Broncos vs. Cowboys: 5 Things to Watch During NFL Preseason Week 1 Matchup

Its finally here, the Dallas Cowboys will officially kick-off their 2011 preseason schedule against the Denver Broncos on Thursday evening.

The Broncos and their traveling quarterback circus will travel to Dallas to test the ‘Boys secondary, defensive line, and newly renovated offensive front.

Dallas will also get a chance to test drive defensive coordinator Ron Ryan’s new scheme along with looking at quarterback Stephen McGee and running back Lonyae Miller.

There is so much to look for and so much to look forward to so lets take a look at 5 things to watch during the NFL Preseason.

The Cowboys Secondary

By now I’m sure most know that the Cowboys secondary is of grave concern for defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and head coach Jason Garrett. The team went out and signed free agent safety Abe Elam and re-signed safety Gerald Sensabaugh.

But with the new blood and a new scheme will it be enough for the ‘Boys to overcome their struggles from 2010?

We won’t receive a large sample size from their contest against the Broncos but we’ll at least get a small preview of what the ‘Boys have to offer.

View of Cowboys New Offensive Line

This will be a very limited sample size as guard Montrae Holland is injured and most starters won’t play much at all. Due to Holland’s injury guard Kyle Kosier is being moved from the left to the right side and that will be to the benefit of rookie Tyron Smith.

Rookie David Arkin has moved to left guard due to Kyle’s switch to the right side. Got all of that? Great.

I’m interested to see how Arkin and Smith perform as well as Sam Young and Bill Nagy. All young ones and rookies should see a nice amount of playing time so that fans can see what the Cowboys were up to in the draft.

Can Lonyae Miller Take Tashard Choice’s Job?

This one will be interesting because from all accounts Miller has been working hard to work his way on to the Cowboys roster. Choice is expendable and if Miller plays well in the preseason there is no reason to believe that Choice will remain in Dallas.

Choice can’t really defend himself on this one because he’s injured and the Cowboys know exactly what they have with Tashard.

If Garrett sees enough out of Miller to believe that he can replace Choice’s production then Tashard is as good as gone.

Stephen McGee

McGee has looked slow in practice and his decision making is still in question. He’ll see a lot of blue and orange on Thursday and this will give fans a chance to see what the Cowboys actually have in McGee.

He’s not the long-term answer in Dallas and there is any regression seen out of McGee then this will probably be his last season as a Cowboy.

Rob Ryan on the Sidelines

The overweight coordinator’s presence in Dallas is pretty large. He called the Eagles the all hype team and said that his team would, ahem, beat the arses of the Eagles when the two squads meet.

Ryan’s scheme will be on full display and so will his boisterous personality. If Ryan is able to turn around the Cowboys defense he may receive a key to the city of Dallas.

We'll get to see how certain players play within his defense and how he uses them as well. I'm sure he won't reveal too much but there should be enough to judge just how aggressive Ryan plans to be.