What Should We Think About The Dallas Cowboys?
By Levi Glenn
As the end of a crazy Week Three comes to a close, I’m sure the Dallas Cowboys have many regrets about the season thus far. The last two weeks, the team has looked like they came from the level of “NFL qualified” that the replacement refs are from. The O-line has been horrible and the team has seemed out of sync since week two’s opening kick off. Since this is the Dallas Cowboys that we’re reading about and multiple views are always shared, I’d like to give a couple of outlooks on the team so that any fan, whether you are pleased with this weeks win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or not, could agree. Either way, I hope that maybe some of the hope we started with at the beginning of the season can be restored.
Sep 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws in the pocket in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE
First off, I would like to point out Tony Romo. Tony may have had a bad game or two but he still has an above average QB rating. Lets face it Tony doesn’t like week three. Three of the last 4 years he failed to throw a touchdown in week three, yet he always comes back with great passion in the passing game. Troy Aikman was a great QB, he was great because he never had to throw 35+ passes every week. Troy had the greatest RB of all time in Emmitt Smith, who complimented his passing attack with average of just over 4 yards per carry. If Tony Romo can get coaching and O-line coordinated and they utilize the rushing game then DeMarco Murray, which averages just over 5 yards per carry, could keep the pass attempts down like Emmitt did for Troy. Tony Romo has 23 games in the last 5 years that he has thrown 35+ passes in. He only won 6 of them. If the Cowboys can keep the pass attempts down than the chances of winning go up.
Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys are in a three way tie for first in the division. With three teams at 2-1 the tie breaker would go to the Cowboys considering they have the only division win so far. The Dallas Cowboys have taken care of Eli once already, and the way Vick has been turning the ball over, the Dallas D’ can’t wait to face him twice this year. Also the team will have to deal with RGIII twice also, but I don’t think any rookie can stand up to a rivalry of that magnitude with out making several rookie mistakes.
Next is the undoubtable pieces that the team desperately needs to fix. PENALTIES! I am so shocked in this teams discipline. I thought that Jason Garrett would put these ‘Boys in check after last year and I have had high hopes for Garrett until recently. When Garrett took over in 2010 and fined Marion Barber for not following dress code I thought that was what this team needed. I’m not sure if Garrett will be around in 2013 if this team doesn’t learn some discipline.
The team has a rough 6 game stretch ahead of them. Playing the Bears, Ravens, Panthers, Giants, Falcons and Eagles will be a nightmare if things aren’t fixed quickly. This is going to be the toughest part of the season for the Dallas Cowboys. They can’t afford to go anything less than 4-2 in these games if the team wants to keep playoff hopes alive. Luckily for Big D’ this is when the team usually has a hot streak.
The team may look bad right now but never count them out. The Cowboys are ranked 1st in total yards allowed by defense. Every team that has them on their schedule are not taking them lightly. Defense is looking great and offense will work itself out. If you believe the old cliche that defense wins championships than the NFC East belongs to the Cowboys, but it won’t be given to them, they need to take it.