Where do the Cowboys go from here?

By:  Bobby Shores

Two games down, 14 to go, and Dallas fans/media/observers are typically in 1 of 2 camps:

1) We cannot overcome the injuries and/or Tony Romo's inconsistencies (slightly less since the heroic comeback against the Niners).
2) We are right where we thought we would be (1-1) and Rob Ryan could coach up a bunch of 8th graders well enough to make the playoffs.

So where do I stand? Somewhere in between, I think the season is going to be a tough one for the Cowboys, we are shallow at many key positions (CB & WR namely) due to injuries and our rebuilt offensive line is inconsistent, on the flip side though we are seeing players that had low expectations coming into the season seemingly break out and make plays for us. So I am here to provide a few observations for a Cowboys team that is either going to fall apart under the pressure, or come together and persevere. [Editors Note: Yes I know its only week 2, but it's time to start analyzing some data]


First and foremost, the Cowboys defense is somehow looking spectacular, which is tough to do with a banged up secondary! The biggest surprise on this team, aside from the amazing job Rob Ryan is doing, is second year linebacker Sean Lee and the Cowboys run defense, who is not only leading the team in tackles but is leading the entire NFL.  


Lee who battled injuries all last year and into training camp this year is quickly establishing himself as a smart, instinctual and physical middle linebacker. His aggressiveness in run defense is the main reason why the Cowboys were able to hold the Jets vaunted running game to only 45 yards and the Frank Gore led Niner attack to 71 yards rushing. Opposing teams are averaging a paltry 2.6 YPC right now and are 2nd in run defense and it can nearly all be traced back to Sean Lee and Rob Ryan!

The cornerstones of the pass rush defense are linebackers DeMarcus Ware (leading the league in sacks with 4) and defensive end Jason Hatcher (tied for 8th in the league with 2 sacks but providing a lot of pressure), together these guys are able to put enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks that they are finding it difficult to pass against a secondary that is starting its 4th string CB & relying on veteran Frank Walker who was picked up only a few days before the game.

While the defense is looking in playoff form, the offense is much more of a roller coaster. The offense is struggling to find its identity, and the only aspect that they are consistent in is being inconsistent. When Garrett took over as head coach last year the Cowboys established the run to set up the pass, in doing so they were able to rush for over 100 yards a game their final 8 games. This year they have failed to reach the 100 yard mark in either game, and rushing for a combined 109 yards combined.

So why are the Cowboys unable to establish the run? From this ReclinerQB's eyes the offensive line is unable to win the battle up front and open up holes for the running backs, this can be partially attributed to the rookie offensive lineman and the injuries that have sidelined the starting Center and Left Guard.

So what happens to an offense that cannot run the ball? That's right, they are forced to throw the ball, and throw the ball the Cowboys offense has as evidenced by the fact that they are currently 3rd in passing yards in the league, 5th in passing touchdowns, and 4th in yards per attempt. The success of the passing game is even more remarkable when you consider that their top 2 wide receivers are battling injuries and Jason Witten is 8th in the NFL in receiving yards.

Some other Quick Hits:

-All the talk that the Cowboys should have pulled Dez Bryant out of the Jets game after he injured his leg in the 1st quarter is crazy talk by people that obviously were not watching the game. Even in the 4th quarter when Bryant was limping into and out of his routes, the Jets still had Darrelle Revis covering him with safety help over the top a lot of the time (the reason why Revis jumped the Romo pass at the end was because there was safety help that allowed him to be aggressive). If the Cowboys had pulled Bryant out of the game then Revis would have moved to cover Austin, so Bryant was being used as a very effective decoy even taking the best cornerback in the league out of play....Until Romo still tried to throw his way....

-For the first time in years (literally) the Cowboys safeties seem to be serviceable, they have not given up any big plays through the first 2 games, and are finally not a liability in pass coverage. In fact, not only are they not liabilities, Strong Safety Gerald Sensabaugh has actually become an asset as a hard hitting safety who is aggressive when making plays on the ball. Finally Cowboys fans are not calling the "safety" position, the "danger" position.

-Where is Jay Ratliff? While he has made a few plays, most notably a big time sack at the end of the Niners game, he has not been the disruptive force that he usually is, knifing through the gap and wreaking havoc in the opposing backfield. This is not a new problem either, Ratliff was not the same disruptive force last year either.

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