What a performance by the Dallas Cowboys as they open the season with a 45-35 defeat of the New York Giants. This win did come at a price though, as the Cowboys lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson for the rest of the season. Add Ferguson to the players sidelined for Week 1, and the Cowboys are facing “Ship all banged up”* already this season.

For now, let’s focus on the huge win at home against a division rival.

The Good:
QB Tony Romo. If you had any doubts about Romo, put them away. He showed he is ready to lead this team and there were no signs that his psyche was affected by the bobbled snap in last year’s playoff loss to the Seahawks. On the day, Romo was 15/24 (63%) for a league leading 345 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT. Romo had an impressive 23 yards per completion which is incredible. He also ran in for a TD for good measure making sure he earned this weeks DCSR GAME BALL.

The Bad:
Injuries! It’s bad enough the Cowboys had to start the game without their No. 1 cover CB Terrance Newman, LB Greg Ellis and WR Terry Glenn. The Cowboys will now play the rest of the season without nose tackle Jason Ferguson, a crucial part of Phillips 3-4 defense. Ferguson suffered a torn right biceps tendon in the first quarter of the game and will miss the rest of the regular season.

The Ugly:
The Cowboys Defensive Secondary: Yes, the No. 1 cornerback was out of the starting lineup, but that is no reason that Eli “Happy Feet” Manning should be able to throw for 314 yards and 4 TDs.

 Episode 1.08 [32:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Filed under: Podcast Episode by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter

The Cowboys have their share of players that are all banged up, but the news is getting worse for their regular-season opener against their division rival, the New York Giants.

Head coach Wade Phillips confirmed in his press conference on Friday that WR Terry Glenn will not play against the Giants. Phillips also informed the media that the Cowboys medical staff is in the process of gathering more information on the knee injury that will sideline Glenn. Glenn was re-injured during his first practice after having arthroscopic knee surgery on the 1st of August.

Phillips also said that this knee injury is a new one, and does not relate to Glenn’s previous injury and that the receiver’s status beyond Sunday is not known.

Matt Mosley of ESPN, is reporting that Terry Glenn is actually out for the season, but that the Cowboys do not want to go public with that just yet. We shall see, and a story definitely worth keeping a close eye on.

Other injuries that are of concern, CB Terrance Newman missed practice again and although some feel he will be ready to go on Sunday night, others are not that sure. The defensive side of the ball has the most injuries. Besides Newman, the Cowboys are still unsure of LBs Greg Ellis and Kevin Burnett.

Steven’s Take:
Glenn will be missed, but if the Cowboys have strength on offense it is their receiving corp. WR Patrick Crayton will fill the No. 2 spot behind T.O. and Sam Mills and Miles Austin will have to step up and contribute. Look for TE Jason Witten to get more looks as well as RB Marion Barber to make catches coming out of the backfield.

The defensive side of the ball is where the Cowboys should be concerned. With the aggressive 3-4 defense the Cowboys will be running, linebackers are a necessity. With the injuries to Ellis and Burnett, the Cowboys will have 6 healthy linebackers, meaning they will only be able to rotate 2 players in and out of the lineup.

Filed under: Opinion, Team News by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter

The preseason is over! GREAT!

Steven cover the 23-14 loss at the hands of the Vikings. The game was a sloppy, preseason game which sole purpose was to evaluate younger players. Now, don’t get too carried away. Remember, this is just the preseason and the Cowboys didn’t use any starters while the Vikings did, albeit sparingly.

The Good:
Tight End Tony Curtis: Curtis showed that he was ready to be the backup to starter Jason Witten. He grabbed 5 passes for 44 yards and had one exciting TD catch.

The Bad:
Turnovers! The Cowboys had 5 turnovers in this sloppy game. QB Matt Moore certainly didn’t impress anyone with two fumbles, both which were recovered by the Vikinhgs..

The Ugly:
The entire game! There was better football being played in Texas high schools, than at the Metrodome.

In what’s up next, Steven says bring on the Giants, with Eli Manning and his “Happy Feet”.

 Episode 1.07 [34:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Filed under: Podcast Episode by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter

OK, that hurt. Losing to the Texans 28-16 in the third preseason game was not supposed to happen. But hey, it’s the preseason right? Isn’t that what everybody is saying?

Steven breaks down the game against the Houston Texans and looks at the good the bad and the ugly.

The Good:
The Passing game: Tony Romo was 14 of 22 for 197 yards and 2 TDs.

Wide Receivers: T.O. only caught one pass in the game but it was a good one.
2nd year wide receiver Sam Hurd is looking better and better every time we see him.

The Bad:
Well, we lost the Governor’s Cup! What could be worse than that?

The backup cornerbacks: With starter Terrance Newman out nursing an injury, the younger player at corner did not look impressive.

Rushing Defense: After holding the Colts and Broncos to 49 and 35 yards respectively on the ground, the Cowboys defense allowed the Texans to rush for 142 yards.

The Ugly:
Special Teams: The special teams were not so special!

Kickers: Is Martin “Automatica” Gramatica on his way out after missing an extra point and pulling a hammy?

 Standard Podcast [30:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Filed under: Podcast Episode by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter

Steven takes a shot at some Denver Broncos players, as safety John Lynch and others accuse the Cowboys of playing too hard for a preseason game.

We take a look at the offensive and defensive starters and their progress after their second preseason game against the Broncos. It seems the Cowboys can run the ball while the highly touted Broncos running game could not.

Steven commends Head Coach Wade Phillips for keeping veteran players, such as CB Terrance Newman and WR Terry Glenn, out of the preseason so that they can get healthy and for keeping the atmosphere at Valley Ranch cool and relaxed. Phillips even managed to throw in a joke at a press conference following practice this week.

Plus Steven praises 4th round draft pick Isaiah Stanback for being able to make the transition from QB to WR and learn from QBs Tony Romo and Brad Johnson.

 Episode 1.05 [37:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Filed under: Podcast Episode by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter

I really enjoy all the moves new Head Coach Wade Phillips appears to be making with the Cowboys. There is a new sheriff in town, and right now all his shots are golden.

The latest, involves starting cornerback Terrance Newman and his ailing heel. Phillips has said that they will be keeping Newman out for the rest of the preseason. Newman who has a strained heel, will now be able to focus on getting healthy and making sure he is ready for the games that matter, the opening day game against the rival New York Giants.

“It’s a little worse than we thought it was,” Phillips said of Newman’s heel. “He’s been out for a week anyway, so in and out, it’ll probably be a two-week thing, just into next week. I’ll be surprised if he plays in the Thursday game either.”

Some may see this as catering to the players and even a sign of weakness. During the Bill Parcells’ reign at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys players felt an urgency to get back to the playing field sooner coming off an injury. Not the case anymore.

Fourth round draft pick, rookie WR Isaiah Stanback, missed all of training camp and never felt pressure to rush out onto the field. After only five days of practice, Stanback’s performance last week against Denver shows this was clearly the right approach.
Get them healthy and get them ready for the games that count.

Maybe, just maybe, Phillips’ new style of handling bumps, bruises and injuries will help the Cowboys down the stretch as they make their playoff push in December.

Filed under: Opinion by Steven

Digg

Stumble

Reddit

del.icio.us

Technorati

Facebook

Twitter