The Boys Are Back: Three Reasons Dallas Dominates in 2009

[Gryphon]

by Alex Olson
BleacherReport

We all know the Dallas Cowboys are one of the most talented teams in the NFL. Also a well-known fact is their annual proclivity to underwhelm. At risk of being yet another prognosticator burned by "America's Team", I think there are three major reasons why the Cowboys will be the cream of the the NFL's crop in 2009.


1. Three Running Backs

With Derrick Ward now playing in Tampa Bay the Cowboys will have the best trio of runners in '09 with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, and when it comes to running backs in today's NFL, more is better.

Through the first six games of 2008 Barber and Jones got off to a phenomenal start, rushing for 440 and 266 yards respectively, but following Jones' season-ending injury Barber's YPC dropped from 4.0 to 3.4. This drop-off is indicative of Dallas' failure to properly use Choice for the first eleven games.

Dallas obviously did not realize what they had in Choice early in 2008, as he did not get any significant playing time until Week 13, when he proceeded to rush for 382 yards in the final five games with Barber either out or limited by injury.


2. No more TO

The best personnel move made by the Cowboys this offseason was cutting loose the declining Terrell Owens. TO's antics used to be worth the headache because of his ability to take over games, but age finally caught up with the superstar last year, as he was held to under 40 yards receiving eight times.

That is just not good enough for a guy making roughly $10 million a season and doing more talking off the field than contributing on it.

Without Owens, Tony Romo will throw the ball less. This is a good thing for the Cowboys, not because Romo is a bad quarterback, but because he does have a propensity to turn the ball over.

A more successful running game means Romo will be in more short-yardage situations on second and third down, which will naturally lead to fewer interceptions. Combine that with Jerry Jones' pre-emptive relieving of the pressure to get the ball to TO and the result is a much better offense in big D.


3. Wade Phillips as Defensive Coordinator

Why does Wade Phillips continue to get opportunities as a head coach in the NFL despite his lack of playoff wins? Because he is quite possibly the best defensive coordinator in the game.

The Cowboys' D saw significant improvement after Phillips took over the defensive play calling in the middle of last season, that is until the final two games when the entire team imploded.

San Diego's defense went from a perennial top ten unit under Phillips to 25th last year. Also, in seven years as defensive coordinator for the Broncos and Bills, Phillips' defenses gave up less than 17 points per game three times.

Given the amount of talent on the the Cowboys' defense, it would not be a stretch to say Dallas could surrender the fewest points in the NFL this year. Once again this is great news for Romo and should further reduce his turnover count.

All of these factors, added to a weak NFC and a fairly friendly schedule will allow this underachieving bunch to regain their 2007 form. Until last season, Dallas had held the record for Super Bowl wins for 14 years, look for the Cowboys to contend strongly this season for their pace-keeping sixth title.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Health, Depth, and Chemistry lol.

 

[Gryphon]

Fantasy spin: Dallas Receivers without Terrell Owens
by Michael McNeil
BleacherReport

For the third time in his career, Terrell Owens ran his mouth right out of town. While the Cowboys may not publicly admit it, Owens’ corrosive presence in the locker room surely influenced the decision to cut him this offseason.

But losing Owens comes at a steep price. He has been the most productive wide receiver in recent memory for the Dallas Cowboys, throwing down career-defining numbers in Big D. A young Tony Romo took to the challenge of being Owens’ quarterback and fared well, at least as far as the stat book was concerned.

And as far as fantasy owners are concerned, filling the gigantic fantasy black hole left by Owens is going to be difficult. Stud tight end Jason Witten should pick up where he left off, but where will the production come from on the outside? Someone has to catch all of those passes that Owens caught in previous seasons, and there are more than a few candidates on the Cowboys’ roster.


The Rock—Jason Witten

If you need five yards, then he will get you six. Need eight? He will get you nine. Witten has become the No. 1 safety valve for quarterback Tony Romo over the last few years, even more so than Terrell Owens. If Romo was in a tight spot, then he was looking for No. 82. And as long as both guys remain healthy and on the field, then the synergy between the two should not change. Expect another run for Witten as fantasy football’s best tight end this season.


The Project—Roy Williams

Can he be a No. 1 wide receiver in a high-powered offense on a high-stakes team? Sure, he succeeded in near anonymity while in Detroit, but Big D is a different story. Not only is the stage much larger, but so, too, is the ego that just left the building for Buffalo—and the shoes in which that ego fit. TO had his problems in Dallas, but he wanted the ball when it mattered and put up some huge numbers. Williams will not have to match him touchdown-for-touchdown, but he does need to match Owens’ desire in crunch time.


The Kid—Miles Austin

The Jets were so enamored with Austin that they tried to lure the restricted free agent this offseason despite the hefty price it would have cost them. But the Cowboys did what they had to do to retain Austin’s services, whose stock has risen more than any other Cowboy this offseason. The departure of Owens really has opened the door for this home run threat. Savvy fantasy owners will be keeping a very close eye on Austin’s progress this summer. A huge preseason could elevate him past relatively unknown status.


The Sleeper—Martellus Bennett

In three consecutive weeks last season, Bennett hauled in three touchdown passes. He immediately showed up as a tiny blip on fantasy radars, but his stay in the collective fantasy memory was short lived due to low yardage. Now, in his second season, Bennett could be the recipient of a few more looks without the gravity of TO sucking in a majority of the targets. And those touchdowns last year only prove that Bennett is good near the goal line, making him a sneaky option when weapons like Jason Witten, Roy Williams and Marion Barber are garnering almost all of the attention of defenses.


The Forgotten One—Patrick Crayton

He had the opportunity to succeed as a fantasy wide receiver opposite the black hole that is TO, but never quite lived up to it. Sure, there were flashes of brilliance, but they came in between too many injuries and slumps. With Miles Austin climbing the charts, Roy Williams trying to become a true No. 1, and the emergence of Martellus Bennett as a viable option, Crayton appears in line to be the odd man out in the passing game.

 

[Temo]

The list should be:

1. Defense
2. Defense
3. Defense (with a solid running game and a QB who can lead scoring drives in crunch time)

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

The defense better play up to it's potential in 2009.

 

[SLATEmosphere]

The defense better play up to it's potential in 2009.

It will. We basically have the same defense back with upgrades at SS. We should be a top 5 defense this year. We were 8th last year and that's counting the Briant Stewart Era. We now have a full season under Wade's D.

 

[Rampage]

It will. We basically have the same defense back with upgrades at SS. We should be a top 5 defense this year. We were 8th last year and that's counting the Briant Stewart Era. We now have a full season under Wade's D.

doubt it. we still need a 3-4 NT and we were 8th in total yards yet we gave up 22 points per game.

 

[SLATEmosphere]

doubt it. we still need a 3-4 NT and we were 8th in total yards yet we gave up 22 points per game.

I don't look at points per game. A reason why is because Brad gave the Giants 3 possession inside the 25 yard line. It can be a little skued sometimes. Plus Romo giving up pick to the house during that Steeler game when our D played lights out..

 

[Rampage]

I don't look at points per game. A reason why is because Brad gave the Giants 3 possession inside the 25 yard line. It can be a little skued sometimes. Plus Romo giving up pick to the house during that Steeler game when our D played lights out..

the defense has been streaky at best. the running game must be effective to help out the D.
we need much better play from the secondary to be top 5. maybe we can scare some teams by intercepting some passes next season.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

the defense has been streaky at best. the running game must be effective to help out the D.

Dallas will be best served implementing a clock management offense that features the three-headed running attack.

Choice
F. Jones
MBIII

 

[ethiostar]

:nono2:


No more talk about the potential to dominate until we actually do something in the playoffs for once.

:zipit:

 

[CF74]

Dallas will be best served implementing a clock management offense that features the three-headed running attack.

Choice
F. Jones
MBIII

Bingo, time of possession (Or the lack thereof from our O) killed our D last year..

 

[BIGDen]

:nono2:


No more talk about the potential to dominate until we actually do something in the playoffs for once.

:zipit:

OK. So I guess we'll just B&M until we're blue in the face and blame a few players and our coach over and over. Everybody is crap until they win a playoff game. Got it. Sounds great.
This is a message board and if people feel we'll be very good (which is very possible) they should write it.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

OK. So I guess we'll just B&M until we're blue in the face and blame a few players and our coach over and over. Everybody is crap until they win a playoff game. Got it. Sounds great.
This is a message board and if people feel we'll be very good (which is very possible) they should write it.

Bravo!

 

[ethiostar]

OK. So I guess we'll just B&M until we're blue in the face and blame a few players and our coach over and over. Everybody is crap until they win a playoff game. Got it. Sounds great.
This is a message board and if people feel we'll be very good (which is very possible) they should write it.

umm, i guess i should have made it very obvious it was self censorship (me) i was after, not an attempt to order everyone else to stop talking about it.

Second, according to you, if we don't talk about how we are going to dominate the league once again, the only thing left for us to do is B&M or talk bad about our players. Sorry, there is a lot to talk about, i.e., the rookies, improvement on defense, health, depth, etc.... all of which doesn't have to automatically lead to a discussion on how we are the best team in the league.

But i digress, didn't mean to rain on your parade. Have at it.

I for one am tired of proclaiming this team as champions when they haven't even won a playoff game. I like the direction this team is going, i like the renewed emphasis on the running game, and i love our draft class. But i will wait to see them play at least one game before getting overboard.

 

[TNCowboy]

A couple of good months in '07 has blinded a lot of fans to the reality of this team.

Until proven otherwise, this is a 9-7 team that can't win when it gets cold.

 

[BigBoy63]

doubt it. we still need a 3-4 NT and we were 8th in total yards yet we gave up 22 points per game.

i don't kno why people say we need a 3-4 NT, our supposed non-3-4 NT made it to the probowl... so there cant be to much wrong with him.

 

[CF74]

i don't kno why people say we need a 3-4 NT, our supposed non-3-4 NT made it to the probowl... so there cant be to much wrong with him.

The consensus is that there's nobody behind him. We lack depth required to keep the spot fresh.

 

[ethiostar]

i don't kno why people say we need a 3-4 NT, our supposed non-3-4 NT made it to the probowl... so there cant be to much wrong with him.

I also hear that Wade likes Siavii (?)quit a bit. Supposedly he has shown a lot of improvement in the off-season.

 

[BigBoy63]

The consensus is that there's nobody behind him. We lack depth required to keep the spot fresh.

Ok. Thanks for clearin that up, i thought he was just unsatisfied with the NT we got.