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Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life
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OFFENSE
Quarterbacks (3)
STARTER Tony Romo
BACKUPS Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee
PRACTICE SQUAD Matt Nichols
ANALYSIS The only change is the addition of Nichols to the practice squad. Nichols’ cool under pressure was impressive against Oakland, especially when the Raiders were pinning their ears back because they knew Dallas had to pass to get back in the game. His receivers let him down, but Nichols didn’t show frustration while remaining calm and patient in the pocket. He also showed some nice accuracy, and better arm strength than had been reported. McGee, meanwhile, continued to show that he’s uncomfortable in the pocket, bailing at the first sign of trouble and not trusting his line. Considering his background, that is somewhat understandable, but is poise in the pocket something he can develop? He definitely has the athleticism and arm for the position, and seems to have decent accuracy.
Running backs (3)
STARTER Marion Barber
BACKUPS Felix Jones, Tashard Choice
CUT Lonyae Miller, Herb Donaldson
ANALYSIS Other than on a few runs by Choice, Dallas hasn’t shown much in the running game. Of course, with Barber and Jones only getting a couple of carries per game, there haven’t been very many opportunities for them to show much. The main guys who’ve been out there, other than Choice, have been Miller and Donaldson, and neither has been very impressive.
Tight ends/fullbacks (4)
STARTER Jason Witten
BACKUPS Martellus Bennett, Deon Anderson, Scott Sicko
PRACTICE SQUAD Chris Gronkowski
INJURED RESERVE John Phillips
CUT Dajleon Farr (Pat McQuistan)
ANALYSIS Considering that Phillips, Bennett and Sicko were all out, it was hard to evaluate this group against the Raiders. Farr did better than could be expected considering how late he joined the team, but his chances of making the team are low. It was disappointing that Dallas chose to stick McQuistan in as a third tight end so much instead of running more of its fullback formations to take a better look at Anderson and Gronkowski. They didn’t do much to warrant more playing time, though, but it still appears Anderson is in the lead to make the roster with Phillips out. Sicko’s play last week, however, was better than what the two of them have contributed in two games, and his spot isn’t threatened by McQuistan, who now gets the privilege of not making the team at multiple positions.
Wide receivers (5)
STARTERS Miles Austin, Roy Williams
BACKUPS Dez Bryant, Patrick Crayton, Kevin Ogletree
PRACTICE SQUAD Terrell Hudgins
TRADED Sam Hurd
CUT Jesse Holley, Manuel Johnson
ANALYSIS Hurd put on the kind of exhibition that could help the Cowboys trade him, which is what I still think Dallas wants to do rather than pay him almost $2 million to be the fifth or sixth receiver. Sadly, Hurd is outplaying Ogletree at this point, which isn’t that hard to do. It’s a good thing this isn’t Ogletree’s rookie year, because his performance last season is the only reason Dallas has to keep him. He is just not a good job catching passes. In fact, Hudgins might could be considered more impressive than Ogletree right now, catching a long pass despite playing with a groin injury. He doesn’t get much separation (and possibly would get flagged for some of his “subtle” push-offs), but he shows good awareness, body control and hands, and seems to run his routes well. Johnson looked as bad as Ogletree and also seems to be having trouble catching the ball.
Centers (2)
STARTER Andre Gurode
BACKUP Travis Bright
PRACTICE SQUAD Phil Costa
ANALYSIS It was interesting that Costa was the second-team center against the Raiders. Although that might have been less of a knock against Bright’s play at the position, and more of a knock against Tepper’s play at guard, Costa seems to be a mostly solid player. He gets overpowered some, but always seems to be in the right position, which couldn’t be said about Bright last week. Bright did have a solid game at guard, though, so this battle bears watching.
Guards (3)
STARTERS Kyle Kosier, Leonard Davis
BACKUP Montrae Holland
CUT Pat McQuistan, Mike Tepper
ANALYSIS Although I didn’t think Tepper played as poorly as many did against Cincinnati, when I went back and focused solely on him, he definitely had a problem overextending for blocks, which allowed defenders to get around him. I still think he did well in handling bull rushes and pushing several players passed the pocket when they went around him, but quick defensive tackles could give him a lot of trouble. McQuistan has the same problem, but he doesn’t seem to recover as well as Tepper did. Still, McQuistan and maybe Will Barker are the only linemen Tepper is ahead of in the pecking order.
Tackles (5)
STARTERS Doug Free, Marc Colombo
BACKUPS Alex Barron, Robert Brewster, Sam Young
CUT Will Barker
ANALYSIS Free did a good job pass blocking, staying with his man even when plays didn’t develop, but he wasn’t effective at all run blocking, getting little to no movement and allowing his man to get in on the tackles. While Free had run-blocking issues, Colombo had pass-blocking problems, primarily because Tony Romo was forced to hold the ball instead of getting it out on time. Colombo struggles to maintain his blocks when the quarterback has to hold the ball, probably because he doesn’t have the athleticism to continue matching moves after using great technique and good strength to make the initial block. With Barron out, Brewster played most of the game against the Raiders at left tackle, and did a decent job. Like last week, he had some mental breakdowns, but he seemed to learn from them. Young does not have those mental mistakes and has been mostly solid in both preseason games, to the point where I’m not sure Dallas would be able to stash him on the practice squad. If it comes down to a choice between Brewster and Young, I’m not sure which way the Cowboys would lean at this point. Both have a few more weeks to state their case, though.
DEFENSE
Ends (4)
STARTERS Igor Olshansky, Marcus Spears
BACKUPS Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen
PRACTICE SQUAD Sean Lissemore
CUT Marcus Dixon, Jimmy Sadler-McQueen
ANALYSIS Close examination of Hatcher’s play against the Raiders showed that he gets caught up too often in what the offense wants him to do. Linemen are able to guide him where they want him to be as he seems unaware of the developing play. Even though he had one standout play, I can’t see him being a threat to Spears’ starting spot because he just isn’t much of a factor against the run. Bowen doesn’t seem to really be a threat, either, as he seems to primarily be a factor on passing plays. But I’d like to see Bowen get in with the starting group on run downs to better evaluate what he can do. None of the other ends stood out, so I’m ready to see if Lissemore can step up and threaten Hatcher’s roster spot. Hatcher is still a solid backup, so I think it’s doubtful unless Lissemore shows a lot more than he was in camp before his injury.
Nose tackles (2)
STARTER Jay Ratliff
BACKUP Josh Brent
CUT Junior Siavii
ANALYSIS Siavii had one of the best games I’ve seen from him against the Raiders, although he was only truly disruptive on a couple of plays, including a sack on which he powered past the center. He outplayed Brent in this one, but I’m still leaning toward the younger, quicker backup who isn’t playing on a one-year contract. The Raiders gouged the Cowboys for some big runs up the middle, so both backups had some trouble holding their ground at times.
Outside linebackers (5)
STARTERS DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer
BACKUPS Brandon Williams, Victor Butler, Steve Octavien
CUT Curtis Johnson
ANALYSIS Neither Johnson nor Octavien really did anything to enhance their chances of making the team, and right now, I could see Dallas going with an extra inside linebacker (Leon Williams) instead, but I’m sticking with last week’s projection for now. Butler continues to be the most productive backup at this position, and Williams showed slightly more than the others.
Inside linebackers (4)
STARTERS Keith Brooking, Bradie James
BACKUPS Sean Lee, Jason Williams
PUP Stephen Hodge
CUT Brandon Sharpe, Leon Williams
ANALYSIS The starters were outstanding, with James making plays all over the field and Brooking showing that he can’t be counted out of the nickel with good coverage on a few plays. We still haven’t gotten to see Lee, but the Williams boys continue to receive lots of playing time. It’s clear who has a better understanding of his position between the two, as Leon continually puts himself in good position and disrupts a lot of plays, but there was one play Thursday where Jason showed what he can do when he’s not overthinking. Jason burst into the backfield near the Raiders’ goal line to stuff a running back in a show of his athleticism and speed. Both might end up being kept while Sharpe appears to be the odd man out.
Cornerbacks (5)
STARTERS Mike Jenkins, Terrence Newman
BACKUPS Orlando Scandrick, Cletis Gordon, Bryan McCann
PRACTICE SQUAD Teddy Williams, Jamar Wall
ANALYSIS Newman made a great break on a ball and almost had an interception as the starters continued to look good. Scandrick also made a nice play in his nickel role, but would have allowed a big play after he stepped in at left corner and let a speedy receiver get past him. Otherwise, though, he played well as did McCann, who has shown good mirror skills and quickness to keep up with receivers. McCann also has some return skills and has moved ahead of Wall for a roster spot, after Wall continued to be up and down in his play. In fact, it appeared to me that for the second consecutive week, Williams outplayed Wall over all, although Williams hasn’t received as much playing time as the Cowboys seem to want to slowly break him in. He did show good awareness on a muffed punt return, diving in to secure the fumble. Gordon did not play, but the others didn’t give any reason to downgrade him.
Safeties (5)
STARTERS Gerald Sensabaugh, Alan Ball
BACKUPS Mike Hamlin, Barry Church, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
PRACTICE SQUAD Danny McCray
CUT Patrick Watkins
ANALYSIS For the consecutive second week, we didn’t really get to evaluate Ball as the Raiders didn’t challenge him with deep passes. In fact, none of the safeties was really challenged much by the Raiders’ passing game, although McCray was beaten deep once on an incomplete pass. Hamlin and Church made some nice hits and tackles, though, so I didn’t see any reason to change the projection. We’re still waiting to see Owusu-Ansah.
Punter (1)
STARTER Mat McBrair
ANALYSIS McBriar unleashed a 69-yard punt from his end zone that drove the returner back and led to poor field position for the Raiders when they should have had a short field.
Kicker (1)
STARTER David Buehler
ANALYSIS A much cleaner outing for Buehler, although it would have been nice to see him get to attempt a last-second field goal. After showing a propensity to hook the ball to the left in his first preseason game, Buehler was kicking them straight against Oakland, hitting all three of his attempts, with a long of 42. No matter his loose mechanics last week, he’s still 6 of 7 so far. The only knock I had against him is that he didn’t allow us to see what the kickoff coverage could do, crushing all of his kickoffs into the end zone.
Long snapper (1)
STARTER L.P. Ladouceur
ANALYSIS The only time I noticed Ladouceur is when he made the tackle on a punt return. That’s a good thing.
Quarterbacks (3)
STARTER Tony Romo
BACKUPS Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee
PRACTICE SQUAD Matt Nichols
ANALYSIS The only change is the addition of Nichols to the practice squad. Nichols’ cool under pressure was impressive against Oakland, especially when the Raiders were pinning their ears back because they knew Dallas had to pass to get back in the game. His receivers let him down, but Nichols didn’t show frustration while remaining calm and patient in the pocket. He also showed some nice accuracy, and better arm strength than had been reported. McGee, meanwhile, continued to show that he’s uncomfortable in the pocket, bailing at the first sign of trouble and not trusting his line. Considering his background, that is somewhat understandable, but is poise in the pocket something he can develop? He definitely has the athleticism and arm for the position, and seems to have decent accuracy.
Running backs (3)
STARTER Marion Barber
BACKUPS Felix Jones, Tashard Choice
CUT Lonyae Miller, Herb Donaldson
ANALYSIS Other than on a few runs by Choice, Dallas hasn’t shown much in the running game. Of course, with Barber and Jones only getting a couple of carries per game, there haven’t been very many opportunities for them to show much. The main guys who’ve been out there, other than Choice, have been Miller and Donaldson, and neither has been very impressive.
Tight ends/fullbacks (4)
STARTER Jason Witten
BACKUPS Martellus Bennett, Deon Anderson, Scott Sicko
PRACTICE SQUAD Chris Gronkowski
INJURED RESERVE John Phillips
CUT Dajleon Farr (Pat McQuistan)
ANALYSIS Considering that Phillips, Bennett and Sicko were all out, it was hard to evaluate this group against the Raiders. Farr did better than could be expected considering how late he joined the team, but his chances of making the team are low. It was disappointing that Dallas chose to stick McQuistan in as a third tight end so much instead of running more of its fullback formations to take a better look at Anderson and Gronkowski. They didn’t do much to warrant more playing time, though, but it still appears Anderson is in the lead to make the roster with Phillips out. Sicko’s play last week, however, was better than what the two of them have contributed in two games, and his spot isn’t threatened by McQuistan, who now gets the privilege of not making the team at multiple positions.
Wide receivers (5)
STARTERS Miles Austin, Roy Williams
BACKUPS Dez Bryant, Patrick Crayton, Kevin Ogletree
PRACTICE SQUAD Terrell Hudgins
TRADED Sam Hurd
CUT Jesse Holley, Manuel Johnson
ANALYSIS Hurd put on the kind of exhibition that could help the Cowboys trade him, which is what I still think Dallas wants to do rather than pay him almost $2 million to be the fifth or sixth receiver. Sadly, Hurd is outplaying Ogletree at this point, which isn’t that hard to do. It’s a good thing this isn’t Ogletree’s rookie year, because his performance last season is the only reason Dallas has to keep him. He is just not a good job catching passes. In fact, Hudgins might could be considered more impressive than Ogletree right now, catching a long pass despite playing with a groin injury. He doesn’t get much separation (and possibly would get flagged for some of his “subtle” push-offs), but he shows good awareness, body control and hands, and seems to run his routes well. Johnson looked as bad as Ogletree and also seems to be having trouble catching the ball.
Centers (2)
STARTER Andre Gurode
BACKUP Travis Bright
PRACTICE SQUAD Phil Costa
ANALYSIS It was interesting that Costa was the second-team center against the Raiders. Although that might have been less of a knock against Bright’s play at the position, and more of a knock against Tepper’s play at guard, Costa seems to be a mostly solid player. He gets overpowered some, but always seems to be in the right position, which couldn’t be said about Bright last week. Bright did have a solid game at guard, though, so this battle bears watching.
Guards (3)
STARTERS Kyle Kosier, Leonard Davis
BACKUP Montrae Holland
CUT Pat McQuistan, Mike Tepper
ANALYSIS Although I didn’t think Tepper played as poorly as many did against Cincinnati, when I went back and focused solely on him, he definitely had a problem overextending for blocks, which allowed defenders to get around him. I still think he did well in handling bull rushes and pushing several players passed the pocket when they went around him, but quick defensive tackles could give him a lot of trouble. McQuistan has the same problem, but he doesn’t seem to recover as well as Tepper did. Still, McQuistan and maybe Will Barker are the only linemen Tepper is ahead of in the pecking order.
Tackles (5)
STARTERS Doug Free, Marc Colombo
BACKUPS Alex Barron, Robert Brewster, Sam Young
CUT Will Barker
ANALYSIS Free did a good job pass blocking, staying with his man even when plays didn’t develop, but he wasn’t effective at all run blocking, getting little to no movement and allowing his man to get in on the tackles. While Free had run-blocking issues, Colombo had pass-blocking problems, primarily because Tony Romo was forced to hold the ball instead of getting it out on time. Colombo struggles to maintain his blocks when the quarterback has to hold the ball, probably because he doesn’t have the athleticism to continue matching moves after using great technique and good strength to make the initial block. With Barron out, Brewster played most of the game against the Raiders at left tackle, and did a decent job. Like last week, he had some mental breakdowns, but he seemed to learn from them. Young does not have those mental mistakes and has been mostly solid in both preseason games, to the point where I’m not sure Dallas would be able to stash him on the practice squad. If it comes down to a choice between Brewster and Young, I’m not sure which way the Cowboys would lean at this point. Both have a few more weeks to state their case, though.
DEFENSE
Ends (4)
STARTERS Igor Olshansky, Marcus Spears
BACKUPS Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen
PRACTICE SQUAD Sean Lissemore
CUT Marcus Dixon, Jimmy Sadler-McQueen
ANALYSIS Close examination of Hatcher’s play against the Raiders showed that he gets caught up too often in what the offense wants him to do. Linemen are able to guide him where they want him to be as he seems unaware of the developing play. Even though he had one standout play, I can’t see him being a threat to Spears’ starting spot because he just isn’t much of a factor against the run. Bowen doesn’t seem to really be a threat, either, as he seems to primarily be a factor on passing plays. But I’d like to see Bowen get in with the starting group on run downs to better evaluate what he can do. None of the other ends stood out, so I’m ready to see if Lissemore can step up and threaten Hatcher’s roster spot. Hatcher is still a solid backup, so I think it’s doubtful unless Lissemore shows a lot more than he was in camp before his injury.
Nose tackles (2)
STARTER Jay Ratliff
BACKUP Josh Brent
CUT Junior Siavii
ANALYSIS Siavii had one of the best games I’ve seen from him against the Raiders, although he was only truly disruptive on a couple of plays, including a sack on which he powered past the center. He outplayed Brent in this one, but I’m still leaning toward the younger, quicker backup who isn’t playing on a one-year contract. The Raiders gouged the Cowboys for some big runs up the middle, so both backups had some trouble holding their ground at times.
Outside linebackers (5)
STARTERS DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer
BACKUPS Brandon Williams, Victor Butler, Steve Octavien
CUT Curtis Johnson
ANALYSIS Neither Johnson nor Octavien really did anything to enhance their chances of making the team, and right now, I could see Dallas going with an extra inside linebacker (Leon Williams) instead, but I’m sticking with last week’s projection for now. Butler continues to be the most productive backup at this position, and Williams showed slightly more than the others.
Inside linebackers (4)
STARTERS Keith Brooking, Bradie James
BACKUPS Sean Lee, Jason Williams
PUP Stephen Hodge
CUT Brandon Sharpe, Leon Williams
ANALYSIS The starters were outstanding, with James making plays all over the field and Brooking showing that he can’t be counted out of the nickel with good coverage on a few plays. We still haven’t gotten to see Lee, but the Williams boys continue to receive lots of playing time. It’s clear who has a better understanding of his position between the two, as Leon continually puts himself in good position and disrupts a lot of plays, but there was one play Thursday where Jason showed what he can do when he’s not overthinking. Jason burst into the backfield near the Raiders’ goal line to stuff a running back in a show of his athleticism and speed. Both might end up being kept while Sharpe appears to be the odd man out.
Cornerbacks (5)
STARTERS Mike Jenkins, Terrence Newman
BACKUPS Orlando Scandrick, Cletis Gordon, Bryan McCann
PRACTICE SQUAD Teddy Williams, Jamar Wall
ANALYSIS Newman made a great break on a ball and almost had an interception as the starters continued to look good. Scandrick also made a nice play in his nickel role, but would have allowed a big play after he stepped in at left corner and let a speedy receiver get past him. Otherwise, though, he played well as did McCann, who has shown good mirror skills and quickness to keep up with receivers. McCann also has some return skills and has moved ahead of Wall for a roster spot, after Wall continued to be up and down in his play. In fact, it appeared to me that for the second consecutive week, Williams outplayed Wall over all, although Williams hasn’t received as much playing time as the Cowboys seem to want to slowly break him in. He did show good awareness on a muffed punt return, diving in to secure the fumble. Gordon did not play, but the others didn’t give any reason to downgrade him.
Safeties (5)
STARTERS Gerald Sensabaugh, Alan Ball
BACKUPS Mike Hamlin, Barry Church, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah
PRACTICE SQUAD Danny McCray
CUT Patrick Watkins
ANALYSIS For the consecutive second week, we didn’t really get to evaluate Ball as the Raiders didn’t challenge him with deep passes. In fact, none of the safeties was really challenged much by the Raiders’ passing game, although McCray was beaten deep once on an incomplete pass. Hamlin and Church made some nice hits and tackles, though, so I didn’t see any reason to change the projection. We’re still waiting to see Owusu-Ansah.
Punter (1)
STARTER Mat McBrair
ANALYSIS McBriar unleashed a 69-yard punt from his end zone that drove the returner back and led to poor field position for the Raiders when they should have had a short field.
Kicker (1)
STARTER David Buehler
ANALYSIS A much cleaner outing for Buehler, although it would have been nice to see him get to attempt a last-second field goal. After showing a propensity to hook the ball to the left in his first preseason game, Buehler was kicking them straight against Oakland, hitting all three of his attempts, with a long of 42. No matter his loose mechanics last week, he’s still 6 of 7 so far. The only knock I had against him is that he didn’t allow us to see what the kickoff coverage could do, crushing all of his kickoffs into the end zone.
Long snapper (1)
STARTER L.P. Ladouceur
ANALYSIS The only time I noticed Ladouceur is when he made the tackle on a punt return. That’s a good thing.
