With all the talk about the Dallas Cowboys’ need to fix their defense, let’s look a little at the one problem area on offense: the offensive line.

Tyron Smith
Wikimedia Commons

Before the 2011 season, Dallas cut three starting offensive linemen in Andre Gurode, Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo. That brought them into the season with rookies protecting Tony Romo. Phil Costa, Tyron Smith and Bill Nagy all started the season as men the Cowboys relied on to protect their franchise quarterback. Romo ended up with broken ribs.

Dallas has to do a better job of protecting the quarterback, who will remain the starter in Dallas for a long time. Stephen Jones said earlier in February that the Cowboys would sign Romo to an extension way before 2013, keeping him from being a free agent in 2014 and ensuring he will be the man to lead Dallas to the Super Bowl, if that is ever to be.

They also need to protect DeMarco Murray, their running back who excited fans with his play as a rookie in 2011 before falling to an injury himself. Dallas took one major step in protecting Murray by giving fullback Tony Fiammetta a tender to ensure that Murray at least has a lead blocker before he hits that line.

Hopefully, the line will improve in their second year together as a unit. Head coach Jason Garrett already announced a big move that most Cowboys’ fans expected. Tyron Smith is moving to left tackle in 2012 to protect Romo’s blindside. That is a huge decision since Smith was the one offensive lineman that looked great in 2011.

Doug Free, who gave up one too many blindside hits in 2011, will move to the right side. That is a nice move too since that is where Free started out at in 2009 for Dallas. Next up is Costa, who was not a good fit at the center position. There is a good chance they could move him to guard, where he played in college, and then look for an upgrade at center.

However, the player that many people predict Dallas will chase with their first round pick is not a cornerback, like I believe they should draft, or a center but instead offensive guard David DeCastro. The Stanford guard impressed a lot of people at the NFL Combine but might be someone to be careful of. The move would send Dallas into 2012 with another rookie on the line again and fans can only hope this one will be more Tyron Smith and less Phil Costa.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: CBSSports.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Read More: DeMarcus Ware (LB – DAL), Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dallas Cowboys defensive captain DeMarcus Ware (stinger) sat out of practice Wednesday, according to the team’s official injury report. Ware. who leads the team with 15 sacks, only tabulated four tackles versus the New York Giants in a tough 37-34 loss.

The Cowboys have begun preparing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knowing that they must get a big win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Ware was one of five Cowboys who officially did not participate in the rain-filled practice at Valley Ranch.

Here is the week 15 injury report for the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday:

Did not practice on Wednesday: Nose tackle Josh Brent (knee), center Phil Costa (concussion), receiver Andre Holmes (hamstring) and safety Danny McCray (ankle).

Limited in practice on Wednesday: Cornerback Mike Jenkins (shoulder), guard Kyle Kosier (foot) and receiver Laurent Robinson (shoulder)

For more on the Dallas Cowboys, visit Blogging The Boys. For more on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, visit Bucs Nation. For everything NFL, check out SB Nation’s NFL page.

Eli Manning threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marion
Manningham and the New York Giants had a 22-20 lead over the NFC
East-leading Dallas Cowboys after three quarters on Sunday
night.

New York came in with a four-game losing streak, but with a win
over Dallas would match the Cowboys for the NFC East lead with
three games left. The division rivals play again New Year’s Day at
the Meadowlands in the regular-season finale.

The Cowboys lost rookie sensation running back DeMarco Murray
because of a fractured right ankle. He got hurt while being tackled
at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter when his foot got
twisted under a defender.

Murray has 897 yards rushing, 111 shy of breaking Tony Dorsett’s
team rookie record that has held since 1977. NFL career rushing
leader Emmitt Smith ran for 937 yards as a rookie in 1990.

Manning was 17-of-31 passing for 257 yards through three
quarters. The touchdown to Manningham came with 4 1/2 minutes left
in the third quarter.

The point differential in the game came when Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo was spun around by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and
fell in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter.

Pierre-Paul, filling in for injured Osi Umenyiora, also forced a
fumble when he stripped Felix Jones just before halftime. That led
to a field goal for the Giants.

In addition to Murray, the Cowboys also lot center Phil Costa
(concussion) and safety Barry Church (right shoulder) in the
game.

Giants linebacker Travis Beckum was out knocked out of the game
by a chest injury.

Dan Bailey kicked two 49-yard field goals for the Cowboys, while
Romo threw for two touchdowns and surpassed 20,000 career yards
passing.

Bailey’s first field goal came with 15 seconds left in the first
half for a 17-15 halftime lead. He added another 49-yarder for the
only Dallas score in the third quarter.

Dallas had won four in a row before losing 19-13 in overtime a
week ago at Arizona, when Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal
attempt at the end of regulation.

Bailey’s miss came after Cowboys coach Jason Garrett had called
timeout just before Bailey had kicked a ball through the uprights
for an apparent victory.

Romo was 14-of-20 for 135 yards through three quarters. Jones
rushed 13 times for 102 yards.

After going three-and-out on their first drive of the game, the
Cowboys started their second possession on their own 8.

On the second play, Pierre-Paul got pressure on Romo, spinning
the quarterback around and causing him to fall backward into the
end zone.

After the Giants got the ball on the free kick, Manning hit
Hakeem Nicks in stride for a 64-yard completion to the Dallas 5.
But New York bogged down there and had to settle for a 23-yard
field goal by Lawrence Tynes for a 5-0 lead.

Romo became the Cowboys’ fourth 20,000-yard passer with a
12-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips. Romo rolled to his right
and then threw a screen to Phillips on the left side for the tight
end’s first career touchdown.

The other 20,000-yard passers for the Cowboys are Hall of Fame
quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and Danny White.

Romo hasn’t really had any good memories against the Giants in
Cowboys Stadium, where New York won the first regular season game
played there two years ago. Romo sustained a broken collarbone at
home against New York last season and he didn’t play again.

Eli Manning threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marion
Manningham and the New York Giants had a 22-20 lead over the NFC
East-leading Dallas Cowboys after three quarters on Sunday
night.

New York came in with a four-game losing streak, but with a win
over Dallas would match the Cowboys for the NFC East lead with
three games left. The division rivals play again New Year’s Day at
the Meadowlands in the regular-season finale.

The Cowboys lost rookie sensation running back DeMarco Murray
because of a fractured right ankle. He got hurt while being tackled
at the end of an 8-yard run in the first quarter when his foot got
twisted under a defender.

Murray has 897 yards rushing, 111 shy of breaking Tony Dorsett’s
team rookie record that has held since 1977. NFL career rushing
leader Emmitt Smith ran for 937 yards as a rookie in 1990.

Manning was 17-of-31 passing for 257 yards through three
quarters. The touchdown to Manningham came with 4 1/2 minutes left
in the third quarter.

The point differential in the game came when Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo was spun around by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and
fell in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter.

Pierre-Paul, filling in for injured Osi Umenyiora, also forced a
fumble when he stripped Felix Jones just before halftime. That led
to a field goal for the Giants.

In addition to Murray, the Cowboys also lot center Phil Costa
(concussion) and safety Barry Church (right shoulder) in the
game.

Giants linebacker Travis Beckum was out knocked out of the game
by a chest injury.

Dan Bailey kicked two 49-yard field goals for the Cowboys, while
Romo threw for two touchdowns and surpassed 20,000 career yards
passing.

Bailey’s first field goal came with 15 seconds left in the first
half for a 17-15 halftime lead. He added another 49-yarder for the
only Dallas score in the third quarter.

Dallas had won four in a row before losing 19-13 in overtime a
week ago at Arizona, when Bailey missed a 49-yard field goal
attempt at the end of regulation.

Bailey’s miss came after Cowboys coach Jason Garrett had called
timeout just before Bailey had kicked a ball through the uprights
for an apparent victory.

Romo was 14-of-20 for 135 yards through three quarters. Jones
rushed 13 times for 102 yards.

After going three-and-out on their first drive of the game, the
Cowboys started their second possession on their own 8.

On the second play, Pierre-Paul got pressure on Romo, spinning
the quarterback around and causing him to fall backward into the
end zone.

After the Giants got the ball on the free kick, Manning hit
Hakeem Nicks in stride for a 64-yard completion to the Dallas 5.
But New York bogged down there and had to settle for a 23-yard
field goal by Lawrence Tynes for a 5-0 lead.

Romo became the Cowboys’ fourth 20,000-yard passer with a
12-yard touchdown pass to John Phillips. Romo rolled to his right
and then threw a screen to Phillips on the left side for the tight
end’s first career touchdown.

The other 20,000-yard passers for the Cowboys are Hall of Fame
quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and Danny White.

Romo hasn’t really had any good memories against the Giants in
Cowboys Stadium, where New York won the first regular season game
played there two years ago. Romo sustained a broken collarbone at
home against New York last season and he didn’t play again.

IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are not getting the ball to Dez Bryant in the second half of games.

Part of the reason is the Cowboys are encouraging Tony Romo to make quick decisions in the red zone, and on Sunday, he was also on the move in the pocket.

“We actually have a few opportunities for Dez in those situations if you go back and watch the tape,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday, following the Cowboys’ 20-16 loss on Sunday at the New England Patriots [team stats].

Bryant caught four passes in the first half but none in the second, targeted only twice.

In a third-quarter trip to the red zone, the Cowboys passed to Martellus Bennett, ran DeMarco Murray, ran Tashard Choice, passed incomplete to Murray, took a sack and threw a screen to Choice before kicking a field goal for a 13-13 tie.

In the fourth quarter, from the New England 10-yard line, the Cowboys passed to Bennett once and Choice twice. None of the throws went to the end zone or to Bryant, and the Cowboys kicked a field goal for a 16-13 lead.

“One of the things we preach to Tony is, ’Hey, make a decision and cut loose and let’s get going,’.” Garrett said. “He understands that situation, those plays, those opportunities and he had to move in the pocket a little bit. He had to find some space.

“We certainly understand the importance and the value of Dez and also Miles Austin, Jason Witten — there are a lot weapons we’d like to get the ball to down there. Sometimes you’re able to do that. Sometimes you’re not.” Guard options Jason Garrett said the Cowboys will investigate all possibilities in finding a guard to replace Bill Nagy, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle.

Undrafted rookie Kevin Kowalski replaced him for nine snaps on Sunday against the Patriots. The Cowboys’ other options are Derrick Dockery, a nine-year veteran who is still out with a fractured tibia and knee sprain, and fourth-round pick David Arkin, who has not been active for any of the games this season.

Phil Costa, who started one game at left guard last season, could be an option, but he has started every game at center this year.

“You don’t want to move too many people around if you don’t have to,” Garrett said.

Buehler kicking David Buehler, out since the second game with a strained right groin, said he’s close to being back.

Dan Bailey has made 14 consecutive field goals, but he did not have a touchback, reaching the 3-yard line twice, the 6-yard line once and the goal line twice on kickoffs.

BRIEFLY

_ Defensive end Jason Hatcher said he’s going to test his calf today with drills, including change of direction. “If I do good in that, I’ll be back this week,” he said.

_ Linebacker Bruce Carter and kicker Kai Forbath can begin practicing this week. Dallas has three weeks to bring them off the reserve/non-football injury list.

IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are not getting the ball to Dez Bryant in the second half of games.

Part of the reason is the Cowboys are encouraging Tony Romo to make quick decisions in the red zone, and on Sunday, he was also on the move in the pocket.

“We actually have a few opportunities for Dez in those situations if you go back and watch the tape,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday, following the Cowboys’ 20-16 loss on Sunday at the New England Patriots [team stats].

Bryant caught four passes in the first half but none in the second, targeted only twice.

In a third-quarter trip to the red zone, the Cowboys passed to Martellus Bennett, ran DeMarco Murray, ran Tashard Choice, passed incomplete to Murray, took a sack and threw a screen to Choice before kicking a field goal for a 13-13 tie.

In the fourth quarter, from the New England 10-yard line, the Cowboys passed to Bennett once and Choice twice. None of the throws went to the end zone or to Bryant, and the Cowboys kicked a field goal for a 16-13 lead.

“One of the things we preach to Tony is, ’Hey, make a decision and cut loose and let’s get going,’.” Garrett said. “He understands that situation, those plays, those opportunities and he had to move in the pocket a little bit. He had to find some space.

“We certainly understand the importance and the value of Dez and also Miles Austin, Jason Witten — there are a lot weapons we’d like to get the ball to down there. Sometimes you’re able to do that. Sometimes you’re not.” Guard options Jason Garrett said the Cowboys will investigate all possibilities in finding a guard to replace Bill Nagy, who is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle.

Undrafted rookie Kevin Kowalski replaced him for nine snaps on Sunday against the Patriots. The Cowboys’ other options are Derrick Dockery, a nine-year veteran who is still out with a fractured tibia and knee sprain, and fourth-round pick David Arkin, who has not been active for any of the games this season.

Phil Costa, who started one game at left guard last season, could be an option, but he has started every game at center this year.

“You don’t want to move too many people around if you don’t have to,” Garrett said.

Buehler kicking David Buehler, out since the second game with a strained right groin, said he’s close to being back.

Dan Bailey has made 14 consecutive field goals, but he did not have a touchback, reaching the 3-yard line twice, the 6-yard line once and the goal line twice on kickoffs.

BRIEFLY

_ Defensive end Jason Hatcher said he’s going to test his calf today with drills, including change of direction. “If I do good in that, I’ll be back this week,” he said.

_ Linebacker Bruce Carter and kicker Kai Forbath can begin practicing this week. Dallas has three weeks to bring them off the reserve/non-football injury list.

By JAIME ARON
IRVING, Texas — Cowboys coach Jason Garrett dared Tom Brady to beat him, and the three-time Super Bowl winner did.

Given a day to think about it, Garrett stuck by his decision to run three times to try milking the clock with a three-point lead despite his top running back and left guard being on the sideline with injuries.

The Cowboys weren’t able to get a first down — in fact, they moved backward — and wound up giving Brady the ball with enough time to pull off the 32nd fourth-quarter rally of his career. A defense that had done a great job against Brady and Wes Welker the first 57 minutes finally got picked apart, giving up a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is among those who’ve criticized Garrett for being too conservative against New England. Funny thing is, it comes one game after Jones was among those who questioned why Garrett wasn’t more conservative about protecting a 24-point lead in a loss to Detroit.

Jones and Garrett have discussed it all, of course. Garrett called it “a good conversation.”

“I think everyone is well intended,” Garrett said Monday. “Everybody is passionate about it and when you lose a ballgame like that sometimes things are said and you’ve just got to kind of understand what the environment is, process it and move on. We all went up there and we swung the bat hard against New England. … We came out on the short end of it. We’ve got to somehow process that and go forward. We have a great challenge this week against St. Louis.”

Perhaps Garrett wasn’t second-guessing himself because he expected his players to be able to get the first downs needed to either run out the clock or at least give Brady less time to try pulling off the comeback. He certainly hinted as much.

“We work these situations over and over and over again, in hopes that when we get in those situations, we can execute ball plays to allow us to win,” Garrett said. “At the end of this thing it comes down to execution, and we have to be able to block them, we have to be able to run, we have to be able to throw and catch, we have to be able to tackle, we have to be able to catch the ball on defense, make a play. And as coaches, what we’re trying to do is put our players in a position to do that as well as we can.”

Garrett mentioned several times about coaches trying to put players in position to succeed, and players needing to execute.

However, there were other questions about whether the best players were put in position to succeed.

For instance, Dallas had two second-half possessions within 20 yards of the New England end zone. Tony Romo threw to running backs DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice, and backup tight end Martellus Bennett, yet never to Dez Bryant, Miles Austin or Jason Witten. The Cowboys settled for field goals both times.

“There are a lot weapons we’d like to get the ball to down there,” Garrett said. “Sometimes you’re able to do that. Sometimes you’re not. You just got to move on and find the best option to execute the play and give yourself a chance to score points. … The positive thing is we did come away from each of those drives with field goals to put us ahead in the ballgame. We felt like those were important things to do. We thought Tony managed those situations well.”

Bryant disappeared in the second half entirely, not getting a single pass thrown his way. He appeared to have single coverage on a third-down play that ended up being a shovel pass to Choice that went nowhere, but was followed by the field goal that put Dallas up 16-13 with 5:13 to play. He also may have been targeted on a play when Romo was sacked during the previous series near the goal line.

The Cowboys (2-3) are in third place in the NFC East, a division with no clear favorite. It’s hard to know how good this club is considering the losses are by a combined 11 points and the wins are by a combined five points. Dallas has played 11 straight games decided by four points or less, going 5-6.

The Cowboys have a great chance to get back to .500 with winless St. Louis coming to town on Sunday. A defense that held Brady and the Patriots to their fewest points this season will face a Rams offense that’s scored the fewest points in the NFL this season and could be without quarterback Sam Bradford because of a high ankle sprain.

“I think our team realizes that we have a chance to be a good football team,” Garrett said. “We haven’t done everything perfectly. We’ve had five good challenges this year. We’ve won two of them. We’ve lost three of them. They’ve all been close. I think we have had an opportunity to win all five games against good football teams. What we need to do is take a breath, evaluate this game, get away from it tomorrow, come back on Wednesday and get ready to try to win a ballgame against St. Louis.”

Dallas is dealing with some injuries of its own.

Running back Felix Jones also has a high ankle sprain and is likely to miss at least a week and probably more. Murray, a third-round pick, is likely to take over.

Left guard Bill Nagy, a seventh-round pick, broke an ankle and is almost certainly out for the season. Undrafted rookie Kevin Kowalski took his place and could be forced to stay there. Veteran Derrick Dockery isn’t healed from his own broken bone and coaches don’t seem ready to trust fellow rookie David Arkin. Kowalski started two preseason games at center and says he feels comfortable playing either spot. Dallas also could put him at center and move Phil Costa to guard.

“We have some depth, we don’t have a whole lot experience,” Garrett said. “We have to manage that situation.”

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) passes as center Phil Costa (67) helps with protection against the Washington Redskins during their game Monday in Arlington, Texas. / AP

More In Sports

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Say this much about the Dallas Cowboys under Jason Garrett: They sure don’t get blown out.

Then again, they don’t blow anyone out, either.

Over their past nine games, the Cowboys have won or lost by a field goal every time. It’s the longest such streak in NFL history — by three, of course.

Dallas is 5-4 in this white-knuckle stretch, having won the past two. The way wounded quarterback Tony Romo and rookie kicker Dan Bailey combined to pull out both wins shows that this club is becoming comfortable dealing with adversity and late-game pressure.

It’s good for ratings, but not necessarily Garrett’s vocal cords. His voice was raspy following an 18-16 victory Monday night that featured six field goals, no touchdowns and, most of all, a 2-1 start that guarantees the Cowboys won’t repeat their toxic 1-7 start from last season.

Dallas also can savour its first winning record since the end of the 2009 season, and being part of a three-way tie atop the NFC East.

“When the whole season ends up getting written and the book’s done on the year, they don’t ask you what happened in week two or three or four or six, why you lost or won. It’s a ‘W’ or an ‘L,’” Romo said. “Some are ugly. Some you win going away. But at the end of the year, you need the wins. Tonight was a great example of us keep grinding, keep going forward.”

Learning to win is a step in the evolution of every team, even this group filled with veteran leaders.

The Cowboys showed they’d forgotten how early last season, when close games kept turning into losses. The constant losing eventually broke their spirits and lopsided losses followed, so many that owner Jerry Jones fired coach Wade Phillips.

Garrett took over and immediately started changing the club’s culture in big and small ways. The biggest is that they went 5-3 the rest of last season, and that they’ve picked up where they left off this season.

The weird part is their knack for keeping every game close. The NFL hasn’t seen anything like this since the Raiders had a six-game stretch at the end of the 2004 season, and start of 2005.

“Two out of three games in the NFL last year were within one score in the fourth quarter,” Garrett said. “We play a lot of those games. You have to understand and you have to believe you can make the plays when necessary.”

Dallas has done it all in this brief season — blow a big lead, wipe out a big deficit and play a nail-biter.

The Cowboys had a chance to pull out a stunning, convincing victory over the Jets in New York in the opener, but a pair of awful decisions by Romo turned a 14-point lead into a loss. It was the first time in franchise history that Dallas had ever blown such a big, late lead, putting some skeptics on an early collapse watch.

Predictions of doom seemed to be playing out when the Cowboys were losing by 14 early, and by 10 late the following week in San Francisco — especially with Romo breaking a rib and Felix Jones separating a shoulder in that game.

Yet both played through pain and Dallas managed to get a tying field goal from Bailey at the end of regulation, and another in overtime for the win.

The pressure of those kicks was immense for an undrafted rookie who’d missed a mere 21-yarder on his only other try, way back on the game’s opening drive.

While Monday night can’t top the drama of that win, it was intense.

Dallas struggled to run and centre Phil Costa even had trouble snapping the ball to Romo. Add in some poor route-running and a plethora of players playing in pain or out with injuries, and it’s understandable why the Cowboys never reached the end zone.

They never trailed by more than a touchdown, but they only led by a field goal for 2:25 late in the first half, until getting the winning kick — Bailey’s sixth of the game — with 1:42 left.

The defence was stout all night, keeping the Redskins to only one touchdown and three field goals, then came up with a turnover to end Washington’s final drive.

It’s too early to gauge the quality of Dallas’ two wins. But the early indications are that they’re pretty good. San Francisco and Washington haven’t lost to anyone else, and the Jets are 1-1 in their other two games.

Maybe Dallas’ next game will help clear things up.

The Cowboys will again be at home, against the unbeaten Lions, the conference’s up-and-coming darlings.

Dallas will still be banged up because of the severity of the injuries and the slightly shortened week of recovery. They also will be going into their bye week, so players know relief is on the way.

“We feel like we are a really good team, but we have to go show it and play it,” tight end Jason Witten said. “It’s starting to come. We feel the confidence coming, and we just have to keep it going.”

Say this much about the Dallas Cowboys under Jason Garrett: They
sure don’t get blown out.

Then again, they don’t blow anyone out, either.

Over their past nine games, the Cowboys have won or lost by a
field goal every time. It’s the longest such streak in NFL history
_ by three, of course.

Dallas is 5-4 in this white-knuckle stretch, having won the past
two. The way wounded quarterback Tony Romo and rookie kicker Dan
Bailey combined to pull out both wins shows that this club is
becoming comfortable dealing with adversity and late-game
pressure.

It’s good for ratings, but not necessarily Garrett’s vocal
cords. His voice was raspy following an 18-16 victory Monday night
that featured six field goals, no touchdowns and, most of all, a
2-1 start that guarantees the Cowboys won’t repeat their toxic 1-7
start from last season.

Dallas also can savor its first winning record since the end of
the 2009 season, and being part of a three-way tie atop the NFC
East.

“When the whole season ends up getting written and the book’s
done on the year, they don’t ask you what happened in week two or
three or four or six, why you lost or won. It’s a ‘W’ or an ‘L,’”
Romo said. “Some are ugly. Some you win going away. But at the end
of the year, you need the wins. Tonight was a great example of us
keep grinding, keep going forward.”

Learning to win is a step in the evolution of every team, even
this group filled with veteran leaders.

The Cowboys showed they’d forgotten how early last season, when
close games kept turning into losses. The constant losing
eventually broke their spirits and lopsided losses followed, so
many that owner Jerry Jones fired coach Wade Phillips.

Garrett took over and immediately started changing the club’s
culture in big and small ways. The biggest is that they went 5-3
the rest of last season, and that they’ve picked up where they left
off this season.

The weird part is their knack for keeping every game close. The
NFL hasn’t seen anything like this since the Raiders had a six-game
stretch at the end of the 2004 season, and start of 2005.

“Two out of three games in the NFL last year were within one
score in the fourth quarter,” Garrett said. “We play a lot of those
games. You have to understand and you have to believe you can make
the plays when necessary.”

Dallas has done it all in this brief season _ blow a big lead,
wipe out a big deficit and play a nail-biter.

The Cowboys had a chance to pull out a stunning, convincing
victory over the Jets in New York in the opener, but a pair of
awful decisions by Romo turned a 14-point lead into a loss. It was
the first time in franchise history that Dallas had ever blown such
a big, late lead, putting some skeptics on an early collapse
watch.

Predictions of doom seemed to be playing out when the Cowboys
were losing by 14 early, and by 10 late the following week in San
Francisco _ especially with Romo breaking a rib and Felix Jones
separating a shoulder in that game.

Yet both played through pain and Dallas managed to get a tying
field goal from Bailey at the end of regulation, and another in
overtime for the win.

The pressure of those kicks was immense for an undrafted rookie
who’d missed a mere 21-yarder on his only other try, way back on
the game’s opening drive.

While Monday night can’t top the drama of that win, it was
intense.

Dallas struggled to run and center Phil Costa even had trouble
snapping the ball to Romo. Add in some poor route-running and a
plethora of players playing in pain or out with injuries, and it’s
understandable why the Cowboys never reached the end zone.

They never trailed by more than a touchdown, but they only led
by a field goal for 2:25 late in the first half, until getting the
winning kick _ Bailey’s sixth of the game _ with 1:42 left.

The defense was stout all night, keeping the Redskins to only
one touchdown and three field goals, then came up with a turnover
to end Washington’s final drive.

It’s too early to gauge the quality of Dallas’ two wins. But the
early indications are that they’re pretty good. San Francisco and
Washington haven’t lost to anyone else, and the Jets are 1-1 in
their other two games.

Maybe Dallas’ next game will help clear things up.

The Cowboys will again be at home, against the unbeaten Lions,
the conference’s up-and-coming darlings.

Dallas will still be banged up because of the severity of the
injuries and the slightly shortened week of recovery. They also
will be going into their bye week, so players know relief is on the
way.

“We feel like we are a really good team, but we have to go show
it and play it,” tight end Jason Witten said. “It’s starting to
come. We feel the confidence coming, and we just have to keep it
going.”

By JP Starkey

– Associate Editor

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Sep 20, 2011 – Tony Romo certainly silenced his critics in Week 2, leading the Cowboys to a come from behind win over the San Francisco 49ers — despite having a couple cracked ribs and a punctured lung. The battered and bruised Cowboys, though, must forge ahead as they’re set for their 2011 home opener in Week 3 against the Washington Redskins.

With the win over the 49ers, the Cowboys find themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants also find themselves with 1-1 record along with Dallas. The 2-0 Redskins sit alone atop the NFC East standings — for now.

The Cowboys will certainly be playing shorthanded when they take the field at Jerry Jones’ Death Star for the first time in 2011. Top wide receiver Miles Austin will be sidelined at least through Dallas’ bye week in Week 5. Starting center Phil Costa will likely be out on Monday night as well, as he aggravated his PCL injury. 

There is some good news on the injury front for Dallas at least. Romo is expected to play Monday night despite his injuries. Starting running back Felix Jones is also expected to be available for Week 3, despite separating his shoulder against San Francisco. Dallas’ secondary should receive a boost as well, as Terrence Newman is aiming to return against the Redskins on Monday night as well.

Washington’s 2-0 start is certainly one of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season. The Redskins handled the Giants with relative ease in Week 1 before defeating the Cardinals on a field goal late in the fourth quarter in Week 2. 

Despite his deficiencies, Rex Grossman was named the starting quarterback in Washington this season, and thus far, he’s played well. Grossman has thrown for 596 yards on the young season while throwing four touchdowns against two interceptions to go along with a 59.7 completion percentage. 

Much like this game will be Dallas’ home opener, this game will be Washington’s first road game this season. 

With the Lions coming to town before Dallas’ bye week in Week 5 (which is followed by a date in Foxboro in Week 6), it’s imperative that the Cowboys not only play well, but come away with a win against the Redskins.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT on Monday night. Televised coverage can be found nationally of course on ESPN.

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Read More: Orlando Scandrick (CB – DAL), Phil Costa (C – DAL), Tyron Smith (OT – DAL), Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys starting lineup and rotation looked plenty different from it’s previous versions in last night’s season opening loss to the New York Jets. Second year receiver Dez Bryant took over the starters role, and make the Jets vaunted cornerback combo look overmatched. A early quad injury suffered on a punt return limited Bryant after the first quarter, even though he returned to finish the game after missing time and heading into the locker room for evaluation. Owner Jerry Jones voiced his concern over Bryant playing special teams after the game.

The offensive line boasted three new starters in rookies Tyron Smith (RT) and Bill Nagy (LG), as well as second year man Phil Costa (C). Both Costa and Smith were game time decisions due to back and knee injuries respectively, but were able to go. Tight end/F-Back John Phillips made the start after missing all of 2010 to a torn ACL. He started in place of Martellus Bennett, who was injured in preseason action and is expected to return before the early bye week.

Cornerback Terence Newman missed the contest, still nursing a groin injury, and was replaced by Orlando Scandrick in the lineup. Mike Jenkins, the team’s other corner, had missed the entire preseason with a stinger but started the game. Scandrick got bit by the injury bug early in the second quarter. MRI results have yet to be released, but a high ankle sprain or bone fracture puts him out for a reported 3-4 weeks. Jenkins spent several moments hurt on the turf throughout the game, most notably after a blind side block from Plaxico Burress that included trash talk from the Jet. Burress would push off Jenk’s replacement Bryan McCann for a touchdown.

“They have three big time receivers… to not have Terence here, then have Jenks out, and then have Scandrick go out. You know I thought Jenks did a great job battling back and continuing to play when he was banged up. You know we were playing with a  safety out there our fourth corner, i think rob did a great job managing that situation for a lot of the game… i thought for the most part they hung in there and battled as best they could.”

-Jason Garrett from post game presser

The youth movement on defense appeared in Sean Lee replacing veteran Keith Brooking at inside linebacker. All Lee did with the start is record 11 tackles, intercept a pass and almost score a TAINT, and recover a Mark Sanchez fumble. Expect him to become the poster boy for drafting injured players in the top rounds and waiting for their return to health (cough, Bruce Carter, cough).

Danny McCray, an undrafted 2010 free agent safety, was utilized by Rob Ryan in a variety of ways and crushed Mark Sanchez, forcing the fumble Lee snatched up. Once the secondary’s injuries started mounting, McCray lined up at cornerback.

In the presser, Jason Garrett said despite the mistakes of the fourth quarter, “the guys played with tremendous passion, emotion and enthusiasm… and just kept competing.” That is exactly what you want from a team full of youth and backups. As Garrett said, “There were a lot of good things that we can build on.”

For more Cowboys-centric coverage, check out SB Nation’s Blogging The Boys.

The Dallas Cowboys will open up their season on Sunday night against the New York Jets, a game that’s sure to be emotionally charged for reasons that have nothing to do with football. Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a milestone that won’t be lost on anyone at MetLife Stadium this weekend.

Fans in attendance will receive American flags upon entering the stadium, and children of first responders will serve as honorary team captains. Mary J. Blige will sing the national anthem, and Robert DeNiro will narrate a halftime tribute to family members of victims of the attacks. We’d guess there are going to be some less-than-dry-eyes in the house.

Considering the magnitude of the anniversary, it’s kind of hard to treat football as that serious of a matter, but this is, after all, a football game–so we should probably take a look at the game itself as well, no?

As for football storylines, the Jets and Cowboys are in very different places coming into the opener. New York is coming off of their second consecutive AFC Championship game appearance, while Dallas is hoping to bounce back from a miserable 6-10 year.

The Cowboys are barely recognizable from last year to this, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Veterans like Andre Gurode, Marion Barber, and Roy Williams are gone, replaced by younger, and cheaper options. The offensive line will feature at least one rookie (LG Bill Nagy) and a second-year guy (C Phil Costa) against the Jets’ vaunted defense. If first round pick RT Tyron Smith is unable to go with a knee injury, third-year journeyman Jermey Parnell would make the first start of his career.

This group will be charged with protecting Romo against one of the top defenses in the league.

The defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys looks much the same as it did a season ago, personnel-wise at least. New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has installed his own version of the 3-4, a potentially exciting system that didn’t do much to impress in the preseason. The unit particularly struggled against the run over the four exhibition games, an unnerving fact considering that few teams in the league run the ball as well or as much as the Jets.

It’s looking more and more likely that cornerback Mike Jenkins will be available Sunday. Terence Newman is less likely, but he will travel with the team. Even at full health, this Cowboys team is loaded with questions–when you consider the injuries on top of that, Sunday should represent a potentially harsh litmus test of what Dallas is working with.

For those bettors out there, most sites have the Jets as 4.5 to 5 point favorites against Dallas. 

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IRVING — Andre Gurode was warned, just like everyone else on the
Dallas Cowboys. Under first-year coach Jason Garrett, jobs will be
won and lost based on how players perform in camp and preseason
games, not by what they’ve done in the past.

Having made the Pro Bowl the past five years wasn’t enough for
Gurode to keep his roster spot.

The Cowboys cut the veteran center Monday for a variety of
reasons including his age and salary, his decision to have knee
surgery so late in the offseason that it sidelined him for the
start of camp and by the performance by an undrafted, unproven
second-year player in Gurode’s absence.

“What we’ve said right from Day 1 is it doesn’t really matter
where you came from or what you’ve done in the past,” Garrett said.
“We’re going to try our best as coaches and evaluators to see what
you’re doing right now and see what you can do for us going
forward. We try to do that individually, we try to do that
collectively. We’re not in the business of trying to send a message
to the rest of the team. We’re trying to make the best decision for
our team.”

Still, the decision/message was clear to everyone, from veterans
who may feel comfortable to rookie free agents still trying to
prove themselves.

“That’s the way it should be,” veteran linebacker Keith Brooking
said. “I think when you can create that environment and that
message is sent throughout your team – and it’s not just a message,
there are examples that run through the team – I think that’s a
really good thing for everyone. That’s what pushes you, that’s what
makes you better. “

The Cowboys already had cut several other high-priced veterans,
including linemen Marc Colombo and Leonard Davis. By adding Gurode
to the list, Tony Romo’s blockers will include three inexperienced
linemen: Phil Costa at center, top pick Tyron Smith at right tackle
and seventh-rounder Bill Nagy at left guard.

Costa is the guy whose strong play pushed Gurode out the
door.

A hard worker as a rookie last year, he played in four games and
started once. He became the first-team center at the start of camp
because Gurode was on the physically unable to perform list.

Gurode got a chance to reclaim the job once he was healthy,
moving straight to the first team. But the Cowboys decided he
wasn’t so much better than Costa that he was worth keeping,not when
they could also save $5.5 million against the salary cap by cutting
Gurode.

They liked the idea of finding out what they might have in a
24-year-old instead of relying on a 32-year-old coming off knee
surgery.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.