Cowboys are beasts of the NFC East
by Sports Blog
Cowboys are beasts of the NFC East
August 29, 2006
This is the third part in a series of eight division-by-division previews featuring my opinion and analysis on each team, plus predictions. The NFC South, NFC North, and NFC West were previewed in our first three installments. Conference Championship, Super Bowl and MVP picks will follow.
Overview: Let the great debate begin. Who will win the NFL's power division, and who will be squeezed out of the playoffs? Will all four teams finish .500 or better? Only three are allowed to the postseason party. By the way, there is no doubt in my mind that both wild cards will come from this division, and the NFL should really find a way to allow a special exemption for an extra postseason team. That's how good this division could be. Injuries, soap operas and other variables inevitably will make us all look stupid, but that's why they play the games.
Dallas Cowboys: Who knows what's going to happen with the Terrell Owens situation; it truly is a mystery and will continue to be. I have to assume he'll be healthy for the majority of the year and that he and Bill Parcells will find a way to make it work. Obviously, it could derail at any moment, but I'll assume the best.
Owens simply makes the Cowboys passing game lethal when you combine him with Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton and TE's Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano. A big question is whether they will be able to protect QB Drew Bledsoe any better than last year. The answer is yes, without a doubt. LT Flozell Adams missed a good portion of last year with a torn ACL. He might not be as good as he was before surgery, but he's better than anything else the Cowboys had there last year. Between the additions of Kyle Kosier and veteran Jason Fabini, Dallas will be much improved. The other big dilemma is at running back. Can Julius Jones stay healthy, which will allow Marion Barber to settle into a third down role and spot back? Of course, certain members of the media want to create stories so they get their name mentioned all over the place, and that leads to ridiculous, preposterous rumors that Tony Romo is going to unseat Drew Bledsoe. It's not happening unless Bledsoe gets killed, and it should not happen.
The defense is the absolute key for the Cowboys, who have finished the transformation to a base 3-4 scheme. This was accomplished by bringing in Akin Ayodele from Jacksonville and drafting Bobby Carpenter out of Ohio State. DE Chris Canty is a name to watch, especially with Greg Ellis' situation being a bit dicey. CBs Anthony Henry and Terence Newman are the blankets in the secondary, and Roy Williams pops anyone in sight. Quite simply, this defense is the most complete unit in the division. Yes, they are better than Washington. Predicted Finish: 10-6, division champion. I would say 11-5, but with Owens' hamstring iffy and Mike Vanderjagt also banged up, I'll be a little more cautious. They have to at least split with Washington for this to happen -- and find a way to not lose all three road games in a row during a brutal mid-season stretch of Carolina, Washington and Arizona. That stretch is surrounded by home games with the Giants, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Washington Redskins: The Clinton Portis injury will make or break this team, even with the addition of TJ Duckett. They say he will be fine, and I have to hope they are right. Sure, they have upgraded at wide receiver, and the defense is still very good, but Portis was the ultimate key down the stretch last year -- the player Joe Gibbs thought he was getting when he traded top-flight defensive Champ Bailey.
QB Mark Brunell will be fine as long as he can stay healthy, which is far from a guarantee as his body gets more wear and tear. He is still a great leader, a steady presence who developed a very good chemistry with WR Santana Moss and TE Chris Cooley. Al Saunders, who was brought in to run the offense, has to hope that Brunell stays healthy, because Todd Collins is not an NFL quarterback, and Jason Campbell has no experience. Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd will add even more speed to drive defenses crazy, and Christian Fauria was always a good red zone option for New England. The protection is pretty good, but not dominant. Chris Samuels is the best of the bunch, but at times he struggles with speed rushers like Simeon Rice. Casey Rabach solidified the middle, and Jon Jansen's return from injury was a key on the right side.
On defense, Phillip Daniels was really good down the stretch last year as a consistent pass rusher, and Cornelius Griffin has been very good when he stays healthy. DT Joe Salave'a is a key player that can wreak some havoc on the interior. Gregg Williams likes to pressure the quarterback in a variety of ways, but he will be challenged until CB Shawn Springs returns to health. Second year CB Carlos Rogers is getting better, but the corner depth is a work in progress. The safeties will help this team will win a lot of games. Adam Archuleta will be a heat-seeking missile to go along with the phenomenal talent of Sean Taylor. Losing LaVar Arrington won't hurt because he was always banged up and was not a team player. Lemar Marshall was outstanding at MLB last year and goes along well with Marcus Washington.
One of the problem areas for this team will be PK John Hall's ability to stay healthy. If he can't, you can see a merry-go-round at that key spot, which will kill any contending team.
Predicted Finish: 9-7, wild card winner. This could be better, could be worse for obvious reasons. Consecutive road trips to Philly and Tampa Bay are the only real tough spot in the schedule. They should be able to finish strong again with Atlanta and Philly at home, then somewhat easy road games against New Orleans and St. Louis, and they'll wrap it with the Giants at home. If Portis wasn't banged up, and if I could trust Brunell and Hall's health, I would put this team at 12-4.
Cowboys are beasts of the NFC East
August 29, 2006
This is the third part in a series of eight division-by-division previews featuring my opinion and analysis on each team, plus predictions. The NFC South, NFC North, and NFC West were previewed in our first three installments. Conference Championship, Super Bowl and MVP picks will follow.
Overview: Let the great debate begin. Who will win the NFL's power division, and who will be squeezed out of the playoffs? Will all four teams finish .500 or better? Only three are allowed to the postseason party. By the way, there is no doubt in my mind that both wild cards will come from this division, and the NFL should really find a way to allow a special exemption for an extra postseason team. That's how good this division could be. Injuries, soap operas and other variables inevitably will make us all look stupid, but that's why they play the games.
Dallas Cowboys: Who knows what's going to happen with the Terrell Owens situation; it truly is a mystery and will continue to be. I have to assume he'll be healthy for the majority of the year and that he and Bill Parcells will find a way to make it work. Obviously, it could derail at any moment, but I'll assume the best.
Owens simply makes the Cowboys passing game lethal when you combine him with Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton and TE's Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano. A big question is whether they will be able to protect QB Drew Bledsoe any better than last year. The answer is yes, without a doubt. LT Flozell Adams missed a good portion of last year with a torn ACL. He might not be as good as he was before surgery, but he's better than anything else the Cowboys had there last year. Between the additions of Kyle Kosier and veteran Jason Fabini, Dallas will be much improved. The other big dilemma is at running back. Can Julius Jones stay healthy, which will allow Marion Barber to settle into a third down role and spot back? Of course, certain members of the media want to create stories so they get their name mentioned all over the place, and that leads to ridiculous, preposterous rumors that Tony Romo is going to unseat Drew Bledsoe. It's not happening unless Bledsoe gets killed, and it should not happen.
The defense is the absolute key for the Cowboys, who have finished the transformation to a base 3-4 scheme. This was accomplished by bringing in Akin Ayodele from Jacksonville and drafting Bobby Carpenter out of Ohio State. DE Chris Canty is a name to watch, especially with Greg Ellis' situation being a bit dicey. CBs Anthony Henry and Terence Newman are the blankets in the secondary, and Roy Williams pops anyone in sight. Quite simply, this defense is the most complete unit in the division. Yes, they are better than Washington. Predicted Finish: 10-6, division champion. I would say 11-5, but with Owens' hamstring iffy and Mike Vanderjagt also banged up, I'll be a little more cautious. They have to at least split with Washington for this to happen -- and find a way to not lose all three road games in a row during a brutal mid-season stretch of Carolina, Washington and Arizona. That stretch is surrounded by home games with the Giants, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. Washington Redskins: The Clinton Portis injury will make or break this team, even with the addition of TJ Duckett. They say he will be fine, and I have to hope they are right. Sure, they have upgraded at wide receiver, and the defense is still very good, but Portis was the ultimate key down the stretch last year -- the player Joe Gibbs thought he was getting when he traded top-flight defensive Champ Bailey.
QB Mark Brunell will be fine as long as he can stay healthy, which is far from a guarantee as his body gets more wear and tear. He is still a great leader, a steady presence who developed a very good chemistry with WR Santana Moss and TE Chris Cooley. Al Saunders, who was brought in to run the offense, has to hope that Brunell stays healthy, because Todd Collins is not an NFL quarterback, and Jason Campbell has no experience. Antwaan Randle El and Brandon Lloyd will add even more speed to drive defenses crazy, and Christian Fauria was always a good red zone option for New England. The protection is pretty good, but not dominant. Chris Samuels is the best of the bunch, but at times he struggles with speed rushers like Simeon Rice. Casey Rabach solidified the middle, and Jon Jansen's return from injury was a key on the right side.
On defense, Phillip Daniels was really good down the stretch last year as a consistent pass rusher, and Cornelius Griffin has been very good when he stays healthy. DT Joe Salave'a is a key player that can wreak some havoc on the interior. Gregg Williams likes to pressure the quarterback in a variety of ways, but he will be challenged until CB Shawn Springs returns to health. Second year CB Carlos Rogers is getting better, but the corner depth is a work in progress. The safeties will help this team will win a lot of games. Adam Archuleta will be a heat-seeking missile to go along with the phenomenal talent of Sean Taylor. Losing LaVar Arrington won't hurt because he was always banged up and was not a team player. Lemar Marshall was outstanding at MLB last year and goes along well with Marcus Washington.
One of the problem areas for this team will be PK John Hall's ability to stay healthy. If he can't, you can see a merry-go-round at that key spot, which will kill any contending team.
Predicted Finish: 9-7, wild card winner. This could be better, could be worse for obvious reasons. Consecutive road trips to Philly and Tampa Bay are the only real tough spot in the schedule. They should be able to finish strong again with Atlanta and Philly at home, then somewhat easy road games against New Orleans and St. Louis, and they'll wrap it with the Giants at home. If Portis wasn't banged up, and if I could trust Brunell and Hall's health, I would put this team at 12-4.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:33 PM
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