A Commanders fan's take on the 2005 Cowboys

[NorthTexan95]

I wasn't able to make it thru that crap. After reading all the mistakes about the offensive line I figured this Commander fan doesn't have anything informative to write.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Pretty good assessment. i dont blame the dude for not knowing guys like Fowler, Shanle, Burnett, etc. i dont know all the scrubs on the Skins who could come out of nowhere.

I am surprised homie forgot about Crayton

 

[ndanger]

Pretty good assessment. i dont blame the dude for not knowing guys like Fowler, Shanle, Burnett, etc. i dont know all the scrubs on the Skins who could come out of nowhere.

I am surprised homie forgot about Crayton

Yeah you would think the sting would still be there ,Huh.

 

[Big Country]

that's some good insight e-dog... I'm hoping for better things from the O-line this year, and I'm saying that Rivera will have everything to do with it, he was just that important of a player for the Boys to sign up.

I hope the LBers will really be better than what you think however... But I agree that the DL should be great if everyone's healthy.

 

[Maxmadden]

Yeah, I want to defend the defensive line. Even if Fergy goes down, I feel like we have some depth among some of the rookies. Someone from the group (Spears, Canty, Raitliff, even Johnson) will elevate this year to make an impact.

But Thanks for the post, I am realist but I try to be positive about the Boy's until proven otherwise.

 

[The Curly One]

I think it is a very good assesment of the Cowboys I would like to think this team can go all the way but the reality is it will not happen.
I also agree that the Commanders are suffering much the same problem with their offensive line. Patrick Ramsey could be a very good QB if he ever got any protection at all just like most of the Cowboy QB's. The sad part is it looks like that wil never happen. Curly

 

[Big D]

Yeah you would think the sting would still be there ,Huh.

He probably fainted when it happened and doesn't recall any of it!

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

I don't pretend to know all about the Commanders, but I honestly can't see them being any better than last year. The defense is about the same, but the offense likely will be worse.

 

[Thick 'N Hearty]

E-Dog, thanks for taking the time to give us your assessment. If anyone can understand our frustations with QB it would be a deadskin fan. I think the O-line will come together by opening day. Pettiti will be the starter. BP has basically handed him the job and told him it's his to lose. He's better than Torin Tucker. With time he could be a great tackle. BP said the only reason he fell as low as he did in the draft was because he couldn't work out at the combines due to an injury.

The Boys will be fine...so long as the O-line performs.

 

[ghosttown cowboy]

I know it has been said but, Closet Cowboy Fan. Have the deadskins potitioned to get out of the Canadian football league!!!!!!!

 

[silverbear]

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, this might just be their least formidable unit in several years which could keep the offense from scoring very many points this year.

Yeah, they only have 3 starters who have each played in the last 2 Pro Bowls...

One solution that has been floated around is to move Larry Allen to right tackle and putting newly signed Marco Rivera in his guard spot,

Wrong... Rivera is a right guard, and will remain at right guard... IF Parcells chooses to move Allen to RT (which I think is unlikely), his replacement would probably be Stephen Peterman...

I predict the O-line will be an ongoing quandary for Dallas this year.

That would worry me, but you apparently don't know as much about the Cowboys' OL situation as you think you do, as evidenced by your opinions regarding the possible move of Larry Allen to RT... this little factual error leads me to question whether you really know our lineup as well as you claim...

The receiving corps is a hard read for me. Keyshawn isn’t getting any faster and Terry Glenn seems to get hurt a lot. Quincy Morgan reminds me of Rod Gardner – makes the spectacular catch but drops the easy one. In all, they are not the best corps in the league but certainly not the worst either. They can win games (as witnessed in the game that made me want to cry last year) but no one is afraid of them. The problem is that if Key has problems getting open and Glenn is always running a deep route, that puts Bledsoe in a vulnerable position with his penchant for holding on to the ball too long.

You have completely omitted any consideration of a bright young talent who is currently making a real bid to win the 3rd WR slot... this puzzles me, since the bright young talent in question was responsible for the TD reception that sent your Skins to yet another stunning loss in game 2 last year... his name is Patrick Crayton, and he brings a big-play reputation with him from his days playing small college ball (40 TDs his senior season, between passing, running receiving and kick returns)...

Bledsoe’s main receiver is likely to be Jason Whitten, who has clearly established himself as a top-tier TE. He had 87 grabs last year and I don’t expect that to change much. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him lead the team in catches.

Yup, Bledsoe leaned heavily on Ben Coates once upon a time, and he'll lean heavily on Witten too...

Now comes the defense. The big news on the D-line is obviously the switch to the 3-4 defense, but a quick glance at the Cowboys website tells the story of a mix between 3-4 & 4-3, which is probably a wise move.

What you apparently missed is the commentary about how the 4-3 they'll employ part of the time will essentially be a small variation on that 3-4 scheme, in that they'll just likely move their OLB (who will usually be DeMarcus Ware) to a down DE position...

The big problem I see is depth. While Ferguson has been able to remain relatively healthy during his 8 years with the Jets (though he has certainly missed some games, including the entire 2001 season with a torn rotator cuff), if he gets hurt, that really throws a monkey wrench into things.

Actually, Parcells has been pretty encouraged by the play of the backup DTs so far in camp... Thomas Johnson has been a pleasant surprise, and both Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff have shown the ability to switch from DE to DT when needed... this doesn't even factor in the presence of La'Roi Glover or Leonardo Carson on the roster (though in all fairness, Carson may not even make the final 53 man roster, he hasn't had what you'd call a scintillating camp...

The linebackers are a solid but not spectacular group. Dat Nguyen will make his tackles but is not a game changer. Apparently Demarcus Ware will move from DE where he played in college to OLB, so it will be interesting to see how he makes that adjustment. I’m really not sure who the other LBs will be to be honest with you, but in any event I’m not anticipating much from this group this year.

Then you may well be surprised... the only concern that Parcells has expressed about his linebacking corps is a lack of quality depth at OLB... Ware and Kevin Burnett represent a significant upgrade at LB...

Punter and kicker? I have no fricken’ idea. What’s the kicker’s name, Billy Cundiff? Whatever.

Cundiff is serviceable, and Mat McBriar is poised to claim a spot among the league's best punters...

In short I don’t imagine that the Cowboys will do much in 2005. They won’t suck but they won’t turn the league on its head either. I think in the end, the combination of offensive line problems coupled with a slow-footed quarterback who is past his prime will keep the win total to about 7 or 8 games this year, regardless of what happens on the defense.

I think that ultimately, the one thing that will limit the success the Boys can hope to attain is the starting quarterback position... I'd like to see an upgrade at FS and RT too, but what you don't seem to realize is the Boys have more than enough cap room to bring in upgrades at those 2 positions...

At RT, a Scott Gragg, Marcus Spears or Chris Terry (if his shoulder will pass a physical) would be nice, short-term plug-ins... at FS, I have heard the Boys have shown an interest in Chris Crocker from the Browns, or perhaps Corey Chavous from the Vikings... again, either one would plug a current hole on the roster quite nicely...

But I don't see any chance for significant improvement at the QB position... which means the Boys will once again feature a conservative, ball-control offense that will emphasize the running game heavily... this in turn will mean a lot of close, low-scoring ballgames in which defense and special teams will play a large role...

I honestly look for the Boys to struggle a little the first month of the season, then start to come on stronger as the season goes along... early on, they will likely struggle as a result of implementing all the changes and playing on the road a lot... but as they get acclimated to their new schemes, the significant upgrade in talent this offseason should translate into greater success on-field... Jimmy Johnson had it right, you win with playmakers in the NFL, and the Cowboys have added a number of new playmakers...

Incidentally, none of my rebuttals were intended to insult you, I feel you were making a good-faith effort to analyze things fairly, without any Skins bias factored in... it's just that in those areas, you were misinformed...