How about them Cowboys!!? Ugh. I’m joined by Darren Shelter from Cowboys Nation. Darren talks about Gailey’s tenure in Dallas, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo’s play, how he’d attack the Cowboys defense and offense, Rob Ryan’s impact and much more. If you want to check out my answers to his questions, check out his site.
1) What sort of impact has Rob Ryan had on your defense?
In 2010, the Cowboys defense ranked near the bottom in just about every category and gave up a whopping 27.2 pts per game. This year, we’ve seen a big improvement and they are only giving up 21.9 pts per game. Rob Ryan brings an energy and excitement to his players, much like his dad and brother have done in their careers. While there is a lot of room for improvement, the Cowboys defense is certainly a lot better than it was, or at least they believe they are. I’m excited to see what this guy brings in years 3 and 4 since you have to give him a few seasons to really get going.
2) Demarco Murray seems like a stud for you guys so far this year. Why has he been so great?
Can you imagine if Felix Jones didn’t get hurt? This kid would still be wasting away on the sidelines watching Jones take the load. It’s not so much about the numbers Murray is putting up but rather how he goes about putting up the numbers. He’s great and hitting the open holes, breaking tackles and converting 3rd and short yard situations. He’s got some speed and certainly has power and the more he runs, the more confidence he gains which is incredibly valuable. I suspect that he’s been so effective the last 3 weeks because teams don’t have a lot of tape to watch on him but hopefully the speed and power he has will help keep teams from learning how to stop him.
3) Give your take on Tony Romo. At this point, I’m completely numb to him because he’s constantly talked about by the talking heads of ESPN. Can the Cowboys win with him?
I spend most of my time talking about Tony Romo. The truth is, we’ve seen a much different Tony Romo over the last few weeks. Freewheeling Tony Romo appears to be gone and I believe he (or the coaching staff) is just afraid to let him make his mistakes. I prefer the guy that’s allowed to take chances that sometimes results in mistakes because that just means he’s out there trying to make something happen. He’s a guy that gets too much blame when things go wrong and too much credit when they go right and all of the sudden it seems like they are trying to go the safe route with him.That’s not who he is and that’s not how he plays at his absolute best. Letting Tony be Tony and teaching him to understand situational football, especially in the 4th quarter would be the correct route to go. The Cowboys can’t win with just him, it takes a team effort but given the right running game and right defense, sure he can win a championship.
4) Who is the go to guy for the Cowboys offense, Dez Bryant or Jason Witten?
Absolutely Jason Witten and has been for a long time. When the Cowboys get to 3rd and long, 9 times out of 10 the Cowboys are going to look at Jason Witten. Unfortunately the opposition knows that and looks for that. Dez is talented and fast but he disappears in the second half for some reason. You can always count on Witten to make plays, which is something I can’t say about Dez. Until someone else comes along and proves to be a playmaker, Witten will always be the go to guy.
5) If you were the Bills offensive coordinator, how would you attack the Cowboys defense?
Two weeks ago LeSean McCoy torched Dallas for 185 yards running simple plays where the o-line stretched out the defense and McCoy found a seam and cut back into it. The classic stretch play if you will. Last week, Marshawn Lynch did the same exact thing and ran for 135 yards against our D. It doesn’t take a genius to watch game tape from the last two weeks and figure out exactly what’s hurting the Dallas Defense. In fact, I’m willing to bet that Fred Jackson is begging for some plays like this!!
6) How would you assess the Cowboys offensive line’s play this year? I know you guys got rid of Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode, how have the Cowboys adjusted to the loss?
There are two things you want from your O-line. 1) You want them to open holes and allow your running back to make some big plays. In the beginning of the season, the line struggled and the running game struggled but in the last couple of weeks, the running game seems to be a little better. Maybe our o-line is just a better fit for a guy like Murray than a guy like Jones but whatever the reason, the o-line is starting to help the Cowboys find a successful running game. 2) You want them to protect the QB. I had nightmares after Michael Boley planted Romo into the turf last season. I would see that hit over and over in my head. So far this season, they’ve done a decent job protecting him. Romo did get injured week 2 in San Fran but he has shown a lot of confidence in his line by playing despite his rib injury.
7) I can’t stand Jerry Jones. How do Cowboys fans react to him?
There is no argument that Jerry Jones is probably the worst thing that ever happened to this franchise. Put the whole “Saturday Night Massacre” aside, his constant meddling and second guessing becomes a distraction for the team. How do you coach when you have to ask yourself “what is Jerry going to think” after a play doesn’t work out? I’m waiting for him to learn that publicly bashing your players and team isn’t the right way to do business. In fact, I don’t really care what the guy thinks about the players, the play calling, etc., the only thing that I care about is his ability to sign the paychecks and make sure the Cowboys have the best players possible. I do look forward to the day that Jerry Jones sells the team but I am guessing that won’t happen for a very long time, especially since his family is heavily involved in the organization.
8) How should defenses defend Tony Romo?
Put pressure on Romo, that’s the only thing you need to do. If you get Romo on the move, he’s going to make mistakes, he’s going to throw from his back foot and he’s going to force passes where they don’t belong. Romo likes to wait until the play clock is down to 1 or 2 before snapping the ball so timing his rhythm can be very easy. If the Cowboys get to 3rd and 6 or more, take away Witten and Romo won’t have a lot of options and will probably try to get the ball to Witten anyway.
9) What are your thoughts on Chan Gailey’s time in Dallas?
Chan Gailey wasn’t a horrible coach for Dallas. I mean he won the NFC East in his first season and took the Cowboys to the playoffs each year he was the head coach here but he couldn’t win a playoff game either year. His first year as head coach was a much better year for Dallas but to be fair, the Cowboys lost both Michael Irvin and Moose Johnston to season and career ending injuries early into the 1999 season. I don’t think any coach could have overcome injuries to those kinds of players. He squeaked into the playoffs at 8-8 but lost to the Vikings in the Wild Card Game and was fired by Jerry Jones shortly after. There is a reason why people don’t have a fond memory when it comes to Chan Gailey. Look at the guys before him, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, they ALL won. Chan was the first coach in Dallas Cowboys history not to bring home a championship. I know that’s a tall order to fill when you only get 2 years but this is the Dallas Cowboys, this is Jerry Jones, we don’t really do things that make sense!
10) Who Wins?
The Eagles lost this week to the Bears so let’s be realistic, the NFC East is going to come down to the Giants vs the Cowboys. In fact, December could be a very interesting and important month for the Cowboys but for that to happen, the Cowboys need to start rolling down the hill instead of always climbing up the hill and I think they know that. They put together a decent win against the Seahawks and the Giants are going to San Fran where they have a history of losing so the Cowboys look at a must win this week to close the gap against the Giants because you have to assume they will split those game against the Giants. I’m picking the Cowboys in a 27-21 win.
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