Guys like Izzo may no longer have a place in the NFL.

In high school, I thought kickoff was fun, but it’s a different story when you have to make a forty-yard sprint directly into a 230 lbs middle linebacker. I didn’t play much, but I always felt like I was hit by a truck the next day. Perhaps I’m just soft (actually, I’m incredibly soft) but I never want to face that kind of physicality again.

Kickoff is a brutal play on any level, but, in the NFL, it basically shortens lives. So, I completely understand why the league has decided to move up the kickoff point. However, the new kickoff rules leave me conflicted. As vicious as the play is, it is an integral part of the game. No play can swing momentum more and its effective removal will leave somewhat of a vacuum.

Actually, I hate the new kickoff rules. Perhaps disallowing the formation of wedges didn’t achieve its intended purpose, but if we start removing parts of the game because they are too brutal, there won’t be much left. I’m all for player safety, but I have to think there are other ways that they could make the play safer without sacrificing some of football’s most exciting moments.

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This game is merely a bridge between last weeks game and next week’s dress rehearsal.  Certainly the players on the bubble will try hard, but the Cowboys are looking to escape with zero injuries and some solid game film on their players.  If they could only choose one, they would choose the former.  With that in mind, the following are worth watching for:

1. The offensive line: Doug Free has played well in his previous two outings and the expectation is that he will continue to play effectively.  With Kyle Kosier possibly missing several games at the start of the regular season, heavy focus should be paid to Montrae Holland.  Holland has been with the Cowboys since 2008, so there should not be a learning curve.  Holland is unable to play center; however, prior to this year, neither did Kosier.  The biggest question mark will come from Robert Brewster who will be starting in place of Colombo (knee injury) and in lieu of Alex Barron (sprained ankle).  Fortunately, it appears the Cowboys will be proactive with the first team, especially Romo.  If the offensive line is unable to protect Romo early in the game, the Cowboys will adjust their play calling accordingly.

2. Injuries: Without a doubt, depth at the offensive line is being tested.  If Gurode or Davis happen to go down with injury, it would simply add to the nightmare.  If Holland and Brewster have mental mistakes which lead to unabated shots at Romo or the triumvirate of running backs, the injury concerns could continue to mount.  The good news is that the Cowboys are playing the Chargers.  The same Cowboys defense that had difficulty getting the Chargers offense off the field in 2009 should prevent the offense from having to play more than three series, all of which could be 3 and outs.  So there is a silver lining to the Chargers offense outmatching the Cowboys defense.

3. Ogletree: Kevin Ogletree has struggled in the first two pre-season games and reportedly as well in practice.  His past practice week was improved; hopefully that translates to productivity and catches with zero drops.  Ogletree has been embraced by most Cowboys fans and it would be disappointing if he were cut for struggling in his sophomore campaign.  With the depth at wide receiver, Ogletree is most likely competing against Sam Hurd for the final spot at WR.  Hurd is an outstanding special teams player, so Ogletree must play at a high level when given the opportunity.  One thing that is in Ogletree’s favor is that he is a cheap player as compared to Hurd’s 1.7 million dollar contract.

4. Extrapoints by Beuhler: This is a not so subtle way of saying we need to see touchdowns and not fieldgoals.  No one is pressing the panic button on the Cowboys impotence in the red zone, but touchdowns win games, field goals keep the other team in striking distance.  Romo stated that the Cowboys do not gameplan for pre-season games.  The suggestion is that this can lead to poor production in the redzone.  I disagree considering the Redskins scored six touchdowns in their first pre-season game against the Bills.  Unfortunately, touchdowns may not be plentiful against the Chargers who have a solid defense, have a ball control offense, along with consideration of the Cowboys woes at offensive line.

5. Rookies: Sean Lee (2nd round) will have his first opportunity on the field as well as Akwaski Owusu-Ansah (4th round).  Both players have been nursing injuries and finally will have an opportunity to make an impression.  Owusu-Ansah may be limited to special team returns; however, the return specialists have been unimpressive so far. Titus Ryan is no longer with the team, and Holley, McCann, and Wall do not appear to be mentioned in the same breath as Dante Hall, Joshua Cribbs, or Devin Hester.  The Cowboys would love to receive production from a drafted bench player and have the opportunity to spare wear and tear on Felix Jones or Dez Bryant.  As for Lee, Cowboys fans have been reading about him every since April and we all want our curiosity sated.  Is he Bobby Carpenter 2.0, or does he have an internal fire which will drive himself and the defense to new levels.  The first step to making that call comes Saturday night.

As for the game as a whole, don’t take too much from it.  Holland and Brewster will have to adjust to the speed and power of the starters playing at game speed.  As talented as the Cowboys defense is, the players rarely play at game speed.  Give all the new players and opportunity to adjust, and hopefully the 3rd and 4th drives of the night will lead to production.  From a defensive standpoint, I’m hoping to see a 3 and out or a turnover.  I don’t care that a 3 and out isn’t considered a turnover, but it is the next best thing.  A turnover can be the the product of one players mistake.  A 3 and out is the product of an entire offense being ineffective.

And on that note, I’m officially on vacation.  I’ll see yall right around the time the Texans are beating the Cowboys in the dress rehearsal, God forbid.

We often hear it takes three years to determine whether a draft was indeed a “good” draft.  I wasn’t here last year, so I will cover 2006 today, and later in the week, 2007.  At the top of every draft, you have your can’t miss prospects like Jamarcus Russell, Charles Rogers, and Ryan Leaf.  Draft grades are given Sunday night and some fans are dancing in the street.  Even those fans who’s team got an F can look forward to the prospects disproving all of the experts with their play on Sundays.  All teams SHOULD get an incomplete immediately after the draft, but they don’t.  So let’s look back at the 2006 Cowboys draft class to see whether the grades given at the time were even close (CBS Sports gave Dallas a B-, USA Today gave 2 our of 4 stars, and Sports Illustrated gave the Cowboys a C+).  Also, keeping in mind that it isn’t about who you take, but rather who you didn’t take (take Sam Bowie, please).

1st round Bobby Carpenter at 18

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: No

Still on the team: Yes

Player(s) you could have had instead:  Antonio Cromartie, Santonio Holmes, DeAngelo Williams, Nick Mangold

Analysis:  Cromartie is a questionable character player who avoided tackles in 2009.  Holmes is a good WR, but is a #2 at best.  Drafting Williams would have been redundant considering Barber and Jones a productive duo.  Mangold is a good center and would play left guard, or force Gurode to move to guard.

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: C+

Analysis:  Bobby Carpenter is a solid nickel contributor and could be a starter on a team with less talent.  He may be a square peg, but that isn’t his fault that he was drafted by a team with round holes.  While there was some talent available that would start on the Cowboys, the players would not fill a glaring hole.

2nd round Anthony Fasano at 53rd overall (original pick 49)

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: Yes, for the Dolphins

Still on the team: No

Player(s) you could have had instead: Marcus McNeil, Devin Hester, Maurice Jones-Drew

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: D for the Cowboys, but overall a B

Analysis: While with the Cowboys, Fasano was better known for his drops than his touchdown receptions.  While he was a solid blocker, he was traded to the Dolphins for a fourth round pick.  For the Dolphins in two seasons he has logged 65 catches and 9 touchdowns.  He also has been described as the best blocking tight end in the league.  Obviously the Cowboys would be better served to have a young tackle prospect or an amazing return man, but the pick wasn’t an awful pick.

3rd round Jason Hatcher at 92nd overall (original pick 80)

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: No

Still on the team: Yes

Player(s) you could have had instead: Freddie Keiaho, Owen Daniels, Leon Washington, Stephen Gostkowski, Brandon Marshall

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: C+

Analysis: Hatcher is a productive backup.  While he is not a B- player, being drafted in the 3rd round improves his grade.  Gostkowski is effectively kicking in New England, but drafting a kicker in the 3rd round will get most GM’s fired.  Folk played as effectively until he imploded in 2009.  Brandon Marshall is a productive grease fire.  Under the tutelage of Terrell Owens, the team may have been explosive, just like diarrhea can be.  Messy, too messy.

4th round Skyler Green at 125th overall

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: No

Still on the team: No

Player(s) you could have had instead: Elvis Dumervil, Willie Colon

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: F

Analysis: I don’t think Dumervil would be effective in the 3-4 defense other than as a situational pass rusher.  Colon would contribute and help solidify if not add depth to the offensive line.  Either way, this was a throw away pick.

5th round Pat Watkins at 138th overall

Pro-Bowl:

Starter:

Still on the team:

Player(s) you could have had instead: No one noteworthy between this pick and the next pick

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: B-

Analysis: Watkins isn’t a great safety, but he is a good special teams contributor and has been a warm body to occupy space in center field when called upon.  It wasn’t a great pick, but he is still on the team.

6th round Montavious Stanley at 182nd overall

Pro-Bowl:

Starter:

Still on the team:

Player(s) you could have had instead: Antoine Bethea

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: F

Analysis: Montavious gets the tourist award.  In four years he has played for six teams: Dallas, Jacksonville twice, St. Louis, Atlanta, and New Orleans.  He has zero starts in the past 2 years, but has logged 53 tackles in the last 3 years.  Bethea averages 80ish tackles per year and is a solid player.  At  the very least, he would have been a better option than Watkins.

7th round Pat McQuistan at 211th overall

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: No

Still on the team: Yes

Player(s) you could have had instead: Cortland Finnegan

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: B+

Analysis: McQuistan provided depth on the o-line.  While in the game, he has been less than impressive.  He is a warm body and plays better then a 7th round pick when called upon.  Finnegan is a surprise just like Jay Ratliff.  I don’t blame Jerry for not drafting either him or Colston, but just like Jay Ratliff, it is great when you find that gem in the rough.  Finnegan is a tenacious cornerback.  Unfortunately, the Cowboys traded for the wrong Titans cornerback.

7th round EJ Whitley at 224th overall

Pro-Bowl: No

Starter: No

Still on the team: No.

Player(s) you could have had instead: Marques Colston

2010 20/20 hindsight grade: F

Analysis:  Another wasted pick, but the Cowboys were in good company as many 7th round picks don’t make the team.

Final analysis: The perfect draft would have been Nick Mangold in the first, Marcus McNeil in the 2nd, Brandon Marshall in the 3rd, Elvis Dumervil in the 4th, Watkins in the 5th, Antoine Bethea in the 6th, and Cortland Finnegan and Marques Colston in the 7th.  We live in the real world though.  Marshall is a pill in the locker room, Dumervil is too small to DE in the 3-4 and while he is a very good pass rush specialist, we can’t predict how he would do as an OLB.  When creating a perfect draft, you only have one of your chose players listed, it is not a good sign.

Final grade based on the misses, the 4 players still left on the team (two of which were day two players):  C-, maybe a D+ if grading on a curve.