Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has come out and said that it was not the corners that needed work, it was the safeties and the defensive line. In an attempt to increase the Cowboys’ Super Bowl odds for the next season, Jones has said that he is looking more at a pass rusher or safety than a corner in the draft.

It is true that the Cowboys were lacking at safety last season, but that was only because Dallas let two of their experienced safeties go. The team still needs help along the offensive line, and the corners they have now had problems all season covering the top receivers of other teams. In the 2010 draft, the Cowboys selected wide receiver Dez Bryant at a time when the team did not need wide receivers. The upheaval the pick created suddenly created an attitude problem with a couple of the Dallas receivers. Moves were made and Dallas then needed a wide receiver like Bryant. But it was a situation that the Cowboys created. If the Cowboys do not choose a cornerback or offensive lineman in the first round of the 2011 draft, then they are once again not addressing the team’s needs and will be creating controversy at other positions that is not currently there.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was seen at the workouts for the upcoming Senior Bowl, and was asked about the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers playing the Super Bowl in Cowboys Stadium. Jones commented that he was proud to have the two teams playing the big game in his building and that he looked forward to a good game. The look on Jones’ face was not one of total excitement, and it was obvious that the sting of his Cowboys’ performance in the 2010 season has still not worn off.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo was recently asked about the hiring of Jason Garrett as head coach while attending a Dallas Mavericks game. When Romo replied “No Comment,” fans everywhere instantly took that to mean that the Dallas quarterback was not happy with the hiring and does not support Garrett.

Romo went on Dallas sports talk radio recently to clear the air. He said that he did not want to give any kind of official answer at a basketball game, and preferred to answer questions like that at press conferences. The Cowboys quarterback says that he supports Garrett, and is looking forward to a productive year under the new head coach.

Everyone is speculating that Jason Garrett will be the Cowboys new head coach, and the announcement is expected tomorrow. The last hurdle was to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which was done with the interviewing of WR Coach Ray Sherman by Jerry Jones today. More on this in the link to a Dallas News article below:

Hurdles Cleared for Jason Garrett Hiring

The online sportsbook experts have not seen a press release or heard an announcement from the Dallas Cowboys that confirmed that Jason Garrett is the next head coach, but rumors about Garrett building a coaching staff keep popping up.

The newest NFL betting rumor is that the Cowboys brought in Miami Dolphins assistant head coach and secondary coach Todd Bowles to interview for the offensive coordinator position and not the head coaching job as originally reported. The football betting world knows that Bowles has been with the Dolphins for the last three years, and in those three years the Dolphins have dropped a lot of interceptions. But, as part of the Rooney Rule, Bowles was said to be interviewing for the head coaching job. The NFL predictions are guessing that the talk was more about defensive coordinator than head coach.

Still, with Jason Garrett now interviewing prospective members of his coaching staff, Jerry Jones has not yet named Garrett as head coach. The speculation was that Jones would do so earlier in the week, but he did not. Now with Eric Mangini available for a coaching position, rumors are flying again that Jones is not sold on Garrett and that the owner wants to interview Eric Mangini before making a final announcement. But the Cowboys did announce that the interview process ended earlier this week, but there has not been any kind of coaching announcement as of yet.

The activities at Valley Ranch in the last week or two are incredibly confusing and are raising a lot of questions. If Garrett is the new head coach, then why doesn’t Jerry Jones just make it official? If Garrett is not the head coach, then why is he interviewing coaches for prospective staff jobs? Obviously, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office know more than the media does. But this strange set of circumstances is only fueling the notion that the Cowboys are not a focused organization.

The Cowboys finished 26^th against the pass and lacked a quality cover corner in their secondary. That may be why there are new rumors floating around that the Cowboys may have an interest in tearing Champ Bailey away from the Denver Broncos. Bailey would give the Cowboys some of the closing speed they need at the corner and help bring stability to a defense that seemed to come unglued in the 2010 season.

The Dallas Cowboys finished the season with the sixth best passing offense in the league. That should give Cowboys fans a reason to be optimistic about 2011 when you consider that the starting quarterback missed most of the season, the offensive line was adequate at best and the star rookie wide receiver missed several games due to injury. The Cowboys can build on their successes of 2010, and try to create the offensive machine that everyone was expecting. Quarterback Tony Romo will be ready for summer workouts and training camp, and receiver Dez Bryant is expected to be ready by summer as well.

It appears to be a good sports bet that Jason Garrett will have the interim term removed from his title and be named the Dallas Cowboys new head coach as early as this week. The NFL betting lines have speculated for a while now that owner Jerry Jones will be naming Garrett as the official new head coach at a press conference sometime Tuesday or Wednesday.

But, true to Jerry Jones’ style, the Cowboys owner is not tipping his hand just yet. As the Super Bowl betting begins without the Dallas Cowboys, Jones is claiming that he is still in search of a coach and is still interviewing candidates. Many NFL predictions have Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden as front-runners for the job, but neither former Super Bowl winning head coach has made a comment on the process.

For his part, Jerry Jones has said that no NFL head coach has won a Super Bowl with two different teams. Jones could be reminding the media that Bill Parcels was supposed to bring a Super Bowl title to the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Dallas after winning the big game with the New York Giants, but Parcels failed to win the Super Bowl after leaving the Giants.

In a move that could be exposing the Cowboys head coach search process, interim head coach Jason Garrett has already started to hint at coaches he will want for his staff. One coach Garrett mentioned specifically was Wisconsin Badgers offensive coordinator Paul Chryst. There are strong rumors that Garrett’s first move if the interim tag is removed will be to bring in Chryst as the new offensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys.

Because of their 6-10 record, the Dallas Cowboys have secured the number nine pick in the 2011 NFL draft. The Cowboys seemed to come into the 2010 season with very few weak spots on either side of the ball, but as the season played out it became apparent that the Cowboys were deficient on the offensive line as well as the defensive secondary. The Cowboys get the chance to add to their already talented roster by either using the number nine pick, or trading it for experienced players.

This year will be a unique draft because of the looming cloud of an expiring collective bargaining agreement. If a new CBA is not in place by July, then there may not be a 2011 season. Teams are hoarding coaches and players in anticipation of the carnage to come. The Cowboys may decide to trade their pick because of the high cost, and high uncertainty, that a top 10 pick brings. No one in the Dallas Cowboys front office has commented on the draft order as of yet.

The Cowboys had five players named to the 2011 NFC Pro Bowl team despite the 6-10 record. OLB DeMarcus Ware, TE Jason Witten, P Mat McBriar, OL Andre Gurode and DT Jay Ratliff will represent the Cowboys in Hawaii the week before the Super Bowl.

Enough about last seasons disappointment, let’s take a look at the Dallas Cowboys 2011 – 2012 schedule. Last year I provided a prediction for each game, which was so far from being right I decided to take a new approach. Instead I will go through the 2011 – 2012 schedule of home and road game opponents taking a look at their records and where they are headed next year.

Division Opponents (Home and Road Game)

New York Giants – Record: 10 – 6 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Giants looked strong all season, but injuries caught up with them down the stretch. This team will be strong again in the 2011 – 2012 season if they can stay healthy.

Philadelphia Eagles – Record: 10 – 6 – 0 | NFC East Division Champs
Michael Vick’s resurgence has the Eagles looking almost impossible to stop on offense. Vick’s contract is up, but it sounds like he will be an Eagle next season.

Washington Redskins – Record: 6 – 10 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Redskins couldn’t be any worse from the front office to the field if they actually tried to be horrible. The biggest question is who will they sign to a large contract this offseason to bench next year??

Non NFC East Division Home Games

St. Louis Rams – Record: 7 – 9 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Rams missed the playoffs when they lost to the Seattle Seahawks in week 17 of the 2010 season. The Rams should improve next year as they add more pieces around QB Sam Bradford and RB Steven Jackson.

Seattle Seahawks – Record: 7 – 9 – 0 | Wildcard
No that is not a typo, the Seahawks made the playoffs with a week 17 win over the St. Louis Rams.

Detroit Lions – Record: 6 – 10 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Lions will continue to improve if they can stay healthy in the 2011 – 2012 season. This team is in a lot better postion with the additions of RB Jahvid Best and QB Matthew Stafford.

Buffalo Bills – Record: 4 – 12 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Bills will still be rebuilding next year, but that process finally appears to be on the right track as the team begins to add talented players at the skill positions.

Miami Dolphins – Record: 7 – 9 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
Some analysts had the Dolphins making the playoffs, but the team took a step back in 2010. Rumor has it that the team will have a new coach next year, Bill Cowher anyone?

Non NFC East Division Road Games

Arizona Cardinals – Record: 5 – 11 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Cardinals are a quarterback away from being relevant again, it will be interesting to see if they can get a QB in the offseason.

San Francisco 49ers – Record: 6 – 10 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The coaching carousel continues in San Francisco, the 49ers will have a new coach for 2011 and they still have questions at quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Record: 10 – 6 – 0 | Missed Playoffs
The Buccaneers are a young team on the rise, they should be even better next year. However things in the NFL don’t always work out that way, remember when the Cowboys were supposed to win the Super Bowl in 2010?

New England Patriots – Record: 14 – 2 – 0 | AFC East Division Champs
Going 14 – 2 – 0 with a defense that was called inexperienced and to young by the so called experts this year is pretty good. Winning in New England is always tough.

New York Jets – Record: 11 – 5 – 0 | Wildcard
The Jets faded down the stretch, and the only thing that is holding them back is waiting on Mark Sanchez to progress as a quarterback.

Sources: Y!Sports, NFL.com

If you plan on placing an online sports bet on the Dallas Cowboys this week, you may want to wait until the Cowboys decide who is playing quarterback. Despite his spirited, and well-choreographed, comeback against the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Day, the NFL betting lines experts were informed that Dallas third-string quarterback Stephen McGee is not a lock to start the last game of the season.

The sports betting bonus crowd will have to wait and see what kind of progress quarterback Jon Kitna has with his torn abdomen muscle before finding out who will start. Kitna has still not been able to practice since his injury in the third quarter of the Arizona game, but people are holding off on any NFL predictions regarding Kitna’s status until Friday.

While Kitna sits on the sidelines and watches practice, McGee has been taking all of the snaps with the first-string offense. The Cowboys have not brought in any other quarterback to practice, and no other Cowboy player was seen taking snaps besides McGee.

The Cowboys actually have a very practical reason for wanting to at least have Kitna in uniform for this game. Once you get past Stephen McGee on the depth chart, there really is no one to play quarterback for the Cowboys. Starting quarterback Tony Romo is out for the season, so the Cowboys would have no one to play quarterback if McGee were to get hurt and Kitna is not on the field. It is unclear as to whether or not the Cowboys will sign a quarterback for the one game, or designate a back-up quarterback from the current roster if Kitna cannot go.

Despite the less than impressive season from the Cowboys, it was learned that five Dallas players were named to this season’s Pro Bowl. Tight end Jason Witten leads a group that includes center Andre Gurode, defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, punter Mat McBriar and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. The most impressive thing about the list is that every Cowboy that was selected was also named a Pro Bowl starter. The Pro Bowl will be played the week between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl, but it has been moved back to Hawaii after being played last year in Florida.

The Cowboys have put their search for a new head coach into high gear, and it looks like the Christmas Day loss to the Cardinals put a nail in the coffin of interim head coach Jason Garrett. For four years Garrett was called the associate head coach and paid like a head coach just to keep him in Dallas in anticipation of the day when he would take over the team. But the media noticed a defined anger in Jerry Jones when the Cardinals game was over, and Jones announced after that game that the result had affected the search for a new head coach.

Garrett has not made a comment on the coaching search since the Christmas Day loss, but he has maintained prior to the game that he understands the process and is just trying to win football games at this point.

The online sports betting websites are buzzing after the Dallas Cowboys lost a game on Christmas Day to the Arizona Cardinals that they never should have lost. It is difficult for the NFL betting lines experts to say that a missed extra point will cost Jason Garrett the chance to become the full-time Cowboys head coach, but it is certain that place kicker David Buehler did not help his chances of being on the Cowboys roster next season, if there is a next season.

The sportsbook promo betting action this week for the Cowboys centers on two topics; the search for a new head coach and who will play quarterback in the Cowboys final game of the season. The coaching search is under way, but owner Jerry Jones says that his list of potential candidates is short. Aside from Garrett, the only other current Cowboy coach that Jones mentioned by name is wide receivers coach Ray Sherman. Jones says that both Garrett and Jones will be given a chance to go through the interview process when the season is over.

Other names that keep coming up are Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher, but Jones expressed some hesitation at hiring a former Super Bowl winning coach. Jones pointed out that no head coach has won a Super Bowl with two different teams, and the goal in Dallas is a Super Bowl.

Along with the high profile coaching names, candidates such as Mike Singletary and Norv Turner are also being discussed. While the media has been throwing names around for the interview process, Jones assured fans and the media that the short list of actual candidates is less than 10 and that this interview process will be much more comprehensive than the process that was used to hire Wade Philips.

None of the NFL predictions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys took third-string quarterback Stephen McGee into account. But when back-up Jon Kitna was injured in the Arizona game, McGee came in and gave the Cowboys a chance to win. Were it not for a missed extra point on a McGee touchdown pass, the Cowboys could have taken the game with the Cardinals to overtime. But McGee played well in his first taste of extended playing time in the NFL. He went 11 of 17 for 111 yards, one touchdown and a rating of 102.8.

With nothing left to really talk about in the Cowboys season, the question now comes up as to who will play in the Cowboys final game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. Jerry Jones wants to win this game, make no mistake about it. That means that the team will put in the quarterback that gives them the best chance to win. Kitna has torn abdominal muscles that need to heal before he can consider playing. If Kitna cannot go, then McGee is expected to start. But if Kitna feels he can play, then the Cowboys have indicated that the veteran backup will play in the finale against the Eagles.

The online sportsbook experts know that the Dallas Cowboys have always been big business in the state of Texas and throughout the NFL. But with the way the NFL football betting has gone this season, some people had started to wonder if the love for “America’s Team” would start to fade. But the football betting world was not surprised to learn this week that the Cowboys are still America’s richest team as well as being America’s most popular team.

According to numbers recently released, the Cowboys are still the NFL pick for the most profitable franchise based on ticket sales, television revenue and merchandise sales. The Cowboys are now valued at $1.8 billion, which makes them the single most valuable sports franchise in North America. It is estimated that some 32 million viewers tuned in to watch the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving Day, and the Cowboys-Eagles game remains the highest rated Sunday night game of the season.

One of the things that helped increase the value of the franchise was the completion of their new $1.2 billion stadium funded primarily by the team itself. The state-of-the-art facility helped to increase fan attendance by offering an increase in seating capacity, and it helped increase revenue by allowing the Cowboys to raise their ticket prices. The list of the top 20 selling player jerseys in the NFL includes three Dallas Cowboys. Win or lose, the fans love their Dallas Cowboys.

Interim head coach Jason Garrett is making a positive impact on the Dallas players, and the players are not afraid to mention it in public. Defensive lineman DeMarcus Ware said that Garrett makes things very direct and simple for the team to understand. The coach’s message is not complicated and has helped the Cowboys players get a hold of the offensive and defensive schemes. The players also mentioned Garrett’s no-nonsense approach to delivering his message as part of the reason why it is so easy to understand.

The speculation that owner Jerry Jones may lift the interim tag off of Garrett and keep him as head coach is growing. The Cowboys are 4-2 under Garrett including impressive wins over the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts. The Cowboys are now tied with the Washington Redskins for third place in the NFC East, and Dallas can climb out of the NFC East basement if they can win their last two games. It may not be winning the division and heading to the playoffs, but it is also not last place.

Running back Marion Barber plans on starting the Christmas Day game against the Arizona Cardinals in the Dallas backfield. But that does not necessarily mean that autograph hound Tashard Choice will be sitting. Featured running back Felix Jones sat out the last practice with an injured shin and his status for the upcoming holiday game is still doubtful. The Cowboys will continue to practice and make a determination as to Jones’ status as they get closer to game time in Arizona.

The betting world is now wondering if Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will actually come back to play the last two games of this season. There have been rumors circulating by those in the NFL betting world that Romo will not be back and that the next move for the Cowboys is to place Romo on the season-ending injured reserve list. Romo broke his collarbone in the week seven game against the New York Giants. While owner Jerry Jones and interim head coach Jason Garrett are not giving any specific details on Romo’s projected return, the feeling around the Cowboys is getting strong that the quarterback will be placed on IR as soon as this week.

In other injury news, the NFL predictions surrounding the return of safety Gerald Sensabaugh and linebacker Sean Lee are looking just as grim. Both are suffering from concussions and both have been unable to pass the tests necessary to clear them for practice this week. The normal procedure is to wait until Friday to test players for the game coming up on Sunday. If Sensabaugh and Lee fail their tests on Friday, then both will miss the game against the Cardinals on Christmas Day.

Interim head coach Jason Garrett has posted some impressive NFL scores since he took over as coach from Wade Phillips immediately after the week nine loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys are 4-2 under Garrett including divisional wins over the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. But owner Jerry Jones is still going with the interim tag on Garrett and has said that nothing will be made permanent until the season is over. Garrett is definitely a top candidate for the Dallas head coaching job, but the list includes rumored prospects such as Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden. Jerry Jones is expected to make his announcement some time after the Super Bowl is played in the new Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011.

In lighter news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys, quarterback Tony Romo has not been completely silent during his recovery from injury. After a lengthy, and very public, relationship with Jessica Simpson ended over a year ago, Romo started seeing beauty pageant winner Candice Crawford. Last week, on her 24^th birthday, Romo surprised Crawford with an engagement ring and asked her to marry him. She accepted, and now the couple have set about making wedding plans.

Cowboys fans will remember the incredible distraction that Jessica Simpson was said to be, and now many are wondering how Romo could be thinking about getting engaged when he is supposed to be trying to get back on the football field. Between women, golf and Las Vegas vacations it seems that Tony Romo always finds plenty of ways to occupy his time off the football field. Now the Cowboys are hoping that settling into married life will help the Cowboys quarterback focus on his career and help get the ailing Dallas franchise back into the playoffs.

This NFL betting season has been difficult on the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys could not live up to NFL predictions because of a disorganized coach and injuries. But, right when it is too late and the NFL scores cannot get the Cowboys into the playoffs, some of the injured Cowboys start to make their way back. The Cowboys may be betting favorites for the rest of the NFL season.

On defense the Cowboys will get back cornerback Orlando Scandrick for the upcoming game against the Eagles. Scandrick passed all of his concussion tests and is ready to play this weekend. The Cowboys will also get back linebacker Sean Lee this weekend. Lee has been nursing a sprained shoulder but was able to practice on a limited basis on Wednesday. He plans on playing this weekend against the Eagles.

On the offensive side, it looks like quarterback Tony Romo is just about ready to come back to the active roster. The Cowboys still do not have Romo listed on their depth chart, but the quarterback has been throwing and should be available to play in the next week or two.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant is out for the season as he has had surgery on his broken ankle. There was more than just fractured bones in Bryant’s ankle, he also had torn ligaments that needed to be re-attached. Bryant has been fighting injuries all season long, but the most well-known of his injuries was the high ankle sprain that kept him out of the preseason and hampered him noticeably throughout the first few games of the season.

There is some good news for Dez Bryant as he recovers in a hospital bed in Dallas. Because he played on at least 35 percent of the offensive plays, and had 41 catches or more this season, Bryant is eligible for a $1 million bonus. Because he qualified for that bonus, he is now also eligible for a $1.4 million bonus at the end of the 2012 season as well.

Dez Bryant was an important part of the Cowboys punt return team and the offense as well. It looks like interim head coach Jason Garrett will be using two, or possibly three, different players to replace Bryant. On the offense, wide receiver Sam Hurd will try to step in as the number three receiver, taking Bryant’s spot. On punt returns, Garrett had rookie Bryan McCann returning punts in the Indianapolis game immediately after Bryant’s injury. But it may be veteran cornerback Terence Newman who will get the job the rest of the season. Garrett has not indicated if one player or the other will get the punt return job, or if he will platoon the two players.

In what has to be a breath of fresh air to the Cowboys fans, wide receiver Miles Austin has not complained one bit about his lack of production. Austin has recently said that it does not matter to him how many catches he has in a game, just so long as the Cowboys win. Austin has had 11 catches total in the last four Cowboys games, but Dallas has won three out of those four games.