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• Training Camp

Early Scouting ‘09 — Look to Offensive Line

Before camp started, a source told me that offensive line was probably the top priority going into the ‘08 campaign, as the Cowboys had concerns about their depth.

That same source told me today that line depth remains the biggest area of concern on the team.  I wrote last week that Cory Procter and James Marten struggled against the Chargers and Joe Berger played poorly against the Broncos.  Doug Free looks solid at LT but Pat McQuistan has been hot-and-cold under Hudson Houck’s tutelage.  He looked more stable to my eyes against Denver but looked more consistent in ‘07.

Offensive and defensive lines are the hardest positions to find, at any time of the year so don’t look for Dallas to get lucky plucking anybody off waivers.  Any young lineman who hits the market will have multiple claims put on him and the Cowboys have one of the last slots in the claim order.

Hope that the linemen stay healthy again this year, especially at the center and guard positions.

Other tasty crumbs from the source:

– the Cowboys are NOT nervous about their WR play, even with Miles Austin’s setback.  “They want to see the young guys play,” I was told.  I’ll say it again.  Watch Isaiah Stanback carefully against Houston.  He’ll get a lot more reps with the second unit and while he’s not as far along as Austin, he is improving.  Hold off on those Anquan Boldin trade packages, folks, at least for the time being.

– Dallas is happy with the safety play as well.  Take an early bow, Roy Williams.  And does this mean that Courtney Brown has a chance to make the final roster?  He made some plays on the line of scrimmage late against Denver, knifing in from the edge to spill a Broncos runner in the backfield.  On the other hand, he was also victimized by a long bootleg pass on a 4th-and-1 play.  These next two games are huge for him.

– I asked about the John Beck-to-Dallas rumors and was told that the characterizations from the Miami press, that Dallas had shown “mild interest” were “a nice choice of words.”  I take it there’s not much to this story.

Corner Watch, Post-Denver

Corner is supposed to be a new strength on the team. How did they play, with Terence Newman out of the lineup:

Here are the six guys behind Newman in the pecking order:

Anthony Henry:

• Thrown at: 3
• Completions: 3
• Yards: 54

Eddie Royal blew up Henry’s line with a 32 yard catch where Henry got his hands on the ball but could not bat it away from the Bronco. Played soft on a Brandon Marshall comeback on the next play and surrendered a four yarder later.

Mike Jenkins

• Thrown at: 4
• Completions: 4
• Yards: 54

Welcome to the NFL rookie. Denver went after him on their opening drive. Brandon Marshall ran him off on a comeback; Jenkins was still running up the field when Marshall made his cut. Denver then crossed him up, running a stop and go to Royal that got Jenkins to bite. He slipped, letting Royal cruise for 35. Marshall ended Jenkins’ evening by executing Sprint Right Option, otherwise known to Dallas fans as “The Catch” play. Marshall ran what looked like a square in, then pivoted and took off for the deep right corner, where he caught Jay Cutler’s pass for a touchdown.

Evan Oglesby

• Thrown at: 6
• Completed: 3
• Yards: 37

A decent line, but it’s actually less than meets the eye. Twice he was beaten but saw his receivers drop the passes, at eight and 19 yards. Brandon Stokley beat him with ease when the Broncos starters were in. Oglesby’s good camp work may be eroding, because…

Adam Jones

• Thrown at: 4
• Completed: 3
• Yards: 6

How about that YPA of 1.5. Jones looked much more comfortable than he did in San Diego. His tackling was much better and he dropped an interception. He’ll likely start in the nickel on the right corner, with Newman playing the slot when teams go three wide. If Jones continues to play this way, Oglesby is back on the bench, and the fans will resume their chants to get Anthony Henry benched too.

Mike Lombardi said on last week’s show that Jones is not Deion Sanders. Who is these days? If Jones can play nickel corner like this, we’ll all be ecstatic. Jacques Reeves could never sub like this.

Orlando Scandrick

• Thrown at: 1
• Completed: 1
• Yards: 0

Scandrick’s lone throw was a memorable one. He blew up Broncos wideout Glenn Martinez on the goalline; Scandrick tracked his man into the end zone, saw Martinez cutting beneath him, released his original WR and rolled up to pop Martinez. The kid is making big hits on a regular basis. He also came within an eyelash of blocking a field goal and had a 32 yard kickoff return. Those are three good ways to keep yourself on the active roster on Sundays.

Alan Ball

• Thrown at: 4
• Completed: 1
• Yards: 20

Another less-than-meets-the-eye line. Ball took a penalty on one of the other plays, escaped a completion on another play because Marcus Smith tipped the ball and avoided being beaten for a TD on a fade when Patrick Ramsey’s pass floated wide and out of bounds. Ball looked lost on a couple of these plays and needs to make some positive plays to earn another year on the roster.

– Two weeks ago, Oglesby looked like he might force the coaches to keep six corners. He looked pretty good against San Diego but Adam Jones and Orlando Scandrick have probably jumped him in the pecking order. Oglesby still has a decent chance but he’ll need big games against Houston and Minnesota to turn momentum back in his favor. If the decision had to be made today, I think Dallas would keep five corners.

The Sports Doctors 08/19/08 Podcast

In today’s episode, The Sports Doctors discuss the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Denver Broncos from the past Saturday. Tune in and discuss and Rafael talks about the bright spots and low lights of the game.

Browns Unis Offend Football Gods, Lead to Their Humiliation by the Giants

Anybody else watch the Giants-Browns tilt Monday night? It looked like an intriguing matchup of teams Dallas will face this year, but it was a pushover, with New York racing to a 30-3 lead just three minutes into the second quarter.

Cleveland’s offense looked awful. Their defense looked worse. Their special teams worse still. The final embarrassment came when Jamal Lewis fumbled the ball inside the Giants five, only to see it returned for a touchdown. Add Derek Anderson’s concussion and it was a forgettable night for the Browns.

I blame their uniforms.

Look at these abominations:

They’re absolutely schizophrenic. The jerseys are classic Browns, circa 1955. Otto Graham wore that shirt. So did Jim Brown. The pants, on the other hand, are something from Flashdance. All that’s missing are the leg warmers. And dig those two-tone, color-coordinated shoes. Even the cleats match!

Cleveland has one of the most understated, influential uniforms around. The helmets lack a side decal. The white-on-white unis started the home-white trend years before the Cowboys existed. Look at the Packers’ jerseys. Knockoffs of Cleveland’s, especially the sleeves. Look at the Dolphins’ uniforms from their glory days of the early ’70s. They’re replicas of the Browns’ ’50s unis, with aqua and orange replacing the orange and dark brown.

Tonight, Cleveland defamed that uniform, and you can just imagine the ghosts of Paul Brown and Marion Motley shaking their heads in disgust, then causing mischief with the football. All-black, spandex pants look good on Olympic sprinters, not on flabby, big-butted 345 pound linemen. (T.O. wears tights like this — under his regular uniform pants.) The Browns are football players, but they look like they’re late for a Richard Simmons aerobic session.

You simply can’t win looking like this, and Cleveland didn’t come close.

God, I hope the Browns wear them again on opening day against the Cowboys.

Next Up: Stanback

Miles Austin’s sprained MCL means more reps for the guys down the receivers totem. This means Isaiah Stanback will get more reps, as he’s running 5th, behind Austin and Sam Hurd.

He’s still learning the position, having missed San Antonio’s camp with his foot in a walking boot. All his peers were complementary of him in Oxnard, especially Patrick Crayton, who said he’s just beginning to understand how to rely on his technique to build on his incredible physical skills.

He’s not as far along as Austin was, but let’s remember this is Austin’s third year on the roster. Stanback has been working very hard, staying after practice to quiz both Ray Sherman and Bruce Read on receiving and special team’s techniques. He’s eager to get on the field any way possible and made as impression as a kick returner. He may become one of the preferred two there because he worked very hard on his blocking when kickoffs went to the other deep returner. He’s also good with the ball in his hands, posting a 32 yard return early against Denver.

He’s been running hard and catching everything thrown his way in the games, but the reads have not brought the ball his way as much as he would like, working with the third units. He’ll get his reps with the second unit now.

Make the most of it, sir. The team needs you.

Austin’s setback raises the question of whether Dallas will keep six receivers or pursue a veteran. This might open the door for a Danny Amendola, but he might be looking for a practice squad spot shortly thereafter if Austin makes a speedy rehab. Much will depend on how guys like Erik Walden, Courtney Brown and Marcus Dixon do. Dixon has yet to make the field and is looking more and more like a practice squad candidate, though the coaches are eager to get him on the field.

Know that there won’t be any quality receivers available this time of the year, unless a team loses its mind. Two weeks ago, I had former Cowboys’ scout and Galloway & Company regular Bryan Broaddus on my show and asked him how hard it is to obtain a wide receiver at this time of the year.

He recounted an offer he fielded for the Cowboys years ago:

“For some reason the Bengals were fed up with T.J. Houshmanzadeh and they really liked James Whalen, a light, speed tight end from Kentucky we had at that time. They offered to swap them straight up and I was ready to make the deal… I asked them, ‘do you want me to file the papers right now?’ [with the NFL] and they took a step back and said, ‘let us think about this overnight.’ They didn’t follow through on the deal. That’s the closest I’ve ever come to seeing a deal for a good receiver. They’re just not available…”

Any receiver Dallas did claim would likely not be better than what’s already on the roster, would be trying to learn the playbook from scratch and would be a placeholder until Austin is healthy again.

Dallas can re-gain Terry Glenn, but if the team feels Austin can play consistently as he has the last two weeks, why stand in his way? The Cowboys are guardedly optimistic he can return for Cleveland, and even if he misses one game, Austin seems the best option at the moment.

The Sports Doctors 08/05/08 Podcast

For those of you who missed it, the interview with Drew Pearson on The Sports Doctors was awesome. Click below to listen to Tuesday’s broadcast.

2nd Half Thread

2nd & 4 — pass to Lattimore.  Gain of four.  GAME OVER.

1st & 10 — Bartel scrambles to 38

kickoff — Scandrick returns to Dallas 32.

Kick — good. Denver 23, Dallas 13

3rd & 10 — run middle, stopped by Smith for no gain.

2nd & 8 — bootleg run right for loss of two. Timeout Dallas — 1:32 remains.

1st & 10 — run middle. Siavii stops after gaine of two. Timeout, Dallas — 1:41 remains.

3rd & 3 — bootleg right, complete to TE for eight yards.

Denver 2nd & 5 — run up the middle, Remi Ayodele stops for no gain.

Denver 1st & 10 — power left, gain of seven.

4th & 5 — Bartel intercepted. Bartel tackles linebacker. Bartel expected his tight end to curl but the TE stopped.

3rd & 10 — pass to Hannah over middle. Gain of five.

2nd & 10 — pump and go, incomplete. Bartel was pressured but had man oepn fo ra TD.

1st & 10 — pass right, incomplete.

1st & 10 — Pass left to Amendola, gain of thirteen.

1st & 10 — Draw, Lattimore, gain of twelve.

2nd & 1 — draw Lattimore, gain of twelve.

1st & 5 — Draw, Lattimore, gain of four.

1st & 10 — penalty, illegal contact,

Dallas 1st & 10 at own 24. Deep out to Rodney Hannah, gain of 20.

2nd & 10 — Inc.

1st & 10 — go route on Oglesby, incomplete.

kickoff fumbled in end zone, touchback

Kick — Good, Denver 20, Dallas 13.

3rd & 6 — Pass to Hannah broken up.

2nd & 11 — Bartel runs right for six.

1st & 10 — Coleman stretch right thrown for one yard loss.

1st & 10 — pass middle to Hannah to Denver 14.

1st & 10 — pass middle to Hannah for sixteen.

2nd & 8 — fade left, caught by Lowder to Denver 40.

1st & 10 — toss right to Coleman, gain of two.

kickoff – five yards deep into end zone, TOUCHBACK

Kick — good, Denver 20, Dallas 10

Martinez down on field.

3rd & goal — pass into left flat to Martinez. Scandrick BLOWS HIM UP after two yard gain.

2nd & goal — fade right to Russell, incomplete.

1st & goal — stretch right, Carpenter stop at four.

4th & 1 — Timeout. Bootleg right, complete to Keary Colbert, to Dallas five on Courtney Brown.
3rd & 2 — toss right, gain of one.

2nd & 4 — Handoff left, Brown on tackle, gain of two.

END OF 3RD QUARTER.

Punt fair caught at the Dallas 41.

3rd & 9 — Pass middle, incomplete. Bartel is holding the ball too long.

2nd & 9 — Bartel pass right to Stanback batted down.

1st & 10 — Choice middle for one.

Punt — allowed to bounce, downed at the Dallas three.

3RD & 7 — Pass incomplete.

2nd & 9 — Pass left, Colbert, Jones on stop after two yard gain.

1st & 10 — Pittmans stretch right, Marcus Smith tackle after one.

3rd & 4 — pass middle to Pittman, Jones and Carpenter stop after five.

2nd & 7 — pass left to Russell, Jones on stop after three yard gain. Pacman is jumping every route and will get one if Ramsey keeps testing him.

Denver, 1st & 10 — Pittman left, Carpenter and Smith on tackle after three.

3rd & 11 — Bartel runs for no gain. FLAG on Dallas, declined. Punt to Denver 28, tackles by host of Cowboys at Denver 33.

2nd & 11 — screen right, incomplete.

1st & 10 — Bartel in at QB. Choice toss left, loss of one.

Kickoff — Stanback five yards deep, touchback.

Kick — good, Denver 17-Dallas 10.

3rd & pass left, tipped, incomplete.

2nd & 7 — Power left, — Hatcher and Walden on stop after one.

1st & 10 — Pittman left, Carpenter on stop after three.

3rd & 7 — Ramsey finds Russell up right side to Dallas 18, Brown on stop.

2nd & 8 — Pittman right. Carpenter stop for one yard.

1st & 10 — stretch right by Pittman for two. JUSTIN ROGERS INJURED ON PLAY.

1st & 10 — Ramsey pressured, lofts ball INTERCEPTED BY WATKINS. FLAG — ILLEGAL CONTACT ON BALL.

Choice blocks punt, punter runs ball 20 yards up the right side for 1st down.

3rd & 5 — pass left, Jones drops a possible pick. Good pressure on twist left by Walden.

2nd & 5 — quick pass right, Jones on tackle for no gain.

1st & 10 — Stretch left for five.

Kickoff — Folk to the one, Bennett tackles at 26.

Kick — Folk good from 43. Denver 14, Dallas 10.

3rd & 13 — Throw middle to Curtis for seven.

2nd & 10 — Choice thrown for three yard loss.

1st & 10 — Incomplete throw left to Julius Crosslin.

(Miles Austin said to have “knee sprain.”)

2nd & 1 — Crosslin on dive for three yards.

1st & 10 — Johnson to Choice in right flat for 9 yards.

2nd & 10 — Johnson to Bennett for 12 yards, breaking a tackle over the middle.

1st & 10 — Jones left for no gain.

1st & 10 — Johnson toss center to Felix Jones, sprints for 28 to Dallas 48.

Instant Halftime Analysis

The Cowboys are partly in sync, partly out. Jay Cutler is sharp and that’s making them look sluggish.

Positives:

1. Special teams coverage is much better.

2. Miles Austin made two huge plays on Dallas’ TD drive, though he got up holding his right knee on the ensuring kickoff and was having the knee examined on the sideline.

3. Felix Jones looks active, though he was flagged for a holding penalty.

4. Adam Jones looked great on a 25 yard punt return. He needs to be reminded you can’t spike the ball after a big play.

Not So Hot

– Flozell Adams has been rock steady in camp but he looks sleepy tonight, getting beaten on a twist.

– tackling has been spotty. The Cowboys several times made contact with a Broncos runner in the backfield and didn’t wrap up.

– too many penalties.

Cowboys @ Broncos Live Blogging

Kick — Dallas gets heavy pressure off the right edge, Prater’s kick missed to left.

1st & 10 — Cutler spikes ball with 3 seconds.

1st & 10 — (:27 seconds) Cutler escapes big pressure to Marshall, tackled at Dallas 33.

2nd & 5 — Stokely, slant on Oglesby to midfield.

Toss right, gain of five.

3rd & 3 — Young draw for 5.

2nd & 10 — pass middle for 7.

Denver 1st & 10 — pass left incomplete.

Kickoff, returned to Dallas 23. Hurd on tackle. Austin gimping off the field. Having knee checked out on sideline.

3rd & goal — fade right to Austin, who tears ball from Foxworth, TOUCHDOWN, PAT good, Denver 14, Dallas 7.

2nd & goal from Denver five — rollout pass to Cruz, who drops ball at Denver 3.

1st & goal — Hurd, crossing route at Denver five.

3RD & 4 — Johnson stop and go to Austin to Denver nine. 37 yard gain.

TWO MINUTE WARNING.

2nd & 10 — toss to Curtis in left flat for six.

& 10 — Johnson, tackled for no gain.

2nd & 7 — throw middle to Stanback for 7. Pass was low, as Stanback had room to run after the catch but had to dive for the ball.

1st & 10 — Toss right to Felix for 3.

Punt to Adam Jones at Dallas 16, returns to Dallas 41. FLAG — ADAM JONES PENALIZED 5 YARDS FOR SPIKING THE BALL.

3rd & 13 — screen right, Ratliff tackles for two yard loss.

2nd & 10 — toss play, loss of three.

1st & 10 — pass right, incomplete.

3RD & 13 — pressure on Johnson, incomplete throw to Austin right.

3rd & 5 — completion to Anderson, FLAG — HOLDING FELIX JONES.

2nd & 13 — toss right, Jones, gain of 8.

1st & 10 — Johnson in as QB. Reverse, Hurd, loss of three

Punt — into end zone. Touchback.

3rd & 5 — pass middle broken up by James.

2nd & 6 — Hall stretch left, Ware stops after one.

1st & 10 — Hall, left tackle for 4.

1st & 10 — Cutler pressured left, pass incomplete. FLAG — INTERFERENCE ON WARE.

2nd & 4 — Cutler left to Stokely, in left slot. Oglesby on tackle, gain of 10.

1st & 10 — Young right, gain of six.

3rd & 2 — short cross middle gain of five.

2nd & 5 — Young, stretch right, tackled by James, gain of 2.

1st & 10 — stop left, Marshall, plus five.

Punt — Royal catches at Denver 17, tackled by Jenkins at 20. Flag - illegal block in the back. 10 yard penalty.

3rd & 4 — Romo floats right from slight pressure, overthrows Hurd, who’s open deep.

2nd & 7 — Barber, power right for 3.

Dallas 1st & 10 from its own 20 — Romo bootleg right to Curtis, plus 3.

Denver kickoff to Stanback, 8 yards deep. Touchback

2nd & goal — Cutler roll out right, toss TD to Marshall on Jenkins. PAT — good. 14-0 Denver

1st & goal — Hall middle for 6.

1st & 10 — Cutler left to Marshall on Henry. to Dallas 11.

1st & 10 — Cutler deep in to Royal left, outfights Henry.

END OF QUARTER

2nd & 4 — Andre Hall middle, bounces off three Cowboys and gets four yards for 1st down.

1st & 10 — Culter dumpoff middle. Thomas immediate tackle, plus 6.

3rd & 18 — Draw to Young, gain of 7. FLAG — PERSONAL FOUL, BRADIE JAMES.

2nd & 20 — Young inside, gain of 2.

2nd & 18 — Pass left to Royal, immediate tackle by Henry. Gain of 9. FLAG — HOLDING, DENVER.

2nd & 13 — flag — false start Denver.

2nd & 7 — flag, false start Denver.

Denver 1st & 10 from it’s 9 — Report on Canty, “bell rung” — Toss right, Young for 3. 2nd team line in the game.

4th & 9 — Penalty on Gurode. Punt fair caught at Denver 9.

4th & 4 — Flag — false start, 76.

3rd & 4 — three wide, Romo and Owens out of sycn, pass incomplete. Dallas going on 4th

2nd & 10 — toss right, Barber behind good Anderson block for 6.

1st & 10 — Romo, great protection, floats pass too high for Owens running deep crossing route.

2nd & 4 — counter right for 11 by Barber. Great lead by Witten

1st & 10 — great protection, play action delay to 24 for 6 yards.l

3rd & 4 — shotgun, quick throw right to 81 for 4.

2nd & 14 — Good protection, throw right to 81 on Paymah for 10.

1st & 15 — (at Dallas 25) — Barber power right for one. Ronnie Cruz working at FB with Anderson out.

1st and 10 — deadball foul for 12 men in Dallas huddle.

3rd & 1 — Showgun, quick toss right to Hurd for 5. Deadball personal foul on Colombo. 15 yard penalty. 1st and 10.

2nd & 8 — stop right to Owens for 7.

1st & 10 — Barber off LT for 2.

Denver kickoff — Stanback and Coleman deep. Stanback takes the ball one yard deep, cuts right and gets to the Dallas 32.

1st and goal – Andre Hall up the middle for at TD. Extra point good. Denver 7, Dallas 0.

4th & 1 — Young goes off RT for 5.

3rd & 8 — Cutler beats Ware pressure. Complete to Brandon Stokely over the middle. Oglesby tackes one foot short of 1st down.

2nd & 8 — Stretch play right. Thomas blows up Young for no gain.

1st & 10 — Pass left flat to FB. Zach Thomas stops for 2 yard gain.

2nd and 4 — Pass center to Marshall to Dallas 16.

1st & 10 — Young center for 6.

2nd & 3 — double move right to Eddie Royal. Mike Jenkins bites and falls down. 35 yard gain.

1st & 15 — throw right to Brandon Marshall for 12.

Chris Canty limping off the field.

1st & 10 — 2 TE, Pitch right, Selvyn Young for 5. Flag — holding, offense.

Line drive kickoff by Folk. Center return. Poor tackling, to the 35. Deon Anderson is wobbly after the play.

Rain in the forecast. Field is slippery in the humidity.

Cowboys in their whites tonight. No pre-game hoodoo by Denver.

8:02 — sticking with the TV crew of Laufenberg and Johnston. They’ve got Cowboys’ credentials.

7:57 — and we’re on. Welcome.

Cowboys vs. Broncos Preview: Punchers vs. Boxers. Plus: We’re Live Blogging the Game

Note:  I’ll be live-blogging the game for those who can’t watch in their markets.  Settle in here at 9 pm Central time.

It’s a boxing maxim that fights between fighters with different styles produce the best matches.  Two boxers can induce boredom by dancing around the ring.  Two sluggers can produce excitement in short doses, really short ones if one can outslug the other.  But a match between a boxer and a puncher can produce a compelling contrast;  can the boxer sting and jab and stay out of the slugger’s reach?  Can the usually slower power puncher show patience and exploit his power advantage?

Tonight, the Cowboys and Broncos will serve up the NFL’s version of the slugger/fighter matchup.  The Cowboys stress size and power on their offensive and defensive lines.  Their linebackers are speedy but also huge.  Zach Thomas and backup Kevin Burnett are just short of 230 lbs. but every other Dallas ‘backer weighs in between 240 and 265.  The Cowboys offensive line averages 327 lbs. with only one player, LG Kyle Kosier, under 318 lbs.

Denver, on the other hand, emphasizes speed and execution on both sides of the line.  The Broncos are adding more 300 pounders to their o-line mix but still have two starters who go 285-290.  On defense, the Broncos have only one defensive tackle above 300 lbs. and both of their 4-3 defensive ends weigh 260.  To contrast, Dallas’ TE Jason Witten outweighs ends Elvis Dumervil and John Engelberger.

Denver will try to slant, stunt and outquick the Cowboys.  Dallas will try to overpower the Broncos and will — if the Cowboys can catch them first.

Some players and matchups to watch:

– Denver’s Brandon Marshall vs. Anthony Henry and Adam Jones.  Marshall is a top-notch wideout and a big-time headache, with a litany of off the field problems.  He got the better of fellow bad boy Adam Jones in workouts this week.  Watch to see if Jones raises his game Saturday.  He’s struggling to get in sync with the NFL game after a year away and looked awful against the Chargers.

– Miles Austin vs. Dre Bly and Karl Paymah; Austin was a pleasant surprise last week and could be the second receiver the Cowboys desperately need.  Bly has been an above average corner the past few years and Paymah was a blue chipper as a nickel corner last year and will start in place of Champ Bailey, who will likely miss the game with an injury.  They’ll provide Austin with quality opposition.  If Austin reprises last week’s performance the Cowboys’ passing offense will be in much better shape.

– Andre Gurode vs. Dwayne Robertson.  The former Jet Robertson is Denver’s best run stuffer and made some plays in the Wednesday practices.  He’s got creaky knees so he’ll only get two series at the most.  Watch to see if Gurode can build on last week’s game, when he handled San Diego’s sumo Jamal Williams.

– Felix Jones vs. OLBs D.J. Williams and Nick Webster.  Jones made some huge plays against the big Chargers’ OLBs last week but will face some Tampa-2 style speed backers in Williams and Webster.  They’ll be a tougher challenge in space.

– Bobby Carpenter:  He’s been around the ball in camp and did well on pass plays versus San Diego.  He was under seige on running plays behind the leaky second-team Dallas D-line.  He’ll get a lot more reps this week with Kevin Burnett out.  See if his overall play improves with better protection.

– Martellus Bennett:  Hard Knocks gave the rookie a gut punch, showing his petulant, immature side.  He had some very exciting moments in camp, but was inconsistent.  He can make breathtaking plays when he’s focused.  Let’s see if he is tonight.

–  The punt coverage units:  will Bruce Read continue to rotate youngsters, in order to get a better look at his down-roster options, or will he go with a more set lineup, to get better consistency after last week’s forgettable game?

Curb Your Enthusiam On Adam

Just finished a very interesting interview with Michael Lombardi of the National Football Post and Sports Illustrated.  Lombardi worked with the Broncos last year, has good sources with the team and offered these insights on the Cowboys/Broncos workouts:

– the Cowboys are a physically impressive team that is pushing Denver around.  He said it would take “an impressive effort” for the Broncos to beat Dallas in a regular season game.

– fans should curb their enthusiasm about Adam Jones.  He wrote a critical piece on Jones’ woofing yesterday, when he told Broncos WR Brandon Marshall he “was no T.O.” and then watched Marshall beat him repeatedly.

I told him that the Jones I saw in Oxnard was hyper-aggressive, trying to jump every route and being beaten by double moves a lot.  He said this was Jones’ game and that fans should disabuse themselves of seeing Deion Sanders Jr. and think of Jones more as a nickel corner.  Jones’ real value, Lombardi claimed, would be as a punt returner.

–  He said the Cowboys biggest defensive weakness was two minute pass coverage;  the Cowboys were one of the worst teams last year in stopping opponents at the end of halves.  (Cue Giants flashback here.)  Dallas needs a bigger pass rush, in his opinion, to avoid a repeat.

– The biggest offensive question, in Lombardi’s opinion, is the offensive line’s condition.  He wants to see if the line can avoid late fades, of the type we saw in the playoff loss to New York.

You can hear the full inteview by clicking on “The Sports Doctors” tab just below the names on the masthead.  That will take you to our podcast archive page.

The Sports Doctors Bring You Second Opinions

You’ll get second and third opinions on the Dallas roster from two NFL specialists Thursday afternoon on “The Sports Doctors Show.”

In our first segment former Cowboys scout and “Galloway and Company” radio analyst Bryan Broaddus will offer his view of the team.  In the second segment former NFL personnel man and current CNNSI writer Michael Lombardi will address NFL questions.  Lombardi worked with the Broncos last year and can give us his views of the Broncos’ strengths and weaknesses, in addition to Dallas’.

Join us at 5 pm on 1240 KSOX radio or listen to our live stream right here on site.  As always we welcome your phone calls at 1-888-806-1661.

Instant Analysis — Chargers 31, Cowboys 17

With 13 minutes left in the game the Chargers had 31 points and just 132 yards of total offense.

Sloppy play, a hazard of the first practice game, helped the Chargers to a 31-17 win, as did some overzealous coverage. Danny Amendola’s fumble put Dallas in an early hole after the first teamers had made two stops on San Diego and the first offense drove the field.

I know that one concern early in practice was that the corners were playing a bit too aggressively, grabbing and holding too far down the field. The appearance of league referees was supposed to help the corners get a better understanding of what they can and cannot do, but the secondary guys will have to review the rules again, as Dallas was flagged on three Chargers TD drives, putting the ball inside the Cowboys ten each time. Consider:

1. The Chargers went 36 yards to the Dallas one on the first interference call;
2. The Chargers moved 28 yards to the Dallas four on an interference call against Alan Ball for their 3rd TD.
3. The Chargers moved 22 yards to the Dallas four on an PI call against Adam Jones and scored shortly thereafter.

The Cowboys have to be happy with their first teams, which dominated the ten minutes in which they played. The remainder of the game was a different story. Some bright spots and dim ones”

Bright sparks:

– Tony Romo — three for three on his lone TD drive. Got the ball out with ease, though the Chargers rushed five men on every throw.

– Jason Witten — caught the first two Romo darts. Threw an effective block on Marion Barber’s 13 yard scamper when he turned out his OLB, then raced upfield when Barber was clear to lead interference.

– Andre Gurode — pushed Jamal Williams around on Dallas’ drive, which is quite a feat. On Barber’s long run, Gurode threw Williams to the turf.

– Flozell Adams and Kyle Kosier — the left side of Dallas’ line caved in their opposites. They provided deep push on Barber’s TD run. His 13 yard scamper actually started right, but they pushed their guys well upfield and gave Barber a huge cutback lane. He was 10 yards upfield before he contacted anybody, and that was Witten’s backside.

– Tank Johnson — he got penetration and sacked Phillip Rivers on San Diego’s first throw.

– Felix Jones – you saw the explosiveness everybody talked about. Get him the ball in space and he’ll make linebackers and safeties look stupid. Blocked well too.

– Tashard Choice — relentless. Can slide, spin and accelerate quickly when the hole appears.

– Miles Austin — The Cowboys receivers practice catching the ball at its highest point every day. Austin had to catch several such passes in the second half because Richard Bartel was consistently high. Austin showed strong hands, something he didn’t display last year.

–

It was a tough day at the office for:

– Martellus Bennett — dropped his first pass and looked slow blocking on the edge when he stayed in.

– Tank Johnson — could be disruptive but was blown off the ball on Darren Sproles 5 yard TD run.

– Cory Proctor — interior linemen must anchor and prevent pressure right up the gut. I saw him jacked up and driven into Brad Johnson’s lap more than once.

– the core punt coverage team. The Justin Rogers, Pat Watkins, Bobby Carpenter, Kevin Burnett, L.P. Ladoceur group surrendered four long returns, almost all to their right. The third one set the Chargers up at the Dallas 31.

– Adam Jones — was juked by Chris Chambers on a deep in on his first series and was faked out of his jock by Jacob Hester on a 23 yard run early in the 3rd quarter. He was flagged for an 18 yard pass interference penalty one play later.

– the third D-line of Junior Siavii, Remi Ayodele and Marcus Smith was goal line fodder on the Chargers’ fourth TD.

Wednesday Brunch, Cowboys Camp, August 6th

Tivo Conumdrum

How popular are the Cowboys?  Two cable networks are counter programming Cowboys’ shows tonight and the preseason has not even started.  HBO will debut Hard Knocks at 9 pm Central time tonight and the NFL Network yesterday announced they would re-run The CBS broadcast of the Hail Mary playoff win over Minnesota this evening.  The Hail Mary game debuted on Monday and will re-air on Friday and Saturday, so you’ll have plenty of Cowboys’ steak to feast on before the Chargers game.

Goal Line Push

We’re in second-and-goal on our negotiations to re-up The Sports Doctors.  The brass likes the program but we’re appealing to you for more e-mail questions and call ins, especially on today’s broadcast with K.C. Joyner.  We’ll be streaming live from 5-6 pm CT right here on site.

Drew Pearson Checking In with The Sports Doctors

We’re starting our final week of broadcasting The Sports Doctors on ESPN 1240, but that doesn’t mean we’re slacking off on the content.

We are pleased to have as a guest on tomorrow’s The Sports Doctors show Cowboys legend Drew Pearson, who will be fielding posted suggested by bloggers as well as those who call into the show.

Please post your questions for the Cowboys great here on this thread. Or if you’re rather get on the air, you can call in at 888-806-1661 between 5 PM and 6 PM Central time on Tuesday.

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