Cowboys Hope They Disposed of All Outlaws Heading into ‘09 Campaign

By RogerDodger92  |   Monday, August 03, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Even though they didn’t even make the playoffs last year, the eyes of football fans across America are focused on the Dallas Cowboys. For the first time in years, the Cowboys enter training camp anticipating a peaceful locker room. While this is no guarantee, team chemistry is certainly more possible now more than ever. In an eventful offseason, the Cowboys waved goodbye to several controversial players, including WR Terrell Owens, CB Pacman Jones and DT Tank Johnson. In addition, QB Tony Romo ditched girlfriend Jessica Simpson, who was declared a distraction by Cowboy fans and players (mainly TO) alike. The Cowboys hope the dumping of the garbage translates into success on the field, something the Cowboys could’ve-and probably should’ve had more of last season.
While the Cowboys parted with some of their key components, they also have some new faces. LB Keith Brooking brings his services to Big D after 10 solid years with Atlanta. Igor Olshansky, a former protégé of head coach/defensive coordinator Wade Phillips in San Diego, was also signed to give the defense a much needed boost. The draft didn’t yield any results for Dallas, however, so the Cowboys are basically looking at the same team from a year ago with few changes.

The offense is headed by Romo. The offense suffered last season when Romo went down for three games. In order for their fans to breathe a little easier, the Cowboys ditched ineffective backups Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger and acquired Jon Kitna. The running back trio is a force to be reckoned with. Veteran Marion Barber leads the tandem while sophomore backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice back him up. Barber was lost after 11 games and Jones only lasted 5. However, Choice had a good game against a strong Pittsburgh defense and Jones had 9.5 yards per carry before the injury. This trio should be electrifying to watch on the field. As for receivers, TE Jason Witten no longer has to worry about TO complaining that the tight end gets the ball too much. Expect his numbers to skyrocket. As annoying as TO was, he will be missed by Romo. The Romo-Owens tandem led the league in touchdown over the past 3 years. WR Roy Williams, the former Lion standout, disappointed fans and management alike with only 16 catches as a Cowboy. Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton will duke it out for the No. 2 wide receiver spot.

While the Cowboys made few changes, the changes they did make were big. They decided to part ways with S Roy Williams and DE Chris Canty. The Cowboys hope that a full year of Phillips as the defensive coordinator will help. Phillips has been a subpar head coach in Dallas, but was a defensive genius in San Diego. They already have a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in LB DeMarcus Ware and a shutdown cornerback in Terrence Newman. Expect bigger things out of this defense in 2009.

The special teams are anchored by K Nick Folk. Folk was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, and was very solid in his sophomore season. P Mat McBriar went down with an injury during a blocked punt, and one of the Cowboys’ best kept secret was lost for the year. The special teams are indeed a special part of the Cowboys, and they will play a crucial part of the team’s success in 09.

Even though TO and Pacman have moved on, the Cowboys are not out of the spotlight just yet. They open a brand new stadium this September in Arlington, Texas. The old Texas Stadium opened with a Super Bowl in 1971, when the Cowboys crushed the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI. They will hard pressed to do so when Cowboys Stadium opens against the hated Giants in 09.
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