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Blogging The Boys: Pitching In On CBS’ Cowboys ‘Glory Days’ TV Special

The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are heading to the playoffs, hoping to create their own glory days. In the meantime, on Tuesday, January 5, CBS will be in Dallas to tape a TV pilot called “Glory Days” that is scheduled to feature Roger Staubach, Mike Ditka, Rayfield Wright, Bob Lilly, Randy White, Drew Pearson and Tony Dorsett … all taking the stage at Dallas’ Winspear Opera House … and I’m representing Blogging The Boys at the event, playing a tiny role that is a big honor for us.

The show is scheduled to air on January 30 on Channel 11 in DFW, and then again on the Saturday before the Super Bowl, with plans to build the project into a series that will tape in all the NFL cities. CBS’ Lesley Visser and Spencer Tillman will host, as the legends tell their stories while on stage before a star-studded audience that will include folks like Willie Nelson, Rudy Gatlin, Ross Perot Jr., Don Henley, and others. The audience will also include your humble (and not star-studded) correspondent.

CBS contacted me requesting that I help arrange for DFW sports figures to be part of the show, which of course I’ve gladly done. The production plans to not only serve as “A Tribute to the Dallas Cowboys of the 1960’s and 70’s,” but also to honor more than 200 soldiers from Ft Hood who will attend the taping.

I’d like to offer my public thanks to CBS for inviting Blogging The Boys to be a part of “Glory Days,” and I’d like to offer my promise to you that I’ll steer clear of the champagne that night so as to offer you a full follow-up report on the “Glory Days” event.

Patience, Grasshoppers, Patience: 15 Minutes with K.C. Joyner

I talked to K.C. Joyner tonight about a number of Cowboys, NFC and NFL issues.  Some nuggets from the Football Scientist:

BTB:  Tony Romo is getting some love this year for his improved interception totals.  How does he rate in your bad-decision percentage ratings?

K.C. Joyner:  I don’t have the number in front of me, but it is somewhere between two and three percent.  That’s the comfort zone for a quarterback who plays a more aggressive, down-the-field game.   This is the second year that he’s dropped down.  He was much worse in ‘07 [when Dallas was 13-3].  He was up around four percent that year, which is high, but last season, his BDP was 2.4, which up him 15th in the league. 

BTB: The Pro Bowl rosters were announced yesterday.  You’re the guy who started YPAs for receivers and CBs.  Who would be the starting corners if you had a vote?

K.C. Joyner:  In the AFC Darrell Revis (Jets) gets one spot and I would give Leon Hall (Bengals).  Revis gets all the attention and he deserves it, but Hall has been just as good at taking away top receivers. 

In the NFC, Charles Woodson deserves one spot.  Of the others named, I’m okay with Dominique Rogers Cromartie getting a spot but I don’t think Asante has had a top year.  Both he and Sheldon Brown are having down years by their standards. 

Jabari Green (Saints) was worthy of the other spot before he got hurt.  Antoine Winfield was playing well for the Vikings but has dropped off since he came back from his injury.  I would probably go with Aqib Talib of Tampa at the other spot.  He’s had a strong second half. 

(Mike Jenkins got some attention but right now he’s rated just outside Pro Bowl level.)

BTB:  You compile run-blocking metrics.  What can you say about the Cowboys’ short-yardage problems?

K.C. Joyner.:  They don’t have a classic fullback and that hurts them some.  But they’re not a consistently dominant line.  They can make big blocks, and they have good backs so they can spring them for big runs, but they’re not consistent and it’s caught up with them lately.

BTB: You’ve graded a lot of Cowboys’ tape.  What’s your book on Miles Austin?

K.C. Joyner: I’ve probably graded about a dozen Cowboys games.  I’d still like to see more of Austin.  I guess I still have some questions about him.  When he faces mediocre corners he’s not just good, he destroys them.  He’s been solid against top corners, but I’d like to see more of his matchups against top competition.  The Raiders have not been matching Nnamdi Asomugha up against number one corners this year for some reason, and he didn’t match up against Austin when Oakland played Dallas.

I’ll give you a name Austin resembles to me.  I had the same questions about Vincent Jackson a year or two ago.  Great against lesser corners and okay against the top guys.  Now, he beats everybody.  If Miles Austin follows the same developmental curve, that’s good for Dallas. 

BTB:  Can you handicap the NFC playoff field?

K.C. Joyner: I had the Eagles as my favorite, going back to the preseason, but I’m not sure about them now that they’ve lost Jamaal Jackson.  I think it’s a wide open field. 

     *     *      *      *

K.C. mentioned that he has been breaking down tape of top level college players and should have lots of data on draft prospects after the season.  He said the skinny on draft ‘10 is that it’s the best d-lineman draft in a long time.  He’s already looked at a handful of linemen who he would give first round grades.

That said, he’s not impressed by the idea of drafting a nose tackle and moving Jay Ratliff wide.  His ‘08 run-defense metrics put Ratliff at the top of nose tackles.  He still rates Ratliff as an elite NT and thinks moving him could weaken two spots on the Dallas line. He doesn’t think a rookie could match Ratliff’s play inside and he’s also doesn’t believe that Ratliff would automatically be better outside, because his game is based on power and technique, not speed.

When told that many Cowboys fans still don’t think Ratliff can hold up inside at 302 lbs., he said, “how many fans would love to get Ndamukong Suh?  He’s dominating at the college level and I assure you, he’s not 330 lbs.  He’s in the 300-305 range.”

Sterling Sharpe discusses the balance on the Dallas defense, while Brian Billick breaks down Tony…

The VRR: Pundits are Liking Either the Cowboys or Eagles to Win the NFC

The Vikings, Saints, Packers, and Cardinals would all offer any NFL team a tough game. While the Vikings and the Saints have cooled off recently, the Packers and Cardinals have been rather hot.

When members of the media dissect the NFC playoff picture, many have focused their attentions on the two NFC East playoff teams: the Cowboys and the Eagles. Why not? Both teams are on winning streaks, and both are simply playing good football.

Pete Prisco is picking Dallas to win the NFC, citing Tony Romo’s “sensational” play, a resurgent running game, and solid defense.

If they play with the lead, it’s really good. That’s when DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer can get after the quarterback without having real run concerns. That’s what Ware did at New Orleans. When he can pin his ears back and go, Dallas is a better defense. Spencer is really emerging on the other side. That helps cover up some issues in the secondary. I think the Cowboys beat the Eagles this week and that will probably give them one home playoff game. They’ve already shown they can win a big game on the road when they beat the Saints. The Cowboys are getting it going at the right time.

More VRR after the jump.

Clark Judge picks the Eagles to win this week.

I’ll take the Eagles for two reasons: 1) They’re peaking at the right time, and 2) they know how to win playoff games. Dallas does not. In fact, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. The Eagles, meanwhile, have been to five conference championship games the past eight years and have the playmakers this season they haven’t since … well, since Terrell Owens was on the roster.

Bucky Brooks also looks at this weekend’s winner as the favorite to win the NFC. Part of the reason he likes the Cowboys is the improved play of the secondary.

Although the pressure from the front seven has clearly led to more turnover opportunities for the back end, the stellar play of Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman is noteworthy. The duo has not allowed the ball to fly over their heads in recent weeks, and the reduction of big plays has empowered coach Wade Phillips to be more aggressive with his pressure package.

As a result, the Cowboys are using more five- and six-man blitzes, and crushing quarterbacks in the pocket with their attack-style defense. With a defense that is starting to show the swagger and confidence of a champion, the Cowboys are perfectly suited to end the “one-and-done” playoff hex that has plagued the franchise since 1996.

“Prime Time’s” prediction:

Basically, Deion said, look for the winner of Sunday’s division title-decisive NFC East showdown between Dallas and Philadelphia to be one the two last teams standing in February.

“One of those two teams will go to the Super Bowl,” Sanders said flatly.

With the Eagles losing C Jamaal Jackson for the year, RG Nick Cole will replace him.

In 15 starts, Cole has had three false start penalties, no holding penalties and has allowed only one sack. But two of his false start penalties came against the Broncos, and he also had a bad snap that resulted in a fumble.

“This week of practicing will help,” Andy Reid told reporters Monday in Philadelphia. “It’ll smooth those types of things out. We should be fine.”

Jay Ratliff has had some spectacular games this season, including the one in Philly.

Ratliff, [has] 71 tackles, six sacks and 31 quarterback pressures. Ratliff had eight tackles, two sacks and two quarterback pressures in the Cowboys’ victory over Philadelphia earlier this year.

Is McNabb worried? Naah.

“I’m not worried at all,” Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said on a conference call with us today. “That’s nothing to obviously his ability. He’s a great player. He’s made great plays. He has six sacks so far this season, and a guy who obviously is a Pro Bowler. But you know the thing about it is, you have to have confidence in the guys up front. Nick Cole is stepping into a center role, but he was our backup center as well as our starting guard anyway. He knows the calls. He knows what we have to do. I feel confident in our guys to be able to be on the same page.”

Ken Hamlin likes the way the defense has been able to close out games.

“We’re putting it together,” Hamlin said. “We’re playing a full four quarters right now. But looking at both films from the last two games, there’s still things we can do to get better, so that’s a positive thing. But we’ve got to continue to move forward.”

In recent weeks, Tashard Choice and Keith Brooking have rallied the team with pregame speeches. “Moose” Johnston also offered some words to help the players keep the season in perspective.

The Cowboys have also drawn inspiration from a message imparted to them recently by Daryl Johnston, who played fullback for Dallas when it captured three Super Bowls during the 1990s. Brooking said Johnston told today’s players that the teams led by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin used the motto “seven days to humility” to keep from becoming overconfident.

“We’ve had some success through the course of the season, and I think we’ve handled it in a positive way,” Brooking said. “So I think right now we’re primed, and we’re ready to make this run. Just to be frank, our playoffs start now.”

Andy Reid suggested to DMN’s David Moore that Romo is playing much better now that he’s not as “distracted”.

“It’s obvious he’s a leader of the offense,” Reid said of Romo. “Not that he wasn’t before, but there were a couple of distractions there and he doesn’t have any of that. He’s playing great football.”

A couple of distractions, like the initials T. and O? Were those the distractions Reid was talking about?

“I think it was that hole in the dome,” Reid said, referring to the fact the Cowboys no longer play in Texas Stadium. Well played, sir.

But answer this: did McNabb grow as a leader after certain distractions left Philadelphia?

“Well,” Reid said, “we didn’t have the hole in the dome.”

Roy Williams knows that he needs to work harder to earn back the trust of Romo and the offense.

“You know I have to get the confidence of my quarterback, because I didn’t get a look after the first half,” Williams said. “I didn’t get a look in the second half. That’s telling me that my quarterback has lost confidence in me, and so has the coordinator as far as calling plays for me.”

“That’s not on them. I don’t blame them. I blame myself. I’ve got to get my crap together and try to help this team win some games in the playoffs.”

Head coach Wade Phillips praised Williams earlier this week by saying he “played really hard,” but Williams acknowledges that he has been a disappointment since arriving from Detroit in a blockbuster trade last season.

Hat tip to dunkman for the post!

Todd Archer spoke with Jason Garrett regarding the offense’s short-yardage shortcomings.

“It’s hard,” assistant head coach Jason Garrett said. “It’s hard around the league. We’ve been among the best at it. Our offensive line is awfully good in those situations. Our runner has been outstanding. You have to be creative. You have to be tough. You have to have great determination. We’ve done a lot of that. We obviously didn’t do it well enough the other night in the game. We’re going to go back and look at it, evaluate the physical part of it, evaluate the technique part of it, evaluate the scheme part of it and get it right. We need to get it right as we go forward.”

[snip]

“We’ve done a variety of things and have to keep doing a variety of things to be successful at it,” Garrett said. “You don’t want to make it too easy on the defense certainly. On short-yardage situations we’ve been successful handing it to the deep back, successful handing it to the fullback and quarterback sneak as well. That’s got to be a part of the arsenal and it is part of it.”

ST coach Joe DeCamillis is back at work after his appendectomy surgery. He was pleased with the work Wes Phillips did against the Redskins.

“I thought he did a great job,” DeCamillis said of Phillips, who organized most of the special teams meetings this summer when DeCamillis was limited because of the neck and back injury.

“He’s been in every meeting from the start of training camp. He’s very organized - you can tell. We had no substitution errors. Talking to some players after the game, they all said it ran smoothly. So I thought he did a great job.”

Matt Mosely lists the following Cowboys as “snubbed” by the Pro Bowl selection committee.

Tony Romo, Cowboys quarterback: Romo had almost identical numbers to Rodgers and he takes a lot fewer sacks. I wouldn’t have had a problem with Romo going instead of Rodgers. Romo has played his best football in December.

Mat McBriar, Cowboys punter: San Francisco’s Andy Lee had 21 more opportunities to punt the ball, but he had nine fewer punts downed inside the 20-yard line. McBriar is the master at forcing returners to fair catch the ball at their own 10-yard line. Coaches and players don’t pay enough attention to special teams. McBriar had a better season than Lee and deserved to go to the Pro Bowl. Lee had the better net average, but he had a lot more kicks returned against him than McBriar.

 

There are just nine more days left to cast your ballot on the 2nd Round of the HOF votes on fanschoice.com.

Emmitt is now at #6, dropping a spot to another Raider: Lester Hayes. Charles Haley is still at #14, while Ed “Too Tall” Jones remains at #20.

Below, JJT and Skip Bayless discuss pretty much the same topic that yomjoseki asked us, Cowboys fans, in his FanPost. Fun!

Cowboys vs. Eagles: Dallas Defense Needs To Hit Their Average For A Victory

Welcome to the playoffs, Cowboys fans. All followers of the ‘Boys should take a moment to reflect on that achievement. It’s the first step in our ultimate quest, a Lombardi Trophy.

But the regular-season work isn’t over yet. Dallas still has an opportunity to grab the NFC East crown and earn a home-field playoff game. Heck, the Cowboys actually still have a chance to get a first-week bye. What is for sure is the winner of this week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles will be the NFC East champs.

Raf and I were conversing by instant message and he passed along this little nugget to me about the consistency of the Cowboys defense against the NFC East this year, whether good or bad.

In Game 1 against New York, we gave up 33 points, in Game 2, we gave up 31 points. Two losses. In Game 1 against Washington we gave up 6 points, in Game 2 we gave up 0. Two wins. In Game 1 against Philly we gave up 16 points. In game two? We shall see, but the Cowboys defense averages giving up only 16.7 points per game. 16 points would be remarkably consistent with our overall average and exactly on with the first game of the year against the Eagles. If Dallas can hold Philly to 14-20 points, I like our chances.

Philly’s defense, statistically, is kind of the reverse of ours. We give up yards (ranked 12th) but do a great job at limiting scoring (ranked 3rd). Philly does a decent job yardage-wise (ranked 7th), but gives up more points than they should (ranked 16th).

In the Eagles 11 wins this year, they have scored 24 points or more in all of them. In their four losses, they never broke 23 points.

In the first game this season, the Cowboys corners (with help from the safeties) held DeSean Jackson to two catches for 29 yards. This is the key matchup, Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman vs. Jackson. The Eagles do have other weapons, but you take your chances with them, you absolutely have to contain Jackson.

Conclusion based only on stats and the previous game: If the Cowboys defense can turn in another solid performance and hold the Eagles close to the 20-point barrier, the Cowboys offense should be able to do enough to cover that gap and give the ‘Boys an NFC East crown.

Miles Austin on making his first trip to the Pro Bowl: "I think it’s cool," Austin said. "It’s an…

Miles Austin on making his first trip to the Pro Bowl:

“I think it’s cool,” Austin said. “It’s an accomplishment. It’s definitely something I’m proud to have done, but that being said we still have to lock in. I think all the guys know that and how serious this next game is for us.”

[snip]

“I never had a chip on my shoulder or anything like that,” Austin said. “I’m happy to have done it, but that being said this week’s game is more important. If we weren’t going to the playoffs I might feel different about it because that would be something to look forward to, but we’ve got this game [vs. Philadelphia] to look forward to.”

The 2010 Cowboys Pro Bowl Roster

Defense

 

 

The 2010 Cowboys Pro Bowl Roster

Defense

 

 

Probable Pro Bowler Witten On Cowboys Goals: ‘Nobody Wants It More Than We Do’

When will the Pro Bowl selections be announced? Jason Witten says he does not know. (It’s tonight, by the way.)

With 88 catches, how close to his personal single-season best is the Cowboys tight end? Jason Witten says he does not know. (Witten caught 96 in 2007, so with one game to go, he is eight shy of that.)

What were the Cowboys’ goals going into the season and how successfully are they achieving those goals?

That, Jason Witten knows.

“Absolutely, the first goal is an important one and we just achieved it,” says Witten, who we caught up with on Monday night, 24 hours after Dallas’ playoff-clinching 17-0 win in Washington. “The first goal is to somehow, someway, get into the playoffs. We’re one of 12 teams that have done that. So that’s an achievement.”

But then comes the next goal …

“You get to take a deep breath,” Witten says. “You get to be happy about that accomplishment in the locker room. … and then your mindset changes very quickly and you start thinking about the Philadelphia game. Which is what we’re doing now.”

The Philadelphia game on Sunday, the regular-season finale, represents the next Cowboys goal. It is essentially the NFC East Championship. A home victory there gives Dallas the chance to climb even higher on the NFC playoff totem pole.

As usual, Witten has done his part. Those 88 catches means he’s got 80-plus for three straight seasons; that’s only been accomplished before by one guy, the Raiders‘ Todd Christensen. With 80-plus for four years total, Witten is in a class joined only by Christensen and Chief-turned-Falcon Tony Gonzalez.

“When I first came into the league, I guess I did have individual goals,” concedes the seventh-year veteran. “But as time went on, and I achieved some of those (numbers-related goals), I really changed my goal to wanting to be consistent every year. I didn’t want to be a yo-yo guy. I wanted the team to be able to count on me.”

Mission accomplished, as Witten is an accomplished blocker, an iron man, a pass-catcher and a consistent yardage machine. He’s got 954 yards (helped greatly by what owner Jerry Jones joked was an “afterburner” 69-yard catch-and-run in Washington), giving him at least 952 in four of his seasons. With just 46 more yards, he gets to the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career. Despite the lack of touchdowns (a Fantasy-Football-player-crushing one TD!), Witten truly has turned on the afterburners of late, with three 100-yard efforts in the last five games, including the six-for-117 effort against the Redskins.

Said QB Tony Romo after that game: “It’s comforting to know what kind of route he’s going to run, what he’s thinking and that I’m thinking the same thing. He’s a special player.”  

Counters Witten in our conversation with him, when asked about his close buddy Romo: “This is the best I’ve seen him play. All our success on offense starts and ends with him.”

Well, some of the success is based on Witten, too. And hopefully the Pro Bowl voting will reflect that. Witten has been selected for five consecutive all-star games. Should he get a sixth berth, that will be the all-time mark for a Cowboys tight end.

In a sense, the field is as tough as ever. The 49ers‘ Vernon Davis has monster stats. New Orleans’ Jeremy Shockey is a fan favorite. Gonzalez is in the NFC now. Minnesota’s Visanthe Shiancoe is a touchdown guy. There would be some logic to the NFC naming the three guys who top conference tight ends in catches: Witten with 88, then Gonzalez with 80, then Davis 72.

Davis, by the way, has his view:

“I can block better than any tight end in the conference, and my statistics are there in the passing game,” says Davis of his candidacy. “I mean, why not?”

And Witten has his view.

“That’s more of a fan thing, which I respect, because it’s such an honor,” Witten says. “But it’s not the focus.”

Speaking of “fan things,” we asked Jason about the Cowboys fan base expectations, the sense we get that some might be overlooking the “only-12-teams-even-make-the-Tournament” achievement.

“It’s part of what makes the Cowboys special, that there are expectations,” Witten says. “But we can’t get caught up in somebody else’s expectations. I love the Cowboys fans. I think all the players respect the fans. But when it comes to this team’s goals, nobody wants it more than we do.”

NFC Playoffs: The Dallas Drive for 24

The NFC field is set.  The Saints, Vikings, Eagles, Cardinals, Packers and Cowboys are in.  What is not known is the final seeding. 

And that counts. The NFC favorite won’t be known until the games are played this week and we know the match-ups.  Because match-ups matter in this parity-addled NFL.  In fact, match-ups have always mattered.  Some quick historical snapshots:

1970 — Dallas rallies from 5-4 and wins the division at 10-4.  The defense gets hot and carries the team to its first Super Bowl.  Let’s consider the role favorable matchups played in the turnaround.  That fourth loss came in the Cotton Bowl on a Monday Night against the then St. Louis Cardinals.  The bloody final was Cards 38, Cowboys 0.

This, weeks after the Cards had spanked the Cowboys 20-7 at home.  Dallas did not match up with St. Louis that year, losing two by a combined 58-7, but the Cards got big headed after that blanking, which raised them at 7-2, and lost their last three games. Their December loss to the Lions gave Detroit the wild card.  Dallas beat them 5-0 in the divisional round.  It’s doubtful the Cowboys could have squeezed a win from another rematch against the Cards, given how lopsided the first two games were.

1995 — The Cowboys finished 12-4 but lost two to the 6-10 Washington Redskins.  They also were spanked by Jerry RIce and the 49ers at Texas Stadium.  Dallas had no answer for a package which put Rice in the slot and set him loose against Cowboys’ linebackers and nickel safety Bill Bates.  A rematch looked possible until the 49ers were upset by the Packers, who then lost to Dallas in the NFC Championship Game.  Dallas got the opponent it could handle. 

1999 — Tom Coughlin’s Jacksonville Jaguars rolled through the NFL, winning fourteen behind a top six offense and the league’s best scoring defense.  They smashed Jimmy Johnson’s Dolphins 62-7 in the divisional round, sending J.J. into his second retirement.  The only team to beat them in their first 17 contests was Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee Titans, who won both regular season contests. 

Fisher’s Titans looked set for a quick playoff exit, until they stunned Wade Phillips’ Bills with the Music City Miracle kickoff return lateral.  They upset the Colts the following week and gave the Jags an upset stomach the following Sunday, beating Jacksonville for the third time.  The Jags were perfect against everybody but the Titans, but it was the Titans they had to face, and so the Jags’ Super Bowl dreams vanished.

     *     *     *     *

Let’s take a quick look at the match-ups again.  The Giants did the Cowboys a tremendous favor yesterday, flopping in their Giants Stadium finale.  Let’s say, just for argument’s sake, that the Cowboys were to beat the Eagles next week, while those Giants won out and the Packers lost to Arizona in the desert on the final weekend.

Dallas would likely have claimed the 3rd seed and faced,  drumroll please … the New York Giants.

I know few people relish a potential rematch against the Eagles in the wild-card round, but that looks far preferable to me than a third clash with New York.  The Giants are Wade Phillips’ bogey team this year.  Eli Manning’s offense is the only group to top 21 on his defense this year.  The ‘Gints did it twice in fact, scoring 33 and 31 points.  Dallas has no answer for Steve Smith at the moment and New York’s departure is the best news any Cowboys partisan could see today.

Every team in the NFC field has warts, and the tourney winner will likely come down to which team gets the most favorable road to Miami.  The Cardinals have lots of trouble at home for some reason.  The Packers offensive line has leaked all year and their secondary surrendered 500 yards to Ben Roethlisberger two weeks ago.  The Saints offense has suddenly lost its mojo, scoring 17 in back-to-back losses after averaging 36 points the first thirteen games.  The Vikings are also staggering. First, the Favre/Childress soap opera sucked up all the media oxygen.  Last night, the defense broke down in an overtime loss to the Bears. The Eagles offense has rolled the past few weeks but the formerly stout Eagles D has hemorrhaged points lately.

The Cowboys?  We know their foibles.  They don’t power run.  Their protection can break down if you blitz them hard.  Their safeties and inside linebackers are vulnerable against the pass. 

They also have a major strength.  That same defense which could not stop the Giants has stopped everybody else.  They’ve held the other big-time NFC offenses way below their averages.  The Packers scored 17; the Saints 17; the Eagles 16 in their first meeting.  The Falcons are the only team besides New York to top 20 points since week two.

Dallas’ offense can move the ball, but the lack of a power-gear means they score less than past teams, despite ranking high in yardage.  I see Dallas following a blue print which worked magically two years ago.  I give you the ‘07 Giants.  The Super Bowl champion ‘07 Giants:

Playoff Points Scored

• vs. Tampa Bay — 24
• vs. Dallas — 21
• vs. Green Bay — 23
• vs. New England — 17

That’s not the record of an offensive juggernaut, but the offense avoided turnovers and coupled their play with a defense which held its opponents to an average of 16.2 points a game.   The Cowboys are averaging just under 23 points a game right now.  Getting to 24 is likely the offense’s target.  Dallas has the best defense in the conference and they’ve matched up with every remaining offense they’ve faced.  That’s a big plus on Dallas’ side.

Points Allowed, NFC Playoff Field

Team	Pts./Gm.	NFL Rank
Cowboys	16.7	3rd
Packers	19.3	9th
Cardinals	19.5	10th
Vikings	20.3	14th
Eagles	20.9	16th-T
Saints	21.2	19th

The VRR: Can A Cowboys’ Shutout Shut Down the "December" Criticism?

The December to remember has come to a close. It started out rough with the Cowboys losing back-to-back games against the rival Giants and the red hot Chargers.

In these last two weeks though, the team made statements - first, by handing the Saints their first loss on the season; then, by pitching its first shutout since 2003 against the Redskins.

Surely, there is always room for improvement in every game. But is it realistic to expect Dallas to play a perfect game week-in, week-out? They’ve secured a spot in the playoffs. The defense and Tony Romo are playing solid football. The team has found its leaders and seems to rally around them. They believe that they can win. And, judging by Romo’s post-game comments, they are still looking to improve.

Indeed, it’s been a December to build upon. And yes, there is still some building left to do. Let’s start with Buck Harvey’s list of the mistakes the Cowboys made last night.

There were other mistakes, which is the only reason the miserable Redskins hung around. This is also the reason playoff teams will not “fear” the Cowboys, as Brooking contends.

Wasteful teams don’t advance, and one particular concern will come up in January, too. Can Jason Garrett figure out how to gain a yard? He couldn’t on the goal line earlier in the month against the Chargers. And Sunday night, on three different short-yardage situations, Garrett called for a defensive lineman’s dream — delayed handoffs.

More VRR after the jump.

On a slightly more optimistic note, Randy Galloway says the Cowboys have exactly what they need: good play from both Romo and the defense.

The Cowboys’ December hoodoo voodoo was lurking, and it doesn’t take a history lesson to chart franchise failures in these kind of win-and-get-in situations over the past decade-plus. Say, last December, for instance.

But a couple of vital positives converged on Sunday. The quarterback and the defense. I’m not rushing it, but the best playoff combo of all is strong QB play and strong defense. Just thought I’d mention it.

Yes, the defense dominated last night…wait, how many tackles did Bradie James have? Nice!

It limited Washington to 218 total yards and only 29 percent on third-down tries. Bradie James had 12 tackles and Jay Ratliff had two sacks.

The 4th-and-shorts. Should Dallas have tried the field goals? New kicker Shaun Suisham had the confidence that he’d make them. That’s what a kicker needs, other than a big leg.

“This is a very successful football team and we won the game,” Suisham said. “When I’m asked to kick, I’ll kick. My job is to prepare in those scenarios like I’m going to kick. If they don’t call on me, they don’t call on me.”

Suisham believes the field goals were within his range, but his career statistics don’t inspire confidence on long field goals. He is 3-of-9 from 50 yards or longer, including a miss earlier this season at Cowboys Stadium.

Some fun statistical notes on the game:

David Buehler added two touchbacks today to give him 25 for the season - leaving him two shy of Lin Elliott for the most in a Cowboys season since 1991.

Newman’s 23 career interceptions broke a tie with Don Bishop and tied Darren Woodson for 10th in franchise history.

Romo’s 286 yards today gave him 4,172 for the season - his second 4,000-yard season and the second-most in team history behind his 4,211 in 2007.

As each game passes, the Cowboys are beginning to show signs that Felix Jones is a RB that they are inclined to feature.

“I saw one swing pass tonight, and three guys were on him,” owner/GM Jerry Jones said. “I’m thinking, ‘Hell, if that happens, somebody else has got to be open.’ That’s what he can bring.”

But against Washington, Jones showed the ability to get the between-the-tackle yards. On the clinching, 68-yard drive that gave the Cowboys a 17-0 lead, Jones caught a pass for four yards and ran three times for 18 yards.

“He likes to run downhill,” running backs coach Skip Peete said. “People who say he’s just an outside runner; he’s not. He can run physical just like he can run to the outside.”

Tashard Choice and Keith Brooking = emotional leaders.

Apparently, Choice had an emotional, heart-filled speech to his teammates on the Monday following the Cowboys’ 20-17 loss to the Chargers. Much of the speech centered around the health of DeMarcus Ware, who had suffered the scary neck injury the day before. And as far as Choice and the players were concerned, they weren’t sure when, or if, Ware would return.

“He felt like it was important enough to tell the team what he had on his heart and on his mind,” Marcus Spears said. “And we listened. We all left the meeting room and went about our business. What he said was important and we needed to hear that.”

Keith Brooking: Motivational Speaker.

Coach Joe DeCamillis is back home from his emergency appendectomy. He will soon be able to pat Wes Phillips on the back for ST-coaching in his stead last night.

Marc Colombo’s rehab has been progressing; he could very well return to play in the first game of the postseason.

As much as Colombo has worked, the Cowboys don’t need to rush him back just yet. Maybe if Sunday’s game was a win-or-else game it would be different, but the coaches like what they have seen from Doug Free in Colombo’s absence.

Pat Watkins could return for that game, as well.

Elsewhere on the injury front, safety Pat Watkins sounded like he needed another week to return from a sprained PCL in his knee. He has missed the last two games. He was scheduled to do some jogging for the first time Monday.

Week 17’s Eagles @ Cowboys contest has been moved to the late afternoon slot.

The Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys will now start at 4:15 p.m. and still be broadcast on Fox.

Todd Archer breaks down the seasons in which teams closed out the regular season together, only to meet again to open the playoffs.

The team website is already offering Playoff Priority tickets if you reserve your 2010 season tickets.

Tomorrow, the Pro Bowl rosters will be announced. Matt Mosley lists which Cowboys he thinks will make it.

NT Jay Ratliff, OLB DeMarcus Ware, ILB Keith Brooking, CB Mike Jenkins, Special teams Sam Hurd, QB Tony Romo, WR Miles Austin, LG Kyle Kosier (Don’t laugh. I’m told by scouts that he’s been the Cowboys’ most consistent offensive lineman).

You gotta love them Dallas Cowboys! Do the Cowboys Stomp!

MNF Open Thread

It’s the last Monday night game of the season. And, it could actually end up mattering to the Cowboys. The first step in the Cowboys admittedly slim chances of grabbing the #2 seed and a bye is the Vikings losing to the Bears tonight. Okay, I did say slim chances. But what the heck, it’s at least something to root for in the game.

This is an open thread for game chat.

FISH on FOOTBALL: Cowboys Top Ten Takes, Including Tony Romo’s Love Pat

It’s first-and-10 at the Dallas 31, just under seven minutes into Cowboys-at-Redskins. Washington’s Phillip Daniels envelopes his 6-6, 306-pound frame around Tony Romo and a sack is inevitable. What Romo did here makes no highlight reel and doesn’t even show up in the boxscore, but it tells a story … a story about a mindset, a story that is a factor in Dallas’ guaranteed playoff berth, and a story that starts off today’s FISH on FOOTBALL Cowboys Top Ten Takes:

1. Down goes Romo (for the only time in the 17-0 win at Washington, by the way) and the force with which Daniels is hugging the Cowboys QB is matched only by the force with which Romo is hugging the ball. There will be no gunslingery here, no underhanded improvisation, no reason for anybody to notice the play at all. Romo squeezes the ball, the two of them - Tony and his football - take their lumps together … and as Romo is climbing from the ground, he gives his football a love pat. You know, a warm little tap right on the little fella’s laces, just to assure it that they - Tony and his football - are in this together.

2. That’s tiny picture. You want big picture?

Suddenly, the 10-5 Cowboys - while still fully capable of throwing the ball around the yard with great accuracy (except for when Roy’s frying pans don’t cooperate) - are protecting the ball like a newborn.

The lone interception? It was a carom off Roy’s disinterested hands, it was the first Romo had thrown in 168 attempts, and in 15 games this season, he’s only thrown more than one pick in a game once. In total, Dallas has coughed the ball up just 17 times this season. Only three teams have secured “the little fella” as well as that.

The lone sack? This year, in six games, the Cowboys have allowed one or zero sacks. In five more games, it’s been two sacks. Heck, the Philly, Denver and Green Bay games were responsible for 14 of the team’s total of 32 sacks. So were talking about a high percentage of the time when Romo is taking care of the ball, and we’re talking about 12 of 15 outings when Romo is being taken care of himself.

3. How bad does it suck when you are playing your final home game in a venerable stadium, against a team you are favored to beat, and the next thing you know you are giving up 40-yard runs all over the place and you end up being accused of lacking the heart to ride the available emotion to a history-making victory?

I don’t remember.

Let’s ask the Giants.

4. All ribbing aside, what the Giants (blowout losers to Carolina on Sunday at Giants Stadium in a setting eerily similar to what happened to Dallas against Baltimore a season ago) did on Sunday is a nice bookend to another event … from this same Sunday.

The Cowboys have had a rough time of it in December, right?

The Giants are having a rough time of it in December, right?

Is this some magical formula not being obtained? Some curse? Some voodoo thing?

For voodoo, we go to New Orleans … and what we get is my belief that Dallas’ “December problems” have company.

The Saints have been contenders for most of the last half-decade. I wonder how they’ve done in December?

*This year, we know they are 2-2 in the month, including two 3-point last-second wins over non-contenders Atlanta and Washington.

*They were 2-2 in 08

*They were 2-3 in 07

*They were 3-2 in 06

*They were 0-4 in 05

You think Dallas has December problems? The Saints - the vaunted Saints, the top-seeded Saints, the almost-undefeated Saints - are in the last five seasons 9-13 in the month.

This applies to Minnesota tonight (the Vikings need to win to avoid losing three of their last four) and it applies to the Eagles and the Cardinals and the Packers and the whole lot of ‘em:

You’ve got to be able to win outside and you’ve got to be able to win in inclement weather and you’ve got to be able to win on the road and you’ve got to be able to stay healthy and you’ve got to be able to overcome other teams trying to play their best and you’ve got to be able to play under pressure …

If you accomplish all those things - and only if you accomplish all those things - you will win the Super Bowl.

If you don’t, you won’t.

5. I know Bruce Allen a little bit, and I like him. He is part-football man, part-CEO, part-politician and he’s all-Redskins. But what a mess he’s taking on in Washington.

The Redskins just went 0-6 inside the NFC East, something that happens about once every 20 years. Their head coach is in way over his head, they’ve got more play-callers in the organization than they have effective plays, they are interviewing assistants to be coaches while they already have a coach … while at the same time fully intending to bring in a new coach. They’ve got extravagantly-paid players trying to take vacation from practice and what their fans are left with is somehow extracting pleasure from a shutout home loss by booing the other team’s kicker on extra-point tries.

Good luck, Bruce.

6. Five times in the second half in Washington the Cowboys running game was stoned five on third- or fourth-and-short. Is that on Marion Barber? Is that on an offensive line not getting push? Does Washington deserve some credit? Is pulling a guard and a tight end to try to clear a hole too much trick-‘em? Didn’t a couple of the play designs seem to call for the handoff to occur seven yards behind the line of scrimmage … i.e, seven yards away from the point of attack?

And doesn’t all this need to get fixed before the NFC East Championship game with Philly in which there will certainly be a few third-and-shorts in need of being gotten?

7. I’m sure glad Keith Brooking backed up his NBC-filmed, WWF-inspired pre-game pep talk to the troops with yet another fine performance. Nothing looks sillier than a big-hat/no-cattle football player.

Brooking has the hat and he has the cattle.

8. LaRon Landry, however, has only his hat.

Last time the Cowboys and Redskins played, Landry accused Roy Williams thusly:

“Scared. Yeah. I know he was. Y’all can quote it, too. Y’all can tell him right now, tell him I’m sayin’ it. I can say it right now: Yeah, he was scared, I think. I told him he was scared.”

That’s juicy, and it might not even be inaccurate; while Miles Austin and Jason Witten are now catching virtually every pass targeted at them, Roy seems like a 33-percent guy: 33-percent chance he’ll catch it for a TD (as he did Sunday), 33-percent chance he’ll fail to use his body to screen off a defender and allow a pop-up that can be caught by the wrong team (as he did Sunday), 33-percent chance he’ll just flat drop it … and then follow up with that overly-wide “What, Me Worry?” grin.

But doesn’t Landry have enough of his own problems? How many plays did he make? Outside of headhunting, what impact did he have? How did it feel to get outfoxed, outrun and outplayed by big Jason Witten, not much of a threat to take one coast-to-coast. … unless he’s being covered by you, LaRon Landry?

Scoreboard, son. Check the scoreboard.

9. I do not understand why NBC’s Sunday night game telecasts require so many pregame hosts. They’ve got more talking heads than Tiger has cocktail waitresses.

But once the game begins? In terms of pure information, NBC blows away the competition. Michaels and Collinsworth seem to have collected anecdotal nuggets on virtually every guy on both teams.

Think about this: You, as a Cowboys fan, spend the season gobbling up info on your ‘Boys, right? So much so that really, there is very little that some TV foof from New York can tell you that you don’t already know, right?

10. So now is it OK that Wade gave the fellas Christmas Day off?

I had this argument on the 103.3 ESPN Radio air with Nate Newton, who thought the day off sent the wrong, softie message to his players. I countered by saying it’s all about revisionist history: If a Super Bowl team parties and plays golf and busts curfew and then wins, it’s because they were “loose.” If a Super Bowl team doesn’t party or golf or carouse, and instead keeps thinks buttoned down, and they win, it’s because they were “focused.”

So now that Wade’s won, can we all give him credit for being right?

Now that Wade’s defense has thrown a shutout (leading to a debate regarding how well this defense ranks with the NFL’s best), can we all give him credit for being right?

Now that he coached a game without special-teams boss Joe DeCamillis (rushed to a D.C.-area hospital with appendicitis) … and stuck into Joe’s place Wade’s own son, Wes! … can we all give him credit for being right?

This has nothing to do with playoff wins (yet) and it has nothing to do with the coach’s future in Dallas (yet), but doesn’t Wade Phillips deserve a lot of credit for 10-5?

Cowboys 17, Redskins 0

A Shutout Gets Them In: Cowboys 17, Redskins 0

When you see the “Perils of December” stories, and some are already around, know that the quarterback may get the attention, but it’s the defense which will either navigate the rocky waters at last, or wreck the Cowboys ship again.

– Wade’s Defense Will Guide the Cowboys’ December Ship, BTB, Nov. 29th

How ’bout that Cowboys’ defense?  It entered December with an NFC best 16.5 points per game average, but saw three of the league’s top 10 offenses on its schedule. Last night, that defense closed December with a 16.7 average, and three strong performances.  It held San Diego to a season-low 20, and would have tasted victory had the offense found a way to convert goal-to-go from the one (more on that foible shortly).  It brought the high-flying Saints down to earth last week in a 24-17 win.

It shut out the Redskins‘ pop-gun offense, withstanding a couple fo Santana Moss runs after the catch.  The shut out earned Dallas the final NFC playoff berth, after the Giants had returned their playoff aspirations earlier today, in an embarrassing home loss to Carolina.  Green Bay claimed one spot with a blowout win over Seattle and Dallas closed the field in D.C.

Dallas is just two points behind the Ravens for 2nd in NFL scoring defense.  It is far ahead of the rival defenses in the NFC field, which gives the Cowboys a fighting chance to excel in the post-season.  That defense will have to carry the load, as the Cowboys offense again showed it has explosive capability, but lacks the short-yardage oomph which would help it roll deep into January.

The offense put on its usual big play show, with Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Miles Austin again pacing the passing attack.  Witten made the play of the game with a 69 yard catch and run past LaRon Landry in the 2nd quarter.  The Cowboys converted this play with a Marion Barber draw, but struggled mightily to convert third downs and goal line efforts from that point forward.

Each of Dallas’ first two 2nd half drives died on downs when the Cowboys failed to convert short distance runs.  The initial drive rolled to Washington’s 36, where the Cowboys faced 2nd and two.  A direct snap to Tashard Choice in the Razorback set gained a yard and two Marion Barber plunges on 3rd and 4th down failed to gain ground. 

The next series rolled from the Cowboys’ 12 to Washington’s 30 and failed when Barber was dropped for a loss on a 4th-and-1 counter.  Dallas was stuffed a third time inside the Washington ten on the subsequent drive.  Dallas tried converting a 3rd-and-1 on the Redskins five by running the power-I off-tackle play which worked so effectively against the Saints.  Washington stuffed it, and Dallas called on Shaun Suisham, who nailed his first Cowboys field goal attempt to push the lead to the final 17-0.

The short-yardage woes will keep the coaches up late, working on creative new ways to gain touchdowns from red-zone drives.  In the meantime, the team will enjoy a return to the post-season.

Notes:

– The Cowboys will win the East if they beat the Eagles at home next Sunday. That and a Packers win would give Dallas the 3rd seed.  In the mean-time, pull with both hands for the Bears tomorrow.  Two Vikings losses (they close against the Giants) and a Cowboys win would hand Dallas the 2nd seed and a first round bye.  Hard to believe, but it’s true.

– Wade Phillips kept things simple tonight.  He did not call many blitzes, preferring to rush four and send the extra rusher or two when the Redskins began to build momentum.  Those blitzes threw Jason Campbell off balance.  Little Orlando Scandrick gets the smack of the game for a 3rd quarter blitz off the slot which nearly put Campbell in traction.  Campbell’s back will no doubt hurt tomorrow after Scandrick slammed it with both forearms. 

– Washington played a lot of two deep zone, so Tony Romo played a lot of short-ball with Miles Austin, who went from being the big play maker to the first down maker.  The big catch went to Witten, who ran a deep in on one of the few plays where Washington played man in the secondary. Witten caught a perfectly thrown Romo pass in stride, shook LaRon Landry with an in-an-out cut, picked up a sideline block from a receiver and romped to the Washington three. 

– Best wishes to special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, who underwent an emergency appendectomy late Sunday afternoon.  The fates keep trying to knock Joe D down and he keeps going.

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