Do the Cowboys have it this year?

Last year, for all intents and purposes, was a disaster for the Cowboys. Even after a 3-0 start, last year was one of those years to forget. Between the toxic chemistry, Romo’s injury, the collapse of the defense, there just weren’t that many good times as a Cowboys fan.

But, as the Dodgers fans used to say, there’s always next year. And next year is almost here, with training camp starting in almost two weeks. But it’s never too early to take a look at the roster and the schedule to try and handicap the chances for the ‘Boys. First, a brief roster refresher.

ROSTER:

QB: Everything under the sun has been said about Tony Romo already, but I’m still glad that he’s the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. Does he take too many risks? Probably. Is he the greatest quarterback in the game? No. But he is a good quarterback that gives his team a chance to win every game because he can make plays with his arm and his feet. Sure beats the hell out of the gaggle of spares we had before.

RB: Might we have one too many running backs? I didn’t think such a scenario was possible, but with Marion, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice, I think we’re pretty damn close. But I’d rather have too many guys than not enough. Each gives a different look and has different skills; hopefully Jason Garrett can figure out a way to get everyone involved.

WR/TE: With the loss of the traveling circus, I think that this group is going to be a little unproven, but still can be a great receiving corps. Roy Williams is a bona-fide #1 guy, in my opinion. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on last year, but if he struggles early, uh-oh. I think Crayton, Austin and Hurd are all fine in their specific roles if they stay healthy. As long as they are who they are, the receivers will be fine. No questions about tight ends with Witten and the hilarious Martellus Bennett. As long as Martellus stays on the field and doesn’t do something stupid.

O-Line: Here’s where I get nervous. Looking through the depth chart, I see a couple of guys that I like. I think Leonard Davis has been pretty solid and Gurode hasn’t been too bad, but other than that, I don’t think Flozell has much and Colombo is fairly mediocre. Kosier missed all of last year pretty much, and none of these guys are all that young. A little nervous there.

D-Line: Jay Ratliff made big strides last year – I feel pretty good with him as our nose tackle in Wade’s 3-4. The Olshansky signing was a very good one, I think, as it gives us the production of Chris Canty for half of what he got from the Giants. Spears is fine at the other end, and Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen seem to be pretty decent backups.

LB: Easily the strongest position on the team. With Ware and Spencer outside and Brooking and James inside, that’s a pretty nice starting four anywhere.

Secondary: A bit of a young crew, but the secondary has made me the most nervous of any spot on the Cowboys even since the beginning of the Parcells era. But I think there are some guys that can be good players here. Terence Newman is installed at one corner; we know that. Past that? It’s kinda up in the air. Mike Jenkins, Alan Ball and Orlando Scandrick are all listed as corners, and Gerald Sensabaugh was brought in to help out at safety, but the secondary could be the Achilles’ heel of this team. Again.

Special Teams: To me, special teams are a lot like defense in baseball. They’re (somewhat) hard to quantify, but can easily swing a game or two. The Cowboys seemed to be focusing on special teams in this year’s draft (a curious decision), but we’ll see how things work out with a kickoff specialist. McBriar and Folk are just fine, however.

SCHEDULE:

Now that we’ve established who will (most likely) be playing for the Silver and Blue this year, let’s see who they’ll be playing against.

Week 1 – @ Tampa Bay

The Bucs were a disappointment last year, and seem to be a franchise in somewhat of a transition after collapsing last year to miss the playoffs. They are a very different team than a year ago, but it might be a little early to know exactly who they are. Still, this one should be a good test for the Cowboys, starting on the road as they almost always do. Prediction: Win, 24-10

Week 2 – v. New York Giants

Opening Day for Cowboys Stadium will certainly be a tough one. Any divisional game is going to be a struggle, and stopping Brandon Jacobs is no easy task. I’m not so sure there’s going to be a huge home-field advantage for the Cowboys, but it’s hard to tell what Eli will throw out there. Prediction: Win, 34-31

Week 3 – v. Carolina

Next week is another prime-time matchup, this time on Monday night against the Carolina Panthers. Carolina is still rolling with Jake Delhomme as their QB, even after last year’s meltdown against Arizona in the playoffs. Julius Peppers will lead a pretty nice defense, though, and Steve Smith is always scary. I don’t think the Cowboys jump out 3-0 again. I’m putting this one as a loss, but I still think they’re 2-1 after three weeks. Prediction: Loss, 27-21

Week 4 – @ Denver

Talk about an overhaul. New head coach Josh McDaniels is making no friends as new coach of the Broncos, completely overhauling a franchise that had previously been pretty stable. I think, though, that early in the season will be the best time to catch the Broncos, while they’re still learning McDaniels’ system. Plus I think the Cowboys’ offense can simply torch the Broncos’ D. Prediction: Win, 42-20

Week 5 – @ Kansas City

An intriguing team and a tough place to play, but I don’t think the Chiefs will quite be there at this point of the season. Again, I’m glad the Cowboys are catching them early. If this game is in Week 10, I wouldn’t be so confident. Prediction: Win, 19-17

Week 6 – BYE

Week 7 – v. Atlanta

This one will be a huge game. Atlanta will be a very serious contender this coming season. No question. I don’t see any year-after syndrome. Tony Gonzalez was a great pickup for these guys, although the loss of Brooking could hurt a little. A great barometer game for both teams. This seems like another Nick Folk game. Prediction: Win, 30-28

Week 8 – v. Seattle

A seemingly nice little breather, but a HUGE, ENORMOUS trap game. A really good team finds a way to get themselves up for both of these games. Are the Cowboys really good? Right now, I’d say no. Prediction: Loss, 27-24

Week 9 – @ Philadelphia

Yikes. The schedule ramps up quite a bit after some relatively easy games early. These games at Philly are never usually fun. Except for that one ridiculous, miraculous comeback we had on Monday night in the Bledsoe era. I remember the feeling after seeing the newspaper in the morning, not knowing how the game ended. Sure beat the feeling after last year’s game. Prediction: Loss, 31-17

Week 10 – @ Green Bay

Ugh. Another tough one. Green Bay had a really weird season last year. Shouldn’t they have been a lot better than 6-10? Or whatever they finished at? They’ll be a lot better this year, I know that. They were one of the youngest teams in football. Not good playing at Lambeau on November 15th, either. Prediction: Loss, 28-10

Week 11 – v. Washington

Another tough division game. I’ve got the Cowboys losing three in a row right now, sitting at 5-4 on the year. This one could be a must-have for the playoff push, so I think we’ll throw everything we’ve got at the Redskins. Plus I think we’ll make up for what happened last year at home against Washington. Prediction: Win, 24-14

Week 12 – v. Oakland (Thanksgiving)

Let’s make this simple: If the Cowboys lose this game, the season is over. Prediction: Win, 35-7

Week 13 – @ New York Giants

Why do we always play the Giants on this week of the season? I guess we played them here in December last year (a rare high point) but it seems like 3 of every 4 years or so, we’re in the Meadowlands in December. And how many times have we come out on top then? I thought so. Prediction: Loss, 28-17

Week 14 – v. San Diego

Hmm. This is usually about the time San Diego gets on a roll after starting 1-5 or whatever. So this game scares the crap out of me. Although we usually have one good game down the stretch. Although usually surrounded by three bad ones. Prediction: Win, 35-31

Week 15 – @ New Orleans

Right now in the season, the Cowboys are 8-5. Two more wins locks up a playoff berth for sure. New Orleans, however, could be in the same boat. Especially with their offense. Against the Cowboys secondary. Prediction: Loss, 37-27

Week 16 – @ Washington

I know we won there last year, and I don’t think Washington will be challenging for a playoff spot. But is there ANYTHING Redskins fans would like more than seeing the Cowboys out of the playoffs? Besides the Redskins winning the Super Bowl, no. Prediction: Loss, 17-13

Week 17 – v. Philadelphia

Now the Cowboys are 8-7. Still probably with a chance to get into the playoffs, although they probably need quite a bit of help. Prediction: Win, 44-6

So we sneak in with a record of 9-7 after reversing it on the Eagles after last year. If the Cowboys can make the playoffs, though, anything can happen. Especially if the Cardinals can make it to the Super Bowl.

Ware photo: thesportsmeister.com

Romo photo: josethesnake.wordpress.com

Barber photo: http://cowboys.beloblog.com/