The Cowboys in 2008

[Dallas22]

Just some comments about the Cowboys upcoming season in 2008... let me know what you all think.

Given the fact that the Cowboys have been improving and maturing year by year, THIS SEASON, 2008, is the time for the run. I don't mean just one season, but multiple... I see Jerry Jones's vision, looking back to the mid-90's and the run we had there. We are generally a very young team to be as good as I think that we are and should only get better.

Romo is still a "young" QB since this will be only his 3rd season starting for the Cowboys - BUT the talent is all there. We all can see it. He will probably never be an Aikman or a Staubach, but maybe close. With all the talent around him on offense, along with his ability to move around & making smart decisions, he should shine. The talent like the 3 Pro Bowlers on the O-Line. Davis was a huge pickup from the Cards last season and is panning out like he was expected to with Arizona. It doesn't hurt to be on the same line as Flozell Admas... he is a monster and still one of the top Tackles in the league. Guroude is a good center but can still improve. Columbo & Kosier are reliable OL and we have a couple of backups that have talent and decent replacements if needed (hopefully not!). The talent like TO (which I will personally NEVER like because of the San Fran "standing on the star" incident), Glenn (or Horn if need be) & Crayton are the starters and I think that they are a great good of WRs. Along with Witten at TE, we have a lot of weapons for Romo to make heady plays to. We have a very good running game in my opinion. Barber is one of the most explosive RBs in the league, but needs Fleix Jones to handle about 15 plays a game. That shouldn't be a problem because they can use either RB in the passing game and F. Jones will be dangerous in the open field or in the flats. Barber will be a monster with the good mix of running & passing plays with Jason Garrett at the offensive helm. He is a big key why these guys will flourish this season. If Pacman Jones is reinstated and behaves great for the entire season, then he will see some plays on Offense as a WR...

... and he will be key on special teams. His return skills are in the tops of the league and can make big plays when the ball is in his hands. Of course, our kicking game is prestine as well. Second year Kicker Nick Folk was awsome last season for us and solidified a position that has been very lacking for a while. Matt McBrier is a vertern Pro Bowl punter that does a great job booming punts or placing them inside the 20. These "footers" are both consistant and accurate.

Our Defense has so much talent as well. With Defensive guru Wade Phillips, this D is getting better and better. The front 3 will be a mix mainly of Spears, Canty, Ratliff & Tank. To add pressure on the QB the defense will utilize Greg Ellis at OLB. When he is there, the Cowboys defense is better, case closed. He is a much better run stopped/pass rusher than he is a coverage LB, but that is when the Cowboys insert Bobby Carpenter or Burnett. THen at the other OLB we have the great Demarcus Ware and there he takes over. He is getting better and is already dominant. Now with veteren leadership from Zach Thomas, IF he can stay healthy, will only improve our already very smart defensive. His run stopping ability and natural feel for sniffing out the ball will be a nice upgrade for our D. Don't forget about Bradie James, who is a vet himself and a leading tackler for the Cowboys. With these 2 ILBs, we should be both stopping any inside running and putting pressure on the QB... Along with the question mark of Roy Williams (#38). If he can at least improve his tackling and run stopping ability, which he used to be great at, then we will be that much better stopping the run. Roy will have to improve his pass coverage, but if not then Pat Watkins will have to spell him at times on coverage downs. Hamlin is solid at the other saftey spot. Our CBs were good last season when BOTH starters were there and healthy, which was rare last season. Newman & Henry are good coverage guys, Newman better the better in coverage, Henry the more physical one. Now throw in Pacman (again, see above) who might eventually start, and the rookie from USF, Mike Jenkins, and we have one of the best group of CBs in the NFL.

Of course, there are externiating issues that can derail the season. Player's behavior, contract issues & of course injuries (argh!!!)... but, we have good backups in most positions in case this VERY unfortunate thing occurs

All of these factors ALONG with the fact that the NFC is generally weak this season, what more opprotunity do you want?!?!?!?! To me, NOTHING LESS than at least getting to the Super Bowl would mean a dissapointing season. Of course, once we get there, only winning would satisfy me as a fan... losing the Super Bowl would make me vomit.

No need to think about all of that, training camp hasn't even began. Usually I am a very realistic about the Cowboys and usually a lot harder on them but TRUTHFULLY, I do think that the Cowboys have another opprotunity to be a dominant team for a while.

 

[Tovya]

I agree with most of your assessment. But I do think that Romo has the mental and physical ability to be as good as or better than Aikman and Staubach if he continues on the track he is on now....

As for the talent level, we have all the pieces to be the most dominant team in the NFL if things go perfect (no injuries being the biggest factor).

It's certainly a good year to be a Cowboys fan...

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Let's get this party started!

 

[fortdick]

I agree with most of your assessment. But I do think that Romo has the mental and physical ability to be as good as or better than Aikman and Staubach if he continues on the track he is on now....

As for the talent level, we have all the pieces to be the most dominant team in the NFL if things go perfect (no injuries being the biggest factor).

It's certainly a good year to be a Cowboys fan...

So Romo is going to be better than two HoF QB's? I hope you are right, but he hasn't won a playoff game and throwing 19 picks in a season won't get it done. Sure, he can get better, but nothing I have seen so far puts him at that level. Better than Danny White, I would put him in that category right now.

Defensively, we are still weak at safety. Hamlin is not on the field yet and no telling what sitting around playing video games is doing for him. I would like to see a repeat of last year from him, but he becoming a small distraction right now.

Roy is Roy is Roy. Tight ends will continue to eat us up unless Campo can get Roy's head right. I don't think moving Henry to safety is the answer because I ain't counting on "Adam" until he gets a little change in his pocket and stays out of trouble. It is easy to stay out of strip clubs when you are broke. Watkins is a question mark.

We look pretty solid at LB with solid starters and some promising backups. The starting D line is solid as is the depth. Our strongest suit in my mind.

Offensively, Felix Jones has not showed a thing. Everyone assuming he is an automatic upgrade over JJ is wishful thinking. He can be the change of pace we need, or he can be a slug. Simply, we don't know yet.

WR is a BIG question. Glenn won't make it through the season. Crayton has issue under pressure. Austin, Hurd, Stanback, Amendola, ....., lot of potential, but nothing solid. If TO gets hurt, does Crayton becomes our #1. See what I mean?

O Line is solid. Flo will get his 15 false starts, but he won't allow more than a half dozen sacks. Kosier is not Larry Allen, but he is very good. Not great, but very good. We got spoiled with LA. Columbo is good, but might get pushed this year by some of the youngsters in anticipation of his leaving next year. Big and Gurode are all pro. We are solid on the line.

Special teams is going to be less than last year with Killer gone. I don't see any improvement in our coverage teams, although we might have some new return guys to offset it.

All in all, this is a very good team. I am not trying to sound pessimistic, but after last year, I don't want to get my hopes too high. This team has a big hurdle to get over and that is playing strong during December and winning a playoff game. That will be up to the veterans to keep everyone focused.

I want to believe, I really do, but when I was a kid I didn't get the Red Ryder BB gun I wanted for Christmas and it has left a scar on me. :

 

[ctrous25]

Im expecting alot outta Anthony Spencer this year

 

[Dallas22]

fortdick, you are right about a lot of things... I would also say that Romo is above the Danny White level right now, but has the potential to get much better, especially with the talent that he has surrounding him. At WR we have little to no depth behind TO, Glenn (if he is not injured) and Crayton. I wish that we'd pick up at least a veteran WR in case Glenn goes down, but it seems like Jones is going to try and roll with what we have... a bit dangerous. Of course, IF (and that is a BIG if) there are no major injuries to our 3 starting WRs, we should be pretty good at that postition. Witten adds to our recieving corps and remember that we drafted a very big rookie TE to help out... we also have Tony Curtis who showed some nice stuff last season in a very limited role. I agree that our Felix Jones is an unknown player when it comes to the pros, but either way he is going to HAVE to play 10-15 downs no matter what to spell Marion the Barbarion, so all we can do is hope for the best. If he ends up being similar to Julies Jones, it will be a disapointment, but not the end of the world and could still manage some good plays here and there. We want much more from him, but this would be a worst case scenerio... I mean, Julius would run INTO defenders instead of finding the hole and bursting down the field - I can't see Felix Jones being worse than him.

On defense we have quality, talent and depth on our DL and LB positions. Even though our weakest parts are at Saftey & CB, there is a good sign of becoming better on the horizion. Newman, Henry and Hamlin (when he returns, and he MUST) are pretty solid starters, with the biggest question mark being Roy. No matter what, we might have to roll the dice with #38 Roy for 1 more season... you are right that behind him there is no real promising backup, whether moving Henry to Roy's spot & starting Pacman in Henry's CB spot, OR putting in Watkins. I'm hoping that Roy can hold it down somewhat better than the past couple of seasons, but that is all it is, HOPE. I do think that Pacman will NOT get into trouble this season, money or no money, because he now KNOWS that this is his last shot if he messes up again. NFL Commish Roger Goodell means business and will suspend him for longer than 1 season with another F-Up. So with that said, I think that Pacman will be with us for the entire season, eventually start at CB, be a factor on special teams and even play a little WR/Slot on offense.

Losing Keith Davis is big in both the special teams coverage area and being a backup to Roy (if needed). He was a hard-hitting vet that we should of tried to keep, but sometimes you gotta let them go. It would have been nice for the Cowboys to address that saftey spot though in the offseason... hopefully there is still time!

GO COWBOYS!!!

 

[Boysboy]

I'm not too worried on how we'll start. Good thing we have the Eagles in OUR backyard FIRST, and then the Commanders at home only a couple of weeks later.

It's the month of Dec I'm still worried about. Did the players learn their lesson from last year(and for that matter, the year before last)? I certainly hope so.

 

[Dallas22]

I'm not too worried on how we'll start. Good thing we have the Eagles in OUR backyard FIRST, and then the Commanders at home only a couple of weeks later.

It's the month of Dec I'm still worried about. Did the players learn their lesson from last year(and for that matter, the year before last)? I certainly hope so.

This is obviously VERY important... without knowing how to finish, everything else wouldn't matter. Even if the Cowboys don't NEED to win every game in December, they HAVE to be dominant in the Playoffs - case closed. This is something that the Cowboys better start to learn to do or any thoughts of being a powerhouse for this season and years to come is out of the question... and THAT would be a waste and sad for ALL Cowboy fans.

 

[Ultra Warrior]

Better than Danny White, I would put him in that category right now.

I wouldn't. Danny White won some playoff games & had longevity. Romo is only playing into his 2nd full season & you are saying he's "Better" than White? You are crazy. Better than Quincy Carter maybe but Romo has to LEAD this team to a Playoff VICTORY before rambling off that he's better than Troy, Roger OR Danny.

 

[Tovya]

So Romo is going to be better than two HoF QB's? I hope you are right, but he hasn't won a playoff game and throwing 19 picks in a season won't get it done. Sure, he can get better, but nothing I have seen so far puts him at that level. Better than Danny White, I would put him in that category right now.

Actually, I didn't say this season, I just meant his overall career POTENTIAL gives him the ability to be put on the same level.

I actually kind of see him as a young Staubach with his playing style, but in a more dynamic way. The difference being his head and the rings. Give him some time and let's see what happens. He's got the tools and the talent, so it's up to him to fulfill it.

Defensively, we are still weak at safety. Hamlin is not on the field yet and no telling what sitting around playing video games is doing for him. I would like to see a repeat of last year from him, but he becoming a small distraction right now.

He is supposedly staying in shape, but I do agree that it's a distraction... certainly more of one than the Terry Glenn one that is getting all of the attention.

We look pretty solid at LB with solid starters and some promising backups. The starting D line is solid as is the depth. Our strongest suit in my mind.

Definitely agree. As a matter of fact, despite how good our offense is touted to be this year, the defense is where it's at in '08.

Offensively, Felix Jones has not showed a thing. Everyone assuming he is an automatic upgrade over JJ is wishful thinking. He can be the change of pace we need, or he can be a slug. Simply, we don't know yet.

It doesn't take a whole lot to overcome Julius' role on this team... he already was a slug (but a fast one) in the offensive scheme. Felix will be a great compliment to Barber because he adds what Barber doesn't.

WR is a BIG question. Glenn won't make it through the season. Crayton has issue under pressure. Austin, Hurd, Stanback, Amendola, ....., lot of potential, but nothing solid. If TO gets hurt, does Crayton becomes our #1. See what I mean?

Glenn is a question mark... but Crayton will be much better this season, so I wouldn't worry too much about him. He'll come into his own this season (whatever that role may be).

I want to believe, I really do, but when I was a kid I didn't get the Red Ryder BB gun I wanted for Christmas and it has left a scar on me. :

Actually reminds me of a funny story... I wanted a pocket knife @ 8 years old and was told a resounding "no".

So I made a deal on my own and bought one from another kid... and I sliced 1.5" off of my skin (deep) the first 10 minutes I had it. Still literally scarred to this day :

 

[fortdick]

I wouldn't. Danny White won some playoff games & had longevity. Romo is only playing into his 2nd full season & you are saying he's "Better" than White? You are crazy. Better than Quincy Carter maybe but Romo has to LEAD this team to a Playoff VICTORY before rambling off that he's better than Troy, Roger OR Danny.

May I should have said Romo should be better than Danny White. You are correct that White produced very well for many years. I would rate White as the fourth, maybe third best QB in Cowboy history, behind Staubach, Aikman, and Quincy(j/k)......Dandy Don Meridith. Maybe better than Meridith, it's debateable.

But, Romo performs the way he has the past couple years, he will rate just behind two HoF's. Now if he can win a Superbowl or two, we can talk then if he ranks equal to Staubach and Aikman.

 

[Dallas22]

May I should have said Romo should be better than Danny White. You are correct that White produced very well for many years. I would rate White as the fourth, maybe third best QB in Cowboy history, behind Staubach, Aikman, and Quincy(j/k)......Dandy Don Meridith. Maybe better than Meridith, it's debateable.

But, Romo performs the way he has the past couple years, he will rate just behind two HoF's. Now if he can win a Superbowl or two, we can talk then if he ranks equal to Staubach and Aikman.

I was young and never watched Staubach play except in highlights and replays, but I do remember Danny "the punter" White in the early and mid-80's. I was still young (7-8 years old) but he was very good. Never got us to a championship, although very close in "the catch" .

Anyways, I do agree that Romo can and probably will pass White as our 3rd best QB in Cowboys history, but he NEEDS to continue to get better and get us some playoff wins... which should then in turn lead us to some Super Bowl apperances and victories. Right now I'd say that Aikman is #1, Staubach a very close #2, Merideth a distant #3, with Danny White right on his tail, and Romo at an up-and-coming #5. Time will tell and if Romo can get us some playoff wins this and the future NFL seasons, then he should easily move up to a distant #3 (but closer than Merideth would be as of right now). With even just 1 Super Bowl apperance it would solidify him as our 3rd best Cowboys QB of all time. And if he can take us to a couple of Super Bowl victories, hehe, well then he will be making a run at Staubach... any more SB trophies than that and he can gie Aikman a run for the top spot.

Of course, all this is in the future and big WHAT IF's, but for sure I think it is possible, especially with all the talent around him. Just to go from 3 seasons on the bench as a 3rd string QB to mid-season taking over our collapsing team and taking us to the playoffs 2 years ago; Then again taking us to a 13 win record and back into the playoffs shows A LOT of potential for our man Romo - But the key word here is potential and there is a big difference between that and actually accomplishing these lofty, but attainable goals... in the end it's GO COWBOYS all the way!!!

 

[Dallas22]

Dallas Cowboys Best QB's of all time:

#5 - Tony Romo
#4 - Danny White
#3 - Don Merideth
#2 - Roger Staubach
#1 - Troy Aikman

Just one Cowboy fan's opinion and keep in mind, I never watched Merideth or Staubach play (just in highlights and such).

 

[Prossman]

ROmo has to get a superbowl ring before he gets compared to Aikman or Roger. Having said that, in this system he will surely shatter every cowboy record there is. Aikmans offense forced him to sacrifce stats for balance. Roger had the high flying aspects to it but dbs could flat out land blast wrs. They could use forearms , put their hands on wrs, and get allot more physical then they are allowed to today. So his numbers would be hindered to. If Tony can produce a superbowl ring or two .......Prossman