SB Nation - Joe Berger

Dolphins vs Bills: Three Key Matchups

Matty I — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

Good coverage. Good throw. Good dropped pass by Terrell Owens back in week four.

It's been days now since the Dolphins knocked off the Panthers to get back to .500 but it feels like it's been much longer. But on Sunday, the Dolphins will finally get back on the field and head up to Buffalo to take on the division rival Bills. With the holiday approaching on Thursday, now is probably a good time to start looking ahead to Sunday's game.

So let's focus on three of the most important matchups:

Terrell Owens/Lee Evans vs Sean Smith/Vontae Davis
Sure, the Bills have obvious quarterback problems. But no matter who is under center, receivers like Terrell Owens and Lee Evans are always dangerous. Last week against Jacksonville, in fact, Owens had his best game as a member of the Bills - catching 9 balls for 197 yards and a touchdown. That 197 yard receiving performance was actually the second highest total for Owens since 2000. So don't sleep on him.

Back in week four, the Dolphins did a solid job on Owens and Evans - holding each to just 60 yards receiving. Of course, at that time, the Dolphins did still have Will Allen. And Allen was thrown at three times while covering either Evans or Owens, intercepting two of those passes with the third falling incomplete.

But Vontae Davis and Sean Smith didn't play badly themselves. Smith was thrown at 6 times while covering either Evans or Owens and he allowed 2 receptions for 39 yards. Davis wasn't as effective, allowing 2 completions to Evans for 60 yards on just two targets.

On Sunday, both of the rookies have got to play well and limit the number of big plays either of those two receivers - Buffalo's two biggest play-makers - make during the game.

Miami's interior offensive line/Lousaka Polite vs Paul Posluszny
While Buffalo's rush defense is pretty bad - 31st in the NFL allowing 165 yards per game on the ground - the Bills did manage to limit Maurice Jones-Drew last week to just 66 yards and just 2.6 yards per carry. How did they pull that off? From what I saw of the game, middle linebacker Paul Posluszny was just all over the place making plays - finishing the day with 11 solo tackles (his highest total of the season). And he now looks like he's back in game shape after missing about a month earlier this season due to injury (including the first meeting between these two teams).

Posluszny - when he's healthy - is a beast in the middle of Buffalo's defense. He does a great job recognizing plays and getting to the football. He isn't the fastest or the biggest guy around, but he has a nose for the football (a la Zach Thomas). And since returning from injury, Posluszny has looked like the budding star he is.

The Dolphins will obviously look to pound the rock against this bad rush defense. But to be effective, the Dolphins interior linemen - whether it's Jake Grove or Joe Berger at center - have got to do a better job than the Jaguars did last week at getting Posluszny blocked off. He does only measure in at 238 pounds. And we know that Miami's offensive line is big and nasty. They have to make sure they get through Buffalo's defensive line and get to the second level.

Of course, it's not only the linemen's jobs to do this. Fullback Lousaka Polite - a budding star at the fullback position, if you ask me - also will be asked at times to find #51 and get a hat on him. We've all seen just how tremendous of a run blocker Polite has become and he's coming off what was probably his best game as a Dolphin last week in Carolina. Hopefully we see the "Lousaka Monster" knock a few heads on Sunday - preferably Paul Posluszny. He's a difference maker in Buffalo's defense when he's on the field.

Miami's pass rush vs Buffalo's offensive line
Describing Buffalo's offensive line as bad would be an understatement. They have struggled all season long - including back in week 4 against the Dolphins when Miami sacked Trent Edwards six times. If you remember - and I'm sure you do - that game was Cameron Wake's coming out party, picking up 2.5 sacks. Jason Taylor also had 2.5 sacks. The Dolphins also pressured Edwards on at least 6 or 7 more drop backs.

We've also seen the Dolphins' pass rush really step up the past two games - tallying four sacks in each of their last two. It'll be interesting to see how the snaps get divided between all of Miami's pass-rushing outside linebackers (Joey Porter, Jason Taylor, Cameron Wake, Charlie Anderson). Whoever is out there, though, I anticipate the Dolphins putting consistent pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick all game long.

Dolphins Training Camp, Day Four: Pennington struggles, the line gets shuffled & the WR battle heats up

Matty I — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:28:46 -0000

More photos » by Wilfredo Lee - AP

Browse more photos »

There was only one practice down in Davie on Wednesday. But there's still plenty to talk about. And it must have been a tough practice physically, as the heat index in South Florida rose to over 100 degrees on Wednesday afternoon. Below are some talking points.

Oh - and don't forget to check back later for an updated version of my "depth chart bubble watch."

CHAD PENNINGTON HAS A ROUGH DAY
Every quarterback goes through days like this. The only reason this is really headline news in Miami is because of how well - and how efficient - Chad Pennington performed in 2008. But Pennington was "un-CP10" like today. Perhaps Omar Kelly described it best, writing, "For the first time since he's been a Dolphin Chad Pennington played as good as three-day-old fish smells, and tastes."

Pennington was overthrowing open receivers. He had some issues taking the snap from center. He took sacks. And depending on who you talk to, Chad threw either one (according to Palm Beach Post) or two (according to Sun-Sentinel) interceptions. Now that is very uncharacteristic of CP10.

Of course, it wasn't all bad for Pennington. He made a few good throws, too - including a 40+ yard touchdown to Anthony Armstrong (more on him in a minute). But overall, this was probably his worst training camp practice as a Dolphin. With that said, I'm not worried at all about Pennington.

BATTLE FOR FINAL WR SPOT HEATING UP
For the past few days, we've been hearing very good things about Brandon London. On the other hand, his top competitor for the final receiver spot, Anthony Armstrong, was relatively quiet. Well that changed on Wednesday.

Armstrong finally made a big play, catching a 40 yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington - beating Eric Green (who is currently working as a starter). And Omar Kelly wrote that both Pennington and Chad Henne are finding Armstrong more often now following the release of Brennan Marion. Armstrong was open a lot more often on Wednesday - but was overthrown a couple of times by Miami's quarterbacks.

Meanwhile, Brandon London is still playing well. London beat Will Billingsley on one play - but the pass was incomplete as Pat White's throw was a little behind Brandon. Brandon also continues to make plays during the one-on-one receiver vs. cornerback drills.

Look for this battle to go down to the wire. And what's interesting is that there seems to be a divide between Dolphin fans as to who they are pulling for. But in the end, I get the feeling Armstrong is really going to have to impress simply because he isn't much of a special teams contributor while London is one of the team's best coverage guys.

THE LINES GET SHUFFLED
Last year, the coaching staff didn't start "experimenting" with different players on different units until the second week of camp. But Tony Sparano and company started early this year. Shawn Murphy, who had been working as the starting right guard, worked with the 2nd team on Wednesday. Joe Berger, who is the team's primary backup center, spent most of Wednesday replacing Murphy at RG. But Murphy did get some reps with the 1st unit just before the end of practice.

On the defensive side, offseason acquisition Tony McDaniel worked with the first team at defensive end for the second consecutive day replacing Phillip Merling. What's always interesting to note, though, is how the "demoted" player reacts when he's sent down. And according to Omar Kelly, Merling has been making plays as part of the second unit.

Look for more of this "experimenting" to continue between now and the first preseason game on August 17.

ODDS & ENDS

Vontae Davis picked off a long Chad Pennington pass intended for Brandon London - showcasing his closing speed.
Donald Thomas was back at practice - but didn't work too much as he eases back into things.
Brian Hartline - a very criticized pick around these parts - has put together back-to-back great days of practice. He followed up a good day yesterday by making the catch of the day today - a diving TD catch from Chad Henne. He also made a lunging catch from Chad Pennington and caught a deep pass down the middle of the field from Pat White. Right now, Hartline is hot and it doesn't matter which of the three quarterbacks are throwing to him. He's making plays consistently right now.

UP NEXT
The Dolphins have two practices tomorrow - one at 9 am and one at 5 pm. Both are open to the public - weather permitting.

Let's Keep in Touch - Ex-Cowboys from 2008

Jim Vance — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:00:10 -0000

Did you ever wonder what happened to some of your old buddies? You know, some of those crazy guys from high school or college? Some go on and do well. Others? Uh, not so good.

This is just a quick update on some of our most recent buds that we no longer hang with; a quick look at what these gentlemen are doing now that they no longer wear the star.

Adam Jones is going to be back on TV this month on Pros vs Joes. Doesn't the Pros appearance on this show indicate that they are retired from their sport? I sure hope the scheduling doesn't conflict with Michael Irvin's new show.

Tank Johnson is looking like he might be wearing stripes! Tiger stripes! He recently had an interview with the Bengals and there is apparently some degree of mutual interest. Former Cowboys and now Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has been doing his due diligence on Tank Johnson and apparently he and head coach Marvin Lewis think Tank can contribute to the Bengals defense. During Hard Knocks, Tank looked like he was going to have a breakout year. He was saying that his workouts and attitude made him a ‘Beast'. Yeh, a tiger I guess.

Speaking of the Bengals, Roy Lee Williams, the former Dallas Cowboy safety, had an interview and workout with them on March 19. Since then he has been flying under the radar with barely any mention of him in the news. He has had no contract offer announcements. His agent stated that there were several teams interested in his services but I have heard nothing since the Bengals meeting. This was a drastic fall from grace. From first-round to nowhere-around.

Terrell Owens is of course the Buffalo Bills newest star. Owens has opted not to participate in the voluntary team workouts. You can still purchase an autographed T.O. Buffalo Bills replica jersey for $229.00 at T.O's web site.

Kevin Burnett signed with the Chargers, Chris Canty with the Giants, Anthony Henry was trade-bait for Jon Kitna and Joe Berger signed with the South Beach Cowboys.

Zach Thomas, Keith Davis, Carlos Polk, and Brooks Bollinger are still on the free agent market. Is it possible that we could end up seeing any of these gentleman back in a Cowboys uniform if none get the kind of offer they are hoping for?

Leave it to Beaver. Bruce Read, the former special teams coach, is a Beaver. He was officially hired as the special teams coordinator for the Oregon State Beavers football team having been there twice before. Once a Beaver always a Beaver.

Brian Stewart is still looking for a position. I haven't seen anything on him in the news since he interviewed with the Rams as a secondary coach. Steve Spagnuolo hired Clayton Lopez for that spot. I didn't admire Stewart as a defensive coordinator - I felt he was way out of his league. I did admire him for the gracious and professional way he handled his dismissal. He was a gentleman all the way.

OK, that's it for some of the old gang. I wish them all well.

Wedge Busted: New Rule Change Could Shape Dallas' Late-Draft Plans

Rafael Vela — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:00:11 -0000

Felix Jones' kickoff return skills were one of the most immediate payoffs from last year's stellar draft. Jones returned a kickoff 98 yards for a score against Philadelphia and just missed going the route on a couple more before hamstring and toe injuries shortened his season.

A new rules change threatens to diminish Jones' return explosiveness. The NFL this week banned the traditional four and five man wedges that are common on all levels of play. When executed properly, they work like this:

Two years ago, I watched former special teams coach Bruce DeHaven work with the Cowboys’ returners and watched him teach his guys to use cutbacks. Returners were instructed to initially run directly up the field, even if it was not behind the wedge. The intent is to pull coverage guys towards you and give your wedge blockers an angle. After running a few yards upfield, the game is to then cut behind your blockers.

Jones followed this technique perfectly. Dallas had a center return called. Jones fielded Akers kick on his two, about three yards inside the yard numbers on the far sideline.

The Cowboys wedge formed at the fifteen, just outside the far hash mark. The Cowboys use Tony Curtis, Joe Berger, Pat McQuistan and Deon Anderson as their center four. They join hands and then move forward together under control until they encounter the line of Eagles. The returner who doesn’t field the kick, Isaiah Stanback in this case, runs up and flanks Anderson, adding a fifth blocker to the wedge.

Jones was about five to seven yards wide and to the left of Curtis, the closest wedge member, when he fielded the ball. Instead of angling to his right and running immediately to get behind his five bodyguards, Jones ran straight upfield, to about the ten...

-- Felix Jones -- He's Crafty -- Like a Cat, BSR, 9-16-2008

The new rule allows nothing larger than two-man wedges. The NFL cited safety as its rationale -- the wedges are collision magnets, which invited wedge-busters on other teams to throw their bodies into the line and "blow it up."

The National Football Post's Matt Bowen, a wedge-buster in his day, argues the rule change will wipe out the big return and make kickoffs far less interesting. I'm not sure I agree with Bowen, but I do agree that big kickoff returns will diminish if teams continue to use the same four people they've assigned to wedge duty in the past.

Dallas, as the quote demonstrates, used some combination of backup offensive linemen and fullbacks and blocking tight ends to form their four-man wedges. Berger and McQuistan formed the core of this group. Other teams have used defensive linemen; anybody who can produce the biggest bang against the wedge busters, who are usually linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks.

Two man wedges will place a premium on guys who can block in space, who can mirror a lighter, faster target and engage him one-on-one, or two-on-one in open field. The old wedges didn't require this of the linemen since coverage guys had to engage them. If you tried running around a wedge, the return man could simply hide behind it and follow the big grunts far upfield.

My guess is we may see fewer, if any offensive linemen on kickoff returns this year. Fullbacks, blocking tight ends and big backs will take their places. These guys are used to blocking blitzing linebackers, safeties and corners alone.

This will mean some of those many 4th, 5th and 6th round draft picks Dallas owns could be earmarked for smaller special-teams guys. Curtis was not tendered last month and has moved on. I had written before that Dallas will likely draft a fullback to replace him, since it needs a dependable hammer who can lead the three-headed Marion-Felix-Tashard monster on inside running plays.

I feel even more strongly the team will draft one now. The new wedge rules makes me think Dallas may now draft a fullback and a big blocking tight end.

The rule could also shape Dallas' and other team's thoughts about the backup linemen they activate. Dallas often activated seven offensive linemen on game day, the five starters and two backups who could cover the five line positions. If the Cowboys played next week and the old rules were in place, the backups would likely be Cory Proctor, who can play guard and center -- and who played wedge in '07 when he was a backup -- and Pat McQuistan, who has played wedge the past two seasons.

Under the new rules, Proctor would likely retain one spot, ahead of Montrae Holland, because he can play center. McQuistan had an edge at tackle because he doubled on the wedge. If that role disappears, the door is open for Doug Free, or some hotshot rookie draftee to make a push.

Back to Felix Jones. I think he and other talented returners will survive just fine. Kickoffs will now be treated as gigantic screen plays. Think of how often a good runner thrives in space on a screen pass, even when his linemen are whiffing one-on-one in space.

Cats can adapt, and Felix Jones is one crafty cat.

Cowboys made offer to Kevin Burnett, Joe Berger signs with Miami

Dave Halprin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:39:32 -0000

Things have been awfully quiet on the Cowboys front in free agency. Not only are the coaches not talking, but are the players under a gag order, too?

Leave it to the agents to get a little news out there in the public space.

Last weekend, the Cowboys made an offer to [Kevin] Burnett's agent, Ricky Lefft. Burnett, who excelled in the sub packages in 2008, is looking for a starting job. That could come with the Cowboys, considering the only inside linebackers signed for 2009 are Bradie James and Bobby Carpenter.

"It was not lucrative enough to not go into free agency," Lefft said of the Cowboys' offer. "We've got five to six teams I'm pretty confident in we will talk to."

Well, at least we took a shot. Now, you can't always believe agents so the idea of five or six teams wanting to talk about Burnett could be a smokescreen to drum up interest. But in this case I think it's real. Burnett is still young and definitely has potential if he can stay healthy and I'm sure the Cowboys would want him back if they could afford him. The question now is what kind of deal can he get out on the open market and will any team offer up a starting position.

Backup G/C Joe Berger went back to Miami where he briefly played before and reunites with the Tuna and all the other ex-Cowboys in South Beach. I've noticed a little teeth-gnashing over this in the comments but come on everybody, this is Joe Berger we're talking about. The guy couldn't even get on the field in place of defensive tackle welcome mats Cory Procter and Montrae Holland. I'm not losing one iota of sleep over this development. My only complaint is he didn't take Procter with him.

Some quick housekeeping; we tendered ERFAs Rodney Hannah ($310,000) and Alonzo Coleman ($385,000).

Add Green Bay to the possible destinations for Chris Canty. Canty could also be looking at the Giants. [Thanks to GD88 in the comments for the Giants link]

The Ray Lewis saga continues with the news that Ray is softening his stance about going back to Baltimore. To this point, the Cowboys have showed no interest. The whole story in Baltimore gets more intriguing with the news that Bart Scott is supposedly creating a bidding war between the Jets and the Ravens, even though everybody had reported that he was locked-up by the Jets. [Update] NFLN says Scott has reached a deal with the Jets (6-year/$48 million).

If the Cowboys were contemplating any safeties in free agency, they better get cracking. Free agent safeties are getting contracts and in a major surprise, the Broncos look like they might have landed the Eagles Brian Dawkins. S Vincent Fuller is going back to the Titans and S Chris Crocker re-upped with the Bengals.

Dolphins sign Joe Berger

Matty I — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:17:26 -0000

While it's not the big splash some were hoping for, the Dolphins did make a move along the offensive line today, signing Joe Berger to a three year deal.

According to the Miami Herald, the 6'5, 310 pound Berger has been brought in to compete with Samson Satele for the starting center job. He's also expected to compete at right guard with the young Donald Thomas.

But let's be honest - he wasn't brought in to start. He's more than likely going to be a versatile backup, a player who can step in at at least 3 positions along the offensive line. And we know this regime loves versatility.

Berger, who will be 27 in May, has spent the last 2 and a half years in Dallas, seeing action in 4 games. So he's familiar with Tony Sparano. And he actually began his career in Miami back in 2005, where he was going to get a shot at starting before suffering an injury. In '06, the Dolphins tried to sneak Berger onto their practice squad, but the Cowboys claimed him and he's been in "Big D" ever since.

Dolphins Free Agency Updates

Matty I — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:01:21 -0000

Not too much happening right now for the Dolphins. While things got crazy yesterday when the Dolphins locked up Gibril Wilson and Yeremiah Bell - creating the NFL's most physical safety tandem - the Fins haven't been as aggressive as many thought. Or if they have, the price tags have been too rich for their blood.

Here's some of the latest:

The Palm Beach Post is confirming the Herald's report from last night that former Cowboys G/C Joe Berger will be visiting Miami today. The Fins have reportedly backed out of the Jason Brown sweepstakes after learning his asking price and, instead, will likely turn to the draft to find a center.
The National Football Post reports that the Raiders have shown interest in Jason Brown - to go along with St. Louis' high interest in him.
One of my personal favorites available, CB Leigh Bodden, will visit New England today. It was reported that the Dolphins at least contacted Bodden's agent last night to touch base with him. And fyi - Bodden has the same agent as Gibril Wilson.
Though DE Chris Canty remains on the market, the Dolphins are still not expected to make a play for the former Cowboy.
The Jets are close to signing Bart Scott to a 5 year, $40 million contract.

The Pittsburgh Steelers Guard Quandary

ncoolong — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:45:13 -0000

With veteran Kendall Simmons getting his release (word is he has not recovered from an Achilles injury that cost him the 2008 season), and Chris Kemoeatu receiving an offer from the Jets, the Steelers find themselves in the exact position they figured to be in today:

Precariously thin at the offensive guard position.

To put it mildly, Darnell Stapleton did not have his best game in Super Bowl XLIII. If Kemoeatu does sign with the Jets, Stapleton will be the only guard currently on the roster. Trai Essex has been listed as a guard and tackle in the past, as has Jeremy Parquet.

Does this mean the Steelers will pursue a guard on the free agent market? It's a better question to ask if they are going to pursue a starting guard in free agency. Rumors linking Colts C Jeff Saturday playing guard in Pittsburgh were debunked when he re-signed with Indianapolis. Cowboys free agent lineman Joe Berger is talking with the Dolphins.

Saints G Jahari Evans is impressive talent-wise, but his price tag is likely far off what the Steelers will pay. The same can be said for recently released G Derrick Dockery, as well as Ravens suddenly-uber-talented G-C Jason Brown (the Dolphins are going after him hard, according to Armando Salguero) meaning it's a solid bet the Steelers will be looking to draft guard come hell or high water in April. It is early in the free agency period, though.

It seems a safe bet to suggest they may bring in a veteran guard for the sake of providing some depth (see Defensive line: Eason, Nick), unless they plan to extend Trai Essex and give the behemoth a realistic shot at the left guard spot. That is contingent on whether they feel Stapleton is the answer at right guard.

That's certainly a step down from where it was last year.

There's the omnipresent notion of moving recently first-round-tendered Willie Colon back inside, which would really only force the problems to the tackle position, which has only thismuch more depth than the guard position. The Steelers did not make an offer to veteran T Marvel Smith, and appear to be content going into 2009 with Max Starks and Colon.

It was very likely the Steelers were going interior offensive line in the draft, and perhaps in anticipation all of this, they feel comfortable saying they will select a starter with one of their picks.

Poll

A 2009 Draft pick will be starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Guard for the bulk of the 2009 season.

True

572 votes

False

262 votes

834 votes | Poll has closed

Film review: Cowboys vs. Vikings - Bubble Watch edition

Dave Halprin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 21:01:59 -0000

I’ve watched the film on the Dallas Cowboys game with the Minnesota Vikings and have compiled my film review – The Bubble Watch edition. Not quite a traditional film review, I concentrated on those areas where I think we have decisions to make. Mainly, this included the offensive line, WR, OLB and the secondary. Later tonight, I’ll post my 53-man roster prediction.

One note, the Cowboys sure wanted to get a look at the line, the receivers and Bartel because in the second half when the Vikings kept blitzing and getting pressure, the Cowboys kept on throwing the ball basically abandoning the running game.

Offensive line

Joe Berger – For the most part I liked the game he played and would rate it better than Pat McQuistan’s or Cory Procter’s. He showed good mobility when he had to pull and was also good about picking up the right defender on those plays. His pass protection was pretty solid for most of the evening. I saw him blow a pass protection on a stunt and then he just got beat another time. He was also slow getting out on a screen. But for most of the game he was delivering a very solid performance.

Pat McQuistan – McQ got almost all the snaps at Kyle Kosier’s vacant left guard position but had some problems along the way. He did have moments when he was powerful in the run game and showed some mobility on the pull blocks, but didn’t always find a guy to block. He had a few soft moments in pass protection including one pitiful play. He also had three plays where his run blocks were complete failures and one almost led to a turnover. He did get downfield nicely on a screen pass.

Cory Procter – Procter only played a couple of series at left guard towards the end of the game. My guess is they are not considering him seriously for Kosier’s spot. Procter still suffers from being a little soft in the middle, he’s very susceptible to getting pushed straight back and he’s not as agile when he has to pull. He showed nothing in this game that should really change his status one way or the other.

Doug Free – Good thing my man Free isn’t really fighting for a roster spot because he played a lousy game. He was repeatedly beaten in pass protection and had a hard time recognizing some of the blitzes and stunts. The speed rush was really giving him trouble.

James Marten – I actually came away with the feeling that Marten played alright for him, which isn’t an overwhelming endorsement. He still had plays where he whiffed on blocks or didn’t hold his ground, but they were fewer than I’ve come to expect from him.

Mike Jefferson – He had a few moments, especially towards the beginning where he caught some balls and made a few plays. He did have one easy drop and he didn’t show up on special teams at all. But he did get the nod as the starter next to Sam Hurd, so that could be an indication about how the Cowboys view him. He did get a couple of good blocks downfield in the run game.

Danny Amendola – He made a few plays catching the ball and blocking downfield, but really looks like if he’s going to stick it will be because he can add to the special teams. As both a backup punt and kick returner, he gets an advantage. But he didn’t exactly shine in this game, but didn’t make any big mistakes.

OLB

Justin Rogers – Don’t see him as “on the bubble” so didn’t chart him. They need his experience (the little he has) and his play on special teams.

Erik Walden – He didn’t really impress in the pass rush department but he did do a better job than I’ve seen him do before at standing his ground against the run. He did blow an easy tackle in the backfield on one play. But what caught my eye was that on four kick/punt coverage plays, Walden showed up around the ball and made a couple of tackles. If he can contribute on special teams, that’s a great sign for him sticking around.

Tearrius George – If George could have had a couple of more games like this or showed some of this in camp, the Cowboys would for sure create a place for him on the roster. The guy had at least six plays in the backfield. He had a great penetration blowing up a run, he got a couple of sacks and hit the QB a couple of other times disrupting passes. Now, he did a lot of this later in the game against the Vikings’ scrubs, but it still was an impressive performance. The question is - was it too late to change his future?

Darrell Robertson – Just didn’t do enough to change his fate.

CB/S

Evan Oglesby – Helped himself again this game with a nice breakup of a pass in the endzone, another pass break up later, a good tackle against the run and generally no big mistakes. The only bad thing I saw him do is use bad technique and turn his back to a receiver on a short pass. One problem for Oglesby is he doesn’t show up much on special teams and that could hurt his chances.

Alan Ball – Had one great special teams play on punt coverage and one good deep coverage but not much else. He just doesn’t make a lot of plays.

Dowayne Davis – A couple of nice tackles on defense but not much on special teams where he needs to shine to make the team. Didn’t really help himself much during the game.

Injuries causing uncertainty for the Dallas Cowboys

Dave Halprin — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:17:58 -0000

A couple things to preface this post. I haven’t really watched the Dallas Cowboys game against the Vikings last night in detail; I did try to keep up watching online on a tiny screen but not enough to really comment on how guys played. I do have it on Tivo though and will be going through it this afternoon specifically watching the bubble players and will post on that later. Last night, a lot of my attention was focused on this. The other thing I’d like to say is thanks to Brandon for posting the open threads and a game recap last night while I indulged my other football passion.

OK, on to the game. One play I did see last night that I wish I’d never seen was the injury to Sam Hurd. Are you kidding? Another receiver down for the Cowboys. We need to wait on the MRI results before speculating but even that might not tell the whole story, it could take a while to really know.

Hurd, who will have an MRI exam on Friday, seemed confident he could return in time for the Sept. 7 season opener in Cleveland with proper rest and treatment. But team doctors project that he'll be doubtful for the game due to the lingering nature of a high ankle sprain, which involves the ligaments connecting the tibia and fibia on the lower leg. Generally that type of injury requires a week of evaluation before an accurate timetable can be set.

Now, I’ve taken some flak for suggesting we can’t roll into the season with just T.O., Crayton and Hurd because we’d be one injury away from playing some totally untested guys in a real role on offense. I’ve suggested that a veteran will be signed at some point but with the top three healthy, we might wait until we get past the first game so we wouldn’t guarantee the salary for the year. But now with Hurd down, and everyone expecting he won’t be available next Sunday - except for Hurd himself – I feel even stronger about this. Jerry Jones expresses the opposite view, but I have to wonder if he’s playing poker.

"We want people on the field with [Tony] Romo that Romo's been throwing to," Jones said. "We won't have anybody out there that has not been on the team trying to move the ball against Cleveland."

If you take that statement as the truth, then it looks like Mike Jefferson and/or Danny Amendola are going to get a baptism by fire next week as they participate in a real NFL game, a game that counts in the standings and kicks off the Cowboys run at a Super Bowl. I’m sorry, but I’m just not comfortable with that. It’s been suggested that we have enough weapons on offense to get away with it and that some of the other guys like Felix Jones or maybe Martellus Bennett can be used in ways to minimize the impact. That may be what Jason Garrett has in mind but even those guys are untested and are rookies who need time to grow into their roles – that includes El Gato. I realize we still have Jason Witten, so we still have three WR-quality guys we can play. But it’s a real gamble to me, injuries in that game would really hamstring us and rookie mistakes could cost us. WR is one of the easier roles to integrate quickly, especially if the receiver has any familarity with the coordinator's offense and terminology.

I won't beat this subject to death, because without knowing if any decent WR gets cut from another team, it’s hard to debate the specifics of the issue. But there is one WR out there who is available.

When asked if he planned to contact [Terry] Glenn, Jones was non-committal.

"I'm going to keep that to myself, one way or the other," Jones said.

Interesting.

One thing I will be watching closely when I review the game is the play of our offensive line, especially the guys in the left guard competition. I feel just like Wade:

"It's hard to evaluate the inside blockers until we look at the tape," Phillips said. "Once we get the tape, I think we'll have a better feel how each of those guys played."

With the trade for Montrae Holland, we have 11 linemen for 10 spots on the roster; somebody is going when we make the last roster cut. It’s not going to be one of the starting five and it won’t be Doug Free or Montrae Holland. That leaves Pat McQuistan, Joe Berger, Cory Procter and James Marten. I won’t hazard a final guess until I watch the tape, but my early money is on Marten.

Could we be adding another player to the roster? It will be tough to do with all the injury problems but It could help us on our special teams.

When asked if the Cowboys would be interested in making an effort to re-sign [Keith] Davis, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, "We haven't - we'll get into that tomorrow and see. It has everything to do with the kind of pressure we have on our 53-man roster."