Saturday, August 09, 2008
08/09/08 Dallas Cowboys
Stacked
By Albert Nguyen
To put it simply, the 2008/2009 version of the Dallas Cowboys are stacked. Offensively. Defensively. Special teams. From top to bottom, this is arguably one of the most talented rosters the 5-time world champions have ever assembled. In the off-season, the Dallas Cowboys' front office elected to bring back all thirteen Pro-Bowlers from a year ago, while also managing to add Adam Jones, Zach Thomas, Felix Jones, Mike Jenkins, and others to the mix as well. I guess it doesn't hurt to hold two first round draft picks in hand after going 13-3.
Of course, the fate of Adam (formerly known as Pacman) Jones rests squarely on the shoulders of Roger Goodell and his decision on whether he believes in second chances or not. Fortunately for Dallas, all signs point to Adam Jones being reinstated back into the NFL which shores up Dallas's biggest weakness from a year ago; pass defense. Before all of his off the field issues, Jones was already regarded as one of the best cornerbacks and returnmen in the league. With Jones teaming up with Terrence Newman, Anthony Henry, Mike Jenkins, and Orlando Scandrick at the cornerback position, Dallas's weakness from a year ago suddenly may become it's strength. With the pass coverage drastically improving, the pass rush from the front seven (along with Roy Williams in blitz packages) can only get better as well. When you line up guys like DeMarcus Ware, Chris Canty, Anthony Spencer, and Greg Ellis whose number one job is to get to the quarterback, that's a very scary proposition for opposing offensive coordinators.
That is the bottom line--it is going to be much tougher to scheme and game plan against Dallas's defense, which in turn will take teams out of their elements and put them in situations where they can be taken advantaged of. Having a guy like Adam Jones on defense is similar to having Terrell Owens on offense, the other team has to pay extra attention to a single player which then opens up space for other players to excel.
You know the team is good when you can go through a few paragraphs and have yet to mention All-Pro quarterback, Tony Romo (or Jessica Simpson for that matter). Offensively, Dallas should not miss a beat from a year ago, when they were ranked second in the NFL in total offense. Sure, the front office waived Terry Glenn but the Cowboys ultimately didn't have the services of Glenn last year either which forced the coaches to turn to Patrick Crayton, and they eventually witnessed his emergence as the team's #2 receiver opposite Owens. Owner Jerry Jones took care of business by re-signing Marion Barber III to a long-term deal and drafting a running back from his alma mater, Felix Jones from Arkansas to provide the home run threat in the backfield. The frightening thing about the offense is that Romo and company may get even more scoring chances than from a year ago since the improved defense will provide them with ample opportunity in great field position.
The Dallas Cowboys have a nice mix of hungry veterans and young talent that may finally give them the answer to the playoff riddle that has stumped them for the last twelve years. What Cowboy fans must understand is that although the team may be better than a year ago, it may not be reciprocated in their win/loss record. Once you get passed that, you'll soon realize that the true success and measure of this team is not on how many regular season games they end up winning, but it'll be on whether or not they can get to the Super Bowl.
Prediction:
regular season - 12-4
post season - Super Bowl victory
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