Cowboy Corner: A Look at the Offseason
Cowboys Offseason
Sportsbook Super Bowl Odds (for XLV): Cowboys +1215
NFC Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys +685
The Cowboys Offense
The sports betting world will be keeping a close eye on the Dallas Cowboys offense in 2010. The Cowboys offense finished 2nd overall in 2009, but that is in yards per game. The knock against the Cowboys’ offense was not about moving the ball, it was about getting the ball into the end zone. The Cowboys were ranked 13th in the league with 43 touchdowns in 2009. While that is a far cry better than the 17 scored by the Rams, it still falls short of what a team needs to win a Super Bowl.
All of the pressure this season will be on QB Tony Romo. While the sports world is focused on March madness odds right now, Tony Romo is working on becoming more in tune with his receivers. The surprising emergence of wide receiver Miles Austin threw a monkey wrench into the Cowboys offense. Roy Williams was supposed to be the number one receiver but after several drops early in the season, Williams was seeing the ball less and Austin in the endzone more often.
Another issue is that Tony Romo is 29-years-old and he still does not seem to have hit the height of his skills yet. Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson is working with Romo on improving, but it is difficult to find that mix between Romo’s gun slinger attitude and the accuracy he so desperately lacks.
Do not look for the Cowboys to make many moves in the off-season at offense. With the exception of the two offensive line guard positions, the Cowboys have very few needs on offense. They have a solid corps of receivers with Williams, Austin, Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd. The Cowboys may have the best lineup of running backs in the league with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. The rumors that LaDainian Tomlinson could wind up in Dallas turned out to be false. There is no need for Dallas to spend that kind of money.
The Cowboys also have one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Whitten. The football world can feel a little sorry for backup tight end Martellus Bennett who has to wait his turn in a line that never seems to move.
The one pick-up the Cowboys did make in the offseason was QB Jon Kitna to backup Romo. A move like that has a lot of positive implications. Not only is Kitna a quality backup that could step in when Romo is hurt, he can also help to mentor Romo and maybe help Romo find his way in the NFL after all of these years.
The Cowboys did manage to improve their lost fumble ratio to +2 in 2009, which is much better than the -11 they had in 2008. Another improvement in 2009 was Romo’s interceptions. In 2008 he threw 14, but in 2009 he only threw 9.
The Cowboys offense has very few holes in it, but there are some questions to be answered. Will Romo answer the bell this season and get the Cowboys off to a good start instead of a slow one? Will Austin or Williams be the number one WR? How will defenses stop the Dallas run game? It is a lot of questions to be answered for the 2010 season.
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