Lone Star Struck

Going into today’s game, the Cowboys had lost their last nine season finales, and they were going up against one of the hottest teams in the NFC in the Eagles who were on a six game winning streak. However, none of those things meant much against a motivated Cowboys team that played some of the best football we’ve seen all season.

Led by Tony Romo, the Cowboys clobbered the Eagles 24-0 in front of a packed Cowboys Stadium crowd. Romo threw a pair of first half touchdown passes with strikes to Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton, to put the Cowboys up 14-0. After a Suisham field goal, the Cowboys ended the first half with a 17-0 advantage and all the momentum on their side.

In the second half, an electrifying touch down run by Felix Jones increased the lead to 27-0, and that would be all the scoring for the rest of the game.

While Romo and company handled things on the offensive side of the ball, it was the defense that delighted 100,621 screaming fans as they completely shutdown and dominated the prolific Eagles offense led by Donovan McNabb. The Eagles tried their best to break through a solid defensive front, but their efforts were futile and all they could muster was a pathetic 37 yards rushing against a relentless Cowboys attack.

The Cowboys defense never even allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to enter the red zone for the entire game! (Revenge is a dish best served cold!)

It was the third straight big win for the Cowboys who have finally exorcised the ghosts of season’s past. Nobody will dare say that the Tony Romo and the Cowboys can’t win a big game anymore.

Next week we do it all over again, as we host these same Philadelphia Eagles once again at Cowboys Stadium.

This Cowboys team is operating at peak performance and is firing on all cylinders. It’s been exciting to see them evolve over this past season from a solid, but inconsistent team, into the juggernaut they have now become. For the first time in a long time there is a remarkable cohesion and a single minded philosophy that is focused and determined to win a Super Bowl trophy.  These are the Dallas Cowboys that we have all been waiting for.

* * * * * Record Breakers * * * * *

Tony Romo completes the most productive season of his career and in franchise history, setting club records for attempts, completions and passing yards.

Today’s Eagles shutout coupled with last weeks blanking of the Redskins, gave the Cowboys their first back to back shutouts in franchise history. It was also the first shutout of the Eagles since a 34-0 trouncing inflicted by the Cowboys in 1998.

Felix Jones ends the season leading the NFL with a 5.9 Yards Per Carry. He beat out Titans’ RB Chris Johnson who incidentally finsihed the seaon with over 2,000 rushing yards, the sixth player in NFL history ever to accomplish the feat.

Wow what an incredible finish to an incredible game, and quite possibly some the best drama we’ve seen all season.

The Cowboys did the unexpected and beat the previously undefeated New Orleans Saints 24-17 in a hard fought battle that kept most Cowboys fans on the edge of their seats right up until the final seconds of the game.

Tony Romo and Miles Austin lit up the sky and the scoreboard once again on offense, while Marion Barber and Felix Jones kept the ground game churning and burning.

However, it was the defense who stepped up the most and found a way to stop the juggernaut from New Orleans.

DeMarcus Ware was back and made some key plays including a sack of Drew Brees and a forced fumble with 10 seconds left on the clock and the Saints moving the ball. The Cowboys recovered and the rest as they say was history.

Anthony Spencer and Mike Jenkins had huge efforts on defense, and as for Spencer, he is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on defense.

The only bad note to the game was the continuing struggles of Nick Folk who missed a chip-shot field goal that the Cowboys needed to put the Saints away for good. There’’s no way the Cowboys don’t replace him next week.

This was the first December win on the road since 2007 for the Cowboys.

The victory may have put a final nail in the Giants coffin, but keeps us alive and well for a play off spot as we inch closer to the final game of the season against the much hated Eagles at Cowboys Stadium. What a game that will be!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Enjoy this gift from the Cowboys!

Before I get into my little tirade, let me first begin by saying how relieved I am that DeMarcus Ware only suffered a sprained neck. Seeing him lying on the ground like that sent chills down my spine and I’m sure all of us collectively held our breaths waiting for DeMarcus to show some movement and give us a sign he was okay. When he gave that thumbs up it felt like the weight of the world was immediately lifted off of our shoulders.

As for the game, if you want to call it that, what can I say that you haven’t already heard every December for the last three seasons?

The Chargers made themselves right at home in Cowboys Stadium and beat us 20-17 in front of packed house of 90,000+ fans.

The Chargers have now won 16 consecutive December games, while the Cowboys still struggle to put a couple of wins in a row together in what has become their death knell. The Cowboys may have produced more first downs (22 to 21) than the Chargers, but it’s points scored that matter the most in the NFL.

It seems that whether they are on the road or at home, where they never seem to have any advantage, the Cowboys are always behind and have to play a vicious game of catch-up. In fact, do you know that the Cowboys have not had one touchdown drive on their first possession in over a year? The other team almost always strikes first blood and that’s not really a lasting formula for success..

The turning point of the game came just before the end of the first half when on first and goal and on the one yard line, Marion Barber failed to get in the end zone.

The Chargers defense was impenetrable as Barber failed to break through again and again and again including on fourth and goal. Barber got the hand-off on that final attempt, but the Chargers got penetration and dropped Barber once again for no gain allowing San Diego to take over on downs at their own one. It was as deflating a series as we’ve seen all season long and just humiliating and brutal to watch.

They went into halftime trailing 10-3 despite running an unbelievable 28 plays in Chargers’ territory. That is such an epic fail on so many levels, it’s almost hard to believe a team can be that futile and impotent.

And even when they did recover the ball after those failed Marion Barber attempts at the one yard line, Nick Folk missed a 32 yard field goal that would have made it 10-6.

There seemed to be no sense of urgency, and I took issue with the fact that Wade Phillips didn’t use up any of his timeouts to stop the clock and give his offense a few more shots to get some points on the board. Also, with 4 seconds left in the half, Romo took a knee rather than attempt one final pass if only to give the perception that there was some fight left in this team.

You could have turned your sets off right there. It was apparent that the San Diego Chargers were doing everything they could to win, while the Cowboys did everything they could to lose.

The second half only confirmed our first half fears.

So now the Cowboys have tallied consecutive losses for the first time this season, and head to New Orleans to face the undefeated Saints on Saturday night.

With the loss, Dallas falls to 8-5, and pending the outcome of tonights game between the Eagles and Giants, they will either be in second place, or in a three way tie for first. The thing about ties is this, the Cowboys have the worst record in the division and would lose any tie breaker.

How many days to the NFL Draft?

Dallas went to New York with high hopes and fell short, a touchdown short to be exact. Giants (7-5) walk away with the win and are only one “W” out of  first place. The Cowboys (8-4) now share the division lead with the Eagles. Never a dull moment in the NFC East.

Early on the Cowboys seemed to be controlling the game with a score of 10-0 up until the two minute warning. Then all of a sudden the Giants scored two touchdowns in less than two minutes right before halftime.

Tony Romo put up good numbers, but that just proves that stats don’t win games. Romo went 41/55, 392 yards, three touchdowns and ZERO interceptions. Romo’s 41 receptions set a new franchise record.

Roy Williams collected two touchdowns and had six receptions for 60 yards. Jason Witten came away with a career high 156 yards on 14 carries. While, Miles Austin had 10 receptions, 104 yards and one touchdown.

Romo and the receiving corps played great but those numbers mean nothing though when you lose to a division rival. And, it certainly didn’t help that the ground game never showed up. Between the three backs, Dallas only had 45 yards on the ground. All three lacked explosiveness and ran tentatively.

Nick Folk missed two field goals, and to be honest may not be a Cowboy for much longer. The Cowboys need a winner and Folk is definitely struggling lately. Many games come down to field goals and when you are in a run for the playoffs you need to be sure your kicker can make those shots.

On the defensive side of things, highlights include Jay Ratliff’s forced fumble and recover, Mike Jenkins’ interception and DeMarcus Ware had one sack. Other than that, mistakes, penalties and missed tackles were abundant.

This one is on the defense and special teams.

Jason Witten, who should have been celebrating a career best day and his 500th career catch said it best…

“We’ve got to challenge ourselves and find a way to play. We have to get back to it and forget all this December stuff. I’m not trying to avoid it or say it’s not true. We’ve got to put it away. You let another one slip and you’re really in trouble.”

***

Things we kept waiting for but never happened:

1. Massive Sack Attack from DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer

2. Deep Passes to Miles Austin

3. The Three-Headed Monster to Wake Up

4. Urgency From the Cowboys

Fans prepare yourself, because its going to be a long week of hearing about the Cowboys record in December. The schedule doesn’t get any easier either. Coming up: Chargers, Saints, Redskins, Eagles.

I’m not saying that our season is over, I’m not saying we can’t still win the division. All I’m saying is it won’t be easy.

This loss pissed me off more than any of the others this season. Usually I get sad, but not necessarily mad. It’s passion-driven anger. It’s uncontrollable and I shouldn’t let it get the best of me. I apologize to anyone who I offended or attacked during or after this game.

Don’t worry, I will pull myself together. I’ll get over it and look forward to the next game. The team should do the same thing. I hope they take this loss personally and take it out on the next team in line.

The Cowboys winning streak came to a halt today as the Packers beat the Boys 17-7. It was a strong defensive game on both sides but penalties, injuries and missed opportunities ruined the day.

The most painful thing to come from this loss will be the hole that Marc Colombo leaves on the offensive line. Colombo went down in the first quarter and later it was learned that he suffered from a broken fibula. Doug Free came in to replace Colombo and immediately failed to protect Romo.

There was an injury scare with Bradie James who returned to play, and Ken Hamlin left the game with an ankle injury.

Another stinger was an arm injury to corner Mike Jenkins. He returned to play but left again for good after a few minutes.

Tony Romo also took a beating from the Green Bay defense taking five sacks, while Aaron Rodgers was sacked 4 times by Dallas. Romo ended the day 24 of 29 completions, 251 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Roy Williams caught 5 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Sounds good right? No, not really. He also fumbled what would have been a 41-yard completion along with a dropped pass that could have been a game changer.

Luckily the Cowboys were able to score a touchdown in the final seconds to avoid getting shutout for the first time since December 14, 2003.

The running game was basically nonexistent. The three-headed monster combined for a measly 45 yards.

Defensively things were looking pretty good, just not good enough when your offense can’t produce and injuries sideline your starters. DeMarcus Ware had two sacks and Bobby Carpenter and Stephen Bowen recorded one sack each. Jay Ratliff was quiet, however Anthony Spencer stepped up and made several great plays.

Dallas has to pray that their injuries aren’t as bad as they seem. Of course Colombo is likely out for the season, but Jenkins and Hamlin should be able to return.

The Cowboys move on with a 6-3 record, still leading the NFC East and come back home to play the Washington Redskins for the first time this season.

This one really hurts… I guess it was right around the end of the first half when I realized that the Cowboys were heading toward their second loss of the season. How else could you explain the lackadaisical effort by Romo and company after the 2:00 warning in the first half? Rather than padding the score, they opted to run out the clock. It wasn’t hard to see the writing on the wall after that.

I warned all of you in last weeks recap that the victory over the Panthers was nothing to get excited about. So what… the Cowboys can beat the worst teams in the league… big deal. When is the last time this team won a big game against a tough opponent?

The fact of the matter is that the Cowboys, despite all their overpriced talent, are as mediocre a team as there is in the NFL.

We hail our quarterback as a star, but what lofty heights has he achieved to deserve such high praise?

Romo is an enigma. He is erratic and inconsistent and crumbles under pressure like a saltine cracker. You can blame the O-line if you want and continue to make excuses for him so you can feel better, but the truth is that outside of the Dallas – Forth Worth area, Romo has become the poster boy for the most overrated player in the NFL. He is no longer the promising warrior that was a product of the Bill Parcells offense. Jason Garrett should get most of the blame for his demise.

You can expect a win next week against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs who are still winless at 0-4. Maybe… But even if the Cowboys should prevail it will prove nothing more than the fact that the only teams the Cowboys could beat these days are the ones residing at the bottom of the barrel.

I’m not going to say the Cowboys miss T.O. because he was in fact a pariah, but I will say that you don’t let someone like him go and then sit on your hands and blow smoke up our ass about how Roy Williams will make us forget him.

Just because you blew up the 2009 Draft to get RW, and just because you paid him like a number one receiver, it doesn’t exactly make him a number one receiver. The fact is, I’d take Crayton over Williams any day. Did Jerry Jones really believe that Roy Williams could replace the 3,600 yards and 38 touchdowns that Owens delivered in his three seasons in Dallas?

Hey Jerry, maybe it’s time you step a side and hire a real football man as the general manager. You got away with playing GM thanks to having Jimmie Johnson and Barry Switzer to guide you, but since they left all you’ve really been good at is signing paychecks. You’re way out of your league.

Last night’s loss was all on the offense. Don’t blame the defense for allowing that final Denver back-breaking touchdown in the fourth quarter. Thanks to an offense that was so inept, our defenders were worn out and winded in the thin air of Colorado. It never should have come to that anyway. The “Romo and Garrett” led offense let far too many opportunities slip away.

It’s a shame that average fans like us can figure out that the Cowboys are built for grinding it out with the running game and yet Garrett is clueless on that fact. We have three tremendous and gifted weapons that can each pound the ball and confound opposing defenses to no end. Rather than using Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Jones (when healthy) to control the clock and the pace of the game, the Cowboys always seem to revert to an air attack that is futile and ineffective to say the least.

Roy Williams took a swipe at Romo when he said,

“It wasn’t tough for us to get open. It ain’t never tough for us to get open.”

In other words he was accusing Romo of throwing to the wrong target or when he did hit the right receiver, the ball was overthrown or way off target. Williams is right, and if he’s saying it out loud for all to hear, it doesn’t say much for Romo’s leadership or grasp of the situation.

Even tightend Martellus Bennett threw Romo under the bus when he said the following about the Cowboys defense,

“Those guys busted their tales the whole game. For us to be on the field and be in that situation like that is really unfair.”

What Marty B was referring to was Romo’s consecutive drives lasting 1:28 and 1:43 in the fourth quarter, which caused a depleted defense to take the field both times. The Broncos ended up scoring the game-tying field goal and the game-winning touchdown on the two possessions following the two 3 and outs.

As far as bright spots go, Marion Barber scored the only touchdown, and Keith Brooking continues to shine on defense.

The Cowboys have been a .500 team (12-12) since the last month of the 2007 season. Wow… There’s all the proof you need.

They are now 2-2 and of the remaining 12 games of the season, the last five games are against New York, New Orleans, Washington, San Diego and Philadelphia. The way I see it, the Cowboys need nine wins to earn a playoff berth. That means they have to win 7 of the remaining 12 games.

Fasten your seatbelt, this could get even uglier.

Quarterback Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to open the season with a convincing win.

The offense was clicking on all cylinders as Romo did a fantastic job of spreading the ball around and taking advantage of some huge blown coverages by the Buc’s secondary. And for those of you who were worried about the loss of Terrell Owens, you can all breathe easy as Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Austin Miles each hauled in a touchdown in the game.

Romo completed 16-of-27 passes for 353 yards, a career high, and tossed three touchdown passes. It was the most yards he has ever thrown in his career. His first strike was to Miles Austin, a 42-yard touchdown catch in the final minute of the first half to put Dallas up 13-7 at halftime. It was a picture perfect catch and run for Miles. 

Romo threw his second touchdown pass, a 66-yard strike to Roy Williams, to give the Cowboys a 20-7 in the third quarter, and then found wide receiver Patrick Crayton with an 80-yard strike. Crayton had a huge day ringing up four catches for 135 yards. Tight end Jason Witten also had a fine day with five catches for 71 yards vs. the Bucs.

The Cowboys also were solid on the ground and racked up 118 yards led by Marion Barber who had 79 yards and a six-yard touchdown run.

Nick Folk had a busy day and got us on the board with two field goals in the first quarter, giving the Cowboys a 6-0 lead to get things started. Folk nailed a booming 51-yard field goal, and then followed it up with a 22-yard chip shot.

Defensively, they played cohesively and got the job done in the last three quarters after allowing the Bucs’ Cadillac Williams to run wild in the first quarter. There were a couple injury scares when both DeMarcus Ware and Gerald Sensabaugh got the worst of two tackles, but Ware came back in the game in the next series and Sensabaugh said he’s fine and suffered a sore rib. Sensabaugh had a key moment in the game when he blocked a Buccaneers field goal.

Matt McBriar was looking good, and the Cowboys had no turnovers in the game. They even held the penalties to just 4 for 41 yards.

All in all, it was a great victory so let’s enjoy it!

Go Cowboys!

Last night, the Dallas Cowboys came from behind to beat the Minnesota Vikings 35-31 in their final game of the pre season. It was a poorly executed game on both sides of the ball, but keep in mind that none of our starters (or theirs) took the field.

The Cowboys had three turnovers, allowed two sacks, were called for holding twice, had 12 men on the field on defense, blew a coverage that allowed a touchdown, and gave up an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. Brutal…

Of course, last night was not so much about securing the victory, but giving the coaching staff one final opportunity to get an in-game glimpse of all the reserve players that are still fighting for a spot on the team. The Cowboys must now decide who will stay and who will go later today when they announce their final cuts.

There were some standout performances that may have secured a roster spot for some, and of course there were a few dismal performances as well. Let’s take a look at some of those who shined first.

Pat Watkins had a breakout game and stole the show for the Cowboys last night. The fourth-year safety made a clutch tackle on a fourth-and-one with 1:59 left in the first half that prevented a Vikings touchdown. Then he blocked a field goal with nine seconds left on the clock, to end the first half and prevent another Vikings scoring opportunity. Finally, he opened the third quarter with a a dazzling 23-yard interception return for a touchdown. It was a big day for the Cowboys’ backup safety. Take a bow Pat.

Some other stand-out performances belonged to Steve Octavien, who returned a 44-yard interception for a Cowboys touchdown, and Jesse Holley, who scored the game winning touchdown on a wild 82-yard punt return. Still, Holley may be in danger of getting cut today. Octavien should easily make the cut and will be the backup outside linebacker for Ware and Spencer.

Kevin Ogletree guaranteed himself the number five wide receiver job with yet another touchdown, but he came out of the game with an eye contusion. The injury is not considered to be serious.

Jon Kitna, who probably is in no danger of being cut, had another brutal showing that included two turnovers that led to Vikings touchdowns.

By the way, you could go ahead and pencil Duke Preston in at backup center, and say goodbye to Cory Proctor. There’s no way Proctor makes the cut.

The question as to who will be the right cornerback between Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, has been answered. According to Wade Phillips, they have been named co-starters, whatever that means. Reportedly, neither player was thrilled when they learned that neither won the job outright. I’ve heard of quarterback controversies, but a right cornerback controversy sounds ridiculous to me. Phillips can be so wishy-washy and indecisive and it drives me nuts. Make the call dude!

The Cowboys finished the pre season with a 2-2 record and get bragging rights in the NFC East as the rest of the teams in the division finished 1-3.

The final roster has to be announced by 5:00 PM today, stay tuned to Lone Star Struck and we’ll bring you the results as soon as they are announced.

The next game is for real people!

Here’s to another great Cowboys season!

Thanks to a second half surge by San Francisco and some bad decisions and penalties by the Cowboys, the Niners walked away from Cowboys Stadium with a convincing 20-13 win last night.

The Cowboys had this game in their hands, but the defense couldn’t hold back the hard charging second stringers who pushed through the Dallas defensive line as if they weren’t there. The Cowboys were up 10-3 at halftime, but were outscored 17-3 in the second half.

Tony Romo and the rest of the first team offense had no trouble moving the ball, but seemed to stall inside the red zone. They did manage to score one touchdown, thanks to some nifty 3-yard run by running back Felix Jones that highlighted a 94 yard drive that featured strong runs by Marion Barber and some clutch passes to receivers Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin, and tight end Jason Witten.  By the way, I thought it was interesting that they went with Felix on that three-yarder instead of their closer Marion Barber. That could mean more touchdowns for Felix and less for Barber down the road.

There were some missed opportunities by the first team…

Tony Romo threw an interception at the 4-yard line that ended one scoring opportunity, and a penalty erased a Nick Folk 49 yard field goal that ended another scoring opportunity. Still, there were others. Incidentally, Folk did make two other field goals of 24 and 25 yards.

One key play for the Cowboys was a 4th and 1 in which Wade Phillips opted to go for the field goal. As the home team, I thought they should have went for it and continue the drive to the end zone. It was a conservative play and I expected more from a Cowboys team who boasts so many offensive weapons.

Miles Austin did a fine job filling in for the injured Roy Williams, and Kevin Ogletree had another impressive game and could be locking down a spot on the final roster as the Cowboys’ fifth receiver. He caught two passes for 36 yards in the first half.

The first string defense was superb and showed some toughness when they stuffed the Niners after a 57-yard interception return from Romo. They held the Niners to just 3 points in the first half, and it was the second string that allowed San Francisco to come back and win the game. Bradie James and Jay Ratliff, who recorded a sack, looked impressive and ready for prime time.

This weeks quote of the game comes from the ultra conservative Wade Phillips who went ballistic after witnessing one of his players maul a 49ers receiver.

“The first part of the game, I thought we did some good things. Our second group didn’t play as well. We had penalties and turnovers that really hurt us at the end of the game. The kind of things that get you beat.”

On a sad note, safety Mike Hamlin, a fifth-round pick, suffered a broken right wrist covering a kickoff in the third quarter and he is expected to be out about six to eight weeks. Also, safety Alan Ball sprained his neck and rookie Jason Williams suffered an ankle sprain. 

During the game, the Cowboys paid homage to former Cowboy safety Roy Williams. Number 31 for the Cowboys got flagged for a horse collar penalty… it was DeAngelo Smith.

Anyway, lets get one thing straight… The bottom line is that their reserves beat our reserves. Unfortunately, that has been the case for most of the pre season thus far. Guys like Bobby Carpenter, Cory Proctor, Isaiah Stanback, Courtney Brown, and others have had their chances to impress, but have not. In the end, the only thing this loss shows is how poor our depth is behind our talented first teamers who have been solid, especially on defense.

My advice to the Cowboys is simply this… Stay Healthy!

Tomorrow is yet another cut day as the Cowboys do some more roster trimming. I’m willing to bet that at least two of the players that will be cut, have been named in this recap. Can you guess who?

The Cowboys broke in their new stadium with a well played 30-10 win over the Tennessee Titans, much to the delight of a raucous crowd of over 75,000 screaming and adoring fans.

While the spectacular new Cowboys Stadium stole much of the spotlight, the Cowboys made some magic of their own as they beat a solid Titans team that finished 13-3 last season to win their division.

Jerry Jones was smiling from ear to ear. “A great night. A great crowd. And an event we will remember for a long, long time.”

Now I wouldn’t exactly go that far, as it was only a pre season game, but it was a satisfying win all the same.

The first team offense played the entire first half and by all accounts, they were firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Tony Romo, executed two solid scoring drives of 90 and 79 yards, and had a great night passing completing 18 of 24 passes for 192 yards. He once again spread the ball around, as he did last week, and completed passes to seven different receivers.

For those of you who are still worried about Roy Williams, you can step back from the ledge as Romo connected with him five times last night. One receiver who really stood out was rookie Kevin Ogletree, who had three catches for 37 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown.

The running game was in the capable hands of Marion Barber and Felix Jones who both notched touchdowns in the first half. Jones thrilled the masses with an electrifying 42-yard catch and run that led to his one-yard TD run with seconds left in the half. Jones continues to impress me, and there’s a certain energy on the field whenever he’s in the backfield.

Defensively, the Cowboys were nearly flawless compared to their erratic and inconsistent play in the first pre season game. The one mistake was when cornerback Mike Jenkins got burned for a 17-yard touchdown pass to Justin Gage that looked like it could have been prevented. It was Jenkins’ first game after missing last week due to an injury, so I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. The bottom line is that our guys looked sharp, tough and determined. Heck even Bobby Carpenter managed to get a sack in what might be his one Kodak moment of his career. (Sorry Bobby, I gotta tell it like it is.)

Special Teams continues to nosedive and we’re still waiting for this new and improved play that was promised by Wade Phillips and Joe DeCamillis. Last night they muffed a few punts, missed a field goal, got burned for a 51 yard kickoff return, and allowed way too many yards on punt returns. It was obscene and so were the penalties. That said, there’s still time for special teams to get it together, but the clock is ticking.

All in all it was a good win for the Cowboys and they showed a lot of fight and determination in this one. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope that this was just the start of something big as I wrote on Friday morning.

Go Cowboys!

Tonight’s the night. The team’s first game ever in Cowboys Stadium kicks off at 7:00 PM tonight against the Tennessee Titans and will be televised on Fox for all the world to see.

The stadium has been open since June and has already featured the Jonas Brothers and even legendary rocker and former Beatle, Paul McCartney. But they were just warming it up for the main attraction, the Dallas Cowboys. About 75,000 people are expected to be on hand for the Dallas Cowboys’ first game at the new stadium which should be a memorable and breathtaking experience.

As for the pre season game, it certainly will be out-shined by the staggering dimensions of the state of the art park, but it does bare watching so pay attention.

Ladies and gentlemen… Now entering the game for the first time since the 2008 season… The incomparable… The magnificent… The oft injured… The one and only… Let’s give it up for cornerback… Terence Newman. That’s right, Newman will be making his pre season debut and on the other side will be Mike Jenkins who will also take the field for the first time this preseason. Assuming they both stay healthy, I expect both will soon be named starters and hopefully they will deliver solid seasons. Last week the Cowboys corners looked inept and were easily burned by a not so great Raiders offense who absolutely owned them.

It’s been reported that Roy Williams is coming off his best week of practice, and that he and Tony Romo are gaining chemistry. If they can flash some of that chemistry in this game, I’ll breathe a sigh of relief as will most of you. We don’t need Roy Williams to be the NFL’s number one receiver, but we do need him to be our number one guy, and it’s time for him to claim that job in convincing fashion.

The Titans will be looking to spoil our fun and prevent us from notching our first win at Cowboys Stadium, albeit a pre season win. Running back LenDale White had this to say,

“I’m trying to beat some butt and trying to get a victory. I’m ain’t concerned about that stadium at all. We’re not playing the stadium. We’re going in there to play the Dallas Cowboys and get a win. Maybe after the season when we win the Super Bowl and they have an all-star game there, I can go back to sight see.”

Talk about high hopes… That’s some big time smack coming from a team that just lost defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. Maybe he forgot that the last time we faced them in 2006, the Cowboys stomped their asses 45-15. Or that the last time we faced them in the pre season, the Cowboys pulverized the Titans 34-10.

Getting back to the better half of this contest, if the Cowboys want to impress me, we need our defense to step up and play the caliber of football we all know they are capable of.

Last week was an embarrassing loss mostly because it was the lowly Raiders who were 5-11 last season. The Titans were 13-3 last season, feature a great ground attack and even with the loss of Haynesworth, their defense is among the best in the game. They will give our team a grueling challenge, and expect to see some tough man to man matchups. It should be a battle that will test the readiness, toughness, and determination of both teams.

Our starters will most like play for at least one half tonight, if not more. Last week we got a loss that was drenched in excuses. Tonight we need to ditch the excuses and deliver some high octane performances.

It’s time for us to make a statement and deliver a message to the rest of the league. If not now, then when?

For those of us who expected to see a new and energized Cowboys team on the field last night, what a let down the first pre season game was. It seemed remarkably similar to the beating we got in Philadelphia to end last season. Sure, many of the faces were different, but the results were shockingly familiar as the Silver and Black pounded the Silver and Blue 31-10.

Usually, I don’t get too riled up over the results of a pre season game, especially the first one of the season, but last nights embarrassment had too many instances that brought back the failures and missteps of last season.

To begin, our defense allowed 456 total yards including an un-godly 280 yards rushing. Wow, you can’t really get much worse than that. And yes, our starters only played in one quarter, but when the Raiders piled on in the second half, it was mostly their third team players. That was totally demoralizing to say the least.

And what the hell was all those penalties? I thought Phillips said he was going to focus on minimizing the penalties? The Cowboys lost over 100 yards on 11 penalties last night.

There were plenty of positives to take away from this game and most of them were on offense.

Felix Jones is absolute gold and an electrifying presence when he’s on the field. He had a pass and one rush for 29 yards, and had a key block that setup the Cowboy’s lone scoring drive.

Sam Hurd had a fantastic day and hauled in five catches for 79 yards. If I am Miles Austin, I’d be worried right about now. Austin looked slow and had a dropped pass in the game. If he expects to be the third receiver, he may wants to take lessons from Sam Hurd.

I don’t know how to read Tony Romo’s performance. He had one terrible drive followed by one impressive scoring drive. After a three and out, he came back the second time around and engineered a picture perfect drive which included utilizing all of his weapons. The touchdown strike to Witten capped a drive that featured Martellus Bennett, Roy Williams, Marion Barber and Felix Jones. It’s all part of the new philosophy of spreading the ball around.

The first team offense only played the first quarter, but in those 15 minutes they showed glimpses of what could be one of the top offenses in the league in 2009.

Special Teams continues to struggle. Last night seemed like we were watching replays from last season; bad coverages, dropped balls, missed field goals, poor returns, and a muff that led to a Raiders touchdown. Ummm… I hope this wasn’t the improvement that Wade Phillips has been yapping about.

Overall, it was a lackluster performance that left much to be desired. I’ll give Top Gun performances to Sam Hurd, Felix Jones, Jason Witten, Gerald Sensabaugh, Jay Ratliff and Marty-B. On the other hand, these guys need to step it up and get their asses in gear; Stephen McGee, Orlando Scandrick, Miles Austin, Bobby Carpenter, Kyle Kosier, and Isaiah Stanback to name a few.

Anthony Spencer may have been on the field physically, but mentally he simply mailed it in. It was as if he wasn’t even there. He blew at least three easy coverages and then got burned for an 18-yarder he should have easily snuffed out. He never even got a whiff of the raiders quarterback. Terrible job.

Bobby Carpenter just needs to go. Even against third teamers he is a non-factor and has been absolutely worthless since the day he got drafted.

Wade Phillips was clearly pissed off after the game and when asked whether the Cowboys suffered any significant injuries, he he threw his team under the bus.

“We didn’t really play hard enough to get any injuries.” 

Ouch! I guess that says it all.

We’ll try to turn things around against the Tennessee Titans next week when we take the field in our new home. Until then, Go Cowboys!

Cowboys Eliminated After 44-6 Drubbing By Eagles in Season Finale

There isn’t much to say after the effort that the Cowboys put into a must-win game in Philadelphia on Sunday.  It was pathetic to say the least, and it showed on the scoreboard in a 44-6 thrashing at the hands of the Eagles.  It looked like the only players to show up for the Dallas Cowboys was Jason Witten, who with broken ribs and a partially torn ligament in his ankle, and Terrell Owens.

Witten caught 6 passes for 50 yards while Owens caught 7 passes for 103 yards, including a 42-yard pass from Jason Witten. 

The only stat that you need to hear to figure out who won the game is 27 points off of 5 Dallas turnovers for the Eagles, while the Cowboys only forced one turnover early in the game that resulted in a three-and-out. 

The game was tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter, but it was all Philadelphia from that point on.  The Eagles scored 24 points in the second quarter to take a 27-3 lead to the locker room, and it didn’t get any better in the second half. 

The Cowboys got deep into Philadelphia territory on their first two drives of the third quarter, but the Eagles were once again the ones who scored.  Fumbles by Tony Romo and Marion Barber resulted in 73 and 96-yard touchdown returns by Chris Clemons and Joselio Hanson, respectively.  That made it 41-3 Eagles, and it became evident that there would be no miracle comeback from the Cowboys and that their season was about to come to an embarrassing and disappointing end.  The final score was 44-6. 

Tony Romo never found a rhythm and was mediocre, completing just 21/39 passes for 183 yard with an interception and two lost fumbles, one returned for a touchdown.  

Tashard Choice rushed it 13 times for 56 yards and caught a pass for 8 yards while Marion Barber carried it 3 times for 13 yards and a lost fumble returned for a touchdown.  He als reeled in two balls for 20 yards.

Patrick Crayton made 3 catches for 34 yards while Roy E. Williams only caught 2 for 4 yards.

Nick Folk connected on both of his field goals, with the longest being from 42 yards out.  

Bradie James made the only sack on defense and forced the only fumble.  Demarcus Ware did not record any sacks and ended a stellar season with 20 sacks, falling just three shy of breaking the all-time record.  They went all for not though.

The Cowboys still have a long way to go to get to where they want to be.  This season was deemed ”Tampa Bay or Bust”, and it was a huge bust.  Who knows what changes will be made in the off-season or whether or not Jerry Jones sticks to his word about retaining Wade Phillips for next season after the way things went on Sunday.  This team has all the talent in the world, but with all of that talent, they could never come together and communicate as a team.  This combined with the bad discipline and lack of a killer instinct costed them a spot in the playoffs and a chance to live up to those Super Bowl expectations.  This season was a failure, and will go down as one of the most disappointing in Dallas Cowboys history if not the most disappointing.  They will be back next season though, and in a brand new stadium.  Who knows what will happen, but hopefully it will be a season to remember.     

Cowboys (9-6) vs. Eagles (8-6-1)  Sunday, December 28, 3:15 PM CT on FOX

Week 17 Preview:

Playoffs Begin Now For Battle-Tested Cowboys

Forget the fact that it is only Week 17 of the regular season.  The playoffs begin now for the Dallas Cowboys.  A win against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday propels them to the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, while a loss eliminates the Cowboys, making it one of the most disappointing seasons in Dallas Cowboys hstory.

All the Cowboys need to do is win and they’re in, but Philadelphia needs losses by both the Chicago Bears against the Houston Texans and by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Oakland Raiders in addition to beating Dallas.  The Eagles should know whether or not they still have a shot at making the playoffs shortly before the game begins, which could help or hurt the Cowboys a little bit either way.  The Eagles would like nothing more than to ruin the Cowboys’ chances of getting in though, so it should be a battle no matter what.

The Cowboys will have to put constant pressure on Donovan McNabb and stop Brian Westbrook to have a chance to win the game.  Last week against the Baltimore Ravens, the Cowboys sacked Joe Flacco 5 times in the first half but none in the second.  They also limited Baltimore’s running game in the first half, unlinke in the second half when they allowed backto-back 82 and 77-yard touchdown runs to seal the game. 

DeMarcus Ware needs just 3 sacks to break the all-time sacks recordfor a single season.  He will line up against tackle Tra Thomas, who held him to just one sack when they faced one another back in Week 2.  It should be an intriguing matchup to watch.

Tony Romo’s back has been acting up on him ever since he took those shots against the Giants a couple of weeks ago.  Whether it is that, lingering effects of his broken pinky finger, or a combination of both is unknown.  It is obvious that he is not at 100% and has not thrown the all very accurately, missing some wide open receivers against Baltimore and making mistakes throwing the ball.  He cannot make these mistakes against the Eagles.  Jim Johnson knows Tony Romo very well, and will blitz at will if he senses a weakness in Romo.  Tony Romo has only had one game in which he did not turn the ball over all season long, and that was Week 15 against the Giants in a 20-8 win.

The final thing that the Cowboys need to do in order to ave a successful game is to limit the penalties. They cannot give the Eagles free first downs and back themselves up into 3rd and long situations taking unnecessary penalties.  They are the most penalized team in the league, committing 115 penalties for 911 yards. 

The bottom line is that the Cowboys just need to find a way to win this game and bring a win at all costs attitude out on the field with them.  This will be their last of the season if they lose, so it is time to lay it all on the line against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon.