Rate the Rivals
Posted: June 21, 2006 @ 11:24 pm
Who will be the toughest opponent in the division this year? They’ve all got good coaching staffs and have all made the playoffs the past two seasons. Each has reason for optimism:
Philadelphia lost T.O. but some pundits are heralding that as addition through subtraction. The team had a good draft and still has Andy Reid and Jim Johnson running the offense and defense.
New York has locked up most of the talented offensive veterans surrounding Eli Manning. The Giants have the best pass rushing ends in the conference and signed almost every free agent DB they could to improve their leaky secondary.
My money is on Washington.  Yeah, they went free agent crazy, but don’t they always? This time, they targeted their weaknesses well. They’ve got a solid o-line and running back and spent heavily to give Santana Moss and Chris Cooley some receiving partners.
The bigger reason I pick the Redskins is their defense. Gregg Williams proved again last year why he’s one of the top handful of DCs in the league. Joe Gibbs rode Williams’ D deep into the playoffs and Dan Snyder invested in improving Williams’ pass rush. No team in the division gave Dallas more trouble last year.  I expect more hard times from this this year.
Your turn.
Comments
99 Responses to “Rate the Rivals”
Let’s go ahead and count out Uncle Tom McNabb and the Eagles. If he has stood up for the AFC sack leader Burgess, or Corey Simon, etc. let alone the great Owens, they could have maintained their stauts.
The NY situation sounds iffy, a lot of discord already. Burress baggin’ on Manning, Shockey down in Miami, Lavar Distraction, and Strahan pumpin men (alledgedly).
I’ll go with the Gibbs and the Redskins as well. I like their staff, their offensive line and Portis might be the best player in the divison; however, Brunell will be the weak leak.
Final Analysis… Drew Henson and the Cowboys win the NFC and secure one of the top two seeds with an 11 & 5 record.
[sigh] DC here…
Unfortunately, I can’t argue with you.
How come it feels like since the drubbing they swept us with last year, that our season will be measured by how we do against them?
I think I took for granted the calming effect that beating them twice every year has had on their mouths.
I think Brunell catches up to them this year.
Dallas 11-5
Washington 9-7
NY Giants 9-7
Philly 7-9
the argueing going on in the giants camp gives me a woodie, LOL. philly aint gonna go anywhere with Mcscab, and washington was/is a fluke, Brunell is finished, and campbell will never get started, the Boys will win the nfc east by a game or 2 margin
maybe even 3
and this year will be the year everyone finally realizes “eli aint and aint ever gonna be peyton” i hope rivers has a big year
Tex,
You trying to start a racial flame war? You’re making a very sloppy use of the term Uncle Tom. McNabb may be not be liked by a lot of people in his locker room, but the last time I checked, they were all getting paid.
As someone who’s had to ban meatheads calling for Jose Cortez to have his green card revoked after he missed field goals, be warned. Keep it on football and keep your peculiar sociological jargon to yourself.
wh have seen quite enough racist crap on here to choke us all.
all in all though, even with the riffs, and strahans “other side” the giants will be the toughest division rival, imo
Off topic question to anybody.
I want to purchase a dvd of a COMPLETE Dallas Cowboys football game, preferably some of their past NFC Championship Games or Super Bowls.
I don’t think they exist. Am I wrong? I know I can buy highlights of certain games. I want the complete game….start to finish.
Don’t have any earthly idea why this isn’t offered to fans.
i think this year the cowboys will go 12-4..maybe 11-5.
i think the giants are going to be good , but they have the hardest sced,. in the nfl, tied with the bengals. on paper..i just dont think eli is the real deal…and it will be too much pressure to win on the road with burress and shocky all over him..a week 1 loss to the colts will deflate the big blue.also..how many more years can tiki do what he has been doing?CARRYING ELI AND THE G-GIRLS..they will fall in the basement 8-8
skins- over rated..i think that sanata moss was a fluke.. he was never as good as he played last year..he was on and off in ny..but we will see…i must dissagree when you guys say brunnell is done…i think that brunnell and bledsoe both have arm left, bledsoe has about 2 more years than mark does..but i dont think he is washed up just yet. they will take 3rd 9-7
eagles- io truely believe that the eagles will be back this year..i think mcnabb is a difference makker …like vick..only diff. is that mcnabb has a gunn..vick is too sloppy…i think the eagles running game will be better ..moats looked good enough to be in thebackfield..and westbrook may not be a great hb…but he Is a great ball player..the eagles were suffering from the sb loss curse…just like the seahawks will this year…also..the eagles have the easiest sced. in the east..all the basement teams play the eagles. eagles take second 10-6
lemme know whatcha think..
sorry for the typoes…in is 2:30 am in nj…night
COWBOYS BABY!
you kno what guys, i kno that he took 49 sacks last year. but i was lookin at some footage on the internet, and i saw that when flozell was in there, that bledsoe knew how to move in the pocket. now im not saying that he is mike vick or mcscab, but he isnt the standing duck in the pocket like everybody sez. because when givin time, he knows how to manuever in the pocket and has a quick release. the style of quarterback he is, and if we can keep flozell and the rest of the line healthy, he should have 2 more years left in him, like IRON MAN sed. that means 2 more years to scope out romo and henson or draft and develope a guy.
bad_religion,
I agree completely, Bledsoe can hold his own in the pocket. What impressed me most was his incredible lower body strength. At times, instead of trying to evade a defender, he would just stand tall with a D-Lineman trying to drag him down. He’s huge for a QB.
But, back to the Division thing
The Giants seem to always follow a good season with a bad season. I agree that a loss to the colts could really inflame the locker room.
The Redskins have definately gotten better, but I think Snyder is more into jersey sales than winning. Randel-El and Archuletta will not improve the team AT ALL, they are just high-price tags and big names.
I am, however, worried about Brandon Lloyd; he gave the Cowboys trouble as a 49er and is definately an up and comer. I just hope Brunnell falls off the wagon and gets too drunk this year to play well.
The Eagles are my pick for the second best team in the division. I think we all remember the pre-TO Eagles being pretty good with guys like Pinkston and Thrash playing receiver. Now, Pinkston will be the third guy, Brown looked very good for a rookie last year and that Defense is pretty good.
I know they lost Corey Simon, but Darwin Walker, Hollis Thomas, Sam Rayburn and Bunkley will make up a GREAT DT rotation. They still have one of the league’s best secondaries and Jevon and Hayward will create a pretty good outside rush. If Ryan Moats can build off of last season, the Eagles will get alot better.
Dallas 12-4
Philadelphia 10-6
Washington 8-8
NY Giants 7-9
rest of the NFC will be pretty bad with the exception of Seattle, Chicago, Tampa and Carolina.
The giants had a very easy schedule last year (including 9 home games). They didnt play the iggles at all until we had broken their back.
The iggles will simply not be better with TO gone. he played very well on the field for them last year, though we did shut him down in dallas. They will definitely be tougher than they were the second half of the season though.
I agree the skins are the ones we should be most worried about. We play them early in the year though, the 2nd time unfortunatly in the middle of a 3 game road streak (rafael, that could be the subject of another post, how difficult have our schedules been over the last few years).
We close out the year with alot of NFC games at home though so even a sweep by the skins is not devestating. Ill take losing twice to them but still getting to the playoffs and making a run. The skins on the other hand, start the year off easy but their Nov/Dec schedules are BRUTAL. at iggles, at bucs, panthers, falcons, iggles, at saints, at rams, then the giants. Also, consider Mark Brunell. He and their offense really dropped off late last year. Can their defense carry them the whole year?
Like BP said, whoever wins this division this year will have earned it.
IMO the giants are a bigger concern than the skins. a big factor to the rise of the skins last year compared to the rest of the NFC East was injuries. We certainly had them with a host of LBs, A Henry, Rivera and of course that guy over at LT. The Giants lost nearly their whole LB corp. The skins lost randy thomas late in the season(playing us). Injuries matter a great deal! However, if you look at depth, i think we are beginning to have a great deal of depth(especially talent wise) that a team like the skins do not have. When they lost Thomas last year, they put their center over there b/c they didn’t have confidence in their backup guard. That center is now gone. Their OLine is thin. they recently picked up tyson walter who was churned out of dallas several years ago. We could survive more injuries than anyone in the East now. The Giants would be better able to IMO as well.
let us not forget, the skins had to do a lot of mass protect last year. they can’t do that with 3 receivers on the field.
i didnt know Brunell was a drunk on the wagon
J-man,
good points. I agree we are building a stronger team foundation, but we cant count on injuries to other teams.
I’m pretty sure the NFC EAST will be the toughest division in the league this year. Philly has a lot to prove this year after such a horrible season. NY is always improving because Eli will have one more year under his belt. The skins will always be the skins and are always a tough match up. Look for 2 teams from the East to make the playoffs.
I think Philly will be a solid team, but unable to get back to the playoffs. The defense should be very good with the additions of Darren Howard, Ed Jasper and Broderick Bruckley. But McNabb has nobody to throw the ball to (except LJ Smith and Westbrook) and the Eagles just cannot run the ball well enough to open the passing game.
I think the Giants look the best on paper. They had one of the top offenses in the league last year, and kept it in tact plus added Moss’ little brother. Their secondary was suspect, which it seems they have fixed with Madison, R.W. McQuarters, etc. Plus they added Lavar Arrington to the front seven. That said, I think that a very hard schedule, locker room infighting and the growing pains of Eli Manning will keep them from winning the division.
As for the Redskins, they were a surprise last year but should also be better. Although I don’t think any of their free agents will have a tremendous impact (like TO) they all should be solid additions, particularly the depth at WR. I think the key for Washington will be keeping Brunell healthy. Before last season he only played in 12 games the previous two seasons. He’s a lot smaller than Bledsoe and as someone mentioned above, Bledsoe is quite large and resilient.
So, Dallas 12-4
Washington 10-6
NY Giants 9-7
Philly 8-8
Interesting piece by Pat Kirwan about drafting DEs and an apparent big school bias. Bodes well for Hatcher
http://nfl.com/news/story/9519025
I agree the NFC East will be one(if not the toughest) divisons on the NFL this year.Last year Philly went winless in our divison,this year hopefully they can change that and put a few losses on our rivals.I’m still not sold on the Giants and it’s true they had one of the easiet scheduals in football last year and this year will be much tougher on them.That leaves Washington and in my opinion they will be our toughest for this year.DC coordinator Gregg Williams is going to have his defense ready to play.But all in all,I think Dallas has a chance to win the divison this year barring any unforeseen circumstances,mainly key injuries….we haven’t had this much talent in years…
Oh and just a note,Mr. Jones….ya better get Witten and James resigned now before they have a pro-bowl year and we REALLY have to pay up the wazzo to keep them!
I’m going with the Giants, simply because their front 7 gave us hell last year. With a potentially shored up secondary, that defense will be very solid. Manning will continue to develop, and that team should be tough.
Dallas 12-4
NY Giants 10-6
Skins 9-7
Eagles 7-9
Can I refine the question a bit and ask for more detail on our NFC east performance? I mean a modest prediction of splitting the NFC east has us taking 3 losses. If you have us sweeping the eagles, 2 losses. I just find it hard to see 12-4. I’m wondering about my own prediction of 11-5. I don’t want to look past Indy or Carolina, but if you count those as the 2 toughest non-divisional contests and as losses, there is no room for dropping a game or two we are ’supposed’ to win.
Hello All,
IMO:
1) Giants will be our toughest opponent this year. Eli will have another year under his belt & Tiki Barber just seems to be getting better with age. Shockey & Burress offer good targets & their offensive line did a good job last year & will also be better. Their biggest asset is their “D”. With Strahan & Osi anchoring the outside their defensive line & LB`s are above average. The addition of Arrington could be huge for them depending if he stays healthy & listens to Coughlin. The only weak spot on their “D” has been the secondary. With the addition of Madison & some upcoming 2nd year players the Giants are a solid team.
2) The Eagles are still not what they were. They will feel the Loss of TO & they still do not have a top flight receiver. Westbrook is the only offensive firepower they have & that will not be enough. They had their shot & are on the decline.
3) Interesting team Mr. Gibbs has here , but in my opinion you have no further to look than an old injury prone QB with no back up. I was very surprised he made it through last year. No way IMO he makes it through again.
Philly already jumped the shark. I mean, they might have the same team as they did 3 years ago…except a lot of them are older. The first game we had against them in 2005…we torched their D like never before, and their D had nothing to do with TO.
McNabb has no balls and I’m quite suspicious about a lot of his motives. He uses the race card whenever he feels like it and feigns self-righteous anger when someone else does it. He might be all smiles and in Chunky Soup commercials, but he’s a despicable character, IMO. And he has no balls. The Beagles go 8-8, I think.
Eli hasn’t proven anything AND he has had Shockey and Burress…two huge targets to throw to. My friend told me that his dad met a Giants coach and he told him that Shockey runs the right route 25% of the time. Anywhoo, I just don’t think the Giants are all that great except for Tiki and Osi. Plus a tough schedule and Lavar distractions…I give them 8-8.
The Redskins made some flashy acquisitions but Glenn/TO should be able to burn Archuleta every time…he’s a poor poor po’ man’s Roy Williams. Lloyd will make a few circus catches on his way to a 500 yard season. Randle El will do absolutely nothing, unless they use him as a kick returner so Santana doesn’t get hurt. Brunell is an ok/solid QB, nothing more. I give them 9-7.
Dallas goes 11-5 or so! I mean, we got TO, Glenn, Witten, Fasano, JJ, Ware, Roy, T-New, Henry, A. Glenn, Carpenter, Spears, Hatcher…our team is loaded! And our O-line’s better than we think. Hope Peterman, Proctor, Pettiti, or Columbo step up this season.
JESSIE:
Are u sure ur not a Giants fan???
i also think the Giants are going to be better but Eli is not ready yet..their d is a lot better however i dont think than can stop the run game…Plex and Shokey are both known to fold under pressure so i doubt they win
I think this year it going to be a classic Cowboys and Skins match up with us splitting in the reg and overcoming them in the playoffs
Mikeridge78:
Yes I am sure ! I despise the Giants. But the facts are the facts.
Tiki had somewhere in the 2000 total yard range last year ! Not too shabby. No one is saying Eli is anywhere near his brother but, do you agree he will be better this year than last. Shockey must be listed in the top tier of TE`s, don`t you agree ? Though Burress is not great he is a # 1 receiver added is Moss a good looking rookie who should help them this year. As far as defense is concerned don`t you agree Strahan & Osi are one of the if not the best outside tandem in the league. No I am not a Giant fan but the fact is like us they are an upcoming team & IMO our greatest adversary in the east.
Wouldn’t that be great? A Cowboys and Deadskins showdown with the NFC East division title at stake? We win in the last few minutes as TO breaks free over the middle,stiff arms Taylor and races into the endzone for the winning score! And during post game interviews he says “There’s a new Sheriff in town!And how bout THESE Cowboys!!”
Wow, tough call to make.
Agree that the foreskins look good, but they have many times in the past and still choked. Gibbs could be the difference however and bring them together. I’m not big on some of the bigger free agents they brought in.
Giants should come together once game time starts, the squabbling will stop when they aren’t bored anymore. Manning will be better, but still has shortcomings. I see them with a good record, but Manning choking under the late season pressure that he is not ready for yet.
Eagles will be better than last season. I don’t see the slide continuing. People returning from injuries alone will help, along with trying to prove the TO factor. They will be strong, but not ready to be a contender yet.
Foreskins, Giants, and Dallas all battle to the end for the division. Wild card could be difficult due to the east beating each other up.
Dallas 10-6 (win tie breaker)
Foreskins 10-6
Giants 9-7 out of playoffs
Eagles 8-8 miss out again
I think 10-6 with the division and the road schedule at the beginning before our o-line gels is very good. I love the 11-5 and 12-4 predictions, but that would be VERY difficult.
I think that Rafael makes an excellent point about the Redskins and the potential problems they present the rest of the NFC East. Gregg Williams has done an outstanding job the last two seasons but an addition that no one is talking about is Al Saunders from Kansas City. Over the last five seasons there has not been a more high scoring offense than his. When KC made their stroll through the NFC East last season, 31 points and 353 total yards versus Philly, 28 points and 493 yards versus the Cowboys and 17 points and 362 yards versus the Giants. The Redskins we all know have a nice defense but there offensive attack just got a whole lot better as well.
as bad as i hate the eagles and giants. I HATE THE DEADSKINS more than all. and as i see it, with the way things went late last year, i think the cowboys and deadskins will battle it out next year. i predict we will split the series with the Deadskins, and we will both finish 11-5. we will go into the playoffs and sometime in the first 2 rounds we will meet, and the boys will blow them out….. hehe.
Cowboys 11-5
Deadskins 11-5
G-Gurls 9-7
Iggles 8-8
that looks like a pretty stacked division to me. the only reason any one of the teams doesnt get more wins is that they play each other soo much. in another division the iggles would prolly got 10 wins….. but who cares, these are only my predictions. i also predict the cowboys goin 4-2 in the division, sweeping the iggles and splitting with the G-gurls and Deadskins…….
Go Cowboys.
1. NY Giants: The depend fully on the arm of Eli and that’s why I’m putting them at 1st, I’m not saying that he’s going to reach big brother heights this season, or most likely ever, what I’m saying is that this guy has, from the games in which I saw him, what it takes to be a solid QB that can win big if he has the right players around him. He can be a Drew Bledsoe in this League with a little more mobility and he has the right OLine, the right running game and the right Defense, I’m not convinced on Burress and Shockey, teams can make them disappear when they are needed the most.
2. Washington: What were the Free Agent aquisitions and which players left? Lloyd, ARE, Archuleta, Fauria and Carter? Good luck with Lloyd, they surely wanted to have their version of Pinkston, yeah, the one with alligator arms in Philly, that can only be counted deep, somewhat. ARE? Good returner, on Offense he has one good play there and there and his season is over. Archuleta may be a slight upgrade over what they had last season at SS, but in the passing game he’s a big downgrade. Fauria is a downgrade over Royal. And Carter may be a sligth upgrade if the Coaching staff can manage to change Phillip Daniels to the Strong Side, then they would have a better DLine that may be a little weak in the running game but stronger in pass pressure. I’m hoping that their core players stay healthy for the full season, then they would have no excuses as to why Dallas got to the Playoffs and their team didn’t.
3. Philly: Last season how do I remember when McNabb mentioned in the Offseason that he was starting to see their window of oportunity closing down on them, and, that was before his sports hernia. Last season, some of the players in which they trusted before were healthy for most of the season, if not for the whole season, and still weren’t what they used to be, be it Tra Thomas, Hank Fraley, Jevon Kearse, Jeremiah Trotter and Lito Sheppard. Next season they’re still expected to be starters along McNabb.
So, assuming that every team key role players stay healthy for the full season, this is how I see the Division ending.
Dallas 12-4
NY 11-5
Wash 9-7
Philly 7-9
With Dallas losing the away games in Jax, Carolina, Washington and NY. Yeah, that means winning at Home against Indy.
proscout:
Four big factors that are against your comment on how good can the Redskin Offense be with Al Saunders on the Coaching staff.
Chris Samuels. Chris Samuels is a good LT, but even when Willie Roaf is a 35 year veteran, he isn’t at his level and won’t reach that level.
Derrick Dockery. Brian Waters is probably the best LG in the NFL, yeah, IMO he’s better than Hutchinson. Dockery? Last season he was above average.
Casey Rabach. Not to diss Rabach, because this guy is a really good Center, but Wiegmann is underrated in a HUGE way, this guy is one of the best.
Randy Thomas. This one is close with Will Sheilds, they are both great run blockers that sometimes leave something to be desired in pass protection, but throughout his career Shields’ been healthier and a better run blocker, so Shields gets my nod.
Jon Jansen’s better than Jordan Black as of now. And that’s the lonely edge the Skins OLine holds against the NFL’s best unit in the past few years.
I see a four team race that should go down to the last week or two. The teams are so close that only injuries will decide who takes it and who stays home.
The Skiz seemed to do it with mirrors but they advanced in the playoffs. Their D was good their O was good enough. They added several free agents but will be in a world of hurt if either Portis or Brunell go down.
Gents looked average winning the division and were ugly in the playoffs. Eli has to keep is together, likewise, Tiki has plenty of milage on his tires. Their D was good and should be better.
Philthy was dinged last season. the TO situation was a problem but nothing next their injuries. They had an offseason to heal and had a fantastic draft. If Reed actually calls a run or two, the Eagles will be very good. I expect they will bring it this year.
11-5 Boys
10-6 Eagles
10-6 Giants
9-7 Redskins
Raf,
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make the paparazzi ad go away.
Chandus,
You would kill to have that offense line at Washington here with the Cowboys. If you really want to break it down, in the entire NFL, KC was 7th in rushing yards per play, Washington was 10th, in sacks allowed, KC was 13th and Washington was 14th. The receivers at Washington are better than the receivers he was working with in KC. The running back in Washington is better and has done it over a number of years where Larry Johnson has done it for one. KC has a Pro Bowl TE where the Redskins don’t but still Chris Cooley is no dog and just for a little insight, there are people on the KC staff that think that Wiegmann is the weak link on the OL and not Jordan Black.
Repeat after me, Defense and QBs win championships.
First and foremost, the best D wins, unless they have a rag-arm at QB.
Second, head-to-head & division record determine the division champions.
Which Defense is best? They’re all top 10. Arguments can be made on every side.
- Dallas has the best youth, balance, & potential. They just don’t make plays. And when asked, has not shown a consitent ability to make plays. You won’t beat this unit, but they won’t beat you either.
- Giants are the most sound unit, but a shaky secondary (even with the additions). A good running game can open up big play opportunities.
- Washington makes the most plays…both good & bad. Sound, conservative, balanced offense tears ‘em up.
- Philly is old, but has the best secondary. Can be beat by a good running game.
The QB’s are similarly matched.
- Bledsoe has the best arm & most weapons (now), but is old & slow. He won’t make too many mistakes.
- Brunnell manages a game and can make plays, but will wear down and will make mistakes.
- Eli is boom or bust. He will make a few plays, but even more mistakes.
- McNabb makes plays, and very few mistakes. Problem is, he doesn’t have any weapons.
So…?
No one has a clear advantage. Based on Law 1 (D + QB) I’d have to say:
1. Dallas (T2+2)
2. Washington (1+4)
3. NY (T2+3)
4. Philly (4+1)
Really, it’s too close to call. Which brings it to Law 2 (how do they match up vs. Division)
1. Dallas - BP is best game day coach. Our D can stop any of the division offenses. Our offense will not make mistakes and is built to play close games and win. Especially with t.o. and Vandy. 4-2 (losses @Wash, @Philly)
T2. Washington - Great running game, solid Offensive play vs. these Defenses. Not great, but solid. 3-3 (win all home games)
T2. NY Giants - Eli will lose a few. He won’t win many, but Tiki and that line can do OK. If they can run (which is the weakness of Wash & Dallas) they can win. 3-3 (Eli still can’t play on the road)
4. Philly - 2-4. They win a couple of emotional home games, but get slaughtered as injuries and age catch up to them.
i know i wouldn’t kill for washingtons OLine. I’d like to have their RT and RG but thats it. Depending on how things progress, i may not want their RT. Jansen is good but he isn’t a world beater or anything. He is solid and dependable. Not a probowler by any stretch. Thomas is another story. Jerry wanted him when he was a free agent but the skins snapped him up. Flo is much more dominating and has a larger upside than Samuels.
Off topic…but you guys have to like the makeup of our new team.We’ve got Vandy kicking field goals,TO causing DC’s nightmares,another big pass catching tightend in Fassano,free agent veterns to shore up the OL,a vicious set of new linebackers,a new #1 draft pick than can tackle and rush the passer in Carpenter,Ware going into his second season,Bierault back from injury,Rivera finally healed,Flo back in the mix,Ferguson back healty again,Crayton healthy again and numerous others back healthy like ‘Pepper Johnson’ and Ratliff and you have to like this team.Add in our free agents aquisitions of linebacker Rocky Boiman,along with FS Coleman and the addition of Kai “Hittin machine” Parham and our special teams should be much better.Now throw in Mountavious,Hatcher and Skylar green retuning punts and you just have to like the increased talent level.
sharkz:
When you put it like that I wish opening day was this sunday.
Can`t wait for the season.
There are really only 2 sports in the world.
1) Football
2) The other sports
FIGHTER
just curious how you could say that dalls’ weakness is there RUN D?
dallas weakness was there passing D…hear and there….but this year with a better fs..dalls passing D will be a whole lit better giving up less big plays at the end of games “MOSS-LLOYDS-MOSS” in adition to a bnetter fs..dallas’ run defense will be a whole lot better…see roy williams being aloud to play like lynch and palamalu..roy is awsome..its just that we were able to play him by his strengths…but played him by the teams weaknesses…instead of sticking him in coverage…let him ppound eli and brunell and mcnabb…and an aging tiki..a soft portis and a fragil westbrook…if watkins,coleman,berryO,and davis can play 3quarters as good as chris hope did last year at fs…roy will be looked at the way troy P was last year…
I tend to think of myself as a big of an expert when it comes to the Redskins since I live in DC and have to hear all the hype 24 hours a day during the season. Here’s my take on those pesky rascals:
Their strengths: One of the best offensive lines in the league, a great running back, a game changing WR in Santana Moss, and an all around great player in Chris Cooley.
Their weaknesses: A rag tag D-line, run of the mill LBs save Marcus Washington, and a secondary that has great talent but hasn’t yet jelled together.
Obviously the keys to success for the Redskins will be the play of Mark Brunell and whether Greg Williams can keep making steak out of chopped meat on their defense. They have the playmakers and the offensive line to be very dominating on the offensive side of the ball, however their defensive is subject to abuse. They put up nice defensive stats in the yards allowed category last year, but they cannot get to the QB and they don’t create enough turnovers to be a threatening unit.
Before I begin any analysis of the an ‘06 Redskins/Cowboys match up, let’s look at ‘05. We all know the first loss against the Skins was a fluke…we dominated 56 minutes of that game. The second game wasn’t pretty, but let me bring up one HUGE factor in the success of Redskins toward the end of the season and the meltdown of the Cowboys: Injuries. Going into that game, the Cowboys had already lost Nguyen, Flozell, Singleton for the year. Crayton and Henry were banged up (Henry rarely played that game), we lost Rivera during the game, and I think at one point we had Glenn, Henry, and Newman all on the sidelines during a defensive series–of which I believe the Skins took advantage. The Skins on the other hand suffered no major season ending injuries throughout their entire season with the exception of David Patten. That is huge, and odds are that won’t happen again.
Another thing the Redskins don’t have is solid depth, especially on their defense; if they start losing starters on the defensive side of the ball, they are in trouble. The Cowboys are in a much better position to handle injuries this year than they were in ‘05. We’ve got an overload of starting quality LBs and DEs and have enough OL-men to fill the void should someone go down.
Now how do they match up against one another?
Cowboys O vs Redskins D–The Skins have no pass rush, so Bledsoe should have plenty of time to find his guys. The only reason Regean Upshaw notched 4 sacks in that second game last year was because of our lack of talent at the OT position down the stretch. Other than maybe Marcus Washington, their LBs won’t be able to hang with Witten or Julius Jones catching balls out of the backfield. Owens and Glenn will torch their secondary. Sean Taylor is a stud, but Archeleta is a brick in coverage. Carlos Rogers is still green and Sean Springs’ best years are behind him. A solid secondary, but they don’t have a player that can handle either of our top wide-outs in single man coverage. God forbid they lose a man or two to injury.
Redskins O vs Cowboys D–Better match up here. The Redskins obviously have improved their WR corps from a year ago, but our CBs CAN go man to man with their guys. The Skins O-line is very solid, but we’ve got a lot of young talent in the front seven…we’ll call it a draw.
I just think we are a little more solid on both sides of the ball, while the Skins look solid only on offense.
Edge: Cowboys
J-Man,
I agree that I wouldn’t kill for Washington’s O line, but not sure that Flo has more upside than Samuels. Flo is 31 and coming off ACL surgery. Samuels is a 28-year-old former No. 3 pick overall who has started all but four games in his career. Not that Flo’s dog meat or anything, but neither is Samuels.
“moss-lloyd and S.moss”…also here and there..not HEAR and there..haha sorry
Here is a word for free speech.
My last post was not admitted an never posted. I am guessing it is becuase I called McNabb a p…s..y I call it like I see it. Forget the racism and forget seeing it when its not there. If someone wants o post racist comments let them. Why do you care? Last I knew, it is legal to put someone down and make fun of them.
I think we are the best team in the division BUT teams with good Dlines scare me. I still remember Aikman getting killed in Philly.
Thus, the Giants and the Eagles are a bit scary to me as they have the athletes to get to he QB.
I do think our 2 TE sets and running game will be enough to compensate for this however.
I could honestly see a possibility for us going 6-0 in our division but its unlikely. I say 4-2 but I couldn’t say who the losses are to.
Ironman,
I think fighter was right in his assessment of our run D last year. There were several teams who ran on us pretty well. Not consistently but enough to say that was a problem on occasion.
I also think you will be right concerning our run D this year. There have been several steps to shore up our run D. Not the least of these is our pass defense. If it holds without substantial injury, and our FS position is improved it will allow our run stoppers and pass rushers to go forward and not play on our heals.
my top 5 breakout cowboys this year …are
D
5.A henry..so physical and will improve due to T.O. PERFECT CB for wr’s like burress..LLOyd..KEYshawn..Reggie Wayne..ect. wow..Tnew on S.smith and A.henry on keyshawn..that will be exciting..
4.Bobby carpenter..like merriman last year..does not have to learn a new poss..will make a huge immpact with lots of oppertunities bookending ware..
3.Akin aoydelle
Donnyposner,
We are all for free speech. However we are on someone elses website, they set the rules. If we don’t like it we can get our own site and do what we want to. That is not an infringement.
damn i typed up so much good stuff and it isnt there
ill finish…
2 was tnewman and 1. said BEWARE OF D.WARE!
oh d posner..fisrt of all before raf. reads what you just said and emails you like he did to me when i said SHi* a few months ago…there is children that copme on this site to get info about the boys…and the P word isnt somthing i would want my 8 year old son to read when trying to find out how the boys fans are thinking this offseaon..this is the biggest fan blog sight for ANY nfl team..call mcnabb a punk or a baby and a wuss…not the P word or any racist words…ther is no need for that..
Thanks Ironman.
McNabb is a wuss
he realy is…and i hope T.O. gives him a signed book at the philly dallas game…i will go out and buy the T.O. jersey if he does…
Ironman-If we are correcting grammar here, in post #41 “see roy williams being aloud to play like lynch” should be “allowed”. LOL
I already got the TO jersey. Being from Philly, I was planning to go to the October 8th game wearing it, but I hear tickets are like $200. Wore the jersey on a flight from Philly to San Francisco and, no joke, sat in the same section as a guy wearing a McNabb jersey and someone wearing a throwback Montana jersey.
It’s more controversial than the shirts at tshirthell.com
donnyposner,
I’m not aware of the post that didn’t make it. It might have been swiped into moderation, because of a word filter. I don’t review those posts.
I’m not at all against put downs and I’m all for cleverness. I’m not in favor of ham-handed, garden-variety name calling and won’t take obvious slurs. We’ve all spent time on other sites and know how quickly flame wars can flare out of control. It gets tiresome real fast.
So if you want to call McNabb a name, go for it. Just think a few extra seconds and create a good one.
Nicholas,
Stop being coy. What did they SAY to you?
Guys, it wasn’t intended to be a racist remark, just a business fact. McNabb is on management’s side (Lurie and Reid)… he could care less about his teammates. McNabb gets his money and completely turns his back on team-mates like Corey Simon, TO, Bobby Taylor, and Troy Vincent, when it is their turn to get paid. Donovan would rather have those guys leave and have HIS cash in hand. Most, like Aikman, would put up a stink over the talent which has left Phily… yet Donovan continues to walks to company line.
One other note about the NFC East: The NY Giants’ first six (6) games are; vs. Indianapolis, @ Phily, at Seattle, vs. Washington, @ Atlanta, @ Dallas.
It sure would be nice to see NY start out no better than 2-4 with that schedule. 1-5 would be better. That is the team that most concerns me. Gibbs will coach his guys up and will likely make another playoff run, but that team is not unstoppable. On the other hand, Dallas was in no danger of beating NY up there last year, looking as inept on offense as I have ever seen them, including the 1-15 year. The NY defense should have gotten a lot better than that with their additions, which concerns me.
Cowboys cut Tim Crowder
I was expecting Crowder to be gone.His days were numbered with A. Merit and Copper starting to show promise.Add J.Rector and now Skylar to the mix(even though he’s primarily a punt returner) and it just was a numbers game and he was the odd man out.
I’d rather ‘Hate the Rivals’
Phil-
TO addition by subtraction? OK, but someone has to play the position. They have No One. And McNabb can’t do it alone. D is aging. If Westbrook doesn’t run for 1400, and he wont, it will be another long season. TO wasnt only ‘problem’. Eagles are reaping what they’ve sewn by being tight with a lot of other disgruntled player. Team chemistry is starting to unravel.
Dead-Skins? Not so dead in the second half. Downright scary. But Brunell is a year older, and that doesnt mean better. Often looks like his arm is falling off, and it will this season. They also had a D like the 2004 cowboys. A lot of guys stepping up to a higher level. I think they will Arrington more than everyone thinks and come back down. New DC hot shot doesnt always mean success in first year. Moss will come back to earth as people will scheme him. Randel-El Has not been a number 1 or 2 (really). May be over-rated in that role.
Pliant Giants? Barber’s old,Strahan’s older, and Manning is not old enough. Is there a more up and down team? Arrington will improve D but what happens when adveristy hits? Along with Shockey and Burress, Lavar gives this team more potential ‘bad Terrell Owens’ than the ‘Boys will have this season. And Parcells’ protege Coughlin is a lot more brittle than his mentor. His tough guy act wears on players after a few seasons. He will lose them mid-season.
They’re all in trouble. Boys go 6-0!! (OK, maybe 5-1. But I hate to say that I fear the damn DC Indians again!!)
Those are my Hate-ings.
By and large you guys all are more knowlageable than I am, so to hear all these predictions in encouraging. But I’m new to the site, and would feel even better if I knew how you ol timers called last season at this time last year. When it comes down to it, arn’t injuries the biggest factor? I am glad about our depth, and bigger defence. As for my prediction, I’m with you fellers.
It seems to me that the other teams in the NFC east are the ones with bigger problems than Dallas. Of all of the teams in that division, Dallas was the one playing with more first and second year players than anybody. The Giants are the team I question the most. Were they good, or did they get a lot of help from their schedule? Nine home games has got to help. Also, Eli sure hasn’t shown me to be Peyton as of yet. As for the Eagles, as long as they play in Philly without a running back who can carry the ball 25 times a game, they will have problems in the second half of the season. As for the Skins,Snyder doesn’t seem to get it. He is trying to build a team to win today as opposed to building one to win over the long haul. Young players develop into better players over time. As for Dallas,can you imagine how much better Demarcus Ware is going to be? How about Chris Canty, or Marcus Spears? That could get downright scary on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, no one is going to tell me Dallas would not have won at least three more games just by adding T.O and Vandejedt. Our offensive line has to be better adding Jason Fabini at tackle, not to mention Flozell’s return. I can’t wait to see how defenses are going to cover T.O and Terry Glenn in situations like third and three. If these guys play and can avoid injuries, I gotta like them to go deep into the playoffs.
SD:
The blog consensus was 10-6.
Yeah, most of us were torn between 10-6 and 9-7, Raf actually predicted 9-7, I was in the glass half-full class (10-6), and we were so close….
Thats awsome, pretty realistic. I had 11-6. Didn’t expect to loose to Oakland or St. louis. Man, I can’t wait!! Any u guys goin to camp? I think i will be there on the 2nd weekend.
Chandus,
Thanks for reminding me. I originally said 9-7, just missing the playoff but everybody optimistic.
I then bent to 9-7 but making the playoffs. Should have gone with my gut.
This year, my gut says 11-5, loud and clear.
I thought 9-7 but did it game by game and got more than half wrong…
I have to say I consider last season a 10-6 season — it was so deflating for the team that the last game meant nothing. We played terribly - if they had had the playoffs to play for I reckon that was a guaranteed win.
I remember most of the optimism had us comparing last year’s team to the ‘91 youngsters…not quite ready for prime time…but starting something special.
I’ll stay with the analogy and predict a ‘92-like coming out for this team…12-4 Super Bowl Champs.
I would certainly call McNabb thin skinned.
Cowboys go 11-5 barring key injuries to key players. Maybe 12-6.
NFC East competition:
NY Giants the biggest challenge. Eli’s overrated, but their o-lne is underated and if Barber is healthy they will put up points. Thier defense also got better.
Next are the Skins. Weak at QB, overrated running game & I’m not convinced their passing game was upgraded as much as some folks think. Good defense, Arrington’s loss won’t hurt them.
Philly pulls up last again. Overrated QB, worn-out running game, poor passing. Defense is aging - Kearse’s best years are behind him. Great draft this year but not enough immediate impact.
Top 5 Dallas impact players this year:
Offense-
TO
Vandy (how’d you all forget him?)
Bledsoe
Witten
Jones
Defense-
Ware
Spears (will be better than Canty)
James
Roy W.
T New
Morning All,
I was just reading an article dated June 6 06 by Krupka & Byrne on their predictions this year. They pick Dallas @ # 16 saying that TO will be too much of a distraction. I think he will be a distraction , but for the opposing defenses. How on earth can any defensive scheme not revolve around TO. Everyone knows what he can do. Even if he does nothing he will take at least a corner & a safety or linbacker out of the play.
Any one player who can tie up 2 opposing players up is an automatic asset to your team.
On another not I was going over Mike Zimmers past. He IMO is a very underated coach. I was impressed the way he picked up a new defensive scheme so quickly. I feel he will be a head coach in the next couple of years. Maybe right here.
This is not a prediction. This WILL happen so read up! (OK, lighten up. Everything on here is a prediction at this point.)
The ‘Boys WILL be 11-5. They will be 6-2 at the midway point with losses to the Jaguars (not jelling out of the gate) and the Panthers on the road.
They will then lose to the Redskins-away, Colts or Bucs (tough two-game stretch) and Giants-Away or Falcons-Away.
If they beat Panthers and/or Colts in mid-season, they will be in driver’s seat for home field in NFC.
The games ‘Boys absolutely WILL win are Titans, Cards, Saints, Lions, and Texans. Look at these teams’ off-seasons and tell me straight-faced that we lose to any of them (dont feed me Cards BS.) If ‘Boys lose to any, it will be a long season.
After must wins, they have to go 3-3 in division and 3-2 in other games. Those other games are Jags, Colts, Bucs, Falcons and Panthers. That’s the rub. Colts are only ‘better’ team in the bunch, but Falcons and Jags are the only ‘worse’.
g-elling. My bad.
I would be very surprised if the ‘boys finish better than 8-8. I really don’t think that they have these offensive line problems fixed. Yea Adams is coming back but his play can be really up and down and who is the leader or take charge guy on this line? The Cowboys were 5th highest in the league in sacks allowed per attempt. Only Houston, San Fran, NY Jets and Minnesota was ahead of them. They face four clubs that were in the top 10 in sacks per attempt, Jacksonville 1st, Indy 2nd, Tennessee 5th and Carolina 7th. Opponents in the top 20. Houston 12th, Arizona 13th, Tampa Bay 14th and the NY Giants 19th. I don’t care who you have brought in on offense as fire power, the fact the Cowboys do not have a mobile QB and there are questions at both guards, center and right tackle, it could be a long season.
donnyposner:
Your comment was indeed help for moderation for the reasons outlined on the posts from Rafael and others. We want this site to be a place where Cowboy fans of all ages can come and either read or contribute to the discussions.
As Rafael said (and this goes out to all here), please take a second or two before “Spiking It” to check your language. It will get your comment out immediately and cause less review on my part.
Thanks…
proscout,
The questions you raised were present last year and didn’t stop us from going 9-7. After adding Owens and Vanderjagt, you are saying we will take a step back?
We were 3 field goals of 35yds or less from going 12-4 and a #1 seed in the playoffs. Your logic doesn’t work for me.
IT will come down to the O line once again. FLo should be ok, and Kosier should be at least average. same for Fabini- if Petitti does not make a huge surge. Johnson is bigger- so that should help. Rivera needs to return to the form of 2 years ago. Most of this should happen and the line should be much improved. We now have better depth at the tackles which is where we got caught out last year.
Cash:
Are you kidding me? You have added a kicker that hasn’t made a big field goal in years ( by the way, they miss on the market for the NE kicker who would have made a heck of alot more sense because the head coach didn’t want to screw his son in law)and a wide receiver that has brought down not just one but two locker rooms and you call that improving your team? How about the loses this team has suffered, Dan Campbell, LaRoi Glover, Dat plus if they decide to get rid of Greg Ellis this summer what leadership do you have in that locker room? Jason Ferguson or Flozell Adams? You had better hope that Roy Williams steps up and decides to take on a bigger role. You can talk all you want about being three field goals away but you should also point to the fact that the Cowboys had a chance to lose the SD, SF, KC, and Carolina games. I believe those teams were taking a shot at the end zone for victories at the end. In turn, your logic doesn’t work for me.
proscout,
The kicks Cortez and Cundiff missed last year were not last second, game-on-the line kicks. They were routine 25-40 yarders during the meats of games. The type Vanderjagt makes in his sleep. Yeah, he doesn’t have the best last second record it wasn’t necessary last year.
I didn’t post it, since I’ve cherry picked his stuff the past week, but K.C. Joyner has a comment up in his weekly ESPN chat yesterday on the overall play of the Dallas line. He said it was not uniformly bad. It had good play and some very bad play (reading between the lines Petitti was the worst of the bunch).
He confirms that Kosier was much better in run blocking than Allen last year, and could offer an upgrade rather than the mild dropoff most people seem to expect. It seems Dallas can be sound if they can get the long-standing RT wound closed.
As for leadership, what exactly did Dan Campbell and Dat do last year to contribute to the turnaround? Dat was hurt most of the year and Campbell was a zero in the passing game. Leadership is intangible. I’ll take performance over it any time. The only potential loss I see comes from Glover, but you can’t have your highest paid player be a rotation NT.
Rafael:
Leadership in a locker room is huge and you shouldn’t sweep it under the rug especially when you have a potential cancer in there with that WR. Why is it something that Parcells is always trying to get a handle on? The Richie Anderson’s, Ryan Young’s, the Vinny Testaverde’s, all Parcells guys all responsible of spreading the gospel of Bill in that locker room. Even hurt players looked up to Dat and Dan. Those were players that kept others in line. Both have been productive players and just because they were hurt means that they can’t lead. Mark my words, the Cowboys will miss all of the guys that I mentioned. You have to have players in that locker room that are respected and just to say it’s “intangible” I think that Head Coach would beg to differ with you, trust me.
We WILL beat the Colts. Manning does not play well against 3-4 defenses. See last years Chargers & Steelers games if you need proof. Not to mention, who on that Defense is going to slow down T.O.?
Proscout,
Again just to sum up your assertion. We’ve upgraded our line, and the WR position as well as added the most accurate FG kicker in the history of the game. We were 3 chip shots from a 12-4 record, because we had the worst FG kickers in the league, and you are saying that we will be taking a step backwards? No way that happens unless Bledsoe gets hurt, simply because we have no backup for him.
proscout,
proscout,
Those leaders you pointed out were all from the Campo era, with the exception of Campbell.
With the exception of T.O., this is a Parcells drafted, signed and run team now. HE’S the leader. In fact, it’s pouters like Ellis who are now the potential distractions.
Following Cash’s and Raf’s comments:
Another scenario that you (proscout) aren’t taking into consideration is that the Defense should also be better, yeah, Dallas won’t have Glover and Nguyen to really good players, but they also added Ayodele, Boiman, Coleman, Carpenter, Hatcher, MounTavious and more LB depth through FA and the Draft, add that Dallas has a lot of young up and coming players and you have the makings of a dominating Defense.
Can a young guy take a leadership role? That question has been aswered before and it’s yes.
proscout:
Yes we lost osme good players but they were also all older players. Younger players improve, older players decline. Allen is not going to be as good this year as last, nor would Campbell or Nguyen or Glover, at least in a 3-4. Petitti will be better and if not still good enough, we have Fabini and Columbo. That’s a lot more depth than last year. The key remains Flozell. If he goes down, and we have to use Fabini in that position, we are left with Petitti and Columbe and those are unknowns. Still Petitti will be better than last year and Fabini would be better than Tucker.
On defense, almost everyone young and thus will be improved, even Keith Davis. Ellis and Ferguson are the only older players.
Your prediction of 8-8 might be realized but only if we have disastrous injuries. Otherwise with TO, Vanderjagt and others as well as improving youth, we have to be marketedly better than last year. I said 9-7 last year and this year 11-5. It remains me of 1985-95 when the NFC team in the SB seemed to always come from the NFC East and then were so toughened by winning the division went on to win the SB.
Whoops! “some” good players and “reminds” me of 1985-95.
I really don’t understand how you can call Greg Ellis a “pouter”? Here is a guy that is 32 years old and been one of the most consistent defensive players the Cowboys have had, and Parcells asks him to switch to linebacker? All he is asking that the club show the same respect that he has shown since he was drafted in 1998. It is also amusing to see you guys run the names off: Fabini (broken down) Columbo (first round bust, bad injured knee to boot), Coleman (has no range and is a drunk) Ayodele (looks great but plays without instinct) these are all “band aids”. You guys talk about Glover and Dat like they were dogs. If you would go back and study the games, you would have seen that Glover played the majority of the snaps because Ferguson took the money and decided to sit it out. You will miss Dat’s play making ability and the nose he had for the football, even your beloved Head Coach admitted he was wrong about him and this kicker that everyone is in love with doesn’t even kick off, so now you will have to carry an extra player on the 45 each Sunday (which will drive the head coach nuts) just to handle the “most accurate kicker in NFL history’s” job. I cannot dispute the young players that have been added to this club but to think that they waltz to 12-4 or 11-5, really doesn’t understand the big picture.
Proscout- you appear to be the myopic one. Fabini is not broken down. Columbo was a starter untill he got injured and he is now finally healthy. Coleman is not exactly being counted on to start- more like depth. An ILB does not need a lot of instinct so Ayodele should be fine.
So your case for the team doing WORSE this year then last is frankly stupid and without basis. We have people now that should give us all the production we need from the D line. You are virtually the only one that claims we will be worse this year- wonder why? ITS NOT because they are all wrong- its because you are.
proscout:
Right, that’s why Dallas’ headed to a worst record than what Dallas had last season….
I’ll take on your points according to the order in which I see things diferently.
1. Yeah, Vanderjagt strength isn’t Kickoffs, but how did you saw last season’s coverage units? They were pretty good. And you would have to consider that they played with Suisham and Cundiff for most of the season and statistically they are both worst than what Vanderjagt accomplished throughout his career. It’s on the numbers look it up. You’re wrong here.
2. It’s not on this last comment, but earlier you said that Vanderjagt isn’t a clutch kicker, well, wrong here too. His clutch misses have been a 52 yarder against Pitt and a 49 yarder against Miami. Vinatieri’s clutch kicks have come in the 20 to 40 yard range. If you want to blame someone on those kicks that Vanderjagt missed, blame his coaching staff and the Offense, because they weren’t capable of giving him a shorter kick.
3. I’ll give you Fabini and Columbo as perhaps a couple of questionable moves, because I do think that Fabini is on his last legs and Columbo was viewed as soft when healthy in Chicago. But Coleman was in a bad position in Houston, just like Aaron Glenn was before his resurgence here in Dallas, Houston only good DBack has been Dunta Robinson in an awful unit. And Ayodele…. Instincts? How can you reach 100 Tackles if you don’t have instincts? This guy reacts inmediatelly, this guy’s tailor made to play inside in a 3-4 and you’re going to see it. His problem in Jax was more related to coverage than anything, he’s been always great against the run.
4. I haven’t seen anyone treating Nguyen and Glover as if they were dogs, Nguyen was and Glover is, great 4-3 players. Nguyen broke down and Glover isn’t a 3-4 NT.
5. Everyone that’s seen film, and I’m also in there, would tell you that last season the best 3-4 NT that Dallas had was Ferguson. He won’t get to the QB, he won’t pile a lot of Tackles, he’s just going to do what a 3-4 NT is supposed to do and that’s to force the running game out of the Center of the OLine. Glover could pressure the QB from the Nose, yeah, but he was also responsible for a lot of runs through the middle.
We agree on Ellis’ treatment, I find that this is a disgrace and a disservice, but he’s going to play 50% of the plays when the Defense turns to 4 man fronts and he’s going to get his sacks and he’s going to get paid what the contract that he signed schedules him to earn for half of the plays. He’s going to be big for Dallas when they play Indianapolis, the Nickel’s going to be the main Defense for the game.
Chandus:
if Vanderjadt is so darn good, why did the Colts let him go? and why did they sign the truly best kicker in the NFL (which the Cowboys could have done) You sound like you have somewhat of an idea of what is going on, and I think that you would agree that the Colts do a pretty good job of evaulating their team but for the Cowboys to basically pay the same amount of money to a kicker that has done nothing but be accurate indoors
and pass on a kicker that has won super bowl, playoff and regular season games in all weather conditions, I think is a bad move. On the points of the offensive line. Who is evaulating this group? I am willing to give Peterman the benefit of the doubt but if Parcells is trying to go with a more athletic group, he is a bad fit. How many high draft picks do we have to watch come in here and flop? How many millions have been spend with poor results? I was happy to see that you somewhat saw my point on Columbo and Fabini but where are the young backups that should be pushing these starters for their jobs? Why does this team rely on others castoffs and mistakes? As far as Coleman, bad situation? If he is a backup, he is going to be asked to play special teams. At his age and ability, is this something that he is going to be excited about? Why couldn’t this team gone after Chris Hope in Pittsburgh? He would have been a much better fit than Keith Davis (great special teams) or Coleman. He has range, cover ability and a willing tackler. Your point about Ellis is well taken and Burmafrd, you just keep drinking the kool aid…
proscout:
First thing first, you don’t know what happened behind doors, too much has been said about those 2 misses by Vanderjagt, look it up those are his only 2 misses in the last 3 years when the game is on the line and they were of 49 and 52 yards. The people in Indy and the media started saying that for such a secure kicker, those misses were out of line and consecuently Vanderjagt was labeled as such a lousy clutch kicker. The thing is, career wise, Vanderjagt is a better clutch kicker than Vinatieri, what I don’t know is if Vanderjagt went to the Coaching staff and Front Office to tell them that they were partially responsible of those two misses because from 49 yards every kicker, and I mean EVERY, has troubles to go .500. I do know that he had some personal troubles with some Irsay (President of the team?) in the Colts FO.
If you were the Kicker of a team that has such Offensive firepower, wouldn’t you have problems when you’re asked to kick such kicks with the game on the line? I know I would, and I would be clear that I would like to share part of the load with my teammates.
Second, Fabini and Columbo aren’t asked to be starters, you can’t have a steak on every plate, and those two form a pretty good depth at Tackle. I’m expecting that a LT is selected in next years Draft, in the 1st Round, my horse is Ryan Harris, of Notre Dame, there you would have your future.
And third, when Glenn came to Dallas, the talk was about how the guy was finished because he wasn’t what he used to be in Houston, well, here in Dallas he wasn’t what he used to be too, but he was a pretty solid corner and no one can argue that. I’m hoping that the same would happen to Coleman, he comes with the same rap sheet. And the guy plays STs in coverage units.
proscout,
If you are going to spend some time here criticizing, please try to avoid non-factual comments.
Your comment that Vanderjagt is not a clutch kicker is ludicrous. Your comment that he is only accurate indoors is flat out false. Vanderjagt has a higher percentage kicking outdoors than indoors. Since this information has been in the press for months, I have to question your veracity.
Fabini is ‘broken down’? According to whom? Fabini will be 32 in August, which is not old for an offensive lineman. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle last year, which kept him out of 7 games. But those are the only games he has missed since 1999. Please offer objective proof that Fabini is ‘broken down’. Having been injured in 2005 isn’t it.
Please explain how our comments about Ellis (one way or the other) will affect how the Cowboys will play this year.
We may indeed miss Nguyen. But we will hardly miss his contributions from 2005. Last year, he started the first 4 games, but was injured early in that fourth game. In the first 3 games, Nguyen contributed 20 tackles, 2 assists, and 1 sack. In the 5 other games in which he appeared, he contributed 5 tackles, 2 assists, and 0 sacks. We will miss the Dat Nguyen of 2004 and earlier. We will not miss the Dat Nguyen of 2005. Since this discussion is about whether or not the Cowboys have improved over 2005, any mention of Nguyen is a red herring.
Colombo was a bust BECAUSE OF his knee injury. His knee has mended and we will see how well he can play. At any rate, Colombo is currently only #4 on our depth chart at tackle.
It is difficult to argue that our offensive tackle situation is not improved over last year. Adams is healed, and is one of the better tackles in the NFL. Petitti has spent a year in the NFL and now has an off-season of professional workouts under his belt, which have increased his strength. Normal progression, if nothing else, will make him better than last year. Fabini is better than anything we had at the end of last year. Colombo was not in shape last year. Now he is. At least 3 of them (and perhaps all 4) will be better than Tucker, who tried to play left tackle for us last year after Adams went down. So, not only are our starters better, but so is our depth. Should we lose Adams again, it will not be the disaster it was last year. Not many teams can say that about their left tackle.
Please cite your source for Ayodele lacking instincts. The rap I have seen on Ayodele is that he is poor in coverage as an outside linebacker in the 4-3. Since Jacksonville played a cover-2 scheme, he was asked to do that a lot. He will be moving inside in our 3-4, where he will be mostly asked to defend the run and blitz, both of which he does extremely well. As Chandus wrote, it is difficult to accumulate over 100 tackles if you don’t have good instincts against the run.
I have had the opportunity to visit with members of the Jags defensive coaching staff and from their evaulation (please remember that they have coached him)”this will not be a major loss for their club” Their feeling was that the Cowboys greatly over paid him and yes he can rush from the outside, but “to move him inside would be a huge mistake”. I am going to take the wait and see approach with him. As far as the kicker goes, is he an upgrade over what has been here in the past, yes. My only point is that he did play half of his games each year indoors, so at least 50% of his opportunities were in perfect conditions. I too will take a wait and see approach when those late season, important games move outdoors where the weather can be a factor. The only facts that I know is that, Adam has game winning field goals in playoff games and Super Bowls and he is an Indy Colt, while Vanderjagt has none. As far as the tackle situation goes, thats fine, if you want to contin