SB Nation User Blog: TrueBlue24

The REAL problem with the Dallas Cowboys

TrueBlue24 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:30:38 -0000

OK, so we're one fourth of the way through the 2009 season ...and what do we know about our Dallas Cowboys? Not much...but I'll highlight a few things that we do know.

1. Smash,Dash and Tash are as good as advertised. HOWEVER...keeping the 3 headed monster healthy is another story.The barbarian may be wearing down already and will most likely not see another full season in Dallas fully healthy. His running style may be taking its toll already. Felix,well,He's turned out to be quite the china doll thus far. But I'll give him the benefit of the doubt,simply because of the tremendous upside he possesses.Tashard choice,a steal in the 4th round,has become our most valuable and durable back the last 2 years. He may be the most complete back of the 3. Granted,Choice needs work on his blocking,but he has a combination of the best features of the two running backs in front of him on the depth chart.

2. Our wide recievers are extremely pedestrian. Roy Williams is not a number 1. Patrick crayton is not a number 2. Miles austin/Sam hurd are...well...just not very good. I,personally think that Kevin Ogletree should get a look at the #3 slot position...He can't do any worse at getting open than Hurd/Austin. Thank God for Jason Witten!!!!

3. Our Offensive line is OLD...and very suspect,especially against defenses with speed rushers. We have no depth at any of the O-line positions and we're not far from a total overhaul of this whole unit. Flozell is a false start waiting to happen,Bigg davis does not play to his potential,Columbo is getting old. Kyle Kosier,however,is a bright spot.

4. Tony Romo....still has his "Oh no" moments. Thus is not a condemnation of Tony...He is our QB....and the good will usually outweigh the bad. Tony is not a pocket passer,he is best outside the pocket. He has the talent,we just need to find a happy medium....Somewhere between Gunslinger and bus driver.

5. Our defense has not come together.This is not saying it won't,but we haven't seen it in the 1st four games. We must remember,there are new parts to this defense. Gone are Ellis,Canty,Thong,and Tank. In are Igor,Brooking,Sensabaugh,Spencer....along with the fact that our #2 and #3 corners are only in their 2nd season....There's alot of turnover,and thus far we haven't played very well defensively. I think we'll be a much better team defensively later in the season.

OK...those were some points...on the field that I wanted to make. That has everything to do with our dismal start. What else has caused the substandard play this year?

1. Jason Garrett. I shouldn't even have to explain this one...but the kid gets Too cute entirely too often. With the running game we have...it shouldn't be too hard to keep this team close in most games. I'm not even going to call out all the instances where his play calling was...to say the least...Suspect.

2. Wade....Has his hands full trying to get this defense intact and playing as a unit, has no time to lead...not that he did such a great job of it before. I however am not calling for Shannahan or Cowher to replace him. Wade is my coach and I support him. Do I always agree with him? No. And I have the right to question his play calling....Which brings to mind.....HOW MANY DAMN TIMES DO I HAVE TO SEE SPENCER IN PASS COVERAGE?????? What the heck is that about Wade....I mean he was covering Running backs,recievers,tight ends....Hell that's why we don't have a pass rush.....they're too tired from chasing recievers down the field!!!

3. THE FANS.....Ok I'm kidding....we're not really causing our team to lose BUT I've noticed way more DOOM and GLOOM here at BTB.com this season,than I can ever remember....even when we really did suck. I mean just check out the game blogs....JERRY SUCKS,FIRE WADE,GARRETT IS AN IDIOT.....BLAH BLAH<BLAH......

Then we have the I can't take it anymore I'm giving up on the Cowboys after 29 years...BS.

C'mon....REALLY? Overreact much??????? I love the cowboys....and I reserve the right to bust their chops when they don't perform well. But Jeez guys...it's a sport. I live and die with every play....It takes a while to get over a loss...I get that....I know that...My poor wife lives with that reality. But I'll always be a cowboys fan...and I think most of us here probably feel the same way.I'll never bail on my beloved Cowboys....EVER!!!!!

There is something special about the Dallas Cowboys. I think there is something special about being a Dallas Cowboys fan. I'll always be one. Just think about that,the next time you get so upset that you threaten to turn your back on the greatest pro sports franchise of all time!!!!!!!

GO COWBOYS!!!!!!!!

Catching a game this year????

TrueBlue24 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:30:46 -0000

Hey guys, I'm so stoked!!!

I go to the opener every year. This year I was so happy that we drew Tampa bay as the opener,but was kinda bummed that I probably would not be able to afford a trip to Jerry-World.....

I already had made reservations and ordered tickets for the Tampa Bay Game...However I decided to check on tickets for the Home Opener against the Giants. Surprisingly I was able to get End Zone seats 9 rows from the field for $375 a piece....So I jumped all over it!!!!

I'm going to the very 1st game EVER at the new Stadium.....I'll never forget the experience....This is going to be awesome!!!!

So how many of you guys will be at the Home opener?

I smell a Tailgate party!!!!!

I'll be travelling from virginia to Tampa To Dallas....the first 2 weeks of the season.

Tell us all If you'll be catching a game this year and which ones you'll be attending!!!

DRAFT ALERT BIG NEWS!!!!!!

TrueBlue24 — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 02:35:28 -0000

Ok....I lied ...No draft news...Not even close, Literally, last year was the 1st year I even remotely research potential draft picks. I feel it was a lack of closure from the playoff loss to the Giants.I think it was more shock...and a way to keep the season or at least bridge one season to the next...But I was on it last year!!!! I had two guys who really hit it big in DRC (cards) and Eddie Royal (VT) plus I loved our draft last year!!!!

anything we get this year is a bonus!!!

1) Can our receivers that we have now HOLD UP next season?

2) Will being more "Romo-Freindly" solve the offensive woes?

3) how good can our defense be under Wade.....Especially with the changes throgh FA???????

I like or chances next year....Jerry is playin' them....we gottem'right where we wantem'!!!!!!

Tampa Bay...Here We Come!!!!

TrueBlue24 — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:41:35 -0000

I'M GOING TO DISNEY LAND!!!!!

Hellz Yeah, funny story....Back in october, After my Beloved Dallas Cowboys Whipped up on the Green Bay Packers IN green bay....I was feeling pretty Good (and pretty drunk) So I (apparently) got on the Internets and reserved a room in Tampa for Super bowl weekend. I really had no plans to actually spring for tickets...but wanted to go party in the parking lot and be there for the atmosphere...Fully believing that my Dallas Cowboys would be representing the NFC in the big game.
        Now you must put this whole thing in perspective. I'd went to cleveland for the season opener to see,1st hand,the boyz put the smackdown on the lowly browns. The following week I traveled to Dallas to watch the boyz and the Philadelphia eagles duke it out in one of the best games I'd ever witnessed...It was an absolute shootout....Boyz winning 42-37. OK so when the boyz beat Green bay, I was really feeling it and it really looked like we were shoe-ins for the playoffs(LOL) and one of the favorites to go all the way....Needless to say something funny happened on the way to the stadium...LOL....We stunk up the joint....
           Anywho...Last night I'm here at the house just kicking back....I get a phone call from Floida, asking If I'd be needing any special requests during my stay! Dude....I totally slept on it, didn't even remember making the reservations. I told him I wasn't coming and that I'd need to cancel.....But was told that the stay was pre-payed....LOL...I never even noticed that my Credit card had been charged.....and It was NON refundable!!!!!
           BUMMER....was my first thought....my second was

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

So me and the missus left this morning....We're in a Waffle house in Savannah Georgia right now....Loading up on caffeine....Headed to Tampa for the Super Bowl....The Hotel is comping us tickets to the MAXIM magazine Super Bowl Party tommorrow night....So It really ought to be alot of fun. Needless to say I'm missing a few workouts...But They do have a really nice Gym at the hotel...so I'll do what I can....Brought all my supps so that won't be messed up either!

              So everybody when you're settling down for the pre game on sunday,when they are showing all the fans tailgating....Think....OLD TrueBlue24 is out there...somewhere...Having the time of his life!!!!!

I guess I just wanted to let my BTB Brothers know that at least one of us COWBOYS made it to Tampa for the BIG GAME!

You guys have a great Weekend!!!!!

Oh yeah..."Go CARDS"

TrueBlues Reverse Psychology POLL

TrueBlue24 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:09:30 -0000

OK...It seems every team I have rooted for over the last 3 weeks have been big fat ugly losers. I'm so hurting when it comes to making predictions....I haven't been money at all. So kinda expanding on DEKES reverse psychology theory.....I've decided that any team I root for will lose out....so I figured this was a great chance to use my Black cloud to do some good for the NFL and all cowboys fans. While it's too late to do anything about our beloved cowboys....we can control the NFC Superbowl participant. Whomever wins this poll...I'll root against them with all I got....Ensuring victory for said team.

What do ya say fellas? I can't tell you my favorite....since it would skew the purposes of this process.....So vote early and often and lets control the playoffs!!!!!

Poll

OK...It seems every team I have rooted for over the last 3 weeks have been big fat ugly losers. I'm so hurting when it comes to making predictions....I haven't been money at all. So kinda expanding on DEKES reverse psychology theory.....I've decided that

Eagles

15 votes

Vikings

3 votes

Giants

8 votes

Panthers

9 votes

Cardinals

4 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

My assessment for 2008 looking towards 2009

TrueBlue24 — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:17:54 -0000

OK, I've finally come to terms with the Philly beatdown and realised that 2008 just wasn't our year...for a number of reasons. But It keeps coming back to me...what could we have done differently.I'm going to give my assessment on Offense,Defense,and special teams. I'll also give my recommendations for moves or needs that need to be addressed.

DEFENSE

OK....Defense this year,especially at the beginning,was of a bend and but not break variety.Later in the season,after it was purported that wade take a bigger role in the defense,we really turned it on and become a dominant front 7 in regards to putting pressure on opposing QBS.

Defensive line

Canty Rat and Spears are our starters. First off let m,e say that I think Canty should be resigned, I think he has way more upside than anyone else on the roster at this position. Canty is a good run stuffer...and he'll only improve.

RAT. Rat is awesome....But is playing out of position. we need a Real NT in this defense. Rat has performed above expectations...however Imagine him lining up opposite canty, talk about adding more pressure to the QB.....LOOK...the D just got better...LOL...and I'm just getting started here!

SPEARS....What can you say about Marcus,He shows up some sundays....then goes MIA for games at a time. I think the cowboys should seriously consider trying Marcus out at NT....He's got the frame for it....As a matter of fact,most years its a struggle for spears to report under 315....If we allowed him to bulk up a bit, I think NT would be a great place for him to back up tank, or maybe even start. Lets face it Spears is a HUGE man, he can carry the extra weight and has plenty of strength to hold his ground.

LINEBACKERS

What looked to be a strength during preseason,didn't quite turn out to be. I'm not quite sold on the Zach thomas experiment,I feel that Zach was playing out of position and that he wore down as the season went on.

Bradie James....Well the James gang came on...well..Like gangbusters late in the season,recording a number of big plays. It should be noted that Bradie's forte is NOT in pass coverage. But Bradie is a solid LB and he'll remain a major contributer on this defense.

Greg Ellis.....Hey Greg its been a good run Brother...But maybe your time has come. I don't think you can hold anthony spencer off any longer. Spencer is a playmaker and will only get better,and you've got to wonder how long Gregs spot on this roster will remain. He may have a fight on his hands come training camp.

DWARE....BWARE OF DWARE.....Time to pay the man. I guess the arguement was settled in the Merriman vs. Ware debate. Demarcus has become the speed rusher extrodinaire in the NFL these days. He's also added some moves,so he's not only about speed but he can beat you with technique.

Reserves, Burnette is a solid backer,needs to stay healthy and could take over for Thomas,if he doesn't return. Bobbie (Barbie) carpenter....Man I hate it for him...but...he IS A BUST. I defended him and defended him on this board...But he's had 1 good game in 3 years. That was the playoff loss to seattle. This was his year to make the next step. He , quite frankly didn't do it. I don't even think being Romo's buddy is going to save your job this year Bobbie....But hey...theres always Miami (if parcells doesn't jump ship!)

Defensive Backfield

Terrance Newman....when healthy can be as good as any corner in the league.He hasn't lost any of his closing speed. The thing with TNEW is staying healthy. Rest that groin in the off season Terrance....We need you healthy. TNEW tried to come back too early from injury and it extended his rehab.....But ,as evidenced in the second Washington game,he can become a shutdown corner and a game changer.

Mike Jenkins IMO should be starting in place of Anthony Henry. The rookie showed he's got the goods. His forte is being a physical,Bump and run corner...If he were only allowed to play that way all season,you'd have seen a much more productive Jenkins. I was proud of the way Jenkins played this year...Especially after being thrust into the starters role at one point this season. I think he's ready to take over opposite TNEW.

Orlando Scandrich....The other half of our dynamic duo . OSCAN may end up being a better corner than Jenkins. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and lives for the big hit. He was a steal in this draft! And he is my man who will man the slot in 3 CB sets....Yes he is that good!

Henry needs to go somewhere....Either to Safety (my recommendation) or he won't make the team. Could be trade bait leading up to the draft. I really don't see him beating out Jenkins or OSCAN for a spot. His sloppy coverage skills cost us plenty this past year. It won't be a problem next year.

Adam "Don't call me Pacman" Pacman Jones, an assaualt charge waiting to happen....HeHeHe...I personally like Adam. I think he has more natural born atheletic ability than 90% of the players in the league. And there, my freinds is his problem. He's been so atheletically gifted that ,at every level,he got a free pass and never worked on technique. Yeah...he'll still make some plays on defense,just because he's more gifted than most wideouts in the league. ANYHOW I'D BE SURPRISED IF HE MAKES IT TO APRIL without getting arrested. Sad to say...I really think he could help this team....and In my opinion you need 4 good CBs in the NFL these days. If Adam doesn't make it ,we'll need another...CAPABLE of actually playing.

SAFETYS

We're a mess back there,and everybody knows it.I'm guessing that Roy Williams will be gone....I think his contracts up....Somebody let me know if it isn't. I really don't see Roy making any contributions that would validate him taking up a roster spot...I really don't. Othe than his ability to trail Tight ends and his finger pointing abilities (usually precedied by a long reception for the opposition) I don't see any redeaming traits that keeps him here in 2009....Although I could be wrong.

Ken Hamlin was a dissappointment this year. He definitely did not play up to his ability. Hamlin needs to regain the focus he had in 2007. Needless to say,safety is a matter of great concern for this team and needs to be addressed. Killa did a good job filling in for roy But he's not a long term answer.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Special teams SUCK!

OK maybe thats overly simplistic,and firing Bruce read will go a long ways to fixing this problem. No matter who we bring in it will be an improvement. My heart tells me Joe avvezano....But I've got a feeling that the rumors are that we'll hired the specail teams coach from the Jaguars....As I said...Still an Improvement.

Punter- WELCOME BACK Matt Mcbriar....while Sam Polesku (sp?) filled in admirably and gave us our first Punter Highlight in years.....He was merely auditioning for a new job in 2009.

Kicker- FOLKIN'AAAAAA......Nuff Said.....However kickoffs are a concern....however coverage of those kicks would help immensely.

Return teams-Kickoff returns are fine....Punts,lets please find a replacement for PAC/Crayton....Neither is doing a very good job...But at least Crayton doesn't Fumble.

OFFENSE

OFFENSIVE LINE

If ever there was a more apt moniker for this group "Offensive" line is it! They were indeed offensive! I know that we had injuries to Kosier, then later to Holland....But the whole line had issues at some point or another during this past season. Flozell has issues with speed rushers and thats being subtle. I mean speed rushers used him like a broken turnstile at the New york city subway station. Columbo was pretty solid this year. Bigg had probably his worst year as a cowboy, Gurode was adequate.

Lets face it Our O LINE is getting old and there is no help on the way. Proctor is a joke,McQ really hasn't had a chance to sow anything...however if he can't beat out Proctor then.....Well, that speaks for itself. Doug free was supposed to be the next one in line but he was inactive for much of the season.

TIGHT ENDS

Witten- Jason witten is without a doubt....A warrior,he is the heart and soul of this offense,if not the entire team. If everybody on this team gave the effort of witten....well we'd still be playing this weekend.

Tellus- Mr. high and Tight.....Bennett had a stretch of 3 games that he caught TD passes in. Tellus has a bright future with this team and was a major upgrade over Fasano.

Wide Receivers

Terrell owens- TO was productive this year....Just not up to his usual standards. He had trouble with bump and run coverage as well as being doubled with a Safety over the top. Some of the problem was the offensive line....not giving the QB time to allow the WR's to get open.

Roy Williams- Its kinda hard to give an accurate assessment on Texas Roy,since he was thrust into the lineup mid-season....and then had to deal with a leg injury. I have great visions of the TO/ROY combo creating havoc for opposing defenses...But it didn't really pan out for us this year. I hope that TO's practice regimin will rub off on Roy this year. We should see a different Roy with a full offseason and training camp.

Patrick Crayton- Back at his natural position in the slot, Crayton is a great weapon on 3rd and long...which we found ourselves in WAY too many times this year. Crayton may have trouble holding off Miles austin for the 3rd WR slot.

Miles Austin- When healthy,has the speed to be a legitimate field stretcher. His hands have improved and If he could stay healthy he could unseat Crayton for the number 3 spot. Miles is also a Huge asset in the kick return Game.

Sam Hurd- Injuries hit Sam hard this year. Sam Must be prepared to fight for a spot on this roster,especially with the emergence of a healthy miles austin.Hurd may not even make it to camp if interest is shown in the free agent market.

Isiah Stanback- A shoulder injury waiting to happen.Has been injured for most of his career here in Dallas. The upside is he is a project. He's converting from college QB to Pro WR. He'll make the Roster again this season,but must show that he can stay healthy. His talent is obvious and may be the fastest athelete on the team. Also has value in the kick return game.

Running Backs

We have an embarrassment of riches in this unit.Having lost MBIII and Felix Jones....Tashard Choice showed the world what we ACC fans have known for the past 3 years...the kid is a warrior! He hits the whole quick and reaches the 2nd level with ease. The future looks bright for Tashard!

MBIII- He is the barbarian....He's tough as nails and runs violently....Looking for contact. However as good as he is,His running style does not instill confidence in the longevity of his career. Plus I feel that Barber started to wear down even before the toe injury. We need to get back to using Barber as the closer in games. It is when he's most effective.

Felix Jones- Man he came on like gangbusters and then all too soon it was over. Felix has that WOW factor that Jerry covets and he's a Home run waiting to happen. He can bust a huge run from anywhere on the field.

The fight in Training camp for the #2 spot will be interesting,with choice making a strong surge at the end of the season.

Cricket was solid at the FB position and even caught a TD in the latter stages of the season.

Quarterback

Tony Romo- Tony,Tony,Tony....As much as I hate to admit it....And most of you already know.....That I've begun to lose confidence in Tony Romo as the QB of this team. Yeah I've been mad as hell at Romo since our season ended. Not just for his play on the field....But for his non-chalance on and off the field. I know I get emotional as hell over the games....the good as well as the bad.....And I'd like to see a little emotion from the Face of the franchise. I mean....COME ON....Act like you give a damn.....Not this "Golly ...Gee...Shucks, we shoulda done better,but Heck we'll look at it and try to get better" stuff. Heck I think Wades Laid back attitude has rubbed off on not only Romo...but the whole team.

Anyhow on the field we have issues as well. Romo spent last offseason Stuying Tom Brady's stance in the pocket. I think at the beginning of the season,Romo was too focused on staying in the pocket. It hurt the team...Plus it made him an easy target. Romo is most dangerous rolling out....whether by design or out of necessity... He got away from what made him special early in the season...even up until the cardinals game when he got injured.

When the O line was completely out of whack by the time Romo Returned from his hand injury. Tony went directly into survival mode.....Trying to make plays when there was none to be had. But what really bothers me is not only his rate of inteceptions (14 in 13 games) but the times that they occured. At the beginning of the season our offense would drive the length of the field only to have Tony throw an INT due to bad decision making. Later in the seaon the turnovers started happening on our side of the field and putting our defense in poor position to hold off the opponents.

Our offense became Incredibly inept. It was totally baffling that our offense had so many 3 and outs during the last 4 games of the season. Our defense,as weird as it seems, WAS keeping us in Ball games due to our lack of a viable offense. We became way to predictable....as Ray Ray was only too happy to tell the MSM.

It just seems that with Tony...Things just don't seem to work out. I really can't put my finger on it....But something is amiss. What is that stands in Tony's way from coming up big under pressure. By pressure I don't mean the pass rush. I mean in pressure packed situations...BIG GAMES.....He just doesn't seem to come through. There's always some goofball play that arises.....and it takes the winds out of our sails....you can just feel it slipping away.

Tony needs to start playing better football. Whether he wants to be a leader or not...he needs to realise that it is his responsibilty to guide this team to victory. He needs to learn when to take a sack. To many times this year he forced things...on 1st and 2nd downs at that. Patience...it really is a virtue...one Mr. romo has yet to get a grasp upon. If its not there...throw it away! Hold on to the ball and take a sack. It's ok to do that, much better than a turnover.

I'm not a Romo Hater. I'm really not....But if we Live and die with Romo's antics...we have no future. He must protect the ball, make good decisions,and not feel he has to win the game by himself. I'm confident he CAN do it.....If he allows himself the chance to mature,and provide this offense with some self discipline...we can be a very competitive team. We have the weapons...but you must sustain drives to use them.

COACHING

OK...Wade has a plan...LOL...But he's not telling anybody about it. Jerry is not going to fire Wade. So we'll have to deal with him at least one more year. Jason Garrett is no bodies head coach....If he becomes one somewhere else....Good luck! His play calling is generic and Vanilla. No creativity whatsoever. With all the assembled talent on this team....there is no excuse for this unit ever being held under 20 points.

Bruce read is gone so special teams WILL get better. I don't see our staff getting raided like it did last year. I hope we'll keep ray sherman,Campo did a great job with the DB's going from 14th in the league to 3rd....That should continue to improve.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO

We need a REAL NT. We need help at safety and Linebacker. We need depth all along the offensive line. We need a legitimate backup QB.....whether a free agent or through the draft. We've lost Matt Moore and Richard Bartel...Two young QBs we could have developed. Another CB wouldn't hurt...knowing Pacmans penchant.

WE need an Offensive coordinator to craft together game plans and to make adjustments. Whether thats Jason Garrett or not.....I could care less...we have entirely too much talent at the skill positions to have as many 3 and outs as we had this year.

Any suggestions you guys have would be appreciated.

Right nOw....Being a UNC GRADUATE.....It is definitely Basketball season so all I can say is :

HOW BOUT THEM TAR HEELS!!!!!!!

The State of The Union

TrueBlue24 — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:05:29 -0000

The 2008 Dallas cowboys....If I had to sum it up in 2 words....Extreme Disappointment...comes to mind! After suffering through the Debacle that was the final game ever at my beloved Texas Stadium.Man...What a pile of doodoo that was! Our team looked like it was just going through the motions....the Ravens came to play...now that team has heart,fire and passion! They kept coming at us....they made adjustments and Ray Ray was laughing at our offense....Saying it was the most "Vanilla" offense they've played against all season. Makes me feel kinda silly for believing in these guys all year. But heres what I've seen so far out of this team.

Coaching

Our coaching staff has no control over this team whatsoever. Wade is a figurehead and nothing more,Jason Garrett has no more creativity than my German Sheperd Sam, Actually less....Since Sam finds Creative places to poop...And Garrett does it in the same place...every week.

Stewart...why does he even still draw a paycheck? I mean....Wade "took" over the defense and Granted, they have played tremendous,since that time....I mean our sack totals have gone through the roof. But it is still a bend but don't break defense. We can't close out opponents with this defense. We scare no one!

Should Wade be fired? Probably...will he? I have my doubts. We'll never get a decent coach to come here and take on the carnival like atmosphere that is the Dallas Cowboys. Jason Garrett is no bodies savior...Hell he can't close out games with a superior run blocking line and MBIII, or even with Tashard Choice...who's been one of the few bright spots for this team the last 3 weeks(while going 1-2). They have no creativity whatsoever and that blame belongs squarely upon JG's shoulders. Hell what else does he want??? Romo,TO,JW,RW11,MBIII,Tellus,PC,Miles austin,Felix,Tashard Choice....even Cricket has potential in this offense. Now that I think of it maybe we need playmakers without nicknames. Just kidding....Just to see if you read this far....HaHa.

PLAYERS

Forget about it....He just signed a contract extension,so he's not going anywhere...Nor should he. He gives our team the best chance to win. He is an elite receiver in this league. For those of you crying (no pun) about cutting TO or releasing him....It ain't gonna happen...so get over it. Yeah he'll drop some but he'll get you in the endzone. Nuff said....I love me some TO

RW11

I can't really say too much about this one. I was against the trade,and Texas Roy has had a major injury that he has been playing through. I think Roy could be our Michael Irvin ....possesion type...move the chains,receiver. But that remains to be seen. He'll be with us for a while...so we'll see, I like the potential of TO and RW11 though.

JWitten

What can you say about the big man? His game has no weakness...he's played through a broken jaw,broken ribs,you name it.....he'll still be there making clutch catches and absorbing hits.Jason witten is a grown man....He has more heart than any two guys on this team.

Patrick Crayton

His natural position is the #3 receiver in the slot....PC is money playing the slot on 3rd and long. He can play the #2 but is average at best.

Miles austin

Potential....Speed to burn....Didn't quite get there this year but,he'll be competing with PC for the #3 spot. Could turn into a #2 one day. His play may have been the end for Sam Hurd/Isaih stanback.

MBIII

Has been the man...unsure if he can carry the load for this team. Has been hampered by injuries the last few weeks...I personally feel as if MBIII was wearing down before the turf toe incident. The jury is still out on the barbarian.

Felix

Showed flashes of big time,big play potential....Rookie injury ended his year early.

T Choice

Has been an awesome addition which we've leaned on heavily the last few weeks. He's a gamer...not a surprise to all of us in ACC country. I'd been waiting for Tashard to graduate for the past 3 years and stop punishing my Tar heels...HaHa... Nice to see you're on my team noe TC!!!! Tashard has tremendous acceleration and jets to the second level with ease. WE are definitely stacked at RB.

Tony Romo

Man....This is tough. Man I love the guy...I mean I truly think Tony is a good guy. And obviously he's talented. And I have defended him and defended him....But it has come to the point to where I'm not sure whether he will ever be a "clutch" QB. I mean...when was the last time Tony came through in a BIG game....and don't even start talking about the Giants game last week. I'll bet everyone of you started getting Pittsburgh flashbacks after the safety in the end zone(NOT Romo's fault BTW). I thought we were going to blow the Giants game the same way we did the steelers game...and I'll bet the same thought was running through many of your minds as well. Tony is 0-2 in the playoffs and I won't even bother to recite his abysmal December record. I just wonder what it is that gets in Tony's way from being ELITE. He is not there folks. He's better than the alternative....which we found out the hard way....Is this just a part of the Maturation process? I honestly don't know...every time I start thinking that He's learning when to throw it awy and when to take a sack....he makes bumbleheaded decisions that cost our team points and feild position. I'm not stating that Romo is not our guy (yet) however how many more seasons can we go...not reaching expectations,and this year in particular.....has been a flat out flop. I hope that Tony is our guy...but he has to start playing smarter,stop throwing INT's at such an alarming rate,and take care of the ball.

Our defense has turned the corner...If our offense were to give them a little help...like maybe stringing together a 1st down or two and getting the D off the field...It would make make a world of difference!

I know that even with the crappy exhibition that our team put on last night,with Tampa losing today, if we beat Philly next week...we're in. Even though we don't deserve to get in....I'll be rooting for my Beloved cowboys next week.....and beyond that.....If we can take care of business in Philly.

SAm BAM Paulesco

TrueBlue24 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:16:40 -0000

SAm BAM Paulesco

Watch the new Punter bring the Wood!

I can take a loss BUT.....

TrueBlue24 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:27:21 -0000

OK guys,It's the day after,and I'm coming to terms with the loss,or at least trying to. The scary part is...as bad as this team performed...we were a Sam hurd recovery of an onside kick from celebrating a "Great" come from behind victory. I for one am glad that Sam couldn't bail us out of this one. Dramatic last second wins tend to mask major weaknesses for this team. We've,thus far ,gotten by based solely on our normally outstanding offense. It caught up with us yesterday!

Theres plenty of blame to go around for this one.

Defense

1. Pass defense- The Redskins had a great scheme to battle our defense and chew up the clock. The skins were more than happy to throw quick slants and hitches against our "soft" coverage on the outside.Heck I saw T-New playing 8 yards off the line of scrimmage more times than not. We never seemed to change our coverage on the wideouts,we gave them way to much cushion and they chipped away...4,5,7,8 yards at a time. They ran the ball to keep us honest. When we brought more pressure to the outside recievers they got the ball to TE chris cooley in the middle. And they chewed up clock....and drove the length of the field REPEATEDLY. I mean all day long....They drove on us,sometimes only 2 or 3 yards at a time,but they dinked and dunked us all day long,they chewed up clock and wore our defense out! We were lucky that we held them to 3 FG's in the second half or this one could have become really ugly really quick. Oh Yeah....And for Santana Moss to get open....and I mean WIDE OPEN.....when we're already giving him a 10 yard cushion is totally unacceptable. T-New got burned Repeatedly. Our defense looked anemic,and in the fourth quarter they rammed the ball right down our throats. I'm used to seeing it...But its usually us that are wearing out the other teams defense. Man I hated watching the Skins dominated our Defense like thar.

OFFENSE

Well what can you do when you only get the ball for 20 minutes? apparently not much. 24 points was actually a pretty good total for 20 minutes Time Of Possession. What went wrong? The short answer is everything.

1. The Run- Well,as most of you know,we were unable or unwilling to establish the run.We only ran the ball 11 times. That's right guys 11 times. It gets worse...2 of those 11 rushing plays went to Terrell Owens.MBIII only got handed the ball 8 times. The other running play,was not a running play at all but a scramble for a first down by Romo. This,to me is where we lost the game. We never tried to establish the run.Who is to blame? It's hard to say....Wade? He is the head coach...Garrett.....He says he called running plays but Romo Audiblized out of them. Whomever the blame lies....this needs to be addressed,was it a lack of communication...to say the least.

2. The Pass- Well at least we didn't Ignore this part of the offense. Tony Romo and the offense,Passed early and often. We passed 47 freakin' times.To start the 3rd quarter,the team seemed hell bent on getting the ball to TO....No matter what...Once even lining TO up in the backfield and running a halfback toss to TO. It seemed to Defy all logic.OK...well it did work...Save for a rare MBIII run it was all TO on that drive....And we did score a touchdown to tie the score up at 17. One would imagine that this would have been the perfect time to try to start running the ball,But,down 20-17,with Shawn,Springs and Fred smoot on the bench,Romo proceeds to throw the obligatory INT...at the worst possible time. We pretty much dropped back into the shotgun and Tony's gunslinger alter ego was here to stay. I will say that Miles austin looked good in this game seems to improve weekly. The skins pass defended us well and we had no answer. Thier defense handled our high powered offense pretty darn well,and quite frankly...Made it look easy!

COACHING

Pam Oliver,the sideline reporter,said she asked Wade Phillips what he said to the team at halftime. She Reported that wade said He didn't make a speech , that this team knew what it needed to do and They'd have to get their own selves motivated....

WTF.....Dude,you're the head coach,You are losing by a touchdown to an 11 point underdog AT HOME....and you got nothing to say to the team? The head coach is supposed to lead this team into battle....not leave them hung out to dry!

You wonder why Stewart didn't make any adjustments or why Stewart had 12 men on the feild during a crucial 3rd and 2? LACK OF COMMUNICATION. It all comes right back to Wade and his "AW SHUCKS" hillbilly attitude. He was thoroughly outcoached by a rookie coach. It was as if we hadn't schemed or had no game plan whatsoever. Like wade thought we'd win just because we are the Dallas Cowboys.

Garrett....Ahhh Yeah Jason Garrett,the offensive GURU. Never tried to run the ball,there is no excuse for a lackluster performance like this,not with all the offensive weapons this team has. Was it Garrett or Romo? Garrett says he called runs and Romo changed them at the line of scrimmage. That is no excuse.I know the QB has the right to aubible out of a play if he sees something on defense that he doesn't like, but at some point....the play caller has to demand that we run the ball. Hell we had plenty of 3 and outs...I'd have been fine with running MBIII on all 3 downs just to make the defense work a little....we made it way to easy for the Redskin defense!

In conclusion,It is one thing to lose,it is another thing to be totally dominated in every phase of the game ,especially by an 11 point underdog,AT home ....and to be outcoached by a Rookie head coach. I don't remember a game like this since the 10-6 loss to Philly last year (also at home). this one exposed a lot of weaknesses that we may not have noticed if sam Hurd grabs that ball with 30 seconds to go. Thank you Sam....We've got a lot of work to do....Offensively,defensively and coaching. At least we won't have to listen to how we're the best team in the league anymore,because we're obviously not,...not at this point anythow . But its a long season and realistically,this is just a bump in the road,and hopefully a wakeup call to this team.

That being said....Lets get ready for the Bengals!

Go COWBOYS

Live....FROM CLEVELAND!!!!!!

TrueBlue24 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:05:32 -0000

Hey guys.....Well we finally made it here from Virginia. We got stuck in Marietta,Ohio last night in the midst of the "SternWheelers Festival"....which...For the uninitiated....Is a Paddle boat Party on the Ohio River. Lord what a night....LOL....

This Morning was Hall of fame day. We travelled the 57 miles to canton then spent 57 minutes looking for a parking space....once inside...I was AMAZED....If you've been...you KNOW.....If you haven't....You need to go!!!!! For us Cowboys Fans...Its great! Everything from Rodger the dodger to the Triplets and Super Bowl Highlights from ALL 5 Championships.....I got pictures of the Original 1960 Dallas Cowboys Helmet, I got a picture of Roger Staubach's Signed Dallas Helmet,And Don't even get me started on the Bust room.....Oh my I got great pictures of all the Great Cowboys.....Scram,Landry,White,Dorsett,Aikman,Emmitt,Irvin......Man it was great! And they have a special section on NFL players in the Military. Of course they have a display for American HERO and Arizona Cards player Pat Tillman.But also have great displays for Staubach and Chad Hennings.

All in all it was awesome....I also went to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame....But after many cocktails Things are hazy from then on...But a good time was had by all.....and it was a lot of fun.

However.....after reviewing our Team......I think it would be utterly shocking if we lost this game. I like an Idiot....Arrived in Cleveland in full Cowboy attire...we soon noticed this did not increase the likelyhood of our getting beer any sooner...but in fact.....added fuel to the fire.....LOL..."Damn Cowboy fans!" was heard uttered at more than a few Taverns and sportsbars around town.

I'll give cleveland credit....They are cocky and confident.The players as well as the fans! Watching sports news here in Cleveland makes you wonder if all towns this delusional.....They Really think they are gonna smack US AROUND....LOL.....Tomorrow is going to be a BLAST!

I'll also give an After game report tomorrow night....Good night guys.....and Tomorrow we're gonna start the journey to SIX!!!!!

GO BOYS!!!!!!