Cowboys '09: Week 5 at Kansas City

Well, it would have been nice if that game would have given us something to talk about, right?

As you may recall, I am a big believer in the idea that wins are darn difficult to come by in this league, and when you get one, it is bad form to be picky about how you went about getting that win.

But, even I have my limitations. That was stinking ugly in so many ways that I seem to be ignoring my own advice.

The Chiefs gave the Cowboys all they could handle yesterday. Or, closer to the truth, the Dallas Cowboys made every attempt at giving the Chiefs the game yesterday. Sloppy perhaps doesn't properly capture the way that this game was played. Penalties, turnovers, drops, more penalties, and various other elements conspired to keep the Chiefs in a game almost completely against their will.

We thought going into the game that the Chiefs were a very bad NFL team. They spent most of Sunday proving it, and yet, they remained in the lead for 57+ minutes because the Cowboys were compelled to repeatedly sabotage their own efforts. And then, just as the offense finally got its act together, the defense caved in. Similar to the Giants and Broncos games, the defense who had been solid all day long, picked just the wrong time to give up the crucial drive right down the field.

The Biggest Issue in Training Camp

I am watching LT pretty closely here in camp (as I am sure everyone else is, too). The question, of course, is "are the Cowboys nuts for saying goodbye to Flozell Adams" in a cost-saving move during the spring.

As I review last season, I recognize that he had one of his tougher campaigns (just today the Denver game story was posted below and detailed how Elvis Dumervil made him look silly for most of the afternoon). Nevertheless, I am used to the Cowboys doing things because they are the right football move and not the right financial move - we leave that to Tom Hicks.

So, to watch Doug Free at LT does give me great pause. Now, the good news is that we will know soon enough what he has at LT because he faces #94 and #93 daily in practice. But, as these 6 weeks go on, we are also left with the stomach ache issue of "if he is not good enough to play left tackle at a Super Bowl level, then what do we do?"

The answer is very disturbing.

You have Alex Barron - who as they old scout cliche goes: "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane". Barron is literally the most slender 315 pound human alive. He has a waist smaller than mine and would clearly be on the Dick Vitale "all airport team" for guys who look like they would be really great players when they walk through the airport. But, let's examine reality for a moment on Barron.

1) - 75 penalties in 58 starts is an amazing pace that would make Flozell blush.
2) - The Rams felt so strongly about his future that they traded him for Bobby Carpenter.
3) - Reread #2

Both players have strength issues that seem to really concern critics. Free has always had very quick feet but did not have the ability to "drop anchor" on the corner and stand a speed rusher up before he can get around the edge. Last year, in many games at Right Tackle, he performed very well, but I do think we need to consider that the Cowboys gave him help and also did not ask him to stand on an island by himself much.

Well, in the NFL and at Left Tackle, the whole job is about being on an island. Defensive Coordinators live to figure out ways with blitzing and presnap adjustments to put you on an island against their best speed rusher. The last thing you want is Jason Witten holding his hand all season rather than being in pass routes.

The test for Free will not be to look at how many sacks he allows. The true test for Doug Free will be how often the Cowboys can have their TEs downfield and how often the Cowboys can just run their offense - rather than run their offense while adjusting for a sub-par Left Tackle. If they have to help him and limit their play calling, then we have a problem.

And we will know the answer to those questions by Week 3.

Cowboys '09: Week 4 at Denver

On December 7, 2008,
The Cowboys lost a 7 point game in Pittsburgh in which their defense played as well as they possibly could. They made a key 4th Quarter stand on 4th down, and tried to give the offense all they could to get the win.

But, the offense betrayed them.

It happened again yesterday in Denver. Despite the defense giving the team a game where you can really complain about one snap - they got beat in Denver. And, again, the offense betrayed them.

Winning on the road in the NFL is never easy. It requires a firm handle on ball security, and the ability to have a QB who can take a beating and still stick a throw in a tight spot under immense pressure. And in his last 4 road tests, Tony Romo has failed 3 - by a rather healthy margin.

Romo will get the headlines for yesterday's loss in Denver, and in my estimation, much of it will be deserved. He missed too much, too often in Denver. Even in the most chaotic of situations, there will be plays to be made down the field. And when those situations appear, a QB is judged on his ability to put the ball where it has to be - no matter how badly he has been battered all game.

Cowboys '09: Week 3 vs Panthers

Not every single NFL game turns on one play, but quite a few of them do. And without question, Dallas' first Monday Night win in their new stadium absolutely turned on one play and one play only.

2nd Down, 10 yards to go for the Panthers at their own 22 yard line with 5:15 left to go in the 4th Quarter. They have been badly outplayed in the 2nd half, but now own the football and only trail the Cowboys by 6 points. This is the ultimate opportunity to steal a game with a touchdown, and get that win that Carolina needs so badly.

ESPN, after Jake Delhomme takes a deep shot to Steve Smith on 1st down, shows a montage of Terrence Newman up in tight and aggressive coverage on Smith in the 2nd half, frustrating Smith to a point of a temper tantrum on the sideline.

The Panthers are flooding the right side of the line on this 2nd and 10, with Muhsin Muhammad, Jeff King, Donte Rosario, and DeAngelo Williams all running routes to the offensive right. Steve Smith is split to the left, and the Cowboys counter with Newman tight, and Hamlin over the top. The Panthers have to be thinking that since they took a deep shot to Smith on 1st down, chances are that Newman would be leaning back on a deeper route and conceding the slant.

Cowboys '09: Week 2 vs NY Giants

This is part 2 of the 18 part trip through the Cowboys 2009 season through the Morning After columns. Enjoy.

The new stadium opens like the old stadium closed - with a gut punch.

This game was a game of so many ups and downs. On one hand, the Cowboys did so much to beat themselves that they really were lucky to have a lead and a chance at the end. And on the other hand, they had so many "bad breaks" that you wondered who they angered, because if one of those bounces doesn't go the Giants' way, then the Cowboys surely get the win.

Welcome back, NFL Season. Welcome back, 200 emails when Romo has a bad night. And welcome back, Monday after a gutting defeat where knee jerk reactions are flying in every direction. We missed you all. 16 hurdles in the meat grinder, and the Cowboys get nailed in their first home game, because they took an inexcusable -4 in the turnover rating.

On Wednesdays, we demonstrate the importance of turnovers around the league . There is no other stat so important as turnovers. If you are even a "-1" in a game, you lose 3 out of every 4 games. Worse than -1, and the number grows quite a bit. By the time you get to -4, it is almost 99% loss rate. In fact, since the start of last season, 24 teams have been a -4, and 24 teams have lost. Simply put, you don't take care of the football, you don't win.

And the Cowboys did not take care of the football. Namely, Tony Romo did not take care of the football. There are days when you can get away with that, and when you run for 251 yards, I thought for a bit that this might be one of those days. But, the combination that couldn't be overcome is this: The Cowboys offense gave the ball away 3 times; The special teams gave the ball away once; and the Cowboys defense did not create a turnover. Again.

Dez Bryant - It's Always Something

Primarily for my personal use, I am beginning to compile a Dez Bryant news archive so that I can remember everything. I am sure not all of this is his fault, but wow he can keep the media busy.

Feel free to remind me what I have missed, and I will add them if you email or comment a link.

October 7, 2009 - Dez Bryant in big trouble at Oklahoma State

February 28, 2010 - Bryant is always late for practice and a risky pick

March 30, 2010 - Bryant runs, posts slow times at personal workouts

April 23, 2010 - Bryant has an irregular heartbeat

April 28, 2010 - Jeff Ireland asks Dez if his mother as a prostitute...then apologizes

May 1, 2010 - Dez is winded and puking at rookie mini-camp

May 3, 2010 - Angela Bryant wants apology, but also has some new law problems

May 19, 2010 - Dez Bryant is wearing Nike after signing 2 year deal with Under Armour 3 months ago

May 27, 2010 - Bryant misses mini camp practice....and then...

May 27, 2010 - Dunks on people that night at basketball game

July 22, 2010 - Dez Bryant and Cowboys agree to a 5-year contract

July 24, 2010 - Dez tells David Moore that Roy Williams and Bryant will not be pitted against eachother

July 25, 2010 - Dez Bryant refuses to carry Roy Williams shoulder pads

July 26, 2010 - Under Armour and Dez break up

Cowboys '09: Week 1 at Tampa Bay

We did this last year in training camp, and like many things on this blog, it is partly here because I need to review last season. So, I reprint the "morning after" columns from each game. With 18 games last season, this will get us through 18 days of training camp as we give each game a moment of our time. Here is week 1 vs Tampa Bay. Enjoy, or skip it.

"And 2009 is underway!"

As is the case in 100% of NFL games, there was certainly some good, some bad, and some ugly in the 2009 season opener, but the Dallas Cowboys slowly and surely overwhelmed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and start the season off in the only acceptable way. They beat a team that will struggle this year to win 6 games. And they beat them in a fashion where one never felt the game was in doubt after halftime.

I believe the early theme of the season has been whether or not the Cowboys would be capable of assembling a dangerous offense this year. Would the exit of Terrell Owens diminish the lethal qualities of this offense to a point where they struggle to get to 20? Depends who you believe. But, I have always believed that this current crew of playmakers would be fine. And, I believe we saw enough big plays yesterday - and several more that merely teased (Martellus Bennett, Wildcat) - that we can all prepare for the team to accumulate plenty of points. And they may need to. Because...

BOB?

I bet you are wondering if I am still into blogging. Well, honestly, I haven't completely figured that out. I do love to blog, but it has to fit properly into this thing called life. So, I really scaled back in the spring, and have now scaled back again as it pertains to blogging for other people (read: for money, but also for required amounts of work). Last week, I told SBNation and the Stars that I would rather stop blogging for the time being.

So, what do I do now? Can you expect the same Cowboys work I did last year? Can you count on me to offer you commentary on the events of the day? Can you expect lots of blogs on English soccer that very few of you will actually care about?

I don't know. Sort of. Sometimes. Probably.

Family and Job are first and foremost. Golf is then added when it fits. That means this little thing must fit where it fits and that means when the little voice in my head convinces me to get to my keyboard. But, even then, I find Twitter scratches some of that itch.

I hope you continue to come back here, but I cannot promise that I will always keep my end of the bargain, so I can hardly insist that you keep yours.

Anyway, thanks for the support, and let's see where this goes. This week will likely have plenty of blog stuff.

Bacsik: Rangers vs Angels

I hear a lot of media and fans saying how big this series is with the Angels and can’t understand why the players won’t just admit how important every series the rest of the way against the Angels are. There’s a reason and good one.

If a team builds up a series as a bigger than all of the rest, then what happens next? Do you relax against your next opponent because that series doesn’t mean as much? What if you get swept in the big series? Do you lose confidence that you’re not the best team in the division? How do you get up for the next big series and how long down the road is that series?

The players know who they are playing and what it means. You could see it after the 3-2 win against the Angels in the high five line. And the players can feel the energy in the crowd that this isn’t the Cleveland Indians they are playing. But in a 162 game season you can’t build up a July series as a division clincher or a catastrophic changing series.
There is a magic number of wins to win the division, but it doesn’t matter who you beat as long as you get to that number. Sure, beating the Angels, Red Sox, and Yankees feels better than beating the Orioles and Royals but they all count the same. Ian Kinsler said it best a few days ago “We beat the Angels last year but they won the division by 8 games.”

As fans it’s great to build up games as bigger than they are because that is what we do. The Rangers sales staff is paid to build up the “important series” more than the “just another team” series. But players must be careful of this because they have to fight the feeling that this game or series is more important because that leaves you with 65 games left to play and you’re looking for that next high. Baseball is the most important sport not to get to high when things are going good and not to hang your head when things are looking bad.

The football mentality can mess up our baseball brain. Football is the ultimate fan sport. Every game means so much. Six games in and you have an idea if your team can or can’t make the playoffs. Hell, there are only 10 games left. I remember talking to one of my strength coaches who had also been a strength coach for the Colts. I asked him if NFL players took uppers (Rip Fuel, Greenys) before a game. He said only once did a player do it and he couldn’t play in the game because the drug made him to hyper and he had to go to the hospital. He also told me the locker room before a NFL game is scary. There are literally a couple dozen players in there going crazy, throwing up, hitting things, hitting each other, the adrenalin before a NFL game is nothing like a MLB game. Guys are taking little naps, playing cards a couple hours before the game, watching TV, watching film. It was awesome hearing him talk about the energy of a NFL locker-room but there’s no way you could create that atmosphere 162 out of 184 days. And yes, some baseball players try to create that high by taking uppers but not that many now because of testing.

That is why it is so important to have some players who have been through the pennant races. The young players really want to build up this series or that series as the big one. We are all fans at heart, but the more you get up for the Angels or Yankees the lower your energy and focus will be for the Orioles and Royals. It is a battle to fool yourself that this isn’t the end of the world or mission accomplished because we beat the Angels 3 out of 4 but it is necessary if you want to be a winner. This Rangers team looks like a winner and I’m glad that the players are trying to look at this series as just another one in July that we’re going to win.

SB Nation - July 14

Jul 14, 2010 -

There are plenty of things to be tossing around in a week that traditionally is supposed to be the slowest week of the sports year, so let's get to it!

RANGERS PULL THE TRIGGER

I have only lived in the Metroplex since 1998, so I cannot claim that this team crushed my childhood when they could not close the deal in various seasons of my youth. But, in my 13 seasons of closely following the Rangers, I have grown accustomed to reading stories that link the Rangers to top-notch pitching help, but never really believing it will happen.

How many times did we need Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens to break our hearts before we figured out a defense mechanism is the best way to deal with these disappointments? They don't really love us, and they are just using us to get what they want!

And then, the Cliff Lee trade happened. It might be a game changer.

Now, we should point out a couple things before we get carried away with this idea that all things have now become new. For instance, Cliff Lee had no say in this matter. Had he had a 1 percent stake on what happened when the Rangers and Mariners came to an agreement, there is a very real possibility this never goes down. Also, he is committed to be here for about the length of a season of Entourage. (Actually, Wikipedia indicates that Entourage is only doing eight episodes this season and the final one is on August 22! How can HBO get away with this?) This is clearly a rental, as Lee will pitch about 13-15 times for the Rangers and then his 1-hour "Decision" special on ESPN will air in December.

Let's be honest, there are two major problems with buying a Cliff Lee jersey for 2011: 1) There is a very real chance that he cannot wait to go someplace else as soon as he does get a say in the matter, and 2) There is an even more real chance that whoever owns the Rangers by Christmas will not be interested in making Cliff the highest paid pitcher in baseball. So, perhaps spend your money on a Neftali jersey.

Now that I have tried to kill your buzz (at least the part of your buzz that was not already killed by the Orioles four-game sweep) it is surely time to congratulate and get excited about the Rangers management team figuring out a way to energize the entire baseball market in a summer of such insanity, none of us saw this coming. After we learned last summer that the much-discussed Roy Halladay trade possibility was merely talk show fodder because the Rangers didn't have the cash to really do it, how could we know that the Rangers had the ability to do trades where they convince the other team to pay the freight?

But, because of the job Jon Daniels and his scouts have done, the prospect shelf is full, and they have the currency to get after things like this even if they have an empty wallet. This ability allows them to steal a player from right under the Yankees' noses, and if ever a gust of wind finds your sails, it is when you have the Yankees angry about a move you just made.

So, while this is no more of a permanent relationship than CC Sabathia in Milwaukee, the Brewers will assure you that those three months were worth every day of Matt LaPorta's future. Now, the Rangers have walked the walk and not just talked the talk in the "it's time" campaign. By making this move, they tell us that when the first pitch is thrown Thursday night in Boston, they are all-in and going for post-season glory in 2010.

They went and grabbed the best pitcher in the market, and even if it is only temporary, there is every reason to believe that the rotation is now capable of some very big and impressive things. Colby Lewis makes far more sense as a No. 2. CJ Wilson now looks like a proper No. 3. Tommy Hunter slides to No. 4. If Scott Feldman, Rich Harden, or Derek Holland sort things out (quickly) they can grab the No. 5 slot. OK. This no longer a pipe dream. This actually appears to be a group that has a fighting chance.

There are no guarantees in sports, but to have Cliff Lee on the Rangers side is quite a weapon and will keep Rangers baseball relevant well past the opening of Cowboys training camp in 10 days in San Antonio, Texas.

Thanks for nothing, Tom Hicks. Thanks for plenty, Rangers. We are all counting on you.

MAVS MAKE THEIR MOVE

Meanwhile, the Mavericks have been busy working on their gigantic summer of transition which was hopefully going to present a significant sea change in the expectation level of Mavericks basketball entering the next season of the Dirk era.

So far, I am sad to report, there is very little to get too carried away about. On Tuesday, the Mavericks finally cashed in the Erick Dampier chip, and it appears that they were down to cashing it in for nothing or a big man that has not been healthy since he participated in the public execution of the Mavericks in April/May of 2008.

Tyson Chandler was an unstoppable force in that five-game massacre that cost Avery Johnson his job. He was on the receiving end of countless lob passes from Chris Paul, dominated the boards, and inspired another summer of transition.

Sadly, he has not been healthy since. There was a voided trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder because of his health, and then another trade to the Charlotte Bobcats. During those two seasons since the playoff against the Mavericks, Chandler has been available for exactly 96 of the 164 games (58 percent) that his teams have played, and started 72 of them (43 percent). Not exactly Cal Ripken, Jr, here.

When healthy, Chandler is interesting to me. But, even at this age, which should represent his prime, it really appears that he is done. The Mavericks are banking on the premise that this is not the case - or, they are seriously putting a lot of stock in this idea that financial flexibility is the way to go. They have expiring deals all over the board (Caron Butler, JJ Barea, Chandler, etc) and are thinking that a team that is giving up at the All-Star break trade deadline might want those deals for deals with remaining years. The problem with that, of course, is that with the NBA likely losing a giant portion of its season in 2011-12 to a labor stoppage, there might be very little reason for teams to shed payroll given that there is likely no payroll to meet.

I love that Mark Cuban is obsessed with trying to get over that hump. I love that Dirk Nowitzki is not chasing every last dime and is not interested in stabbing Dallas in his quest for joining some other opportunity that would leave unfinished business here.

But, why do I get this sneaky suspicion that we are just in a non-stop holding pattern waiting for that Pau Gasol trade that would change everything? Is it out there? And is part of that trade's awesomeness dependent on that trade happening in the direction of a team that has an obsessed Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson already in place?

I guess what I am saying is that the Lakers are the Lakers. The Mavs are still the Mavs. They wanted to add a big piece in the Summer of 2010 - LeBron, D-Wade, Amare, or even Joe Johnson. They wanted to flip the expiring Dampier deal for something really awesome. What did it turn out to be? A center who hasn't been healthy in two seasons that may be capable of backing up Brendan Haywood.

Sorry. But, I must rate that move as positively underwhelming. I desperately hope I am wrong. But, something tells me the Spurs and Lakers are not losing sleep over that one.

10 DAYS TO GO

The July traditions are all here. Baseball trade deadline. Basketball and hockey free agency. And yes, the start of doing interviews on various stations across America helping them preview the Dallas Cowboys.

I did my first one on Wednesday morning when a station called me to ask what the biggest concerns were about the 2010 Dallas Cowboys, and how good they might be.

Obviously, left tackle and safety are way up the list, but I keep coming back to kicker. David Buehler is the kicker as of this moment, and I cannot buy it. Why? Because I was here last year when Nick Folk went south and the Cowboys would rather call up Redskins discard Shaun Suisham than deal with Buehler even though Buehler was on campus and present for every practice all year.

Doesn't that tell you something?

And what could possibly change since last December that tells you now that Buehler is ready to take and make kicks that will decide games when the margin for error is slim and none this season?

You see, the Cowboys have designs on winning it all and being the first team to ever win a home Super Bowl (and the first team to ever play in a home Super Bowl). To do so, they will need some home field advantage throughout the playoffs because last year we saw the Cowboys could win a playoff game at home, but not on the road. The Vikings also looked great at home and then lost on the road. Meanwhile, the Saints and Colts both never left home and went to the Super Bowl. It is not a guarantee of 2010 success, but home field is always a strong place to start when building objectives for your NFL season.

Back to Buehler - so you see him making a kick in December on the road? If you do, then how do we explain the lack of confidence in him the last time the Cowboys played a game? I like the kid a lot - he seems like a great dude - but didn't the Cowboys tell us all we needed to know on the topic in December?

My money is on the idea that they bring in a veteran to compete for the kicking job before August is over. I just don't think that Buehler will be able to survive a bad day or two in camp and keep FG duties on his resume.