QB Donovan McNabb was the host at The Park at Fourteenth on Sunday night .**** As a sports player in the DC area, that?s the easiest money to bank. The bigger question whispered around the dance floor, ?would he start in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football?? ?Yes, I will be starting this weekend,? the Mt. Carmel grad told ESPN980. ?And I look forward to it. Is it 100 percent? No. ? But it?s getting better,? he said.? McNabb sprained his left ankle 2½ weeks ago in a preseason game against Baltimore. McNabb said the injury isn?t classified as a high ankle sprain ? the more severe type that has more significant ligament damage and a longer recovery time. The Skins and Cowboys rivalry is the best in the NFL, there was no doubt in my mind that he would start?especially after he partied with the masses, how would that look? Pics of****RB Clinton Portis and WR Santana Moss
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Tim MacMahon and Calvin Watkins joined Galloway and Company's Ian Fitzsimmons and ESPN Dallas' resident NFL scout Bryan Broaddus on ESPN 103.3 FM for a roundtable discussion about the Cowboys' roster, which you can see above.
Also, Calvin ranked the players on the final 53-man roster from 1 to 53, which you can see here.
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Of the 20 cuts the Cowboys made on Saturday, backup nose tackle Junior Siavii was an interesting choice. Coach Wade Phillips said Siavii should have played more than what he did toward the end of last season. Siavii said the coaches gave him a letter grade of B regarding his play in 2009.
It seems Siavii was headed to Jay Ratliff's backup.
Josh Brent and Sean Lissemore will be the backups this season.
The scouting department likes Brent's ability to rush the passer and he's not bad at playing the run. He was slowed at the start of camp with a broken hand that limited his ability to grab. But once you got past that, Brent was a good pickup.
Lissemore is a seventh-round pick who didn't get off to a good start at training camp. A groin injury haulted his progress and his impact was very small.
Phillips said Lissemore's efforts the last two games, in the preseason finale he recorded a half a sack and a quarterback hurry, earned him a spot.
But more importantly, Lissemore turns 23 on Sept. 11 and Brent is 22. Siavii is 31.
Age is a factor in these things too.
"For one, Sean Lissemore can play nose guard and end," Phillips said. "And Josh is more of a nose guard right now and we feel like we have some young depth."
Phillips said Ratliff's snap count won't decrease because of the younger players. Phillips said it's hard to keep a player like Ratliff off the field, where he can take on a center and guard and sometimes beat a center off the ball.
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IRVING, Texas – Marcus Spears will probably never be a fan favorite, but he remains a starter for good reason. Spears is a solid role player, a run-stuffer who comes off the field on third downs. He doesn’t make a ton of plays, but he holds his ground at the point of attack, allowing the linebackers to get to the ball.
Evidence: According to Football Outsiders, 92 percent of the tackles Spears makes fall in the “stop” category, meaning they prevented successful plays by the offense. That ranked third among the league’s defensive linemen last season.
Jason Hatcher, Spears’ more highly paid backup, is a better pass rusher. He isn’t as good against the run. That’s why Wade Phillips didn’t hesitate to declare that Spears would start Sunday night after missing all of the preseason with a sprained knee.
Hatcher will return to his role as a guy who spells Spears and plays in some passing situations. Stephen Bowen, an interior rusher in the nickel and dime packages, was never considered as a potential replacement for Spears. Phillips doesn’t think that Bowen has the bulk to battle right tackles on an every-down basis.
The reason Spears won’t get his due from most fans is because he was a first-round pick. The perception is that he’s a bust because he isn’t a star.
Well, look at the five guys drafted immediately before the Cowboys selected Spears with the 20th overall pick in 2005: outside linebacker Derrick Johnson, defensive tackle Travis Johnson, outside linebacker David Pollack, defensive end Erasmus James and offensive tackle Alex Barron. Johnson is the only one who is still a starter, and he's been a disappointment.
Spears isn’t a star, but he’s far from a bust.
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As the Cowboys' defense moved through Monday morning's walk-through portion of practice, the spirit gripped inside linebacker Keith Brooking.
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IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys’ decision to keep only three cornerbacks isn’t necessarily a sign that they’re confident that rookie fourth-rounder Akwasi Owusu-Ansah is ready to contribute there. Owusu-Ansah has worked as a slot corner since being cleared to practice early in training camp. He still has work to do before the Cowboys would be comfortable with him playing there, according to coach Wade Phillips.
There was no question that Owusu-Ansah, who has primarily worked at free safety, had enough potential to merit a roster spot. But the Cowboys knew the Division II prospect with the eye-popping measurable would be a project when they picked him.
They didn’t expect Owusu-Ansah to contribute to the defense as a rookie when they drafted him. They aren’t counting on him now, other than perhaps as a return man.
“He’s smart and athletic,” Phillips said. “Keep him on the football team and maybe active on game day? Yes, but other than that …”
Phillips indicated that, if a cornerback is injured, Alan Ball would play corner in the nickel and dime packages with Mike Hamlin filling in at free safety.
They’ll be patient with Owusu-Ansah instead of pushing him into a role before he’s ready.
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Which Cowboys will be worth the money that owner Jerry Jones is going to pay them in total compensation this season? ESPN Dallas' Calvin Watkins has his opinion on what stocks he's buying (outperforming their contract), selling (underperforming) or holding (let's wait and see). So, what's your opinion of the Cowboys' players on the 53-man roster? Are they worth the paychecks that they're cashing?
Click here to cast your votes.
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IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys can’t just pop in tape of the Redskins to prepare for the season opener.The coaching staff has watched film from at least four teams as they try to figure out how the schemes used by the new Washington coaching regime will work with the Redskins personnel.
They’ve studied Mike Shanahan’s old Denver teams. They’ve looked at recent Houston Texans film to see what kind of twists offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son, came up with. They watched the Pittsburgh Steelers defense from the late ‘90s, when it was run by Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. And, of course, they studied the Redskins again.
Defensive players might also want to pop in some recent Eagles games to brush up on the tendencies of Donovan McNabb.
The Redskins have the element of surprise on their side, as the Cowboys attempt to figure out the jigsaw puzzle of how Shanahan and Co. will fit their schemes to their personnel. But the Cowboys have the advantage in most individual matchups, and it’s on Wade Phillips and his staff to maximize that.
At least the Cowboys had plenty of time to prepare. The coaching staff has been working on Washington for weeks.
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A list of things that could make or break the Cowboys as Super Bowl contenders:Old offensive line: This ranks as the primary concern. Doug Free, the new face among the starting five, is the least of the line’s problems. He’ll be fine at left tackle. There is reason to be concerned about the four returning starters, all of whom are at least 31 years old. Center Andre Gurode and right guard Leonard Davis went to the Pro Bowl last season, but folks who watched the film don’t believe they earned those trips. Left guard Kyle Kosier and right tackle Marc Colombo are recovering from knee injuries that could sideline them for the season opener and beyond. We saw what happens when the offensive line doesn’t perform well in the playoff loss to Minnesota.
Breakout stars keep building: Receiver Miles Austin and cornerback Mike Jenkins went from backups to Pro Bowlers in one season. Outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, a first-year starter, was arguably the Cowboys’ best defensive player in the second half of the season. Those three should be major pieces of the Cowboys’ foundation for the foreseeable future. Their challenge is to continue improving instead of being satisfied after breakout seasons.
Depending on David Buehler: Uncertainty at kicker can affect an entire team’s confidence and the coaching staff’s strategy. The Cowboys believe in Buehler after an outstanding training camp and preseason, but he understands he has to prove himself on a weekly basis. Buehler, who might have the league’s strongest legs, was erratic on field goals at USC and passed over when the Cowboys had to replace faltering Nick Folk last season. However, he’s made tremendous progress while working with ex-Cowboys kicker Chris Boniol, who reworked Buehler’s technique and mental approach. The Cowboys will keep Boniol on the coaching staff, maximizing Buehler’s chance to succeed.
Turnover totals: Tony Romo made protecting the ball a priority and drastically reduced his turnovers last season. He has to do it again. The Dallas defense put an emphasis on taking the ball away … and still ranked near the bottom of the league in forced turnovers (21). The hope is that replacing Ken Hamlin with Alan Ball, a converted cornerback with much better range and coverage ability, will give Wade Phillips more freedom from a scheme standpoint and help the defense gets its hands on the ball more often. It should also help that strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh won’t have to wear a cast all season.
Dynamic weapons’ durability: Running back Felix Jones and rookie receiver Dez Bryant are home run threats every time they get the ball. But they’re also prime candidates for the injury report. Jones’ career average of 6.5 yards per carry is impressive, but his best-known statistic is his 20 games missed due to toe, hamstring and knee injuries the last two seasons. Bryant’s talent was the buzz of training camp’s first week, but he missed the rest of camp and all of preseason with a high ankle sprain. And he missed a handful of offseason practices with a sore hamstring. Jones and Bryant can be game-breaking complements to Pro Bowlers Miles Austin and Jason Witten if they can stay healthy. That’s a big if.
Tony Romo’s red-zone targets: The Cowboys were middle of the pack in points despite ranking second in yards last season in large part because of Romo’s red-zone struggles. His red-zone passer rating (81.5) ranked near the bottom of the league’s starting quarterbacks. The Cowboys have to get their tight ends more involved when they’re trying to finish drives. There is no way that Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett should ever combine for only two touchdowns in a season. Bennett must earn the trust of his quarterback and offensive coordinator. It’s on Jason Garrett to get Witten more involved in the red zone. Patrick Crayton was one of Romo’s most reliable red-zone weapons, second in terms of inside-the-20 touchdowns to only Roy Williams last season, believe it or not. Dez Bryant, who dominates in jump ball situations, has the potential to be a major difference-maker.
Running back rotation: Who cares who starts? It’s about how the carries are split. It appears that Marion Barber and Felix Jones will share the bulk of the workload, perhaps evenly, with Tashard Choice picking up the scraps again. They want to get Jones the ball as much as possible without wearing him down. The Cowboys can’t be hesitant to make a change if warranted. Choice has proven that he can be an effective NFL back. If Barber gets banged up again or isn’t effective, he should swap roles with Choice and become the third-down back.
DeMarcus Ware’s dominance: If 11 sacks is a down year, you’re a dominant pass-rusher. Ware set the standard with his 20-sack season in 2008. He might never hit that milestone again, but he should get back to at least the mid-teens. He battled through all sorts of injuries last season. He’s healthy now, and opposing offenses have to account for Anthony Spencer on the other side instead of just worrying about Ware with their pass protection scheme.
Healthy Jay Ratliff: The one-of-a-kind nose tackle was an All-Pro despite playing with two elbows that needed offseason surgery to remove bone spurs. How good can he be with two healthy arms? Ratliff already made a ridiculous amount of plays for a dude who gets double-teamed most snaps – six sacks, eight tackles for losses, 33 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries last season. Ratliff has played through pain and been extremely durable for an undersized nose tackle, missing only one game during his three seasons as a starter. That has to continue. Rookie backup Josh Brent has potential, but that's a huge dropoff.
Can Cowboys handle the hype?: We saw the Cowboys go from preseason Super Bowl favorite to postseason spectator in 2008, when egos ran rampant at Valley Ranch. Some of the most prominent egos have relocated to Cincinnati, and the remaining Cowboys claim they learned from that debacle. The additions of business-first veterans such as Keith Brooking made a huge difference. So is Tony Romo’s development as a leader.
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IRVING -- It wasn't unsual for the Cowboys to keep two fullbacks on the 53-man roster.In 2006, the Cowobys had Oliver Hoyte and Lousaka Polite as the fullbacks, Bill Parcells' last year with the team.
On the 2010 roster, the Cowboys will have Deon Anderson and Chris Gronkowski as the fullbacks to go with two tight ends, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett.
After a check of the NFC, Green Bay, for instance is keeping three fullbacks on their roster, Korey Hall, John Kuhn and Quinn Johnson. But Washington and Tampa Bay along with the Cowboys are keeping two fullbacks.
Anderson and Gronkowski ran neck-and-neck in terms of making the team but the injury to tight end John Phillips (torn ACL) and the inability of Martin Rucker to distingush himself fully during the preseaon, allowed the Cowboys to go with two fullbacks.
Rucker was signed to the practice squad and could get called to the active roster later in the year.
Gronkowski can play the HBack role better than Anderson, which gives him some value. Anderson is a better blocker, but nagging injuries has the organization concerned about his long-term health.
"It's really the same," coach Wade Phillips said of the fullback/tight end spots. "We might have kept two somebody had go on the 53. Those are ifs. We kept what we thought were the best players and that’s who we have."
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The Cowboys did very little to instill confidence during the preseason. If you’re a Cowboys fan and you’ve got a fresh pot of panic brewing, you’re not alone. Pour a cup and find out what is pushing my panic button. It’s all on the line
Last season ended with Tony Romo running for his life in Minnesota. This season has all of the warning signs to suggest that it might start the exact same way.
Kyle Kosier is the best offensive lineman on the roster, and it looks as if he’ll be watching from the sideline as the season opens. That’s a bigger issue than many realize.
Even if this vastly underperforming unit wasn’t dealing with injuries to Kosier and Marc Colombo, it would still be on triple-secret probation. But when your ability to be effective offensively lies in the hands of guys like Montrae Holland and Alex Barron, you better keep your punter loose.
The Cowboys appear to be fairly loaded at the skill positions. But without solid offensive line play, that’s a bit like having a Ferrari without an engine in it. Ultimately if this team fails, it will be because the offensive line couldn’t consistently create running lanes or give Romo enough time in the pocket.
Is Jerry’s wallet running on fumes?
Trading Patrick Crayton was a massive mistake in my book. Don’t even try to make a case that it was a football decision. It was purely financial.
Miles Austin, as good as he is, had a lackluster camp and has just one good season under his belt. Roy Williams and his quarterback somehow remain on different pages. Dez Bryant missed every preseason game on the heels of missing most of his final season at Oklahoma State, and he’s coming back from a high ankle sprain. I hear whispers that Kevin Ogletree, although promising, has his hands full with the playbook and may already be battling a mild case of entitlement. Sam Hurd is on this roster because he covers kicks.
Crayton wasn’t going to blow your mind this season as a Cowboy. But in a group full of question marks, you knew exactly what you were going to get with Crayton. There was considerable value in that.
I find it hard to believe that the experts at Valley Ranch saw things any differently. Which ultimately means that even though the Crayton trade could hurt the Cowboys on the field, it will help Jerry in the wallet, which tells you all you need to know about Jerry’s funds.
You can file the release of Flozell Adams in a similar coupon clippings envelope. Initially I was in denial about this one. But in hindsight, this was one of the first financially motivated maneuvers up Jerry’s sleeve. Maybe Doug Free would have beaten him out anyway, but in an uncapped year, why not let it play out?
Free agents had no reason to visit Valley Ranch. Jerry wasn’t buying.
They played an extra preseason game, which brought in more cash but gassed the football team. They bounced between two training camp locations, which brought in more cash but hurt the football team in terms of mental fatigue.
Maybe it’s because of the giant expense of the greatest stadium on Earth or perhaps fear of a football-less 2011, but either way to see Jerry pinching pennies is something I never anticipated seeing.
I’d try to reach Jerry for comment but I fear that he’d spend the whole time trying to sell me a Manny Pacquiao poster. I just can’t risk it.
A preseason of discontent
It’s hard to find many bright spots from what we just watched unfold over the last several weeks. Outside of fantastic showings from Mat McBriar and David Buehler, what is this team hanging its preseason hat on?
John Phillips was looking great. Bam. Out for the season. See ya later, intriguing three-tight end set.
Bryant was looking unstoppable. Bam. Out for the preseason. Hopes of Bryant hitting the season opener in full stride were lost.
Then what?
I don’t care about the win-loss record in preseason. But I do place importance on an offense finding some semblance of a rhythm. Obviously that never happened. In addition, I watched a Cowboys defense that I expect to be very good get carved up like a Christmas ham a few times.
So what do we make of this mess? Was it just an attack of vanilla game-planning as Wade and Co. would lead you to believe? Or was it all the result of a tired, jet-lagged team weary from Jerry’s marathon training camp promotional tour? Or maybe this just isn’t as good of a football team as most of us have been giving it credit for being.
Very soon the answers to these questions will become blatantly obvious. Perhaps the preseason does indeed mean nothing and the Cowboys will go on to have a wonderful season. It’s also possible that we’ll soon be able to look back on this dreadful preseason as being an undeniable sample of what was about to take place during the regular season.
Until these answers start rolling in, please feel free to panic at your own discretion.
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The trade of receiver Patrick Crayton before the roster deadline can be interpreted a lot of ways. It was a money-saving maneuver, a chance to get younger at backup receiver, and a show of faith in first-round pick Dez Bryant.
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