Friday, October 30, 2009

Five Questions: Cowboys vs. Seahawks

By Drew Magary

Every Friday, we’ll tackle five big questions for the Cowboys going into the weekend’s game.

1. Will Miles Austin have a third straight game with over 150 yards receiving? No. Seattle has a better pass defense than Kansas City and Atlanta, and Austin has clearly proven he’s no fluke. This will be the first game where Austin probably commands consistent double teams. The payoff is more room for Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett to get open down the field. And that’s one of the many delightful perks of having a true #1 wide receiver.

2. If the Cowboys lose this game, are we right back where we started? Yes. The Cowboys can’t take a step back and lose this game to an outfit that’s injured and doesn’t have the same caliber of talent. Seattle has more than enough weapons on offense to keep things close. You never know when Hasselbeck and the passing game will spring to life. But for the Cowboys to lose this game prior to their big showdown with the Eagles next week would permanently mark them as one of the league’s most maddeningly inconsistent teams. You’d hope the team would be past that after beating Atlanta the way they did. But you never know. Things turn on a dime.

3. Do I get free green beans if a punt hits the scoreboard? Again, all signs point to no. There have been no press releases from TGI Fridays this week announcing that their free fried green bean promotion has been continued, and my emails to the company demanding free green beans anyway have gone unreturned. THAT’S THE LAST TIME I VISIT YOU PEOPLE FOR A JACK DANIELS-SOAKED STRIP STEAK.

4. I think I’m over seeing if a punter can hit that stupid board. Are you too suffering from Lofty Punt Fatigue? I am. But your video board challenger this week is Jon Ryan of the Seahawks, who’s averaging nearly 50 yards a punt (his 49.9 yard average is 2nd in the league), and has boomed a 70-yarder this season. He could totally hit it. HE COULD! Ryan is the first in a line of excellent punters making their way to Cowboys Stadium. Shane Lechler comes into town at the end of November. And Mike Scifres comes in two weeks later. If none of those three men end up hitting the board, then I think PunterGate officially becomes a dead issue. So far, the board clearly doesn’t interfere enough with game play for it to really matter.

5. GAHHHHH! I ate half a bag of Reese’s cups already and it’s not even Halloween yet. Do I have a problem? If premature candy binging on Halloween is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.