The Dallas Cowboys: Everything Is Quieter In Texas, They Let Play Do The Talking

The Dallas Cowboys are notorious for making noise during the preseason.

The 2007 preseason talk featured new faces at premier positions, as Tony Romo took over at quarterback while head coach Wade Phillips tried to make the Cowboys into a more laidback team.

In 2008, the preseason was focused on whether Dallas could rebound after a disappointing playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

But contrary to past history, the Cowboys' preseason has been relatively quiet, which is a big surprise to most people.

Despite hearing crickets in Big D, there are a few big surprises still happening with the Cowboys.

Romo-Williams Connection

People have been questioning all offseason whether or not Roy Williams can replace disgruntled wide receiver Terrell Owens as the top wideout in Dallas.

After two preseason games, the former Detroit Lions receiver seems to be the man for the job, as he has caught six passes, five of which came in the Cowboys' 30-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Friday. Williams finished the game with 36 receiving yards.

Williams' performance can be credited to the hard work he and Romo have put in this offseason to develop team chemistry, a bond that Phillips said takes time to develop, according to a DallasCowboys.com report.

"Tony is throwing the ball before Roy cuts. It's happened a few times already," Phillips said in the story. "That's a good sign. You don't see that all the time. That's real timing there.”

In the same article, Williams said he hopes him and Romo can fuse together just as well as the quarterback does with Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten.

"Yesterday, he threw a ball that was on time and right at the landmark where it was supposed to be," Williams said. "I think that's the second or third time that's ever happened where I was in the right spot and the ball was in the right spot and it just clicked and looked real pretty on film. We want to get to that 100 percent of the time."

Breaking into the Huddle

Coming into the preseason, Sam Hurd seemed to be an afterthought in the Cowboys' playbook.

With an offense featuring playmakers such as Witten, Williams, Marion Barber, and Miles Austin, no wonder Dallas listed him as the fourth wide receiver on its depth chart.

Despite the crowded talent, Hurd has kept working hard to break into the huddle.

In fact, the fourth-year pass catcher showcased his hard work on the field, hauling in six receptions for a team-leading 96 yards in two preseason games. Hurd's six catches are tied for the top mark on the Cowboys' reception list.

Even though Hurd may have played against backup defenses, he still has a shot at being the third wide receiver on the team, as Austin hasn’t recorded a catch in the first two games.

Not So Special Teams

In the first two games, Dallas has put together only five touchdown drives in 23 possessions.

In those 23 drives, the average starting position for the Cowboys was on the 23 yard line.

This mediocre placement can be attributed to a couple of lapses on Dallas' special teams.

The Cowboys' punt returners have bobbled two punts and fumbled another in five attempts. Also, the coverage team hasn't made enough key blocks to let Austin or Felix Jones sprint down the field.

Even when the Cowboys have good field position, their kicker Nick Folk has not come through for them, going 0-for-2 in field goal attempts.  

The Jumbo 12th Man

Another huge surprise in Dallas doesn't involve a bench player or a group of fans causing problems for the Cowboys’ opponents.

Rather, it's the stadium’s new JumboTron.

The 60-yard digital scoreboard, a part of the new $1.15 billion stadium, may be too low to the field, after Titans reserve punter A.J. Trapasso hit the bottom of it in the third quarter.

The giant scoreboard, which is 90 feet above the playing surface, drew some criticism not only from Titans players and coaches, but also from league officials, according to a USAToday.com report.

"It's an issue, yeah," said Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who is also co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee. "So something has to get worked out. It can become a problem."

The committee met on Tuesday to discuss the scoreboard issue, but no decision has been made about moving the structure.

However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones felt the issue wasn't a big deal.

"I'm not worried about it," Jones said in the article. "...The real world is if you look at the thousands of punts in the NFL and the trajectory of the punts, where they are on the field, and where they're going, and the fact they like to kick to the sidelines, you don't have any issue with this board."

Even though some people think it is too low, the NFL approved the huge structure before the stadium was built. In addition, the NFL's minimum height requirement for any object above the playing field is 85 feet.