Hostile
The Duke
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I am one excited football junkie about this season. I like flying under the radar. I don't mind it one bit. I like it way better than the high expectations of 2008. Maybe it's because I know my hopes can't come crashing back down to reality. Who knows?
The fact of the matter is, I really like this roster. For all the drama about depth one fact remains, a healthy starting 22 with talent is dangerous. Forgive me for daring to think it, but we have a pretty dangerous starting 22. Many of them have proven to be Pro Bowl caliber in past years.
Do I like everything about this team? No, but I like enough to feel excited. Let's start at the top and then take a stroll through the roster.
I am not a Wade Phillips fan as a Head Coach, but I can't deny him running the Defense for the entire season is a plus. I am not superstitious, but I'm superstitious. Wade has never won a playoff game as Head Coach, we're in a post season slump, and the Super Bowl is in Miami, Florida. We've made 3 trips to Miami for Super Bowls, lost all three times. Yeah, that was the Orange Bowl, still...
I was never as down on the rest of the staff as others with one exception, Bruce Read. Goodbye you Lloyd Christmas look-alike. Hello Joe DeCamillis. I am kind of glad Brian Stewart is gone, but I think he got a bit of a raw deal too. Joe D. being here has me very excited. Now that pre-season is over I think the mixture of veterans and rookies to the Special Teams will improve the coverage and tackling. Why? I dunno, because that's what Joe D's. teams usually do.
Have all the doubts about Tony Romo that you want. You'll never sell me. I think he's a top 5 QB in the NFL. Yeah, I know all about the December fades. The same ones that have been happening to this team since 1997, way before he arrived here. We finally drafted a QB again, and the guy I never wanted here, Brad "Noodle" Johnson, is gone. I'm not a Jon Kitna fan, but he did show an arm in Pre-season.
Nothing changes at RB except that maybe we utilize them better now that we know them better. Nothing excites me more about this team than the prosepct of Felix Jones on screens. That guy in open space equals good things to me. Cricket is back to lead the way. Say what you want about him, but he picks up blitzes and plays good Special Teams. I wish Tashard Choice didn't have to be a #3, but am glad he's our #3.
The distraction is gone and we're back to not having a #1 WR. At least that's the roll call. I don't agree. I've always felt Roy Williams was a star mired on a bad team. Not a doubt in my mind he will provide some firepower to this Offense this year. I'm still excited about Miles Austin. Ogletree was a pleasant surprise.
The deepest unit on this team is at TE. I think our backup TE is going to be a serious weapon in 2009. He just is impossible to cover and has great hands. If he were not on the same team as the best TE in the NFL I'd say he was Pro Bowl caliber. I look for him to play some WR and to be a goal line option.
This team's success revolves around the O-line. I firmly believe that. There are a couple of players I wish were gone from that group, but my focus is on the starting 5, whom I think are more than adequate. I never liked Kyle Kosier until I saw how big a hole his absence made. Talk about wake up call. I know there will be some irritating false starts by our Tackles. I also know this OL is better than some suspect.
I have been excited about the arrival of Olshansky all off season. I think he is an improvement over Canty, no disrespect meant to Canty. I just think he plays more perfectly to a 3-4 scheme as a run stuffer and will take pressure off Ratliff and Ware. Siavii finally showed me something in the last PS game, I still would like to see that backup NT upgraded.
Welcome to the spotlight Anthony Spencer. Call me crazy but I think he is the key to this season. If he provides any kind of pass rush at all it makes Ware even that more dangerous. In my opinion, DeMarcus Ware is the best Defensive player in the NFL. The additions of Olshansky and Brooking along with Spencer's arrival make him the most formidable force for this D that we could possibly have. Make no mistake about it, Brooking is a huge addition. I loved Zach Thomas, but if you saw Brooking this pre-season you caught a glimpse of someone who could be every bit as disruptive as the under appreciated Bradie James. Smart players at ILB are crucial. Players who are smart and play fast as James and Brooking do, is a blessing.
There's a squabble over who the RCB should be. I think that is irrelevant. I think all 3 CBs will be on the field a lot because in today's NFL Nickel and Dime packages are more important than base schemes. Last year the CBs did everything well except one thing. They did not take away the ball nearly enough. That will be crucial this year as well.
Improved coverage from Gerald Sensabuagh could help in that department. In fact it should help. If you take the top team in sacks and add some takeaways to the picture you potentially have a dominant Defense.
A steady Offense and a dominant Defense with improved Special teams could mean a better season than a lot of people think. I'm excited to see if they can pull it off.
Interesting fact, we need at least 11-5 to not have our very first losing decade. Not even the 1960's before the powerhouse Cowboys arrived did we have a losing decade. Is that a tall order? You bet it is. Is it impossible? Not in my book.
Outlook for 2009? Better chemistry, better special teams, Wade running the Defense for the whole year, and a return to health on the Offense, could mean a return to prominence. Standing in the way is the fact we are once again in a tough division battle. Welcome back optimism, we missed you. 12-4 and NFC East Champions.
Pass the Koolaid. Make it blue please. I'm not superstitious, but I'm superstitious.
The fact of the matter is, I really like this roster. For all the drama about depth one fact remains, a healthy starting 22 with talent is dangerous. Forgive me for daring to think it, but we have a pretty dangerous starting 22. Many of them have proven to be Pro Bowl caliber in past years.
Do I like everything about this team? No, but I like enough to feel excited. Let's start at the top and then take a stroll through the roster.
I am not a Wade Phillips fan as a Head Coach, but I can't deny him running the Defense for the entire season is a plus. I am not superstitious, but I'm superstitious. Wade has never won a playoff game as Head Coach, we're in a post season slump, and the Super Bowl is in Miami, Florida. We've made 3 trips to Miami for Super Bowls, lost all three times. Yeah, that was the Orange Bowl, still...
I was never as down on the rest of the staff as others with one exception, Bruce Read. Goodbye you Lloyd Christmas look-alike. Hello Joe DeCamillis. I am kind of glad Brian Stewart is gone, but I think he got a bit of a raw deal too. Joe D. being here has me very excited. Now that pre-season is over I think the mixture of veterans and rookies to the Special Teams will improve the coverage and tackling. Why? I dunno, because that's what Joe D's. teams usually do.
Have all the doubts about Tony Romo that you want. You'll never sell me. I think he's a top 5 QB in the NFL. Yeah, I know all about the December fades. The same ones that have been happening to this team since 1997, way before he arrived here. We finally drafted a QB again, and the guy I never wanted here, Brad "Noodle" Johnson, is gone. I'm not a Jon Kitna fan, but he did show an arm in Pre-season.
Nothing changes at RB except that maybe we utilize them better now that we know them better. Nothing excites me more about this team than the prosepct of Felix Jones on screens. That guy in open space equals good things to me. Cricket is back to lead the way. Say what you want about him, but he picks up blitzes and plays good Special Teams. I wish Tashard Choice didn't have to be a #3, but am glad he's our #3.
The distraction is gone and we're back to not having a #1 WR. At least that's the roll call. I don't agree. I've always felt Roy Williams was a star mired on a bad team. Not a doubt in my mind he will provide some firepower to this Offense this year. I'm still excited about Miles Austin. Ogletree was a pleasant surprise.
The deepest unit on this team is at TE. I think our backup TE is going to be a serious weapon in 2009. He just is impossible to cover and has great hands. If he were not on the same team as the best TE in the NFL I'd say he was Pro Bowl caliber. I look for him to play some WR and to be a goal line option.
This team's success revolves around the O-line. I firmly believe that. There are a couple of players I wish were gone from that group, but my focus is on the starting 5, whom I think are more than adequate. I never liked Kyle Kosier until I saw how big a hole his absence made. Talk about wake up call. I know there will be some irritating false starts by our Tackles. I also know this OL is better than some suspect.
I have been excited about the arrival of Olshansky all off season. I think he is an improvement over Canty, no disrespect meant to Canty. I just think he plays more perfectly to a 3-4 scheme as a run stuffer and will take pressure off Ratliff and Ware. Siavii finally showed me something in the last PS game, I still would like to see that backup NT upgraded.
Welcome to the spotlight Anthony Spencer. Call me crazy but I think he is the key to this season. If he provides any kind of pass rush at all it makes Ware even that more dangerous. In my opinion, DeMarcus Ware is the best Defensive player in the NFL. The additions of Olshansky and Brooking along with Spencer's arrival make him the most formidable force for this D that we could possibly have. Make no mistake about it, Brooking is a huge addition. I loved Zach Thomas, but if you saw Brooking this pre-season you caught a glimpse of someone who could be every bit as disruptive as the under appreciated Bradie James. Smart players at ILB are crucial. Players who are smart and play fast as James and Brooking do, is a blessing.
There's a squabble over who the RCB should be. I think that is irrelevant. I think all 3 CBs will be on the field a lot because in today's NFL Nickel and Dime packages are more important than base schemes. Last year the CBs did everything well except one thing. They did not take away the ball nearly enough. That will be crucial this year as well.
Improved coverage from Gerald Sensabuagh could help in that department. In fact it should help. If you take the top team in sacks and add some takeaways to the picture you potentially have a dominant Defense.
A steady Offense and a dominant Defense with improved Special teams could mean a better season than a lot of people think. I'm excited to see if they can pull it off.
Interesting fact, we need at least 11-5 to not have our very first losing decade. Not even the 1960's before the powerhouse Cowboys arrived did we have a losing decade. Is that a tall order? You bet it is. Is it impossible? Not in my book.
Outlook for 2009? Better chemistry, better special teams, Wade running the Defense for the whole year, and a return to health on the Offense, could mean a return to prominence. Standing in the way is the fact we are once again in a tough division battle. Welcome back optimism, we missed you. 12-4 and NFC East Champions.
Pass the Koolaid. Make it blue please. I'm not superstitious, but I'm superstitious.
