SB Nation - Stephen Bowen

The VRR: DeMarcus Ware is the Dallas Pass Rush

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:03:56 -0000

More photos » by Michael Thomas - AP

To win the third-down battles on defense, the Cowboys could use more pass rushers to help out the secondary.

DeMarcus Ware's injury in yesterday's game scared many of us, but it's now not seen as something too serious. In fact, Coach Phillips said in his press conference today that Ware is considered day-to-day. That's great news!

Having been released from the hospital with what is considered a sprain at the base of the neck, Ware is feeling much better and could be back soon.

"There is a possibility - again he came back a lot better today," Phillips said. "He was let out of the hospital early last night. He came back a lot better today so we will just have to see."

Though it is a shortened week because Dallas travels to New Orleans for a Saturday night game, Ware has yet to be ruled out. That's even better news for the Cowboys. Going up against the number one rated passer in the league in Drew Brees, they will need all the pass rushing help they can get.

Hat tip to OCC for the FanShot.

So what happens if Ware is not able to go on Saturday? The team could very well look to rookie Victor Butler to start.

The 6-2, 246-pound Butler has three sacks in limited playing time, all of which have come late in games. Phillips said the rookie, who played defensive end at Oregon State, is still learning the Cowboys' scheme and adjusting to playing outside linebacker.

"He's not a real big guy," Phillips said, "so that's part of it, too."

With or without Ware, I think we can all agree that the Dallas pass rush is rather inconsistent. Until recently, Jay Ratliff and Keith Brooking had been getting a rush up the middle. Perhaps Stephen Bowen can play a more prominent role against the pass-happy Saints.

If Ware is out, who is going to demand double teams? It's time for Anthony Spencer to step his game up one more level. DWare may make the game, but he'll be banged up. I saw Spencer maul the Chargers' tackles at times, yesterday. Although both the Saints' tackles are listed at 6-5, 315 lbs., Spencer brings a strong power rush.

Like Coach Phillips said, Butler is not too big a guy; and neither is the other option: Steve Octavien. He's more of a LB in the mold of Al Singleton instead of a DE/LB tweener like Ware and Spencer.

Whoever it is must be able to cover, too. Both RBs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas each have caught more than 30 receptions.

Speaking of covering - what's up with the third-and-longs? The secondary could definitely use some help on passing downs. Can't blame it all on the lack of a pass rush, but something's got to not give.

For the season, Cowboys' opponents have converted four times in seven chances on third-and-12, an abnormally high rate. In the last five games, Cowboys' opponents are 11-for-34 on third-and-eight or longer, also higher than the league average.

In other injury news, SS Pat Watkins sprained a PCL in yesterday's game. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. That's a big blow to the special teams coverage units.

TE Martellus Bennett will return to practice, but is not expected to play until the Redskins game.

FS Ken Hamlin will also return to practice this week. His status will probably depend on whether he participates fully or on a limited basis.

Phillips put the blame on the offensive line, not Marion Barber, for coming up short on the goalline.

"He hit it up in there good, but there was somebody there that we felt we could have come off and blocked. They played it a little bit different from what we had seen, but it wasn't that much different. We felt like we should have scored.''

Here's what Jason Garrett had to say about the series.

"Those were three different plays,'' Garrett said. "We had knocked them off the ball fairly consistently on that drive. Logic tells you we should be able to do it again."

"They did a good job making the stand.''

Week 16's Cowboys @ Redskins matchup will remain on Sunday Night Football.

The NFL and NBC have decided that Week 16 game between the Cowboys and the Redskins will remain in prime time.

BTB Game Balls: Cowboys @ Eagles

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:47:02 -0000

More photos » by Mel Evans - AP

"You'd better not prevent me from getting my BTB game ball," yells Tony Romo at the Eagle defenders.

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It's time to hand out game balls for the Cowboys' road victory against the Eagles! We've got one for a player from each unit: offense, defense, special teams. We've even got one for the coaching staff.

Offense

Tony Romo - As the Cowboys transition into a well-prepared team that strives to get better every week, their quarterback is also conforming into that mold. Both the gun-slinging mentality and the critical stereotype of being a choke-artist seem to be dissolving from the aura that is Tony Romo. If Sunday night's game is any indication of how he has grown as a player, then maybe we can begin to expect a more patient, less risk-taking Romo. With the defense steadily improving and a seemingly growing number of offensive weapons waiting to contribute, Romo can just focus on taking what defenses give him.

Leave it to the Eagles to break Romo's no-interception streak. Whether Jason Witten was looking inside or Romo just overshot him didn't matter for very long. It was forgotten, as all interceptions should be. Instead of piling on more picks like we've seen him do in past division games, he refused to gift wrap anything else for the pesky Eagles' secondary. And that pesky Eagles' blitz was on him early and often. Personally, his fumbles have irritated me more than his throws to the wrong-colored jerseys. I concur with ImpactNate, "Way to take that sack, Romo!"

Aside from those big passes to Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton, Romo made the most of the little passes too. It was great to see him connect with Kevin Ogletree on those screens. First downs for everybody, especially if your name is Jason Witten or Roy Williams. And I loved how that little hop-of-a-pass out to Marion Barber early in the first quarter seemed to foreshadow that he would be able to get away from the rush - enough to at least pick up some postive yardage.

21 of 34 for 307 with a TD and a win against a quality division opponent on the road. That's positive.

Honorable Mention: Jason Witten, Marion Barber

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

Defense

Jay Ratliff - Double-team, double-team, double-team. No problem. Ratliff often just spins around them, or as we saw Sunday night, Coach Phillips will line him up at DE to terrorize the gap between the guard and tackle.

The Eagles had to have been wondering how they could continue double-teaming Ratliff when their rotating LTs were being harassed by DeMarcus Ware. When they didn't double-team him with a guard and a center, there he was disrupting running plays and leading the pocket collapses on passing plays. His pressure up the middle helped hurry McNabb on the Sensabaugh pick. And it was Ratliff crashing down the Eagles' line on that 4th-and-1 to allow Keith Brooking to fly over and prevent McNabb from sneaking out a few more inches.

One of the coolest things about watching the Cowboys now is how Ratliff roars to the sky, and then bashes his fists into the ground. In finishing the game with five solo tackles and two sacks, we got to see him do his signature move often against the Eagles (even though Stephen Bowen interrupted the completion of one). You can call it a sack dance or a celebration; whatever it is, is a precise representation of what Ratliff does to an offense: he wreaks havoc.

Honorable Mention: Mike Jenkins, Gerald Sensabaugh

Special Teams

Mat McBriar - On the season, McBriar is averaging 46.1 YPP (41.8 net) on 35 punts with only one of those being for a touchback. 20 of those 35 have landed inside the 20-yard line and 9 have been fair caught.

Against the Eagles, McBriar faced one of the league's best returners in DeSean Jackson. Because of his directional kicking and superb hangtime, Jackson did squat - being able to return just one of five punts for nine yards. For the night, McBriar averaged 42 YPP with three landing inside the 20 and a long of 57.

Honorable Mention: L.P. Ladouceur, David Buehler

Coaching

Wade Phillips - A defensive-minded head coach should love the challenge of taking on a divisional offensive-minded head coach. That's what Coach Phillips did against Andy Reid. Phillips used both his stars and his situational players to shake, rattle, and roll Reid's offense to giving up four sacks and two interceptions. McNabb and the Eagles' blockers looked confused more often than not. The Dallas defenders stuck to their leader's gameplan and gave up no big plays - keeping everything in front of them.

Sure, the Eagles got in some of their patented HB-screens and TE Brent Celek succeeded in pushing off on Sensabaugh for a score; but the homerun-hitting WRs were simply shut down. Jackson caught two balls for a measley 29 yards, while Jeremy Maclin led the group with three catches for 44 yards. The longest gain for the group was by Jason Avant for 23.

This felt like an over-the-hump game for the Cowboys and Coach Phillips had his team prepared. Amidst all the drama leading up to this game, the team persevered. After the game, Coach called the players "selfless". On offense, four different players carried the ball, seven different players caught at least one. The entire defense showed up (both starters and reserves) to play all-out and held the Eagles to 16 points. I would agree that there certainly is some selflessness going on around Valley Ranch.

Honorable Mention: Jason Garrett, Todd Grantham

The Cowboys did what they needed to do: pick up a divisional win on the road. A lot of players made plays, and it can easily be seen as a team victory.

Who gets your game balls?

The VRR: Cowboys (5-2) @ Eagles (5-2)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:05:51 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

The Dallas secondary could try to bump DeSean Jackson out of Andy Reid's gameplan.

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How do you defend the hottest receiving threat in the NFC East? Both the Dallas and the Philadelphia defenses could be asking themselves this very question all the way up to the Cowboys @ Eagles matchup on Sunday Night Football.

It could be tough for us, fans, to relax and watch the day games without twiddling our thumbs in anxiety over such thoughts as, "will Miles Austin's touchdown streak continue?" or "can the secondary stop DeSean Jackson?" Certainly, there are many other stories to the game to focus on, but lately it has been the continued emergence of these two weapons that has greatly increased the threat of these teams' respective offenses.

When that first ball kicks off, though, we will forget this week's headlines and get caught up in the hard-hitting, well-balanced contest that this should turn out to be. Playing physically has helped put the Cowboys where they are today. Continuing to do so could help produce on the scoreboard, and better yet, lead to a 6-2 record come Monday.

Can the physical play of Mike Jenkins stop DeSean Jackson? Eagles' safety Quintin Demps says, "no".

"Just be physical," Jenkins said Wednesday. "Go out and hit them in the mouth."

If that means playing press coverage, Jenkins might want to re-think that stance, Philadelphia safety Quintin Demps suggested in a phone interview.

"I've never seen a guy that fast and quick at the same time," Demps, a Roosevelt graduate, said of Jackson. "And he's smart. He knows how to play off of leverage and get off press coverage."

More Cowboys @ Eagles after the jump.

If Miles Austin and DeSean Jackson get voted into the Pro Bowl, it would be the first time a WR from both teams make it to Hawaii since the early 90s.

Now our guy Adam Schefter has unearthed the interesting nugget that a Cowboys and Eagles wide receiver haven't gone to the Pro Bowl in the same season since Michael Irvin and the immortal Fred Barnett both made it in 1992. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Tony Hill and Mike Quick.

Former Dallas defensive coordinator, Brian Stewart, may have not have much insight to offer Andy Reid in regards to Wade Phillips' defense.

Philadelphia coach Andy Reid tried to downplay the importance of having former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart on his staff. Reid said whatever insight Stewart offers in advance of Sunday's game would be offset by coach Wade Phillips' ability to be unpredictable with his defense.

"Wade is a pretty creative guy," Reid said. "We have talked to ... [Stewart], but at the same time I know they've made changes."

Since taking over the Cowboys, Phillips is 2-2 against Reid. For his career as a head coach and defensive coordinator, Phillips is 4-5 against Reid.

Roy Williams had two of his best games in Philadelphia.

Going to Philadelphia could rouse Roy Williams from his funk. With Detroit, he had nine catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns at Philadelphia in 2004 and nine catches for a career-high 204 yards and one touchdown in 2007.

S Brian Dawkins is a tough presence to replace in the Philly secondary.

The Eagles have used a three-man rotation his place: rookie Macho Harris, Sean Jones and Quintin Demps. Harris started the first six games, but Jones replaced him for last week's win over the New York Giants. The Eagles have not committed to a starter against the Cowboys.

LB Chris Gocong is doubtful, but Brian Westbrook will be ready.

In other injury news, running back Brian Westbrook was held out of practice on Friday after a strong two days of practice by Reid, but he is expected to play and contribute in a significant manner on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis is the only player listed as out.

Rookie seventh-round pick Moise Fokou will start as the strongside linebacker if Gocong is unable to go. Coach Reid said he had plenty of confidence in Fokou to get the job done.

"He's worked hard," Reid said of Fokou. "Even when Chris was healthy, he worked in there during practice."

Cowboys @ Eagles injury report, courtesy of philadelphiaeagles.com.

CuJo and K.O. to play against the Eagles?

Based on the special teams practices all week, it appears linebacker Curtis Johnson and wide receiver Kevin Ogletree will both be in uniform for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia.

Marion Barber's quad is inching closer to being at full strength.

It could take up to 10 weeks for Barber to be 100 percent, according to the Cowboys. But Wade Phillips said Barber is getting better every week and starting to show some of that old explosiveness.

"He’s got a little more juice," Phillips said. "It’s an injury that you lose strength. It’s not something where you’re going to get injured again. He lost some power in one leg. He could play, and I thought he had his best game last week. He looked good today. I think more and more we’ll see the Marion Barber that we know and love."

Barber blogged about getting ready for the Eagles on his website.

My left thumb is still a little bit jammed from our game in Kansas City. I jammed it pretty good during pass protection but it's alright now. It doesn't affect my ability to carry the ball or anything.

Miles Austin has been coming up big for us recently and it's no surprise to anyone on the team. He's been balling out there and he's gonna continue to do so. We have a lot of guys who can produce and it's a great feeling. We have three guys in the backfield who are all dangerous too. That's a big plus for us because we work really well together. Nobody worries about who gets the touches, we all just want to win. There's no jealousy.

Stephen Bowen's hard work and athleticism are really starting to show this season.

Bowen, who carries 306 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame, started playing football when he was 7. He said his height was average until the ninth grade, when he had a growth spurt that continued until he was big enough to move from linebacker to defensive line at Hofstra.

Bowen also played running back in high school. As a senior, he amassed 565 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns.

"A lot of guys think I have good feet, and it's because I wasn't always big," Bowen said.

Bowen's athleticism was on display when he batted down Hasselbeck's pass on third-and-10 from the Dallas 25-yard line during Seattle's opening possession. Had the ball found its way to running back Justin Forsett, he likely would have scored on a perfectly set up middle screen. Instead, the Seahawks had to settle for a field goal.

With his impressive leg strength, David Buehler will reassess what his touchback goals are for this season.

No other team has more than 13 touchbacks. Buehler, who came into the season, with the goal of leading the NFL in the category said it's time to revise his goal.

"Instead of leading the league in touchbacks," Buehler said, "I can try and push past everybody and be in a league of my own."

The series history between these two clubs:

The Cowboys hold a 53-43 advantage in their all-time regular season series with the Eagles, including a conventional split of last year's home-and-home. Dallas won a 41-37 home thriller when the teams met in Week 2 of last season, but as previously mentioned, were drilled by a 44-6 count with a playoff berth on the line at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 17. Dallas last won in Philly in 2007, coming up a 38-17 winner in a primetime game there.

In addition to their regular season advantage, the Cowboys have a 2-1 edge in the postseason series. The Eagles were 20-7 winners in the 1980 NFC Championship, while Dallas won NFC Divisional Playoff games over Philadelphia following the 1992 and 1995 seasons.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid has a career record of 14-6 against the Cowboys. Dallas' Wade Phillips is 3-2 all-time against both Philadelphia and Reid all- time, with the first of those wins coming in the form of a 26-0 rout for Phillips' Bills over the Eagles in 1999.

Raf breaks down the key matchups in his post here.

Here is the NFL Game Center for the Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles.

If you're away from the TV, but have access to a computer Sunday night, you can watch the game live here.

Vote for some Cowboys to make the 2010 Pro Bowl here.

You've got 21 days left to vote Emmitt Smith on Van Heusen Fan's Choice.

Missed Opportunities Two and Three

John Morgan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:32:43 -0000

The drive never recovered from its first big attempt. Matt Hasselbeck targeted John Carlson and nearly threw an interception to Gerald Sensabaugh. Justin Griffith motioned out of right trips to fullback and Julius Jones picked his way up the middle for ten. Part of Griffith's value is that he guides Jones where to rush. On a previous run I didn't detail, Griffith and Jones started slight-right, but Griffith circled wide left and Jones followed. It was the right read and Jones ran for six.

Griffith was out for Jones next rush, and Jones misread his blockers and effectively tackled himself. The play was a pitch right. Seattle's blockers swooped to the right and attempted to create a long lane to the right flat. Spencer was beat back at the snap. John Owens blocked in and did his best against left defensive end Marcus Spears, but was blown back by play's end. Right tackle Ray Willis released into the right flat.

Jones picked his way towards right end, but cut in and into the teeth of Dallas' defense. He ran into Spears and struggled to get back to the line. The best explanation I can offer for Jones cutting in when the play was designed to be run right, is Jones was minimizing damage. He saw the beaten blockers and decided to avoid a costly tackle for a loss. He had space in the right flat, but didn't take it.

Then Hasselbeck threw the sure to be infamous strike that should have been a lob. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, mouthy as he is, was right. Terence Newman swatted it, Housh couldn't track the deflection and the ball fell incomplete. He was single covered and had timed his burst just enough to separate from Newman. Newman was turned and a slight step behind, but Hasselbeck threw it flat, as if Houshmandzadeh were breaking in, and Newman jumped and deflected it.

It was another opportunity lost and led to yet another lost opportunity. Strike three stopped the drive. Dallas blitzed six out of a 3-3 nickel formation. Hasselbeck sagged and sagged, drawing the defenders in. At the last moment he jumped and threw across his body. The pass was flat and slapped away by Stephen Bowen. Justin Forsett dropped his shoulders, Chris Spencer to his front, Max Unger and Rob Sims at either side; not a defender between him and the first.

Olindo Mare converted from 43 to put Seattle ahead.

The VRR: Cowboys Can Ride Three-game Win Streak for Only So Long

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:46:13 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Wade Phillips likes the way his defense is physically attacking ball carriers.

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For the second week in a row, the Cowboys defeated their opponent in dominating fashion. The team's offensive, defensive, and special teams units outplayed, out-muscled, and simply outperformed Seattle on its way to a 38-17 victory.

As soon as the fourth quarter began, it was becoming more and more obvious that Dallas could not be caught. That felt good, but only for so long. Those scoring updates on FOX did little to shield us from the anxiety of how well the Eagles, the Cowboys' next opponents, were dismantling the Giants.

Admit it, you were staring at that big, blue star on the turf at Cowboys Stadium, but the peripheral view of your imagination was skipping ahead to next week, to Lincoln Financial Field.

We, fans, usually use Monday and Tuesday to relish and reflect on Sunday's game. On Wednesday, we are ready to transition. Nevertheless, the players, the coaches, and the media are already thinking Philadelphia. It was evident from the very first question in today's press conference with Coach Phillips.

But before we look to the future, let's first look to the recent past to see how this team achieved its 5-2 record yesterday. Here's what Coach Phillips had to say today about the performance of his players against the Seahawks.

Make the jump.

DL: Phillips seemed most impressed with this group. He singled out Jay Ratliff for his ability to play injured, while maintaining his high performance level. He also credited Stephen Bowen with a nice game, saying he plays his role well.

LBs: Bobby Carpenter (6 tackles, 1 sack) was the first named mentioned, here. He said it's "good to see him step up" and that he seems to be getting better and better in his role. He also mentioned Keith Brooking's consistency (12 tackles, 1 sack) and DeMarcus Ware (8 tackles, 1 sack).

DBs: Phillips calls Jenkins and Scandrick the "sophomore sensations". He says that they challenged Scandrick during the week to regain the technique he had last year. Scandrick responded well, he said, noting that he was supposed to have help on the TD caught on him. He seemed pleased that Jenkins had a quiet game, which simply meant he was doing his job well; and, he credited Newman for "making plays".

OL: He said that Leonard Davis had one of his best games with "knockdowns" and "runovers".

RBs: Their performance, he collectively called "solid". Their pass-blocking continues to impress him.

WRs: The "confidence we have in those guys is warranted," Phillips said. He noted how well they run with the ball after the reception (singling out Hurd's score) and then poked fun at Miles Austin for his inablity to dunk the ball over the goalpost. He also noted that the two P.I. calls on Seattle should also be seen as "big plays" by Austin.

Romo/Roy: "Tony doesn't throw many bad balls," he said. He has faith, as do the rest of the coaches, that all the work they do in practice, along with the talent between the two will pan out. He likens it do Ware's lack of sacks early in the season. The players all just keep working harder and harder until it produces for them on the field.

ST: They have been "special." Other than his giving credit to Crayton and the return teams, Phillips likes what he sees from the coverage units. Buehler and McBriar help, and guys like Hurd, Pat Watkins, Victor Butler, and Alan Ball all have great games covering kicks.

Young players: Phillips stressed that getting Hurd, Kevin Ogletree, and Doug Free in the game was not a direct effect of having the game in hand. These are three young players that the coaches feel they wanted to get some more game experience.

Keith Brooking is excited about this team, but cautious about "drinking the Cowboy Kool-Aid".

"We are just now starting to see all the hard work and sacrifices we’ve made come into fruition, and it’s a good feeling," Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking said. "That’s the reason we play this game. This is so much fun. That’s the reason I came here — to be a part of Sundays like this. I’m just excited about my football team, our football team, the way we’re coming together."

"There’s a fine line, though. We need to enjoy it, but everyone’s going to be drinking the Cowboy Kool-Aid here and telling us how great we are and how good we’re doing. We have a long way to go and a lot of football to play. As long as we prepare the way we’ve been preparing and come out on the field with confidence on Sunday, we’re going to be right where we want to be."

Bobby Carpenter got in on the sack action yesterday, but this is the second straight game the defense has gotten off to a slow start.

"I've been saving them up," joked Carpenter, whose last sack before Sunday came on Dec. 16, 2006, when he dropped Michael Vick 11/2 times in a win over the Falcons in Atlanta. "When you've got a team that can bring pressure from all angles, it makes it easy for guys to get sacks because they can't afford to double-team guys."

While Dallas celebrated having at least three sacks in each of its last five games, the Cowboys weren't happy about giving up points on their opponents' opening drive a second straight game.

"We performed well, but at the same time, we can't start off slow like this every Sunday," said Jay Ratliff, who had three tackles after being listed as questionable Friday with a knee injury. "We have to come out fired up and remain that way until the end."

The Dallas offense is more sweet than bitter right now. If Tony Romo can just get on the same page with a certain wide receiver, the sky would be the limit for this team.

On getting on the same page with Roy Williams:

"We have to watch the tape. We have to see why certain things are different ways. I missed him on a big route early in the game; I have to bring the ball down some. But he’s doing good. He’s running good routes and he’ll be fine. It’s just a matter of going back and looking at the tape and seeing what we have to do better. It’s just part of growing with a receiver or group."

Coach Phillips, yesterday, on the 9-11 disconnection.

"I still see Roy and Tony not on the same page," coach Wade Phillips said. "They're getting closer, they talk to each other afterwards a couple of times. Tony thought he was going to go there and vice versa, so we just got to keep working at that. Roy is tough to catch on that slant pass on the goal line."

Here is the transcript of Coach Phillips' post-game press conference, courtesy of Scout.com.

Remember, Romo and another "Bigg" time player allowed the Cowboys to restructure their contracts so that the team could afford to re-sign players, such as DeMarcus Ware. Great teamwork!

Tony Romo and Leonard Davis both let the Cowboys move some of their bonus money around in the spring of 2008 to save room for future signings, including Ware's extension. By shifting their bonus deferment Romo and Davis combined to save the Cowboys roughly $8 million against this season's cap.

Jason Witten's climb-up-the-TE-record books watch:

Witten’s 36 yards today gave him 5,283 for his career and allowed him to pass Russ Francis (5,262) and tie Keith Jackson for 16th all-time among league tight ends.

Witten caught four passes in today’s game to give him 466 for his career and break a tie with Mickey Shuler for ninth on the NFL’s all-time tight ends receptions list. He is 14 catches behind Jackie Smith (480) for eighth.

The punt return game is back on in Big D. Only five other guys have two TD-returns in one season for the team.

Patrick Crayton became the sixth Cowboy to have two punt returns for TDs in a season and only the second to do it in consecutive weeks.

Really, no false starts?

The pre-snap penalties that hounded the Dallas Cowboys' offense in the previous two games were eliminated in Sunday's win against Seattle.

The Cowboys' offense ran 67 plays with only one penalty: the team-high fourth holding call of the season against tight end Martellus Bennett. It represented an improvement from the previous two games, when the offense had six false starts and one illegal formation.

Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp: Practice #2

Dave Halprin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:55:47 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Joe DeCamillis is trying to shape up a special teams unit that was anything but special last year.

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This morning's practice was a full-pads practice. Stephen Hodge was still working on the side because of injury, and a big white guy was also over there but he didn't have a jersey on so I couldn't tell who it was. (UPDATE: Todd Archer sent me an email telling me the "big white guy" was Tim Anderson. Thanks Todd!)

The Cowboys seem to be placing an emphasis on special teams as they opened practice again by working on that area. First, they broke into groups; the gunners were working on techniques to get past the blockers, another group worked on punt return blocking from the middle and the third worked on blocking the gunners. It looked like they were emphasizing proper technique and balance. They moved to some actual punting with Mat McBriar, he had some good punts that were high but not very long along with a few that were not up to his standards. He looked to be kicking free and easy; his injury appears to be fully recovered. Catching punts were Terence Newman, Patrick Crayton and newcomer Willie Reid. Covering punts as gunners were Courtney Brown, DeAngelo Smith, Pat Watkins and Alan Ball.

After that session they broke into positional warm-ups then came together for team stretching. They broke off to work on FG's after that with both Nick Folk and David Buehler taking turns. They really didn't go for distance, but the sound of the ball coming off Buehler's foot was striking, the boom was just a little louder than Folk's.

Make the jump for more.

They broke off into positional drills with the offense going through some running plays and the defense practicing technique drills in their groups. During these drills on offense, the second team o-line was Pat McQuistan, Ryan Gibbons, Cory Procter, Montrae Holland and Doug Free. The defensive backs were working on close-coverage man-to-man techniques with the "offensive" player doing start-stop patterns and the DB was supposed to stay with him as he slowed down and sped up again. The WRs were working on different short pattern drills including catching with another guy's hand in the face.

Next came a round of 9-on-9 - no WRs or CBs. Tony Romo opened with a middle run to MB3 through a nice hole but Gerald Sensabaugh caused him to fumble. Felix Jones went left and followed a nice pull block by Leonard Davis. Tashard Choice ran a draw play through a huge hole in the middle. Jon Kitna gave Choice the ball but Stephen Bowen stuffed the play. Felix had a nice run up the middle and then Alonzo Coleman had a nice run on a delay. Stephen McGee took over and gave it to Coleman for a short run, then Keon Lattimore was stuffed by Victor Butler, and Justin Rogers stuffed a delay. Romo came back and gave it to MB3 who followed Bigg, Marc Colombo and Jason Witten for a nice gain, then MB3 had a good run after cutting off a block of Kyle Kosier, but on the next run Igor Olshansky shut it down. Kitna followed but the first run was doomed by Bowen and Bobby Carpenter, then Kitna dropped the snap on the next play. Felix had an OK run in traffic and was eventually stopped by Jerome Carter and they finished on a nice run by Choice behind the blocks of Doug Free and Montrae Holland.

The whole team reconvened for a session of 11-on-11. Romo handed off to MB3 who had a nice run up the middle, next was a counter roll-out with a short pass to Witten in the flats but Sensabaugh was not fooled and made the stop. Marcus Spears got good pressure on Romo who dumped it to MB3 but Keith Brooking was there for the tackle. They tried a pitch to Felix but Brandon Williams had good contain and Steve Octavien made the tackle. Romo hit Witten on an out after feeling the pressure, then he connected on a long pass to Miles Austin who found a hole in the zone coverage.

Kitna came on and gave it to Choice who made a nifty run through traffic, then he tried a pass but felt the pressure from Marcus Dixon and Michael Hawkins broke up the pass. They tried a run play but Holland, on a pull, collided with Kitna in the backfield from bad timing. Another little reverse roll-out pass connected with John Phillips, and Kitna finished by hitting Kevin Ogletree on a hitch with Orlando Scandrick making the tackle. McGee dumped a pass to Lattimore and then handed it to Lattimore who made a short gain in traffic.

Romo was back in, but Witten had a false start and was replaced by Bennett. MB3 had a nice run after Flozell Adams popped Brandon Williams on the edge, followed by Mike Jenkins making a nice break-up on a pass intended for Roy Williams, Ocatvien had gotten good pressure on Romo. Felix tried a run but Bowen was there to stop him, then they tried another counter roll-out but Dixon stayed at home and blew up the play. Kitna came on and pitched to Choice who had a nice run, on the next play Justin Rogers and Victor Butler met at the QB but they threw the pass anyway, but Hawkins had good coverage. DeMarcus Ware busted up a run in the backfield that was meant for Choice. Rudy Carpenter tried a handoff but Jay Ratliff busted through and caused a fumble on the exchange. Carpenter then tried to hit Mike Jefferson on an out but he ended up out-of-bounds.

After a short break, they came back for another session of 11-on-11. Romo threw a shot pass to Bennett but Sensabaugh closed it out quickly with a tackle. MB3 had a short run before Bradie James stopped him. Bennett had a nice 15-yard catch over the middle, Sam Hurd made a nice catch with Jenkins draped all over him, then Felix ran a pitch play following blocks of Bigg and Colombo. They tried Felix again in the middle but there was no room. Kitna started with an incompletion intended for Isaiah Stanback. He then dropped a shotgun snap halting the play, then John Phillips and Kitna almost collided after Phillips was in motion throwing off the timing of a pass play. Kitna finished with an OK draw to Lattimore. McGee hit Ogletree with a perfect pass but Ogletree dropped it. McQuistan had a false start and he was immediately replaced. (The Cowboys aren't tolerating the false starts in this camp). Under pressure, McGee had to dump a pass to Lattimore.

Romo was back in and ran a successful screen to MB3 who followed a block from Kosier. They tried a dump off to MB3 next but Jason Williams broke it up. Roy made a short catch in front of Scandrick, they tried a draw from the shotgun but Matt Stewart stuffed it. Romo hit Felix short over the middle but Victor Butler popped the ball out from behind for a fumble. Romo finished with a pass in the flats to Lattimore. Kitna hit Bennett on a pass, then tried an off-tackle with Choice but Ware and Ratliff both penetrated into the backfield. Ware followed that up by sacking Kitna. Kitna finished by overthrowing Willie Reid on a deep crossing pattern. Rudy Carpenter then tossed a sweep to Lattimore who made a beautiful cut towards the middle for good yards, then they tried a dump pass but Jason Williams was all over it.

That was it, another practice this afternoon.

The Valley Ranch Review: Anthony Spencer Takes First Team Reps at OTAs

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:31:10 -0000

With Jerry Jones pretty much announcing that Greg Ellis won't be a Cowboy this year, the door is open for former first-rounder Anthony Spencer to take over the other outside linebacker spot, opposite Demarcus Ware. Head coach Wade Phillips, who will be spending alot more time in this season's defensive meetings, sounds sold on Spencer's ability to man the position.

"Anthony Spencer can play," Wade Phillips said. "All you have to do is watch the tape. When we go through film after the season, go through the tape after the season, we go through every play and most of our highlight stuff from that position was him. In some cases, you'd say, 'Hey, that's DeMarcus. No, it's not, that's Anthony.' I think he's going to be a really good player for us."

[snip]

Spencer has established himself as a force against the run. Phillips raved about Spencer's ability to beat run-blocking tight ends, saying Spencer was one of the best OLBs he's coached in that regard.

DC.com's Rob Phillips looks at rookie OLBs, Victor Butler and Brandon Williams, as reasons the Cowboys will be moving on from Ellis.

Having directed the 3-4 defense for decades, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips knows an outside linebacker when he sees one, and he thinks Butler (6-2, 248) and Williams (6-2, 252) have the right combination of size and athleticism. Williams led the Big 12 with 13 sacks last year while Butler's 12 ranked second in the Pac-10.

Butler will return to practice once Oregon State holds its graduation ceremony in June. Once he's back, he's looking forward to learning and competing with Williams for playing time.

Depending on Ellis' future, both rookies might have more opportunity than originally thought.

"When you get two great competitors together you're going to push and push each other to work harder," Butler said. "And I think that's where DeMarcus and his counterpart come in because you've got two good guys out there working every day in practice. That's how you're able to put up 20 sacks because you've got a guy next to you that's going to make you work."

More VRR after the jump, including OTA highlights and an interview with Coach Joe DeCamillis.

The Cowboys are already fine-tuning their practice roster. The team released both S Tra Battle and DT Casey Tyler today.

Here are some highlights from Timmy Mac's observation of today's practice. Read his full account here.

- Tony Romo to Roy Williams was at first, cold; then hot.

- Bobby Carpenter worked on the first-team nickel D. Also, the line on these nickel and dime packages showcased Ware and Jay Ratliff at the ends with Stephen Bowen at the tackle.

- Courtney Brown is back at CB.

- MB3 threw a HB touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton.

- Sam Hurd did not practice (left quad). Coach Phillips said he will hold Hurd out of practice for the rest of the week.

And some quick hits from Josh Ellis.

- Orlando Scandrick split first-team reps with Mike Jenkins, at the spot opposite Terence Newman.

- Although hurt, Sam Hurd stayed after practice to hold for FGs.

- Several of Romo's passes were "wobbly".

- Joe DeCamillis was at practice again, and told Jerry Jones how impressed he was with a few unnamed rookies.

Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis told his harrowing story of the training facility collapse to Atlanta's 790 the Zone.

Guys started to get out the doors that they were close to - I happened to be close to the door on the east side... Which unfortunately, was not the great thing, 'cause what happened was the structure ended up falling on to us."

[snip]

"The scariest part was the tarp was on top of us. So, you thought you were really gonna suffocate. I knew my back was hurt, but you thought you were gonna suffocate when you were sitting there because there was like six inches of water on the ground, and there was a big ol' tarp that was on top of you.

[snip]

And, I'm sitting there with my back and I'm thinking, ‘Geez, you wuss, you gotta get up, man.' So, somehow (laughs), I ended up walking inside to my office... And, I called Dana, my wife, and I said, ‘Are you all right?' And, she said, ‘Yeah. I'm all right. It's bad weather but what's the matter?' And, I said, ‘Well, you're gonna see something on the TV, the dome just fell on me but I'm okay (laughs)."

SI ranks Big D's running game at #3 in the league, just one behind the Giants (doh!).

Hat tip to aussie_cowboy for the FanShot.

Here are some photos of OTA Week One from DC.com's multimedia center. Go #4!

The Valley Ranch Review: Aikman Questions the Cowboys’ Trade for Roy Williams

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:00:12 -0000

At a corporate sponsorship event at The Ranch on Tuesday, H.O.F. quarterback, Troy Aikman, answered questions about the importance of team chemistry in Big D, the needed focus on winning, and the pressure put on Tony Romo. His harshest remarks revolved around wide receiver Roy Williams.

"I think this would be - if Roy Williams doesn't turn out to be the player they thought he would be when they made the trade, I think this would be one of the biggest busts in the history of the league."

Ouch! In the history of the league?

What do you say to that, Roy?

"I have done this job before," Williams said Tuesday evening. "I have been the No. 1 guy everywhere I have been - at Odessa Permian, at Texas and in Detroit so I don't know what the difference is."

The Valley Ranch Review: Preview Edition

Dave Halprin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 20:00:19 -0000

Welcome to the first edition of The Valley Ranch Review. Previously I'd been posting stories that are meant to keep you guys up-to-date on Cowboys news (and spark some discussion) under the headline Dallas Cowboys News & Notes. We're turning it into a regular feature so when you get up in the morning you can check BTB for your Cowboys news.

In addition, I'm adding someone new to the front-page who will take over the task of creating the VRR (too early for an acronym? Oh well). The past two times I've asked for front-page help this guy has answered the call but just missed the cut both times. That didn't deter him from commenting regularly on the blog. You guys know him, you've read his comments...so please welcome BTB-regular Bigrigga31 to the front-page as your news update guy under the banner of The Valley Ranch Review. (The crowd bursts into spontaneous applause and a standing ovation). Also, thanks to BTB-regular icStars (Jeff Arrowood) for creating the fancy banner graphic for us. He's also working on creating some other graphics to spruce the place up.

Welcome Bigrigga31 and thanks icStars. Now, today's preview edition of the VRR. Starting tomorrow, this segment will come under Bigrigga31's byline.

Stephen Bowen signed his $1.54 million tender. The defensive end spent last season proving to be a solid backup for former starter Chris Canty. He has also shown the versatility to move inside in four-down lineman sub-packages. Best guess is that he will man the spot behind Igor Olshansky, while Jason Hatcher backs-up Marcus Spears. You got to give a little love to Bowen, the guy was an undrafted free agent from Hofstra. It's not easy to secure an NFL roster spot from those beginnings.

Todd Archer seems to think that the 6-year, $36 million ($20 million guaranteed) contract that new Tampa TE Kellen Winslow signed yesterday should prompt the Cowboys into reworking the Jason Witten deal of six years, $29 million with only $12 million guaranteed, signed in 2006.

Calvin Watkins disagrees, saying that:

"[T]o give Witten a new contract just because Kellen Winslow got paid, doesn't make sense. Players getting new contracts happen all the time, it's the price of doing business."

I know some of you wouldn't mind seeing the Cowboys draft Oklahoma OG Duke Robinson at 51. The guys at the Dallas Morning News discuss the big man and how he'd fit with Dallas.

"Robinson, one of the top guards in the draft, would have to wow the coaches to bump LG Kyle Kosier from the starting lineup. But the Cowboys need to develop a young player at that position, especially with Kosier recovering from a foot injury that kept him off the field most of last season. Robinson would certainly have a chance to compete for the starting job in 2010."

With the Tank gone empty, the Cowboys have a big need at nose tackle. DC.com takes a look at guys in the draft who can give starter Jay Ratliff some well-deserved breathers.

Cowboys tender their RFAs

Dave Halprin — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:10:34 -0000

The Dallas Cowboys finally got down to business and made tender offers to their RFAs. Surprisingly, four out of the five got tendered at the second-round level.

Wide receiver Miles Austin, defensive end Stephen Bowen, wide receiver Sam Hurd and guard Cory Procter each received the league's $1.545 million restricted tender, which secures right of first refusal and second-round compensation should the Cowboys choose not to match another team's offer sheet.

Second-round tender

Miles Austin - Kind of a no-brainer. In fact, the only real question was if the Cowboys might go to a first-round tender. But I think they got it right. Austin has the physical gifts you want in a WR. Size and speed. He's also started to round into form in terms of catching the ball, something he struggled with for quite a while. Before this year, I used to think his best play was go deep and get a pass interference call, but he began showing signs of being a serious deep threat before he got hurt. Without the second-round tender he would have surely gotten offers from other teams. With the tender, teams will think twice, or three times, before making an offer. Sure, he looks the part and is still young and improving, but dishing out a second round pick based on potential is a tough pill to swallow for another team.

Stephen Bowen - This was a must, not because Bowen is such a great player but because with the likelihood that Chris Canty has played his last game as a Cowboy, Dallas had to protect themselves. Either Bowen or Jason Hatcher is going to get the first shot at replacing Canty (assuming he does leave) unless they figure out a way to get some serious help at NT and are able to move Jay Ratliff back to DE. I don't expect any team to give up a second-round pick to acquire Bowen.

Sam Hurd - Kind of curious, they probably could have gone with the lower ($1.01 million) tender and still gotten away with it. I don't think Hurd is going to be targeted by other teams for WR purposes, but they may have feared a team coming in and grabbing him for special teams. Hurd does do a very good job on those units and he could still contribute as a WR if needed. I'm OK with the move considering its only half-a-million dollars more. (Notice how nonchalant I am with Jerry's money)

Cory Procter - WTF? I just have no words for this.

Not tendered

Tony Curtis - Star of stage and screen Tony Curtis no longer a Cowboy? Say it isn't so. I kid! Maybe they bring him back at a cheap price or maybe they like Rodney Hannah enough to go with him as the third TE. Either way, I'm good with this move.

By the way, the Cowboys and every team in the NFL just got an extra $4 million in cap room. We could use it.