Midseason grades: Dallas has been average
By Andy Targovnik on November 9, 2006 12:33 AM
I had a teacher who used to say: "You are what your grades say you are." If you average out the marks below, they're pretty reflective of a team that is 4-4 and playing for its postseason life.
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe: D; Tony Romo: A
Their performances have been so different that a combined grade wouldn't be fair to either player, especially Romo. Bledsoe threw some brutal interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants ; and now, his Cowboys career is essentially over. After being thrown into the fire against the Giants on national television, you can't ask for a better performance than Romo has given the last two games.
Running Backs: A-
Besides the Giants game, Julius Jones has been phenomenal. Whatever Bill Parcells has asked Marion Barber to do, he's done well. Barber is as good as gold at the goal line with six touchdown runs.
Receivers: C
Terrell Owens had huge drops against the Giants and the Washington Redskins . He was brought to Dallas to make those catches. Considering Terry Glenn has to share the ball with T.O., he has remained consistent throughout the season. Jason Witten was excellent against Carolina but has dropped a lot of balls. He needs to be less erratic in the second half.
Offensive Line: C+
They've had a couple of very rough games but have played better than most people expected.
Defensive Line: B-
They've played well, holding opponents to less than four yards a carry but need to get a little more push in the pass rush.
Linebackers: A
It's hard to find fault with this group. All four starters have had outstanding years. Greg Ellis, who was bent out of shape because of his move to linebacker, has made the transition almost flawlessly.
Secondary: C
The corners have been OK; meanwhile, Roy Williams has played well. But the free safety spot has been a disaster. Rookie Pat Watkins was benched for giving up big plays, but veterans Marcus Coleman and Keith Davis haven't been much better. Parcells said that Davis and Coleman better improve or he's going to give Watkins back the job and live with the results. This is not good.
Kicking Game: C-
Mike Vanderjagt is playing more like Shaun Suisham than the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history: His kickoffs have been surprisingly good but he's already missed three field goals. The breakdown on that last kick against Washington was inexcusable.
Punting: B
Mat McBriar has punted well but he made a couple of huge blunders that hurt the team.
Return Game: C-
The Cowboys are ranked toward the bottom of the league in both kickoff and punt returns.
Coaching: C
It has been a tough year for Parcells right from the first day of training camp. He probably waited a game too long to insert Romo, and the Cowboys are committing way too many penalties.
Parcells and his Cowboys should do better in the second half. If not, it will be a long offseason in Texas.
I had a teacher who used to say: "You are what your grades say you are." If you average out the marks below, they're pretty reflective of a team that is 4-4 and playing for its postseason life.
Quarterbacks: Drew Bledsoe: D; Tony Romo: A
Their performances have been so different that a combined grade wouldn't be fair to either player, especially Romo. Bledsoe threw some brutal interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants ; and now, his Cowboys career is essentially over. After being thrown into the fire against the Giants on national television, you can't ask for a better performance than Romo has given the last two games.
Running Backs: A-
Besides the Giants game, Julius Jones has been phenomenal. Whatever Bill Parcells has asked Marion Barber to do, he's done well. Barber is as good as gold at the goal line with six touchdown runs.
Receivers: C
Terrell Owens had huge drops against the Giants and the Washington Redskins . He was brought to Dallas to make those catches. Considering Terry Glenn has to share the ball with T.O., he has remained consistent throughout the season. Jason Witten was excellent against Carolina but has dropped a lot of balls. He needs to be less erratic in the second half.
Offensive Line: C+
They've had a couple of very rough games but have played better than most people expected.
Defensive Line: B-
They've played well, holding opponents to less than four yards a carry but need to get a little more push in the pass rush.
Linebackers: A
It's hard to find fault with this group. All four starters have had outstanding years. Greg Ellis, who was bent out of shape because of his move to linebacker, has made the transition almost flawlessly.
Secondary: C
The corners have been OK; meanwhile, Roy Williams has played well. But the free safety spot has been a disaster. Rookie Pat Watkins was benched for giving up big plays, but veterans Marcus Coleman and Keith Davis haven't been much better. Parcells said that Davis and Coleman better improve or he's going to give Watkins back the job and live with the results. This is not good.
Kicking Game: C-
Mike Vanderjagt is playing more like Shaun Suisham than the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history: His kickoffs have been surprisingly good but he's already missed three field goals. The breakdown on that last kick against Washington was inexcusable.
Punting: B
Mat McBriar has punted well but he made a couple of huge blunders that hurt the team.
Return Game: C-
The Cowboys are ranked toward the bottom of the league in both kickoff and punt returns.
Coaching: C
It has been a tough year for Parcells right from the first day of training camp. He probably waited a game too long to insert Romo, and the Cowboys are committing way too many penalties.
Parcells and his Cowboys should do better in the second half. If not, it will be a long offseason in Texas.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:52 PM
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