(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
In our preview last season, we said, "If this team starts struggling, the tempers may erupt and this team might go down in flames. They have a fairly easy schedule so this shouldn't be an issue. The only "difficult" portion of the schedule comes as the calendar turns to December with games against Seattle, Pittsburgh, and the Giants.However, only the Pittsburgh game is on the road, giving the Cowboys an advantage heading into 'choke in the playoffs again' season."
Well, the Cowboys didn't even get to the "choke in the playoffs again" season last year. They traded for Roy Williams from Detroit, who was supposed to be the answer across from T.O. and turned into a complete flop. Felix Jones and Marion Barber both had injury problems last season, but Tashard Choice showed he was a capable reserve, though he won't likely see playing time this season unless Jones or Barber goes down again.
The Cowboys had an unreal 12 draft picks in this past draft, all of which came on day 2. Of these, they used seven on defensive players, four of those on the secondary. It's no secret where the weakness in the Dallas defense is.
Outside of two guys in Pittsburgh, DeMarcus Ware might be the best pass-rushing outside linebacker in the league. He racked up 20 sacks last year and anchored a very solid front-seven for Dallas.
The Cowboys defense, as amazing as this is, ranked eighth in the league and was the lowest ranked defense from the NFC East. Mull that one over for a minute. All four NFC East teams had top eight defenses last year.
Dallas led the league with 59 sacks last season, but finished 30th in interceptions. If quarterbacks got passes off, chances are they were going to be complete. Dallas also picked up DE Igor Olshansky (formerly of San Diego) via Free Agency to replace former starter Chris Canty, who signed with the division-rival Giants.
But everyone knows that defense isn't where the Cowboys earn their stars. Jerry Jones loves his offense, and offense is what has defined the Cowboys. The cutting of T.O. was a step in the right direction for the team, but one has to wonder who is going to replace him.
T.O. was responsible for a third of the passing touchdowns Dallas scored last year, with 10. Behind him, the next closest receivers were Patrick Crayton, Jason Witten, and Marcellus Bennett with four each.
In his 10 games with Dallas last year, Roy Williams had 19 catches and only one touchdown. Now, they expect him to elevate his game back to his not-tipping-the-delivery-man days. This is possible, but you have to wonder where the points are going to come from.
Last season, Dallas was fourth in the league in passing TDs with 29 and 23rd in the league in rushing TDs with only 12. The offense averaged 1.36 passes for every rush last season. With Tony Romo still at the helm, one has to think that they're going to try to keep winning through the air. And with the receiving corps that they're sporting (Williams, Crayton, Miles Austin, and Jason Witten), you have to wonder how successful they can be.
Crayton and Austin have both proven to be capable No. 3 receivers, and we shall see if they can take the step up into the No. 2 role. Witten is one of the best tight ends in the game, but his stats fell off by about one reception per game and 12 yards per game. He also pulled in three fewer TDs last season than he did in 2007.
When healthy, Dallas' running game is wicked. Smasher Marion Barber, coupled with blazer Felix Jones, made a lethal combo early last season. However, when Jones went down with a toe injury, the team relied more heavily on Barber and, inevitably, found him on the bench with an injury as well.
Dallas has a very good offensive line, and if the coaching staff is smart, they'll shift to a New York Giants/Tennessee Titans-style offense this year, where running the ball takes priority. With Barber, Jones, and Choice in the backfield, this team should be able to be dynamic enough in the run game to use the run to set up the pass, rather than vice-versa as they have in the past.
If the Cowboys start relying on Romo to win games for them, they might be in trouble. Their defense is good enough to keep them in games, but their 1-3 limp to the finish last year has to be troubling. Dallas QB's (Romo and Brad Johnson) out-passed their opponents in 12 of 16 games last season, but the Cowboys were only 6-6 in those games, including a 34-14 loss to the lowly Rams
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