Dallas Cowboys First Quarter Report Card

The Dallas Cowboys are through the first quarter of the season and the grades are in. Although they're 2-2, things are not looking good.

Quarterback: Tony Romo looked great against Tampa Bay, but has been confused and inconsistent since. He's 76-131 for 990 yards, which is good for a four-game stretch, but has four touchdowns and four interceptions. Last week in Denver, he overthrew a lot passes, including one that almost got Roy Williams killed. 

It would seem that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has tried to limit Romo by running more, but the passing game is supposed to benefit because of the run game. Not fall apart because of it.

Grade: D

Running Back: The only bright spot of the offense really.

The Cowboys are third in the NFL in rushing yards per game and that's despite both Marion Barber and Felix Jones missing one game each. Smash, Dash, and Tash (Tashard Choice) have combined for 589 yards and five TDs on 100 carries. Jones should be back by the time the Cowboys play Atlanta on Oct. 25.

Grade: A

Wide Receiver and Tight End: Jason Witten is leading the team in catches, ranks second in yards and tied for first in TDs. Roy Williams has done good things when the ball is actually thrown on target to him, and Patrick Crayton has 11 receptions for 199 yards.

Everyone one else has been non-existent since Week One.

Miles Austin, who was supposed to be the Cowboys deep threat, has five catches on the season and gave up on a pass that resulted in an interception at the Broncos' five-yard line last Sunday. Sam Hurd had a 53-yard reception last week, but has three catches besides that. These two need to find a way to get open.

Tashard Choice has more catches than both Hurd and Austin combined. Martellus Bennett has more penalties than catches.

Grade: D

Offensive Line: This group has done great when it comes to the running game, opening up big holes for Smash, Dash, and Tash. Center Andre Gurode has fixed his snapping issues.

When it comes to the passing game, however, there's a ton of room for improvement.

Flozell Adams has been fined three times this season for tripping and unsportsmanlike conduct. The unit as a whole has given up eight sacks this season, including five last week against the Broncos.

Grade: C

Linebackers: Keith Brooking has been great this season and has a terrific grasp of the defense. Bradie James is tied with Brooking for the lead in tackles and has been very effective in stopping the run after Week One.

The outside linebackers, however, are having some issues. 

DeMarcus Ware doesn't have a sack in his last five games—the longest drought since his rookie season.

Anthony Spencer isn't doing much better. He let a interception go through his hands against the Broncos last week that was caught for a TD. Spencer also doesn't have a sack. These two are the most important part of the Cowboys' blitz packages.

Bobby Carpenter has looked very good and very bad in his time on the field. Rookie Victor Butler has two sacks on the season and has played well since coming back from injury.

Grade: C-

Defensive Line: Jay Ratliff is in Pro Bowl form with one sack and three tackles for a loss. He also got the Cowboys on the board after their first two games without a sack.

Igor Olshansky has nine tackles on the season and he been effective in stopping the run. Stephen Bowen had a sack last week and is playing on passing downs instead of Marcus Spears.

Spears has yet to live up to the draft hype he received and if Parcells was still coach, I think he would've given up on him by now.

Grade: C

Corners: They've been good in wins and awful in losses. Eli Manning and Kyle Orton have passed through the secondary on two-minute drives for game-winning scores this season.

Terence Newman has been good in coverage, but once the receiver has gotten past him, he can't recover at all. Still, his experience and speed lead to good plays and he's thrown his body around in the run game. 

Orlando Scandrick is good in the slot and needs to stay there. Playing on the outside isn't for him, and the Giants showed that. He makes great plays on the ball at the point of the reception and has made plays in the run game. His open-field tackling needs work though—he whiffed three times in Week Two when up against Mario Manningham. 

Mike Jenkins is good on the outside, but needs more experience there. He also makes plays at the point of the reception, but needs to be more aggressive when the offense runs the ball his way. He rarely makes the tackle and sometimes looks scared to hit running backs.

Ken Hamlin has played great in the run game and is third on the team in tackles, but needs to read the QB faster than he has this season. The corners have been beat a few times thinking he's protecting them.

Gerald Sensabaugh has been solid in his first season with the Cowboys, but is out for the next month.

Grade: C

Special Teams: Punter Mat McBriar has hit 11 of his 19 punts inside the 20. Nick Folk is 6-7 on field goals and 10-10 on extra points. David Buehler is second in the NFL in touchbacks with eight and the opponent's average starting position is their own 21 yard line.

Felix Jones and Miles Austin are both averaging more than 20 yards per return, and Crayton has been fine returning punts.

Grade: A

Coaching: Wade Phillips still hasn't gotten the best out of this team and most likely won't. This is the type of team that needs someone on them 24/7 for them to succeed. They're not a team that can motivate themselves and while that's a sad reality, it's a reality.

Phillips is also running the defense and they should be better. He has to hold players accountable and get them to practice harder because like the saying goes, you practice how you play—and right now that's average at best.

Grade: D

Overall: The Cowboys have a wealth of talent, but aren't very good right now. They don't know their identity on offense and are undisciplined on defense. If this doesn't change fast, Phillips will be looking for another job next season and Mike Shanahan will be coming in.