Last Season: The Cowboys are coming off a 13-3 season that earned them a 1st round bye, #1 seed in the NFC, and sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl. But the season ended in disappointment, as Dallas was beaten by the eventual Super Bowl Champions and division rival, the New York Giants Offseason Recap: Contract extensions given to: CB Terence Newman, WR Terrell Owens Re-signings: RB Marion Barber III, LT Flozell Adams, FS Ken Hamlin, DE Chris Canty (RFA) FA/Trade Acquisitions: ILB Zach Thomas (FA), CB Adam Jones (via trade), OG Montrae Holland (via trade) Subtractions: ILB Akin Ayodele, NT Jason Ferguson, TE Anthony Fasano, CB Jacques Reeves, CB Nate Jones, RB Julius Jones, WR Terry Glenn Draft: 1a)RB Felix Jones 1b)CB Mike Jenkins 2)TE Martellus Bennett 4)RB Tashard Choice 5)CB Orlando Scandrick 6)OLB Erik Walden (released; signed with Kansas City) Offensive Starters: QB Tony Romo RB Marion Barber III FB Deon Anderson WR Terrell Owens WR Patrick Crayton TE Jason Witten LT Flozell Adams LG Cory Proctor (for week 1) OC Andre Gurode RG Leonard Davis RT Marc Colombo Defensive Starters: DE Marcus Spears NT Jay Ratliff DE Chris Canty SOLB Greg Ellis SILB Bradie James WILB Zach Thomas WOLB Demarcus Ware CB Terence Newman SS Roy Williams FS Ken Hamlin CB Anthony Henry Analysis The Dallas Cowboys return 9 of its 11 starters on offense from the previous year (FB Deon Anderson; LG Cory Proctor due to Kyle Kosier’s injury) and have the makings of putting up another great year, offensively. Marion Barber III takes over as the team’s starting RB after rushing for 975 yards (4.8 YPC) and 10 TD. The team sought a complimentary RB to Marion Barber and drafted one in Felix Jones, the rookie out of Arkansas. Jones provides speed and elusiveness, with the potential to be a game breaker. Dallas wants to utilize Felix in a similar way that Philadelphia utilizes Brian Westbrook, including lining him up in the slot. In the passing game, WR Terrell Owens is coming off of a 1,355 yard, 15 TD season. Simply put, the man was historic for Dallas, as he set the Dallas franchise record for receiving TDs in a season. TE Jason Witten is coming off of an All Pro year, having gained over 1,000 yards too. Patrick Crayton has continued to improve every year and gives Dallas a reliable 3rd target. Dallas is counting on one of its young WRs to step it up this year – who will it be? WRs Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and Isaiah Stanback all look promising, if for different reasons. Defensively, the Cowboys seemed to struggle in coverage with its LBers and nickel/dime backs. ILB Zach Thomas was brought in to shore that defense up. Thomas excels in coverage and will be taking over for Akin Ayodele, who disappeared last season. Anthony Spencer is expected to push Greg Ellis for playing time when he comes back from injury; these two things will bolster the coverage from the LB position. Dallas’ lack of depth at CB was a problem last season. This offseason, they splurged on CB help. Jerry Jones took a calculated risk in trading for the talented yet troubled CB Adam Jones. If Jones can shake off the rust (and behave), Dallas will have a trio of CBs as talented as any. Dallas also took CBs in rounds 1 and 5 of the 2008 NFL Draft. Mike Jenkins (1st) and Orland Scandrick (5th) are both speedy CBs; the former being better in man coverage; the latter in zone coverage. Both have provided glimpses into the future of the Dallas CB position. But ultimately, it will come down to the pass rush. Last season, Dallas was 3rd in the NFL with 46 sacks. OLBs Greg Ellis and Demarcus Ware notched career highs in sack totals last season. Dallas will once again look to turn the heat on and blitz, especially with 2nd year player Anthony Spencer looking promising. Dallas has the potential to be a Super Bowl contender. The secondary needs to be improved this year; both PR/KR coverage need to improve, and above all, Dallas must stay healthy. Expect big things in Big D.
