SB Nation - Felix Jones

Game Preview: San Diego Chargers at Dallas Cowboys

John (obviousman) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:38:27 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2007, file photo, Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo, left, bobbles the snap as kicker Martin Gramatica steps in for the kick with 1:19 left in the game against Seattle Seahawks in an NFC wild card playoff football game in Seattle. Romo practiced as the holder for kicker Nick Folk on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, and will do it Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. The last time Romo held for the Cowboys was in a playoff loss against the Seahawks. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

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The Chargers playoff scenarios are still in play for this week! I didn't even bother to watch the Thursday night game because I thought rooting for the Browns would be hopeless. Boy, was that a mistake on my part. I'm really all for any situation where the Chargers don't have to play Pittsburgh in the post-season, where they're practically unbeatable.

Anyways, onto this week's game. This starts a rough stretch of games for the Chargers where they're facing two division leaders (Cowboys, Bengals) and two losing teams that are playing really good football lately (Titans, Redskins). This game is also the second-half of the Chargers' only back-to-back road games all season.

The Cowboys are a team that many of us have compared the Bolts to in the past. They have a reserved coach that's constantly on the hot seat, a high octane offense and never seem to live up to expectations. Also, much the same way the Chargers typically start the season slow, the Cowboys have a knack for ending the season with critical losses. So let's dive in and compare these teams to see just how similar they are in this week's game preview.

When the Cowboys Have the Ball

via mentalfloss.cachefly.net

Overall Offense

The Cowboys can certainly rack up yardage. They're 3rd in the league in offensive yards per game, 2nd in yards per play.
Being 10th in the league in points per game, with the amount of yards they get, can only point to one thing. Trouble converting red zone chances into touchdowns.
Typically, going hand in hand with trouble in the red zone you'll find trouble converting 3rd downs. So when you see that the Cowboys are 15th in the league in 3rd down conversion percentage, it should come as no surprise.
In an evenly matched game, many times the winner is decided by mistakes. As in, who wins the turnover and penalty battle. Well, the Cowboys' offense has racked up the 5th most penalty yards this season and has a turnover margin of -2. They're a team that will shoot themselves in the foot if you give them a chance.

Passing Offense

The Cowboys, who throw it a lot more than the Chargers (more on this in a second), are 7th in passing yards per game and 5th in yards per pass attempt.
Tony Romo has been about as careful with the ball this season as had Philip Rivers, throwing 20 TDs against just 7 interceptions.
The Cowboys rank 6th in pass plays of 20+ yards.
Romo, like Ben Roethlisberger, sometimes holds onto the ball too long as he tries to make a play that isn't there. That, plus a couple of injuries on the Cowboys O-line, has led to 27 sacks allowed this season. That puts them in the bottom half of the league in terms of protecting the QB.

Rushing Offense

The Cowboys three-headed rushing attack of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice are averaging a little over 130 yards per game on the ground. That's good for 8th best in the league. Their 5.0 Yards Per Carry, however, makes them the 2nd most efficient running game in the league.
Being tied for 13th in the league for rushing TDs shows that the Cowboys either have no success running inside the red zone, or prefer to try to pass the ball in for six.
The Cowboys are tied for 4th in the league in running play of 20+ yards. This wouldn't scare any Chargers fan if Eric Weddle was playing, but without him the Cowboys running game could certainly get some big plays.

Overall Defense

The Chargers allow the 12th least yards per game, and rank 11th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 15th in least points allowed per game.
The Bolts' problem on D continue to be 3rd downs, where they are still ranked 26th in the league.

Passing Defense

The Chargers rank 8th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and are tied for 9th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The Bolts' 11 interceptions ties them for 15th best in the league. Their 30 sacks ties them for 8th.
This stat is huge when going up against the Cowboys. The Chargers are tied for 2nd in the least amount of passing plays of 20+ yards allowed. All season this has been a defense that does not give up big plays, and that continues even without Eric Weddle in the lineup.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Chargers are 21st in the league. Their 4.4 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with four other teams for 21st in the league for that stat as well.
The 8 rushing touchdowns allowed by the Bolts ties them with three other teams (including FO's favorite team, the Eagles) for 11th best in the league.
Going back to the idea that this D does not give up big plays, the Chargers are 6th best in the league at stopping/preventing running plays of 20+ yards. They have allowed only 5 against them all season. They still have not given up a run of 40+ yards.

When the Chargers Have the Ball

via i79.photobucket.com

Overall Offense

The Bolts are 12th in the league in offensive yards per game, but are incredibly efficient. They are 5th in terms of yards per play and 3rd in terms of points per game.
The Chargers' offense has gotten better and better at converting 3rd downs ever since Chris Chambers was sent packing. They've worked themselves up the ranks and are now the 9th best team in the league on 3rd down.
In an evenly matched game, many times the winner is decided by mistakes. As in, who wins the turnover and penalty battle. Well, the Cowboys' offense has racked up the 5th most penalty yards this season and has a turnover margin of -2. They're a team that will shoot themselves in the foot if you give them a chance.
I left that in for comparison's sake. The Chargers' offense has accumulated the least penalty yards of any NFL team this season. The Bolts' turnover margin is +9. This is a team that does not shoot themselves in the foot, and takes advantage of the mistakes of their opponents. Reason for optimism.

Passing Offense

First, a shocking stat. If somebody were to ask you if the Chargers throw the ball a lot, you'd answer "YES!" quickly and emphatically, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong. In terms of pass attempts per game, the Chargers rank 25th in the league. 25th! They throw it less per game than the Dolphins, Redskins, Steelers, 49ers and Giants!
It's kindof funny how similar Philip Rivers' and Tony Romo's stats are, both for this season and their careers. Everyone looks at Romo as a gunslinger and Rivers as an efficient QB, but I suppose that's mostly perception. Just about every stat is the same when you compare them. It's no different this year, as Rivers has thrown one more TD (21) and one less interception (6) than Tony.
The Chargers rank 2nd in pass plays of 20+ yards, having two more than Dallas.
Since Week 1, the Chargers offensive line has changed somewhat dramatically (2 new starters, several new backups) and has seemingly gotten better at protecting Philip each week. They've allowed only 21 sacks this season, and many of those game in the first 5 games. It's still good for 7th best in the league.

Rushing Offense

The Chargers ground game, powered by LaDainian Tomlinson and whoever else wants to give it a try, is averaging just 88.7 yards per game. That's good for 30th best in the league, or two slots better than the undefeated Colts. Their 3.3 Yards Per Carry makes them the 32nd most efficient running game in the league (four slots below Indy).
Being ineffective over the course of a game does not mean the Chargers aren't able to punch it in when they need to. Their "league worst" rushing attack is tied for 12th with 12 TDs.
The Chargers are tied for 23rd in the league in running play of 20+ yards, and it surprises me that they're that high. This is Philip Rivers' offense, and the running game is just for show.

via www.deion-sanders.com

Overall Defense

The Cowboys allow the 14th least yards per game, and rank 16th in lowest yards allowed per play. They are ranked 5th in least points allowed per game.
The Cowboys aren't too shabby on 3rd down, where they have the 14th lowest 3rd down conversion percentage against them.

Passing Defense

"America's Team" ranks 20th in terms of passing yards allowed per game, and are tied for 16th in yards allowed per pass attempt.
The 'Boys 8 interceptions ties them for 21st best in the league. Their 29 sacks ties them for 10th. The pressure is roughly the same as San Diego's, but the turnovers just aren't there.
The Cowboys, although they don't allow many points, do allow big plays in the passing game. They are ranked 13th for the least number of 20+ yard pass plays allowed.

Rushing Defense

In terms of rushing yards allowed per game, the Cowboys are 9th in the league. Their 4.2 Yards Per Carry allowed ties them with three other teams for 14th in the league. This is not the strongest run defense in the league, and the Yards per Carry is not much less than the Chargers D.
The 5 rushing touchdowns allowed by Dallas makes them 5th best in that category.
Much like their passing defense, the Cowboys do occasionally allow a big play to an opposing RB. They've allowed 8 runs of 20+ yards this season, tying them for just 18th best in the league.

Conclusion

After going through these numbers I'm more optimistic about Sunday's game. The running game has a chance to do something, and the offensive line should protect Rivers. Any time you put those two things together, it usually equals big points for the Chargers. Also, eliminating big plays from the Dallas offense will force them to avoid turnovers and penalties, which they haven't done a great job of so far this season.

Add in the Chargers record-breaking winning streak in December against the Cowboys' terrible record in the last couple of Decembers and there are a lot of things working in the Chargers' favor. If you're asking for a prediction from me, as a Chargers fan, I'm saying that the Bolts score a lot of points early to take away the Cowboys running game and end up winning a close game. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

Week Thirteen: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:13:29 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Anthony Spencer has recently joined the sack-dance club.

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It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! This a huge week for the Cowboys as they travel to Giants Stadium in an effort to bury New York in the standings.

In the next week or two, fantasy playoffs will begin. For many of us, we will be facing a must-win situation this week...or, we're out!

Make the jump for the Week 13 Fantasy Focus.

QB Tony Romo -The Cowboys have yet to lose when Romo is the starting QB at Giants Stadium. In 2006 - his first year as a starter - he hit 20 of 34 passes for 257 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs to lead the team to a 23-20 win. The 2007 game there was a much more fantasy-friendly game for him; he lit up the Giants for 247 yards and 4 TDs with 1 INT. Last year, a hand injury forced him to miss the game in New York.

In Week 2 of this season, the Giants' defense seemed to have Romo figured out. His 127 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs scared many fantasy owners. But, that was before the emergence of his number one toy: WR Miles Austin. Last week against the Raiders, Romo and Austin connected for 130 yards in the first half, alone. Austin's ability to gain yards after the catch has helped the Dallas offense tremendously, and helped Romo notch another 300-yard performance. The middle of the field passes clicked last week as TE Jason Witten also had a 100-yard day.

The Cowboys' 10th-ranked passing offense (254.1 YPG) will be going up against the 4th-ranked Giants' passing defense (allows just 182.6 YPG). But, in terms of scoring, the Giants' defense ranks 25th in the NFL, giving up a whopping 23.7 points per game.

I wouldn't expect a huge day for Romo, as this should be a physical NFC East battle. Though, he is definitely worth a start.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice - Each one of these backs broke off large gains on Thanksgiving. Felix scored on a 46-yard run, Barber had a 42-yard catch and run to go along with his 61 rushing yards, and Choice ripped off a 66-yarder from the "Razorback" formation. That is the type of production the Cowboys envisioned having from this trio when the season began.

Not since the Week 2 home game against the Giants, has Dallas' three-headed monster looked more healthy. In that game, both Barber and Felix decimated the defense to combine for more than 200 yards rushing. They also each scored a TD. Recently, the Cowboys have continued their use of Choice as a WildCat QB.

With both Barber and Felix healthy, the Cowboys still try to get Choice 3-5 touches a game, which isn't ideal for fantasy owners. For Felix owners, though, his knee brace is off and his quickness and agility looked to be unencumbered against Oakland. Offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, realizes that it's time to get the ball in his hands at least 10 times per game. He's back to being a home run threat whenever he touches the ball. And Barber owners have reason for excitement, as well. The Barbarian has been catching well, which suggests his fractured thumb is healing; and he is running with his usual boost of power and purpose.

WRs Miles Austin - His huge game last week proved several things: 1) he can beat the best of them in man-to-man - just ask Nnamdi Asomugha, 2) he's tough as nails - hard to bring down and has no fear catching the ball in traffic, and 3) Garrett is still finding ways to get him open - slants, screens, comebacks, crossing routes, you name it. He even had Austin sit underneath zone coverage for Romo to check down to.

You're kicking yourself if you didn't start Austin last week. He's returning to play in his home state of New Jersey, so you may not want to kick yourself again by benching him. He'll get his targets; he's worth the start.

Roy Williams - Not flashy, not a PPR guy; though, he could get you a TD grab. The Giants may be starting converted CB, Aaron Ross, at FS. If they wanted to use him to double anybody, it would be Austin. Roy could see alot of single coverage, but he has yet to confirm that he is a reliable pass catcher. Start him at your own risk.

TEs Jason Witten - Hitting the century mark against the Raiders was a step in the right direction. That lone TD on the season is still lurking. JWitt's foot sprain has healed some over the extra days off after the turkey day game. It sure didn't seem to bother him on his 44-yard catch!

This has got to be the week he returns to the end zone. Start him.

Cowboys D/ST -This unit now ranks second in the league in scoring defense. That is music to fantasy owners' ears. What is even better is that SOLB Anthony Spencer is picking up some sacks now. Combine his play, along with the other pass rushers - DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, and Keith Brooking - and Eli Manning could be in for a long day.

In Week 2, Manning's WRs, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, embarrassed the Dallas secondary by catching 10 passes and a TD a piece. CB Mike Jenkins has come along way since then, growing into the team's best at the position. Veteran Terence Newman often learns from his mistakes made the first time around, as he seems to respond well in payback games. SS Gerald Sensabaugh is playing consistently well. The question in the back four is how much the loss of FS Ken Hamlin (ankle) will effect how the secondary covers NY's corps of young WRs. His replacement, converted CB Alan Ball, has been adequate so far. The only knock on him has been in regards to how his 188-pound frame will hold up in run-support. Nevertheless, the unit has not lost a beat with him in the lineup and ranks 9th in rush defense (102.7 YPG).

If the defense can start forcing more turnovers, this will quickly become a dominating unit. ST coach Joe DeCamillis and punter Mat McBriar have helped tremendously in forcing offenses to earn their yards. With the tough schedule the Cowboys face, fantasy owners can't expect any shutouts, but these guys do enough to earn double-digit points each week.

This is the last regular season week for the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues on FleaFlicker. If you are in one of the leagues, check out the standings for where you sit. Some teams have already guaranteed their spots in the playoffs, while others badly need to get this last win. Below are the current standings.

Just ONE Loss...Are You Serious? (11-1)

kill everbody

Where the Cowboys are Headed (9-3)

The Speed of Dark

StarBoys

Doubling Your Losses (8-4)

Paper Cranes
Maui Paniolo Boyz

Seventh Heaven (7-5)

Flashlights

Doomsday Redux

Dallas Destroyers

Reykjavik Roughnecks

Official Spoiler

Static

Holy .500, Batman! (6-6)

WheresWare?

BigRigga31's Team

Dillababies

Quincyyyyy

Felix Jones At Every Position

A Must Win this Week? (5-7)

NameBrandj

Second Chance

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

4 X 2 = (4-8)

Apes

My Team Sucks

The Doomsday Defense Reborn

Three Squared (3-9)

high505
No Doubter
Brady's a b!tch
Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, post it here for the BTB community to discuss. As always, feel free to jump in with other Cowboys/football related discourse even if you don't play FF.

Remember, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of live updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.

BTB EXCLUSIVE: Cowboys Running Back Tashard Choice Tells Us 'What The Word Is'

Mike Fisher — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

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"What the word is?''

It is Tashard Choice's trademark greeting, delivered in union with a wide grin and guileless warmth. I watch him at an event as he shakes a lot of fans' hands, and all the folks get the same sincere, questioning hello:

"What the word is?''

Now, when I ask the Cowboys running back about the greeting, he - probably sizing me up as the old, white journalist that I am -- sandpapers off the rough edges.

"Yeah, ‘What's the word'? I guess I do say that a lot,'' says Choice, who while playing football at Georgia Tech also earned his college degree in history/technology/society and was twice named to the ACC All-Academic Honor Roll. "It's just my way of getting to know people, I guess.''

So, after Choice - technically Dallas' third-string back -- grabbed a headline or two with his 66-yard sprint in the Thanksgiving win over Oakland, this is a good time to ping-pong the question back at the kid.

That's why I decide to say it to him to start this exclusive Blogging The Boys Q-and-A:

"Hey, Tashard Choice ... What the word is?''

FISH: The depth chart lists you as Dallas' No. 3 back, of course. But I know you guys don't look at it exactly that way.

CHOICE: "The situation we have is as cool as it gets. Sure, I want to score all the TDs. I'm a running back! But we don't have problems. We're friends. We root for each other. Every guy is down-to-earth. It's cool.''

FISH: Do you think each of you - Marion Barber III, Felix Jones and you - have complementary styles? Different styles? Interchangeable styles? Can you break down each guy's strengths?

CHOICE: "We're all three totally different kinds of runners.

*"Marion Barber is pure power. He likes to run over you. He's good at it. He gets a kick out of doing it.

*"Felix (Jones) has that ‘Woooooo' factor. He runs by you. I think there are a lot of things he can do, but the one word that comes to mind when I think of Felix is ‘Woooooo'!''

*Me? I'll do anything I can to help the team. I think I'm a pretty complete running back. I can play special teams. I think a team needs more than one good running back, so I'm happy to be one of them.''

FISH: A lot of people don't know that even though you gained some acclaim by playing so well at Georgia Tech (he led the ACC in both of his final two seasons), you actually started out your career at Oklahoma playing behind a guy named Adrian Peterson. So you are pretty accustomed to sharing time behind a great one ...

CHOICE: "(Peterson) is one of the best, and I love to watch him run. But nobody is quite like Bo Jackson. A.D. is flat-out great, but Bo ... Bo is my man.''

FISH: You've got that ‘T.C' in your pocket, where you use your arms to spell out your initials when you score a touchdown. Are you waiting to really bust that thing out?

CHOICE: "It's got to be appropriate. I'd like to have everybody see it when I really bust out, when I really cut out, in a really important time in a really important game. But yeah, it's coming.''

FISH: It seems most likely that your chance to ‘bust out' is going to come in the form of producing in the ‘Wildcat,' or ‘Razorback' formation (as was the case on the 66-yard run). Do you view the Wildcat as a gimmick feature of the offense (Choice has been the featured guy on all 12 Razorback carries this year, for one TD, 116 yards and an average of 9.7 per carry) or as a potential foundation piece?

CHOICE: "I don't see why it can't be that, a foundation piece. I think it makes it a challenge for the other team. I think we should blend it in every game. But maybe I'm just thinking that because I'll get to play more!''

FISH: Barber has a massive contract that pays him through 2014. Felix Jones was a first-round draft pick in the same draft in which you were more of a personnel-department afterthought, a fourth-rounder. How much of that drives you in your day-to-day approach to football?

CHOICE: "It's not that anybody was wrong, or that I am this or that. But I know that what I have, you can't measure. I have desire. I have heart. Heart can't no one judge.''

And that what the word is.

FISH on FOOTBALL: Top Ten Cowboys Takes, With Thanksgiving Pizza And Cigars!

Mike Fisher — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:28:37 -0000

More photos » by Mike Stone - AP

The Cowboys showed a lot of love for each other this week.

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Top Ten Takes from a Cowboys Turkey Day that features pizza, cigars and Bugs Bunny. (Yes, in my house we celebrate Thanksgiving in a decidedly unorthodox fashion!)

1. We're all concerned about December. These Cowboys have tried to do that month in a Bill Parcells way and they've tried to do that month in a Wade Phillips way and ... we should worry about December when it gets here.

Granted, that's in, like, 72 hours or whatever, but ...

First, the Cowboys should be congratulated on vaulting from a dubious 2-2 to an impressive 8-3. Part of that is Dallas' November success, best exemplified, I think, by Tony Romo's career record in this month.

Romo's career record in November is 15-2.

Jimmy Johnson used to say that there is no reason to be nervous about a test if you know the answers. I don't know if the Cowboys "know the answers'' in December. But they clearly pass their November quizzes and that's a start.

2. Some observers want the Cowboys to be able to grind it out. Other observers want the Cowboys to be able to be explosive.

Can't this be like Deion Sanders' pizza order? You know. ... both?

The Cowboys were good for 10 plays of 20-yards-plus, an impressive showing from an arsenal of guys -- Miles Austin, Tashard Choice, Jason Witten, Felix Jones - that you KNOW can do this. ... but have been waiting to see your confidence justified.

I still say the foundation of it all is being able to run for 195 yards on 25 carries ... and that the explosiveness is an extension of that.

But whichever comes first ... I'm greedy. I want both.

3. I hear a lot of people - including players themselves - saying that you don't have to like the guy next to you to succeed.

To which I respond by borrowing a line from Bugs Bunny: "It couldn't hoit.''

Maybe it was just my heart having been softened by Thanksgiving, but I thought it was cool to watch Austin and Witten repeatedly approaching one another on the sideline to offer congratulations for their respective big days. Austin was happy for Witten. Witten was happy for Austin. The effervescent Austin would look up at the JumboJerry and wave at fans. ... and then he'd go back over to Witten and pat him on the butt again.

It couldn't hoit.

Then there was offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who sought out Marion Barber as the running back came off the field for a final time. Garrett and Barber are both very skilled at keeping the lid on their public emotion. But in one brief moment, the two of them exchanged an out-of-character chest bump.

How meaningful was it all? Does mutual respect and maybe even friendship equate to wins?

"A close-knit group," Phillips says of his team. "Our guys are not selfish. They are very focused. ... They are the kind of group you love to coach. It is not a big ego group, but it is a group that pulls together and pulls for each other offense, defense and special teams."

Yup. And it couldn't hoit.

4. "Close'' finally became "cigar'' for outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, who recorded two sacks - his first two of the season - after three months of almosts.

Of course, a Sunday can't go by without Spencer notching an "almost'' of some sort. So let the record show that he came within a whisker of an interception, too.

5. We said in this space a few weeks ago that Roy Williams is a perfectly acceptable non-No.-1 receiver ... and all that needs to happen for that to be fully realized if for Roy himself to realize it.

And now ... it is so.

Williams is gifted, but erratic and not fully dependable ... not unlike plenty of other No. 2 receivers in the NFL. So when he hangs onto a slant pass, or when he contributes a touchdown catch (he did both against the Raiders), it's a nice bonus.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the No. 1 receiver gives you seven catches for 145 yards and a TD.
Does Roy not want to go over the middle? Fine. Miles Austin will do that.

Can Roy not run away from defenders? Fine. Miles Austin will do that.

Will Roy not hold onto the ball in traffic after the catch? Fine. Miles Austin will do that.

Rafael says the targets went: 10 to Miles, three to Roy. Sounds about right to me.

Roy Williams played like a solid No. 2. Miles Austin pretty much carried this team's luggage and was in charge of buying the donuts for the first month of the season but is almost certain to be a 1,000-yard receiver in this breakout season.

That's a No. 1 receiver. ... who in this case is tied for the NFL lead with 15 catches of 20-yards-plus. ... and it doesn't matter what his name is or where he came from.

6. The roof was open. Lovely! I've heard 100 different lame justifications for why it hasn't previously been open and they all sound as bogus as Jerry Jones' explanation for why there weren't American flags inside the stadium ... until this week.

Sometimes, we overthink these things ... and then we fib about our overthinking.

Cowboys Stadium has a retractable roof. Retract it.
The Cowboys are America's Team playing in America. Display America's flag.

OK?

7. I'm going to defer to Rafael on the research on this one ... I'll just throw out what I think I saw: Did the Cowboys play much of the game with such disregard for the Raiders' passing game that Dallas used five linebackers and three defensive backs? I've seen that done in high school; what NFL offense is so crappy that it cannot exploit a three-DB defense?

8. Here's hoping that previous to Thanksgiving the reason Jason "I Want To Be A Weapon'' Witten has looked a step slow, hasn't been able to get downfield, hasn't been able to get open at all, really, is related to that bum foot. Here's betting, though, that for the rest of his career, when the medical staff informs him that maybe he shouldn't go, Witten will rub some dirt on it, play, and look fresher on a bum foot than he's looked since camp.

A 37-yarder? A 44-yarder? His two longest gains of the year?

Seriously, if you had Witten on your fantasy team, did you even sweat for a moment whether or not he'd play?

9. Thanksgiving home games are obviously an advantage. An otherwise historically awful Detroit franchise flirts with .500 on Thanksgiving. And Dallas? With Romo at QB, the Cowboys have won four straight Turkey Days, beating their foes by a combined score of 130-29.

10. Did CBS's Jim Nantz really say during the game that the Cowboys are experiencing a successful season while "under the radar''? Is that what the broadcasters from over in the AFC think? That the Cowboys are suddenly now underpublicized, under recognized and under-scrutinized?

The Colts, Saints, Vikings, Patriots and ... the Cowboys. The five teams that are certainly under nobody's radar ... and given their records, rightfully so.

Big Plays = Big Win: Cowboys 24, Raiders 7

Rafael Vela — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:18:56 -0000

More photos » by Jose Yau - AP

The Raiders couldn't touch Miles Austin yesterday. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald,Jose Yau)

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A Thanksgiving Day game is usually the last place a struggling offense expects to regain its swagger. The short week often produces sloppy games, with lots of drops, slips, bobbles and missed assignments.

Jason Garrett's bunch found their mojo somewhere between the tray of stuffing and the cranberry sauce dish yesterday, creating a new category in process. Coaches refer to explosives as running plays of 12 yards or greater and passing plays of 16 yards or more. Against the Raiders, the Cowboys went beyond explosives, unleashing six "thermonuclear" plays: runs or passes of 35 yards or greater. The big bomb approach is Garrett's style and will hopefully end the hubbub about his play-calling skills.

Garrett threw a 54:46 pass-to-run mix at the Raiders, which has been his normal mix all year. He runs a big-play attack, through the air and on the ground. The problem the prior two weeks has been execution. The same calls got receivers open but Tony Romo and his receivers were not synchronized. Yesterday, they showed the best execution in a month and knocked the Raiders off-balance from their first series on.

The early problem for Dallas was that the big play was their only option. Tony Romo found Miles Austin for 46 yards on the Cowboys first attempt of the day. Austin turned Nnamdi Asomugha inside out with a feight upfield and got inside separation. Austin probably got a bonus 20 yards when Oakland's free safety jumped Martellus' Bennett's shorter post route, leaving the deep middle unoccupied. The play took Dallas to the Oakland 30, but the Cowboys could not advance and a Romo sack forced a punt.

Tashard Choice opened Dallas' third drive in the Razorback set and ran a designed cutback up the middle. Choice lined up as a shotgun QB and followed offset FB Deon Anderson towards the guard-center gap on the left side. Choice cutback to his right, where Andre Gurode and Leonard Davis had created a seam in the right A gap. Oakland's middle linebacker lost Choice in traffic, meaning once Choice was past the linebacker's level he was free. Asomugha ran Tashard down at the Oakland eleven 66 yards later. Here, an Anderson holding call put Dallas in a first-and-20 they could not overcome. Nick Folk salvaged the field goal for a 3-0 lead.

Dallas next drive showcased Garrett's most significant adjustment from the past few weeks. Dallas had been using its receivers almost interchangeably, with Roy Williams playing the split end and working the middle of the field on deep posts, square ins and shallow crosses.

Yesterday, Austin was given the inside responsibility and the lion's share of the receiver attempts. The adjustment seems sound. Austin is the stronger player of the two and therefore breaks tackles better. He can run routes with multiple cuts, whereas Williams appears to be a one-cut-and-go type of guy. Austin also has much better acceleration. Patterns over the middle of the field require stopping to freeze linebackers and safeties and then quick starts to dash away from them.

Austin demonstrated those skills on two key receptions. With the Cowboys in 3rd-and-11, he caught a short crossing route at eight yards and dragged a Raiders defender the final three yards, pushing the ball inches past the yard marker. On the next play, he lined up wide left, ran a short curl route, and then pushed it hard back outside. Romo hit Austin in stride and the WR ran away from a safety for 27 yards.

On the next play, Dallas lined up in its 22 package, with two TEs, two backs and Williams the line receiver. Both Martellus Bennett and Jason Witten lined up right, outside of Doug Free, with Bennett as the TE and Witten outside him as the F-back. Dallas called power right, its stock counter play, with LG Kyle Kosier and FB Anderson leading Felix Jones behind the overload.

Bennett and Witten rolled the Raiders DE Greg Ellis inside. When they got him moving, Witten released Ellis -- whom Bennett drove to the turf -- and picked off the Raiders weakside linebacker. Anderson blocked the strongside outside backer and when the pulling Kosier hit the middle linebacker, Felix had a wide crease off the RT gap. He bolted upfield, broke an ankle tackle attempt by SS Michael Huff and skipped the last five yards of his 46 yard touchdown romp. Felix looks healthy again, his blocking looks healthy again and the 10-0 lead looked tasty to a Cowboys Nation which had grown hungry for points.

Garrett blew up Oakland with another thermomuclear play on the next series. Dallas deployed in a bunch package left, with Bennett spearheading a triadjust wide of LT Flozell Adams that had Austin flanking Bennett on the left and Witten to Bennett's right. Williams was split alone to the right and Marion Barber stood to Romo's right in the shotgun. At the snap the bunch scattered, pulling Oakland's coverage to their side. Williams ran a shallow cross, pulling the corner with him and creating acres of space up the right sideline. Barber ran a swing route, caught Romo's pass about eight yards upfield and raced untouched for another 34 before he was pushed out of bounds at the Raiders' 30.

The drive again sputtered and Folk's second attempt clanged off the right upright. Even the misses had the look of improvement yesterday. The execution improved, and while rough edges remain, the character of the offense is back.

This is who the Cowboys are, folks. They have a line that can create big running plays, but which leaks too frequently on passing downs and draws too many penalties to generate regular ten or twelve-play, ball-control drives. They play fast break football, and they regained some of their flash. Now, to maintain it...

How Will They Replace T.O.?

It's been a while since we have had that question ground into our collective consciousness. The answer appears to be, quite well. Yes, Roy Williams continues to struggle, but Garrett's use of Miles Austin showed he has finally settled on a role for the newbie starter and views Austin as the fulcrum of the Cowboys passing machine.

-- Austin had ten balls thrown in his direction, compared to three for Williams. Eight of those ten came in the first half. Garrett wanted to establish Austin early and he succeeded. Many of his tosses were short, at distances of 8 to 12 yards downfield.

Mike Martz made a similar move in Detroit in late '07, when he gave up on centering his passing attack around Roy Williams. He dialed the pass mix rich for Calvin Johnson and never looked back. We probably saw Jason Garrett cross his receivers Rubicon yesterday. Austin can play the Michael Irvin role. Roy Williams can't, and the offense can't wait. He's playing Alvin Harper now, running most of his attempts upfield and in the red zone. If he can accept this and chip in his 3-4 catches and red zone snags, he'll do his part.

-- Notice what Austin's breakout did for Jason Witten. As I noted earlier in the story, the Raiders appeared to game plan for the tight ends, as other teams have in recent weeks. The Raiders safety was looking for Martellus Bennett on an intermediate post, not Miles Austin running a deeper post over the top.

Once Austin put some big catches on the stat sheet, the safeties backed off, and note what Witten was able to do: He made a 37 yarder running an "F-post" on Dallas' first offensive play of the second half. On the Cowboys final TD drive, Witten caught an intermediate pass, shook free from the linebacker and meandered his way for a 44 yard gain that put Dallas on the Raiders' eight. He may have had a sprained foot, but he also had the best therapeutic option a tight end can have -- a legit wideout threat.

(While we're on the subject, it appears Witten played more F-back yesterday, with Martellus Bennett in the traditional tight end spot on the line. This shifts more of the blocking duties to the kid and puts less stress on Witten's crocked foot.)

How well can Miles Austin perform in the top slot? Let's compare Austin's '09 production to Terrell Owen's monster '07 after 11 games:

Austin '09 -- 7 starts, 42 catches, 824 yards, 19.6 YPC, 8 TDs.
Owens '07 -- 11 starts, 64 catches, 1093 yards, 17.1 YPC, 13 TDs.

The big difference lies in that first number; Austin has only seven starts through eleven games, versus a perfect eleven for T.O. Austin spent the end of the preseason on the injured list and didn't hit the lineup until Williams left the lineup with banged up ribs. He had just 5 catches for 81 yards the first month of this campaign.

It may turn out that D.J. Williams' kill-shot in Denver was the happiest Cowboys accident this decade. Let's return to peak T.O. and compare Austin's and.Owens' production per start:

Austin '09 -- 5.6 catches per game, 19.1 ypc, 106 yards per game, 1.0 TDs per game;
Owens '07 -- 5.8 catches per game, 17.1 ypc, 99 yards per game, 1.2 TDs per game.

Almost identical, no? And remember, this was Owens' career year in Cowboys white, the second best of his career. We still have no idea if we're seeing Austin's peak, giving the tiny sample size of work. It's possible Austin may get even better. Garrett's game plan suggested that Austin is his guy. If he continues to see 9-10 balls per contest, his numbers could explode even more.

Feed the Teeth, Jason!

Notes

The defense did its part, holding Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders offense to just under their season average of 11 points per game. Oakland did muster an impressive 88 yard drive in the 3rd quarter, but the Dallas rush kept them from finding their early rhythm and from sustaining it once, found.

-- Oakland needed 36 minutes to cross mid-field.

-- stress fracture? Who said anything about a stress fracture? Demarcus Ware looked like his old self yesterday. The acceleration and constant motion was there. He only logged one sack, but he was on Gradkowski on many more passes.

-- Finally! After weeks of bad luck, Anthony Spencer bagged a quarterback. Not once, but twice. Had the shifty Gradkowski not dashed half a yard beyond the line of scrimmage before Spencer dropped him, number 93 would have a hat trick of sacks today.

-- The defense's climb continues. They now sport a 16.5 point- pe- game average, which has them knocking on #2 New England's door. If the Saints hang some points on the Pats Monday night the Cowboys will enter the home stretch in rarified air. It's too early to get smug, however. The Giants, Chargers and Saints loom on the schedule's horizon and they can all score.

-- Your wrinkle of the game. On a 3rd down early in the game, Wade Phillips threw a Bears nickel look at Gradkowski. Operating from the 3-3 look, Dallas kept Jay Ratliff slanted on the nose, Stephen Bowen in the left guard-tackle gap and Jason Hatcher in the same gap on the right side. Bobby Carpenter lined up in the left OLB spot and Bradie James and Demarcus Ware floated behind the linemen. Just before the snap, James dashed wide and lined up next to Carpenter. Ware dashed wide to the other side and lined up outside of Hatcher.

The look was a Chicago front, with an overload on the weakside and Ware charging from the right. Carpenter occupied the left tackle, Bowen crashed the guard and James charged untouched between them. His pressure forced an incompletion.

The defense was a one-off, however. As formation afficionados will note, there was no middle linebacker behind Ratliff to handle the back. Darren McFadden stayed in to block Demarcus Ware, but had Dallas shown this look a second time, it's likely he would have run a hot route, as Rock Cartwright did last week, and caught a quick pass over the middle in space. Cartwright has some speed, but he doesn't have McFadden's top gear. Wade took his gamble, won the down, and knew to walk away, as good poker players do.

-- David Buehler's toe problems appear to be behind him. He boomed three kicks for touchbacks.

-- Everybody is aware of this fact, no? Broncos 26, Giants 6. Dallas gets ten days off but so do the Giants. The last time Dallas faced a desperate team on the road we got the Lambeau Letdown. The game will be Dallas' last in Giants Stadium. Let's hope for a memorable result. A happy memory.

Game Thread: It Is Turkey DAY!!! Let's Stuff the Run and Run Run Run Ourselves!!!

saint — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:22:46 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

16 days ago: In this Sept. 20, 2009, photo, Oakland Raiders defensive end Greg Ellis (99) sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) during the fourth quarter of a NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo. Ellis spent the last few years bracing for his release from the Dallas Cowboys. So when it happened in June, it didn't sting too badly. He even started looking at the bright side--like finally getting to spend Thanksgiving with his family after 11 years of playing on the holiday. Then he signed with the Raiders and Al Davis broke the news to him. "Greg," Davis said, "guess who you are going to play on Thanksgiving?" (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

There are many stories and bi-lines that go into today's game:

1) This is the Oakland Raider's first Turkey Bowl since 1970.

2) Felix Jones and Darren McFadden will be on the same field for the first time since they were in the same backfield in Arkansas.

3) Jerry Jones and Al Davis are great friends and I have to believe that it had something to do with the Raiders playing the first "Turkey Bowl" in the new stadium.

4) The Oakland Raiders are hoping for a Romo-Esque rise from their young QB, while Tony is just trying to hold onto a team that can very easily join the ranks of the bottom feeders by season's end.

5) Greg Ellis is returning to play the team that employed him for over a decade.

This is a great match-up, in every sense of the word,and believe me, the RAIDERS can win this game, in fact, they, along with Houston and Tennessee are my upset picks of the week.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and thank you for joining me on this four season ride that has made us one of the best Oakland Raider online Communities in the World.

I want to wish an especially BIG Happy Thanksgiving to all of the servicemen and women who are fighting for our great Country over-seas. I appreciate you.

That's all I have for now!!! LET'S GO OOOAAAKKLLLAAANNDD!!!!!!!

The VRR: Cowboys Must Get Back in Saddle after Pulling off Squeaker over 'Skins

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:48:58 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Tony Romo has to take his bumps and bruises from Redskins to Raiders in just a few days.

Browse more photos »

The 7-6 victory over the rival Redskins did little to boost fans' confidence in the Cowboys' struggling offense. Running the ball 33 times - including six straight called in the first quarter - may have made the playcalling seem more "balanced", yet it produced no points.

However intriguing it is to see Felix Jones break the double-digit carry barrier for the first time in his career, or to see Marion Barber come up a yard shy from hitting the century mark, the scoreboard is still dependent on Tony Romo to pull that big, fat "0" down.

Heck, even Nick Folk failed (again) to get the team on the scoreboard prior to the end of the fourth quarter. Fortunately, the defense again refused to let that other side of the scoreboard be lit up.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys will be a bit more banged up heading into the shortened Thanksgiving week. Nothing major, but there are some bumps and bruises that must be played through as the team hosts the Raiders on Thursday. Making it through this week unscathed can be a real asset, as the team will get a few extra days to rest up before the Week 13 road game against the Giants.

More VRR after the jump.

Here's the latest on who's hurting:

QB Tony Romo - back (11/22) The quarterback injured his back in the first quarter when he was kneed in the backside while making a tackle. Romo never missed a snap against Washington, but he was limited in practice on Monday. Romo received a pain-relieving shot after the game Sunday, but told reporters he expects to play. Wade Phillips told the media Monday the quarterback was feeling better, but hinted that backup Jon Kitna might have to take some precautionary reps in practice.

TE Jason Witten - foot (11/22) Despite playing the entire game Sunday, Witten didn't practice Monday because of a foot injury. The All-Pro tight end caught two passes on the Cowboys' game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

LB Keith Brooking - ankle (11/22) The veteran linebacker was limited in Monday's light practice with an ankle injury he suffered near the end of Sunday's win over the Redskins. Brooking said on Monday he expects to play this week.

CB Mike Jenkins - elbow/head (11/22) Jenkins got "banged up" in the Redskins game, according to head coach Wade Phillips. The cornerback was already battling the elbow injury from the Packers game but suffered the head injury late in the game when making a tackle. He did not practice with the team on Monday in the light workout.

Despite the blow to the back, Romo impressed in the end and sounds good-to-go for Thursday's game.

"That's Romo being Romo," Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. "We had guys wrapped around him, and he still escaped. He's a tough sack."

And a tough guy. Romo bruised his back in the first quarter tackling cornerback DeAngelo Hall after he picked up a Marion Barber fumble in the red zone.

"I must have asked Tony 10 times, ‘Are you OK?'" Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking said. "You could tell he was hurting, but he kept grinding."

Romo said he never considered leaving the game.

"I've always felt you can play as long as it's not something like a broken bone," Romo said. "With the adrenaline of the game, you can always do it. It only hurts right before the snap and right after."

The Redskins' injuries were much more severe. RB Ladell Betts and OL Chad Rinehart will be placed on IR and miss the rest of the season.

Along with Coach Phillips' aggressive blitzes, Keith Brooking credits DeMarcus Ware for his career-high four sacks.

Brooking has taken advantage of all the attention opponents pay the NFL’s reigning sacks leader in pass protection. He said his sacks often come on "hug blitzes," when he’s in man coverage against a running back and rushes when the back stays into block. When the back goes to chip Ware, that often leaves a lane for Brooking.

"The majority of my sacks, just to be dead honest with you, come from I'm just running scot-free and a lot of times the backs are sliding toward No. 94," Brooking said. "As I said yesterday, I'd do the same thing if I was in the backfield trying to block that guy. I'm just taking advantage."

Anthony Spencer was almost credited with a sack, but getting the game-winning INT proved much more rewarding.

It was Spencer's first career interception. The theft made up for a review taking away what he thought was his first sack of the season.

Late in the first half, Spencer chased Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell out of bounds for an apparent 5-yard loss. But a replay showed Campbell had released the ball just before stepping out.

"I gave the ref a little mouth about it," Spencer said. "But I'd much rather have the interception. It's a relief for the simple fact I've been around so many opportunities to make plays. It's good to see it come to fruition."

Bradie James on winning ugly:

"We have been sexy," linebacker Bradie James said. "We have been trying to be glamorous. And teams have come in and beat us. They have us ugly. What’s wrong with ugly? We won. That’s all that matters. Now we’ve got Oakland. We are concentrating on winning and getting ready for the stretch drive in December."

Coach Phillips squashed the media's attempt to get more info on the Campo-Newman argument.

If you haven't read it by now, LaRon Landry called Roy Williams "scared". Landry didn't get all Xs-andOs about it, but did imply that Williams' play was "scared".

"Certain pass concepts they had," Landry continued, by way of explaining how he knew Williams was scared. "Certain routes he ran, you could tell he didn't want any part of it."

A good area of focus on both offense and defense will be third-down conversions.

With the short week, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips might not have an opportunity to address the team's struggles with their third-down offense and defense.

"We just haven't played well enough on third downs, and we need to take a look at it."

Nick Folk knows he's in a "funk", and will stay patient.

"A little funk," Folk said Monday. "I got to work my way out of it right now."

Folk said he's not too concerned because he's hitting the ball well. On the 46-yarder he missed on Sunday, Folk said he hit it well, but it just stayed right. The last kick he missed, a 38-yarder in Green Bay the previous week, Folk said he just missed it.

"I feel good, I hit the ball really well, it stayed a little to the right," Folk said. "I dont know I got to go look at it. it felt good coming off my foot had a good week of practice."

Patrick Crayton has worn many hats in his football career. Did you know he can kick? Well, sort of.

Patrick Crayton was once the emergency kicker on his college team.

"Make that the emergency-emergency kicker," he said, smiling. "If it had ever come down to me, we probably would have gone for two."

Even then, at Northwestern Oklahoma State, Crayton had a strong leg. Once, on a bet, Crayton surprised himself.

"I made a 50-yarder," he said, again smiling. "You never know when it comes to kicking."

After waiving KR/PR Allen Rossum, the Cowboys re-signed CB Cletis Gordon to the active roster.

The Buccaneers sure like the Cowboys' practice squad players. They've already plucked rookie CB Mike Mickens off there, now they've signed QB Rudy Carpenter as well.

Matt Mosely is shopping Shanahan. If the Cowboys were to part ways with Wade Phillips after this season, he thinks Mike Shanahan could be a good fit.

I think Jones would do just about anything to win another Super Bowl but you have to question his decision to stick with Wade Phillips after a disastrous ending to the '08 season. The fact that it was partly a financial decision makes you wonder if Jones would be willing to outbid his little buddy Snyder.

Week Eleven: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:45:09 -0000

It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! Not only is this a huge week for the Cowboys as they host the rival Redskins, but it is also an enormously important week for fantasy football.

Bye weeks are over, many of us may be smelling fantasy playoffs, and next week is the trade deadline for many leagues.

Make the jump for the Week 11 Fantasy Focus.

QB Tony Romo - Romo owners found some relief last week when the Dallas quarterback refused to let the team be shut out. His garbage-time TD pass to Roy Williams helped to ease the pain of having the Packers' defense completely dictate the day. It was just one of those games for the Cowboys' offense. If a receiver was open, Romo just barely missed him. If he was on target, the ball would be dropped or a Packers' defender would make a better play on it. Nevertheless, offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, stuck with his QB and his aggressive style of play-calling. That should show you that the Cowboys have a ton of faith in their signal caller.

This week, Romo and company are up against the NFL's number one pass defense in the Redskins. The argument can be made that the 162.7 YPG they are giving up in that department is a result of playing a weak schedule. Against the Broncos last week, some huge plays were given up to Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall. Romo and his WRs will look to exploit the same weaknesses, although it is unclear whether CB Carlos Rodgers will be benched in favor of Fred Smoot.

After being dominated by the Packers' blitzers, look for the Cowboys' offense to regroup and get back to basics. Romo and Garrett should then be able to find gaps and create mismatches in the overrated Redskins' secondary.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice - 5 carries for 26 yards for Barber last week. Nobody is happy with those numbers. When he did have the ball, he looked strong running it. He should have at least double the amount of carries this week. The Cowboys can still pull him out for pass-protection because of his thumb, but the fracture only looks to bother him there.

Felix Jones looks a mere shadow of his explosive-self since injuring his knee in Week 3. It's a bit of a mystery each week on how much the team will use him. He did see a good amount of action against the Packers, but the game was such that the RBs totalled only 11 carries with Felix getting 3 of those. It would be best to take a wait-and-see approach with him.

Tashard Choice is being integrated more into the offense through the "Razorback" formation, as well as his 3rd-down duties. His fantasy success depends so greatly on Barber and Jones that it's tough to predict how much of an impact he will have. Until the Cowboys get their running game back on track, sit him if you have a better option.

WRs Miles Austin - Austin owners now have a tough decision. He's been exposed to the league, so defenses focus on taking him out of the Dallas gameplan. It worked in Philly, until he busted out for a 49-yard TD catch and run. He was held in check last week, catching 4 for just 20. The targets are there and will continue to be since Romo is so comfortable with him. And, if you look at what Marshall did against the 'Skins last week, Austin should be able to have a big game.

Roy Williams - When defenses take away Austin, that leaves Romo to go to Williams. Although RW did have some boo-boos last week, he had a solid fantasy game, catching 5 for 105 with a score. Couple that with the 5 for 75 he caught the prior week, and he's beginning to look like a decent WR again. If he could get rid of the dropsies, he could have some huge games for owners. By doing so, he would also receive more targets from Romo.

This week, he will be going up against DeAngelo Hall. The Cowboys have picked on him in the past with success; expect them to continue to do so.

TEs Jason Witten - It feels like every week I write, "Witten is still looking for the end zone, and this should be the game he finds it." He almost had a TD late last week, but the pass was behind him. 5 catches for 47 yards is nothing to get excited about for Witten owners. Considering Romo rarely had time to pass, Witten still snagged roughly 20% of his passing yards.

You know he's gonna get his targets, and you know he's not going to get you zero points. Stick with him unless you have a better option. He's gotta come up big soon, right?

Cowboys D/ST - Steady as they go...this unit continues to improve week-to-week. By sacking Aaron Rodgers four times last week and holding him to under 200 yards passing, the Dallas defense jumped from ranking 20th in the league to 16th. It is in the top-10 in points allowed (18.8 PPG) and rushing yards allowed (103.1 YPG).

This week, Big D's defense will face an improved Redskins' ground game that now features RB Ladell Betts. The matchup should bode well for Dallas as SOLB Anthony Spencer is coming off one of his best games and the defensive line has continued to limit running opportunities. The secondary is a bit banged-up and will be missing starting FS Ken Hamlin. Converted CB, Alan Ball, will take his place and is considered to be a good cover safety. With the pass rush always a threat, the DBs should be able to take advantage by luring QB Jason Campbell into throwing a pick or two.

K Nick Folk - Holder Mat McBriar took the blame for Folk's miss last week. He's just 14 for 18 on the year, which is uncharacteristic of him.

After ten weeks of fantasy footballing on FleaFlicker, the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues are racing to the finish line. In the BTB league, The Speed of Dark has taken the lead with a 7-3 record (some major parity in that league). Here's how both leagues are shaping up:

The Mighty is Back to Winning (9-1)

kill everbody

Where the Cowboys are Headed (7-3)

Maui Paniolo Boyz

The Speed of Dark

StarBoys

Paper Cranes

Heated Competitors (6-4)

WheresWare?

BigRigga31's Team

Static

Dillababies

Dallas Destroyers

The .500s (5-5)

Quincyyyyy

Official Spoiler

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

Flashlights

Doomsday Redux

Second Chance

Felix Jones At Every Position

Reykjavik Roughnecks

A Must Win this Week? (4-6)

Apes

The Doomsday Defense Reborn

NameBrandj

Triple Crown Members (3-7)

No Doubter

Brady's a b!tch

Deuces Are Wild (2-8)

high505

My Team Sucks

One is the Loneliest Number (1-5)

Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, post it here for the BTB community to discuss. As always, feel free to jump in with other Cowboys/football related discourse even if you don't play FF.

Remember, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of live updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.

The VRR: Redskins (3-6) @ Cowboys (6-3)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:29:58 -0000

More photos » by Gerald Herbert - AP

Dallas defenders must try to limit Ladell Betts and the Washington offense.

Browse more photos »

The Cowboys can accomplish quite alot in beating the Redskins. Most importantly, they can regain the momentum they lost up in Lambeau. They can also increase their division record to 2-1 and their conference record to 6-2, which could come in handly for tie-breaking purposes down the road.

And, by handing the Redskins their seventh loss on the season, they could pretty much force them to begin waving bye-bye to their playoff chances.

Much of the talk this week at Valley Ranch has centered on Big D's offensive lack of production last week. On the flip side, Washington's offense seemed to show some signs of life for one of the first times this season. At home against Denver, RB Ladell Betts and QB Jason Campbell each scored, WR Devin Thomas showed some play-making potential, and the special teams found success on a fake field goal.

More VRR after the jump.

Perhaps it's the Cowboys' defenders that need to come up big. Beating the Broncos 27-17 last week boosted the Redskins' confidence. Deflating it early could be key.

"Coming off last week's victory, we've definitely got confidence. It was a big confidence-builder for us," Rock Cartwright said.

"You've got to keep it rolling. That's the whole objective," receiver Devin Thomas said. "You can never give up on a season just because things have gone bad. We knew we were just one click away from hitting on all cylinders."

With a win in Dallas, the Redskins would be only two games out of the NFC East lead with six games to play, three against the other division teams - including the Cowboys at home two nights after Christmas. Dallas, whose 57 wins against Washington are more than against any other team, doesn't want things to get that close. The dismal day in Green Bay likely got the Cowboys' attention.

The Cowboys should expect to see a heavy dose of RB Ladell Betts with Clinton Portis (concussion) out.

Betts rushed for a season-high 114 yards on 26 carries in last Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

Asked how Portis's status impacts him, Betts replied: "You get to be the man on first, second and third down, because before that, it was pretty much only on third down. Now I know that I get to play a full game, so it’s a little bit different mindset."

And it won't change the offensive game plan vs. Dallas, Zorn added. "We didn't change the run game necessarily to accommodate Ladell," Zorn said. "We ran our stuff, and what he did was push up into the hole and fight for yardage."

The Dallas secondary may be a bit banged up, but Mike Jenkins and Alan Ball sound ready to go. Ball should also receive help from Gerald Sensabaugh.

Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins injured his bicep in the Packers contest. Coach Wade Phillips said Jenkins has looked well and even had a couple of interceptions off QB Jon Kitna in scout team practice.

With S Ken Hamlin (ankle) out of the lineup for the Cowboys the next several weeks, look for safeties Alan Ball and Gerald Sensabaugh to split the duties of lining up the defense. Coach Wade Phillips had high praise for the smarts of Sensabaugh and his ability to handle the job.

Ball talks about the difference between playing free safety and cornerback. Also, it looks as if rookie SS Mike Hamlin will see his first action this week since the preseason.

"At cornerback, you don’t have to talk a lot," Ball said. "At safety, you have to know a lot. You have to make a lot of adjustments, a lot of checks. So you have to know a lot more going in. That’s about what it is."

Ball has five tackles and a pass breakup on defense this season. He has 12 special teams tackles, but is expected to have his special-teams workload lightened this week.

Phillips said rookie safety Mike Hamlin and cornerback Orlando Scandrick will fill in on special teams. Mike Hamlin has not been active this season.

Ball and Doug Free will be replaced on special teams.

With Alan Ball starting at free safety, reserve cornerback Orlando Scandrick will likely become the ``gunner,'' with outside coverage on punt-coverage teams. In addition, offensive tackle Pat McQuistan is scheduled to be active for the first time this season and replace Doug Free as a wall blocker on kickoff returns.

DeMarcus Ware talks about how Washington's blocking schemes and Jason Campbell's mobility in the pocket make it difficult to get to him.

"To be honest, it’s really hard to get to him because they keep in extra guys," Ware said. "They might have some guys on the front line so they do a lot of split backs and a lot of protection schemes to keep the guys off Campbell to make sure he’s effective in the pass."

[snip]

"He’s a great pocket passer," said Ware, who has seven sacks, tied for 10th in the NFL. "He makes sure he has confidence in his line and the guys around him so he can step up in the pocket to make plays."

"When he extends, when he moves around, when he flinches the ball, it causes the secondary, the linebackers, to hesitate, to go, to move," Zorn said. "And then if he can pull it down and have time to hit somebody else, it is very hard. It is the most difficult thing in football because you got the coverage, and if you throw on rhythm, you think you can handle it. When that rhythm's broke and you have to cover long through the coverage that you had, it's hard. It's what makes those quarterbacks very difficult to defend and he's been good at it for a few years."

Brian Orakpo thinks the Packers mapped out a way to get to Romo.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah," Orakpo told ESPN 103.3’s Galloway and Co. "They gave us a lot of good tips the way Green Bay was able to get after it with a lot of different looks. Best believe we’re going to go out there and try to perform some of those things and try to change it up a little bit and give Dallas a little different look."

[snip]

"It seemed like they didn’t know who to block," Orakpo said. "You see guys flying out of nowhere and hitting Romo from behind and forcing fumbles. I mean, they were all over the place. I guess what we’ve got to do is switch it up ourselves. We’ll see how the game plan is and what the calls will be called, but obviously, we got a lot of tips from that game."

Yes, they have Albert Haynesworth and London Fletcher, but the Redskins' run defense isn't all that.

The Redskins continue to struggle in run defense this season. The unit has yielded 100+ rushing yards in eight of nine games this season, including 120 yards in last Sunday’s win over Denver. Overall, the Redskins have allowed an average of 125.7 rushing yards per game, ranked 24th in the league. They have allowed 4.3 yards per carry, which is ranked 17th in the league.

Felix Jones pre-strained knee ligament, and Felix Jones post-strained knee ligament.

Before the injury, Jones had 21 carries for 212 yards (10.1 yards a carry). Since coming back after the bye week and wearing a knee brace, he has 23 carries for 92 yards.

The DallasNews guys talk to Bradie James and Roy Williams about the game.

The Redskins are looking forward to playing in Cowboys Stadium for the first time.

"That’s the first thing I thought about going to Dallas, ‘Man, I get a chance to play in the new stadium,’ Santana Moss said. "Just to see it--I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about. It looks nice on TV. You get mesmerized. "I remember seeing the first game there [on TV]--you had cheerleaders dancing on platforms. I was like, ‘Wow.’"

Rock Cartwright admits he plans to check out the video screen, hopefully after he makes a big play. "I’m really looking forward to seeing that screen," Rock Cartwright said. "I guess every seat in the house is a good seat. I’m sure I’ll take a look at it after I make a nice run, or so. But I won’t be focused on it too much. I’ll be focused on what’s happening on the field."

The series history between the two teams:

The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with Washington, 57-37-2, including an unconventional split of last year's home-and-home. The Redskins were 26-24 winners in their trip to Texas Stadium in Week 4, but dropped a 14-10 decision when the clubs met at FedEx Field in Week 11. The teams engaged in conventional home-and-home splits in both 2006 and 2007. Washington is 2-0 against Dallas in the postseason, winning in the 1972 and 1982 NFC Championship games.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 3-2 all-time against Washington, with one of those wins coming for his Bills team in 1999 at FedEx Field. The Redskins' Jim Zorn is 1-1 against both Phillips and the Cowboys as a head man.

Here is the NFL Game Center for the Redskins at Cowboys.

DeMarcus Ware had the privelege of meeting President Obama as they worked together on a PSA to promote the NFL's Play 60 campaign.

"I was like ‘Ohhhh my God,"’ when Obama came out in a Bears pullover, Ware said in a telephone interview. "It was me, Polamalu and Drew Brees there, so you know how we feel about the Chicago Bears. But he’s a big Chicago Bears fan. He greeted each one of us, and he knew everything about our teams."

Ware is Dallas’ representative for the Play 60 program, which began in 2007. The NFL estimates it has committed $200 million worth of programming, grants, and time for PSAs to the initiative.

"I think it’s really important," Ware said. "If the players are getting involved in it, Obama, a lot of important people getting involved in it, sometimes it encourages kids to get out and do those type of activities and show them just how important it is."

The VRR: Can the Cowboys Regain their Balance Against the Redskins?

Aaron Novinger — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:04:37 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

When the Cowboys host the Redskins this Sunday, many eyes will be watching how Jason Garrett divvies up his runs and passes.

Browse more photos »

The first time the Cowboys hosted an NFC East rival in their new stadium, the offense featured a devastating rushing attack that mixed both power and speed. Marion Barber ran 18 times for 124 yards and a score. Felix Jones averaged 13.7 yards on seven carries and picked up a score of his own. Tashard Choice didn't have a big game, but you could tell the coaches were trying to get him involved. Typically, that's how many of us imagined the Dallas ground game producing for the rest of the year.

Much has changed since that Week Two game against the Giants. It all began with a strained quad, and then a sprained knee, a fractured thumb. But it was okay. Miles Austin saved the day, and then Tony Romo got hot. Their success has helped make up for the fact that the Cowboys no longer lead the league in rushing.

Choice has maintained his injury bug repellent, and the team is still ranked 8th in rushing - averaging 130 YPG. That's great, but the worry is that the rushing YPG is slipping every week. The worry is that the Dallas offense is growing unbalanced. The worry is that too many passing plays draw more hits on the quarterback, and can effectively lose the time of possession battle. Losing that can wear out a defense.

Shouldn't it be the Cowboys' offense doing that to opposing defenses this back half of the season?

More VRR after the jump.

Last season, in a loss to the Redskins, the Cowboys' RBs had 8 carries. Last week, in a loss against the Packers, they had 11. What does offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, have to say about this?

Garrett said it was because of "game circumstance," mentioning that the Cowboys trailed by three scores with 10 minutes remaining in the game. But the Cowboys abandoned the run after the first quarter, when Marion Barber had four carries for 27 yards.

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers told reporters after the game that Green Bay, which sacked Tony Romo five times, could blitz aggressively because the Cowboys were so one-dimensional.

"You don’t want to be one-dimensional in anything you do," said Garrett, whose offense has run pass plays 62.7 percent of the time this season, including sacks and Romo scrambles.

"You don’t want to just be an inside running team. You don’t just want to be an outside running team. You don’t just want to be a dropback team. You want to be able to move the quarterback, you want to be able to run the ball, play-action, drop back. "The more you can do, the harder it is on the defense. At the same time, you need to have an identity. Identity is important, too. You don’t want to be all things to all people, but you want to be good at a lot of different things."

Clarence Hill takes the opposite approach to the Cowboys' lack of rushing attempts: the running game has simply been ineffective.

Their running attempts and yards have a diminished dramatically since the start of the season. That is a more of a product of Marion Barber and Felix Jones being injured. Neither has had the same burst since returning to the lineup. Barber missed one game. Jones missed two. Barber has started to look more like his old self of late.

But Jones looks uncomfortable and tentative. He has not been a game-breaking threat. Consider that he has had only two runs longer than 10 yards the last four games since returning from the sprained knee and they were just 12 and 11 yards each. He has not had a run longer than four yards against the Eagles and Packers the past two weeks.

Jones needs to be game-breaking good for the Cowboys to be truly special on offense. He hasn’t been that lately.

Barber didn't get much of a chance to perform...apparently because of his thumb.

Running back Marion Barber saw his time limited against the Packers because of problems with a fractured left thumb that was causing him trouble on pass protection at Green Bay. Barber had four carries in the first half for 26 yards, but he carried it just one time for minus-1 yard in the second half. The Cowboys went with Tashard Choice because he could handle the blitz pickups.

"We use Marion because he's such a dominant blocker," coach Wade Phillips said, "but he was having problems so we took him out."

If Barber can't get the job done in pass protection, the coaches are more apt to go with Choice rather than Felix.

When Barber's broken left thumb prevented him from blocking effectively in the second half Sunday, the Cowboys turned to Choice to protect Romo.

"He is a better pass protector than Felix, and he picks up the blitzes better," Phillips said of Choice. Hamstring and toe injuries forced Jones to miss 10 games last season, time he could have used honing his blocking skills.

"He's just not as adept at it yet," Phillips said. "(Choice) knows his assignments well and does a good job of blocking."

We may have seen a decrease in handoffs, but we have seen an increase in the "Razorback" lately.

According to Stats & Information, the Cowboys are fifth in the league in terms of Wildcat plays with seven. Tashard Choice had a touchdown run out of the Wildcat against the Eagles in Week 8.

The Cowboys will need to run the ball against the Redskins. They are first in the league in pass defense, giving up an average of just 162.7 YPG.

Romo will be facing the top-ranked passing defense in the league as well as one of the NFL's most improved pass rushes. The Redskins had 24 sacks last season to tie for the third-worst mark in the league, and have already matched that total. Linebacker Brian Orakpo, the No. 13 overall draft pick, leads all rookies with seven sacks and veteran Andre Carter has eight. Last season, the Redskins failed to sack Romo.

"Last year I felt we had some QBs feel very comfortable in the pocket," coach Jim Zorn said. "And this year we are making quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket."

That pass rush could be even more potent with Doug Free expected to make his first career start Sunday at right tackle for Dallas in place of Mark Colombo, who had started 57 consecutive games. Colombo had surgery after he broke his left leg and suffered ligament damage in his ankle against Green Bay.

Look for DE Andre Carter and rookie Brian Orakpo to again spearhead the Redskins' pass rush.

Orakpo already set a club record for sacks in a season by a rookie with seven, three more than any other rookie in the league.

With 15 sacks between them, Carter and Orakpo rank as the No. 3 tandem in the league behind the Colts' Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (17.5) and the Vikings' Jared Allen and Kevin Williams (17).

"That's what they drafted me for, to make big plays," Orakpo said. "[Andre's] a guy I've looked up to and admired. That's what keeps great pass rushers hungry and able to improve - it's competing. You don't ever want one guy doing all the workload."

Andre Gurode has no ill-feelings about the 2006 game when Albert Haynesworth stomped on his face. The violent injury necessitated 30 stitches along with plastic surgery.

"It's good that he moved passed it. I moved passed it," said Gurode, a Pro Bowl pick the past three seasons. "He is a great player."

Haynesworth calls Gurode "one of the best centers in the game. ... He has good movement. He is big. He is strong."

Gurode opted against filing criminal charges against Haynesworth, who publicly and privately apologized to Gurode in the days after the October 2006 game in Nashville. Now that they will be on the field together again, Gurode knows there will be plenty of reminders of what happened, from the questions being asked to the video replays sure to be on TV.

"I expected when he signed with the Redskins and we played them that it was going to be brought up," Gurode said. "It's something in the past and you can't let what happened in the past define who you are today."

Haynesworth (ankle) may be questionable for Sunday's game. RB Clinton Portis (concussion) will not play.

Bob Cohn asks if Portis' best football is behind him.

But a decline would not be unprecedented or unexpected because Portis' durability and ruggedness might be catching up to him. Going into the season, only four active runners had more career carries. All of them - Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor and Jamal Lewis - have seen better days.

You may have read earlier that Doug Free will get the start at RT for Marc Colombo. The new face on the first-team defense was also announced today. Alan Ball has been named the starter at FS for the injured Ken Hamlin.

Coach Phillips makes it sound like Ball can "ball".

"He's so aggressive," Phillips said. "I mean we've seen him on special teams and he's very aggressive. And he tackles well. He's not a big guy but he tackles well. It's a concern. Their running game is a concern because they have a strong running game. They had 174 yards last week against Denver, who we know can play the run pretty well."

Special teams dynamo, David Buehler, did not practice today because of a pinky toe injury. Todd Archer said that Buehler was "limping noticeably".

Some of the Cowboys have begun the holiday season by helping to serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Dallas Salvation Army homeless center.

SB Nation's power rankings dropped the Cowboys just two spots - from 7 to 9.

Where has Jason Witten gone this year? While Romo still targets him plenty, Witten's yards per catch are at a career low, and he's been a non-factor at the goal-line. With teams keying in on Miles Austin and Roy Williams generally hit-or-miss, the Cowboys will need more from Witten if they're going to develop some offensive consistency. (And losing RT Marc Colombo to injury won't help either)