SB Nation - Pat Watkins

Cowboys @ Saints Injury Update

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:04:05 -0000

DeMarcus Ware's status for tomorrow night's game against the Saints is still uncertain. He looks like a game-time decision. Both he and FS Ken Hamlin are listed as questionable.

Jerry Jones on Ware:

"The good news is that, aside from his soreness, he certainly does physically have the ability to play," Jones said. "We'll just determine that as to how he’s feeling at game time."

Wade Phillips had hoped that Ware's status would be determine before the Cowboys left for New Orleans. That didn't happen. Ware is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Saints.

Make the jump for the rest of the injury report.

DC.com on Hamlin:

Hamlin had limited participation all week in his return from a high ankle sprain. Though questionable, head coach Wade Phillips has seemed confident Hamlin would play for the first time since Nov. 15. Alan Ball has been starting in his place.

Strong safety and the Cowboys' leader in special teams tackles, Pat Watkins, is out with his sprained knee. He is not expected to be back during the regular season.

FB Deon Anderson, probable, did not go at today's walkthrough practice due to illness, but he is expected to play.

TE Martellus Bennett (concussion) has returned to practicing a full basis, but is not eligible to play until next week. He will be out against the Saints.

CB Terence Newman (knee) and SS Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) are also still listed on the injury report, but are fine and will continue to start.

As for the Saints' injuries:

DT Sedrick Ellis (knee) looks like a game-time decision for now; he has missed two days of practice this week.

CB Jabari Greer (groin) will be out.

K Garrett Hartley (hip), OT Jon Stinchcomb (knee), TE Jeremy Shockey (toe), and DE Bobby McCrary (back) all returned to practice yesterday and are expected to assume their normal roles.

Here are the rest of their injured:

Receiver Lance Moore (ankle, hamstring) and tailback Mike Bell (knee) practiced fully.

Ten other players were limited -- tailback Pierre Thomas (hip), guard Jahri Evans (foot), guard Carl Nicks (back), offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod (thumb), center Jonathan Goodwin (ankle), cornerback Tracy Porter (knee), safety Usama Young (hip), linebacker Jonathan Vilma (knee), linebacker Scott Fujita (knee) and linebacker Marvin Mitchell (hamstring).

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.

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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: Raiders @ Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:14:47 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Thanksgiving night was a good, good night for the Cowboys and Miles Austin.

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

Offense

Miles Austin -It all began on the first offensive series, man-on-man against one of the best CBs in the game. Tony Romo stepped up in the pocket and hit Austin crossing the field as he burned Nnamdi Asomugha en route to a 49-yard gain. This was the trend for much of the day as Austin gobbled up the middle of the field and made the most of his opportunities, catching six passes for 130 yards and a TD in the first half.

Often, it's those little plays, those extra efforts that bring out the best in everybody. In the second quarter, the Cowboys faced a 3rd-and-11 deep in their own territory. Austin sat in the middle of the zone to catch just a five-yarder from Romo. He then turned, broke two tackles, and picked up the extra yardage needed for the first down. Two plays later he beat CB Chris Johnson for a 27-yard catch and run across the middle. That gain would not have happened had he not broken those two tackles on the 3rd-and-11. Do you know what else would not have happened? Felix Jones' 46-yard TD run to finish the drive.

Austin's domination of the Raiders' secondary also helped open things up for Jason Witten in the second half.

Being at the game myself, it was quite evident that Austin has quickly become a fan favorite. Girls were screaming all around me when he kept standing up off the bench and raising his hands after his replay-reversed score just before the half. He pumped up the crowd again after officially grabbing back his TD after an impressive, side-stepping screen play. When he's smiling, all seems right with the Cowboys' offense.

Honorable Mention: Tony Romo, Jason Witten

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

Defense

Keith Brooking - Against a poor Oakland passing team (45 yards in the first half), it was important for the Cowboys to stop the run. Brooking made his presence known from the Raiders' first possession. In successive plays, he tackled Justin Fargas for just a four-yard gain and then pressured Bruce Gradkowski into throwing an incomplete pass. On the next possession, there he was knifing through the line on a run blitz to drop Fargas for a loss (though there was an accepted holding penalty against Oakland on the play).

All day, he and Jay Ratliff terrorized the middle of the field. The Raiders' backs did manage to pop some runs loose to the outside, but Brooking always seemed to be around the ball. If he was not making the tackle himself, he was around the pile - sometimes trying to punch at the ball. He was everywhere. I even saw him cover Darren McFadden, who split out wide and ran a deep route. Not even Robert Gallery's long, sweaty hair could block Brooking from getting to the ball carrier.

He ended up leading the team (again) with nine total tackles, six of which were solos.

It's his face on the videoboard that pumps up the crowd at Cowboys Stadium. "80,000 Fans..." his image points to them when the defense is looking for a key stop..."Remember What I Said".

Honorable Mention: Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware

Special Teams

Mat McBriar - Absolutely amazing day for the Cowboys' punter. While Oakland's punter kicked for more than 400 yards, McBriar responded with deadly accuracy. He averaged only 40.2 yards on six punts, but many of those were pooch kicks from around midfield - four of which landed inside the 20.

In the first quarter, a punt can't get much better than what McB did from the Oakland 41. With a little english, he pooched it to the two. He didn't even give his cover guys a chance to make a play on it because it spun and bounced out of bounds at the six. In other similar situations, he pinned the Raiders at the 11, the 13, and the 5.

When the Cowboys were pinned back, themselves, at around their 10, he blasted a 56-yarder all the way to the Oakland 35. This Aussie can do it all!

Honorable Mention: David Buehler, Pat Watkins

Coaching

Jason Garrett - This game goes down as one of the best I've seen Garrett coach this season. On a shortened work week, he had the Raiders' defense figured out from the tee. That unit had done enough damage against the Bengals' and Eagles' offenses to pull out victories, but Garrett would not let that happen to the Cowboys.

He ignored the fact that Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the best CBs in the game because he knew that his guys (most notably, Austin and Witten) would match up well against man coverage. And did they ever! Then, when it looked like the Raiders would blitz with their DBs locked in man, he made them pay with a 66-yard Razorback run from Tashard Choice. When they had to adjust to that, he hit them up the middle with Witten. With the CBs in man and the LBs in zone, there was Marion Barber wide open for a 42-yard catch and run.

The best thing about Garrett's day is the way he created passing lanes for Romo. Once Austin became the Raiders' focus, they could not stop the bleeding. LB Sam Williams could not cover Witten. And the 2TE-formation that flanked Barber in the backfield on the Roy Williams' TD was just cruel. The Raiders' defenders were utterly confused after much of the offense looked to move left, leaving noone inside to help on the post route.

Garrett did what you need to do when you face a weaker opponent: keep hitting them big to confuse them, then Felix and Barber them down until the clock reads 0:00.

Honorable Mention: Skip Peete, Todd Grantham

This was a game I had the privilege of seeing in person. Unfortunately, I happened to sit in the end zone opposite to all of the touchdowns. Still, they were great seats and it was a such a blast being there. During the TV timeouts, the Jerrytron kept the crowd entertained with fun videos. The funniest was of the offensive linemen racing go-carts.

My favorite was a Dallas Cowboys rendition of the Black Eyed Peas' song "I Gotta Feeling". The video featured every level of the team's employees from the event staff to the players. Each clip portrayed them singing the lyrics, jumping up and down, and bobbin' their heads..."Tonight's gonna be a good night...tonight's gonna be a real goood niiight!" Marion Barber, Sam Hurd...Andre Gurode and Jay Ratliff...they were all feeling it - as was the crowd, especially since the video ran as soon as we got the feeling that the game was in hand. Indeed, it was a good night.

If you have not seen my pictures from the game, you can see them on BTB's Facebook page. Here is the direct link to the album.

Before we focus our full attention on the Giants, who gets your Thanksgiving Day game balls?

BTB Game Balls: Redskins @ Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:24:36 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Anthony Spencer ran away with his BTB game ball.

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

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

Offense

Tony Romo - It wasn't pretty, but Romo got the job done when his team needed him most. If a win is a win, then a game-winning touchdown pass is a game-winning touchdown pass. Sure, his stats on the day stunk (15 of 27 for 158 with one TD and one INT), but it's the team that counts. As he said in his post-game press conference, the team "continued to believe and have faith" that they were going to win the game and it showed. He and Patrick Crayton sure showed that they have faith in each other - enough to keep the play alive until a passing window opened up.

The team-first mentality is bridging the barrier between units, as well - best exemplified by Keith Brooking voicing his concern over Romo's back injury. Do you think Brooking cares about Romo's numbers? He, along with most of us, cared more that #9 sacrificed his body to secure the tackle on DeAngelo Hall. That Marion Barber fumble bounced pretty far. No telling how many more yards Hall could have taken it had Romo not lunged at him.

The win has been called "ugly", the passing game "inefficient", and Romo's passes "inaccurate". Yes, there is cause for concern on offense. Nevertheless, the running game got going despite missing RT Marc Colombo. A running game can be a quarterback's best friend, especially for an ailing quarterback. Hopefully, that will translate into some more success through the air come Thanksgiving.

Honorable Mention: Marion Barber, Doug Free

Defense

Anthony Spencer - Yes! Spencer made the play to save the day! His game-saving interception more than made up for that sack the zebras took away from him. Although he did not register a tackle for a loss against the 'Skins, his physical presence (5 total tackles, 3 solo) helped limit the running backs to a combined total of 78 yards rushing.

That pass he batted in the air was perfectly timed. He keeps showing his ability to obstruct passing lanes, which could come in handy this week if Bruce Gradowski relies on his penchant to throw side-arm passes - ala Bernie Kosar.

Honorable Mention: Keith Brooking, Bradie James

Special Teams

Pat Watkins - On coverage units, this guy blasts someone in just about every game. He not only lays the wood with his 6'5" frame, but he wraps up, too. I was disappointed that his name was not listed as the Cowboys' Special Teamer on the Pro Bowl ballot. Sam Hurd's is, instead. Perhaps this game ball (that has been a long time coming) will ease the sting of being left off the ballot.

Say what you will about Watkins in regard to his defensive role(s), but his tenacity in getting downfield on special teams has kept him a Cowboy. Coach Joe D has a sure tackler with which to work, and his tutelage has greatly benefited Watkins. Where was little Antwaan Randle El to go? Zero punt return yardage for him.

Honorable Mention: L.P. Ladouceur, David Buehler

Coaching

Wade Phillips - Ignore the offense's lack of scoring for a moment and focus on that of the Redskins'. Aided by two missed Shaun Suisham field goals, the Dallas defense held Washington to a measly six points. This happened on a day when QB Jason Campbell looked impressive, going 13 for 13 on his third-down passes. The defense only sacked him once, but pressured him often. Cowboy-killer, Santana Moss, was held to just 38 yards on five catches as the secondary refused to be beat by anything downfield.

As Raf pointed out in his "Monday Musings", Coach Phillips' defense has cracked the NFL's top five in points allowed (17.5 PPG). The defensive line, linebackers, and secondary are all working hard to keep games manageable while the offense works out its kinks. And it's not just the starters...backups such as Alan Ball, Stephen Bowen, Victor Butler, and Junior Siavvi have been able to come in and actually contribute.

Coach Phillips and his assistants have their guys prepared. Having a top notch defense will prove a valuable asset as the Cowboys continue to control the division.

Honorable Mention: Dave Campo, Hudson Houck

The Cowboys did what they needed to do: pick up a divisional win at home. Let's chalk this one up as a defensive victory.

Who gets your game balls?

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.

BTB Game Balls: Falcons @ Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:03:57 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Patrick Crayton got his BTB game ball.

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It's time to hand out game balls for the Cowboys' home victory against the Falcons! 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 - What Romo did on Sunday was both methodical and amazing. Leading into the game, all the hype centered around the comparisons of Matt Ryan to Peyton Manning. But it was Romo who was the supreme master and commander of his offense. He threw with absolute confidence and was simply on target. That 59-yarder to Miles Austin was a thing of beauty. A deep crossing route is not the easiest of throws, but he and Austin made it look easy.

When the Cowboys pass protect as well as they did against Atlanta, Romo can pick a team apart with deadly accuracy. And when the protection broke down, he made plays with his legs, such as the TD-pass to Patrick Crayton just before halftime. He even scrambled for 31 yards on the day. Amazing improvisational skills, to say the least.

Even more amazing were his passing numbers for the game: 21 of 29 for 311 yards and 3 TDs to earn a whopping 141.6 QB rating.

Honorable Mention: Miles Austin, Flozell Adams

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

Defense

Mike Jenkins - Who can make a tackle off the corner? Jenkins can. He proved it from the get-go by bringing down the big, squatty Michael Turner on the Falcons' opening drive. And then later on that same drive, he began his abuse of WR Michael Jenkins by pushing Roddy White into him.

His interception in the middle of the second quarter showed both his physical strength and athleticism. After shoving the other Jenkins to the ground, he jumped in front of White to pull down the Ryan throw. Boy, he's got good hands for a corner, and he really brings it in run support. The argument can be made that he is the best CB on this team.

Honorable Mention: Gerald Sensabaugh, DeMarcus Ware

Special Teams

Patrick Crayton - After Allen Rossum got knocked out of the game, coach Joe DeCamillis sent both Crayton and Terence Newman out to return punts - with Crayton the deep guy. Crayton took a vicious hit on his first return, but gained some positive yardage. On his game-sealing 73-yard TD return, Newman had a great block that popped Crayton loose. They make a great tandem together, and Crayton shows a nice burst of straightaway speed.

After the Chiefs' game, the chips were down for Crayton. He responded like a veteran on Sunday in both the passing game and on special teams. Well done.

Honorable Mention: Pat Watkins, Nick Folk

Coaching

Jason Garrett - With the Cowboys down 3-7 in the second quarter, Garrett did what every offensive coordinator should do when your team has momentum: go for the throat. DeMarcus Ware's strip of Matt Ryan had the Falcons reeling a bit, and then Garrett called the Romo to Austin 59-yarder. On that play, just like in the rest of the game, the Dallas backs handled the blitz pickup with fervor.

Garrett had his entire unit ready to pick apart the young Atlanta defense. And until late in the game, he did most of it through the air because they were taking away the running game. Instead of stubbornly sticking to his RBs, he went with his hot QB/WR combo and it paid off.

Honorable Mention: Wade Phillips, Joe DeCamillis

Who gets your game balls?

Feeling Danger at Strong Safety

Rafael Vela — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:00:26 -0000

More photos » by Chris Schneider - AP

The Cowboys may lean heavily on Ken Hamlin the next month. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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NFL teams can absorb injuries when they are spead out. Coordinators cringe when the injuries blow a single position off the depth charts. That happened to last year's Cowboys team at several positions.

Think left guard. Kyle Kosier goes down. Montrae Holland is supposed to spell him but takes three quarters of the season to get fully prepared. Then, he injures an ankle four quarters into his time in the lineup. Wide receiver had the same issue. Miles Austin and Sam Hurd lost a lot of time to injury. Then Dallas acquired Roy WIlliams, who suffered plantar fasciitis just two games after Tony Romo returned to the lineup.

The bogey position on the defense was strong safety. Roy Williams went down early. His backup Pat Watkins tried playing with an injured neck and finally had to be pulled. Dallas had to claim Keith Davis off waivers from Miami and play him for significant time. Then, he went down against Baltimore, meaning the Cowboys had to play much of that critical game with street free agent Tra Battle, their fourth option. Given Davis' marginal status, one can reasonably claim Dallas didn't have an NFL caliber strong safety on the field last year.

The team cut ties with Davis and Williams and then acquired Gerald Sensabaugh through free agency and Michael Hamlin in the draft. Four games into this still-young season, Cowboys strong safeties again resemble Spinal Tap drummers.

Hamlin broke a wrist on a special teams play in the 49ers preseason game and has been absent every since. Sensabaugh broke a thumb early in the Denver loss and had surgery early this week. The Cowboys are gain working with a third teamer, this time the last-stand Watkins, and the early impressions are not pretty.

Watkins took a lot of grief from Bill Parcells his head-first tackling technique. The Tuna warned Watkins that he was risking serious injury by diving low at runners and receivers. Pat is still taking those risks. He missed a couple of tackles near the line by diving at Knowshon Moreno's ankles. Moreno easily stopped over Watkins and continued up the field.

In the open field, Watkins' tackling technique can be described as grab-the-shoulder-pads, fall-backwards, and hope-the-two-of-you -and-short of the first down marker. He may be the softest defender I've ever seen. He's just as tentative forcing play and tackling now as he was when he played with a disc problem last year.

Josh McDaniel didn't attack Watkins too much but he did isolate tight end Tony Scheffler on Watkins three times by lining Scheffler as a wide receiver. Denver completed two of those passes for two first downs. When Denver threw to Scheffler a fourth time Mike Jenkins had coverage responsibility.

Dallas can probably get past Kansas City with Watkins at strong safety. Sean Ryan is a Pat Watkins-caliber tight end, who has bounced around the bottom quarter of several NFL rosters. The matchups will get considerably tougher after the break. Seattle has John Carlson, and Cowboys fans will recall how he toasted Keith Davis to a crispy brown last Thanksgiving. Atlanta will then bring Tony Gonzalez to Cowboys Stadium. Do I need to explain him? The following week, Philadelphia will match Brent Celek against whomever the Cowboys play at the strong. He's not great, but if your safety isn't up to the matchup, he will make you pay. The Eagles started their second half comeback in last year's NFC Championship game on Celek's catches.

What you see are three speed tight ends who can be focal points of passing attacks, with head coaches who know how to use them. The Cowboys corners have had two strong games and have played the way they did in the preseason. The opposition will ignore then and go at the safeties and linebackers if the matchups present themselves there. These games should be competitive and one mismatch could be what throws a game against the Cowboys.

I don't think Wade Phillips puts his season and his job at Pat Watkins' disposal. If Sensabaugh can't make a quick return, I would not be surprised to see Ken Hamlin slide into the box while Alan Ball sits in centerfield. The Cowboys played a lot of 11 vs. 10 last year. I don't think they'll tolerate this again.

Stepping Into the Time Machine: Cowboys vs. Texans Preview

Rafael Vela — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:45:49 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

Be prepared for anything from this man. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

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We're going back to 1960 this Sunday, a time when Dallas had an NFL and an AFL franchise. The Cowboys will don their blue and white inaugural year unis and the Chiefs will remind folks that they were the original professional football Texans, as they wear the same uniforms and helmets that Len Dawson, E.J. Holub and Abner Haynes wore. No word on whether Todd Haley will sport a Hank Stram-esque fedora.

The Chiefs look like an expansion team, starting 0-4 under new coach Haley. To hear many Cowboys partisans, they're also playing like their '60 relatives, losing two games in the final moments. I'm expecting a game with a lot of energy, though the execution could evoke memories of the preseason -- if the Chiefs have anything to say about it.

When the Chiefs Have the Ball

Haley was hired to replace the slow-ball coaching, nap-inducing Herman Edwards, whose game plans featured 28 weekly carries by Larry Johnson, lots of punts and 17-13 Chiefs wins when they worked, which happened less and less as his tenure progressed.

Haley coordinated Arizona's pass first attack last season, and I do mean pass first. His Cardinals had a 66 to 34 percent pass-to-run ratio. His Chiefs are not quite as extreme, but Haley isn't putting any governors on his game plans. Haley obtained veteran Matt Cassell in an offseason trade and he's attacking down the field. Kansas City spreads the field just like the Cardinals did under Kurt Warner last year.

The main difference is that Haley lacks the overall talent he coached at Arizona. He has Dwayne Bowe at one wide receiver spot and he has Larry Johnson in his backfield, but K.C.'s other skill position players are place holders. Haley has recruited a lot of former players from his prior NFL stops. Bobby Wade, who played for Haley at Chicago, plays WR opposite Bowe. Terence Copper, whom Haley coached at Dallas, backs up. Sean Ryan, another former Cowboy from the Parcells days, starts at tight end.

I think you get the picture. The Chiefs are gutty and they're aggressive, but they're not a crisp team. The receivers run bad routes. They drop passes. The offensive line has two young, inexperienced tackles,and Haley gives them little assistance, because he's not going to call a conservative game.

This should suit a Cowboys defense which has found its pass rush after two empty weeks to start the season. Dallas has six sacks the last two weeks and had a seventh nullified by a facemask penalty. The Cowboys broke down a very good Denver line several times last week and should get after Cassell, who is not the most mobile quarterback in the world. The most encouraging sign from Denver was the pressure generated by the left side, where Marcus Spears, Anthony Spencer and Stephen Bowen played some very effective games from three and four man fronts. They're matching up against Mike Goff and Ryan O'Callahan this week and we might see Spencer finally get on the stat sheet. It was his penalty which denied him and Demarcus Ware their first bagged QB last Sunday.

Johnson still has some zip in his legs, but he's a changeup in Haley's attack. The Cowboys have been good at stopping running attacks the last three weeks and Haley would go against tendency if he hammered Johnson at the Cowboys the way Edwards used to. This matchup will come down to K.C.'s protection versus Dallas' rush, and Dallas appears on track to win this. New York caused a lot of problems with their blitz packages last week, though I don't think Wade Phillips will dial up that many this week.

He's been relying on four man rushes a lot more this year and Wade has a compelling reason to lean on them more this week. Starting SS Gerald Sensabaugh will likely miss the game after surgery to repair a broken thumb. The Cowboys played Pat Watkins at the strong, and he'll likely return there this week, unless Wade decides to slide Ken Hamlin to the strong and play Alan Ball in the deep middle.

If Watkins does start, watch his matchup with Ryan. The former Cowboy racked up a lot of second half yards against the Giants last week. Denver didn't pick on Watkins much in their second half, but did make some yards splitting TE Tony Sheffler wide and matching up on Watkins in space. Haley doesn't have many favorable matchups and might make this a focal point of his plan. I think you'll see more zone to keep Watkins out of trouble.

In these cases, watch Demarcus Ware against Chiefs LT Brandon Albert. Albert was a very high pick in '08 but has struggled a bit to get his bearings on the edge. Ware hasn't posted a sack yet and could take advantage of Haley's go for it nature.

The Cowboys have to be prepared for anything. Haley told his team in week one that they'll have to win ugly games if they hope to win at all. They onside kick at any time. They opened the second half last week with one, despite being more than two touchdowns behind. They blitz crazy. They throw deep. They play hard, which the Arrowhead Stadium fans love. They'll aim to make this game sloppy, because sloppy is where they can compete. It will be up to Dallas to keep their collective composure and stick with their game plan.

The risks of a breakdown appear greater on the offensive side. This is a game the Cowboys can win with their defense. If they can keep Bowe under control and seal the edges when Johnson runs wide, the Chiefs will have trouble scoring. They don't protect Cassell well.

But I'll say it again. Be prepared for any gimmick, gadget or risk at any time. Haley has a lot of Parcells in him, and at this point in his head coaching career he has nothing to lose.

Tomorrow: the Cowboys offense versus the Chiefs defense.

The VRR: Keith Brooking is "Desperate to Win"; Sensabaugh to Have Surgery

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:00:21 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Give Coach Phillips some credit for wanting the Cowboys to sign Keith Brooking. The linebacker has spearheaded a defense that held the Broncos to just 74 yards rushing.

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The Dallas Cowboys have found a leader in Keith Brooking. Every week, the veteran inside linebacker makes plays as if he is single-handedly trying to shut down the opposition's offense. One guy can only do so much, but it looks like the Dallas defenders are really beginning to follow his example.

Perhaps the offense can do the same? Speak it, Mr. Brooking.

"I don't know if this is going to sound right, but there's a fine line between being desperate and pushing the panic button," Brooking said. "We've got to be desperate to win. We've got to be desperate on Wednesday. Actually we've got to be desperate tomorrow when we watch film. Be accountable, look ourselves in the mirror and not say, 'If this guy would've done this,' or, 'If this guy would've done that,' but look yourself in the mirror and figure out what you can do to make the team better.

Preparation and consistency. Preparation and consistency. Brooking sure has the right idea.

"We've got to make the plays when it's time to make them in the ballgame offensively, defensively and special teams," Brooking said. "We've got to be more consistent on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and that's when you win ballgames. I'm not panicking. I'm desperate. I want to win so bad, but I'm not panicking. We've got three quarters to play in our season and we can't keep saying this week in and week out. We have to act now."

More VRR after the jump.

The defense was rather stellar up until Brandon Marshall's 51-yard score.

Tight end Daniel Graham helped spring Marshall with a block on linebacker Bradie James, but otherwise it was all Marshall.

"As soon as I caught it and I hit the middle of the field," Marshall said, "I thought I had a chance to score, but the big body wasn’t fast enough so I had to make some cuts to get to the end zone."

Marshall sprinted to the center of the field, arriving at the 20 at the same time as safety Ken Hamlin, who had a clean shot. But Marshall reversed direction, leaving Hamlin off balance. Marshall gave Hamlin a hard shove and headed to the sideline. He never took his eyes off the end zone. Give Newman and Jones credit. They didn’t give up. They chased Marshall … and collided into each other at the 17.

Nick Eatman gives the defense its rightful props, but says the offense needs to do its part to help out.

All of a sudden, things stopped. Denver shut down the run by loading players in the box. And when you have a secondary, led by a stud corner in Champ Bailey and a physical, veteran safety like Brian Dawkins, teams like the Broncos can sell out to stop the run, knowing they'll be alright against the pass.

And really, that's the problem with this Cowboys offense. They can't make plays in the passing game consistently. Maybe they need more speed. Maybe they need more experience. Maybe they just need more playmakers.

Against the Broncos, the Cowboys didn't even need a lot of plays. Just a few. The defense gives them a turnover on the first play of the second half and the Cowboys can't do anything, not even a field goal.

Jimmy Johnson is confused by the offense's lack of success.

Now, I don't know what the Cowboys are thinking. They will be looking at how Tony Romo played again; they will be examining all that. I mean, this was a big game, and Tony didn't deliver again in the big game. I'm telling you, it looks like he needs to get more offensive weapons. They missed Felix Jones in this game because he produces big plays.

Why didn't the Cowboys take more shots down the field, yesterday?

Some of it was attributed to pressure; he couldn't expect to hold the ball long with Denver defenders swarming around him. Some of it was unfavorable down-and-distances. The Broncos' linebackers and safeties also showed a variety of looks and did a good job of disguising blitzes and coverages. Romo said during the week their defense reminded him of the Ravens', and he was right.

To gun-sling or not to gun-sling? That is the new question for the Cowboys' coaches regarding Tony Romo.

Romo is struggling to work within the conservative system that Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett have stressed. Heck, we’ve all stressed it, and rightfully so. I’m just not sure he can do it and still be the Tony Romo the Cowboys need to win football games. Believe it or not, owner Jerry Jones seems to be thinking along the same lines.

"You’d like him to be a threat, in other words, not be so conservative that he doesn’t give himself a chance to be a threat any more," Jones said. "We all know the threat he can be and how that can complement and make some good things happen, too. "When we got desperate at the end, and we were behind, there he goes, then he turned it on and said, 'I’ve got to go out here and make the plays.’ "Well, do you balance that up a little more early? Probably not if you’re running the ball as good as we’re running the ball, you don’t have to pay that price, but if all of a sudden you’re not running the ball ..."

Of all the Dallas receivers, it was Sam Hurd who almost saved the day for the Cowboys.

"When Tony starts moving like that," Hurd said, "you do, too. You just keep running."

Hurd kept running for 53 yards, and here's the telling statistic: The other Cowboys wide receivers, those ahead of Hurd on the depth chart, combined to gain just 70 yards. Roy Williams wasn't available at the end. He'd reached for another Romo misfire and took a hit he said was worse than anything he'd ever felt. He tried to return but couldn't breathe.

After the fourth-down catch and run, Hurd was sucking the thin air of Denver, too. But Hurd was soon sprinting again, getting another first down. The problem: Hurd hadn't continued forward as he went out of bounds, and the clock kept ticking. The Cowboys had to use their final time-out.

"Again," Hurd said, "my mistake."

Two important starters, WR Roy Williams and SS Gerald Sensabaugh, suffered injuries against Denver.

S Gerald Sensabaugh - thumb (10/4) The Cowboys' starting strong safety broke his right thumb in the first half and did not return. His hand heavily wrapped after the game, Sensabaugh said he expected to have his thumb surgically repaired this week and wasn't sure when he would return. He said he broke the same thumb in college and missed only one game, however.

WR Roy Williams - ribs (10/4) Williams took a brutal hit to the midsection from Denver's D.J. Williams in the fourth quarter. He caught a first down on the next series but didn't return for the Cowboys' final drive. Team owner Jerry Jones said Williams suffered bruised ribs.

Williams' ability to play against Kansas City is in question.

Coach Wade Phillips said Williams' availability for Sunday's game at Kansas City is in question. Phillips said Williams did not suffer any cracked ribs, but the problem has to do with the cartilage.

Sensabaugh may miss a significant amount of playing time.

Head coach Wade Phillips said Sensabaugh could miss up to four weeks, but after the game Sensabaugh was optimistic he could return Oct. 25 against Atlanta -- the first game after the Cowboys' bye week.

In college, Sensabaugh had a plate inserted to stabilize a previous fracture in the same thumb. He said he only missed one game.

Here is NFL.com's gamecenter link for Dallas @ Denver.

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.