Cowboys vs Seahawks
DCFanatic Pre-Game Report
August 12, 2006
Are You Ready For Some Tony Romo?
Coach Parcells has put the pressure on quarterback Tony Romo. While I don't think it's a big deal that Romo is getting the start in Seattle I do think he needs to play well. He needs to put points on the board and make sure he shows the Cowboys upper brass that he has what it takes to be a successful quarterback at the NFL level. Does he have to come up with 3 touchdown passes and a 300-yard game? Of course not, but he can't come out in this game and throw 2 Int's and not lead the team to any points. The bad thing for Romo is that he will be asked to put up a good showing without Terrell Owens. Plus I doubt that Terry Glenn or Jason Witten play past the first series or two. Look for Romo to come out a little excited and then hopefully settle down before anything negative happens. If he can lead the offense to 10-14 points in the first half, with no turnovers, then I can see the Cowboys and Romo leaving Seattle very happy.
Greg Ellis Gets His Shot At Playing Some Linebacker.
Here we go folks. The Greg Ellis transition into a 3-4 linebacker will begin tonight. Coming into training camp everyone had pegged Ellis as the Nickel Defensive End and that's it. Now the Cowboys coaches have seen him in practice as the outside linebacker for two weeks and they think he can do the job. Do I agree with them? No. Could I be wrong? Sure. Until I see Greg Ellis read 'pass' and drop off into coverage and pick up a crossing Tight End, provide good coverage and then break up the pass I will be Mr. Skeptical. I just think that Ellis has been a Defensive End for so long that he has natural instincts that will take over in the game. These being that he should get to the quarterback any way he can. The opposing offense knows this and they will test him to see if he can be exploited by making him think too much. This game alone will not determine how the Cowboys will use Ellis in 2006, but it should give them a hint about his abilities to read pre-snap offensive formations from his linebacker spot. If he looks lost while he's on the field then this may be the last time we see Ellis as a linebacker.
Keith Davis Has To Make Sure He Plays Well In This Game.
No one can say with confidence right now who they think will be the Free Safety on September 10th in Jacksonville. Keith Davis has to know that his job is on the line this preseason. He must show the coaches that he can read and react better than he did at times last season. Marcus Coleman and rookie sensation Pat Watkins would be more than happy to step into the starting role should Davis falter with some blown coverages. I like Davis as a run stopper, but like everyone else I don't think he is the ball hawk that this defense needs at Free Safety. I will be watching to see how long he stays in the starting lineup in this game because I am sure the coaches want to see Watkins in some live action. Should Watkins get in this game very early that might be a sign that Davis is on his way to the bench soon.
All Andre Gurode Has To Do Is Stay Focused.
Some people think that Andre Gurode has a great shot to become the full time Center for the Cowboys. Others think that soon enough he's going to give way to Al Johnson. We all know that Gurode has had problems in the past with mental errors. This is why some of the fans want Al Johnson, known for his smarts, to start at Center. No one, including me, wants a mental error by Gurode to cost the Cowboys a starting quarterback whose name is Drew Bledsoe. Coach Parcells said that he thinks this is the best that he's seen Gurode play so far since he has been the head man in Dallas. That's all I need to hear. If he thinks that Gurode is past the mental mistakes then I trust him and his two Super Bowl rings. Gurode needs to come out tonight and stay focused while making the correct line calls at least 99% of the time. If he does this then the job is his to lose.
The Right Tackle Job Won't Be Won Or Lost In Seattle.
Rob Petitti, Marc Colombo and Jason Fabini are all going to see time at Right Tackle in this game. Let's hope all three of them play well enough that neither let's up a sack at any point in the game. Wouldn't hurt if they could blow open a few running lanes too. I think it's safe to say that we fans aren't really worried about the run blocking of any one of these guys though. We all want to see them provide great pass blocking for whichever quarterback drops back to throw. I think Colombo is the front runner for the job right now and he will probably get the start against the Seahawks. Then Petitti will most likely get his work in and finally Fabini will finish this one off.
Here's A Bunch Of Stuff I Hope To See...
Terence Newman NOT nursing a sore ankle, Roy Williams pop somebody, Sam Hurd catch a TD pass, No injuries, Mike Vanderjagt make all of his FG attempts, Skyler Green take a punt return to the house, Pat Watkins leaping through the air to pick off a deep pass, Anthony Henry roughing up some receivers at the line of scrimmage, Bobby Carpenter flying around, Julius Jones fast and quick, Anthony Fasano using up a linebacker and catching a pass down the middle, Demarcus Ware swallowing up a QB and lastly...
August 12, 2006
Are You Ready For Some Tony Romo?
Coach Parcells has put the pressure on quarterback Tony Romo. While I don't think it's a big deal that Romo is getting the start in Seattle I do think he needs to play well. He needs to put points on the board and make sure he shows the Cowboys upper brass that he has what it takes to be a successful quarterback at the NFL level. Does he have to come up with 3 touchdown passes and a 300-yard game? Of course not, but he can't come out in this game and throw 2 Int's and not lead the team to any points. The bad thing for Romo is that he will be asked to put up a good showing without Terrell Owens. Plus I doubt that Terry Glenn or Jason Witten play past the first series or two. Look for Romo to come out a little excited and then hopefully settle down before anything negative happens. If he can lead the offense to 10-14 points in the first half, with no turnovers, then I can see the Cowboys and Romo leaving Seattle very happy.
Greg Ellis Gets His Shot At Playing Some Linebacker.
Here we go folks. The Greg Ellis transition into a 3-4 linebacker will begin tonight. Coming into training camp everyone had pegged Ellis as the Nickel Defensive End and that's it. Now the Cowboys coaches have seen him in practice as the outside linebacker for two weeks and they think he can do the job. Do I agree with them? No. Could I be wrong? Sure. Until I see Greg Ellis read 'pass' and drop off into coverage and pick up a crossing Tight End, provide good coverage and then break up the pass I will be Mr. Skeptical. I just think that Ellis has been a Defensive End for so long that he has natural instincts that will take over in the game. These being that he should get to the quarterback any way he can. The opposing offense knows this and they will test him to see if he can be exploited by making him think too much. This game alone will not determine how the Cowboys will use Ellis in 2006, but it should give them a hint about his abilities to read pre-snap offensive formations from his linebacker spot. If he looks lost while he's on the field then this may be the last time we see Ellis as a linebacker.
Keith Davis Has To Make Sure He Plays Well In This Game.
No one can say with confidence right now who they think will be the Free Safety on September 10th in Jacksonville. Keith Davis has to know that his job is on the line this preseason. He must show the coaches that he can read and react better than he did at times last season. Marcus Coleman and rookie sensation Pat Watkins would be more than happy to step into the starting role should Davis falter with some blown coverages. I like Davis as a run stopper, but like everyone else I don't think he is the ball hawk that this defense needs at Free Safety. I will be watching to see how long he stays in the starting lineup in this game because I am sure the coaches want to see Watkins in some live action. Should Watkins get in this game very early that might be a sign that Davis is on his way to the bench soon.
All Andre Gurode Has To Do Is Stay Focused.
Some people think that Andre Gurode has a great shot to become the full time Center for the Cowboys. Others think that soon enough he's going to give way to Al Johnson. We all know that Gurode has had problems in the past with mental errors. This is why some of the fans want Al Johnson, known for his smarts, to start at Center. No one, including me, wants a mental error by Gurode to cost the Cowboys a starting quarterback whose name is Drew Bledsoe. Coach Parcells said that he thinks this is the best that he's seen Gurode play so far since he has been the head man in Dallas. That's all I need to hear. If he thinks that Gurode is past the mental mistakes then I trust him and his two Super Bowl rings. Gurode needs to come out tonight and stay focused while making the correct line calls at least 99% of the time. If he does this then the job is his to lose.
The Right Tackle Job Won't Be Won Or Lost In Seattle.
Rob Petitti, Marc Colombo and Jason Fabini are all going to see time at Right Tackle in this game. Let's hope all three of them play well enough that neither let's up a sack at any point in the game. Wouldn't hurt if they could blow open a few running lanes too. I think it's safe to say that we fans aren't really worried about the run blocking of any one of these guys though. We all want to see them provide great pass blocking for whichever quarterback drops back to throw. I think Colombo is the front runner for the job right now and he will probably get the start against the Seahawks. Then Petitti will most likely get his work in and finally Fabini will finish this one off.
Here's A Bunch Of Stuff I Hope To See...
Terence Newman NOT nursing a sore ankle, Roy Williams pop somebody, Sam Hurd catch a TD pass, No injuries, Mike Vanderjagt make all of his FG attempts, Skyler Green take a punt return to the house, Pat Watkins leaping through the air to pick off a deep pass, Anthony Henry roughing up some receivers at the line of scrimmage, Bobby Carpenter flying around, Julius Jones fast and quick, Anthony Fasano using up a linebacker and catching a pass down the middle, Demarcus Ware swallowing up a QB and lastly...
posted by The Gryphon at 8:21 AM
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