my game by game prediction for 2009
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rkell87
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TwoDeep3;2919477 said:
who was the QB? we had brad johnson and brooks bollinger so don't know who you are talking about. also "bradley" gets paid same as the 2-14 rams yes? paid professional that is not that far apart? so why doesn't it count again? you made my argument for me.
listen i didnt say "we always lose to sorry teams" i said we have a history of not taking some teams seriously-which, because they are paid pros like you say, is why we lose because they can beat people that are better than them if the other team doesn't prepare properly.
there is a reason 0-16 hadn't happened before last year.
Section446
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I'm still thinking 8-8 or 9-7. We're the kind of team that loses games we should win, I figure we'll probably lose two games we should have won.
Dodger
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I'll toss in my perspective. I might not give you definite W/L results, but I'll tell you what I think.
@ Tampa Bay - They have a pretty decent defense, but I really don't see a whole lot offensively. Tampa will try to run quite a bit, but the Cowboys usually play the run well (at least in months that aren't December). Leftwich to Bryant doesn't really strike fear into me, and with that windmill release of his, the Cowboys just might have 4-5 sacks in this game. The Cowboys should win this one by at least 7.
NY Giants - Nice defense, but again, offensively, I see some issues. They have a very strong running game, but as has been pointed out before, the Giants have a whole lot of unknowns at WR. There are a couple of guys with some experience, Hixon and Smith, but the rest are question marks. Perhaps Nicks breaks out later in the year and becomes their number one guy, but right now, who knows? The Cowboys get to play the Giants, at home, while NY is still trying to figure some things out. Advantage Cowboys, and probably the win as well.
Carolina - Another strong running team, but they also have Steve Smith. This game concerns me a bit as Carolina is, I feel, a more balanced team than either of the Cowboys first two opponents. Fortunately, the Cowboys are at home in this one. I think this will be a tight game. The Cowboys have the better defense, and they're just as talented offensively as the Panthers. I think the Cowboys have a slight advantage, but the game could still go either way.
@ Denver - As far as I'm concerned, the Broncos are a mess right now. Say all you want about Cutler, but he's a much better QB than Kyle Orton. Personally, I think Orton stinks. And now they're having issues with Brandon Marshall. So, let's recap: Not much defensively, at least nothing that should scare the Cowboys, not much at QB, a rookie running back, and a very talented receiver who'd rather be elsewhere. Denver will be fortunate to break even this year. The Cowboys should romp in this one.
@ Kansas City - Okay, so the Chiefs snagged Cassel. That's nice. I just don't see how he's going to make this team so much better than last year. Bowe is a player for sure, but there's not a whole lot backing him up, and yeah, that includes Larry Johnson and Cassel. And to top it off, Gonzalez is now a dirty bird. This offense, in my opinion, is on the poor side, and the defense was absolutely rotten last year. Even if they reach middle of the pack status this year, that's still not enough against the Cowboys. Dallas should blow the Chiefs out.
Atanta - This could be one of the toughest games of the season outside of Dallas' divisional games. I know some feel that the Falcons are not for real, but I think they have enough talent to stick it to many of the top teams because, after all, there's not a lot of difference between the leagues best teams and the next tier of teams. Atlanta, I feel, is in that 2nd tier. They might have an average defense, but their offense is dangerous, and now that Gonzalez is a Falcon, it just got that much better. Like the Carolina game, I think this one could go either way.
Seattle - A lot of people are writing off the Searats, and with good reason. But seriously, if Hasselbeck stays healthy, if they can get anything out of Julius Jones and James, if Branch can come back strong, if Butler can contibute, and if their defense can improve on last year's awful performance, this team might be somewhat competitive. But that's a lot of ifs. I know that Dallas has its own set of ifs, but not like those of Seattle. Dallas should win this one handily at home.
@ Philadelphia - The Cowboys will be entering the toughest stretch of the season up to this point, and the Eagles just might be the toughest team on the schedule. I see Westbrook having another good season with McCoy as an effective backup. Jackson, despite his antics, looks to be for real, and Maclin will contribute right away. McNugget, though we love to hate him, just had his best season in five years despite being benched, and now he has even more weapons at his disposal. And as for the defense, I think it will be just as good as last year, all of which makes the Eagles a very dangerous team. This one could go either way, but since it's at the Linc, I'll say advantage Philly.
@ Green Bay - I personally feel that 6-10 last season is not indicitive of this team's talent. Sure, their defense may be somewhat suspect, but they have enough on offense to lead me to believe that this contest will be anything but easy. Rodgers, who had a 93.7 rating last season, is on his way to becoming an upper echelon player. The offensive line is solid, and Grant looks as if he should have another 1,000 yard performance this year. Both offenses should be able to move the ball. The key here will be turnovers and penalties as is normally the case with games of this nature. Either team could win this.
Washington - Sorry, skins fans, but I just don't have all that much respect for your team. Well, maybe respect is the wrong word. Let's just say I think your team, as a whole, isn't all that special. Sure, your defense is usually top 10, year after year, but that's not going to get you anywhere if Campbell can't throw more than 13 TDs in a season, and I don't expect him to get much more than that this year. It should tell you something about a player when management actively shops around for someone to replace him. As for Portis, I feel sorry for the guy. They ride him like there's no tomorrow (and given his production, I can't really blame them), but just how long can Portis keep this up? I realize that any team would be in trouble if they lost a key player like Portis, but for the skins where he accounts for a big chunk of their offense, it would be a disaster. And if all this wasn't bad enough, hello offensive line? Overall, I just see too many questions and not enough offensive firepower to match the Cowboys. The Cowboys will win this one at home.
Oakland - Sure, they may be better this year than last, but that's not going to be good enough against the Cowboys. Russell looked as if he was starting to "get it" at the end of last season, and they have plenty of young offensive weapons that surround him. But to me this is a team that's still trying to find itself, still trying to put all the pieces together and gell. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have multiple, proven players everywhere on the roster, and if they play to their potential and don't look past this game, the Cowboys should find this one a relatively easy victory.
@ NY Giants - Do the Giants, by this time, find out who their receivers are, or are they still wondering if guys like Hixon are the answer or if Nicks is the guy they were looking for in the draft? I think this game comes down to whether or not the receivers develop and whether or not Manning has made progress with these guys. If so, the Giants will be a formidable lot. If not, I can see the Cowboys coming into Jersey and kicking their butts.
San Diego - This game, if nothing else, should be fun to watch. Personally, I like Philip Rivers. I think he's one of the top young QBs in the league even though his throwing motion looks a bit weird to me. Looking at his receivers, I sometimes wonder how this guy was able to amass 4,000 yards last year, but hey, Vincent Jackson ain't exactly a bum (note the career 17.2 yards per catch), and Gates...I hear he's pretty good too. Oh yeah, and they have a guy named Tomlinson and a pretty good defense. Seeing that the Cowboys will be at home, I'll give them a slight edge, but this one can go either way.
@ New Orleans - Good offense; not so good of a defense. I think Pierre Thomas is somewhat underrated and will keep their ground game humming along with Reggie Bush. The passing game needs no hype here as we all know how good this team is in that department. Depending on how the game plays out, this could wind up being a shootout or, if the Cowboys use a ball control approach, the type of affair in which the team that makes the least amount of mistakes walks away victorious. The Saints will score some points, no doubt about that, but can the Cowboys match the Saints offensively? Can they keep the ball away from Brees and company? This is another game that I see going either way.
@ Washington - Normally, I'd say that because the skins are our most bitter rival and anything can happen when these two teams play, a series split between the Cowboys and the skins is to be expected, but not this time. At this point in the season, if Romo and others on this team are indeed serious about getting better and playing better in December, the Cowboys will go into FedEx and take care of business as the better team should. Yeah, I know you skins fans will take exception to this, but it's true. The Cowboys are the better team. Deal with it. Hell, the skins don't even have a QB who they feel they can grow with. This time, I expect the Cowboys to remain focused, beatdown the skins on the road, and come back to Dallas to face the Eagles in a rematch of last year's debacle.
Philadelphia - The end of the year rematch, but this time the Cowboys are at home. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what I think will happen in this game. I can tell you this, though: if the Cowboys players have by now decided to take ownership of this season, accept responsibilty for their efforts, go all out, and come out with the intention of burying the Eagles, I see no reason why they can't win. But this is the Eagles, and even if the Cowboys play well, defeat is very possible. All I ask is that they play well and leave it all on the field.
Games I think the Cowboys should win: at least 8
(Tampa, first Giants game, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle, Washington x 2, Oakland)
Close matchups (+/-): 8
Toughest games of these: Atlanta, Philly x2, Green Bay, San Diego, New Orleans
Home games that are close matchups: 4
Of these close games, I think the Cowboys should win at least 3-4 out of 8, but I'll also assume that we lose one of the games that we should win. It happens every year afterall.
Predicted wins (barring major injuries): 11
@ Tampa Bay - They have a pretty decent defense, but I really don't see a whole lot offensively. Tampa will try to run quite a bit, but the Cowboys usually play the run well (at least in months that aren't December). Leftwich to Bryant doesn't really strike fear into me, and with that windmill release of his, the Cowboys just might have 4-5 sacks in this game. The Cowboys should win this one by at least 7.
NY Giants - Nice defense, but again, offensively, I see some issues. They have a very strong running game, but as has been pointed out before, the Giants have a whole lot of unknowns at WR. There are a couple of guys with some experience, Hixon and Smith, but the rest are question marks. Perhaps Nicks breaks out later in the year and becomes their number one guy, but right now, who knows? The Cowboys get to play the Giants, at home, while NY is still trying to figure some things out. Advantage Cowboys, and probably the win as well.
Carolina - Another strong running team, but they also have Steve Smith. This game concerns me a bit as Carolina is, I feel, a more balanced team than either of the Cowboys first two opponents. Fortunately, the Cowboys are at home in this one. I think this will be a tight game. The Cowboys have the better defense, and they're just as talented offensively as the Panthers. I think the Cowboys have a slight advantage, but the game could still go either way.
@ Denver - As far as I'm concerned, the Broncos are a mess right now. Say all you want about Cutler, but he's a much better QB than Kyle Orton. Personally, I think Orton stinks. And now they're having issues with Brandon Marshall. So, let's recap: Not much defensively, at least nothing that should scare the Cowboys, not much at QB, a rookie running back, and a very talented receiver who'd rather be elsewhere. Denver will be fortunate to break even this year. The Cowboys should romp in this one.
@ Kansas City - Okay, so the Chiefs snagged Cassel. That's nice. I just don't see how he's going to make this team so much better than last year. Bowe is a player for sure, but there's not a whole lot backing him up, and yeah, that includes Larry Johnson and Cassel. And to top it off, Gonzalez is now a dirty bird. This offense, in my opinion, is on the poor side, and the defense was absolutely rotten last year. Even if they reach middle of the pack status this year, that's still not enough against the Cowboys. Dallas should blow the Chiefs out.
Atanta - This could be one of the toughest games of the season outside of Dallas' divisional games. I know some feel that the Falcons are not for real, but I think they have enough talent to stick it to many of the top teams because, after all, there's not a lot of difference between the leagues best teams and the next tier of teams. Atlanta, I feel, is in that 2nd tier. They might have an average defense, but their offense is dangerous, and now that Gonzalez is a Falcon, it just got that much better. Like the Carolina game, I think this one could go either way.
Seattle - A lot of people are writing off the Searats, and with good reason. But seriously, if Hasselbeck stays healthy, if they can get anything out of Julius Jones and James, if Branch can come back strong, if Butler can contibute, and if their defense can improve on last year's awful performance, this team might be somewhat competitive. But that's a lot of ifs. I know that Dallas has its own set of ifs, but not like those of Seattle. Dallas should win this one handily at home.
@ Philadelphia - The Cowboys will be entering the toughest stretch of the season up to this point, and the Eagles just might be the toughest team on the schedule. I see Westbrook having another good season with McCoy as an effective backup. Jackson, despite his antics, looks to be for real, and Maclin will contribute right away. McNugget, though we love to hate him, just had his best season in five years despite being benched, and now he has even more weapons at his disposal. And as for the defense, I think it will be just as good as last year, all of which makes the Eagles a very dangerous team. This one could go either way, but since it's at the Linc, I'll say advantage Philly.
@ Green Bay - I personally feel that 6-10 last season is not indicitive of this team's talent. Sure, their defense may be somewhat suspect, but they have enough on offense to lead me to believe that this contest will be anything but easy. Rodgers, who had a 93.7 rating last season, is on his way to becoming an upper echelon player. The offensive line is solid, and Grant looks as if he should have another 1,000 yard performance this year. Both offenses should be able to move the ball. The key here will be turnovers and penalties as is normally the case with games of this nature. Either team could win this.
Washington - Sorry, skins fans, but I just don't have all that much respect for your team. Well, maybe respect is the wrong word. Let's just say I think your team, as a whole, isn't all that special. Sure, your defense is usually top 10, year after year, but that's not going to get you anywhere if Campbell can't throw more than 13 TDs in a season, and I don't expect him to get much more than that this year. It should tell you something about a player when management actively shops around for someone to replace him. As for Portis, I feel sorry for the guy. They ride him like there's no tomorrow (and given his production, I can't really blame them), but just how long can Portis keep this up? I realize that any team would be in trouble if they lost a key player like Portis, but for the skins where he accounts for a big chunk of their offense, it would be a disaster. And if all this wasn't bad enough, hello offensive line? Overall, I just see too many questions and not enough offensive firepower to match the Cowboys. The Cowboys will win this one at home.
Oakland - Sure, they may be better this year than last, but that's not going to be good enough against the Cowboys. Russell looked as if he was starting to "get it" at the end of last season, and they have plenty of young offensive weapons that surround him. But to me this is a team that's still trying to find itself, still trying to put all the pieces together and gell. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have multiple, proven players everywhere on the roster, and if they play to their potential and don't look past this game, the Cowboys should find this one a relatively easy victory.
@ NY Giants - Do the Giants, by this time, find out who their receivers are, or are they still wondering if guys like Hixon are the answer or if Nicks is the guy they were looking for in the draft? I think this game comes down to whether or not the receivers develop and whether or not Manning has made progress with these guys. If so, the Giants will be a formidable lot. If not, I can see the Cowboys coming into Jersey and kicking their butts.
San Diego - This game, if nothing else, should be fun to watch. Personally, I like Philip Rivers. I think he's one of the top young QBs in the league even though his throwing motion looks a bit weird to me. Looking at his receivers, I sometimes wonder how this guy was able to amass 4,000 yards last year, but hey, Vincent Jackson ain't exactly a bum (note the career 17.2 yards per catch), and Gates...I hear he's pretty good too. Oh yeah, and they have a guy named Tomlinson and a pretty good defense. Seeing that the Cowboys will be at home, I'll give them a slight edge, but this one can go either way.
@ New Orleans - Good offense; not so good of a defense. I think Pierre Thomas is somewhat underrated and will keep their ground game humming along with Reggie Bush. The passing game needs no hype here as we all know how good this team is in that department. Depending on how the game plays out, this could wind up being a shootout or, if the Cowboys use a ball control approach, the type of affair in which the team that makes the least amount of mistakes walks away victorious. The Saints will score some points, no doubt about that, but can the Cowboys match the Saints offensively? Can they keep the ball away from Brees and company? This is another game that I see going either way.
@ Washington - Normally, I'd say that because the skins are our most bitter rival and anything can happen when these two teams play, a series split between the Cowboys and the skins is to be expected, but not this time. At this point in the season, if Romo and others on this team are indeed serious about getting better and playing better in December, the Cowboys will go into FedEx and take care of business as the better team should. Yeah, I know you skins fans will take exception to this, but it's true. The Cowboys are the better team. Deal with it. Hell, the skins don't even have a QB who they feel they can grow with. This time, I expect the Cowboys to remain focused, beatdown the skins on the road, and come back to Dallas to face the Eagles in a rematch of last year's debacle.
Philadelphia - The end of the year rematch, but this time the Cowboys are at home. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what I think will happen in this game. I can tell you this, though: if the Cowboys players have by now decided to take ownership of this season, accept responsibilty for their efforts, go all out, and come out with the intention of burying the Eagles, I see no reason why they can't win. But this is the Eagles, and even if the Cowboys play well, defeat is very possible. All I ask is that they play well and leave it all on the field.
Games I think the Cowboys should win: at least 8
(Tampa, first Giants game, Denver, Kansas City, Seattle, Washington x 2, Oakland)
Close matchups (+/-): 8
Toughest games of these: Atlanta, Philly x2, Green Bay, San Diego, New Orleans
Home games that are close matchups: 4
Of these close games, I think the Cowboys should win at least 3-4 out of 8, but I'll also assume that we lose one of the games that we should win. It happens every year afterall.
Predicted wins (barring major injuries): 11
