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A Review of One Fan's Favorite Team.

 
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Calvin

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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:07 pm    Post subject: A Review of One Fan's Favorite Team. Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

We all have our favorite sports teams, and as fans, we probably focus more on the news for our own teams than any other teams in sports. As an example, I have a working knowledge of what's going on in the NFL, but if there is any news being reported on the Dallas Cowboys, you can be sure I know about it. I always keep up to date on what they're doing, moreso than anything else related to the NFL. As such, I thought it would be fun to write a little extended review on what the Cowboys have been doing and what I thought about it. Also, it would be neat if other fans of sports teams did the same--its not llimited to just the NFL. Obviously, it is the NFL offseason, so my review centered on offseason moves and predictions for the future, but different sports are in different stages of their season. The review could be anything--post season review, mid season review, etc.

Anyways, here is my review on how the 2007 Dallas Cowboys are shaping up:

2007-2008 Dallas Cowboys
An Offseason Review


A Coaching Change in Febuary: In late January a few weeks after the Cowboys' heartbreaking loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the opening round of the playoffs, Coach Parcells decided to step down and retire as coach of the Cowboys after four years. In Febuary, team owner Jerry Jones replaced him with coach Wade Phillips, who served as the Defensive Coordinator of the San Diego Chargers last year. There were mixed feelings about Bill Parcells in the fan base and editorials written about him, but in the end he was able to take a team that went 5-11 three years in a row and turn it into a playoff team. The roster now is much more talented than when he first arrived. Simply put, Bill Parcells set this team up for success in the future.

Wade Phillips comes in as a coach with a drastically different perspective on on how football should be coached and played. He has a more laid back coaching style, which shouldn't be considered as a negative trait. We may recall that another coach with a similar coaching style named Tony Dungy won the Superbowl last year. One thing of concern is that Wade Phillips doesn't have the phenomenal track record that Bill Parcells had, and while Phillips has a winning record as a head coach, in his last such job with the Bills he was fired.

On the positive side, Wade Phillips employs a defensive scheme that is much better suited to the Cowboys' skillset on defense. While both Parcells and Phillips use a 3-4 base defense, the styles of their respective defense are drastically different. Parcells defense enphasized one on one matchups and was more of a head on style that asked its defensive linemen and linebackers to engage their assignments directly and win at the point of attack. Phillips' defense is more aggresive. In a Phillips defense, the linemen are not given two gap assignments and instead are asked to slant and shoot gaps, and linebackers will also be asked to blitz more. This naturally makes the linemen's jobs easier and will generate a better pass rush--however, the result is that rush defense will rest heavily on the shoulders of the team's linebackers. Fortunately, the linebacker corps is the deepest position on the entire team.

Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips also hired Jason Garrett to serve as offensive coordinator. Jason Garrett served as the backup quarterback to Troy Aikmen during their Superbowl runs of the nineties, and was considered by many back then as a student of the game who was very knowledgable about football. Last year he served as quarterbacks coach of the Miami Dolphins. Though he is inexperienced as a coach at any level, he is considered to be a rising talent and was coveted by many teams before Dallas was able to land him. His offense will likely resemble the offenses of the nineties, and he has said that he'd like to incorporate a fullback into the offensive gameplan a little bit more (under Parcells the team used a fullback sparingly and prefered more of a 2 tight-end or H-back set), as well as be a little more vertical in the passing game. To help him, Parcells holdover Assistant Head Coach Tony Sporano has been retained. Tony Sporano called most of the plays last year.

Free Agent Aquisitions: The Cowboys made three notable additions to their roster this offseason through free agency: offensive lineman Leonard Davis, quarterback Brad Johnson, and safety Ken Hamlin. The team also resigned wide reciever Patrick Crayton to a restricted free agent tender, and kicker Martin Gramatica as well. Of the three major signings, Leonard Davis is the only signing that could be considered a blockbuster deal.

Davis signed on to the tune of about $50 million for 7 years in a move which I consider to be a real risk for the Cowboys. As the Arizona Cardinals left tackle, Davis never lived up to lofty expectations in 6 years with the team. Still, Davis is massive at 6'6 and 366 pounds, and the move shouldn't be a huge surprise because Dallas has traditionally favored very large offensive linemen--names like Larry Allen and Erik Williams come to mind, as well as current linemen Flozell Adams and Andre Gurode. Davis may never be able to be a great tackle in the NFL because he has slow feet, but in in Mini Camp the Cowboys had him playing with the first team at right guard. This a move that can payoff big for both Davis and the Cowboys, as at guard Davis will be able to better use his massive frame against slower defensive tackles, and will also be a tremendous asset in the running game. The Cowboys have been critisized by a lot of people who say they overpayed for Davis, but his contract is in line with a lot of other relatively unproven guards who were signed this offseason. Overall, if Davis plays at guard, this is a good move.

Quarterback Brad Johnson was added as cheap insurance for Tony Romo. The Cowboys wanted an experienced player who could come in and start in a pinch if needed. They did this same thing a couple of years ago when they signed Vinny Testaverde to come in and backup Quincy Carter, who at the time was the starting quarterback. Carter was cut in training camp because of his drug problem, and the starting job fell to Testaverde. The Cowboys are going by the same strategy here--if something were to happen to Romo, they don't want to be caught with their pants down. This signing is a good one. Brad Johnson is not expected to compete for the starting job, and as an experienced backup in the NFL, there isn't many better.

The signing of free safety Ken Hamlin is an interesting, low-risk, high-reward situation. Ken Hamlin is a young safety who was on injured reserve two years ago and came back last year to post respectable numbers. The only concern I see with this signing is that Ken Hamlin is another hard hitting safety in the mold of Roy Williams from what I've heard, which isn't exactly what the Cowboys needed at the position. I haven't seen him play much, so its hard to say exactly. Still, he was cheap, so it is worth a shot.

The Cowboys weren't as active in free agency this year as they have been in previous years, which is perhaps a sign of the talent level on the team. The signing of Brad Johnson is the only one that is rock solid--the other two could go either way. That's why the signing of Leonard Davis is so high risk. One of the biggest things that the Cowboys did in free agency is resign nearly all of their own players to deals, which is something that sometimes goes unnoticed, though it can often prove more important that signing any one free agent.

The 2007 NFL Draft: The 2007 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys was more of a look to future drafts than anything else. Sitting at the 22nd pick in the draft, the Cowboys recieved an amazing bargaining chip when quarterback Brady Quinn fell all the way to their pick. Brady Quinn was expected to go number three to the Clevlend Browns, and when they didn't pick him, he was supposed to go number nine to the Dolphins, who also didn't pick him, choosing to reach for Ted Ginn Jr. (which is perhaps more surprising than the Browns' decision to take Joe Thomas instead of Quinn). After that, Quinn continued to free fall, as no team seemed to have an outright need for quarterback. The Browns, who thought it would be quite the coup to get both a franchise left tacle and franchise quarterback in one draft, attempted to trade with anybody who would listen. Most teams said no. When the Cowboys got the call, they were able to negotiate a deal for the Brown's first pick in the 2008 draft as well as the Browns' second round pick this year. This deal would put the Cowboys into a position to have 2 first round draft picks next year, with one of them being potentially pretty high, as the Browns aren't expected to do well.

After this deal, the Cowboys dealt again, trading back into the first round by giving the Eagles one of their seconds, a third and a fifth in order to obtain the 26th overall pick in the draft. They used this pick to select Anthony Spencer, a smallish defensive end in college who will be asked to transition to linebacker in the NFL. Spencer is an interesting selection when you consider the depth they already have at linebacker, but it is indicative of what the Cowboys plan to do this year. Spencer is a pure pash rusher, and I doubt he will be asked to do much more this year than be a pass rush specialist. Some draft experts said the Cowboys reached a little bit at the 26th pick to select him. Jerry Jones has said that the Cowboys planned to pick him with the number 22 selection in the draft if they hadn't traded it, so it appears Spencer was the player the Cowboys wanted all along.

The Cowboys selected 2 offensive tackles in this years draft, in the second and fourth rounds. Their names were James Marten and Doug Free, respectively. This seems to represent an attempt to get away from having to replenish offensive line talent via free agency--at the moment, three of their projected starting offensive linemen have been obtained via free agency, and in the past few years they've even brought in retread starters like offensive tackle Jason Fabini to serve as depth and compete for a starting job. This has come at a price, as Dallas has had to dole out a lot of money to players like Leonard Davis and Marco Rivera.

In the third round, the Dallas Cowboys selected college quarterback Isaiah Stanback, who is a phenomenal athlete in the vein of Randle-el. Stanback will be asked to convert to wide reciever in the NFL. The later rounds brought in a kicker named Nick Folk to give some competition at the position, a fullback the Cowboys traded up for in Deon Anderson, and two cornerbacks in Courtney Brown and Alan Ball.

Review by Position:

Quarterback
The Dallas Cowboys, in the first time since Troy Aikman quarterbacked in the nineties, have a legitimate franchise quarterback. Tony Romo's rapid ascension last year left former starter Drew Bledsoe without a job. Drew Bledsoe subsequently asked to be released, and the Cowboys obliged. He then retired from football. Reports out of Dallas say that Tony Romo has been working very hard in the offseason. Dallas, for its part, is hesitant to put all its eggs in one basket, as Romo is in the last year of his contract and Jerry Jones has been hesitant to sign him to a long term deal. In the unlikely event that Romo flops (or gets hurt), the Cowboys have newly aquired Brad Johnson, who served as starting quarterback of the Vikings last year. Johnson is nearly geriatric by football standards, but he isn't being asked to carry the football team like he was on the Vikings--only to be a caretaker if it is neccesary. The Cowboys have several young quarterbacks who will compete for the third job--holdover practice squad player Matt Baker, and rookie free agents Matt Moore and Richard Bartel.

Runningback
The team is pretty much set at this position and will return with the same 3 runningbacks that they had last year in Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and Tyson Thompson. The two-back system of Jones and Barber the team employed last year worked very well, and they will likely do the same this year--Coach Phillips said as much. Many people have called for Barber to assume the role as full-time starter, but why fix what isn't broken? Barber has never been a fulltime starter in the NFL, and his stats were inflated because he often got the ball in red zone situations, third downs on draw plays, and late in games when the opposing defense was tired. He also is not the home run threat that Julius Jones is. Those so quick to dismiss Julius Jones should realize that Jones had the first 1000 yard season by a Dallas runningback since Emmitt Smith, and had above 4 yards per carry. That isn't a bad season. Tyson Thompson is coming off an injury which landed him on injured reserve, but he is one of the fastest players on the team and served as the kick returner last year before getting injured. He was very good at that job despite not scoring, having broken the team record in 2005 for highest average return yards by a Dallas return man.

Fullback
Fullback is a position that is a bit of a question mark going into the season, which should be featured more in Jason Garrett's offensive philosophy. Right now the listed fullbacks are Lousaka Polite and rookie Deon Anderson, however, Oliver Hoyte is still on the roster. Hoyte is listed as a linebacker, however last year he converted to fullback pretty successfully, and with the overcrowding at linebacker, it wouldn't be surprising to see him at fullback again. Lousaka Polite was considered to not be powerful enough at the fullback position last year, and its likely the current coaching staff will give Deon Anderson every chance in the world to win the starting job.

Wide Reciever
The wide reciever corps of the Dallas Cowboys is extremely talented, but the starters are aging and the backups are young and inexperienced. Terrel Owens and Terry Glenn are one of the best one-two tandems in the league, but they are both getting up there in age. Older players sometimes experience a dramatic dropoff in production, and that should be a concern for the Cowboys. The hope is that both of them can hold up for at least 1 more year, giving their younger players more time to develop. Their slot reciever Patrick Crayton has the best hands on the team and is excellent at what he does. He often spotlights as the punt returner during inclement weather due to his good hands, and when Dallas knows they will be fair catching. After Patrick Crayton, you have a trio of wide recievers who were rookie free agents last year in Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and Jamaica Rector. Of them, Sam Hurd actually started a game in place of Terrel Owens, catching four passes for 42 yards (the team wanted to leave Patrick Crayton in the slot position). Miles Austin actually did pretty well on special teams as the kick returner last year after Thompson went down. Jamaica Rector spent the year on the practice squad. After those three, the notable additions this year are Isaiah Stanback and Jamel Richardson, a CFL prospect in his first year of eligibility for the NFL who was coveted by several teams this offseason. There are also a few other names being taken to training camp who have very little chance of making the team. For those keeping score, that's 8 recieving prospects that I named. Of those, Terrel Owens, Terry Glenn, and Patrick Crayton are all expected to be on the roster for training camp. After that, I'd say that Sam Hurd and Isaiah Stanback have the best shots at making the roster, with Stanback having the edge because he was drafted this year. That's five. If the Cowboys keep six recievers on the 53 man roster, than I'd say Miles Austin has a good chance to make it because he's an asset on special teams, but will have fierce competition from Jamaica Rector and Jamel Richardson. Also, Sam Hurd could get the boot if another player has a tremendous training camp. I'd look for 1 or 2 wide recievers to be signed on to the practice squad.

Tight End
The tight end position is manned by the very talented Jason Witten, who is a perennial pro bowler. Jason Witten is your prototypical big tight end and can do it all. He's not only a reliable passing target, he is also a very capable blocker. Backing him up is last years second round selection Anthony Fasano, who got much needed experience last year when the Cowboys employed their two tight end set. He's a great young tight end who is an excellent backup to Jason Witten, and will also be able to come out on those two tight end sets and be effective. Last year, the third spot was manned primarily by Tony Curtis, who is still on the roster. They also have young players by the names of Andy Thorn and Rodney Hannah. The Cowboys have traditionally kept three tight ends on the 53 man roster and one on the practice squad, but that might change this year with a new coaching staff.

Offensive Line
The Cowboys starting offensive line projects as Flozell Adams at left tackle, Kyle Kosier at left guard, Andre Gurode at center, Leonard Davis at right guard, and Marc Columbo at right tackle. Flozell Adams has manned the left tackle spot for years, and while he is getting older, he likely has a few years left yet. Marc Columbo was somewhat of a cinderalla story last year, as he is a former first round pick who suffered a devastating injury, and was able to revive his career with Dallas. The backup tackles will likely be Martin and Free, their 2007 draft picks. At guard, Kyle Kosier is only averge, but gets the job done. Leonard Davis will have a starting job somewhere because of his contract, but he was at right guard during the mini camps, the spot previously manned by Marco Rivera, who suffered another ruptured disc in his back and is more than likely done with football. Pat McQuistan, who was the backup at tackle last year, is being moved to left guard to challenge Kyle Kosier for the starting spot. McQuistan was a hit at camp last year, and his considered a rising talent by the Cowboys organization. The other second team guard is Corey Proctor, who is attempting to learn the center position as well in order in order to increase his value on gameday as a guard/center backup. They also have players by the names of Joe Berger, Steve Rissler, and Robert Turner at guard, though they are a longshot to make the team. At center, Gurode was an alternate at the probowl last year. Proctor is attempting to learn the position and they also have a player named Trey Darilek there, but their depth at center really took a hit when they lost center Al Johnson, who began last year as the starter, to the Cardinals.

Defensive Line
The Cowboys defensive line is pretty deep at the defensive end spot, but lacking depth at nose tackle. They are returning all three starters with Marcus Spears and Chris Canty at defensive end and Jason Ferguson on the nose. Ferguson has little help with Montavious Stanley, a sixth round choice last year, being his top backup. After Stanley, they have a couple of little know prospects in Remi Ayodele and Ola Dagunduro. If Ferguson goes down, Dallas is in trouble, and perhaps in an effort to keep him fresh, in nickel situations Dallas will have 4 down linemen which likely won't include anybody listes as a nose tackle. Defensive end has a dearth of talent. After starters Chris Canty and Marcus Spears, they have Jason Hatcher and Jeremiah Ratliff. Jason Hatcher served last year as primarily a pass rush specialist on nickle situations, and Jeremiah proved to be very versatile, sometimes even spelling Ferguson on the nose. After those two, you have stephen Bowen and Marcus Smith.

Linebackers
Dallas' linebacker corps is the deepest position on the team, and might be the deepest linebacker corps in football. As it stand right now, the base defense will feature pro bowler Demarcus Ware on the weakside, former pro bowler Greg Ellis on the strongside, with Bradie James and Akin Ayodele in the middle. Greg Ellis is still recovering from his season-ending Achillies injury of last year, but should be ready to go come training camp. After that, you have last year's number 1 pick Bobby Carpenter, who will likely move back inside to make room for this year's number one draft pick Anthony Spencer. They also still have Kevin Burnett, who will also backup inside. On nickel situations, it looks like Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer will put their hands on the ground as defensive ends, while Greg Ellis will actually move to a defensive tackle slot and rush inside (with defensive end Ratliff filling the other spot). Kevin Burnett looks likely to fill one of the two linebacker slots on the nickel, while they're experimenting with bringing Roy Williams up to fill the other spot. Other players who could make the team include Junior Glymph and John Saldi.

Cornerback
The Cowboys have a pretty strong group of cornerbacks, with Terrance Newman being the best of the bunch and one of the best in the league. They also have Anthony Henry, a physical corner who does pretty good against number 2 recievers, and Aaron Glenn, a savvy veteran who comes in on the nickel on the outside while Newman moves into the slot. After that they have a couple of young players who have been with the team a couple of years in Jaques Reeves and Nate Jones, and drafted two cornerbacks late in the draft in Courtney Brown and Alan Ball. They also have a player named Joey Thomas who supposedly had a good mini camp.

Safety
Safety for the Dallas Cowboys has been a problem since Darren Woodson retired, who was one of the greats in football. Roy Williams is one of the best in run support and as long as he can keep the play in front of him he's okay in the passing game, but he needs a lot of improvement on deeper passes, and I just don't know if he'll ever be that good at it. At the other safety spot, the starter will likely be newly aquired free safety Ken Hamlin. The backups will be Pat Watkins, who probably has the most range in the passing game of any of the safeties, and Keith Davis, who is perhaps the teams best special teams player. They also have Abram Elam and Damarius Bilbo. In nickel situations, Ken Hamlin and Pat Watkins were the safeties in mini camp while Roy Williams moved up into a linebacker slot.

2007 Season Outlook: The 2007 Dallas squad is probably as talented a unit they’ve had since their Superbowl runs of the nineties, and for that reason alone, many people are very excited out Dallas’ prospects. It looks like they’ve finally found a quarterback, their defense is young and improving, and as long as they can maintain the offensive productivity of last season, they should be fine. I think the key will be defense–Dallas was in the top 5 for defense last year before having a meltdown in the final four games, bringing them down to 13th in the league. They are returning the same squad they had last year with a few minor additions, so it will be on them to prevent that from happening again. Offensively, the only change so far looks to be at right guard, where Leonard Davis will take over for the oft-injured Marco Rivera.

Given the talent level in Dallas and the competition in the NFC East, I’d say a 10 win season is a good, conservative estimate of how the Cowboys could do, but I wouldn’t rule out 11 or 12 wins.
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