If Owens gets hurt

[Doomsday101]

If Owens goes down, then Crayton and hurd are forced to regain the respect we lose in the passing game don't you see. Teams will stack the box and shut down Barber and Company.

The onliest way I can see us being a force in the passing game without Owens is if Crayton and Hurd can step up and take the double coverage off of Witten.

If Dallas can show the ability to run the ball even if teams stack the line it then opens up the secondary a lot more. Heck I welcome teams putting 8 or 9 in the box even without Owens should it come to that.

 

[Big Dakota]

But what happens if our best 53 get injured? We are screwed!!!

:laugh2:

 

[CrazyCowboy]

if T.O. gets hurt, priority will go up on that #2 WR.

 

[festus]

If Dallas can show the ability to run the ball even if teams stack the line it then opens up the secondary a lot more. Heck I welcome teams putting 8 or 9 in the box even without Owens should it come to that.

Thats if the Cowboys could get a run game going early and often. I know you remember the run game strugglin early in games last season. We were a pass first, run last offense. Hopefully Garrett incorporate the running game more in the offense. I don't think it would be doom and gloom if Owens went down and I think we would be ok. We would just have to be more creative.

We would definitley be lacking in strecthing the field and would lose the big play threat Owens brings to the table.

I guess we would see what Crayton and Austin and even Hurd could do with single coverage because the double team would now be Witten.

 

[zeromaster]

I have officially lost track of the number of Zoners that will have a nervous breakdown if TO gets hurt.

What about Romo or Ware? Show some love...

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

 

[sonnyboy]

We are phacked!

 

[Doomsday101]

Thats if the Cowboys could get a run game going early and often. I know you remember the run game strugglin early in games last season. We were a pass first, run last offense. Hopefully Garrett incorporate the running game more in the offense. I don't think it would be doom and gloom if Owens went down and I think we would be ok. We would just have to be more creative.

We would definitley be lacking in strecthing the field and would lose the big play threat Owens brings to the table.

I guess we would see what Crayton and Austin and even Hurd could do with single coverage because the double team would now be Witten.

I think Dallas went out of their way by getting Barber signed and drafted 2 RB to be able to do just that. Last season was last season and Dallas has made some changes. We will see if these changes will make the difference. I do think if this team can show a stronger running game and become a lot more balanced it will help offset an injury to a player like Owens. I do agree we would lose a lot of the quick strike ability but if we can go out and control the ball on the ground and play solid defense we can win without a key player such as TO

 

[sonnyboy]

If you list our three best players you get:
1) Ware
2) Owens
3) Romo

If you list the three most indispensible players you get:
1) Romo
2) Owens
3) Ware

Ellis and Spencer would do well in Ware's absence.
We just don't have the depth behind Romo or Owens. If we lost one of them we are no longer a contender.

But don't worry, every other contender has the same problem. They all have 1 or 2 guys that can't live without.

You just have to keep your fingers crossed and hope the eagles, skins and giants fans prayers are not answered.

 

[BlueStar II]

We could overcome an injury to Owens as long as our running game can sustain us, and hopefully, our other WRs would be able to step up and absorb his loss.

 

[Velvet Jones]

IMHO, we have receiving options. We have Witten, Crayton, and Felix is suppossed to be excellent at catching. My worry will be the redzone. But it really is tough to say how much of an impact it will be. We have only lost Owens towards the end of the seasons where we have fallen apart.

 

[cowboyjoe]

Thats the key, even what James Hasty said that played pro football. Hasty now an analyst for NFL Live said that if T O goes down, then the defense will put more players in the box, just what some guys have commented on this box.

And shut the Cowboys down. In other words the Cowboys need another player that can stretch the field. From reports that I have read, Miles Austin might be that player that can stretch the field, if T O gets hurt. Remember now, Austin got 2 big intereference calls on him in a game late in the year.

This is Austin's 3rd year, and llike Parcells said, give a player till his 3rd year to see if he steps up. However if you guys did watch the last few games after T O got hurt in the carolina game, that is when our offense started struggling. So, yessssssssssss, we do need a big play WR to stretch the field. Crayton doesnt have deep speed, so in reality he cant stretch the field in a reliable constistency.

Now, Jerry Jones was thinking that Terry Glenn could do that, but that is yet to be determined. I am still hearing reports that the Cowboys may still go after Roy Williams. Doubtful, but still may happen since this is Roy Williams last year of his contract, and he will be playing for big money contract next year.

Hasty said another think that may offset if T O gets hurt alittle, and that is the play of our defense. Defense wins championships and we saw how the Giants won with defense last year, in spite of Eli Manning.

If you remember the Cowboys defense in the early 70's it was the doomsday defense. In 1977, again, a super defense with Harvey Martin and Randy White winning MVP honors and Too Tall Jones playing well too. In the 90's when the Cowboys won their first super bowl with emmitt smith, troy aikman and michael irvin it was the Dallas Cowboys defense that maybe everyone overlooked.

That defense was the # 1 defense in the NFL. If our defense steps up like I think they will they can keep the Cowboys in the game, and win on defense and special teams with Adam Jones, Felix Jones, Austin on punt returns and kickoffs. If T O gets hurt in some fashion or another. Sure, I dont want that to happen, but only time will tell. The players now finally say, finish and they are hungry, so we will see this year.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Well all this on paper stuff is just that, on paper. We really don't know how our D will gel til it hits the field, so saying a running game and D will carry us is a bit optimistic based on last year.

Most don't like Crayton as a #2, now some are saying he would be ok for awhile or even most of the season as a #1?? Get off the kool-aid.

Romo and TO are the two players that if they go down, we are screwed on offense. Just face it, cause boosting up scrubs and saying they will do this or that is just homerism. Sure they might do something here or there, but saying anything more about them is just disrespect to how good TO really is and how much of a difference in talent he is to the rest of our WR corp.

Spending picks on LBs and TEs all the time does eventually catch up with you, time to start facing the consequences.

 

[Doomsday101]

Well all this on paper stuff is just that, on paper. We really don't know how our D will gel til it hits the field, so saying a running game and D will carry us is a bit optimistic based on last year.

Most don't like Crayton as a #2, now some are saying he would be ok for awhile or even most of the season as a #1?? Get off the kool-aid.

Romo and TO are the two players that if they go down, we are screwed on offense. Just face it, cause boosting up scrubs and saying they will do this or that is just homerism. Sure they might do something here or there, but saying anything more about them is just disrespect to how good TO really is and how much of a difference in talent he is to the rest of our WR corp. Spending picks on LBs and TEs all the time does eventually catch up with you, time to start facing the consiqences.

I think it is being pessimistic to think that the changes we have made in the running game and defense is all for nothing and will not make a difference. We will see but I think Dallas has put themselves in a better position to overcome an injury to a player like Owens and keep their heads above water. Dallas clearly would be a different style of offense without Owens but there is more than one way to go out and win games.

 

[Cowboy Bebop]

Owens makes Romo a better qb. Just like he did with McNabb and just like he did with Garcia.

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

We would be toast without Owens. Plain and simple.

 

[CF74]

Then I hope the coaches get a clue and stick Austin in there, I say give him 3 full games and he will be just fine.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

I think it is being pessimistic to think that the changes we have made in the running game and defense is all for nothing and will not make a difference. We will see but I think Dallas has put themselves in a better position to overcome an injury to a player like Owens and keep their heads above water. Dallas clearly would be a different style of offense without Owens but there is more than one way to go out and win games.

Noone of our backups are even legit #2s IMO, so saying if TO goes down we will be fine is just a little far fetched to me.

Romo is a magician, but he will need more than a rabbit in his helmet to pull that off. Facing this team without TO is just too easy to gameplan against, lets not forget we aren't the only team in the NFL that has improved.

Any improvement in the running game without TO would be more than balanced out by our opposition stacking the box, doubling Witten, and daring Hurd, Austin, or Crayton to beat them.

 

[Doomsday101]

Noone of our backups are even legit #2s IMO, so saying if TO goes down we will be fine is just a little far fetched to me.

Romo is a magician, but he will need more than a rabbit in his helmet to pull that off. Facing this team without TO is just too easy to gameplan against, lets not forget we aren't the only team in the NFL that has improved.

Any improvement in the running game without TO would be more than balanced out by our opposition stacking the box, doubling Witten, and daring Hurd, Austin, or Crayton to beat them.

If a defense stacks the line then it does open up lanes in the secondary it also shows the the running game is being effective enough to force up safeties and if that is the case then guys like Crayton, Austin and Hurd can do the job.

My only concern would be if a team could shut down our running game without having to stack the line of scrimmage they you really are in trouble.

No doubt you lose quick strike ability without Owens but there are ways to go out and win ball games and the changes Dallas has made I do think will go a long ways in our ability to overcome a critical injury like that.

Sorry I don't think we would be dead in the water if Owens went down. Part of that equation of course would be the play of the defense but again the addition to the secondary and a defensive front that is already pretty good I think will help this team.

I just do not agree with your pessimistic views and think this team has done a lot during the offseason to improve themselves.

 

[tyke1doe]

I remember that the Cowboys of the '90's were finished when Irvin went down.

Despite still having Aikman and Smith, the team was never the same and no matter how hard they tried, they could never replace the Playmaker.

When was this?

When Irvin got injured, the Cowboys had lost much of its depth via free agency. Plus, that team was considerably older.

I don't recall Irvin missing many if any games during the 92-95 run. Or maybe I'm missing something and you can feel me in.

The player the Cowboys couldn't afford to lose was Emmitt Smith. We saw that starting 0-2 as Emmitt held out for a new contract. Emmitt dictated the way defenses played us, moreso than Irvin did.

 

[Vtwin]

Last years team would have been "finished" without TO. It remains to be seen what this years team is capable of with the young receivers being a bit older and a revamped running attack. The loss of TO would hurt any team and not many teams have the depth to replace such as significant part of the offense.The Cowboys never recovered from the loss of Novacek until Witten showed up.