Well, it is about that time of year where everyone talks about how Tony Romo is unfocused because he's not playing football 24/7 and actually tries his hand at golf.

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When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones is one of the best, if not the best, owners in the National Football League.

As a general manager, he's one of the biggest riverboat gamblers on either side of the Mississippi River.

A lot of times he's been right, and a lot of times he's been wrong.

Having enough faith in our backup receivers to cut Terrell Owens and subsequently, Miles Austin emerged. Good.

Trading two first round draft picks for Joey Galloway. Bad

Well, Jerry Jones is on the craps table and is rolling the dice again. This time with the safety position of the Cowboys.

Gerald Sensabaugh, our strong safety, signed his one-year tender with the Cowboys, and Jerry Jones may extend him, but the free safety position is still a concern because Alan Ball, the replacement for Ken Hamlin, who we cut, is... the best word would be unproven.

I've seen Ball in preseason games, and he's good, but when Jerry Jones passes up a shot to get Darren Sharper, a beast of a safety, in free agency, you wonder if Jerry is taking too large a risk with the team.

Well, now the Cowboys aren't going to make an effort to sign free agent, O.J. Atogwe, a safety who last played for the St. Louis Rams.

Atogwe is a pretty good safety. I know he's an upgrade from Ken Hamlin, but not on the Ed Reed/Darren Sharper level. I was hoping to possibly see him with the Cowboys and give me more assurance than Alan Ball has.

However, Jerry Jones disagrees. He replied to the question, "I'm ready to go to our season with the safeties we have. That might answer your question." According to the Cowboys official website.

Jerry Jones feels comfortable with new draft picks like Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, a fourth rounder from IUP, or Jamar Wall, a cornerback who might convert to safety from Texas Tech.

Add in Michael Hamlin (no relation to Ken Hamlin), who missed most of last year due to a wrist injury, and the incumbent, Alan Ball, to the mix and Dallas has a strong depth at the position.

There is even some undrafted players that can work out as safeties.

Jerry Jones apparently has faith in these players, so Dallas fans are going to have to trust them. Who knows? Maybe a Miles Austin will emerge.

We can only hope, but for right now, it is for-sure that Jerry Jones isn't rummaging for his checkbook to give Atogwe a contract.

This article was originally published here: http://www.mtrmedia.com/cowboys/2010/06/cowboys-apparently-not-interested-in-safety-oj-atogwe.html

Dallas hasn’t officially starting the training camp, but voluntary OTAs (Organized Team Activities) are going on, and mini-camp will be coming along.

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One of the Cowboys that I immediately started liking from day one of covering Dallas was Patrick Crayton.

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In the past few weeks, there has been a good deal of activity involving the Dallas Cowboys.

The actions in question are not what an ordinary person would call big news. Tony Romo has not gotten married or Miles Austin has not broken his leg, but to Cowboy fans, it is indeed important for them to read these bits of information in order to comprehend what the team is doing to make itself a Super Bowl contender.

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The Dallas Cowboys have selected Dez Bryant as their new first round draft choice.

Since being drafted, Bryant has been in the news constantly, and I felt that instead of writing two or three mini-articles about Bryant, I’d do what the writers of Sports Illustrated do and just write a long article about Dez Bryant covering everything.

Let’s get this thing started with:

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I hate free agency after the big players are signed. After Julius Peppers and LaDainian Tomlinson went to other teams, I got bored.

Dallas is a big part of that boredom because they haven’t done anything. They haven’t pursued anybody that may have need of.

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Terrell Owens is now a UFA which means unrestricted free agent. Anyone can pick him up for however much money he and his agent agree to.

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The Dallas Cowboys have been the center of criticism and unwarranted jabs for a long time.

That said, I can honestly state that this team is one of the best in the league, especially since it won its first playoff game in over a decade. It was a long time coming for us Dallas fans, and I treasure that moment up with the ones you would have on today’s holiday of  Valentines Day.

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Hall of Fame wide receiver, Michael Irvin, has been accused of forcible rape by a young woman at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in 2007, a month after he gave a moving speech at the Hall of Fame.

There are no criminal charges yet, but the woman is filing against him in civil court with a lawsuit. She will be known as the woman because her name has been kept confidential. Even the lawsuit states her as Jane Doe.

Irvin’s lawyer, Larry Friedman scoffed at the charge calling it, "totally untrue."

In fact, he is stating that no kind of contact of any physical nature, consensual or forced, happened between the plantiff and Irvin.

I’m sorry, but I refuse to graphically state the alleged crime because I’m not sure how young my readers are.

But, to put it in plainly, she states that Irvin got her drunk, tricked/escorted her to his room where he and another man had some fun with her, and then Irvin committed the alleged felony. After he was done, the other man had the woman ‘Lewinsky’ him.

Irvin’s brother, Derrick, was accused of helping Michael silence his crime after the deed was done by taking the woman to another room and "assisted in covering the sexual assault and rape up."

Friedman, Irvin’s attorney, is basically calling the woman a blackmailer/extortionist.

The woman apparently spoke up after Irvin appeared on a few episodes of the television show Dancing With the Stars.

She wanted to settle for a million dollars, then went down to $800,000.

Each time, Friedman said no.

"This complaint is tantamount to criminal extortion," Friedman said. "There is no merit to the complaint."

Plaintiff’s lawyer stated that his client has passed a polygraph test (which, by the way, are not used in criminal courts of law because they can be fooled).

No criminal charges have been filed, but the district attorney’s office will ponder their options for a little while until a decision is made.

Charles Haley. Man, what can I say about this guy.

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Before Jason Witten, the Dallas Cowboys had another go-to-guy at the tight end position named Jay Novacek.

He had a vital role on the Cowboys team that won three Super Bowls in four years.

However, it is with a sad heart that I have to inform Dallas fans that Jay Novacek is now a widower. His wife, LeAnne, passed away earlier today on February 1, 2010.

The 45-year-old woman was found in one of the residential bedrooms. Suicide is one of many presumed causes for her death. Jay Novacek has confirmed the passing, but is mum on whether or not it is suicide.

He and his daughter are in my prayers as they should be in yours.

Here's to you Jay. The Big D is with you in spirit.

First the Cowboys website said we were going to keep him, then the Cowboys said that wasn't official yet, but at the end of the day, Wade Phillips is still the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys.

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Well, you can’t win them all. As a person and fan, I’ve have to learn to accept that. Sometimes you don’t win the big games.

This game the Cowboys lost while it is tragic they did, you can’t win them all. There are some days where it would have been close, where Dallas would’ve won, where Minnesota would’ve won, where one is a blowout like today or a close one.

It comes down to who played the better game that day and that was Minnesota. This loss was painful, but Dallas wasn’t horrible, Minnesota was just good.

If I may, I’d like to drift off for a second. Before I realized that sportswriting was my calling, I wanted to be a lawyer like in Law & Order. Well, one of the most famous legal quotes is by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when it came to the definition of obscenity.

"I cannot define it, but I know it when I see it."

Well, its the same thing with Dallas. The final score of 34-3 is one that many people who didn’t watch the game would say, "Aw, they got killed! They suck! They are such pathetic chokers!"

Well, they don’t know anything. They are immature haters usually. The reality is that Dallas played a hard game, but Minnesota was just better. There wasn’t a choking moment, the Vikings just controlled the game. There was a lot of bad luck for the Cowboys.

I cannot define the difference between choking and being outplayed, but I know it when I see it, and Dallas did not choke. I can’t upload film to my computer and send ESP to you to point out where this went wrong or how this was just Minnesota playing great ball, but I can hope that you trust my instincts and believe that Dallas is still a great team.

Believe it or not, there is a lot of luck in this game, and Dallas just had some bad luck today.

What Dallas needs to do is to reevaluate themselves. Look at what needs to change on offense or on defense. They need to constantly train throughout the offseason. Preparation is half the game. Some of the best teams have had only good athletes, but they were disciplined and ready for the postseason.

Dallas was ready. I have no doubt they were ready, but they were probably inexperienced. This team now has more experience, and they will make an effort next year to go even further into playoffs. To may get that chance at a Super Bowl. To possibly get that sixth Super Bowl ring.

This was just not Dallas’ time. I truly believe that Minnesota was a team that no one could have beaten today. This team had everything going its way, and you can’t always prevent that.

Despite this loss, I am still a Cowboys fan. I love this team. I love these guys, and I’m proud of them. They seem like a team that is seriously a contender for a Super Bowl for years to come maybe.

I remember in the 1970s, one of the finest teams that was playing was the Oakland Raider coached by Hall of Fame coach and legendary announcer John Madden, was a team that was eliminated often in the postseason.

From 1969 to 1978, John Madden won 103 regular season games with the Raiders and won nine playoff games.

Before 1976 however, Madden was known as the coach who couldn’t win the big one, and his team was known as one who couldn’t finish it all in playoffs.

To paraphrase him from the 1976 America’s Game, "People say that Madden can’t win the big one. Well, before the game, tell me when there’s a little one?"

They had won big games, they had won playoff games, they hadn’t won a championship, but Madden was never discouraged because if you constantly work at it and keep trying, then you will win a Super Bowl. John Madden was very calm and very confident in his guys for the upcoming season.

He finally assembled a team that went 13-1 and won the Super Bowl 32-14. It did happen for him because he realized that sometimes great teams take a while to get it all done.

Dallas has won big games, they’ve won a playoff game, they won in December and January, so they haven’t won a Super Bowl yet, but they are on the right track for that and I believe that it will happen one day for these guys.

Even if they don’t do it next year, I’ll still be watching these guys, and I’ll still believe in them.

So, if any Cowboy reads this, know I got your back too guys.

James Williamson is also an accomplished writer for http://www.nfltouchdown.com/ and http://bleacherreport.com/

Despite the fact that the title of the article could receive a, "NO DUH!" response, that does take away to its truth.

Miles Austin is the explosive wide receiver that Terrell Owens was, except he doesn’t drop any easy passes, and actually doesn’t talk to the media. He was a free agent pickup from Monmouth College that sat behind on the bench and learned from the best on how to be the best.

He learned well. In just seven starts, he has 824 yards receiving with eight touchdowns. Those are the statistics of a truly elite receiver in the NFL.

Granted, it is only his first year starting, but the Cowboys and their fan-base are really hopeful for Miles Austin’s future here.

Back to the original point, in the past eight games, the Cowboys have seven games, six of which Miles Austin made a tremendous contribution on offense.

The first game was all him in the end. He had 10 catches for 250 yards and a pair of TDs in a 26-20 overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dallas’ offense had been in the ICU up until then. Coming off a heartbreak loss to the Denver Broncos in Mile High, where a couple of plays were the game’s deciding outcome.

Enter Miles Austin and Dallas fans, including myself, finally saw something that made us want to be excited instead of tense.

Following the win over Kansas City, the Cowboys devoured the Atlanta Falcons 37-21 with Austin having 171 yards receiving in six catches and a pair of TDs again.

The Seattle game was another checkmark for Dallas with a 38-17 result and Austin had a medium performance, but still had five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

You could argue that Dallas would have beaten the Seahawks and the Falcons without Miles Austin, but you can’t debate the fact that with him, Dallas dominated instead of just winning.

There is another thing you cannot debate either. Miles Austin was without a doubt, the difference in the Cowboys-Eagles game in Philadelphia.

Dallas was playing neck and neck with the Eagles. In the fourth quarter, Dallas was down 13-10. Folk managed to kick a field goal and tie it up, but Dallas need a touchdown.

I’m watching this game, and I think that if I had not had such an arduous football practice earlier, I could have managed to create a pool of sweat. The tension was there. I’m wondering when is Dallas going to lay the goose egg they usually make in these kinds of situations.

Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth are talking about how Miles Austin has not had any receptions the entire night. Then, a minute later, it happened.

Romo pump fakes, then hits Miles Austin on a deep one, and Austin scampers in for the score. One catch, ONE CATCH for 49 yards and a touchdown to put the boot on the Eagles’ throats.

The Eagles never came back, and Dallas won the game 20-16 in one of the best clutch performances I’ve ever seen.

That’s what happened when Miles Austin got the ball.

Here’s what happened when Austin didn’t get the ball. In the Green Bay game, he only had four catches for 20 yards and Dallas lost 17-7.

Then, in the Redskin game, Dallas didn’t complete a pass to a wide receiver until well into the third quarter. Austin managed to help out in the two minute offense with some clutch catches until Romo hit Patrick Crayton in the endzone for the winning score.

Austin had four catches for 47 yards that game. Cowboys barely won in a 7-6 result. Dallas should have rolled over the Redskins and turned them into pancakes instead of giving such an unnecessary nail-biting performance.

Finally on Thanksgiving against the Raiders, the Cowboys got Austin the ball, and he had seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 24-7 win over Oakland.

Everyone knows by now that Miles Austin is an explosive wide receiver for the Cowboys. However, after reviewing the numbers and game film, it looks like he is more than that. His success may dictate the Cowboys season’s success.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of Steeler Nation chanting "Sixburgh!"

I want to see a parade in Dallas. I want to win the Super Bowl.

If this guy wins the game, then Jason Garrett better read this and figure out ways to give Miles the ball.

The Cowboys face the Giants next Sunday. Let’s hope Austin gets his stats.

(James Williamson is also featured on NFLtouchdown.com as the Dallas writer) It is not my site, I just write there and saying I write there also if you want to see more of my work.

The Redskins-Cowboys rivalry has always been intense.

The Redskins have three Super Bowls to go along with their two NFL Championships, while Dallas has five Super Bowl wins of their own.

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Look, I’m not going to sit here and type away about how the Packers cheated, or how the refs were clearly against the Cowboys, and go boo hoo all over the screen.

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Not only did the Cowboys lose to the Packers this past Sunday, but they lost some players as well.

Starting right tackle, Marc Columbo, is most likely out for the season with a broken fibula on his left leg after severe contact with a Packer defender.

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I repeat: Roy Williams is not a bust!

Anyone who watched the Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday would see that Roy Williams is far from a bust, but rather an outstanding quality receiver.

He has not had a great year. He has 19 receptions for 324 yards and two touchdowns. He is the guy you don't want on your fantasy team, but he is the guy I want on our Cowboys roster.

Passing is all about timing. If you don't have it, you work on it and it takes time to get it right.

The Romo to Williams passing combination has not been as explosive as the Romo to Owens combination that just lit up the NFL for three years with 34 touchdowns.

However, it has just been a working progress that showed results to me last night.

Miles Austin was covered all night, and when that happened, Roy Williams had to step up and make plays to help win this critical ball game, and he did!

He had five catches for 75 yards and almost had a touchdown if he had not been interfered with by Asante Samuel, a penalty that was not called.

You hear how Roy Williams is all hype, no result, but that is far from the truth.

I know some of you who are reading this have had to have played wide receiver at some point in your life.

Those who have should know how hard it is to run the route just right and get in the position to where the quarterback can throw the ball at a angle, and your route intersects that angle at the exact point where you put your hands up to catch the ball and secure it before you get smashed into the turf by a tackler.

I played receiver at a lunchtime game during school, and only one quarterback that I really played with had a mutual sense of timing. From the day I walked onto the field and he (Sean) saw me open, he threw the ball exactly right and I made some amazing catches with him during those games.

We had such a trust that if I could find a soft spot in the coverage (which I did a lot) that he could zip that ball to me and I would catch it.

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If you are a real passionate fan that loves the Dallas Cowboys as much as I do, you will understand the emotions I had going through that game.

I see the low scoring numbers, and I’m wondering when is the bomb going to go off? It never happened. It felt like Super Bowl XLII where you are constantly wondering when the Patriots offense was going to finally click and destroy the Giants like they had done to every team before that game.

Dallas has never been able to keep a lead that close safe. Not to a great team anyway. They are either ahead by two or more scores or they are driving trying to win the game in the fourth quarter.

I’m bracing myself for what could be the most embarrassing loss of the season. Sunday Night Football in Philadelphia? The experts say that Dallas could afford to lose that game, I personally, could not say that.

For one, I don’t think any rivalry game or any night game is acceptable to lose.

And this isn’t just any rivalry, this is the Philadelphia Eagles. No team hates Dallas more than Philadelphia. They proved it when the Cowboys were up at Philadelphia and Michael Irvin went up to catch a pass and came down on his neck.

While he was on the ground motionless, the Philadelphia audience decided to rejoice at his injury like they had just heard that a brutal war had ended or they were being given $5,000 back on their tax returns.

Michael Irvin ended his career that night, and many were afraid that he would die, and the Philadelphia party kept going on.

From that point on, the Eagles have always been public enemy number one in my book. They surpassed the Redskins with ease that night, and throughout my time as a writer, I have met many Philadelphia fans, and the vast majority live up to their callous and sociopathic reputation.

The one of few exceptions to the rule is my friend Dan Parzych.

So, if I sound like I’m really enjoying this victory a little more than most, now you know why.

This victory over the Eagles on Sunday Night Football, in Philadelphia, after they just lost the World Series makes me feel like a young kid going backstage to see the Miss America candidates in their bikinis.

The Cowboys main rival and suppressor over the past decade has been the Philadelphia Eagles. Over the Andy Reid era, including last Sunday, the Cowboys are 14-7 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles have gone to five NFC Championships, one Super Bowl, and crushed Dallas last year 44-6 for the final playoff spot.

The number of spammers I saw with the phrase, "44-6″ followed by a crude slur are immeasurable.

This win has lead the Cowboys to a 6-2 record and first place in the NFC East. A place that the Cowboys have fought hard to reach, and a place that I hope is their nesting ground for the rest of the season.

This win was also very revealing for the Cowboy players and for the fans.

This team handled the Eagles in a clutch situation!

I cannot stress how often analysts wonder can Tony Romo handle the pressure in a clutch game? Can he lead his team in the fourth quarter against a playoff team and come out on top? Is he going to be a choker for his entire career?

Want to finish it? Please go here and check out my other work.

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There was a section on MSN.com about Roy Williams possibly being another Terrell Owens which we can all sum up in a few words like selfish, whiny, and destructive.

The quotes given were taken from a direct article by Tom Orsborn on mysanantonio.com

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After the Dallas Cowboys won the Falcons game, my good friend and fellow NFL fan voice, Dan Parzych, messaged me this: "I must say….that was one impressive victory for your Boys today. I’d say big, BIG statement game."

This was a big statement game yes, but did it surprise me? No, it did not.

The Dallas Cowboys were under a lot of pressure. They were a 4-2 team that looked like it was hanging on by the skin of their teeth instead of the dominant team that they were in 2007 or the team that looked great at times in 2008.

They were not a bad team, but more of a team that was without focus and had mistakes instead of executions for plays.

They had not even beaten a team that had a won a game. The Buccaneers still haven’t won a game, and the Chiefs and Panthers won games after they lost to Dallas.

So, they were going up against a team that had the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, a hotshot young quarterback who was the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, the NFL’s all-time receiving tight end, a running back who led the league in rushing last year, and a receiver who had the most receiving yards last year.

Oh, and they had made playoffs too.

It was not going to be easy. Many thought the Cowboys were, to quote T.I. and Timberlake, "Dead and Gone" and were going downhill from there with a team that had just blown their chances to beat the Giants and were done away with against the Broncos.

Dallas not only won the game, but aside from two drives, they dominated the Falcons on all three parts of the game. They scored 37 points, Tony Romo threw for three touchdowns and 311 yards.

The defense had four sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The special teams had amazing coverage and scored a 73 yard touchdown on a punt return.

Why am I not surprised though? Why am I, James Williamson, not surprised by what Dallas did to that team?

Because Dallas is capable of doing that to, if not all, most of the teams in the National Football League, and I am as serious as a heart attack when I say that.

I remember thinking to myself, before the game started, "This team is not better than us. The only way they should win is if Dallas becomes a chicken farm and starts laying eggs."

I have watched this team for three years now. I’ve reviewed the film so many times, I’ve actually had dreams with it playing. If I didn’t know this team, then I’d be an underachieving fan voice to say the least.

These guys are special. I know they are. When they are on, I don’t think any Dallas team can compare to them.

The problem is that they don’t stay on. They are a flickering light bulb that is unreliable and that is what makes them a tough team to watch because the light bulb will fizzle out at the most inopportune time.

Look at the talent level around them.

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The Dallas Cowboys have really come off to a slow start this year. If you could cut out some of their mistakes, they would be 5-0 instead of 3-2.

However, we cannot change the past, but we can learn from it.

What did Dallas learn from its past?

First off, they signed Allen Rossum, the 49ers punt and kick returner, to help improve plays on special teams. With Patrick Crayton muffing punts, and Terence Newman being injury-prone, the Cowboys needed a genuine return man to help in that third part of the game.

Helpful additions are only part of the equation. Dallas needs to be able to correct the flaws it makes with self-discipline.

I believe this team has really been the cause of their own failures. They are too talented to be beaten out of playoffs. These guys give games away, and it really is disgusting to watch.

This is one game they cannot give away, especially since their record is 3-2. They need to bump it up to 4-2 against a playoff team like the Atlanta Falcons to make the statement that they aren’t overrated, but actually a good team.

What are the keys needed to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Dallas this Sunday?

First off, this team has to  score touchdowns. Too many drives have happened where Dallas settled for a field goal instead of getting a touchdown. These results are due partly to a failed 3rd-down conversion here and there, but what is really muffling the Cowboys’ drives is penalties.

Penalties are like hiccups. They are annoying, unwanted, and mess up the flow of whatever one is doing. The flow in this case being momentum, which I’ve learned is almost half the game.

Dallas has to keep momentum going on every drive without revolvers going off around their feet.

The biggest thing for Dallas is that the run game has to happen this week. Last week, it took over a half to really get the run game going to where it kept a lot of pressure off Tony Romo and confused the defense.

It is much easier to throw passes when the defense doesn’t know if it is going to be a handoff or a pass. Atlanta is ranked 17th against the run, so the Cowboys are certainly capable of running the ball against this team.

For the run game to work, the line has to keep doing what it has been doing. Left guard, Kyle Kosier, who missed the majority of last season, has really helped the line assert its dominance on the line of scrimmage.

However, expect Dallas to feature all three running backs this Sunday, providing Felix Jones does play.

Marion Barber, who was nursing a quad injury in the game against Kansas City, was very sluggish, and when Tashard Choice took over, Dallas got the the help it needed to win the game in overtime.

Felix Jones has been out the past two games due to a knee strain, so the loss of him was equivalent to the Lakers without Kobe Bryant. I’ve spent hours yelling at Lady Luck about how she needs to keep him healthy.

He is the X-factor in the game. He brings that third dimension of offense to this team. He has speed unlike any other running back I’ve seen in the NFL, he has the explosiveness of a gunshot, and he has an eye for the hole that just stuns you.

His first NFL carry was for an 11 yard touchdown run against the Browns. We are talking about someone very special.

If those three running back can execute this Sunday, then I don’t see how Dallas can be beaten. They are, arguably, the best group in the NFL.

Once the running game is established, Dallas should be able to score via air travel.

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