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.

Jan 31, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants tackle Tony Ugoh (70) answers questions from Pick Boy. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

While it’s great in one sense that the NFC East – a division many pundits called the weakest in the NFL this season – is represented in the big game, it has left many Cowboy fans wondering what might have been.  The Cowboys were literally one Tony Romo overthrow from eliminating the Giants in week 14.  That doesn’t necessarily mean our Cowboys would be representing the NFC in Indianapolis had Miles Austin caught that ball – the weaknesses on this team are too glaring and too numerous to believe they would have made a similar run. But, it wouldn’t have been the Giants.

So, how is it that twice in the last 5 years (2008-2012) that the Giants have appeared in a Super Bowl when it has been 16 years since the Cowboys made an appearance?  It’s a familiar refrain, but I think it relates directly back to our GM, or lack thereof.  To support that point, let’s take a look at just the last 4 drafts between the Cowboys and Giants. (more…)

Heading into this rematch, you can absolutely throw out last week’s game against the Eagles.  It tells you nothing about our chances to win this week.  The game was meaningless once the Giants beat the Jets, and as hard as it is to admit, the Eagles are just not a good match-up for this year’s version of our Cowboys.   We did a much better job stopping the run this time around, but Vick was hardly pressured at all; he picked our suspect secondary apart with ease.  If not for a fumble that rolled out of the end zone and a late blocked punt, it easily could have been a 27-0 blowout on top of the 34-7 pasting they already laid on us.  The only satisfaction we can take from that game is that despite sweeping our season series, the Eagles are assured of sitting out the playoffs. (more…)