WagerWeb NFL preseason opener: Dolphins vs. Cowboys

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Over 10 years in the industry, take advantage of their mobile betting

The 2013 NFL exhibition schedule will kick off this Sunday with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, with the Miami Dolphins facing the Dallas Cowboys . Miami has opened as a slight favorite on WagerWeb. -



One reason the Dolphins are favored is that?s it not clear if Cowboys starting QB Tony Romo will play a snap. Back in May, Romo underwent surgery to remove a cyst on his back. It forced him to miss OTAs, and now, according to Garrett, Romo won?t play Sunday when the Cowboys face the Dolphins. Romo wants to.

?If I did play, it would be a series, [so] whether you went eight plays or three plays, I?m not sure how much that is going to affect that,? Romo said. ?Saying that, I still want to play every time I suit up. Every time I step out there ? your juices are flowing and you want to compete. From that perspective, yeah, but whatever the coaches want.?

There?s simply no reason for Garrett to play Romo, however. Dallas was 3-1 in last year?s preseason. It beat Miami 30-13 at Cowboys Stadium in the 2012 preseason finale. Romo and most of the Cowboys? starters didn?t play. QB Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins? 2012 first-round pick, was 5 of 7 passing for 35 yards playing the first two series. The Dolphins went 0-4 in the preseason.​

 

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Five things to watch in the Cowboys? preseason opener



It?s only preseason, but it?s a football game ? not just a dressed-up practice ? and that alone is enough to excite Alex Tanney, no matter what happens Sunday night in the Hall of Fame Game.

?You?re not throwing 7-on-7,? Tanney said. ?There?s so much more that goes into it.?

The Cowboys? fourth-string quarterback was talking about the Blue-White scrimmage when he said that. Imagine how he will feel Sunday night in Canton, Ohio, when he and No. 3 quarterback Nick Stephens will play the majority of the game against the Miami Dolphins.

?Yeah, I?m really looking forward to it. It?s really going to give the young guys an opportunity to show the talent they have,? Tanney said.

Quarterback Tony Romo and some of the other starters are not expected to play.

Tanney will have a chance to continue his strong training camp, where he has impressed the coaches with his instincts, pocket mobility and arm strength.

Five things to watch Sunday night:

1 Alex Tanney?s debut

He has moved past Nick Stephens in training camp, although it doesn?t show on the depth chart. Tanney has shown a livelier arm, awareness out of the pocket, speed in his scrambles and what coach Jason Garrett calls an instinct for the game. If he can show accuracy, he might take over the No. 3 spot.


2 Matt Johnson?s chance

This is the chance the second-year safety, and the Cowboys, have been waiting for. Johnson did not play a game and hardly practiced last year as a rookie because of injuries. Now he has a chance to finally play and show why the Cowboys liked him so much that they kept him on the active roster more than half of last season.

3 A play from J.J. Wilcox

This is the rookie safety who impressed in the first two weeks of training camp with his hitting and play-making. The coaches had to tell him to ease up on tackling his own teammates, which only made him chuckle. He said he?d rather be told to slow down than speed up.

4 The inside line

This will be rookie center Travis Frederick?s first game, but he?ll have to play without starting guards Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau. Instead, he?ll have to create communication chemistry with Ron Leary and David Arkin and organize the line against blitzes and stunts. Not to mention, create running room.

5 Joseph Randle?s running

The rookie running back from Oklahoma State, drafted to help take a load off DeMarco Murray, didn?t practice in the off-season because of a thumb injury, and he was spotty in the first week of camp. But he scored two touchdowns in a goal-line drill last week, and his confidence is high.

 

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Miami Dolphins keys to the game: Jonathan Martin and receivers -


Once the season starts you?ll be getting weekly keys to the game.

But this is the preseason. No one is trying to win this game. Coaches are simply trying to figure out who will make the final roster while developing chemistry with offseason acquisitions.

So here are five things to watch in tonight?s Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys.

1. Jonathan Martin ? No Dolphins player is receiving more scrutiny heading into the season than Martin. The Dolphins chose to part ways with former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long and then passed on drafting a left tackle when they traded up for this year?s No. 3 overall pick. That means the team is banking on second-year tackle Martin to protect quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Martin, who started at right tackle as a rookie but was a left tackle in college, struggled at times when filling in for an injured Long for four games last year. Martin has also struggled at times in practice, getting beat for sacks by rookie defensive end Dion Jordan and second-year defensive end Olivier Vernon.

Cowboys? star defensive end DeMarcus Ware might not play in tonight?s game. But no matter who is playing on Dallas? defensive line, keep an eye on Martin when he?s in the game.

2. The rest of the offensive line ? Martin is just one question mark on Miami?s offensive line. Right guard John Jerry is out with a knee injury and the Dolphins have been scrambling to put together its offensive line. Even if Jerry was healthy, the Dolphins were looking to possibly upgrade there.

Miami has tried all sorts of combinations ? starting rookie Dallas Thomas at left guard and moving Richie Incogntio to right guard; starting backup center Josh Samuda at left and right guard; moving starting center Mike Pouncey to right guard and playing Samuda at center. It?s a work in progress.

3. Receivers ? Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson are Miami?s only receivers guaranteed of a roster spot and Hartline and Wallace likely won?t play tonight. With Armon Binns out of the season and Rishard Matthews injured and not practicing, there are eight healthy receivers vying for two available spots.

Marvin McNutt, who was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia this offseason, could start tonight?s game opposite Gibson. Brian Tyms, Jeff Fuller and Chad Bumphis have also played well in recent practices. Julius Pruitt, a special teams standout in 2011 who was cut before the 2012 season, is back and trying to earn a spot. Kenny Stafford, Keenan Davis and Andrell Smith also hope to be noticed.

4. Kicking competition ? Rookie Caleb Sturgis is healthy after suffering from a groin injury and he?s still the favorite to win the job.

Dan Carpenter, a Pro Bowl kicker for Miami in 2009, has been solid for the Dolphins but isn?t as automatic as he was earlier in his career. The Dolphins drafted Strugis in the fifth round and he would be a cheaper and younger alternative to Carpenter.

Carpenter is fighting, and at times has looked like his 2009 self in practice, but he missed two 49-yard field goals in Monday?s scrimmage.

5. Right cornerback spot ? Not only has Brent Grimes locked up the left cornerback job, but Grimes has been arguably the best player in training camp. There?s much less certainty at right cornerback.

Richard Marshall, last year?s starter, was penciled in at right cornerback when training camp started. Right now it looks like Dimitri Patterson has surpassed Marshall.

But the best cornerback not named Grimes in training camp might be rookie Will Davis, a third-round draft choice. Coach Joe Philbin continues to rave about Davis who has made big plays in camp and had an interception in the end zone in Monday?s scrimmage. Davis was the second cornerback taken in the draft by the Dolphins after they selected Jamar Taylor in the second round. Taylor is just coming off an injury so he is a player to watch.

- palmbeachpost.com/