Road to 13-3 Record Not Without Bumps
As I kicked back and enjoyed highlights of all 17 of the Cowboys' games a couple weeks back, many players caught my eye with their surprising success. As everyone knows however, highlights always show the good, but not always the bad and the ugly. And with that, here are a few players I thought had disappointing years for the silver and blue.
Julius Jones
Julius Jones tops this list without question in my mind. Going into a contract year, I expected Jones to have a breakout season and have success that would turn Jerry Jones' head enough to re-sign Jones to a lucrative deal. That however was far from the case. Jones started all 16 regular season games, but failed to record a 100-yard outing. He amassed a mere 588 yards and only saw the end-zone twice this season. Many could argue that Jones' lack of success was due to Marion Barber getting most of the carries later on in games. But it seemed as though Jones lacked the explosiveness and downhill style of Barber. Jones was often seen dancing around in the backfield trying to make something happen rather than hitting the hole. I feel that Jones' performance this season will be his ticket out of Dallas via free agency. This year's draft could produce arguably the best crop of running backs in 10 years, and I expect the Cowboys to nab one of these runners early in the draft.
Roy Williams
As Plaxico Burress strolled into the endzone untouched on the very first play of the 2007 season, we all gave our best 'here we go again' look when we spotted Roy Williams trailing 10 yards behind Burress. The play ended up being a great summary for Williams' season. Williams was frequently the guilty party for busted coverages and long touchdown passes. He was also the culprit for many long runs, often whiffing on the tackle trying to produce a big time hit. Although a vulnerability many a time this year, Roy Williams is still a major part of the Cowboys defense. All the babble about him being released or traded need to be silenced and talk of him moving to linebacker needs to be put to rest. He will return to Dallas at safety next year. Maybe his number change to 38 will bring back the welcomed sight of Roy laying a good lickin' on wide receivers. And let's hope that Dave Campo won't teach an old dog new tricks, but revert him back to his old ones.
Jacques Reeves
As Roy Williams was having his routine problems in coverage, Jacques Reeves was having issues of his own. Opposing quarterbacks routinely locked Reeves in their crosshairs, often with successful results. While Reeves possesses game-changing speed, he often looked lost in coverage and a step slower than everyone else. Although Reeves gained much game experience this season, it's safe to say he won't be Dallas' top priority as far as re-signing goes. While they might bring Reeves back at the right price, he will more than likely end up in a different uniform next year. Look for Dallas to pick one of the stellar corners in the draft.
he did this year. Seriously, hats off to this guy for his monstrous play this year. When the complaining started in the summer, everybody including me thought it was time for Greg to hang up his spurs. But you kind of got the feeling that Greg had a giant chip on his shoulder after his first game back against the Rams. You could commonly spot Ellis in the backfield racking up sacks and stripping the quarterback. He was a great compliment to Demarcus Ware and I see no reason why he should not be back next year flustering quarterbacks with his counterpart.
the guy to a one-year deal in the off-season, hoping his play would do justice for a bigger contract next year. It's safe to say Dallas found a baller in Hamlin. He constantly made interceptions at key times in games and was the leader in the secondary when it came to getting everyone lined up in the proper formation. I'd venture to say that Hamlin had a bigger presence in the secondary this year than Roy Williams. Expect Hamlin to receive a fat pay raise from Mr. Jones and stay in Dallas for awhile.
But when week 1 rolled around, it appeared that Terry Glenn would be resting his moneymakers a little longer than initially expected. No problem. Insert Patrick Crayton. After seeing Crayton perform at a high level the first few weeks of the season, it was obvious that he was no longer a pup from Northwestern Oklahoma State. The offense ran like a well-oiled machine and never missed a beat with Crayton lined up opposite Terrell Owens. Now, we can still sit in our favorite Sunday armchair and daydream about what could have been with Owens, Crayton, and Glenn on the field at the same time, but it seems as though Dallas has found a franchise wide receiver in Patrick Crayton.





points. Tony Romo has thrown for 6 touchdowns, 2nd in the league. Marion Barber has found the endzone 3 times, that's tied for first in the league. Oh, and don't forget about Terrell Owens, who has quietly scored 3 touchdowns. That's good for 3rd in the league. 

to determine today’s most successful and marketable athlete on and off the field (T.O. was defeated by Alex Rodriquez in the Muhammad Ali Region). 


