Dallas Cowboys Update – Season Ends and Hope Begins

The online sportsbook experts did not expect much from the Dallas Cowboys in 2011. The Cowboys were coming off of a disappointing season in 2010 with a new head coach, new defensive coordinator and basically the same roster that could not make the playoffs last year. With some key injuries on the offensive line and in the offensive backfield, the Cowboys were even less of the team it was last year. The price per head sports experts did not expect Dallas to be a Super Bowl contender and the odds the Cowboys were given to win the Super Bowl reflected that.

Now that the season is over and the Cowboys lost the most critical game of the season to the New York Giants, the finger-pointing begins along with the long bouts of confusion. The fans are getting anxious over this lack of playoff success under owner Jerry Jones. Head coach Jason Garrett looked out of place at times and made decisions a high school coach in his first game would not make. You just don’t ice your own kicker on the game winning field goal. If you have been in football for more than a season or two, then you should know that instinctively.

New defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was supposed to bring the system that he perfected in Cleveland to Dallas and use superior players to get better results. As the season wore on, it became evident that the Cowboys’ defensive players were not all that superior to the Browns’ players. According to the pay per head sports experts, Ryan’s defense in Dallas ranked 14^th overall by the time the season was over. It did great against the rush where it ranked seventh, but wound up 23^rd against the pass. The defense just could not stop the opposition when it had to.

A bodog review of the entire Dallas team shows a team that was affected by the lack of a training camp. The team did not have time to get used to its new systems and its new coaches and it suffered. Jason Garrett is going to have to work on his game management skills because he made several blatant errors that had even the most casual fans scratching their heads. To judge this team on this season is probably not fair.

The first questions that Jerry Jones handled after the loss to the Giants were about the futures of Garrett and Ryan. Jones was adamant when he said that both men would stay in their positions with the team next season. Jones did not address any concerns about the level of NFL caliber talent on the Cowboys’ roster. While changes are expected, Jones did not give any indication of what kind of changes to expect.

One player that did speak out was wide receiver Dez Bryant. He indicated that the team was angry and disappointed at the way the season turned out. When asked about his own performance in his second year, Bryant indicated that he did okay but that he could do better. The Cowboys’ players all seem to share the burden of the loss, which could be the first sign of a team coming together as a single unit.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Now it all Comes Down to This

Quarterback Tony Romo and running back Felix Jones were taken out the Cowboys’ week 16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles due to injury. What surprised the online betting world is that neither key player was put back in the Eagles’ game and the Cowboys wound up losing 20-7. Now the Cowboys have put all of their eggs in the week 17 basket when they square off against the New York Giants for the NFC East title. The price per head sports experts have the New York Giants as three point favorites, but many Cowboys’ players believe that Dallas can pull out this important game and take the divisional title. If Dallas loses this game, it could miss out on the playoffs completely.

The good news for Cowboys’ fans is that Tony Romo’s hand injury is not major. The x-rays on the injury came back negative and Romo has assured fans that he will be able to go on Sunday. The potential for Romo to play is why the bookie software did not push the odds too heavily in the favor of the Giants. Running back Felix Jones is expected to play as well, but head coach Jason Garrett may have to platoon Jones and backup running back Sammy Morris throughout the game. The Giants’ punishing defensive line may take its toll on the Dallas running backs as the game wears on.

The Cowboys will enter the game against the Giants with a significant injury on the offensive line. Left guard Montrae Holland suffered a torn bicep in the game against the Eagles and will miss at least the week 17 game against the Giants, if not more. It is feared that Holland would be unavailable for the playoffs if the Cowboys should earn a spot. That presents a significant problem for Romo and the Cowboys’ offense as Holland plays on the left side and protects Romo’s blind spot.

A bodog review of the Cowboys’ left offensive line position shows that this is the second season-ending injury Dallas has suffered at that position. Earlier in the season, Montrae Holland was cut and the starting job was given to rookie Bill Nagy. But Nagy suffered a season-ending injury early in the year and Holland was brought back. Now the Cowboys have to choose between veteran guard Derrick Dockery and rookie center Kevin Kowalski. Despite Dockery’s experience, the Cowboys are expected to put Kowalski on the offensive line against the Giants.

In some positive NFL news for the Dallas Cowboys, tight end Jason Witten raised his career total receiving yards to 7,840 in the Eagles’ game which put him into third place on the all-time Cowboys’ receiving list. Witten trails Tony Hill with 7,988 yards and Michael Irvin with 11,904 yards on the all-time list. As for total career receptions, Witten is second to Irvin but only trails Irvin by 61 catches, which Witten should have towards the end of the 2012 season.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Sam Hurd’s Arrest Shocks Cowboys’ Locker Room

From week to week, some football fans wonder how much drugs play a part in the play against NFL betting lines. Are the players high when they are the field? That question became a little louder when Chicago Bears’ receiver Sam Hurd was arrested on charges of cocaine possession and distribution just before the Bears’ week 15 game against the Seattle Seahawks. It isn’t the possession part that concerns fans in Dallas; it is the distribution charge that has Cowboys’ fans concerned.

There are now rumors swirling around that there could be ties to some of the Cowboys’ players in Hurd’s drug ring. Before becoming a part of the Chicago Bears, Sam Hurd was a Dallas Cowboy for many years. The price per head sports experts are not wondering if some of Hurd’s network is still in the Dallas locker room. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones expressed shock at the arrest of Hurd, but went on to say that Dallas had no idea about Hurd’s drug activity. Head coach Jason Garrett has said that he has seen no indication of any problems in the Cowboys’ locker room and does not anticipate any fallout from the arrest to affect the Cowboys.

Away from the courtroom, the bookie software has the Dallas Cowboys in an unfamiliar place. For the first time in a very long time, the Dallas Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East in mid-December. At 8-6, the Cowboys hold a one-game lead over the New York Giants and a two-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles. If the Cowboys win its last two games, then it wins the NFC East title. But standing in the way of the Cowboys’ celebration is a week 16 game against the surging Philadelphia Eagles. As if the NFL schedule was not cruel enough, the Cowboys finish the season in New York to play a pivotal game against the New York Giants.

The official Dallas injury list does not include any notable names and that is because outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware was able to make it back on the field for the week 15 game against Tampa Bay. Ware’s impact was felt immediately as he recorded a sack for the Cowboys and help the team to earn a 31-15 win over the Buccaneers. A 5 dime review of the Tampa Bay game showed an efficient quarterback Tony Romo who threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns in the game. The part of Romo’s play that has the Cowboys glowing is that Romo threw no interceptions.

The Cowboys look healthy and ready to play for the NFC East title and push its way into the playoffs. It is not over yet as none of the NFC East teams will probably qualify for any of the NFC wild card spots. The only way that the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles are making the playoffs is as the NFC East champions. Since there can be only one division champion, that will make these last two weeks of the season very interesting.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Kicker Still Frozen from Last Week

The online betting experts thought that had seen it all when Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett iced his own kicker in week 13 and wound up losing in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals. What Garrett was doing was showing the rest of the league that Dallas rookie kicker Dan Bailey can be iced. It was information that Garrett probably would have liked to kept secret for just a few more weeks as the Cowboys need wins heading into the playoff stretch.

In week 14, the Cowboys were playing a very important game against the New York Giants. It was a divisional contest that would either give Dallas a stronger lead in the NFC East or push the Giants back into the divisional race. According to many price per head sports experts, the winner of the week 14 game would have an upper hand in the divisional race. As the game pressed on, the Cowboys slowly allowed the Giants to get back in the game after Dallas had taken an early lead. With almost no time remaining, Dan Bailey trotted out to kick what would have been a game-tying field goal. Using the lessons from week 13, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin iced Bailey. The kick Bailey unleashed prior to the Giants’ timeout was perfect. The kick after the icing was partially blocked and the Giants won the game.

According to the pay per head sports analysts, the Cowboys and Giants play one more time before the season ends. But with both teams tied at 7-6, the Giants need a little more magic to take the title from Dallas. If the Cowboys win the second meeting between the two teams, and both teams finish with the same record, then both teams would also probably finish with the same divisional record as well. But the Cowboys have the better conference record and that is what would win Dallas the division.

A bodog review of the Cowboys’ situation shows that its destiny is still in its own hands when it comes to the playoffs. If Dallas can finish the season going 2-1 in the last three games and win the second game over the Giants, then Dallas wins the division. Of course, if the Giants go 0-3 in the last three games then the Cowboys win anyways. The playoffs is all a game of “ifs” and the Cowboys still control its own destiny.

Something that has come to the surface in the past two weeks is the inability of the Dallas defense to hold on to a lead or shut down the opponent’s offense when it counts. In week 13, the Dallas defense gave up the winning touchdown in overtime to the Arizona Cardinals. While that one hurt, the NFL scores that occurred in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ game hurt even more.

Going into the fourth quarter of the week 14 game against New York, the Giants were up by a score of 22-20. The Dallas defense needed to hold the Giants’ offense while the Cowboys’ offense put up the points to win. But Rob Ryan’s Dallas defense buckled under the pressure for the second week in a row and now questions are starting to pop up about the reliability of the Dallas defense. The Cowboys will need more consistent play from its defense if it wants to win the NFC East.

Dallas Round-Up – It Has Been A Busy Week For Dallas Sports Fans

A BetOnline review of the week that was in Dallas would cover an extremely busy time that started with a Cowboy collapse in the desert ahead of a huge divisional showdown, while the Stars are barely keeping their head above water in the NHL. The Rangers lost their best starting pitcher to free agency and the world champion Mavericks are in the midst of losing the lynchpin to their defensive success.

Dallas Cowboys

Some BetOnline players don’t know what to think about the Cowboys, who were undone by coaching mistakes in a 19-13 overtime loss in Arizona, their third road loss in a row to the Cardinals. The Cowboys’ offense struggled to put points on the board, but head coach Jason Garrett made some strange decisions at the end of the game that probably cost the Cowboys, who have to recovery quickly and take their one-game NFC East game into a Sunday night affair with the New York Giants, who have dropped four in a row, but they’re still considered dangerous by those who use pay per head services.

Dallas Stars

The Stars edged Ottawa 3-2 at home on Thursday before falling 5-4 to the New York Islanders, also at home, on Saturday. Dallas has been off since then as they prepare to open up a five-game road trip in San Jose on Thursday, before heading Los Angeles on the weekend and then they do a swing through both New York teams next week. The Stars have been riddled by injuries, but they’re still second in the Pacific division as all of their competition are having problems as well.

Texas Rangers

The Rangers are coming off their second straight World Series odds and some who purchase bookie software figured they’ll have solid odds again in 2012. However, they’ll have their hands full in the American League West as they lost ace C.J. Wilson to their rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, who also lured future Hall of Fame slugger Albert Pujols from St. Louis. The Rangers may have to overpay to bring someone in to replace Wilson and they were in the hunt for Pujols as well, but Texas may feel pressure to make a move.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks can sympathize with the Rangers as it never really looked like Wilson would stay when he could receive a better contract on the open market, and Dallas seems resigned to losing center Tyson Chandler, who may have been the Mavericks’ second-most valuable player behind Dirk Nowitzki. Chandler turned the Mavericks into an excellent defensive team and he allowed Nowitzki to focus more on offense, which in turn led the Mavericks to a title. If they lose Chandler and don’t replace him somehow, the Mavericks will fall down the pecking order at online betting sites.

Dallas Cowboys Update – The House of Cards is Crumbling Again

The online betting community was witness again to the cracks in the armor that the Dallas Cowboys have built up around themselves. The Cowboys own first place in the NFC East with a 7-5 record, but that record could have been 8-4 had head coach Jason Garrett not made a colossal mistake in the waning minutes of the week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. As Dallas kicker Dan Bailey lined up what was going to be the winning field goal, Dallas head coach Jason Garrett iced his own kicker by calling a last-second timeout. It is the kind of mental mistake that the price per head sports experts have been seeing all season long, and it cost the Cowboys a victory.

When he was asked about the timeout after the game was over, Bailey said that the timeout is not the reason that he missed his second shot at the game-winning field goal. But the body language and confusion in the Dallas players on the field at the time of the call tells a different story. A dejected Dallas team attempted to cover for its coach, but when the timeout was called it was obvious that everyone on the sideline, including Garrett, was a little bit confused.

Quarterback Tony Romo can identify with mistakes that tend to define a tenure in Dallas. The price per head sports website still run the video of Romo fumbling a snap for the game-tying extra point in Romo’s first season as the Dallas starter. The image of Romo seated on the field with both hands clasping his facemask became an image that Romo has still yet to shake. It is moments like the muffed extra point that have gone on to create the doubt in Romo’s abilities that has followed him ever since. Even though all of the players and owner Jerry Jones dismiss the timeout incident as insignificant, it will be used as one of those events that defines Garrett’s time in Dallas.

As for Garrett, he stands behind his decision to call the timeout and has not backed off from the criticism at all. He says that he would make the call again in a similar situation and has no regrets about the way the game turned out. Garrett is also quick to point out that a bodog review of the overtime shows that it was poor tackling by the Dallas defense that allowed Arizona to score the winning touchdown. But Garrett also points to the loss as a team loss and knows that his team will have to do better in week 14.

Sometimes the NFL schedule has a knack for lining up the right game at just the right time. In week 14, the 7-5 Cowboys will face the 6-6 New York Giants for a battle of supremacy in the NFC East. If Dallas can win this game, it would put a gap between the two teams that may not be closed. If the Giants win, then the two teams will probably battle for the NFC East division title right down to week 17. Garrett says his team will be ready when the ball kicks off in Dallas for this critical divisional matchup.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Injuries Piling Up on the Cowboys

The online betting world has been impressed with the way that the Dallas Cowboys have improved its record to 6-4. But the week 11 win over the Washington Redskins was a costly one as the Cowboys have some injuries to overcome prior to its week 12 meeting with the Dolphins. No less that five price per head Dallas players were either seen in some sort of cast at practices early this week, or they were not seen at all.

Most notable among the injuries is the foot injury to safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who hurt his foot just prior to halftime in the Washington game. Sensabaugh was seen wearing a walking cast and hopes to play against the Dolphins. But the Cowboys only have until Thursday to get its team ready as the pay per head week 12 game is a special Thanksgiving Day meeting. Sensabaugh has said that he will see how his foot feels, but the short week is not going to help.

Another notable Cowboy that will not be playing in the Miami game is back-up quarterback Jon Kitna. He suffered a back injury and is still having difficulty moving around. He is not expected to play this week, and it is unknown when he will be able to return.

Other Cowboys hobbled by injuries include wide receiver Miles Austin who is still nursing a hamstring injury, fullback Tony Fiammetta who was ill and back-up cornerback Mike Jenkins who is also out with a hamstring injury. Dallas head coach Jason Garrett has not given any indication on when the injured Cowboys will return or if any of them are expected to play Thursday.

Garrett and the other Dallas coaches spent all Sunday night doing a 5 dimes review of the game tape from the Washington game and preparing for the Dolphins. One of the advantages that Garrett has is that he played for the Cowboys and he is intimately familiar with the challenges of the short week leading up to the Thanksgiving game. His time as a player and assistant coach with the Cowboys makes him uniquely qualified to handle the strain and pressure of the short Thanksgiving week.

The NFL fans in Dallas are completely behind their quarterback Tony Romo, but Romo’s lack of concentration in week 11 almost cost the Cowboys the game. With time ticking down on the clock as the Cowboys were preparing for the winning field goal in overtime, Romo reached up to call a timeout. The problem is that the Cowboys had already used both of its overtime timeouts and had none left. If the referees would have awarded the timeout to Romo, then it would have been a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But, luckily for Romo, Washington head coach Mike Shanahan was calling a timeout at the same time to ice the Dallas kicker. The referees awarded Washington its timeout and Dallas won the game.

Romo indicated that he was trying to stop the clock to give the kicker time to make the kick. He did not realize that he had no timeouts left. Head coach Jason Garrett has not commented in any depth on the incident.

Dallas Cowboys Update: More Wide Receiver Problems

The sports betting fans in Dallas watched as number one wide receiver Miles Austin injured his hamstring in week two and missed the next two weeks. Wide receiver Dez Bryant has also missed time due to injury. Just as Bryant shows signs of being healthy enough to perform at a high level, Miles Austin gets injured again in the win over Seattle in week nine. Miles will be out for another two to three weeks, and that makes room for rookie Laurent Robinson to make an impact on the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

While Robinson is a good price per head receiver, the persistent injuries at the wide receiver position are working to make the Cowboys thin at that position. To remedy the situation, owner Jerry Jones has indicated that the Cowboys will go out into the free agency market and see who they can pick up. The first name that came to most fans’ minds was former Cowboy Terrell Owens. Jones and the Cowboys have not indicated that they will be talking to Owens, but they have also not ruled out the possibility.

The pay per head football fans in Dallas may be wondering what is going on at the running back position. When starter Felix Jones went down with an injury, the Cowboys turned to rookie running back DeMarco Murray to carry the load in Jones’ absence. Murray has done an exceptional job and many fans are wondering if Murray has won the starting job from Jones. According to head coach Jason Garrett, Felix Jones returns this week as the Cowboys’ starting running back and will get put immediately back into the starting position.

Garrett commented on the job that Murray has done saying that Murray and third-string running back Phillip Tanner have created a lot of options for the Cowboys’ offense that Dallas was unaware it had. Garrett indicated that, because of the emergence of Murray, the Cowboys may start using a two-back approach more often, which is similar to what the team did when running back Marion Barber was on the roster.

A Forbes article has been circulating that lists Tony Romo as one of the most hated players in the NFL. But a 5 dimes review of the content of the article shows that Romo is more respected than hated. The article lists Romo’s jersey as one of the top sellers in the league, which makes the Dallas quarterback a hit with the fans. But his popularity has caused some NFL players to dislike Romo. Romo detractors are waving the article around trying to gain momentum on the notion that Romo is hated by his teammates. But the truth is that the article talks more about player jealousy from outside the Cowboys’ locker room than any issues with the Cowboys itself.

The NFL schedule is half over for the Dallas Cowboys, and the team is lucky to be 4-4 at this point. Veteran leaders such as Jason Witten identify how lucky the Cowboys team is to be at the .500 mark, and warn Dallas players that now is the time to get the team rolling into a playoff mode.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Murray and Bryant Look to Contribute

The online betting football fans in Dallas had vaguely heard of rookie running back DeMarco Murray prior to the Cowboys’ week seven game against the St. Louis Rams. By the time the game was over, Murray had run up 253 rushing yards which obliterated the Cowboys’ rookie single-game rushing record previously held by Emmitt Smith, and everyone knew who DeMarco Murray was. But Emmitt Smith himself put a warning out to Murray that he needs to follow up on his success by being consistent. Smith warned Murray that one great game can make you a football history footnote, but it does not guarantee a career.

Murray got the price per head opportunity to shine when starting running back Felix Jones was sidelined with a bad ankle. But Murray still has work to do to prove himself in the NFL. The St. Louis Rams’ defense he ran all over is one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Cowboys’ offensive line was dominating in that game. A better test for Murray will come in week eight when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.

The Cowboys got some more pay per head good news when wide receiver Dez Bryant started returning punts again in the St. Louis game. Bryant had stayed away from returning punts because of a series of injuries that had slowed him down. But he felt well enough in week seven to field five punts against St. Louis. Two were touchbacks, two were fair catches and Bryant had the chance to return one. Bryant indicated that he felt fine and was looking forward to taking over the full-time punt return duties again.

Any fan who picks NFL games for a betting website or in the office football pool knows that the offensive line is one of the most important parts of a football team. The Cowboys are banged up and depleted on the offensive line. Things are so bad that the Cowboys had to re-sign previously released offensive lineman Montrae Holland to play at left guard against the Rams on Sunday. It turned out to be one of the best recent moves the Cowboys had made.

Head coach Jason Garrett said that Holland played well enough to earn a starting spot on the Cowboys’ offensive line and that fans can expect to see Holland on the line when the Cowboys play the Eagles. Garrett did not say what would happen next week when the original starting left guard Derrick Dockery is ready to return to action.

Most NFL fans may not realize that the Dallas Cowboys have the top-ranked run defense in the league. The Cowboys are only allowing an average of 69.7 yards per game, and that is almost exactly what the Dallas defense allowed St. Louis running back Steven Jackson in week seven. By the time the week seven game was over between the Cowboys and the Rams, Steven Jackson had been held to only 70 yards rushing. It was a key component in the Cowboy’s ability to shut down the St. Louis offense and win the game.

Dallas Cowboys Update: Jason Garrett Comes Under Fire

As the Breeder’s Cup betting gets underway, the Dallas Cowboys find itself with a 2-3 record and a whole new list of issues. When the season started, it was emotional second-year wide receiver Dez Bryant who was calling out teammates and trying to get the Cowboys inspired. When that didn’t work, the media and Cowboys organization turned to the common tactic of criticism.

The first victim of Cowboys criticism was quarterback Tony Romo. The price per head fans in Dallas are not convinced that Romo is the one that can lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl run and they are voicing their opinions at Cowboys’ home games. It did not help when hall of fame cornerback Deion Sanders came out and publicly said that Tony Romo is not the right quarterback for a deep playoff run. The Tony Romo debate continues as another point of contention arises for fans and team owners alike.

Head coach Jason Garrett is the newest high profile Cowboy under scrutiny. Garrett’s ability to read a situation and make the right play calls are being questioned by the fans, media and team owner Jerry Jones. When the Cowboys blew a 24-point lead to the Detroit Lions, Garrett’s play-calling was referred to as being too aggressive. After the loss the next week to the New England Patriots, Garrett was said to be too passive in his game management decisions.

The price per head bookmaking experts were a bit surprised to hear the team owner call out the coach. But everyone was shocked when Garrett dismissed Jones’ comments and indicated that he would continue to coach the team his way. For his part, Jones has already indicated that he will not fire Garrett in the middle of the season. The negative emotions of firing former head coach Wade Philips at mid-season last year still linger for Jones and he said he is not interested in repeating that.

A bodog review of the Dallas loss to New England in week six clouds the Cowboys’ season with the list of Cowboys who sustained injuries in that game. The most notable injury is the leg injury to left offensive guard Bill Nagy that will end the season for Nagy. The Cowboys were already struggling on the offensive line and losing the veteran lineman is not going to help the situation.

Another notable injury from the New England loss is the high ankle sprain of running back Felix Jones. With the Cowboys already looking to trade a disgruntled Tashard Choice, the offensive backfield is getting thin. It would be a betonline scam to expect Jones back on the field any time soon. The team is saying two to four weeks for Jones. But players that have had a high ankle sprain know that it can take weeks to properly heal and, even if Jones returns before the end of the season, there is a good chance that he will not be at 100 percent until next year.

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