SB Nation - Shaun Suisham

What will the Bengals do to address place kickers?

Kirkendall — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:00:29 -0000

Dave Rayner (4) stretches during NFL football training camp at Redskins Park on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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One of the least talked about positions with the Bengals during the dawn of this year's free agency, is what will the Bengals do for place kickers. After the Bengals signed Dave Rayner in mid-February, speculation was that the Bengals would be letting Shayne Graham leave Cincinnati after missing two field goals in the team's Wild Card loss. Still, the Bengals allowed that the team could bring Shayne Graham back, provided it's a team-friendly deal. While it sounds like the Bengals would sacrifice performance and, you know, the ability to make field goals in clutch situations, I believe that the Bengals leaving open the possibility of Graham returning was a way for Bengals to not lose face by coming off prickish to Graham in the media. I think a chance for his return is next to nil.

Much like wide receivers, the situation at place kicker is on life support. No, I don't think Dave Rayner is the answer. I think he's steward of place kickers, holding the fort until the Bengals sign someone that's more long-term. Will it happen through free agency?

Of the 12 kickers scheduled for free agency (as shown on NFL.com), two were tagged (Seattle's Olindo Mare and Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed), six are restricted free agents and four are unrestricted. Of the restricted free agents, the good kickers were tendered and the rest were guys that you could probably sign off the streets in December.

Kickers	Status	2009 Team	Notes
Jeff Reed	Franchised	Steelers
Olindo Mare	Franchised	Seahawks
Jay Feely	UFA	Jets	Wants to return to New York.
Shayne Graham	UFA	Bengals
Neil Rackers	UFA	Cardinals
Matt Stover	UFA	Colts	Likely to retire
Shane Andrus	RFA	49ers	49ers have exclusive rights.
Rhys Lloyd	RFA	Panthers	Panthers didn't tender. Mostly a kickoff specialist.
Billy Cundiff	RFA	Ravens	Given low tender.
Stephen Gostkowski	RFA	Patriots	Given second-round tender.
Ricky Schmidt	RFA	49ers	Off the street type of kicker.
Shaun Suisham	RFA	Cowboys	Not give tender.
Dan Carpenter	RFA	Dolphins	Dolphins have exclusive rights. Made Pro Bowl as replacement.

There are players like Mike Nugent missing from the list, which makes me believe that others are missing. Nugent was released by the Arizona Cardinals in January.

After observing the list, it makes you think that the Bengals could be better off using the draft, or that period after the draft where players are signed as undrafted free agents, to find a suitable replacement, if not a long-term solution. Guys like Alabama's Leigh Tiffin, Michigan State's Brett Swenson, Ohio State's Aaron Pettrey and Texas' Hunter Lawrence will be available during the draft.

Does it seem likely that Cincinnati would draft a kicker or do you think they should sign someone in free agency?

Cowboys Tender Restricted Free Agents

Aaron Novinger — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:31:22 -0000

More photos » David Zalubowski - AP

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Stephen Bowen is one of the team's 2010 restricted free agents. He received a 2nd-round tender.

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Today, we will know more about the Cowboys plans for the 2010 season as they tender their restricted free agents. The deadline to do so is at 3PM.

Below are the team's 2010 free agents. We will update this list as news of their offers rolls in.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

WR Miles Austin - 1st and 3rd Round Tender, $3.168 million

S Gerald Sensabaugh - 2nd Round tender, $1.809

DE Marcus Spears - Original Draft Pick, $1.226 million (DMN says, "If a team signs Spears, then the Cowboys could receive only a 2nd-round pick in return despite the fact that Spears was a first rounder in 2005.")

DE Stephen Bowen - 2nd Round Tender, $1.759 million

DE Jason Hatcher - 2nd Round tender, $1.759 million

WR Sam Hurd - 2nd Round Tender, $1.759 million

S Patrick Watkins - Orginal Draft Pick, $1.176 million (Drafted in 5th)

OT Pat McQuistan - Orginal Draft Pick, $1.176 million (Drafted in 7th)

C Cory Procter - 2nd Round Tender, $1.759 million

NT Junior Siavii - Orginal Draft Pick, $1.176 million (Drafted in 2nd by Kansas City)

CB Cletis Gordon - Not Tendered, but signed to a one-year deal for the $630,000 minimum

C Duke Preston - Original Draft Pick, $1.226 million (Drafted 4th by Buffalo)

K Shaun Suisham - Not Tendered

BTB Game Balls: Reviewing the 2009 Dallas Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:56:57 -0000

A 1-1 postseason record for the Cowboys puts us right here: passing out game balls for the 2009 season. Let's break them down a little differently this time.

We will be concentrating on players from the offensive, defensive, and special teams units. For this season review edition, we've got an MVP, a Most Improved, a Could've Seen More From, and a Rookie of the Year category for each unit. If applicable, each category also includes some Runners Up.

Make the jump to see who gets the 2009 BTB game balls.

Offense

MVP: Tony Romo - We have all seen that Romo is more than capable of putting up positive offensive numbers. He did that this year by completing 347 of his 550 pass attempts for a respectable 63.1 completion percentage. His 4483 passing yards (most in Cowboys history) and 26 TDs are mind-blowing. However, it's those negative, momentum-changing plays that had many of us concerned.

In Week 2 against the Giants, Romo went 13 of 29 for one TD with three INTs. A 29.6 QB rating concluded his night. His turnovers helped the Giants to a 33-31 win in the first ever game in the new Cowboys Stadium. That game re-ignited the talk that "he wasn't a big game QB". Those who believed in him saw their faith soften. Those who did not had their suspicions confirmed.

But things changed. And as the weeks progressed, the change seemed to be apparent in Romo, himself. Perhaps inspired by his poor Week 2 performance, he seemed to take better care of the ball, make wiser decisions. Every so often we would get to see some Romo-magic, such as on his 4-yard TD pass against Atlanta. The difference, though, between that Romo and the one of the past, was that he took those chances only when the team needed him to. For instance, when down 0-6 against the Redskins, the team needed its QB to hang in there until he made that one magical play to attain victory.

Since Romo became the starter in 2006, his interception rate has decreased steadily from 3.9 ('06) to 3.7 ('07) to 3.1 ('08). In 2009, it dropped dramatically to 1.6 after having thrown just nine picks on the season. This helped him achieve a career high 97.6 QB rating. And he brought his fumbles down from 13 in '08 to just six (losing four). All of this in a season where he was sacked a career high 34 times.

Somebody's making progress.

Runners Up: Miles Austin, Jason Witten

Most Improved: Miles Austin - Who can make a play? Well...Austin proved he can. And boy, did he ever make a believer out of all of us.

He teased us in Week 1 with a 42-yard TD catch and run in Tampa. Then, in Week 5 in Kansas City, it all came together for him. After failing to beat a defender to the ball on a potential TD grab, he then let another bounce off his hands. Against the winless Chiefs, the Cowboys clawed for points, the offense searched for an identity. Starting for the injured Roy Williams, this was Austin's chance.

Going into the fourth quarter, he was already having the game of his career, and then to borrow a quote from Brad Sham, "Austin made the play; Austin saved the day!" We all know how that game turned out...I'll just let you watch it again for yourselves.

In his first NFL start, Austin caught 10 balls for 250 yards and two TDs. In retrospect, that overtime victory seemed to be the spark that Austin and this offense needed. He finished the year posting 81 receptions for 1320 yards (16.3 YPC average) and 11 TDs.

Most important to the Cowboys offense is the chemistry that he and Romo have. Austin fights for the ball and is a tackle-breaking machine. His speed threatens defenses, and his potential is just now being tapped.

Runners Up: Tony Romo, Doug Free, Felix Jones, Andre Gurode

Could've Seen More From: Roy Williams - Lack of production would shatter many a WR's confidence, especially one expected to be the #1 guy for the Dallas Cowboys. All trade and salary ramifications aside, Williams just did not have an inspiring year. He finished with 38 receptions for 596 yards and 7 TDs.

For a few games, it looked as if Jason Garrett had found a nice niche for Williams as a red zone threat. But that was as positive as it got for #11. Often, he and Romo did not seem to be on the "same page". When the offense needed a third-down grab, he could not be depended upon.

Drops, a lack of confidence from the QB, and inconsistency plagued RW's season. For us fans, the hope well is just about dried up.

Runners Up: Martellus Bennett, Deon Anderson, Montrae Holland

ROY: John Phillips - He only caught 7 passes for 62 yards and one postseason TD; but damn, can he block! Phillips gained the coaches' confidence early on in training camp and preseason. His contributions in the 3-TE set enabled Jason Garrett to employ the formation often. The 6th-round pick out of Virginia proved to be an efficient line blocker as well as a powerful drive blocker from the FB position.

Hat tip to TE coach, John Garrett, for "recruiting" both Phillips and the guy below.

Runner Up: Kevin Ogletree

Defense

MVP: DeMarcus Ware - Even with nine fewer sacks (11) this year than last, Ware is still the MVP of this defense. He is the guy opposing offenses fear. He's fast enough to beat the tackles around the edge; strong enough to push them back into the QB, and athletic enough to reach around a back or TE to swat that ball out of the passer's hands.

This season started off uncharacteristically for Ware. Through the first four games, he did not register a sack. In fact, the entire defense was coming up short getting to opposing QBs. And then, right before the bye against Kansas City, something clicked. Ware had two sacks that game, and then had two more following the bye against Atlanta. It was on. And the Cowboys' defense was flying high until they hit that Giants' bump in the road in Week 13.

The following week, in a home game against San Diego, we all held our collective breath. My heart frowns just remembering Ware on the ground, being carted off on a stretcher. My fears transitioned rapidly from thinking about how the defense would play without him to how scared his family, his wife, his daughter must have been. All of us have heard about how good a person Ware is off of the field; and just over a month prior to that injury, we were brought closer to that goodness by our own Mike Fisher in his two part series with #94.

Fortunately, the neck injury was not serious enough to keep Ware out of the next game against the 13-0 Saints. His quick recovery and return served as an inspiration to the team. His sack/forced fumble to end the Saints' final drive confirmed how much he means to this defense, this team. They went on to dominate their final two opponents on their way to a playoff victory over the Eagles.

Other than the 11 sacks, Ware finished the season with 57 total tackles (45 solo) with six passes defended and five forced fumbles.

Runners Up: Mike Jenkins, Anthony Spencer, Keith Brooking, Jay Ratliff

Most Improved: Mike Jenkins - No sophomore slump here. Remember, way back during training camp, the great Jenkins/Scandrick debates? Coach Phillips couldn't even decide. When preseason rolled around, the two CBs rotated starts. In fact, that was the plan going into the regular season. Then, Scandrick got waxed by the Giants in Week 2. During the following week, Jenkins caught his first of five INTs on the season. The Cowboys ended up keeping Scandrick in the slot; and as for Jenkins, his confidence grew with every opportunity.

It has been quite some time since the majority of us can agree that Terence Newman is not the best CB on the Cowboys. And that is not a knock on Newman - rather, it's a statement about Jenkins. He has progressed into potentially one of the better CBs in the conference. He plays with confidence and it shows. Opponents only scored twice on him during the regular season and he led the team in both INTs and passes defended (23).

Those who questioned his tackling ability saw the former #31-turned-#21 take down defenders in a physical manner. He notched nearly 50 tackles this year and even had a few takedowns in coverage (remember what he did to Atlanta's Michael Jenkins).

Press. Zone. Closing speed. Run support. Jenkins can do it all. And from what he showed this year, the Cowboys should have themselves a fine DB to match up against any team's #1 WR.

Runners Up: Anthony Spencer, Stephen Bowen, Bobby Carpenter

Could've Seen More From: Ken Hamlin - Zero INTs and two pass defenses from the free safety position is not what many people would think of as productive. Yes, he missed four full games due to injury. And yes, he was asked to double-up on certain wideouts - like on Steve Smith in the Carolina game. He did play his role, and never seemed to be too much of a liability in the passing game.

Nevertheless, he didn't make any big plays. And the dropoff to Alan Ball while Hamlin was out didn't seem very noticeable. Sure, it was nice to get him back to add a more physical presence to the secondary than what the diminutive, yet efficient Ball offers. The "Hammer's" new found rivalry with Jeremy Maclin was fun to watch, too. But, wouldn't we all like a lot more evident ball-hawking skills out of the Cowboys' secondary? How about some help in the turnover department from the free safety?

No forced fumbles either. Sigh.

Runners Up: Jason Hatcher, Curtis Johnson

ROY: Victor Butler - He made a bit of a name for himself in Week 3 vs. Carolina with two sacks and a forced fumble to help seal the victory. Then, he did the same in Week 9 by sacking a looking-to-scramble Donovan McNabb in Philly. For a rookie making a transition from college DE to pro OLB, Butler showed some potential; and Coach Phillips may have found a role for him on this defense.

Special Teams

MVP: Mat McBriar - Do you know how many touchbacks McBriar kicked this year? Three. Yes, three! Out of 72 punts, only three went into the end zone. That's amazing. What's even more amazing is that out of those same 72 total punts, more than half of them (38 to be exact) landed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Let that sink in.

McB and the punt coverage team had something swell going on all season. Only 38 of his punts were returned - for a measly 8.3 average. 23 were fair catches. That's some great accuracy and great teamwork between McB and the rest of that unit.

This guy deserved a Pro Bowl bid because he averaged 45.1 YPP with a career-high net of 39.9.

Honorable Mention: David Buehler, Patrick Crayton, L.P.Ladouceur

Most Improved: Patrick Crayton - Crayton returned 36 punts for 437 yards. That's an average of 12.1 YPR with two going for TDs. On his longest, the 82-yarder vs. Seattle, he exemplified the skills needed to be a successful punt returner. Combining his veteran vision with a few quick cuts and a straight-arm on the punter, he helped the team secure that Week 8 victory.

Every training camp, we ponder who will take the punt return duties away from Crayton. Much of that pondering stemmed from his perceived penchant for the fair catch (he had 23 on the season). This season, though, he showed us that he is capable of big plays. He also showed that he's got enough straightway speed and enough wiggle to give Dallas some great field position.

When Crayton takes a punt out of bounds for a 7-yard return, he sure looks like he knows what he's doing out there. Often, that saves the offense more yards from the potential bounce. That's smart. Simply put - no player has been able to provide the consistency that he has at returning punts. And this year, he produced.

Runners Up: Sam Hurd, Jay Ratliff, Pat Watkins

Could've Seen More From: Nick Folk/Shaun Suisham - Folk went 18/28 on field goals, while Suisham hit 2/3 in the regular season. Of course, those two misses at Minnesota may seal Suisham's fate with this team. On the plus side, both kickers were perfect on the year with extra points (36/36 for Folk, 5/5 for Suisham). Unfortunately, it is highly doubtful that any coach, fan, or teammate could tell you they would have absolute confidence in either of these kickers should a game rest on them.

With a combined 64.5% success rate in the placekicking department, the staff is likely to consider other options going into 2010. It's a shame, especially when you consider how much potential Folk had.

Runners Up: Felix Jones (22.6-yard average on 30 returns), Jason Williams, Mike Hamlin

ROY: David Buehler - All he did was lead the NFL with 29 touchbacks. That is why they drafted him, and he did his job and then some. Along with being the kickoff specialist, Buehler also served roles on the other special teams units and was often seen running down to cover both his and McBriar's kicks.

Touchbacks proved to be just what the kickoff team needed. From a dismal '08 season that gave up 21.3 YPR to opponents that included a 93-yard TD, this '09 unit improved to the second best in the league, giving up just 20.6 YPR with a long of 67. That '08 unit - at times led by Folk's directional kicks - had 71 kickoffs returned on them for a whopping 1510 yards. This season, Buehler's leg helped trim those numbers down to 47 returns for 967 yards.

Like many of you, I was hoping to avoid having to review the Cowboys season until February. Alas, it could not be. The Vikings and their loud horns were triumphant. Oh well. This Cowboys team has a good core of young players, including some rising new stars in Austin, Spencer, and Jenkins. Felix Jones was even starting to tear it up towards the end.

This season, they won their way into the final eight. Although they gave it a good go, there's room for improvement.

But before we each step both feet into the offseason, let me ask you once more...

Who get your game balls?

FISH on FOOTBALL: Top Ten Takes As The Cowboys Go 'Super Bowl Or Bust!' (But Not Really)

Mike Fisher — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:00:22 -0000

FISH on FOOTBALL offers up Top Ten Takes as we sober up from the Cowboys' loss at Minnesota and take some steps forward - with no need to detour over to Jerry Jones' "woodshed'':

1. "It's Super Bowl or Bust!''

Cowboys fans who have lived through the Jerry Jones Era understand that this is Mr. Jones' annual rallying cry (not to mention his personal mantra). I will gently suggest that fans take a similar approach to their mourning ... along with a tempering of their anger.

"A football team is like a shark,'' another icon of the Jerry Jones Era once said. "It's either moving forward or it's moving backward.''

That second icon is Jimmy Johnson. He's right.

And so are your Cowboys. Because they are moving forward.

So mourn. And gripe. And map out your thoughts for what we all hope is a positive Cowboys future.

But understand, too, that when you and I and Mr. Jones boldly say "It's Super Bowl or Bust!'', there is no "bust.''

Romo doesn't retire. Jerry doesn't sell. The Cowboys don't spontaneously implode. There is no "bust.''

There is, rather, another chance at a Super Bowl. And then another. And then another. ...

2. Not that 34-3 came down to placekicking. But by gosh, you spend two recent draft picks on placekickers, you have (too much?) patience with one of them, you finally give up and stage a world-wide search for someone who is moderately reliable. ...

And you get to a playoff game and you can't make a kick.

To the credit of the Dallas front office, the position of kicker joins the Roy Williams situation as the only true personnel foibles of this season. And, in further defense of the front office here, even when you think you have a sure thing at kicker (San Diego's Nate Kaeding) you are a toenail away from failure.

Sadly, what happened to Shaun Suisham here was almost predictable. Care to guess what his kicking record this year in domes was?

Counting his two misses and a make in Minnesota, his lifetime mark in domes is 9 of 16.

3. We said going in that Jason Witten might have to stay in to help block Jared Allen. We didn't mean that Witten would be called upon to block the Vikings' All-Pro pass-rusher by himself.

4. Now to the other end.

From elementary school on up, we make so much of the "stars'' - left guards date the head cheerleader far less often that the QB does - that we often forget that the core of football, the essence of football, still occurs at the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys didn't lose the game because Tony Romo tossed a silly interception, and they certainly didn't lose the game because Brett Favre tossed a silly touchdown.

They lost it when the Minnesota Vikings' fourth-best defensive lineman was superior to anyone who tried to block him.

On the other end, Minnesota rarely needs to get creative. Jared Allen is the elite of the elite, a pass-rusher who also plays the run, a blue-collar guy who is also high-profile. He is in a sense a one-man show at defensive end, but you'd better assign two men to block him.

But at Ray Edwards' spot? You try to block him with one guy, if you can. Marc Colombo could not do so. Edwards was as disruptive in this game as any defensive end could possibly be.

And for one week, at least, a star is born.

5. The "classless'' argument is an empty one.

Oh, it gives everyone a chance to hand-wring and teeth-gnash. It's a can of spray paint we can use to disguise what really matters. But there is no "gentlemanly personality'' to the Vikings that is any different from the personality of the Cowboys or the Saints or the Seahawks. Minnesota has its vague motivations for the late TD throw - Favre was vengeful from the "cheap'' hit from Bradie James, or Childress wanted to use another score to fortify his guys' NFC title game confidence, or it was Minny's answer to Dallas calling timeouts when down 24 with six minutes to play - but those motivations are really not any of Dallas' concern, are they?

If I'm coaching a team, I might not throw for a score if only to avoid the "classless'' criticism driven by the likes of Cowboys inspirational leader Keith Brooking. Of course, if I'm Brooking, maybe I don't dance around the Falcons' field flapping my wings. If I'm Marion Barber, maybe I don't pound my chest after a two-yard gain to set up a second-and-8. If I'm Marcus Spears, maybe I don't go all WWE on a Vikings blocker after I'd made a meaningless tackle while my team was trailing by three scores.

But Brooking, Barber, Spears, and yes, Favre and Childress, are free to make these decisions for themselves.

If you are a supporter of the team doing the gum-flapping or the wing-flapping, you consider it fun. If you are a supporter of the opponent, you find it "classless.''

It started at the beginning of the game, when Brooking gave his televised "We Gonna Bloody They Noses!'' performance (Cowboys fans liked it, Vikings fans didn't). It ended at the end, with another televised performance, this one by Favre sing-songing "Pants On The Floor!'' (Vikings fans liked it, Cowboys fans didn't.)

There is no "right'' or "wrong'' here; there is only "my team's business'' and "your team's business'' and those twains needn't ever meet.

6. However, that didn't stop Brooking from approaching the Minnesota sideline in search of offending coach Brad Childress. And it didn't stop Brooking from inviting the media to approach him later, so he could say:

"I thought it was classless. I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn't think there was any call for that.''

I found it odd of Brooking to broach the "no timeouts'' issue - because the reason Dallas was out of timeouts is because the Cowboys used them to stop the clock when down 24 with six minutes left.

Dallas had its motivations. Minnesota had its motivations.

But there was something even more strange here.

Brooking also mentioned that the two teams are scheduled to face off again next season."They've got to see us next year,'' he said. "They've got to see us. You better believe I'll have that one circled on the calendar.''

Again, if you are a Cowboys fan, you like the chest hair of Brooking charging into an enemy foxhole. But upon reflection, don't you also respond by wondering whether the Cowboys should've circled the calendar this year?

7. The Elite Eight QBs and their regular-season interceptions:

Mark Sanchez (20), Peyton Manning (16), Kurt Warner (14), Joe Flacco (12), Drew Brees (11), Philip Rivers (9), Tony Romo (9) and ... Brett Favre (7).

Commit to stopping Adrian Peterson - which the Cowboys did do, and successfully, too - and what you are left with is Gerald Sensabaugh covering Sidney Rice downfield, one-on-one.

The Vikings have counted on Favre to exploit those decisions all year long. His incredible TD-to-INT ratio is 37/7. In a sense, there is no shame in the Cowboys losing to that.

8. I did not like what appeared to be Dallas' grab-bagging for return men. Felix Jones has been the kickoff return guy all year; why switch to Kevin Ogletree (who certainly did not look assertive or comfortable)? Patrick Crayton has had success as a punt returner; who exactly was being fooled by Dallas' two-man duo of Crayton and Newman (who looked shaky when he almost went to his knees to field a routine fair-catch ball)?

I don't mind upgrading to stars at the position when the postseason comes; i.e., letting Barry Sanders return kickoffs. But otherwise, like we say in Texas, dance with who brung ya.

9. We now know that Wade Phillips is coming back. That's a decision that needed to be made, one way or the other, and publicized. Meanwhile, published stories are announcing that Roy Williams also will be returning. ... and by "returning,'' I assume they don't mean "returning to the University of Texas, where he belongs.''

All sarcasm aside, Roy's disappearance ranks with that of previous Cowboy mysteries Quincy Carter and Lincoln Coleman. How do you decelerate so quickly from 60-to-zero? And why?

10. At the end of last season, Jerry Jones promised he'd take the entire organization "to the woodshed.'' I scoffed - and did so to his face, in a one-on-one conversation in which I told him I didn't see how a couple of guys in their 60's (Jerry and Wade) who've experienced life-long success with a certain personal style would suddenly change their leopard spots.

I was wrong. To the woodshed they went. And the Cowboys really did change.

Next up comes an easier shift. The Dallas Cowboys don't need a facelift, a makeover, a come-to-Jesus meeting or a trip to the woodshed.

They just need to get a little better.

The VRR: Cowboys Maintain Continuity in the Coaching Staff by Keeping Phillips

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:55:21 -0000

Other than the Jets' defensive efforts and the shootout in Arizona, this string of NFL playoff games has seen its fair share of blowouts. And the Cowboys have seen both sides of that compass.

Looking forward, the argument can be made that this team has progressed. Tony Romo learned to take better care of the ball. Young players such as Miles Austin, Anthony Spencer, and Mike Jenkins emerged as potential new stars. The defense found a way to close out games. Coach Joe DeCamillis breathed life into the special teams units. The team's new players: the free agent acquisitions, as well as some of its low-round rookies, came in to have an immediate impact throughout the season.

Looking back, the Vikings exposed those weaknesses that concerned many of us this past year. The offensive line is not dominant - speed rushers can beat these tackles and the interior guys lose ground to bigger D-linemen. Chase Tony Romo around enough, and you may eventually force a turnover. The offense gains yards, but that does little if it doesn't translate those yards into points. Having bad placekicking luck doesn't help either. And the defense can only hold them down for so long.

The direction in which this team is headed is debatable and dependent on how the Cowboys choose to correct what's wrong. Surely, we all would have loved for the Cowboys to have had another shot at the Saints. It just wasn't meant to be. They got their butts kicked.

The long and winding offseason begins now. As Ed Werder reported earlier, Wade Phillips will remain the head coach of the Cowboys. Jerry Jones considers "continuity" as something that will help this team grow.

"We have players that have a lot of will and we have a staff that has the incentive to get better," Jones said. "We have a good group here. I think that’s the history of things when you have that and you keep continuity, you have a chance to get better. And I’m confident we’ll get better," Jones added.

More VRR after the jump.

In regards to unrestricted free agency, the Cowboys do not have the pressure to re-sign any stars - thanks to Jerry Jones inking out a deal with DeMarcus Ware earlier this season. They do, however, have some key restricted free agents. Obviously, they will have to make quick decisions on starters like Miles Austin, Marcus Spears, and Gerald Sensabaugh.

The only unrestricted free agent on the roster is guard Montrae Holland, who was inactive for every game.

Wide receiver Miles Austin, cornerback Alan Ball, defensive end Stephen Bowen, defensive end Jason Hatcher, wide receiver Sam Hurd, tackle Pat McQuistan, center Duke Preston, center Cory Procter, safety Gerald Sensabaugh, nose tackle Junior Siavii, defensive end Marcus Spears, kicker Shaun Suisham and safety Pat Watkins are restricted free agents.

Coach Phillips on Gerald Sensabaugh's coverage during Sidney Rice's first TD catch:

"He was running right with him," Phillips said. "But he never saw the ball. Didn't even know he caught it. That was the strangest play I've seen in a long time. If he turns around, he could have intercepted or knocked it down. It's amazing that happened ... He said he didn't know they threw the ball or that the guy caught it. He didn't even try to tackle him. He thought the play was over."

Go for it on 4th-and-one or kick the field goal? Rob Phillips debates...

Yes, Suisham has had shaky moments this season, both as a Redskin and a Cowboy. But entering the game, he was 6-of-6 from 40-49 yards this season. He's made those kicks, and watching him in warm-ups, the only miss I saw was a 54-yarder. He looked ready.

"It's a (48)-yard field goal," head coach Wade Phillips said. "You've got to make some of those and we didn't."

The fallout? Brett Favre hit Sidney Rice three plays later for a 47-yard touchdown and the Vikings led, 7-0.

A frustrated Roy Williams sounded off some on his lack of opportunities yesterday. All indications point to the WR returning for another season as a Cowboy.

"I didn't get a ball today, and I didn't get a look at today. It just happens," Williams told ESPN Dallas. "It's frustrating. It pisses me off, especially when we lose and especially when I feel like I have a mismatch. I got a 5-10 corner [on me] but hey, you know, I will continue to work hard in the offseason and it will come back around."

Williams always seems to miss the big picture. Tony Romo didn't have time to find him, and Williams hardly inspired confidence all year. Due $12.95 million next year -- ($12.95 million!) -- Williams doesn't believe he'll be cut. In late December, he said, "Now, next year, if this is the same thing going on, then I'll be like, 'Oh [expletive], I've got to get my [expletive] together.' But right now, no. It's play ball. I'm good."

Williams may be right, because the Cowboys owe him $9 million even if he's not on the roster.

Hat tip to Dr.Cowboy for the FanShot.

Don't blame Romo for this one! That's what JJT says.

Hit any quarterback hard enough and long enough and he will succumb whether it’s Romo, Troy Aikman or Roger Staubach. Minnesota sacked Romo six times, forced three fumbles — he lost two — and intercepted him once.

Defensive end Ray Edwards, who abused Colombo, finished with four tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Oh, he also hit Romo six times.

Actually, the Vikings hit Romo so often that he began sensing pressure on the rare occasion he did receive protection, which made him tentative on some plays, while he rushed others.

Gil Lebreton says that Romo "made mistakes, not plays".

But while it may not seem fair to judge Romo on what happened Sunday, road games in the playoffs and ferocious pass rushes are what teams often encounter in the NFL postseason.

Favre had no fumbles and threw no interceptions. He kept finding a way to make plays. Romo has that ability, but he was left Sunday with mostly questions — questions about the future, questions about what the Cowboys’ post-Thanksgiving success really meant.

Losing starting LT Flozell Adams did not help the Cowboys, but Doug Free, his replacement, didn't hinder them either.

Free, like most tackles, had trouble with All-Pro DE Jared Allen. Free did not get dominated, though. Allen had one sack, and that came on a play that was designed to have TE Jason Witten blocking him one-on-one. That's poor strategy, not a problem with the left tackle. The Cowboys paid with a turnover when Allen jarred the ball loose with a violent hit on Tony Romo's blind side.

But it was Ray Edwards, the other end, who really gave the Cowboys fits.

The Vikings did to the Cowboys what the Eagles could not do.

One, the Eagles certainly didn't get the kind of pass-rush pressure from their front that the Vikings got yesterday, particularly the inside push that always seems to mess up timing and get quarterbacks moving hesitantly.

"Nobody has had that kind of pressure on us the whole year," Phillips glumly concluded, after his team failed to score a touchdown for the first time since the 44-6 loss that ended its 2008 season, at the Eagles. Dallas hadn't been held to three points since a 2003 loss to the Patriots.

[snip]

Two, the Eagles never show the kind of commitment to balance, even when the run game isn't working, that kept Dallas from teeing off on Favre in the second half the way the Cowboys teed off on Donovan McNabb last week.

"It's always important to be able to beat on people up front," Childress said. Adrian Peterson's 26 carries netted 63 yards yesterday, a hefty 2.4 yards per carry. "We didn't have any desire to let them play a rush-the-passer game."

Pat Williams called the Cowboys "cocky". Huh.

"They overlooked us," Pat Williams said, "and that’s fine. Basically, that’s how they ride down there. I don’t blame them, I guess. They’re young. They can be cocky. They’ve got a cocky owner, so that’s how they ride. But they came into this dome, and it was hostile for them. "

That dominating defensive effort by the Vikings' defense has helped DC Leslie Frazier in the running for the Bills' search for a new head coach.

Frazier, 50, interviewed for the Bills' job two weeks ago along with former Bills defensive coordinator and interim coach Perry Fewell, who took himself out of the mix by joining the New York Giants as their defensive coordinator. T

he only other person believed to have had an interview with the Bills is Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh. CBS football insider Charley Casserly reported on the NFL Today pregame show that the Bills not only interviewed Harbaugh, they offered him the job, which he didn't accept.

So for now, Frazier looks like the only viable candidate.

One coach that has already left the Cowboys is (now) former defensive line coach, Todd Grantham, who has started his new job as defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia.

UGA still has two openings on its defensive staff after hiring Grantham, who said late Friday that he and head coach Mark Richt "will be working throughout the weekend and next week to iron some of those things out. But anything like that would be premature at this time."

The Cowboys have hired Paul Pasqualoni as his replacement.

Post-game interviews with Patrick Crayton, Bradie James, and Keith Brooking here.

The Cowboys thank their fans for their support in the story below.

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.

Jets Upset Chargers - Vikings Crush Cowboys

Brandon — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:00:26 -0000

Jets at Chargers

I certainly wasn't expecting the Jets to beat the Chargers, but they did what they had to do: win the turnover battle (2 to 1) and play better defense. Actually I'm not sure the Jets played great defense, stats from ESPN:

	Plays	Total Yards	Yards/Play
Chargers	60	344	5.7
Jets	63	262	4.2

The Chargers averaged 360.1 yards/game during the regular season, so they weren't too far off that pace. The Jets forced the Chargers into 6 punts and 3 FG attempts, and they allowed no play longer than 37 yards, so they did make the Chargers work. It would have been a lot better if the Chargers' All-Pro kicker Nate Kaeding hadn't missed all 3 FG attempts. Don't tell me making an opponent miss FGs is a skill. Sometimes it's just better to be lucky. The Jets did what they had to do to win, even if Kaeding helped them out. They kept the score low and made a couple big plays (former Badger S Jim Leonhard returned an INT back to the Chargers' 16 yard line (which became a TD), and the big 53 yard TD run from RB Shonn Greene) to win it.

Cowboys at Vikings

I did expect the Vikings would win, but I didn't expect the Cowboys would suck. While the Cowboys had been avoiding turnovers and playing great defense lately, they didn't do either on Sunday, stats from ESPN:

	Plays	Total Yards	Yards/Play	Turnovers
Cowboys	66	248	3.8	3
Vikings	60	323	5.4	0

The Vikings were held to under their regular season average of 379.6 yards/game, so most of the Cowboys' defense played well, but the big plays to WR Sidney Rice (6 rec. for 141 yards, 3 TDs) killed them. It's not a great free agent class for corners, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cowboys looking closely at the end of the 1st round for one. The Cowboys' defense also paled in comparison to the Vikings' defense. They did a great job putting pressure on QB Tony Romo and forcing turnovers. The Cowboys also suffered from Charger-like kicking problems (K Shaun Suisham missed 2 of 3 FG attempts). Despite how bad the Cowboys played, this didn't turn into a blowout until the 4th quarter. It was only 17-3 at the end of the 3rd quarter, and if Suisham had made his FGs, it would have been a manageable 17-9.

There Is No Such Thing as "Running Up the Score" in the NFL

Gonzo — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:01:00 -0000

To hear the national media talk in the week leading up to Sunday's Vikings/Cowboys divisional playoff game, you would have thought that the Vikings didn't even need to bother showing up. After all, the Cowboys had won their last four games leading into the contest, a streak that included two wins over the one-dimensional Philadelphia Eagles, a shutout win over the horrible Washington Redskins, and a victory over the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The win over the Saints was, apparently, especially impressive, as only one other team managed to defeat the Saints at home all season (that being the 3-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Granted, the game against the Saints occurred on 19 December, nearly a month ago, but by God. . .it still counted for something, right?

But all of the questions this week were about how Minnesota would handle this or that or the other thing. How would the Vikings handle DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer? How would the Vikings slow down Jason Witten? What could the Vikings do to stop Tony Romo? Would the Vikings lose a close game, or would it be a Dallas blowout?

And, all the while, the Vikings just sort of sat back and listened to it all. Sure, some folks tried to make it sound like Brett Favre and Jared Allen had made guarantees simply by having the gall to think that their team had a shot to not only keep it close, but to win the game outright. Boy, some nerve those guys have, huh?

After all, the Cowboys were coming off of their first playoff victory since the mid-point of the Clinton Administration. Wade Phillips was a coaching genius, Romo was some other-worldly combination of Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and the Cowboy defense was more impenetrable than Alcatraz and Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Combined, even!

So, naturally, when the completely and utterly superior Cowboys found themselves on the wrong end of a 34-3 curb stomping by a Vikings team that was, apparently, just supposed to be happy to be there, some folks got bent out of shape about it.

The main culprit in this matter is Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking. When the Vikings went for it on a fourth and three play that resulted in an 11-yard touchdown pass to Visanthe Shiancoe. . .Brett Favre's fourth touchdown pass of the day. . .Brooking thought it would be a lovely idea to go over to the Minnesota sideline and run his yap in the general direction of the coaching staff. And he continued to flap his gums after the game was over.

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the Vikings ran up the score, and Brooking agreed.

"I thought it was classless," Brooking said. "I thought it was B.S. Granted, we get paid to stop them, but we had zero timeouts left. I didn't think there was any call for that."

Well, gee, Keith. . .let's review why you didn't have any time outs, shall we?

After Brett Favre connected with Sidney Rice for his third touchdown catch of the day, the Vikings led by a score of 27-3. The Cowboys turned the ball over on downs, and the Vikings took over from the Dallas 33 with 6:24 left in the game. On first down, Minnesota handed the ball to Adrian Peterson for no gain.

And the Cowboys called a time out.

On second down, the Vikings handed the ball to Peterson again, this time for three yards.

And the Cowboys used their second time out.

On third down, Peterson again got the call, again for no gain.

And the Cowboys used their third time out.

The Vikings went for it on fourth down, failed to convert, and gave the ball back to the Cowboys after moving the ball three yards and burning only twelve seconds of game time off the clock.

Here's the problem I have with the combination of this sequence and Brooking's subsequent post-game whinefest. If I'm down 27-3 in a game of Madden '10. . .which never happens, because I rule at Madden, but I digress. . .and there's six minutes left in the game, I don't start burning time outs. Why? Because I'm beaten. It's over. It's done with. If I've only scored three points in the first 54 minutes of action, I'm not going to delude myself into thinking that I'm somehow going to rack up 24 in the next six. Especially if Shaun Suisham is my kicker.

Yet the Cowboys, apparently, had exactly that delusion. Why else would they have been burning time outs in that situation? Of course, the Cowboys turned it over on downs again, and Minnesota put the final touchdown on the board on the subsequent possession.

As a Viking fan, I've seen my team wind up on the wrong end of some pretty nasty thumpings. Two of the more recent examples that come to mind are the 41-0 loss to the Giants the last time the Vikings made an NFC Championship Game and the 34-0 debacle at Lambeau Field a couple of years back. In both of those cases, I don't recall any members of the Vikings whining after the fact that our opponents ran up the score on us. I remember them acknowledging that they got their butts kicked. . .because, really, how can you not acknowledge that. . .but there was no whining about how the score was run up or anything else. And do you know why that is?

Because there is no such thing as "running up the score" in the National Football League. There never has been, and there never will be.

This isn't college football, where the big boys go out and schedule games against Whatsamatta U to run up big victories and improve their BCS position. Everybody out on that field is a professional, and every single one of them is paid to do their job. Brooking and his defensive teammates decided that because they weren't good enough to do their jobs, the Vikings' offense should stop doing their jobs, too. That's not how it works.

There's not one person on that Dallas defense that should bother coming in to collect their paycheck next week. Not Brooking. . .not DeMarcus Ware (who sacked Favre on the Vikings' third play of the game and spent the rest of the afternoon getting his butt kicked by Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt). . .not Gerald Sensabaugh, who I still don't think is aware that Sidney Rice caught the pass that resulted in his first touchdown. Not a one. After spending a week reading their own press clippings, it appeared that the Dallas defense was already looking forward to another trip to New Orleans and couldn't be bothered to take the Vikings seriously.

If New Orleans goes out next week and beats the Vikings 56-0 in the NFC Championship Game, it won't have anything to do with the Saints "running up the score" on us. It's up to the Minnesota defense to not allow the Saints to put seven or eight touchdowns on the board. Conversely, if the Vikings go out and pound the Saints 56-0, it won't be because we "ran up the score" on New Orleans, either. It's up to Darren Sharper and Jonathan Vilma and company to keep the Vikings out of the end zone.

Keith Brooking, rather than putting the blame for the Cowboys' pathetic performance where it belongs. . .that being on the Dallas Cowboys. . .chose to try to paint the Vikings as a bunch of big, mean bullies instead. And that's a big, steaming load of garbage.

Oh, well. . .he's got an extra week to think about how dumb he sounded on this matter. He certainly doesn't have any plans for next week, that's for sure.

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Review

Rated-R Superstar — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:11:00 -0000

This is the NFL's version of the final four. [via l.yimg.com]

They say that the divisional round of the playoffs is the most exciting weekend in sports, not just in the NFL itself. Certainly if your favorite team is involved, it more than likely is the most exciting weekend for you. In this year's divisional round, however, the blowouts made it tough to watch. In the first three games, the home team won by an average of 26 points. Still, let's take a look back at the weekend that was the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.

"Momentum? What's that, again?" [via a.espncdn.com]

Starting off the divisional round, we had the fourth-seeded Arizona Cardinals taking on the top-seeded New Orleans Saints. Right off the bat, boom, we had two touchdowns inside of the first six minutes thanks to Tim Hightower and a high-powered Saints offense led by Drew Brees. New Orleans, however, wasn't done scoring in the first quarter yet. The injured Jeremy Shockey caught a 17-yard touchdown pass and then an amazing 46-yard run by Reggie Bush took us back to his days at Southern California. That run also took the Saints to a 21-7 lead before the first quarter had even concluded. After a Beanie Wells touchdown, a flea flicker touchdown reception by Devery Henderson put New Orleans up by a 28-14 score. From there, it was more of the same for the Saints. Earlier, they had forced a fumble and the defense stepped up to stop the Cardinals' attack. Just past midway through the third quarter, an 83-yard punt return by Reggie Bush was the icing on the cake. The Cardinals, who had lost Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to injury during the game and Geno Hayes and Anquan Boldin before the game, couldn't nearly match up the Saints as New Orleans cruised to a 45-14 blowout victory. A visit from the Pope and the site of a Republican National Convention, the Louisiana Superdome has now earned the right to host its first NFC title game. The second-seeded Minnesota Vikings are coming to town for the NFC title.

Although facing a great defense, it was just another day at the office for Peyton Manning's boys. [via a.espncdn.com]

Hoping for a more competitive game for the second game on Saturday, the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts hosted the sixth-seeded Baltimore Ravens. Like the Saints, the Colts entered the playoffs on a losing streak. Indianapolis, as you already know, rested its players for the final two games. Showing not really any signs of rustiness, the Colts jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Late in the quarter, the Ravens tied the game to make it 3-3 with a field goal of their own. It was a defensive battle, or at least it was until late in the second quarter. A Peyton Manning touchdown strike to rookie Austin Collie was followed up by another touchdown pass from Manning, with this one going to Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Just like that, the Colts had taken a 17-3 lead into the half with all of the momentum. The Ravens offense was the story of this game, though, not the Colts offense. Baltimore couldn't put any points on the board. Their running game managed only 33 yards between stellar rushers Ray Rice, Le'Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. Joe Flacco, who started 4-for-4, turned cold and finished with an abysmal 48.4 quarterback rating. Amassing only 12 first downs all game, the Ravens managed only a total of three points. Another field goal, which proved to be nothing but icing, gave the Colts a 20-3 lead and Indianapolis would win that game by that very score. Next up, the Colts are hosting the fifth-seeded New York Jets for the AFC title.

The loyal Viking faithful have been waiting a long time for this. [via a.espncdn.com]

To begin the Sunday slate, the second-seeded Minnesota Vikings were playing host to the third-seeded Dallas Cowboys. Yet again in the NFC, it was a battle of division winners. The Vikings drew first blood as we headed toward the end of the first quarter. A 49-yard touchdown strike from Brett Favre to Sidney Rice put Minnesota ahead of Dallas, 7-0. Shaun Suisham, though, cut the lead as his 33-yard field goal brought the Cowboys closer. Unfortunately for Dallas, they were never that close again. Another Sidney Rice score and a Ryan Longwell field goal had put the Vikings ahead at halftime by a 17-3 score. For the fifth consecutive playoff game dating back to last Sunday, a team had a two-touchdown lead at the break. The teams had traded punts back and forth and Tony Romo had already fumbled three times in this game; however, this time, it wasn't a Romo fumble. An interception by Ben Leber lead to more Minnesota points, this time a 20-3 advantage. For the icing on the cake, a beautiful Brett Favre pass to Sidney Rice for the third time on the day had put the game out of the reach for the Cowboys. Coming in 3-7 in his last 10 playoff starts and 0-3 all-time against the Cowboys in the postseason, Favre is over that. A dominating 34-3 shellacking over Dallas has set Minnesota up with a date at the Louisiana Superdome next week against the top-seeded New Orleans Saints for the NFC title.

Rex Ryan and his team is the lowest seed standing. [via a.espncdn.com]

Wrapping up the divisional round of the playoffs, it was the fifth-seeded New York Jets taking on the second-seeded San Diego Chargers. Despite this first half being incredibly low-scoring, it was the most competitive. The trend of blowouts stopped here. As for the Jets, they couldn't get anything going offensively. With six drives in the first half, all six ended in punts. Their running game was relatively average and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez couldn't get anything going. Still, you have to give credit to that San Diego defense. The lone Chargers score was a 13-yard grab by Kris Wilson from Philip Rivers which came early in the second quarter. Nate Kaeding, who is absurdly getting the nod over Sebastian Janikowski amongst AFC kickers in every honor, missed two field goals in the first half. To start the second half, New York started out with possession. Moving down the field, the Jets finally reached the scoreboard thanks to a 46-yard field goal by Jay Feely. The end of the third quarter was where the action was. After Sanchez tossed a pick to Quentin Jammer, Darrelle Revis made a great interception of his own. Following a great punt by Steve Weatherford, Rivers was intercepted by Jim Leonhard giving the Jets amazing field position in the red zone. Four plays later, Sanchez rolls right and hits Dustin Keller in the back of the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass. With over 13 minutes to play in regulation, New York had taken a 10-7 lead over San Diego. Just over six minutes later, Shonn Greene went 53 yards to the house to give the Jets the 17-7 lead. A late touchdown by the Chagers proeved too little and it was too late. The Jets had hung on for a 17-14 win. Next week, they'll take on the top-seeded Colts for the AFC title.

Poll

Which player on a winning team had the most impressive divisional round weekend?

Drew Brees (NO): 23-for-32, 247 yards, 3 TD

44 votes

Reggie Bush (NO): 5 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions, 24 yards; 3 punt returns, 109 yards, 1 TD

128 votes

Peyton Manning (IND): 30-for-44, 246 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT

23 votes

Ray Edwards (MIN): 5 solo tackles, 3 sacks, 4 TFL

38 votes

Brett Favre (MIN): 15-for-24, 234 yards, 4 TD

135 votes

Ben Leber (MIN): 9 tackles (8 solo), 2 PD, 1 INT

4 votes

Sidney Rice (MIN): 6 receptions, 141 yards, 3 TD

94 votes

Jim Leonhard (NYJ): 6 solo tackles, 2 PD, 1 INT

23 votes

489 votes | Poll has closed

Is it Sunday Yet?

ericj69 — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:47:29 -0000

It's the playoffs--time to step our games up. My Gratuitous Picture of the Week is no different. Therefore, I present to you Ms. Shay Maria. What does this picture have to do with Sunday's game? Um, her body is posed in a "V", which obviously stands for "Vikings". Duh!

View full size photo »

Finally, Sunday! Game day! It was a long week, but we're finally here! Kickoff is mere hours away!

Wait, what? It's only Friday? We still have over 40 hours before game time?! GAHHHHH!!

Seriously, has this not been the longest week in the history of mankind? I'm fairly certain that there were three Tuesdays and at least a half dozen Thursdays this week. All that was missing was Bill Murray waking up to "I Got You Babe" every morning. But we're almost there, which is better than where we were Monday, which I believe was some time last month.

Like any rabid Vikings fan, I've spent most of the week perusing the internet and absorbing every tidbit of "expert" analysis about Sunday's game. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that were we just lucky to make the playoffs and the Cowboys had won their last four games by a combined score of 184 to -3. Dallas is no doubt playing well, but let's be realistic here. They beat the Saints in a game that meant about 40 times more to Dallas than it did to New Orleans in the playoff picture. They beat the Redskins, who had a toe tag on their season since Week 5. Then they beat the Eagles twice--a one-dimensional team that relied heavily on the big play and missed every big play opportunity they had. So unlike nearly every analyst has done all week, let's heed Winston Wolf's advice on America's team until they prove it.

Now I'm not saying the Cowboys are a bad team. They didn't win the NFC East by accident, just like our perfect home record wasn't a fluke. In fact, I'm out-and-out nervous about four Dallas players:

Miles Austin. No, not because I'm afraid of his 14 square feet of gums when he smiles, but I'm worried about who will cover him. If Antoine Winfield was 100% I'd feel better, but he isn't.
Marion Barber. I'm not nervous about his running--I'm afraid that he won't be healthy and we'll see more of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, who are infinitely more dangerous to break a big play.
DeMarcus Ware. This one's pretty obvious. Dude's a beast. Bryant McKinnie will have to play like he actually earned that Pro Bowl spot of his for the Vikings to succeed on offense.
Anthony Spencer. Let's say that unlike the Carolina game, Childress pulls his head out and decides to give McKinnie some help against a top-tier pass rusher. That will leave Spencer one-on-one with Phil Loadholt on the other side of the formation. You might not know a ton about Mr. Spencer, so I'll give you an in-depth scouting report: he's real good. It's going to take a smart game plan by the Minnesota coaches to keep Ye Olde Gunslinger upright.

Speaking of coaches, I keep hearing about how Wade Phillips has the 'Boys playing so well and how Dallas finally has the monkey off their backs. To borrow a phrase from Mugatu: I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS! While I know Childress won't be confused with Bill Walsh, this is Wade Phillips we're talking about. The same guy who has been on the hot seat for two years straight. The same guy who didn't have a playoff victory in eight full seasons as a head coach until last week. The same guy where it didn't seem that much out of character for him to call "60 Stretch Far-laaahhhh" in that Pepsi commercial. So this guy magically turned into a great head coach because of one game? Puh-lease. The coaching matchup definitely isn't a MENSA convention, but I don't think there's an advantage either way.

One last thing concerns me about Sunday's game. If the Cowpokes get off to a quick lead, I'm deathly afraid of the "Here We Go Again" Syndrome (HWGAS for short). We're Vikings fans--we're so used to terrible disappointment that we almost expect it this time of year. I was at last year's playoff game against the Eagles. As soon as Westbrook scored on that screen pass, the crowd checked out. HWGAS completely took over the Metrodome. If it's 10-0 Dallas in the first quarter, I fear that HWGAS will consume most fans in the Dome as well as our game thread.

That's no good, but I have to agree with what Deadspin's Drew Magary said yesterday:

As a Vikes fan, I can tell you that whenever the team has a particularly good regular season, they tend to save their playoff chokes for later on, when they're even more painful and humiliating. I also think Dallas is just happy to have won a playoff game again, and will fold with everyone picking them this week. NFC title game bed-sh*tting, here we come!

See? We don't have to worry about getting our hearts ripped out until next week! Besides, I really don't see the Cowboys staking a big lead. It's tough to get up for a game when Keith Brooking is your pregame fire-up guy.

Really Dallas?! That floppy-haired nerd shouting Southern-twanged gibberish is the best you can do? Weak.

If HWGAS doesn't strike and this game comes down to the wire, I really like Minnesota's chances because of our kicking game. Shaun Suisham is playing for his second team of the year for a reason, and that reason is because he sucks. On the other hand (or should I say foot) we have Ryan Longwell. He was one block and one upright away from a perfect season. (But thank God he didn't have a perfect season, am I right? No need to relive 1998 again.) If Tony & The Romosexuals want to beat us, they better do so before crunch time rolls around. As Suisham can tell you, it's hard to kick straight with both hands around your throat.

So yes, the world wants you to believe that Dallas is just going to waltz through the Metrodome on their way to the NFC Championship Game. Try telling that to Jared Allen, who's going to make cheap-shot artist Flozell Adams' life a living hell for 3+ hours. Try telling that to Adrian Peterson, who's primed to prove once and for all he's the best running back in the league. Try telling that to Brett Favre, the Future Hall of Famer who wants nothing more than going out on top.

Make sure you say your Our Favrethers, because the Vikings are making up for the Hail Mary on Sunday.

Prediction: Vikings 30, Cowboys 24

Here's how I see the other NFL Divisional Playoff games shaking out (home teams in CAPS):

Cardinals 37, SAINTS 34: Did you see Kurt Warner last week? He had five touchdowns and four incompletions. That's just stupid. Like I said in a Fan Post earlier this week, he made Green Bay's number two defense look like plain old number two. I'm not really concerned about New Orleans' 0-3 finish, but there's no way in hell I can pick against Warner when he's playing like this. Plus if Favre and Warner meet up in the NFC Championship, the NFL can bill the game like a WWE-style "loser retires" grudge match! How awesome would that be?

COLTS 23, Ravens 17: I wanted to pick the Ravens here because I chose Baltimore and Minnesota as my preseason Super Bowl pick. I also wanted to pick the Ravens here because it would convince teams that clinched their playoff spots to play their starters throughout the entire year, making fantasy football more fair for everyone. But Peyton Manning earned the hell out of his fourth MVP award this season. He'll find a way for the Colts to win here.

CHARGERS 30, Jets 16: Darrelle Revis is amazing, but he can only chop down one tree in the forest that is the San Diego receiving corps. Look for LaDanian to show off his ridiculous new dance a couple times Sunday afternoon.

Last week: 1-3

Regular season: 175-81

BTB Game Balls - Wild Card Edition: Eagles @ Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:26:44 -0000

It's time to hand out game balls for the Cowboys' home playoff victory against the hated division rival Eagles! We've got one for a player from each unit: offense, defense, special teams, as well as one for the coaching staff.

Make the jump to see who gets a BTB game ball.

Offense

Felix Jones -The 73-yard TD was just the icing on the cake. Throughout the game, Felix showed that he can be the feature back the Cowboys have dreamed of since drafting him. He gets the tough yards, and every now and then slips through for a quick 20-yarder like he did in the first quarter. Earlier in that quarter, he showed his tiptoeing skills (ala Woody Dantzler) on a 30-yard catch and run. He finished the half averaging 5.9 yards on nine carries.

And then, in the third quarter, he cemented the win for the Cowboys with the longest run in the franchise's postseason history. Of the Cowboys' 10 longest plays for the night, Felix took part in four of them. He's just so much fun to watch that I had to include his highlight reel here. Before you watch it, though, ask yourself: who has the team's cheesier smile - Felix or Miles?

Honorable Mention: Miles Austin, Tony Romo

Defense

Bradie James - One of my biggest fears still stemming from the '07 playoff loss to the Giants was the way Eli drove them down to get a quick TD before the half. Even though the Cowboys were up 24-7 on the Eagles with less than a minute to go in the half, I felt that same fear creeping into my gut.

On 2nd-and-15, McNabb escaped pressure from Anthony Spencer and hit Jason Avant for 20. Avant was able to stretch the ball out of bounds. Standing up with both my hands on my head, I tried to dismiss the "here we go agains". If the Eagles could have pulled within two scores before the half, they may have stolen the momentum from the Cowboys.

During the next play, James ensured that Dallas would maintain that ever so important momentum. With Jason Hatcher and Victor Butler squeezing the pocket, McNabb checked down to his ProBowl FB Leonard Weaver. Just as Weaver began to make his "football move", James reached in to rip away the ball, and then fell on it to secure the turnover. Instead of a seven-yard gain, the Cowboys got the ball near midfield. After a few passing plays, the offense put Suisham into position to make his 48-yarder. At the half, Cowboys 27 Eagles 7.

Aside from that game-securing play, James led the team with a smorgasbord of stats: six solo tackles, a sack, two QB hits, a tackle for a loss, and a pass defended. He may not be flashy, but he is playing furiously. With Keith Brooking, DeMarcus Ware, and Anthony Spencer, this linebacking corps is a completely dominating unit.

Honorable Mention: Anthony Spencer, DeMarcus Ware

Special Teams

Mat McBriar - Another g'day, mate! The real story here is not that McB averaged 38.2 yards on six punts with a long of 61, it's how he and the coverage team pinned the Eagles back inside their 20. Five of his six punts landed inside the 20 (the sixth was a touchback). In effect, the often dangerous DeSean Jackson was able to return just two of them for nine yards with a long of eight. Combined with the way guys like Kevin Ogletree were hitting on coverage units, it's a wonder Jackson even accomplished anything on his returns.

Check this out: McBriar and the coverage team forced Philly to respectively begin their drives from their own 10, 5, 24, 11, 10, and 20 yard lines. Between that unit and Buehler's kickoff unit, the Eagles only decent field position of the game came after that Jenkins/Newman fumble, which Philly recovered on the Cowboys' 47.

Average starting position for the Eagles was their own 20; for the Cowboys, it was their own 37. That there is some darn good field position management. Thanks, special teams!

Honorable Mention: David Buehler, Shaun Suisham

Coaching

Jason Garrett - Garrett simply outsmarted the Eagles' defensive coordinator, Sean McDermott...simply outsmarted him. If you don't believe me, read Raf's enlightening "Smoke-Screen's" post. You would think that a DC would be able to make the appropriate adjustments to any OC, seeing that it was the third time these two teams met, and second week in a row, to boot! Send the blitzers: Garrett throws screens. Don't send the blitzers: Garrett dices you up with the running game. Blitz a little here, a little there: plays right into the hands of Garrett's offense.

The Eagles have known about Miles Austin. They knew about Felix Jones. Still, Garrett sucker-punched their defenders with his two playmakers whenever he got the chance. The rest of the game, he jabbed them with a little Roy Williams, the ol' TE one-two of Jason Witten and John Phillips, some Patrick Crayton, Kevin Ogletree and Tashard Choice. He's making a weapon out of everybody. How can a defense defend that?

What is working really well for Garrett is that he and Romo are on the same page. The offensive line looks to be on the same page with each other, as well. Combined with a working run game and an efficiently explosive group of receivers, there does not seem to be a limit for what Garrett can do with this offense.

Honorable Mention: Wade Phillips, Joe DeCamillis

With such a triumphant and lop-sided victory, there are many players who deserve a game ball for Saturday night's game. Consider how many different players on defense made plays, Crayton's punt returns, Carp's fumble recoveries, Flo's dominance of Trent Cole, etc.

Before we turn our full attention towards the Vikings, who get your game balls?