Goodell Set to Allow Pacman Back in the League Again

From all indications from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones - Pacman is on his way back. Yes, for now the third time, the NFL is going to give Adam “Pacman” Jones another shot to try and stay clean and play in the NFL for the Cowboys. Jerry Jones said that commissioner Roger Goodell has told him that Jones will be reinstated, and that he’ll again be allowed to play.

Cowboys owner Jones did however say that Adam Jones will not play this weekend vs the 49′ers, or next week vs the Hawks, and that his first game back on the field will be on December 7th when the team takes on Pittsburgh on the road. “He’s a long way, a long way from having clear sailing,” Jerry Jones said.

Sounds like Jerry is not playing around basically putting Pacman on his own. The latest issue had to do with the corner getting into trouble with one of the Cowboys bodyguards he was provided with. Jerry Jones says that the team will no longer provide Pacman with any type of support in terms of bodyguards.

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Cowboys not out of Woods Yet

The Dallas Cowboys have fought an uphill battle this past month, trying to keep losses from piling up and attempting to hold up the fort as they awaited the trimphant return of some their biggest stars this past weekend.  The result was 1 and 2 with Brad Johnson holding down the QB position for one of the teams biggest stars, Tony Romo.

While it isn’t a far stretch to say that the Cowboys were hoping to win at least one more game than that while Romo was out, it was a result that they pretty much anticipated.  Now that Romo is back and the Cowboys have avoided the dreaded 5 and 5 mark, and head into next week’s game 6 and 4, the team needs to maintain the same amount of urgency they had against the Redskins.  Plain and simply put, they aren’t out of the woods just yet.

The magic number for wins in past years has been 10.  If you get 10 wins it usually meant you were a sure in to the playoffs.  With the NFC and in particular the NFC East being so tight, 10 wins may not be enough.  The Cowboys safest bet is to win 5 of the next 6, to give them an 11 and 5 record, though an even safer goal would be to just win out the rest of the season.

On it’s lonesome it sounds like a hard goal to muster, considering the Cowboys have to play the NY Giants, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Baltimore Ravens.  What makes it an even tougher goal, however, is the fact that the Cowboys have had trouble in the second halves of their last several seasons.  If they have the same troubles this season, they could very well miss the playoffs altogether.

The Cowboys might have one thing in their favor this season, that they didn’t have in the past two seasons.  This time around, they aren’t the favorite.  The Cowboys for all intent and purposes have been exposed to be just another team after all.  They have failed to meet the high expectations placed on them at the beginning of the season, and now they have to win some of that faith back.  There is no doubt that this is a team that believes in it’s self, but over confidence at this point in the season is likely to not be as high.

This season the Cowboys are playing with their backs up against the wall, and a loss could mean the end of any playoff aspirations nevermind the beloved Super Bowl.  If this team can play each game like it is their last and with that kind of intensity, 6-0 might actually be attainable.  The one thing that is for certain now, is that the Cowboys are definitely not out of the woods, yet.

There’s A Bright Future In “Big D”.

I was talking with a friend yesterday about the recent Cowboys victory over Washington and found myself suddenly aware of the many contributions that are currently being made by Dallas’ newest and youngest players.  For example, prior to his injury, Felix Jones was nothing less than spectacular in his abilities to run and catch as well as his kick return skills.  But he isn’t the only bright new face to join the team this season.

With some very successful drafting, Jerry Jones has insured his investment in the new billion-dollar stadium going up in Arlington will be more likely to field a very good team right away and for the years to come.  This will go a long way towards making the stadium worth all the money and hype poured into it. 

Let’s examine, as my friend and I did, what it is I’m talking about.  First, there’s a young Tony Romo who certainly looks to be the franchise QB for quite some time, then the aforementioned Felix Jones at RB, not saying Barber will go anywhere soon, but Jones appears to be the future back.  Add in a young, exceptionally talented WR in Roy Williams and a great TE with Jason Witten, who has a great understudy as well in Martellus Bennett, and one can envision a team much like the dynasty teams of the ’90’s.  Of course injuries and contract issues must be overlooked for this evaluation, but barring any major personnel changes, the talent is definitely in place to ensure many years of winning seasons in Dallas.

By no means am I throwing out this season or even next season, all I’m pointing out is that there is a core of players in the franchise now that can make this team be successful in the present and in the forseeable future.   Afterall, this is a business as well as a sport and the Cowboys not only overcame the Redskins on the field this past Sunday, but they’ve also overtaken them in merchandising sales this year.  So having a successful team, which doesn’t necessarily mean winning a Super Bowl, is the prime objective for J. Jones and it appears he’s done a great job with that aspect of his organization. 

We also called it the upcoming “Jason Garrett era” as part of our discussion as he seems to be heir-apparent to Head Coach Wade Phillips, who is quite possibly in his final season with Dallas, but who knows, depending on how this year winds up, it could be several years before Garrett gets his shot.

Romo Returns As Cowboys Top Redskins, 14-10

Five things to be Taken From the Dallas Cowboys Win Over the Washington Redskins

Not all wins are going to be pretty, in fact some wins can be down right ugly.  The most important thing to remember about any win, though, is that it is still a victory none the less.  Like any other game the Cowboys have played this season there are some positive things to take from the game, and there are also some things you hope to never have to repeat.  Here are 5 thoughts I took from this game.

1. Tony Romo did not have his most impressive game of the season going 19 of 27 for 198 yards throwing one TD to his 2 interceptions.  The two interceptions, however, is a misleading fact as only one should be marked against Tony Romo, the other was in and out of the hands of Terrell Owens.  For the most part it looked like the offense was completely out of sync for the majority of the game, but there was a lot of evidence particularly at the end of each half, that the Cowboys will be able to work this kink out relatively quickly.

2. This is really only the second time this season we have seen the Dallas Cowboys defense step up their game to an extremely competitive level.  The question now is, can they keep it up?  If the Coaches and players can find away to keep up the motivation like it was on Sunday night against the Redskins, I think this Cowboys defense could take on anyone.

3. Is it time for Wade Phillips to stop coaching penalties?  This seems to be one of the Cowboys’ biggest downfalls for the last three years.  Some might call it a lack of discipline others a lack of concentration, I just call it a problem.  Too many potential drives were ended early this game because players were either jumping the line early or because players simply weren’t where they were supposed to be.  I think some of this can be improved as team continuity is regained, but there might still be some lingering problems even after that.

4.  I might be reading too much into some of Tony Romo’s iladvised passes, but it did look like the splint might have caused a few problems at different points in the game.  It’ll be interesting to see how he and the trainers intend on correcting that, or if he intends to go the next game with out a splint at all.

5.  I’d like to see the Cowboys play a few more games this season before making any bold predictions about playoff hopes, nevermind their Super Bowl asperations.  It is, however, still a possibility that the Cowboys could go on to make a push well into the playoffs this season.  The New York Giants are the best team in the Division still but with 6 more games to play in the season anything can still happen.  One thing is for certain the Cowboys are going to have to stay focused and play more fundamentaly sound football to get there.

Cowboys Come Away With Big Win At Washington 14-10.

Dallas put their season hopes on the legs and heart of Marion Barber to get a huge win tonight in Washington, 14-10.  Clinging to a four-point lead with just 6:46 left in the game after stopping the Redskins on a critical fourth down play, the Cowboys relied on their tough running back to close out the game as Barber rushed for 66 of his 114-yards on the final drive of the game.

The only pass Romo threw on the last drive was a short dump-off to Barber that he converted into a first down as Dallas was able to control the ball until Washington ran out of timeouts.  They were then able to kneel down to run out the clock.  The most crucial of runs Barber made was close to the end on a fourth-and-two play with just over a minute left on the clock when he dove for the first down to ice the game.

It was a tough and physical game throughout with the Redskins holding the Cowboys to a three-and-out on their first drive and then Jason Campbell taking his team on a short 49-yard touchdown drive for a 7-0 first quarter lead that would hold until late into the second quarter when Barber would tie the game on his two-yard lone touchdown run.  But once again, Dallas’ kick return team came up short allowing the ensuing kickoff to be returned by Washington’s Rock Cartwright to the Dallas 38-yard line.  Washington would convert it into a field goal just prior to the end of the half to go up 10-7 on the Cowboys.

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With Tony Romo Back the Cowboys Should Have More Success in the Air

It happens all too often in the NFL, that QBs tend to get much more credit than they deserve for the team’s success.  They are, of course, the captains of the offense and good QBs are often given the title Field Generals because of this, but there is an entire team around this one player that assist them to their success and their failures. That being said, there are also occasions where the QB isn’t given enough credit for a team’s success, and Tony Romo might be that guy this season.

Before Romo suffered a broken pinkie in week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, it was highly publicized and pointed out weekly that he was averaging one interception a game.  What is missed is that Romo has completed 60% of his passes, 128 of 200, and was averaging 2.3 TDs thrown and 281 yards a game.

How well does that compare to Brad Johnson’s numbers in his three starts in Romo’s absense?  Brad Johnson in his three starts threw for 427 yards which averages out to 142.3 yards a game, and threw 1.6 interceptions a game.  While Romo’s QB rating is sitting at 103, Brad Johnson’s is sitting at a mere 50.

The real proof sits in the fact that before Romo went down after losing to the Cardinals, the Cowboys sat at 4 and 2 and was averaging 29 points a game, and had not failed to score more than 20 points in any of the games while he was under center.  In the three games Johnson started the Cowboys went 1 and 2, and averaged a mere 13.5 points a game.

The fact is, it’s great to have receiving weapons like Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, and Jason Witten but you have to have someone who can get the ball to them.  The offensive line probably could have played better for Brad Johnson, but I think the biggest part of it was that Romo hid a lot of the flaws of the offensive line with his ability to improvise and his quick release.  With Romo back on the field the Cowboys should have a lot more success in the air, which in turn could cause a lot more success on the ground.

Breaking Down the Cowboys Matchup with the Skins

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Is there any game this weekend with more question marks that the one that will be played Sunday night in DC?  One of the best and most heated matchups will take place in the Nations Capital, as the Redskins will look to get back on track vs a team that is just about in a must win - the Cowboys.  The Boys are coming off a big loss to the Giants before their bye, while the Skins are smarting as they fell on Monday night two weeks ago against the Steelers.

The Cowboys lost to the Skins in week four, and just have not been the same since.  They were 3-0, and looked like they would challenge the best in the NFC for a shot at the Super Bowl.  Now at 5-4, they are in extreme danger of being on the outside looking in of the playoffs with a loss Sunday night.  With a win, and they are tied with the Skins at 6-4 and things look at least a little brighter.

The way things seem to be lining up, they likely will hvae to win at least five of their last seven to even sniff the playoffs, so a loss to the Skins would not be a good thing.  On the other hand, Washington feels that the Steelers loss was a bump in the road and they will be able to get on track vs a Dallas team trying to get back to health.

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Tony Romo will be back in the lineup for the Cowboys, and how he plays may very well be the key to this game.  He has not played in a few weeks, and his line is going to have to hold up their end and protect their QB and not allow a Skins pass rush which isn’t all that great to begin with to get in there and beat on the franchise QB.

The run game for the Cowboys would help, and if they can get Marion Barber going that would be a great help.  Also a good game by Jason Witten, who has a fractured rib, would be a big key as well.  The issues all the way around is counting on these guys trying to come back from injury is easier said than done.

Not that the Skins don’t have injury woes of their own.  Clinton Portis is banged up, and his ground game is key to the Skins success.  Jim Zorn said the back is 50-50 for the game this week, and if he does not go, it could be up to Shaun Alexander to carry the load.  The Cowboys will look to make the Skins a one-trick pony and have them throw a lot with the pressure then being on Jason Campbell.

There are a lot of question marks on both sides for this one, which makes it all the more interesting.  The Skins seem to have a little more going on their end, with or without the play of Portis.  As for Dallas, another loss and Jerry Jones may have a breakdown.  The Skins will pull this one out, winning by three.

Romo Ready To Return To Cowboys This Weekend

Cowboys Try To Get Healthy At ‘Skins

Following a much-needed bye week, the Cowboys get to prove that they truly are the team everyone thought they were at the beginning of the season.  With Romo, Newman, Kosier and hopefully, Felix Jones returning to the lineup, maybe this team can get rolling again like in the first three games of the season when all were healthy and productive.

Not that going on the road against the 6-3 Redskins will be an easy task or that getting Romo back under center will solve all of their problems, but if they were to have a chance at salvaging the season, it must be now and it must be with Romo healthy.  The glaring weakness of this team was definitely exposed when Romo went down to injury after the Cardinals game, no backup QB capable of winning.  In fact, I predicted we would be 5-4 after the bye under the guidance of Brad Johnson, so I for one was not surprised at their 1-2 stretch with him.  What Dallas will do at backup QB remains to be seen, but I certainly wouldn’t expect Johnson to return next year.

While Romo has been away, Terrell Owens hasn’t been able to contribute much since Johnson couldn’t seem to get him the ball and the Cowboys acquired a new receiver in Roy Williams, who caught one touchdown pass but not much else either.  Now, these two will have someone who can get them the ball, so I look for the two of them to pick it up a notch or two. 

In the first meeting at Dallas, the defense was unable to stop Clinton Portis or Santana Moss on the way to a 26-24 loss.  It appears that this time around, Portis is not quite healthy and Moss’ status is still unclear and the Redskins have gotten themselves another big name CB in DeAngelo Hall.  The secondary of the Redskins is going to be severely challenged now that the Cowboys have the double threats of Owens/Williams.  The Cowboys defense showed that they are capable of stopping the run against Tampa Bay, but then fell flat again against the Giants.

This weekend, the team that makes the most big plays will win in yet another tough NFC East division battle.  I believe the now healthy ‘Boys have the edge in big playmakers, so therefore I predict a breakthrough win for the Cowboys in Washington (yes, I know it’s only Wednesday!); 34-20.