Post by ccboy on Nov 5, 2008 4:37:54 GMT -7
since the Cowboys aren't going to just up and go away. From Vela's fine blog:
Games
Back to School
I expect half the team to return from the bye in good working order — the offensive half. Tony Romo will make an enormous difference. I’m sure lots of folks were having some nasty Ryan Leaf/Chad Hutchinson/Drew Henson/Anthony Wright flashbacks on Sunday. QBs with ratings near 100, even those with wild streaks, change your football world view — tremendously.
It was lost in the debris of the Cardinals loss, but that game was Romo’s 32nd as a starter. News flash — he’s good:
Splitting his numbers down the middle — and that’s fair because he’s been remarkably consistent — we get this average season line:
528 att.; 341 comp.; 64.6 comp. %; 8.3 YPA; 35 TDs; 19 Int.; 97.8 Rating
W-L: 23-9, 72%
Remember this — Romo has been throwing all along. He has not been playing because he can’t take a snap, transition the ball to his hand and get a pass off quickly under a rush. But he’s been able to throw all along.
Which means he’s been developing timing with Roy Williams.
– Felix Jones will be back. He’s not practicing now, as a precaution, but he’s running with no pain. We should see him in Washington. He’s another guy whose value became immediately apparent when he left. Defenses had no answer for him. He was averaging at TD a game.
And Jason Garrett didn’t use him in the first Redskins game, so he’s still a mystery to them.
– Kyle Kosier should also be back. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Dallas’ best rushing game of the season came in his lone start versus Green Bay. I don’t want to make him out as a miracle worker, but offensive lines function as a unit, and losing a starter often hurts you more than his individual value, because the entire unit is weaker. He may only be 10% better of a player than Cory Proctor, but it’s hard to put an accurate estimate on how much his loss has hurt the line’s overall play. I’d put it as more than 10%.
I do think his return makes Flozell Adams and Andre Gurode better players. And it makes the Cowboys a more balanced running team. They have been very right-handed so far this year.
The Cowboys offense should be humming again after the bye. Romo’s return alone makes them much better. Adding Jones and Kosier, not to mention the unknown potential of a Romo-Williams connection and the points should return.
And every point will be vital, because I don’t know what can be done to fix the run defense. That’s the task facing the staff, because they’re going to be the Chargers East if they don’t figure that one out. A source I spoke to yesterday said the front seven defenders “are having a hard time getting off blocks.”
Getting them free will determine this season — and the future employment of a lot of defensive players and coaches.
Games
Back to School
I expect half the team to return from the bye in good working order — the offensive half. Tony Romo will make an enormous difference. I’m sure lots of folks were having some nasty Ryan Leaf/Chad Hutchinson/Drew Henson/Anthony Wright flashbacks on Sunday. QBs with ratings near 100, even those with wild streaks, change your football world view — tremendously.
It was lost in the debris of the Cardinals loss, but that game was Romo’s 32nd as a starter. News flash — he’s good:
Splitting his numbers down the middle — and that’s fair because he’s been remarkably consistent — we get this average season line:
528 att.; 341 comp.; 64.6 comp. %; 8.3 YPA; 35 TDs; 19 Int.; 97.8 Rating
W-L: 23-9, 72%
Remember this — Romo has been throwing all along. He has not been playing because he can’t take a snap, transition the ball to his hand and get a pass off quickly under a rush. But he’s been able to throw all along.
Which means he’s been developing timing with Roy Williams.
– Felix Jones will be back. He’s not practicing now, as a precaution, but he’s running with no pain. We should see him in Washington. He’s another guy whose value became immediately apparent when he left. Defenses had no answer for him. He was averaging at TD a game.
And Jason Garrett didn’t use him in the first Redskins game, so he’s still a mystery to them.
– Kyle Kosier should also be back. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Dallas’ best rushing game of the season came in his lone start versus Green Bay. I don’t want to make him out as a miracle worker, but offensive lines function as a unit, and losing a starter often hurts you more than his individual value, because the entire unit is weaker. He may only be 10% better of a player than Cory Proctor, but it’s hard to put an accurate estimate on how much his loss has hurt the line’s overall play. I’d put it as more than 10%.
I do think his return makes Flozell Adams and Andre Gurode better players. And it makes the Cowboys a more balanced running team. They have been very right-handed so far this year.
The Cowboys offense should be humming again after the bye. Romo’s return alone makes them much better. Adding Jones and Kosier, not to mention the unknown potential of a Romo-Williams connection and the points should return.
And every point will be vital, because I don’t know what can be done to fix the run defense. That’s the task facing the staff, because they’re going to be the Chargers East if they don’t figure that one out. A source I spoke to yesterday said the front seven defenders “are having a hard time getting off blocks.”
Getting them free will determine this season — and the future employment of a lot of defensive players and coaches.