Aug 15, 2012; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) prepares to take the snap at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Some concerns come to mind right off the bat. Tony Romo seemed to be running for his life, I think I’ve seen that movie before. It looked like a knockoff version of the running of the bulls in Spain. Hopefully we’re not in store for another patchwork offensive line this season, especially since the likes of a Brian Orakpo or Jason Pierre-Paul is much more intimidating than anything the Raiders had to offer.

As if blocking wasn’t already an issue, the loss to injury of star tight end Jason Witten isn’t exactly good news. The word out of camp is he ruptured his spleen during the first quarter of Monday’s game and is suffering from internal bleeding. I’ve never heard of so many injuries so early on. Somebody please stop the bleeding! No pun intended.

As if all of that wasn’t enough to keep your frown, well…frowny, then let’s not add salt to the wound by saying that there was absolutely no offensive production from this squad in that first game. Whoops, already said it. I said it once already, I’ve always been skeptical about what can be taken away from a preseason game. But seriously, the only thing we might have learned from this game is that the product that Oakland was trying to sell was slightly less pathetic.

Fear not my fellow Cowboy faithful, as is with all things with the bad we must find the good. Although not many, there are a few things that offer a small glimmer of hope for what we can look forward to this coming season.

Firstly, we all have to admit that the defense went out and did a decent job of keeping the Raiders in check. Preseason game or not, zero points is still zero points. Say what you want about the importance of the game but nobody goes out there with the intention of getting skunked. There were plenty of moments where the defense did bend a little but never broke. I personally was impressed by the performance of Barry Church. He didn’t land any haymakers or create any turnovers but he made his presence known. Specifically, one play that caught my eye was a third down pass where a receiver was trying to advance the ball for a first down. And Church delivered a hit then wrapped up and brought him down just short. I don’t know about anybody else, but it’s been awhile since I saw a Cowboy safety make a sure tackle like that.

If that wasn’t enough, I’ve got one more for you. We all know Dez Bryant can ball, so that leaping grab in the first quarter shouldn’t come as a surprise. But how about Andre Holmes? He definitely didn’t do anything so spectacular that  might inspire you to go out and buy his jersey. But Holmes did show me that he wants that job opening we’ve all been buzzing about. His height is definitely a little intimidating, if nothing else. Nothing is written in stone, so the biography of Andre Holmes is still pending. But if he’s anything like another Andre I’ve heard of down south, then I’ll have no complaints. As long as he doesn’t mimic the injuries too.

Well, one down and three more to go. I don’t think I can take it much longer but I don’t think that’s an option. We saw some good things and many bad ones but it’s just the preseason. So, no worries loyal Cowboy-ites. There is still much work to be done before the real show starts.

Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones and Head Coach Jason Garrett’s new hire, Rob Ryan, certainly had a classic “up and down” season. At times Ryan’s defense looked very good, at other times they played adequate, and towards the end of the year they struggled (to put it nicely). The good news is that the defense as a whole played significantly better in 2011 than they did in 2010. Moreover, they played much better without the addition of any high-priced free agents or high-round draft choices (more on Bruce Carter later). The bad news is that because of the ongoing salary cap issues and the consequent inability to pay expensive free agents, they have more needs than they can expect to fill in one draft.

Expect to see the Cowboys brain trust to draft at least a few players in the early rounds that fit Rob Ryan’s scheme.

Click on the link to begin reading an evaluation of the Dallas Cowboys’ Front 5.

Spoiler Alert: Most of you will not like what I have to say about Anthony Spencer.

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A classic rivalry.

As the Dallas Cowboys offense gets ready to play the Washington Redskins this Sunday, you would expect that they are feeling better about themselves than they have in a long time.  They scored TD’s on their first 4 possessions last week against Buffalo.  The OL was excellent in pass protection and effective in run blocking.  Tony Romo completed an astounding 23 of 26 attempts; Laurent Robinson caught 2 TD’s, including a 50 yard bomb; Bryant made plays in the 2nd half; Murray continued his assault on the Cowboy rushing records, and Witten, well, Witten always plays like a Hall of Famer.  It must send Defensive Coordinators into paroxysms of anxiety when they are trying to stop all these weapons.

The Cowboys get Felix Jones back healthy this week.  Austin will be sidelined again, and so will new fan favorite Tony Fiammetta, who is not playing as a result of an undisclosed illness.

Click on the link to read about what I will be watching for this week.

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