Let The Games Begin!

Sorry for disappearing last week.  I was hanging out in Charlotte, NC home of the Carolina Panthers.  I attended the Cowboys/Panthers regular season game in Charlotte last year, October 2012.  It was great fun and the tailgating was awesome.  Unlike Eagles fans, the Panthers fans were very hospitable.

Well, we finally have football!  Albeit pre-season football, but after 7 months of nothing, even pre-season football was an awesome respite.  Personally, I like the pre-season games.  While I think its ridiculous that teams charge full ticket prices for these games, they are fun to watch if you are looking at individuals and not the team prospective.  I really enjoyed watching the Cowboys rookie RB, Randle; first round draft pick Frederick, etc.  These guys get a full work out and while they are playing against other 2nd or 3rd string personnel, it's fun to see how they perform.

So my thoughts on the Cowboys after the first pre-season game.......

1. I thought the team as a whole looked very well prepared, especially when compared to the Dolphins.  There were very few penalties, both offense and defense were lining up properly, and they didn't have to call timeouts because the play didn't get in in time (unlike last year when this was occurring on defense as late as week 17).  There were no huge busts in position, (ie. a safety letting a WR run free for an easy catch).  While you might read this and say, these are pro-football teams they shouldn't have these problems, and you would be right.  But if you've watched many pre-season games, you will see this happens a lot, especially in the first one or two pre-season games where 3rd and 4th stringers are playing. So I thought the coaches had done an excellent job, particularly on defense where Monte Kiffin's new 4-3 scheme was being used for the first time.  So I would give Jason Garret an A on his first game as a "walk around" coach.
2. Speaking of coaching and changes, obviously the big story (other than Romo's cyst), has been the change in offensive play calling.  Both Garrett and Callahan have repeatedly discussed their need to run the ball more effectively.  When you talk about running the ball, obviously everyone thinks Running Back, but we all know, the offensive line is vital in running effectively.  Part of the reason the Cowboys ran so little in 2012, was the absolute inability to run the ball.  After a while you can only run into a brick wall so many times, until you say Eff it and throw the ball.  But last night, Callahan showed the Cowboys propensity to run the ball early and often.  And different from last night, they looked very effective doing it.  They rushed for a total of 170 yards and a couple of rushing TD's.  All of the backs looked very good.... Dunbar, Tanner, Randle..... of course we didn't see DeMarco, but the offensive line, grounded by Leary and Travis Frederick, opened some huge holes and the RBs did what they were supposed to do, which is make at least one person miss a tackle.  So it was a great first week outing for the running game which has to improve over last year.
3. Defense --- well the talk is of course about "can the Cowboys convert to the Mone Kiffin 4-3 defense?".  While I don't want to get too excited about the first of a 5 game preseason schedule, the simple answer is YES.  The defense looked organized, well coached, completed the simple tasks of lining up properly, no huge blown coverages, did well stopping the run, got multiple sacks on the QB, recovered a fumble, got an interception, then ran the interception back for a 75 yard Touch Down.  The squad played aggressively and instinctively, as though they had always played the 4-3.  But I think this is why the move to the 4-3 is good idea.  Because at the heart of defense, the 4-3 is just a simpler scheme than the 3-4.  And in an age with huge turnover in personnel from year to year with free agency, injuries that occur throughout the year and change in coaching, you need a simpler base scheme in order to be able to plug people in without them having to had been in the scheme for 15 years.  Can't say enough good things about the defense, but I would be remiss, if I didn't bring up Selvie.  He looked like a manbeast out there, throwing offensive lineman around like they were rag dolls.  We may have found the replacement for Tyrone Crawford who was lost for the year at DT with a torn Achilles.

So great start to a very long season.  And the best news of all, no major injuries.  Matt Johnson injured his ankle, but hey what else is new.  Other than that, no major injuries to speak of.  As a Baylor Alum, I was personally disappointed that I didn't get to see Terrance Williams play, but from what I have read, he will play Friday night against the Raiders.