"Sprint Football Live" has a mock draft going and today is the pick for the Dallas Cowboys.  Sad to say that they only give us five players to pick from and four of them are Offensive Linemen.  Anyway, just for the fun of it, who do you pick?

Players already taken in the mock:

1 Rams - Bradford

2 Lions - Suh

3 Bucs - McCoy

4 Redskins - Clausen

5 Chiefs - Okung

6 Seahawks - Berry

7 Browns - Bryant

8 Raiders - T. Williams

9 Bills - Tebow

10 Jags - Pierre-Paul

11 Broncos - McClain

12 Dolphins - Kindle

13 49ers - Haden

14 Seahawks - Spiller

15 Giants - Weatherspoon

16 Titans - D. Morgan

17 49ers - Bulaga

18 Steelers - Wilson

19 Falcons - E. Thomas

20 Texans - McCourty

21 Bengals - Mays

22 Pats - Graham

23 Packers - Robinson

24 Eagles - Campbell

25 Ravens - Gresham

26 Cards - D. Thomas

27 Cowboys are on the clock

At 4-1, the Atlanta Falcons have only lost to the New England Patriots.  The four teams that they have defeated are the Dolphins, Panthers, 49ers, and most recently the Bears.  How did the Patriots do it?  Are their clues in the numbers?

The following stats are the actual numbers of Atlanta’s opponents this year, including the stats of the one team that they were defeated by, the New England Patriots. 

Which number is the Patriots’ average yard gained per rush?

A)      4.3 – this one

B)      4.4

C)      5.8

D)     5.9

The other numbers belong to MIA, CAR, and SF.

Which number represents the Patriots’ yards passing versus Atlanta?

A)      277 – right here

B)      300

C)      308

The other numbers belong to CHI and CAR.

Which number represents Tom Brady’s quarterback rating versus Atlanta?

A)      82.2

B)      84.8

C)      87.1 – yep

But his stat is not a lot better than Delhomme or Pennington.

To me, the following numbers show more of the reason why NE defeated ATL.

Time of Possession:

A)      39:49 – NE

B)      33:54 – CHI

C)      29:07 – MIA

D)     28:28 – CAR

E)      23:31 – SF

In my opinion, NE won with slow, methodical, patient, clock-burning drives. 

Just take a look at several of the Patriots’ offensive drives:

Started at their own 16

Burned 8:39 off of the clock

15 plays

Kicked a 21 yard FG

Started at their own 27

Burned 3:36 off of the clock

12 plays

Kicked a 33 yard FG

Started at their own 17

Burned 5:59 off of the clock

13 plays

Kicked a 22 yard FG

Started at their own 15

Burned 6:59 off of the clock

16 plays

Kicked a 33 yard FG

Started at their own 22

Final drive of the 4th quarter and Atlanta never got the ball back

Burned 6:52 off of the clock

11 plays

Ended with a Brady “kneel down”

Another telling statistic:

Atlanta’s 3rd down conversion percentage on offense

A)      57% versus SF

B)      50% versus CAR

C)      42% versus CHI

D)     40% versus MIA

E)      Only 22% versus NE

Of the 9 opportunities that ATL had 3rd down versus NE:

1.       3rd and 7 converted on a 21 yard pass

2.       3rd and 3 – inc

3.       3rd and 7 – inc

4.       3rd and 3 – inc

5.       3rd and 3 converted on an 11 yard pass

6.       3rd and 18 – only got 13 on a pass

7.       3rd and 14 – only got 7 on a pass

8.       3rd and 3 – inc

9.       3rd and 4 – inc

I know there's more than one way to "skin a cat" but the NE method was......

1) On Defense - keep ATL from converting on 3rd down

2) On Offense - be patient, eat up the clock, and keep Matt Ryan on the bench

Do the Cowboys need to replicate this approach, or create their own way to defeat Atlanta?

I'd like to begin by inserting a quote from Mike Fisher's post from Oct 7 titled Fish on Football Wednesday Notes: Good-Looking Brooking.  (By the way, I've really been enjoying his writings and I think he adds a "new twist" to BTB.)

Here is the quote:

Dallas faced a third-and-14 from its own 22. Is this when you "gun-sling it''? (Heck, you are NOT going to convert on third-and-14 against a solid Denver defense. You just aren't.) Or is this when you use McBriar to play some push-me/pull-you field position, to move the Broncos way back south? (Yessir. That is what you do. We all boo when our team runs a third-and-14 draw play, but that is what you do.) Dallas opted for Plan A. The Cowboys lineup in the shotgun and they put Choice in motion meaning Romo is in an empty backfield. Here comes a blindside safety blitz - quite possible dictated by the empty backfield - and Renaldo Hill records the sack and the forced fumble. Seconds later, what was 10-0 and a long Denver field is 10-7 and the Broncos have their free touchdown and their 4-0 confidence. Third-and-14 from your own 22, people.

The looming question in my mind, after watching that dreadful play, and then reading Mike's assessment on Wednesday, is this:  Was the play bad because it was the wrong play for that situation, or was the play bad because it was not executed correctly by the players?

Opinions will come down on both sides of the fence.  Some saying it was Garrett's fault and he should have never called that play in that situation (this is Mike's argument, and I partly believe it.)  Others will say that the lost fumble was Romo's fault for not "feeling" the pass rush, suggesting that he should have thrown the ball away if no receiver was open.  Others will lay the blame on the offensive line, suggesting that if they would have known their assignments and properly executed them, the "sack-fumble" would have never happened.  Maybe some will blame the wide receivers for not getting open in time for Romo to complete the pass.  (Truth known - it was probably a combination of all these factors.)

Let me insert here that I researched all of Week 4's games wondering how other teams handle 3rd and very long situations.  I knew that it would be difficult to find another team with a similar situation to  Dallas' 3rd and 14 at their own 22, facing a tough defense like Denver's.  But I thought it would be worth a shot in the dark.

Four teams had a bye week: ARI, ATL, CAR, and PHI

Of the remaining 28 teams, only IND did not find themselves in a 3rd down with 10 or more yards needed for a 1st down. (Is that a compliment to the IND offense or a strike against the SEA defense?)

So 27 teams had at least one opportunity to run an offensive play from 3rd and 10 or longer.  Here are my findings:

Total number of plays 3rd and 10 or longer in week 4 in the NFL = 109

Of the 109 plays, 91 resulted in a pass (83.5%) and 18 resulted in a run (16.5%)

Consider first the 91 passes: 31 were incomplete, 28 were complete but not for a 1st down, 15 were complete resulting in a first down, 11 were sacks, 3 resulted in touchdowns, 3 resulted in interceptions.

Of the 18 runs: 2 were scrambles by the QB, 3 were "kneel downs" at the end of the game.

Of the remaining 13 runs: 2 of them were executed by a winning team within the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter in an attempt to burn time off of the clock. And 6 of them were ran DEEP near their own end zone (on the 4, 6, 11, 11, 12, and 13 yard line.)  The final 5 runs took place in better field position and never resulted in a first down. 

None of the 18 runs resulted in a first down.  It is obvious that most teams do attempt to pass the ball in 3rd and very long situations unless they are pinned DEEP near their own end zone.  Would you consider the 22 yard line too deep in your own territory to attempt a pass, thereby settling for a short run on 3rd and very long, knowing that you are going to punt on 4th down?  I guess it is a judgment call.  Some would pass, others would run.

Fellow-blogger rangerjake had this to say in response to this same conversation on Mike's original post on Wednesday:

My opinion is...

if you can’t occassionaly trust your quarterback to attempt to pick up a 3rd and 14 without having the intelligence to avoid a complete disaster, you need a new quarterback. Check for an open guy, if it’s not there throw it away. You have to be able to pick up a 3rd and 14 at some point during the game, big plays lead to points, and throwing away a possession just because you’re at 3rd and 14 is bad football. But having a quarterback who is going to risk a stupid stupid turnover in that scenario is going to cost you a lot of football games. - by rangerjake on Oct 8, 2009 6:22 PM EDT

I'm having some difficulty trying to determine if the pass play was the right call or not on that unfortunate 3rd and 14 at the 22.  

What do you think?

(By the way, I never did find a similar situation of a team up in points, near their 20 yard line, against a very tough defense, on 3rd down with 10 or more yards for a 1st - but it was worth a try.)

Have you seen the movie Apollo 13?  I have, and am inspired with American patriotism each time I watch it.  You might remember that, in some ways, Apollo 13 was a failed mission; the three astronauts could not land on the moon after sustaining a crippling explosion. Thus pilot Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks) said, “Houston…we have a problem.”  This idiom has since been used by many of us to say, “Something is wrong here.”  That’s what I felt like saying after Sunday night’s debacle at JerryWorld.

Priority one, as Apollo 13 returned to Earth was to get the astronauts home safely, but the odds were against them.  The challenge was to carefully execute an essential, mid-course correction so as not to enter the earth’s atmosphere at the wrong angle, incinerating the ship and crew.

An answer to the problem was found after some frenzied but brilliant brainstorming.  An exercise in remarkable teamwork between the people at the Johnson Center in Houston and the astronauts, determined that a thirty-nine second “burn” of the thrusters was needed in order to get back on the correct course.  It resulted in a safe splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.  Mission accomplished.

I hope that Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett are doing some “brilliant brainstorming.”  I do not feel that the Dallas Cowboy players have lost their “vital optimism” in spite of last week’s let-down.  The team chemistry that was so desperately missing last year seems to be in place for the moment and is helping the disappointed team to focus on the upcoming challenge (the Carolina Panthers,) rather than sulk in the failures of last week. 

History is on our side.

In 2007, Tony Romo’s passer rating for game 5 was an abysmal 49.9 but the following week improved to 91.0.  Again in 2008, Romo’s quarterback rating for week 14 was 44.9, but he rebounded seven days later with a great game (113.7).  Last week his rating was 29.6.  

If Romo follows suit (as his history seems to suggest) he should have an outstanding game versus Carolina on Monday night.  Perhaps the Panther defense falls victim to his resurgence.

Now Wade also has to make proper adjustments for his fledgling secondary, and unleash his defensive fury in the blitzkrieg style that he is known for.  I’m hopeful that both units (offense and defense) pick up their game this week and we head into Denver on week 4 with a 2-1 record.

If not, it may take more than a “thirty-nine second burn of the thrusters” to get the Cowboys back on course.

When I was about 11 years old, I remember watching a certain running back excel on 3rd downs for my beloved Cowboys.  His name: Preston Pearson.  The year: 1975.  After playing for the Colts and Steelers early in his career, he came to Dallas in ’75 and retired six years later in ’80 after a total of 14 years in the NFL.

Preston Pearson was widely known as the player who defined the position of a "3rd Down Back," a novelty in those days.  At the end of his career he had rushed for over 3,600 yards and had nearly 3,100 yards receiving.  He was an adept runner with great receiving skills, which made him a valued commodity on the Cowboy’s offense, especially on crucial 3rd down plays. Even though the opposition knew he was going to get the ball on 3rd down, it seemed to me that they could rarely stop him from "moving the chains."

I’ve been interested to see if Jason Garrett is planning on using Tashard Choice in the Preston Pearson role.   Thus far, in this very short season, the Cowboys have had 21 "3rd-Down" opportunities.  And no player has touched the ball more on 3rd-Down than Tashard Choice (6 times.)  I hope the trend continues, and that he becomes every bit the terror to modern defenses, that Preston was "back in the day."

Here’s a breakdown:

Tashard Choice

3rd and 4 – ran for 7 yards (1st down)

3rd and 7 – reception for 5 yards

3rd and 20 – reception for 1 yard

3rd and 3 – reception for 3 yards (1st down)

3rd and 3 – ran for 5 yards (1st down)

3rd and 10 – ran for 3 yards (deep near our endzone – McBriar needed punting space)

While I’m on the subject of 3rd down conversions, let me mention that so far this year on 3rd down Romo has thrown the ball 15 times:

4 times to Crayton  = 0 conversions

2 times to R. Williams = 0 conversions

2 times to Bennett = 0 conversions

3 times to Choice = 1 conversion

4 times to Witten = 4 conversions

*Every time Romo has thrown to Witten on 3rd down it was converted to a 1st down or a Touchdown.

The Cowboys have been in 3rd and short 9 times (4 yards or less)

5 times they passed – converted 3 of them

4 times they ran – converted all 4 of them (Choice twice, Barber once, Romo once)

*Every time the Cowboys have run the ball on 3rd and short they have converted to a 1st down or Touchdown.

Here’s to Tashard Choice becoming the next Preston Pearson = cheers!!

Yesterday I heard Gil Brandt on Sirius NFL radio make a statement that lit a candle of hope inside of me.  And I needed a little hope after that debacle that I watched Sunday night. 

Mr. Brandt, who I have the utmost respect for, and who is affectionately referred to as the “Godfather” on Sirius, said that since 2002 forty-eight teams that started the season with an 0-2 record, or a 1-1 record, still made the playoffs.  Gil added that 57% of the teams with a 1-1 record or less, made the playoffs since 2002.

Then the Godfather said to all the NFL fans listening, that if your favorite team stands at 1-1 or 0-2, you still have greater than 50% chance of making the playoffs.

Once I got home, I verified his statement by checking all the records since 2002, and he is right.

I took his thought a little further and also determined that, during that same time period, 12 of the 28 teams that made it to the Conference Championship Game, began their season with a 1-1 record or less.

And even more encouraging is the fact that in:

2002 – Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl (and started the season with a 1-1 record)

2003 – New England won the Super Bowl (and started the season with a 1-1 record)

2005 – Seattle lost the Super Bowl (and started the season with a 1-1 record)

2007 – New York Giants won the Super Bowl (and started the season with an 0-2 record)

Thank you, Mr. Brandt, I for one needed to hear that.

Look at Williams' Scouting Report from:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1256306

Rd 3 - #5(69) Jason Williams (OLB) W Illinois

Height 6-1

Weight 241

Ranked 7th among OLB in draft

Projected Round 2-3

Williams was a terror in opposing backfields since shifting to weak-side linebacker from strong safety as a sophomore. In each of his last three seasons, he ranked among the nation's leaders in forced fumbles and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. 

He has the quickness of a safety dropping back in zone coverage and is an above-average player in the open field with suddenness to close.  He is a quick study taking plays from the chalkboard to the field. He prepares well and understands assignments. 

Williams is a blue-chip prospect with a blue-collar work ethic. He is a self-starter who puts in the extra hours in the weight room and film room. He has no known off-field issues.  Williams plays to the whistle.  Williams is a solid wrap-up tackler.  

Compares To: JAMES HARRISON, Pittsburgh -- This is high praise for an unknown player, but the more film scouts watch on Williams, the more they will notice he has the "it" factor.

It looks like he fits the bill for:

1) hard working, tough players

2) football smarts

How awesome would it be if he turns out to be another James Harrison?

Ok, Jerry invites you into the "War Room" on draft day.  He looks a little worried; some of the players he was hoping for are off the board.  Tom Ciskowski reviews the remaining top players with you.  Jason Garrett is putting pressure on you for offensive help, but Wade Phillips reminds you that the defense has been suspect.

Then without any further discussion, Jerry Jones, looks you in the eye and says, "You make the call!"

Immediately following the 2009 NFL draft, football analyst, coaches, and arm-chair quarterbacks will give a draft grade to all 32 teams.

We all read them and either agree or disagree.

Truth is, a draft class shouldn't really be graded until about 3 years later.

So maybe now we can actually give an accurate grade to our 2006 Draftees.  Potentially, each player has had 3 years to develop and produce for his team.

Following is a list of each player drafted in the NFC East in 2006.  The stats that follow their names represent their 2008 season.

DAL

R1 - 18 Bobby Carpenter (LB) - 13 games, 0 starts, 13 tackles

R2 - 53 Anthony Fasano (TE) - MIA

R3 - 92 Jason Hatcher (DE) - 16 games, 0 starts, 17 tackles

R4 - 125 Skyler Green (WR) - NO

R5 - 138 Pat Watkins (FS) - 8 games, 0 starts, 21 tackles

R6 - 182 Montavious Stanley (DT) - NO

R7 - 211 Pat McQuistan (G) - 16 games, 0 starts

R7 - 224 E.J. Whitley (C) - not in the NFL

• 8 draftees
• 4 players still on team = 53 games, 0 starts
• 3 players on another team
• 1 player not in NFL

PHI

R1 - 14 Brodrick Bunkley (DT) - 16 games, 16 starts, 47 tackles

R2 - 39 Winston Justice (OT) - 5 games, 0 starts

R3 - 71 Chris Gocong (DE) - 16 games, 12 starts, 59 tackles

R4 - 99 Max Jean-Gilles (G) - 12 games, 10 starts

R4  - 109 Jason Avant (WR) - 15 games, 6 starts, 32 rec, 377 yds, 2 TDs

R5 - 147 Jeremy Bloom (WR) - not in NFL

R5 - 168 Omar Gaither (OLB) - 16 games, 10 starts, 59 tackles, 2.5 sacks

R6 - 204 LaJuan Ramsey (DT) - TEN

• 8 draftees
• 6 players still with team = 80 games, 54 starts
• 1 player with another team
• 1 player not in NFL

NYG

R1 - 32 Mathias Kiwanuka (DE) - 16 games, 16 starts, 51 tackles, 8 sacks

R2 -44 Sinorice Moss (WR) - 10 games, 0 starts, 12 rec, 153 yds, 2 TDs

R3 - 96 Gerris Wilkinson (ILB) - 8 games, 5 starts, 10 tackles

R4 - 124 Barry Cofield (DT) - 15 games, 15 starts, 43 tackles, 3 sacks

R4 - 129 Guy Whimper (OT) - 16 games, 0 starts

R5 - 158 Charlie Peprah (SS) - GB

R7 - 232 Gerrick McPhearson (CB) - Not in NFL

• 7 draftees
• 5 players still with team = 65 games, 36 starts
• 1 player on another team
• 1 player not in NFL

WAS (edited)

R2 - 35 Rocky McIntosh (OLB) - 16 games, 15 starts, 87 tackles, 2 sacks

R5 - 153 Anthony Montgomery (DT) - 14 games, 6 starts, 23 tackles, 2 sacks

R6 - 173 Reed Doughty (SS) - 4 games, 3 starts, 19 tackles

R6 - 196 Kedric Golston (DT) - 13 games, 12 starts, 19 tackles, 2 sacks

R7 - 230 Kili Lefotu (G) - Not in NFL

R7 - 250 Kevin Simon (ILB) - Not in NFL

• 6 draftees
• 4 players still with team = 47 games, 36 starts
• 3 players not in NFL

What grade would you give each NFC East team for its 2006 draft, in 2009?

I've never been to Cowboys game live :(

But that's gonna change this year :)

I know almost nothing in regard to the best way to get game tickets, etc.  I'm a complete novice at this, and that's why I'm asking you guys for help.

Let me ask a few questions, and any advise you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

1) How many days ahead do I need to secure tickets?

2) What in the world is "seat option price" compared to "ticket price?"

3) Is traffic a huge problem? Should I get to the stadium an hour early? two hours, early? or what?

4) Are there "bad seats" that I should really shy away from? endzone seats? upper deck seat?

5) Are there pre-game or post-game events that I need to plan on seeing?

6) Are there hotels close to the stadium? within walking distance?

7) My family (including a 10 year old son) will be with me, are there areas for "family seating?"

8) Is the food in the stadium extremely expensive?

There are probably other questions I'll come up with later, but any info you can give will help considerably - thanks.

My goal with this present research was to find out if “shorter” receivers had more success against our defense last year than “taller” receivers; and to look ahead at 2009’s schedule to preview the receivers that our CBs have to cover this year.

Here’s the breakdown from last year:

95 different players caught passes versus the DAL defense in 2008

49 WRs, 27 RBs, and 19 TEs

I hope to offer a future post on the RBs and TEs, but for now, let’s focus on the WRs.

I decided to break down the WRs into three categories:

Shorter – up to 5’11

Medium – 6’0” to 6’2

Taller – 6’3 and above

The shortest WRs we faced last year were 5’8”

NYG – S Moss, STL – D Hall, CIN – A Chatman

The tallest WR we faced last year was 6’5”

NYG – P Burress

Shorter WRs                                       Medium WRs                                     Taller WRs

18 players                                            20 players                                            11 players

87 receptions                                     68 receptions                                     32 receptions

1081 yards                                           839 yards                                             366 yards

12.4 yards per rec                            12.3 yards per rec                            11.4 yards per rec

4 TDs                                                     5 TDs                                                     2 TDs

Observations:

We faced NEARLY TWICE as many short wrs (18) as tall wrs (11)

The short wrs caught NEARLY THREE TIMES as many passes (87) as the tall wrs (32)

The short wrs gained NEARLY THREE TIMES as many yards (1081) as the tall wrs (366)

The short wrs also caught TWICE as many TDs (4) and the tall wrs (2)

Fact:

Our CBs need to be able to cover short to medium WRs MORE THAN medium to tall WRs.

Our current CBs:

Allan Ball – 6’1” (medium)

Mike Hawkins - 6’1” (medium)

Terence Newman – 5’11” (shorter)

Orlando Scandrick – 5’10” (shorter)

Mike Jenkins – 5’10” (shorter)

Per this year’s schedule we have to cover:

These shorter WRs (up to 5’11”)

NYG – S Smith (two games)

PHI – D Jackson (two games)

WAS – S Moss (two games)

WAS – A Randle El (two games)

TB – J Galloway

CAR – S Smith

DEN – E Royal

SEA – D Branch

GB – G Jennings

OAK – J Higgins

SD – C Chambers

NO – D Henderson

And these taller WRs (6’3” and up)

DEN – B Marshall

ATL – M Jenkins

SD – V Jackson

NO – M Colston

(*Some of these players may be traded to other teams; after the draft we may have to add new receivers to either list.)

The point again is that our CBs must be able to cover the short, shifty, speedy wide-outs MORE THAN the taller, more physical ones if we are to have success shutting down the aerial attack, especially in the "pass-happy" NFL that we live in right now.

As far as the Draft goes, I would prefer that DAL pick mid-to-late-round CBs to fit the bill:

6’0” – Keenan Lewis (Oregon St) 40 time = 4.49

6’0” – Kevin Barnes (Maryland) 40 time = 4.45

6’0” – Mike Mickens (Cincinnati) 40 time = 4.57

6’0” – Jason McCourty (Rutgers) 40 time = 4.30

6’0” – Bradley Fletcher (Iowa) 40 time = 4.44

5’11” – Victor Harris (Virginia Tech) 40 time = 4.46

5’11” - Greg Toler (St Paul) 40 time = 4.35 (hand timed)

5’11” – Glover Quin (New Mexico) 40 time = 4.54

5’11” – DeAngelo Willingham (Tenn) 40 time = 4.46

5’10” – Joe Burnett (Central FL) 40 time = 4.51

5’10” – Lardarius Webb (Nichols St) 40 time = 4.46

5’10” – Brandon Hughes (Oregon St) 40 time = 4.50

Do you think any of these CBs could help us, now or in the near future, in shutting down smaller, speedier WRs? 

Or perhaps you have other CBs on your draft board that fit the bill?

Writer Aaron Schatz, believes that the idea of “establishing the run” is merely a MYTH in the NFL.  Here’s a direct quote, read it and see if you agree or not.

You run when you win, not win when you run. 

If we could only share one piece of anti-conventional wisdom with you before you read the rest of our book, this would be it.  The first article ever written for Football Outsiders was devoted to debunking the myth of “establishing the run.”  There is no correlation whatsoever between giving your running backs a lot of carries early in the game and winning the game.  Just running the ball is not going to help a team score; it has to run successfully.  - Aaron Schatz (Pro Football Prospectus 2008; page vii)

Later in the same article Aaron Schatz says,

In general, winning teams have a lot of carries because their running backs are running out the clock at the end of wins, not because they are running wild early in games.

Do you agree or disagree?

Just like you, I’ve heard a lot about the 2009 Cowboys planning to run the ball more on offense with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, in order to relieve some of the pressure put on Quarterback Tony Romo.  But simply running more isn’t the answer, running successfully is!

Perhaps the Cowboys need to run 3 or 4 times more per game.  We ran 401 times in 2008, if we added 3 or 4 more runs per game we’d be in the top 10 for rushing attempts.  But I’m not sure that is the real answer.

What would you consider “successful rushing?"

We currently have 11 picks.  Raf suggested in one of his posts that we would have a good draft if we could just hit on FOUR players that are starters or “keepers.”

I want to narrow the field to ONE. 

(Of course I’d like to “HIT” on four or more draftees, but for the sake of conversation….)

I’m not after a certain “PLAYER” in this post, but focused on “POSITION.”

I know this goes against the conventional wisdom to draft the best player available.  And many times, I believe drafting the best player available is exactly what we ought to do.

But after the draft, training camp, and preseason; and as we get into the first few games of the regular season ; if only ONE of our draftees make an IMPACT on our team, which POSITION would you want that draftee to play?

Would you want an impact SAFETY (regardless of the player’s name?)

How about a starting rookie GUARD that ends up in the Pro Bowl?

Would you prefer a drafted WIDE RECEIVER who becomes rookie of the year?

Or maybe a NOSE TACKLE that anchors the D-line for the next 10 years?

If we could only HIT BIG on one position in the draft, what POSITION would most benefit the 2009 Dallas Cowboys?

When is the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game?

We all know the answer: 12 YEARS AGO

The Date: December 28, 1996

The Opponent: The Minnesota Vikings

The Score: DAL 40 - MIN 15

The Stars: Emmitt Smith (116 rushing) Michael Irvin (103 receiving)

Oh, how I long for those GOOD OLE’ DAYS again!

Next Question: 

When is the last time the Cowboys had a WINNING RECORD IN GAMES PLAYED IN DECEMBER?

Are you ready for this?  12 YEARS AGO

That’s right!  The last time we had a winning record in December is also the last time we won a playoff game.

Perhaps this disclaimer is needed: FOUR times since 1996 the regular season stretched into JAN of the following year; 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005.  In 2001 we won 3 games and lost 2 games in DEC, but the last game of the year, in early JAN, we lost. So the “after NOV” record was still 3-3 and in my opinion doesn’t qualify as closing the year with a WINNING STREAK.

So for the last TWELVE YEARS we have not closed out the year with a WINNING RECORD of the games played after NOV.

Some of those years our win-loss record was so bad, that EVEN IF we had won the DEC games, we would have missed the playoffs (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004)

A few other years, we were AT LEAST in the playoff picture entering into DEC (1997, 1999.)

However, FIVE different years (1998, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008) if we had won the DEC games, we would have definitely been in the playoffs.  In other words, we controlled our own destiny and failed.

Consider:

1998 – we entered DEC at 8-4. 

2003 – we entered DEC at 8-4. 

2005 – we entered DEC at 7-4. 

2006 - we entered DEC at 7-4. 

2008 – we entered DEC at 8-4.  

Our DEC record from 1997 through 2008 is 19 wins (36%) and 34 losses (64%).

Our DEC NEMESIS from 1997 through 2008:

We’ve lost to –

PHI 6 times in DEC

NYG 5 times

NO 5 times

From 1997 through 2008 we played 53 games “after November” in the regular season:

Away Games 29 – won only 15%

Home Games 24 – won only 20%

From 1997 through 2008 we’ve had a variety of coaches:

Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, and Wade Phillips

During the same time we’ve had a variety of Coaching styles, different Offensive and Defensive systems, different QBs, different key leaders, etc.

I struggle to find “the common denominator” to our 12 year DEC DEBACLE.

Maybe some people blame the coaches, while others blame key players.

I’ll need to do some more research to verify my inclinations.  But my thoughts, at least as of right now, is that by the time we get to DEC, we’ve encountered injuries to key players that have accumulated throughout the year, leaving us with lesser talented backup players late in the year.

If this inclination is true, perhaps the answer to our DEC woes can be solved by upgrading our backups, especially at key positions, so that the drop-off in talent is minimized barring injury.

Again, if this is true, then those mid-to-late-round draft picks, which often serve AS BACKUPS the first few years, are much more vital than some of us realize.

What do you think is the cause of our DECEMBER WOES ?

Kosier                          Procter                         Holland

Ht. 6-5                         Ht. 6-4                         Ht. 6-2

Wt. 305                       WT. 308                       Wt. 322

Age 30                         Age 26                         Age 28

Exp: 8 yrs                    Exp: 5 yrs                     Exp: 7 yrs

In 2008 @ LG

Procter started 11 games

Kosier started 3 games

Holland started 2 games

I know that a lot of different factors are involved, so that stats don't always tell the whole story.  In some games Romo was the QB, in others it was Johnson.  Some games MBIII started, other games it was Choice.  Some games were in the hot summer, others in the cold winter.  Some games on grass, some on turf.  Some games home, some away.  Some against stiff run defenses, other games against weaker run defenses....but here are the stats anyway:

Procter - 11 games - DAL's rushing attempts 259 for 1104 yards - average per rush 4.2

Kosier - 3 games - DAL's rushing attempts 92 for 498 yards - average per rush 4.4

Holland - 2 games - DAL's rushing attempts 50 for 211 yards - average per rush 4.2

Procter faced some tough run defenses: PHI twice, WAS, NYG twice, and BAL (all in the top 10 versus the run)

Kosier faced only one tough run defense: WAS (#8 versus run)

Holland faced only one tough run defense: PIT (#2 versus run)

What I don't know, is exactly how many sacks each player game up?

Pro Football Prospectus 2008 had this to say about Kosier one year ago: "Left guard Kyle Kosier is the weakest link on the line, but he gets by as a technician surrounded by great athletes."

Of these three (Kosier, Procter, and Holland), I'd rather see Kosier be the starter; but what I'd really like to see, is for us to draft BIG, ATHLETIC GUARD that can replace Kosier, protect Romo, and open wide holes for MBIII, Choice and Felix.

Any thoughts?

I know that this post is pre-draft, but let’s work with our current roster.  I took most of the names of the starters and replacements from this website:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/dal/depthchart

ASSUMING that these are our starters for Game 1 2009:

QB – Romo

RB – Barber

FB – Anderson

WR1 – Williams

LT – Adams

LG – Kosier

C – Gurode

RG – Davis

RT – Colombo

TE - Witten

WR2 – Austin (instead of Crayton)

LDE – Spears

NT – Ratliff

RDE – Olshansky

LOLB – Ellis

LILB – James

RILB – Brooking

ROLB – Ware

LCB – Newman

SS – Sensabaugh

FS – Hamlin

RCB - Jenkins

And ASSUMING that these are their primary backups:

QB - Kitna

RB – Choice (instead of Jones)

FB - Crosslin

WR1 – Hurd (instead of Austin)

LT - Free

LG - Proctor

C – Gibbons/Spanos (not listed on the above website)

RG - Holland

RT - McQuistan

TE - Bennett

WR2 – Crayton (instead of Stanback)

LDE - Dixon

NT - Siavii

RDE - Hatcher

LOLB - Spencer

LILB - Stewart

RILB - Carpenter

ROLB - Rogers

LCB - Ball

SS - Watkins

FS - Brown

RCB – Scandrick

Some positions are fairly covered with a backup:

QB - Kitna

RB – Choice

TE – Bennett

WR2 – Crayton

RDE – Hatcher

LOLB – Spencer

RCB - Scandrick

Other positions would be DISASTROUS with an injury to the starter:

Who would we have the most difficulty replacing in the event of a season ending injury to the starter?

Does the answer to that question dictate our draft picks this month?

What’s your opinion?

What were the MAJOR differences (statistically) between the 2008 Dallas Cowboys and the 12 teams that made the playoffs?

Was it the WIN / LOSS RECORD? Not really

PHI only bested DAL by ½ a game

ARI actually had the same record as DAL 9-7

Was the difference NET POINTS?  Nope

Even though some playoff teams had a very high NET POINT advantage, like

TEN (+141)

BAL (+141)

Other playoff teams had a much lower NET POINT accumulation, like

MIA (+28)

ARI (+1)

DAL at -3 was not very far removed from ARI.

Was the difference PASS COMPLETION PERCENTAGE?  no

Although some playoff teams had a high percentage

IND – 67.2%

MIA – 67.2%

Other playoff teams were much lower

MIN – 59.1%

TEN – 58.5%

So DAL, at 60.0% was in the ball park

Was the difference YARDS PER GAME? no

Between the high of ARI:  365.8 yards per game

And the low of PIT: 311.9 yards per game

DAL was in the middle: 344.5

Was the difference 3RD DOWN CONVERSION PERCENTAGES?  no

Between the high of IND: 50%

And the low of TEN: 36%

DAL was exactly in the middle: 43%

Was the difference TIME OF POSSESION?  no

Between the high of

BAL: 33 minutes 22 seconds

And the low of

IND: 28 minutes 39 seconds

DAL was in-between: 30 minutes 02 seconds per game

Was the difference SACKS ALLOWED?  no

Between the low of

TEN – 12 sacks allowed

And the high of

PIT – 49 sacks allowed

DAL was in the middle: 31 sacks allowed

I could continue with a long list of similar statistics that show that the Cowboys’ numbers looked like the numbers of the playoff teams: Rushing, Passing, Scoring, Quarterback Rating, Yards per Reception, Points Allowed, Plays From Scrimmage, Sacks Made, Tackles, etc.

The ONLY TWO AREAS that I see right now, statistically, that separated the Cowboys from the 12 playoff teams are:

PENALTIES and TURNOVER RATIO

First look at Penalties:

DAL led the league in number of Penalties: 119 for the year

How did the playoff teams do?

The 6 AFC playoff teams averaged: 94.6 penalties for the year (about 24 less than DAL)

The 6 NFC playoff teams averaged: 89.6 penalties for the year (about 29 less than DAL)

Second look at Turnover Ratio:

DAL was -11 and only SF (-17) and DEN (-17) were worse.  We were rated 30th in Turnover Ratio – Awful!

MIN (-6) and ATL (-3) were the only playoffs teams to be in the negative with turnover ratio.  The leaders were MIA (+17), TEN (+14), and BAL (+13).

The Cowboys fumbled the ball 29 times and lost 13 of them (4th WORSE in the league)

Romo fumbled 13 times and lost 8

Barber fumbled 7 times and lost 3

The Cowboys threw 20 INTs (2nd WORSE in the league)

Romo 14 INTs

Johnson 5 INTs

Bollinger 1 INT

The Cowboy Defense only Intercepted the ball 8 times all year (3rd WORSE in the league)

Newman 4 INTs

Hamlin 1 INT

Jenkins 1 INT

Henry 1 INT

Ellis 1 INT

However, the Cowboy Defense Recovered 14 Fumbles all year (5th BEST in the league)

Henry, James, and Ware were the only players with more than 1 recovery; they had 2 FUM RECs each

Simply put: if DAL can reduce its penalties and increase its turnover ratio the likelihood of making the playoffs is much greater.

Take a guess what these numbers represent:

119, 102, 83, 74, 57

These numbers represent the total number of penalties of five different teams last year.

57 – NE – the least penalized team in the league last year.

The other four numbers represent the NFC East teams:

74 – PHI

83 – WAS

102 – NYG

119 – DAL – the most penalized team in the league last year.

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT! THE COWBOYS WERE THE MOST PENALIZED TEAM IN THE LEAGUE LAST YEAR!

Over the last couple of days, I’ve taken the time to crunch the numbers and want to share with you what I found out.

I have divided the Cowboys penalties into GROUPS (OL, DL, LB, etc.)

First, let me give you these numbers:

The Offense was penalized 58 times (427 yards)

The Defense was penalized 42 times (343 yards)

The Special Teams were penalized 19 times (182 yards)

Here is the breakdown for each group with the player with the most penalty yards listed first.

The Offensive Line = 33 penalties (235 yards)

Adams - 13 for 85

Davis - 6 for 55

Columbo -  8 for 45

Gurode  - 3 for 30

Procter - 2 for 20

Kosier - 1 for 10

Observations:  Adams is the most penalized player on the team.  He was the first player in 2008 to be flagged, and it only took until the 6th play of the first game for him to get off on the wrong foot.  Of his 13 penalties, 9 of them were False Starts.  He had penalties in 11 different games.  On 9 of his penalties the offense did not get a first down after his gaff and either had to punt, settle for a long FG, or ended up with a turnover.  He single handedly stalled more drives than any other player on the 52 man roster.  Columbo is almost as bad, he had 6 False Starts.  By comparison, Gurode had 1, while Procter and Kosier had zero False Starts.

The Tight Ends and Wide Receivers = 15 penalties (109 yards)

Witten - 6 for 34

Owens - 2 for 25

Bennett - 3 for 23

Crayton - 1 for 10

Unnamed - 1 for 10

Curtis - 2 for 7

Observations:   I was a little surprised to see that of Witten’s 6 penalties, 4 of them were False Starts.  T.Owens had 2 penalties in the first game, and then went the next 15 games without a single infraction.

The Quarterbacks = 9 penalties (68 yards)

Romo - 8 for 63

Johnson - 1 for 5

Observations: Romo had 4 Intentional Groundings, and 4 Delay of Games.

The Running Backs = 1 penalty (15 yards)

Barber - 1 for 15

Observations:  The RBs are the least penalized group on the team.  Barber had 1 Face Mask call for 15 yards.  There were no other gaffs in this group.  Great concentration guys!  Keep up the good work!

The Defensive Line = 16 penalties (108 yards)

Ratliff - 5 for 44

Johnson - 4 for 35

Spears - 4 for 19

Hatcher - 2 for 10

Canty - 0 for 0

Observations:  Notice that Canty was never penalized the whole year (and now he belongs to the NYGs.)  10 of the 16 DL penalties were Offsides, Encroachment, or Neutral Zone Infractions.  To be a part-time sub, Tank Johnson had more penalties than most of the DL starters.

The Linebackers = 12 penalties (66 yards)

Ware - 5 for 25

James - 2 for 20

Ellis - 4 for 16

Spencer - 1 for 5

Z.Thomas - 0 for 0

Observations:  Notice that Z.Thomas was never penalized in 2008 (and now has been replaced by Brooking.)  All 5 of Ware’s penalties were Offsides and 2 of them came late in the season when he was approaching the sack record.

The Defensive Backs = 12 penalties (155 yards)

Newman - 2 for 44

Henry - 2 for 33

Davis - 1 for 21

Scandrick - 2 for 20

Jones - 2 for 16

Watkins - 1 for 15

Ball - 1 for 5

Hamlin - 1 for 1

Jenkins - 0 for 0

Observations:  Jenkins did not have a penalty while playing defense, but only when he was on Special Teams.  Hamlin was only penalized for 1 yard all year.  Henry never had another penalty after game 5.  Both of Newman’s infractions came late in the year (game 15 and 17.)

Also the Defense had 2 penalties by unnamed players, both of which were “12 men on the field.”

The Special Teams = 19 penalties (182 yards)

Watkins - 4 for 45

Carpenter - 3 for 25

Rogers - 2 for 20

Holland - 1 for 15

Octavien - 1 for 15

Jenkins - 2 for 12

Ladouceur - 1 for 10

Scandrick - 1 for 10

Brown - 1 for 10

Austin - 1 for 10

Folk - 1 for 5

Procter - 1 for 5

Observations: Watkins is the most penalized Special Teams player.  Counting his defensive penalty, he cost the team 5 infractions for 60 yards.  He can’t play Safety very well, and he is a liability on Special Teams.  I wouldn’t be disappointed if he fails to make the 52 man roster.  I don’t know what the average number of penalties for Special Teams is in the NFL, but 19 seems like a large number to me.  Perhaps with a new ST Coach, this will be an area of improvement.

Final Thoughts:

The following penalties should have all been avoided .

29 - False Starts (shared by the whole team) = nearly 145 total yards

18 - Offsides, Encroachment, and Neutral Zone Infractions = nearly 95 yards

10  - Roughing the Passer, Late Hits, Taunting, and Unnecessary Roughness = nearly 150 yards

4  - Illegal Formation / Illegal Motion penalties = 20 yards

Total “mental errors” = 61 penalties for nearly 410 yards.

Wade Phillips said he wants to bring some positive changes; how about start by eliminating all these penalties due to lack of concentration.  How many extra wins would we have had last year if we had been on the lower end of penalties instead of #1, on the top of the list?

Come on Wade, crack the whip!

From all I hear, and especially since TO is no longer a part of the offense, folks seem to think that the Cowboys O in 2009 will focus much more on the run game.  And I’m all for it!  I think it will help the team become, as they say, “Romo-friendly.”

Emphasizing the run should come naturally to a team that can boast the likes of Marion the Barbarian, Felix the Cat Jones, and Tashard the Right Choice.

Last year Barber ran for 885 yards (with limited playing time late in the season), Felix was good for 266 rushing yards (also with limited time due to injury) and Choice ran for 472 (as the backup when Barber went down.)  Both Jones and Choice averaged 5 yards or more per carry!

No one knows, at this point, what the ball distribution percentages will look like for our “Three-Headed-Monster” rushing attack this year.  It is not likely, in my opinion, that they all get equal carries.  My assumption would be that Barber still gets most of the carries, with Felix and Choice coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

When I first started watching NFL football, the year was 1971.  And of course, our beloved Cowboys won the Super Bowl, January 16, 1972 in New Orleans, defeating the Dolphins 24-3.

Let me point out, just briefly, the running attack employed by both Super Bowl contenders that year.

The Cowboys: Duane Thomas, Walt Garrison, and Calvin Hill

The Dolphins: Larry Csonka, Jim Kiick, and Mercury Morris

Both teams employed the “run by committee” strategy and it put them in the Super Bowl.

Through the years, many different teams have had excellent run games by focusing on a single workhorse of a runner.  Several examples come to mind:

Emmitt Smith

Walter Payton

Barry Sanders

Eric Dickerson

O.J. Simpson

Thurman Thomas

Jerome Bettis

Jamal Lewis

Adrian Peterson

LaDaninian Tomlinson

Other NFL teams have had success using the run-by-committee approach.

Just look at the 2008 season:

NYG – Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw (Ranked #1 Rushing)

BAL – Le’Ron McClain, Willis McGahee, and Ray Rice (Ranked #4 Rushing)

OAK – Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush (Ranked #10 Rushing)

DEN – Michael Pittman, Peyton Hills, and Tatum Bell (Ranked #12 Rushing)

TB – Warrick Dunn, Earnest Graham, and Cadillac Williams (Ranked #15 Rushing)

There may be other examples of run-by-committee not listed here, but these are the ones that I could think of right now.

Last year, by the end of the season, the Cowboys were only ranked #21 in rushing yards.  That should all change this year.

With the new emphasize on running this year, and with our run-by-committee approach in full swing from game one, I am predicting that our running game ends up in the top 10 for 2009, which I’m hoping helps to land us a playoff spot. 

If all goes well, Romo should not feel like he has to carry the burden of making things happen, forcing balls to TO, or scrambling around and wildly throwing balls up for grabs because of another 3rd and long situation.  The improvement of the run game, should put us in more 3rd and short opportunities.

I, for one, believe that our run-by-committee approach can and should work!

In my research, I reviewed all 16 games played by the Cowboys last year “play by play!”  I limited my research to answer the following criteria, separately for when Brian Stewart called the plays (first 7 games) and when Wade Phillips called the plays (last 9 games):

1.       Win / Loss Record

2.       Points Scored by Opponents

3.       Home / Away Record

4.       Number of Turnovers  Created

5.       Number of Defensive Plays Resulting in Negative Yards

6.       Number of Sacks

7.       Number of Plays Allowed Over 20 Yards (Big Plays)

8.       Opposing QB Game Ratings Compared to Their Full-Season Ratings

After reviewing every defensive play the Cowboys played last year, I now have the statistical answers to the 8 questions listed above.

I believe that Brian Stewart called the plays for the defense in the first 7 games of the season, and Wade Phillips called the plays in the remaining 9 games.

My Observations:

When Wade Calls the Plays – The Pros

1.       The Cowboys won a greater percentage of games

2.       The opponents scored 3 points less per game

3.       The defense created nearly double the turnovers

4.       The defense created nearly double the number of plays with negative yards

5.       The defense got nearly double the number of sacks

6.       The opposing QBs played closer to their seasonal average ratings

When Wade Calls the Plays – The Cons

1.       The defense allowed a greater number of Big Plays

2.       The defense was penalized for huge losses much more of the time

Here is the breakdown:

1.       Win / Loss Record

Brian Stewart: 4 Wins / 3 Losses

                (Wins: CLE, PHI, GB, CIN – Losses: WAS, ARI, STL)

Wade Phillips: 5 Wins / 4 Losses

                (Wins: TB, WAS, SF, SEA, NYG – Losses: NYG, PIT, BAL, PHI)

Winning Percentage:

Brian Stewart: 75%

Wade Phillips: 80%

2.       Points Scored By Opponents

Brian Stewart – 175 total – an average of 25 points per game

Wade Phillips – 190 total – an average of 21 points per game

3.       Home / Away Record

Brian Stewart – Home (2-1 or 66%) - Away (2-2 or 50%)

Wade Phillips – Home (4-1 or 80%) – Away (1-3 or 33%)

4.       Number of Turnovers Created

Brian Stewart – 6 (an average of 0.8 per game)

Wade Phillips – 14 (an average of 1.5 per game)

5.       Number of Defensive Plays Resulting in Negative Yards

Brian Stewart – 31 (an average of 4.4 per game)

Wade Phillips – 65 (an average of 7.2 per game)

6.       Number of Sacks

Brian Stewart – 20 (an average of 2.8 per game)

Wade Phillips – 37 (an average of 4.1 per game)

7.       Number of Plays Allowed Over 20 Yards (Big Plays)

Brian Stewart – 17 (an average of 2.4 per game) – breakdown: 3 runs, 14 passes

Wade Phillips – 30 (an average of 3.3 per game) – breakdown: 6 runs, 24 passes

Also, not included in these 47 Big Plays:

Under Brian Stewart – the defense committed 1 penalty resulting in more than 20 yards

Under Wade Phillips – the defense committed 5 penalties resulting in more than 20 yards each

8.       Opposing QB Game Ratings Compared to Their Full-Season Ratings

Let me explain:

In Brian Stewart’s 7 games we faced the following QBs

Anderson (CLE)

McNabb (PHI) 

Rodgers (GB)

Campbell (WAS)

Palmer (CIN)

Warner (ARI)

Bulger (STL)

The average of these 7 QBs ratings in the DAL games was 94.9, but the average for these 7 QBs ratings for the season was 80.8

The point being – Stewart’s Defense allowed QBs to play better than their seasonal averages.

In Wade Phillip’s 9 games we faced the following QBs

Garcia (TB)

Manning (NYG 1st game)

Campbell (WAS)

Hill (SF)

Hasselback (SEA)

Roethesburger (PIT)

Manning (NYG 2nd game)

Flacco (BAL)

McNabb (PHI)

The average QB rating of these 8 QBs in the 9 DAL games was 83.9, but the average for these 8 QBs ratings for the season was 82.0

Under Phillips opposing QBs didn't excel as they did when facing Stewart.

Final Thought:

One of the most staggering disappointments is the number of passes 30  yards or more on our defense, either with Stewart or Phillips calling the shots.

McNabb to Jackson – 61 yards

Rodgers to Driver – 50 yards

Campbell to Moss – 53 yards

Warner to Fitzgerald – 39 yards

Bulger to Avery – 42 yards

Garcia to Smith – 34 yards

Hill to Bruce – 34 yards

Hill to Davis – 47 yards

Hill to Zeigler – 30 yards

Hasselback to Carlson – 33 yards

Roethesburger to Holmes – 47 yards

McNabb to Buckhalter – 59 yards

Even though our defense puts up a lot of sacks, it isn’t stopping the big pass play!

Until this problem is solved (via the draft or otherwise) it is hard to see us making a lot of noise in the playoffs or going to the Big Dance.

Height: 6-6

Weight: 265

Age: 22

College: Texas A&M

Experience: 2nd Year

Stats for 2008

Rec: 20

Yds: 283

Avg: 14.2

TDs: 4

The ball was thrown to Bennett 27 times in 2008 and he caught 20 of them; that’s 74%.

Romo threw to Bennett 17 times, he caught 11 of them.

Johnson threw to Bennett 5 times; he caught all 5 of them.

Bollinger threw to Bennett 5 times; he caught 4 of them.

Week 7 was Bennett’s “coming out” party.  Verses the Rams he caught 2 passes for 67 yards and 1 TD from B.Johnson. 

Week 1-6 Bennett was thrown to 8 times by Romo and caught only 3 of them for 57 yards; 5 were incomplete.  A little bit of a rocky start.

Week 7-9 (when Romo was injured) Bennett came into his own.  During those three games he was thrown to 9 times and caught 8 of them for 124 yards.  By this time Garrett had his number.

So when Romo was back on the field in week 11 (week 10 was a bye) his next three passes to Bennett all go for TDS!!! 25 yards, 1 yard, and 16 yards.

Notice this: From week 11 to week 17, after Romo’s return, Bennett was thrown to 10 times and caught 9 of them.  I like those sticky hands!

Here is a breakdown of his attempted receptions (complete and incomplete):

10  - Short right

9 - Short left

3 - Deep middle

2 - Deep left

2 - Deep right

1 – Short mid

It is obvious that the short right and left passes represent his main target zone.

However, some of his TDs come on those DEEP passes both right and left.

Bennett was only charged with 3 penalties all year:

1 false start; which happen to be on a 4th and 1 verses STL; we had to settle for a FG.

2 holding calls

Bennett was also used on a Reverse – he handed the ball to TO in week 11.

In 2008, he caught balls all over the field, right, left, middle, short, long, in the flat, on screens, etc.

The farther into the season he got, his hands were like glue, he caught 17 of the last 19 balls thrown to him.

I can hardly wait to see how much better he becomes in 2009.  With Bennett and Witten on the field at the same time, what are opposing defenses going to do?

In the last 3 years TO's per game average is:

5.0 receptions for 76.3 yards

Can Roy duplicate those numbers?

Here's a comparison:  How did the Giants manage to replace Plaxico Burress, Eli's number one receiver, for 7 games in 2008?  Answer: D.Hixon stepped up and became Eli's number one receiver.  Look at the stats:

Last four years for Plaxico Burress per game average:

4.3 receptions for 65.7 yards (1 rec of 11 yards less than TO)

In the 7 games in 2008 when Plaxico didn't play, Hixon became Eli's number one target and averaged per game:

4.5 receptions for 64.7 yards (almost identical with Plax)

What the Giants lost in Plax, they replaced with Hixon (statistically).

How did Roy Williams do his last three years in Detroit?

He played in 33 games; caught 163 balls for 2380 yards.  What is his per game average:

4.9 receptions for 72.1 yards (as the "go to guy")

Roy's numbers as the "go to guy" are better than TO's, Plaxico's or Hixon's.

Do you think Dallas will be able to replace TO's numbers with Roy, like the Giants replaced Plaxico's numbers with Hixon?

QB (We need a back up to Romo)

Rex Grossman

Kyle Boller

Charlie Batch

Kerry Collins

J.P. Losman

Patrick Ramsey

WR (If TO doesn’t return)

T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Sam Hurd

OL (We need help here badly)

Mike Goff

Jordan Gross

Mark Tauscher

Tra Thomas

DL (Need run stuffers and pass rushers)

Julius Peppers – just imagine him in front of Ware

Albert Haynesworth – big run stuffer

Terrell Suggs

Chris Canty

Tank Johson – please, no

LB (Got to have some inside help)

Ray Lewis – what a beast!

Eric Barton

Karlos Dansby

Bart Scott

Jonathan Vilma

DB (Love to have a good Safety)

Nnamdi Asomugha

Mike Brown

Brian Dawkins

Dawan Landry

Dunta Robinson