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You do have a point on the importance of being able to pressure the QB, but that doesn't change the fact that our secondary is the weaker component.
Unable to pressure the qb will kill the secondary no matter who is in it.
You do have a point on the importance of being able to pressure the QB, but that doesn't change the fact that our secondary is the weaker component.
How do you figure that? The secondary is weak no question, but with a good pass rush even the weakest secondary can look decent.
That was the point I was making.
Don't get your confederate flag panties in a bunch.
But how is it the weakest link, ese!!!
Agree 100%
(Ese)
LOL!!
It's been apparent that our secondary is weak. Jaques Reeves in week 1 was murdered over and over again. Anthony Henry got beat pretty bad a few times this past week, although he made up for it by picking off Trent Green.
But, the D-line has been consistent (as much as they can be) for the past two weeks. Demarcus Ware has been in the back field disrupting things and they were able to keep Jacobs/Ward to just about 100 yds in week 1 and kept the Maimi backfield to 60 yds.
But, add up the yards that the secondary has sacrificed during the past two weeks and compare that to what the D-line has given up.
Once again, yes we do need to play better at D-line, but the secondary is our biggest concern.
I will say this though, with the way the Cowboys have the DB's playing off the recievers its not going to matter how good the pass rush is. If Phillips is going to continue to have the DB's play off the reciever like this, then Newman can't come back soon enough.
once newman comes back they will press more, becuase they will have a good corner on the right side that doesn't depend roy( i can't cover ) williams to help him out.
Then just as I said my friend, NEWMAN CAN'T COME BACK SOON ENOUGH!!!once newman comes back they will press more, becuase they will have a good corner on the right side that doesn't depend roy( i can't cover ) williams to help him out.
They aren't quick enough to bump and cover, which is why I said that they make up the weaker component of our defense.
They were laying off the receivers all game to make Green throw underneath, then in the 2nd half changed it up to take away the check downs. That change threw the Dolphins' offense off. That's how Williams and Henry got their picks (Henry's 2nd). Hamlin's pick was on a horrible over throw, and Henry's 1st pick was on damn good coverage down the field.
Amen.Then just as I said my friend, NEWMAN CAN'T COME BACK SOON ENOUGH!!!
Cowboys kick ass.
You have a point with Henry, but according to what I hear Reeves is just as fast if not faster than Newman.
Tony Romo and Mario Williams on the Jim Rome radio show "The Jungle" today. Show is between 11am-2pm. If interested in hearing the interviews today check your local affiliate below
TEXAS
ALICE KOPY-AM 1070
AMARILLO KPUR-AM 1440
AUSTIN KVET-AM 1300
BEAUMONT-PORT ARTHUR KBPO-AM 1150
COLLEGE STATION KZNE-AM 1150
CORPUS CHRISTI KSIX-AM 1230
DALLAS KHFX-AM 1460
EL PASO KHEY-AM 690
HOUSTON KILT-AM 610
SAN ANTONIO KTKR-AM 760
WACO KRZI-AM 1580
WICHITA FALLS KWFS-AM 1290
US
US-AT LARGE KROM-WW JIMROME.COM
UT
PROVO KOVO-AM 960
SALT LAKE CITY KALL-AM 700
SALT LAKE CITY KZNS-AM 1280
ST. GEORGE KZNU-AM 1450
I know the Cowboys won't do it, but I think when Newman comes back, we should start Newman and Reeves at CB, move Henry to safety, and bench Roy's slow ass.
Yo!!
Ive never seen Marion Barber been called Marion the Barbarian, I love it
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns
By any name, 'Marion the Barbarian' a vital part of Cowboys offense
By any name, 'Marion the Barbarian' a vital part of Cowboys offense, AP Photo MDS116
September 20, 2007
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- The moniker "MB3" served Marion Barber III pretty well for most of his life, at least through his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. Then Bill Parcells suggested Barber be known as "The Closer" because of his ability to end drives with touchdown runs.
Now teammate Terrell Owens has bestowed Barber with perhaps the most-fitting nickname: "Marion the Barbarian."
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Anyone who has seen him run, and certainly anyone who has tried tackling him, understands the reference.
The 6-foot, 221-pound Barber is what coaches call a downhill runner, someone who picks up steam as he chugs along. He lowers his shoulders and runs over defenders instead of going around them -- unless he first shoves them out of the way with a stiff arm.
But Barber is at his best in tight spaces, when he needs to bash open his own holes. Like near the goal line.
Barber led the NFC with 14 rushing touchdowns last season. Nine came from 3 yards or less. Only one covered more than nine yards.
"He kind of challenges people and dares not to be stopped," Owens said. "It's sort of barbaric. That's how I came up with the nickname."
Barber is tied for the NFL lead with three TDs this season. He had a pair Sunday in a victory over Miami: a typical 1-yarder burrowing through the line and a 40-yarder that was a career best by 12 yards.
Yet the play that sums up Barber's style was his very first carry against the Dolphins. It was only a five-yard gain around the right end, but it ended with his helmet being ripped off by trash-talking linebacker Joey Porter, drawing a personal foul.
Earlier in the week, Porter had said, "Barber thinks he's a tough guy sometimes. ... That's my type of fight, so I'm going to be looking for him." If this opening salvo was meant as further intimidation, it didn't work. Barber finished with 89 yards, his most in 26 games and the third-best of his career.
Asked this week if his opinion of Barber had changed, Porter said: "It doesn't matter."
Barber is no trash-talker. In fact, he's not much of a talker at all, at least not to reporters.
He's also not much of a complainer about splitting time with Julius Jones. Jones is the starter and Barber is, well, the closer.
Their combination is a classic blend of speed (Jones) and power (Barber). Jones gets more carries but Barber gets more out of his, averaging more yards per carry and, of course, piling up more TDs.
"It's a team," Jones said. "He's doing a good job. He breaks tackles well and he's productive. It's a good combination. If I'm having a tough day, where defenses are sticking me like they were (in Miami) that's when he breaks loose. I'm sure the same will go the other way. That's the way it is."
Fans have been wanting Barber to get the ball more since he was a rookie in 2005. Alas, this may be the one area where new coach Wade Phillips and Parcells agree the most: Why mess with a good thing? It's also worth noting that Barber was at his best in college when he shared the load at Minnesota with Laurence Maroney, now the starter in New England.
"I see everybody's point that Marion's doing some great things for us and that's what we hoped he'll do but the other guy is doing some good things for us too," Phillips said. "I think it's working the way we're doing it."
Even with Jones off to a slow start, the Cowboys have scored 82 points, most in the NFL. Their 47 points from inside the opponents' 20-yard line is more than 21 teams have scored overall.
That trend is likely to slow when Dallas goes to Chicago on Sunday night.
The Bears' ferocious defense is based on stopping the run. They've already slowed LaDainian Tomlinson and Larry Johnson and now will be ready for Barber and Jones.
"I think the main thing is they've got fresh legs in there all the time," Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "Jones is the straight-ahead speed guy. Barber is more of the cutback, patient guy."
Urlacher made no bring-it-on challenge, a la Porter.
He even seemed to take offense at the idea a Barbarian was headed his way.
"Is that what he is?" Urlacher said in a testy voice. "A smashmouth guy?"
He'll find out soon enough.
If ever Garret is going to try out the pro-set offense, now is the time to do it.
Make the Bears account for MBIII and Juice in the backfield.
If they can't establish even a small run game its going to be a long Sunday night. This will be a real test.
Dallas @ Chicago
Offensively, I'd love to see Garrett be really aggressive, open it up and have Romo firing away from the get go. Because the Bears are so good against the run, I think we should let the passing game open up the running game. I also think we need to put points up on the board first so that Chicago is forced to pass more. The more Rex Grossman has to pass, the more potential for Rex Grossman mistakes.
Of course Rex is one of those QBs who has a phenomenal game every now and then and has the arm to air it out to himself. Ideally I'd like to see Newman suited up but still take another week of rest. But if Rex is on I’d like to see Newman out there. I do like what I’m hearing out of Valley Ranch about Newman and how he is progressing.
Defensively we need to force some turnovers in this game, preferably from Grossman, to bring his confidence down. I still want to see more of a pass rush from the D-line and specifically from Ware. Hopefully in week 3 they will continue to progress in Wade's scheme.
I’m not to worried about punting to Hester as we have the best punter in the league who will give our unit time to get down field, but there is nothing wrong with playing it safe.
What this game is about is a classic matchup of trenches. Every football fan should know, if you win the battle of the trenches, you more than likely win the game. It is not more apparent than this game. Our oline (which has improved mightly this season) will have it's biggest test this season against Harris and the Bears Dline. Can our dline push the oline back and get to Grossman. If so, Grossman will buckle under pressure and the INT's and fumbles will come. Really looking forward to this one. We need this game. If we win this game, I think we are at this time, the class of the NFC.
Despite lack of le, WR wants to be leader on 'Boys
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- When the Dallas Cowboys picked their captains, Terrell Owens didn't make the cut.
So?
"I told the guys that I am a self-appointed captain," Owens said, laughing. "We had our first players' meeting right before our first game. Coach had the captains come up and say some things, and if anybody else wanted to say some things, they had the floor. I stood up and offered to be that self-appointed captain. Everybody kind of got a chuckle out of that."
Tony Romo and Jason Witten are the offensive captains. Bradie James represents the defense and Keith Davis the special teams.
If all four are ever inactive at the same time, then maybe coach Wade Phillips would send Owens out for the coin toss.
For now, though, Phillips will gladly settle for sending Owens out for passes -- and touchdowns.
T.O. has a TD catch in six straight games, one shy of the team record set by Frank Clarke in 1961-62 and matched by Bob Hayes in 1965-66. Clarke, Hayes and Michael Irvin also had six-game streaks.
Owens' roll is the longest going in the NFL. He's also got the second-longest streak of consecutive games with a catch, 154.
But, wait, that's not all.
-- Owens passed Don Maynard for 15th on the career receiving yardage list with 97 yards against Miami this past Sunday. His tally is up to 11,899, only five behind Irvin for No. 14 all-time.
-- Owens has 809 career catches, five from tying Keyshawn Johnson and Henry Ellard for No. 15 on that list. Six will put him at 14th with Shannon Sharpe.
At his usual rates, Owens will finish the year top 10 in both categories. He's already No. 4 in TD catches.
Owens might have a tough time moving up the lists Sunday night because the Cowboys will be facing a Chicago defense that's among the best in the league.
Then again, thanks in part to Owens, Dallas does have the league's most explosive offense thus far.
"We're going to be revved up just like they're going to be fired up," Owens said. "Our scheme is not going to change, just as well as their scheme is not going to change. We've just got to go out and play our brand of football."
Considering the numbers the Cowboys have put up, it's no surprise that Owens is happy with the way things have gone the first two games under new play-caller Jason Garrett.
"We're attacking. If that's a synonym for being aggressive, then, yeah, that's what we want to do," Owens said. "We want to attack and throw the ball downfield."
A great example came on fourth-and-5 from the Miami 34 with just over four minutes left in the game.
Dallas took a time out just before that play. Owens went to the coaches and let them know this would be a good time to get him the ball.
Tight end Jason Witten actually was the primary receiver on the play, but quarterback Tony Romo read the defense and looked to Owens instead. Both recognized that the cornerback was shading one way, so the route -- and the pass -- went another way, hitting Owens in stride in the end zone.
"I guess it was just that communication and that chemistry that you guys have been talking about between me and Tony," Owens said. "That was just a taste and a touch of what can go on throughout the season."
Romo hit Owens in the end zone earlier in the game, but he couldn't hold on to it, something about the sun being in his eyes. That obviously didn't affect Owens' confidence when he told coaches he wanted the ball.
"I welcomed the challenge," Owens said. "That's what I want. I want to put it on my shoulders to make play. ... I try to pick my times, but I'm always making requests. It was a situation where it was do-or-die. It was a fourth down situation where we needed to keep the chains moving a little bit, and obviously if we scored, it kind of put the game out of reach. It worked out for us."
Asked whether coaches knew he was more serious than usual in this pivotal moment, Owens said, "I'm always serious."
And he looked it when he said it.
So is it fair to say he demanded the ball on that play?
"It was a strong request," he said, laughing. "How about that?"
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ysnotebook.ap/
ESPN insider: Dallas v. Chicago
Earlier this week, our scouts filed their advance scouting report on this week's matchup between the Cowboys and Bears. Now they're back with a second look.
Matchup to watch
Chicago C Olin Kreutz vs. Dallas NT Jeremiah Ratliff
Kreutz is one of the few top centers in the game today. He is tough as nails, quick off the ball and very technically sound. He uses his hands especially well and has good mobility. Kreutz is the leader of the Bears' offensive line and has an excellent understanding of the game.
Ratliff is Ferguson's backup. He isn't a bad player by any stretch of the imagination, but he is nothing more than an upper-end backup and not someone who a 3-4 defense, like Dallas, wants playing a lot of snaps. His job is to occupy space and allow the Cowboys' inside linebackers to get downhill to the ball carrier.
Because Kreutz should handle Ratliff one-on-one, the Bears' guards will get to the second level unabated. So, Benson could be in for a very good day as an inside-runner.
Are these the two best teams in the NFC?
Right now, they are, but both teams have major question marks and neither team would be considered an elite AFC team after two weeks.
Chicago's defense and special teams are every bit as good as they were a year ago, which was good enough for a trip to the Super Bowl. The problem with the Bears is behind center. The Bears have more weapons than ever, but having Rex Grossman delivering the ball is a huge concern. Chicago would waltz into the postseason with a true caretaker quarterback, like Brian Griese or Kyle Orton, but Grossman's pension for misreading coverages and turning the ball over could eventually be enough to derail this train. He has only ac ulated 254 passing yards in the first two games. Dallas' defense will throw many different looks at Grossman to force him into uncomfortable situations and when things go wrong, Grossman usually costs his team big.
While not as concerning as having a wildly erratic quarterback, the Cowboys have more than their share of questions on the defensive side of the ball. NT Jason Ferguson is lost for the year and his ability to eat space in the middle of the defense will be sorely missed. His backup, Jeremiah Ratliff, was very effective last week, but that was against an awful Dolphins' offensive line. This week he will have to line up against one of the best centers in the league in Olin Kreutz. Chicago will pound RB Cedric Benson between the tackles and test the interior of Dallas' defense. OLB Greg Ellis and star CB Terence Newman have yet to see the field this season because of injuries that very well could hamper them all year long. This will be a big problem for Dallas, because the depth behind Newman is suspect. Chicago will test the Cowboys' cornerbacks on many occasions this week and could be particularly effective off play-action if Benson is able to establish himself as an interior power runner.
What kind of impact can Tommie Harris have in this game?
It could be argued that Harris is the best player on either team. He is the best upfield, one-gap defensive tackle in the game today. He looks as explosive as ever after recovering from last year's serious hamstring injury. The Bears were very wise to bring him along slowly during the preseason. He anticipated snap counts and showed rare quickness in Week 1 as he disrupted the Chargers' offense on a consistent basis and last week against the Chiefs, he had two sacks. Harris is more important to the Bears' defense than any other player, including the great LB Brian Urlacher. Chicago's Cover-2 scheme is predicated on getting penetration against the run and a consistent pass-rush from its defensive linemen. Many teams run a version of the Cover 2, but none have a three-technique tackle in Harris' class, because true upfield defensive tackles are very difficult to find.
As the three technique, he usually lines up on the outside shoulder of the strongside guard and uses his extreme athleticism to beat a far inferior athlete off the snap. The Cowboys do not have anyone on their offensive line who can handle Harris one-on-one with any degree of consistency. The double teams and added attention that he will surely garner only makes Urlacher and the rest of Chicago's defensive players that much better. Dallas will have to be aware of Harris on every snap and he has the potential to completely disrupt a very good Cowboys' offense.
Under any cir stance, should the Cowboys punt to Devin Hester?
Mat McBriar is one of the best punters in the league, but the answer to this question is very easy. NO! Hester's return ability is one of the few things that Chicago has been able to rely on to score points, as he did against the Chiefs last week. By no means is putting the football in his hands a good idea. Not only is he fast, explosive and quick, but he is also tough and fearless as a punt-catcher. He doesn't shy away from contact and runs with conviction, but is so elusive that he rarely takes big shots. His best asset may be his field vision and he seems to see things a few moves ahead of normal speed and he is extremely confident in his immense abilities.
Bears special teams coach Dave Toub has done a fantastic job with Chicago's special teams in all facets. The Bears certainly deserve the special teams edge in this game and that holds true against any opponent they face. Their specialists are solid and reliable. Plus, their coverage teams are very strong and of course, their returner is simply elite. There is absolutely no reason not to concede a little bit of field position with a shorter punt out of bounds instead of letting Hester field it.
Scouts' Edge
The Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach
D D D C C C C C C
This game has much more to it than the Scouts Inc. Advantage would lead you to believe. Dallas' offense and Chicago's defense are outstanding, but each team has questions on the other side of the ball.
If Newman is fully healthy, which is unlikely, Dallas might match him up on WR Bernard Berrian. This would favor Newman, but if he isn't 100 percent the Cowboys' defense will play a lot more zone-coverage and will be far less aggressive.
The Bears' offense has already turned the ball over six times this season and if that trend continues, their defense and special teams will not be able to bail them out against Dallas' outstanding offense. We don't trust Grossman to make good decisions in a game under the national spotlight, so we take the Cowboys on the road. This has all the makings of an outstanding football game.
Prediction: Cowboys 21, Bears 17
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