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The Perfect Draft: Dallas Cowboys

Posted: Apr 24th 2009 2:00PM by Shane Bacon (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, NFC East, NFL Draft

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

To say the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was tumultuous wouldn't really be giving credit to the word. The team had suspensions, Jessica Simpsons and the incredible absence of TD-ing. Dallas missed the playoffs after being a favored team going into the season and now has gone through a total redesign.

With Terrell Owens shipped to Buffalo, the passing game will go through Roy Williams, who has never been the player to take control of an offense. Balking on Ray Lewis and sticking with Tony Romo, this crew has a long way to go to be the best in their division, which is the toughest in the NFL. Along with all their obvious holes, the offensive line is a tad thin and the safety position could be improve drastically.

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Cowboys' Season Saved: Wade Phillips Takes Over Defensive Play-Calling Duties

Posted: Oct 22nd 2008 5:52PM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, NFC East

6 COMMENTS

Given how things have unfolded thus far, I fully expect a tornado to deposit the Cowboys' new stadium into the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days. Brief recap: Dallas loses to Arizona in overtime, Tony Romo breaks his pinky and is sidelined for up to four weeks, the team drops its next game to the lowly Rams, and End of Days talk continues. Good news could be on the way, however.

The Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon writes that today Wade Phillips has made official what many people just assumed to be the case previously: he'll be taking over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. This is also known as "getting Neuheisel-ed."

Or maybe this isn't good news -- as MacMahon points out, "Phillips already had his fingerprints all over the defensive game plan. There hasn't been a single play call this season that went in without his approval" -- but at least nobody got suspended or injured, so it's a start. (Of course, Wade was also the brains behind the "hey, let's bench Doug Flutie for Rob Johnson" disaster in Buffalo last decade, so who knows.)

Continue Reading Cowboys' Season Saved: Wade Phillips Takes Over Defensive Play-Calling Duties

FanHouse NFL Season Preview: Dallas Cowboys - The Time is Now!

Posted: Aug 11th 2008 7:00AM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, NFC East

25 COMMENTS

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: We know that Tony Romo isn't a fluke. He stepped in last year and had another fantastic season, setting team records in the process. There are questions remaining about distractions (Romessica) and winning a playoff game (none in his two years) which Romo must answer if he wants to take a place among the NFL's elite. Dallas is putting all their eggs in that basket as the only fallback if Romo gets hurt is 39-yr old Brad Johnson who isn't quite the risk taker. Heat Index: 9

Running backs: It's rare when a team loses their starting running back and everyone is fine with the position. Julius Jones is gone, but rookie Felix Jones is in. Jones (Felix) will get a ton of carries this season to keep Marion Barber fresh. Barber, who only started the Cowboys' playoff game, is the NFL's version of Mariano Rivera -- he dominates late in games and finishes drives off. Jones and Barber will combined for that classic "lightning and thunder" combo and should be quite successful doing it in what supposed to be a more run-friendly offense. Heat Index: 7

Continue Reading FanHouse NFL Season Preview: Dallas Cowboys - The Time is Now!

Cowboys Sign Ken Hamlin, Have a Lot of Money Tied Up in the Defense

Posted: Jul 17th 2008 8:13AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, NFC East

6 COMMENTS

The Cowboys finally got around to signing Ken Hamlin, the safety not being persecuted by fans and media, and it was worth the wait: the former Seahawk who helped solidify the position last year, inked a six-year, $39 million deal that includes $15 million in guarantees.

The signing is hardly surprising -- the Cowboys have been adamant about keeping Hamlin in Dallas -- but it does provide further evidence that the team is committed to improving the defense. The Dallas Morning News' Todd Archer breaks down the projected 2008 defense, and the more than $80 million in guaranteed money devoted to this group:

CB Terence Newman - 2008 - $12 million
S Roy Williams - 2006 - $11.1 million
CB Anthony Henry - 2005 - $10 million
LB DeMarcus Ware - 2005 - $10 million
S Ken Hamlin - 2008 - $9 million
LB Bradie James - 2006 - $8 million
DL Jay Ratliff - 2008 - $8 million
DE Marcus Spears - 2005 - $6.7 million
LB Greg Ellis - 2003 - $4.2 million
LB Zach Thomas - 2008 - $1 million
DE Chris Canty - 2005 - $310,000

Continue Reading Cowboys Sign Ken Hamlin, Have a Lot of Money Tied Up in the Defense

Somebody in Miami Thinks Dolphins Safeties Are Better Than, Well, Dallas' Roy Williams

Posted: Jun 22nd 2008 11:16AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Cowboys, Dolphins

3 COMMENTS

I would love to meet these "Dolphins officials" to ask if they were drunk or high when they made these comments. Via the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, anonymous source maestro:

Some Dolphins officials believe their safeties are better than Dallas'. Among the best battles in camp: Jason Allen (first-team snaps in May/June), Renaldo Hill (expects to be 100 percent after surgery to an anterior cruciate ligament) and former Falcons starter Chris Crocker vying to start opposite Yeremiah Bell. ''Jason has a lot of speed and I like what I see, as much as you can like in shorts and a T-shirt,'' secondary coach Todd Bowles said.

Also worth finding out: are these "officials" part of the coaching staff/scouting department, or do they work in the ticket office/accounting/anywhere but coaching staff or scouting department? I'm going with the latter.

In any event, assuming somebody actually believes this to be true, I suspect it all comes down to the Cowboys' Roy Williams. The guy has been crucified this offseason for, well, not being very good. Still, Ken Hamlin had an impressive season (so much so that Dallas wants to keep him around for a while), Pat Watkins continues to develop, and Anthony Henry could eventually move to safety, which would only upgrade the unit.

Continue Reading Somebody in Miami Thinks Dolphins Safeties Are Better Than, Well, Dallas' Roy Williams

Panthers Secure One Safety: Who's the Other?

Posted: Feb 14th 2008 11:50AM by David J. Warner (author feed)
Filed under: Panthers, NFC South, Charlotte, Carolina

3 COMMENTS

The Carolina Panthers have signed strong safety Chris Harris to a four-year, $3 million-per-year contract extension yesterday. The Panthers acquired Harris from the Bears for a fifth-round pick last August after Mike Minter retired, and he had a fantastic season, making 97 tackles and forcing 8 fumbles.

That's great, Panthers. Who's the free safety?

Deke Cooper is a free agent, and I think we all know neither he nor Quinton Teal are the answer here. There's a possibility Nate Salley could return. He was expected to start at free safety last season until a knee injury sidelined him for the season. His current status is up in the air.

My guess, though, is that Marty Hurney will either sign a free agent or draft someone this offseason. Ken Hamlin would be ideal, but the Cowboys are considering slapping a franchise tag on him. Cincinnati's Madieu Williams and Atlanta's Chris Crocker (Leave Britney alone!!!) and Minnesota's Mike Doss are also available, though nobody's talking about the Panthers pursuing any of them.

Either way, this position needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. If Hurney thinks the Panthers can count on a dodgy-knee Buckeye and a couple of no-names at safety, though, he's clearly deluded.

Chiefs Try to Lose; Seahawks Try Harder

Posted: Oct 29th 2006 9:31PM by Matt Ufford (author feed)
Filed under: Seahawks, NFC West

3 COMMENTS

In a game that the Chiefs tried to lose by making a few critical errors, the Seahawks earned the loss with consistently erratic play.

Actually, there isn't much disappointment to parse out this week in the fiefdom of Seahawks fandom. Going into Arrowhead, where the 'Hawks lost annually for 600 years while they played in the AFC West, and without MVP Shaun Alexander, (real MVP) Matt Hasselbeck, Bobby Engram, and Sean Locklear, I wasn't expecting Seattle to come away with a victory. I suppose this is the sort of feeling you get as a fan when all the numbers suggest your team was blown out (the Chiefs accrued 499 yards of offense and had the ball for 42 minutes), but you still get to enjoy a football game in which your team has the lead with six minutes left in the game.

Alas, the 'Hawks fell 35-28, as the defense, not the depleted offense, betrayed the Seahawks and their fans. Larry Johnson chewed up the D-line and the linebackers in the first half, while the secondary came through with egregious mistakes on third-and-long throughout the game (Marcus Trufant, for one, is best served with a little bit of butter and orange marmalade). Sometime tomorrow, supercomputers will finish counting the number of missed tackles the 'Hawks registered. The defense looked soft. Impotent. Unable to stiffen when it mattered.

What I'm trying to say is that John Marshall's squad was a sad, flaccid phallus today.