Old Moose Wine in New Cowboys Bottles, Part II: Figuring Out the Ideal F-Back
May 31, 2010
Sharon Ellman - AP
This the man most able to run the F-back attack. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)
In part one of this multi-part series, I offered an overview of the Cowboys current running packages and compared them to those of the championship ’90s teams. I focused primarily on the F-back position and how then-coordinator Ernie Zampese moved Daryl Johnston around the field, taking this top-notch lead blocker into a full-blown F-back.
Because the running games packages then and now are so similar, today I want to consider which of the many tight ends on the roster would make the best candidate to fill a Moose-like F-back role.
The value of an all-around F-back lies in his flexibility. Because Daryl Johnston could line up as a traditional fullback, an H-back or a flexed tight end, Dallas could run a number of sets from the same basic personnel package. Dallas could spread the field laterally by flexing Johnston and even Emmitt Smith at times, which created better matchups for Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek in the slots and seams. Opposing defenses had to keep their base defenses on the field, because the Cowboys could jump back into the standard 21 formation (two backs, one tight end) if they saw and nickel. The Cowboys could overrun such a package with bread-and-butter isolation plays, off tackle plays or tosses.
Recent hype from Valley Ranch has the coaching staff, most notably TEs coach John Garrett and head coach Wade Phillips, praising third-year man Martellus Bennett’s blocking skills. One DMN writer recently claimed Aquaman was the team’s best blocking tight end.
We can hope so, because this would increase the F-back opportunities, not for Bennett, but for his veteran buddy Jason Witten, my candidate to become the lead F-back. Some evidence to support my reasoning can be found in Jason Garrett’s ‘07 game plans.
That year, if you recall, the Cowboys entered the season with Witten and Anthony Fasano at positions one and two on the tight end depth chart. Fasano has been drafted high in the ‘06 draft with the expectation that he could be molded into the full-time F-back, who could blow out inside linebackers on inside running plays.
The Fasano-as-F experiment was shelved after just a month. A source I spoke to told me the team was very disappointed in his lead blocking technique; he was whiffing on a surprising number of blocks. On others, he would take the wrong shoulder, which meant he was often pushing the linebacker into the running back’s path.
Bill Parcells and his coaches needed a lead blocker stat and moved street free agent Oliver Hoyte to a blocker. Hoyte could produce train wrecks, but he had no hands and posed no threat as a receiver. The following season, the team started the season with him as the fullback, but Hoyte lost reps to rookie Deon Anderson, who was shelved by an injury part way through the year. More and more, the team went to a two tight end set which put Fasano on the line of scrimmage, as the “true” tight end, and flexed Witten into the backfield.
Dallas used this tactic a lot to great effect in the red zone. Witten would either flex into the backfield and lead the runner, or he would set up on the wing as an F-back, float towards the center and trap block a defensive tackle on a “wham” block. He did this in the Chicago game in week three and at Philly in week nine. In both cases, Witten stood up the DT and created a lane for the Cowboys back to score.
The team relied more and more on Witten to block, meaning he had fewer opportunities to line up in space and get downfield. He “flexed” into the slot or out wide just 33 times all season. That’s two plays per game, and just 6% of Dallas 547 passing attempts that year. Other marquee tight ends were flexing out two and three times as much.
It’s a testament to Witten’s skill that he posted a career best 1145 yards on 96 catches, all the while handling the heavy backfield blocking duty in the tight end corps.
The team clearly wanted to move Witten back to the line and regain the ability to flex him across the line. It drafted Bennett and ‘08 and Phillips in ‘09. Bennett thus far has shown to be better blocking off the line of scrimmage, in the pure role, while Phillips got a lot of work last season as the F; he got a lot of reps in Dallas 13 package, where he would line up as a wingback and then motion into the traditional off-set I role just prior to the snap. (More on this Wednesday.)
The added talent let Witten back to the line had he posted a 2nd best yardage season with 1030 yards after an injury-riddled ‘08. However, the backup tight ends do not approach the production of Witten as the F-back or Johnston in his heyday. Phillips and Bennett combined for just 22 receptions, less than a quarter of Witten’s production.
A review of the ’90s F-back arrangement shows that Jay Novacek was a pure TE, who almost always lined up outside one of the tackles. He was averaging 51 catches a season, while Johnston was snagging 42 in his F-back role.
If the coaches feel Bennett’s blocking merits full time play, he could step into the Novacek role, while Witten moves around. Another hint from last season’s passing down packages shows that Witten could thrive in the F-back role. On many 3rd and long plays, when Dallas was in its shotgun-11 package, with one back, one tight end and three receivers, Witten would line up in the backfield, to one side of Tony Romo, while the back would line up on the opposite side.
Witten was lining up as a pro-set fullback, and the deep setting gave him a free release off the line of scrimmage. He caught a few seam routes from this package and was very tough for linebackers to handle, because they could not jam Witten coming off the line.
Of course, Bennett’s emergence as a receiver remains in doubt. Romo trusts Witten, to convert third downs, to jump start the passing game when it starts slowly, and in all other situations. Bennett may be able to block, but he’ll need to show much more than stellar blocking to get regular reps week to week.
Even if Bennett makes a Miles-Austin like breakout this season, other shortcomings on the offense, namely on the interior line, may defer any complete return to a ’90s-type F-back system.
Wednesday: How the ‘09 Cowboys offense ran a “heavier” running game than Emmitt’s gang.
Old Moose Win in New Cowboys Bottles, Part II: Figuring Out the Ideal F-Back
May 31, 2010
Sharon Ellman - AP
This the man most able to run the F-back attack. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)
In part one of this multi-part series, I offered an overview of the Cowboys current running packages and compared them to those of the championship ’90s teams. I focused primarily on the F-back position and how then-coordinator Ernie Zampese moved Daryl Johnson around the field, taking this top-notch lead blocker into a full-blown F-back.
Because the running games packages then and now are so similar, today I want to consider which of the many tight ends on the roster would make the best candidate to fill a Moose-like F-back role.
The value of an all-around F-back lies in his flexibility. Because Daryl Johnson could line up as a traditional fullback, an H-back or a flexed tight end, Dallas could run a number of sets from the same basic personnel package. Dallas could spread the field laterally by flexing Johnson and even Emmitt Smith at times, which created better matchups for Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek in the slots and seams. Opposing defenses had to keep their base defenses on the field, because the Cowboys could jump back into the standard 21 formation (two backs, one tight end) if they saw and nickel. The Cowboys could overrun such a package with bread-and-butter isolation plays, off tackle plays or tosses.
Recent hype from Valley Ranch has the coaching staff, most notably TEs coach John Garrett and head coach Wade Phillips, praising third-year man Martellus Bennett’s blocking skills. One DMN writer recently claimed Aquaman was the team’s best blocking tight end.
We can hope so, because this would increase the F-back opportunities, not for Bennett, but for his veteran buddy Jason Witten, my candidate to become the lead F-back. Some evidence to support my reasoning can be found in Jason Garrett’s ‘07 game plans.
That year, if you recall, the Cowboys entered the season with Witten and Anthony Fasano at positions one and two on the tight end depth chart. Fasano has been drafted high in the ‘06 draft with the expectation that he could be molded into the full-time F-back, who could blow out inside linebackers on inside running plays.
The Fasano-as-F experiment was shelved after just a month. A source I spoke to told me the team was very disappointed in his lead blocking technique; he was whiffing on a surprising number of blocks. On others, he would take the wrong shoulder, which meant he was often pushing the linebacker into the running back’s path.
Bill Parcells and his coaches needed a lead blocker stat and moved street free agent Oliver Hoyte to a blocker. Hoyte could produce train wrecks, but he had no hands and posed no threat as a receiver. The following season, the team started the season with him as the fullback, but Hoyte lost reps to rookie Deon Anderson, who was shelved by an injury part way through the year. More and more, the team went to a two tight end set which put Fasano on the line of scrimmage, as the “true” tight end, and flexed Witten into the backfield.
Dallas used this tactic a lot to great effect in the red zone. Witten would either flex into the backfield and lead the runner, or he would set up on the wing as an F-back, float towards the center and trap block a defensive tackle on a “wham” block. He did this in the Chicago game in week three and at Philly in week nine. In both cases, Witten stood up the DT and created a lane for the Cowboys back to score.
The team relied more and more on Witten to block, meaning he had fewer opportunities to line up in space and get downfield. He “flexed” into the slot or out wide just 33 times all season. That’s two plays per game, and just 6% of Dallas 547 passing attempts that year. Other marquee tight ends were flexing out two and three times as much.
It’s a testament to Witten’s skill that he posted a career best 1145 yards on 96 catches, all the while handling the heavy backfield blocking duty in the tight end corps.
The team clearly wanted to move Witten back to the line and regain the ability to flex him across the line. It drafted Bennett and ‘08 and Phillips in ‘09. Bennett thus far has shown to be better blocking off the line of scrimmage, in the pure role, while Phillips got a lot of work last season as the F; he got a lot of reps in Dallas 13 package, where he would line up as a wingback and then motion into the traditional off-set I role just prior to the snap. (More on this Wednesday.)
The added talent let Witten back to the line had he posted a 2nd best yardage season with 1030 yards after an injury-riddled ‘08. However, the backup tight ends do not approach the production of Witten as the F-back or Johnston in his heyday. Phillips and Bennett combined for just 22 receptions, less than a quarter of Witten’s production.
A review of the ’90s F-back arrangement shows that Jay Novacek was a pure TE, who almost always lined up outside one of the tackles. He was averaging 51 catches a season, while Johnston was snagging 42 in his F-back role.
If the coaches feel Bennett’s blocking merits full time play, he could step into the Novacek role, while Witten moves around. Another hint from last season’s passing down packages shows that Witten could thrive in the F-back role. On many 3rd and long plays, when Dallas was in its shotgun-11 package, with one back, one tight end and three receivers, Witten would line up in the backfield, to one side of Tony Romo, while the back would line up on the opposite side.
Witten was lining up as a pro-set fullback, and the deep setting gave him a free release off the line of scrimmage. He caught a few seam routes from this package and was very tough for linebackers to handle, because they could not jam Witten coming off the line.
Of course, Bennett’s emergence as a receiver remains in doubt. Romo trusts Witten, to convert third downs, to jump start the passing game when it starts slowly, and in all other situations. Bennett may be able to block, but he’ll need to show much more than stellar blocking to get regular reps week to week.
Even if Bennett makes a Miles-Austin like breakout this season, other shortcomings on the offense, namely on the interior line, may defer any complete return to a ’90s-type F-back system.
Wednesday: How the ‘09 Cowboys offense ran a “heavier” running game than Emmitt’s gang.
Old Moose Win in New Cowboys Bottles, Part II: Figuring Out the Ideal F-Back
May 31, 2010
Sharon Ellman - AP
This the man most able to run the F-back attack. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)
In part one of this multi-part series, I offered an overview of the Cowboys current running packages and compared them to those of the championship ’90s teams. I focused primarily on the F-back position and how then-coordinator Ernie Zampese moved Daryl Johnson around the field, taking this top-notch lead blocker into a full-blown F-back.
Because the running games packages then and now are so similar, today I want to consider which of the many tight ends on the roster would make the best candidate to fill a Moose-like F-back role.
The value of an all-around F-back lies in his flexibility. Because Daryl Johnson could line up as a traditional fullback, an H-back or a flexed tight end, Dallas could run a number of sets from the same basic personnel package. Dallas could spread the field laterally by flexing Johnson and even Emmitt Smith at times, which created better matchups for Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek in the slots and seams. Opposing defenses had to keep their base defenses on the field, because the Cowboys could jump back into the standard 21 formation (two backs, one tight end) if they saw and nickel. The Cowboys could overrun such a package with bread-and-butter isolation plays, off tackle plays or tosses.
Recent hype from Valley Ranch has the coaching staff, most notably TEs coach John Garrett and head coach Wade Phillips, praising third-year man Martellus Bennett’s blocking skills. One DMN writer recently claimed Aquaman was the team’s best blocking tight end.
We can hope so, because this would increase the F-back opportunities, not for Bennett, but for his veteran buddy Jason Witten, my candidate to become the lead F-back. Some evidence to support my reasoning can be found in Jason Garrett’s ‘07 game plans.
That year, if you recall, the Cowboys entered the season with Witten and Anthony Fasano at positions one and two on the tight end depth chart. Fasano has been drafted high in the ‘06 draft with the expectation that he could be molded into the full-time F-back, who could blow out inside linebackers on inside running plays.
The Fasano-as-F experiment was shelved after just a month. A source I spoke to told me the team was very disappointed in his lead blocking technique; he was whiffing on a surprising number of blocks. On others, he would take the wrong shoulder, which meant he was often pushing the linebacker into the running back’s path.
Bill Parcells and his coaches needed a lead blocker stat and moved street free agent Oliver Hoyte to a blocker. Hoyte could produce train wrecks, but he had no hands and posed no threat as a receiver. The following season, the team started the season with him as the fullback, but Hoyte lost reps to rookie Deon Anderson, who was shelved by an injury part way through the year. More and more, the team went to a two tight end set which put Fasano on the line of scrimmage, as the “true” tight end, and flexed Witten into the backfield.
Dallas used this tactic a lot to great effect in the red zone. Witten would either flex into the backfield and lead the runner, or he would set up on the wing as an F-back, float towards the center and trap block a defensive tackle on a “wham” block. He did this in the Chicago game in week three and at Philly in week nine. In both cases, Witten stood up the DT and created a lane for the Cowboys back to score.
The team relied more and more on Witten to block, meaning he had fewer opportunities to line up in space and get downfield. He “flexed” into the slot or out wide just 33 times all season. That’s two plays per game, and just 6% of Dallas 547 passing attempts that year. Other marquee tight ends were flexing out two and three times as much.
It’s a testament to Witten’s skill that he posted a career best 1145 yards on 96 catches, all the while handling the heavy backfield blocking duty in the tight end corps.
The team clearly wanted to move Witten back to the line and regain the ability to flex him across the line. It drafted Bennett and ‘08 and Phillips in ‘09. Bennett thus far has shown to be better blocking off the line of scrimmage, in the pure role, while Phillips got a lot of work last season as the F; he got a lot of reps in Dallas 13 package, where he would line up as a wingback and then motion into the traditional off-set I role just prior to the snap. (More on this Wednesday.)
The added talent let Witten back to the line had he posted a 2nd best yardage season with 1030 yards after an injury-riddled ‘08. However, the backup tight ends do not approach the production of Witten as the F-back or Johnston in his heyday. Phillips and Bennett combined for just 22 receptions, less than a quarter of Witten’s production.
A review of the ’90s F-back arrangement shows that Jay Novacek was a pure TE, who almost always lined up outside one of the tackles. He was averaging 51 catches a season, while Johnston was snagging 42 in his F-back role.
If the coaches feel Bennett’s blocking merits full time play, he could step into the Novacek role, while Witten moves around. Another hint from last season’s passing down packages shows that Witten could thrive in the F-back role. On many 3rd and long plays, when Dallas was in its shotgun-11 package, with one back, one tight end and three receivers, Witten would line up in the backfield, to one side of Tony Romo, while the back would line up on the opposite side.
Witten was lining up as a pro-set fullback, and the deep setting gave him a free release off the line of scrimmage. He caught a few seam routes from this package and was very tough for linebackers to handle, because they could not jam Witten coming off the line.
Of course, Bennett’s emergence as a receiver remains in doubt. Romo trusts Witten, to convert third downs, to jump start the passing game when it starts slowly, and in all other situations. Bennett may be able to block, but he’ll need to show much more than stellar blocking to get regular reps week to week.
Even if Bennett makes a Miles-Austin like breakout this season, other shortcomings on the offense, namely on the interior line, may defer any complete return to a ’90s-type F-back system.
Wednesday: How the ‘09 Cowboys offense ran a “heavier” running game than Emmitt’s gang.
NFL Teams and Alternative Media
May 31, 2010
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Have you ever noticed the little Twitter and Facebook icons on the left side of the BTB front page? They’re right below the training camp thermometer. As of today, BTB has 806 Facebook fans and 1,556 Twitter followers.
You may wonder why I’m bringing this up. Well, apart from asking you to sign up if you haven’t done so already, it’s the offseason, and I have to indulge my fetish for numbers somehow. And because those two numbers caught my eye, I decided to do a little vestigatin’.
Alternative media, and Twitter in particular, has changed the way fans interact with the game and its players, and has ramped up the NFL experience to an entirely different level. Reggie Bush (@reggie_bush) has 1,160,942 Twitter followers, Chad Ochocinco (@OGOchoCinco) has 915,057 at last count. As far as I can tell, these are the two NFL players with the highest number of followers. This is clearly not your father’s NFL anymore.
To my knowledge, the Lakers (@Lakers) are the pro sports team with the most Twitter followers (1,525,643). Now you might argue that those numbers are inflated because they just made the NBA finals. Perhaps. But the Celtics (@Celtics) have only a fraction of that with 43,159 followers, despite making it to the finals as well.
Who is America’s team in alternative media? After the break, we look at how NFL teams have embraced alternative media by looking at the number of Twitter followers, Facebook Fans and the page rank of their internet sites.
The table below ranks the NFL teams according to the reach they generate with each alternative media tool. Here’s what I looked at:
Twitter Followers: Number of Followers as shown on a teams’ official Twitter site.
Facebook Fans: Number of Fans on each teams’ official Facebook page.
Home Page Traffic Rank: Traffic rank among all US internet sites for the official team homepage (as listed on NFL.com) according to Alexa.com
Obviously the numbers are just a snapshot per end of May. Also, in case I have chosen the wrong page/site, please let me know and I’ll change the table.
Alternative Media Reach by NFL team (click column header to sort)
| Team | Twitter Followers |
Page | Facebook Fans | Page | Homepage Traffic Rank |
| Cowboys | 26,004 | @dallascowboys | 622,239 | DallasCowboys | 2,302 |
| Eagles | 788 | @OfficialEagles | 205,564 | pages/Philadelphia-PA/Philadelphia-Eagles/7686697187 | 3,204 |
| Bears | 17,624 | @ChicagoBearscom | 501,237 | ChicagoBears | 4,735 |
| Redskins | 6,301 | @RedskinsBlog | 246,106 | redskins | 5,196 |
| 49ers | 25,956 | @SF_49ers | 150,844 | SANFRANCISCO49ERS | 7,110 |
| Bengals | 19,422 | @CinBengalsNFL | 175,023 | bengals | 8,646 |
| Steelers | - - | No official account | 585,946 | steelers | 8,660 |
| Ravens | 13,613 | @1winningdrive | 107,899 | baltimoreravens | 8,795 |
| Packers | 18,148 | @packers | 274,897 | Packers | 9,505 |
| Broncos | 16,779 | @Denver_Broncos | 191,618 | DenverBroncos | 9,961 |
| Jaguars | 5,601 | @jaguarsinsider | 46,738 | jacksonvillejaguars | 10,470 |
| Chargers | 37,206 | @chargers | 224,107 | chargers | 10,791 |
| Raiders | 25,813 | @raiders | 116,036 | pages/Oakland-CA/Oakland-Raiders/26438426324 | 10,968 |
| Bills | 12,605 | @buffalobillscom | 84,929 | BuffaloBills | 11,166 |
| Patriots | 38,936 | @realpatriots | 427,144 | newenglandpatriots | 11,432 |
| Dolphins | 23,839 | @MIAMIDOLPHINS | 199,397 | MiamiDolphins | 11,508 |
| Giants | 11,606 | @giantspathanlon | - - | No official account | 11,957 |
| Jets | 26,601 | @nyjets | 129,259 | Jets | 12,398 |
| Seahawks | 13,355 | @seahawks | 154,612 | Seahawks | 13,061 |
| Browns | 12,922 | @OfficialBrowns | 116,722 | clevelandbrowns | 15,218 |
| Buccaneers | 7,158 | @TBBuccaneers | 63,193 | TBBuccaneers | 16,074 |
| Lions | 5,139 | @DetroitLionsNFL | 71,697 | DetroitLions | 16,173 |
| Falcons | 16,098 | @Atlanta_Falcons | 48,514 | atlantafalcons | 18,976 |
| Vikings | 24,921 | @VikingsFootball | 394,138 | minnesotavikings | 20,226 |
| Colts | - - | No official account | 360,941 | colts | 20,691 |
| Texans | 5,233 | @houstontexans | 59,339 | HoustonTexans | 21,237 |
| Cardinals | 1,802 | @cardschatter | 64,072 | arizonacardinals | 22,490 |
| Chiefs | 13,392 | @KC_Chiefs1 | 90,122 | KansasCityChiefs | 22,962 |
| Panthers | 7,899 | @cpanthers | 29,740 | CarolinaPanthers | 26,467 |
| Rams | 5,073 | @OneRamsWay | 28,404 | Rams | 31,535 |
| Saints | 2,485 | @NOScom | 584,028 | Saints | 31,947 |
| Titans | 15,389 | @tennesseetitans | 57,038 | titans | 41,969 |
Notes on the data:
The Giants do not appear to have a Facebook page. The Raiders Facebook page seems to be a fanpage, and not an official page.
I couldn’t find Twitter sites for the Steelers and Colts. The Giants and Cards Twitter pages are linked to from the teams’ official homepage, but are not run by the franchises themselves.
Observations:
Reggie Bush and Chad Ochocinco both have twice as many Twitter followers than all NFL teams combined. Twitter clearly is a medium that NFL teams have not yet embraced, and probably have not fully understood either.
The SBNation blog with the highest traffic, the Chiefs fansite Arrowheadpride.com, is ranked as the 13,899th most frequented internet site by Alexa.com. That ranks just behind the Seahawks in 20th place on the list above, and ahead of 12 NFL teams. Now consider that the guys running Arrowheadpride, Chris and Joel Thorman, probably get a pittance for their efforts, while most NFL teams are likely to have a significant budget for their internet activities, and you have to wonder why there aren’t more teams out there trying to emulate the success of some of the premier blogging sites.
In case you’re wondering, BTB ranks 25,336th. Still ahead of the Panthers, Rams, Saints and Titans.
The NFC East rules. Except for the Giants, but what else is new? The Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins rank first, second and fourth in internet traffic to their homepages. The Giants rank 17th, just one spot ahead of the Jets. I cringe at the thought, and I’m definitely not a Giants fan.
The Facebook Fan numbers are from 10:00 am EDT on Sunday, May 30th, 2010. I initially compiled the Facebook numbers on Saturday. Between Saturday and Sunday, 12,080 new people registered as fans on the official Facebook page of an NFL team. EVER SINGLE TEAM gained new fans in those 24 hours.
Do the test yourself: enter the Facebook team page name (e.g. http://facebook.com/dallascowboys) in your browser and I will guarantee that the number of fans listed will have increased vs the numbers in this post. For every single team.
The Cowboys gained the most new fans, with more than 2,000, but they already have the largest base of fans on Facebook to start with. The Buccaneers grew the fastest. Their Facebook fan base increased by 1.8% (1,145 fans) in less than 24 hours. In the middle of the darkest days of the offseason, no less!
Clearly these numbers are a mere snapshot, but they do show how fast everything is moving.
Obviously, some teams are better at this alternative media stuff than others, but the numbers overall paint a rather sad picture. It’s time the NFL teams looked outside of traditional media and embraced alternative media as an additional vehicle to increase fan experience. [And revenues, but let's keep that between us, the teams might get all sorts of ideas ...]
Oh, and by the way, the Cowboys are America’s Team. The numbers prove it :-)
Sunday Poll: The Worst Loss Suffered by the 2009 Dallas Cowboys
May 30, 2010
“Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.“ - Marcus Tullius Cicero
Around this time last year, many of us were wondering what to make of the ‘09 Cowboys. On defense they had replaced Chris Canty, Zach Thomas, and Roy Williams with free agents Igor Olshansky, Keith Brooking, and Gerald Sensabaugh. After trading Anthony Henry to the Lions for Jon Kitna, Coach Phillips declared an open competition between 2008 rookies, Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, for the starting cornerback spot opposite Terence Newman.
Then, after drafting two more DE/OLBs in Victor Butler and Brandon Williams, Greg Ellis grumbled his way into his being released. Anthony Spencer took over for Ellis…and voilà, five new starters on defense!
On offense, someone in-house was expected to step up to help replace the surprisingly released, yet apparently divisive Terrell Owens. The trade for Roy Williams consumed the team’s first-round pick, so his contributions were expected to be leaned on heavily by Tony Romo. As for Romo, the ugly memories of 44-6 needed erasing. To do so, he had to progress as a leader; he had to take better care of the football.
2009 saw the Cowboys make their fair share of blunders. But Dallas learned from its mistakes–enough to trim down its total regular season losses to just five. While the team learned to rebound from adversity, each loss had its own particular sting.
Week 2: Giants @ Cowboys
Ouch! A loss to open up new Cowboys Stadium in front of a record crowd certainly deflated the Cowboys’ hopes. Just as they ended ‘08, the defense couldn’t hold a team down and Romo kept coughing up the ball.
Eli Manning connected twenty times with receivers Mario Manningham and Steve Smith. Lawrence Tynes‘ 37-yard field goal sucked the air out of north Texas. Cowboys lose 31-33.
Week 4: Cowboys @ Broncos
Brandon Marshall made Dallas defenders look silly on his 51-yard go-ahead score. Tony Romo was hoping for a little magic from one of his own wideouts, but his heroic efforts would remain unanswered when Champ Bailey knocked away a potential game-tying TD catch by Sam Hurd. Cowboys lose 10-17.
Week 10: Cowboys @ Packers
Dallas running backs carry the ball a combined total of 11 times, while the Green Bay defense harasses Tony Romo to the tune of five sacks, a lost fumble, and an interception at the goalline. Dallas’ only score comes in garbage time. Cowboys lose 7-17.
Week 13: Cowboys @ Giants
Romo completes 41 of his 55 pass attempts for 392 yards and three touchdowns. Eli Manning completes only 11 of his 25 passes, but things just go the Giants’ way. Brandon Jacobs‘ 74-yard catch and run was simply disheartening. And then, the Dallas kickoff coverage unit failed to contain late in the fourth quarter. Cowboys lose 24-31.
Week 14: Chargers @ Cowboys
Even with Marion Barber, Dallas can’t punch it in on 4th-and-goal. Vincent Jackson makes enough clutch catches and Nick Folk is anything but clutch. The DeMarcus Ware injury has the entire Cowboys fanbase holding its collective breath. Cowboys lose 17-20.
Isn’t it fun reminiscing? Now that you’ve relived some of the worst Cowboys moments of 2009, which game boiled your blood the most?
Cowboys Offseason Moves: Freeing Up The Safety Position
May 29, 2010
Sponsored Post: This post is presented by Sprint. Bringing you the first wireless 4G network from a national carrier. Only on the Now Network.
The Dallas Cowboys have made few personnel moves this offseason. Of course they added players through the draft, but they stayed away from free agency, and only added one substantial veteran in Alex Barron (via the Bobby Carpenter trade).
We’ve previously discussed the release of Flozell Adams in this series, now we’ll turn our attention to the other “big release” for the Cowboys in 2010, the departure of free safety Ken Hamlin. Three years ago, after Dallas let go of Roy Williams (the safety) when they could no longer tolerate his deficiencies in pass coverage, they needed a veteran to replace him. The Cowboys picked up Ken Hamlin for a minimum one-year contract, and initially it looked like a steal. Hamlin performed well in his first year and was widely praised as being the “quarterback” on defense, especially for the secondary. The improvement was immediately obvious, the Cowboys had spent the previous years getting killed over the top on bombs (Santana Moss anyone?) and getting punished by tight ends running free through the secondary. Hamlin helped to eliminate this problem.
So the Cowboys re-upped Hamlin with a six-year, $39 million contract. Hamlin would only get through two years before the Cowboys decided they need to go in another direction. Because of the low amount of guaranteed money left in the contract, Dallas could release Hamlin with minimal financial impact. Hamlin’s play had started to trail off, he no longer was “around the ball” enough to justify the financial investment from Dallas, so the inevitable happened.
Now, the Cowboys are left with some options as his replacement, but none of them are sure things. While the free safety position is not considered as important as the left tackle spot where they also released Flozell, they still have to have some concern. Doug Free was ready to take over for Flozell at tackle, at least in the minds of the Cowboys brain-trust, but just to make sure they went out and got Alex Barron. No such moves have occurred at free safety, the Cowboys are going with what they have in-house (unless something happens over the next month or two).
The big question: Are any of the main candidates to replace Ken Hamlin ready for prime-time?
Alan Ball will get the first crack at it; he’ll be running with the 1’s in training camp. Ball was drafted in the seventh round out of Illinois way back in 2007 as a cornerback. When he arrived in Dallas he was basically a toothpick with a head attached. As a corner, his slight stature wasn’t much of a problem. But as the Cowboys have worked him at safety more and more, they know, and he knows, he’s got to get a little bigger to handle the physical rigors of 16 games as a starter at safety. Even though the Cowboys scheme limits the amount of tackling their free safety handles, he’s still going to end-up mixing-it-up in heavy traffic occasionally.
What Dallas really wants from its free safety is to be around the ball, to get pass deflections or interceptions, while obviously not letting anybody behind him. Ball’s skills as a former corner should favor him in this area, but as of yet, he hasn’t shown it in the off-an-on playing time he’s received. When Ken Hamlin went down last year for a few games, Ball stepped in and the coaching staff has strongly praised the work he turned in for those games. In fact, this three-game audition in 2009 may have played a big role in the Cowboys determining they could release Hamlin. Ball is working on adding muscle-mass over this offseason in anticipation of being the starting free safety for 2010.
If Ball has serious competition internally, it will probably come from second-year safety Mike Hamlin. In contrast to Ball, Hamlin has size and is a natural safety. Taken in the fifth round out of Clemson in 2009, Hamlin showed a lot of promise early on. The coaches praised his instincts and his ball skills. Then he got hurt in the preseason (fractured wrist), like about half of last year’s draft class did, and ended up seeing time on special teams towards the end of the year.
This past April Dallas picked up cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah out of small-school Indiana (PA) in the fourth round of the draft. Like Ball, the Cowboys will move him to safety, but unlike Ball, they’ll do this immediately. AOA has the natural size to play free safety, and is widely recognized for his ball skills. Normally, he may have had a fair shot at the competition for the starting spot. But AOA has two things working against him, one major and one minor (or even non-existent). The latter is the notion that he competed against lesser players in Division II. Will his good play translate against better competition? There’s only one way to find that out and that’s to line up on the field, although plenty of Div II guys have had no problem with NFL-level competition. The significant problem for AOA is he’s coming off injury and won’t be able to compete until training camp. So he’s missing OTAs and mini-camps, and he’ll likely be rusty when he does hit the field. All of that means he’ll likely be a situational or special teams player in 2010.
Pat Watkins is still on the roster, but we all know he’s likely to be released, or if he manages to hold on, it will be for special teams work. There’s still plenty of time for the Cowboys to go out and get a veteran before the season begins, but for now, it appears that either Alan Ball or Mike Hamlin will be the starting free safety. The problem for Ball is that he’s the team’s best fourth corner as of this moment, and he’s one injury away from having to move back over to fill in (Orlando Scandrick’s recent broken finger should remind us of how easily moving Ball back to corner can occur). Unless Jamar Wall or someone else removes the need for Ball at corner, he’s still a guy stuck between two positions.
The VRR: Patrick Crayton Ready to Move On from Cowboys
May 28, 2010
Eric Gay - AP
Could Patrick Crayton be viewing the field from a different helmet soon?
The Patrick Crayton debate thickens. Earlier today, Crayton indicated that he wants the Cowboys to release him soon. With a logjam at wide receiver, which includes Pro Bowler Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and first-round pick Dez Bryant, Crayton could be inevitably buried on the depth chart.
Crayton does not want to be a fourth receiver and he does not want to be the team’s “insurance” guy.
“For those guys to develop, they have to be on the field,” Crayton said. “For them to be on the field, I’m not going to be on it, so I would love them to not dangle me around and everything because I have a family to think about.”
It’s hard to blame Crayton for wanting to get his groove on somewhere else. Entering his eighth NFL season, the wide receiver knows that while he may be considered an aging veteran, he would rather contribute to a new team for a shot at some consistent playing time.
Seeing that he’s a native Texan and has played for the Cowboys his entire career, he is anxious to move on in getting acclimated to a new work environment.
“If I’m going to be with another team, I need to get used to another city, another franchise, a new coach, a new quarterback, a new coordinator, everything. Just a whole new environment. My wife and kids got to get settled in, got to get in schools and everything. I would love to have the opportunity to compete with another team versus come here and come here for a numbers thing where they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re not going to pay you that to be our fourth or fifth guy,’ or whatever the situation is and you kept me the whole training camp because you need camp bodies.
“To me, you’re messing with people’s careers and people’s lives.”
More VRR after the jump.
BTBers already have the great Crayton debate in full swing with Alexcomestokill’s “Why we shouldn’t keep Patrick Crayton“. More recent Crayton posts are also featured here, here, and here.
Kevin Ogletree is one player who has been benefitting from Crayton’s absence. In regards to the WR’s offseason workouts with Joe Juraszek and his general maturity, Coach Phillips says that Ogletree is simply “getting it”. “
Joe pushes them to the limit, and we say all of them are working hard,” Phillips said. “But certain guys start going above and beyond. That is where (Ogletree) has gotten to.
“When Joe brags on a guy, he is doing some good things.”
And what’s a wide receiver-news day without some choice quotes from Roy Williams? With thanks to O.C.C.’s FanShot, Williams offers us some reflection on his days so far as a Cowboy.
“It’s been a nightmare,” said the native of Odessa, Texas, which is roughly 350 miles from Dallas. “That’s the truth. I’m not going to hide from it. I understand the business. … I thought this was going to be a dream. It’s been a nightmare.”
Throughout all the turmoil he’s been through in Dallas, William$ remains optimistic even when constantly asked questions about Dez Bryant.
“Dez doesn’t even know how good he can be,” Williams said in one of his typically effusive comments about a guy who could end up taking time from him.
“The dude is scary. The dude is good and he doesn’t even know it yet. Once the light bulb goes on he will probably be the best in the league. … He’s a man among boys. He’s got big hands. Real big hands. When he shakes my hand, his fingers come up to my elbows.”
Gerald Sensabaugh’s tender signing may be a step towards working out a long-term deal with the Cowboys. Here’s hoping Sensei’s agent, Kevin Conner, is burning the midnight oil.
“We are still very optimistic and extremely confident a long-term deal will happen,” Conner said. “Gerald wants to focus on the upcoming season and playing at a high level.”
Hat tip to lonewolfz28 for the FanPost.
Based on Jerry Jones’ words, signing Sensabaugh and Miles Austin to long-term deals could be the Cowboys’ next order of business–and rightfully so.
Jones has expressed previously his intention to work out new contracts for receiver Miles Austin and safety Gerald Sensabaugh, the Cowboys’ only still-unsigned restricted free agents. He underlined that objective Tuesday.
“I can speak emphatically,” Jones said. “They’re very much a part of the future of the Dallas Cowboys. Emphatically.”
Sensabaugh’s second-round tender offer is worth $1.8 million.
One of the Cowboys’ other 2010 RFAs, Marcus Spears, is working with the coaches to prove his value to the team.
“It helps that he’s out here,” said coach Wade Phillips, who also oversees Spears’ role as the defensive co-ordinator.
“We’ve identified some things technique-wise that he can do better and he’s been working on those things. I think we can get him better, and he’s the type of guy that’ll work at it. I think that helps both of us, short-term and long-term — and business-wise. The better player you are, the better you end up business-wise.”
David Buehler’s transition to placekicker is continuing to improve.
The early results have Buehler, who kicked field goals at USC, flourishing through the transition. Buehler has impressed teammates and, more importantly, coaches, at this early stage by lining up and consistently nailing field goals in practice. Wade Phillips, who is wont to gush at times, recently extolled Buehler for his progress, noting that, by his count, Buehler was perfect on attempts Monday.
Coach Phillips says that they don’t necessarily want Buehler to boom every kick. Accuracy and control, of course, are in order for those short-ranged three pointers.
“We know he has the leg strength,” Phillips said. “We worry about him overkicking it, trying to overpower it, but he looks like he’s got his stroke down.”
Darren Woodson shared his thoughts on the Cowboys’ plans to start Alan Ball at free safety.
“They have to be nervous about Alan Ball starting at safety,” Woodson said Thursday afternoon. “He’s a cornerback playing safety. He has a cover mentality, and that’s apparently what they want. They want a ballhawk back there.”
Hat tip to TheAnsah for the FanShot.
The city of Dallas is ready for Super Bowl XLV. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Cowboys were ready too?
Jason LaCanfora’s latest tweet: Cowboys official on Patrick Crayton: "We are not releasing him!"
May 28, 2010
Jason LaCanfora’s latest tweet:
Cowboys official on Patrick Crayton: “We are not releasing him!”
Vegas Likes The Cowboys To Win The NFC East
May 28, 2010
I don’t usually pay a lot of attention to the Vegas odds. I’m not a betting man, and ‘getting some action’ has a very different meaning in my world. Nevertheless, I find it interesting to occasionally look at the odds, and what better time to indulge in this nonsense than in the offseason?
Earlier in the week I ran across an article on Betvega.com that has the Cowboys as the odds-on favorite to win the NFC East. Here are the odds as Vegas currently sees them for winning the NFC East:
Less than 24 hours after the Saints won the 2010 Super Bowl, online sportsbook broburysports.com published their Super Bowl odds. In the table below we compare those odds with the odds published on their site on May 27th, 2010.
Odds to Win 2011 Super Bowl XLV - Arlington, Texas, Feb 06, 2011
| Team | Odds Feb. 8th, 2010 | Odds May 27th, 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Colts | 16.7% (6/1) | 14.3% (7/1) | -2.4% |
 |
Chargers | 12.5% (8/1) | 12.5% (8/1) | - - |
 |
Saints | 12.5% (8/1) | 11.1% (9/1) | -1.4% |
 |
Ravens | 6.7% (15/1) | 11.1% (9/1) | +4.4% |
 |
Cowboys | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
 |
Packers | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
 |
Vikings | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
 |
Patriots | 10.0% (10/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | -1.7% |
 |
Steelers | 10.0% (10/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | -1.7% |
 |
Jets | 6.7% (15/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | +1.7% |
 |
Eagles | 8.3% (12/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | -3.3% |
 |
Giants | 3.3% (30/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | +1.7% |
 |
49ers | 2.5% (40/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | +2.5% |
 |
Falcons | 3.3% (30/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +0.7 |
 |
Bears | 2.5% (40/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +1.5% |
 |
Dolphins | 2.5% (40/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +1.5% |
 |
Titans | 3.3% (30/1) | 3.3% (30/1) | - - |
 |
Texans | 2.5% (40/1) | 3.3% (30/1) | +0.8% |
 |
Bengals | 3.3% (30/1) | 2.5% (40/1) | -0.8% |
 |
Seahawks | 2.0% (50/1) | 2.0% (50/1) | - - |
 |
Redskins | 2.0% (50/1) | 2.0% (50/1) | - - |
 |
Cardinals | 3.3% (30/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -1.7% |
 |
Panthers | 2.5% (40/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -0.8% |
 |
Broncos | 2.0% (50/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -0.3% |
 |
Jaguars | 2.0% (50/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | -1.0% |
 |
Bills | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Browns | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Lions | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Chiefs | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Raiders | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Rams | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
 |
Buccaneers | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
Vegas did not take kindly to the Eagles’ offseason moves. The loss of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, still no replacement for Brian Dawkins in sight and a leaky secondary did not inspire the Vegas folks, and they drop the Eagles further than any other team.
The Colts and Saints stay on top of the pile but both lose a little - not a big surprise given that the initial odds were published amid all the Super Bowl hype.
Baltimore and the 49ers are the biggest gainers. The 49ers not only had a very strong draft, but they look like early favorites for the Kurt-Warner-free NFC West. Now wouldn’t that be a nice déjà vu if we were to beat them in the NFC championship game …
The Ravens arguably profit more from Ben Roethlisberger’s 6-game suspension than from their own off-season moves. Somewhat surprisingly, the same suspension increases the odds for the Steelers less than may have been expected.
The Cowboys’ odds improve slightly. Vegas must have heard that Roy Williams is “sinking his hips, bending his knees a little more, getting down in some of his routes” en route to a monster season with the Cowboys.
In an interesting side note, the odds for all teams who picked in the top 10 in the draft remain unchanged, with the exception of the Jaguars, whose odds doubled. I guess this means that Vegas does not believe in the first year impact of a top 10 draft pick.
Finally, the Giants and Steelers are the only teams in the top 12 that did not make the playoffs last year. If the trend of ’six new teams making the playoffs each year’ continues this season, then these odds are seriously off.
Winners: Ravens, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Giants, Jets
Losers: Eagles, Colts, Steelers, Patriots, Cardinals, Saints, Jaguars
Who are your winners and losers of the offseason so far?
Vegas Likes The Cowboys To Win The NFC East
May 28, 2010
I don’t usually pay a lot of attention to the Vegas odds. I’m not a betting man, and ‘getting some action’ has a very different meaning in my world. Nevertheless, I find it interesting to occasionally look at the odds, and what better time to indulge in this nonsense than in the offseason?
Earlier in the week I ran across an article on Betvega.com that has the Cowboys as the odds-on favorite to win the NFC East. Here are the odds as Vegas currently sees them for winning the NFC East:
Less than 24 hours after the Saints won the 2010 Super Bowl, online sportsbook broburysports.com published their Super Bowl odds. In the table below we compare those odds with the odds published on their site on May 27th, 2010.
Odds to Win 2011 Super Bowl XLV - Arlington, Texas, Feb 06, 2011
| Team | Odds Feb. 8th, 2010 | Odds May 27th, 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Colts | 16.7% (6/1) | 14.3% (7/1) | -2.4% |
|
Chargers | 12.5% (8/1) | 12.5% (8/1) | - - |
|
Saints | 12.5% (8/1) | 11.1% (9/1) | -1.4% |
|
Ravens | 6.7% (15/1) | 11.1% (9/1) | +4.4% |
|
Cowboys | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
|
Packers | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
|
Vikings | 8.3% (12/1) | 10.0% (10/1) | +1.7% |
|
Patriots | 10.0% (10/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | -1.7% |
|
Steelers | 10.0% (10/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | -1.7% |
|
Jets | 6.7% (15/1) | 8.3% (12/1) | +1.7% |
|
Eagles | 8.3% (12/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | -3.3% |
|
Giants | 3.3% (30/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | +1.7% |
|
49ers | 2.5% (40/1) | 5.0% (20/1) | +2.5% |
|
Falcons | 3.3% (30/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +0.7 |
|
Bears | 2.5% (40/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +1.5% |
|
Dolphins | 2.5% (40/1) | 4.0% (25/1) | +1.5% |
|
Titans | 3.3% (30/1) | 3.3% (30/1) | - - |
|
Texans | 2.5% (40/1) | 3.3% (30/1) | +0.8% |
|
Bengals | 3.3% (30/1) | 2.5% (40/1) | -0.8% |
|
Seahawks | 2.0% (50/1) | 2.0% (50/1) | - - |
|
Redskins | 2.0% (50/1) | 2.0% (50/1) | - - |
|
Cardinals | 3.3% (30/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -1.7% |
|
Panthers | 2.5% (40/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -0.8% |
|
Broncos | 2.0% (50/1) | 1.7% (60/1) | -0.3% |
|
Jaguars | 2.0% (50/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | -1.0% |
|
Bills | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Browns | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Lions | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Chiefs | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Raiders | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Rams | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
|
Buccaneers | 1.0% (100/1) | 1.0% (100/1) | - - |
Vegas did not take kindly to the Eagles’ offseason moves. The loss of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, still no replacement for Brian Dawkins in sight and a leaky secondary did not inspire the Vegas folks, and they drop the Eagles further than any other team.
The Colts and Saints stay on top of the pile but both lose a little - not a big surprise given that the initial odds were published amid all the Super Bowl hype.
Baltimore and the 49ers are the biggest gainers. The 49ers not only had a very strong draft, but they look like early favorites for the Kurt-Warner-free NFC West. Now wouldn’t that be a nice déjà vu if we were to beat them in the NFC championship game …
The Ravens arguably profit more from Ben Roethlisberger’s 6-game suspension than from their own off-season moves. Somewhat surprisingly, the same suspension increases the odds for the Steelers less than may have been expected.
The Cowboys’ odds improve slightly. Vegas must have heard that Roy Williams is “sinking his hips, bending his knees a little more, getting down in some of his routes” en route to a monster season with the Cowboys.
In an interesting side note, the odds for all teams who picked in the top 10 in the draft remain unchanged, with the exception of the Jaguars, whose odds doubled. I guess this means that Vegas does not believe in the first year impact of a top 10 draft pick.
Finally, the Giants and Steelers are the only teams in the top 12 that did not make the playoffs last year. If the trend of ’six new teams making the playoffs each year’ continues this season, then these odds are seriously off.
Winners: Ravens, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, Giants, Jets
Losers: Eagles, Colts, Steelers, Patriots, Cardinals, Saints, Jaguars
Who are your winners and losers of the offseason so far?
Cowboys Offense 2010: Old Moose Wine in New Bottles
May 27, 2010
Tony Gutierrez - AP
John Phillips (89) and Scott Sicko (86) will compete to be the Cowboys full-time F-back. Is either one of them the best choice? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Daryl Johnston was the Cowboys’ Original F-Back
The Cowboys make regular investments in the tight end position, both high in the draft and low. Jason Witten was snagged at the top of the 3rd round in 2003 and got some serious consideration at the top of the 2nd round that year. Martellus Bennett was a low 2nd round pick in 2008 and carried the highest of 2nd round grades on Dallas’ draft board that year. In between, the Cowboys picked Anthony Fasano with their 2006 2nd rounder.
The Cowboys also make a point of picking a tight end low each season to keep the position stocked. Bob Slowikoski (6th round, 2002) Sean Ryan (5th, 2004) and John Phillips (6th, 2009) fit this category. Dallas has picked a tight end in six of the last eight drafts. By contrast, Dallas has picked just one fullback in that span, that being Deon Anderson in 2007.
The emphasis on tight ends has led to a flurry of stories and speculation about the Cowboys “new” offense. I’ve fallen prey to the argument myself. Yet, a review of Dallas’ running game shows that Jason Garrett runs basically the same attack which Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese put on the field in the ’90s. Garrett has to mix and match lead blockers for his halfbacks, but the schemes are still the same.
Heading into 2010, the two tight end discussion has again begun. The team looks forward to better play from second-year man John Phillips, who got extensive time as the team’s F-back as the 2009 campaign progressed. The team uses the term F-back, where others call the position an H-back. The player is a hybrid fullback/tight end, who can line up on the end of the line of scrimmage next to a tackle, on a wing outside an OT or a TE or in the backfield as a fullback. Fans are also intrigued by priority UFA Scott Sicko, who has Phillips’ measurables, and much more speed.
For the next couple of days, I want to look at the F-back position and will conclude on Monday by offering my pick for this year’s F-back starter, a player who might surprise some of you. Today, I want to step back roughly 15 years to show there is nothing new about the F-back position. The Triplet Cowboys used the same schemes we see now, but had one guy doing the F-back work, instead of the four who share the job now.
F Stands for Fullback, Flexed Back and Flanker Back
Then, as now, the Dallas Cowboys run an I-based attack. The team wants a power running game, and runs nearly all its plays with a tailback set seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, directly behind the quarterback. Occasionally, when Dallas goes to a spread set, with three or four receivers, the tailback will be the lone player behind the QB.
On most first and second down plays, and on most short yardage 3rd-down plays, the Cowboys will put a fullback in the backfield, either directly between the QB and the HB, in a straight-I set, or, more frequently, behind one of the guards to give the “off-set-I” look:
SE LT LG C RG RT TE
QB FL
FB
TB
Here is perhaps the most common Dallas formation of the ’90s, the 21 set, with two backs, one tight end and two receivers. Here you see the offset-I, with the fullback set to the weak side, away from the tight end. The Cowboys can also offset the fullback to the strong side, giving a more power-I look.
From ‘91 through ‘93, when Norv Turner was calling the plays, the fullback deployed behind a guard or center on almost every play when he was on the field. The bread and butter plays of Dallas attack, the lead draw, the isolation runs, the off tackle runs, the “power” counter traps, all called for the fullback Daryl Johnson to attack linebackers deployed behind and between the defensive ends.
When Zampese replaced Turner in ‘94, he began to move Johnston around, and made him more the F-back Cowboys fans see today. I’ve gone back to a key Cowboys game from their last title season to show that the Johnston most people see in their minds’ eyes is not the Johnston Zampese was using.
Divisional Playoff vs. Philadelphia, January 7, 1996
(For clarity, I’m going to use Joe Gibbs’ term H-back, when Johnston lines up on a wing, outside an OT or TE Jay Novacek.)
Series two, after a three and out:
- Play one — Johnston lines up as an H-back, on the wing outside LT Mark Tuinei and motions wide of Michael Irvin, making Johnston the flanker and Irvin the slot back when the ball is snapped.
- Play two — Johnston lines up as an H-back flanking TE Novacek who is on the left; then motions to be the wing outside RT Erik Williams at the snap.
- Play three — Johnston here begins the play as the flanker left, outside of Irvin, then motions into the left slot at the snap and runs a shallow cross.
- Play four — Johnston lines up as the traditional straight-I fullback and leads Smith on a draw.
- Play five — Johnston starts as a straight-I fullback and again motions to left flanker; Dallas runs a “naked” draw for Smith.
- Play six — Johnston lines up as the H-back on the left, with Novacek strong right. The Moose runs a quick out into the left flat.
Notice, six different plays, with four different roles for Johnston. He was a flanker, a flexed tight end in the slot, an H-back on the edge of the offensive line and, for one play, a true I-formation fullback. This is precisely the way Garrett uses his F-backs today. And note this was not a one series change-up role by Zampese. Here’s how Johnston lined up in the first half of that game:
| Position | Number of Plays at Position |
| Fullback, in a Straight I or Offset I | 8 |
| H-back | 7 |
| Flexed Tight end, in the slot | 2 |
| Flexed Tight End, flanking the Split End | 3 |
Daryl Johnston was the original F-back, what people call the second tight end in the current scheme. Only 40 percent of his snaps found him in the backfield. 25% of his snaps found him out among the receivers.
Note his receiving production in relation to Novacek’s in the last three years they played together, the overlap between the last Turner and first Zampese seasons:
- Jay Novacek, ‘03 through ‘05 — 51 catches per season;
- Daryl Johnston ‘03 through ‘05 — 42 catches per season.
About the ratio people would envision from a two-TE set if Martellus Bennett ever lived up to his draft position, no?
The Moose was a battering ram, who could line up anywhere on the field, and produce in the passing game. Nowadays, Jason Garrett is trying to take college tight ends who lined up everywhere and teach them to flex into the backfield and mash inside linebackers. He hasn’t found the guy who can do this play-after-play, at least not yet, so he keeps trying. What he hasn’t changed is his playbook. Turner and Zampese would feel comfortable calling many of these plays. After all, they integrated them in the Cowboys attack.
Monday: Who is the best candidate to become the current full-time F-back?
Cowboys Offense 2010: Old Moose Wine in New Bottles
May 27, 2010
Tony Gutierrez - AP
John Phillips (89) and Scott Sicko (86) will compete to be the Cowboys full-time F-back. Is either one of them the best choice? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Daryl Johnston was the Cowboys’ Original F-Back
The Cowboys make regular investments in the tight end position, both high in the draft and low. Jason Witten was snagged at the top of the 3rd round in 2003 and got some serious consideration at the top of the 2nd round that year. Martellus Bennett was a low 2nd round pick in 2008 and carried the highest of 2nd round grades on Dallas’ draft board that year. In between, the Cowboys picked Anthony Fasano with their 2006 2nd rounder.
The Cowboys also make a point of picking a tight end low each season to keep the position stocked. Bob Slowikoski (6th round, 2002) Sean Ryan (5th, 2004) and John Phillips (6th, 2009) fit this category. Dallas has picked a tight end in six of the last eight drafts. By contrast, Dallas has picked just one fullback in that span, that being Deon Anderson in 2007.
The emphasis on tight ends has led to a flurry of stories and speculation about the Cowboys “new” offense. I’ve fallen prey to the argument myself. Yet, a review of Dallas’ running game shows that Jason Garrett runs basically the same attack which Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese put on the field in the ’90s. Garrett has to mix and match lead blockers for his halfbacks, but the schemes are still the same.
Heading into 2010, the two tight end discussion has again begun. The team looks forward to better play from second-year man John Phillips, who got extensive time as the team’s F-back as the 2009 campaign progressed. The team uses the term F-back, where others call the position an H-back. The player is a hybrid fullback/tight end, who can line up on the end of the line of scrimmage next to a tackle, on a wing outside an OT or a TE or in the backfield as a fullback. Fans are also intrigued by priority UFA Scott Sicko, who has Phillips’ measurables, and much more speed.
For the next couple of days, I want to look at the F-back position and will conclude on Monday by offering my pick for this year’s F-back starter, a player who might surprise some of you. Today, I want to step back roughly 15 years to show there is nothing new about the F-back position. The Triplet Cowboys used the same schemes we see now, but had one guy doing the F-back work, instead of the four who share the job now.
F Stands for Fullback, Flexed Back and Flanker Back
Then, as now, the Dallas Cowboys run an I-based attack. The team wants a power running game, and runs nearly all its plays with a tailback set seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, directly behind the quarterback. Occasionally, when Dallas goes to a spread set, with three or four receivers, the tailback will be the lone player behind the QB.
On most first and second down plays, and on most short yardage 3rd-down plays, the Cowboys will put a fullback in the backfield, either directly between the QB and the HB, in a straight-I set, or, more frequently, behind one of the guards to give the “off-set-I” look:
SE LT LG C RG RT TE
QB FL
FB
TB
Here is perhaps the most common Dallas formation of the ’90s, the 21 set, with two backs, one tight end and two receivers. Here you see the offset-I, with the fullback set to the weak side, away from the tight end. The Cowboys can also offset the fullback to the strong side, giving a more power-I look.
From ‘91 through ‘93, when Norv Turner was calling the plays, the fullback deployed behind a guard or center on almost every play when he was on the field. The bread and butter plays of Dallas attack, the lead draw, the isolation runs, the off tackle runs, the “power” counter traps, all called for the fullback Daryl Johnson to attack linebackers deployed behind and between the defensive ends.
When Zampese replaced Turner in ‘94, he began to move Johnston around, and made him more the F-back Cowboys fans see today. I’ve gone back to a key Cowboys game from their last title season to show that the Johnston most people see in their minds’ eyes is not the Johnston Zampese was using.
Divisional Playoff vs. Philadelphia, January 7, 1996
(For clarity, I’m going to use Joe Gibbs’ term H-back, when Johnston lines up on a wing, outside an OT or TE Jay Novacek.)
Series two, after a three and out:
- Play one — Johnston lines up as an H-back, on the wing outside LT Mark Tuinei and motions wide of Michael Irvin, making Johnston the flanker and Irvin the slot back when the ball is snapped.
- Play two — Johnston lines up as an H-back flanking TE Novacek who is on the left; then motions to be the wing outside RT Erik Williams at the snap.
- Play three — Johnston here begins the play as the flanker left, outside of Irvin, then motions into the left slot at the snap and runs a shallow cross.
- Play four — Johnston lines up as the traditional straight-I fullback and leads Smith on a draw.
- Play five — Johnston starts as a straight-I fullback and again motions to left flanker; Dallas runs a “naked” draw for Smith.
- Play six — Johnston lines up as the H-back on the left, with Novacek strong right. The Moose runs a quick out into the left flat.
Notice, six different plays, with four different roles for Johnston. He was a flanker, a flexed tight end in the slot, an H-back on the edge of the offensive line and, for one play, a true I-formation fullback. This is precisely the way Garrett uses his F-backs today. And note this was not a one series change-up role by Zampese. Here’s how Johnston lined up in the first half of that game:
| Position | Number of Plays at Position |
| Fullback, in a Straight I or Offset I | 8 |
| H-back | 7 |
| Flexed Tight end, in the slot | 2 |
| Flexed Tight End, flanking the Split End | 3 |
Daryl Johnston was the original F-back, what people call the second tight end in the current scheme. Only 40 percent of his snaps found him in the backfield. 25% of his snaps found him out among the receivers.
Note his receiving production in relation to Novacek’s in the last three years they played together, the overlap between the last Turner and first Zampese seasons:
- Jay Novacek, ‘03 through ‘05 — 51 catches per season;
- Daryl Johnston ‘03 through ‘05 — 42 catches per season.
About the ratio people would envision from a two-TE set if Martellus Bennett ever lived up to his draft position, no?
The Moose was a battering ram, who could line up anywhere on the field, and produce in the passing game. Nowadays, Jason Garrett is trying to take college tight ends who lined up everywhere and teach them to flex into the backfield and mash inside linebackers. He hasn’t found the guy who can do this play-after-play, at least not yet, so he keeps trying. What he hasn’t changed is his playbook. Turner and Zampese would feel comfortable calling many of these plays. After all, they integrated them in the Cowboys attack.
Monday: Who is the best candidate to become the current full-time F-back?
Names Penciled In And Names In Ink: The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Defensive Starters
May 27, 2010
LM Otero - AP
Who will be penciled in at defensive end? The Cowboys hope Jason Hatcher can push Marcus Spears for his starting spot.
The Dallas defense is clearly a talented unit. More than half of the names expected to start in 2010 are former first-round picks. They’ve even acquired starting quality players in the seventh round, such as Jay Ratliff and new starting free safety Alan Ball.
Most of the names on this side of the ball are written in ink on the Cowboys depth chart. A couple, such as Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware are the best at what they do in the entire league. There are, though, a couple of aging veterans and a couple of guys who will be looking over their shoulders come training camp.
In the last two drafts, the Cowboys have selected 11 players on defense to just six on offense. While they are by no means desperate for starters, there looks to be a push to develop young talent on all three levels of the defense. The ‘07 guys, Ball and Anthony Spencer, are making their mark now while the ‘08 cornerback duo of Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick form a talented trio with veteran Terence Newman.
The 11 defenders whose names finished the ‘09 season atop the depth chart will definitely see at least one change because of FS Ken Hamlin’s release.
- Defensive Line: RE Igor Olshansky, NT Jay Ratliff, LE Marcus Spears
- Linebackers: WLB DeMarcus Ware, MOLB Keith Brooking, MILB Bradie James, SLB Anthony Spencer
- Secondary: RCB Mike Jenkins, LCB Terence Newman, FS Ken Hamlin, SS Gerald Sensabaugh
Depending on how the 2010 season shakes out, there may be more name changes than what we can expect to see when the team takes the field September 12 in Washington.
The Defensive Line
Ratliff commands the middle and is essentially the heart of the front seven. It’s got to be tough on the coaches to take a player of his caliber off the field, even in subpackages. The only competition at this nose guard position will be who will be Ratliff’s primary backup. Junior Siavii is penciled in there and will have to prove himself against the likes of 7th-rounder Sean Lissemore and UDFA Junior Aumavae.
At one end position Olshansky’s name is in ink, at least for running downs. Behind him, Stephen Bowen plays the 1990s-Jim-Jeffcoat role. Bowen, who was atop the team leaderboard in quarterback pressures last season, could also vie for a starting role opposite Olshansky. While Bowen may get more pass-rushing opportunities, incumbent starter Marcus Spears knows that his job on first and second downs is to hold the line and keep guards off his linebackers.
Spears says he knows he’s played well because the defense ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed per game, while Bradie James and Keith Brooking combined for 337 tackles.
“That’s how I gauge myself, honestly,” Spears said. “When I look at film, I look at ‘Did I let that guard get to Bradie? Did I let those guys off the line? Are my linebackers free making plays? Am I making the plays that I’m supposed to make?’ And not a lot of times this year I can say that didn’t happen. I’ll continue to gauge it off that because that’s my job.”
Because of draft day trade rumors, Spears is one of the only starters on defense who doesn’t have his name tattooed on the first team unit. This camp, the Cowboys will see whether Bowen or fifth-year player Jason Hatcher are ready to assume a starting role. Both will make more money than Spears this year, who hasn’t had any success in talks regarding a contract extension with the team.
And the Cowboys have hopes that Marcus Dixon will be able to contribute to the 53-man roster this year. With his presence, that should boost a guy like Hatcher up the depth chart. Hatcher, being a better run defender than Bowen, looks like the favorite to unseat Spears.
The Linebackers
Ware, Brooking, James, and Spencer are all locks to resume their starting positions. Together, they are arguably one of the finer linebacking quartets in the league.
Behind Ware and Spencer on the outside, second-year players Brandon Williams and Victor Butler should provide quality depth. Look for Coach Phillips to try to rotate Williams and Butler in on subpackages, much like he did to some success with Butler last season. Both will still be learning to play up as OLBs, but we should see one or both along the line on third downs.
After tearing his ACL last year, Williams has shown in OTAs that he has an impressive first step.
“It’s the first day he’s really let it loose more,” Phillips said. “He got a feel last week. In fact, I went to the trainer and said, ‘Is he OK?’ the first day, and Jim (Maurer) said he’s going to feel his way for a little while but then he’s going to get more and more confidence.
“And then today he was coming off the ball like he did last year in his pass rush.”
Behind the inked-in “Mo” (Brooking) and “Mike” (James) linebackers are Jason Williams and rookie Sean Lee, respectively. With the trading of Bobby Carpenter, a semi-starting role as the nickel LB has opened up. This will be a fun training camp battle to watch, but I have a feeling the deciding factor will be how Williams and Lee perform in the preseason. Also, we can’t forget about Stephen Hodge. He too could be in the mix, but his recovery from microfracture surgery will keep him from practicing until training camp.
While the coaches will try to get both Williams and Lee on the field some this season, I’m predicting that Williams is penciled in more heavily at the nickel LB spot over Lee. His speed seems perfect for the role, and the coaches had a year to develop him.
These are two young talents, so there is a high possibility that one of the two will be starting in place of Brooking in 2011. Whoever wins the nickel LB spot this year could have the advantage.
TheSecondary
The Cowboys are set at CB #s 1, 2, and 3 with Jenkins, Newman, and Scandrick, who in the nickel is a semi-starter. The team is looking for a fourth CB, which is a position that will be up for grabs between Cletis Gordon, Marquis Floyd, and rookies Jamar Wall, and Bryan McCann. Recently, this was a role manned by Alan Ball. But he will see most of his training camp work fighting for the starting free safety gig.
We all know that Ball isn’t a Mack Truck in regards to size, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play well as a free safety.
“I’ve been playing football all my life, and I’ve been — ‘quote-unquote’ — undersized all my life,” he said after opening organized team activities last week as the starter at the position, where he filled in last year during Ken Hamlin’s injury absence.
“But I am here today, and I am still ready to continue to play.”
Wade Phillips says that Ball, being 6′1″ 190, may be relatively small; although, he is not all that concerned about it. And secondary coach Dave Campo thinks that Ball’s time as a starter last season will help him further with his “inside” tackling techniques.
“His tackling and stuff, in the ballgames, because of his size, is really the only drawback on him,” Phillips said. “I think he’s going to be a really good free safety-type guy. Our free safety wasn’t involved in a lot of the tackling, anyway.”
Campo said Ball’s four starts last season lessened some of the concerns.
“What he did in those four games, how he improved his tackling in the open field, those are all things that he didn’t have to do as a corner,” Campo said. “At corner he did everything from the outside in. It’s like an angle. It’s harder to play inside when you’ve got an open field.”
Although Dallas drafted Akwasi Owusu-Ansah with the expectations of moving him to FS, Ball’s main competition for the starting spot this year will come from Michael Hamlin. At 6′2″ 212 pounds, Hamlin offers a bigger, more physical presence than Ball. Though he lacks experience, it has been said that he is a smart, athletic player with excellent ball skills.
“Hamlin is big. He’s a physical guy, and he can catch the football,” Campo said. “He seemed to have pretty good instincts last year before he got hurt.”
Hamlin also offers the Cowboys some versatility, as he can also backup starting strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Also back there are Patrick Watkins and UDFAs Barry Church and Danny McCray.
At this point, Ball’s name may be written in a little darker than Hamlin’s. With this being his fourth year in the league, his experience should help earn him the spot.
Although Alan Ball appears to be the frontrunner to replace Ken Hamlin, the younger Hamlin will push for playing time this summer. The Cowboys like Michael Hamlin’s instincts and physical style of play, and he has made a concerted effort to get stronger by adding 10-12 pounds in the offseason. At the very least, the Cowboys can use him on multiple special teams units.
Ball has been around long enough to take on Ken Hamlin’s “quarterback” duties as well. Though, I wouldn’t put it past the coaches to find ways to get Mike Hamlin some snaps in the regular season, especially if Ball is needed at CB.
When Jerry Jones began this offseason saying the Cowboys were going to be “aggressive” with their roster, he evidently did not mean via free agency. Any new starters on this squad would be players from the ‘09 team-players who have been developed, who the team is ready to see take that next step.
In analyzing the offense’s side of Dallas’ expected opening day roster, I found only two starting positions (RB and LG) written in pencil. With the exception of subpackage players, I found only two on defense as well: DE and FS.
Defensive Positions in Ink:
RE, NT, WLB, SLB, MOLB, MILB, CB1, CB2, SS
Defensive Positions* Penciled In:
LE, FS
*Nickel LB
If the Cowboys find themselves with four-and-a-half new starters on both sides of the ball, then that is a rather aggressive offseason. This is a tremendously talented football team, so the coaches must have a ton of faith in each new and returning starter. Of course, injuries can switch things up, but the competition the staff has created at these penciled-in positions may prove to be a team strength throughout the season.
Recently, Dallas has been criticized for drafting “backup” or role players on defense. With guys like Hatcher, Ball, and Hamlin all fighting for starting spots, there does seem to be a method to its drafting madness. And by this time next year, who knows? There could be a Lee, J. Williams, or even an Akwasi-Ansah atop the depth chart.
Names Penciled In And Names In Ink: The 2010 Dallas Cowboys Defensive Starters
May 27, 2010
LM Otero - AP
Who will be penciled in at defensive end? The Cowboys hope Jason Hatcher can push Marcus Spears for his starting spot.
The Dallas defense is clearly a talented unit. More than half of the names expected to start in 2010 are former first-round picks. They’ve even acquired starting quality players in the seventh round, such as Jay Ratliff and new starting free safety Alan Ball.
Most of the names on this side of the ball are written in ink on the Cowboys depth chart. A couple, such as Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware are the best at what they do in the entire league. There are, though, a couple of aging veterans and a couple of guys who will be looking over their shoulders come training camp.
In the last two drafts, the Cowboys have selected 11 players on defense to just six on offense. While they are by no means desperate for starters, there looks to be a push to develop young talent on all three levels of the defense. The ‘07 guys, Ball and Anthony Spencer, are making their mark now while the ‘08 cornerback duo of Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick form a talented trio with veteran Terence Newman.
The 11 defenders whose names finished the ‘09 season atop the depth chart will definitely see at least one change because of FS Ken Hamlin’s release.
- Defensive Line: RE Igor Olshansky, NT Jay Ratliff, LE Marcus Spears
- Linebackers: WLB DeMarcus Ware, MOLB Keith Brooking, MILB Bradie James, SLB Anthony Spencer
- Secondary: RCB Mike Jenkins, LCB Terence Newman, FS Ken Hamlin, SS Gerald Sensabaugh
Depending on how the 2010 season shakes out, there may be more name changes than what we can expect to see when the team takes the field September 12 in Washington.
The Defensive Line
Ratliff commands the middle and is essentially the heart of the front seven. It’s got to be tough on the coaches to take a player of his caliber off the field, even in subpackages. The only competition at this nose guard position will be who will be Ratliff’s primary backup. Junior Siavii is penciled in there and will have to prove himself against the likes of 7th-rounder Sean Lissemore and UDFA Junior Aumavae.
At one end position Olshansky’s name is in ink, at least for running downs. Behind him, Stephen Bowen plays the 1990s-Jim-Jeffcoat role. Bowen, who was atop the team leaderboard in quarterback pressures last season, could also vie for a starting role opposite Olshansky. While Bowen may get more pass-rushing opportunities, incumbent starter Marcus Spears knows that his job on first and second downs is to hold the line and keep guards off his linebackers.
Spears says he knows he’s played well because the defense ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed per game, while Bradie James and Keith Brooking combined for 337 tackles.
“That’s how I gauge myself, honestly,” Spears said. “When I look at film, I look at ‘Did I let that guard get to Bradie? Did I let those guys off the line? Are my linebackers free making plays? Am I making the plays that I’m supposed to make?’ And not a lot of times this year I can say that didn’t happen. I’ll continue to gauge it off that because that’s my job.”
Because of draft day trade rumors, Spears is one of the only starters on defense who doesn’t have his name tattooed on the first team unit. This camp, the Cowboys will see whether Bowen or fifth-year player Jason Hatcher are ready to assume a starting role. Both will make more money than Spears this year, who hasn’t had any success in talks regarding a contract extension with the team.
And the Cowboys have hopes that Marcus Dixon will be able to contribute to the 53-man roster this year. With his presence, that should boost a guy like Hatcher up the depth chart. Hatcher, being a better run defender than Bowen, looks like the favorite to unseat Spears.
The Linebackers
Ware, Brooking, James, and Spencer are all locks to resume their starting positions. Together, they are arguably one of the finer linebacking quartets in the league.
Behind Ware and Spencer on the outside, second-year players Brandon Williams and Victor Butler should provide quality depth. Look for Coach Phillips to try to rotate Williams and Butler in on subpackages, much like he did to some success with Butler last season. Both will still be learning to play up as OLBs, but we should see one or both along the line on third downs.
After tearing his ACL last year, Williams has shown in OTAs that he has an impressive first step.
“It’s the first day he’s really let it loose more,” Phillips said. “He got a feel last week. In fact, I went to the trainer and said, ‘Is he OK?’ the first day, and Jim (Maurer) said he’s going to feel his way for a little while but then he’s going to get more and more confidence.
“And then today he was coming off the ball like he did last year in his pass rush.”
Behind the inked-in “Mo” (Brooking) and “Mike” (James) linebackers are Jason Williams and rookie Sean Lee, respectively. With the trading of Bobby Carpenter, a semi-starting role as the nickel LB has opened up. This will be a fun training camp battle to watch, but I have a feeling the deciding factor will be how Williams and Lee perform in the preseason. Also, we can’t forget about Stephen Hodge. He too could be in the mix, but his recovery from microfracture surgery will keep him from practicing until training camp.
While the coaches will try to get both Williams and Lee on the field some this season, I’m predicting that Williams is penciled in more heavily at the nickel LB spot over Lee. His speed seems perfect for the role, and the coaches had a year to develop him.
These are two young talents, so there is a high possibility that one of the two will be starting in place of Brooking in 2011. Whoever wins the nickel LB spot this year could have the advantage.
TheSecondary
The Cowboys are set at CB #s 1, 2, and 3 with Jenkins, Newman, and Scandrick, who in the nickel is a semi-starter. The team is looking for a fourth CB, which is a position that will be up for grabs between Cletis Gordon, Marquis Floyd, and rookies Jamar Wall, and Bryan McCann. Recently, this was a role manned by Alan Ball. But he will see most of his training camp work fighting for the starting free safety gig.
We all know that Ball isn’t a Mack Truck in regards to size, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play well as a free safety.
“I’ve been playing football all my life, and I’ve been — ‘quote-unquote’ — undersized all my life,” he said after opening organized team activities last week as the starter at the position, where he filled in last year during Ken Hamlin’s injury absence.
“But I am here today, and I am still ready to continue to play.”
Wade Phillips says that Ball, being 6′1″ 190, may be relatively small; although, he is not all that concerned about it. And secondary coach Dave Campo thinks that Ball’s time as a starter last season will help him further with his “inside” tackling techniques.
“His tackling and stuff, in the ballgames, because of his size, is really the only drawback on him,” Phillips said. “I think he’s going to be a really good free safety-type guy. Our free safety wasn’t involved in a lot of the tackling, anyway.”
Campo said Ball’s four starts last season lessened some of the concerns.
“What he did in those four games, how he improved his tackling in the open field, those are all things that he didn’t have to do as a corner,” Campo said. “At corner he did everything from the outside in. It’s like an angle. It’s harder to play inside when you’ve got an open field.”
Although Dallas drafted Akwasi Owusu-Ansah with the expectations of moving him to FS, Ball’s main competition for the starting spot this year will come from Michael Hamlin. At 6′2″ 212 pounds, Hamlin offers a bigger, more physical presence than Ball. Though he lacks experience, it has been said that he is a smart, athletic player with excellent ball skills.
“Hamlin is big. He’s a physical guy, and he can catch the football,” Campo said. “He seemed to have pretty good instincts last year before he got hurt.”
Hamlin also offers the Cowboys some versatility, as he can also backup starting strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh. Also back there are Patrick Watkins and UDFAs Barry Church and Danny McCray.
At this point, Ball’s name may be written in a little darker than Hamlin’s. With this being his fourth year in the league, his experience should help earn him the spot.
Although Alan Ball appears to be the frontrunner to replace Ken Hamlin, the younger Hamlin will push for playing time this summer. The Cowboys like Michael Hamlin’s instincts and physical style of play, and he has made a concerted effort to get stronger by adding 10-12 pounds in the offseason. At the very least, the Cowboys can use him on multiple special teams units.
Ball has been around long enough to take on Ken Hamlin’s “quarterback” duties as well. Though, I wouldn’t put it past the coaches to find ways to get Mike Hamlin some snaps in the regular season, especially if Ball is needed at CB.
When Jerry Jones began this offseason saying the Cowboys were going to be “aggressive” with their roster, he evidently did not mean via free agency. Any new starters on this squad would be players from the ‘09 team-players who have been developed, who the team is ready to see take that next step.
In analyzing the offense’s side of Dallas’ expected opening day roster, I found only two starting positions (RB and LG) written in pencil. With the exception of subpackage players, I found only two on defense as well: DE and FS.
Defensive Positions in Ink:
RE, NT, WLB, SLB, MOLB, MILB, CB1, CB2, SS
Defensive Positions* Penciled In:
LE, FS
*Nickel LB
If the Cowboys find themselves with four-and-a-half new starters on both sides of the ball, then that is a rather aggressive offseason. This is a tremendously talented football team, so the coaches must have a ton of faith in each new and returning starter. Of course, injuries can switch things up, but the competition the staff has created at these penciled-in positions may prove to be a team strength throughout the season.
Recently, Dallas has been criticized for drafting “backup” or role players on defense. With guys like Hatcher, Ball, and Hamlin all fighting for starting spots, there does seem to be a method to its drafting madness. And by this time next year, who knows? There could be a Lee, J. Williams, or even an Akwasi-Ansah atop the depth chart.
Orlando Scandrick suffers broken finger; Dez Bryant slight hip pointer.
May 27, 2010
Orlando Scandrick suffers broken finger; Dez Bryant slight hip pointer.
While Bryant’s injury is not considered serious, Scandrick’s required surgery.
From the DMN:
Scandrick used the word shattered to describe the finger and said it will be three to four weeks before the pin that was inserted will be removed.
“I don’t see myself catching any balls until camp starts,” said Scandrick, who kept a scheduled appearance at a basketball game to benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters on Wednesday, even though he was unable to play.
Hat tip to BlueKnight for the FanShot.
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