or whatever, Dez bought playstations for the other people who were in line with him! Here's an example of a couple of tweets from the lucky shoppers.

Damn, @DezBryant just bought whoever was in line at a Walmart in Dallas a PS4.
— Marquis Rodgers (@MRodgers2405) November 15, 2013

"Holy crap, @Dez Bryant is cool ... just bought a bunch of people PS4s, wish I was there lol," tweeted Ben Freeman.

You just have to know Jerry Jones is smiling ear to ear over this latest Dez news item. It's also a really nice thing for Dez to do considering PS4's run about $500 a pop. This is a win-win for everyone involved.

[eagle eye]

The latest news out of Valley Ranch---

> Miles Austin, JJ Wilcox and LB DeVonte Holloman have all been practicing and should be ready to go against the Giants this week. It is expected that DeMarcus Ware will play but he has not been practicing with the team, he has been working with trainers on the side. The same goes for Jason Hatcher who is getting the strength back in his arm after suffering a neck stinger in the New Orleans game. Starting linebackers Sean Lee and Justin Durant will not be available for either the Giants game or the Oakland game on Thanksgiving.

> Former head coach Jimmy Johnson and Charles Haley have made the first cut will join the other eligible players and coaches chosen as semi-finalists for next year's Hall of Fame induction class. Next year's HOF inductees will be announced the week of the Super Bowl.

> Jerry Jones said today in an interview at the Cowboys practice facility that Jason Garrett will definitely be the coach of the Cowboys in 2014. While he is excited about being in the playoff hunt he said that not making the playoffs won't affect Garrett's status. He said while he's disappointed they Cowboys don't have a better record at this point he sees the Cowboys in the playoff hunt and they have a potential to make an impact in the post season. It could be a couple more losses like the one against the Saints and Jones may change his tune.

> The Cowboys have added to their linebacker depth by signing former Cowboy Orie Lemon. Lemon signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent coming out of college in 2011. The former Oklahoma State player was with the Cowboys in '11 and '12 but was cut in the off season. He spent a short time with Kansas City and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to their practice squad.

[eagle eye]

Dallas pulled out a win on the road vs their old nemesis Giants. It was great and it was awesome how Tony Romo led the Cowboys down the field for the win. This makes 12 games Dallas has won in the last three years when losing or tied with 5 minutes or less in the game which is the most in the NFL in that time. Can we please put all the Romo chokes with the game on the line to rest. Except for NFL Channel's Marshall Faulk, who is obviously a Cowboys HATER, everyone is finally giving Romo his props. (BTW Marshall Faulk is king of the douche bags!)
Now Dallas needs to string together a few wins beginning with Oakland on Thanksgiving.

[eagle eye]

This is going to be a short week for the Cowboys and their fans so Dallas doesn't get much time to enjoy beating the Giants on the road. The "on the road" part hasn't happened since beating Philly in Week 4. Now, Dallas has to back up that win with a win at home vs the Oakland Raiders. The Raider game is certainly winnable and Dallas should take care of business especially if they play D like they did against the Giants. But, in this crazy see-saw season I'm not counting any chickens still in their shell.
Last week was the first week since the beginning of the year that no roster moves were made on the D-line. Jason Hatcher came back after missing two games with a neck stinger and he was a big reason why Dallas' pass rush tormented Eli Manning last Sunday. DeMarcus Ware made it through the game too with no issue with his quad so things are looking up. The real upside is if Dallas can beat Oakland they get eleven days off before they take the field again in Chicago on Monday night to face the Bears. That game see the return of both starting linebackers, Sean Lee and Justin Durant, who are tring to get back from their hamstring pulls. That would be perfect timing as Dallas goes into the December stretch run reletively healthy. Like Tom Landry always stressed that the 3 game stretch between the Sunday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the Thanksgiving game are so important to win all three and so far, game one is in the books. If Dallas can beat the Raiders and Bears then they are 8-5 and in real nice position to claim the NFC East. Jason Garrett isn't looking any further than Thursday when they play the Raiders at 3:30 pm.
Dallas should feel very good about themselves after ripping the heart of the Giants with a game winning drive to win the game. Dallas was 80 yards away from paydirt with 4:45 left in the 4th quarter. Tony Romo led the Cowboys down the field converting 3 3rd downs along the way and with a 3rd and 10 pass to Cole Beasley for 11 yards getting the ball down to the Giants 15 that was all she wrote. Two kneel downs later to force the Giants to use the last of their time outs and to run the clock down to 4 seconds and Mr Reliable Dan Bailey kicked the game winner from 35 yards out as time expired. Priceless.
According to Jason Garrett there is no time to look back and no looking forward any farther than the next game. One game, one play at a time. Good. Stay focused. Let us fans look ahead or brag around the water cooler about last week's game. We have that luxury. I can tell you if Dallas can win out and finish 11-5 it will be the best Christmas present I've had in a while. Right now, I'll be rooting for a Happy Thanksgiving. So, with that I'll wish everyone out there a Happy Thanksgiving too. May your travels be safe and your families be healthy.

Notes:
> The Cowboys signed CB Sterling Moore on Monday to fill in for Morris Claiborne who reinjured his hamstring. Moore came to Dallas from New England's practice squad last season and he was among the final cuts in training camp this season. It's incredibly lucky he was available.
> Special teams ace Dwayne Harris injured his hamstring in the first half of the Giants game and so far he hasn't practiced so it's likely he will miss the Oakland game. The normal time frame for hammy's is 4-6 weeks. Hopefully, he won't be out that long.
> In his Monday press conference Jason Garrett was asked about DeMarco Murray running out of bounds on some plays and Garrett did express that Murray does need to finish off some of his runs. It was speculated Murray was avoiding contact because of his injury history. Garrett dismissed that notion and indicated he needs to finish some runs but he also added that stepping out of bounds may be the better part of valor. Two or three extra yards versus having Murray on the field isn't a bad trade. Despite his injury this season which caused him to miss two games Murray is on pace to gain 1,000 yards which would be the first time since Julius Jones did it in 2006 with 1,084 yards.
> Practice squad QB Alex Tanney has been signed by the Cleveland Browns. Tanney showed promise in the preseason and Cowboys fans were happy to see Dallas signed him to their practice squad. Tanney graduated from Monmouth College in 2011 as the NCAA career leader in total passing TDs across all divisions with 157. He is probably best known for his YouTube video of his passing trick shots which went viral a couple of years ago.

[eagle eye]

Back from a Thanksgiving holiday that was great despite awful traffic all across Louisiana it's time for the last four games of the season. Dallas has finally broken the lose one-win one cycle and stand at 7-5 after they beat a feisty Oakland Raider team on Thanksgiving day. Dallas looked good in the second half and they finally showed some signs of life on offense. They got a break out game from Lance Dunbar who was lost for the season in the 4th quarter to a knee injury. That's about right. Win some-lose some. Maybe the cycle isn't broken after all.
The good thing is Dallas will get until Monday night to figure things out and get some much needed R&R.

Notes:
> The Cowboys have signed a true fullback this week. Tyler Clutts is a 6'2" 254 lb back who was an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in 2008. He began his pro career in the CFL and he spent time in the Arena Football League and the United Football League before signing with the Cleveland Browns in 2011. In Cleveland Clutts played for current Cowboys RB coach Gary Brown. Clutts played for the Bears in Chicago and then in Houston in 2012. He played 4 games with Miami this season before the Dolphins released him in October. He is the first true fullback on the roster for Dallas this season. To make room for Clutts the Cowboys placed Lance Dunbar on IR.
> Monday night will be very interesting in that it will be the first time disgruntled DT Jay Ratliff who was let go by Dallas earlier this season will play his former team. He is a member of the Bears and will get his first action in 2013 against the Cowboys despite his agent's claims that he wouldn't be able to play until 2014 when Dallas let him go. I'll bet Jerry Jones hopes Ratliff get his ass kicked but good AND his Cowboys wins the game.
> DT Jason Hatcher announced his intentions to test the free agent market after this season ends. It's the first time Hatcher has been a starter AND played in a 4-3 defensive scheme and he's performed at a pro bowl level. Now, he wants his big payday. Can't blame him but he may not get the huge contract he wants because he will be 32 years old before the 2014 season begins. He will likely post 10 or more sacks this year and he has been what Dallas expected Jay Ratliff to be. It's a shame to lose a guy like Hatcher but I'll enjoy watching him play out this season.

[eagle eye]

As the front that hit us Thursday reminding all that it is, in fact, winter time the same front hit Dallas earlier only unlike here where we got a little rain Dallas got frozen rain and sleet. Thursday it was just cold in the MetroPlex as the Cowboys had their first practice in preparation for some bitter Chicago cold this Monday night but Thursday night the cold was joined by frozen rain and sleet that left their practice field covered in ice. This forced Dallas to move inside and practice at the indoor facility at Highland Park High School. (There ain't no money in that district is there? An indoor practice facility--sheesh.) Jason Garrett said they couldn't clear the practice field off in time to practice so they were forced indoors yesterday. He did indicate that the field will be cleared off for tomorrow and they will practice in the elements to prepare for temps in the single digits in Chicago on Monday night. Garrett said they had a cold front push through Dallas the week before they faced the Giants a couple of weeks ago and it helped the Cowboys to prepare for temps in the teens in New Jersey. Hopefully, this is a good omen for the game against the Bears.

It looks like Sean Lee will definitely be back Monday. He has taken aggressive treatments and therapies to get his hamstring ready so he can get back on the field. From therapies like the zero gravity tread mill to sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to anything that would get him back on the field faster---and healthy. Some have expressed fears that he's coming back too soon much like Morris Claiborne did a couple of games ago causing a big set back with his hamstring. Lee swears that he's tested the hammy and he is definitely ready to go against Chicago.

The other starting linebacker Justin Durant is back at practice as well but how Dallas will handle having him back is kind of up in the air. Why? Because Kyle Wilbur has seemingly found a home at linebacker after having been slotted as a defensive end to begin the season. Wilbur didn't exactly distinguish himself as a D-end but he has played pretty well at linebacker filling in for Durant. Wilbur was drafted as 3-4 outside linebacker in 2012 but with the arrival of Monte Kiffin and the change to the 4-3 scheme Dallas seemed to think he could become a pass rushing D-lineman but he wasn't getting the job done despite making a couple of nice plays here and there. At linebacker he's back in his wheelhouse. He can utilize his quickness and speed and not be overpowered by offensive linemen that were 50 pounds or more bigger than him. Whether or not Wilbur starts it will mark the first time in a month that Dallas is looking good at linebacker again.

As for the other injuries, according to the latest injury report released by the Cowboys the only players not practicing and not expected to play Monday night is CB Morris Claiborne and WR/KR Dwayne Harris. Harris has done some running this week but its unlikely he will be back to help out against the Bears. It's possible that if Harris talks to Sean Lee and uses his rehab regimen he could be back for the Green Bay game the following week. I'm kidding about Lee being the hamstring rehab guru but Lee is the poster child of dedication and using Lee as a role model ain't a bad thing at all. Claiborne, who admitted he tried to come back too soon from his hamstring injury, could be a couple more weeks away from getting back on the field.

DeMarcus Ware is back. With the extra rest of the bye week a couple of weeks ago and the 10 days off after the Thanksgiving game it has given Ware and the rest of the Cowboys a real opportunity to heal up. He said his leg that he suffered the quad injury earlier in the year is feeling strong again and it's allowing him to use moves in his pass rush he wasn't able to with his leg injured. That's some good news because Dallas needs to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks than they have since Ware got injured.

Left tackle Tyron Smith is getting some attention. Not the bad kind either. Smith has been playing extremely well over the last few weeks. Jason Garrett even pointed it out in the press conference after being Oakland on Thanksgiving. He is rounding out into a real force on the O-line which is what Dallas hoped when they made him a top ten draft pick in 2011. Is this really his third year in the NFL? How time flies. Smith will face off against a tough opponent in Chicago D-end Julius Peppers on Monday. It will be one of the matchups Dallas will need to win consistantly to beat the Bears and Smith has done a good job winning most of his battles in 2013.

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys continue to frustrate don't they? The offense didn't do a bad job but it was almost impossibly ridiculous to expect the Cowboys to keep up with an offense who scored on EVERY SINGLE POSSESSION THEY HAD! Because both teams ran the ball effectively the game was shortened considerably and both teams only had 8 possessions each. Dallas scored on 4 of those possessions, all TDs but Chicago was 8 for 8 scoring 5 TDs and 3 field goals and they were 1-1 on 2 point conversions as well. It's unrealistic to expect the Cowboys to do that because Chicago's defense isn't as bad as Dallas' D was on Monday night. Now, even Tony Romo said he wished he had one do-over on one of his passes and honestly I can remember at least two he misfired on but make no mistake, this loss is totally on the defense. The Cowboys pass rush was non-existant, the tackling on too many occasions was pathetic and Dallas could have given themselves 3 extras possessions if Orlando Scandrick and Bruce Carter could catch, both dropping sure interceptions and another INT was negated because of a defensive holding call against Brandon Carr. These were all in the second half when Dallas needed a play to stop the bleeding. Carr and Scandrick both were pretty bad against the Bears. Even the return of Sean Lee didn't help. Make no mistake though the game was lost in the last minute and a half of the 2nd quarter. Dallas held the Bears to a field goal giving them a 17-14 lead with 1:29 left in the half. Dallas got the ball with 3 time outs and every expectation they could at least tie the game before the half. Wrong. The Cowboys made one first down and then a three and out and Dallas had to punt. Chicago got the ball back with about one minute left and McCown drove his team right down the field and scored a TD on great catch by Alshon Jeffery. First half ends with the Bears now leading 24-14 and the Bears to receive the second half kickoff. For all intents and purposes the game was over at that point.

One bit of good news, Sean Lee had an MRI to check the neck injury he received during the game and it was negative. Apparently, it was just a 'stinger'. He should be available for Sunday's game against the Packers. As for the Packers it looks like Aaron Rodgers will not be available to play. A cynic would say it gives Dallas defense a chance to make Mike Flynn look like a Hall-of-Famer.
It was a surprise to see Dwayne Harris back in the lineup and he contributed a couple of nice returns before reinjuring his hamstring. It was cold as hell in Chicago but that wasn't the reason Dallas sucked. The true fact of the matter is Dallas defense is just plain bad. Make no mistake, Monte Kiffin isn't to blame, this is all on the players. It's ridiculous to allow a journeyman NFL QB like Josh McCown look like Johnny freaking Unitas. I don't have much hope that Dallas can win out which is exactly what they'll have to do to win the division. Winning the division is their only hope of making the playoffs because nobody in the NFC will catch the Panthers and 49ers unless one of them stumble giving Arizona the chance to sneak in. Even if Dallas does win the division this defense won't stop anyone in the playoffs so it will be one and done but at least they will have made the tournament. Big whoop.

[eagle eye]

This week doesn't really look like the week Aaron Rodgers comes back from his broken collar bone but it doesn't stop the jokes that Rodgers saw what Josh McCown did to the Cowboys defense on Monday night as well as the whooping the defense took at the hands of Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers and Drew Brees and he wants his chance to shred the hapless Cowboys defense. Lord, you know some humor is based on truth and my feeling is Dallas is fortunate they will face Mike Flynn instead.
The Cowboys need to win out to have any chance at all to make the playoffs and their chances are vastly improved with Rodgers out but the fact is if Dallas can't figure out how to mend some of the holes in the defense I could beat the Cowboys. Okay, I couldn't beat them but the defense needs to do something different. The first issue they have is a distinct lack of talent on defense. Not just on the starting lineup but their backup talent is poor. That issue won't change until the off season when free agency and the draft can offer some help. So, what can be done with the players they have? How about a rushing 5 guys instead of the front 4? How about getting on the line of scrimmage with the cornerbacks and hitting the receivers as they come off the line instead of giving them a free release? How about not playing zone defense at all because they have shown no ability to perform that defense with any success. How about if DeMarcus Ware actually plays like the DeMarcus Ware we've come to expect instead of the shell he has been since Week 5? That isn't asking too much is it?

[eagle eye]

There will be no Aaron Rodgers or Sean Lee in this week's game. It will be interesting to see which guy will be missed more. This a must win game for both teams so the effort level should not be an issue. Dallas has played well at home this year and that includes the 51-48 loss to Denver earlier in the year. Dallas main issue will be stopping the run without Sean Lee to anchor the middle and Green Bay's main issue will be to protect Matt Flynn. Jerry Jones said earlier in the week that Dallas needs to take more chances on defense so I'd look for more blitzes and hopefully tight man coverage on the Packer's receivers. I guess we'll find out between 3:15 and 6:30 tomorrow if Dallas is going to have a chance to make the playoffs or they slip into that old .500 rut they've been in the last three years. If Dallas goes 8-8 for the third consecutive season will this cost Jason Garrett his job?

[eagle eye]

The Cowboys made a couple of deals yesterday worth noting.

> First CB Orlando Scandrick was given a 2 year contract extension. He was already under contract through the 2016 season as he is in the middle of a six year $28 mm deal he signed in 2011. The extension will add $9 mm in guaranteed money but it allows the Cowboys to save $4.5 mm in salary cap funds over the next 3 years. Scandrick has had to step up this season with the extended loss of Morris Claiborne and he is arguably the best cover corner on the team although the way he played last Monday night wasn't much to look at.

> Defensive end Edgar Jones who has missed most of the season on Injured Reserved List is at last able to be activated from the special IR list. Jones was lost after suffering a groin/abdominal strain in the San Diego game. To make room for Jones Dallas released LB Orie Lemon. If you remember, and why would you with the turnover in the defensive line this season, Jones was acquired from Kansas City with a seventh round pick while giving up a sixth to the Chiefs. Jones played in the first four game of the season tallying 5 tackles.

> According to Cowboys.com writer Bryan Broaddus two matchups that Dallas will need to win are the ones between DeMarcus Ware and Packers rookie LT David Bakhtari and Dez Bryant against CB Tremon Williams. Here's a link to Broaddus' breakdown of these matchups.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/article-1/Matchups-Packers-Rookie-OT-Against-Ware-Will-Be-Key/4a80a8a5-6911-4aba-b679-944f27563a0d

[eagle eye]

This is the first time I have written about a Cowboys game before the final gun goes off but I am so mad I could spit nails. The Cowboys have successfully squandered a 26-3 halftime lead and have lost to the Green Bay Packers 37-36.
The Cowboys were already without Sean Lee and Justin Durant and Morris Claiborne but DeMarcus Ware might as well of been injured because he didn't do squat. The Cowboys allowed a Matt Flynn-led Packer offense to score 34 points, 5 freaking touchdowns, in the second half. While the Packers receivers, especially Andrew Quarless, seemed to have room to spare on their pass routes the Cowboys receivers had less than a whisper of separation on their routes. Tony Romo was off just enough to make catching his passes an adventure and the play calling was horrible. The Cowboys ran the ball at will against Green Bay in the 1st half and instead of riding DeMarco Murray in the second half either Bill Calahan or Jason Garrett decided to pass, pass, pass. You just don't know how much I want to curse, this just isn't the place for it.
Make no mistake, as mad as I am at the offense, this loss as most of the losses have been is all on the defense. 5 touchdowns in the second half while Dallas was only able to score 10. But you know something? 36 points should be enough to win a damn football game. This defense is THE worst in the NFL. They can't stop anything. Like Josh McCown 6 days ago a so-so quarterback looked like a Hall of Famer and they allowed Matt Flynn to look like he was much better than he really is. Dallas doesn't deserve to make the playoffs and it's amazing that they still have a chance to do just that. If they do, fine. But know this, they won't make it past the Wild Card round because their defense sucks beyond imagination.
This loss is going to start up the conversations about Jason Garrett being fired and maybe he should. Despite the fact that under his tenure the team's talent has improved. The only thing about that is, especially on defense, that talent can't seem to stay on the field. One other stat Dallas seems to lead the league in is players lost to hamstring injuries.
God I am so mad. I hope I don't blow a gasket over this. I may just have a drink or ten to calm down. Holy Crap On A Cracker!

[eagle eye]

There is a reason you should not hit "post" when you are mad. You've probably said something wrong. There were things that happened that shouldn't have and when you lose you could probably see tens of things you'd like to change. There's one pass Romo would like to have back for sure. It's not the last pass he threw that was intercepted that ended Dallas' chance to come back it was the first pick on a hot read to Miles Austin that Romo would give a big chunk of that $100 mm + contract back for a do-over. All in all it wasn't the fact he checked out of the run play that was problem. Many say that they should have run the ball to keep the clock moving or force the Packers to use up their time outs with 2:58 left and a five point lead. However, much like the way Dallas ran out over 4 minutes of clock at the end of the 2nd Giants game to ice that victory Romo was trying to move the chains to keep the ball out of Matt Flynn's hands because the defense had shown no ability to stop the Packers. For me, this is the proper attitude. ESPN's Tim Hasselbeck agreed with Romo's decision and he said the problem was Romo threw the ball slightly behind Austin allowing Tramon Williams to make the play on the ball. If Romo leads Austin who had a full step on Williams would have had the first down for sure and with his speed he may have taken that ball to the house. So, according to Hasselbeck it was not a poor decision it was poor execution.
Hindsight is 20-20 and Jason Garrett has said Dallas should have run the ball but if they did they likely would have had to punt giving the Packers the ball with a little over 2 minutes left in the game with no time outs at around their own 20 needing a TD to win the game. With Dallas defense on the field that would have been plenty of time for Green Bay to march down the field. Don't you think Tony Romo may have remembered the loss to the Lions when Detroit needed only 45 seconds to go the length of the field for the go-ahead TD? The urgency to keep the ball away from the other team's offense was real IMO because the Packers had 6 second half possessions and the first five resulted in touchdowns and the last one was the victory formation after the last Romo interception. You can understand the urgency Romo must have felt to keep the ball in his offense's hands. If he had just led Austin............
All this said, Dallas still has a chance to win their division but the outlook ain't great. Sean Lee could be lost for the season with his neck injury. Bruce Carter (hamstring) is out and to make matters worse they lost their last starting LB Justin Durant to a hamstring injury at the end of the first quarter and first back up Ernie Sims was lost in the 2nd quarter with an injured hip so the linebackers that finished the game were rookie Devonte Holloman who missed 6 weeks of the season with an injury, Cameron Lawrence another rookie who began the season on the practice squad and 2nd year man Kyle Wilbur. You want to point to why Green Bay's offense began moving the ball in the second half you don't need to look any further.
Orlando Scandrick misplayed another ball on a pass to a receiver in the end zone again Sunday on a ball he should have intercepted. Although Scandrick has played pretty well this year the last two games he has blown opportunities to help his team. Brandon Carr, the high priced free agent Dallas signed last year has also struggled lately. Honestly, I think the guy playing the position the best right now is Sterling Moore who was signed a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, with the injuries to the D-line and the LB corps Dallas is just what they are stastically, the worst defense in the NFL. Even if Dallas manages to win the NFC East their defense is just too much to overcome for Dallas to have any success in the playoffs. Kirk Cousins threw for 358 yards against Atlanta last weekend. I have serious concerns that Dallas will be able to stop the Redskins much less the Eagles in two weeks. Looks like a lump of coal for Christmas this year again.

[KABrother88]

Would like your opinion on something EE. Personally I like nothing more as to see Dallas get beat (my mom who was born and raised in Irving still says she can't see where she went wrong raising me). I have talked to a couple if my Cowboy fan friends since Sunday and asked about the Dez Bryant situation and how they feel...each of them have said they have no problem with him leaving the field to hide his "tears". But the guy claims to be a team player and even Jason Garrett has echoed that statement...but what in the world is more individual than walking to the locker room alone before the final whistle? This guy has all the talent in the world and has well documented issues off the field and things like this in my opinion make people like me hope they fail even more. Guys like Cole Beasley who aren't blessed with superior talent go out there and bust thier asses to do what they can for the team and this guy basically says I'll win with you but I'm gonna go get dibs on first shower while y'all shake hands if we lose. Another thing that always rubs me the wrong way is how Romo belittles his teammates on the field when there is a miscommunication. There was even an instance where Romo jumped Jason Garrett towards the end of the game..even my mother in law saw it and she has to stand 2 feet in front of the 50" TV to see it. I've never liked Romo either but for me he's a perfect fit in Dallas since I can watch them both implode. I would just like another Cowboy opinion how you feel about the attitudes of these 2 players. Yes I know coaching was the root cause in this loss but to me this "team" will never be successful even if Vince Lombardi was at the helm

[eagle eye]

First off KAbrother88, I forgive you for your anti-Cowboys affliction. (LOL) But you ask two questions that I think I have an answer to. It's no coincidence that you are wondering about the two best players on the Cowboys and the most polarizing.

First off with Dez. He apologized for leaving the field and he was counselled by Jason Garrett about how people perceive his actions. Can you imagine how much grief he would have gotten if he sat on the bench and cried? How much fodder for ESPN and the NFL Channel would that have been? A few weeks ago when it looked like he had a meltdown on the sideline there just happened to be audio and the meltdown turned out to be Dez telling Romo they were, "the best in the business" at making plays which he finished by saying, "C'mon, Baby!" Until the audio came out Dez was hammered by everyone from Brian Billick who was did the color commentary at the game to every ESPN and NFL Channel commentator who was so critical of Dez without knowing just what he said.
The off field issues with Dez were that he spent a buttload of money on jewelry for his friends and he got kicked out of a high end mall in the MetroPlex for wearing his pants like a million other 20 year olds. This mall wanted to maintain standards and they want to keep the ''gangsta style and mentality" out of their mall. Otherwise I am aware of no other off field issues to speak of unless you take into consideration that when the new Play Station game console came out Dez bought one for each of the other Walmart customers who waited in line for them. Pretty embarrassing stuff there. Dez had a horrific upbringing that make it totally amazing he's not a crack head loser like his mother. He showed enough maturity to not get baited into losing his temper when he was questioned about his mother and the embarrassingly cruel questioning of Dez by the Miami GM during the scouting combine. When Cowboys beat writers agree that Dez IS a great team guy and that his teammates love Dez I believe them. This guy has overcome almost insurmountable odds to get to this point in his life. He is still a man-child who still needs to mature but his passion and enthusiasm for football and being a Dallas Cowboy is undeniable. And KA, I walked out of the room after Romo's last interception too. The losses to Detroit and Green Bay were embarrassing and uncalled for. It's no coincidence that the game management issues were to blame for both losses. That's not on Dez or Tony Romo speaking of which.......

As for Romo belittling his teammates I can't imagine that he's doing that. Unless you can read lips or know of some audio I'd like to hear it. If you listen to his post game pressers, he hasn't thrown anyone under the bus, he's accepted blame for a lot of things even when it wasn't his fault. He's been the leader people have wanted but didn't recognize because of all the other baggage that he has to carry. I can't imagine the pressure he has to play under because of all the expectations people have for the Cowboys and because of the perceptions about him, real or imagined that get so much attention solely because it's the Cowboys. He looks like he's yelling because he is. It's freaking loud on the stadium floor. It doesn't mean he's being a tool bag. He wants his receivers on the same page with him and there's nobody short of Jason Garrett who knows the offense better. Look at Tom Brady who is apparently chewing his teammates out. Does anyone question Brady about it. One of the most famous clips of Peyton Manning is a heated exchange between him and center Jeff Saturday. Stuff happens during the course of the game. Competitive people demand the best of each other and in the heat of battle your emotions come out. The main problem with Dallas is the 32nd ranked defense out of 32 teams. For two years in a row now they have been slammed on the defensive side of the ball. They weren't great but without Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Justin Durant, Morris Claiborne, and a host of others on the D-line they are simply out manned on defense. It's gotten to a place where if the offense can't score 45 points Dallas can't win. I like Jason Garrett because I think the team is better since he took over. He's made mistakes in game management but basically he can't coach not to suffer hamstrings, Achilles tendons or ACL injuries. Dallas will need to go heavy on defense to upgrade the talent to be better next year. Certainly in the draft they need to go as heavy on defense as they did on offense this year.

[eagle eye]

If Dallas is going to fall (i.e. miss the playoffs) don't expect them to go down without a fight. That is the one thing that seems to be said of the Cowboys since Jason Garrett became the head coach. They fight. I'm not talking fisticuffs here, I'm talking about heart and guts and effort. If you saw the temper tantrum DeMarco Murray threw at the end of the game last Sunday or saw Dez Bryant walk off the field, everything else aside, it says one thing- these players care about whether they win or lose. They and their teammates are not mailing it in despite recent setbacks. Their defense is severely undermanned because of the plethora of injuries to most of their best players but they don't give up. This makes it even harder on the offense due to the pressure that's now on them to score a lot of points and make no mistake, they will bust a hump to do just that. The coaches and Jason Garrett in particular need to manage the game better but one thing for sure, those coaches will leave no stone unturned. It's one thing Cowboys fans can hold on too despite the hard times they are going through injury-wise. They play hard every single week and that's why they are 7-7 instead of what could very well be much worse.

[eagle eye]

Can you believe this? Up by 23 points and they lose and down by 9 in the fourth quarter and 6 with 3 minutes to play and the Cowboys win. Go friggin figure! That's our Cowboys. The O-line held up okay but it didn't stop Tony Romo from having to scramble around for most of the game but those scrambles led to some big plays including the game winner to DeMarco Murray. If you didn't see the game you've seen the highlights. It was a nail-biting 225 yards passing for Romo who played most of the game with his back giving him trouble and in the 4th quarter it looked like he wouldn't make the end of the game. But, he not only persevered to finish the game, he won the damn thing with a lot of help from his friends especially Murray. So Dallas wins it's first game out the four games that have been decided by one point. Previously they had lost to Kansas City, Detriot and Green Bay before beating the Redskins yesterday. Heck, even the defense stepped up to nail down the victory. They held the 'Skins to a four-and-out so Romo could do the victory formation one time to seal the win. That's saying something considering this same defense gave up 5 second half TDs to the Packers to lose last week and with roughly the same amount of time in the Detroit game Matthew Stafford took only 45 seconds to drive 80 yards to beat the Cowboys. So, let's not minimize what the defense did yesterday. Give them some credit because they have been shoulding a lot of blame this past month or two.
It comes down to a play-in game against the Eagles on Sunday. For the 3rd year in a row Dallas will face a division foe for the division crown and a trip to the playoffs. The only difference is they get to play the game at home instead of on the road. Dallas beat Philly earlier in the year but it seems so long ago. Since that win Philly has found it's defense, cemented Nick Foles as their QB of the future and they have been on a roll this past month. Dallas, on the other hand has seen injuries decimate their D-line and linebacking corp. They have sunk to 32nd out of 32 in total defense and the only thing they defend worse than the run is the pass. All in all, Dallas should be the underdog against the Eagles and according to a first look at the odds Philly is a 2-1/2 point favorite going into AT&T Stadium. Dallas is 5-2 at home this year so take that for what it's worth. Will Big D break through and win the division going 9-7 for the season or will Philly prevail and send Dallas into another off season at 8-8. How much do you think the Cowboys wish they could have a do-over on the Detroit and Green Bay games. Both one point losses and both games that Dallas should have won. 10-5 would look a whole lot better than 8-7 does but, no use crying over spilled milk. Beat Philly and Dallas is in the tournament. That's all that matters now. Santa gave us a chance for Christmas. Let's see if Dallas can take advantage of the opportunity.

Notes:

> The Eagles-Cowboys game has been flexed to Sunday Night which means Dallas will end the season since Sunday night's game is the last game of the regular season. Weather won't be a factor but having the Cowboys trying to figure out how to stop Philly's offense is another matter altogether.

> One pickup Dallas made last week for the Redskins game was a guy named Michael Spurlock. He was signed in 2006 by Arizona as an undrafted free agent. He went to Tampa Bay in 2007 and he played under then special teams coach Rich Bisaccia who is now the Cowboys ST coach. Spurlock returned a kickoff for a touchdown in December of 2007 giving him the distinction of being the first player to do that in franchise history. The reason I mention him is because the first time he touched the ball for Dallas he ran a punt back 62 yards to the Redskins 3 to set up Dallas' first score. It's the kind of spark Dallas was needing since Dwayne Harris was injured a few weeks ago. With Harris nursing a hamstring Spurlock could play a big part in this week's game too.

> It's nice that Tony Romo has finally earned enough respect that the football media has stopped bashing him at every opportunity. They finally recognize his value as a player and actually give him credit for bringing Dallas as far as they have come. The Cowboys may only be a .500-ish team but they would be a lot worse if Romo wasn't under center for them. Respect has been a long time coming from the media and all I can say is, it's about damn time!

[eagle eye]

I refused to believe it yesterday afternoon when a coworker of mine came into my office and told me Tony Romo was done for the season. But, there it was in full color on ESPN.com. Adam Schefter reporting via a league source that Romo was done for the season with a back injury. Mother--------!
I did notice that the report wasn't being stated as fact it was more of a rumor so I remained in denial until an official word came from Cowboys headquarters at Valley Ranch. Late yesterday afternoon Jason Garrett had his usual Monday press conference and by then results of Romo's MRI was known so here's the skinny on that issue.
Yes, Tony Romo was found to have a herniated disc in his back but no, Jason Garrett refused to acknowledge the Romo was done for the year much less for this week's win-and-you're-in game against Philadelphia. He indicated Romo was receiving treatment and would continue to receive treatment during the week and his status is listed as day-to-day.
Some are speculating that back surgery in inevitable but Romo and Cowboys will explore every avenue before resorting to surgery. I'm sure Romo and the Cowboys will seriously consider the short term risk vs the long term health and they will make the best decision to satisfy both concerns. To me, if Tony does need surgery I think it would be best to get it done as soon as possible to give him the best chance to get back for next season because the defense Dallas puts on the field right now is not playoff caliber. To risk Tony's health for what's pretty much a lost cause is fool's gold and should be treated as such. Jerry Jones just paid Romo $100+ mm with $55 mm guaranteed earlier this year, why would you risk your franchise QB for pipe dream? I know, right? Hell, if he wants to play make it on the condition that Kyle Orton can lead the Cowboys over the Eagles and he can have two full weeks to rehab his back. If Dallas loses then nobody can blame Jerry or Jason or Romo. You don't find many win-win situations even when you lose.

As I alluded to before backup Kyle Orton will start against the Eagles if Romo can't go. I don't think Orton is as good as Romo but he is a better QB than he's given credit and he can certainly win a game for you. I believe that if Orton does have go Dallas' next-man-up mentality will make the Cowboys rally around Orton and people may be surprised. Orton has won in this league and after the total pantsing he got as a result of the Tebow mania in Denver he doesn't get the credit he's deserved. He did lead the Bears into the playoffs when Rex Grossman got hurt and he gave way to Grossman when he returned from his injury and the Bears went to the Super Bowl. The Bears would never have made it without Orton. Hell, I won a fantasy league championship with Orton when he was with Denver before Tebow madness swept the Mile High City. He can do this. If Romo can't go, he can do this. (Am I a homer or what?)

Other injury news. Sean Lee may be back this week. He injured a ligament in his neck and that's what has held him out the last couple of weeks but he could be back and I'd bet money if the Cowboys make the playoffs he will be in the game. Morris Claiborne should be on IR. Seriously. A second hamstring injury is always much worse than the first and he's been out so long he's forming major areas of rust on himself. Even if he plays how effective will he be?

Bright spots: With a full week of practice rookie LB Devonte Holloman played pretty well. The Cowboys were able to pretty much contain Alfred Morris last week and that's saying something considering the vast amount of yardage the Cowboys D has been giving up without Sean Lee in the lineup. Another bright spot is Orlando Scandrick. After a couple of bad games against Chicago and Green Bay he bounced back and did pretty well against Washington. In fact, he played so well Monte Kiffin put Scandrick on Pierre Garcon late in the game and shut him down. Garcon had been just wearing out Brandon Carr all game gaining over 100 yards on 10+ catches before Scandrick took over. Carr, by the way has just been awful in December. Even when Dallas decided to play man coverage he has stunk even though man coverage is supposed to his strong suit. Something has shaken that man's confidence because he was much better last year.

[eagle eye]

The stuff that happens when you're not looking. On Christmas Eve Dallas signed QB Jon Kitna as a backup to Kyle Orton. The Cowboys (i.e. Jerry Jones) still won't rule Tony Romo out of the equation but with a herniated disc in his back it would seem unlikely he'll play this week. Romo even took an epidural shot to relieve the pain in his back but so far it's only had limited success. Kitna was Romo's backup from 2009-2011 and he started 9 games in 2010 when Romo broke his collar bone in a game against the Giants. Kitna, 41, left his job as a teacher and football coach at Lincoln High School in his hometown Tacoma, Washington to come Dallas for his second stint with the Cowboys.

To make room for Kitna Dallas released WR/KR Michael Spurlock who provided a spark for the Cowboys in last week's game against the Redskins by setting up their first TD with a 62 yard punt return on his first touch in a game for the Cowboys.

Speaking of kick returners, Dwayne Harris was back at practice yesterday (yeah, the Cowboys practiced yesterday, bah humbug!). This is no guarantee that he'll play Sunday but since Michael Spurlock was cut Dallas could sure use him. For his part in an interview after practice yesterday Harris said he is for sure playing.

Dallas did get some good news yesterday. Christmas day practice saw the return of CB Morris Claiborne who has missed since pulling his hamstring November 24th against the Giants. He is listed as a full participant in practice and it's a good thing because Dallas needs some good news for a change. Only three players did not practice yesterday and that was Romo and LBs Sean Lee and Ernie Simms.

[eagle eye]

Tony Romo's status is still up in the air today as he continues to get treatment on his back. Kyle Orton has stepped in and is practicing with confidence which is a testament to the "next man up" mentality the Cowboys have shown all season as they have dealt with an 18-wheeler load of injuries this season.

Dez Bryant started having discomfort in his back yesterday so Jason Garrett limited his participation today. It's not a matter of concern as far as his availability on Sunday according to Garrett, it's only precautionary. Bryant has had some discomfort in his back from time to time all season but I'm sure the "sympathy pains" jokes are sure to start circulating.

One neat item: NFL.com is reporting that while new backup QB Jon Kitna may not play Sunday against the Eagles but whether he does or not Kitna has indicated that the $53 K he is slated to earn will be donated to Lincoln High School in Tacoma Washington where he was working as a math teacher and football coach until he was signed by Dallas on Tuesday. It's not known if Kitna will get his job back at Lincoln but it's a great publicity story and if they are smart they will keep him. In all likelihood Kitna won't be off for very long but that's the pessimist in me coming out.

[eagle eye]

Week 17. The third year in a row Dallas has gone into this game with an 8-7 record and with a win will claim the NFC East title and a trip to the playoffs. Some things are the same, some things are different.

What's the same? Well, there's the simple fact I already stated. The fact that the Cowboys defense is severely undermanned due to injury is the same as last year. DeMarcus Ware will be playing with an injured back and elbow which has caused him to be listed as questionable for the game. That's the same as last year except Ware isn't as crippled as he was last year. The media is still harping on the Cowboys so-called December woes. Last but not least they are going into the last game against a team on a hot streak. This will be the second season Sean Lee is not playing due to injury.

What's different? First and foremost is the loss of Tony Romo. Romo is a good quarterback, a talented player who gets more blame than he deserves and too little credit for what he does in the face of an unbelievably challenging situation in Dallas. Romo is the main reason Dallas is in this position once again and he will get no chance to redeem himself for the past two year's losses. If Dallas loses Romo will still get bashed for it by media types who will point out the failures the past two seasons. If Dallas wins Romo will get bashed because a backup not many feel is all that good did the one thing Romo couldn't. Until Romo wins a Super Bowl he will never get credit for being the player he is. It isn't his fault Jerry Jones can't put a team around him that's playoff ready. On the good side there is the fact that Dallas has its first 1000 yard rusher in DeMarco Murray (1,073 yards and counting) since Julius Jones did it in 2006. That's seven years if you're counting. The only trouble is will whoever the heck is calling plays call Murray's number enough for him to make an impact on the game? Kyle Orton will be leading the Cowboys into this game as Romo's replacement. I believe Orton is better than he's given credit for and he's had success in the league. Orton is the real wild card in this game. If he turns out to be an Ace Dallas has a real shot at winning but anything but an Ace and I don't like the Cowboys chances. The last thing that's different is the fact that Dallas is playing at home in what's becoming a real home field advantage. Roughly 92 thousand people will pack AT&T Stadium and if they bring the energy and noise it may be enough to push the Cowboys over the top and beat the one team in the NFL I hate worse than any other.

Even though I am realistic enough to know Dallas has an almost insurmountable task Sunday night I desperately don't want to see those sorry assed Eagles celebrate a win in Dallas. In a radio interview on WIP in Philadelphia yesterday LeSean McCoy told Eagles fans,

[eagle eye]

This thread is closed as far as I'm concerned when I post this reply. The season is over after Dallas lost 24-22 to the Eagles last night. Dallas did exactly what I expected--they played hard and they had an opportunity to win the game but on first down of what could've been the game winning drive Kyle Orton threw a pass behind Miles Austin, severely behind, and it was picked off and the game was over for all intents and purposes. Dallas is going to need extensive healing time because you can only shoot yourself in the foot so many times before you got to get off your poor aching dogs and let them heal and the Cowboys have been doing a lot of shooting this season. The whole truth is they didn't deserve a trip to the playoffs for just that reason. Dallas set an NFL record for losses (5) when losing by no more than 3 points with a final record of 8-8. Just think, Dallas is one play or one series away from finishing the year 13-3. That's enough to keep the die-hards cursing until the draft.
But besides gift wrapping a win for the other team Dallas also did something maddening---AGAIN. What was that? Dallas took DeMarco Murray out of the game. Not literally, but they did it figuratively by abandoning the run in the second half of the game. Out of 32 second half plays Murray had 8 touches and he was targeted one other time on the fateful 4 and 1 pass in the fourth quater. By contrast Orton threw the ball 24 times. The Cowboys were never far enough behind to warrant abandoning the run but it isn't anything new for Bill Calahan or whoever the heck is responsible for play calling. Murray only got 13 touches in the first half and he was effective for the most part despite a fumble on the Cowboys first possession of the game. By contrast Orton attempted 46 passes. In the weekly press conferences by Jaso Garrett he talks about striving for balance in the offensive attack but it is rare when anything coming close to balance has been achieved. BTW, for all the Garrett haters out there, Jerry Jones said he will not discuss Garrett's status as head coach but there are a lot of items subject to change. I personally don't think Garrett will be fired but you don't know just how pissed off Jones is after missing the playoffs in the last game of the season for the third year in a row. So long 2013, it's been a friggin' slice.