NFL Week 5 Preview: Dallas Cowboys vs Tennessee Titans

Dallas Cowboys vs Tennessee Titans Preview
The Cowboys have everything going for them this week, they are coming off a bye and will face a struggling Titans team at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys need to take advantage of their good fortune this time. Last week the Titans couldn’t get anything going on offense or defense against the Broncos. Outside of running back Chris Johnson the Titans have looked lost for most of this season. Their defense struggled against the Broncos passing attack last week, and will face a Cowboys team with even more weapons.

If the Cowboys can play the like they did against the Texans they will have no problem dispatching the Titans. The bye week came at the right time, giving the long list of injured Cowboys a chance to rest: Jason Witten (knee), Kyle Kosier (knee), Dez Bryant (ribs, hips), Marc Colombo (knee) and Mike Jenkins (knee).

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Dallas Cowboys Update: Dallas Comes Through in Houston

Things were looking sketchy in Dallas after the first two weeks of the season. The sports book makers were starting to second guess their choice of Dallas as one of the NFC favorites to get to the Super Bowl. The offense was not clicking and the special teams were terrible. The NFL betting world was turning on America’s Team and rumors about coaching jobs and quarterback benchings were starting to fly.

Then the Cowboys went in to Houston and beat a legitimate playoff contender in the Houston Texans. The NFL scores the first couple of weeks were against the Cowboys, but the week three game saw a 27-13 win for Dallas. Now Wade Phillips’ job is safe again, Tony Romo is one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks again and Jerry Jones is starting to force a smile.

While the win was significant for the Cowboys, the team is still 1-2 on the season. They will need to put together a string of wins if the locker room division is going to stop, and the finger-pointing at coaches and players is going to stop as well. The players tried to keep the problems among themselves, and Phillips kept acting like he has the answers but no one is listening. We will see what future games will bring.

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Dallas Cowboys Update: Jason Witten’s Public Outburst

The sports betting hype surrounding the Cowboys making it to Super Bowl XLV was heavy in the preseason. Now, many in the NFL betting world are starting to wonder if the pressure is starting to get to the Cowboys as they languish in an 0-2 start to the 2010 season.

Tight end Jason Witten knows the rules about concussions. The rules are there to protect the players. But when Witten was informed that the concussion he suffered in week two against the Chicago Bears, he blew up on the sidelines. The very popular Internet video has Witten lecturing the team trainer who told Witten that he was not playing the rest of the game. It is the complete embodiment of frustration. Witten is expected to start against the Houston Texans this week.

The football betting community is starting to see other signs that the Cowboys are cracking under the pressure to make Super Bowl XLV created by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. After the loss to Chicago, Dallas safety Gerald Sensabaugh exploded at reporters I the locker room telling them that he only wants to talk about the Houston game. Sensabaugh went on to say that the Super Bowl hype is indeed becoming a serious distraction to the team.

Dallas head coach and his entire coaching staff is starting to come under fire for comments being made by players that the coaches have no idea what is going on at practice. Cornerback Terrance Newman was quoted as saying that practices lack intensity which is one of the root causes of the Cowboys terrible start. There has also been rumors floating around that the players have developed their own way of practicing that allows them to take it easy on themselves, and the coaches have no idea it is going on. A players-only meeting has been called to try and address the situation.

Cornerback Mike Jenkins was taken off the field in a motorized cart in the fourth quarter of the loss to Chicago. However, head coach Wade Philips has announced that the injury looked worse than it was and that Jenkins will play in the upcoming game against Houston.

Before making their NFL predictions this season, the Dallas front office should have taken a look at the progression of the team under head coach Wade Philips. In his first season as head coach of the Cowboys in 2007, Philips took Dallas to a 4-0 start. In 2008 that start dropped to 3-1, then in 2009 it was 2-2 and now we sit 0-2 in 2010 with the very real possibility of going 0-3 against the surging Houston Texans.

In training camp and the preseason the Cowboys looked strong. The team finished the 2009 regular season strong and did well in the playoffs. Expectations were right to be high. But now that the season has started, the short cuts the players were taking are starting to show up on the field. The head coach is accountable for his team’s performance, and many are starting to wonder if the Cowboys will come out of their bye week with Wade Philips as the head coach, or Jason Garrett.

Dallas Cowboys Developing Talent?

Dallas Cowboys are developing talent, and I want to write an article and give props to the Cowboys for the development of talent over the last few years. Most of the time all we hear is that the Dallas Cowboys don’t draft well etc. I am going to take a look at the players who have stood out this season and look at where they were drafted. Too often experts quickly judge players as busts without giving them a chance to improve. So here is a list of players that the Dallas Cowboys players whose play has stood out this season and were drafted or signed as undrafted free agents by the Cowboys. Doug Free was the only player who is not a starter at his position besides the trio of running backs but he has been starting in place of Colombo. Also an honorable mention to a player that we have all ripped on should go to Bobby Carpenter, he hasn’t stood out this year and I will take that over noticing his mistakes.

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Jason Witten Loses Helmet, Shouldn’t Lose His Voice

Jason Witten has proven himself in many ways throughout his NFL career. He has earned an enormous amount of respect within the Dallas Cowboys and around the NFL. One of the most enduring images of Witten is of when the big tight end loses his helmet during a game in Philadelphia in 2007.

Late in the game, Witten loses his helmet after a monstrous hit by an Eagles safety. While many players would have simply gone down, Jason Witten continues to run down the field with no helmet, and a look of sheer determination on his face. For those who may have forgotten or missed this moment of greatness, here is a reminder of Jason Witten when he loses his helmet.

Witten’s determination to score, even with no helmet, shows how great a player he truly is. It is time for Witten to use his reputation to be a positive force within the Cowboys locker room

With the disastrous end to the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season, there are many issues that the Cowboys must resolve if they are to do any better in 2009. One of the most pressing issues is to find a leader within the team to keep the Cowboys focused as the season progresses.

There were numerous factors that went in to the Dallas Cowboys recent disaster. With plenty of internal strife, the team is desperate for a senior player to step up and take control of the locker room.

It is clear that the coaching staff of the Dallas Cowboys is not up to the task of keeping the team focused. Wade Phillips is simply not an assertive coach.

Many problems came from players acting out and causing unnecessary problems. Adam Jones, who was already on thin ice, was involved in a fight at a Dallas hotel. Terrell Owens caused numerous problems with his whining for the ball and complaints about a perceived bias of Tony Romo for Jason Witten.
In all of this controversy, there was no player that stepped up in the locker room to lead the team. No one stood up to Owens and told him to shut up and play. No one gathered the team around to inspire them when the chips were down.

Every truly great team needs a senior player to step up and lead from time to time. Look at Peyton Manning for the Colts, or Brett Favre for the Packers. Even Ray Lewis stands out among the Ravens as a leader. Every one of these teams is a solid team, and each one has a player step up as a leader.

This begs the question, where was the senior player in the Dallas Cowboys this season. When considering the roster, Jason Witten stands out as a senior player with a tremendous amount of respect.

However Jason Witten, the man who is fearless enough to keep running after he loses his helmet, was too quiet when the team really needed him. Witten is as widely respected for his abilities as Owens, or any other player in the league, however when push came to shove, Jason Witten did not assert himself as a positive influence on the team.

The Cowboys are in desperate need of leadership throughout the organization. The coaching staff needs to regain control of the team, but when all else fails, there needs to be a locker room presence to take control and tell players to shut up every once in awhile.

Next year, it is imperative that Witten establishes himself as a leader early in the season. Witten has always led by example, as is evidenced by his playing with broken ribs, a broken jaw, and with no helmet, but the Cowboys need more from him. He can no longer lead by example. Some situations will require Witten to stand up to players within his own locker room and keep the team focused. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most famous sports teams in the world. It is a certainty that this popularity will give rise to controversy. It is therefore imperative that a locker room presence is established to keep this high profile team focused down the season. Jason Witten is that presence. He has the credibility, now he needs to use it if the Dallas Cowboys want any chance at a championship.

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