The Key To A Quick Start For The Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys report to training camp in San Antonio, Texas today and practice starts tomorrow.

Now that all the off season chatter about Terrell Owens’ departure and Tony and Jessica splitting up is behind us, it is time to look at what it will take to get the Dallas Cowboys back on top of the NFC East and ready to make a legitimate run at the Super Bowl.

The NFC East is once again the toughest division in the conference if not the entire NFL.

While every year the talk is how the Cowboys play in December and January, it is imperative the Cowboys get off to a quick start in 2009.

2008 was a disappointment and the team needs to prove they are more like the 13-3 team of 2007 than the 9-7 lackluster team of a year ago.

Granted it is crucial that Tony Romo and the offense gel quickly and put some points on the board.

But the determining factor on whether or not the Cowboys will be a force this year comes down to: The Front Seven must stop the run.

In 2008 the Cowboys defense ranked 12^th in the NFL against the rush giving up an average of 106.6 yards a game and 4.2 yards per rushing attempt.

Nightmares of last season’s Week 16 loss to Baltimore continue to haunt the Cowboys fans.

The defense gave up 265 yards rushing that day which included two fourth quarter touchdown runs of 77 and 82 yards.

That performance was the nail in the Cowboys coffin and ended any real play-off hopes for 2008.

This season will start facing six opponents that will rely heavily on their running game.

Game 1 at Tampa Bay: The Bucs will be breaking in a new starting quarterback, probably Byron Leftwich, as well as a new offensive system under new offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski.

The Bucs will be more committed to the running game with the addition of Derrick Ward who rushed for 1,025 yards with the Giants last season.

Last year the Bucs ranked 15^th in the NFL in rushing with 114.8 yards per game.

Game 2 home vs. New York Giants: The Giants led the NFL in rushing in 2008 with 157.4 yards per game. In the two games vs. Dallas in ’08, they averaged 136.0 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry.

Brandon Jacobs, who missed the second game against Dallas last year, will return for the Giants this year.

Without a proven number one receiver for Eli Manning to rely on look for the Giants to continue to pound the ball, especially early in the season.

Game 3 home vs. Carolina Panthers: Well the first Monday Night game in the new Cowboys Stadium does not get any easier for the Cowboys run defense.

The Panthers averaged over 152 yards per game rushing last year to rank third in the NFL.

They bring back the one-two punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to try and overwhelm the Cowboys front seven.

Game 4 at Denver: Last year although the Broncos were devastated by injuries at the running back position and they had Jay Cutler at quarterback, they still ranked 12th in the league in rushing.

To put that in perspective, the Cowboys ranked 21st in the NFL in rushing offense in 2008.

This year, the Broncos have number one draft choice, Knowshon Moreno, along with free agent pick-ups Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan to lead their running game.

Plus they now have Kyle Orton playing quarterback. Believe me the Broncos will want to establish the running game each week.

Game 5 at Kansas City: Running Back Larry Johnson only played in 12 games for the Chiefs in 2008 but he still had 874 yards rushing while the team ranked 16th in the league.

New QB Matt Cassel will have to go to battle with only one legitimate threat on the outside in WR Dwayne Bowe.

Look for Johnson to be called on early and often in the Chiefs game plan.

Game 6 home vs. Atlanta: Well the Cowboys face the number one ranked Giants and the number three ranked Panthers so you might as well add the number two ranked Falcons to the mix.

Michael Turner powered the Falcons with 1,699 yards rushing and 17 rushing touchdowns.

As you can see the first six games will present some very big challenges for the Cowboys front seven. So who will be responsible for plugging the holes for the Cowboys in 2009?

Defensive End Marcus Spears: At 6’4” and 315 pounds Spears has good size and strength. He had 35 tackles and one forced fumble in 2008.

He is not much of a playmaker and tends to disappear at times.

Nose Tackle Jay Ratliff: Probably the biggest surprise for the Cowboys defense in 2008.

Ratliff earned Pro Bowl recognition with his 51 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He is solid and can create congestion along the line of scrimmage.

Defensive End Igor Olshansky: Olshansky comes in to replace Chris Canty who took the free agent train to the divisional rival New York Giants.

Olshansky plays the run well. At 6”6” and 309 pounds he is ideal as a defensive end in the Cowboys 3 – 4 defense.

Plus he played under Coach Wade Phillips defense when Phillips was at San Diego.

Outside Linebacker Anthony Spencer: Perhaps the biggest question mark on the front seven, Spencer steps in to fill the shoes of the departed Greg Ellis.

Spencer, in his third year out of Purdue, has excellent ball awareness to come off blocks and make plays.

As a former first round draft choice, the expectations are high that Spencer will be a force opposite Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware.

Inside Linebacker Bradie James: The heartbeat of the Cowboys defense. James led the team with 116 tackles in 2008.

He is aggressive and fills the hole quickly. He continues to improve his playmaking skills forcing three fumbles last season.

Inside Linebacker Keith Brooking: The long time Atlanta Falcon joins Olshansky as a new addition to the front seven.

Age is the maintain question for the 33 year old, 12 year veteran. But durability has not been an issue for Brooking who has started every game over the past seven seasons for the Falcons.

Outside Linebacker DeMarcus Ware: If James is the heartbeat then Ware is the lifeblood of the Cowboys defense.

Ware played like the Defensive Player of the Year last year, he finished 2^nd to the Steelers James Harrison . Ware forced six fumbles and had a league leading 20 sacks.

He is the best playmaker on the team and can make tackles from sideline to sideline.

So there you have it. While all the media attention is on Romo, Barber, Witten and Roy Williams, the key to the Cowboys in 2009 will be Spears, Ratliff, Olshansky, Spencer, James, Brooking and Ware.

Let’s hit the field.

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Jason Garrett – Just Gimme Three Steps

In the tradition of the classic Southern Rock song Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd, here are three steps for Dallas Cowboys Offensive Coordinator, Jason Garrett to take in order to get the Cowboys offense back to the juggernaut it looked like for the first 13 games of the 2007 season.  

Garrett could have more pressure on him than Head Coach Wade Phillips does heading into the 2009 campaign.  Just a year ago the Cowboys signed Garrett to be one of the highest paid assistants in the league and the unofficial “Head Coach-in waiting”. Boy how things can change; after a 9-7 season and scoring only 362 points (10^th in the NFC) not to mention his well-publicized meeting with T.O. and the receivers over Jason Witten and his dominance of the offensive game plan, Garrett now must right the ship and do it fast. Plus he will have to do it without the playmaker Owens who is off to Buffalo. 

So how can Garrett turn things around in the tough NFC East? Here are three steps that if the Cowboys take should result in a powerful offense that will have all the fans in the new Cowboys Stadium believing a Super Bowl run is in the cards. 

1. Run the Ball More: As hard to believe as it might seem with Tony Romo and Jason Witten on the offensive side of the ball, there is no doubt the strength of the unit is at the running back position. The Cowboys have three running backs 25 years old and younger Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice.  Last season they combined for over 1,600 yards and a 4.5 yard per carry average while scoring 12 touchdowns. Yet they only carried the ball 360 times compared to 578 passing attempts. With arguably the best pack of running backs in the game they deserve more than 37% of the offensive snaps.  

2. More Two Tight-End Sets: But not in the way you think. This is not a recommendation to line up in the traditional two tight end formation and just pound the ball. Again the philosophy here is more in line with step one with getting your best players more involved. By running two tight end sets you get not only Jason Witten on the field but you get second year tight end Martellus Bennett out there at the same time. With the departure of Owens the receiving corps appears weaker than in the past. By inserting Bennett it makes it possible to use Witten in the slot in a Dallas Clark like role. But don’t underestimate Bennett he has the ability to stretch the field and with both he and Witten out there the opponents will have a multitude of match-up problems. 

3. Roll Out the “Wildcat” Package: Once again with the idea of getting as many playmakers on the field as possible the Cowboys need to install their version of the “wildcat” formation and make it a part of their regular offensive game plans. The package became popular a couple seasons ago at the University of Arkansas when they used it in order to get both their top running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones on the field at the same time. Yes that same Felix Jones now residing in the Cowboys backfield. The Cowboys also have two wide receivers on the team that saw significant amount of time at the quarterback position in college. Both Patrick Crayton and Isaiah Stanback played quarterback in college and would be a natural fit for the wildcat package. 

Granted these aren’t brand new ideas and I never claimed to be a rocket scientist but as a 10 year Cowboys season ticket-holder who has re-upped for tickets in the brand new stadium, I have sat through too many games that look the same. Try to run once, maybe twice and when that doesn’t work have Romo drop back to pass. The Cowboys have the offensive weapons to be one of the most dangerous teams to match up against but for too long we make it easy on the opposing players and coaches to prepare and adjust to our game plan. It is time to use the entire arsenal we have and it can be done in three easy steps.

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What’s With All This Madness?

Today kicks off what is now commonly known as “March Madness”. The NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. It is arguably the second biggest sporting event of the year behind the Super Bowl. Don’t believe me? Come on tell me really how many brackets have you filled out this year? 

So what started all this madness? Most so-called “experts” refer back to the 1979 National Championship game between Indiana State and Michigan State when the world was introduced to the very first Magic vs. Bird showdown. That battle won by the smiling freshman Earvin “Magic” Johnson is credited with creating the buzz that is now known as March Madness. 

The madness was further cemented by two events that followed a few years later. The first was the 1982 Championship game between North Carolina and Georgetown. This was another marquee match-up, this one featuring two coaching legends, Dean Smith and John Thompson. Carolina was lead by All-American forward James Worthy while Georgetown relied on freshman center Patrick Ewing. But the memorable moment of the game that made it “one for the ages” was the game winning basket made by the “relatively” unknown freshman guard from North Carolina, Michael Jordan. 

But what really pushed March Madness over the edge happened the next year. It can be called the introduction of the “Cinderella” factor. In 1983 the North Carolina State Wolfpack led by Coach Jim Valvano were the number six seed in the West Region. Every game they played was close, so close in fact that they earned the nickname “Cardiac Pack” for all the anxiety they bestowed upon their fans, of which I was one. Having attended NC State I was on pins and needles watching every second of every game. 

The Wolfpack defeated Ralph Sampson and the number one seeded Virginia Cavaliers 63-62 in the West Regional final. Then after beating Georgia 67-60 in the National semi-finals, the Pack knocked off a second number one seed, Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma, with Akeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, in a historic national title game in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jimmy V’s frantic postgame search for somebody to hug is still the most enduring image of this game. Lorenzo Charles’ last-gasp slam dunk of a Dereck Whittenburg air ball (or was it a pass?) won the game. The slipper fit and the Cinderella Wolfpack were National Champs. 

There have been so many lasting memories over the past 25 years that the madness has grown beyond anyone’s imagination. I bet even the folks at CBS never imagined the madness would be what it is today. Do you remember the 1985 Championship game when another Cinderella the Villanova Wildcats upset the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas to claim the title? Or how about the 1991 Richmond team who became the first 15th seed to knockout a number two seed Syracuse in the first round? We can’t forget the 1992 East Regional Finals when Duke’s Christian Laettner hit a buzzer-beater shot to beat Kentucky 104-103.

Each year just seems to create more madness memories. Did you realize that last year for the first time in tournament history since seeding began, the top seeded team from each of the four regionals made it to the final four: Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA? The Kansas Jayhawks defeated Memphis 75-68 in overtime to claim the crown. 

So what does 2009 have in store for us? Well I deliberately waited until this morning to post this blog to make sure everyone had “locked” in their picks before I shared some of my prognostications with you. First a little insight into my own “bracketology” philosophy. Number one; do not listen to the experts. Don’t get caught up with what Dickie V, Digger Phelps, Jay Bilas or Clark Kellogg predict. In my opinion they all have their own agendas. Next, don’t be afraid to go for the first round upsets. The risk reward is minimal in early stages of bracket challenges so step out and take a shot at the next Cinderella. With that being said my bracket does include two #12’s upsetting #5’s (Arizona over Utah and Western Kentucky over Illinois) as well as a #11, VCU over a #6 UCLA. I also have Maryland a #10 beating #7 California. Finally do your homework on the strength of the “power” conferences. The Big East and ACC were up this year, the SEC, Big Ten and Pac-10 not so much. 

So here’s my Sweet 16. Midwest: Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas and Boston College (re: BC remember ACC up, Big Ten down BC will upset Michigan State). West: UConn, Memphis, Marquette and Purdue. That’s a #5 and a #6 advancing. I’m just not a believer in Washington coming out of the Pac-10 or Missouri from the Big 12. East: Pitt, Florida State, Villanova and Duke (again its all Big East and ACC). South: UNC, Gonzaga, Arizona State and Oklahoma. Here’s where I went against my “power” conference strategy and picked Arizona State to eliminate Syracuse. One strategy I failed to mention earlier is the “superstar” factor. When teams are evenly matched take the team with the superstar. ASU’s James Harden is one of the best players in the country and he will lead ASU to a spot in the Sweet 16. 

So who makes it to Detroit and the final four? From the Midwest I like Louisville to defeat Kansas and earn a spot. I think UConn will have their hands full with a very talented Memphis team but edge them out to represent the West. In a showdown of Big East powers Pitt will knock off Villanova for a trip to Motown, while the South region will feature a match-up I definitely want to see when the Tarheel’s Tyler Hansbrough faces OU’s Blake Griffin in a battle of big men. As much as I hate to say it I see UNC advancing.

The finals will pit the North Carolina Tarheels against the Connecticut Huskies. Look for the Huskies to come out on top 78-70. Good luck with all your picks. 

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