1st preseason game: Cowboys-10 Raiders-31

Defensive player of the game: Keith Brooking

Honorable mention: Gerald Sensabaugh

Offensive player of the game: Sam Hurd

Honorable mention: Jon Kitna

Disappointment of the game: The 2nd and 3rd string defense

Stats found here:

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=290813013

Final thoughts on the game

· There were too many penalties, but it is the first preseason game

· The offense looked solid, and it had excellent play calling balance

· The offense is as advertised, TEs and RBs are performing well

· Romo looked good, Roy Williams played well, he looked more like part of the offense than he did last year

· The Offensive line looked good enough

· If the defense stays healthy, this is going to be a great defense

· Their coverage looks solid, and when there’s solid coverage and pressure heading towards the quarterback, good things will happen

· The safeties looked really good, finally we have safeties!

· If the defense doesn’t stay healthy we’re in trouble

· The drop off in quality of play between the 1^st and 2^nd string is staggering

· That’s where this team could struggle

· Seriously…the lower defensive strings are BAD! Wow…

Notes I took during the game are below, peruse at your leisure

1^st Quarter

Cowboys 1^st drive

· 1^st play of the season, holding penalty on T. Choice, bad omen?

· Three and out for the first series, they look rusty

Raiders 1^st drive

· Ken Hamlin made a play at safety…the cowboys made a play at safety!

· Almost got a pick coming over the top

· Next play gave up a 47 yd pass interference play

· I thought it was a bad call

· Allen Ball is getting picked on while playing corner

· Goal line stand lead to a Raiders field goal

· Defense looked alright

Cowboys 2^nd drive

· Marty B makes a catch, breaks a tackle

· Marion Barber up the middle with a good run

· PA pass to Roy Williams, great play

· Felix Jones quick as ever, I can’t wait to see him run more

· End around to Crayton

· Screen to Felix, sweetness

· Barber over the top for a touchdown…but a penalty…STOP the penalties!

· TOUCHDOWN JASON WITTEN, what a play! Great protection

Raiders 2^nd drive

· New kick off specialist, will he get a touchback? No…

· Brooking gets a sack! Looks much quicker than Zach Thomas, will fit much better into this fast, pressure defense the Cowboys run

· We blitz up the middle and somehow Jamarcus Russell squirts out

· Ratliff deflects a pass at the line, well done J.

· Forced a punt, good series

Starters are now out, I’ll note big plays now, but the play by play is over

Defense

· Bobby Carpenter went for an arm tackle on a run up the middle, shying away from contact, its looking like the same old Carpenter

· Ball makin some plays with the second team defense, 2 big hits

· Sensabaugh laying the big stick on some fool raider, lovin the safeties!

· Carpenter is looking poor in the run game, looks ok in the passing game

· Carpenter looks good in coverage, maybe he won’t be so bad in the nickel defense where that’s all he’ll be doing after all

· COWBOYS GOT A TOUCHBACK, way to go Buehler!

· The rookie linebackers are struggling to shrug blockers, welcome to the NFL guys

· Poor fits by the 2^nd and 3^rd string defensive players leading to a touchdown run

· Courtney Brown (who?) got beat deep at corner, not playing well

Offense

· Choice had a great run up the middle, but there’s a penalty on the play

· Choice is a great runner if he hits the hole with pace, struggles if he gets caught dancing behind the line of scrimmage

· Kitna is looking like solid insurance for Tony, very solid vet, great performance

· Sam Hurd is getting open a lot, a lock for the third receiver?

· Choice missed a block, leading to a Kitna sack, if you want to play running back you need to block in the passing game and that was poor

· Stanback much less disappointing than I thought, good returner

· Jon Kitna looking good, we’ve got a backup ladies and gentleman

· Apparently I’m a jinx, I wrote that and Kitna threw a pick, sorry guys

· McGee looks ok, looks just as he should as a rookie quarterback

· Nothing special but nothing poor

· Even the 4^th string back looks good, Lattimore has a few good runs under his belt

Michael Vick to the.... Eagles?

ESPN is reporting that Michael Vick has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wha... what?

I wonder how they will play him- at WR, RB, or as a flex option at quarterback? Or as a straight backup? Wherever they play him, one thing's for sure- the Eagles just got a little scarier, and not just if you are a small, helpless dog.

Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders 10 P.M. August 13th

Let's break this down by position; who to watch, and why to watch a whole preseason game, which, let's face it, is not why we love the NFL.

QBs: Jon Kitna should get some good playing time, and hopefully will impress; he's only a season removed from a 2007 campaign where he passed for over 4000 yards
and completed over 63% of his passes. And, according to Todd Archer, Kitna has been impressive in camp: he won't threaten for the starters job, obviously, but he should help eliminate any lingering fears about the Cowboys backup QBs.

RBs: The person I'm most excited to see is the electric Tashard Choice. I hope that this will be the year they finally commit to the run- Jason Garrett is a talented offensive mind, but teams that pass in huge disproportion to the run are in for trouble when their quarterback has bad games. And, more importantly, running the ball helps control the clock. With three talented running backs, the Cowboys are in a unique position in the NFC East where they can and should run the ball. I don't think it will happen, but it definitely should. These are the three most effective skill players after Romo and Witten. They should be used as such.

OL: Backups like Doug Free and Cory Procter will be on the field a lot in this game. Keep and eye on Free, who has the tools to be a starting left tackle at some point in his career.

WRs: All eyes will be on the fifth wide receiver position; The top four of Roy E. Williams, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and Patrick Crayton are solidified, but there has been a fierce battle going on in camp for that last spot. Isaiah Stanback is the favorite, but not by much. If he fails to have a good game then the position could be up for grabs.

TEs: Friend of the blog Martellus Bennett has been playing well in training camp, and will give us a good preview of what to expect out of the two tight end set this season. He's a big, athletic receiver, and should be able to take advantage of slower linebackers and smaller safeties.

Defense

DL: Igor Olshansky may or may not be better at pressuring the quarterback than his predecessor,
the-detached-retina-that-is-Chris-Canty (with all our love). Reports back up his claim to be the strongest man in the NFL, and his ability to stop the run is amongst the best in the league for a defensive end.

CBs: Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are locked in a battle for the number two cornerback spot. Jenkins will get it, providing Scandrick doesn't explode for a huge preseason. Jenkins will be most likely sitting this one out, so the opportunity for Scandrick to impress the coaches is there. Scandrick will be covering the lighting fast Darrius Heyward-Bey. If he locks him down, it might turn some heads.

LBs: Keith Brooking and Anthony Spencer will be the most interesting to me in this game, as Spencer has failed to live up to the potential he showed at Purdue, and Brooking has, by some accounts, lost a step. But they both have had good camps, and now have a chance to show what they can do against a real opponent.

Game Prediction: It's the preseason, it doesn't matter. For good measure, a 21-17 Cowboys Victory

Player of the Game: Anthony Spencer- he has a lot to prove, and I think the disarray in Oakland will allow him to get a sack or two.

Dallas Football Guys Programming note

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Training Camp Update

This segment will not be loaded with numbers, it won't involve lots of football jargon, in fact at this point in time I don't even have an nfl.com tab open for statistical help...
This entry is just my top ten bullet points from my extensive coverage of training camp: a few things to look for this season, a few concerns, and a few things that are looking excellent.

1.) Bobby "Barbie" Carpenter has been moved from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, which fits his skill set better, and since he was a first round draft pick 3 years ago, he needs to start producing.
From what I've heard he's been playing well and will be the third down nickel set linebacker, taking the roll of Kevin Burnett as a pass coverage linebacker, keep an eye on him in preseason games to see how he addresses blockers and contact, which has been his issue in years past


2.) Roy Williams and Tony Romo have been improving. At the start of camp they lacked flair, but as camp went on, their chemistry improved, and now they've been connecting for a few excellent plays a practice

3.) Wade Phillips has taken the defensive coordinator job, and will apparently pressure the quarterback like crazy, watch out for Demarcus Ware and this defense, they look good

4.) Patrick Crayton has taken the second receiver job in case you haven't heard. I like Crayton, but others have their doubts; he needs to earn this job and prove he belongs when the season starts to quiet his critics

5.) Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett are looking solid at Tight End, my tight end entry I wrote earlier seems to be coming true, I'm going to predict a very proficient, efficient offense this season. Not as high flying as years past, but just as terrifying to the opposition, o also did I mention the running game looks good? other teams beware

6.) There is great competiton at the cornerback position, if you watch the preseason games, watch the cornerbacks, their play in preseason play will carry a lot of weight in determining the starter opposite of Terrence Newman

7.) Depth at outside linebacker and defensive line is riddled with rookies, watch these players in the later quarters of the preseason games to see who shines and who falters to determine who will get some playing time this season

8.) The offensive line looks sound, but the depth is a concern: it's a little disconcerting to think what might happen if the offense, much less the team, does not stay healthy. Apparently John Kitna has looked good though, lest Brad Johnson still haunts your dreams

9.) The offseason defensive acquisitions look to be making an impact already, Igor Olshansky (the self proclaimed strongest man in the nfl) appears to solidify a defensive line that leaked a few to many running plays last year for my taste, Gerald Sensabaugh at safety appears to be just what the Cowboys needed, and their new linebacker Keith Brooking seems to have a little more quickness than his predecessor Zach Thomas, making him a better fit for this defense

10.) Special Teams got a new coach, and they are drilling it hard. This is a key part of the game that the team struggled with last year, but the new feel of it and the intensity surrounding it makes me believe the special teams play will be drastically improved next season. Also we drafted an awesome kicker (more about him in later entries)

Keep checking back to the blog for more updates, and keep an eye on the listed players and teams above, and maybe drop a name or two in conversation just to show how much you know about your beloved Cowboys. I mean if you're spending so much time reading this, you should get some sort of payout right?