Cowboys are good, and can get better
Jean-Jacques TAYLOR
The season is not over, though many of you seem to think it is.
The Cowboys absorbed a beat-down Sunday against New England. Even Patrick Crayton wouldn't disagree with that, but the game should also serve as a valuable tool for the Cowboys.
They can play with New England. They're not as good as the Patriots, but it's not as though they couldn't beat the Patriots if they played 100 times.
Now, the Cowboys would have to play their best and New England would have to play less than its best, but how many times have we seen that in sports? Too many to count should be the answer.
That said, the Cowboys lost Sunday, in part, for the same reasons that a lot of teams lose to New England: They gave the Patriots too much respect. By the time the Cowboys figured out they could block their blitzes, beat their cornerbacks and run the ball, they were down 14-3.
Dallas eventually rallied to take a 24-21 lead, but 12 penalties and Tom Brady's flawless performance were too much to overcome.
The Cowboys, though, can learn from this loss. Actually, they can learn a lot more than they did after their 25-24 win over Buffalo.
The Cowboys are not an elite team. That status is reserved for Indianapolis and New England.
Dallas is on the next tier with a lot of other clubs. The Cowboys must spend the next 11 games separating themselves from the pack by playing smart, tough football.
Do that and they can join New England and Indianapolis before the playoffs start.
COWBOYS' Q&A
Q: Is it just me, or is the Dallas offense not going deep as much as last season? I realize Terry Glenn is out, but it seems like they'd want to stretch the field with Terrell Owens or Sam Hurd occasionally to get more receivers open underneath.
Randy Heaster, Kansas City
TAYLOR: This is a case of your perception not jibing with reality. Tony Romo is second in the league in average yards per attempt (8.3) behind only Tom Brady. So he is getting chunks of yards with his completions. He has 24 completions of 20 yards or more compared with 23 by Brady. And Romo averages 14.3 yards per completion, while Brady averages 11.9.
••• Q: The cowboys don't seem to run Julius Jones on sweeps or reverses very often. Wouldn't some effective sweeps make running off tackle more effective? Do you have any idea why the Cowboys don't try to get him on the outside more frequently?
TAYLOR: First, I don't think the Cowboys run many pure sweeps unless Tyson Thompson is in the game because he's the fastest running back on the team. They run some stretch plays and some other plays that give Julius an opportunity to get outside, but overall the running game has been pretty solid. There are other problems that are more pressing.
••• Q: I was wondering what your thoughts were about putting Greg Ellis on the line at the defensive end spot and using DeMarcus Ware on the same side.
Michael Gray
TAYLOR: The Cowboys have done some of that. If I'm not mistaken, that's how he wound up sacking Tom Brady and forcing the fumble that Jason Hatcher returned for a touchdown. Wade Phillips is not afraid to overload one side and try to attack, but it's not something you can do every time. You have to pick your spots.
••• Q: Have Romo and Brett Favre met? I was just thinking. If these two keep playing the way they are, both will be in the Pro Bowl together.
Clay Eiland
TAYLOR: I don't know if they've ever met, though I'm sure Romo will try to find him on the field before they play and have a few words with his boyhood hero. They have similar styles and similar games, which bodes well for Romo beyond the Green Bay game.
••• Q: First Tony Sparano was responsible, and this year everyone has anointed Jason Garrett as the next boy wonder. I remember Drew Bledsoe fixating on Terry Glenn and ignoring Jason Witten and Owens. Those guys didn't get any passes until Romo became the starter. I'm curious how much of it has to do with Romo and how much it has to do with the play calling?
Erik Moncayo, Mexico City
TAYLOR: I don't know why there's such a rush to assign credit to Parcells or Phillips. Or in this case Sparano and Garrett. Each helped this team in his own way. Every quarterback has his favorite targets. Every single one of them. This year is no different, though Romo is real good about spreading the ball around and trying not to lock in on Witten every time he drops back to pass.
••• Q: Is it just me, or should Matt Moore be our backup QB instead of Brad Johnson? I know Johnson is experienced in that position, but Moore looked poised and confident. Can you tell us what's become of Matt Moore and if it's possible to get him signed to the practice squad?
David Birdwell, Gettysburg, Pa.
TAYLOR: With its top guys out with injuries, Carolina opted to bring 60-year-old Vinny Testaverde off his couch to play quarterback instead of Matt Moore. That should tell you everything you need to know. He might one day be a fine quarterback, but right now he's not ready to play.
••• Q: Were you surprised to see a Bills receiver run Terence Newman down from behind on the interception return? No one should be able to catch Newman in that circumstance, so I assume this means he's still hobbled.
Joe Duarte, Chapel Hill, N.C.
TAYLOR: That's a good question. Here's the deal: Lee Evans is not just some Buffalo receiver. He's among the fastest receivers in the game. Newman is battling patellar tendinitis and plantar fasciitis, which requires him to take an injection before each game for the pain. I asked Newman about it and he said, "You saw me looking around. If I was completely healthy, I wouldn't have been looking around because I would've known nobody could catch me."
••• Q: Any word on how Evan Oglesby has looked in practice? Any chance his coverage skills would allow the defense to implement the blitz packages you expect from a Wade Wilson defense?
Rey Leon, Chicago
TAYLOR: Evan is coming along nicely in practice, but I wouldn't expect to see him anytime soon – at least not in the next two or three games. Nate Jones had a tough time Sunday, but Wes Welker has made a lot of guys look bad. Besides, Wade Phillips has never been a huge fan of playing rookies.
••• Q: Since no one is going to give Wade Phillips any credit if the Cowboys win this year ("oh, but he did it with Bill Parcells' players"), how can you blame him for another catastrophic defensive performance? Parcells would have lost that game too, except it would have been over in the first quarter. All of that said, can we finally put to rest the notion that Bill Parcells is actually a good talent evaluator? This defense is terrible! This team is doomed – and it is because of Parcells, not Wade Phillips.
Charles Stec, Wilmington, Del.
TAYLOR: I appreciate your answer, but that's such a cop-out question. Wade runs the defense. When the guys on defense play well, he gets the credit. When they play poorly, he gets the blame. They struggled to match up with New England as a lot of teams do, so there is no shame in that. The defense is not terrible. Don't overreact. It will be better once Anthony Henry and Terence Newman are on the field at the same time.
••• Q: Is the offense moving T.O. around less before the snap and, if so, why do you think they are moving him less given that it seemed like it was very successful?
Mike Spencer, San Antonio
TAYLOR: The Cowboys are still moving him around quite a bit, but T.O. is a primary weapon and opponents aren't going to let him do what he wants to do every time he's on the field. T.O. could help himself by not dropping so many passes. If he caught all of those he dropped, he would be among the league's leaders. I've never seen such a great receiver with bad hands. I know that's an oxymoron, but he puzzles me.
••• Q: Does the Phillips coaching staff know Miles Austin returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the playoffs last year?
Kyle Lang, Crown Point, N.Y.
TAYLOR: The coaches might make a move at some point, but Thompson did have a 72-yard return against New England that nearly allowed the Cowboys to get back into the game. If Austin were better, he would be getting a shot. Wade wants to do everything he can to win games.
The season is not over, though many of you seem to think it is.
The Cowboys absorbed a beat-down Sunday against New England. Even Patrick Crayton wouldn't disagree with that, but the game should also serve as a valuable tool for the Cowboys.
They can play with New England. They're not as good as the Patriots, but it's not as though they couldn't beat the Patriots if they played 100 times.
Now, the Cowboys would have to play their best and New England would have to play less than its best, but how many times have we seen that in sports? Too many to count should be the answer.
That said, the Cowboys lost Sunday, in part, for the same reasons that a lot of teams lose to New England: They gave the Patriots too much respect. By the time the Cowboys figured out they could block their blitzes, beat their cornerbacks and run the ball, they were down 14-3.
Dallas eventually rallied to take a 24-21 lead, but 12 penalties and Tom Brady's flawless performance were too much to overcome.
The Cowboys, though, can learn from this loss. Actually, they can learn a lot more than they did after their 25-24 win over Buffalo.
The Cowboys are not an elite team. That status is reserved for Indianapolis and New England.
Dallas is on the next tier with a lot of other clubs. The Cowboys must spend the next 11 games separating themselves from the pack by playing smart, tough football.
Do that and they can join New England and Indianapolis before the playoffs start.
COWBOYS' Q&A
Q: Is it just me, or is the Dallas offense not going deep as much as last season? I realize Terry Glenn is out, but it seems like they'd want to stretch the field with Terrell Owens or Sam Hurd occasionally to get more receivers open underneath.
Randy Heaster, Kansas City
TAYLOR: This is a case of your perception not jibing with reality. Tony Romo is second in the league in average yards per attempt (8.3) behind only Tom Brady. So he is getting chunks of yards with his completions. He has 24 completions of 20 yards or more compared with 23 by Brady. And Romo averages 14.3 yards per completion, while Brady averages 11.9.
••• Q: The cowboys don't seem to run Julius Jones on sweeps or reverses very often. Wouldn't some effective sweeps make running off tackle more effective? Do you have any idea why the Cowboys don't try to get him on the outside more frequently?
TAYLOR: First, I don't think the Cowboys run many pure sweeps unless Tyson Thompson is in the game because he's the fastest running back on the team. They run some stretch plays and some other plays that give Julius an opportunity to get outside, but overall the running game has been pretty solid. There are other problems that are more pressing.
••• Q: I was wondering what your thoughts were about putting Greg Ellis on the line at the defensive end spot and using DeMarcus Ware on the same side.
Michael Gray
TAYLOR: The Cowboys have done some of that. If I'm not mistaken, that's how he wound up sacking Tom Brady and forcing the fumble that Jason Hatcher returned for a touchdown. Wade Phillips is not afraid to overload one side and try to attack, but it's not something you can do every time. You have to pick your spots.
••• Q: Have Romo and Brett Favre met? I was just thinking. If these two keep playing the way they are, both will be in the Pro Bowl together.
Clay Eiland
TAYLOR: I don't know if they've ever met, though I'm sure Romo will try to find him on the field before they play and have a few words with his boyhood hero. They have similar styles and similar games, which bodes well for Romo beyond the Green Bay game.
••• Q: First Tony Sparano was responsible, and this year everyone has anointed Jason Garrett as the next boy wonder. I remember Drew Bledsoe fixating on Terry Glenn and ignoring Jason Witten and Owens. Those guys didn't get any passes until Romo became the starter. I'm curious how much of it has to do with Romo and how much it has to do with the play calling?
Erik Moncayo, Mexico City
TAYLOR: I don't know why there's such a rush to assign credit to Parcells or Phillips. Or in this case Sparano and Garrett. Each helped this team in his own way. Every quarterback has his favorite targets. Every single one of them. This year is no different, though Romo is real good about spreading the ball around and trying not to lock in on Witten every time he drops back to pass.
••• Q: Is it just me, or should Matt Moore be our backup QB instead of Brad Johnson? I know Johnson is experienced in that position, but Moore looked poised and confident. Can you tell us what's become of Matt Moore and if it's possible to get him signed to the practice squad?
David Birdwell, Gettysburg, Pa.
TAYLOR: With its top guys out with injuries, Carolina opted to bring 60-year-old Vinny Testaverde off his couch to play quarterback instead of Matt Moore. That should tell you everything you need to know. He might one day be a fine quarterback, but right now he's not ready to play.
••• Q: Were you surprised to see a Bills receiver run Terence Newman down from behind on the interception return? No one should be able to catch Newman in that circumstance, so I assume this means he's still hobbled.
Joe Duarte, Chapel Hill, N.C.
TAYLOR: That's a good question. Here's the deal: Lee Evans is not just some Buffalo receiver. He's among the fastest receivers in the game. Newman is battling patellar tendinitis and plantar fasciitis, which requires him to take an injection before each game for the pain. I asked Newman about it and he said, "You saw me looking around. If I was completely healthy, I wouldn't have been looking around because I would've known nobody could catch me."
••• Q: Any word on how Evan Oglesby has looked in practice? Any chance his coverage skills would allow the defense to implement the blitz packages you expect from a Wade Wilson defense?
Rey Leon, Chicago
TAYLOR: Evan is coming along nicely in practice, but I wouldn't expect to see him anytime soon – at least not in the next two or three games. Nate Jones had a tough time Sunday, but Wes Welker has made a lot of guys look bad. Besides, Wade Phillips has never been a huge fan of playing rookies.
••• Q: Since no one is going to give Wade Phillips any credit if the Cowboys win this year ("oh, but he did it with Bill Parcells' players"), how can you blame him for another catastrophic defensive performance? Parcells would have lost that game too, except it would have been over in the first quarter. All of that said, can we finally put to rest the notion that Bill Parcells is actually a good talent evaluator? This defense is terrible! This team is doomed – and it is because of Parcells, not Wade Phillips.
Charles Stec, Wilmington, Del.
TAYLOR: I appreciate your answer, but that's such a cop-out question. Wade runs the defense. When the guys on defense play well, he gets the credit. When they play poorly, he gets the blame. They struggled to match up with New England as a lot of teams do, so there is no shame in that. The defense is not terrible. Don't overreact. It will be better once Anthony Henry and Terence Newman are on the field at the same time.
••• Q: Is the offense moving T.O. around less before the snap and, if so, why do you think they are moving him less given that it seemed like it was very successful?
Mike Spencer, San Antonio
TAYLOR: The Cowboys are still moving him around quite a bit, but T.O. is a primary weapon and opponents aren't going to let him do what he wants to do every time he's on the field. T.O. could help himself by not dropping so many passes. If he caught all of those he dropped, he would be among the league's leaders. I've never seen such a great receiver with bad hands. I know that's an oxymoron, but he puzzles me.
••• Q: Does the Phillips coaching staff know Miles Austin returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the playoffs last year?
Kyle Lang, Crown Point, N.Y.
TAYLOR: The coaches might make a move at some point, but Thompson did have a 72-yard return against New England that nearly allowed the Cowboys to get back into the game. If Austin were better, he would be getting a shot. Wade wants to do everything he can to win games.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:57 AM
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