Cowboys bye week report card: Things looking up

By Andy Targovnik  |   Friday, September 22, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Although it's early in the season, the bye week is always a good time to evaluate how a team progressing.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a brutal loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener but bounced back against their division rival Washington Redskins in a game the Cowboys had to have. All in all, it looks like Dallas is starting to come together. So, without further ado, let's get to the grades:

Offense:
Quarterback: Drew Bledsoe made some huge mistakes against the Jaguars. But as bad as Bledsoe played against Jacksonville, he was that good against the Redskins with no help from his receivers, who had a plethora of dropped balls. Grade: B -

Running backs: You really couldn't ask for more from Julius Jones and Marion Barber -- they are averaging 4.5 and 4.7 yards per carry, respectively. Each has hit pay dirt once. The only negative was a Jones lost fumble against the Redskins. Grade: A-

Wide receivers: Terry Glenn has been tremendous. Terrell Owens was outstanding in the Jacksonville game but faltered against Washington because he broke a bone in his hand. We should see more of Patrick Crayton and possibly Sam Hurd in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans. Grade: B-

Tight ends: Jason Witten has been his usual consistent self with the exception of an uncharacteristic dropped pass against Washington. After being invisible against the Jags, Anthony Fasano made a nice contribution with three catches for 39 yards against the Redskins. Grade: C+

Offensive line: I have to admit, this new O-Line has played much better than expected, only giving up three sacks in two games to a pair of strong defenses. The unit has also created a lot of running room for Jones and Barber. The most encouraging sign is that Flozell Adams resembled his old self against Washington. Grade: B

Defense:
Defensive line: Jason Ferguson has been effective at the nose with eight tackles in two games. Marcus Spears has also played well. Although Byron Leftwich had all day to throw, the D-line put some serious pressure on Mark Brunell, and has held both opposing rushing attacks to under 100 yards. Grade: B

Linebackers: The quartet of Greg Ellis, Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware and Akin Ayodele has played so well that not only has first-round pick Bobby Carpenter been relegated to the bench, but nobody seems to care. Grade: A-

Secondary: Considering the defensive backfield has rookie Pat Watkins starting at free safety, it could be much worse. They got lit up against Jacksonville's tall receivers, but played a great game against the Skins - especially Roy Williams and Terence Newman. Grade: B-

Special Teams
Kicking: Shaun Suisham has kicked off well but missed a chip shot field goal against Jacksonville. Mike Vanderjagt was finally allowed to kick against Washington and connected on a huge 49-yard field goal late in the game. Mat McBriar leads the NFL, averaging 50.8 yards per punt and ranks fourth with a 41-yard net average. Grade: B+

Kick coverage & return team: Dallas is floundering with a 20.8-yard average per kick return and 8.8 yards per punt return. The lowest point was when the kickoff coverage team gave up a 100-yard touchdown to the Redskins' Rock Cartwright. Grade: D

Overall, the Dallas Cowboys are headed in the right direction. With the distractions and growing pains of integrating new players into the mix in the rearview mirror, there's no reason they shouldn't win the NFC East. They have the talent; they have the coach. Now they just have to do it.

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CommentsComments: 4  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
T		09:43 PM
09/22/2006
They couldnt have put this report card in any better words, everything said was exactly right. Dallas definately has the talent...
No.2
J.M.		08:20 PM
09/23/2006
Iwas at the cowboys skins game.It was my first game ever at Texas Stadium. I was thrilled and excited being around all COWBOY...
No.3
Justin		02:06 AM
09/26/2006
Im a young Cowboys fan, but that doesnt mean that I dont know the history. i live in Jacksonville and go to Jacksonville...
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