Be(at) the Mediot
Posted: June 8, 2005 @ 1:13 pm
While we wait for the next wave of mediot football annuals, let’s see how you can do. I’d like to see your predictions on the Cowboys’ season. What will their record be? Will they start quickly? Slowly? Will any rookies emerge? Playoffs this year, a near miss, or status quo?
My early gut prediction is 9-7. I think the talent level has improved, and the signings of Henry and Glenn will help the pass defense. I’m not convinced, however, that the switch to 3-4 will go smoothly. My biggest concerns are at the DE positions. Greg Ellis is a true hard-hat player, but if he can’t handle being a two-gap end, teams will run at him without mercy. And Dallas does not exactly have anybody behind him should he fail. Chris Canty is promising, but you can’t depend on a guy who can’t lift yet. I also think it’s overly optimistic to expect Marcus Spears to be a terror right out of the box. I think he’ll be a good player, but even good players have learning curves.
I think Dallas will struggle early, even though the first half of the schedule looks easier. I also think the running game will keep the team competitive and will propel the team to a strong finish once the defense gels. Will 9-7 be enough for the playoffs? Last year it would have been, but the NFC can’t be any worse now than it was in ‘04. I see a narrow playoff miss, but a return of the hope fans had after the ‘90 season, when it was clear success was just around the corner.
Comments
101 Responses to “Be(at) the Mediot”
9 - 7 seems like a good outlook as to how the cowboys will most likely turn out in 2005. I have a feeling however that one of our draft picks is going to end up a great pick and we sill start to reap benefits from; most likely either Chris Canty or Kevin Burnett. Why? Because all the pressure will be on our top two picks who will be expected to start getting sacks and stops ASAP. If we do hit one or two homeruns with our draft picks I say we make the playoffs just because our defense will be significantly improved. Our offense on the other hand doesn’t seem very promising however, considering our three running backs are young yet our reveivers,line, and quarterback are all old. Our passing game suffers this year making us lose in the first round of the playoffs.
L San Diego 14-21 loss cause we will start off slow at 1st
W WASHINGTON what ever score, we own these guys
W @ San Francisco 21-17 win niners dont worry me much
W @ Oakland 24-17 randymoss, our corners will slow him down enough
L PHILADELPHIA 28-17 loss, well get em at their house next game
W NEW YORK GIANTS 21-17 win, i think we could beat them twice but they usually pull one out of thier a–!
W @ Seattle 31-28 win
W ARIZONA 24-21 win but it will be a tough one
Bye well rape the byeweek
W @ Philadelphia 24-17 win here we go, afterbye we start to gel and boom
W DETROIT 21-17 win, young tough team though
W DENVER 21-10 win if we can stop the run
L @ New York Giants 17-14 lossThey always get lucky so
W Kansas City 38-35 win offense in high gear
W @ Washington i dont have to say it again
L @ Carolina 21-20 loss assuming thier DEf is healthy
W ST. LOUIS 24-21 win
outcome 12-4 DIV CHAMPS
I think we will be 2 and 2 when we get to philly on oct 9. If we cant beat sanfran then we cant beat anyone all year. Between san diego, wash, and oakland, well get at least one more win. I think that if we can come into week 5 at 2 and 2, we will make the playoffs. our momentum will be strong then and our new rookies should be getting the hang of things by then. our passing defense will br better right off the bat. That was our biggest problem last year and will be improved immediatly. I bet that Canty, Spears, and Ware all have big rookie seasons and we squeek into the wildcards. I dont, however, think that 9 and 7 will do it this year. I think well go 10 and 6, but we could easily slip if even a few new cowboys(and there are lots of them) dont step up. I was amazed at the story rafeal posted that showed parcells r1 draft picks over the last 11 years. ALL OF THEM WERE STILL STARTERS 11 YEARS LATER! No one can boast that track record. The last time he had 2 r1s, i believe he got shaun ellis and john abraham. Im not getting off subject here, im saying that our draft picks will be the difference this year. Ive heard ware called the best defensive player in thedraft, and ive heard canty called a ptetial r1 guy if he hadnt been injured. Our defense cwill take awhile to get going, but our early schedule is soft and they will gel quickly. Once our d gets going, we will start winning alot of games. 10 and 6-wildcard-probably lose early in the playoffs this year but well compete for it all after that. i do think,however, that ellis will be a casualty of our new d. which sux. i think Canty and spears will be our starting de’s in ‘06
I’m tempted to say 16-0 because…why not? If I’m going to venture a guess, why not guess big? Think big, be big. For all their worth, I could as easily guess 0-16 but I dare not, of course. If I took any of it seriously, I could be setup for big disappointment and I prefer to be pleasantly surprised. So, I’ll take it play by play, game by game with guarded expectations. Avoiding key injuries and the success on offense will dictate the success of the defense and the outcome of our season.
I like the groceries in our cupboard and expect a fine meal. 7-9 or worse would be unpalatable. 8-8 is a not-so-happy meal unless it comes with a toy called the second season. 9-7 would be tasty and filling but would leave room for dessert. 10-6 is the neighborhood I shop in and I eat well. 11-5 is the a meal from the gourmet isle, while 12-4 is dinner outâ€â€someplace nice. 13-3 is a $100 plate, 14-2 is a personal chef, 15-1 is anything on someone else’s tab and 16-0 is with an open bar because I would be drunk with delight!
11-5, tied with Philly but lose on tiebreaker
Win first round & Division game
Lose NFC Championship to Philly (God that’s just painful to write)
Defense finishes top 5, but the offense let’s us down in the big game. Too little playmaking from the WR corps (Glenn gets hurt again), but the running game & D keeps us in it.
Basically, the ‘91 scenario. Next year’s draft is (supposedly) the best WR group to come out in the past decade and we stock up on OTs & WRs and get one more LB.
The corps is set for the Super Bowl(s) run for the next 5 years and ‘06 starts the third Cowboy dynasty.
I’m an optimist when in comes to the Cowboys (Jerry and me :-) ). Face it, there are only 2 holes on this team and they are not incurable with what we already have.
I think the new players are going to step up big time and we are going to throttle teams. I look for a lot of low scoring games for our opponents.
Count on their record being 10-6, given the changes with just the veteran FAs . Even without the 2005 draft, this team is much better than two years ago.
People keep worrying about the defense, but that is surprising to me given that it is the strength of this team. I don’t think that the defense will struggle with the 3-4 because Bill will adjust quickly between the 3-4 and the 4-3 to keep whatever is working best on the field. This defense will be a blend of defenses and so the adjustment will go slowly but will not be overexposed.
I think that the defense is good for at least 12 more sacks than last year, 5 more fumbles, and 7 more interceptions. That is going to translate into points, thus making up for the problems that age presents on offense. In total the boys should average 21-24 points a game this year just because our defense creates more opportunities.
Our receivers are still the same (except for injuries) but our running game is going to be very strong. That will create opportunities for the receivers and will minimize the impact of not having the ponies that we would like. Our offense is going to be above average.
I believe that we are in for a good year. We will make it to the second round of the playoffs this year and that it will propel this team to the SuperBowl in 2 years.
Here is another prediction. Next year, Bledsoe will be injured early in the season and Henson will take over and take us to the promised land.
Kevin
To Fighter15,
No disrespect, but I’m not getting where you say that next years receiving corp is the best in a decade. The past two years have been awesome, and looking at those receivers mentioned in nfldraftcountdown.com, there aren’t a whole lot of receivers that jump out at me for next year.
It looks like the strength of next years draft is the O-line.
I’d love to hear about some of the receivers that you know about that might slip to 25-28 because that is where the Cowboys will be picking.
Kevin
11-5 Eternal Optimist. Bill failed to improve last year for the first time, he failed and he blamed himself for not fixing the problems from the year before. He did not blame Woodson, he did not cry about Jones injury. He blamed his own sleepless nights tossing and turning and looking for a pass rush. 9-7 MINIMUM…..10-6 is expected.
My argument for the record is 3 fold. I was in the camp that said we needed IMMEDIATE help at FS and CB. Enter Anthony Henry, Aaron Glenn, and a healthy Hunter? plus the Sophomore Committee…….which also has draft pick returning. Glenn is my favorite of this group, for his play and for his leadership. Newman needed some guidance last year, this year he will have it. Secondary missed Darren Woodson……..mostly because of the glaring whole at CB. Darren was able to play Nickel, SS, or FS throughout his career. A rare athelete. He could tackle, and cover. 4.4 Speed and a converted LB…….what a player irre
placable. Except, we got Roy Williams. Hitting Hard. We got Newman recovering from a sophomore slump, and enter Henry and Glenn and the FS to be named later……..but for $*(%& and giggles I say Davis wins the spot, but Bierault gets some playing time at some point…….maybe more on the 1st and 2nd down lets Davis be fresh for Special Teams.
Defensive front 7. We drafted early often and BIG. Ware, Spears, Burnett, Canty, Ratliff, Bierault. Ware, Spears and Canty may not be future pro bowlers……..cuz they are going to play like a team. Similar to our early 90s and 70-80s teams………and have plenty of sacks and tackles to go around. I also agree with earlier comment that Canty and Ratliff and even Bierault may initially look better. However, I just got a feeling abou this WARE kid. Haley in town to watch, Too Tall In town to Watch……these guys know a player or two when they see it. Speaking of Too Tall……..Canty and Spears both at DE……..QB better be able to release the ball HIGH. I would be worried about the 3-4 if I thougt were going to use it all the time………we will not. We used sparingly last year. We will transistion into it, and the rookies are more comforatable as is Ferguson in it……..Glover played it……..Ware is an athelete he is going to make plays.
Finally……..and best of all. Bledsoe, Rivera, Thomas, Barber, and our 1500 Rusher on 22 rushes and another 5-10 catches per game. Look at Curtis Martins early seasons for the numbers. It jives with what BP did with Martin. Julius will get some needed rest, but he is going to get the rock a LOT. Enter Bledsoe and Rivera. Running is easy even for the lousy lineman it is preferred to pass blocking. But…….the Play action pass to Witten………..Jason might have a 1300 yard year at TE. He will break 1000 easy. I also think he will be healthy all year. Just seems like one of those guys. But the best part is we are not depending on Vinny and 350 yard passing games with 2 TD and 3 INTs. No sir. Mr. Julius Jones is the heart and soul of this attack. Mr. Witten is the perfect compliment. A healthy Glenn and Johnson, and we might be better than I think. T Glenn was sick last year……..he wants a piece of NE.
11-5 is tough. Division is looking improved in NYG and no worse in Philly. However, Bill Parcells is tough. This team is overdue for some balls bouncing their way. Pittsburgh last year? How different is our season if we beat the up and comer Big Ben, and how different is his season. I hated being his confidence booster. I still hate the Steelers from those darn Super Bowls of the 70s. It is time to FISH or Cut Bait. Parcells can win the close ones. We will be in our share, but I also think this kid Julius……well he is something special and with a little rest and help from his friends……….we are going to FLATTEN some teams. In smash mouth run between the tackles………draws, traps, and play actions the likes of which we haven’t seen since Emmit was on his way to the Super Bowl.
But this is the age of Free Agency. This is the age of the Coach, not just the team with the best players. This is still the age of hard work and discipline. Bill Parcells has and is instilling this in these BOYS. This my friends……..is the age of the Cowboys.
Kevin,
I’m going by Scout’s Inc. & others (incl Mel Kiper –shouldn’t have mentioned him, but he did say it) that have stated the WR corps is going to be the best. Even they admitted it was hard to believe, given the past two years, but hey, that’s the prediction. I’ll find the reference and get back to you.
11-5. There are no need for a break down. The prediction speaks for itself. I’m not sure you guys are looking at the entire Cowboy team. remember, we will have a 53 man roster.
Oh yeah, Starbuck you are the other reason why I like Rafeal’s Blog.
W San Diego 21-14 win because Cowboys are great @ season openers.
W WASHINGTON 35 –14 Redskins have no answer for Julius 214 yds on 25 rushes.
W @ San Francisco 28-10 win niners still looking for answer, Julius runs wild 152 yds
L @ Oakland 24-17 Let down week, Moss has another great day at the Cowboys expense.
W PHILADELPHIA 28-17 Important game if Dallas can’t get up for this one we may not make the playoffs.
W NEW YORK GIANTS 21-17 win, should be able to confuse Manning on this one, plus I believe we are just better up and down the lineup
W @ Seattle 31-14 win Very little defense in Seattle
L ARIZONA 17-14 loss Always an adventure with the Cardinals
Bye
L @ Philadelphia 20-19 Loss lights a fire under a developing defense
W DETROIT 14-3 win, Dallas develops killer instinct
W DENVER 21-3 win great record on Thanksgiving
W @ New York Giants 17-0 Giants can’t protect Manning
L Kansas City 12-9 loss Defense running rampant, offense has off day
W @ Washington 24-9 win Julius dominates with another one hundred yard plus day
W @ Carolina 7-6 win Julius breaks a long one for the win
W ST. LOUIS 14-12 win tight game
Last 7 games no touchdowns allowed on No. 1 rated Defense in the NFL. So I’m a homer go figure. Cowboys finish season with a 12- 4 record and win the East
I am a fan, but in general a realist. My take is 10-6.
I think the offense will start the season strong and then slow down late in the season as injuries and age take their toll. The offense will roll as long as everyone is healthy. In general 30-35 yr old offensive linemen is not much of a problem, but I do see the age and lack of depth at the WR as a real problem.
I do not worry about Bledsoe’s age but I do worry his 181 interceptions in 172 games. He even averaged over one pick a game in the years he played under Parcells. Turn overs are anethama to a ball controll team.
I agree with Jon that while it may take time for the 3-4 to be ready to be a every down defense, Parcells is not going stick with something thats not working. He will make the needed adjustments. He is not going to leave Ellis out there to get run over on obvious running downs. He will mix in run blitzes, player movement and rotating in other linemen. If we can’t stop the run one game in the 3-4 they will switch back to a 4-3 except on passing downs
Fighter15, I must of convinced you of something….I got you predicting us picking up an additional LB next year. :o)
I think think something like 11-12 wins if key many players dont get injured and players step up, the 3-4 works, our rookies catch on this year and end up being productive this year, JJ stays being all that, we have the ball control that keeps the other O off the field (in the 03 season we had very good ball control time the result a 7-1 first half season). On the other hand a 7-8 wins if glenn goes down, JJ gets worn down, O & or D-line injuries, The 3-4 stinks( tho i think BP will scrap it if it dosent work out)
i predict a fast start since we have a very solid line up but when or if injuries happen if players dont step up i fear diaster. Im expecting Ware to be a very productive player this year. JJ with 1500 yard on the ground. Roy will have an absoultly smashing season. One of our corners and Drew Bledsoe,Roy,JJ,Witten and of course LA and Flozell to the pro bowl. 12-4 keep your fingers crossed.
I don’t buy this 9-7 crap not for a minute, if you guys really think they improved how could you say 9-7 looking at the teams we play. Any of the teams we play improve more than us? no, the only team I think we even struggle with on our schedule is S.D. that will be a good game and two bad its so early when we haven’t even a game under our belt. We get philly at least once, and I just don’t see where our other losses come from. Honestly I see us as a surprise team. Similar to pitt who didn’t make the playoffs than magically went 15-1.
I’m not saying that good of a record but I think they will have the rookies free agents and this squad ready to go come regular season and the 3-4 will be ready as well, if not you don’t think we can run a little 4-3 still? come on guys. if we start getting killing on the ground and people running at Greg ellis you don’t think bill will plug someone else in there or go 4-3 to stop the run. Whatever is needed I’m confident they’ll figure it out.
We struggled last year and thats all we did was struggle all year becuase of injuries and drastic changes and inconsistant play. I think were a lot more sturdy and trimmed up.
Bill and Zim will have these guys ready.
I would say we win the division this year it may be close after that in the playoffs its a toss up, if we are truly gelled at that point we could go as far as we want.
this team looks very positive on paper. I’m hoping the preseason will be enough to get the confidence and gel going. Every part of our D will be scary, our offense will be scary as well. Don’t see anyone stopping julius not with Dan Campbell J Witten Flozell Johnson Peterman Rivera Allen in front of him, just no way and no way can anyone play us to stop julius nobody is going to be able to load up against us. Terry Glenn is still running 4.4 40’s Morgan has gotten stronger they will stretch the field along with witten, Key will come underneath all day, there is just no way people can put eight in the box, and when they try it well beat them deep when the don’t julius will pile up close to 200 yards.
I could be in for a bad wake up call, but I don’t see Bledsoe getting thrown out during training camp for a drug violation and and don’t see us getting injuired as much as last year, not so many season ending injuries and not to as many key guys, but again we have so much depth that we will better stand against uncertainties.
our mini camp reviews have been great, you read about other teams half the guys don’t show up and the other half our injured already.
GO BOYS
Bledsoe or Testaverde? Nuff Said. Drew.
Bledsoe or Warner with the Thumb…….washed up Jeff Garcia.
Bledsoe vs. Mrs. Mike Ditka……..ok Mrs. Ditka takes this one but hey she is too old to play so Drew wins.
There were a couple of guys like Gus Ferrotte who we have seen in the past not all that impressed with. Probably the best options were Phillip Rivers and Matt Schuab both backups at Playoff teams. Those guys would have cost us Ware and Spears. Phil Simms won a Super Bowl with Parcells. So did Hostetler. There just aren’t a lot of guys to chose from. I would say Simms was about like a Danny White, but he won a Super Bowl. Danny was a pretty good QB, not knocking him just comparing the two. Do we trade with Tampa Bay for Akili Smith or Chris Simms…….not even sure Phil would want his son playing for Bill. (probably just joking) but QBs around the league……….is tough. Jake Delhomme would have been nice, but we made him an offer and he went to NC. We could have had Aaron Rodgers or Jason Campbell…..Ryan Leaf……Hutchinson……Carter…….Anthony Wright…….or any other QB other than Alex Smith in this years draft? Any Takers……….I think Bledsoe gives us what we need. A push………he is a push with the draft and with the Free Agents for another couple of years to find out if Henson and Romo got something. Maybe longer he could last 3-4. Maybe stick around as a backup for a year or two. Although I kind of doubt that. He will want to start. Which is why I like having him on the team. Which Honestly with only 3 QBs we may well know during preseason and the regular season.
I think we got the best fit for the Coach and the Team. I like Bledsoe’s fire vs. Belichek and NE. Guy saved NE when Brady went down. He went to Super Bowl with BP and lost to HOF Favre and a pretty good Packers team.
Troy, Staubach, Meredith……they all had some interceptions too. But give any of em including Bledsoe a Defense and a running game…….and oh la la a Jason Witten……..Witten will make a QB look better. Good hands and seems to sneak down the middle of the field.
Play Action boys…..lots of it….one thing we won’t hear this year though.
Barry Switzer yelling from the sidelines.”Troy run the Option……..Option Left. Then option Right. Troy, how about that option? Dangit Troy, I am going to put Holloway in if you don’t run that option. You and Emmit, you guys just run that option Troy.” No wonder Jerry Jones was on the sideline during the games.
11-5 that’s my story and I am sticking to it.
Alright I say 10-6 and make the playoffs. Philly wins the division, along with Carolina, Minnesota, and some junk team from the NFC West, maybe the Cardinals. We beat out Green Bay for the Wild Card. Atlanta is the other one. Our defense is ranked #9, and our offense is #18. Julius has a MONSTER season, rushing for 1550 yards. Bledsoe’s rating is 85.0. Our best rookie is Spears, then Ware, then Burnett, then Canty. Witten is a monster as usual, and eclipses the 1000 mark. He’s our best reciever, with Glenn 2nd, and Key 3rd. Our best win comes against Philly, which we split the series. Our worst loss comes late in the game against Oakland in a game we should have won.
Now I’m gonna go out on a limb here(so don’t razz me if it’s wrong) I think if we win one more than 10 wins and one one less than 12 wins,that we’ll go 11-5………that’s my prediction!
Lou, to add to your statements,
10-6 is possible I think thats conservative however, and I think witten may very well be our number one reciever again just because he’s so good and bledsoe loves to dump it underneath to a tight end see “Ben Coates” but as far as the others I think Glenn and Key will have solid seasons. But for some reason I’m really expecting Quincy Morgan to go off like a freak, I expect him to have a career year. We may not throw alot because we won’t have to and now we can control the tempo and the TOP but the weapons are there, our d couldn’t stop anyone that game against Minn early last year but they couldnt’ stop Key, Glenn, and Witt/Bryant, I think we got the better of the trade in Quincy/Bryant deal, he’s added some mucsle and can spread the field faster than antonio, may not have the leaping acrobatic grabs but as far as speed he’ll stretch it. Bledsoe will really enjoy this season, especially with the line he has up front,
Three pro bowlers is hard to beat
Allen Adams Rivera
I like the 9-7 guess, but I am just slightly more optimistic. I think that we could very well see 10-6 IF we cut down on some of the mistakes from last year, and of course, stay healty. Remember, we had Pittsburgh beat until Vinny gave it up. There were other games that could have gone our way. I agree that the 3-4 is going to take some time to become the terror defense everyone hopes it will become, but I think by mid-season, if we have not seen some real progress, we will see more 4-3 in order to preserve the season.
I hope we start out hot because that will do a lot for the team’s confidence. Without that, we’ve got nothing. Also, there are high expectations for this year, and the guys know it. Parcells doesn’t really know what to expect, but he does expect them to be better.
10-6 would be a huge turn around, but we’ve done it before, with a worse record, and arguably a worse team. (I’ll hold jugement on that until I see the team in action) Playoffs? Why not. I think a return to the playoffs is not too lofty a goal, plus it would vindicate Parcells & Jerry for the moves they’ve made.
StarStruck, you’ve made me hungry.
Well, Trey, kinda. More about getting a real monster on the inside. While I like Nguyen, and his age says he only has a few more good years, and the real key is having a Brusci, Johnson - NE, Lewis - Bal, Trotter -Was/Phi kind of guy in the middle. Small guys just get eaten up in 3-4 with the guards releasing free.
With the ‘03 draft providing one (Peterman), maybe two (Rogers) OL starters, Johnson firmly entrenched at center, we need one, maybe two future anchors (OTs) that can develop in a year or two. I’d love to get a Pace/Ogden type, and this next draft has a few candidates, I don’t see us being able to do it unless we really tank this year (God forbid). We really need one future tackle to come from the Rogers, Tucker, Vollers, Pettiti pack.
We’re real talented and deep at the RB & TE positions. Defense has serious youth and talent for years to come at all positions. We really have only two problems, long-term: QB & WR.
Without those, everything else is academic. Every great offense has some version of the triplets…we’re not even close. I think we’re OK for the next year or two (heck, I’m an optimist and believe Glenn & Bledsoe actually perform very well and pray they stay healthy).
We just need some playmakers. They rarely come out of the lower rounds. But back to the reference of the ‘91 team…’88 - Irvin, ‘89 - Troy, ‘90 - Emmitt…could it be ‘04 - Henson & Jones, ‘06
ROb2……Don’t hope we start out hot. That is more Parcells style. He also prefers to WIN in preseason. He just hates losing. Remember his first season we kind of faded late. We had early wins against Philly and on the road in NY. A field Parcells knows all too well.
I think Dallas may well come out strong. Oakland and Moss, Curry, and Porter scare me. But hey they ain’t got any defense either. So they gotta game for Jones, Witten, Key and Terry. It could be a shoot out ala Minnesota and Seattle last year. One we pulled out, the other well……we were in it.
I also think a quick start, and a couple of good games out of Bledsoe and Jones. All of a sudden the Cowboys are a team you do not want to face. Nobody likes getting run on. NOBODY. Ask the Eagles, when EMMIT averaged over 200 yards every time we played em………..he ran all over em. They hated it. We got that kind of team. One that can do just that.
Fighther……Bledsoe is a #1 overall, Witten a 2nd Rounder, Jones a 2nd Rounder……..Glenn is a 1st……..Keyshawn had to be 1st round guy but I could be wrong. Yeah some are old but hey you said yourself Bledsoe to Glenn……….then add in Witten.
We are ok on both sides of the ball. Potentially, very very good on both sides of the ball.
read pro football weekleys and athlon they are as bad as s&s is. either that are we are all over doing what we believe to be are team this year, nah we are better then are saying. cowboys 2006 super bowl champs
our new triplits hopefully will be henson, jones and witten
I think that our offense players this year will be solid, but Jones and Witten will have the great stats that everyone talks about. I think Key, Glenn, and Morgan are going to have solid seasons, but because we are mainly a running team, they’re stats aren’t going to be huge. We just need them to come up with 1st downs and help contribute.
sportsline.com listed their 50 best players. I hate Pete Prisco, and think the guys a moron. He has Shockey 35th and Heap 36th, and doesn’t have Witten on there. Thats one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. Witten arguably had a better season than everyone, including Gates, except Tony Gonzalez. Larry Allen or Roy Williams IMO should have been on that list, too. La’ Roi Glover SHOULD be on there, but that guy doesnt get the respect he should. Anyone who watched him play the last couple of years knows hes one of the best and had no help except Ellis, and always fought AT LEAST double teams.
And anything less then 8-8 this year will be a dissapointment to me.
Keyshawn Johnson was the #1 overall pick in the 1996 draft
Darrell W,
Thanks man, I’m honored you feel that way. It’s quite a compliment considering all the quality input made here, yours included. I enjoy the reading and I am pleased to contribute. Most importantly, I’m grateful to Rafael and Raul for providing us the forum and the freedom to make it our own. You guys rule!
Lou,
I also read that article with the top-50 players. I was disgusted by the fact that no Cowboy made the list. Especially Witten, because they had Shockey as you mentioned at 35 and he did nothing last year. And if you thought Witten was good last year wait for this year when he has a QB who loves big TE’s. Also LA, how can he be ommitted he is a 9 time pro bowler at three different positions, this man is in my opinion the top O-linemen of all time let alone now. As for Roy come on does any S have more of a big play talent then he does(maybe Reed).
thanks lou, i thought he was a top pick out of USC but could not remember.
remember after like week 2 or 3 before Glenn went down. Bryant, Johnson, Glenn and Witten. The mediots were talking about HOW GOOD our Recieving Corps were.
In fact, they were listed as one of the best three…….the TE was not listed in the article I remember. This is before Moss went to Oakland with Porter and before Mike Williams was added to Roy and mr.Rogers in Detriot. Nonetheless it was those awesome Cowboys recievers.
Of course you all know the rest of the story. Injuries………..A Bryant acting like an A *(&(&* and Morgan shows up with a gimp the first time out.
Ok fast forward. Morgan as has been pointed out had very similar stats to A Bryant. Better attitude. Showed up and worked hard with Henson and ROMO. Brownie Points. Glenn and Key are back and healthy. Witten is better. A real recieving threat……..and the young guys of Crayton and Copper showed promise. So even if we lost a reciever I am thinking one of those guys and the remaining would be ok.
Now………nobody is giving us any props on offense. Vinny the old man, threw for all kinds of yards. Mostly without Julius.
Our Offense…….is full of former first rounders………and a few new 2nd rounders……….while we still need a WR for the future………we may never have that Irvin………how many of those are there………we may have a group like NE………or Tennessee over the years. No super stars just solid players that compliment a rushing attack, a couple of solid TEs. and a QB that can get it to any of them………as long as he ain’t looking at the hole in the roof and saying hello to God.
This offense is not the St. Louis Rams greatest show on Turf, or the Minnesota Vikings Points leader……….but NEITHER IS OUR DEFENSE> The St. Louis Rams or Minnesota Vikinings. We got the better coach of all three also.
Advantage a solid Offense with an ever improving Defense. A bunch of corners that are getting better and better each day. A bunch of wild men on special teams. Look out for the new # 40 on special teams. He kind of has that look about him.
Can’t wait til I hear Bill Parcells……….”How bout them Cowboys!!!!” He might even let lose this time around……..he knows it is his last team.
Dallas will get off to a good start. Maybe dropping the game at Oakland. But maybe not, they have to stop us. Bill beat Kerry Collins in NY. Either way, I think we start strong……….lose a few close ones in the middle and then like we used to Catch our Breath going into Turkey day………rest and heal our wounds. Defense is finally coming together and communicating. We finish strong……….go into the playoffs at 11-5 Winning the Division cuz we beat the Eagles…….just cuz………
Now the real dousy is this. Who wants to play this team in the playoffs. Nobody. Great Coach, a young improving Defense with some good solid veterans. A Pro Bowl QB, WR, and TE, and O LINE…….I am going to say Jones is a Pro Bowl RB at some point………at any rate…….who wants that team with that coach and those improving weapsons in the playoffs. They are truly the WILD CARD, cuz you just do not know. They might just be young enough and crazy enough to pull it off. Kind of like a little over a decade ago. Most folks had us coming around in another year or two. This time, we are more of a surprise. But underrated and Dangerous.
not huge news but we cut clint finley
Lou,
I had an e-mail discussion with one of the yahoos a few years back. I can’t remember if it was Prisco or Matt Pitzter of Sporting News online, now Fox Sports.com. It was just after John Elway had retired and the writer asked folks to rate John Elway’s biggest comeback. One of the “comebacks” he listed was the Super Bowl win over Green Bay. I pointed out that the Packers scored a TD on the opening drive, the Broncos matched it, and then never trailed again in the game; this is an awfully weird definition of a comeback. He wrote some tripe about but wasn’t it inspiring, and it “felt” like a comeback, etc.
In other words, a lot of these guys didn’t get hired for their analytical skills.
They are all talking heads and they like to hear themselves speak. What is sad is that we all listen. Perhaps if we stopped listening then these guys would just vanish.
Ahhh, silence!!! Isn’t it golden.
Wait a minute I hear the echo of the 05′ Cowboys scoring touchdowns and McNabb’s inards being sandwiched between Ellis and Spears. Oh wait, McNabb and TO are now in a fist fight and McNabb is throwing up in the huddle. The crowd is going wild. Oh what a year 05 will be.
Go Cowboys!!!!
9-7 is realistic. With a few bounces our way we go 11-5, even 12-4. (although that is not realistic). We will start slow for 3 reasons:
1. California road games 3 times in September.
2. EVERYONE will be learning the 3-4, particularly Zimmer.
3. Rookies on D.
We will start to gel after the bye week. The last 8 games will be a great demonstration of 2006. Playoffs at 9-7, probably not. But with a bounce or two that gets us to 10-6 or more we will definitely be in. We might even win one game in the playoffs if we are peaking going in.
I believe this is a 10-6 or 9-7 season. If you stop and think about it, the San Diego game (which I have down as a loss) is extremely important. If the Boys can find a way to win that game against a playoff team, the sky is the limit. The young guys will gain a ton of confidence and the defensive “gel” will come a lot sooner. Not too realistic, but I believe a San Diego win would bring about a 12-4 season. I would love to see the Boys play that game in a 4-3 maybe 80 % of the time. That way the growing pains of going to a new “D” would be minimized.
Dan,
Your right that Bledsoe is a big time upgrade over Testaverde. While Testaverde did a serviceable job under the conditions of last season mistakes he made cost the Cowboys at least solid chances at a win. Bledsoe will win some games for us with his arm. He will make some big time throws that neither Testaverde nor anyone else who has worn the star since Aikman could make. On the other side of the ledger he will throw away some games with throws that he will want back as soon as it leaves his hand.
As far as comparing Bledsoe to the former Cowboy greats….Meredith’s body of work predates me, but I grew up watching Staubach. Neither he nor Troy averaged an interception a game. Both were always among the league leaders in accuracy and least interceptions thrown.
I like the Cowboy pick up of Bledsoe. He was the best thing on the market and he came relatively cheap. He feels like he has to reprove himself and he has a coach and an offensive line that will afford him the opportunity. Parcell’s knows his strengths and weakness and how to manage them and the current Cowboy o-line is one of the top units in the league. Bledsoe has not played behind a line as solid as this one, since New England.
But if he continues his career trend of throwing an average of a pick a game, that a few times in the year the interceptions will come in bunches and it will cost us a game or two that we should have won. That is why I am holding my optimism down to 10-6.
When healthy the Cowboys starting WR coup are an above average unit.
Your right that the author of you article who stated they were a top 3 unit is as much as an mediot as the people ranking the Cowboys in the bottom half of the league this year. Likewise a number of articles have ragged on the Dallas wide outs this year and that’s not accurate either.
Keyshawn Johnson is still a legitimate number one receiver, but he would really be best in the role of a team number two threat. He is a solid possession receiver and by using his size he can create match up problems with most corners in the red zone. He is very consistent, he will catch a lot of balls…average about 13 yards a reception and score about 6-8 times a season.
Terry Glenn has good speed and runs consistent routes. He seldom beats a double team but only the top corners can shut him out one on one. He is a solid number two reciever. That said, he is not in any danger of needing a room in Hawaii next February. His best season was rookie year when he caught 90 balls for 1132 and 6 scores. He has never scored more then the six time in a year and his career averaged are 800 yards and 4 scores per season.
Quincy Morgan’s is the Cowboys number three. He is not nearly as talented as Bryant….but he is a much better human and maybe in the long run a better wide out. He is a big and fast guy, but the fact that he drops a lot of catchable balls is what got him run out of Cleveland. Parcell’s was happy with his progress this off season and he must think Morgan can give him something as the number 3 wide out because the Cowboys ignored the receiver position in the draft and in free agency.
The legitimate knock on the Cowboys offense is age. The odds of a single 32+ year old player getting hurt are not that much more then a single 24 year old. The odds of none of Dallas’ 32+ year old offensive starters getting hurt is not so good. Five of the eleven starters are 32+.
10-6, I’m going the safe route, same numbers that Dallas got in the past 2 years (6-10 and 10-6). I see them winning a Wild Card game, but stopped on their tracks by either Carolina or Minnesota in the next game.
About Defensive alignments, I’ll say 50-50 in 4-3 and 3-4, mainly because I see the 3-4 as the alignment in Nickel packages and in random plays, so main defense will be 4-3.
Rookies developing? Spears and Burnett starting at the beginning, Ware may catch them by the Bye Week. Canty and Barber will blossom later on. The rest of the rookies may develop for next year.
I think that our offense, if it can play its best, can be almost up to KC’s offense. I see alot of comparisons between Trent Green and Drew Bledsoe. They aren’t mobile, but good pocket passers. Green is actually 2 years OLDER than Bledsoe. KC and 05 Dallas have outstanding O-lines, and a great back in Julius and Priest. We both have solid recievers, but no star. And both of our offensive stars are our TE’s, Witten and Tony Gon. I know it sounds kind of crazy, because KC had one of the best offensives, but if we can at least come close to it (we have a much better defense), we can really make some noise and scare some teams in the NFC. Anyone else see the comparisons?
Im glad to see my fellow boys fans so optomisitic, but i think the truth is, 10 and 6 is not the conservative estimate. 9 and 7 is. 10 and 6 is the optomistic season. Our time is coming, but lets calm down. I agree, though, that Bledsow will injure out and Henson will have his shot. I also agree that witten and jj will come on strong. We had the best offseason i have ever seen any team have in my memory this year. My pride is swole for this team right now. Were gonna shake things up and be very good in the next few years and its because of this offseason. But it will take a little time for crying out loud. 11 and 5 would be a stretch. It may happen, but probably not. Im just saying, lets be happy for what has been STARTED, and not get carried away. If you keep your expectations realistic, you will have alot of fun watching dallas this year. my biggest hope is that we win a close one against the beagles in week 5. Man that would make my decade!!!!!!!!!
by the way, has anyone heard about the lt that clevland cut today over contract disputes? is he any good? Very intriguing! any feedback on him?
Damn Jon,
Are you a writer? you should be.
Isn’t the Cowboys future this season obvious to everyone:
L - San Diego - Drew Brees still pissed at all things Tx football. LT shows off. University of Texas tries to re-recruit Brees.
W - WASHINGTON - karma is still confused here, but in D’s favor. Snyder decides money is better spent on protitutes and cocaine, begins firesale of players, some of which are picked up by Cowboys.
W - @ San Francisco - these guys will just plain suck. Win eeked out, however as team learns just in time to tell Bledsoe to look DBs offand not go deep so much.
W - @ Oakland - Moss strangely will decide to sit this one out, wonders why Jerry Rice won’t call with fatherly advice.
W - PHILADELPHIA - Not to be outdone by Moaa, TO will sit this week out (ostensibly because Coach Reid would not give him a bite of his hoagie, plus fries, but we all know that is utter bullshit). Dallas gets the key good fortune it will need to make it to the playoffs.
W - NEW YORK GIANTS - Eli will remember his roots, throw side-armed pass in wrong direction, Dallas capitalizes.
L @ Seattle - Friendly dose of reality, plus bad music and too much coffee hurt team unity. You can’t tackle with the shakes.
L ARIZONA - Ghost of Jackie Smith comes out of nowhere. This loss will make no sense, but it will just happen. Arizona moves to LA where crowds are smaller and even more apathetic.
Bye - Parcells will not believe his luck in that Bledsoe can still play and Jones still has money. Troy Aikman calls and ecnourages Bledsoe to stand on his shoulders and reach beyond a brickmaking company to capture marketing dollars. Inspired, Bledsoe lands Taco Cabana deal on “I really don’t know what the hell goes in a taco” charm. “Huevos Bledsoes” become all the rage for 15 minutes.
W @ Philadelphia - TO finds God without losing his ego, which absolutely ruins his game. Still ticked from last game, McNabb rams sharpie up TO’s fanny. God forsakes TO and does not punish McNabb…or at least no more than he has already with some many near misses with the Super Bowl.
L DETROIT - Bledsoe keeps falling for the deep option to keep up with Detroit’s game. Bad things happen. Salma Hayek released by Dallas, picked up by Vikings. Some fans think Penelope should have been dropped instead for poor linebacker play.
W DENVER - Running game successfully stopped with the full deployment of the 3-4, plus all players successfully get out of town without buying car from Elway.
L @ New York Giants - Eli drops “Manning” and changes his name Ken Stabler Mohammed with positive results. Dallas insists on calling him Manning anyway.
L Kansas City - repeat of Bledsoe’s Detroit problem, only worse. Plus KC kills on special teams.
W @ Washington - Cowboys and their fans actually feel bad for Redskin players, extend hands and help them up after 8th fumble of the day. Snyder refuses to enter rehab.
W @ Carolina - Jerry Jones tips off FBI who show up with arrest warrants for several key Panther players. Cowboys steal one without charges ever being filed.
L ST. LOUIS - Dallas is in the playoffs but home field rides on foot of kicker-to-be-named later. He fails and will not be remembered nor named next season.
OVERALL: 10-6 with a wildcard win and a division loss. Seattle wins and represents the conference. The Eagles implode long before the NFC Championship game thanks to TO and the sharpie “incident”. Steelers fail to make the playoffs as Bill Cowher finally does explode on the field. New England wings again. Both Phil Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal try to work their way into the Patriots roster.
MVP - Witten.
Imagine this scenario…….we are playing the Eagles ,TO comes across the middle and catches the ball…….Roy blasts him,causing him to fumble,then recovers the fumble and runs to mid-field and stands on the face of the Eagle at the 50 yard line,spikes the ball and puts his hands on his hips and glares at the crowd!(Roy that is) GO COWBOYS!
PAYBACK TIME!
Jon,
Not sure why you say don’t hope we start out hot, unless you think that automatically means that we will fade in the end. I’m hoping for a hot start for confidence. I think that’s going to be an important factor in how we deal with adversity when it comes, and believe me, IT WILL. I am also hoping for a hot finish. I don’t have any delusions of a perfect season or anything crazy like that, but a good start is crucial, in my opinion, to the success of the team this year. If we fall too far behind early, the guys will lose confidence and we could easily wind up 6-10 again, or worse. I don’t expect that to happen, but my point is that a slow start for a team with a bunch of rookies, and switching to a new defense is not conducive to a successful campaign.
10-6 is my prediction, with…..hold on……. a first round playoff win! Sounds good, doesn’t it?
I was ASSUMING……..not hoping…….sorry I left a word out.
Lou……..great comparison to KC. I think Gil Brandt compared Green and Bledsoe also………except Bledsoe has been a starter his whole career. However, thier Rushing attack with Holmes and TE Gonz……..sure does remind one of Jones and Witten. Hope all the hype does not go to this kids head. I heard Parcells say once Witten could be the best TE he had ever been around. I remember a guy named Bavaro that was CLUTCH for the Giants.
Trey,
YOu are correct that the real weakness in Bledsoe especially stat wise is his INTs. Troy was deadly accurate, maybe as good as any at pin pointing the ball. Staubach was my childhood hero also, and there is not a qb that compares. Sorry Elway and Vick, it is a new era……..Roger was a guy that liked to chuck it deep or tuck it and run. Although sacks and concussions led to him retirirng although his age was up there…..he missed a lot more sacks by any other qb.
Like you I think Bledsoe was the best choice. I considered Warner but his thumb is always and issue. Also, I think Kurt lost his fire or something. Not sure win. Maybe in that Super Bowl loss, but he is just not the player he was. Bledsoe with Parcells makes the most sense. You know I joked earlier about Chris Simms, but maybe that would be a good thing for that kid. I think he could be an NFL qb, not great but good. He needs a playmaker at WR though……..Roy Williams made a lot of people look good at QB at Texas.
I think the main difference this year in our overall record. Is putting teams away in the 4th quarter with a rushing attack. That is where you grind them down, wear down their defense, and get the easy yards both in the air and on the ground. Winning a few more of those close games we were in last year, and we would have made the playoffs last year. Less mistakes, more turnovers and sacks and this team wins 10 games. If the offense can click as well, we could be much better than advertised. Bledsoe and Glenn should click, and he is gonna love Witten…….then mix in Key, Julius, and Morgan Copper Crayton Thomas and Barber.
Other than Julius Jones………we don’t have that one guy that defenses are going to say we gotta stop this guy. We can hurt you in a lot of ways. Which is exactly what Bill Parcells likes.
Ericp,
Ross Verba, a very good guard in Green Bay, was moved to left tackle by the Browns. Here’s a Scout’s Inc profile:
“Verba is the epitome of a tough hard nosed over achiever that only has average athleticism. He is a smart player, he doesn’t have a lot of wasted motion, and plays with good techniques. Takes good angles to his blocks, does a nice job of keeping the defender in front of his face, and comes off the ball with good quickness. Plays with leverage, and despite his aggressiveness he does a nice job not lunging and as a result, he is not on the ground a lot. He is not what you are looking for in terms of a range LOT that can handle speed rushers off the edge, and in fact, he can have problems with players that beat him with first step quickness. While he appears somewhat comfortable in space, he does not look terrific when going after linebackers or sliding out wide to pass protect and generally making blocks on the move. For all of his aggressiveness, he does not have great power, and big, strong, two gap bull rushers can give him problems when they come over the top. “
(Verba cont.)
He wants too much money and is not a good fit at right tackle.
This forum is pretty cool! I have just a couple of insights:
Could someone name me a starting receiver off of the last Giants team that Parcells took to the Super Bowl? Pretty tough, but who do you remember from that team?
1) Offense:
The Giants had…… Phil Simms: not great, but a good enough caretaker/bus driver to get it done. Simms had Jumbo Elliott (I couldn’t name another O-Lineman from that team),Mark Bavarro (Witten is 10 times better), Otis Anderson (Nothing special, just a work horse), and Dave Meggett (pretty good, Brian Westbrook type player).
The Cowboys have……… an average quarterback, a strong Offensive Line, above average talent at receiver, a bonified star at tight end, and a star in the making at running back. All of this equals……. a ball control offense, this is all Parcells needs. He just needs a team to run the ball and convert a some third downs. I think this offense can do that.
2) Defense:
The Giants had……. Lawrence Taylor (he might be the greatest Linebacker ever, might be the best defender ever…period), Harry Carson, and Carl Banks. I can’t think of anyone else that stands out in my memory. Everson Walls eventually.
The Cowboys have…… Nice talent, no one of Taylor’s caliber, but nice talent. Glover is good, Ellis is consistent, Roy W. will be a monster because he will be near the line of scrimmage again (don’t understand why they had him at free safety last year), Newman will be good, the draft picks will eventually make an impact, but it may be late in the season.
Why is it that everyone thinks we are just going to jump right into the 3-4? They were practicing at a couple of mini-camps. They are well suited to give a lot of different looks on defense this year. It seems they are very well suited to play the 4-3. Just for grins, think about them playing a 5-2. Ware, Spears, Glover, Ferguson and Ellis as down lineman.
All in all I think it will be a fun year to watch. We are gonna have a very energetic team.
Jim Burt and Leonard Marshal. That Front Seven was all good. Their LB corp was the best Ever. Hey LT alone made it good, but Carson and Banks too. It was sick.
You are correct on offense though. It is hard to remember much other than the QBs……two Simms and Hostetler………..the RBs……..and the TE. They were not a high scoring offense though. The defense and special teams was solid and usually managed to put some points and awesome field position fo the team. I would dare say that Super Bowl where they beat the Bills was Jim Kelly and company’s best shot at a Super Bowl victory. Wide Right……..or was it left. Glad Walls got a ring, he was an interception king. Another Snub by the HOF……..his INTs alone are worthy of entry.
I think LT was the most dominant defensive player ever. Whether he is the best, statisitcs all that is argualbe. Career wise, his off the field stuff. You know hard to argue. It just seemed like whenever those Giants needed a big play in a big game 56 was the man. He played possessed. I hated it. Funny two of the most dominant defense came back to back 85 Bears and 86 Giants. All in era most remembered for the West Coast and multi champions of San Francisco. But respected the player coach and team. Never hated the NYG as much as Philly and Washington anyway. They are just easier to HATE!!!!
Looking back Dallas was good in and competitive in most of that era. (much better in the first half of the decade) However, what a beast the NFC was. San Fran, NYG, Chicago, Philly was getting better later in the decade with Buddy Ryan, and Gibbs Redskins. NFC East was a beast. Dallas played the toughest teams in the league TWICE a year…….ok not the Cardinals but otherwise.
Special good point,
I hadn’t really thought about it like that, the main reason we struggled last season is because we couldn’t control the TOP or be a very good ball control team, when we made the playoffs a year ago we were closer to being that, good d and an offense that didn’t light things up just hold on to the ball enough to run the clock and manage things a bit.
This season when you look at it from that perspective, we have more depth/talent everywhere especially on D
on o we have three backs that can contribute, one that can give us a very good 20 + a game if if need be can go 30 we’ve seen Julius do that already, add to that a QB who knows the ropes, has been very good with T glenn before and is very good with a solid tight end, and we can run the ball and throw for first downs when needed.
I think you’ll see us get early leads and build on them this year. the Chargers game will really set the tone , if we stick with them and steal a win the sky is the limit this year, if we look bad and don’t gain much confidence who knows about the rest.
I think we play the chargers close or get them, just my opinion.
well see though,
go Big D!!!
I do not know who filled Ross Verba’s head with the idea that he is a 8 million dollar a year player. (He has been seeking a 5 year 38 million dollar deal.) That might be reasonable if he was a 25 year old Jonathon Ogden, but he is not.
It is very likely that he is going to have to settle for a deal not playing much more then the 3 million per deal he is walking away from or even more likely that he will sign a one year deal with some team hoping to cash in at the beginning of free agency next year. Not many teams have huge amount of cap space in June.
I doubt Dallas will make a run at him, but if the market forces him to accept a one year deal then its possible that his price could drop down to where Dallas would be interested in a short term deal.
The scouting report at Scouts.com that is quoted above is over a year old. Since then he has played a very solid season at Left tackle and that is why he is trying to cash in now. He is not a proto-typical road grading ROT but he is at least average as a run blocker and his pass protection skills are solid. He faced a lot of top end pass rushers as a LOT in the AFC central and did well. If due to market conditions he can be picked up on a one year deal and stay within the cap then he would be a big upgrade at ROT.
Even if the guy ends up taking a pay cut this year, you can hardly blame him for wanting out of Cleveland. Something stinks there…their free agents are leaving as soon as they get a chance. The character of the new regime has to come into question when they tell players they are not going to honor publicly made commitments that were made by the last GM even though ownership has not changed.
By the way Verba is a career LOT…Not a OG. He played LOT for Iowa. Was drafted in the first round. Started at LOT for the Packers as a rookie including in the Superbowl (first rookie ever to do so.) He played LOT for the Packers on some great OL from 97-99. Late in 99 he tweaked his knee and moved inside. He stayed there until switching back in 2002.
The fact that LOT get paid at a premium in the NFL will probably make him too expensive for Dallas unless they were willing to move Adams to ROT.
Kinda off topic but just read that Quincy Morgan hurt his shoulder diving for a catch in the previous minicamp and it will need surgery to repair,however after consulting with team officials has decided to wait on the surgery till after the season and to try to just play through it.
Ah, thats not what I wanted to hear. Hopefully its nothing that will bother him too much. I wonder exactly what it is? if it was seriously damaged to the point of needing surgery one would wonder how effective he could be without getting it fixed, apparently its not very major
That news on Morgan, if true (i couldnt find it anywhere), wouldnt be good. The only thing that could really bring us down this year is injuries. We must stay healthy.
i heard about morgan too and this might be a problem for us i hope its not that serious or copper and crayton can step up cause i dont think there is many WR left in free agency.
Andy where did you hear that.
There was a similar rumor a week or more ago but I did not see anything on it anywhere.
While Morgan has potential………he certainly didn’t do much last year. Hamstring hindered him, but I would like to see him play up to his 2002 stats. I guess he and Newman were teamates at KSU? Parcells paid him a compliment about his workout offseason program. Parcells also said he had a hand positioning problem with catching the ball and they have addressed that. Hopefully both of those things workout. I like his size. Almost identical to Michael Irvin in Height and Weight. Has some good speed.
Copper and Crayton looked promising. It looks like Bill does not place a lot of importance(at least not in the draft on the WR…not just this year historically)……..
I think we go 9-7. We have the talent for 11-5, but we have one glairing weakness that will hurt us this year. Bledsoe will not play 16 games. Most QB’s go down at some point in the season. Tony or Drew are the only plan B at this point. Even if we sign a veteran during the season, it will take a game or two to adjust. After Bledsoe gets hurt, I hope BP stays with our young guys and gets one of them ready for 07. We could have a monster team in two years.
has any body signed Vinny? I don’t see a need to add a 4th because of our two utes back there. Drew could get injured………but then again so could McNabb, Manning, or Ramsey. Let those young kids get plenty of snaps and playing in preseason. I think you could see Henson and Romo in relief of Bledsoe if we are able to get leads and pound the ball. The FA QBs that will be out there in mid season will look as good as anything now. Who knows if we are in playoff contention and looking good and have an Offensive Line………maybe Jerry and Bill will bring in a ringer like Aikman to finish the season. He is only like 7 years younger than Vinny.
The better our rushing attack and defense the less and less the qb will matter. I think Henson or Romo could step in. What was that Ivy League Red Head kid………Jason something…..always had the clipboard….remember when Troy was hurt and he was just chucking it to Alvin Harper and letting Emmit do the rest. I would say Henson or Romo are both more physically talented than that kid……….not going to go out on a limb on IQ though. Did I read he is coaching somewhere now………..sure looks like an Offensive Coordinator to me.
Let me see if I can find the link guys…
with this only being June…….why not surgery now? season starts in Sept…….is it that serious???
Here’s the link……Most Valuable Network-The Cowboy Roundup…..scroll down to midway thru the page,it’s under Cowboys notes….
http://cowboys.mostvaluablenetwork.com/. (under Cowboys notes mid page)
back to the Quincy Morgan hurt thing… there seems to be no conclusion. Is he hurt or isn’t he? I’ve only seen that in Will Parchman’s article on the most valuable network (link above). Untill I read it on a Dallas owned site, I’ll assume its just a bad rumor.
btw., there are quite a few QM believers in the blog. I wonder what tape of Quincy they’ve been seeing. I’d love to be that optimistic but I’ve never seen him do anything special in a Cowboys or Browns uniform (granted - I’m not a Browns highlights specialist). Rumors of players working out super well and really doing great things in the offseason are generally worthless until it happens on the field with pads on. Perhaps until it happens on the field during a regular game. (ask Randall Williams)
I say Quincy is a bottom quartile WR until he proves otherwise on the field.
Jon,
I think the guy you were talking about was Jason Garrett.
“Untill I read it on a Dallas owned site, I’ll assume its just a bad rumor.”
Unfortunately, it’s no rumor… Jean-Jacques Taylor (the guy I took that Q&A question from at the bottom of the article) is a writer for http://www.cowboysplus.com, an official Cowboys media outlet. Feel free to assume it is merely a rumor but I assure you this news is 100% true. The article in which he answers that question is called “Allen move should be made with caution.” if you’re interested in the whole thing (the snippet I pulled out is the only mention of Morgan).
Rob2,
Thanks…….his last name was on the tip of my tongue. That is him. Was a QB from Princeton I think, or some other Ivy League Guy. They said he knew the offense better than some of the coaches.
Here’s my predicted stats for 2005 season for our skill players:
(rounded figures)
QB Drew Bledsoe- 3600 yds, 24 TDs, 16 INTS, 85.0 rating
RB Julius Jones- 1550 yards, 13 TDs
TE Jason Witten- 94 catches, 1050 yards
WR Keyshawn Johnson- 87 catches, 950 yards
WR Terry Glenn- 79 catches, 910 yards
Yep, Im an optimistic. But I think this can defaintly happens, and it all starts with a great O-Line and a healthy Julius, depth at RB, and Dan Campell back.
Shoot, I didn’t put it down there… here is the snippet from the article that I got it from (same article by JJT as I stated above):
Q: Based on what you are able to observe around Valley Ranch, how much of an impact does the coaching staff feel Quincy Morgan can have on the passing game?
Timothy Stearns
TAYLOR: Morgan suffered a shoulder injury diving for a pass last week and will require surgery after the season, so that’s a bummer for the coaching staff. Morgan had been having a great minicamp because he’s bigger, faster and stronger than he’s been at any point of his career. The Cowboys were planning to take advantage of his speed and give him some opportunities to make plays down the field. The injury is something he’s going to have to fight through this season, which could limit his productivity.
carioca,
i agree we need to see it on the field. But at least he is particpating and working out and improving his HANDs and his physique.
That is better than throwing a Jersey at the Head Coach, and then quitting on routes.
Morgan had one good season, and then kind of struggled. That is pretty much how I would have described A Bryant. Maybe Morgan works out maybe not. I have yet to see Bryant give me any reason to regret letting him go.
Carioca:
In 2002 Morgan made this numbers:
56 receptions for 964 yards, for a whoping 17 yards average and 7 TD’s.
And that playing for Couch, a not so strong armed QB (or ex-QB now looking for something else to do with the mills he made).
A player, and I mean a real football player, can make good numbers with an injured wing, that’s not like a hamstring injury, in which a player just can’t run at full.
I tend to think that the Boys’ will go 9-7 at the least. Their schedule looks pretty easy, there are only 3 teams that made the playoffs last year they’ll be facing (San Diego, Philly, and Denver) and Kansas City who i think will be back in the playoffs this year. Other than that, they’ve got a bunch of average to below average team they’re facing. Plus considering how bad a team they were with absolutly no running game (through the first half of the season) no SS, no RC at all, a feble QB, a poor o-line, and a Passing game that featured no deep threat. I’m guessing they’ll go about 11-5 and will probably take the division.
the 3 playoff teams they are facing…….should all be victories.
They have Denver at Home…….Philly at home and away……I say they split em……….and then San Diego on the Road.
Oakland looks more menacing than San Diego. At least from a Defensive standpoint. Of course you gotta stop LT at SD. He is tough. San Fran has an ok defense that will improve, but not that fast. Their offense has little rushing and no passing. You gotta blame their front office for running Mariucci out of town.
Gates from SD scares me in the red zone. Hes not that good in the open field, nothing compared to Witten. But in the red zone hes tough, esp with LT back there. They also run a 3-4 and with us just adjusting to it, it might hard to win that game. Who knows tho? We could go out their and tear up their offense and have mediots saying Brees was a fluke. Can’t wait til the start of the season.
morgan has alot of potential in him. carioca your right on he hasnt showed us anything in a boys uniform, but he had some good years with the browns. because they are saying he had a good mini camp doesnt mean hes gonna be good this year, but at least they arent saying hes horrible and they should just cut him, right? he didnt have to be at the ranch all off season working on getting stronger, faster, smarter but he did, that has to count for something. no im not saying hes gonna have 90-100 catches or be a pro bowler, we just need him to be our third receiver is all and catch whats coming to him….
That QM story sounds like RumourControl BS to me. If he hurt his shoulder bad enough in mini-camp that it will require a surgery that won’t heal before training camp in 60 days it would seem to me that he needs to have surgery NOW. It is the slow time of the year for MEDIOTS you know. They need to keep people interested in their print. Even if QM plays hurt, SO WHAT! It will let Copper , Crayton, and Crowder develop with more playing time. I have never been happy with the value we got from QM in return for AB, as much as a pain in the butt as AB was.
I wasn’t very happy in the Value of AB either. He was a 2nd round Draft Pick. Was supposed to be our next Irvin. Featured on the cover of ESPN the Magazine……….after a good rookie year.
Maybe it was time for Morgan and Bryant to both get a fresh start. I ain’t impressed with Morgan yet. I never remembered him in Cleveland…….but hey I watch the Cowboys not the Browns. I am impressed with Morgan showing up for offseason and working out. Key and Glenn were both hurt……..maybe he has his eyes on being more than just a 3rd WR……..Bryant was cutting it. It was pretty much a wash, Rafael or Raul posted their stats. Bryant had slightly better numbers. Not significant. Morgan is Taller, stronger, and faster than Bryant. Bryant sort of had flashes of something…….I saw it…..we all saw it…….greatness………but he quit on routes…….and threw a jersey at the Coach. He could have been cut right then. At least Bill held on and got anything for him.
I think his injury would have been listed somewhere else. Probably by Mickey by now. This rumor was out a week or more ago. After this injury rumor came out……….Spags had an article out about how good shape Morgan was in. No mention of an injury.
Rafael or Raul………you guys seen anything on Morgan injury?
i have an off subject ques. What will be the role of l glover this year? Ive heard all this about playing less and getting more. It sounds good about ellis, but i cant see where glover factors in. Hes either too small for nose tck in a 3/4 or not. Will he play more than furg? He seems like a perfect 3/4 d end. Will that be his primary role opposite Spears? Will Furg be expected to take a back seat to him? I know were going to see alot of 4/3 this year, but if were switching, and he has no future with us, why not get something for him while hes still hot?
Jon,
I completely agree with your comments about Bryant and Morgan, especially your thoughts on Bryant. Let’s just hope the rumors about Morgan aren’t true. If they are, then let’s hope the injury is not significant enough to keep him from getting on the field after all the hard work he’s put in. It would be a shame to see that effort wasted.
Ericp,
I understand your thoughts about getting something for Glover while he’s hot, but I just don’t think that it’s a smart thing to do right now. We all hope for great things from our draft p