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Dallas Cowboys 2010 Draft 1st Round Pick : Dez Bryant

                    

                                  

                               

      Newest Dallas Cowboy Wide Receiver Dez Bryant overcome with joy after being                                                     drafted by his hometown team.

Jerry Jones did not have to wheel and deal like a whirling dervish with other teams to perhaps arguably get the most talented player in the first round of the NFL draft. Jerry only had to swap his first round pick #27 with New England’s  #24 and trade his 3^rd rounder for the Patriots’ 4^th. This is the NFL’s 75^th year of conducting the draft, and the Cowboys sure did find a diamond. With the pick, Jerry selected wide receiver Dez Bryant who was a star at Oklahoma State University.  Bryant was considered to be a top 10 talent but had slipped in the rankings due to his “off-field” behavior.

Bryant was suspended after just playing 3 games this past fall due to lying to the NCAA regarding a meeting with former NFL great Deion Sanders. They only met for dinner, but NCAA thought Bryant lied to them about the meeting. Whatever the case, Bryant did not play the rest of the season which some teams considered detrimental. He did not have the appropriate cleats during his pro day work out and scouts, coaches, and GMs thought he was too scatter brained. In a nutshell, Bryant was red flagged due to concerns about his character and teams shied away from him a la Randy Moss.

Bryant visited with Jerry and Stephen Jones et al in the weeks leading up to the draft and made a good impression on everyone. He was one of their 3 must have players. Rumored had it Jerry would do everything possible to draft either Idaho Guard Mike Iupati, Texas Safety Earl Thomas, or Bryant. Jerry decided to sit back and wait for the draft to unfold early on. Some pundits opined Jerry would have to give up too much compensation such as players or draft picks to move high enough to get Iupati and Thomas. Luckily Bryant fell close and Jones had no choice to pounce.

Jerry mentioned by drafting Bryant he made amends for not drafting Randy Moss eons ago who also came with character issues. I am ecstatic Dez is a Dallas Cowboy now and adds playmaking ability to an already explosive offense. He was the best collegiate wide receiver the past few years second only to Michael Crabtree who was drafted by the San Francisco 49’ers last year. I cannot wait to see the offense next year with Miles Austin and Roy Williams on the outside, Jason Witten over the middle, and Bryant going all over the field. Tony Romo must be feeling giddy about all the possibilities. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has another playmaker to work into his offense. Speaking of which, many have compared Bryant to another Cowboy great- Michael Irvin. I trust Jerry will draft a safety and offensive lineman in the later rounds and perhaps another linebacker or defensive back. Have a look at Dez Bryant’s highlights:

      

Dallas Cowboys 2010 Opponents Home/Away

                         The Dallas Cowboys will have a very tough road ahead if they intend to be the first NFL team to play in a Super Bowl at their own stadium in Super Bowl 45 next year. I believe they are very hungry and can accomplish the task but it will be a difficult one. They have to play one of the hardest schedules according to opponent’s winning percentages. Their opponent’s winning percentage is .543. The NFC East plays the AFC South and the NFC North. All told, the Cowboys will play six teams who made the playoffs this season- Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Arizona, Green Bay, Minnesota, and New Orleans. Of course they still play Philly, Washington, and New York twice who arguably makes up the toughest division in the NFL. The schedule makers really put the Cowboys behind the eight ball since the Cowboys only get to play the New Orleans Saints at home and the rest on the road. Who the hell are these schedule makers? Do they hate the Cowboys?

If I was Jerry Jones I would file a complaint with the league about why do the Cowboys have to play all these playoff teams on the road? The logical formula would be to split these games up evenly 3 home and 3 away.

There is a silver lining though as the Cowboys have Chicago, Jacksonville, Detroit, New Orleans, and Tennessee at home. If you go by how these teams played with the exception of the Saints, you could say those are 5 “gimmes”. But having said that the old adage of on any given Sunday any team can beat any team in the league. It is far too soon to predict what I think the Cowboys record will be, but I expect them to be the NFC’s representative in the 2011 NFC Championship game. It will be a long offseason and so much can happen from now until September. Here are the records of all of the Cowboys’ opponents from this season and will comment on each game.

Home:

New Orleans Saints 13-3- if the Saints win the Super Bowl the Cowboys will be more motivated to beat them next year.

Chicago Bears 7-9- Jay Cutler took his lumps learning a new offensive system in his first year and if they want to improve need to draft or sign a few free agent wide receivers. Brian Urlacher’s return to the defense will be vital. After he was lost early in the season the defense was very porous.

Detroit Lions 2-14- Rookie Quarterback Matt Stafford showed signs this season but still has some learning to do. Lions won only 2 games in 2008 and 2009. Talk about rebuilding.

Jacksonville Jaguars 7-9 – really struggled on defense switching from the 4-3 alignment to the 3-4. David Garrard is not a franchise quarterback but the have a fire hydrant for a running back with Maurice Jones-Drew.

Tennessee Titans 8-8- perhaps if Vince Young took over earlier in the season for Kerry Collins the Titans could have made the playoffs. The Titans were the best team in the AFC in 2008 and have most of the same players. They are one of the teams to watch out for next year.

Away:

Green Bay Packers 11-5-Cowboys played one of their worst games this season losing to the Packers in Lambeau field 7-17. It’s already tough to play there and with QB Aaron Rodgers looking really good this could be a pivotal game for home field advantage for the playoffs.

Minnesota Vikings 12-4- the lost to the Saints at the Superdome in the NFC Championship game. Their hopes to return to the playoffs really hinge on wether Brett Favre returns for another season. The Cowboys will have revenge on their minds thinking how Favre and Vikings ran up the score in the waning seconds in the divisional playoff game this year.

Arizona Cardinals 10-6- Kurt Warner’s recent retirement is a huge setback for this team. Matt Leinart has proven he is close to being a big bust. They should regress next season.

Houston Texans 9-7- this is another team to watch next season. Quarterback Matt Schaub has proven he is a very good player. Every season people expect team to finally make it over the hump into the playoffs. They always fold for 3 or 4 games during the season but the defense has grown immensely the past few years. It will be a playoff atmosphere as the Texans hate being portrayed as the Cowboys’ little brother in Texas. It will be a dogfight.

Indianapolis Colts- 14-2- they were the best team in the league this year. There’s no doubt they will be expected to repeat next year too. Like with the Saints, if the Colts win the Super Bowl, the Cowboys will be extra motivated to play them. In 2007 the Cowboys spoiled the Colts’ bid for a perfect season and will have confidence when they play.

I did not include the Eagles, Redskins, and Giants since they are all familiar foes. 2010 will be difficult and rewarding.

 

 

Cowboys beat undefeated Saints 24-17

 

           The Cowboys control their own playoff destiny again. Last year they also controlled their own destiny but were outplayed by the Baltimore Ravens the second to last game and lost. The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Cowboys on the last game of the season. It was all or nothing. Win and you’re in. The Cowboys were embarrassed by a score of 44-6.  Right now the Eagles have clinched a playoff berth and are in first place in the NFC East (10-4). The Cowboys are one game behind at 9-5 and the Giants 3^rd place with a record of 8-6. The Cowboys can clinch a playoff berth if they beat the Washington Redskins in D.C. and then beat the Eagles in Dallas on the last day of the regular season. If the Cowboys win out and the Eagles lose either of their last two games, then the Cowboys would win the NFC East and be the 4^th seed in the playoffs. In that scenario the Cowboys would play the Eagles the following week in one of the Wild Card Playoff games.  There are several other numerous scenarios that could happen but my head is starting to hurt thinking about them. Don’t even get me started on the AFC.

 

 

           The Cowboys are on the right track after beating the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints this past Saturday. They were able to dominate the Saints in the first half building a 17-3 lead. Miles Austin had another big game catching a 49-yard TD bomb from Tony Romo. Marion Barber made amends for not being able to score a TD from the 2-yard line against the San Diego Chargers last weekend by rumbling for 2 TD against the Saints. The defense played outstanding allowing the Saints to score the fewest points (17) this season. Mike Jenkins had an interception. Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware combined for 4 sacks, 2 fumbles caused. Ware did not practice all week due to a scary neck injury he suffered last week when he collided with a Chargers offensive lineman. Ware is quite a specimen. Wade Phillips and offensive coordinator called their best defensive and offensive games this season. The Redskins were thoroughly embarrassed last night by the NY Giants 45-12, and who knows how they will perform against the Cowboys Sunday night. Let’s hope they play flat and uninspired.

           

Cardiac Cowboys pull victory from Jaws of defeat vs. Redskins in 4th quarter

This game was almost as ugly as these Redskins fans!

            The Dallas Cowboy and Washington Redskins used to be one of the most scintillating and best sports rivalries in the nation. After watching today’s game a lot of the passion was missing. The Redskins were able to stop the Cowboys’ explosive offense. The Redskins came into Cowboys Stadium as the #1 overall passing defense allowing only 162 yards passing per game. They also have the 5^th overall best defense. The Cowboys entered the game with the NFL’s 4^th best overall offense averaging 390 yards a game. Their passing game ranks 6^th in the league with 258 yards overall. Something had to give. For most of the game both defenses dominated, with the Redskins scoring the only points in the first half, which was a field goal.

 

             The bright spots for the Cowboys were 2^nd year tight end Martellus Bennett who had 3 big catches for 43 yards. All catches were for 1^st downs and Marion Barber ran for 100 yards on 20 carries. Barber did fumble the ball at Washington’s 16-yard line ending a promising drive in the 1^st quarter. Redskin’s kicker and former Dallas Cowboy, Shaun Shuisham, missed 2 big field goals. The first miss happened with seconds remaining in the 1^st half. It was a big momentum killer as the Redskins only had a 3 point lead. Shuisham also missed a 50-yard field goal in the 4^th quarter. If Shuisham made the field goal it would have given the Redskins a 9-0 lead. Rejuvenated by the missed field goal, Tony Romo completed 6 of 7 passes including the game winner- a scrambling Romo bought time and hit Crayton in the endzone for a 10 yard touchdown.

             The Redskins’ secondary played most of the game in a “Tampa -2” style coverage defense keeping their safeties deep so not to allow the big play. The Cowboys lead the league of plays 20 yards or longer.  Washington’s game plan frustrated the Cowboys offense and held them from scoring until late in the fourth quarter.  The Redskins had over 2 minutes left to mount a comeback, but Cowboys’ defensive end Stephen Bowen tipped Jason Campbell’s pass that Anthony Spencer intercepted and sealed the win for the Cowboys. The Oakland Raiders come into Dallas for Thanksgiving this week. Let’s hope the Raiders get the stuffing knocked out of them!

 

Green Bay Packers upset Dallas Cowboys 17- 7

  VS 

 

              The Green Bay Packers kept their playoff hopes alive beating the Dallas Cowboys Sunday 17-7. The Cowboys were riding high on a 4 game winning streak and momentum was on their side heading into Green Bay. They were met by an intense and highly motivated Packer’s defense. They were without starting OLB Aaron Kampman and his backup, Poppinga. The inspired defense held Tony Romo et al from converting a 3^rd down until the 4^th quarter not to mention while pitching a shut out.

             Jason Garrett, the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator bares most of the blame for this loss. He only called 14 running plays compare to 40+ passes from Tony Romo.  The Packers sacked Romo 5 times -the most times in one game this year. Romo was harried a lot and when he did have time to throw he missed open receivers a few times and Roy Williams had a key drop and another fumble. The Cowboys’ defense held their own for most of the game too, sacking Aaron Rogers 4 times and hurrying him plenty of times. Neither QB had an easy time. The Packers blitzed often and the Cowboys had a hard time picking up the blitzing linebackers and defensive backs.

            Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Dom Capers, definitely out coached Garrett. Apparently Garrett’s game plan was to throw early and often which led to the Cowboys’ losing this game. Caper’s game plan involved blitzing the Cowboys into oblivion. The Cowboys’ running game was effective but for some reason Garrett abandoned it. Perhaps it was because right tackle Marc Colombo was lost for the game with a broken fibula early in the 2^nd quarter, and Garrett did not believe 2^nd string tackle Doug Free was prepared to play well in the running game. Who knows?

            The officiating crew made some bad calls that affected the Cowboys more so. An official made a controversial hands to the face call on cornerback Mike Jenkins which erased a sack a and fumble recovery by Orlando Scandrick. On a  2^nd half punt, Mat Mcbriar caused a fumble that Dallas recovered near midfield. But after Greenbay challenged the call the replay official ruled the Packer player was down by contact. The third and last nail in the coffin was at the beginning of the 4^th quarter where Romo was sacked and fumbled the ball. An alert Felix Jones fell on the ball while a Packer defender jumped on top of him on the ground causing Jones to cough up the ball while on his back. Packer AJ Hawk recovered the ball and was pushed out of bounds at the Dallas’ 3-yard line. Somehow after the officials reviewed the play they deemed Jones did not have possession of the ball. Very poor officiating day indeed. Oh well, the Cowboys’ next 2 opponents, Washington and Oakland, have to come to Dallas where the Cowboys should win these games increasing their record to  8-3 heading into their December game vs. the NY Giants.

 

Cowboys shoot down Seahawks 38- 17

     

         The Dallas Cowboys have won 3 consecutive games. The Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks all lost. Its not a murderer's row of elite teams, but a win is a win is a win. The win against the Chiefs was an ugly one but the last 2 games the Cowboys have looked impressive. Miles Austin has a lot to do with the Cowboys being a very good team again. Miles did not have to carry the team against Seattle, and even though he did not post another 200 yard receiving game, he did catch 2 touchdown passes (5 catches 61 yards) . That is all that matters. 

Today was a complete team win. The offensive line allowed 2 sacks on Romo but gave him ample time to throw the ball throughout the game. Another great stat shows the Cowboys only committed 5 penalties that cost them only 43 yards. Keith Brooking, DeMarcus Ware, and Bobby Carpenter had 1 sack each. Seattle QB Matt Hasselback wound up completing 22 of 39 passes for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns and no interceptions but only lead his team on 2 scoring drives. The Cowboys secondary really showed up today.

Cornerbacks Mike Jenkins, Terrence Newman, and Orlando Scandrick covered the Seahawks well and delivered some good hits when the receivers caught the ball. Newman forced a fumble by Atlanta RB Forsett and Scandrick recovered the football for the Cowboys. They also held Atlanta to 79 yards rushing too while Barber. Jones, and Choice combined for 113 yards on 29 carries and 1 touchdown (Barber). 

Patrick Crayton ran back a punt return 82 yards for a touchdown. It was his 2nd consecutive punt return for a score in as many weeks. Wide receiver Sam Hurd, 4th on the depth chart, caught a pass from Tony Romo and made a nice run after the catch for a 36 yard touchdown. All in all Romo completed passes to 10 different receivers today. He has not thrown an interception in the past 3 games which is a personal record for him. He did fumble the ball late in the game though. The Cowboys will have to play another complete game on the road next Sunday in Philadelphia if they expect to beat the Eagles. The Cowboys will roll into town with a swagger and must win to get last year's 44-6 loss to the Eagles bad taste out of their mouths. 

Austin, Cowboys squeak by Kansas City 26-20 in OT

       

   The Dallas Cowboys may have found a new star playmaker in 4th year wide receiver Miles Austin. Austin had his coming out party on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs today at Arrowhead Stadium. Austin started the game in place of  Roy Williams who is sidelined with 3 bruised ribs he suffered against the Denver Broncos last week. Austin had been buried on the depth chart these past few years when Terrell Owens was the #1 option and tight end Jason Witten the 2nd passing option. Austin was behind Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton and Tony Romo rarely threw to him as well. Today was a different story as he was Romo's primary target against the Chiefs. Miles Austin clearly was the Cowboys' game MVP hauling in 10 catches ( 2 of those catches were touchdowns) for a record 250 yards to boot. Austin showed his big play ability when he caught a 10 yard hitch from Romo, broke a tackle, and out ran the Chiefs' secondary for a huge 60 yard game winning touchdown in overtime.

 Tony Romo looked sharp in the first quarter completing his first 8 passes with pinpoint accuracy. Marion Barber ran tough as expected, but the Chiefs focused on containing him for most of the game. Despite nursing a quad injury he suffered against the New York giants 2 weeks ago, Barber still had that exuberance he shows throughout the game. The Cowboys could not convert their 2nd offensive possession to any points. Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin dropped a couple of good passes from Romo deep in Chiefs' territory stopping a promising  drive. Kicker Nick Folk uncharacteristically missed an easy 40 yard field goal attempt. 

The Dallas defense continued their strong play against a  struggling Kansas City's offense. The Cowboys held fast holding the Chiefs to a measly few yards in the first quarter. The Cowboys' defense bent a little allowing a field goal after Kansas City recovered Patrick Crayton's fumble at the Cowboys' 30 yard line in the 2nd quarter. On the Cowboys' ensuing offensive possession, Tony Romo fumbled the football on a poorly executed play where offensive guard, Leonard Davis unintentionally knocked the ball out of Romo's hands. The Chiefs recovered the ball at the Cowboys 20 yard line and scored a quick touchdown when Chiefs quarterback connected with Matt Vrabel increasing their lead 10-0.  All hope appeared lost to a rather large amount of Cowboys fans in the stands at Arrowhead stadium. The stadium looked like about 1/3 of the fans were rooting for the Cowboys. The Cowboys have the most and deepest fanbase of any other NFL team across the nation, and they certainly came out in droves today. Tony Romo lead a late first half drive culminating in Nick Folk's 22 yard field goal. Twice, Miles Austin and Sam Hurd dropped 2 potential touchdown passes from Romo that could have cut the Chiefs' lead 10-7, but had to settle for 10-3. 

   Seeds of doubt could have crept inside the heads of the Cowboys as they were not able to dominate the over matched Kansas City Chiefs at halftime. Surprisingly enough the possibility of losing to one of the NFL's worst teams was all too palpable. The Chiefs were able to increase their lead to 13-3 on their 2nd offensive possession in the 2nd half greatly aided by four consecutive offsides penalties committed by Dallas' defense. Undeterred, the Cowboys rebounded with an 8 play 72 yard drive with running back Tashard Choice rushing for 48 yards on the drive culminating with a fantastic 36 yard touchdown scamper.The Cowboys offensive machine continued to roll on their next possession with Miles making a big 34 yard catch and out fought the Chiefs' cornerback for the football. The Cowboys were able to tie the game on Nick Folks 2nd field goal of the game 13-13. 

 The Cowboys took the lead in the middle of the 4th quarter as Miles Austin caught a 59 yard pass for his first touchdown of the game. It was a similar play to the game winning touchdown pass Austin caught in overtimes. Prior to that play, defensive nose tackle, Jay Ratliff, block a Chief's field goal attempt, leaping over the guard and the center.Despite the Cowboys jubilation  seizing the game's momentum , the Chiefs rallied with under 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter and tied the game on Matt Cassell's touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with 24 seconds left on the clock. Ultimately, the Cowboys were able to pull out a win on the road leading up to their bye week next weekend. During their week off, the Cowboys should be able to heal most of their injuries to Roy Williams and explosive running back Felix Jones. They will need all of their weapons in their next game against the equally explosive Atlanta Falcons.

Game balls go to :  Tony Romo completed 20 of 34 passes, 2 Touchdowns, 0 interceptions,1  fumble

Tashard Choice 8 rushes, 92 yards, 1 TD

Miles Austin 10 catches, 250 yards, 2 TDs

Keith Brooking 11 tackles, 1 sack cheerleading his team mates and overall leadership

DeMarcus Ware 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 

Jay Ratliff 4 tackles, 1 field goal block

Romo, Cowboys can't buck the Broncos and fall to 2-2

Well the jury still may be out on a consensus regarding Tony Romo. The fans are evenly split on wether he is the next great Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Half of the fans want to bench him, the other half believes the immobile  back up quarterback, John Kitna will fare even worse. Romo could have won over the Romo "haters" if he could have lead the team to a victory over the Denver Broncos who were undefeated this year. They truly are one of the surprise teams this year in the NFL. 

The Denver Broncos were not considered playoff or even Super Bowl contenders entering this season. Earlier this year, long time head coach Mike Shannahan was inexplicably fired and the young upcoming New England Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, was hired to rebuild the Broncos. The young head coach made his first mistake when news leaked out he wanted to trade his star quarterback, Jay Cutler, and bring in New England QB, Matt Cassell. Cassell played well last season under McDaniels' tutelage and offensive philosophies after Tom Brady was lost to injury for the season during their first game. Ultimately, the Denver Broncos traded the unhappy Cutler to the Chicago Bears for their quarterback, Kyle Orton. So far the Broncos are having the last laugh as their record stands at 4-0 and the Bears 3-1. 

On Sunday, the Denver Broncos proved they were a legitimate contender by beating the Cowboys. The Broncos defense is the #1 rated defense in the NFL. Going into the game though, the Cowboys were the #1 rushing offense in comparison. Everyone knew something had to give. The Cowboys' offense had run for over 200 yards the previous 2 weeks against the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. In contrast, the Broncos had only allowed a measly 3.5 points a game versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders. By no means those teams are not considered good or even average. The Denver Broncos' defense was eager to prove their #1 ranking was not a fluke playing against lesser opponents. 

The Dallas Cowboys dominated on both sides of the ball most of the first half. Marion Barber played a big part running for a touchdown and keeping drives alive by running hard. The Cowboys built a 10 point lead in the first quarter. The Broncos could not get into any offensive rhythm due to the Dallas defense playing well  and committing 8 penalties in the first half. Denver defensive end Elvis Dumervil sacked Romo and caused Romo to hurry a few other times. Denver made their first first down with eleven minutes left in the 2nd quarter. They were able to capitalize and score a touchdown after Tony Romo fumble the ball on the Cowboys' 9 yard line. At the end of the half the Cowboys led the Broncos 10-7.

The Cowboys appeared to snatch momentum early in the second half forcing Broncos running back Corey Buckhalter to cough up the football at their own 30 yard line. Tony Romo and wide receiver Miles Austin were not on the same page when Romo threw towards Austin, expecting him to be near the sideline. Austin ran a different route though and Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey made a diving interception. Through out most of the 2nd half, both defenses bent but did not break until late in the 4th quarter. Broncos wide receiver made the play of the day on a 51 catch and run for the game winning touchdown. Romo lead a last minute drive which stalled at the Broncos 2 yard line after Champ Bailey deflected his 4th down pass intended for Sam Hurd.

The Cowboys can not dwell too long on this loss. They travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs who are one of the worst teams in the league. The Cowboys need to be focused and practice hard this week, ultimately leading to a road victory. If the Cowboys beat the Chiefs they will enter their bye week somewhat feeling a bit better about themselves. They will need the bye week to recover from their injuries and prepare for their next opponent the Atlanta Falcons.

2009 Pre Season 49'ers vs Cowboys live game blog

Tonight the San Francisco 49'ers are in town in 3rd pre season game. Roy Williams will not play tonight so Miles Austin  will get extensive playing time to show he  should  be the 3rd wide receiver on the depth chart.

Cowboys stadium looks almost sold out

14:55 Felix Jones returns opening kickoff to the 20 yard line 49' ers bottled him up. Romo throws a nice deep out to Kevin Ogletree for a first down on 3rd and 6. Romo had good zip on the pass and had good time to pass. Martellus Bennett drops a good pass from Romo. Romo hits Ogletree on a slant to the 49'ers 36 yard line. The offensive line providing good pass protection. Romo misses Ogletree on 1st and 2nd down. 3rd and 10 Romo hits Jason Witten on a short curl route for a short gain. Cory Proctor committs stupid holding penalty which negates Nick Folk's 49 yard field goal. Cory Proctor's chances of making the team look slim with his poor play during training camp and preseason games. He has had a few false starts and bad snap exchanges with the quarterbacks. 

49'ers start first drive from their 40 yard line. Running back Frank Gore picks up a 1st down running up the middle after catching a pass for 8 yards previous play. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh misses a tackle on short slant pass. Jay Ratliff jumps off side giving the 49'ers a first down. Inside linebacker Keith Brooking gets good pressure on a blitz on Shaun Hill who fires an incomplete pass. 49'ers run a version of the Wildcat but Gore doesnt pick up the first down. Cowboys defense does good job in pass coverage, but the front seven need to get more pressure on Shaun Hill.

6:14 Cowboys start their 2nd drive of the game at their own 20 yard line. Barber picks up 8 yards on a nice run off left tackle on 2nd down. 3rd and 2 Barber runs hard for the first down. Great to see Barber run full speed with determination. Romo has shown he is more aware keeping the ball secure when he scrambles Miles Austin drops the pass. Romo scrambles to his left but almost throws interception. 3rd and 10 Romo has all day to throw and hits Miles Austin who fell on the turf but made the catch for 22 yards. Cowboys 1st and 10 on the 49'ers 47 Miles Austin makes a first down on a Wr screen. Felix Jones gets bottled up on 1st and 10 but gets 2 yards. Romo makes his second bad throw of the game underthrowing  Kevin Ogletree and 49'ers return interception to the Cowboys 45. Despite the interception, Romo is leading the Cowboys down the field.   

1:58 left in the 1st quarter and Shaun Hill throws a bad pass down the middle where Orlando Scandrick almost makes the interception. 49'ers pick up 2 yards on wildcat play.On 3rd down Mike Jenkins makes a good tackle on Frank Gore stopping him for only a short pick up. Cowboys defense forces a 3 and out.

00:31 Dallas starts third posession at their own 5 yard line. Felix Jones squirts up the middle for a first down to the 19 yard line almost broke it for a 94 yard touchdown. Jones has great wiggles and explosion who has a chance to be a dynamic running back in a Tony Dorsett mold. End of 1st quarter.Crayton picks up 20 yards on a comeback from a strong throw from Romo. Barber runs for 3 yards to the 50 yard line. Barber runs for another 6 yards. Fullback Julius Crosslin can't pick up the first down but Barber makes 1st down on 4th and inches behind Columbo. Miles Austin makes his 3rd catch already to the 49'ers 30 yard line. Barber explodes for 12 yards behind a great Jason Witten block he has already run for 47 yards. 49'ers stop Barber on a run off left tackle. Romo gets flushed out of the pocket hits Witten for a 1st down at the 5 yard line. Felix Jones scores touchdown up the middle on a shotgun draw. Cowboy's offense  are having their way against the 49'ers defense. Scoring drive 14 plays, 94 yards, and run 8:04 off the clock.  

Cowboys special teams are playing well too. Jason Williams tackles 49'er on his own 16 yard line. Jason Hatcher replaces Marcus Spears and Junior Siavii replaces Jay Ratliff at nose tackle. 49'er rookie running back Glen Coffee picks up 4 yards on 2 straight runs. Great defensive pressure from Jay Ratliff and Bradie James as they sack Shaun Hill. Terrence Newman returns punt 43 yeads to 14 yard line and accepts illegal procedure penalty starting drive on 49'ers 9 yard line. 49'ers defense stiffens and stops the Cowboys on 3rd down, but Nick Folk kicks 25 yard field goal after Dallas commits offside penalty. Cowboys - 10 49'ers - 0.

2nd QTR 2:44 49'ers start at their own 10 yard line after holding penalty on kickoff. Glenn Coffee has 2 nice runs and picks up a first down at the 2 minute warning. 49'ers offense double teaming DeMarcus Ware on every passing down but he still got good pressure on Shaun Hill forcing an incomplete pass. Broken coverage on 2nd down allows WR Arnaz Battle. to pick up 15 yards and a first down. Wade Phillips calling more blitzes this drive. Cowboys playing zone and Shaun Hill able to connect again with Battle down to the Cowboys 35 yard line. Terrence Newman deflects pass meant for Morgan. Terrence makes a good tackle stopping WR for a short gain. Joe Nedney makes 42 yard FG narrowing Dallas' lead 10- 3 at halftime.

With back ups playing 2nd half I will just post highlights of drives.

-Anthony Spencer gets his first sack on Damon Huard in the 3rd quarter.

- Patrick Crayton has a good 25 yard punt returning setting up the Cowboys at their 45 yard line for their 2nd position in 2nd half. Dallas' special teams are playing well with Newman and Crayton having 2 good returns.

- Cowboys defense needs to work on reading and defensing the screen pass better as San Francisco has run screen pass about 5 times gaining good yardage.

- Cowboy's 3rd string defense does not look good as 49'ers march down the field and score TD tying the game. 

- Jason Williams hobbles off the field injured

4th QTR Martellus has good catch from Kitna for 20 yards

Tashard Choice shows what a good running back he is as he carries 4 consecutive times and has individual runs of 11, 18, and 8 yards.

Defensive end Jason Hatcher showed gust pursuit and burst sacking Nate Davis and covering Sheets on a flare pass

Isiah  Stanback probably gets cut after fumbling ball which leads to 49'ers tying game with a FG

Rookie Tight End John Phillips has good catch up the seam for 17 yards

Back up center Cory Proctor has had a bad night and also looks like he will not make the team after a key penalty in the first half and botched snap to Kitna

Cornerback Courtney Brown looks to be another roster cut after comitting a bad pass interfence penalty on 3rd down which gives 49'ers momentum scoring winning touchdown.

New Jumbo tron Video Screen

Jerry Jones did not spare any expense for state-of-the-art amenities inside the still to be named new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The new  Jumbo tron is quite a spectacle. I thought the stadium was enormous! Those who buy "nose bleed" seats might be in hog heaven as live images on the  HD display will appear as if they are on the field. I for one would love to be on hand to watch our Cowboys destroy the New York Giants who will be the sacrificial lamb for the 2009 home opener! 

Jerry and his son Stephen recently mentioned they have  agreed to terms with a corporate entity to name the new stadium. In grand fashion they will announce the deal to the public in the near future. I am hoping the name wont be one of those long winded multi-company names such as " Frito-Lay- Pepsi- Jones Stadium". Although I would not be surprised to see Jerry make sure his name will be infinitely synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys. 

"Tom Landry Stadium"- now that has a real ring to it.