I caught up with the Bloguin Cowboy’s site “The Cowboys Nation” to get the inside scoop on our Saintsgiving day opponent. Special thanks to Darren for taking the time. If you haven’t been over there yet, you should CHECK IT OUT as he does a great job. He even picks the Saints to win this game, so what’s not to like? Enjoy the Q&A below.
Saints Nation: Seems like the Cowboys have found a little hot streak with Jason Garrett taking over. Does everyone in Dallas view Garrett as a major upgrade over Wade Phillips, and the future of Dallas Cowboy coaching?
Cowboys Nation: I often wonder if Wade’s befuddled look on the sidelines and in postgame interviews was seen by the team in the locker room. Jason Garrett seems to have a stronger personality than Wade Philips and is certainly an upgrade right now. His “Let’s be perfect one day at a time” outlook is extremely refreshing and the players have responded positively. Is he the long term solution? I don’t think we can answer that just yet. Yes, the Cowboys are on a streak but wins over the highly overrated Giants and slowly improving Lions are nice but not enough to want to drop the interim tag just yet.
SN: How do you rate what Jon Kitna’s been able to do since Romo went out? What are his strengths and weaknesses?
CN: Kitna has turned some heads. He had a few rough games to start but that is expected of any QB that has sat on the bench for 2 years. I like what I have seen from Kitna since Garrett’s promotion and he has certainly done a much better job than I thought he would as I watched Romo lying on the turf that one Monday Night. He’s not a mobile QB at all, even though his 29 yard TD last week would suggest otherwise. The O-line has done a good job the last 2 weeks but if they let up, Kitna would probably find all kinds of trouble and turf.
SN: Why have the Cowboys had such trouble running the ball this year? What’s prevented Felix Jones and Marion Barber from getting going?
CN: Under Philips, the Cowboys wanted to throw the ball, a lot. Garrett got a lot of critism about that but now that Garrett is the coach, the Cowboys have run the ball more than they’ve thrown it. I have to question if it was Philips or Garrett wanting to throw it more earlier in the season. The Cowboys O-line has been banged up all season and even when it wasn’t, they were very weak at opening holes for the RB’s. Suddenly, the O-line is playing with much more confidence. With more opportunities for carries, the RB’s seem to be finding a groove.
SN: We all know about DeMarcus Ware (who basically single handedly beat us last year), as well as Witten, Miles Austin and company. Who is a player that Saints fans might not have heard of that is crucial to Dallas’ success?
CN: Dez Bryant wants the ball and Dez Bryant certainly knows how to get the ball. He’s got speed, height and a hunger to show the world his game. Bryant has 44 catches & needs 3 to pass HOFer Bob Hayes for the most by a Cowboys rookie so you know #88’s number gets called a lot in the huddle. Bryan McCann has also come out of nowhere the last 2 weeks. With an injury to Mike Jenkins, McCann got the call against the Giants and took an Eli Manning interception back 101 yards for six. Last week, McCann made a heads up play on a punt and returned that one 97 yards for 6 points. He’s had a great two weeks and it would be nice to see him continue his big plays.
SN: Seems like the pieces are in place for a fantastic Cowboy defense. Why are they ranked 28th in scoring and 22nd overall? Based on the players they have it seems somewhat shocking that they would be that low.
CN: That is what was so shocking about the Cowboys collapse this season. Philips was supposed to be a defensive genius and his defense just plain sucked. The pieces were always there but they just couldn’t get it to work for some reason. Like the rest of the team, Philips just didn’t have their attention and certainly didn’t get them to show up on Sundays. Things are changing and while some guys could be replaced, the pieces are there for next season.
SN: What do you fear most about the Saints as an opposing fan?
CN: The Saints started out a little slowly this season, plus they had injuries to deal with. Lately, the Saints are starting to get in that groove and if Drew Brees can hang on to the football, he’s scares me. The Saints amassed 494 yards, their most since the first game of their 2009 championship season. Brees found 10 different receivers while completing 29 of 43 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. Sounds like a guy who woke up to me.
Looks like Bush will be back too and you know he’ll want to make up for lost time. Shockey hates Dallas, always has and always loves to play them tough.
SN: Give us your prediction on the score.
CN: I would love to see Dallas steal a win here but I just think the Saints are in too good of a groove right now and this games means a lot more to them. I do think this game will end up being a high scoring affair but somehow the Saints sneak out a win. 38-35
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