More photos » by Ryan Moore - AP

Draft position?! We ain't got no draft position! We don't need no draft position! I don't have to show you any stinkin' draft position! (AP Photo/The Clarion-Ledger, Ryan Moore)

Browse more photos »

Something to chew on while I finish my piece on the assistant coaches:

The '90s Cowboys had pedigrees.  They were led by the Triplets, three show dogs with all the proper papers.  Consider:

• Troy Aikman, 1st pick in '89;
• Michael Irvin, 11th overall pick in '88;
• Emmitt Smith, 17th overall pick in '90.

Jay Novacek was a no-name, plan-B, UFA originally with the Arizona Cardinals.  He was the exception.  The other supporting skill position guys also were high picks.  Alvin Harper was 12th overall pick in '91, and Daryl Johnston was a high 2nd rounder in '89.

Now, look at the current offensive triad.  They're the All-Pound All Stars:

• Tony Romo, undrafted free agent in '03;
• Miles Austin, undrafted free agent in '06;
• Marion Barber, 4th round pick in '05.

Felix Jones' increased workload the last two weeks may be the start of a trend, and could blow up my low-rent, high-skilled position meme, but a continued push by Kevin Ogletree would give the Cowboys the surreal, yet real chance of starting playoff drive games with a quarterback and two receivers who nobody drafted.

Wooooof!

(Can anybody think of another team that is or has turned so many UFAs and late draftees into producers?  Patrick Crayton is a 7th, while Deon Anderson and John Phillips are 6th rounders.  Tashard Choice is, like Barber, a 4th rounder.)

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

"The Push" would be a star in "the Toe's" era. (AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

64.3

That's Nick "the Push" Folk's success percentage on field goals this year.  That number is frightening low in today's game, but I went back to put his "failure" in historical context.

Here are the five best seasons for Lou "the Toe" Groza, the most heralded kicker from the straight-ahead, kick-with-your-toe era:

If Nick Folk were kicking in the early '60s, he would be a star.  Unfortunately for him, he kicks in 2009.  After last night's gaffe, he probably wishes he could build that time machine in his garage and join The Toe.

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

The Dallas defense smothered Pierre Thomas and his Saints mates. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Browse more photos »

The Cowboys maintained all weeks that they believed in themselves.  That they remained optimistic about their game against New Orleans and their season. 

They showed the Cowboys fan base why,casting the Saints from their perfect cloud, 24-17 in the Superdome Saturday night.  Dallas scored early, racing to a 14-0 lead after two possessions, while the defense stymied the nitroglycerin Saints office.  The front held the 3- point-per-game Saints to three points through three quarters, then withstood two late Saints touchdown drives.

The team also overcame the bleeding ulcer that is its kicking game.  Nick Folk missed a gimme, a 23 yarder from the middle of the field (three yards longer than an extra point) by clanging it off the right upright.  The miss resembled the Saints-Redskins game, where Shaun Suisham missed a similar kick, letting the Saints rally and win in overtime.

The Cowboys rush prevented another comeback, as Anthony Spencer and Demarcus Ware flattened Drew Brees on the final two Saints snaps.  Spencer stripped the ball from Brees, but New Orleans earned a brief reprieve when replays showed Brees arm was moving forward as Spencer hammered it. 

Ware ended the drama on the following play when he blew past the Saints left tackle to force his second fumble of the game.  He made a similar play to end the first half, helping Dallas gain a late 2nd quarter field goal for a 17-3 halftime lead.   Jay Ratliff snatched up this ball with six seconds left, capping a powerful defensive performance which went 60 minutes, a welcome advance over incomplete earlier ones.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Jose Yau - AP

The Cowboys would benefit from more plays like this tomorrow. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Jose Yau)

Browse more photos »

Simple to identify, difficult to execute:

1.  Get the lead. 

The Saints don't usually fly out of the box, the way the old 'Niners teams of the '90s used to do.  (More on this in a second.)  They've more like an old Saturn V rocket.  They start slowly, but consistently build momentum every quarter, until they're outracing bullets by the 4th. 

Several teams have built early leads on them.  The Dolphins had a huge lead.  The Panthers built a fair one.  The Redskins kept them off balance for most of their game.  The Cowboys will need to join them, which means the second quarter will be vital.  The Cowboys, at least in the Garrett-era, make their offensive hay in the 2nd and 3rd.  They'll have to join these other teams in wringing points out of the first 30 minutes.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Miles Austin continues to play like a number one. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

Browse more photos »

Some assorted notes and conversation starters for this short week:

Got to be Good Coaching Cause He's So Hard to See

I'm surprised that in the inevitable December, Wade-on-a-hot-seat churn that nobody has recalled that the Colts Jim Caldwell, he of the 13-0 start, was one of Jerry's interviewees back in the spring of 2007.  Caldwell was the last of ten candidates that Jerry spoke to, and at the time, it seemed a formality (and part of satisfying the Rooney Rule). 

Not so fast.  I understand that organizations go "wide" in their searches for two reasons.  First, front offices want to build dossiers on as many up-and-coming assistants as possible.  Second, smart teams can use the opportunity to pick hot coordinators' brains, to add to their organization's strategic data-base.  These are the guys making the offensive and defensive innovations, and your team can glean lots of off-season information for the price of a few plane tickets and hotel reservations.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

(AP Photo/Amy Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

Okay Cowboys fans. 

You got what you've been asking for.  A heavy dose of running.  The final tally was 26 rushes to 30 passes, but in the first three quarters, when the game was tied, the mix was 25 rushes to 18 passes, a '90s-like 58% run to 42% pass ratio.

This was what so many Cowboys pundits predicted in the preseason. a blend to keep all the backs happy.  To take the pressure off Tony Romo, blah, blah, blah.

I told you back in September, this line isn't up to Emmit-ball:

Notice how weak the '08 Cowboys were at the typical "muscle" plays, the type you see in short yardage and goal line. The type the '90s Cowboys lines could execute after a five pints of whiskey and a group afternoon nap.

The character of the current line is very different.  It performs better when it blocks on the move, which explains why Jason Garrett called so many runs from shotgun and spread packages. People complained about seeing the shotgun inside the five last year, but the numbers explain why.

-- Cowboys Tape Review: This is Not Your Father's Offensive Line, BTB, Sept. 30, 2009

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Jason Witten has been unstoppable lately. He faces a vulnerable safety duo this week. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

Browse more photos »

The Chargers and Cowboys both lead their respective divisions, but neither has time to relax.  San Diego has a chance to secure the second seed in the AFC.  If they slip, they could fall back to the Broncos, who lie just one game behind them in the standings.

The Cowboys want to reclaim the 3rd NFC seed they lost to the Cardinals last week and also maintain their tie-breaker edge over the Eagles, who match Dallas' 8-4 record.  The teams will take somewhat different approaches.  The Cowboys will play the inside game, attacking the spine of San Diego's defense.  The Chargers, on the other hand, will again rely on their superb passing attack to probe the Cowboys' secondary.

Continue reading this post »

What does this look like to you:

Is it:

• A. a sign of a team in 1st place?
• B. A wolf wearing Patrick Crayton's number?
• C. a black hole consuming the Dallas Cowboys?
• D. A beef and cheese burrito?
• E. something else?

From what I see on site, and hear in the Metroplex, the answer depends on your state of mind.  And a lot of people are in a dead panic.  Situational backups are being offered as sacrifices to the football gods.  Coaches and QBs on other teams are openly coveted. 

All because Dallas has lost one game in New York, in December.  Funny, but I recall Tom Landry losing in the Meadowlands in December to some awful Giants teams.  (Joe Danelo anyone?)  Jimmy Johnson's guys lost at the Meadowlands in late '91, when all the penalties went New York's way.  He lost at RFK in December '92 when Emmitt Smith tried throwing a pass out of his own end zone in the final two minutes and fumbled the game away. 

Barry's guys went 2-2 in December '94, one of them a loss at the Meadowlands.  His guys went 2-2 the following season, with the second loss the infamous "4th and 1" game at the thankfully-demolished Veterans' Stadium.  His '96 team had their season put on temporary life-support by a 20-6 late-season loss in New York.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Jason Witten had pretty stats. The Giants got the pretty win. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Browse more photos »

Tony Romo started December '09 with a 112 QB rating game.  He completed 75% of his passes for almost 400 yards.  He made one dubious throw, and was bailed out by Jason Witten, who played volleyball over Giants CB Bruce Johnson for a big first half gain.  His offense was 9 of 17 on 3rd down.  They ran 31 more snaps than New York's offense.

Roy Williams quietly had his best game as a Cowboy, catching two touchdown passes and making big receptions over the middle.  Jason Witten piled up his career high in yards, with156 on fourteen catches.

Yet, the Cowboys again began December with a loss, because the defense, which has carried the team thus far, giving up yards, but not points, gave up both by the bucket full Sunday evening.  I warned last Sunday:

When you see the "Perils of December" stories, and some are already around, know that the quarterback may get the attention, but it's the defense which will either navigate the rocky waters at last, or wreck the Cowboys ship again.

-- Wade's Defense Will Guide the Cowboys December Ship, BTB, Nov. 29th

Wade's guys ran the ship onto a sandbar off the New Jersey coast.  They showed the maddening '08 tendency to surrender points immediately after Dallas scores.  They did so twice, each time with depressing speed.  Dallas had dominated the first 27 minutes of play, and had taken a 10-0 lead after Williams caught a fade in the far right corner of the Meadowland's left end zone with 3:14 to play in the second quarter.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

New York's weak interior pass defense looks inviting to Jason Witten. (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

Browse more photos »

When Dallas Has the Ball

The Giants spent heavily in the offseason to beef up their front seven, in response to their December '08 defensive breakdown.  Teams ran very effectively on New York then, so the Giants jumped into free agency with a vengeance, signing DT Rocky Bernard from Seattle and DT Chris Canty from Dallas.  They added Michael Boley fro Atlanta to add some athleticism to their linebacking corps.

The thinking was to bolster a line which already rushed pretty well, and give more speed to the back seven.  The plan appeared to be working well early in the season.  New DC Bill Sheridan did not blitz as much as his predecessor Steve Spagnuolo, working instead to strangle opposing passing attacks.

Continue reading this post »