SB Nation - Isaiah Stanback

The VRR: The Cowboys' Regular Season is Right Around the Corner

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:33:15 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Byron Leftwich will host the Dallas Cowboys to open the 2009 NFL regular season.

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We have been waiting for this week for a long time. With preseason over and the 53-man roster set, it is time to focus on the regular season.

After missing out on the playoffs last year, it may be difficult not to be curious about what the season has in store for the 2009 version of the Dallas Cowboys. SAEN's Tom Orsborn debates whether or not the Cowboys are a playoff-caliber team.

The Cowboys aren’t the only NFC East team with issues. The Eagles lack a cohesive offensive line, the Giants lack a dynamic receiver, and the Redskins lack a quarterback they can believe in. But only Dallas has a well-earned reputation for folding when it counts most. Another brutal December schedule looms, and there’s no evidence the Cowboys will deal with it in championship fashion.

Let's just take it one game at a time, shall we?

This Sunday, when the Cowboys take on Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers will be starting Byron Leftwich at quarterback. Because the team traded Luke McCown to the Jaguars on Saturday, first-round pick Josh Freeman will be the team's immediate backup to Leftwich.

"We are married to him," Morris said Sunday. "Everything we do around that position, around this team, around this organization, around the Tampa Bay area ... when we clean the street on MacDill, it's going to be around Freeman."

Freeman will be one injury by Leftwich away from taking over the Bucs' offense, even though he showed he needs considerably more experience before he's anywhere near ready to see regular season action.

More VRR after the jump.

Here is how the Bucs' depth chart currently stands.

Vic Carucci lists the Bucs as one of his five teams that have reason to panic.

The defense is very young, and its inexperience has shown during the preseason. One player it needs to be able to count on is cornerback Aqib Talib, but his off-field issues are cause for concern. His most recent incident was an arrest for allegedly assaulting a cab driver.

Rich Gannon weighs in on the preseason firing of coordinators.

"I think it's embarrassment to an organization," Gannon said. "You're supposed to be ready for the opener, and you're making critical changes to your staff. ... A coordinator has to get all the coaches on the same page, and the time isn't there now to do that."

For you number-crunching folks, Larry Acker breaks down the Cowboys' upcoming opponents vs. those from last year. Pretty interesting stuff. Check it out.

When looking at all of the numbers, I come away with a couple of things. First, the Cowboys should be able to put up tons of yards and points this year. With a significant drop in average opponents’ defensive rankings, they should be able to move the ball offensively pretty well. As I said, getting back Felix Jones should help as well. Keeping Romo healthy will be the key. Second, if the Cowboys had a weakness on defense last year, it was rush defense. Obviously, with Ware bringing the heat, the pass rush was ferocious last year. But, the ‘boys could be run on, and they will be facing even better rushing offenses (on average) this year than last. The hardcore Dallas fans will know better if there are any changes that you could expect to see improvements in rush defense, but based on this analysis, it looks like there may be more rush yards given up than last year. Most likely, the Cowboys’ strategy will be to try to get early leads that will take away opponents’ run games. If they can do this, it will help their run defense.

The Cowboys were awarded their waiver claim on S Marvin White, but they had also put in claims for two other players: RB Chauncy Washington and LB Tim Shaw. Both players were released by the Jaguars.

Stephen Hodge is happy to see another Horned Frog on the Dallas roster.

Cowboys rookie linebacker Stephen Hodge sent White a text. That’s how White, who played at TCU, found out he was headed to the Cowboys. "I couldn’t be any happier," White said after arriving in D-FW. "It’s a blessing how God works. This is home, too, so the transition should be much easier for me."

[snip]

"He is a headhunter," said Hodge, a sixth-round pick whom the Cowboys placed on injured reserve Saturday. "Everybody tells me I hit hard, but he was probably the hardest hitter at TCU. ... He also has a tremendous work ethic. He just loves playing the game. ... I’m glad we got him."

Could rookie K David Buehler help the Cowboys special teams' coverage units with his shoulder pads?

Dallas took Buehler strictly for kickoffs, with reliable Nick Folk, a former Arizona Wildcat, still handling field goals. Buehler hopes to eventually have both jobs, but for now he's comfortable with a different kind of double duty, kicking off and working with other coverage units.

Dallas would prefer to pack its coverage squads with guys who make a living hitting and tackling and leave its specialist on the sideline, except for his own kickoffs. But it's not that simple.

Several rookies who were expected to contribute primarily on special teams are already hurt. One is out for the year and two more are going to miss the first month. So the luxury of having a kicker who can tackle is suddenly close to being a necessity. It also makes it easier to justify Buehler's spot on the 53-man roster.

Not only are the Patriots taking on the Isaiah Stanback-at-QB project; they have also signed CB DeAngelo Willingham, just recently released by Dallas, to their practice squad.

Apparently, Stanback is more comfortable playing quarterback.

"I tried very hard at receiver," Stanback said. "I busted my butt at receiver and did whatever was asked of me. I think I could do it, but I was never comfortable with it. Quarterback is what I've done my whole life. It's what I'm comfortable with."

Nick Eatman put together a list of former Cowboys recently released.

Kevin Ogletree: Keep This Guy Around

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:18:03 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Throughout the OTAs, training camp, and now the preseason, rookie free agent WR Kevin Ogletree has been a consistent surprise for the Cowboys.

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Here in Texas, there is a buzz growing around the play and promise of undrafted wide receiver, Kevin Ogletree. He sure looks to be the favorite for that last receiver spot. Whether or not the team chooses to keep Isaiah Stanback, they have to make room for Ogletree, right? With his circus catch for a score against Tennessee, his apparent confidence from Tony Romo, and his versatility as a slot guy and backup kick returner, it is hard to imagine him making it through waivers should the Cowboys try to sneak him on the practice squad.

Hopefully, they won't take that risk. He can not be hidden. Even though the team's website lists Mike Jefferson, Julian Hawkins, and Manuel Johnson on the depth chart, but no Ogletree; the buzz is already too loud. I imagine pro scouts have heard it in Houston, maybe even as far north as Kansas City or Denver. New Orleans always likes a bargain wideout or two.

This offseason, the Cowboys' wide receiver position has been scrutinized and criticized by the media. Once analysts are done focusing their question marks on Romo's December woes, they launch onto Roy Williams - almost as if their connection is the team's only chance for success. From the national media's perspective, Patrick Crayton, Miles Austin, and Sam Hurd are just the committee of other wide receivers Dallas will have on its roster. Obviously, we can't expect them to know about Ogletree.

As fans of the team, I think we can all appreciate a little extra optimism regarding the wide receiver position. Ogletree brings that. He may be at the bottom of the roster on opening day, but he would bring with him the consistency he has shown through training camp and preseason. Not a bad way to round out a group that has had problems staying healthy.

Make the jump.

In last year's season opener, all the team had to contribute at the position were Terrell Owens, Crayton, and a banged-up Stanback. While Crayton and Austin should be healthy for the upcoming opener against the Bucs (knock on wood), Williams and Hurd have needed some rest, and Stanback is fighting to stay on the team.

Although it is just preseason, Ogletree is tied for eighth against the rest of the NFC's rookies with five catches for 73 yards, averaging 14.6 per catch. That may not sound too productive, but each of those five catches have gone for first downs. Whether it be for 20 yards or two inches, the Cowboys need first downs. They need receivers who can make first-down grabs.

He hasn't been too shabby on kick returns, either. Currently, he is averaging 28.4 yards on five returns for 142 yards. It would be nice to see him get some more work there against Minnesota this Friday.

Richie Witt of the Dallas Observer says that Ogletree reminds him of Kelvin Martin. I was thinking Kevin Williams, but that #85 jersey may be swaying my perception.

I also think Virginia free-agent receiver Kevin Ogletree is going to make the team and make some positive plays. Kinda reminds me of Kelvin Martin. At this point it's not a stretch to say Dallas' free-agent class is just as productive as its draft class.

The coaches have liked what they've seen from him from the get-go.

"He runs good routes," said Wade Phillips, head coach. "The guy has got a lot of good things going for him, and he has been consistent with it. We said it (at) OTAs, 'This guy, wow, this guy looks good.'"

Jason Garrett sounds happy with what he saw from Ogletree against the 49ers' starting secondary.

"He's made a real positive impression on all of us," said Jason Garrett, the offensive coordinator. "There's a tendency to say, 'Hey, he's playing in the second half of games. He's playing against young guys.' This was an opportunity for him to go against some guys who have played in this league before, veteran players, and I thought he did a good job."

Last week, we heard about Romo's comfort with the team's depth at wide receiver. Ogletree is appreciative for his opportunity to work with Romo.

"It's a privilege to be out there with Tony Romo," Ogletree said. "I tell him that. He knows that. We're just trying to get that rhythm going and trying to be there for him. You just want to be dependable. You want to be a guy when you're called up to do something, you come through. And that's what I'm trying to do, to be that guy."

In April, we witnessed a draft that sought to improve the overall depth of the team - most of the picks were focused on defense and special teams. With the team's last pick being made on Oklahoma's Manny Johnson, the wide receiver position seemed an afterthought.

Then, thanks to John Garrett's Virginia connection, along came Ogletree.

I'm not putting him ahead of Austin or Hurd on the depth chart, or predicting he will be a regular contributor or anything like that.

I just hope the Cowboys keep him.

Cowboys Special Teams: Stability = Special Play

Rafael Vela — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:08:07 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Pat Watkins (25) special teams versatility may keep him in a Cowboys uniform. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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The first two weeks of the Joe DeCamillis Experience brought mixed results. The big returns so common in the Bruce DeHaven and Bruce Read Eras persisted. So did the needless penalties.

DeCamillis put on his political hat and cautioned against overly optimistic expectations, at least in early August. He was mixing and matching his units, working towards a core of dependable, dedicated players.

Saturday saw a lot of personnel carryover from the Tennessee game. Consequently, we saw some of the best overall special teams play from a Cowboys team in a long time. It's still preseason, but DeCamillis' high-intensity lessons seem to be taking.

A New Folk Hero Kicker

Nick Folk has been the special teams MVP the last two years and an almost instant Folk hero, because of his ability to nail kicks in pressure situations. The Cowboys may have a new folk hero in rookie David Buehler. Buehler has done precisely what he was drafted to do, offering a long leg and kamikaze coverage skills. Here's a recap of his first-half kicks Saturday:

One yard deep in the end zone, returned ot the San Francisco 15.
Two yards deep, returned to the Dallas 30, where Buehler made the tackle. Called back for holding and spotted on the San Francisco ten.
Three yards deep, touchback.

Three kickoffs, with an average starting position of the 15 yard line. Compare that to last year, where Dallas had an NFL worst kickoff landing average of the nine and an opponents' average starting position just past their 29.

Recall that Dallas defensive red zone efficiency dropped off last year. The team was good at preventing touchdowns inside its 20 but surrendered far more field goals than the year before. The lousy field position likely played a role. Pushing opponents back 15 yards should cut this figure down. At least that's the plan. Buehler appears more than able to do his part.

Many Happy Returns

Dallas had been a pedestrian punt return team the last four years. Patrick Crayton is Mr. Dependable; he'll catch the ball and run as far upfield as he can, but he's not going to dazzle you. Pacman Jones was supposed to change this, but he fizzled out last season.

Saturday, Crayton and Terence Newman took their turns and both generated long returns. Newman took a first half punt 43 yards, leading to a field goal. Crayton caught a 2nd half liner on the dead run and returned it 26 yards. A big reason may be...,

Don't Throw the Core Out With the Discards

DeCamillis has settled on a core of players. A couple are names many of us, me included have marked for death. Pat Watkins continues on both kickoff and both punt units, greatly improving his chances of hanging on. The same if true of wideout Isaiah Stanback. He hurt his cause by fumbling a pass, but had a strong game on special teams. He and rookie Jason Williams were frequently the first two down on kickoff returns. He plays in the middle of the punt coverage team, in one of the slots Keith Davis used to occupy. Stanback had a solid 30 yard return and his downfield block on a 'Niners gunner sprung Crayton on his big return. Stanback is playing like a cat who knows he's on his 9th life, and that adrenaline-infused hustle may keep him in a Cowboys uniform.

Stanback, Watkins, John Phillips and Jason Williams are four guys Coach D has trusted the last two weeks. Watch next week to see if these four have company on the special teams core.

I don't expect a steady week -to-week improvement from the special teammers. DeCamillis is pushing a lot of new faces, many of them rookies, into his teams, and their progress tends to be up and down, not linear. Improvement is clear, from this time last year and even a month ago.

It may come next week, or next month, but the Cowboys are being DeCamillisized.

Raiders Cheat Sheet: It's About THESE Guys

Rafael Vela — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:45:41 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Rookie Jason Williams (58) will get plenty of playing time in Oakland. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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There will be much to glean from Thursday's Raiders game, provided you don't obsess over the first team.

Tony Romo and the first team offense and Demarcus Ware and the first team defense will get two series, if other preseason games are any guide. This means they'll get somewhere between six to fifteen snaps, depending on their effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

This also means that by 9:20 pm CT Thursday night, the starters will have lost their pads and will be sipping gatorade on the sideline. Unless you're planning on bailing on the broadcast, or don't want a letdown, get ready to watch these guys, because the 2nd and 3rd quarters will belong to them:

2nd Offense

QB: Jon Kitna, 3
RBs: Felix Jones, 28/Tashard Choice, 23
FB: Deon Anderson, 34
TEs: Martellus Bennett, 80/John Phillips, 89
LT: Doug Free, 68
LG: Montrae Holland, 64
C: Cory Proctor, 71
RG: Greg Isander, 62
RT: Pat McQuistan, 77
WRs: Sam Hurd, 17/Miles Austin, 19/Isaiah Stanback, 86

We all have plenty to study with this group. Kitna has much better arm strength than the departed Brad Johnson, but how accurate will he be? He looked out of sync with his new receivers much of the time. How well does John Phillips block when leading a running back up the gut? Deon Anderson has been dinged up,so Phillips may get lots of lead blocking chances. If he can neutralze ILBs the Cowboys have themselves a 7th round find.

How well does Doug Free block unaided on pass plays? Is Montrae Holland more than big? Can he create movement on DTs? Has Pat McQuistan improved at all or is he a placeholder until Robert Brewster returns?

Can Sam Hurd and Miles Austin translate their promising camp performances into a real game? Can Isaiah Stanback continue to make plays, as he was this past weekend, and secure the 5th receiver spot?

2nd Defense

DE -- Stephen Bowen, 72
NT -- Junior Siavii, 78
DE -- Jason Hatcher, 97
OLB -- Victor Butler, 57
ILB -- Bobby Carpenter, 54
ILB -- Jason Williams, 58
OLB -- Brandon Williams, 59
CB -- D'Angelo Smith, 31
SS -- Michael Hamlin, 36
FS -- Alan Ball
CB -- Mike Mickens, 33
Nickel CB -- Ball, 20

The corners on this list may have to wait a bit later than the rest to play. WIth Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman sitting out the game, backups Courtney Brown and Orlando Scandrick will start. The coaches may want to work those two more than two series.

Their groupmates have plenty of questions to address. Can Junior Siavii anchor the line? Can Bobby Carpenter play the run as well as he has played the pass this camp? Can any of the three rookie linebackers step forward? The two ends have run hot and cold. Jason Williams seemed to be getting a feel for the pro game, but he's still an erratic rookie.

Can any of the Brown/Mickens/Smith corner trio show something? When all the corners were healthy, Scandrick and the two starters looked ready for real games. No other CB distinguished himself, though Ball started to make plays late last week once he was given some reps in the slot. (He played FS exclusvely the first ten days or so.)

Ignore the score folks. I don't think Wade Phillips will call a blitz-free game, but the objective is to assess playing ability. If you go blitz crazy, or go too deep into your offensive playbook, you're putting scheme above ability. All you get is confirmation that your schemes can confuse 1st and 2nd year players, but no evidence whether those guys can actually play.

Cowboys Camp, Afternoon, Day 12: Sloppy Sunday

Rafael Vela — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:54:30 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

It was the day of the dropses as Dallas finished the second day of three consecutive two-a-day practices. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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The Cowboys appear ready to start hitting other clubs. Day twelve saw them back in full pads, but pushing themselves through a ragged practice that saw dependable veterans making uncharacteristic mistakes.

The offense forcused today on 3rd down plays, which saw it mainly in the shotgun, with three receivers in the game. The starters were effective at gettng people open aganst the first team defense, but could not get into sync and develop any consistency.

In one of the key drills of the day the offense and defense squared off near mid-field, with the situation always being 3rd down. On one play it was 3rd and 4, on the next 3rd and 7, on the next 3rd and 10 and so on and so on.
The first four plays tell the story: Both offensive tackles jumped offsides on the first play; Patrick Crayton dropped a Romo pass for a first down on the next; Roy Williams got open but Romo threw behind him on the third and Crayton finally converted on the 4th when he gathered in a deep in well past the 3rd-and-10 marker.

The offense had another set but continued its off and on play. The coaches then began rotating different units into the game,so I'm going to report on individual players rather than on the contour of the day. I doubt the team will linger on this tape.

-- Isaiah Stanback had a strong session, making two difficult catches, one a leaping snag on a deep comeback and the second a hook from the slot where a defender was draped on his back. Stanback was working with the first team in both cases.

As I noted yesterday, Stanback has looked better than Mike Jefferson and Kevin Ogletree but none of the three had shown an ability to "close the sale." All could run good routes and get open, but none had been making the key grab or grabs to set them apart. The game performances will ultimately tell, but Stanback helped himself today.

-- The refs were not present today and wonder if their disappearance contributed to the ragged play?

-- Rookie TE John Phillips got a lot of reps on the line and motioning into the backfield as a lead blocker. He showed some pop, locking up Demarcus Ware on a draw play. He's far, far ahead of Rodney Hannah for the 3rd TE spot. Nevertheless, it's good to see him blocking well from the backfield, since he's better known for his blocking than his down the field skills. He'll get more playing time if he continues to clean up on linebackers.

-- Which Cincinnati Kid? Dallas has two U of Cincinnati Kids on the roster, but to my eyes only one of them gets to play Steve McQueen in this season's movie. My early tally has Dallas keeping four corners, five at the most. Mike Jenkins, Terence Newman, Orlando Scandrick and Courtney Brown have the first four slots and backup FS Alan Ball played well onthe edge last year and has looked pretty good in the slot the last two days, with Jenkins and Newman out rehabbing injures. It's possible both of these guys could be cut and I can't really tell which one is leading should Dallas keep five dedicated corners.

-- My math says Dallas possibly keeping 10 linebackers: Four OLBs in Ware, Spencer and the rookies Victor Butler and Brandon Williams. I'm surprised, but feel it is possible six ILBs make the cut. Bradie James, Keith Brooking and Bobby Carpenter looks let. Top draftee Jason Williams will make the team and Stephen Hodge could join him if he performs on special teams.

The surprise is Matt Stewart. He's running ahead of the rookies on the 2nd team and his ability to cover kicks and snap adds value. (How many teams have depth at snapper?) The preseason games will tell.

What I can say is that long time special teams core players Justin Rogers and Pat Watkins appear to be on thin ice. Rogers is playng OLB but is a lesser rusher than the four guys ahead of him. Watkins looks better this year but the Hamlins, Gerald Sensabaugh and Alan Ball are ahead of him at safety. Watkins may hang on if the team keeps five safeties. As with the others, the games will tell.

Cowboys Camp, Day 10: Dallas Takes Its Mid-terms

Rafael Vela — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:50:50 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

The pads were popping today as the Cowboys went all out with everything they've installed thus far. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

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The full pads came out again today as the Cowboys put in their most physical and most comprehensive practice of the week. Some items were added to the team's repertoire, namely punt coverage and returns, but the coaches took advantage of the referees crew to work their offense and defensive units in three long 11-on-11 drills that incorporated all the offensive and defensive packages installed thus far. Think of it as the team's mid-term exam.

From Kickoffs to Punts

After at least three consecutive sessions devoted to kickoff returns, the team moved on to punt coverage and returns today. As is the norm, the coaches broke up each act into small subgroups. A coach would work with gunners and on the the edge blockers who are supposed to block opposing gunners. Other coaches would drill the interior blockers on the process of blocking until the punt is away, getting a clean release and running upfield.

DeCamillis focused on the punt returners and the tactics of blocking near the received ball. It's clear watching the new ST coach's drills that he has a more abstract view of special teams than the last two coaches. He has several options for every situation. The drills map out the space on the field precisely and blockers and returners have to hit precise spots. It's looks very much like the Norv Turner/Mike Martz timing concept of passing the ball, only applied to kickoff and punt returns. I'm eager to see how these drills work in real game situations.

The team did not integrate the fragmented pieces into an integrated 11-on-11 punt drill today, so I expect to see that in at least one of tomorrow's two practices.

After the special teams drills, the offense skill position players and the defensive back seven worked independently on personnel packages. The emphasis was on lining up properly and executing the passes at speed. There was no opposition, so it became clear after a few minutes that the team was being asked to run as much of the offense as Jason Garrett had thus far installed, and for the defenders to work on as many of the coverage packages as Wade Phillips had put in.

Full Pads, Full Bore

After fifteen minutes, the ball was placed on the defense's for and the first 11-on-11 drill began. This worked more on the heavy two-TE, two-back sets the team installed yesterday. The linemen hit each other but the linebackers and secondary players were prohibited from wrapping and dropping ball carriers to the ground, to minimize the risk or injuries.

The ball was then moved to the goalline and the starters got some reps with full tackling. Tony Romo got a quick TD pass to Martellus Bennett, who outraced Keith Brooking to the left pylon, but the defense responded with three consecutive stops of runs. Demarcus Ware continuesd his strong camp by spilling a Marion Barber run coming directly at him. The second and third units then began to rotate in, so play-by-plays are pointless. The sum total was a split decision -- the offense won their share and the defense theirs.

After a brief break the ball was moved to the offense's 40 and the first offense began running many of the plays it had worked out earlier in the practice against the first defense. Many of the plays were run from two TE, one-back sets, base two back sets and a one-back, three-WR set, with lots of variations within each personnel grouping. Many of the plays ran off three step drops, anticipating heavy blitzing.

Wade Phillips, as he has all camp, unleashed the expected heavy pressure at the offense once the full drills began. On every play, the offense saw at least five rushers, though six and sometimes seven men would blitz. Corners were sent, safeties came off the edge, inside linebackers would twist.

The good news from the defense's perspective is that the linebackers and safeties made a habit of getting into the quarterback's face.

The good news from the offense's perspective is that the line looked solid at handling thhe stunting and twists. Overloads got through but I didn't see starting linemen getting fooled or overpowered.

Most impressively, Tony Romo continued his blitz-beating play. He was 8-10 in the first session. One incompletion sailed over a confused Jason Witten's head and the second high throw was batted incomplete by Martellus Bennett. Romo moved the ball to a variety of targets. Roy Williams caught a quick slant to beat one blitz. Sam Hurd caught a second slant to beat another. Jason Witten caught a ball, as did Martellus Bennett. Several backs caught completions off delays out the backfield.

Back when Bill Parcells took over years ago, he used to school his offense on handling bltizes, telling them, "by the end of the year, you'll want them to blitz you." Garrett is working the offense to that point. They've been facing heavy-duty rushes since the mini-camps in May and it appears they're becoming far more accustomed to the pressure.

Marion Barber showed the group's quick-hitting potential when Romo hit him with a quick flare on the first play of the final 11-on-11. The defense had run an all-out safety and linebacker blitz and Barber chugged untouched up the middle of the field, an appreciative crowd cheering him on.

Roy Williams would have ended the day in rousing fashion had he caught a perfectly thrown Romo go route. Williams had burned Orlando Scandrick on one of the few seven-step drops of the day, but saw the pass bounce off his hands. It was one of the few mistakes the offense made today.

I'm not much for handing out grades, especially since the first preseason game is still six days away. I will give the offense a satisfactory for the afternoon. A strong satisfactory.

Notes

-- Isaiah Stanback returned today. He took his turns as a punt returner and as the flanker with the second unit. His burst was evident, though he looked a bit sluggish very late in the session after lots of full speed reps.

A lot of people want to discard him, but if you're concerned about the team's wide receiver depth, you should be rooting for him to get on a healthy streak. He's clearly more athletic than Mike Jefferson and Kevin Ogletree, the two guys fighting him for the 5th spot. He's also in his third camp, so his learning curve is far flatter than theirs. Miles Austin and Sam Hurd have had some trouble staying on the field the past few years themselves, so it would suit the team to have a 5th option who could actually run the offense if required.

-- Alan Ball continues to make plays. He's not the second coming of Jim Thorpe, but it seems that once to twice a practice you see him get his hands on the football.

-- Bobby and the Rookies: were it the '50s, we would call it a doo-wop band. In the late drills, Bobby Carpenter headed a linebacking group that had Jason Williams at the other ILB spot and fellow rookies Brandon Williams and Victor Butler at the OLB spots.

-- A Jason Williams sighting. Dallas ran a 3-5 scheme when it faced the heavy two-TE, two-RB offensive set. Dallas had its five man line with three down linemen and two OLBs , but three ILBs behind them instead of two. Carpenter and Jason Williams were the weakside ILBs and both broke up a lot of running and passing plays.

-- A note on aggression. Want some press defense? You're gonna get it. I rarely saw a safety lining up more than ten yards off the line of scrimmage. When Dallas had a lone centerfielder, he would drop 12-15 yards deep just before the snap but the safeties were at most ten yards off the ball most of the time. The corners, were much closer to the line of scrimmage.

-- Tashard Choice was back today and showed no ill effects from his shoulder injury.

-- The refs make a difference, or do they? Yesterday, I said the refs would tell us how the team was doing execution wise, especially on in the secondary. After 60-70 offense plays today, I would give the team a good but not great report. The referees threw four flags, one on Orlando Scandrick for pass interference, two procedure penalties, one on Flozell Adams and the other on Marc Colombo and a fourth procedure call on one of the backup o-linemen. Fairly clean for this time of the year, especially compared to last year's camp, but an area where more improvement can be made.

-- The kickie-up crew: The special teamers have been playing some of the other football in camp. Dallas has not run many live kicking drills, so L.P. Ladouceur, Nick Folk, Mat McBriar and David Buehler have had some time on their hands. In past practices, they've brought a soccer ball onto the field and had extended sessions of kicking and heading the ball to each other, sometimes going minutes without seeing the ball touch the ground.

Today, Folk was recruited by Joe DeCamillis to use the round ball in a punt coverage drill. McBriar would punt the ball to a deep returner, who would seek out an up-man to block for him. Folk would roll the soccer ball into the returners path and his job was to side-step the ball while maintaining his gaze upfield and following his blocks.

-- You likely list of punt returners: Felix Jones, Patrick Crayton, Terence Newman and Isaiah Stanback all took reps today.

-- Attention to detail: at one point in the punt return and coverage drills, John Garrett, Dat Nguyen, Dave Campo, Reggie Herring, Brett Maxie and Joe DeCamillis were drilling sub-groups. That's six coaches folks.

Cowboys Should Stay Away From The Wildcat

Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Rather than experimenting with the Wildcat formation, the Cowboys would do best to just keep the ball in this man's hands.

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With the NFL being the copycat league that it is, the Wildcat formation became a league-wide craze last season when the Miami Dolphins used it to inject a little juice into an otherwise less than special offense. I, like many other Cowboy fans, have had my fair share of daydreams about Isaiah Stanback or Patrick Crayton lining up behind center. But the more I think about this whole Wildcat thing, the more I personally would prefer the Cowboys leave it alone entirely.

Of course the Wildcat sounds like a ton of fun, especially considering the Cowboys personnel. But one quote from an owner who has had a great deal of success began to sway my opinion. When asked if his team may have interest in signing Michael Vick to run a little Wildcat, Patriots owner Robert Kraft made a ton of sense in one sentence:

"Why would we ever want to do anything to take Tom Brady off the field?"

Tony Romo isn't Tom Brady, but if you have a top level quarterback, why would you want to take the ball out of his hands? The Miami Dolphins had to be creative because they had marginal talent at the quarterback position (and on the perimeter). Even in the midst of a Wildcat tidal wave last season, it seemed that the good and secure offenses denied temptation, and just continued to do what they do. We didn’t see any Wildcat from the Colts, Patriots, or Giants. The Eagles whipped it out once, and scrapped it after a Desean Jackson red-zone interception. When you are efficient, and confident in what you do, you are best served to go with what got you there.

A lot of people make the argument that the Wildcat is worth having in the playbook because it forces opposing defenses to spend valuable practice time preparing for it. Sure, but doesn’t running the Wildcat take away from your practice time as well? I’m just not a fan of taking reps away from standard personnel, in favor of putting in a gimmick offense that we may not even see once a game.

Washington Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn on the Wildcat:

"…the next time you run it it’s a two-yard gain. And for as much work as you’ve had to do in practice to get your running back to catch the direct snap, to fake an option and run…you could have just run a regular play."

I know that the majority Wildcat plays are runs, but you have to throw it some to keep the defense honest. I definitely have no interest in seeing anyone else chucking the pigskin except Romo. Ever. I don’t have a problem with taking the pressure off of Romo, but with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice on board, conventional running plays should be enough to keep from hanging the entire game on Romo’s arm.

I think that the Wildcat is a phase and like all phases, it will soon pass. Everyone will copycat it to death, and the formation will quickly lose it’s mystique and surprise quality. After last season, do you think you are going to catch anybody off guard with the wildcat? Playoff caliber defenses were smothering the Dolphins wildcat in the latter part of last season.

Former Super Bowl winning head coach Brian Billick on the Wildcat:

"I don’t think there’s any future for that in the NFL…It was fun. It was a great changeup. I give them (Miami) credit for doing those types of things. But against a really good team, it got stuffed."

If the Cowboys had gotten into this Wildcat business last season when teams were still figuring out how to defend it, it would have probably been beneficial. But now that everyone is ready for it, I really don’t see the point of offensive plays that do not involve Tony Romo. Ultimately, I think that the Wildcat formation will quickly go by the way of slap bracelets, Tommy Hilfiger overalls, and Chia Pets. If the Cowboys install the Wildcat this season, they would be getting on the bus a bit late.

Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp: Practice #8

Dave Halprin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:27:11 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Roy and T-New battle for the ball.

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The Cowboys were in full pads this morning. The injury list is the same; Isaiah Stanback, Alonzo Coleman, Tim Anderson, Stephen Hodge and Michael Hawkins. Dallas made a change in personnel by releasing Michael Turkovich and adding Andre Douglas at tackle.

They started with special teams drills and then rolled into kickoffs. Felix Jones and Willie Reid were the return men again. David Buehler's kicks went to the goal line, the 5-yard line and the goal line while Nick Folk hit the 14-yard line, the 8 and then the 4 yard line.

They followed with warm-up drills, stretching and then a short session of drills by position.

They immediately went to 11-on-11. Romo started with a pass that was intended for MB3 but was deflected by Spencer, but the play was really dead because Ratliff blew past Gurode for a sack. They tried a pitch to Felix but Igor forced the play wide and eventually to the sideline. Carpenter had good coverage on Witten on the next play forcing Romo to throw it too high. Carpenter then stuffed a run by MB3 before Romo got some good yards on a designed QB draw. Kitna tried a pass but Derreck Robinson had pushed Holland back and deflected the pass in the backfield. Kitna threw a pass to high for Bennett because Hamlin2 had tight coverage. Jason Williams knifed through on a draw to stop Choice, and then Kitna hit Crayton for around 10 yards. They tried a FB run to Crosslin but Ware led a gang of defenders to the tackle for no gain, on the next play Keon Lattimore gained around 8 yards on a draw. McGee found Kevin Ogletree wide open in a big hole in the middle of the zone coverage, then Lattimore tried a run but Travis Bright got pushed back off the line and fell down creating too much traffic to get any yards. Willie Reid then caught a pass in front of Mike Mickens.

They moved on to 11-on-11 but starting in the redzone. Romo got a bad shotgun snap so he scooped it up and ran with it, on the next play he threw a precision pass to Bennett for a TD even though Bradie was draped all over Bennett in coverage. Romo was going to pass again but the coverage was too good so he basically threw it away. MB3 tried a run but Spencer stuffed it followed by Witten catching a short one in front of Watkins. Romo then made a huge mistake by throwing an INT right to Alan Ball in the endzone. Felix closed out Romo's session with a run for about 3 yards and a TD.

Kitna found a wide open Bennett on the sidelines at the 1-yd line, Felix ran a short one, then Kitna threw a swing pass to Choice but DeAngelo Williams and Mike Mickens were there for the stop. Phillips caught a low pass for a TD followed by a pass to Austin in the endzone but Scandrick had tight coverage and it was incomplete. Hurd then got wide open over the middle for a TD. Rudy Carpenter threw a TD to Ogletree who ran a nice route and made a great catch with Jenkins in coverage. Carpenter then threw one out of the back of the endzone followed by a QB draw for a TD but he paid the price as Watkins (I think it was Watkins) popped him hard at the goal line.

They backed up for another 11-on-11 session from the 40-yard line. Romo tried to hit MB3 but Brookings had great coverage. Romo forced one into double-coverage to Witten in the endzone but it was incomplete with Bradie and Sensabaugh having tight coverage. Romo looked like he completed one to Bennett on the next play but Brooking was able to strip it out of his hands for the incompletion. Then came the best play of the day; Roy ran a slant at the endzone and right as the ball arrived Scandrick laid a vicious lick on Roy knocking his helmet off, the ball popped up in the air and Ball managed to pick it off. After a false start by Bigg, Hamlin2 came untouched on a blitz for the sack.

Kitna gave it to Felix for a medium gain, Phillips caught a short pass over the middle, and then the defense blitzed heavily but Choice was able to break a run to the outside following a block by Phillips. Choice tried a sweep but Bradie had excellent pursuit and ran him out-of-bounds. Choice got another run and made a nice cut to the outside for good yards, but on the next play Choice ran again with Ware busting through to stuff it.

They ran another round of 11-on-11 but I had to leave practice early. This is my last practice report and I have to check out of the hotel to fly home. It's been fun watching the Cowboys and reporting it all back to you guys. Also, I want to say thanks to everybody who contributed to the training camp fundraiser, the half of the money I took paid for my flight and hotel, leaving me to pick up only my meals, drinks, etc. You guys are the best for contributing.

BTB's coverage of training camp doesn't end though with my departure, Raf will be in town on Tuesday or Wednesday and you know he'll kick butt on his reports. Expect to see a lot more about scheme, formations and strategy with the ever insightful Raf posting.

Thanks for reading BTB, the season is only just getting started and we have a long way to go. I hope you'll be reading and commenting everyday.

See ya on the flip side.

Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp: Practice #7

Dave Halprin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:15:05 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

The return of a healthy Mat McBriar should cheer up any Cowboys fan.

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Full pads for today's afternoon practice. The injured list consisted of Isaiah Stanback, Stephen Hodge, Tim Anderson, Michael Hawkins and Alonzo Coleman. Before practice Sam Hurd took some reps as the backup holder on kicks while Mat McBriar is the primary holder.

After special teams drills they finally practiced real kickoffs. The first unit coverage team was Alan Ball, Orlando Scandrick, Justin Rogers, Deon Anderson, Sam Hurd, the kicker, Pat Watkins, Steve Ocatvien, Bobby Carpenter, Miles Austin and Gerald Sensabaugh. Returning the kicks were Felix Jones and Willie Reid. Folk had a couple of kicks that went to the 5-yard line and the 1-yard line while David Buehler put one 3-yards in the endzone, another to the 2-yard line and one that went 9-yards deep into the endzone.

After stretching, they practiced FGs, both Folk and Buehler looked good kicking the ball. They followed with a long session of position drills. One thing different about this camp is the variety of drills they are doing. At previous camps, the drills always seemed to be the same. This year, they are doing a lot of different ones, which should help the players stay sharp instead of just falling into a routine. For example, the offensive line was lining up with both hands on a small ball instead of one hand on the ground, and when they popped up out of their stance, they picked the ball up to their chest. My guess is this was to help them to get their hands up to their chest quickly when they come out of their stance. That is just one example of the variety of drills I'm seeing this year. They also spent some time practicing blocks against spin moves.

Next was a session of 7-on-7 at one end while the OL battled the DL at the other. This time, I followed the OL/DL matchup. One thing I noticed is that no matter how well the OL did, after each rep Hudson Houck was right in there critiquing and teaching. Colombo was able to push Brandon Williams wide the first time, the second time Williams got closer to the QB, but Colombo held him up. Bigg was able to stop Rat, the second time Rat tried to bull-rush but got off-balance and Bigg pushed him to the ground. Gurode rode Spears upfield past the QB, the next time Spears won the hand fight and Gurode was visibly mad at himself. Bowen put a nice move on Kosier for the win, the second time Kosier looked good. Ware circled around Flo and was probably too deep, but Flo never got his hands on him, Houck didn't like that. The next time Ware tired it again, but near the QB Flo got his hands on him to push him by. Octavien blew right by McQuistan, and got a good rush the second time but McQ managed to put up some resistance. Ryan Gibbons was good twice on Hatcher, then Marcus Dixon stepped in and was able to bull-rush Gibbons backward. Siavii tried a bull-rush on Procter but was leaning too far forward so Procter pushed him to the ground by the back of his helmet. Joans Seawright stepped in for Siavii and forced Procter to give up too much ground.

Holland stuffed Dixon in his tracks, and then Dixon tried a spin move next time but Holland was up to the task. Free had no problem with Victor Butler on the first go-round, the second time Free was good initially on Butler, but was moving too far back and Butler cut under him to the QB. Spencer was able to blow by McQ, he tried the same move a second time but McQ recovered at the last second for the save. Travis Bright looked OK on Dixon, the second time Dixon managed to push him back some but Bright never gave up the contact and held up well. Derreck Robinson blew up Greg Isdaner, actually knocking him to the ground, the second time Robinson beat him again, though not as easily.

Next came a session of 11-on-11. Romo dumped a short one to MB3 in the flats but Jenkins was there instantly for the stop. Spencer then blew through the blocking to stuff MB3 in the backfield. (BTW, Wade needs to put a coach along the line of scrimmage, Spencer was lining up off-sides almost every time). Roy got into a one-on-one with T-New on a bomb, but T-New was able to break up the pass. Crayton had a false start and was replaced, and then Witten caught one for about 8 yards between Bradie and Carpenter. Roy was able to out-leap Courtney Brown for a 10-yard catch. Kitna started by hitting Austin for about 25-yards between the linebackers and the safeties. Next was a short pass to Crayton with Alan Ball making the tackle. Derreck Robinson knifed through the blocking to probably tackle Choice in the backfield, it was a close call, Choice kept running and if it was a miss in the backfield then he had a big run. Lattimore took a pitch for around 10 yards before Hamlin2 made the stop. McGee threw one high out-of-bounds and then threw one short to Scott Chandler in front of DeAngelo Smith.

Romo was back and tried a hand-off but Spencer beat Kosier, who was pulling for a block, and made the stop. Ware and Brooking met at the QB for a sack, then Romo led Bennett by just a hair too much on a short pass, Bennett had the ball go off his fingertips. Austin caught a 10-yd comeback pattern in front of Jenkins, Felix tried a run up the middle, made a nice move to avoid a tackle then broke it outside. Crayton caught a short pass and Brown made the stop. Kitna dumped one off to Choice and while Choice was breaking it outside on the ensuing run, Bennett blew up Alan Ball who was trying to make the tackle, putting him to the turf and allowing Choice a big run. The gasp in the crowd was priceless, even Ball had to give Bennett a slap on the helmet in congratulations after he got up. (Corrected: I originally had Brown as the victim, I've been told it was Ball). Kitna threw a swing pass to Choice but Hamlin2 made the quick stop. Lattimore made a nice move in between two defenders for a decent run, Kitna dropped the snap on the next play, and then Choice had a nice run to the left side behind Gibbons and Free where he was untouched for about 20-yards. Rudy Carpenter closed out the practice with a short pass to Rodney Hannah and another short pass to Jesse Holley.

Practice over.

Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp: Practice #5

Dave Halprin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:57:51 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

That's 4th and Long's Jesse Holley versus rookie Mike Mickens.

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The Cowboys were in full pads this morning in what turned out to be a very spirited practice. Things were getting a little chippy on the field, a couple of defensive players decided to tackle the ball carriers and there was some physical play from both sides.

As usual, they started with special teams, this time with punt drills. The gunners were practicing on one side and that group included Pat Watkins, Orlando Scandrick, Miles Austin, DeAngelo Smith, Courtney Brown and Alan Ball. At the other end punt formations were going on, Joe DeCamillis uses three protectors on punts, the first unit was Steve Octavien, Tashard Choice and Deon Anderson, the second group was David Buehler, Sam Hurd and Jerome Carter. Catching punts was the regular group of Terence Newman, Patrick Crayton, Willie Reid, Felix Jones and DeAngelo Smith.

On the injury front, Isaiah Stanback joined the group with a sore hamstring along with Stephen Hodge and Tim Anderson. I know, you're shocked Stanback was injured again.

After stretching and warm-ups they went into a feisty session of 9-on-9 while the WRs/CBs battled on the other side. I followed the 9-on-9 this morning. The first run was by MB3 up the middle but Igor Olshansky knifed into the backfield to stop it, MB3 tried another run towards the outside but DeMarcus Ware pursued it down the line to catch him before it could really get going. MB3 did manage to get a nice gain on a run to the right on the next play. Felix Jones started a run outside but cutback to the middle for around 5-yds before Bobby Carpenter made the stop. Doug Free had a false start and was replaced, then Felix took the handoff and after Julius Crosslin and Jason Williams had a big collision in the backfield, Jason Hatcher moved in for the stop. Choice tried the middle and got a few yards before Carpenter stopped him and started a little of the rough stuff that characterized the day by not just touching Choice but wrestling with him for a bit. Alonzo Coleman had a nice run through a big hole up the middle, next Victor Butler got fooled and gave up contain allowing Coleman to get wide on a pitch play. They followed with a draw to Coleman but Pat Watkins snuffed it out. Ware blew right by a Jason Witten block to stuff MB3, next MB3 had a short run, then Felix blew through a big hole up the middle. Felix then slipped the next run to the right and outran Carpenter who was in pursuit and turned it upfield for a nice gain. Choice then had a run to the right side but Carpenter made the stop and pushed Choice to the turf in a little more extra-curricular activity.

The next session was 11-on-11 with the defense lining up in a nickel package on some of the plays. The four down lineman on the nickel were Anthony Spencer, Jay Ratliff, Stephen Bowen and DeMarcus Ware. Carpenter replaced Keith Brooking in this package. Tony Romo started it off with a draw to MB3 for about 5-yds before Bradie James made the tackle. After a swing pass to MB3, Romo threw a bullet that threaded the needle between two defenders for a Martellus Bennett catch. Octavien got good pressure on the next play and probably would have got the sack so Romo tucked it and ran. Romo dumped one short to Felix but Brooking made the stop, then they ran a draw to Felix who had a big gain up the middle.

Kitna came on and threw to Bennett in the flats, then threw and incompletion after Carpenter broke through for what would have been a sack. Spencer broke through to stop Coleman in the backfield, but they let the play run some more and Coleman ran into Mike Jenkins - Coleman stiff-armed Jenks in the facemask which got Jenks upset and they wrestled around a bit after the whistle. Stephen McGee took over and made a nifty little flip-pass to Keon Lattimore while under pressure but Ratliff was there and he ended up tackling Lattimore to the turf. On the next play McGee lofted a floater to the sidelines which Kevin Ogletree caught but was probably out-of-bounds.

Romo was back and tried a draw to MB3 but Brandon Williams stopped it quickly, the next play Romo dropped back to pass but nothing came open and Romo had to hold the ball, frustrated, he just spiked it to the turf. Next, he hit Witten for 10-yards, then he had to avoid pressure from Butler and hit Miles Austin for 20-yds or so over the middle. Kitna hit Mike Jefferson in front of Mike Mickens, then got flushed from the pocket and tried to hit Crayton but Kitna was clearly past the line of scrimmage.

After a short water break they formed up for another round of 11-on-11. They were using quite a bit of 2-TE sets in today's sessions. Romo tried a hitch-screen to Roy but the pass was low and Roy couldn't scoop it up. MB3 tried to get wide on a run but Ware and T-New shut it off. Romo tried to hit Roy deep over the middle but Ken Hamlin swooped in at the last second to break it up. Felix ran a draw play and made a move that broke Bradie James' ankles in the hole and then he ripped off a nice gain. Austin made a nice catch for 15-yds or so beating Courtney Brown. Felix ran another draw for 10-yds before Jason Williams made the stop.

Kitna threw into the flats to Manuel Johnson and Scandrick made the tackle, Jefferson then dropped a pass that hit him right in the hands while he was wide open. DE Derreck Robinson blew right by an attempted block from Greg Isdaner to stop a Coleman run, then Butler had pressure again, probably a sack, but the play continued and Kitna hit Bennett for 15-yds or so. McGee threw to Jesse Holley in the flats and he made a nice move on DeAngelo Smith and Courtney Brown to get some extra yards. Lattimore tried a run but Derreck Robinson shot through the line again, this time beating Turkovich, and stuffed it for a loss.

Romo's last session started with a swing pass to MB3 that Brooking tracked down for a stop, then on the next play Rat was so quick getting through the line he actually hit Romo's arm as he attempted a quick pass to the flats and it fell incomplete. Crayton then caught one in the flats, Witten caught a short one, then Austin collected a pass in front of Jenkins for good yards. MB3 finished Romo's session with a nice run.

Kitna overthrew Hurd and then Choice ran the ball for a good gain. Kitna then threw a pass to the endzone from around 20-yds out that Roy Williams caught making a nice play beating DeAngelo Smith. Matt Stewart then stuffed a Coleman run. Rudy Carpenter threw one to Jefferson on the sidelines and then finished the practice with a throw-away pass out-of-bounds.

I'll be back this afternoon for a second practice.