Hope everyone enjoyed all of the previews. They weren't easy to do, but the positive comments helped me finish them off. Good luck to everyone this year!
Last Year:
After losing his grip on the team, Dave Campo was punted out the door in favor of the ?retired? Bill Parcells. Maybe Dave Campo leaving had something to do with losing the opening game of the season to an expansion team, or maybe it was because Dallas also lost to Detroit and Arizona last year. Either way, a 15 ? 33 record as head coach of Dallas was not getting it done. With a new coach who has a great track record, the Cowboys are looking to work out a couple of kinks that held them back last year. If Parcells can get consistent play from one of his quarterbacks then this team will be able to hover around .500. If not the Cowboys are still just the donkey in the wild wild west.
What we Learned from Last Year:
You would hope to forget most of what we saw from the Cowboys last year opposed to learn anything but I will try to scrape the rust off this shiny gold ring. OK, sorry to break it to you but statistically speaking, there was nothing good about the Cowboys last year. When you talk about the worst teams in the league last year, it?s hard not to mention the Cowboys.
Emmitt Smith finally reached his milestone of becoming the #1 running back of all time (yard wise) which was one of the few bright spots on this team. It was a smart decision not to give him the 20 carries a game that he wanted because the team?s success wouldn?t have changed too much. Troy Hambrick took the carries that Emmitt wasn?t getting which allowed him to develop into this year?s starting running back. That was one of the few good coaching decisions made by Dave Campo.
The other positive that was noted from Dallas last year was the play of a couple of young players in their secondary. Who would have thought that a couple of late round draft picks from the Cowboys last year would turn into this year?s starting cornerbacks? Mario Edwards and Derek Ross have both played well enough to earn those jobs. That doesn?t mean that they are ready to line up against Randy Moss and Terrell Owens each week but they have played pretty well to earn the starting job from Parcells. There have also been very few complaints about the highly touted Roy Williams. He has become a rock on this defense and will be for years to come.
What has Changed?:
This team has made all kinds of personnel changes but I?ll let you in on a little secret. This team will live and die by their quarterback play. Chad Hutchinson has looked worse than a piece of garbage since his return to the NFL which leaves the burden on Quincy Carter?s shoulders. Quincy is a quarterback who has always shown the potential but hasn?t shown the stability required from an NFL quarterback. I know we?ve all seen him play well in the pre-season and we all saw him shred Oakland?s first team defense to pieces, but the regular season will be much different. The reason the quarterback play is so important for this team is because they do have offensive weapons to score but everyone has forgotten about them because the Cowboys haven?t had a quarterback to get the ball to their weapons since Troy Aikman. Joey Galloway is a prime receiver and even the outrageous Terry Glenn can be a legitimate target. The problem has been that nobody can put the ball in the hands of these quality receivers. If Quincy is the man for the job, and he makes intelligent decisions in the pocket then the Cowboys might be a very quiet sleeper team.
The defense is good. They are nothing special, but they can definitely keep the Cowboys competitive. The strength on this defense lies in the linebackers and the safeties, but the defensive line and the cornerbacks are not necessarily a weakness for this team. This defense does not allow a lot of big plays which means that they will always have a chance to ?defend?. The reason they ranked so low last year is because they were on the field for so long and the offense never gave them a chance to rest. Unfortunately if Quincy Carter plays like he did last year, the defensive ranking won?t change. That is why the team is so dependant on the arm of Carter.
O/U 7.5:
Even if you are sold on Quincy Carter finally getting his act together and taking this team to the next level, Dallas still has to play 6 games against strong teams. The Giants and Eagles are contenders, and the Redskins are a possible up and comer. Every single game in this division will be a street fight. They also face-off against: Falcons, @Jets, Cardinals, @Lions, @Buccaneers, Bills, @Patriots, Panthers, Dolphins, and @Saints.
Fantasy Sleeper:
There are a ton of sleepers on this team, but just like the team?s win/loss total, the fantasy success lies with Quincy Carter. If he plays like he did against Oakland in the pre-season, then expect Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn?s numbers to increase. If he doesn?t, then there is practically nobody worth drafting on this team.
Last Year:
After losing his grip on the team, Dave Campo was punted out the door in favor of the ?retired? Bill Parcells. Maybe Dave Campo leaving had something to do with losing the opening game of the season to an expansion team, or maybe it was because Dallas also lost to Detroit and Arizona last year. Either way, a 15 ? 33 record as head coach of Dallas was not getting it done. With a new coach who has a great track record, the Cowboys are looking to work out a couple of kinks that held them back last year. If Parcells can get consistent play from one of his quarterbacks then this team will be able to hover around .500. If not the Cowboys are still just the donkey in the wild wild west.
What we Learned from Last Year:
You would hope to forget most of what we saw from the Cowboys last year opposed to learn anything but I will try to scrape the rust off this shiny gold ring. OK, sorry to break it to you but statistically speaking, there was nothing good about the Cowboys last year. When you talk about the worst teams in the league last year, it?s hard not to mention the Cowboys.
Emmitt Smith finally reached his milestone of becoming the #1 running back of all time (yard wise) which was one of the few bright spots on this team. It was a smart decision not to give him the 20 carries a game that he wanted because the team?s success wouldn?t have changed too much. Troy Hambrick took the carries that Emmitt wasn?t getting which allowed him to develop into this year?s starting running back. That was one of the few good coaching decisions made by Dave Campo.
The other positive that was noted from Dallas last year was the play of a couple of young players in their secondary. Who would have thought that a couple of late round draft picks from the Cowboys last year would turn into this year?s starting cornerbacks? Mario Edwards and Derek Ross have both played well enough to earn those jobs. That doesn?t mean that they are ready to line up against Randy Moss and Terrell Owens each week but they have played pretty well to earn the starting job from Parcells. There have also been very few complaints about the highly touted Roy Williams. He has become a rock on this defense and will be for years to come.
What has Changed?:
This team has made all kinds of personnel changes but I?ll let you in on a little secret. This team will live and die by their quarterback play. Chad Hutchinson has looked worse than a piece of garbage since his return to the NFL which leaves the burden on Quincy Carter?s shoulders. Quincy is a quarterback who has always shown the potential but hasn?t shown the stability required from an NFL quarterback. I know we?ve all seen him play well in the pre-season and we all saw him shred Oakland?s first team defense to pieces, but the regular season will be much different. The reason the quarterback play is so important for this team is because they do have offensive weapons to score but everyone has forgotten about them because the Cowboys haven?t had a quarterback to get the ball to their weapons since Troy Aikman. Joey Galloway is a prime receiver and even the outrageous Terry Glenn can be a legitimate target. The problem has been that nobody can put the ball in the hands of these quality receivers. If Quincy is the man for the job, and he makes intelligent decisions in the pocket then the Cowboys might be a very quiet sleeper team.
The defense is good. They are nothing special, but they can definitely keep the Cowboys competitive. The strength on this defense lies in the linebackers and the safeties, but the defensive line and the cornerbacks are not necessarily a weakness for this team. This defense does not allow a lot of big plays which means that they will always have a chance to ?defend?. The reason they ranked so low last year is because they were on the field for so long and the offense never gave them a chance to rest. Unfortunately if Quincy Carter plays like he did last year, the defensive ranking won?t change. That is why the team is so dependant on the arm of Carter.
O/U 7.5:
Even if you are sold on Quincy Carter finally getting his act together and taking this team to the next level, Dallas still has to play 6 games against strong teams. The Giants and Eagles are contenders, and the Redskins are a possible up and comer. Every single game in this division will be a street fight. They also face-off against: Falcons, @Jets, Cardinals, @Lions, @Buccaneers, Bills, @Patriots, Panthers, Dolphins, and @Saints.
Fantasy Sleeper:
There are a ton of sleepers on this team, but just like the team?s win/loss total, the fantasy success lies with Quincy Carter. If he plays like he did against Oakland in the pre-season, then expect Joey Galloway and Terry Glenn?s numbers to increase. If he doesn?t, then there is practically nobody worth drafting on this team.
