Cowboys 34 / Cardinals 13 -- Week 8

The Cowboys showed today that they are legitimate playoff contenders. They played an excellent, workmanship type game against an opponent they have to dominate. The defense was very good, shutting down the Cardinals' running and passing attack. They kept constant pressure on McCowen the entire game. Anthony Henry made up for getting beat for a touchdown with a touchdown interception return of his own.

The Dallas offense ran the ball well, and their passing game was acceptable. Dallas' offensive line did show some weakness against the Cardinal outside pass-rush. Torrin Tucker and Rob Petitti had trouble protecting Bledsoe against the good Arizona defensive ends. Over all, it's nice to go into the bye-week with an easy win against a must-beat team.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

What a crushing defeat for Dallas today, against Seattle. Dallas led the entire game until Hasselbeck threw a touchdown pass with less than a minute left. Seattle, then, intercepted a terrible Bledsoe pass, and kicked a field goal the last play to win the game.

The Dallas defense played great. They stopped Shaun Alexander all day. They also stopped Seattle's passing, except for the one drive at the end of the game. The story on offense was just the opposite. Except for some Marion Barber running, our offense was horrible. Bledsoe passed for only 130 yards and was sacked 4 times. He was under constant pressure all day. I'm wondering if the media and fans are still saying that we won't miss Flozell Adams. We also missed a 29 yard field-goal (thanks to a bad snap) and failed to score a touch-down when we got inside Seattle's 5 yard line late in the fourth quarter.

The key for the Cowboys right now is getting Julius Jones back. Late in the fourth quarter, Dallas recovered a Seattle fumble at their 9 yard line. Dallas ran the ball twice and only gained about 4 yards. They had to settle for a field goal. If Julius Jones would have been playing, hopefully, they could have scored a touchdown, and put the game away. Dallas' main need right now is to establish a running game to take the pressure off of Bledsoe's passing attack. Unfortunately, I do not know how badly Jones is hurt. I have not heard if he would be back this week for Arizona.

It was another roller-coaster game in the Dallas season. However, it was a third straight outstanding defensive effort for the Boys. If the defense continues to play well, we should be able to make a strong run for the playoffs. I'm still a very disappointed fan. Maybe we will have better luck next week at Arizona.

Cowboys / Giants -- Week 6

Another erratic game for the boys.
Dallas played well for 3 1/2 quarters, but, turnovers, key penalties, and missed field goals kept them from building a decent lead, especially in the first half. And these mistakes nearly cost them the ballgame.
Dallas' passing game was, again, very good. Bledsoe was very sharp and Keyshawn ran some excellent routes. The running game never really got going. Julius Jones sat out the entire game. On defense, Dallas had good secondary coverage, (except at the end), and stopped the NY running game. Cowboys' pass rush, however, was non-existent except for an occasional blitz. They basically had control of the game until the last few minutes of the 4th quarter. Just like against Washington, our pass defense fell completely apart.
The Giants, thanks to Manning's arm, had two drives late in the fourth quarter. Luckily for us, the Giants' RB, Brandon Jacobs, fumbled at the Dallas one yard line. Why Brandon Jacobs and not Tiki Barber -- no one knows. On their last drive, which tied the game, NY got the ball at midfield and quickly scored on two passing completions. Manning had all day to find a receiver. I remember commenting whoever got the ball first in overtime would win the game, because at the end of the game neither defense was able to stop the opposing team. Dallas won the toss, received the ball, drove for a field goal, and won the game.
It was a nice victory, but was a game that Dallas should have won fairly easily. But, I'll take the win, and hope that the Boys improve their pass rush as the season progresses.

October 9th, 2005 - Cowboys 33 / Eagles 10

The Eagles game could possibly be Dallas' best performance since their last Super-Bowl run. It was total domination, and it was that good. However, this performance was not accomplished against a great team. When McNabb is off his game, and hurting, the Eagles are also off their game. The Eagles offense is passing and their defense is keyed to a healthy McNabb. Their defense seemed down when McNabb was down. The Eagle defense missed tackles and also missed assignments which led to a great day for Bledsoe, who, by the way is my vote for the Dallas MVP so far this season.
Dallas should play a hybrid 3-4 defense with DeMarcus Ware serving as a stand-up linebacker with the freedom to rush the passer at will. Terrance Newman is their best defensive back.
Even after this great performance, however, let's don't get our playoff hopes too high. Every game will be a challenge for the Cowboys this year. It is great to see them perform like champions on a given Sunday.