Season schedule lookahead. Early thoughts.

Here is the Cowboys schedule overview.

@Washington
Chicago
@Houston
BYE WEEK
Tennessee
@Minnesota
NY Giants
Jacksonville
@Green Bay
@NY Giants
Detroit
New Orleans
@Indianapolis
Philadelphia
Washington
@Arizona
@Philadelphia

Dallas has one of the more difficult schedules for 2010. Now, obviously this is very early and there is no guarantees that this schedule will be difficult or a breeze, but it's fun to lookahead and try to guess the wins and losses. Lets take a look

Week one @ Washington - The Boys vs the Skins is always a great game. Even the years that one of these teams isn't doing so well, they always manage to play well against each other. I've got the Cowboys winning this game. The Cowboys are the kings of September, and with Washington switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme this year, I don't see them really shutting down the boys this early in the season.

Week two at home against Da Bears - Common, first home game of the season and the Big yard in Arlington. Cowboys defense will own Jay Cutler. I can't wait to see Demarcus Ware peel Cutler off of the bottom of his cleats.

Week three @ Houston - This will be a tough game. Houston has become a tough team, and the crowd will be really into this one. Matt Schaub is a great QB with the best WR in the league, and they'll be attacking the Cowboys safeties all game. I think the Cowboys depth is too deep for the Texans to overcome though, and the Boys will win a close one in Houston.

Week Five home against the Titans - This will be an intriguing game to say the least. Vince Young will be anxious to play again in the state of Texas, and Chris Johnson is a freak. The titans managed to finish last season with an 8-8 record....AFTER LOSING THE FIRST 6 GAMES! I've got the Boys winning this one too, but don't be surprised if the Titans steal this one away from them.

Week six @ Minnesota - PLAYOFF REMATCH! But this one is really tough to predict. If Brett Favre is playing again, I'm picking the Vikings at home. If he's not playing, I'm picking the Cowboys. Without Farve the boys can focus more on the running game of the Vikings and stop the big plays. If the Cowboys can gain an early lead, the Vikes will have to abandon the run and start letting Tavarus Jackson hurl the rock (lololololzzz)

Week seven home against the NY football Giants - The Giants managed to beat the Boys both times last season, and I know that's in the back of the players minds. It's going to be a classic NFC East battle. I got the Boys winning at home in a very close game. Can't wait for this one.

Week Eight at home against the Jags - Boys. Jags aren't athletic enough to hang with them after halftime.

I'll post my thoughts on weeks 9-17 tomorrow. Thoughts? Comments?

Crowded backfield. Why T-Choice needs to start.

Yup, I said it. Tashard Choice would be the best choice (pun intended) to be the Cowboy's starting running back.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still a huge fan of Marion the Barbarian, and I'm super high on Felix Jones, but both of them have been inconsistent during the past two years due to injuries. Choice has always answered the call when he was forced into a starting role, and he always seems to gain positive yards every chance he gets.
Barber is of course the bruising, bashing dynamo that sets a physical tone, but since he took over a starting role, his numbers have dipped, and he's gotten hurt more often. His yards per carry increased a good amount last season, but his touchdown total dropped, and he just didn't seem to have that burst needed during short yardage situations. Barber is at his best when he's used as "The closer," and he can wear down the defense to finish the game.
Felix Jones is by far the most explosive player on the team and his yards per carry are beyond ridiculous. He is scary good in open space and he makes defenders look like they're stuck in cement. I'd be screaming for Jones to start if he wasn't so fragile though. In his first two seasons he's missed 12 games due to injury, and I'm not sure he could take the pounding of a starting back just yet, but he does need more carries.
Choice is the most well rounded tail back on the Cowboys roster. He plays very physical, but he is shifty enough that he doesn't take too many big hits. He is very good running between the tackles, but he has enough quickness to make plenty of outside runs as well. He is versatile enough to catch passes on screen plays out of the backfield, as well as run the razorback plays in which he was very successful at last season. He is a good enough blocker that he is most used during 3rd downs to chip block defenders and protect the QB. The only knock on Choice is he does a lot of things well, but nothing great. He's fast but not a burner, and he's tough but not a true power back. Overall, Choice is a extremely talented back that can carry the load and he is one of the most fiery players out there.
Who would you like to be the starting running back this year?

June 7th 2010. Blog number one.

This is the first of many Dallas Cowboys blogs I will be posting over the next year. My goal is to keep readers updated with anything and everything related to the Dallas Cowboys. Mostly this blog will discuss "On the field" topics, but any big news or developments will be featured.

OTA's (organized team activities) have been going on for the last 3 weeks, and this week will be the final week of OTA's before the first mandatory mini-camp this weekend. The OTA's are a good time for the rookies and younger players to get more reps and become more comfortable with the playbook before training camp begins, and for veterans to shake off some rust and bond with their new teammates. The OTA's have been highlighted by the wide receivers so far. Rookie Dez Bryant from Oklahoma state has been making highlight reel plays every day, and Roy E Williams claims that he and Tony Romo are starting to click. He even went so far to say that "this year, we're connecting like (Joe) Montana and (Jerry) Rice. It's night and day from last year so I know we're expecting big things for both of us." The biggest story of the OTA's by far has been the absence of WR Patrick Crayton. Crayton has asked to be traded from the Cowboys following the Cowboys decision to draft WR Dez Bryant in the first round of the 2010 draft. Crayton has now asked to be released from the team, and he has not showed up to any of the OTA's because he does not want to risk being injured and detour his chances to join another team. It has recently been reported that Crayton no longer wants to be a distraction and will most likely join his team for the final week of OTA's before this weekends mini-camp. The OTA's are voluntary, so he will not be fined for not being there.

I feel for Crayton honestly. He's not going to get the chance to start because of the complete kick assness of "I can see for miles and Miles" Austin, and the overpaid Roy Willams. His punt returning days are numbered because of Bryant, as well as his slot receiver position. Crayton is always getting the short end of the stick, and it's not fair because he has been one of the most consistent guys on the team. He's no track star, and his numbers will never blow your mind, but he's a producer and a huge part of this team. He and Witten are the 3rd down go to guys. The young receivers waiting in the wings are impressing a lot of folks right now too. Sam Hurd and Kevin Ogletree are making big strides right now, and they come a lot cheaper than the 2 million dollar Crayton. Poor guy, it must suck to feel so unwanted by team. What do ya'll think about the Crayton situation?