Opening Day Excitement
By Manster68
Cowboys Pride Staff Writer
It is finally here! Opening Day! It somewhat feels like the first new snow and knowing that Christmas is coming. Like Christmas, we fans have so much hope for a prosperous season. Late summer through early winter is definitely my favorite time of year.
For the first time in a long while, I have high hopes for the 2007 Dallas Cowboys. It has been somewhat tempered with the potential injury to Terrance Newman. I am most interested to see how he does in Week 1 against the Giants. If he has trouble planting his foot, then he is virtually useless playing the cornerback position. Dallas is going to have to rely on Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones to pick up the slack. Even though they are not top-notch corners, I do believe they are much better than some corners of previous seasons for Dallas. Duane Hawthorne and Kevin Mathis were the corners in 1998 when Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith were hurt. Hey, all I can say about this is…
…”Welcome to the wonderful world of free agency and salary cap. This prevents teams from having quality depth.”
So if Terrance cannot be effective, Cowboy fans are just going to have to suck it up.
Regardless of Terrance’s’ situation, there is still much to be looking forward to. I am excited to see this new attacking defense swing into full action finally. Just who will benefit the most from this scheme – the linebackers, the defensive line, or maybe even the secondary? The player that I am hoping for a great season from is Marcus Spears. It sure would be nice to see him shut up all of the naysayers in the media and on the various boards. When Spears, and the other players, went out and criticized the former coaching staff of holding in the reigns, they pretty much made their own bed. How well they sleep in it will be found out starting September 9th. For the Cowboys sake, let’s hope they are snug as a bug in a rug.
At the same time, it is also exciting to see how the offense will perform. This unit was ranked 5th last season. The offensive line was upgraded with the signing of Leonard Davis. This addition can prove to be huge (excuse the pun) as Dallas is transitioning back to a power running game. With the uncertainty of Newman’s injury, this could prove to be vital as Dallas could increase their time of possession (and keep Terrance and the rest of the defense on the sidelines).
Tony Romo is another reason to be excited about. For the first time in his career, Romo had a full off-season and training camp as the #1 quarterback. He still has his critics as well, as the botched snap in Seattle is still fresh in the critic’s minds. For an undrafted free agent to come out and perform the way he did last season is more than what any fan can ask for. Hopefully, Tony can expound on 2006 to make this upcoming season even better.
I’ll say this…
…I am not regretting passing on Brady Quinn. Especially when a 2008 1st round pick is involved.
Dallas has one of the best receiving groups in the NFL. Terrell Owens is coming in to this season fresh, and should have another stellar season. The most important facet about Owens is that he still opens up the rest of the offense. So it is not just his big plays, rather than more of his presence on the field.
Terry Glenn has been well worth the 6th round pick Parcells gave to Green Bay for him. He has been the consummate professional. His techniques are flawless. The only question mark with Terry is will he be fully healthy for September 9th? Regardless, when all is said and done, Terry Glenn is moving up the board on the list of great Cowboy wide receivers. Is he Top Five? That is for another article.
Despite the health of Terry Glenn, I have the utmost confidence in Patrick Crayton. He has been the best 7th round draft choice since Leon Lett in 1991. It is amazing how former quarterbacks can transition effectively to the NFL. Antoine Randall El has already proven his worth with a great performance in the Super Bowl. Crayton has made several big plays as well (primarily against the Redskins). Drew Pearson was a former quarterback as well as Charlie Waters. Also, watch this former Nittany Lion QB Robinson guy playing on the archrival 49ers. Finally, who knows what Isaiah Stanbeck can develop into? It could be special.
Of all the facets of this team people are most excited about, the one facet that cannot be overlooked is the attitude of Wade Phillips’ family type atmosphere. I really believe that this team will be able to be more cohesive and not melt down in December as they had in the past several years.
Manster68’s prediction for the 2007 season:
11-5
NFC Eastern Division Champions
participate in the NFC Championship game.
Cowboys Pride Staff Writer
It is finally here! Opening Day! It somewhat feels like the first new snow and knowing that Christmas is coming. Like Christmas, we fans have so much hope for a prosperous season. Late summer through early winter is definitely my favorite time of year.
For the first time in a long while, I have high hopes for the 2007 Dallas Cowboys. It has been somewhat tempered with the potential injury to Terrance Newman. I am most interested to see how he does in Week 1 against the Giants. If he has trouble planting his foot, then he is virtually useless playing the cornerback position. Dallas is going to have to rely on Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones to pick up the slack. Even though they are not top-notch corners, I do believe they are much better than some corners of previous seasons for Dallas. Duane Hawthorne and Kevin Mathis were the corners in 1998 when Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith were hurt. Hey, all I can say about this is…
…”Welcome to the wonderful world of free agency and salary cap. This prevents teams from having quality depth.”
So if Terrance cannot be effective, Cowboy fans are just going to have to suck it up.
Regardless of Terrance’s’ situation, there is still much to be looking forward to. I am excited to see this new attacking defense swing into full action finally. Just who will benefit the most from this scheme – the linebackers, the defensive line, or maybe even the secondary? The player that I am hoping for a great season from is Marcus Spears. It sure would be nice to see him shut up all of the naysayers in the media and on the various boards. When Spears, and the other players, went out and criticized the former coaching staff of holding in the reigns, they pretty much made their own bed. How well they sleep in it will be found out starting September 9th. For the Cowboys sake, let’s hope they are snug as a bug in a rug.
At the same time, it is also exciting to see how the offense will perform. This unit was ranked 5th last season. The offensive line was upgraded with the signing of Leonard Davis. This addition can prove to be huge (excuse the pun) as Dallas is transitioning back to a power running game. With the uncertainty of Newman’s injury, this could prove to be vital as Dallas could increase their time of possession (and keep Terrance and the rest of the defense on the sidelines).
Tony Romo is another reason to be excited about. For the first time in his career, Romo had a full off-season and training camp as the #1 quarterback. He still has his critics as well, as the botched snap in Seattle is still fresh in the critic’s minds. For an undrafted free agent to come out and perform the way he did last season is more than what any fan can ask for. Hopefully, Tony can expound on 2006 to make this upcoming season even better.
I’ll say this…
…I am not regretting passing on Brady Quinn. Especially when a 2008 1st round pick is involved.
Dallas has one of the best receiving groups in the NFL. Terrell Owens is coming in to this season fresh, and should have another stellar season. The most important facet about Owens is that he still opens up the rest of the offense. So it is not just his big plays, rather than more of his presence on the field.
Terry Glenn has been well worth the 6th round pick Parcells gave to Green Bay for him. He has been the consummate professional. His techniques are flawless. The only question mark with Terry is will he be fully healthy for September 9th? Regardless, when all is said and done, Terry Glenn is moving up the board on the list of great Cowboy wide receivers. Is he Top Five? That is for another article.
Despite the health of Terry Glenn, I have the utmost confidence in Patrick Crayton. He has been the best 7th round draft choice since Leon Lett in 1991. It is amazing how former quarterbacks can transition effectively to the NFL. Antoine Randall El has already proven his worth with a great performance in the Super Bowl. Crayton has made several big plays as well (primarily against the Redskins). Drew Pearson was a former quarterback as well as Charlie Waters. Also, watch this former Nittany Lion QB Robinson guy playing on the archrival 49ers. Finally, who knows what Isaiah Stanbeck can develop into? It could be special.
Of all the facets of this team people are most excited about, the one facet that cannot be overlooked is the attitude of Wade Phillips’ family type atmosphere. I really believe that this team will be able to be more cohesive and not melt down in December as they had in the past several years.
Manster68’s prediction for the 2007 season:
11-5
NFC Eastern Division Champions
participate in the NFC Championship game.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:07 PM
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