SB Nation - Julius Crosslin

Vikings Fall to Cowboys 35-31 in Pre-Season Finale, and the Crowd Goes Mild

Gonzo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:48:25 -0000

by Paul Battaglia - AP

"Okay, so with the way I looked this evening, I can drop my playbook off. . .right over there, huh?" (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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The fourth pre-season game of the year was pretty much what you'd expect. . .a fairly entertaining football game played largely by people that we'll be seeing on practice squads and UFL rosters from coast to coast in a couple of weeks. In the end, it was a special teams blunder that cost the Beloved Purple a chance to go 4-0 in the pre-season in a 35-31 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys struck first, as Jon Kitna led his new team on a 12-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree to give Dallas a quick 7-0 lead. After a three-and-out for the Vikings, Kitna proceeded to fumble a center/quarterback exchange, and Letroy Guion jumped on the loose ball at the Dallas 36. Two plays later, Tarvaris Jackson took a snap, rolled to his right, and lofted one downfield for a 36-yard touchdown pass to. . .Jeff Dugan?

Well, it is the pre-season, after all.

That tied things up at 7-7, and the teams exchanged punts. Dallas drove down the field again, and reached the Minnesota 34-yard line.

On a 1st and 20 play for the Cowboys, Brian Robison came steaming around the edge and knocked the ball away from an unsuspecting Kitna. The ball bounced off of a Dallas offensive lineman, and into the arms of Letroy Guion. In his march downfield, Guion had a moment of thinking that he was Adrian Peterson or Chester Taylor, and fumbled the ball without being touched as he tried to swtich hands. (Dude. . .you're a defensive lineman. Let's be serious here.) Fortunately, Kenny Onatolu was trailing the play and jumped on the fumble, and the Vikings set up shop at the 25-yard line. Six plays later. . .all runs. . .Ian Johnson blasted into the end zone to give the Vikings a 14-7 lead.

After the Cowboys went three plays without getting a first down, Mat McBriar punted a line drive to Darius Reynaud. Reynaud broke a tackle, made a couple of nice moves, and before you knew it he was standing in the end zone celebrating an 82-yard punt return and the Vikings were up 21-7, a score they took into the locker room. The Vikings really dominated the first half of football, and looked to be rolling along.

And then the second half started.

On the Vikings' first offensive play of the second half, Rosenfels threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to Patrick Watkins. This is unfortunate, because if you look at Minnesota's roster, you won't see a Patrick Watkins on it. There is, however, a Patrick Watkins on the Cowboys roster. So, you can probably figure out why the Cowboys narrowed the gap from 21-7 to 21-14 at that point. So, on the next offensive series, Rosenfels was replaced by John David Booty. After getting a first down on three straight running plays, Booty decided that he didn't want to feel left out, so he hit Dallas linebacker Steve Octaiven in the chest with a pass. Octavien returned the ball 44 yards for a touchdown, and after being the dominant team in the first half of football, the Vikings found themselves tied with the Cowboys at 21.

Rosenfels came back in, and I'm not sure if Mrs. Gonzo had a rerun of the Benny Hill Show on BBC America in another room, but I'm pretty sure I heard "Yakkety Sax" coming from somewhere.

After a fumble by Cowboys' running back Julius Crosslin, the Rosenfels-led Vikings engineered a six-play, 30-yard drive that culminated in Ian Johnson's second 1-yard touchdown run of the night to take a 28-21 lead, and added a 41-yard Ryan Longwell field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 31-21. That would end the Vikings' scoring for the evening.

Not wanting to just roll over, the Cowboys and quarterback Rudy Carpenter. . .a rookie out of Arizona State that I was fairly impressed with this evening. . .marched 77 yards in 14 plays, ending with a 4-yard TD pass to tight end Scott Chandler to cut Minnesota's lead to 31-28. After the Vikings moved the ball to the Dallas 35-yard line, Chris Kluwe came in to punt.

Kluwe's kick went over the head of Cowboys' return man Willie Reid, and took a Cowboys' bounce. . .right into the hands of Dallas receiver Jesse Holley. As the Vikings inexplicably decided not to down the ball as soon as it started travelling the wrong direction, Holley was able to take the ball on the bounce, slip a tackle, and race 82 yards for the deciding score.

And there you have it. . .the fourth pre-season game of the year, and just eight days separating us from real football. Cutdown day is tomorrow, and the other half of my roster preview is forthcoming, so stay tuned for that. Enjoy the rest of your night, folks!

The VRR: Scandrick to Start Against 49ers

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:00:05 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Orlando Scandrick has yet to disappoint the Cowboys' coaches with his play at cornerback. When the team hosts the 49ers on Saturday, he will be starting the game with the first-team defense.

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Orlando Scandrick will get the nod at right cornerback with the first-team defense this Saturday when the Cowboys host the San Francisco 49ers. The move is considered to be a rotational one that has more to do with getting Scandrick some considerable playing time with the starters rather than Mike Jenkins losing any ground.

Phillips has said he intends to provide equal opportunity for his second-year corners. Jenkins and Scandrick rotated with the first-team defense opposite Terence Newman (when healthy) in training camp, aside from the week Jenkins spent nursing an ankle injury.

Jenkins also tweaked his ankle in the game, but he practiced Monday and is expected to play.

No matter who wins the job, Scandrick will continue moving into the slot in dime situations - a niche he created and thrived as a fifth-round draft pick last season.

Quarterback Stephen McGee is out for 49ers game and may not play the rest of the preseason because of the knee injury he suffered against the Titans. This means Rudy Carpenter should see more action.

More VRR after the jump.

All the Julius Crosslin chatter may not matter much, after all. It looks as if Deon Anderson, who is ahead of schedule recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, will remain the team's starting fullback.

"There’s no doubt that Deon can play," Wade Phillips said Monday afternoon. "I’m not going to give him a roster spot right here so he won’t do anything from now (until the season), but he’s a good player. He’s a good fullback for us and he’s a very good special teamer, probably our best special teamer coming back.

"We expect good things from him, and he’s a hard worker. He’s come back from injury a lot quicker than normally. He may be back before the Tampa week. He’s a good, solid football player. He’s a very aggressive blocker. He’s the strongest blocker we have at fullback, obviously."

Coach Phillips likes the progress he's seen from rookie inside linebacker Jason Williams.

"A light came on," Wade Phillips said. "I could see it in that game. He played well in that game. I'm looking forward to seeing him more. He practiced good right before the game, practiced good again today. It seems to be coming to him."

Williams and the rest of the rookies are putting the memories of the practice facility collapse behind them as the team returned to Valley Ranch.

Rookie linebacker Jason Williams said, "It's just something we got to push pass. It happen what, like three and half months ago. We can't linger on it too long. We got games we have to get ready to win so we can't think about it too much just got to get out there and play through it."

The Cowboys have yet to hit a deep pass this preseason - Miles Austin's specialty.

"I think there are some shots down the field we haven’t taken yet," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "We’ll see. I think that’s working in players like Miles. That’s what his specialty is going to be somewhat. He’s going to be able to beat people down the field, which we haven’t done as much of that, but I wouldn’t count it out."

The Cowboys had 51 plays of at least 20 yards last season, led by Owens’ 13. Austin had five, and when the Cowboys cut Owens during the off-season, owner Jerry Jones said part of the reason was because of Austin’s big-play potential.

"I mean we have certain plays kind of designed for that," Austin said. "But we’re not pulling out the kitchen sink [in the preseason]. Actually, I think we might have run a couple of double moves, but we’re really not running double moves. We’re really not throwing a lot of other things at them. During the season, we will. Right now, we’re not really game-planning teams. We’re just running plays and trying to execute as well as we can. That’s what’s important."

Like Austin, Kevin Ogletree is trying to make the squad as an undrafted rookie wide receiver. He has certainly made an impression on his teammates and coaches.

"He made a fantastic play on the fade route, catching the ball, keeping his feet inbounds," Phillips said. "He's got talent."

Wide receiver Patrick Crayton agreed. "He makes contested catches," Crayton said. "He's been performing all training camp."

Despite being only the second receiver in Virginia history to tally two 50-catch seasons, Ogletree got bypassed in the draft after scouts questioned his route running, his hands and his decision to leave school early. None of those perceived weaknesses was evident at camp. More importantly, they haven't popped up in the preseason either.

"He's looked good in practice, but making plays in a ballgame is important," Phillips said.

On Saturday, the Dallas defense will face the preseason's leading rusher in the 49ers' Glen Coffee. Coffee, a third-round draft pick from Alabama, carried the rock 16 times for 129 yards against the Raiders on Saturday night.

The 49ers have also named Shaun Hill as the team's starting quarterback.

What should Jerry Jones do about the high-def screens hanging 90 feet above the Cowboys Stadium's field? Ask Mat McBriar. The Cowboys punter isn't all concerned about the giant videoboard needing to be raised.

"Our game plan is to kick to the sidelines. So for myself it's not in my mind," Cowboys punter Mat McBriar said Monday. "I know it's there, obviously. But it's not something that catches my eye as much as guys who are kicking straight down the field."

The band, U2, is going to pay the Cowboys two million dollars to raise the videoboard for their October concert.

The VRR: Cowboys Player News and Video Board Controversy Recap

Dave Halprin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis praised the HD video board after Friday's game for blocking a Titans punt. He cited video board's work on special teams as one of the high points of play for that unit.

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So one major bummer did come out of Friday's game against the Titans. Rookie OLB Brandon Williams tore an ACL and is lost for the season. How much time Williams was going to get this year was debateable, but it would have been nice to see him play special teams and possibly become a factor by later in the season on defense. We'll just have to wait until next year, or the year after that, to see what the kid's got. Consider it a redshirt year.

William's injury does limit the options at an already thin position in terms of backups. Behind DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys have Victor Butler, Steve Octavien and Justin Rogers. Dallas is doing everything they can to get Bobby Carpenter comfortable and productive as the nickel backer on the inside, so I don't see them swinging him outside in emergencies. The primary backups outside will come from the Butler/Octavien/Rogers trio, or the Cowboys can try to pick someone up from another team. Steve Octavien is intriguing. I barely thought about him before this training camp, but after the first week he'd become my pet cat - every time I checked the days notes on practice, #53 kept turning up, making plays. He also had a very good game on Friday.

After last night it looks like first-year player Steve Octavien could be in the team's plans as well. When the Cowboys opened the second half Friday night with some subs and some starters in the game, Octavien had replaced Ware, while Spencer stayed in on the other side of the 3-4 front. He played deep into the game, and tipped Vince Young's pass that was intercepted by Matt Stewart.

More VRR below...

Flying under the radar is the fact that our starting fullback, Deon Anderson, will not play until at least the first game of the season. The Cowboys are likely to keep only one fullback on the 53-man roster. So while Anderson is sitting out after his knee surgery, Julius Crosslin is trying to make his move and supplant Anderson is the coach's minds. Not sure that Crosslin can do it, but it's an interesting situation to watch. Anderson has served Dallas well on special teams and is an adequate FB. Crosslin is trying to show he can do more than block, that he can help in the passing game.

Crosslin admitted to being a little nervous, though, and he bobbled both catches a bit before eventually securing them. Pass catching was something he did not do much as a fullback at Oklahoma State. "I wasn't looking them in," Crosslin said. "I was trying to get upfield and go. I know what I need to do, and what I need to work on in practice for the next game."

Another story that is starting to get a little more serious is Nick Folk's recovery from surgery. It wasn't talked about much coming into preseason, but it is now, since the ultra-reliable Folk has missed two FG's in two games. Even Wade Phillips admits to a little apprehension.

"There is a little bit of a concern," Phillips said. "I don’t think he is completely well, but he is well enough to be kicking those things. I just think he’ll get better and better as he goes along.

"It wasn’t a minor deal as far as kickers are concerned. I think (John) Carney had the same surgery and had a little problem for a little while and then got back into the groove. We are hoping he does the same thing."

The new stadium is a sight to behold according to all reports, including this excellent first-hand report from Raf. Even the opposition were stunned by Jerry World.

"It was awesome," Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said at halftime. "It was a lot of fun opening up this place. This is a great stadium. Not only should the fans be excited, but so should the NFL and all the players as well. "It was a great atmosphere here tonight."

Still, there's only one part of the stadium that everyone is talking about. Jerry's $40 million HD video board hanging over the field was a spotlight magnet even before the stadium opened. The biggest of it's kind, it would allow fans to watch the game, and the replays (as Raf pointed out), in stunning clarity and on a scale unimaginable before the stadium's creation. Now, it's become a point of interest for blocking a Titans' punt (maybe the Cowboys best special teams player - I kid!). After the Titans' punters used the board for target practice in warmups, one of them pegged it in a game. Now, we got Jerry, the NFL, the officials, Jeff Fisher, the P.R. department and a Cowboys stadium tour guide all weighing in.

The NFL says:

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail that the league office is aware of the issue and will continue to monitor it. Aiello said the NFL's competition committee has not yet scheduled a meeting to discuss the issue, but Titans coach Jeff Fisher indicated it was a possibility after Tennessee rookie A.J. Trapasso's punt hit the board in the third quarter Friday night.

Jerry's stance is based on this:

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones helped set the height at 90 feet above the field— 5 feet above the league minimum—even though tests using the team’s punter, Mat McBriar(notes), showed he could clear 100 feet. The reasoning behind cutting it close was that during the tests, McBriar was trying to boot it that high, but a regular punt has a lower arc and is usually kicked toward a sideline, not right down the middle.

The officials didn't know quite what to do:

Turns out, they might have to raise the video board, which is in the line of fire for punts. Or the league could be forced to examine its rules. "It's something we're going to have to look at in the next week," Mike Pereira, the NFL's director of officiating, told The Times on Saturday. "We need to see if there's anything further we can do to make sure there's equity involved if it happens again."

Pereira said it's entirely possible that a team trying to protect a lead could run time off the clock by intentionally punting the ball into the video board and getting a do-over. He said there is no rule for putting time back on the clock in that situation. "We haven't talked at all about time being put on the clock," he said. "The only thing we've talked about really is the do-over of the play. We've never talked about resetting the clock back to where it was. That's obviously something we're going to have to talk about. And that may be what we arrive at. I would say that it's a big enough issue that we're going to have to address it with the competition committee here probably sometime this week to figure out what direction we want to go."

But let's go to a reliable source, a Cowboys stadium tour guide?

Crews were working on the giant HD screen at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday, and tour guides told paying customers the crane in the middle of the field had to do with raising the video board.

Cowboys PR flaks deny it:

Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels denied that the work Saturday had anything to do with raising the video board, saying it was part of "ongoing construction" at the stadium. A tour guide said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was paying additional money to allow the board to be raised and lowered as warranted inside the $1.2 billion stadium. It was already known that the Cowboys would have to raise the video board for the U2 concert on Oct. 12.

Cowboys Offense: Breaking Down the Training Camp Battles

Carl Shelton (GloryDayz88) — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:44:02 -0000

While training camp position battles will undoubtedly be intense on the defensive side of the ball, the fight for roster spots on offense should be a bit less interesting. There should be no competition at quarterback, as Tony Romo will obviously be the starter. The team drafted Stephen McGee in the 4th round when the team had bigger needs, so that ought to be an indication of how much the team likes the former Texas A&M signal caller. Jon Kitna was acquired via trade, and is the only experienced depth at the position. He will be safe for that reason. Rudy Carpenter is coming to camp to minimize arm fatigue, and maybe log enough preseason snaps to impress another team.

While their 2009 roles have yet to be defined, we do know that Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice will occupy the team’s three running back roster spots. No disrespect to Ray Ray’s little brother (Keon Lattimore), but he will be at camp for the sole purpose of preserving the bodies of Bash, Dash, and Tash. The only way we will see any movement at running back is if Minnesota, in an attempt to clear cap space for Brett Favre, offers us Adrian Peterson for a bag of K-balls.

Most of the offense is locked up, but there are still a few spots up for grabs. Let’s look at this year’s offensive contestants for Survivor:Dallas.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton/Miles Austin

Survivor Contestants: Sam Hurd, Isaiah Stanback, Kevin Ogletree, Julian Hawkins, Manuel Johnson, Travis Wilson

Cowboys will likely keep: 5-6

Breakdown: Sam Hurd will probably make the squad again. He is a good special teams player, and of the group he has the body and skill set that most closely mirrors that of Roy Williams. Hurd would be the most natural fit to step in for Williams at the "X" in the event of an injury. Travis Wilson has nice measurables, but his mouth is bigger than his game. It is unlikely that his arrogance will fly in the recently cleansed Cowboy locker room. I think Manuel Johnson has a real shot. His play far outshines his measurables, and the team could possibly view him as an eventual heir to Patrick Crayton’s role.

I think the guy to watch here is Kevin Ogletree. Ogletree is an accomplished receiver with top notch NFL speed. Ogletree was widely ranked among the top 20 wide receiver prospects, but saw his stock drop due only to a 2007 ACL tear. Ogletree has to be viewed as the favorite if the team keeps six wideouts, and still a possibility is the team keeps only five. At the end of the day, I still think Isaiah Stanback makes the team. The team did little to bolster it’s kick return options behind Felix Jones in the off season, leaving Stanback as the best remaining alternative. Stanback would also be the best option if the ‘Boys want to tinker with some wildcat action, and most importantly, Jerry Jones likes him.

Tight End

Starters: Jason Witten, Martellus Bennett

Survivor Contestants: John Phillips, Rodney Hannah, Jamar Hunt

Cowboys will likely keep: 3

Breakdown: I know Martellus Bennett is not technically a starter, but he will be a key part of the offense, so he’s not going anywhere. I was a little surprised that the Cowboys drafted a tight end at all. As high as the club had appeared to be on Rodney Hannah, I figured he would get his chance to step in with the departure of Tony Curtis. Nonetheless, the University of Virginia has a history of producing well-rounded tight ends, and John Phillips is no different. This battle is really between Phillips and Hannah. Jamar Hunt’s best quality is his ability to serve as a long snapper. You don’t mess with a good thing, so unless the Cowboys are desperate for roster spots, I don’t see the team dumping L.P. Ladouceur.

Offensive Line

Starters: Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis, Marc Colombo

Survivor Contestants: Doug Free, Pat McQuistan, Montrae Holland, Ryan Gibbons, Cory Procter, Matt Spanos, Robert Brewster, Travis Bright, Michael Turkovich, Greg Isdaner

Cowboys will likely keep: 8-10

Breakdown: It’s hard to divide this thing by position since there are so many tackle/guard and guard/center guys on the roster. Regardless of his camp performance, Robert Brewster’s draft position buys him a roster spot, so he’s in. The only true tackles in the group are Free and Turkovich, so if Free can hold off the undrafted Turkovich he’s in as well. Hopefully Montrae Holland mixed an occasional salad into the rotation this off season. If he’s in shape, he’s easily the best guard among the backups. Holland gets good push in the run game, and is by far the most experienced (35 career starts) of the group. I know no one wants to hear this, but Cory Procter will probably be back. Procter and Matt Spanos are the only players in the group with experience at center. If Procter outshines Spanos, he’s probably coming back. This may be a "put up or shut up" year for McQuistan as well, who has logged zero starts in three seasons with the team.

Fullback

Starter: Deon Anderson

Survivor Contestants: Asaph Schwapp, Julius Crosslin

Cowboys will likely keep: 1

Breakdown: Deon Anderson is not a Lorenzo Neal-type lead blocker, but he is a good all-around fullback who does most everything pretty well. I have not seen enough tape on Schwapp to make an educated evaluation, but I was not impressed by the few clips I did see. For a 257-pound guy, Schwapp doesn’t get a ton of push, and can be driven back into the hole rather easily. Again, maybe I just saw the worst handful of clips of his entire career. Crosslin played pretty well for the team last preseason, but it’s hard to envision Anderson being overtaken by any fullback currently on the roster.

Who will survive?

Cowboys vs. Vikings: Offensive roster battles

Dave Halprin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:08:37 -0000

The last preseason game. After tonight, the next time our Dallas Cowboys hit the field it will be for real. Yes, we are that close to actually starting the 2008 NFL season. We aren’t there yet though, we still have the last preseason game to complete and for the top of the roster it’s an opportunity to play dress up and not actually do anything, but for the bottom of the roster tonight means everything. Soon the Cowboys will have to get down to the 53-man roster limit meaning tonight will be the last time we ever see some players in a Cowboys uniform.

So what’s tonight all about? Roster battles.

Offense

QB - Richard Bartel vs. the practice squad. The Cowboys are deciding between three QB’s or just two. Bartel will get the whole game to prove his worth. My estimation is he probably can’t do enough in this game to stop the inevitable. Dallas enters the season injured and unsure about when they will have full health. They need extra players elsewhere. They are banking that they won’t get Matt Moore-ed by another team and that they can move Bartel to the practice squad. An eye-opening game tonight may sway that opinion, but the odds are not in his favor to make the roster.

RB – I’ve always contended they’ll keep three and I still believe that. Keon Lattimore and Alonzo Coleman haven’t forced their hand, one will probably make the PS.

FB – Julius Crosslin is still hanging around but hasn’t shown enough to make the Cowboys keep him. They decide to go short at FB to open the season with only Deon Anderson.

WR – Now this is tricky. It all depends on what they really think will happen with Isaiah Stanback and whether they think Miles Austin’s injury is a four-week deal or six. They need six WR’s to start the year unless the news on Austin and Stanback is so good and absolute, that they can revert to the philosophy from the beginning of camp; they were going to keep five and a sixth would have to force their way on the roster. I don’t think that’s the case right now, so Danny Amendola and Mike Jefferson have an opportunity here. I still think a vet signing is going to happen after league cuts, so even if they kept both, one may be gone within a week or so. I have Amendola slightly ahead of Jefferson at this point, mainly because of special teams work. Amendola has been playing on a lot of the units and has shown a little something along with his mistakes. Jefferson as a receiver can get open, his problem is catching the ball consistently and he’s doesn’t contribute much besides being a WR. Todd Lowber is still too raw and a mythical creation of Hard Knocks. (Because I wrote that, he’ll catch two TD’s tonight, it’s a given).

TE – The only possible question is keeping Rodney Hannah as a fourth TE and going long at a position to supplement the lack of FB’s, or go with three like normal. I don’t think Hannah has shown enough, he’s not special on special teams and he probably can’t block out of the backfield or handle other important TE jobs. He’s tall and athletic, but young and inexperienced, and we already have that guy in Martellus Bennett, and his upside is higher and was a second round pick.

OL – All eyes will be on Pat McQuistan and Joe Berger. Tonight is the final interview for the job of replacing Kyle Kosier for the first quarter of the season. Cory Procter is also in the mix but I think its McQ or Berger. Figuring out who it will be is the most important thing tonight, but the Cowboys need to decide if they will keep nine or ten offensive linemen. We know the starting five when Kosier is back, and we pretty much know that McQ or Berger will fill-in with the other being kept just in case. That gives you seven. Doug Free isn’t going anywhere, that’s eight, and Procter is the only true backup center giving you nine. That leaves James Marten and I don’t think the Cowboys want to give up on him yet and with the shifting around of the line because of Kosier, they probably hang on to him for insurance at this point.