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Last Year
The Dallas Cowboys' release of quarterback Quincy Carter came as an abrupt surprise — kind of like 19-year-old Frankie Muniz' engagement. Head coach Bill Parcells felt that his marriage with Carter was built on a faulty foundation — kind of like 19-year-old Frankie Muniz' engagement. Unfortunately, both Muniz and Parcells didn't have the foresight to see what was going to happen. Vinny Testaverde didn't pan out and the Cowboys fell from 10-6 to 6-10. With Drew Bledsoe in the middle, America's team is heading in the right direction.
What We Learned From Last Year
The first thing we learned about the Cowboys was the name Tony Romo. As soon as Carter was cut, the quarterback depth chart underwent an MRI by every media source in North America.
40-year-old Vinny Testaverde became the starting quarterback, but everyone was aware of the fetters with him running the show.
Even with two former Pro Bowl receivers at his disposal, Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn, the Cowboys offense still emulated the characteristics of their aged quarterback: slow and boring.
Running back Eddie George added to the sluggish pace and proved the Tennessee Titans right for dropping him off the roster.
It wasn't until rookie running back Julius Jones recovered from a broken shoulder blade that the offense displayed any vigor.
Injuries to both Jones and Glenn really diminished the explosiveness of the offense, but Testaverde was not capable of exploiting those weapons to their fullest anyways.
He was faced with a lot of pressure throughout the year, but that was not necessarily an indication of poor offensive line play. Without any speed in the receiving corps after Glenn went out, passing plays took too long to develop. Missing Jones and a running threat for half the season also fanned the flames in the pocket.
In the 2004 NFL draft, the Cowboys stunned more than a few prognosticators when they traded out of the first round and in doing so, passed up on running backs Steven Jackson and Kevin Jones. In the second round, they picked Julius Jones instead and so far, he looks to be the most complete back. He displayed a terrific burst out of the backfield and has the best receiving hands of the three backs.
Defensively, the Cowboys simply looked talent-deficient. End Marcellus Wiley was in fact signed during the free agency period to address that issue, but he only supplied three sacks. The Cowboys haven't had a player register double-digit sack totals since 1996 and they fell short again in 2004, as Greg Ellis was the high man with nine.
With a mediocre pass-rush, the Cowboys exposed a bare secondary. Terrence Newman struggled in the early stages of his sophomore season and Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams was only average in pass coverage. Pete Hunter and Lance Frazier were ineffective while Lynn Scott and Tony Dixon were unable to match Darren Woodson's caliber at strong safety while he missed the season.
The secondary permitted 31 touchdowns through the air — two-short of the Green Bay Packers' league-worst total.
Linebackers Dexter Coakley and Dat Nguyen have anchored the center of this defense for years, but with Coakley gone and the scheme switching to a 3-4, the Cowboys will essentially be starting from scratch at this position in 2005.
Overall, this defense lacked playmakers as evidenced by the minimal amount of negative plays and takeaways.
Bill Parcells vowed a makeover and in the offseason he carried it out.
This Year
Like the affluent girls from MTV's Laguna Beach, the Cowboys dipped into daddy's pocket to spend some money this summer.
The result?
Let's just say the offseason looks as good as LC or Kristin poolside.
Daddy, in this case Jerry Jones, gave out more than $30 million in allowance to bring in: quarterback Drew Bledsoe, defensive tackle Jason Ferguson, cornerbacks Anthony Henry and Aaron Glenn, and guard Marco Rivera.
With Rivera, a leaner Flozell Adams, and Larry Allen, the Cowboys' offensive line encompasses three linemen who went to the Pro Bowl last season. That leaves Andre Gurode and Al Johnson to battle it out at center and Ben Noll and Kurt Vollers vying for right tackle duties.
Protection will be imperative this season as Bledsoe is even less mobile than Testaverde. He is a statue and will make drive-killing throws if he's pressured. If a pocket is created, Bledsoe can make every throw necessary.
Instantly, the offense morphs into somewhat of a threat with a competent quarterback. Julius Jones will be stressed even more in his second season as he's proven he can be a full-time running back. He is a tough cover for any linebacker in the league which is why the Cowboys plan to use him more as a receiver this season.
The receiving corps is not potent, but is a complete group barring injuries. Keyshawn Johnson provides toughness while Glenn provides the speed. Both are over the age of 30, which is a concern. Depth is not present as Quincy Morgan can't stay focused long enough and Ahmad Merritt and Patrick Crayton are not well-equipped.
Tight end Jason Witten, who emerged with nearly 1,000 receiving yards in his second season, should develop a good rapport with Bledsoe. The media spotlight was kept off of Witten last season as Antonio Gates was much-admired, but Witten is one of the league's premier tight-ends.
While the offense is laced with season veterans, the defense is nearly the opposite and is in a rebuilding mode.
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is regarded as one of the top assistant in the NFL, but he has never coached the 3-4 scheme — which the Cowboys will switch to in '05.
Furthermore, the team does have the necessary proven talent in the linebacking corps to switch over to this system.
Dat Nguyen will be facing more traffic as an inside linebacker and will have to come off blocks to make plays. He will team with a slew of prospects, such as first-round pick DeMarcus Ware and fourth-round pick Kevin Burnett, but both are still rookies. Ware will likely be a starter on the outside and has excellent speed for rushing the quarterback. Al Singleton and Bradie James are projected as the other two starters.
On the line, Jason Ferguson will play the nose tackle position and will push La'Roi Glover to the bench. Ferguson should not have much difficulty adjusting to his new role, but teaming him alongside Glover in a 4-3 scheme would seem to make more sense. Greg Ellis should have a pretty good tag-team partner if rookie Marcus Spears can develop quickly at the other end position.
The transition to the 3-4 shouldn't be too arduous, but many of these players have not had experience in this design, including the coordinator, so keep an eye on how they transform.
Terrence Newman will welcome Anthony Henry and Aaron Glenn with open arms to team with him as the cornerbacks. This trio is strong upgrade over last season and will provide much needed stability in the secondary, while the front seven is learning and developing.
At safety, Roy Williams makes the switch to strong, which will allow him to creep into the box some more. He will be comfortable there, but needs to adjust to the NFL's ban of his favorite tackle: the horse-collar. Free safety is up for grabs between Keith Davis and Lynn Scott, but if Williams gets hurt, this backfield is in trouble.
With their new playmakers, the Cowboys will be able to generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks this year and if they can grasp the new system quickly, they should be near a wild card berth.
Over/Under: 8.5
The Cowboys are well-coached, but with Andy Reid, Joe Gibbs, and Tom Coughlin in the division, they don't have a clear advantage in that department. This team is not overly dominant in any aspect and even though games versus Washington and New York will be tough, they should be able to milk three divisional wins. The play: @SD, @SF, @OAK, @SEA, ARZ, DET, DEN, KC, @CAR, and STL. Let's hope Terrell Owens has a nasty holdout.
Fantasy Sleeper
Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn are not going to top the cheat sheets this season, but both should be in for a significant statistical boost with Drew Bledsoe throwing the ball. Bledsoe had a good rapport with Glenn back in their Patriot-days and Johnson will offer a consistent target over the middle, so don't shy away from these two late in your draft.
Stay tuned as Dave Golokhov brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! Sponsored by CyberSportsbook.com, a great casino for horse racing and sportsbook action.
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