2009 Mid Season Report Card

NFC East Team	W	L	T	Pct
Dallas Cowboys	6	2	0	.750
Philadelphia Eagles	5	3	0	.625
New York Giants	5	4	0	.556
Washington Redskins	2	6	0	.250

(source Nfl.com)

          I can't believe we are already at the halfway point into the 2009 season. Time sure is flying by. The Cowboys are in first place, and if they can beat the Green Bay Packers this Sunday at Lambeau and the Philly Eagles lose to the San Diego Chargers (highly possible), they can increase their lead to 2 games in the NFC East. The next 2 games are November 22nd home vs. Washington; and host the Oakland Raiders on Thanksgiving Day November 26th. By the end of this month the Cowboys' record should be no worse than 8-3. The Packer's are reeling at 4-4 and this game might be their season, and they will have a lot to play for if they want to stay in the playoff picture. With the Cowboys in control of their own playoff hopes I will grade each position at mid season.

Quarterback : A (minus)- Tony Romo has really stepped up his performance on this current 4 game winning streak. Ever since the game against the NY Giants, Romo has turned the corner learning how to be a team leader. He  finally understands what it takes to be THE quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Tony has completed 60% of his passes for 2,515 yards, 13 TDs and 5 INTs.

Running Backs : B+ Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard form the most talented trio of running backs in the NFL. Felix Jones did not play in a few games this season due to injury and Marion Barber has been troubled by a quad injury since the Giants game so his TD production is down a little bit. During limited action, Tashard Choice has made good use of his few opportunities and the coaching staff has complete confidence in him if called to shoulder more of the carries. Overall the unit is ranked #8 in the league rushing 216 times for 1,101 yards and scoring 9 TDs and fumbling 3 times. Marion Barber closed out last week's game in Philly against the Eagles and most likely will score more touchdowns as the season continues.

Wide Receivers: B+ Roy Williams still has yet to earn his salary and #1 go to guy for Romo. Last week Williams and Romo connected on 5 passes for 75 yards but no touchdowns. This is still a work in progress as Williams has caught only 19 passes for 321 yards averaging 46.3yrds/game and 2 TDs, but almost 80% of his catches go for first downs. #3/slot receiver, Patrick Crayton has caught 22 passes for 365 yards averaging 45.6yrds/game and 2 TDs. 4th year receiver Miles Austin has broken out like gangbusters since the game against the Kansas City chiefs. He has supplanted Crayton as the #2 receiver and has caught 27 passes for 612 yards averaging 22.7 ypc, 75 yrds per game, and is tied for 1st place catching 7 touchdowns. Sam Hurd and rookie Kevin Ogletree have made some good catches too.

Tight Ends: B Arguably the best TE in the game, Jason Witten has not put up his normal eye opening stats this season. He along with 2nd year TE are figuring more prominently in the running game as blockers, leading the way for the running back corps. Witten has caught 44 passes for only 391 yards and just averaging 48 yrds/game, but only 1 TD. This still ranks him as the 3rd best TE in the league statistically speaking. Bennett was expected to break out this year as well, but with so much talent there are just so many balls to go around.He has only caught 9 balls for 90 yards and no TDs. Hopefully Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett will calls more plays for Bennett the 2nd half of the season.

Offensive Line B there are not any stats for O-linemen except for penalties. With left guard Kyle Kosier being healthy this season, the chemistry is back in place and the offensive line has kept Romo relatively upright and opened up running lanes for the stable of running backs. The O-line is one of the biggest and most physical in the NFL. Kosier might be the MVP of the group.

Defensive Line B+ The D line has more experience this year despite losing DE Chris Canty to free agency in the offseason. Igor Olshansky has filled in nicely and Jay Ratliff has come close to being  the best Nose tackles/defensive tackles in the game. Ratliff is undersized but has 23 total stops including 4 sacks at while being double teamed a lot of the time. He leads all nose tackles with those 4 sacks. Marcus Spears has also racked up 2 sacks from the LDE position in the 3-4 alignment.  Backups Jason Hatcher, Stephen Bowen, and Junior Siavii have all been solid so far.

Linebackers B+ All Pro OLB DeMarcus Ware got off to a slow start this season due to some injuries and does not look as if he will match his record last year of racking up 20 sacks. He has seen plenty of double teams and looks to be just about hitting his stride he only has 25 tackles including 5 sacks. The addition of ILB Keith Brooking has been a blessing. His enthusiasm and leadership has rubbed off on his teammates. He is a motivator and still a very good player as a 12 year veteran. Brooking has 2 sacks and 55 total tackles. Bradie James and Anthony Spencer are playing well too. Spencer has improved his pass rush and overall play. Rookie Victor Butler has shown good speed and coverage skills while getting 2 sacks.

Secondary A (minus) 2nd year CB Mike Jenkins is another Cowboy having a break out year, and he is proving the Cowboys were right selecting him late in the first round draft in 2008. Some say he has surpassed veteran CB Terrence Newman as the team's best defensive back. He has 24 tackles, broken up 11 passes, and has 3 INTs. He is no longer afraid to offer run support either. (see Giants game 2008) Terrence Newman seems to have maybe lost a step but still is one of the best DBs. Orlando Scandrick is coming along nicely covering the slot receiver and being a good tackler. Like Keith Brooking, the Cowboys perhaps found their SS of the future signing Gerald Sensabaugh (former Jacksonville Jaguar). He has been a major addition to the Cowboys defensive backfield. He is a hitter and has great coverage skills. 

Special Teams A - Nick Folk has missed a few FGs but still remains one of the best and most accurate kickers. Rookie Kicker David Buehler leads the NFL with 17 touchbacks and allowing the opposing offense to start a drive from their 20 yard line which is a huge difference from last year when teams started 10-15 yards further upfield. Punt returner Patrick Crayton has already returned 2 punts for touchdowns this year which is an added bonus. Punter Mat McBriar ranks #5 in the NFL with a net average of 41.8 yards. 

Coaching Staff B+ Wade Phillips has shown he is a very good defensive coordinator and his system is one of the best in the league. He still has to improve as a head coach though. Jason Garrett's imaginative schemes and play calling are seeing its fruition since T.O is no longer on the team. There is no pressure to get him the ball and Garrett calls plays for the many offensive weapons the Cowboys have. Special teams coach seems to have recovered from the training camp injury and his special teams are really special. He has changed a woebegone unit into the top 10.