Giants.com: Giants vs.Cowboys Scouting Report
Michael Eisen breaks down the Cowboys
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants will attempt to get an early advantage on a fierce NFC East rival when they open the 2007 season Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Last year, the Giants finished 8-8, while the Cowboys were 9-7. Both teams reached the playoffs. Dallas leads the regular season series, 52-35-2, including 23-11 in Texas Stadium. The teams split their two games in 2006, with each winning on the road, the first time that happened since 1974
The Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips and a new offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett, the former Giants anc Cowboys backup quarterback. Last season, Dallas finished fifth in the NFL in total yardage, averaging 360.8 yards a game.
Tony Romo took over the Cowboys quarterback job at halftime of the game against the Giants last Oct. 23 and two months later he was elected to the Pro Bowl. His position coach then was current Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer. Romo was 6-4 as a starter and became the first Cowboys quarterback to throw for more than 220 yards in each of his first eight starts. Because he is an excellent passer on the move, most teams try to keep Romo in the pocket. He’s a good athlete with an above-average arm. Veteran Brad Johnson, who won a Super Bowl with Tampa in 2002, is Romo’s backup.
The Cowboys use fourth-year running back Julius Jones on first and second downs and bring in Marion Barber on third downs. Jones rushed for 1,084 yards last season, the first Cowboy to top 1,000 yards since Emmitt Smith in 2001. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career. Barber, now in his third season, is a terrific back who scored 16 touchdowns a year ago (14 rushing, two receiving). Barber is solid in blitz pickup and is a threat to throw an option pass. Tyson Thompson also sees some action.
Dallas took a hit at wide receiver this week when it was revealed that Terry Glenn, the team’s chief downfield threat, will miss the game because of recurring problems in his right knee that might require surgery. Glenn has had two straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 132 catches and 13 touchdowns.
Patrick Crayton, who caught 70 passes last season and played well in the preseason, will start in his place. On the other side is the always-dangerous Terrell Owens, who led the team last season with 85 catches for 1,180 yards and an NFL-best 13 receiving touchdowns. Owens’ 801 career receptions place him 17th on the NFL’s all-time list.
Three-time Pro Bowler Jason Witten is one of the NFL’s premier tight ends. In addition to his excellent receiving skills (64 catches in 2006), Witten has become an outstanding blocker. Second-year pro Anthony Fasano has good hands and is also a sturdy blocker. Garrett has several two-tight end sets in his offense.
The only new starter on offense is massive right guard Leonard Davis, the free agent acquisition from Arizona. Davis is listed at 354 pounds. Davis is as powerful a guard as there is in the NFL. Left guard Kyle Kosier is an exceptionally smart player and center Andre Gurode is a powerful blocker who is particularly strong at the point of attack. Right tackle Marc Columbo is tough and feisty, while left tackle Flozell Adams is still big and nimble enough to block out the sun.
Defense
Phillips is a defensive specialist who uses a 3-4 alignment, which the Cowboys employed under former coach Bill Parcells. Dallas was 13th in the NFL last season, allowing 322.8 yards a game. But the unit is hurting right now; cornerback Terence Newman (foot), linebackers Greg Ellis (Achilles) and Kevin Burnett (ankle) could all miss the game.
Dallas boasts a big, strong and deep three-man front. Jason Ferguson is as good as any nose tackle in the NFL. He is a powerful run-stopper who reads schemes and provides an inside pass rush. Ferguson also has a knack for batting the ball at the line of scrimmage. Left end Marcus Spears is a strong anchor who is hard to push out of the way. Right end Chris Canty is smart and instinctive. Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff are the reserves.
The loss of Ellis is big. The former defensive end switched to linebacker last season and was playing superbly before tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 9. He sat out the entire preseason and is still not ready to go. In his absence, rookie Anthony Spencer, the first-round draft choice from Purdue, has stepped in to the lineup. A college defensive end, he converted to strongside linebacker and started all four preseason games. Spencer is a fast, strong and powerful player. The weak outside linebacker is DeMarcus Ware, who had 11.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl last season. The inside linebackers are Bradie James and Akin Ayodele. James is a thumper, an instinctive big-time run-stopper. Ayodele is a solid player who makes a lot of stops. If Burnett doesn’t play, James will replace him in the sub defensive packages.
Jacques Reeves is expected to make his second career start in place of Newman. The other possibility is Nathan Jones. Both are fourth-year pros who were seventh-round draft choices. The right cornerback is Anthony Henry, a big, physical player who had a career-high 23 pass breakups last season. The top safety is Roy Williams, who has started four consecutive Pro Bowls. Williams is one of the NFL’s hardest hitters. He will play closer to the line this season because of the addition of Ken Hamlin, who started 52 games over the previous four seasons for Seattle. The Giants certainly know Hamlin; he intercepted two Eli Manning passes last season in Qwest Field. Hamlin is a good player against both the run and the pass. Patrick Watkins plays in the sub packages.
Special Teams
Mat McBriar was the NFC Pro Bowl punter after leading the league with a 48.2-yard gross average. His net average was 38.6 yards and he downed 22 punts inside the opposition 20-yard line. Nick Folk, a sixth-round draft choice this year, is the new placekicker. He booted a 52-yard field goal in the preseason. Tyson Thompson and Miles Austin will share the kickoff return duties. With Newman sidelined, Crayton will be the punt returner.
By Michael Eisen, Giants.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants will attempt to get an early advantage on a fierce NFC East rival when they open the 2007 season Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium. Last year, the Giants finished 8-8, while the Cowboys were 9-7. Both teams reached the playoffs. Dallas leads the regular season series, 52-35-2, including 23-11 in Texas Stadium. The teams split their two games in 2006, with each winning on the road, the first time that happened since 1974
The Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips and a new offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett, the former Giants anc Cowboys backup quarterback. Last season, Dallas finished fifth in the NFL in total yardage, averaging 360.8 yards a game.
Tony Romo took over the Cowboys quarterback job at halftime of the game against the Giants last Oct. 23 and two months later he was elected to the Pro Bowl. His position coach then was current Giants quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer. Romo was 6-4 as a starter and became the first Cowboys quarterback to throw for more than 220 yards in each of his first eight starts. Because he is an excellent passer on the move, most teams try to keep Romo in the pocket. He’s a good athlete with an above-average arm. Veteran Brad Johnson, who won a Super Bowl with Tampa in 2002, is Romo’s backup.
The Cowboys use fourth-year running back Julius Jones on first and second downs and bring in Marion Barber on third downs. Jones rushed for 1,084 yards last season, the first Cowboy to top 1,000 yards since Emmitt Smith in 2001. He started all 16 games for the first time in his career. Barber, now in his third season, is a terrific back who scored 16 touchdowns a year ago (14 rushing, two receiving). Barber is solid in blitz pickup and is a threat to throw an option pass. Tyson Thompson also sees some action.
Dallas took a hit at wide receiver this week when it was revealed that Terry Glenn, the team’s chief downfield threat, will miss the game because of recurring problems in his right knee that might require surgery. Glenn has had two straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 132 catches and 13 touchdowns.
Patrick Crayton, who caught 70 passes last season and played well in the preseason, will start in his place. On the other side is the always-dangerous Terrell Owens, who led the team last season with 85 catches for 1,180 yards and an NFL-best 13 receiving touchdowns. Owens’ 801 career receptions place him 17th on the NFL’s all-time list.
Three-time Pro Bowler Jason Witten is one of the NFL’s premier tight ends. In addition to his excellent receiving skills (64 catches in 2006), Witten has become an outstanding blocker. Second-year pro Anthony Fasano has good hands and is also a sturdy blocker. Garrett has several two-tight end sets in his offense.
The only new starter on offense is massive right guard Leonard Davis, the free agent acquisition from Arizona. Davis is listed at 354 pounds. Davis is as powerful a guard as there is in the NFL. Left guard Kyle Kosier is an exceptionally smart player and center Andre Gurode is a powerful blocker who is particularly strong at the point of attack. Right tackle Marc Columbo is tough and feisty, while left tackle Flozell Adams is still big and nimble enough to block out the sun.
Defense
Phillips is a defensive specialist who uses a 3-4 alignment, which the Cowboys employed under former coach Bill Parcells. Dallas was 13th in the NFL last season, allowing 322.8 yards a game. But the unit is hurting right now; cornerback Terence Newman (foot), linebackers Greg Ellis (Achilles) and Kevin Burnett (ankle) could all miss the game.
Dallas boasts a big, strong and deep three-man front. Jason Ferguson is as good as any nose tackle in the NFL. He is a powerful run-stopper who reads schemes and provides an inside pass rush. Ferguson also has a knack for batting the ball at the line of scrimmage. Left end Marcus Spears is a strong anchor who is hard to push out of the way. Right end Chris Canty is smart and instinctive. Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff are the reserves.
The loss of Ellis is big. The former defensive end switched to linebacker last season and was playing superbly before tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 9. He sat out the entire preseason and is still not ready to go. In his absence, rookie Anthony Spencer, the first-round draft choice from Purdue, has stepped in to the lineup. A college defensive end, he converted to strongside linebacker and started all four preseason games. Spencer is a fast, strong and powerful player. The weak outside linebacker is DeMarcus Ware, who had 11.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl last season. The inside linebackers are Bradie James and Akin Ayodele. James is a thumper, an instinctive big-time run-stopper. Ayodele is a solid player who makes a lot of stops. If Burnett doesn’t play, James will replace him in the sub defensive packages.
Jacques Reeves is expected to make his second career start in place of Newman. The other possibility is Nathan Jones. Both are fourth-year pros who were seventh-round draft choices. The right cornerback is Anthony Henry, a big, physical player who had a career-high 23 pass breakups last season. The top safety is Roy Williams, who has started four consecutive Pro Bowls. Williams is one of the NFL’s hardest hitters. He will play closer to the line this season because of the addition of Ken Hamlin, who started 52 games over the previous four seasons for Seattle. The Giants certainly know Hamlin; he intercepted two Eli Manning passes last season in Qwest Field. Hamlin is a good player against both the run and the pass. Patrick Watkins plays in the sub packages.
Special Teams
Mat McBriar was the NFC Pro Bowl punter after leading the league with a 48.2-yard gross average. His net average was 38.6 yards and he downed 22 punts inside the opposition 20-yard line. Nick Folk, a sixth-round draft choice this year, is the new placekicker. He booted a 52-yard field goal in the preseason. Tyson Thompson and Miles Austin will share the kickoff return duties. With Newman sidelined, Crayton will be the punt returner.
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