First, a notice:

I'm not giving up on the season, some people may say: "who have the Cowboys beat other than a bunch of nobodies and the Eagles?".

That has everything to do with perception. At the time of the games the Eagles and Falcons were winning teams, right now the Eagles are the only +.500 team that the Cowboys have beat, losing to San Diego, New York (x2, ouch), Green Bay and Denver.

But there's a thing in there, the Cowboys had their chances to take the games away from their opponents, for whatever reason they didn't, but they were in position. It isn't as if they were blown out of the water.

They have a couple of opportunities to beat +.500 teams in the near future and I think that they're capable, they've shown that they are.

Head Coaching candidate:

Leslie Frazier, D.C. Minnesota.

Everything that I've read about the dude makes me think that he's perfect for the job... He likes size on his defense (we have size on spades); he's strict, likes to be in control and his players love him (a plus, a plus and a plus); likes to blitz and knows how to hide it (he coached under Jim Johnson in Philly for a few years); and he's well versed on the Tampa-2 and Cover-2 schemes (the Cowboys have used the cover-2 efficiently as of late, having 2 Safeties with legs helps).

No, I'm not saying that the defense is going to move from the 3-4 to a 4 man front scheme, or that they should, look at Coach Tomlin and the Steelers, he's a coach with a 4 man front defensive background that had 0 experience working with a 3-4, he just applied his knowledge of pressure and coverage with the knowledge of a well versed mind at D.C. (luckily for him he probably had the help of one of the most well versed 3-4 minds). I think that the Cowboys have that with Todd Grantham, who has the respect of the DLineman working under him and is a hard nosed and loud football coach.

Yeah, some of the Cowboys problems lie on the offense side, too... But I believe that a transfusion of new blood along the OLine will solve some of what ails the unit.

Oh, the irony...

Garrett relies to heavily with the pass? He's an idiot.

Garrett trusts his run blocking? He's an even bigger idiot.

Garrett is the definition of a scapegoat.

Let's play a game of scenarios: Garrett goes against the flux from the San Diego 4 yard line and goes pass in 1st and 2nd down for a couple of incompletions, goes run in 3rd and 4th down and fails to make it. Right now we would be hearing this:

"With the running game carrying the team as well as they did to that field position they forget that they can run all over the Chargers? Garrett again tried to be a smarter man that he is..."

The guy trusted the run blocking that moved his team to that field position, but the team failed, as usual, to make the proper push when it was needed the most. Is that his or the run blockers fault? In my book, if a RB gets hit or tackled at or behind the LOS is because someone screwed up.

And that's the story of the Cowboys OLine in the past 3 or 4 years.

We need a good OLine Draft, Football Gods.

Jason Garrett is the goat of the week.

The run was working! He doesn't seem to understand how Football works!

He should return to Football 101.

The sky is falling!

Romo's guilty! He always is! The best QB never to win a Playoff game (this one was too easy).

Finding scapegoats is easy.

Garrett quitted on the run even when it was working. Really? looking at the numbers, it's hard to agree...

Barber 13 yards in an off tackle run. Choice 11 yards in a direct snap. That's 24 yards of the total. The rest of the carries (9) went for a total of 21 yards. Feast or famine, with feast being the bullet in a single bullet Russian roulette...

Looking around the League, the teams that limit their opponents running games to a couple of good plays and mostly famine are the ones that rule the League stats. That's what the Cowboys have been doing.

Grant having a couple of good carries but his average was bellow 4 yards per.

McCoy had a 17 yarder, other than that he had 37 yards in 12 carries.

Etcetera.

The Packer wanted to stop the run and rush Romo along the way by clogging and shoothing through gaps in a 6 or 7 man line.

The Cowboys need a focused OLine.

The Cowboys continue to have problems with speed, if a team has a good pass rusher in the middle as an opposing Defensive Coordinator I would have him shooting through any inside gap between Flo and Colombo/Free... That's how bad the Cowboys have been, against the run and against the pass. Leonard Davis or Gurode against a 250 pounder LB shouldn't be that hard of a matchup, but it is...

Barnett (2 sacks). The Eagles lack a decent pass rushing LB but they had both DE shooting inside and they blitzed their safeties. Hawthorne (2 sacks). Nicholas and DeCoud (2 sacks).

If you have a team as sold to attack your gaps, you have to hit them in their mouths and that's through the air, beating the couple of players (or more) in single coverage, the Cowboys couldn't due to poor execution, bad hands, eyes (yeah, Roy, that's you) or whatever else...

The Cowboys have a problem that they need to fix, and running more isn't a solution, because they're seeing a lot of famine and it all starts up front.

The questions are asked, the hope is there for us fans to see, you can't stop him, you can't stop that and my team is going to beat yours!

So senseless... So rose-colored vision... I believe that the game's going to be a though matchup that will be decided by many things that will take it either way, so I'll go through the most common scenarios from the Cowboys perspective and I'll try to be objective.

Battle of the trenches.

Everyone knows about the Eagles pass rush, or at least now we do... With the late Jim Johnson off the Eagles sideline, some expected that his D wouldn't be itself with a new DC in charge... Well, so far they're making Jim proud... They're stout, they continue to leave QBs with a grass adversion and they continue to be though to read.

The Cowboys pass rush used to be anemic in this season, they now have a series of games with 3+ sacks and they aren't using smoke and mirrors, they're mostly using the base packages for most of the damage. And furthermore, with all the 3 step drops that they've been seeing they're averaging a little above 10 QBs pressures per game, including 12 against Ryan and 16 hits.

The OLines and RBs will have to be on their toes, because these 2 teams don't like to keep maximum protection packages from hurting the passing options and explosiveness.

Coverage.

Sheldon Brown is playing at a shutdown corner type of level and Asante Samuel will make you pay if you go after him in a consistent basis, so, don't go after them in a consistent basis. With Romo coming from a game were he connected with 10 different targets we know that he can throw the ball to ALL of his options, I wouldn't be surprized to see the exact game plan that the team used against Seattle with Romo ending with a pretty good day and no receiver surpassing 80 yards. We've seen Witten, Austin, Bennett, Hurd, Choice and Jones going against LBs and Ss as their assignments in the past few games, I'll take that kind of matchup 10 times out of 10 against the Eagles.

I look at DeSean Jackson and I think of a healthy Santana Moss, Eagle fans would rip me for such a comparison but this early in DeSean's career it isn't far fetched... Jackson is on his way to a 1200+ yards season, Moss career best 1400 yards... They are also at their best when going deep... And that's a problem for Dallas, because they've been burned by them, but they have also found ways to control their damage and that's what they have to do. Damage prevention. I'm also more concerned about Celek than Maclin, but after seeing the Cowboys control and even dominate the likes of Gonzalez, Carlson, Scheffler and Boss, I'm not that intimidated... Look for the Cowboys to use Hamlin in deep support and Sensabaugh closer to the line to get the TE or a RB with some help from the LBs. Sensabaugh was close to flawless against Carlsoon and Gonzalez and that's no easy feat.

I believe that this will depend on the sharpness of the QBs because if they don't take advantage of their opportunities they may pay for it and they're both known for waking up with the inaccurate worm from time to time.

To run, or not to run.

That's the dilemma. Garrett, Reid, you both have a couple of great RB stables under your direction, running the ball has to be as close to a 50-50 proposition as possible, not doing isn't smart and you're both supposed to be pretty smart.

Run the ball!

And that's all that I can think of so far.

For some people the task of presenting the General Manager, Owner and Head Coach of the Dallas Cowboys would be a very simple task, they'll point their finger at just one person.

Jerry Jones.

Has he been VERY wrong in the past? Yeah, he sucked. Was he wrong when he said what he said in the radio? No, he wasn't. And if you want to argue, I'll present to you what wikipedia says (and that's a knowledgeable girl):

Sports teams

In most professional sports, the general manager is a team executive responsible for acquiring the rights to player personnel, negotiating their contracts, and reassigning or dismissing players no longer desired on the team. The general manager may also have responsibility for hiring the head coach of the team.

For many years in U.S. professional sports, coaches often served as general managers for their teams as well, deciding which players would be kept on the team and which ones dismissed, and even negotiating the terms of their contracts in cooperation with the ownership of the team. In fact, many sports teams in the early years of U.S. professional sports were coached by the owner of the team, so in some cases the same individual served as owner, general manager and head coach.

As the amount of money involved in professional sports increased, many prominent players began to hire agents to negotiate contracts on their behalf. The intensified contract negotiations that resulted, as well as the overall increased need for professional business management, drove many sports teams to separate the positions of coach and general manager. Some coaches, however, still insist on being allowed to fill both positions as a condition of employment.

In some sports leagues salary caps have been adopted to maintain a competitive balance and in these leagues it is one of the functions of the general manager to ensure all player contracts are in accordance with these caps, as well as consistent with the desires of the ownership and its ability to pay.

General managers are usually responsible for the selection of players in player drafts and work with the coaching staff and scouts to build a strong team. In sports with developmental or minor leagues, the general manager is usually the team executive with the overall responsibility for "sending down" and "calling up" players to and from these leagues, although the head coach may also have significant input into these decisions.

Player acquisition? Check.

Decisions on personnel? Check.

Monetary decisions? Check.

You want to talk about the past? About the late 90s and early 2000s? Go ahead, knock you inconscious, I won't listen (what's the purpose), I want to talk about right now, which are Jerry's present mistakes?

• Roy Williams? The current whip boy. Jerry gave up too much for too little. Maybe. This isn't a closed book, at the very least the guy has talent. And because of that, the team needs to continue to play him.
• Wade Phillips? For many the wrong choice. I tend to simplify things. A my-way-or-the-highway Coach couldn't manage the right kind of production out of a bunch of talented underachievers? Ok, I'll try something different, what about player friendly?
• Player acquisition? The Draft has a success rate that's up there in competition with the best run franchises... In Free Agency we've seen the likes of Colombo, Davis, Brooking, Kosier, Hamlin, Sensabaugh, etc. They also have a high success rate.
• Money? They have no money problems and they're making decisions with the future on mind.

Hear me out, in the past 6 years have you seen or heard of a single time when Jerry made a decision that went exactly against the head coach wishes? I'm hearing Terrell Owens? Wrong, Parcells met with Owens not once, but twice (once in Frisco, yes, Parcells traveled out of his way to met with a player, then in Dallas), before he talked contract with Jerry. On playing young guys because the Coaches were forced to? The average fan would have started Henson (yeah, some salt in those fries Henson, take that Tex!) and Romo a lot earlier than Parcells did. Other than them who's an easy call? Miles Austin? You mean the Austin that was guilty of an interception and of dropped passes earlier in the year? The stone hands Austin of previous years?

But yeah, I kind of get it, Jerry Jones is the antichrist and anything that he does is just wrong.

And I knew that I deserved such a thing when I clicked his most recent post about how Roy Williams is a much worse trade than the one for Galloway...

It isn't just that he likes to delve in the negatives, it's that he doesn't make any sense at all...

Joey Galloway produced 2300+ yards and 11TDs with poor QB play? True. But his main point is that Williams won't be able to manage that kind of production in 2 years...

Galloway did it in 3 out of his 4 years.

And the book isn't closed on Williams, he can manage Keyshawn Johnson kind of production, which in no way equates to the value of the trade, but we can live with that kind of production.

What I know is that reading JJT's comments is such a waste of time that I'll try to suppress any need of reading his garbage.

Want a new head coach? Want a new head coach right now?

Dunno if that's going to work... As soon as Parcells resigned and a few fans start partying that his days coaching were over I told them: "Be careful with what you wish for, the team seems to be quite fond of shooting at their own foots... And they also like to do it at the worst possible times..."

A few years later and admirably the players still have enough of their legs to keep themselves upright.

Coaches coach, players execute, and they've been doing it the bad way in the 2 tenures.

If Fisher is allowed to walk out of the Tennesee situation he should be option 1a, 1b and 1c in Jerrah's quick dial, but I'm not sure that he can keep the players from their foot auto aim.

Romo really doesn't get the credit that he deserves when he plays well.

His numbers today? 20-34, 351 and 2 TDs. He also saw his receivers having like 5 bad drops. With those completed he ends up with a 75% Comp pct, 1 or 2 more TDs and much more yards per attempt.

And on the department of doing good thing that often go unnoticed, he did a really good job of adjusting the blocking schemes in the 2nd half. That's the job of the Center, which brings us back to the subject of how good Gurode really is.

The 2 TE set isn't working?

Pass catching? True, Bennett isn't catching any passes and seems to be out of position when Romo looks or throws his way. But, if we're talking about run blocking the story is quite diferent. The scheme in some of our team best RB carries? 2 or 3 TE sets.

Maybe it isn't pretty, but it doesn't have to.

The pass rush is back?

They gave Cassel a beating, we're talking about how Cassel was pressured, sacked and hit in a bit more than half of his attempts... He had 41.

Who's our team best CB?

The easy call early last year was Newman. There were some fans that gave Scandrick some deserving love late last year. Jenkins is coming on strong, a line of 2 really good games... His asignments for most of those games? Marshall and Bowe.

I was worried, I could see some signs but I just didn't knew enough about the Broncos, so I decided to take the task of reviewing game tape of the Broncos. I first took the idea of watching every game because with a new scheme comfort zones are created with experience, but I believed that such a thing wouldn't work because of the diference of levels between the first team that they faced and their next 2 opponents. So, I looked at the Bengals and decided that they were a team that more closely resembles the Cowboys out of each of their opponents, they have a massive OLine, a good QB, 3 good pass catchers and a Defense that's hard to run over.

And went through the tape. The things that I noticed?

• As Rafael said Nolan knows Wade's D. One gap scheme? Check. The 3-4? Check. The 4-2 Nickel? Check. Some 3-3 and 4-2 that closely resemble the Cowboys package used in 2007? Check. Some 46? Check. The CBs play a 50/50 disposition of zone and man? Check. They like to keep the play in front of them to watch the development of the play (Memo to Romo!)? Check. Nolan likes Wade's D.
• When bigger isn't better (for them). The Broncos front 7 had some problems with the Bengals OLine, if an OLineman placed his hands on his target, game over, even if that target was Dumervil, but they're quick and the OLineman had some troubles with their hand placement. Houck needs to have his Lineman playing efficient technique, which so far they have (including some technique with their foots, J/K).
• The ILBs can mask the blitz. We saw James last season and how he was able to mask when he would bring the heat on a delayed or not so delayed blitz, Andra Davis had a good game as a blitzer, bringing heavy pressure at times and one sack.
• There was movement, but not Ravens like. I've seen a lot of the Ravens and every guy on the front 7could move on a given play. At least in the first game most of the movement came on the part of the LBs while they changed their gaps, a DLine would also slide to the next gap changing asignment with an ILB, too, but rarely.
• No Ben Hamilton? They may call Houston. If Ryan Clady is their best OLineman (and he is), Ben Hamilton is next on the list. Him and Clady are a really good tandem on the left side, with Clady being the techinque efficient and Hamilton the nasty guy that plays with mud and the dirty side of it.
• The right side ain't so hot. Can't tell which is the weak link between Kuper and Harris as they're spotty, when Kyle Orton counted for more than 3-Mississippi pressure got near through that side, but still good enough to get the job done.
  
• Blocking aide. Daniel Graham can block and pass protect, Tony Scheffler not so much. Correll Buckhalter is also playing more because Knowshon Moreno is learning the ropes.
• Memo to the front 7: Play it hard and try to touch the sky. Maybe that was Orton's injured finger, but he threw a bunch of low height throws that were either blocked, touched or came really near to either.

Things that the Cowboys have working for them?

• Andre Gurode likes them big. He hasn't had a bad game playing against a big guy in his career, he also likes those NT types. He has trouble with speed, though, and Denver surely knows it, they may try to keep him guessing and trying to throw LBs his way, including Dumervil.
• Start the game throwing the ball. It's obvious that the OLBs are still growing on the scheme and the short throws to TEs and RBs can hurt them and burn their blitzes with several YAC, with Barber and Choice being really good pass catcher they might forget about missing Felix with big gains in this sits. The CBs can also live big cushions in order to keep the play in front of them, look for some 1 and 2 Mississippi throws to Roy and Crayton.
• Then, run right through the middle and away from Dumervil. He's their best LB and he can play the run because he's quick and has leverage. Davis and Mario Haggan don't match up well with OLineman in space and anyone outside Flozell excel at getting to the 2nd level. D.J. Williams was hot and cold during the game.
• Advise to Romo: Look at the Giants. They played the same Defense, or at least the same idea and their passing gameplan was great, lots of shot throws and then they would look from mid to deep range routes (curls, posts and slants). Romo: It's also really important to stay away from guys looking at the development, with both safeties playing as deep zones as the Broncos like to play, the Giants game should also help to make you remember.

I'm still worried, but I can see the Cowboys walking out with a hard earned W, especially if Romo looks at the Giants.

Cowboys 27 - Denver 19. With the Cowboys making the last score in a time consuming drive.

Glass half empty? Go somewhere else, 5Blings has a nice post here.

• Let's start with the Draft selections. Jason Williams returned to practice, we saw progress in the Preseason games, Rafael, Grizz and company also noticed progress in the practices. He hasn't played, though, so he's a big unknown but looks good. Robert Brewster is still on PUP, such a thing speaks volumes of what the Front Office thinks, most rookies, and specially OLineman, would head to I.R. as soon as the pectoral muscle tear diagnosis got delivered, with this guy the team wants time. Stephen McGee is a project that may take as much time as Romo, the jury will be out for a while. Victor Butler already showed that he has NFL quickness and balance, if he can continue to improve he may be a steal. Brandon Williams is on IR, the jury is out. Michael Hamlin looked good in the Preseason games that he played, Rafael and Grizz mentioned that he looked instinctive and as if he belonged at the NFL level, the jury is out. If David Buehler keeps kicking 70 and 80 yarders he will continue to prove that the Cowboys were right in selecting him were they did. Stephen Hodge is on IR. John Phillips had extensive blocking duties in the Carolina game and I'm feeling confident enough to say that he's the best blocking 3rd TE that our team has had in quite a while...

12 picks, 3 failures and 1 bonus in Ogletree? So far, the Draft looks solid. This season and the next couple of years will write the grade of this Draft.

• Free Agency? Jon Kitna came here via trade, but he's a good acquisition as the team traded Anthony Henry straight up for him. The Lions rank 30th in passing Defense and they have allowed 10TDs (leading the League). I'm certain that the Cowboys feel much better with their QB security blanket than the Lions with their passing coverage. Igor Olshansky is, so far, a massive run blocking upgrade as I hadn't seen a consistent 3 downs 3-4 DE in the all the years with the Defense (Canty and Spears were always inconsistent, Spears right now is on a new contract drive and he's playing better). And furthermore he has a cool name. Igor! I can't begin to express the difference in level of play that  Keith "with his lunch pail" Brooking has shown in the last couple of games, he was off like most of the guys around him in the Tampa game (with the possible exemptions of Ratliff and Olshansky, who showed good things), he's a much better run stopper than anything the team has paired with James and he can also get his hands on the QB but arrived late both times. And Gerald Sensabaugh can actually play coverage out of the SS position! He's been mostly invisible in the past couple of games. That's a good thing.

• I've seen Junior Siavii enter for a handful of snaps in a per game fashion, he was a consistent topic of discussion in the Offseason, he isn't getting pushed around and I've seen him getting double teamed. The guy can anchor and doesn't move. He's a stop gap, though, as he's old (in his 30s already).

• For all the discussions about our coaching staff something went amiss on all the hoopla about Monday's game... The coaching staff adjusted and the team showed a noticeable improvement in their performance. For a coaching staff that receives as many questions, and many deserving, not to receive their deserving kudos is a shame.

• The passing game struggled some on Monday? The Panthers were a top 10 passing Defense going to that game and they faced the Eagles and Falcons, 2 teams that can throw the ball and that have good receivers. Romo threw for 255 yards and no Ints... Not too shabby, Tony, not bad at all....

• The Cowboys are running the ball (like the best team in the League) and stopping the run against good teams, that's a recipe for winning a bunch of games. Including Playoffs.

• I haven't seen the Cowboys package or 46 on the field, maybe it's time to print milk cartons.

For those talking about how much Jenkins sucks because he gets burned too much when he's starting, ok?

Scandrick will be dreaming about number 12 and 82... He's been burned left and right... In the slot, from his RCB position, you name it.

This regular topic needs to stop, they're both pretty good, it's only natural that they get burn every once in a while.

72 words 72 words 72 words 72 words 72 words 72 words 72 words

A lot has been said about holes and depth, so I'll review every position while trying to be objective.

• QB - Tony Romo.

Hole?

No, a lot has been said about his performance in late season collapses, but the collapses are a team effort, was he more guilty of the Baltimore defeat? Or was the Defense by allowing the 2 long runs? Or the OLine by stinking the joint? Or... I guess that you're catching my drift....

Depth?

Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee. Considering last season's depth, the improvement can't be measurable.

• RB - Marion Barber.

Hole?

No.

Depth?

Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. Strength.

• WR - Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton.

Hole?

Is Roy Williams capable of providing good number 2 stats? That's what he has as a career average. Is he capable of providing number 1 stats? He has. Then, he's a productive starter, right? Crayton has also produced decent number 2 production. Not a hole, but not a strength.

Depth?

Miles Austin, Sam Hurd and Kevin Ogletree. Depth is a concern due to their actual production in the League, but the concern is offset due to each player potential, we know that they're capable, but the first 2 guys have been injuries magnets.

• TE/FB - Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett.

Hole?

What?

Depth?

John Phillips and Deon Anderson (FB). Phillips has shown that he's capable of being an improvement over Tony Curtis.

• OL - Flozell Adams, Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo.

Hole?

The oldest OLine lineup in the League. One of the younger lineups? The Eagles, and only one of their players was healthy the whole Training Camp, one missed all of it, 2 others were in for more than a week and the other just for one... Injuries can hit any lineup and OLineman can play at high levels in their 30s. There isn't a hole on the Cowboys lineup, they just can be too inconsistent from time to time.

Depth?

Doug Free, Montrae Holland, Pat McQuistan, Duke Preston and Cory Procter. Not worried about Free; Holland looked alright but bad conditioned last year, he's in much better condition this year and looks fine; worried about McQuistan, Preston and Procter... Robert Brewster in PUP with a torn pectoral muscle speaks volumes of the sense of security that the team has on those backups, they want either of McQuistan or Procter off the team as soon as Brewster is capable...

• DL - Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff and Igor Olshansky.

Hole?

No, but our best Eagle friend would say that there is... Spears and Olshansky don't get to the QB enough from their DE positions... Fortunately we know better, Spears and Olshansky have helped their OLBs counterparts to reach this numbers the past 3 years: Cowboys (76.5 sacks) and Chargers (76 sacks). That's the DEs doing their jobs.

Depth?

Stephen Bowen, Jason Hatcher and Junior Siavii. Concerned if Wade is forced to use the regular 3-4 scheme more than what he would prefer and Siavii has to play in an important number of snaps. Bowen and Hatcher have proven to be able to play (and well) in the other packages, that include: 4-2, 46 and Cowboy package (3-3 or 2-4). If Wade is granted his wish, he will use the 3-4 in close to 50% of the snaps and the other packages in the other half, limiting Siavii's exposure in the pivot.

• OLB - DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer.

Hole?

Ware will be a Defensive MVP candidate for some years. Spencer was a much better coverage and run support OLB than Ellis, which means that he's an improvement in 2 out of 3 areas of importance for an OLB. He needs to take the next step as a pass rusher. This is another strength.

Depth?

Victor Butler, Steve Octavien and Curtis Johnson. Looks weak, this is another of the true concerns that the team has. The team needs to keep Spencer healthy, which will mean that these guys will only play in pass rush situations out of the 46 or Cowboys package, considerably limiting their exposure to some of the other 3-4 OLB responsabilities.

• ILB - Bradie James and Keith Brooking.

Hole?

James is another of our team best players. Brooking looks rare. After seeing Ayodele and Thomas playing the position it's refreshing to see someone as active and agressive as Brooking. The guy wants, goes after contact and knows how to use his hands to slip away from blockers. It's indeed rare.

Depth?

Bobby Carpenter and Jason Williams. I think that Carpenter is easily capable of performing at Burnett's level and I've been seeing some good things, he's actually using his hands, ala Brooking, to slip from blocks. Carpenter is also bigger than Burnett and that makes it easier for him to slip from OLineman. Williams looked more comfortable as Training Camp progressed but then went down injured, if his progress continues and he has to play he won't embarrass the team.

• CB - Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins.

Hole?

No. Terence Newman was healthy for some of the late half of the season and was his close to shutdown self and at the same time Jenkins started to come along. He had a really bad lowlight in the TD that he allowed by not tackling, but the same thing has happened for Newman who once tried, with a very unconvincing effort, to tackle Cooley on his way to a TD and nobody questions Newman coverage skills... Nor tackling, as he's a real solid tackler... Jenkins also showed solid coverage skills last year.

Depth?

Orlando Scandrick and Alan Ball. Scandrick is really 2B to Jenkins 2A, so he should also count as a starter and he was our team brightest performer in the backfield last year. Ball saw playing time last year, teams looked at his side and his level of play wasn't a problem. A 5th guy is needed, the team is going heavier at Safety for now, but that's only temporal.

• S - Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh.

Hole?

No. Our Eagle friend also likes to point his finger at this position... Well, he has short term memory... How did Dawkins looked when he had to play right next to Considine and a not ready for primetime Mikell? Not so good. Well, last season our team had the worse level of play from the SS starters in the League (Thong, Davis and Watkins raise your hands!), I'm willing to say that Considine and a not ready Mikell would have been welcomed additions and better performers... Not impressive that Hamlin struggled, he's no Dawkins, but he is a pretty good FS and had a really good year in 2007.

On the other hand, Sensabaugh can play coverage! Moment of Training Camp that caught the attention of Raf? Seeing the Safeties in the DB drills, Sensabaugh actually looked like he belonged in there with the CBs... Thong and Bullets were always absent of those drills... My guess? We won't see Ware in coverage to keep a TE from burning the other OLBs and SS (ala Baltimore-Heap game).

Depth?

Pat Watkins, Mike Hamlin and Marvin White. The team has 2 cats, Felix and Watkins... But for different reasons... The Special Teams and injuries are giving Watkins his 9th life... Hamlin looks like a future keeper. White? Looks like a 1st game signing to add a veteran after the game and avoid a guaranteed contract...

Continue reading this post »