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As famous as the team is, it’s an open question whether Dallas Cowboys merchandise would have been as popular as they are without the equally legendary Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. These ladies aren’t just any ol’ football cheerleading squad members, but make up a veritable franchise in themselves.

No less than two made-for-TV movies have appeared about them, not to mention any number of Dallas Cowboys merchandise bearing their likeness somewhere on the product! For when you think of Texas football, you think the Cowboys – and when you think Cowboys, you think of their cheerleaders.

For sure the die-hard fan might prefer his Dallas Cowboys clock “straight-up” but several others who are not so hard-core would probably welcome a shot of the cheerleaders illustrating their fan merchandise! No other collection of young ladies so epitomize the American woman: young, fun, and fit; spirited; glamorous; intelligent.

Yes, inspite of the voyeurism involved these beauties know how to comport themselves and market themselves. Team try-outs obviously concentrate on athleticism and physical attractiveness but as spokesmodels for the team a great amount of social savvy and hence intelligence is needed, too.

The only other set of girls that have left such a deep impression on popular culture worldwide would have to be Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Bunnies. Interestingly, the Cowboys’ cheerleading squad in fact started out mixed, with both males and females, as was high school and collegiate football tradition.

And indeed, it was local high school students that really made up the squad back in the 1960s. In 1969, however a deliberate attempt was made to boost in-game attendance by offering only female cheerleaders whose routines were unlike those prevalent at school games. By 1972, all cheerleaders were over the age of eighteen as their moves became increasingly more like sexy dance routines.

Looking to find the best information on Dallas Cowboys Merchandise, then visit www.alltheaboveblog.com to find the best Articles for your needs.

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Dallas Cowboys merchandise are among the best-selling in any sport, but particularly popular among football fans, even those whose first-choice favorite may be another team. That’s since the Cowboys are one of the most successful and storied outfits in all of football history, and it is memories of this kind that are evoked by all the varied forms of Dallas Cowboys merchandise offered on the market, from clocks and towels to clocks as well as license plates!

Perhaps one of the most popular form of Dallas Cowboys merchandise to be found on fans and collectors are team jerseys, particularly those bearing the specific roster number of their favorite player. After that, however, must surely be those items bearing pictures, photographs or illustrations, of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders! No other team in American sports fields a cheerleading squad that is a veritable franchise in itself.

It was purposely created to capitalize on female sexuality and boost in-game attendance, and its genius was to offer an “All-American” look and feel that played nicely not only nationally but around the world as well. For many foreigners, a real American girl was somebody like a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, fun and fit. In the United States, their popularity lead to two made-for-TV movies about the squad along with other media like annual swimsuit calendars.

Oh, yes, and as for the team itself – it was the first modern-era expansion team, and can boast of many notable achievements as a business entity. But obviously, no one buys team merchandise on the basis of business innovations, and even the venerable cheerleaders would be just another squad were it not for the club’s stellar performances on the field.

Founded in 1960, just ten years later the team became a serious national contender, and by the end of that decade was the undisputed “glamor team” of the entire sport, with a cheerleading squad that epitomized what an American girl should be like and winning players and coaches who embodied American can-do.

Looking to find the best information on Dallas Cowboys Merchandise, then visit www.rookieblogger.com to find the best Articles for your needs.

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Visitors who have booked Super Bowl travel packages for the approaching football game to be held in Arlington will be glad to know that this metropolitan city offers plenty of wonderful attractions. It has a population of about 400,000 and it’s the 49th largest city in the United States and one of the biggest in Texas. In this article, we will take a look at five great places to visit.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is a gigantic theme park offering visitors water thrills and spills of monstrous proportions. The newest addition is the Mega Wedgie. The water slide is four stories high and has a width of 83 feet. Feel a sense of zero gravity as you get propelled down the slide with spray jets at speeds of up to 23 mhp. The rides at Hooks Lagoon are ideal for little kids, while adults and older kids will love Der Stuka, an all-time favorite.

If you are traveling with a big family, perhaps the action on offer at the Randol Mill Family Aquatic center will suit you better. Every age-group is catered for at this interactive water park. It has a variety of pools, a current channel, a shallow water play area, an exciting water slide and vortex pools. Enjoy a picnic or a barbecue at one of the designated sites.

It also has shower facilities, two lovely pavilions and you can help yourself to deck furniture. The pools can be hired for family days and other gatherings which is great for visitors in large groups. While you are having fun in your own pool, lifeguards are there to make sure everyone is safe. Bookings for private pools must be made 72 hours before.

You will find a unique entertainment experience at Johnnie Hall’s Country Music Revue which is held weekly at the Arlington Music Hall. These evenings started in 1974 when Johnnie High, a musician, songwriter and singer, bought a derelict cinema and revamped it into the present music hall. It has seats for 1200 people.

Performances take place every Saturday night and they are always sold-out. This superb Country and Western entertainment will delight all age-groups. The regular performers comprise of eight brilliant singers and a group of back-up singers with a band of expert musicians. Every month, 20 to 25 new artists are introduced. These shows are known throughout the world by lovers of country music.

The sport of tenpin bowling is undoubtedly one of America’s most loved pastimes. It has a fascinating history that spans 5,000 years. All this is highlighted at the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Here, you can view an awesome collection of memorabilia and learn how the sport originated in Ancient Egypt.

Last, but by no means least, all Super Bowl travel packages should include a tour of the incredible Cowboys Stadium. Home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, it is the biggest domed stadium in the entire world. A highlight is the giant HD television screen which is affectionately known as ‘Jerry-Tron’. It was installed in 2009 and has a total area of 11,520 square feet, making it the biggest in the world.

We create Super Bowl XLV Travel Packages for those wanting to venture to Arlington to watch their team on February 6, 2011. Fill out our online form and we’ll connect you with a legitimate Super Bowl XLV Package provider.

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The NFL’s Super Bowl is one of the most well-known event in the world. Coming about annually, only the FIFA World Cup lures in a bigger fan base from round the globe. Each year, followers flock for the Super Bowl and discover that this is considerably more than simply an on-field competition, it’s an amazing experience. The Super Bowl committee has said that you’ll experience a number of activities taking place near the stadium prior to and after the game kicks off and only those with tickets will be allowed to participate in the the activities before, during and after the game. Simply by ordering a Super Bowl XLV game package deal you are able to get this entire experience. Acquire your Super Bowl Travel Package and grab your very own Super Bowl seat tickets now.

Game of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl I was played in 1967 and believe it or not, the game did not sell out.Since that time, it has surpassed baseball as America’s new past time. Many years ago, theIndy finally triumphed in the big dance. Led by Quarterback Peyton Manning excelled on the way one of the best seasons of his professional career. The next year, Manning and the Colts returned with a new coach but the exact same high-powered offense. Unfortunately, the Colts fell short as Drew Brees lead the Saints and the city of New Orleans to victory garnering MVP accolades in the aftermath.

What will be applied to the history books at Cowboys Stadium, as the , texas of arlington prepares to play host to Super Bowl XLV.

Super Bowl Vacation Package

Now that the NFL’s random drawing timeline has passed and in the event you got lucky to obtain tickets, other than it being an thrilling game, you’ll have the recollection of the world’s most anticipated halftime show. There’s so much to experience when visiting the city of Arlington and 2011′s Super Bowl will not disappoint. Purchase your Super Bowl 45 Travel Package before they’re sold out.

The National Football League’s big game is regarded as the most well-liked event in the world. Taking place on a yearly basis, only the FIFA World Cup allures more spectators from around the world. Each year, football addicts head to the Super Bowl and find out that this is so much more than merely an on-field contest, it’s an amazing experience. The committee has established that you’ll see a variety of events taking place in and near the arena before as well as following the game kicks off and only people with tickets will be permitted to become a part of the pre-game, mid-game and post game activities. By purchasing a Super Bowl package deal you can get the total experience. Buy your own Super Bowl XLV Travel Package and grab your own Super Bowl seat tickets today.

Background of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl I was played in 1967 and believe it or not, the game did not sell out.Since that time, it has surpassed baseball as America’s new past time. Many years ago, theIndy finally triumphed in the big dance. Led by Quarterback Peyton Manning excelled on the way one of the best seasons of his professional career. The next year, Manning and the Colts returned with a new coach but the exact same high-powered offense. Unfortunately, the Colts fell short as Drew Brees lead the Saints and the city of New Orleans to victory garnering MVP accolades in the aftermath.

What chapter will be written at Cowboys Stadium in February 2011, as the community of arlingtonD/FW area prepares to play host to the next Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Vacation Package

Since the NFL’s random draw timeline has transpired and in case you were lucky enough to get tickets, aside from it being an thrilling game, you will have the recollection of the world’s greatest halftime show. There is a great deal to see when traveling to the city of Arlington and Super Bowl 45 is just the icing on the cake. Book your Super Bowl Xlv Travel Package today.

Shopping for Super Bowl XLV Travel Packages? Fill out our online form and we’ll connect you with the best Super Bowl XLV Travel Package providers available.

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Well, if the summer months are not toasty enough in Dallas, there is only one detail that is guaranteed to make them warmer – the Dallas Cowboys!!!

Earlier this year, the National Football League released the upcoming seasons’ schedule for the ‘Boys in Blue and, at first glance, 2010′s seems to be the hardest yet. Not only are the Dallas Cowboys subjected to challenges in the hardest division in the NFL, they will have to play each and every one of those opponents twice. Their NFC East agenda alone is enough to make Jay Ratliff cry yet the brutality of it all doesn’t cease at that.

Over and above challenging their divisional opponents – the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia, and the NY “football” Giants – the Cowboys have improved the amount of competition when they host their Thanksgiving Day game, going head-to-head with the defending Super Bowl champ, the N.O. Saints.

Throw in an early-December road trip to Indy and a battle with the Titans and you’ve got yourself a circumstance that should force you to play at a level much higher than the opposition – and to accomplish this on a frequent basis.

Additionally, the team were extended an premature bye, in Week 4 prior to getting to withstand a lengthy period that will set them up versus the Minnesota Vikings, the group that eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs last year (in a demoralizing manner at that), the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Green Bay Packers.

With 2009, the inaugural year of the brand new stadium behind them, the organization will need to rely more on technique and talent than the implied mojo of a cutting edge super-stadium in order to win football games and get to Super Bowl Xlv. Assuming they win and make it to the big game, they are going to be handsomely rewarded with a nice advantage as the upcoming year’s game is hosted at the Cowboys home stadium.

If they’re able to make it happen or not still remains to be seen.

For Cowboys fans that believe in their team, 2010 has the potential to become a season in which Dallas rises to the occasion – or, given the strength of their schedule, it can be a very long year. For followers vacationing to the stadium, we would really encourage you to take advantage of a Dallas Cowboys Game Package and get the complete Dallas Cowboys experience.

Want to find out more about Dallas Cowboys Ticket Packages, then visit Landry Aikman’s site on how to choose the best Travel Package for your needs.

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On Monday, I spent a fair amount of time wondering about how/why Tony Romo has looked like ‘07 Romo. Many of you have offered your theories and I will answer some of those in a soon-to-be-released mailbag. The most important thing is not why, the most important element of this run that could put the Cowboys in the mix for the 2009NFC Title run would be that he is playing very well right now. He has 1 interception in his last 4 games, and his last 2 games have been nearly perfect.

And when Tony Romo plays well, this team wins. In the last 2 weeks, he has had QB ratings of 113 and 140 and has not looked this good in a long time. Here is a stat for you:

When Tony Romo has a passer rating above 80, the Cowboys are 28-5, for 85%.
When he doesn’t, they are 3-9 or 25%.

That is why people make such a big deal about how well he plays. And that is why Miles Austin has injected about as much optimism into the Cowboys offense as we have seen since the Julius Jones era.

Michael Signora is a statistical guru for the NFL, and I follow him on his twitter feed. This week, he had two jaw dropping tweets about Austin that I think you need to soak in:

1) – Miles Austin is 1 of 3 players in NFL history with 400+ receiving yards & 4+ TDs in 2-game span (Ochocinco, ‘06; Cloyce Box, ‘50)

2) – With 421 receiving yards in 1st 2 career starts, Miles Austin already has more yards than any player ever in their 1st 3 starts

Nobody is suggesting he can keep up his insane pace of nearly 24 yards a catch. But, if he can continue to demonstrate the ability to be a “go to” target for Romo in needed spots, and to attract coverage his way that indicates defenses will either respect him or pay the consequences, then there is no reason to believe that Romo cannot continue to hit that all important 80 QB rating every game.

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Which brings us to this week’s opponent, the 2-4 Seattle Seahawks. This is a team that has had some substantial amounts of talent in recent years, but they have likely been a victim of something the Cowboys fell victim of about a decade ago: Believing that their top level players had more of their prime left than they really did. For 5 straight seasons (2003-2007) The Seahawks dominated the NFC West under Mike Holmgren, and were in the playoffs. During that stretch they won 4 playoff games, and felt they were a bad call or two away from winning Super Bowl XL over Pittsburgh.

They were led by RB Shaun Alexander, QB Matt Hasselbeck, and LT Walter Jones. In 2009, the remains of that trio is the reason the Seahawks are where they are. Alexander is out of football as a reminder that the prime of a RB is over quickly as a possible victim of the curse of 370 (Remember his 11 carries with the Redskins last year?) Hasselbeck, now is now 34, and has missed 10 starts in the Seahawks last 20 games, and has only made 16 starts 3 times in his 11 year career. And Walter Jones has not played a down in 2009, and the Seahawks will try their 4th replacement for Jones. Walter Jones became Sean Locklear who turned into Brandon Frye and then Kyle Williams and now Damion McIntosh. All at left tackle in 6 games. Consider that next time you complain about Flozell.

In the preseason, The National Football Post rated the Seahawks talent like this:

BLUE CHIP: OT, W. Jones.

ALMOST BLUE: QB, Hasselbeck; DT, Mebane; ILB, Tatupu; CB, Trufant.

Without Hasselbeck for 3 starts, Jones for the entire season, Trufant has yet to play (will make his debut this week), and Lofa Tatupu is now gone for the year. You can see how the Seahawks are already looking ahead to the draft. If you have 5 players that the experts rank as remarkable, and 4 are not with you, your season is going to be rough.

Beyond that, the Seahawks have another weight on their neck, The issue of travel out of the Pacific:

Seattle has won only one of its past 10 games played outside the Pacific Time Zone. That poses kind of a problem because four of Seattle’s next five games will require the Seahawks to adjust their watches.

Football coaches have control over a number of things in the 32 NFL fiefdoms. Geography, however, is not one of them and the travel schedule is simply a reality that comes with being the most isolated NFL franchise.

Six of Seattle’s eight road games are to be played in the Eastern or Central time zones, which means those six games will start at 10 a.m. Pacific time, including Sunday’s game in Dallas.

Is playing at 10am local time a big deal in the NFL? Or would the Seahawks be 1-9 in their last 10 road games regardless of where they played?

Seattle represents the 4th out of 8 home games for the Cowboys. With tough upcoming road dates with Philadelphia, New York, Green Bay, and New Orleans – 4 games in which the Cowboys will be underdogs, it is important that they win the games they should win at home. With the next 3 home games being a depleted Seattle, Washington, and Oakland (with San Diego and Philadelphia in December) it is important for the Cowboys to eat up these easier meals so that they are still in the mix when the holidays arrive.

In the last 2 weeks, the Redskins have lost twice, the Giants have lost twice, and the Eagles were 1-1. The entire division have done the Cowboys a great favor by going 1-5, with the only win coming when the Eagles beat the Redskins. Rarely, will an entire division offer you an invitation like the NFC East has for the Cowboys.

But, it all depends on taking care of this wounded Seahawks team before hitting the road for 2 difficult dates:

ON OFFENSE:

This week, the Cowboys take on a defense that has not had all of its parts available, but things improve somewhat on Sunday. Marcus Trufant will play some on Sunday, with reports out of Seattle indicating that he will likely fill the role of nickel back in Dallas. Meanwhile, Leroy Hill, their solid Outside LB will rejoin the team the same weak that the Middle LB, Tatupu has been lost for the year.

With the Seahawks, there has been some good as some not so good during 2009 on defense. They can get to the QB with a reasonable rate, led by Patrick Kearney grabbing 4 sacks in the last 4 games. They dominated the Rams and the Jaguars in Seattle for their 2 wins which were both blowouts. Otherwise, they are coming off a game where the Cardinals visited Seattle, and the Kurt Warner-Larry Fitzgerald show danced all over the Seahawks home turf.

OFFENSIVE OBJECTIVES:

1) – Run the Ball With Effectiveness – One thing that has dropped off from its incredible start is the Cowboys running of the football. They still average 5.6 yards per carry, but in Denver and then last week, they really had to work for their yardage. As the weather begins to turn, and the Cowboys begin to play on grass surfaces, they need to have their running game completely locked in. Last week, 28 carries for 115 yards was not horrible, but if you do not count Romo’s yards, it was basically 22 carries for 84 yards for the RBs. Barber against Atlanta had 14 carries for 47 yards (3.4 avg). Since hurting himself in the Giants game, Barber missed the Carolina game altogether, and then has had the yards per carry of 3.7, 3.5, and 3.4 in his last 3 games. Getting Barber going is essential for November and December success. It seems like the biggest thing for the RBs these days is just making sure Barber and Felix are healthy.

2) – Pick up the Inside Blitzes – Speaking of things on the RBs minds, it seems that we are seeing a steady diet of inside blitzes. Blitzes come from to areas of the field – the edge (off tackles) and up the gut (Through the “A” gaps and “B” gaps). The Blitzes that have hurt the Cowboys have generally been through the Gaps around the centers and guards. I am sure the offense has spent plenty of time discussing it, and last week, they did a pretty good job. The problem is that the defense only has to get it right a few times to do damage to your QB and cause turnovers. I have been disappointed in the blitz recognition from Leonard Davis in particular up front and Tashard Choice at RB. These two were both on the scene for sacks against the Chiefs and Falcons because they did not recognize who was coming and who was not. In presnap, Romo attempts to identify the blitz with help from Andre Gurode, and you have to figure it out correctly. Inside LBs and Safeties have been the Achilles heel so far, and that needs to be sorted out. It will be interesting to see if we see improvement on this front.

3) – Jason Witten down the Seam – If you have been following along with our study of target distribution , you know that Jason Witten has caught an incredible 33 of the 40 passes intended for him this season – and 8 for 8 on 3rd down situations. The numbers have been steady from game to game, but he has sort of seemed to be lost in the game plan for big chunks recently. I think the emergence of Austin will open things up further for him and the mystery TE, Martellus Bennett for some big gainers down the seam. When that happens, this offense should be unstoppable.

4) – Patience, Patience, Patience – Part of beating a team that you should beat is to be patient and methodical in your plan. Don’t get antsy (as Garrett will do) and take unnecessary chances early on. That can backfire, and before long you have allowed an inferior opponent to hang around. I think a steady dose of cranking up that diesel running game and mashing the Seahawks into a fine powder is the recipe for success. Lots of “22″ and “13″ personnel power running. This is what the Cowboys do well, and this is what they need to continue to do against the better teams down the stretch.

ON DEFENSE:

Defensively, we finally saw things come together last Sunday against a decent Atlanta offense. The Cowboys allowed only 298 yards of offense and combined that with 3 big takeaways. This is the story of success for the Cowboys – when they get multiple takeaways, they seldom lose.

If there is a problem that we have seen through 6 games for this defense, it is that opposing QBs are averaging a QB rating of 90 against Dallas. The Giants allow their opponents a 78 rating, and the Eagles a 70. That stat will not get it done for Dallas, as they have really only troubled Jake Delhomme and Matt Ryan. Others, like Byron Leftwich and Kyle Orton had very strong passing performances. I think we all know that a pressure is important, and we can only hope that Wade Phillips and his staff is determined to bring the blitz at the proper times to help a defensive line that is slowly but surely coming around.

One thing they have done well is 3rd down defense. Allowing only 25 conversions in 75 attempts for their opponents, we can say the Cowboys have been able to get off the field. Only 5 teams have done better so far this year than the Cowboys (Denver, NYG, Arizona, Phil, and New Orleans). This might be the most important defensive stat in football (after takeaways), so let’s keep an eye on that one.

DEFENSIVE OBJECTIVES:

1) – Test those cracked ribs – Matt Hasselbeck is hurting. He doesn’t take part in practices much, and he looks like he tries to carry on in pain. He also is playing behind an offensive line that has very little going for it right now. There are huge issues with the Seattle OL due to health, and they are in a position where they often go max-protect (7-8 man protection schemes) to buy him time. This should make the job easier on the secondary as a whole, but it will offer interesting choices for Wade on when to blitz and how many to bring. Seattle starts their offense by protecting and if that fails (as it did against Arizona) they have no chance.

2) – The secondary must be ready for multiple threats – Despite all manner of chaos in the passing game, the Seahawks have 2 WRs with 30+ catches in Nate Burleson (32) and TJ Houshmandzadeh (31). This is actually quite remarkable given that Seneca Wallace started 3 games and could get nothing going. Both Burleson and TJ are capable of big plays, and TJ has stated that he needs to be a bigger part of the offense. There are very few off-weeks for the secondary in this league, and this won’t be one of them for Terrence Newman and Mike Jenkins. Jenkins is coming off a week that everyone has called the best of his pro career, so let’s see if he can build on it against a very capable passing offense. John Carlson has had 24 catches from the TE position as a young and promising pass-catching TE for the Seahawks. He is not Tony Gonzalez, but he can make you pay if you forget him.

3) – Be Mindful of Forsett – In watching the Seahawks last several games, I am convinced Julius Jones and Edgerrin James is about as weak a RB tandem as you might see all year. Jones still falls at first contact and rarely makes anyone miss. James is just done, and shows very little burst at all. But, Justin Forsett, the former California Golden Bear from the DeSean Jackson era, looks like he offers burst and quickness as a return man and a 3rd down back. He has yet to do much, but since the Seahawks are coming off a bye week, if I were to guess what new wrinkle they might show, it might be to feature Forsett a little more in the 2nd half of their season to find out if he might provide them something from the RB position. But, truth be told, they really need a feature back in the offseason.

4) – Keep the Takeaway Game Going – With 3 takeaways last week, some of us may think the Cowboys are starting to get rolling in that category. Guess again. With 7 for the season, they are still dead last in the NFL (tied with Carolina and Washington). If you want to run with the big dogs, just know that Philadelphia and New Orleans have 18 takeaways a piece. Progress has been made, but there is so much room to go. Must. Get. Turnovers.

SUMMARY: This is a game that is not optional. The Cowboys must prove they can handle success and win the easier games on their slate. Coming off the KC close-call, I would hope that they are not putting this game into the win column prematurely.

This is a wounded Seattle team, but they are coming off a “bye” week. They should be relatively fresh and ready to roll. A win could get the Seahawks back into their divisional mix, and you will get their best effort.

That shouldn’t be enough, though, and the Cowboys should be able to dismantle this team in the 2nd half and win by double digits.

Cowboys 27, Seattle 17

Past Issues:

Atlanta Falcons Game Plan

Kansas City Game Plan

Denver Game Plan

Carolina Game Plan

Giants Game Plan

Tampa Bay Game Plan

Another week, and another chance for us to see where Tony Romo wants to go with the football. Also, who do we blame for the sacks? Let’s examine closely:

Target Distribution:

Targets – Week 7 vs. Atlanta

Table Tutorial

OK, Roy Williams fans will want to just skip over all of this data. When your QB is in the zone, and doesn’t miss on hardly any passes all day long, you don’t want to cash in on just 1 of 5 targets that come your way. Romo was perfect to everyone except 3 guys. Austin was 6 of 8 for 171. Witten was 5 of 7 for 53. And then Roy was just 1 for 5? Oh dear. This is not getting better, is it?

Season Target Distribution To Date:

Table Tutorial

Here, as we look at the season stats, Austin’s emergence looks even more scary. The WR corps have all had between 30 and 35 balls thrown at them, and Austin has caught more, done more per catch, and more overall than any of the others. Can he make a run at a 1,000 yard season? It would seem that he can. What a find. Meanwhile, 40% for Roy after 30 targets is bad. The league leaders routinely catch over 50%, and 60% is not that uncommon.

40%? Put it this way. 100 receivers in the NFL this year have 28 or more targets. 3 have fewer than the 12 catches that Roy has. Michael Clayton, TB (11 for 36, 31%), Chansi Stuckey, NYJ/Cle (11 for 32, 34%) and Chris Chambers, SD (8 for 30, 26%). And there is your entire list.

Some of the best? Hines Ward, Pit (42 for 55, 73%), Wes Welker, NE (46 for 62, 74%), and Steve Smith, Car (45 for 64, 70%).

3rd Down Target Distribution:

3RD Down Targets – Week 7 – Atlanta

Table Tutorial

Good News or Bad News? The Good news is that Romo and the Cowboys were very solid on 3rd down passing. We demonstrated last week that this is a season long negative, so to go 6-8 on 3rd down for 5 First Down conversions is very solid. Bad News? When you go 6-8, you would wish that the other 2 were not the only 2 times you pass it to your #1 WR. Roy Williams, 0-2. There is no way to sugar coat his performance this season.

3rd Down Targets – Season Totals

Table Tutorial

One of these days, I will get tired of telling everyone how money Jason Witten is. That day has not arrived yet. He is 8 for 8 on 3rd Downs, which makes you wonder what Romo was thinking the other 45 times he threw it elsewhere.

SACKS

Atlanta got to Tony Romo for 2 sacks, although his escape-ability reached legendary status right before halftime as he figured out how to get out of that amazing mess when pretty much all 4 Falcons’ pass rushers beat their man. To see Romo surrounded by ATL rushers followed by the TD was the thing that will be talked about for years if this season has a happy ending.

The 2 sacks were both caused by the Falcons dialing up a blitz at just the right time.

In the 3rd Quarter, they sent 7 when the Cowboys had just 6 blocking on a 3rd down. This left Leonard Davis and Tashard Choice with choices to make. Davis picked up a guy who Gurode already had, and Choice opted for the edge linebacker (54 Nicholas) over the blitzer through the “B” gap (28 DeCoud). Blitzing defenders are ALWAYS to be picked up from the inside-out and therefore Choice needed to go for 28 over 54, and leave Nicholas for Romo. The play was doomed to fail the second everyone realized that the Falcons sent more than the Cowboys left in, but Choice did not make the right choice. And, Romo, as Troy said, has to get the ball out of there.

Next, in the 4th Quarter, Nicholas blew up Deon Anderson in a 1-on-1 situation. It also looks like Davis is beat on the play, but he did not directly give up the sack. This was a rare man-up loss for Anderson on a drill we see 1,000 times at training camp where LBs and RBs do battle on the practice field to simulate this situation.

Table Tutorial

DISCLAIMER: This is not for everyone. It may not be for you. This is a statistical study of the Cowboys offense with lots of numbers that may make your head tired if you are not up to it. Read it only if it is something that is of interest to you.

The Cowboys have had more successful days on offense than they had on Sunday, but when it came time to make a play, Tony Romo was absolutely up to the task. His new found favorite target, Miles Austin, has seemed to be the target that Romo has been missing for quite a while around here. Now that he has him, the offense does not rely on a running game to carry them.

A big WR who makes plays and demands coverage changes everything for the Cowboys. Hope he is not a mirage.

As well as they ran the ball against Kansas City out of the “22″, the Cowboys had no success out of that look against the Falcons (7 carries for 19 yards). Instead, the Cowboys picked there spots and ran the ball out of “13″ the best. I don’t quite understand the pattern, but there seems to be a reason in certain games when Jason Garrett prefers a 3rd TE to a FB in many of the same running situations. Email me with a theory if you have one, because I am out.

All in all, if your QB can make those plays he did on Sunday, football seems pretty easy, and strategy takes a bit of a backseat. A rare treat in 2009 for the Cowboys, indeed.

Let’s look at the Cowboys use of Personnel in their offensive snaps:

Totals by Personnel Groups:

Table Tutorial

Definition of the Personnel Groups, click here .

41 snaps from under center against the Falcons out of 59 snaps is quite remarkable. First, it says the Cowboys, despite not running the ball very well stayed out of 3rd downs and situations where they must pass the ball. Of those 41 snaps, only 5 times did they not have 2 Tight Ends on the field. In fact, I counted about 5 times where they had 2 TEs and it was Witten and John Phillips instead of Witten and Martellus Bennett. I think they like all 3 TEs when it comes to run blocking.

Despite the big day in Kansas City for the FB, Deon Anderson, there was not much work for him on Sunday as they used the fullback just 13 times out of 59 snaps (22%). They only used “21″ personnel 3 times, which is a season low for that look.

What worked best? Why the “12″ package again. For some reason, people call sports radio with sarcasm mocking the “12″ package for the Cowboys this season as if it has been some big failure. I wonder if they actually understand what is going on with it? Because, the fact is that once again they had great success with it. 12 snaps for 135 yards (11.25 yards per snap)! I think that is pretty good, right? The “12″ gave us 4 pass plays of over 20 yards – 4 to Austin – which suggests that the “12″ brings the safeties in to the center of the field, leaving the 2 WRs out wide in single coverage. And that is where Austin makes you miss and dashes for the goal-line.

Shawn, my expert statistician during this project, sent me some observations I wanted to share with you here:

Bob,

I need to watch the game again, but a few notes from the Playbook.

22 Run: 7-19 yards 2.71
13 Run: 9-44 yards 4.89

Most 12 Passes, since the Bucs game.

Falcons Game: 12 Pass: 8-116 yards 14.50
2009 Season: 12 Pass: 35-336 yards 9.60

S11 Pass: 10-41 yards 4.10
S12 Pass: 6-56 yards 9.33

Falcons game combined 12 and S12 Pass: 14-172 yards 12.29
2009 Season combined 12 and S12 Pass: 70-712 yards 10.17

2009 Season S11 Pass: 73-473 yards 6.48 and 3 interceptions

Shawn

His findings are further proof that the best passing/shotgun package has moved from “S11″ to “S12″. It is just playing to your strength. “S12″ is Bennett versus “S11″ being a 3rd WR. I think the difference is more based on the defensive coverage rather than something Martellus is doing. He just attracts different coverage and it is making the whole group more effective.

Video Breakdowns:

Thanks, Brian at DC Fanatic.com who provides the videos (and the biting commentary) for this exercise. Despite the fact that I keep asking more and more out of him, he keeps saying yes!

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The Play: Austin TD 2Q – 1/10/41 5:59 left

What Happened: This play is not only important for why it happened, but let’s also remember when it happened. This is offensive snap #15 for Dallas, and the first 14 have been pretty forgettable. 4 Drives: 2 3-and-outs, 1 red zone failure, and 1 fumble. So, to start Drive #5, the Cowboys go to “21″ personnel, a look they only had 3 times on Sunday. 2 RB, 1 TE, and 2 WR. Witten is off LT, and Williams Wide Right with Austin in the slot right.

The Falcons show 8 in the Box off this power run look from Dallas, and Dallas throws on 1st down out of “21″ which is against their tendencies. At the snap, the Falcons rush 6, and drop the LDE, and a LB into coverage on Barber when he rolls into a safe route. I cannot get a clean look at the Falcons personnel, but they certainly have to be disappointed that the Cowboys only have 2 WRs in route and Austin is running that wide open. Also, pay attention to the perfect protection, with Deon Anderson doing a nice job with the LB blitz off Left Tackle. Romo makes a perfect throw, and Austin does the rest. A 1 play drive that shows the explosiveness of the offense as they have plenty of big pass plays this season.

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The Play: Crayton TD 2Q 2/G/9 – 0:15 left

What Happened: This is not how the play was drawn up. “S11″. Without any timeouts, remember that a sack likely ends the half. Now, the Falcons are going to throw a somewhat exotic pass rush at the Cowboys and see if the Cowboys can handle it. They obviously cannot. The Falcons run a twist, with the LDT and RDE diving Left, and the LDE and RDT twisting around to the Right. Honestly, in the NFL, offensive lines see this a million times, and it would be nice if someone got their man blocked. Flozell is the first to bust, as Jonathan Babineaux #95 runs right past him and has Romo dead. After that, it is just a full out fire drill as all protection breaks. How Romo escapes is unlikely and amazing. Meanwhile, Roy Williams runs the fade to the right corner of the end zone. Barber slips out to into the middle flat. On the left, Witten and Austin run routes off eachother, and Crayton in pre-snap motion heads to the left sideline, to work the back of the end zone. The Falcons just rush 4, remember, so 7 Falcons covering 5 is still a tough find for Romo under normal circumstances. But, under this rush for him to eventually find a man is all Romo. Crayton eventually shakes loose from Chris Houston #23, and despite a total failure from the OL, this play is a success.
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The Play: Big pass to Austin 3Q 5:26 1/10/20 unbalanced line!

What Happened: “12″ Personnel, and look at what we have here. Colombo #75 breaks huddle andlines up at TE outside Adams. Witten, meanwhile, lines up next to Davis #70 at Right Tackle. This will freak out a defense a bit as it shows heavy run left. Then, in presnap, Bennett #80 motions to that same strong side, and now every LB is fighting that urge to dive right and get ready for a collision with a Barber carry to LT. Play Action now leaves Romo with a fine pocket to throw, with Austin on the left, and Williams on the right. Both are running deep patterns, and I think this shows Romo’s confidence level right now. Even though Austin is attracting the safety, and Williams appears to be in a 1-on-1 situation against press coverage, Romo still tries to fit it in to Austin rather than look Roy’s way. A perfect demonstration of how making plays gives you more opportunities to make more plays. Romo makes a perfect throw and it is a big gain, but I wonder if they asked him why he didn’t take the 1-on-1 in the film room.

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The Play:2/10/48 4:52 3Q – Felix for 9

What Happened:Now let’s look at 2 consecutive plays in the 3rd Quarter. This first one is on 2nd and 10. Last week, we showed you the Cowboys pass 68% of the time on 2nd and 8+ , but here they show “13″ personnel, with all 3 Tight Ends on the field. Bennett is lined up next to Colombo, Witten outside on the right, and Phillips, the rookie TE from Virginia, is in motion to the right to put a huge overload on the right. This is a true power run, and like last week in Kansas City, the question is asked if you can stop it. There is no mystery in what the Cowboys want to do here. Crayton is lined up as the only WR, and he tries to pull a CB and safety out of the box in case of play action. From there, the hand off to Felix gets 9 yards. Watch Kosier #63 continue his wonderful year in the running game as he gets a huge block on poor Eric Coleman #26. Witten is right in the middle of it as well, and Leonard Davis ends up on the 2nd level almost 10 yards downfield. This team can run the football at the most important time – when the opponent knows that what you want to do. This is a very good sign that we have seen almost every week so far.

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The Play: 3/1/39 4:14 3Q – Felix pitch left -

What Happened: This is the very next play. 3rd and 1. Cowboys take off a TE and put on a FB to go “22″ in short yardage. The success of this pitch to Jones, I believe, is totally based on getting the RDE (#92, Davis) to take his read off the FB. They don’t block him, so if he takes one step toward the lead blocker, then the pitch works and Felix gets the outside lane and is gone. If he stays honest, this play could be doomed. The entire OL blocks toward the center of the line as if the play is a run up the gut, and once the pitch happens, watch #82 Witten help the play get 10 more yards by making sure #28 DeCoud cannot even consider getting to Felix. Another interesting idea in the running game that works best with Felix’s skill set.

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The Play: 2/3/20 0:14 3Q – MB 3 for 13 yards with unbalanced line again.

What Happened: This is that unbalanced line again with Colombo lined up next to Adams. I only saw this twice on Sunday, and remember the 1st time they ran it was play action over the top to Austin, so the Falcons are wondering what Garrett is up to again. This time, in “12″ again, they show that they can run strong-side. Phillips is the 2nd TE and he comes in motion to the left. This play has to happen quickly, because the play calls for Leonard Davis to pull to the left. With Colombo, Adams, Kosier, and Phillips already left of center, and Davis pulling left, this means you have plenty of weight on that side, but only Witten watching the right flank. You can see at snap that Witten has no chance, so if the handoff is delayed even a second, those players will destroy the run. But, it is timed perfectly, and as they run upfield, Barber is already through the hole. Again, watch Davis on the 2nd level destroying a poor DB. You can see Colombo celebrating as Barber runs by him. There is nothing the OL enjoys more than gashing you with the run.

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Target Distribution and Sack studies will be in another entry today. Stay tuned for that.
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Past Episodes:

Week 5 – Kansas City
Week 4 – Denver
Week 3 – Carolina
Week 2 – New York Giants
Week 1 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Garrett ‘08

I have never seen, nor do I plan on seeing, the 1998 movie, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”. I assume Stella had a groove – lost it somehow – and then spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to re-acquire this groove again. I will also assume that she found this groove by the end of the movie or the title would have been rather mis-leading.

I take you down this unlikely road to bring the conversation to Tony Romo. I think we can all agree he also once had a groove. In his first 25 or so games in the NFL, he was somewhere between amazing and unbelievable. Then, something happened where he hit adversity and we began to see the weaknesses in his game. And for the last 20 or so starts, he just has not been the same guy who seemed like he played the game with everything happening around him in slow motion. Was something wrong with him? Was something wrong with his coaching? What happened to a guy who seemed to have the NFL figured out?

Regardless, his play dropped significantly. Some of the stats were still good, but his ability to make something out of nothing started to go away. 2008 was filled with issues that seemed to cloud his head and take away his swagger.

September 2009 was not very good, either. After playing about his worst game against the Giants, he followed up with an uneven effort against the Panthers, and a flat-out lousy effort versus the Broncos. After that stretch of games, I recall being out of excuses and ideas for Romo – a guy I had such high hopes looked like he might never return to the form of 2007.

Then, Something happened in Kansas City. Something was different. I know it was the Chiefs, but in Kansas City, the game looked like Romo was in charge again. It looked like he wasn’t rattled nor confused. It suddenly all made sense for him again. Combine the day in KC with yesterday, and Romo’s numbers are 41-63, for 662 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, and a QB Ratings of 126.6 and 10.51 YD/Att. Credit Miles Austin for much of that – 421 yards – but it is clear they are getting quality play from their QB again and that makes all of the difference in the world. Is it too soon to assume he found what he was looking for?

Is Romo back? Did they decide that the best way for Romo to play is to not be afraid to make a play? Will they continue to roll with this posture, or will they go back to trying to change him the second he makes a poor decision? We shall see. But, the throws he made yesterday were the plays he made for a long time as the Cowboys QB – and then, everything changed. If you are a Cowboys fan, I think the last 2 games provide you the reason for optimism that you have been looking for. As Troy Aikman said yesterday, if Romo plays well, the Cowboys can play with anyone in the NFL.

Did he get his groove back?

In other news, the Cowboys beat a good team yesterday. I have already heard the sports-talk callers attempt to paint the Falcons as a team that “is not very good”. I disagree with a great degree of exclamation. The Falcons are a good team, and they will win plenty of games this year. This is a nice win, and it is a rare treat where it seemed like all phases of the Cowboys game were clicking properly.

Matt Ryan has looked composed all season long, getting comparisons to QBs like Tom Brady and Troy Aikman for his ability to see the field and make the right throws. He also had not been sacked since Week 1, and you will find that every single QB is remarkably worse when he is continuously hit. He was sacked 4 times, including 2 more for Mr Ware, and you saw that suddenly playing QB was not as easy when you have to pick yourself up from the field over and over again.

Pressure from your defensive line is the key to everything you do defensively in the NFL, and with the Cowboys unleashing some interesting blitzes at times they got legitimate edge rush pressure throughout. When that happens, the secondary looks better, the linebackers look better, the entire defense looks better – and gets turnovers! And as we have written here time and time again, if you can manufacture takeaways, then all of the sudden, you set your offense up with positive field position. They started their 11 possessions at an average of the 35 yard line, which is not really that amazing, but given the fact that the Cowboys never get the ball in that good of a spot, it is a step in the right direction.

The most solid effort of the season for the Cowboys was played yesterday in a very big spot. As we said, if they lost, they were on their way to 8-8. With a win, all of their hopes are still within reach. And, a nice spot now with the head-to-head tiebreaker with Atlanta, too. In fact, with the Giants loss, the Cowboys are even in the win column with the leaders of the NFC East. Yesterday could prove to be a massive launch point for the next stretch of games.

Thoughts and Notes about the big win in Arlington:

* One of the most under-discussed element of a RB’s responsibility list is his ability to pick up a blitz and do what needs to be done – keep your QB clean. Well, yesterday, the Cowboys got that fixed as well. For several weeks we have seen Felix Jones and Tashard Choice struggle at times picking up bigger LBs or DBs and keeping them off Romo. I thought in the Atlanta game we saw a collective effort that was remarkable. At one point, Felix Jones had Chevis Jackson lifted right off the ground on a blitz. Well done. It won’t get you impressive stats, but it will get you more playing time when you demonstrate you are not a liability in this very important role.

* The job the defense did yesterday is extra impressive when you consider how great the Falcons looked on their opening drive. 16 plays/80 yards/8:34 to start the game gave everyone watching from a Dallas perspective a nice upset stomach. Atlanta rolled down the field and then punched it in to take a 7-0 lead, and after that the Falcons spent the rest of the half with nothing to show. Again, after Halftime, Atlanta drove the length of the field to score on the first drive and did not score again until garbage time. The stats for the defense include 4 sacks, 2 Interceptions, 1 fumble, and 5 “3-and-out” drives. That is controlling a good offense. I would think in Atlanta this morning, there are questions being asked of that offensive personnel.

* Mike Jenkins played his best game as a Cowboy. I will readily admit that my ideas that Orlando Scandrick is a better option needs to be retracted. Scandrick will compete, but now that Jenkins seems to understand where to stand and what to do a bit better, there is no comparison of their raw abilities. Jenkins looks the part of a top-tier CB in making. We shall see if he fully develops, but I think we have to be pretty pleased with his ‘09 for the most part.

* Miles Austin’s 421 in the last 2 weeks trails just 3 players since the NFL-AFL merger for most yards in 2 weeks. Chad Ochocinco had 450 in 2006, John Taylor had 448 in 1989, and Jerry Rice had 442 in 1995. And that is it.

* What is not so great about that 421 for Austin is that Roy Williams has 428 yards TOTAL since becoming a highly compensated Cowboys WR 16 games ago. I hope he is still hurt, because if that was a healthy Roy looking like he had a case of “alligator arms” on that first target in the 1st Quarter, he shouldn’t be out there. I understand that the job calls for a bit of self-preservation on occasion, but Roy needs to be making plays in a very urgent manner these days. And yesterday did not help his standing with the Cowboys one bit. In fact, I actually heard Deion Sanders claim that the Cowboys benched the wrong guy last week, and that Roy should be the 3rd until he starts doing something. And you know something, it doesn’t seem that crazy anymore. And this business that he needs to be used more looks like nonsense if you see the numbers. He may only have 31 catches as in Dallas, but know that he has been targeted 73 times. That 42% close rate on targets is not even close to impressive. As we always say to the WRs, make a play.

* I guess the sun will be an issue at the new stadium. Who would have thought windows on the end of your stadium could be a problem when the sun begins to go down in the west?

* When Marcus Spears overpowered Harvey Dahl at the line and then smashed Matt Ryan to the turf for his 1st Quarter sack, I assume that is what everyone had in mind in the draft room in 2005 when they picked him in the 1st Round out of LSU. Despite being a disappointment for his career so far, I think he is playing some of his best football in ‘09, and based on the Chris Canty contract of last spring, I assume that Spears is about to make a ton of money as a free agent.

* Terrence Newman had a very uneven day, but in the end, Roddy White did not kill the Cowboys yesterday. Playing well for a CB means you got it mostly right, and you weren’t burned too often. Overall, he was decent, with his best moments happening in the 4th Quarter. That is better than the alternative.

* Did you see the Cowboys run 2 plays with an unbalanced line yesterday? Both in the 3rd Quarter, Mark Colombo was outside Flozell Adams at Left Tackle, leaving only Jason Witten and Leonard Davis on the right of the ball at snap. Both plays were a huge success in a 32 yard pass to Austin, and a 13 yard run for Marion Barber, his biggest run of the day.

* Who leads the NFL in touchbacks? Why, David Buehler of course, with 13 (actually, Stephen Gostkowski also has 13 for New England, but they have played 1 more game). Add to that the Patrick Crayton punt return for a Touchdown to ice the game and we may be able to consider referencing the special teams as something that resembles special.

* I think I have gone long enough without mentioning the Romo Touchdown pass at the end of the half to Patrick Crayton. You know, the Cowboys had no timeouts left, and many of you have pointed out that if Romo is sacked during that absurd play that the half ends, and the Cowboys have wasted a scoring opportunity in the worst fashion possible – carelessness. Romo made one of the most remarkable plays you will ever see a QB make, but in order to do so, he had to flirt with disaster. Just like the play he pulled out of his hat in Denver on 4th and 3 when Sam Hurd had the catch and run for 53 yards, there is no way you plan things like that. That is just that QB’s instinctive ability to make something up as he goes. And it worked. And you loved it. But, what if it didn’t work? Would you still love the effort? See, that is the definition of the pressure a QB for the Cowboys lives with. In each play, he is asked to weigh the possibility of success with the consequences of failure – while guys are trying to break his neck. And if, as a Dallas fan, all you want is the successes without any of the failures, you may ask the impossible. I guess my point here is that if you appreciate and enjoy the miracle play he pulled out yesterday and the play in Denver and the countless other absurd plays (the scramble against the Rams ‘07, the TD to Tony Curtis without seeing him at the Meadowlands ‘07, the crazy TD against the Steelers ‘08, etc) then you have to be willing to take some of the bad that goes with it. My advice is to appreciate having a QB that can pull rabbits out of hats rather than trying to change him into Trent Dilfer. But, then again, it is easy to say that the morning after he has a QB rating of 140.

* Keith Brooking is turning into my hero. I would be most interested in hearing the Falcons brass explain what he wasn’t doing there. Of course, the change of scenary theory may be in play, too.

Nice Win, and it opens up more opportunities down the road. Seattle is next in 6 days, and they are coming off a bye, so let’s make sure you consume yourself with them before you start pondering the date in Philadelphia in 13 days. 4-2, and still right in the mix.

When the schedule came out in April, a few non-NFC East games jumped off the page at me. The Back-to-Back in December of my preseason Super Bowl teams San Diego and New Orleans looked incredibly formidable.

And then there was this one; the first ever Sunday Afternoon game played at the Brand New Death Star against last year’s Cinderella playoff story, the Atlanta Falcons.

I wrote about their franchise in pretty elaborate detail yesterday , so check that out if you want to see more about the impressive building of this team. But, today, let us visit about what this all means and how the Cowboys can seize a big opportunity to make a move in the NFC Playoff picture.

First, let’s remember that there is no more powerful tie-breaker in football than the head-to-head tiebreaker. Assuming that the Giants and Saints win both of these divisions (which is surely not a lock, but it is where the smart money is at this juncture) then that leaves 2 Wildcards for the Falcons, Eagles, Cowboys, Bears, Packers, and either the Cardinals or 49ers as it currently shakes out. I know it is early, but bear with me. That is 2 spots for 6 teams. You must go to Philadelphia and Green Bay later in November, so my best advice is to own this head-to-head tiebreaker here and now. You would jump past Atlanta and be in a fine spot as the calendar turns to November.

Second, The Cowboys are on long rest. The Falcons had to survive a war with the Bears on Sunday night. I know we cannot read too much into bye week advantages, travel advantages, and sore bodies versus fitness, but all of them?

Third, can we all agree the Cowboys are long overdue for a win they can hang their hat on? This would be a win that I doubt anyone would take a shot at. We cannot say that about the first 3 wins versus Tampa, Carolina, and Kansas City. The mental edge of a big win on Sunday would go a long way.

Now, about the Falcons. I would call them a solid team. Doesn’t sound to sexy to say that, but what I mean by that is simple; They are well prepared. They are organized. They don’t beat themselves. They don’t give games away. They appear to have very little “knucklehead” content on their sideline. You can beat them, but you will be required to earn it. They won’t hand you the ball and they won’t kill themselves with penalties. In fact, you could make the case that all they did in their win against Chicago was wait for the Bears to give them the game. It is a fine art, but the Falcons appear to do it quite a bit.

They are 3-0 at the Georgia Dome, and 1-1 away. Those two road games were drastically different – as they were pounded by the Patriots in New England in a game that appeared a bit big for them to handle. Then, they go to Candlestick to play the 49ers after San Francisco was only a Brett Favre miracle from 4-0 and beat the Niners like a drum. I mean they hammered them with amazing ease to a point that the game was completely decided at the half, at 35-10.

Well-coached and well-stocked with top end talent in many of the right spots, this represents a true challenge to the Cowboys and a great chance to launch out of the bye week with great confidence and momentum. A win would be just what this fragile team needs.

ON OFFENSE:

Tony Romo will have all of his toys back, it would appear, on Sunday. Roy Williams has missed 1 game, Marion Barber hasn’t been right in weeks, and Felix Jones has been gone since Carolina. Also, they have Miles Austin in the starting group to hopefully attract some safety support and make things easier on Jason Witten down the middle of the field.

The object of the game now – after a week for Jason Garrett to examine what has worked and what has not from the first five games – is to go back to the 2 TE rushing attack and keep cranking up that diesel. Pass as a compliment, but you must not toss the ball around as a first priority. This team doesn’t have enough match-up issues at WR for it to be done any other way in my opinion. Whether Garrett agrees has yet to be determined.

For Atlanta, only 8 teams in the NFL allow more yards per game than the Falcons do (359.2). Those 8 teams could all be in the debate for the worst 8 teams in the NFL. So, how are the Falcons still amongst the heavyweight contenders in the NFC? Easy. All of those yards don’t mean a thing if you don’t allow points. Atlanta has allowed 15.4 points per game. That is 3rd best in the NFL. The only 2 teams to allow fewer points this season? 6-0 Denver and 5-0 Indianapolis.

So what is the Atlanta Defense? And what is the difference between their defense and the Dallas D that gives up 2 fewer yards per game? Takeaways, Silly. Atlanta has taken the ball away 12 times in 5 games. Dallas has taken the ball away from its opponent 4 times in 5 games. 8 more turnovers generated saves points and gets field position for their offense. Football is sure easy when you play that way.

As I said yesterday, they are led by their two “Box” linebackers, Curis Lofton and Mike Peterson. Both fly around well, and Peterson will come on the inside blitz when you lose track of him. Beyond that, the pass rush is average, and the secondary is nothing better than “opportunistic”.

OFFENSIVE OBJECTIVES:

1) – Be Physical with that Play Calling – Last week, I wrote about the excellence in the “12″ and “22″ packages . This week, We showed how poorly the Cowboys are in their 3rd Down package with Shotgun and 3 WRs. The Cowboys have to do two things: 1) Be mindful of what they do well and what they do not do well. And 2) Stay out of Down and Distance scenarios that force them into these bad spots where they have no choice but to roll the bones on 3rd and Long. When you can run the ball at will, and when you are playing a team that is not big on the defensive line, you read the recipe for a physical, dominating offensive game plan. I hope Jason Garrett sees this.

2) – Protect the Edge Pass Rush – Everyone knows John Abraham can rush the passer. To me, he looks like the prototypical speed pass rusher with the negatives that go with it – it seems you can run right at him. I think the Falcons know that as it is not uncommon for him to be rotated out periodically. Nevertheless, he likes to lower the left shoulder and turn the corner low and quick. Obviously, this is Flozell’s weak spot. Certainly a challenge on the blindside. On the edge is another guy, who until I watched several Falcons games this week I had never heard of – Kroy Biermann, #71. This DE is another interesting high-motor pass rusher who shows up all over the place. I like what I see from him, and I am sure the Cowboys are looking for him on either edge.

3) – WRs must make plays – I hate to jump on top of the Roy Williams pile, but it would sure seem that these next few games will determine what he will be with the Dallas Cowboys. If he continues to under-achieve and pace himself for a 600-800 yard season, then the Cowboys will likely spend the off-season looking once again to find a lead dog in this group. He must make people guard him. He must make plays. He must be the #1 the Cowboys need him to be. Sadly, I am not sure he has the mentality for this job, and he may not have the ability to dominate a game either. His 28th birthday is coming, so it is fair to ask if this is what he is. If that is the case, then they better hope Miles Austin has more in his bag like he showed in KC. You can say it was poor tackling by the Chiefs, but that is the point: Make the other DBs look like poor tacklers once in a while, Roy.

4) – Stop Committing Penalties – Things are sabotaging this offense. By yardage and yards per play alone, this offense has the looks of a power. In fact, they are 1st in the NFL in a few of these yards stats. But, that doesn’t mean a thing if they don’t turn into points. Now, the Cowboys do not commit the most penalties in the NFL. In fact, the 40 that have been called and 37 that have been accepted are not near the league leaders (BUF: 61/52), but the Cowboys seem to have the market cornered in offensive penalties that kill drives. They consistently have a pre-snap killer that takes 2nd and 10 into 2nd and 15, and the Cowboys do not get out of that mess very well anymore. Good teams seldom beat themselves. Let the Cowboys prove they are a good team by getting the false starts, the illegal formations, and the illegal motion penalties under control.

ON DEFENSE:

Of the two units on the Cowboys, there is no question going in which one is being doubted. Most do not expect the Dallas Defense to have many answers for this dangerous Atlanta Offense. What makes the Falcons so impressive now is obviously what a premier WR and a premier TE can do to an opponent. Last year, it was making the defense choose between keying on Roddy White or Michael Turner. Now, Turner fades into the background a bit, and the initial choice is White on the outside vs Gonzalez in the middle.

The Cowboys have faced the following starting Tight Ends so far this season: Kellen Winslow, Kevin Boss, Jeff King, Tony Scheffler, and Sean Ryan. Now, they enter a string of games where they face Tony Gonzalez, John Carlson, Brent Celek, Donald Lee, and Chris Cooley. It would seem that this defines a dramatic step up at a position that generally gives the Cowboys LBs and Safeties fits. How Gerald Sensabaugh, Bradie James, and friends defend the middle will likely decide this game. If they are easily exploited, I have a hard time figuring out how they get stops at crucial times.

DEFENSIVE OBJECTIVES:

1) – Pressure, Pressure, Pressure – Matt Ryan is a young QB, but he is also one who is 15-6 in his 21 NFL Regular Season Starts. He has a wonderful awareness and a calm that reminds you a bit of Tom Brady. He seems to see the field well and understand his offense as well as you could hope a Young QB could. The entire Atlanta offense is based on getting the ball out quick and not letting Ryan get hit. Miami sacked him twice in week 1, and since then, he has not been sacked once. The Panthers, Patriots, 49ers, and Bears all were shutout of the sack pursuit. Surely, this cannot continue, right? The entire Atlanta OL wears a beard, and although that may not have anything to do with this point, I felt you needed to know that. The Cowboys need to get sacks. The way to get this is to blitz from the inside. When you do that, you occupy the RB in blitz pick-up, and they cannot then chip on Ware on the edge. If Ware is un-chipped, then he is straight up against the young and talented Sam Baker. This is where the Cowboys get to Matt Ryan. It all starts with rolling the bones a bit on a blitz and making Ryan think twice.

2) – Continue to plug the run up – Statistically, the Cowboys are not considered among the best run stopping teams in the NFL. But, in my estimation, in the last 4 games, the Cowboys have done a great job of making sure teams would get frustrated by their running games and just decide to do something else. The Cowboys are stout against the run. That will serve them well as the season continues, so don’t let Michael Turner get going. Jerious Norwood will not play, so it will be up to a banged up Turner, and seldom used Jason Snelling to carry the mail on Sunday. The Cowboys need to be waiting with a sack of hammers.

3) – Figure out the Roddy White/Tony Gonzalez overload – This is how the Atlanta offense works. Figure out what the defense is doing with Gonzalez, and react. Sometimes it is based on the idea that if he draws the safety in the middle, that leaves Roddy White in 1-on-1. Sometimes it is based on if the ILBs go with Gonzalez, then they play a cat-and-mouse play action game with Michael Turner running the ball right where Gonzalez vacated. But, make no mistake, Matt Ryan and Mike Mularkey take their cues from you. So, it will require some varied looks and the type of complicated scheme that once had us remarking how great a defensive mind Wade Phillips was. Oh, and one other thing. Roddy White is the real deal. He maybe the most underrated premier receiver in the league. Twice in the last two weeks, they have thrown a 8 yard curl to him, and he breaks one tackle and is gone for a long Touchdown (just like Miles Austin’s day in KC – except he has done it for several years). This idea of Newman locking him down seems very optimistic, but whoever is there must bring him down.

4) – Don’t be afraid to mix in the occasional takeaway – This defense has not done the offense favors hardly at all. In fact, aside from Terrence Newman’s interception against Carolina and Bradie James Fumble Recovery at Denver, you can safely say that in 300+ minutes this season, the Defense hasn’t done anything to aid in offense. The Cowboys have the 30th best starting field position in football. They start each possession on average, 9 yards behind the New York Giants. When you consider that there are roughly 12 offensive series per game, that means the Giants get a 108 yard head start on the Cowboys every Sunday. Allen Rossum can cut into that some with better returns, but the only way to close that gap significantly is to get some help from the turnover.

SUMMARY:This result gives me great pause. If the game was in Atlanta, I would take the Falcons. Since the game is here, I am going to assume the Cowboys are pouring their best effort into it, and coming off the bye they are poised to perform. If they win this game, you can dream and see this set of 6 games (Atl, Sea, @Phil, @GB, Wash, Oak) as a reasonable stretch where a split on the road and a sweep at home sticks you at 8-3 heading into the final push. Optimistic, but not impossible – provided you do what you need to do on Sunday.

I have honestly no idea what Cowboys team comes out on Sunday. But, I think they know that a loss here would really, really cripple their ability to keep a brave face.

Dallas 26, Atlanta 24 (Yes, I have picked the Cowboys all 6 games. I know)

Past Issues:

Kansas City Game Plan

Denver Game Plan

Carolina Game Plan

Giants Game Plan

Tampa Bay Game Plan