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Dallas Cowboys New Acquisitions: Week One Review

Tom Ryle — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:00:20 -0000

For months, one of the topics for heated discussion here at BTB has been how the many new veteran free agents and rookies might help the Dallas Cowboys in 2012. Now, at last, we have seen them in a real game, and we have some early answers. For the most part, they are pretty good.

Not all the new players are able to contribute at this point, and some were only involved in a few plays against the New York Giants. Others played pivotal roles in the game. We have talked about many of these in varying degrees already, but here is a look at them as a group.

Among the limited players, Matt Johnson and Kyle Wilber were out with injury and didn't take a snap. Cole Beasley was in on four offensive snaps and did not catch a ball.

Kyle Orton did not see the field either, which was perfect. Here is hoping he gets to stand by and watch until the Cowboys rest Tony Romo after they clinch home field advantage for the playoffs.

There were some other players that seemed a little limited, until you look at a combination of the snap counts for all three phases of the game and the video. Tyrone Crawford saw three defensive snaps, but also was in on ten special teams plays, or 45% of the total there. Even though he did not notch a tackle, he did play a role. James Hanna had similar numbers, and caught one ten-yard pass for a first down and made a tackle.

Dan Connor has apparently been passed by Bruce Carter (who was excellent) for the starting job at inside linebacker, but of the four plays he was put on the field for defensively, two were during the running plays in the goal line stand that stopped New York from getting a touchdown after the Michael Boley interception, and he was in the thick of things. He was also involved in 82% of the special teams snaps, so the Cowboys are getting some value out of him.

The rest of the newbies and how they did after the jump.

Lawrence Vickers was on the field as the formations required, and played on half the special teams snaps. In the video, he had some good blocks and took part in a tackle, but there were two memorable moments. The first was for bad reasons, when he failed to make the first down on fourth and inches early in the game, which was more a great play by Antrel Rolle than anything else. But the one that sticks out in my mind was the 48-yard DeMarco Murray run. Remember this?

Not only did Lawrence manage to not knock DeMarco down, he looked like he straightened him up and pointed him in the right direction. Given that Murray was stepping out of a tackle, he may have saved him from going down. Additionally, there was at least one block I saw where Vickers took his man right off his feet. I would say he is working out well.

Now, for the new guys who were on the field for a lot more snaps. On offense, Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau were there for every offensive play, as expected, and after Phil Costa went out, Ryan Cook was there the rest of the way, or 96% of the total. There were problems. There were also some effective plays. This was against one of the most highly regarded defensive lines in the league, albeit one with some key parts out. In the end, they wore the Giants' defensive line down, which was remarked on by Cris Collinsworth.

Taking into account that Cook was the newest player on the field, and that the rest of the line is still working their way up the learning curve as a unit, it can be anticipated that they will get better. The extra practice time as a result of the early start to the season now is to Dallas' advantage. I don't know how good the unit will be, but we can at least have a great deal of hope that it will be much better by mid-season. And with the master of escape and evasion behind them, they will undoubtedly look better than they are, no matter how good they become. It is only one game (keep repeating that until Sunday adds more data to the calculation), but right now, it looks like signing the new linemen was the result of some good scouting and decision making on the part of the staff.

And then there is the dynamic duo at cornerback, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. You could come to a very logical conclusion just looking at the results. In the general slobber-fest the media had before the game about the New York Giants, they had nothing but praise for Eli Manning and his trio of wide receivers, Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Domenik Hixon. In the game they combined for thirteen catches, 151 yards and a big fat goose egg in the touchdown column. That alone says that Carr, Claiborne and slot corner Orlando Scandrick weren't just adequate. They were danged good.

The Dallas Morning News has an article grading Mo Claiborne, and I recommend it if you have not already enjoyed it. The overall grade of Pick 6: A-.

This grade isn't a "because-he's-a-rookie-grade." I watched Claiborne on every snap and he played extremely well all night, shadowing Nicks like a veteran. If he can keep up this level of play, the sky is the limit for the rookie sensation.

Folks, this ain't last year's Cowboys. And one of the reasons is that the team went out and got some pieces to fix the manifold flaws the team had. Some are still waiting to show their worth, some are playing smaller but important roles, and a few are becoming major parts of this team. The new guys are beginning to give us reasons to be proud they wear the Star.

Want to join me in having something cold and blue to drink?

Week 1 Scouting Report: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

Kelsey O'Donnell — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 18:20:15 -0000

The defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants will kick off the NFL season against their division rival Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, Sept.5th. In 2011 the Giants swept the Cowboys in their two-game series, both in dramatic fashion. In the first game the Cowboys had a chance to tie with a field goal, but Jason Pierre-Paul blocked it to end the game. In Week 17, the Giants ended the Cowboys season at MetLife Stadium before going on to win the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys finished another year of disappointment in 2011 finish third overall with an 8-8 record in the NFC East. Here is where the Cowboys finished in their stats from last year:

Offense

Total offense: 11th (375.5)
Passing Yards: 7th (4,201)
Rushing: 18th (1,807)

The Cowboys are looking to redeem themselves after another disappointing season and get back to the playoffs. However, they are already dealing with a number of injuries to some of their key players. Tight end Jason Witten suffered a laceration to his spleen and is questionable for Week 1, however it looks as though a Week 2 return is more likely to be seen.

Both the offense and defense are dealing with nagging injuries, but all are expected to play on Wednesday:

Miles Austin (hamstring)
Andre Holmes (knee)
Phil Costa (back)
DeMarco Murray (wrist)
Phillip Tanner (hand)

Wide receiver Dez Bryant has dealt with patella tendinitis in his right knee, but is also expected to play on Wednesday.

The Cowboys main offensive man is their quarterback, Tony Romo. In 2011 he had a career high in passing rate with 102.5 points and threw for 31 touchdowns. Romo is very good in the pocket, but a weak offensive line against players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora make his job harder. Romo has a nice release, but his favorite receiver Witten is out for Week 1. Romo will have to take advantage of his receiving core in Austin and Bryant against the Giants, who are missing cornerbacks Terrell Thomas and Prince Amukamara.

Former Cowboy Laurent Robinson signed as a free agent with Jacksonville during the offseason. He caught three touchdown passes against the Giants in 2011. Kevin Ogletree will step in to fill that hole with the wide receivers.

The Cowboys have two explosive running backs in DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones and will probably be the biggest offensive threat the Giants will face on Wednesday. Murray missed the last few weeks of the season with a broken ankle he suffered in Week 14 against the Giants, but he managed to rush 897 yards for the season. Murray is currently dealing with a nagging wrist, but is otherwise back to his strengths to run the football. Their jobs won't come easy when they face the Giants defensive ends in Pierre-Paul, Tuck, and Umenyiora.

With Witten out for Wednesday and their backup, Martellus Bennett, now with the Giants, the Cowboys will need to use their blocking tight end John Phillips to start.

Defense

Total defense: 14th (343.2)
Passing: 23rd (3,906)
Rushing: 7th (1,585)

The defense has also suffered some nagging injuries, but no one has been ruled out for Wednesday as of yet:

Dan Conner (hip)
Kyle Wilber (thumb)
DeMarcus Ware (hamstring)
Matt Johnson (hamstring)
Danny McCray (neck)
Jay Ratliff (ankle)
Morris Claiborne (knee)
Mike Jenkins (shoulder)

Ware was second in the league in 2011 with 19.5 sacks. This health is the most important for this defense in order to stay strong. Ware has a way of confusing opposing lines by shuffling around before the snap, and it's important that the Giants offensive line keeps him away from Eli Manning. The Cowboys will be facing the Giants new rookie running back in David Wilson, who will provide a new explosiveness the Giants haven't had in a while. Sean Lee provides a force in the Cowboys' defense and was the team leader in tackles in 2011 with 131.

The Giants will be facing a new secondary in Dallas, but as far as much improved secondary is questionable. Jenkins is coming off shoulder surgery he had during the offseason and is not expected to play Week 1. Dallas signed free agent Brandon Carr during the offseason, but doesn't have any real experience against the Giants' wide receivers. I'd imagine defensive coordinator Rob Ryan placing Brandon Carr and a safety to defend Victor Cruz, but then that leaves the rookie Claiborne having to cover Hakeem Nicks. It could also be a reversed situation, but the results would be the same. What those results will be, we'll have to see on Wednesday, but I'm sure it will not go in favor of Dallas.

Special Teams

Placekicker Dan Bailey is coming back after having an impressive rookie season for Dallas. He made 32-of-37 field goal attempts scoring 135 points. In his first game against the Giants in 2011, he had the opportunity to tie the game and send it to overtime, but Pierre-Paul managed to block the field goal to end the game. Jones is the guy to be returning punts for the Cowboys and averaged 26.6 yards in 2011. Bryant will be returning punts in 2012, but is not expected to in the opener. Punter Chris Jones only had 10 punts in 2011 for 426 yards.

Follow Kelsey O'Donnell on Twitter @KelsODonnell

Building The Cowboys Roster: How Injuries Negatively Impact Assembling "The 53"

rabblerousr — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:00:06 -0000

Asked by reporters recently what his take on building a 53-man roster was, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett offered something to the effect of: "We don't want the best 53 players; we want the 53 players that make the best team." This thesis is all well and good in an ideal situation wherein every man on the roster is healthy (and has been throughout camp) and, thanks to good health, has clearly demonstrated to the coaching staff what he does and does not have to offer.

As we know all too well, however, this has not been the Cowboys' situation this summer. They had as many as 20 guys unable to play in a the first preseason game, and were in the double digits in others. At that time in the process, the team's long list of walking wounded was largely an inconvenience; fewer available players made it difficult to run training camp practices. But, as Garrett has noted repeatedly, injuries present an "opportunity" for other guys to receive more snaps, to step up, and to climb a rung or two on the crowded training roster ladder.

As we crawl ever closer to the games that count, an inconvenience has become a problem, in large part because of who remains on or has recently joined the list of injured. When starters, key role players or recent draft choices can't play, especially in the days before the season opener, opportunity is tainted by complication. This is a direct byproduct of league rules that strictly mandate who can be placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, and how long (six weeks) they must remain on the list should they, in fact, be thusly designated.

More after the jump. So hike up your pants and make the leap!...

Consequently, teams don't want to place players on PUP unless they are going to miss half the season. If, for example, a guy is expected to miss the first month, the team is in a real bind. Do they essentially waste a roster spot for the month of September, or is it better to PUP him, thus missing out on two weeks of potential contributions? This puzzle exacerbated for game one, which occupies a particularly fraught position in terms of the NFL timetable, since teams must pay veteran players who appear in the opener an entire season's worth of wages.

As the Cowboys effectively begin preparations for their trip to New York to kick off the 2012 campaign, they appear to be in a particularly tenuous position for what may prove to be one of the most important of the season. Among the veteran starters, Jay Ratliff, Mike Jenkins, Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin have not been able to practice of late. In addition, 2012 draft choices Kyle Wilber, Matt Johnson and Danny Coale have missed extensive time. Several of these players are currently slated to return in time to face off against the New York Football Giants. Others, including Ratliff, Jenkins, Witten, Wilber, Johnson and Coale, appear to be unable to participate.

And that's where the problems arise. Consider the dilemma the Cowboys have when trying to cut down the roster. They must balance the desire to assemble the 53 men that make up the best team with the more pressing need to field a complete team on September 5. If, for example, Witten, Ratliff, Jenkins, Wilber, Coale and Johnson make the team and Dallas decides to keep ten offensive linemen, eight of whom figure to be on the gameday roster, that combination of injuries and extra O-linemen takes up seven of the eight gameday inactive spots. That's not a lot of wiggle room.

Consequently, when the front office works on their cuts today and tomorrow, they won't be considering the "ideal 53," so much as they will be assembling a 45-man gameday roster for September fifth's contest. Instead of filling the bottom of the roster with guys who have earned a spot with sustained competitiveness, and diligence throughout the summer, they will need to make sure that they have enough tight ends and/ or fullbacks to run their offense. As a result, guys who wouldn't normally have a chance to make the team will, due to injuries at their positions. To wit: do you think Shaun Chapas played on all four special teams units against the Rams because they love his offensive game? Quite the contrary; they need a "third tight end/ special teams guy" for game one, and he's the closest thing on the roster to that description. Similarly, because of Jenkins' bum shoulder, they may retain a sixth corner, such as Lionel Smith, so that they can have the requisite five corners on gameday.

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For every Chapas or Lionel Smith that makes the roster out of necessity rather than superior play, a promising player is forced onto the street. Think about it: every team can afford to spend a couple of roster spots on developmental players, guys unlikely to make a contribution this year but who show long-range upside. With so many Cowboys dinged, those developmental spots on Dallas' roster are now taken by early-season injury inactives. Had they enjoyed a healthy roster, the Cowboy might have been able to ferret away promising youngsters like Adrian Hamilton and Ben Bass. Now, just to field a team, they'll have to tempt fate, and try to squeeze one or both through waivers. Given the dearth of young pass rushers league-wide, I don't much like their chances if they take this gamble.

To lose a player or players like this to keep a Chapas on the roster until Witten is ready to go is, to me, a heartbreaking proposition. That's why recent reports that Witten or Jenkins (or both) may be a "go" for the season opener ease my angsty heart. Certainly, we want them to play against the Giants, because their presence increases the Cowboys chance of victory. But their ability to play will have positive down-the-road benefits as well, by opening up slots for the Hamiltons and Basses of the roster - guys who, like former Cowboy Stephen Bowen, can stick around and learn as they develop into legit NFL-caliber talents.

And the Cowboys can use as many of those guys as they can get...

Dallas Cowboys Injury News: Jay Ratliff Suffers High Ankle Sprain, Murray Okay.

One.Cool.Customer — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 18:00:20 -0000

Sometime in the second quarter of Saturday’s 20-19 win over the Rams at Cowboys Stadium, nose tackle Jay Ratliff left the game with what turns out to be a high ankle sprain.

Ratliff had just come back from a plantar fascitiis injury that had kept him out of action for most of the preseason, and looked to be in fine form before his injury. He anchored the line well, was disruptive, and it didn't take long for Ratliff to be his old self: I couldn't help but chuckle when on the second play of the first drive Ratliff got into a little skirmish and exchanged words with the Rams' linemen.

Depending on their severity, high ankle sprains usually sideline a player between two to four weeks, which would keep Ratliff out of the season opener at least, but one source in the locker room said, "He’s playing." in reference to the Giants game on Sept. 5. Anthony Spencer was less optimistic about Ratliff's chances, calling it "a little alarming" to see Ratliff only able to walk with the help of crutches.

After the break, injury updates on the three other players hurt in last night's game.

The three other injures appear to be less serious.

DeMarco Murray bruised his right hand, but reports from the game indicate he was high fiving and shaking hands with the bruised hand, so it doesn't appear to be too serious. Expect Murray to be back at practice on Monday.

Danny McCray left the game with what turned out to be a strained neck and stinger. McCray was involved in a violent collision with Gerald Sensabaugh as both were going after a deflected pass in their own endzone. McCray initially appeared to have suffered an arm or shoulder injury, as he was seen heavily favoring his right arm:

"I was looking up for the ball and the next thing I know I’m on the ground and my arm is numb and I have no idea what’s going on," McCray said. "I didn’t know what was happening. The only thing I was worried about was being able to move my arm. I couldn’t at that moment. I’m glad it’s not anything worse than that."

But X-rays later confirmed the stinger:

"I got X-rays and everything and they saw nothing," McCray said. "They’re calling it a stinger and we’ll look at it again tomorrow and see if anything has changed."

Matt Johnson left the game after just a couple of snaps with tightness in his right hamstring. This is particularly frustrating for the rookie safety, as he had been sidelined by an injury to his left hamstring for most of camp.

"Really disappointing, I don’t know what else to say about it," Johnson said. "I try to believe that everything happens for a reason, but it’s kind of hard to see why it keeps happening. Trying to do everything right rehab-wise, diet-wise, strengthening it. And then the other one happens. So we’ll just get on top of it, try to get it healthy as soon as I can."

In other injury news, Jason Garret said that he expects center Phil Costa to practice on Monday. Jerry Jones expects a little more:

"I'm expecting him to play Wednesday," Jones said. "It would surprise me if he doesn't play Wednesday."

And for those who missed the final minutes of the game last night: Wide receiver Saalim Hakim returned to action last night and found himself on the receiving end of a 20-yard pass from Rudy Carpenter. Unfortunately, an illegal formation penalty on McQuistan negated the play. Hakim had been out with a dislocated finger and a chipped bone in the same finger that required surgery.

Romo, First Units Dressed To The Nines In Rehearsal; Cowboys Defeat Rams 20-19

KD Drummond — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 03:38:32 -0000

Now THAT's what you call a dress rehearsal. Whether you want to attribute the solid play to a return home from California, facing an overmatched opponent, the sign of a good team on the come or all three... this was a great performance by the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the end-game backups allowing the Rams to get back into the game late, the Dallas first strings and substitutes pretty much did everything they wanted to tonight.

Tony Romo came out dealing aces; connecting on 9 of 13 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns... in the first quarter! His main target, second-year wideout Dwayne Harris, hauled in both touchdown catches. The first was a bomb down the right side where Romo had two weeks to stand in the pocket, pick his ears, shuck some corn and two-step before launching the pass. The second was a crossing route where Romo felt pressure and released, with Harris wide open in the middle. Harris then split two tacklers before racing down the sidelines and invoking memories of his 2011 preseason opening performance.

That couldn't get him on the team last year, but it would appear this performance should earn him a spot on the 2012 '53'.

Although there is a HUGE caveat that Steven Jackson didn't run the ball once on the entire evening, the defense was still impressive in what they did face.

On the defensive side of the ball, the first team finally had Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher back on the line. They continued the impressive play of the preseason, holding the Rams offense to two 50-plus yard field goal attempts. They were the first six first-half points given up by the Cowboys during the exhibitions. The front seven consistently created pressure on Ram's quarterback Sam Bradford, without DeMarcus Ware who sat with his hamstring, thanks to the secondary and their great play on the inexperienced Rams receivers.

~~Chuck Norris~~ Sean Lee and Jason Hatcher notched sacks, but the 'plenty of pressure' arrived thanks to extra seconds earned by the guys on the back end. The defense even notched a four-down goal-to-go stand that included a fourth-down pass breakup by rookie Morris Claiborne.

Unfortunately, there were some injuries that occured. if you were like me and stuck watching the Rams broadcast you wouldn't know.

Jay Ratliff apparently suffered an ankle sprain (some reports say "high" variety) and was seen walking on crutches in the locker room. Danny McCray suffered a neck sprain (x-rays negative). Matt Johnson reinjured his hamstring whiffing on a tackle. Somewhere in the process it appears that DeMarco Murray hurt his hand (Update: Murray's hand doesn't seem to be a big deal). We'll get updates as soon as possible on these and any I've missed.

As usual, we'll have plenty more as the week progresses, but for now follow the jump to see my other notes from the game action.

-- Hope to never see him again after next week, but Kyle Orton can get things done; and I had my doubts despite all the fanfare. 9/12 for 99 yards in the second quarter.

-- Felix Jones started a bit shaky including a blown blitz pick up that could have gotten Orton killed, but towards the end of his stint he reminded folks what he was worth. He showed wiggle on a run and a dump off for 13 and 9 yards respectively. Final total: 6 for 34 and two receptions for 23.

-- I still have concerns over Dan Connor in coverage. Beaten badly by TE Kendricks on a play.

-- Starting O-Line: Smith-Livings-Arkin-Bernedeau-Free. Not an upper echelon line, but there were plays that made you proud. Arkin finally had a bad game snap (to Orton); Cowboys benefited by bad refereeing there. Overall though, if Costa is going to upgrade Arkin, everyone should feel better than they did a few weeks ago when some of us were preaching patience.

-- DeMarco Murray is going to be special. He is SO ready for the regular season to start. Runs, dump offs.. he's ready. (Now I hear he hurt his hand, ugh.)

-- Wideout battle: Ogletree had a bad drop, but caught a bomb and had other nice catches. I can't see how the Cowboys aren't looking at Bryant-Austin-Ogletree-Harris-Beasley as the top five. The question is what happens with Coale. Holmes and Radway have dropped back, in my humble opinion.

-- I don't think you're keeping Manna Silva off this team. Big stick on a screen play, big stick where he legally leveled a Rams receiver and started on Special Teams first unit. The injury suffered to Danny McCray (neck sprain) and Matt Johnson's hammy issue recurring sealed the deal. Again, in my humble opinion.

-- Claiborne started off sluggish, allowing too much room and still backpedaling when receivers cut off their routes; but he made up for it late on that Rams drive near the end of the half. Two plays prior, there was a back shoulder fade to Pettis at the front pylon. Claiborne had decent position but if it was grabbed, Pettis would have been able to toe-tap.

-- Bruce Carter made a great open field tackle on 3rd and goal on an underneath pass. He had three tackles on the game.

-- Mario Butler got a sack on a CB blitz, but it's an asterisk. The QB watched him come in from 10 yards deep and just stared at him like a deer in headlights. Funny stuff.

-- Adrian Hamilton is making this team. Great pressure and strip sack on Kellen Clemens late in the game.

-- Lionel Smith will probably make the practice squad, but man he didn't have a good game at all. Repeatedly beaten tonight.

-- James Hanna continues to make plays in the offense. A pick that just looks better and better each week.

Dallas Cowboys Injury News (Post Chargers Preseason Game): Starters Coming Back

One.Cool.Customer — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:42:45 -0000

From looking at Saturday's first team performance, you wouldn't have noticed that the Cowboys were missing a total of eight starters. WR Miles Austin, C Phil Costa, G Nate Livings and TE Jason Witten sat out on offense, while the defense played without DE Jason Hatcher, NT Jay Ratliff, OLB Anthony Spencer and OLB DeMarcus Ware.

In addition to the eight starters, another 11 players did not suit up on Saturday due to various ailments (WR Danny Coale, RB Lance Dunbar, LB Isiah Greenhouse, WR Saalim Hakim, C/G Kevin Kowalski, CB Mike Jenkins, S Matt Johnson, LB Caleb McSurdy, OT Jermey Parnell, RB Phillip Tanner, LB Kyle Wilber).

Thankfully, there were no further injuries in Saturday's game, and the number of walking wounded among the Cowboys players is decreasing almost daily. After the break, we look at the status of the injured Cowboys, including who's doing what at today's joint practice with the Chargers.

A significant number of previously injured Cowboys players showed up for practice today in full pads and ready to go against the Chargers:

Left guard Nate Livings is practicing in full pads for the first time since injuring his hamstring early in training camp.
The front seven gets a boost with Jay Ratliff, Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer all working out against the Chargers in full pads.
Also practicing in full pads today are rookies Danny Coale, Matt Johnson and Lance Dunbar, all of whom need to come back strong to secure a roster spot.

There are a number of injured players doing light running on the sidelines, an indication that they are close to joining practice again soon: Ware, Austin, Costa and Parnell are working off to the side.

Todd Archer from ESPN Dallas spoke briefly with Mike Jenkins on Saturday and summarized their talk as follows:

He said that his surgically-repaired right shoulder is feeling better and better every day. He is working through some scar tissue issues that have hampered his strength, but his range of motion is fine. He isn’t ruling out being available for the Sept. 5 opener at the New York Giants, but he will take another trip to Pensacola, Fla., to visit with Dr. James Andrews for a checkup.

Here's a summary table of all the injured Cowboys players, sorted by how far away from joining the team they are.

POS	Player	Injury	Status
NT	Ratliff	Foot	Practicing
OLB	Spencer	Hamstring	Practicing
OG	Livings	Knee	Practicing
DE	Hatcher	Hamstring	Practicing
WR	Coale	Foot	Practicing
S	Johnson	Hamstring	Practicing
RB	Dunbar	Hamstring	Practicing
OLB	Ware	Hamstring	Running
WR	Austin	Hamstring	Running
OC	Costa	Back	Running
CB	Jenkins	Shoulder	Running
OT	Parnell	Neck	Running
TE	Witten	Spleen	Shut down for at least another week
WR	Hakim	Finger	Recovering from surgery on finger
RB	Tanner	Broken Hand	Recovering from surgery on hand
OLB	Wilberforce	Broken Thumb	Recovering from surgery to thumb, likely back by mid September
OG	Kowalski	Ankle	Still in walking boot & crutches. Quick return unlikely.
ILB	Greenhouse	Broken Thumb	No surgery required on broken thumb. "Not with the team but has not been cut."
ILB	McSurdy	Torn Achilles	Successful surgery, out for the year

Of course, this is just a snapshot. In today's practice against the Chargers, Dez Bryant, Donovan Kemp and Andre Holmes walked off with the trainers. Donovan Kemp and Dez Bryant are getting MRIs on knees, while Andre Holmes is getting an MRI on his back. We'll see what their status is later in the day.

Cowboys Roster: Performance Of New Roster Members (Post-Raiders Preseason Game 1)

Tom Ryle — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 17:30:11 -0000

Part of the excitement of pre-season football is a chance to see how the new acquisitions of the team perform. Unfortunately for fans of the Dallas Cowboys, the opening game against the Oakland Raiders turned into the Freddy Krueger of winning ugly.

It didn't help that so many of the players the Cowboys picked up in the very eventful offseason were injured and out for the game. Draftees Morris Claiborne, Danny Coale and Matt Johnson joined free agent signee Nate Livings in sitting this one out. Add in the fact that the overall performance of the team pretty much reeked (especially on offense and kick coverage), and it was not much of a showcase for the new additions to prove their worth.

But there was some activity to evaluate. Some players were pretty much what we expected. One, top free agent Brandon Carr, was not really tested that I could see, and that was not much of a surprise. For now, it does appear that the opposition is likely to respect him and prefer to attack the secondary elsewhere - which was not all that bad during the game.

Find out how the others did after the jump.

Lawrence Vickers didn't get much of a chance to show his ability with the supremely underwhelming performance of the offensive line and a very tentative-looking running attack early in the game. Kyle Orton looked like what he is, a backup quarterback. Dan Connor was interesting mostly because of the 4-3 looks that Rob Ryan put out there, with Connor joining Sean Lee and Bruce Carter, but since the starters were so limited in their playing time, he also did not have much chance to shine. And Mackenzy Bernadeau played, but with the general disarray on the offensive line, there is not much to judge him by.

Tyrone Crawford showed good energy. He still is developing, but the fact that he was not sidelined by his minor injury issues is one of the best things about him so far. As the regular season draws nearer, the team is going to need more of the roster to play through their nicks and bumps.

Kyle Wilber suffered a significant injury of the game with his broken thumb. It will only set him back more. Given his draft position and the way he has played in his limited opportunities, it is likely he will make the team, but his contributions are certainly not going to be as much as we would like.

Caleb McSurdy was active, but not really effective. It is looking more and more like the team will try to get him to the practice squad, which is not a bad outcome for a seventh-round pick.

The one new player that really took advantages of his chance was tight end James Hanna. After developing a reputation for bad hands, the light might have come on for him. He had two catches in the game, and a solid hit on special teams. Both bode well, as does the fact that he was targeted five times during the game, which indicates the team is trying to work him in.

Several weeks ago, the third tight end was seen as one of the questions the team had to face. There was even some speculation that it might go with just two TEs. But by taking advantage of John Phillips being one of the legion of players missing time due to injury, Hanna has penciled himself in as an answer. He is showing at least the possibility of being what Martellus Bennett never was, an effective player in all phases of his game. Given that he was the fallback choice after the player the Cowboys wanted in the sixth round, Cyrus Gray, was taken before Dallas came up, Hanna is starting to look like a pretty good deal for the team.

Hopefully the Cowboys will get much more to look at from these players in the remaining pre-season games. As more of the walking wounded get on the field, we will have a better idea of what they bring to the table. And maybe the remaining games before the start of the season will be a bit more entertaining. Given that the 3-0 score of the Oakland game was the lowest scoring contest the Cowboys have played in the history of the franchise, that at least seems likely.

Preseason Games A Chance To Shine For Cowboys’ 2012 Rookie Class

One.Cool.Customer — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:00:09 -0000

For the better part of two weeks we’ve been reading training camp reports out of Oxnard about how CB Morris Claiborne has battled Dez Bryant almost to draw; how DE Tyrone Crawford could potentially be the steal of the 2012 draft; how WR Cole Beasley keeps making plays (when he’s in camp); how TE James Hanna is not dropping balls and how unheralded defensive end Ben Bass is raising eyebrows.

Those are just five players out of the Cowboys’ 27-strong rookie class of 2012, many of whom will get an opportunity to showcase their talent in the upcoming preseason opener against the Raiders. If the previous years are anything to go by, the Cowboys starters probably won’t play more than one or two drives, and certainly not more than a quarter, leaving a lot of playing time for the rookie class to show that they belong on an NFL roster.

Several of the Cowboys’ 2012 draft picks – Morris Claiborne, Matt Johnson and Danny Coale – are unlikely to play after sitting out parts of training camp with injuries. But that just leaves more room for other rookies and down-roster players to get valuable snaps against live competition.

And that is what pre-season games are all about: extended tryouts for down-roster players and rookies in real game situations. As such, enjoy the pre-season games for what they are - and don’t try read too much into the pre-season overall team performance.

We all know that the pre-season performance isn't any indicator of regular season performance. The 2008 Lions are the best example of that, famously going 4-0 in the pre-season and ending up 0-16 in the regular season. In 2009, the Rams won three times more games in the pre-season (3) than they did in the regular season (1). This list could go on and on, but you get the point.

So instead of using pre-season results as a predictor of the coming season, focus instead on individual players and how they perform. How good is this rookie corner at jamming the receiver off the line; how effective is that second year linebacker at getting around a blocker to the tight end; how does that undrafted wide receiver block downfield; how does this rookie lineman move downfield to block at the second level?

Here are a couple of players that might bear watching carefully on Monday:

Guard Ronald Leary could get extensive playing time both with the first and second units after a rash of injuries along the O-line. Not bad for a guy who wasn’t drafted because of injury concerns.
OLB Kyle Wilber has been getting reps with the second team unit in practice, and has looked very promising in those reps. A solid outing against Oakland could further solidify his position and could possibly lead to a few snaps in the regular season down the line.
OLB Adrian Hamilton injured his wrist yesterday and was taken in for x-rays. No news on his situation yet, but if he plays on Monday, it will likely be opposite Wilber where he will get to show off his pass rush moves. His challenge will be to prove that he is more than a small-school standout.
The absence of Miles Austin, who’ll likely sit out as he recovers from a hamstring injury, means the whole wide receiver depth chart moves up a little, which could allow the likes of Raymond Radway and Tim Benford to show what they’re capable of.
With both Mike Jenkins and Morris Claiborne out against the Raiders, and the Carr/Scandrick combo playing for no more than a quarter, this will give cornerbacks numbers five through nine extensive playing time. Of course, the results of this particular scenario may not be too pretty, but only if the young guys don’t make the best of the opportunity they’re provided.

Which player or players will you have your eye on when the Cowboys meet the Raiders on Monday night?

Cowboys Training Camp Open Thread And Twitter Feed - 8/9/12

One.Cool.Customer — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:30:12 -0000

The Cowboys players had a day off yesterday, but it's back to practice today as the Cowboys begin preparations for the first preseason game in Oakland. There will be two more full practices on Friday and Saturday, with a walkthrough on Sunday before the team departs for Oakland.

In injury news, OG Mackenzy Bernadeau will join practice this afternoon, and Garrett announced today that Bernadeau , DE Marcus Spears and CB Teddy Williams will all play against the Raiders. Garrett also said that WR Danny Coale and TE John Phillips have not been ruled out for the game either. In other injury news, CB Morris Claiborne was taking reps in this morning's walkthrough, Miles Austin was spotted on the field (although he did not participate), S Matt Johnson took part in the walkthrough and even Phillip Tanner participated in this morning's walkthrough, albeit with a cast on his surgically repaired hand.

You can follow what's happening in Oxnard via the Twitter feed below, and you can use this post as an open thread for any Cowboys related topic during today's practice and

Join us tomorrow for another open game thread. Same time, same place.

Cowboys Training Camp Update: Safety Matt Johnson Cleared To Practice Monday

rabblerousr — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 03:16:32 -0000

A few days ago, the Cowboys released a list of players who had been placed on the dreaded PUP (physically unable to perform) list. Some of the players, such as Mike Jenkins, Danny Coale, who has a broken foot, and Mackenzie Bernadeau, who is recovering from hip surgery, were expected to be on the PUP roster. On the other hand, Cowboys Nation was very disappointed to see 2012 fourth-rounder Matt Johnson's name appear on the list, due to a nagging hamstring injury.

Perhaps the primary source of disappointment was the fact that Johnson had already missed the bulk of the offseason program because his college, Eastern Washington, was on the quarter system. As a result, he has been able to practice with the team exactly once, during the final day of the final minicamp. The thought that he would miss further time was cause for consternation, given the hope that Johnson would prove to take his collegiate playmaking ability (he had 17 interceptions at EWU) to Dallas at a position, safety, where big plays have been in short supply in recent years.

Well, we can now breathe a collective sigh of relief. On Sunday, the Cowboys took Johnson off of the PUP list, which means that he has been cleared to practice on Monday. If the football gods are kind, he'll therefore get a full training camp to try to make the sizeable leap from small-school success to the biggest of big shows. Johnson possesses top-rung NFL measurables; all he needs is time to gain confidence in them and to grasp the complexities of a pro system. Now he'll get that time.

Related: Cowboys Rookie Safety Matt Johnson Will Turn Heads In The NFL

Given how high the Cowboys are on him, and the glaring need at safety, this cannot be construed as anything other than excellent news.