Blogging The Boys

Week Eleven: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

2009-11-21T21:45:09Z

It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! Not only is this a huge week for the Cowboys as they host the rival Redskins, but it is also an enormously important week for fantasy football.

Bye weeks are over, many of us may be smelling fantasy playoffs, and next week is the trade deadline for many leagues.

Make the jump for the Week 11 Fantasy Focus.

QB Tony Romo - Romo owners found some relief last week when the Dallas quarterback refused to let the team be shut out. His garbage-time TD pass to Roy Williams helped to ease the pain of having the Packers' defense completely dictate the day. It was just one of those games for the Cowboys' offense. If a receiver was open, Romo just barely missed him. If he was on target, the ball would be dropped or a Packers' defender would make a better play on it. Nevertheless, offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, stuck with his QB and his aggressive style of play-calling. That should show you that the Cowboys have a ton of faith in their signal caller.

This week, Romo and company are up against the NFL's number one pass defense in the Redskins. The argument can be made that the 162.7 YPG they are giving up in that department is a result of playing a weak schedule. Against the Broncos last week, some huge plays were given up to Kyle Orton and Brandon Marshall. Romo and his WRs will look to exploit the same weaknesses, although it is unclear whether CB Carlos Rodgers will be benched in favor of Fred Smoot.

After being dominated by the Packers' blitzers, look for the Cowboys' offense to regroup and get back to basics. Romo and Garrett should then be able to find gaps and create mismatches in the overrated Redskins' secondary.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice - 5 carries for 26 yards for Barber last week. Nobody is happy with those numbers. When he did have the ball, he looked strong running it. He should have at least double the amount of carries this week. The Cowboys can still pull him out for pass-protection because of his thumb, but the fracture only looks to bother him there.

Felix Jones looks a mere shadow of his explosive-self since injuring his knee in Week 3. It's a bit of a mystery each week on how much the team will use him. He did see a good amount of action against the Packers, but the game was such that the RBs totalled only 11 carries with Felix getting 3 of those. It would be best to take a wait-and-see approach with him.

Tashard Choice is being integrated more into the offense through the "Razorback" formation, as well as his 3rd-down duties. His fantasy success depends so greatly on Barber and Jones that it's tough to predict how much of an impact he will have. Until the Cowboys get their running game back on track, sit him if you have a better option.

WRs Miles Austin - Austin owners now have a tough decision. He's been exposed to the league, so defenses focus on taking him out of the Dallas gameplan. It worked in Philly, until he busted out for a 49-yard TD catch and run. He was held in check last week, catching 4 for just 20. The targets are there and will continue to be since Romo is so comfortable with him. And, if you look at what Marshall did against the 'Skins last week, Austin should be able to have a big game.

Roy Williams - When defenses take away Austin, that leaves Romo to go to Williams. Although RW did have some boo-boos last week, he had a solid fantasy game, catching 5 for 105 with a score. Couple that with the 5 for 75 he caught the prior week, and he's beginning to look like a decent WR again. If he could get rid of the dropsies, he could have some huge games for owners. By doing so, he would also receive more targets from Romo.

This week, he will be going up against DeAngelo Hall. The Cowboys have picked on him in the past with success; expect them to continue to do so.

TEs Jason Witten - It feels like every week I write, "Witten is still looking for the end zone, and this should be the game he finds it." He almost had a TD late last week, but the pass was behind him. 5 catches for 47 yards is nothing to get excited about for Witten owners. Considering Romo rarely had time to pass, Witten still snagged roughly 20% of his passing yards.

You know he's gonna get his targets, and you know he's not going to get you zero points. Stick with him unless you have a better option. He's gotta come up big soon, right?

Cowboys D/ST - Steady as they go...this unit continues to improve week-to-week. By sacking Aaron Rodgers four times last week and holding him to under 200 yards passing, the Dallas defense jumped from ranking 20th in the league to 16th. It is in the top-10 in points allowed (18.8 PPG) and rushing yards allowed (103.1 YPG).

This week, Big D's defense will face an improved Redskins' ground game that now features RB Ladell Betts. The matchup should bode well for Dallas as SOLB Anthony Spencer is coming off one of his best games and the defensive line has continued to limit running opportunities. The secondary is a bit banged-up and will be missing starting FS Ken Hamlin. Converted CB, Alan Ball, will take his place and is considered to be a good cover safety. With the pass rush always a threat, the DBs should be able to take advantage by luring QB Jason Campbell into throwing a pick or two.

K Nick Folk - Holder Mat McBriar took the blame for Folk's miss last week. He's just 14 for 18 on the year, which is uncharacteristic of him.

After ten weeks of fantasy footballing on FleaFlicker, the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues are racing to the finish line. In the BTB league, The Speed of Dark has taken the lead with a 7-3 record (some major parity in that league). Here's how both leagues are shaping up:

The Mighty is Back to Winning (9-1)

kill everbody

Where the Cowboys are Headed (7-3)

Maui Paniolo Boyz

The Speed of Dark

StarBoys

Paper Cranes

Heated Competitors (6-4)

WheresWare?

BigRigga31's Team

Static

Dillababies

Dallas Destroyers

The .500s (5-5)

Quincyyyyy

Official Spoiler

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

Flashlights

Doomsday Redux

Second Chance

Felix Jones At Every Position

Reykjavik Roughnecks

A Must Win this Week? (4-6)

Apes

The Doomsday Defense Reborn

NameBrandj

Triple Crown Members (3-7)

No Doubter

Brady's a b!tch

Deuces Are Wild (2-8)

high505

My Team Sucks

One is the Loneliest Number (1-5)

Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, post it here for the BTB community to discuss. As always, feel free to jump in with other Cowboys/football related discourse even if you don't play FF.

Remember, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of live updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.

Loose Redskins Can Make for a Tight Cowboys Game

2009-11-21T18:06:36Z

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Dallas must beware of special teams tricks, like this TD pass which was thrown by Redskins punter Hunter Smith. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Browse more photos »

"I'm free, to do what I want, any old time..."

You see it in baseball all the time. A team stresses, falls out of the pennant race mid-season, and then relaxes and plays much better once the pressure is off.

Right now, the Redskins are playing the baseball role, singing like Mick Jagger and making their opponents feel a bit restrained. Owner Daniel Snyder takes ample heat for treating his team like the world's most expensive fantasy team, but he took one for his team recently, expressing regret to frustrated fans for a promising season gone sour. The backhanded mea-culpa has set his players and coaches free. HC Jim Zorn, DC Greg Blache and the rest of the assistants know they're auditioning for their next jobs, and they have brought a more relaxed, free-wheeling approach since the team's bye. They played their standard tight game against Atlanta two weeks ago and stunned the Broncos last week, stomping the Denver D for a season high 27 points and a ten point win.

The looseness and unpredictability gives Dallas cause to feel their Green Bay frustration won't be easily overcome.

When Washington Has the Ball

The season looked lost early because this piece of the Redskins' game broke down because of injury and inexperience. The offense line was a strength in '08, offering strong running to the left, behind LT Chris Samuels and LG Pete Kendall. Kendall, however, left in free agency and was replaced by former Redskin Derrick Dockery, signed back after a tour in Buffalo. Dockery played poorly early on, as did fellow Longhorn and Bill Mike Williams, lured out of retirement and given a shot on Washington's left side.

The line eroded further when RG Randy Thomas was lost to injury. Samuels joined him after suffering a neck injury which produced numbness in his legs. Scans found Samuels had stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, and Samuels career may be done. If the line injuries were not enough, Clinton Portis broke down and has not played in recent games.

OL coach Joe Bugel stabilized the tackle situation and jump started an already respectable Redskins rushing attack by settling former Bengal Levi Jones at left tackle. Washington used a three man rotation of Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright and rookie Quinton Ganther to gash Denver for 181 rushing yards last week. Washington has 310 rushing yards since their bye two games ago.

Much of Washington's yards come to the edges, on off-tackle runs, tosses and stretch plays. Washington wants to establish run, because they do not pass protect as well as they run block (8 sacks allowed in those same two games) and their passing attack continues to be erratic.

Watch Washington's tackles Jones and Stephon Heyer against the Dallas ends Igor Olshansky and Marcus Spears. Olshansky and Spears have been stout against the run and if they can hold their ground, they'll put the game on Jason Campbell's shoulders. The maligned QB has improved his down the field looks this year, after gaining a reputation as an overly cautious, check-down-first tosser. The poor pass protection and lack of size has limited those opportunities; Washington's tight ends have almost as many receptions as the Redskins' receivers.

Santana Moss remains the deep threat, but his numbers are much lower than in year's past. He has 31 catches for just over 500 yards. Miles Austin, by comparison, has the same number of catches and over 100 yards more in yardage with four fewer starts.

Washington wants to play ball control, running and throwing to secon- year TE Fred Davis, who has begun to produce in recent games as Chris Cooley is rehabbing an injury. Davis had four catches for 50 yards last week, leading all Redskins' receivers.

The task will be simple in concept -- win first down and put Washington into long downs, where Campbell cannot move the chains with short tosses to his tight ends and backs. As always, Dallas will have to watch for gadget plays, from a team which has used more and more of them this year. WR Antwaan Randle-El played QB at Indiana and could be motioned into a passing position at any time. This team has nothing to lose and will reach deep in its playbook. (More on this later.)

When Dallas Has the Ball

Blache's defense plays a simple scheme, and does it well. Only one team has pushed the yardage totals past 351 yards Washington this year. Surprisingly, it was Detroit, in their lone win at Ford Field. Only two of the last six Redskins opponents have topped 300 total yards.

Washington ranks at the top of passing yards allowed, though its pass rush ranks mid-pack. Washington has a lot of speed in its back seven and creates small windows for opponents, though they are not invulnerable. Brandon Marshall was destroying them last week. His 75 yard first quarter bomb put starting RCB Carlos Rogers on the bench. Rogers will probably play this week, though the Redskins have been coy all week about his status.

Miles Austin will have a chance for big plays if Washington plays its stardard coverages. They will likely matchup up Rogers on Austin and let him go. Watch what Jason Garrett does in matchups; Rogers seems vulnerable to deep speed and fellow CB DeAngelo Hall has some issues with power.

In last year's 14-10 win in Washington, Dallas attacked Hall with Terrell Owens; T.O. ran a lot of inside slants, where he could use size to box out the smaller Hall. Owens was open repeatedly, but Tony Romo's splint made the slant a guessing game; Romo could not get a good grip on quick timing throws and frequently double-clutched his throws. Romo was also consistently behind, leading to two picks; one into Hall's arms, and a second which was batted into LB Rocky McIntosh's hands.

Roy Williams, despite his drops, has found his repertoire the last two games. He's a one-cut-and-go guy; he excels at slants, posts and deep ins, the inside half of the Michael Irvin repertoire. Look for Dallas to match Williams against him and run the same routes that worked for Owens last year.

Watch where Austin lines up and what matchups Garrett creates for him. Dallas may flop him to the right side against Hall and try double moves. Hall is a ball-hawk, who attacks the first routes. He has four of Washington's five picks this year. He plays the same way Sheldon Brown does in Philly, and Dallas set him up two weeks ago for a big strike. What's more likely is we'll see some three receiver looks where Austin is motioned into the middle of the field. Washington plays a combination of two deep zone and man coverages. They had good coverage safeties in Chris Horton and LaRon Landry, but Horton is out, replaced by Reed Doughty, making seams to the receiver and TEs a more inviting target. Martellus Bennett won last year's rematch beating Horton this way and he's a far better coverage option.

Owens had a huge day in '07 when Garrett motioned him into the middle and sent him deep against the cover two sets. T.O. got matched with the middle linebacker in those situations and easily got open deep. In last year's rematch, he made a huge catch on Dallas' first scoring drive when he motioned into the slot and ran away from Landry.

They key for Dallas' offense, as it is for Washington's will be winning first down. The Redskins don't blitz much, relying on their four man front to generate pressure. End Andre Carter (8) and rookie Brian Orakpo (7) have combined for 15 of Washington's 24 sacks. Big-ticket newbie Albert Haynesworth has three and nobody has added more than one. Washington uses Orakpo the same way New York has used Mathias Kiwanuka in recent seasons; he's the strong-side OLB and moves to end in passing situations.

He's been a godsend for their previously anemic pass rush (just 24 sacks in all of '08) but he's a liability against the run. Denver had a lot of success running to the edges of Washington's front last week, particularly to their right. This presents a bit of a problem for Garrett. I expect a run:pass mix to skew much higher to the run this week, in order to run at Orakpo while he's off the line of scrimmage. At the same time, Dallas has entered the Doug Free era. How much confidence does Dallas have in his run blocking? Probably a little more than they do in his pass blocking at this point.

Special Teams

The let-'er-rip philosophy was here on opening day, when the Redskins surprised the Giants with a fake field goal for a touchdown. Last week punter Hunter Smith tossed a score to blocking back Mike Sellars. ST coach Danny Smith gamble turned the game permanently in Washington's favor. The Redskins are 3-6. They have nothing to lose. Joe DeCamillis' guys will have to anticipate onside kicks and fakes on every return situation. If the Cowboys exhale on 4th down, the Redskins will try to catch them off guard too.

Overall

This looks like a home game version of the Packers matchup. An opponent with a good defense and a struggling offense. I think the defense can play its part. They kept the Packers in check last week and have not played a fair game since Kansas City and have not played poorly since the Giants loss in week two. Nobody has run over them since Tampa did in week one.

The game will come down to the offense's performance. Garrett's run balance has been ripped all week, but to me it's the flavor-of-the week, which will be quickly forgotten along with his goal line play calling, Romo's play, Terence Newman's struggles and Roy Williams' lack of sync if the execution returns. Dallas had at least four big pass plays go for nothing because or drops, fumbles and errant throws. Garrett will likely dial up more runs, but given Washington's character and Haynesworth's iffy status, this was likely to be the case anyway.

Romo has slowly dialed in Williams the last two weeks while losing his focus with Austin. If the Cowboys connect on their passes, they will move the ball and they will score.

They key as I see it, will be Dallas' red zone production. Dallas moved the ball very effectively in their Washington win last year but twice turned the ball over to end long drives. Dallas needs to hold on to the football when it gets into Washington's half and it need Nick Folk to convert his kicks. We may see a lot of field goal attempts this week and Folk looks like a guy with the yips at the moment.

In any case, hunker down and get ready for a 60 minute contest. The Redskins are very good at yoking opponents to their level of play. Nothing will likely come easily tomorrow.

Albert Haynesworth will play, or won't he against the Cowboys? Now, they're saying he's a game-time...

2009-11-21T15:17:27Z

Albert Haynesworth will play, or won't he against the Cowboys? Now, they're saying he's a game-time decision.

The defensive tackle didn't practice again Friday - he exercised on a treadmill instead - and remains a game-time decision.

"I'm going to be more towards having him up and seeing what he can do," coach Jim Zorn said. "We'd love to have him on the field."

Kedric Golston, a starter last season and in 2006, would start if Haynesworth can't play. Anthony Montgomery, who started during the 2007 season, then might be activated for the first time all season.

Also, one cornerback position is still up in the air as to who will be starting for the Redskins tomorrow.

Zorn wouldn't say whether cornerback Carlos Rogers, benched after being burned by the Broncos for an early touchdown, would start against the Cowboys. Veteran Fred Smoot and second-year man Justin Tryon are the other candidates.

The Washington Times

The VRR: Redskins (3-6) @ Cowboys (6-3)

2009-11-20T18:29:58Z

More photos » by Gerald Herbert - AP

Dallas defenders must try to limit Ladell Betts and the Washington offense.

Browse more photos »

The Cowboys can accomplish quite alot in beating the Redskins. Most importantly, they can regain the momentum they lost up in Lambeau. They can also increase their division record to 2-1 and their conference record to 6-2, which could come in handly for tie-breaking purposes down the road.

And, by handing the Redskins their seventh loss on the season, they could pretty much force them to begin waving bye-bye to their playoff chances.

Much of the talk this week at Valley Ranch has centered on Big D's offensive lack of production last week. On the flip side, Washington's offense seemed to show some signs of life for one of the first times this season. At home against Denver, RB Ladell Betts and QB Jason Campbell each scored, WR Devin Thomas showed some play-making potential, and the special teams found success on a fake field goal.

More VRR after the jump.

Perhaps it's the Cowboys' defenders that need to come up big. Beating the Broncos 27-17 last week boosted the Redskins' confidence. Deflating it early could be key.

"Coming off last week's victory, we've definitely got confidence. It was a big confidence-builder for us," Rock Cartwright said.

"You've got to keep it rolling. That's the whole objective," receiver Devin Thomas said. "You can never give up on a season just because things have gone bad. We knew we were just one click away from hitting on all cylinders."

With a win in Dallas, the Redskins would be only two games out of the NFC East lead with six games to play, three against the other division teams - including the Cowboys at home two nights after Christmas. Dallas, whose 57 wins against Washington are more than against any other team, doesn't want things to get that close. The dismal day in Green Bay likely got the Cowboys' attention.

The Cowboys should expect to see a heavy dose of RB Ladell Betts with Clinton Portis (concussion) out.

Betts rushed for a season-high 114 yards on 26 carries in last Sunday’s 27-17 win over the Denver Broncos.

Asked how Portis's status impacts him, Betts replied: "You get to be the man on first, second and third down, because before that, it was pretty much only on third down. Now I know that I get to play a full game, so it’s a little bit different mindset."

And it won't change the offensive game plan vs. Dallas, Zorn added. "We didn't change the run game necessarily to accommodate Ladell," Zorn said. "We ran our stuff, and what he did was push up into the hole and fight for yardage."

The Dallas secondary may be a bit banged up, but Mike Jenkins and Alan Ball sound ready to go. Ball should also receive help from Gerald Sensabaugh.

Cowboys CB Mike Jenkins injured his bicep in the Packers contest. Coach Wade Phillips said Jenkins has looked well and even had a couple of interceptions off QB Jon Kitna in scout team practice.

With S Ken Hamlin (ankle) out of the lineup for the Cowboys the next several weeks, look for safeties Alan Ball and Gerald Sensabaugh to split the duties of lining up the defense. Coach Wade Phillips had high praise for the smarts of Sensabaugh and his ability to handle the job.

Ball talks about the difference between playing free safety and cornerback. Also, it looks as if rookie SS Mike Hamlin will see his first action this week since the preseason.

"At cornerback, you don’t have to talk a lot," Ball said. "At safety, you have to know a lot. You have to make a lot of adjustments, a lot of checks. So you have to know a lot more going in. That’s about what it is."

Ball has five tackles and a pass breakup on defense this season. He has 12 special teams tackles, but is expected to have his special-teams workload lightened this week.

Phillips said rookie safety Mike Hamlin and cornerback Orlando Scandrick will fill in on special teams. Mike Hamlin has not been active this season.

Ball and Doug Free will be replaced on special teams.

With Alan Ball starting at free safety, reserve cornerback Orlando Scandrick will likely become the ``gunner,'' with outside coverage on punt-coverage teams. In addition, offensive tackle Pat McQuistan is scheduled to be active for the first time this season and replace Doug Free as a wall blocker on kickoff returns.

DeMarcus Ware talks about how Washington's blocking schemes and Jason Campbell's mobility in the pocket make it difficult to get to him.

"To be honest, it’s really hard to get to him because they keep in extra guys," Ware said. "They might have some guys on the front line so they do a lot of split backs and a lot of protection schemes to keep the guys off Campbell to make sure he’s effective in the pass."

[snip]

"He’s a great pocket passer," said Ware, who has seven sacks, tied for 10th in the NFL. "He makes sure he has confidence in his line and the guys around him so he can step up in the pocket to make plays."

"When he extends, when he moves around, when he flinches the ball, it causes the secondary, the linebackers, to hesitate, to go, to move," Zorn said. "And then if he can pull it down and have time to hit somebody else, it is very hard. It is the most difficult thing in football because you got the coverage, and if you throw on rhythm, you think you can handle it. When that rhythm's broke and you have to cover long through the coverage that you had, it's hard. It's what makes those quarterbacks very difficult to defend and he's been good at it for a few years."

Brian Orakpo thinks the Packers mapped out a way to get to Romo.

"Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah," Orakpo told ESPN 103.3’s Galloway and Co. "They gave us a lot of good tips the way Green Bay was able to get after it with a lot of different looks. Best believe we’re going to go out there and try to perform some of those things and try to change it up a little bit and give Dallas a little different look."

[snip]

"It seemed like they didn’t know who to block," Orakpo said. "You see guys flying out of nowhere and hitting Romo from behind and forcing fumbles. I mean, they were all over the place. I guess what we’ve got to do is switch it up ourselves. We’ll see how the game plan is and what the calls will be called, but obviously, we got a lot of tips from that game."

Yes, they have Albert Haynesworth and London Fletcher, but the Redskins' run defense isn't all that.

The Redskins continue to struggle in run defense this season. The unit has yielded 100+ rushing yards in eight of nine games this season, including 120 yards in last Sunday’s win over Denver. Overall, the Redskins have allowed an average of 125.7 rushing yards per game, ranked 24th in the league. They have allowed 4.3 yards per carry, which is ranked 17th in the league.

Felix Jones pre-strained knee ligament, and Felix Jones post-strained knee ligament.

Before the injury, Jones had 21 carries for 212 yards (10.1 yards a carry). Since coming back after the bye week and wearing a knee brace, he has 23 carries for 92 yards.

The DallasNews guys talk to Bradie James and Roy Williams about the game.

The Redskins are looking forward to playing in Cowboys Stadium for the first time.

"That’s the first thing I thought about going to Dallas, ‘Man, I get a chance to play in the new stadium,’ Santana Moss said. "Just to see it--I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about. It looks nice on TV. You get mesmerized. "I remember seeing the first game there [on TV]--you had cheerleaders dancing on platforms. I was like, ‘Wow.’"

Rock Cartwright admits he plans to check out the video screen, hopefully after he makes a big play. "I’m really looking forward to seeing that screen," Rock Cartwright said. "I guess every seat in the house is a good seat. I’m sure I’ll take a look at it after I make a nice run, or so. But I won’t be focused on it too much. I’ll be focused on what’s happening on the field."

The series history between the two teams:

The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with Washington, 57-37-2, including an unconventional split of last year's home-and-home. The Redskins were 26-24 winners in their trip to Texas Stadium in Week 4, but dropped a 14-10 decision when the clubs met at FedEx Field in Week 11. The teams engaged in conventional home-and-home splits in both 2006 and 2007. Washington is 2-0 against Dallas in the postseason, winning in the 1972 and 1982 NFC Championship games.

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 3-2 all-time against Washington, with one of those wins coming for his Bills team in 1999 at FedEx Field. The Redskins' Jim Zorn is 1-1 against both Phillips and the Cowboys as a head man.

Here is the NFL Game Center for the Redskins at Cowboys.

DeMarcus Ware had the privelege of meeting President Obama as they worked together on a PSA to promote the NFL's Play 60 campaign.

"I was like ‘Ohhhh my God,"’ when Obama came out in a Bears pullover, Ware said in a telephone interview. "It was me, Polamalu and Drew Brees there, so you know how we feel about the Chicago Bears. But he’s a big Chicago Bears fan. He greeted each one of us, and he knew everything about our teams."

Ware is Dallas’ representative for the Play 60 program, which began in 2007. The NFL estimates it has committed $200 million worth of programming, grants, and time for PSAs to the initiative.

"I think it’s really important," Ware said. "If the players are getting involved in it, Obama, a lot of important people getting involved in it, sometimes it encourages kids to get out and do those type of activities and show them just how important it is."

Cowboys Injury Update

2009-11-20T16:53:05Z

Here is the report on who practiced and who didn't yesterday for the Cowboys.

Marc Colombo, OT - No Practice (Ankle)
Ken Hamlin, S - No Practice (Ankle)
Allen Rossum, CB - No Practice (Hamstring)

David Buehler, K - Limited Practice (Toe)

Marion Barber, RB - Full Practice (Thumb)
Mike Jenkins, CB - Full Practice (Elbow)
Gerald Sensabaugh, S - Full Practice (Thumb)
DeMarcus Ware, LB - Full Practice (Foot)

Make the jump for the Redskins' injury report.

Chris Cooley, TE - No Practice (Ankle) - OUT
Clinton Portis, RB - No Practice (Concussion)
Albert Haynesworth, DT - No Practice (Ankle)
Mike Williams, OT - No Practice (Ankle)

Stephon Heyer, OT - Limited Practice (Knee)

Ladell Betts, RB - Full Practice (Ankle)

Cowboys vs. Redskins: A Chat With Hogs Haven

2009-11-20T05:00:05Z

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn try to get on the same page.

Browse more photos »

This week, I got together for a little instant message chat with KevinE over at Hogs Haven to discuss the upcoming game against the Redskins. Since it was an IM conversation, I left the spellings and errors in the text so you can read it just how how it went down.

Blogging The Boys: So what's the story with Jim Zorn and Vinny Cerrato? Do you guys think Zorn will survive past this year?

Hogs Haven: if you had asked me last week I'd say Zorn had 0% chance, but there aren't any big names out there. And the way they stripped the play-calling from Zorn...it was a real turn-off for coaches (Holmgren publically stated his displeasure of the move)

As for Cerrato...no one knows. It certainly would win some popularity points for Snyder if he canned him. I think it depends on Cerrato's 3 2nd round picks from last year (THomas, Kelly, Davis)...if they show a lot of production the rest of the year, it'll prob be enough to save his job. Shanahan rejected Snyder's offer to come here as well...as did Cowher. So...its anyone's guess.

More after the jump...

BTB: What's the main problem on offense. Jason Campbell? The running game, the o-line? Why are they having so many problems scoring?

HH: Oline is a huge problem. They drafted ZERO this year after losing Chris Samuels & Randy Thomas to season-ending injuries last year. There's no depth there.

Portis certainly doesn't have that boost like he used to, which is why people are happy Betts is getting the starts. Play-calling was poor at times the first half the season too...the Skins have no problem moving the ball, and then Zorn would call some obscure plays on 3rd and goal...like a Portis half-back pass. Execution has also been another back-breaker...lots of dropped balls and missed blocks...but I'd say the lion's share w/o doubt is the Oline...Skins (before bringing in Levi Jones) had THREE undrafted free agents starting

BTB: What happened last week? Why did things get better?

HH: they ran the ball very effectively...Skins have never been able to do that all year

Joe Bugel tore the Oline a new ass at halftime vs the Falcons and ever since then they've been performing...creating holes and doing decent pass block

BTB: Is Betts a better fit for the offense right now, or would Portis have probably done just as well with the o-line playing better?

HH: That's been the debate all week...this was Levi Jones' 1st game at LT and he did well. But I really think Betts is a better fit. He runs hard and hits the hole. CP hit that 2000 rushing attempts plateau and it's showing. He's still a great RB tho and is invaluable in pass blocking

BTB: Things have been better on defense, you guys do pretty well in keeping the scoring down. What's been the successful components of the defense?

HH: Haynesworth. His force upfront has allowed Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo to have 1-1 coverage and they are reeking havoc in backfields. It also frees up London Fletcher on rushing plays. skins are on pace to have two 10-sack players...first time in 9 years and its been sorely missed in DC (they're gonna blow way past 10...each already have 7) (carter 8.0, Orakpo 7.0 to be exact)

BTB: So the pass rush has fueled the defensive success? How has the secondary played?

HH: depends...they're tackling has been atrocious. Big talk this week is Carlos Rogers getting benched last week after letting BMarshall blow by him on a double move

same move he got burned on by DeSean Jackson. they haven't announced if he's startnig or not, but they think he well. We lost our SS, Chris Horton, for the year which really hurts us. Reed Doughty is playing OK but has made some mistakes as well. It's upsetting Laron Landry, our FS, has 0 INTs.

BTB: Sounds like the big battle will be between the Redskins pass rush vs. the Cowboys pass protection. Do you expect them to target new RT Marc Colombo?

HH: definitely. there's not much targeting to do tho...Hayensworth demands all the attention. I hope Blache brings the corner blitzes which Romo seemed to have trouble with last week vs GB

BTB: what are your expectations for the game? Prediction?

HH: Skins seem to disappoint at all the wrong times, so call me delusional but I think the Skins can win this. The vets made it known to the young guys what this game means. WAS 26 DAL 24. If it wasn't for the loss of Hamlin and Columbo, I'd have picked DAL

BTB: Forgot to ask, where are you on the Jason Campbell issue?

HH: It's so tough given how bad this Oline is...he is getting sacked on 3-foot drops at some points. INEXCUSABLE. However, he's on pace to have back-to-back 3,000 yard seasons, which only 3 other legendary Redskins QBs have done in our franchise

Sentiment here is build up the Oline via the draft the next 2 years...keeping Campbell, then draft a stud QB once we get a line in here to protect him

BTB Talks To Daryl Johnston: He Likes The Cowboys But Dislikes The Shotgun

2009-11-19T20:15:11Z

Daryl Johnston is a former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl fullback and is a present Fox analyst. His Cowboys relationships run deep. ... but so does his talent and commitment to broadcasting. So he wears multiple hats here ... and acknowledges that it is a juggling act as he goes one-on-one with Blogging The Boys to evaluate:

*A Cowboys team that he says "should've beaten Green Bay.''

*Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, a close pal of Johnston's who D.J. nevertheless says ought to dump the over-reliance on the Shotgun.

*The Cowboys' chance of success in the NFC East and in the NFC overall: "They're going to be fine,'' he says. "If you are 6-4 or better, you are going to be fine. You are solid. If you are 5-5, it's going to be tough to catch up.''

Read on for BTB's visit with Daryl "Moose'' Johnston:

On Jason Garrett and the Cowboys offense:

"The problem with using the Shotgun is that it voluntarily makes your offense more one-dimensional,'' Johnston says. "I'm hearing criticism of what (Garrett) did in Green Bay because of how frequently the Cowboys were in the Shotgun and generally speaking, I think the criticism is fair.

"One of the number-one goals of a defense is to force an offensive into being one-dimensional. When the Cowboys go into the Shotgun, they are volunteering to be one-dimensional. Obviously, you can run out of it. But it takes a lot of extra practice, a lot of extra time and a lot of extra timing to do it. Plus, it's a personnel thing. I think Felix Jones has the skills to be effective in it. I don't know that Barber and Choice are good fits for it.

"When we played (Johnston at fullback, Garrett as a backup QB to Troy Aikman), we didn't use the Shotgun. Having Troy under center gave us the run/pass option to make the call at the line of scrimmage. That's harder to do in the Shotgun. You have limited yourself just by the virtue of your formation.

"The Shotgun simply makes the defense's job that much easier,'' Johnston says, "and in my opinion, they'd be better and Tony Romo would be better if he was under center more.''

On the loss at Green Bay:

"They should've beaten Green Bay,'' Johnston says. "It's fine for the media and for fans to say, ‘Oh, now they're awful.' But the team cannot do that. Players and staff can't do that. They've got to see it as a learning experience and I'll give you an example: Charles Woodson and Al Harris combine to play a different style of cornerback than most everybody else. Their technique is different, their pressure is different. So Miles Austin got to play against that. He'll be a better player for having done that.''

And, D.J. says, a little credit ought to go to the Packers for that 17-7 result.

"That was a desperate team at home,'' he says. "Plus, they had a players-only meeting before the game. It's the only time in the recorded history of professional football that a players-only meeting worked!''

On the NFC playoff picture:

Johnston worked the Fox broadcast last week when the Falcons lost at Carolina. This week he gets Atlanta at the New York Giants in the Meadowlands. He views the Falcons as a contender for a playoff spot (he believes Arizona will win the West and that that New Orleans and Minnesota will win their divisions) but I was mostly interested in his view of the slumping Giants.

"They've gone from 5-0 to 5-4 with that loss to New Orleans that started their slide,'' Johnston says. "Some people think New Orleans created a map to beat them. I don't know if that's the case. I know they keep missing opportunities. I know they built that 5-0 on the strength of beating Washington, Kansas City,Tampa Bay and Oakland - not a contender among them. And I know they now have a reputation on offense as a team where Eli Manning just kind of throws it up. In those first five games, Steve Smith was the leading receiver in the NFL because he went up and got everything. Now? We don't know about the Giants' quality.''

On where the Cowboys fit into that race and the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry:

"Again, beating Green Bay could've really put Dallas in a position where they would feel they have answers about themselves, and now we don't have all those answers,'' he says. "But that can change in a week. You get wins in the NFC East, you've accomplished something. This has almost never been a division where a team - even so many of the great ones that have come out of the NFC East - is going to go 16-0 or 14-2. They beat each other up. It's a game of attrition. Our (Cowboys) rivalry with Philly was huge. The Giants, they don't like anybody. And Cowboys-Redskins? We're talking about playoff games and championship games.

Johnston believes the attention on the Washington-Dallas game typifies what the NFC East is all about ... even though the Redskins are not a contender. (Indeed, the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry fueled the sponsorship of Johnston's media availability here; he's working to promote Bank of America Cowboys Banking, personalized debit MasterCard with the Cowboys logo (or the Redskins, we suppose!) and participation in Bank of America's Keep the Change savings program and the 20-percent discount given to cardholders at NFL Shop.com.

"I don't think there is another rivalry in the NFL that would be a better (promotion),'' Johnston says. "It's got to be the NFC East. There's a reason that when they did realignment, they kept Dallas in the East even though it doesn't make geographic sense. It makes football sense. ... and because of all that, I don't think there is another division that can match the NFC East. If you win it, if you come out of the East, that's an accomplishment.''

Johnston, by the way, has a very personal reason for acknowledging the significance of Cowboys-Redskins Week. In 1989, he was part of his first NFL victory (and the first victory of the Jones/Johnson Era, and of course, the team's only win that season) in a game in Washington. And in 1999, he played his final professional snap in Week 1 when he broke his neck ... in Washington.

"It's meaningful to me, for a lot of reasons,'' Johnston said of the Cowboys-Redskins rivalry. "But it's also traditionally a game that has importance to the whole league.''

Yesterday, it was reported that K David Buehler has a pinkie toe injury. It's now confirmed as a...

2009-11-19T18:50:45Z

Yesterday, it was reported that K David Buehler has a pinkie toe injury. It's now confirmed as a fracture. He still expects to kick Sunday, though.

Kicker David Buehler has a fracture of the pinkie toe of his right foot. But the Cowboys kicker said he plans to kick in practice today.

"Just test it out and see who much I can do," Buehler said before Thursday's practice. "If I can do the whole practice effectively that's what I plan on doing. If I can kick today, I can kick Sunday."

ESPN

The VRR: Can the Cowboys Regain their Balance Against the Redskins?

2009-11-19T01:04:37Z

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

When the Cowboys host the Redskins this Sunday, many eyes will be watching how Jason Garrett divvies up his runs and passes.

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The first time the Cowboys hosted an NFC East rival in their new stadium, the offense featured a devastating rushing attack that mixed both power and speed. Marion Barber ran 18 times for 124 yards and a score. Felix Jones averaged 13.7 yards on seven carries and picked up a score of his own. Tashard Choice didn't have a big game, but you could tell the coaches were trying to get him involved. Typically, that's how many of us imagined the Dallas ground game producing for the rest of the year.

Much has changed since that Week Two game against the Giants. It all began with a strained quad, and then a sprained knee, a fractured thumb. But it was okay. Miles Austin saved the day, and then Tony Romo got hot. Their success has helped make up for the fact that the Cowboys no longer lead the league in rushing.

Choice has maintained his injury bug repellent, and the team is still ranked 8th in rushing - averaging 130 YPG. That's great, but the worry is that the rushing YPG is slipping every week. The worry is that the Dallas offense is growing unbalanced. The worry is that too many passing plays draw more hits on the quarterback, and can effectively lose the time of possession battle. Losing that can wear out a defense.

Shouldn't it be the Cowboys' offense doing that to opposing defenses this back half of the season?

More VRR after the jump.

Last season, in a loss to the Redskins, the Cowboys' RBs had 8 carries. Last week, in a loss against the Packers, they had 11. What does offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, have to say about this?

Garrett said it was because of "game circumstance," mentioning that the Cowboys trailed by three scores with 10 minutes remaining in the game. But the Cowboys abandoned the run after the first quarter, when Marion Barber had four carries for 27 yards.

Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers told reporters after the game that Green Bay, which sacked Tony Romo five times, could blitz aggressively because the Cowboys were so one-dimensional.

"You don’t want to be one-dimensional in anything you do," said Garrett, whose offense has run pass plays 62.7 percent of the time this season, including sacks and Romo scrambles.

"You don’t want to just be an inside running team. You don’t just want to be an outside running team. You don’t just want to be a dropback team. You want to be able to move the quarterback, you want to be able to run the ball, play-action, drop back. "The more you can do, the harder it is on the defense. At the same time, you need to have an identity. Identity is important, too. You don’t want to be all things to all people, but you want to be good at a lot of different things."

Clarence Hill takes the opposite approach to the Cowboys' lack of rushing attempts: the running game has simply been ineffective.

Their running attempts and yards have a diminished dramatically since the start of the season. That is a more of a product of Marion Barber and Felix Jones being injured. Neither has had the same burst since returning to the lineup. Barber missed one game. Jones missed two. Barber has started to look more like his old self of late.

But Jones looks uncomfortable and tentative. He has not been a game-breaking threat. Consider that he has had only two runs longer than 10 yards the last four games since returning from the sprained knee and they were just 12 and 11 yards each. He has not had a run longer than four yards against the Eagles and Packers the past two weeks.

Jones needs to be game-breaking good for the Cowboys to be truly special on offense. He hasn’t been that lately.

Barber didn't get much of a chance to perform...apparently because of his thumb.

Running back Marion Barber saw his time limited against the Packers because of problems with a fractured left thumb that was causing him trouble on pass protection at Green Bay. Barber had four carries in the first half for 26 yards, but he carried it just one time for minus-1 yard in the second half. The Cowboys went with Tashard Choice because he could handle the blitz pickups.

"We use Marion because he's such a dominant blocker," coach Wade Phillips said, "but he was having problems so we took him out."

If Barber can't get the job done in pass protection, the coaches are more apt to go with Choice rather than Felix.

When Barber's broken left thumb prevented him from blocking effectively in the second half Sunday, the Cowboys turned to Choice to protect Romo.

"He is a better pass protector than Felix, and he picks up the blitzes better," Phillips said of Choice. Hamstring and toe injuries forced Jones to miss 10 games last season, time he could have used honing his blocking skills.

"He's just not as adept at it yet," Phillips said. "(Choice) knows his assignments well and does a good job of blocking."

We may have seen a decrease in handoffs, but we have seen an increase in the "Razorback" lately.

According to Stats & Information, the Cowboys are fifth in the league in terms of Wildcat plays with seven. Tashard Choice had a touchdown run out of the Wildcat against the Eagles in Week 8.

The Cowboys will need to run the ball against the Redskins. They are first in the league in pass defense, giving up an average of just 162.7 YPG.

Romo will be facing the top-ranked passing defense in the league as well as one of the NFL's most improved pass rushes. The Redskins had 24 sacks last season to tie for the third-worst mark in the league, and have already matched that total. Linebacker Brian Orakpo, the No. 13 overall draft pick, leads all rookies with seven sacks and veteran Andre Carter has eight. Last season, the Redskins failed to sack Romo.

"Last year I felt we had some QBs feel very comfortable in the pocket," coach Jim Zorn said. "And this year we are making quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket."

That pass rush could be even more potent with Doug Free expected to make his first career start Sunday at right tackle for Dallas in place of Mark Colombo, who had started 57 consecutive games. Colombo had surgery after he broke his left leg and suffered ligament damage in his ankle against Green Bay.

Look for DE Andre Carter and rookie Brian Orakpo to again spearhead the Redskins' pass rush.

Orakpo already set a club record for sacks in a season by a rookie with seven, three more than any other rookie in the league.

With 15 sacks between them, Carter and Orakpo rank as the No. 3 tandem in the league behind the Colts' Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis (17.5) and the Vikings' Jared Allen and Kevin Williams (17).

"That's what they drafted me for, to make big plays," Orakpo said. "[Andre's] a guy I've looked up to and admired. That's what keeps great pass rushers hungry and able to improve - it's competing. You don't ever want one guy doing all the workload."

Andre Gurode has no ill-feelings about the 2006 game when Albert Haynesworth stomped on his face. The violent injury necessitated 30 stitches along with plastic surgery.

"It's good that he moved passed it. I moved passed it," said Gurode, a Pro Bowl pick the past three seasons. "He is a great player."

Haynesworth calls Gurode "one of the best centers in the game. ... He has good movement. He is big. He is strong."

Gurode opted against filing criminal charges against Haynesworth, who publicly and privately apologized to Gurode in the days after the October 2006 game in Nashville. Now that they will be on the field together again, Gurode knows there will be plenty of reminders of what happened, from the questions being asked to the video replays sure to be on TV.

"I expected when he signed with the Redskins and we played them that it was going to be brought up," Gurode said. "It's something in the past and you can't let what happened in the past define who you are today."

Haynesworth (ankle) may be questionable for Sunday's game. RB Clinton Portis (concussion) will not play.

Bob Cohn asks if Portis' best football is behind him.

But a decline would not be unprecedented or unexpected because Portis' durability and ruggedness might be catching up to him. Going into the season, only four active runners had more career carries. All of them - Edgerrin James, LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor and Jamal Lewis - have seen better days.

You may have read earlier that Doug Free will get the start at RT for Marc Colombo. The new face on the first-team defense was also announced today. Alan Ball has been named the starter at FS for the injured Ken Hamlin.

Coach Phillips makes it sound like Ball can "ball".

"He's so aggressive," Phillips said. "I mean we've seen him on special teams and he's very aggressive. And he tackles well. He's not a big guy but he tackles well. It's a concern. Their running game is a concern because they have a strong running game. They had 174 yards last week against Denver, who we know can play the run pretty well."

Special teams dynamo, David Buehler, did not practice today because of a pinky toe injury. Todd Archer said that Buehler was "limping noticeably".

Some of the Cowboys have begun the holiday season by helping to serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Dallas Salvation Army homeless center.

SB Nation's power rankings dropped the Cowboys just two spots - from 7 to 9.

Where has Jason Witten gone this year? While Romo still targets him plenty, Witten's yards per catch are at a career low, and he's been a non-factor at the goal-line. With teams keying in on Miles Austin and Roy Williams generally hit-or-miss, the Cowboys will need more from Witten if they're going to develop some offensive consistency. (And losing RT Marc Colombo to injury won't help either)

Anthony Spencer: So Close to Being a Playmaker

2009-11-18T21:00:19Z

by Morry Gash - AP

Anthony Spencer: Close, but no cigar.

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Instead of forcing game balls on an unproductive game against the Packers, I went back to take a look at one player who did have a productive game for the Cowboys: Anthony Spencer.

The Dallas rush defense in now ranked 10th in the league, allowing just over 103 YPG. Spencer is a big part of that. Often playing next to Marcus Spears with Keith Brooking behind him, Spencer rounds out the trio to provide the Cowboys with a physical presence that attacks opposing offense's strong side.

In Green Bay, Coach Phillips would sometimes line up Spencer across from the slot receiver and rush him at the quarterback. When he and DeMarcus Ware would flip, he often began in a three-point stance. Sometimes, he would backpedal from his stance to cover the short zone. On at least one occasion, Ware lined up next to him.

Obviously, moving Spencer around is a direct result of Phillips trying to get the best possible mismatches for Ware. Although Spencer still does not have a sack on the season, he is continuing to match Ware in quarterback pressures and is dropping running backs for losses.

On the Packers' second offensive drive, Spencer dropped back into a short zone coverage, read the HB-screen to Ryan Grant and darted forward to drop the RB for a one-yard loss. On the very next play, he collapsed the pocket by overpowering the LT and forced Aaron Rodgers to scramble. He ended up tackling Rodgers for a two-yard gain.

Make the jump.

Towards the end of the first quarter, up against the RT, it was his hit on Rodgers that forced a pass incompletion. So close to a sack, Anthony...again, so close.

In the second quarter, he showed what makes him such a solid strongside OLB. Using the weight and momentum of the Packers' tackle, he used an olé move to push him to the ground and ended up crashing into Grant. On the next play, he did a nice job in disguising a blitz, and then backpedaled quickly into covering the short zone. It was in this quarter that I noticed the Packers began using a RB to chip him when it became obvious that the RT was having problems with him.

In this game, Spencer also showed great hustle and athleticism to complement his physical style of play. This proved evident on the drive just before the half when, after failing to create a pass rush, he peeled off to sprint 20 yards downfield to make the tackle on Donald Driver. The other Dallas defenders were having a tough time getting Driver to the ground. The play may not have saved any points on the scoreboard, but it prevented any Brandon Marshall-type magic.

Spencer always seems just a step away from single-handedly owning a series or two. During one drive in the second quarter, he nearly had Grant two yards behind the line of scrimmage. It's too bad Grant was able to slip through his grasp because he ended up gaining 13 yards and a first down. Just two plays later, though, Spencer showed off his quickness by splitting the TE and RT to drop Grant for a two-yard loss. On several passing plays, he got his hands up in the lanes, but was inches away from blocking the throw.

On the day, Spencer registered 10 tackles with two going for losses. Indeed, that is a solid game for a strongside linebacker.

How many times have we each said, "if only he were there a split second sooner"? He could have some sacks, perhaps some forced fumbles, a pass or two batted in the air that leads to a pick-six, a pick-six or two of his own. In defensive battles like we witnessed on Sunday, such a play could change the outcome of the game. At the very least, it would have given the Cowboys the momentum they failed to muster.

If only...if only...if only Anthony Spencer can make those one or two big plays per game that he is so close to making. It would help add a another playmaking presence to an already improving defense. As the Cowboys enter their stretch run, another big-time playmaker on defense could make for a dominant unit.

Hopefully, he'll be able to get his first sack in this upcoming contest against the Redskins. If so, as we've seen with DeMarcus Ware earlier this season, that may be all it takes for the sack-floodgates to open.

Doug Free: What The Game Tape Said

2009-11-18T17:14:59Z

After reading that Wade Phillips was considering the possibility of moving Leonard Davis out to right tackle and inserting Cory Procter or Montrae Holland in at guard, or that Pat McQuistan might even get some practice snaps; I got to thinking - Why the heck would Dallas do that?

Was Doug Free that bad in the Packers game? The franchise has invested time and money in Free, this would seem like the perfect opportunity to see what they have in the player. We've seen Procter and Holland play, and I don't think anybody is clamoring to get these guys playing time, ditto Pat McQuistan. Why break up the continuity at two positions? It all seemed a little nutty to me, so I did what any responsible blogger would do - I just made up an opinion.

I kid! I actually watched the game again focusing exclusively on the play of Doug Free.

[UPDATE]: The Cowboys are going to start Doug Free at right tackle. Line coach Hudson Houck gave the news to Todd Archer.

Before my DVR stopped recording the very end of the game, I charted Doug Free for roughly 52 plays (including some plays negated by a Cowboys penalty). Yeah, I know, it's hard to believe we had that many plays on offense, but the final few drives of the game account for almost half that number.

What I found was close to what I expected. First, I think he had a pretty good game for coming off the bench and not getting reps with the first team in practice all year. I've been reporting from training camp for a couple of years that Free has very quick feet and is very athletic for a lineman, and this game was no different. Free is quick out of his stance, and moves laterally well, and was not having a lot of problems with the pass rush. In context though, the Packers were attacking the Cowboys mainly from the middle and over the left-side of our offensive line. Free was battling outside linebackers a lot of the game, and this favored his ability to use his agility to lock up a pass rusher. What we need to see is when he faces a bigger defensive end who could use strength and size to overpower Free, that is a test he would need to pass.

On the negative side, Free was sometimes confused in protections, picking up the wrong guy or no guy; these were obvious mental mistakes and are part of the experience-gaining process. Another area that he was poor at was getting out on screens, especially the WR screens. Given his athleticism this would appear to be a skill that favors him, but it was more the timing on the screens, which you can't really get a good feel for until you've played in real-game, live-speed action.

I only counted eight plays that were obvious problems/mistakes and somewhat material to the play. On a screen pass, he gave up too much ground to the pass rusher too quickly, forcing Romo to get rid of the ball before he wanted to. Fortunately for the Cowboys, the play ended up being successful. On a run, Free was supposed to hit the closest guy on the line, then shed him and get to the second-level. He did this, but his initial block was too soft and once he shed the defender, the defender stuffed the run. In his hurry to get to the second-level, he didn't take care of business on the first-level. He totally blew a blitz pickup but Romo managed to save the play. Twice, he was slow to get out on the WR screen, one time was especially bad, it helped kill the play. On another screen to a back, he picked the wrong guy to block. He had two bad pass protections, one lead to a holding call and on the other he did manage to recover somewhat at the last second.

Those were the eight plays where you could definitely see his inexperience and mental mistakes.

But, contrast that to the other 44 plays or so where he was actually quite good, or the play went away from him and his block was immaterial to the success of the play. If you watch his pass protection for most of the game, it was solid. On a few run plays he got great blocks, including one pinning down the defensive tackle while blocking down, and a combo block with Davis that opened a hole, plus a few other decent one-on-one blocks.

I came away fairly impressed with his play, this being his first real, significant, playing-time since joining the Cowboys. Nothing in his performance said he shouldn't get another start this week. Maybe Phillips is just keeping people guessing so everybody will practice harder and prepare harder in hopes they might get some playing time. Maybe it's a ploy to keep Free from feeling entitled to the starting spot, making him work harder and harder. Maybe the Cowboys coaches saw something I didn't see.

If Doug Free doesn't start on Sunday, I would love to know the reason why. I couldn't find it in the Packers game tape.

It should be an interesting day of practice. Today, we will get to see whether Doug Free gets all...

2009-11-18T13:58:52Z

It should be an interesting day of practice. Today, we will get to see whether Doug Free gets all or some of the snaps at right tackle. We will also see how the Cowboys plan to replace Ken Hamlin.

Fourth-year player Pat McQuistan also could get some reps when practice resumes Wednesday. Phillips also didn't rule out sliding over right guard Leonard Davis and filling his spot with either journeyman Montrae Holland or fifth-year pro Cory Procter.

"Leonard can play whatever you need him to play," Phillips said.

A fourth-round pick in 2007 from Northern Illinois, Free has never started an NFL game.

"I'm sure Doug Free has been dreaming for an opportunity," (Bradie) James said. "You never want to wish any misfortune on a player, but he's been practicing, working his tail off just to get an opportunity. He wants to show he belongs."

The candidates to replace Hamlin are fourth-year player Pat Watkins and third-year pro Alan Ball. Although Hamlin has had an up-and-down season, he's still regarded as the secondary's quarterback.

SAEN

Exclusive: BTB Goes 1-on-1 With Jason Witten - Cowboys 'Learning To Live In The Moment'

2009-11-17T23:00:15Z

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

Witten tells BTB: "I want to be a weapon.''

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If it was completely up to Jason Witten, football would be played in a vacuum. There would be no stories on how players wear their hats, or on which teammate is dating which starlet, or whether the locker room is a more mentally and emotionally stable place after the banishment to Buffalo of a certain troubling component of that locker room.

Of course, if football was played in a vacuum - in the mud with the guys wearing Wranglers while just battling among neighborhood pals - the Cowboys star tight end couldn't get paid. And he couldn't use what he calls his "shining light of celebrity'' to make a positive impact on his community. And he wouldn't be available for my exclusive BTB interview, in which he addresses the aforementioned issues, along with his view on his reduced numbers and his belief that this year's Cowboys team is "learning to live in the moment.''

FISH: Which came away from the loss in Green Bay more banged up, your chest or your ego. ... or even your offense's confidence in itself?

WITTEN: "We still believe in ourselves as an offense, for sure. That's not an issue. Health-wise, I got hit up under the shoulder pads there at the end, hit my sternum, and just had the wind knocked out of me for a second. Otherwise, it's just the normal bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Our pride did get knocked around pretty good, though. There was an opportunity there and we didn't take it. Really, to be fair, Green Bay didn't let us take it.''

FISH: Obviously, at this time of the year, the Cowboys schedule is such that you don't really have a lot of time to lick your wounds, whether they are psychological or physical wounds. ...

WITTEN: "It's two games in five days, and it's hard to avoid thinking of it that way. I feel like I've got of years doing this, though, so I think I and most of the guys understand the challenge. You know what's on the schedule, Washington and then Oakland. Washington is a division game, a rival, so you know how tough that will be. And Oakland will approach it like any Thanksgiving game: A national TV game with an opportunity to really accomplish something.

"But one of the challenges here is to make sure we handle each challenge as it comes along. That's one thing I think this team - after all these years and with all these different experiences - is leaning to do: Live in the moment, you know?''

FISH: What do you mean, "Live in the moment''? As opposed to different approaches by previous editions of the team?

WITTEN: "Exactly. We've experienced a lot of different situations. When we were 13-3, we were on top of the world ... or at least, we thought we were. Then we went 9-7 and no playoffs. So now, we try to not get too high, not get too low, not have too much drama.''

FISH: I really subscribe to the "out-of-sight/out-of-mind'' approach to injured players who aren't available and to former players, too. So I don't know that T.O. deserves to be mentioned in conjunction with this year's team or not. Is his absence a factor? When you mention "drama,'' isn't that what we're talking about?

WITTEN: "I guess I'm pretty traditional in my approach. I think there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I think that if you go back and examine the guys who have really been successful in this league, there is a common thread. They pretty much did things, went about their business, a certain way. If you get caught up in other things - no matter who is to blame for that, if your team gets caught up in other things - you've made the mistake of thinking that there isn't something out there that's bigger than you.''

FISH: That philosophy probably explains why you have a certain distaste for the "celebrity side'' of football ... and while at the same time you do use your fame for causes that are important to you, from your F.O.R.C.E. Foundation to the Cowboys' Salvation Army cause to "I Am Second.''

WITTEN: "I recognize that playing in the NFL, and playing for the Dallas Cowboys in particular, gives a guy a certain high profile. We can all choose to do with that whatever we wish. I try to take advantage of the platform I have - the platform that football gives me - and to use it for things I believe in. If nobody paid attention to football, I don't get I'd be a person in the spotlight. I'm not always comfortable with it.

"But I know there are many, many people who admire you if you are a Dallas Cowboy, and who watch your every move. So I want to be a ‘shining light of celebrity,' if that makes sense.''

FISH: Your celebrity remains intact. But your numbers (49 catches, 438 yards) aren't quite what they've been in the past - certainly with touchdowns (one this season). Is that an issue of game-planning, of the other teams' schemes, of increased balance on the offense with the emergence of a guy like Miles Austin? Or are you even really aware of it?

WITTEN: "Oh, I am aware of it! You know about it. A guy knows his stats. But the first priority is to win games, and we are doing that. But yeah, I'd like to be contributing more in terms of numbers. I want to step up. We've got seven regular-season games left, and I want to be a big part of winning those games. I want to be a weapon.''

Night of the Living Dread: The Cowboys Zombies Wore Jerseys, Not a Headset

2009-11-17T18:58:21Z

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

Need brains. Taste like cheese curds. Mmmmm, cheese curds. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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I see some pitchforks have flown out of some sheds after Dallas' 17-7 loss to Green Bay, and the holders want Jason Garrett's head. One game removed from a four game win streak where the offense averaged 30 points per contest, Garrett has apparently experienced Rapid Onset Coordinator Dementia (CORD).

"He's predictable!" "He never runs the ball!" "He calls passes on every play!"

Set the torches down for a second. Garrett's game plan didn't deviate any from his others this year. What went missing Sunday afternoon was the usual precision we've come to associate with those plans. You saw zombies at Lambeau Field Sunday, but they were wearing white jerseys, not roaming the sideline with a play sheet.

The Cowboys went to the locker room at the half trailing 3-0. After Felix Jones' phantom fumble, they fell behind 17-0 with 10:44 to go and didn't run again. I'm going to break down the Cowboys play calls for those three quarters, when the game was in contest.

Exhibit I

First down play calls, quarters 1-3:

Runs -- 6
Passes -- 6

Perfectly balanced. What you expect from a team that has been potent on offense. Let's add that 4th quarter drive that ended with the Romo fumble and Felix' phantom recovery. The ratio got to 7:8 run to pass. Nothing extreme there.

2nd down calls moved slightly more to the pass, at 4:7 run to pass. On the whole, Garrett is calling a 11:15 run to pass attack on 1st and 2nd down. I don't see anything out of character from his game calls during the four game winning streak. That's been Jason Garrett's general ratio all year.

Exhibit II

Yards per call

1st down passes: 8 att. 70 yards; 2 sacks 8.8 YPA
1st down runs: 7 att., 22 yards. 3.1 YPA

2nd down passes: 6 att., 2 sacks, 1 drop, 35 yards, 5.9 YPA
2nd down runs: 4 att., 20 yards, 5.0 YPA

Garrett had big pass play calls sprinkled through his 1st and 2nd down calls. Here's the sequence on each:

1st down passes: 3 yds., INC, 6 yds., 41 yds., Sack, Inc., 20, Sack

2nd down passes: 19 yds., 13 yds., Sack, 3 yds., Sack, Drop.

I want to look more at two points on this list. Note that on fourteen early-down pass attempts, where you have play action to hold rushes, the Cowboys line gave up four sacks. That's one sack every 3.5 attempts. That's expansion team performance. To quote Tom Coughlin, "that's not the football we teach around here." I'm sure Hudson Houck, Garrett and the other offensive assistants feel the same way about their group. I doubt the Cowboys coaches factor in sacks on a third of their pass plays when they devise game plans.

In other words, I don't blame the play caller for that number of sacks.

Now, some attention to the three plays in bold. The incompletion came on Dallas' first drive, on a 1st and 10 at the Green Bay 26. Garrett called a long-developing, deep crossing route for Miles Austin, and Austin broke free just inside the Packers ten. Tony Romo's pass was high, however, and Austin could not claim it. Two plays later, Nick Folk missed a 38 yard field goal.

The 41 yard play was a first-down play action that beat a Packers blitz. Roy Williams was going to put Dallas in field goal range in one play, with seven an option, but Roy forgot to hold on to the ball after the grab.

The bolded drop is the second big pass to Williams where he was open inside the Packers 30. Here, he dropped a perfectly thrown Romo ball.

So, what exactly is wrong with any of these calls? The first would have produced a touchdown, had Romo made a better throw. The other two would have put Dallas at first and ten in field goal range. And let's not let Nick Folk off the hook. Garrett's calls put Dallas in range or a reasonable 38 yard attempt.

Garrett can't make the passes, the catches or the kicks. He got his people in place to make the plays. It's not his fault that nearly every one of his offensive players bungled at least one big play in that game.

Exhibit III

Average plays per game - 60

1st half plays, Sunday - 21
3rd quarter plays - 8

Dallas had three first half first downs Sunday. One play drives will do that to you. Walking away from a well-called six-play drive without a touchdown or field goal will leave you grasping.

Dallas had only eight snaps in the 3rd, and the OC is the last guy I would blame. He made the call to get Roy Willie wide open. He can't catch the ball. He got Tashard Choice open on the next play for another big gain. He can't run Jason Witten's route for him. The Senator is a multi-year vet. He knows how to run a crossing combination without committing an illegal pick. But Witten didn't.

Dallas was destroyed on time of possession in the middle of the game. That was due to poor execution. The linemen and backs couldn't pass block. They didn't blow the Packers of the ball on run downs either. The first three runs produced 25 yards, but the next seven runs moved the ball six yards. There was no evidence in the 2nd and early 3rd quarters that Dallas should hammer the ball on several consecutive downs. The yards were coming through the air, when they came at all.

The receivers, or in this case one receiver, couldn't catch the football. The quarterback couldn't connect with his biggest target. (And since we're here, can we shift the debate to why Romo suddenly is in sync with Roy Williams and out of sync with Miles Austin, two weeks after the opposite was true? All of Romo's passes to Williams the last two games were between the numbers or on the face. Almost all his passes to Austin in Green Bay and Philly were high.)

The offense simply didn't execute. You could have exhumed Bill Walsh and Tom Landry and let them alternate calling plays for this bunch and Dallas still would have stared at a big, fat zero after three quarters.

Zombieland is just a movie, folks. Bringing back the legendary play-calling dead would not have mattered. Jason Garrett didn't suddenly get stupid after a month of excellence. Nobody ate his brains Sunday. His players? Some of them looked awfully pale, I have to say. If you must take your torches and your pitchforks to the streets, look for the undead wearing the jerseys.

Ken Hamlin, as expected, is going to miss some time with his high ankle sprain. Ken Hamlin will...

2009-11-17T14:24:20Z

Ken Hamlin, as expected, is going to miss some time with his high ankle sprain.

Ken Hamlin will miss 2-4 weeks with a high right ankle sprain, leaving his job open for either Alan Ball or Patrick Watkins.

Todd Archer

FISH on FOOTBALL: No Question, Cowboys Offense Has 'Power' To Put On Thinking Caps

2009-11-17T08:00:13Z

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Resorting to the running game might have put a stop to some of this.

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You are the Cowboys in Green Bay. You are wearing stocking caps on the sideline. It feels like winter.

There are reasons to play what we might call "power football'' ... and in what turns out to be a 17-7 loss to the Packers, you fail to do that.

Are there reasons why the Cowboys seemed to shift away from a power offense that almost certainly was part of the pregame plan? Are the reasons justified? Do those reasons serve as an explanation for why this otherwise-accomplished offense just ended up in a 3-0 game after three quarters for the first time in the Cowboys franchise's 50-year history? Let's raise some questions ... as we remove our stocking caps and put on our thinking caps:

Question: What do the Steelers, Broncos and Packers have in common? In addition to all of them in recent memory taking on a visiting Cowboys team and winning, all of them play a 3-4 defense. Is there something about the Cowboys' offensive approach against a 3-4 that doesn't fly? Is that reasonable, considering the fact that the Dallas offense has ample opportunity to practice against its own Wade Phillips 3-4?

Question: How to explain the disappearance of Marion Barber? MB3 was allowed just one carry after the first quarter. Now, some of that is due to what happened in the final quarter, when the Cowboys were in hurry-up/catch-up mode. (Down 17-0, leaving Tony Romo and the starters in? Questions for another column.) So Tashard Choice was on the field and remained on the field. But there was a time before Marion Barber became "the primary back'' when he was "the grind-it-out back.'' Here, he was neither. Why?

Question: Can we attribute Dallas leaning away from the power game to the offensive-line injuries? Marc Colombo broke his fibula. Flozell Adams exited for a moment. Guys were flip-flopping positions, this fine and durable O-line suddenly in scramble mode and praying that the depth beyond Doug Free wouldn't require testing. Is there a coordination along the line in the power running game that is made more difficult when a group of blockers is just trying to make sure five of them are upright?

Question: Isn't one way to keep a QB upright in a close game to focus on the run and sometimes even concede that you will have to punt? I am quite certain that the Cowboys didn't come in fearing the Green Bay pass rush; the Packers have injury issues there, and maybe put good people in odd positions. In total, they entered yesterday with 13 sacks all season. (The Vikings have that many sacks against the Packers in just two games!) But here, they sometimes brought extra people, sacking Romo five times and roughing him up a lot. Did this offense forget that in a 3-0 game, there is nothing wrong with trying to run, trying to grind, and conceding with a punt? Did GB surprise Dallas with its success in this department?

Question: If these Cowboys lean away from the power running game, shouldn't they do it because something else seems easier to accomplish? Getting the ball to Miles Austin wasn't easy; he'd probably like a do-over. Getting the ball to Jason Witten wasn't easy; his numbers all came in garbage time. And getting the ball to Roy Williams was a clown show of fumbles and losing sight of the ball in the clouds or the lights or the sky or something. I think Dallas found a way to match up Williams with a safety by moving him inside, and that was smart. But otherwise, where was the edge, the advantage, in morphing into a throw-first offense?

Question: Isn't there a give-and-take/risk-reward formula on using the Shotgun formation that in high-risk situations simply isn't worth the reward? We've certainly seen this in Denver and now in Green Bay: Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett plays The Riverboat Gambler and backpedals into the Shotgun ... and the defense plays The Dealer by answering with an overwhelming blitz. And really, is this Jason being "gutsy'' or Jason being "impatient''?

Question: Can three turnovers, 10 penalties, drops, a missed field goal and a minivan full of injured players be blamed on the absence of power football? Maybe not, but I do have an answer here: Those woes can be overcome by a team that now in a five-day span faces have-nots in the Redskins and the Raiders with the chance to enter December with an 8-3 record.

I say Dallas would increase its chances of accomplishing this by playing power football. But no matter what, if they rebound from what ailed ‘em in the frost of Wisconsin, being 8-3 would be a powerfully good record.

MNF Open Thread

2009-11-17T01:30:15Z

Kind of a dud game, but we always have a MNF thread, so here it is - Ravens @ Browns.

This is an open thread for game chat.

The VRR: Surviving Injury Up Next For Cowboys

2009-11-16T20:12:06Z

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

We never see much of Doug Free, but now we're going to get an up-close and personal look.

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The Dallas Cowboys' relatively injury-free season was fractured on Sunday. More specifically, it was torn apart. Right tackle and resident tough-guy on the offense, Marc Colombo, fractured his tibia, but it turns out that will heal on its own. It's the torn ligaments in his ankle that require surgery.

From Todd Archer:

Marc Colombo will undergo surgery to repair the torn ligaments in his right ankle and will miss at least six weeks. The fibular fracture will heal on its own. There is a chance Colombo could play again this season if the Cowboys make a playoff run.

We all know how important the continuity along our offensive line has been to the success of the Cowboys offense. Last year, the Cowboys lost that when they lost Kyle Kosier, and in turn started to struggle. Now, they must face life without Colombo for the rest of the regular-season at minimum. This time, they turn to Doug Free. We've been waiting for a while to find out what we have in Free, but obviously we didn't want to find out this way.

Still, we've been watching Flozell Adams over the past couple of years and wondering when age and injury would fully catch up to him, all the while wondering if Free was his eventual replacement. We'll get a preview of that when he takes over for Colombo over the stretch-run, even though it would be at the "theoretically" less-challenging right tackle position. Free has to show he can handle that, before we have any thoughts of him eventually taking over at left tackle. Marc Colombo will be back after this season, the question has always been when will it be over for Flozell?

More VRR after the jump...

Leonard Davis says that he and Free are already talking together and working toward integrating Free into a line that is not short on experience.

"The whole time Doug was out there, him and I were talking," Davis said. "We talked on the bench and just kind of went over some plays and scenarios, so that way when we got on the field we were able to communicate and be on the same page, because the worst thing you can do is go out on the field with somebody that's never had any game experience and not be on the same page."

The good news on the injury front is that Mike Jenkins appears to be fine after bruising his bicep during the game and shouldn't miss any time. The bad news is Ken Hamlin, who we don't know about yet, but conflicting reports give pause.

Safety Ken Hamlin has a high ankle sprain that could keep him out a couple of weeks. Alan Ball or Pat Watkins would replace Hamlin if he cannot play.

Over at DC.com, they were a little more optimistic.

Two other players were forced to come out of the game with injuries, including Ken Hamlin, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the third quarter and did not return after being taken to the locker room for X-rays. The Cowboys don't expect Hamlin to be out long term. "It's real hard to tell early," Jerry Jones said. "But it does not look like an extended period of time he'll be out."

Sounds like he could miss a week or two.

Are players named Roy Williams simply cursed in Dallas? Roy Williams, the receiver, had his best statistical outing for the Cowboys and was one of the few offensive players early-on that made any plays, only to have that all overshadowed by his disastrous fumble and drop. For the drop, he claimed the lights and his visor-glare blinded him - let me give that a simple 'whatever'. But, he at least recognized he helped blow the game.

"The fumble, that’s on me," Williams said. "The one in the lights, that’s on me. If the lights weren’t there that’s a catch. I lost this game for this football team. That’s the way I feel."

Nick Eatman makes the case that the Cowboys abandoned the running game too soon.

Barber gets 20 yards on his first two carries of the game and finishes with just three more . . . the rest of the game? Seriously? That's what I had a problem with. We're not talking about the game getting out of hand or the score was prohibitive for the run. And you can't say the Packers completely sold out to stop the run, or you would think the Cowboys might have attempted more than a handful of deep balls. The Packers' safeties were playing too deep to suggest a lot of eight-man fronts.

Raf looks at it with a different conclusion in this post, but let's talk about what hasn't been said much recently.

Felix Jones doesn't look anything like his old self since coming back from the knee injury. The quick burst, the explosiveness when he finds a small crease are just not there right now. He's still wearing the knee brace and over the past few games has added very little to the Cowboys cause. Should he be sitting until fully healthy? Is there a problem no one is discussing? Or is he just in a mini-slump? Without Jones' big bursts from the backfield, the Cowboys ground game is suffering.

Before we dive into this next story, let's all pledge that we are not in anyway blaming this game on the officials. But...didn't it feel like Dallas got hosed in the replay department on Sunday. By now we all know that the officials couldn't review the fumble that was recovered by Felix Jones. Still, even though it was the rule, that doesn't make us feel any better. That was a huge turning point in the game and essentially ended any chance of the Cowboys coming back once that Packers scored a TD.

"My mistake [thinking it was reviewable]," Triplette told a pool reporter after the game. "That’s not a reviewable aspect of a play. A recovery of a loose ball in the field of play is not reviewable by rule. So we just couldn’t review it."

I bet the NFL will review it, the rule that is, this offseason.

But how about another mistake that basically went unnoticed. On fourth down with just under 8 minutes to go, the Cowboys picked up the first down on a great "catch" by Patrick Crayton. Cowboys ball, first and ten at the Green Bay 29 yard-line. But the Packers challenged the play.

Triplette failed to penalize the Packers in the fourth quarter after coach Mike McCarthy tried to challenge a play when the Packers were out of challenges. Rule 15, Section 9 of the rule book states that "for initiating a challenge when all of a team’s timeouts have been exhausted or when all of its available challenges have been used: Loss of 15 yards."

A 15-yard penalty would have put the Cowboys at the Pack 14 with 8 minutes to go. Sure, a miracle comeback was far-fetched, but at least you'd like to have all the benefits of correct rulings to make it happen.

And to close, I have to give a shout-out to the Packers Charles Woodson. The whole Packers 3-4 defense was good, in fact great, but Woodson was the star.

Charles Woodson made enough for the Packers. He shadowed Witten more than the Cowboys thought he would, but he went further than merely playing his position. He was involved in all three Dallas turnovers.

We needed someone like him on Sunday.

Nine Cowboys Games and What Do We Know?

2009-11-16T16:10:09Z

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

3-4 blitz packages have troubled the Cowboys blockers this year. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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A handful of facts on a bloodshot Monday:

1. The Cowboys, at 6-3 remain atop the NFC East, one game ahead of the Eagles and Giants.

2. Dallas is tied with the Cardinals for the third best record in the conference, behind New Orleans and Minnesota

3. Dallas has the best scoring defense in the NFC, though it ranks 8th in the NFL. Dallas should remain a solid NFC contender as long as the good health continues on this side of the ball.

4. Point three leads to a chicken-egg question. The Cowboys would rank 3rd in the AFC in scoring offense, behind only the Colts and Chargers. Yet, they rank much, much lower in the NFC. Look at the NFL and the top scoring defenses all reside in the AFC while the top scoring offenses are in the NFC. Do the NFC teams score so much because the defenses in conference are relatively weak, or is there some other explanation?

5. The NFL season is one of attrition. In that respect, the Cowboys remain blessed. Yes, they lost starting right tackle Marc Colombo, perhaps for the season, but their injured secondary players appear set for quick returns. CB Mike Jenkins maintains that he will be back against the Redskins while Jerry Jones claimed that Ken Hamlin's ankle injury was not believed to be a long-term issue. With Washington and Oakland, the two worst scoring offenses in their respective conferences next on the schedule, the Cowboys' defense should remain on track, health sustaining.

6. Injuries have to be assessed according to team depth, not just by position; if you suffer an injury at a deep spot, it's not so bad. If you're thin or empty on a unit and lose a starter, you're sunk. In this sense, Dallas got a bit lucky. If you were to rank their linemen from 1-9, Doug Free would rate 6th, just behind the five starters. I'd probably put Marc Colombo 4th on this list, ahead of Kyle Kosier, but behind Gurode, Davis and Adams. This means that Dallas would realize the least drop-off from starter to backup.

Compare that to last year, when Cory Proctor replaced Kosier for much of the season at left guard. While Kosier is the lowest rated of the five starters, the drop-off from his level of play to Proctor's was significant.

7. Dallas has likely reached the its limit of serious o-line injuries. Free was the best backup, and he may be the only backup who could give quality long-term starting play. We know Proctor's limit. Montrae Holland you ask? I think the fact that Proctor is active and Holland frequently isn't says a lot about the team's confidence in him.

Free may take this opportunity and run. He may show he's much better than Rob Petitti and Torrin Tucker were in '05,but the Cowboys may be facing a similar situation. Petitti had to start as a low round rookie that year because Ryan Young and Jacob Rogers could not play. The Cowboys were able to progress into playoff contention with him, but collapsed when Flozell Adams tore a knee ligament.

That team could absorb one significant line injury but not two. I believe this team finds itself in the same situation. It can progress with Free in the lineup but I don't think it can start Free and another of the backups.

8. Dallas' offense has struggled facing 3-4 fronts. Dallas has faced two thus far and could muster only ten points against the Broncos and seven against the Packers. The Cowboys face just one more 34 this year, when Norv Turner and his DC Ron Rivera bring their Chargers to Cowboys Stadium.

9. The Redskins bring a shiny new win with them to Cowboys Stadium next week. They're not going to feel any sympathy for Dallas. They lost Pro Bowl LT Chris Samuels to a neck injury weeks ago. They lost RG Randy Thomas before that. Only C Casey Rabach remains from Washington's '08 starting five. (Ask the Eagles about OL depth today. Or the Packers. It's part of the game. There's no crying in football.)

10. The Redskins are a divisional rival, which means anything can happen. If you're looking for another reason why this game is far from certain, know that Washington ranks 2nd in NFC scoring defense behind the Cowboys. The Redskins offense can barely muster 14 points per game, but DC Greg Blache's guys do not surrender many points.

Cowboys @ Packers Highlights

2009-11-16T13:53:04Z

Cowboys @ Packers Highlights