ESPN: Riding along with West Coast Cowboys

[tr1]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nfl/columns/story?columnist=mosley_matt&id=5493267

Mosley By Matt Mosley

Is it just me or does it feel like the Dallas Cowboys' training camp has lasted four months? Jerry Jones has apparently petitioned the league to report to San Antonio at the first of June next season.

I realized why Jerry loves camp so much last Thursday when he put his arm around my shoulder (for a bit too long) and gazed out over the Los Angeles skyline and said something to the effect of, "This is why the Dallas Cowboys belong here."

I'm pretty sure he's not moving the organization to LA, but in that (awkward) moment, it was hard to rule anything out. As we've discussed before, the NFL preseason is about two things: gouging hard-working fans with pretend football and trying to keep your starters healthy.

The Cowboys have failed on the second point. The Montrae Holland era will finally begin because of an injury to left guard Kyle Kosier, and it's likely we'll see two inexperienced starting safeties unless Gerald Sensabaugh can make a quick recovery from a shoulder injury. He's vowed via Twitter to return in time for the Sept. 12 opener in Washington, but the athletic trainers have not yet tweeted a response. With that in mind, let me present a few (astute) observations from my week-long trip to the West Coast:

1. Don't ever suggest sitting Tony Romo sits to pee in the third preseason game (more like the second) when two starting offensive linemen suffer injuries. This will lead to ridicule from both Wade Phillips and the local media. Because how in the world could you think of something so silly when Robert Brewster is making the first start of his professional career? After watching Romo sits to pee's performance, I'm pretty sure he wanted no part of that game. Some folks thought miscommunication led to those errant passes to Miles Austin. I'd call it self-preservation. I'll worry about Romo sits to pee when he comes out and fires an interception against the Redskins. Until then, let's relax just a bit.

2. I think Doug Free will be just fine at left tackle. He has excellent footwork and he's looked really good in the run game. For what it's worth, Free's the fastest offensive lineman on the team, according to my research. I asked him Thursday who would give him the biggest problem in a 100-yard dash. The answer: Leonard Davis. "I'm serious," Free said. "He's a great athlete and he can scoot."

3. Unheralded cornerback Cletis Gordon has broken Cornell Green's all-time training camp interception record with 10. It's remarkable how many plays he makes in practice, and then he goes out and makes one in the game. He's a nice option as the fourth cornerback and I'd try to get him some reps at safety.

4. I would think about cutting my losses with former Texas A&M quarterback Stephen McGee. I just don't see a whole lot of progress being made. Jason Garrett reminded me last week of the Cowboys letting Matt Moore go a few years back. But I don't see McGee haunting the organization like Moore. And I use the word "haunting" sort of loosely.

5. I said this on ESPN 103.3's "Galloway & Company" on Monday, so I'll say it again here: Martellus Bennett will score seven touchdowns this season. At 6-6, he's an excellent target in the red zone. For whatever reason (blocking), Jason Witten was not an option for Romo sits to pee in '09. Bennett will become the TD maker this season.

4. I didn't drink the Sean Lee Kool-Aid until the fourth quarter of Saturday's game against the Chargers. Unlike some recent Penn State linebackers, I think this guy's going to be a star. Lee has a non-stop motor and he's incredibly disciplined. Congratulations to scouting director Tom Ciskowski and his staff for identifying this guy early and sticking with him even after he had some injury issues at Penn State. Word of warning: Don't mention to Lee that Joe Paterno seems to be slipping. That conversation won't end well.

3. Kevin Ogletree took a step back in this camp. He had a chance to become the fourth receiver and send Patrick Crayton packing. Instead, we've all been reminded how valuable Crayton is to this team. Ogletree has all the tools but the consistency is not there.

2. It's appropriate that Danny McCray's wearing Bill Bates' old number. The former LSU safety has a chance to make an enormous impact on special teams. I think LSU has about 10 rookies on NFL teams right now, and McCray's one of the biggest surprises.

1. Ahmad Bradshaw and Felix Jones are the two best backs in the division. Now I'm eager to see how Tom Coughlin and Jason Garrett use them. Jones and Marion Barber haven't done much in the preseason, but that's not a big deal. Let's see how Barber reacts to being even more of a complementary back. I could see him having only 10-12 carries a game and handling the short-yardage situations. Found it interesting that the Cowboys were working with Jones and Tashard Choice in the same backfield Monday. That intrigues me.

[tr1]

Mosely needs to get a picture with pom-poms...:doh:

This is PURE UNADULTERATED HOMERISM...and, he gets paid to write this ****.

Felix Jones is tied for best running back in the division! I could swear he's been in the league three years and has a TOTAL of 951 yards rushing. Dear sweet lordie, Mosley has his mouth full of cheese right now.

But, I've saved the best for last: Romo sits to pee was bad in the last game because the blocking SUCKED. That's the translation, puke fans...read it again, and figure it out. Romo sits to pee, when he's scared, is early and inaccurate. HE DOESN'T LIKE TO BE TOUCHED.

Career number of INTs this year...book it.

I could go on, but this blatant homerism by Mosley is about as useful as most of the conversations we have here in ATN with puke fans.

BTW, those record number of INTs by an unhearalded player in training camp tells me there was some horrific QB'ing this training camp.

[tr1]

I need to post some reality to make sure all the puke fans remember...

http://64.74.115.66/showthread.php?t=315259&page=10

[Riggo#44]

Mosely needs to get a picture with pom-poms...:doh:

This is PURE UNADULTERATED HOMERISM...and, he gets paid to write this ****.

I felt the same way about this article. It was a bunch of rah-rah homerism for ESPN-Dallas.

Felix Jones is tied for best running back in the division! I could swear he's been in the league three years and has a TOTAL of 951 yards rushing. Dear sweet lordie, Mosley has his mouth full of cheese right now.

Most explosive, yes, I will grant him that. However, Jones would get killed if asked to carry the load 20-25 times a game. Would you want Felix Jones running the Riggo Drill in the 4th quarter? While it's nice to have, there is a lot more to being "the best running back in the division" than breaking one off every 4 or 5 games.

But, I've saved the best for last: Romo sits to pee was bad in the last game because the blocking SUCKED. That's the translation, puke fans...read it again, and figure it out. Romo sits to pee, when he's scared, is early and inaccurate. HE DOESN'T LIKE TO BE TOUCHED.

Career number of INTs this year...book it.

In all fairness -- no QBs are good when the line doesn't block. However, this does highlight the fact that the line is really starting to show it's age. Columbo and Kosier are nicked up already. If this line doesn't hold up, back ups like Holland or Baron would hardly give me confidence if I was a Boys fan.

BTW, those record number of INTs by an unhearalded player in training camp tells me there was some horrific QB'ing this training camp.

It's basically Marcus Mason 2 years ago. It's a nice story but beyond that, whoop-a-dee-doo.

[GreenRiggins]

In the NFC East Clinton Portis is the only proven stellar back.

After him the drop off is steep. The article is jacked.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Let's see how Barber reacts to being even more of a complementary back. I could see him having only 10-12 carries a game and handling the short-yardage situations.

HOW much are they paying him, again? lol...

[terrifNick21]

Felix Jones is the best RB in the NFC East?!!? Are you ****ing kidding me?! He's not even the best back on that team! Choice is. I guess because Jones with to Jerruh's alma mater, he pays anal cysts to tout Felix.

This article is a joke.

[fsunoles0021]

Mosely needs to get a picture with pom-poms...:doh:

This is PURE UNADULTERATED HOMERISM...and, he gets paid to write this ****.

Felix Jones is tied for best running back in the division! I could swear he's been in the league three years and has a TOTAL of 951 yards rushing. Dear sweet lordie, Mosley has his mouth full of cheese right now.

But, I've saved the best for last: Romo sits to pee was bad in the last game because the blocking SUCKED. That's the translation, puke fans...read it again, and figure it out. Romo sits to pee, when he's scared, is early and inaccurate. HE DOESN'T LIKE TO BE TOUCHED.

Career number of INTs this year...book it.

I could go on, but this blatant homerism by Mosley is about as useful as most of the conversations we have here in ATN with puke fans.

BTW, those record number of INTs by an unhearalded player in training camp tells me there was some horrific QB'ing this training camp.

You predicted a career number of INTs last season too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

[Califan007 The Constipated]

You predicted a career number of INTs last season too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

You REALLY don't want to go through all of tr1's Cowboys predictions over the years and compare the correct ones to the incorrect ones, trust me lol ...

[Riggo#44]

You predicted a career number of INTs last season too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

So how do you feel about the rest of his comments? Interesting you cherry-picked that one...

[Hitman21ST]

You predicted a career number of INTs last season too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

Everyone predicted a Cowboys Super Bowl last year, too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

[doncherry]

I need to post some reality to make sure all the puke fans remember...

http://64.74.115.66/showthread.php?t=315259&page=10

I especially liked this bit of reality that you posted:

"And, then there's the quality of opponent the pukes had to deal with to get that playoff win. Let's see, they played the team that features a qb KNOWN widely for his choke jobs in playoff games, McNabb."

[Hitman21ST]

I especially liked this bit of reality that you posted:

"And, then there's the quality of opponent the pukes had to deal with to get that playoff win. Let's see, they played the team that features a qb KNOWN widely for his choke jobs in playoff games, McNabb."

That is reality. McNabb hasn't had success in playoff games, or at least the championship games. But then again, Romo sits to pee wouldn't know anything about choking in a championship game, he's still trying to figure out how not to choke in WC or Divisional games...

[dwdj75]

You REALLY don't want to go through all of tr1's Cowboys predictions over the years and compare the correct ones to the incorrect ones, trust me lol ...

I'm sure like all predictions 50/50. I remember quite a few we got right, and quite a few he got wrong.

And per his followup post, I can't for the life of me remember any QB that likes to be hurried, or hit.

And I believe Romo sits to pee will not have a a "record" number of interceptions this year. Like last year he is more mature with his ball handling. That will not be a problem with him anymore.

[No_Pressure]

I've only been here since the start of the 2005 season, so I've had the ability to witness 5 pre-seasons in ATN with all of the postings about Dallas. I feel confident saying that this **** just never changes. Sure some of the articles are by homers and bloggers just like many positive feeling Redskins articles in the stadium section are. Many more articles are written by people from ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, and many other "professional" publications.

Year in and year out the predictions as they pertain to the Cowboys are always the same. I've never ONCE seen a major article that predicted that Dallas was going to stumble, or wouldn't be improved from last season. There are 2 or 3 I remember that speculated that stumbling was a POSSIBILITY, but when it comes to predictions, the Cowboys are constantly moving forward, getting better, emerging as the team to beat.

Extremely deep articles are written about every single player imaginable. Players that we fans know are weak links are presented as talent packed winners just waiting to have their pro bowl breakout. Players that we fans know are fairly good players are NFL gods who will finally lead this team over the hump to the superbowl...

Thats another thing, nobody makes any mention to the fact that the Cowboy's "hump" isn't their inability to win the superbowl. Its getting to the god damn championship game. It isn't like they've been SO close to making it that its not a stretch to say they could make it next year, they've never made it past the divisional round in this decade.

Some teams are perpetually good in spite of not winning superbowls, and I understand that. The Colts get what...12 wins every year or something and they have one superbowl to show for it. I get that. But the Colts have had consistent success and have won the superbowl and analysts don't even pick them en masse every year. ****, I've been hearing all off-season how the Chargers are going to the superbowl.

I would understand if the Cowboys were as successful as the Colts for the past 13 years and so they got picked to go to the superbowl every year. But they haven't been. They have gone 82-78 this past decade. Thats two whole games over .500 for the decade. Their playoff record? 1-4. In that same time span, the Colts, a team that get less hype than Dallas, went 128-32. Their playoff record while not great was still 9-8, 1-1 in superbowls.

I mean god, every Dallas fan out there ****s on the Redskins and laughs and jokes about what a horrible decade we had, and we sure did have a horrible decade. You won't hear one argument here that the media should be talking about the Redskins and saying the Redskins will be successful. We were a terrible team from the top down, the only bright spots were when Gibbs worked a shell of his former magic and got us into the playoffs. Other than that we were terrible and this past decade as a fan was miserable. With that said the Redskins were 70-90. 12 games worse than Dallas over a 10 year span. That isn't really a monumental gap. Our playoff record was 1-2.

I suppose my last point with that paragraph is to say this: The Redskins and the Cowboys both accomplished NOTHING for the past 10+ seasons. They have not been consistently good teams, they have not won more than 1 playoff game, and they have not proven themselves to be close to anything other than failure. So why does the media talk about one team like its the greatest team in the NFL and another like its a pile of dog ****?

[dwdj75]

Everyone predicted a Cowboys Super Bowl last year, too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

The year before ? Yes. Last year ? No.

[Chachie]

Everyone predicted a Cowboys Super Bowl last year, too.

The year before ? Yes. Last year ? No.

Yes.

[dwdj75]

I've only been here since the start of the 2005 season, so I've had the ability to witness 5 pre-seasons in ATN with all of the postings about Dallas.

They have gone 82-78 this past decade. Thats two whole games over .500 for the decade. Their playoff record? 1-4. In that same time span, the Colts, a team that get less hype than Dallas, went 128-32. Their playoff record while not great was still 9-8, 1-1 in superbowls.

I'm pretty sure nobody mentioned the Cowboys from 1999-2002.

Where they went a total of 23-41.

The bill Parcells era from 2003-2006 brought a total of 34-30. I don't recall anyone mentioning Super Bowl, but at least getting them out of the cellar.

Then the Phillips era has brought the Cowboys up to 33-15 over three years.

So from a realistic view only from the last five years would you put the Cowboys in an above average threshold. To which would be true, since they went 51-29 and went 1-3 in the playoffs. While not as good as say the Colts, or NE, they are not a bad team.

[dwdj75]

Yes.

Are you talking Cowboy fans, or media ? Because after the beat down at the hands of Philly to end 2008, nobody was on the Cowboys bandwagon at the beginning of 2009.

[tr1]

You predicted a career number of INTs last season too.

How'd that end up?

::crickets::

Everyone's allowed a Mulligan.

The problem for you puke fans, however, is that I'm usually correct in my predictions about your team.

Just the facts.

[tr1]

Year in and year out the predictions as they pertain to the Cowboys are always the same. I've never ONCE seen a major article that predicted that Dallas was going to stumble, or wouldn't be improved from last season. There are 2 or 3 I remember that speculated that stumbling was a POSSIBILITY, but when it comes to predictions, the Cowboys are constantly moving forward, getting better, emerging as the team to beat.

Excellent post.

Puke fans only sputter when we point out we have as many playoffs wins as they do in the last ten years...or do we actually have more?

:rotflmao:

It's a choking dog franchise that has done less than any other franchise in the last decade.

We're not making this up.

And, when Romo sits to pee throws his 15th INT in the 7th game of the season, will you puke fans finally acknowledge that he's just an AVERAGE NFL qb?

[wait...wait...but his o-line caused him to choke, tr1!]

:rotflmao:

[tr1]

And I believe Romo sits to pee will not have a a "record" number of interceptions this year. Like last year he is more mature with his ball handling. That will not be a problem with him anymore.

That 'maturity' seemed to elude him in the Minny game...:rolleyes"

He's a choking, dog, over-hyped, average NFL qb who is a turnover machine.

When he hears footsteps, he throws...period.

Watch.

Wait.

Experience the anguish.

[pjfootballer]

I suppose my last point with that paragraph is to say this: The Redskins and the Cowboys both accomplished NOTHING for the past 10+ seasons. They have not been consistently good teams, they have not won more than 1 playoff game, and they have not proven themselves to be close to anything other than failure. So why does the media talk about one team like its the greatest team in the NFL and another like its a pile of dog ****?

:applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:

[Califan007 The Constipated]

I'm pretty sure nobody mentioned the Cowboys from 1999-2002.

Where they went a total of 23-41.

The bill Parcells era from 2003-2006 brought a total of 34-30. I don't recall anyone mentioning Super Bowl, but at least getting them out of the cellar.

Then the Phillips era has brought the Cowboys up to 33-15 over three years.

So from a realistic view only from the last five years would you put the Cowboys in an above average threshold. To which would be true, since they went 51-29 and went 1-3 in the playoffs. While not as good as say the Colts, or NE, they are not a bad team.

I know I've said this before in another thread, but the Cowboys were being touted as SB favorites back in 2006 and 2007...they didn't need 5 years of winning records for that to happen. In fact, the Cowboys had 4 losing seasons in 6 years--yet were picked for the SB in 2006. Dallas getting love from the media rarely is based on their recent achievements alone.

[No_Pressure]

I'm pretty sure nobody mentioned the Cowboys from 1999-2002.

Where they went a total of 23-41.

The bill Parcells era from 2003-2006 brought a total of 34-30. I don't recall anyone mentioning Super Bowl, but at least getting them out of the cellar.

Then the Phillips era has brought the Cowboys up to 33-15 over three years.

So from a realistic view only from the last five years would you put the Cowboys in an above average threshold. To which would be true, since they went 51-29 and went 1-3 in the playoffs. While not as good as say the Colts, or NE, they are not a bad team.

Being a "not bad" team is one thing, getting picked consistently for the superbowl or deep playoff runs is another.

I know you don't recall the Cowboys predictions, much like my friend who lives next to a pig farm doesn't notice the smell. I remember in the past decade many high predictions for the Cowboys, but as I don't have the evidence in an article posted in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 I suppose its just my word against yours. From 2005 onward, since I have been reading this forum every single off-season many members of the media have done the same thing, and I'm sure there are people here who could substantiate that claim. At the very least one cannot deny that they have been picked to go to the superbowl for the past 3 seasons as media favorites and they have failed to deliver while much more consistent and valid choices are passed over by analysts in favor of slobbering the Cowboy's balls.