SB Nation - Junior Siavii

Keep the Rhythm but Sell the Hooks

John Morgan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:42:17 -0000

Football is both a battle for ten and a battle for the end zone. A team must keep the rhythm to keep the drive alive, but it also must cash in with its money calls.

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My friend Uncle Mike taught me how to freestyle. He said: You memorize the good lines and improvise the filler. It should sound smooth, integrated and uncontrived. The filler keeps the beat and the money lines punctuate the point. He said: Count off the beat and be ready.

Greg Knapp may not know hip-hop, but he gets the good and the filler.

Chris Spencer was blown back and dropped by Jay Ratliff and Ratliff virtually stood atop Spencer when he tackled Julius Jones for a loss of one. It was a worrying start for Seattle's offense compounded by miserable field position. Matt Hasselbeck was working from his own end zone on the next play, and the man with two busted ribs and a Fangoria-spread of aches and pains stood tall in the pocket, keeping his eyes at the marker and turning to read right just long enough to target Nate Burleson and connect for ten. Seattle converted the first on a screen pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Housh was grouped with John Carlson and John Owens in trips right and turned two good blocks, a little too much patience and a veteran spot into a first down.

Spencer got revenge. He forced back Ratliff and turned him allowing Julius Jones to cutback left and rush for six. Seneca Wallace handed off to Jones on the next snap and Jones glided for seven. Seattle had escaped jail, was first and 10 on the 29, and after keeping beat for a string of snaps, was about to punctuate the action with a series of big plays.

First Hasselbeck found Carlson for 18 out of play action. Then Jones snaked the ball for three. Then Knapp dropped mathematics.

The screen pass is a money play in the Knapp playbook. We've seen it's a worthy one when executed. Dallas was blitzing off left end. Justin Forsett was the sole receiver on the left. Hasselbeck skated back and slung it to Forsett curling under on the left. Dallas is boned. If only.

Spencer shoves out nose tackle Junior Siavii and then flops, cutting inside linebacker Bradie James. Forsett does not curl in quite enough, and Damion McIntosh struggles to set a block in front of him. Seattle loses time. Forsett jukes behind McIntosh, attempting to zigzag forward while keeping the tackle between him and the defender. Seattle loses time. Forsett runs up Rob Sims legs and Sims stumbles but regains and runs straight ahead. Seattle loses time. Forsett finally releases from his lead blockers, but without great speed - without sufficient speed to evade Keith Brooking. Max Unger never gets round from the right and in front of Forsett to throw a block. He can be seen jogging just outside the action. Sims runs past Brooking, when if he had stopped and blocked, Forsett could have evaded him. But Brooking was not supposed to matter. Forsett splits his blockers and releases clean into the second level, but Seattle had already lost too much time, and Forsett doesn't have that gear to recover and outrun a linebacker with the angle.

And so the first money play was clever but it lacked teeth. 14, 14..it stings when it could have been 50.

Week Eight: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:45:15 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Will Miles Austin's fantasy value reach its plateau this week against the Seahawks?

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It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! Let's preview and predict which Cowboys can help you achieve victory as they host the Seahawks.

Make the jump for the Week 8 Fantasy Focus

QB Tony Romo - Romo's fantasy stock is rising as NFL.com now ranks him as the 6th-best FF QB. His 311 yards and 3 TDs last week against Atlanta have helped rank Dallas 2nd in the league in total offense, averaging more than 419 yards per game. Having found a go-to WR in Miles Austin has helped tremendously; and, until these two cool off, Romo is a must start. Just imagine the kind of numbers he could put up if Roy Williams were to come around!

Against the pass, Seattle's defense is not horrible (17th in the league, allowing 220.3 YPG), but they're not great either. They will be getting CB Marcus Trufant back for this game, though. In Week 4 against a big-play offense in the Colts, they gave up 353 yards to Peyton Manning. Not saying the Cowboys are the Colts, but when they're offense is on, it's on. That could spell a tough game for the Seattle secondary.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice -The Falcons did a good job in stuffing Barber and the Cowboys' running attack early in last week's game. The "Barbarian" carried the ball 14 times for 47 yards and only caught one pass for one yard. Jones received 8 carries (37 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards), while Choice did not get a single carry but did make a nice 23-yard reception.

Ranking 14th in the league against the run (99.3 YPG), the Seahawks are a little better defending that than the pass. If the Cowboys get up on them early, then expect a heavy dose of running. But, who will carry the rock more?

Felix Jones will be running back kickoffs, so 7-10 carries on offense is the most you can expect from him. Barber participated fully in practice all week and his quad is no longer listed on the injury report. His thumb is no hindrance, so I can see him returning to his duties as the "closer" for this game. Unfortunately, that would leave little work for Choice.

WRs Miles Austin - Start him. It's not just Romo making him look good. Austin is a speedy, tackle-breaking machine. He's the hottest WR in the league right now. In his first two career starts the last two weeks, he has accumulated 16 catches for 421 yards and 4 TDs. Surely, he will cool off sometime; but as noted up top, he is Romo's go-to guy at the position. He is a fantasy owner's dream until someone finds a way to stop him. It's unlikely that the Seattle secondary will be that somebody.

Roy Williams -There is nowhere to go but up for Williams. An injured rib, dropped passes, and just being on the wrong page with his QB has affected his fantasy-worth in the worst possible way. Until he takes on a productive role in the Dallas offense, starting him is a gamble.

Patrick Crayton - Although Crayton did catch a TD last week, he only caught 2 passes for 9 yards. He could be an okay start in leagues that offer points for punt returns, as he is the reason why Dallas is 8th in the NFL in punt return average.

TEs Jason Witten - Even with all the Austin-hoopla, Witten still leads the team with 33 receptions. He only has one score this year, which suggests he is due at any time.

Cowboys D/ST - DeMarcus Ware just signed a 6-year contract extension for $78 million. What's even better is that he is leading a unit that has 14 sacks in the last 14 quarters. What's even better than that, is that Ware & Co. will be going up against a depleted Seahawks offensive line that has allowed 15 sacks this year. The Dallas pass defense is 22nd in the league giving up 238.5 YPG, but their recent pass rush should be a threat to Matt Hasselbeck.

NT Jay Ratliff (knee sprain) is questionable for this game, but his backup, Junior Siavii, has been playing well lately.

Overall, this unit has given up just under 20 PPG (14th in NFL). Last week against Matt Ryan, they forced a fumble and two interceptions against a very good Falcons offense. They played physically and should continue to do so against the struggling Seahawks.

After seven weeks of fantasy footballing on FleaFlicker, one team still remains undefeated in the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues. Here's how both leagues are shaping up.

The Lone Undefeated (7-0)

kill everbody

Almost Perfect (6-1)

Maui Paniolo Boyz

Where the Cowboys are Headed (5-2)

Quincyyyyy

StarBoys

WheresWare?

Breaking .500 (4-3)

Reykjavik Roughnecks

Paper Cranes

BigRigga31's Team

Static

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

Doomsday Redux

Dillababies

The Speed of Dark

.500 = One Week Away (3-4)

Official Spoiler

Apes

Flashlights

Second Chance

Felix Jones At Every Position

No Doubter

Dallas Destroyers

Deuces are Wild (2-5)

The Doomsday Defense Reborn
My Team Sucks
Brady's a b!tch
NameBrandj

One is the Loneliest Number (1-5)

high505
Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, feel free to post it here for your BTB brethren to analyze. Let's help each other out!

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

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

The VRR: Seahawks (2-4) @ Cowboys (4-2)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:30:53 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Could Miles Austin make it three big games in a row to help the Cowboys to three consecutive victories?

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The two games before their bye last week, the Seattle Seahawks have respectively been super hot, and then super cold. It would behoove the Cowboys to prepare for the former, so there is no chance of losing out on a much needed three-game win streak.

Dallas must stay focused no matter which Seattle team comes to play.

"For right now, it's good to be in a good position," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to put more wins together and be a solid team throughout the whole season in order to be what you want to be."

This Sunday, the team with the identity crisis will be the visitors.

The Seahawks have no idea what they are: the team that beat Jacksonville 41-0 or the team that didn't convert a third down in a 27-3 loss to Arizona.

"It's amazing how one week can change the way you think, isn't it?" Seattle coach Jim Mora.

More VRR after the jump.

CB Marcus Trufant will play for the first time this season, but the Seahawks may bring him along slowly.

Sunday, Trufant will be running around covering the Cowboys’ Miles Austin, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton. The plan is to have Trufant play in the nickel defense, at his usual spot on the left side. On the other downs, the corners will continue to be Ken Lucas and Josh Wilson.

"Having a play run at you every 30 or 40 seconds at that position can be difficult," is the way coach Jim Mora put it this week. "So, we need to see where he is endurance-wise. Obviously, he’s got to knock some of the rust off in terms of his technique, but he’s doing that, and he’s worked hard."

Hasselbeck and Housh are trying to get on the same page.

Houshmandzadeh had four catches for 34 yards and has grown frustrated over the situation. The pair spent extra time working together during the bye week.

"We'll find out when the games matter," Houshmandzadeh said. "It's easy to do at practice, when no one's on you."

The quarterback believes there's no easy explanation for his inability to get the ball more to his top target.

"Just trying to figure out what we're good at," Hasselbeck said. "One of those things is just to be automatic with some of the guys I throw the ball to and get some routes where we feel that confidence, that 'automatic' confidence. That breeds consistency. We're close some times, but we misfire. We have to fix that as quickly as we can."

Here is Seattle's injury report.

On the verge of a three-game win streak, Coach Phillips is keeping the players focused on their mistakes.

"We have to continue to just eat our humble pie," linebacker Keith Brooking told reporters in Irving. "We played one really solid game across the board, offensively, defensively and special teams. But at the end of the day, you have to look at the big picture. We have to keep it going. This is a 'What have you done for me lately?' league."

Slapping the Falcons (4-2) gave the Cowboys (4-2) a two-game winning streak and catapulted them into the playoff conversation. But all the good vibes Dallas took from that game will disappear should it lose to Seattle (2-4) on Sunday.

"We haven't won the Super Bowl or anything," linebacker Bradie James said. "We haven't even won a playoff game. We're excited. We have some confidence. But we need to be consistent."

The Cowboys haven't won three in a row since Weeks 11-13 of last season.

"Winning a couple of games, doing well in a couple of games sets a trend, but it doesn't make you a consistent football team," Phillips said. "To be consistent, you have to win three in a row."

Penalties, penalties, penalties. The Cowboys really need to cut those out...right? Hmm, Todd Archer takes a closer look at the team's record when it commits eight penalties or more in a game.

Last week, Atlanta's second touchdown came in part because Stephen Bowen was called offside on a third-down play. But it got me to thinking about how the penalty issue has been a big deal for a while.

They had eight against Atlanta and still won. Care to guess what the Cowboys' record is in their last 16 games in which they have been penalized eight or more times in a game?

It's 11-5. Amazing, isn't it?

The presnap penalties conundrum: five yards lost or maintain big play opportunities?

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said that the penalties that bother him the most are the pre-snap ones. Phillips said it's when you make changes that you can't jump. Phillips also offered that they could go on the first sound every time but that would hurt their audibles that have resulted in big plays.

Coach Phillips seems to have no qualms about putting Felix Jones back at kickoff return.

"The guy's well right now and he's ready to play. We'd like to get him the football and I think that's an opportunity to do that."

Said Jones: "Hey, there ain't no way around that. This is a physical game. You can get hurt walking a straight line. You just play football; there's no way around not getting hurt."

Jones has averaged 25.8 yards on 24 career returns and scored one touchdown last year. He said his knee continues to improve.

"The knee brace really helped out a lot, and you just go from there," he said. "Every day it's getting better until the point where I don't need it anymore. From now on I guess I'll be using it until I feel 100 percent, and confident about what's going on with my knee."

Ogletree huggers: could this be the second week we get to see #85?

The Cowboys also could use rookie receiver Kevin Ogletree. Active in one game this season, Ogletree has four kickoff returns for an average of 23.5 yards, similar to Jones (23.0) and Austin (24.7).

"That’s all you really want to do is help the team win," Ogletree said. "That’s what I’ve been here for. That’s been my motto. When I get in there, I believe it’s going to be trying to make a play or do something to help us."

Again the team's punt returner, Patrick Crayton will take advantage of every opportunity he has with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

"However they come my way, I've got to maximize them," said Crayton, the NFC special teams player of the week after the longest punt return by a Cowboy since Deion Sanders went 76 yards against Indianapolis a decade ago. "I've got to squeeze 100 percent of the juice out of it."

Crayton was hardly a whiner when assessing his situation last week. He said he would have liked to hear something from the coaching staff, but didn't act like it was hard to figure out.

"I had a dropped pass and a muffed punt," he said. "And the other guy had 250 yards."

Tony Romo has faith in Roy Williams .

"I'm a firm believer that if a guy shows me on a consistent daily basis out here on the practice field that he can do it, he's going to do it in the game," Romo said. "Sure, people are going to have games that aren't whatever they may feel up to their own standards, but that's each individual wanting to be competitive within himself."

"Roy works his butt off at practice. He comes out and he performs out there daily and I don't see any reason why he's not going to have a very successful rest of the season. I'm not going to shy away because he shows me on a consistent daily basis that he does so many good things. It'll happen."

Gerald Sensabaugh says that his thumb is cool, and the defense is ready to ravage the Seahawks' offense.

"Yeah, he (Ware) should be, but we’re all licking our chops a little," Sensabaugh said. "We’re ready to get out there and play again after the game we had Sunday. Our guys are going to be ready to pressure, no matter who’s at tackle or on the O-line. We’re going to get pressure, regardless."

Sensabaugh said that his surgically repaired right thumb, which was heavily wrapped in Sunday’s win over the Falcons, didn’t bother him or change his aggressive approach, and said he sees no reason for that to change.

"It’s pretty good — it’s healing up pretty well, I’ve got a new cast on it today, and I’m ready to go," he said. "I’ll throw it in there. It didn’t hurt me tackling—it didn’t help me catching the ball, but as far as tackling, it didn’t bother me at all."

Junior Siavii is growing into his role as Jay Ratliff's backup at NT. The Cowboys need him to continue to do so.

The Cowboys can preserve Ratliff only if the backup is effective, and Siavii has been. The Cowboys credited Siavii with being in on seven tackles during 16 plays in Sunday's win against Atlanta.

"It would be nice to see him get even more plays," said Ratliff, who agreed that breaks help him stay fresh in the fourth quarter. "He's doing well. We help each other out. We're a team, and we feed off each other."

In high school, Miles Austin did not join the football team until his junior year. Finally, football coach, Steve Mucha, got him aboard.

Mucha, 48, remembers the frustration he felt when Austin repeatedly rejected his pleas to join the team.

"He was concentrating on basketball and track, so we had kind of written him off," Mucha said. "I'd ask him to join and he'd say, ‘It's too late.' I'd say, ‘It's not too late. Let's see what happens."

Just before halftime of his first high school game, Austin caught a 70-yard pass to set up a score.

"Because he's such a great athlete, he caught on quickly to everything we were doing," Mucha said.

As a senior, Austin led the Boilermakers in interceptions and was an all-county receiver.

SAEN's Tom Orsborn also notes:

The record for most receiving yards over three games (in one season) is 612 by the Houston Oilers’ Charley Hennigan in 1961.

Here is the NFL Game Center link for the Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys.

And here's the series history between the two teams.

Dallas leads the all-time regular season series with Seattle, 7-4, including a 34-9 home rout of the Seahawks on Thanksgiving Day 2008. The Seahawks won the previous regular season meeting, a 13-10 home result in 2005. Seattle last won in Dallas in 2002.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams played a memorable postseason contest, won by Seattle in dramatic, 21-20 fashion at home in the 2006 playoffs.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 6-1 in his career against the Seahawks, including a 4-0 mark while the Broncos (1993-94) and 1-1 while at the helm of the Bills (1998-2000). Mora was 0-1 against Dallas while at the helm of the Falcons (2004-06), and will be meeting Phillips for the first time as a head man.

The VRR: Cowboys Extend DeMarcus Ware's Contract to 2015

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:02:35 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Keep this guy happy!

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How good can it get for Cowboys' fans right now? A day after the team puts up another fat "W" to go 4-2, Jerry Jones and company follow that up by giving DeMarcus Ware a fat contract extension. The agreement is said to be six years for $78 million with $40 million guaranteed.

Now, Dallas has one of the best defensive players in the game locked up through 2015.

Coach Phillips knows a good defender when he sees one. He thinks Ware is as special a player as any he's coached.

"I’ve been lucky to be around a lot of good ones. He’s at the top of the class, and it doesn’t take long to call the roll," said Philllips, also the team’s defensive coordinator. "He’s an all-around player, and he plays the run well, too. That’s what you really like about him."

The Cowboys drafted Ware from Troy instead of Shawne Merriman, who was then taken 12th overall by San Diego when Phillips was the defensive coordinator there.

"I was around Merriman, he had 17 sacks in 12 games. Of course, Reggie White and Bruce Smith were special. (Ware) is special. He’s a special guy in that way," Phillips said. "He’s got all the things it takes and he utilizes them and he works hard at it. He’s only going to get better."

More VRR after the jump.

That was a physical game by the defense. What's even better is that they learned from their mistakes.

The defense came up big after early adjustments. The game opened with a 16-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in Ryan throwing a 4-yard TD to Roddy White, but the Falcons had only 13 yards and no points on their subsequent four possessions.

"We were like, ‘OK. This is a good team,’" said DeMarcus Ware, who had two sacks. "They score a lot of points, they don’t give up sacks, they run the ball. But we took their punch and figured them out."

Burned by misdirection on the opening drive, the Cowboys improved their gap control to stop the run, forcing Ryan to pass. Unable to set his feet, Ryan connected on just 19 of 35 for 198 yards with two TDs and two interceptions for a woeful 66.1 passer rating. He had gone four straight games without being sacked.

Cover Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White. That's how you beat the Falcons. While TNew was on White and Mike Jenkins was throwing the other Mike Jenkins to the ground, a bunch of other guys were covering Tony G.

Strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh covered him, as did cornerback Orlando Scandrick, inside linebacker Bobby Carpenter and strongside linebacker Anthony Spencer.

In the end, the speedy White and the 6-foot-5 Gonzalez accounted for 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Scandrick did get the first interception of his career, but he was annoyed that he let Gonzalez get a catch on him.

"I let him catch a ball on me," Scandrick said. "I was mad about that. But it’s Tony Gonzalez, one of the best tight ends. I just played him to the inside, and he had leverage on me."

Keith Brooking was all fired up for the game. He followed his trash-talking, arm-flapping performance with some choice quotes.

"The last thing I was told by one of the Atlanta coaches was, 'It's a young man's game,' " said Brooking, the Falcons' longtime defensive leader-turned-Dallas Cowboys linebacker, with a lopsided grin. "I guess that old man can still play."

[snip]

"There are a lot of people in that organization that mean a lot to me and I will always keep in touch with," he said. "Some very good friends. I was talking a little bit of trash to them, so I had to go and apologize for it. Sometimes I do get a little bit out of control."

That was understandable given the defense's performance against his old team. Dallas held Michael Turner to 2.8 yards per rush while sacking usually untouchable Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan four times.

"Atlanta prides themselves on being physical, but they didn't outphysical us today," he said. "We took it to them. We bloodied their noses, and then we stepped on them and kicked them to the ground. So that's a good feeling."

Matt Mosley points out how well Junior Siavii contributed to the game.

The Cowboys decided to play nose tackle Junior Siavii earlier in the game than usual and that seemed to help starter Jay Ratliff. Siavii did a really nice job against Michael Turner and he helped collapse the pocket against Matt Ryan. He said it was his goal for the defense's production not to fall off while he was on the field -- and I'd say he accomplished that.

After yesterday's game, a big roar was heard from the locker room. It was the players reacting to Coach Phillips telling them to take Monday off. Calvin Watkins thinks that a "Victory Monday" sends a bad message to the team.

Just because the team won Sunday, it doesn't mean things are fine. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said there are corrections to be made on offense. And the defense, as good as it played, allowed Falcons backup running back Jason Snelling to average 9.7 yards per carry. Miles Austin had a good game with two touchdowns, yet he fumbled a ball out of bounds on his way to the end zone. Roy Williams had two drops, and the offensive line struggled to open holes at the start of the game.

Many of the players showed up at Valley Ranch today, anyways.

"We had 45 guys already," the coach said at his early afternoon press conference. "It's just the day off from us meeting where we go over the tape with them. Tomorrow we'll go over the same tape with them except we'll leave out the good plays."

"So it's really not a great deal for them, because they don't get to cheer the good plays that they made. We go over all the mistakes that we made and things we need to work on."

Roy Williams is proud of the team, but not of himself.

"Worst game ever in my life," said Williams, who caught one pass for 16 yards.

He was most upset with two dropped passes and a pass interference penalty that wiped out a catch. This was the fourth time Williams has caught just one pass since coming to the Cowboys in the trade from Detroit last year. He had four games with one or no catches in 60 games with the Lions.

Miles Austin's game dropped off by 79 yards! He knows he's just got to keep on working.

Austin's 171 yards is the second-highest performance immediately following a 250-yard game in league history. It's the most yards by a Cowboys receiver following a 200-yard output.

"It's exciting, but I know I have to keep working hard," Austin said. "We just have to build off of this. I can't relax or anything. I have to work even harder now. I know people will be looking at me even more. That's fine. I'm not going to change anything or my approach."

Jason Witten talks about the going-for-the-throat play.

"First, the kind of kid Miles is, I couldn’t be happier for him" said tight end Jason Witten. "Second, I couldn’t be happier for our offense, to see this kind of weapon emerge. "Today, we were kind of lagging there on offense. Not doing a lot. Then boom. [Offensive coordinator] Jason [Garrett] made a great call, Tony threw a great ball, and Miles catches it, shakes loose, and he’s on his way, and we’re on our way."

Witten was referring to a second-quarter bomb that Romo dropped on Austin after a DeMarcus Ware bull-rush and hand-slap that caused Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan to lose a fumble.

Witten's five catches for 53 yards has him moving up the all-time TE record books.

Jason Witten's 53 receiving yards today upped his career total to 5,247 to move him past Frank Clarke (5,214) for fifth on Dallas' all-time receiving yards chart.

Witten's 53 yards today allowed him to pass Brett Jones (5,195), Dave Casper (5,216) and John Mackey (5,236) for 18th all-time among league tight ends with 5,247.

Witten caught five passes in today's game to give him 462 for his career and move him past Todd Christensen (461) and tie with Mickey Shuler for ninth on the NFL's all-time tight ends receptions list.

Just some fun nuggets.

The win gave Dallas its fifth consecutive win following a bye, upped its record after a bye to 16-5 overall and 7-1 at home. ... Romo threw for 311 yards, upping his club record to 19 career 300-yard outings. The club is now 16-3 when Romo throws for 300-or-more yards.

Enemy Territory: Chiefs vs. Cowboys

Joel Thorman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:27:42 -0000

I had a chance to catch up with Dave Halprin from Blogging the Boys to discuss this weekend's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.

Blogging the Boys is one of the best sites on SB Nation so I always take note of what they have to say. So, check out Blogging the Boys for all your Cowboys' needs.

Below is my conversation with Dave.

Joel: Throughout the offseason, we heard a lot about DeMarcus Ware's ability but he's been incognito thus far. What's going on with him? Will he be a factor against a weak Chiefs offensive line?

David: Nobody has really been able to nail down why Ware isn't getting sacks this year, teams always pay attention to him with double-teams, chip blocks etc. so that hasn't changed. Some opponents have taken to a lot of 3 and 5-step drops to get the ball out quickly. In the last game he didn't get the sacks, but he forced the QB to move into sacks, so he''s helping in that way. Soon, hopefully this week, he's going to bust out.

Joel: We've been talking that the Chiefs best chance to win will be capitalizing on some Romo mistakes. Your thoughts on the chances of that happening?

David: Romo has not been playing well consistently this season, against the Bucs he had a great game, against the Panthers he had an error-free efficient game, we won both those. In the Giants and Broncos games he wasn't good, and the turnovers did hurt us. So yeah, I think one of the best way to beat the Cowboys is to capitalize on any turnovers Romo creates. My hope is that he settles down and gets back to an efficient game with minimal mistakes.

Joel: What did the Broncos do last week that helped slow down the Cowboys rushing attack?

David: In the first half, not much. The Cowboys were running at will early on for good yards. In the second half, they did a better job of controlling the interior, which is the better rushing area for Marion Barber or Tashard Choice. With Felix Jones out, running to the outside was a problem, so once they got control in the middle, the Cowboys ground game ground to a halt and Romo couldn't pick up the slack in the passing game.

Joel: What do you see out of Junior Siavii so far? He was the Chiefs 2nd round pick in 2004.

David: Not much. Jay Ratliff is simply a beast at NT and we don't like for him to be out of the game. Siavii doesn't really get enough playing time to form any solid opinions.

Joel: What was your perception of Todd Haley when he was with the Cowboys?

David: A tough guy, disciplinarian. It was no secret in Dallas that he and Terrell Owens didn't get along. Then again, the list of coaches on that bill is rather long. I liked him when he was here, although Parcells had the gag order on assistants, so it was hard to get to know much about him. He did seem to get the best out of the receivers we had, but beyond that I had no real fix on him as a coach.

David: No secret, you guys are off to a poor start. What were the fans expectations of the team coming into the season. Did you see 0-4 as a reality?

Joel: Fans get emotionally involved in the game and forget that our first four games included two teams that were in the conference championship and one that was in the divisional playoffs. It's a really rough start. But combine the loss to the Raiders to the way we've lost some of these games and that's where you get the frustration. It's really starting to boil a little bit because the Chiefs were basically blown out the last two games. The biggest problem is that so much of this seems like a continuation of last year.

David: What are the problems or mistakes that are holding this team back? If you could point to an area and say, "if we could just fix that we might get some victories," what would it be?

Joel: Offensive line. I'll admit it - this team has a lot of holes. But the offensive line is holding back the running game and in turn the passing game. The Chiefs running backs have been pretty weak since the destruction of the line (after '06). Matt Cassel has also had little time to throw which skews his development as the quarterback, which hurts the receivers....and all of those offensive troubles keep the defense on the field more often.

Two, possibly three, spots on the offensive line are in need of a replacement/upgrade. Add in the fact that Brian Waters is no spring chicken, and there are some serious problems there.

David: If the line had a good day on Sunday, what are the weapons in play that the Cowboys would have to watch for? Is Larry Johnson still a serious threat? Does the passing game have any bite in it?

Joel: It's been so long since Larry Johnson was a consistent threat that I don't think he's even a factor anymore. His YPC and number of zero to negative runs are making him a non-factor in game plans.

Dwayne Bowe's the one you're going to focus on in the passing game. He's in his third year and, despite a case of the dropsies, has put up 995 yards and 1,022 yards in his first two years which, if you didn't know, is really good for a young receiver. Jamaal Charles in the flats warrants consideration as someone to keep an eye out for because of his speed. If he gets in the open field he can be dangerous but that's a big if.

David: For a long time, I used to think defense when I thought about Kansas City. Is that idea outdated? What's the story on the defense this year?

Joel: The defense has really struggled for a while now. The Vermeil years really highlighted that and continued with the Herm Edwards era. The Chiefs are installing a new defense (3-4) so we give them a little leeway. However, there is improvement, especially compared to last year. It's not perfect by any means, and even some key parts are missing, but we see improvement in some areas. It's my thought that, in the long run, the change in scheme will greatly help this defense.

David: Winless teams are always desperate. Can the Chiefs get the victory?

Joel: As I wrote yesterday, I think it all comes down to Tony Romo. The Chiefs need the Cowboys to make mistakes and I think if that happens it'll come from Romo. Problem for the Chiefs is that they've had things go their way before and still lost the game. I think it'll be close either way but ultimately the Cowboys should pull away and win by one score.

Lots of Cowboys Connections to the Chiefs Coaching Staff

Chris Thorman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:16:19 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

4 months ago: Dallas Cowboys' Junior Siavii works out during the team's NFL football training camp in San Antonio, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Browse more photos »

Courtesy of the mothership, we have this week's Kansas City Chiefs/Dallas Cowboys connections. Enjoy.

Kansas City head coach Todd Haley was the passing game coordinator/WRs coach under head coach Bill Parcells with Dallas (2004-06).
Chiefs asst. head coach Maurice Carthon (2003-04), def. coord. Clancy Pendergast (’96-02), LBs coach Gary Gibbs (2002-05) and special teams coach Steve Hoffman (’89-04) also coached for Dallas.
Kansas City WRs coach Dedric Ward played WR for Dallas (2004).
Chiefs WR Terrance Copper (2004-05) and TE Sean Ryan (2004-05) each played with Dallas.
Dallas NT Junior Siavii (2004-07) spent time in KC, while Cowboys LB Steve Octavien entered the NFL as a rookie FA with KC in 2008.
Dallas scout Mitch LaPoint served in the KC Personnel Dept. (’98-04).
Chiefs OL coach Bill Muir coached at SMU (’76-77).
Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles and LB Derrick Johnson played at the University of Texas.
Chiefs G Brian Waters is a native of Waxahachie, TX and played collegiately at North Texas.
Dallas head coach Wade Phillips coached at Kansas (’75).
Cowboys RBs coach Skip Peete played collegiately at Kansas.
Cowboys pro scout Henry Sroka worked at Wichita State.
Dallas asst. athletic trainer Greg Gaither worked at K-State (’99-00).
Cowboys CB Terence Newman played at Kansas State and is a native of Salina, KS.

All of you reppin' Salina make sure you give us a shout out. And one more note, since these connections mentioned the Texas Longhorns. I'm finding myself really wishing the Longhorns would lose each week, simply to wipe the annoying smiles off of all of these UT fans running around this town. There's too many of them and they're too confident in their team to have rational conversations.

Oh, and Colt McCoy annoys the heck out of me.

The VRR: Cowboys Release Player; Injured Vets Expected Back Monday

Dave Halprin — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:53:16 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Andre Gurode prays for divine intervention, asking that his shotgun snaps are true to their target.

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Nick Eatman's blog reports that Newman and Jenkins should be back at practice on Monday.

Head coach Wade Phillips said in Saturday’s press conference that he expected players such as Terence Newman (groin) and Mike Jenkins (ankle) to return on Monday. Also, Phillips said linebackers Stephen Hodge (knee) and Steve Octavien (groin) would return on Monday as well.

The Cowboys dumped NT Tim Anderson leaving Siavii and Seawright, neither of which inspire confidence.

What had been a three-way battle to win a job at nose tackle behind Jay Ratliff has been reduced to two finalists, as the Cowboys waived sixth-year pro Tim Anderson Saturday morning. As has been the case throughout the off-season the leader appears to be 30-year-old Junior Siavii, who continues to run with the second team. Jonas Seawright, a 6-6, 303-pounder is currently the third-team nose tackle.

Speculation is they may bring in a RB since Alonzo Coleman is injured. The only current RB on the roster that won't be playing on Sundays this year is Keon Lattimore. You'd generally like to have more than one "camp body" RB to beat up on in the preseason games.

More VRR below...

Sam Hurd is on the rise, as Carl wrote about yesterday. He'll probably get some first team-reps this week according to Wade Phillips.

"We're going to give [Hurd] more and more playing time because he deserves it," Wade Phillips said Saturday. All of Hurd's damage was done against Oakland's second-string defense. The Cowboys want to see what he can do against better competition the rest of the preseason. "We'll play him more with our first three receivers, certainly."

Here's more on Hurd's ascendancy.

"Sam makes circus catches every day, and he did the same thing in the ballgame," Phillips said. "We're going to get him more and more playing time because he deserves it."

Bobby Carpenter receives praise from Wade for his play on Thursday.

"He made a lot of plays. He was in the right places a lot," Phillips said. "He made a nice play on the play play where he broke up the tight end going down the middle, he covered well. I thought he played well in the game. Now the group didn't play well that he was playing with, but he made plays all over the field, and he played like he's been practicing."

Wade Phillips coached his first game as head coach and "official" defensive coordinator.

"I probably went over to the bench more to talk to players in between," Phillips said of the preseason opener. "I didn't see quite as much of the offense as I normally would see."

We touched on it in the gameday open threads but never really posted about it. Deon Anderson had knee surgery and it's generally estimated he'll miss about a month. Julian Crosslin and Asaph Schwapp will move up on the depth chart for the preseason.

The Jenkins vs. Scandrick battle for the "starting" spot opposite Newman rages on.

Open Thread: Killing Off the Offseason

Dave Halprin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:00:27 -0000

Our long national nightmare is over. Since this is Sunday, the start of a new week, and on Wednesday of this week, the Dallas Cowboys will hold their first training camp practice; I'm declaring the offseason officially over! It's business time for the NFL and the multitude of fans that have suffered endless months of football-free madness. Soon, we'll all be able to slake our thirst for real football news and things that matter.

Forget the collapse at the end of last season - ancient history. The teeth-gnashing we all felt after that ignoble defeat at the hands of the Iggles can now be replaced by optimism and hope. There's nothing like the start of a new season to stir up the promise of better days, anything is possible for any team at this moment in time. All it takes is some talent, a lot of hard work, a dash of luck, and your team can be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. At least that's what we all believe at this time. (Although I'd have to check with Lions and Raiders fans to know for sure).

Tomorrow, I'll be posting more on BTB's coverage of training camp. We'll have three people in attendance at various times; Rafael, Aaron and me. You know we'll work like crazy to bring you all the coverage we can in these formative weeks of the 2009 season.

Since BTB has declared the offseason over - and it's a Sunday with little news - consider this an open thread for everybody's thoughts on the upcoming training camp and how exciting it is to have real football back in a matter of days.

Here are some headlines for reading material:

Keith Brooking honored with surprise Atlanta send off.

Junior Siavii happy Dallas Cowboys gave him a nose job.

Todd Archer: Moment of truth for the Dallas Cowboys.

Star-T: Dallas Cowboys’ circus is back, with Wade, others walking tightrope.

SA E-N: Is this year Wade Phillips' last stand?

DMN: Dallas Cowboys head into training camp hoping to minimize drama.

MSNBC: NFL training camp previews: 3 things to know.

Golden Opportunities For a Few Cowboys

Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:07:34 -0000

"Success occurs when preparation and opportunity intersect." I’m not sure on who said it first, but that is one of my favorite phrases in the world, and boy is it ever true. Take a guy like Tashard Choice for example. In college Choice found himself behind future NFL backs like Adrian Peterson and P.J. Daniels. In his inaugural NFL season he found himself third on the depth chart behind Pro Bowler Marion Barber, and first-round pick Felix Jones. In both instances, Choice kept himself prepared and was able to capitalize on his opportunity when he was called upon.

The stars are beginning to align for a few other current Cowboys. A handful of Cowboys have a chance to prove their worth, and play more significant roles than they ever have. What remains to be seen is whether or not said players will truly be ready to make the most of their opportunities.

A look at a few Cowboys who have a chance to make a significantly greater impact going forward:

Anthony Spencer, OLB: The Cowboys’ release of veteran linebacker Greg Ellis says a lot about the kind of hopes the Cowboys are hanging on Spencer. The team will most likely enter the season with only a pair of rookies to provide any type of a mirage of competition for Spencer. This job has been handed to Spencer on a blue and silver platter. He is a natural rusher with adequate speed, and sturdy enough base to perform well against the run. He has the tools, but his embarrassing offseason arrest validates questions about his maturity. Spencer is a former first-round pick entering his third season. Time to step your game up, Spence.

Montrae Holland, G/C: This Cowboys want badly for Montrae Holland to succeed. The question is whether or not Holland wants to succeed as bad as the team wants him to. Last year’s starter Kyle Kosier has been a rock for the Cowboys, but his injury status creates uncertainty at the left guard position. The team loves the push that Holland generates in the running game, and would love for him to just grab this training camp battle by the throat. However, to no one’s surprise, Holland reportedly showed up to mini-camp in less than outstanding shape, and performed averagely. The Cowboys have been working Holland in at center as well, so even if Kosier does reclaim his starting spot at left guard, Holland would still be in contention for the swing G/C this season. It’s all on the table for Holland, but I guess there must be some reason Mike Shanahan let him go for a late round pick.

Doug Free, OT: When Doug Free was drafted a lot of Cowboy fans looked at him as possibly being the steal of the draft and maybe the heir apparent to Flozell Adams’ left tackle position. Neither has come to fruition, but there is still time for Free. Doug Free was drafted because he had the physical talent, most notably technique and foot-quickness to be an NFL left tackle. It’s not clear what’s holding Free back, but he’s got to put it all together soon. Free will probably be given this season to prove that he is an eventual starter. If not he will likely have to find employment elsewhere. Free had better be ready though, because at Flozell Adams’ age (and size) the injury bug is a little harder to elude. Something tells me Free may get his shot this season.

Junior Siavii, DT: Siavii last recorded a countable NFL statistic in 2005. 2005! With that said he is probably still the frontrunner to be Jay Ratliff’s backup at nose tackle. Siavii was the 36^th overall pick in the 2004 draft. You don’t get selected that high without talent. Siavii is the best athlete among the backup NT candidates but has never been able to put it together. Maybe being reunited with former University of Oregon teammate and friend Igor Olshansky will light a fire under Junior. This job is his for the taking. If Siavii can show the Cowboys that he can be even adequate, he would add a lot to the team from an standpoint of depth and flexibility.

Jason Williams, ILB: I know he was only a 3^rd round pick but Jason Williams kind of feels like the chosen one, doesn’t he? From the minute he was drafted, Williams was talked about as the nickel linebacker of the present, and the weak inside backer of the future. The knock on Williams coming out of college was that he was a better athlete than he was a football player. If Williams is able to pick up the mental part of the game and let his great athletic ability do the rest, the Cowboys will be able to stop the revolving door at weak inside linebacker. Williams will face competition from fellow 2009 draftee Stephen Hodge and holdover Bobby Carpenter.

Isaiah Stanback, WR: Do I really have to say anything here? Just stay healthy, man. That’s all you’ve got to do, Ike. Just stay healthy, please. That’s been easier said than done for Stanback, who has struggled with injuries dating back to his college days. It will be a shame to see so much natural ability go to waste if Stanback can’t fight off the injury bug this season. It’s unclear how far along he is in his progression as a wide receiver (which has no doubt been slowed by injuries), but Stanback is still the team’s best kick return option after Felix Jones. Though he has no experience, Stanback’s open-field vision, quickness, and change of direction capabilities lend itself to punt returning. Also, it would be a lot of fun to see the former University of Washington quarterback line up in the Wildcat. Stanback will be competing with seventh-rounders and undrafted free agents for the fifth or sixth wideout spot, so if he's not on crutches at the end of camp he will probably make the squad. If Stanback can stay healthy, he may have a chance to have a big role this season. That is one gargantuan "if" though.

BTB Exclusive: Jay Ratliff Interview (6/18/2009)

Dave Halprin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:25:18 -0000

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jay Ratliff earlier today. The audio is below.

Jay gave a great interview, answering all the questions with candor and information. He talks about the backup NT battle, even mentioning Marcus Spears as a possible candidate, noting that in mini-camp they put him in there every once in a while. He also thinks Junior Siavii has made a lot of progress and could make his move.

The Rat also gave us some juice on his conversion to NT in the Bill Parcells' era. Listen to him describe Parcells throwing him into the fire as a NT one game, without a lot of training at the position.

Ratliff also touched on topics like his size as a NT, how much double-teaming he sees in a game (hint: it's a lot), and the additions of Keith Brooking and Igor Olshansky.

Also, Rat gives huge props to OLB Brandon Williams, who he says is a guy you need to watch out for. You'll love what Jay says about the kid.

Thanks to Jay for taking the time to do the interview. He's one of BTB's favorite players, now we love him even more.

Interview below.

If you want to download the file in MP3 format, click here.

Hat tip to DCFanatic for recording the interview.