Nobody really knew what to expect from the Dallas Cowboys this season. Throughout training camp and preseason, "Super Bowl" was treated as a dirty word. Maybe it was Jason Garrett's new "one game at a time" philosophy. Or maybe, players and fans alike lowered their expectations and came to grips that this team may just be another middle of the road team. So, would the Dallas Cowboys prove everybody right?
Not exactly….
Yes, at first glance the epic collapse of the Cowboys in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets invoke sentiments of the failure, anger, and outright disqust of last year. In all fairness, it was the worse fourth quarter collapse in the history of the franchise.
But lets be honest. You didn't really expect the Cowboys to win this game. I didn't expect the Cowboys to win this game. With a crucial interception and an ill timed fumble, it would be easy to make Tony Romo the token scapegoat, however there were quite a few additional problems other than just Tony. But it wasn't all bad. Surprisingly there were a lot of things that went right in the game. There were times during the game that we saw how dominant the Cowboys could be if they stay healthy, and when they get the kinks worked out… and hopefully they will get it worked out sooner than later. Lets took a look at what went wrong and right with the Cowboys on their first game
Tony Romo
For three quarters, Tony was the quarterback that we all wanted him to be. He was making smart decisions and still making plays. He was showing anger and intensity, instead of just flashing that little smirk. Then he reverted to his old ways and tried to force things that weren't there, with catastrophic results. I'm not ready to sell my stock on him yet however, because he was still fired up to the very end, yelling at officials on the Jason Witten penalty and scolding Dez for the miscommunication. If he bounces back next week, the Cowboys could still pull off a nine or ten win season. And yes, I expect some backlash for saying this, but its not entirely unbelievable.
Felix Jones (and the rest of the backs)
Felix had a strong showing. He proved to the world that he's tough enough to be an every down back and shoulder the bulk of the carries. He blocked well, picked up the blitz, and was efficient on the screen. He made positive yards when most would be taken down in the backfield. Murray proved he could be a nice change of pace back. Tashard Choice's future does not look so rosy. He is living on borrowed time. If he can't be the power back and get those tough third and short yardages, then there is no reason why he should be on this team.
Receivers
Dez Bryant lived up to his number 88 by making some spectacular plays early against the premier corners in the league, but cramps kept him from dominating the entire game. Without Dez, the receiving corp is average at best. Miles Austin had a strong performance, and Ogletree had a few clutch catches, but the talent drops off dramatically after Ogletree. Laurent Robinson may be able to shoulder some of the load when he gets healthy, but until then one serious injury could lead to a world of pain for the Cowboys.
Offensive Line
When you start two rookies, and a center with only one career start, most people would write off your season as a rebuilding year. Yet, the offensive line actually did pretty well considering they were playing one of the best defenses in the league, if you forget about the bad snap from Costa that killed any chance of tying the game. They will improve from game to game, but just like the receivers, there is no room for injury.
Defense
Rob Ryan's Defense did an effective job. It wasn't spectacular, but it had its moments. That is, of course, until Orlando Scandrick and Mike Jenkins went out with injuries. Rob Ryan has stated that his defense only works if he has three strong corners. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, their three best corners were out of the game in the second half. With the backups in, the defense looked confused and over-matched. Elsewhere, Nhamdi Asomugha was looking like a pro-bowler in his Eagles debut, and Jonathan Joseph looked solid against a Manning-less Colts team. That's got to sting a little bit, doesn't it Jerry?
Bob Gonzales is a longtime Dallas Resident and has been a Dallas Cowboys fan even longer, and he secretly hopes to be able to write an overwhelmingly positive article about the Cowboys. Soon. Please.
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