Dallas Cowboys 2009 NFL Season Preview!

Cowboys in 2008:

The Cowboys were decent last year.

At the start of the 2008 season, the Cowboys were one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The Cowboys failed that goal tremendously. The Cowboys finished the season 9-7, and missed the playoffs.

The Cowboys had lots of problems in 2008. The Cowboy’s starting quarterback; Tony Romo broke his pinkie and missed 3 games. The Cowboys went 1-2 when Romo was out.

Dallas also had lots of drama dealing with Terrell Owens. Owens complained a lot of not getting the ball enough.

The Cowboys defense in 2008 was great. They were 5th in passing yards allowed per game. The Cowboys defense had some trouble defending the run in 2008. They were 12th in the league in rush yards allowed per game with 106.6.

The pass rush for the Cowboys was amazing. The Cowboys front 4 was led by the 2008 NFL sack leader, DeMarcus Ware. Ware had 20 sacks in 2008. The Cowboys were also first in the league in most sacks in 2008 with 59.

The Cowboys main problem in 2008 was consistency. The Cowboys were always good for a couple of games, and then they would collapse in the next few. For Example, the Cowboys won 3 straight games to start the season, and then they lost 4 of their next 6 games. 

Another example is after the Cowboy’s bye week, they won three straight again, but then they lost 3 of the next 4 games. The Cowboys really need to work on being consistent week after week with offense and defense playing great every game of the season.

Cowboys in the Offseason

The Cowboys made a huge move this offseason. They released their best wide receiver, Terrell Owens. Owens led the Cowboys in receiving in 2008.

The Cowboys had their reasons for letting him go. They let him go mostly because he caused lots of drama in Dallas and the Cowboys needed to focus less on drama and more on football.

The Cowboys also drafted 11 players in the 2009 NFL Draft. The Cowboys drafted mostly defensive players, including OLB Jason Williams, and DE Brandon Williams. The Cowboys did manage to draft a 7th round wide receiver, Manuel Johnson. The Cowboys are going to need lots of wide receivers to step up this year, if they want to succeed in 2009.

The Dallas Cowboys Positional Breakdown:

Quarterback:

Tony Romo has been a great quarterback for the Cowboys in the last few years.

Romo threw for over 3000 yards and 26 TDs, but he did throw 14 Ints. Romo is entering his 7th season in the NFL, but this season is only his 4th season as a starting quarterback.

He spent the other 3 seasons on the bench, playing behind other veteran quarterbacks like Drew Bledsoe. This is going to be Romo’s toughest season yet. This will be his first season without Terrell Owens.

The Cowboys still have Roy Williams. They acquired Williams from Detroit last season. Williams is a good wide receiver, but not as good as Terrell Owens. Romo will have a tough season this year.

Running Backs

The Cowboys have loads of talented running backs. They have their number one running back, Marion Barber.

Barber is a fast, elusive back that can break lots of tackles. He is one of the hardest backs in the league to tackle. He ran for over 800 yards and had 7 TDs.

The Cowboys need to give him more carries throughout the season. The Cowboys only gave him 238 carries last season. Barber needs to get at least 50 more carries in order to be a productive running back.

Barber also is a great receiver as well. He had 417 receiving yards in 2008. Barber is truly an elite back. He can run effectively, block, and produce in receiving yardage.

The Cowboys back-up running back, Felix Jones is a heavy threat to defenses. He is a monster back, and can produce good yardage for a back-up running back. Jones had 266 yards and 3 TDs in only 6 games in 2008.

Jones got injured in 2008 and missed 10 games. He still had a good season though; scoring 3 Tds in your rookie season is a great achievement.

The Cowboy’s 3rd string running back, Tashard Choice is an effective back. He really played well and got lots more playing time in 2008 due to the Felix Jones injury.

Choice really came alive in the last 8 games of the season. He had 472 rushing yards last season—406 yards in the last 8 games of the regular season. The Cowboys have lots of depth at the running back position. This trio of running backs could be like the Giants trio of Jacobs, Bradshaw, and Ward of 2008.

Wide Receiver

The Cowboys are definitely lacking in depth at wide receiver position. Their new No. 1 wide receiver on the depth chart is now Roy Williams.

The Cowboys No. 2 receiver is Patrick Crayton, who really hasn’t stepped up in the last couple of years. Crayton really needs to have a breakout year if the Cowboys want to make the playoffs in 2009.

Tight End

The Cowboys have one of the best tight ends in the game today, Jason Witten. Witten is a Pro-Bowler tight end. Witten had over 900 yards receiving last year and had 4 TDs. Witten has been one of Romo’s favorite targets in the last few years.

Witten is expected to have another great year, but he is going to need some help this year. Witten cannot get all the receiving yards. The Cowboys must spread the ball around to lots of receivers.

Offensive Line

The Cowboys offensive line has had some trouble in the past. The Cowboys offensive line was 15th in the league in sacks allowed with 31. Even though this Cowboys offensive line is very experienced, their offensive hasn’t been able to withstand NFL teams' pass rush.

All the offensive linemen on the Cowboys have had at least 8 years of experience. This offensive line needs to get tougher and more physical. If they can become more physical against teams, then they will able to give Romo more time to throw; which means more chances for Romo to find an open wide receiver.

Defense

This defense has loads of talent, but is questioned in the secondary. The Cowboys pass rush is superb. They had 59 sacks last season. The Cowboys defense is very inconsistent though and needs to work on being more consistent.

The Cowboys defense tends to do really well for a couple weeks, and then they go into a slide where they start playing less physical and allowing teams to move down the field easier.

If the Cowboys defense can be consistent, that will give the Cowboys hope to do well in 2009.

Cowboys in the Preseason

The Cowboys played decent in their first preseason game against the Raiders. Romo went 4 for 6 with 36 yards and 1 TD. The Cowboys trio of running backs played very well. The Cowboys trio combined for 13 carries for 56 yds. Despite all the Cowboys efforts, they ended up losing to the Raiders 31-10!

The Cowboys played marvelous in their second preseason game against the Titans. Romo was marvelous! He was 18 of 24 with 192 yards passing. 

The Cowboys trio of running backs combined for 21 carries for 65 yards with 2 TDs. The Cowboys wide receivers, Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton each had over 30 yards receiving in that game as well.

Cowboys Season Preview

The Cowboys could do very well this year or do even worse than last year. It really all depends on how consistent the defense is and how Romo plays without his favorite target of 2008, Terrell Owens. The Cowboys have a tough schedule this year.

They play 7 playoff teams from last year. That won’t be easy. I believe the Cowboys will 3rd in the division and finish the regular season at least 8-8 if not better!