BeerIsGood!
07-19-2007, 12:24 AM
Here's Cowboy Columnist Micky Spagnola's take on the season from this point - mere days before the commencement of training camp. What are your predictions for the Cowboy's season?
Seeing The Cowboys Clearly (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?editorialAuthor=1&id=D6413817-C054-1B13-C3075F6ABF530BA9)
Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
July 17, 2007 5:16 PM Change Font Size A A A A
IRVING, Texas - Time to pull out the crystal ball and peer into the future, since the future of the 2007 Dallas Cowboys begins arriving a week from today.
Training camp opens in San Antonio next Tuesday, the players reporting and the opening press conference conducted by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and new head coach Wade Phillips, all followed by the City of San Antonio celebrating the Cowboys' return during that night's kick-off celebration at the Alamodome.
The first practice is next Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.
The first preseason game is just 23 days away.
And can you stand it, the season opener is but 54 days away. That's less than two months, but it seems like yesterday referee Walt Anderson, looking into his replay monitor, somehow turned what was ruled on the field to be a first down at the Seattle one into fourth-and-one at the two with 1:19 remaining in a 21-20 game that the score never budged another inch.
And no, it's not time for that season prediction. Far too early. I mean how do you predict what a team is going to do without at least seeing like two practices in pads? That T-shirt and shorts stuff in the off-season is OK, but this ain't the 7-on-7 football championship being decided. This is real football. They hit in this stuff. You're going to have to wait for that record - like 51 more days.
But knowing what we know now, let's take a legitimate stab at what might take place during the 16 days of training camp, the four preseason games and the weeks leading up to the Sept. 9 Sunday night season opener against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium.
Grab a cold one, and let's begin.
Going way out on a limb, all we are going to hear, at least for the first week of training camp, is how the atmosphere around the team is so much more relaxed - so much more conducive to working productively now that Wade Phillips has taken over for the heavy-handed and dour Bill Parcells. Wonder if that alone can turn a 9-7 team into 12-4?
Safety Roy Williams, and yes I know he's been to the Pro Bowl the past four seasons, will have a much improved season, and not just because Phillips' defensive style will allow him to creep closer to the line of scrimmage. Williams will take more responsibility for his play this year, knowing his talk has now eliminated any excuses for malfunctions, saying this defense will more suit his style. Well, then let's see it. Also, seems to me he will become more accountable for his play with veteran safety Ken Hamlin playing next to him. Hamlin appears to be a no-nonsense guy, and he's a veteran, not some rookie from Florida State back there. He's going to have expectations of his Pro Bowl safety-mate. Sometimes peer-pressure is heavier than coach-pressure.
Veteran defensive end-turned-linebacker Greg Ellis will open the season as the starting strong, outside linebacker, although probably give him a day or two at the start of camp to continue airing his gripes - he'll be asked, of course - before he gets his mind back right with ball. Ellis will be healthy enough and valuable enough to start off the season out there while first-round pick Anthony Spencer works on making the transition to a 3-4 linebacker. The Cowboys will further capitalize on Ellis' pass-rush skills by moving him inside to tackle on the four-man nickel line.
No matter taking a kicker in the sixth round, Martin Gramatica will open the season as the Cowboys kicker, although, after last year's kicking debacle in training camp, I should have learned never to predict what's going to happen with these guys. Gramatica was pretty darn good last year, and the only way he doesn't win the kicking job is if rookie Nick Folk not only successfully adds the extra five yards to his kickoffs and shows no ill-effects from kicking those rock-hard K-balls they use in the NFL, but matches him in camp field goal for field goal. Or, if the Cowboys decide they just want Folk to beat out the veteran Gramatica. You know, that stuff happens in the NFL.
The biggest worry at the end of training camp, and remember, camp will continue once the Cowboys return back to The Ranch for another 1½ weeks, will be just who is going to be the backup nose tackle behind Jason Ferguson. They would like to give youngsters Montavious Stanley, Remi Ayodele and Ola Dagunduro a legitimate shot at winning their confidence. Maybe one will, but what are the odds? I mean we're looking at a sixth-round pick who basically washed out as a rookie in two places last year and two guys who entered the league as rookie free agents.
Here's another limb-tester: There will be a Terrell Owens incident. Who knows what, but there will be something to take attention away from the rest of the team during training camp. Having said that, as attention-seeking as Owens is, the veteran receiver will be much happier this year, and here are a couple of reasons why. Two of his local confidantes, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, are onboard with Phillips replacing Parcells. And both of these former Cowboys players will be out-front supporters of Jason Garrett, the man in charge of this offense. They will be in Owens' ear, convincing him Garrett will have his best interest in hand and that Red Ball is a man he can trust. Garrett earned that respect from both Pro Bowl players while working behind Troy Aikman during their time with the Cowboys. They know his act and have openly applauded the hire, and if Owens cares to listen, he will, too.
This Cowboys offense under Garrett won't be as AFL or XFL or whatever alternative-FL you can name as so many people seem to anticipate. Sure the Cowboys might throw deep a few more times, but this isn't going to be the Run And Shoot, you know. Garrett learned his offense from Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese, and then a little more from Chan Gailey, and then Sean Payton and Jon Gruden, too. We aren't exactly talking about a bunch of offensive-hippies or anything. And Troy Aikman? Hey, the guy took his shots, but it's not as if he was throwing for 300 yards a game. Garrett learned the best offense is one of precision, not one that let's its shoulder-length hair down series after series. The best thing Phillips and Garrett can do is not put winning and losing every week solely in the hands of Tony Romo.
This will not be a flawless, 16-game season for Romo. There will be a few bumps in the road for the fourth new quarterback to start a Cowboys season in the seven years since Aikman was cast aside following 2000. And while Garrett doesn't want to stifle Romo's creativity, he won't allow him to drift too far away from precision quarterbacking. Guarantee you, the choker leash will be yanked hard if Romo puts on a couple of those hully-gully performances back to back. Those aren't in Garrett's makeup, nor that of quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson's.
Here are two candidates for this year's most improved player: Defensive end Marcus Spears and safety Patrick Watkins. The wraps will come off Spears at defensive end, where he will be able to use his quickness and instincts in this style of the 3-4 more often than last year when he was constantly asked to play macho football. And if legitimately allowed, watch for Watkins in his second year to push Hamlin for playing time. The kid has range. He has the smarts. Let's see if he's gained the necessary confidence to become a leader back there. The secondary yearns for a take-charge guy.
OK, that should be enough to get us going and whet your football appetites with another year about to commence. And I know without a doubt you guys will keep careful score on all this, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here's to hoping to at least break even with all this.
So get ready, the fun is about to start, that wacky roller-coaster ride that is an NFL season. Can't wait. How 'bout you?
Seeing The Cowboys Clearly (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?editorialAuthor=1&id=D6413817-C054-1B13-C3075F6ABF530BA9)
Mickey Spagnola - Email
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
July 17, 2007 5:16 PM Change Font Size A A A A
IRVING, Texas - Time to pull out the crystal ball and peer into the future, since the future of the 2007 Dallas Cowboys begins arriving a week from today.
Training camp opens in San Antonio next Tuesday, the players reporting and the opening press conference conducted by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and new head coach Wade Phillips, all followed by the City of San Antonio celebrating the Cowboys' return during that night's kick-off celebration at the Alamodome.
The first practice is next Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.
The first preseason game is just 23 days away.
And can you stand it, the season opener is but 54 days away. That's less than two months, but it seems like yesterday referee Walt Anderson, looking into his replay monitor, somehow turned what was ruled on the field to be a first down at the Seattle one into fourth-and-one at the two with 1:19 remaining in a 21-20 game that the score never budged another inch.
And no, it's not time for that season prediction. Far too early. I mean how do you predict what a team is going to do without at least seeing like two practices in pads? That T-shirt and shorts stuff in the off-season is OK, but this ain't the 7-on-7 football championship being decided. This is real football. They hit in this stuff. You're going to have to wait for that record - like 51 more days.
But knowing what we know now, let's take a legitimate stab at what might take place during the 16 days of training camp, the four preseason games and the weeks leading up to the Sept. 9 Sunday night season opener against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium.
Grab a cold one, and let's begin.
Going way out on a limb, all we are going to hear, at least for the first week of training camp, is how the atmosphere around the team is so much more relaxed - so much more conducive to working productively now that Wade Phillips has taken over for the heavy-handed and dour Bill Parcells. Wonder if that alone can turn a 9-7 team into 12-4?
Safety Roy Williams, and yes I know he's been to the Pro Bowl the past four seasons, will have a much improved season, and not just because Phillips' defensive style will allow him to creep closer to the line of scrimmage. Williams will take more responsibility for his play this year, knowing his talk has now eliminated any excuses for malfunctions, saying this defense will more suit his style. Well, then let's see it. Also, seems to me he will become more accountable for his play with veteran safety Ken Hamlin playing next to him. Hamlin appears to be a no-nonsense guy, and he's a veteran, not some rookie from Florida State back there. He's going to have expectations of his Pro Bowl safety-mate. Sometimes peer-pressure is heavier than coach-pressure.
Veteran defensive end-turned-linebacker Greg Ellis will open the season as the starting strong, outside linebacker, although probably give him a day or two at the start of camp to continue airing his gripes - he'll be asked, of course - before he gets his mind back right with ball. Ellis will be healthy enough and valuable enough to start off the season out there while first-round pick Anthony Spencer works on making the transition to a 3-4 linebacker. The Cowboys will further capitalize on Ellis' pass-rush skills by moving him inside to tackle on the four-man nickel line.
No matter taking a kicker in the sixth round, Martin Gramatica will open the season as the Cowboys kicker, although, after last year's kicking debacle in training camp, I should have learned never to predict what's going to happen with these guys. Gramatica was pretty darn good last year, and the only way he doesn't win the kicking job is if rookie Nick Folk not only successfully adds the extra five yards to his kickoffs and shows no ill-effects from kicking those rock-hard K-balls they use in the NFL, but matches him in camp field goal for field goal. Or, if the Cowboys decide they just want Folk to beat out the veteran Gramatica. You know, that stuff happens in the NFL.
The biggest worry at the end of training camp, and remember, camp will continue once the Cowboys return back to The Ranch for another 1½ weeks, will be just who is going to be the backup nose tackle behind Jason Ferguson. They would like to give youngsters Montavious Stanley, Remi Ayodele and Ola Dagunduro a legitimate shot at winning their confidence. Maybe one will, but what are the odds? I mean we're looking at a sixth-round pick who basically washed out as a rookie in two places last year and two guys who entered the league as rookie free agents.
Here's another limb-tester: There will be a Terrell Owens incident. Who knows what, but there will be something to take attention away from the rest of the team during training camp. Having said that, as attention-seeking as Owens is, the veteran receiver will be much happier this year, and here are a couple of reasons why. Two of his local confidantes, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin, are onboard with Phillips replacing Parcells. And both of these former Cowboys players will be out-front supporters of Jason Garrett, the man in charge of this offense. They will be in Owens' ear, convincing him Garrett will have his best interest in hand and that Red Ball is a man he can trust. Garrett earned that respect from both Pro Bowl players while working behind Troy Aikman during their time with the Cowboys. They know his act and have openly applauded the hire, and if Owens cares to listen, he will, too.
This Cowboys offense under Garrett won't be as AFL or XFL or whatever alternative-FL you can name as so many people seem to anticipate. Sure the Cowboys might throw deep a few more times, but this isn't going to be the Run And Shoot, you know. Garrett learned his offense from Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese, and then a little more from Chan Gailey, and then Sean Payton and Jon Gruden, too. We aren't exactly talking about a bunch of offensive-hippies or anything. And Troy Aikman? Hey, the guy took his shots, but it's not as if he was throwing for 300 yards a game. Garrett learned the best offense is one of precision, not one that let's its shoulder-length hair down series after series. The best thing Phillips and Garrett can do is not put winning and losing every week solely in the hands of Tony Romo.
This will not be a flawless, 16-game season for Romo. There will be a few bumps in the road for the fourth new quarterback to start a Cowboys season in the seven years since Aikman was cast aside following 2000. And while Garrett doesn't want to stifle Romo's creativity, he won't allow him to drift too far away from precision quarterbacking. Guarantee you, the choker leash will be yanked hard if Romo puts on a couple of those hully-gully performances back to back. Those aren't in Garrett's makeup, nor that of quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson's.
Here are two candidates for this year's most improved player: Defensive end Marcus Spears and safety Patrick Watkins. The wraps will come off Spears at defensive end, where he will be able to use his quickness and instincts in this style of the 3-4 more often than last year when he was constantly asked to play macho football. And if legitimately allowed, watch for Watkins in his second year to push Hamlin for playing time. The kid has range. He has the smarts. Let's see if he's gained the necessary confidence to become a leader back there. The secondary yearns for a take-charge guy.
OK, that should be enough to get us going and whet your football appetites with another year about to commence. And I know without a doubt you guys will keep careful score on all this, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Here's to hoping to at least break even with all this.
So get ready, the fun is about to start, that wacky roller-coaster ride that is an NFL season. Can't wait. How 'bout you?