Dallas Cowboys News

[DC_fan]

Cowboys' defensive snaps vs. Cardinals

IRVING, Texas - Earlier this season, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said the perfect number of plays for defensive tackle Henry Melton was 38 to 40 because he could give maximum effort and remain effective.

That number has changed. The new number is 26.

For the second consecutive game, Melton played exactly 26 plays. And for the second consecutive game he turned in a quality performance.

Melton had two tackles, a tackle for loss and 1.5 sacks. Melton also had three quarterback hits. He now has 3.5 sacks in the last two games.

Anthony Hitchens, starting at weakside linebacker for injured Justin Durant, played 50 snaps and finished with eight tackles, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. He did get beat for a touchdown pass when he was late covering Andre Ellington in the flat for a touchdown that gave Arizona a 21-10 lead.

The Cowboys hope Tyrone Crawford’s sprained MCL in his right knee isn’t too bad. He consistently leads the defensive line in snaps each week. He had one tackle and two hits on Carson Palmer before injuring his knee late in the fourth quarter.

Rookie DeMarcus Lawrence did a solid job in his debut, logging two tackles in 27 snaps.

Tyler Patmon played 14 snaps, primarily in the dime, and returned his first NFL interception 58 yards for a touchdown.

Here's a look at the snap counts played for each of the Cowboys' defensive players Monday night:

J.J. Wilcox S 65
Orlando Scandrick CB 65
Brandon Carr CB 63
Barry Church S 63
Rolando McClain LB 60
Anthony Hitchens LB 50
Tyrone Crawford DL 50
Jeremy Mincey DE 43
Sterling Moore CB 40
Nick Hayden DT 35
George Selvie DE 34
Anthony Spencer DE 29
DeMarcus Lawrence DE 27
Henry Melton DT 26
Kyle Wilber LB 25
Terrell McClain DT 25
Bruce Carter LB 16
Tyler Patmon CB 14
Jeff Heath S 7

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4736481/defensive-snaps-from-the-cowboys-28-17-loss-to-arizona

Cowboys used seven defensive backs, four linebackers and eight defensive linemen

 

[DC_fan]

Offensive snaps from the Cowboys' 28-17 loss to Arizona

Here's a look at the snap counts for each of the Dallas Cowboys' offensive players on Sunday:

Jason Garrett wants you to believe running back Joseph Randle’s behavior had nothing to do with his playing time Sunday against Arizona.

Poppycock.

All season Randle has been DeMarco Murray’s primary backup and Lance Dunbar is a player with a special package that includes draws, screens and lining up in the slot.

Randle was involved in a practice dispute with teammate Dez Bryant on Friday because of some disparaging video-taped comments he made while be held at the Frisco, Texas, police station after getting arrested for stealing underwear and cologne from a department store. He also made comments about Josh Brent.

Randle, who apologized to the team for his comments, played just one snap against Washington. He was in the game at that time because Murray was getting some minor treatment on his right knee.

Randle, a key special-teams performer, played only two snaps on special teams.

Dunbar played 19 plays against Arizona, carrying three times for 9 yards and catching two passes for 52 yards.

Jason Witten played every snap for the ninth consecutive game, the only skill-position player to do that.

Offensive snaps

Jason Witten TE 64
Mackenzy Bernadeau G 64
Jermey Parnell T 64
Zack Martin G 64
Travis Frederick C 64
Tyron Smith T 64
Brandon Weeden QB 64
Dez Bryant WR 55
Terrance Williams WR 52
Demarco Murray RB 43
Cole Beasley WR 34
Lance Dunbar RB 19
James Hanna TE 15
Gavin Escobar TE 12
Tyler Clutts FB 11
Dwayne Harris WR 10
Devin Street WR 4
Joseph Randle RB 1

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/post/_/id/4736479/offensive-snaps-from-the-cowboys-28-17-loss-to-arizona

The Cowboys used 1 quarterback, four running backs, three tight ends, five wide receivers and five offensive linemen.

 

[DC_fan]

On the flight to London

 

[Asnito]

Figured I would take the Cowboy talk here. How much football did you get in OZ in the early nineties. IMO that was the NFL's heyday and the Cowboys had some epic battles with the Giants, Skins and Eagles.

 

[DC_fan]

Figured I would take the Cowboy talk here. How much football did you get in OZ in the early nineties. IMO that was the NFL's heyday and the Cowboys had some epic battles with the Giants, Skins and Eagles.

I think it was back in the mid-eighties when the NFL was first shown here on TV. If I remember rightly C.10 was the first to show it then C.9 picked up the Monday night game. After a few years it moved across to C.2 who I thought did a really good job of covering it.

When Pay TV hit Australia it took a while for the NFL coverage to filter through to there. Until this year we had coverage on Fox Sports and ESPN, plus on One which is a free to air channel.

This year its dropped back a little in coverage. For some reason Fox Sports no longer show games. ESPN have Red Zone for the early games and just show the NBC Sunday night game and the Monday night game. I would much prefer for ESPN to drop Red Zone and show two games in full.

7mate has taken up the free to air coverage this season and show three games on a Monday morning including the NBC Sunday night game.

The 90's were good, especially as Dallas dominated so much of it. I thought we would have won more then three super bowls in that decade. And it was also a time the NFC East was one of the best, if not the best divisions in football. I watched every Super Bowl Dallas won in 90's live on football.

 

[Asnito]

I don't know how things work there but you may have the ability to access games online. I have my computer hooked up to a TV so when I stream an NRL game I get it in (semi) high def and ESPN offers free replays online for NCAAF games they covered.

As far as the boys go the NFC East division back in the day was murderers row. 3 teams won multiple SB's and they Eagles had a really good team also.

The biggest reason the Cowboys didn't win more SB's is Jerry Jones. He let his ego get in the way of making sound business decisions. He felt he could put anybody in as HC(Switzer) and win. It worked once but then it was downhill from there.

 

[DC_fan]

I should have mentioned that I have access to the NFL's Game Pass. So any games not shown on TV here I can view through that.

Back in the early to mid 90's the NFC East really did dominate the NFL. The division won five of six super bowls. The sad thing is that in the past 18 years the NFC East have won only two super bowls.

I don't totally agree with your comments about Jerry Jones. Yes he has an ego, a huge one. But I don't know if he is the reason, well at least the main one anyway, as to why we didn't win more super bowls.

Jimmy Johnson was never meant to be long for the Cowboys. If you think Jerry's ego is big then watch out for Johnsons. Jimmy was the right coach for Dallas at that time and he brought them a lot of success and I applaud him for that. But I don't believe he will be remembered as a great NFL coach.

When Jones signed Switzer, I was as shocked as anyone. He had been out of coaching for five years. But the advantage the Cowboys was they still had the players and he had success with those players. Switzer may have stayed longer as head coach then he did, except for one thing. He was crazy. I will never forget the time when he got caught trying to board a plane with a gun in his hand luggage.

I was in the US at the time that Switzer left the Cowboys. There was a lot of talk about who may replace him. Well I was in a restaurant and come across another Cowboys fan. We got discussing as to who may be named. We both said it wouldn’t surprise if Jerry named himself.

Of course that didn’t happen, with Chan Gailey given the nod. I corresponded with Chan a few times while he was with Dallas. You could not find a nicer person. He had some good success with the Steelers as their offensive coordinator. So you could see why the Cowboys took him on as head coach. He took the Cowboys to the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the team. Jerry Jones has often said that he wished he kept Chan on as head coach longer then he did.

I believe the big factors in stopping the Cowboys winning more Super Bowls in the 90’s was the Salary Cap which the NFL brought in in 1994 and Free-Agency which come in around the same time.. The Cowboys had a star studded team and while they were able to keep the likes of Irvin, Smith and Aikman they struggled to keep the quality backups. Those backups had become major targets for other teams because they were members of a super bowl winning team.

Now some people may say other teams had to adjust to the salary cap and free agency too. Well that is true. All teams struggled for some time with the salary cap and free-agency. But for Dallas it was more noticeable because they were winning Super Bowls.

 

[Asnito]

I should have mentioned that I have access to the NFL's Game Pass. So any games not shown on TV here I can view through that.

Back in the early to mid 90's the NFC East really did dominate the NFL. The division won five of six super bowls. The sad thing is that in the past 18 years the NFC East have won only two super bowls.

I don't totally agree with your comments about Jerry Jones. Yes he has an ego, a huge one. But I don't know if he is the reason, well at least the main one anyway, as to why we didn't win more super bowls.

Jimmy Johnson was never meant to be long for the Cowboys. If you think Jerry's ego is big then watch out for Johnsons. Jimmy was the right coach for Dallas at that time and he brought them a lot of success and I applaud him for that. But I don't believe he will be remembered as a great NFL coach.

When Jones signed Switzer, I was as shocked as anyone. He had been out of coaching for five years. But the advantage the Cowboys was they still had the players and he had success with those players. Switzer may have stayed longer as head coach then he did, except for one thing. He was crazy. I will never forget the time when he got caught trying to board a plane with a gun in his hand luggage.

I was in the US at the time that Switzer left the Cowboys. There was a lot of talk about who may replace him. Well I was in a restaurant and come across another Cowboys fan. We got discussing as to who may be named. We both said it wouldn?t surprise if Jerry named himself.

Of course that didn?t happen, with Chan Gailey given the nod. I corresponded with Chan a few times while he was with Dallas. You could not find a nicer person. He had some good success with the Steelers as their offensive coordinator. So you could see why the Cowboys took him on as head coach. He took the Cowboys to the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the team. Jerry Jones has often said that he wished he kept Chan on as head coach longer then he did.

I believe the big factors in stopping the Cowboys winning more Super Bowls in the 90?s was the Salary Cap which the NFL brought in in 1994 and Free-Agency which come in around the same time.. The Cowboys had a star studded team and while they were able to keep the likes of Irvin, Smith and Aikman they struggled to keep the quality backups. Those backups had become major targets for other teams because they were members of a super bowl winning team.

Now some people may say other teams had to adjust to the salary cap and free agency too. Well that is true. All teams struggled for some time with the salary cap and free-agency. But for Dallas it was more noticeable because they were winning Super Bowls.

I agree with a lot of that but to me it seemed like Jones had the same disease as a lot of owners, they are successful so they think they know more than guys who have been in the business their whole lives.

The salary cap was one of the things that turned me off a bit. It's nice seeing a team come out of nowhere, a la Penrith this past year, but it seems like there's too many teams going from 5-11 to 12-4. I like salary caps in general because I don't know how you root for a team that will never have a chance to win a championship like in the BPL. But it just seems without the guaranteed salaries like the other 3 major North American sports there is so much roster turnover and the players are all about the payday.

 

[nick87]

you've got one job, Jags. Hit Romo as hard as you can, right in the back.

 

[DC_fan]

you've got one job, Jags. Hit Romo as hard as you can, right in the back.

Gee you are a meanie. You want Tony to be hurting more then he is at the moment.

 

[DC_fan]

I agree with a lot of that but to me it seemed like Jones had the same disease as a lot of owners, they are successful so they think they know more than guys who have been in the business their whole lives.

The salary cap was one of the things that turned me off a bit. It's nice seeing a team come out of nowhere, a la Penrith this past year, but it seems like there's too many teams going from 5-11 to 12-4. I like salary caps in general because I don't know how you root for a team that will never have a chance to win a championship like in the BPL. But it just seems without the guaranteed salaries like the other 3 major North American sports there is so much roster turnover and the players are all about the payday.

I like Jerry, I think he is good for the Cowboys and good for the NFL. But in my opinion the best owner Dallas has had was Clint Murchison the original owner of the team from 1960-1984. While he was the owner he let general manager Tex Schramm run the off field business and head coach Tom Landry the on field. Murchison kept in the background. Cant say that about too many owners today.

Guaranteed salaries have made there way in to the NFL in recent years and probably will do more so as the seasons go on.

 

[DC_fan]

Preview
Dallas Cowboys 6-1 (3-1) v Jacksonville Jaguars 1-8 (1-3)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Date: Mon 10th November
Time: 5am AEDT
Expected Weather: Sunny and 14 degrees Celsius
TV coverage: No Australian TV coverage. Game Pass if you have it

History:
All-time results: Jaguars lead series 3-2
Streak: Jaguars won two straight
Last time Cowboys won: 2002
Cowboys biggest win: 26-22 in 1997
Last time Jaguars won: 2010
Jaguars biggest win: 35-17 in 2010

A Cowboys win would
·Improve the Cowboys record in 2014 to 7-3, the first time since 2009, and the 12th time overall.
·Snap Dallas’ current two-game losing streak in 2014, and a two-game losing streak against the Jaguars.
·Improve the Cowboys 2014 record against the AFC South 3-0 and 22-16 all-time.

On this day 9th Nov
Dallas have played six times on this date and their record reads 4-2. Winning their last two in 1997 and 2003.

Head Coaches
Jason Garrett Dallas 35-30 (53.8 percent winning record)
Gus Bradley Jacksonville 5-20 (20)

Team rankings
Offense
Passing: Cowboys 18th (232.8) & Jaguars 27th (212.0)
Rushing: Cowboys 1st (153.4) & Jaguars 21st (101.1)
Points scored: Cowboys 10th (25.6) & Jaguars 32nd (15.7)

Defense
Passing: Cowboys 15th (237.3) & Jaguars 25th (263.4)
Rushing: Cowboys 16th (113.2) & Jaguars 24th (123.4)
Points conceded: Cowboys 9th (21.7) & Jaguars 30th (27.9)


Cowboys Leaders
Passing: Romo 165-242, 1,998 yds, 15 tds, 6 int, 17 sks & 103.6 rating
Rushing: Murray 225 car, 1,133 yds, 5.0 avg & 7 tds
Receiving: Bryant (WR) 50 rec, 635 yds, 12.7 avg & 6 tds
Witten (TE) 34 rec, 398 yds, 11.7 avg & 2 tds
Scoring: Bailey 16 fg, 26 xp for 74 points
Int: R. McClain (LB) 2, Church (S), Carter (LB), Claiborne (CB), Durant (LB), Wilcox (S), Patmon (CB) & Scandrick (CB) 1 each
Sacks: Melton (DT) 5, Carter (LB), Crawford (DE), Selvie (DE), Mincey (DE) 1, Wilber (LB) & Spencer .5

Jaguars Leaders
Passing: Bortles 154-241, 1,631 yds, 8 tds, 13 ints, 19 sks & 72.1 rating
Rushing: D. Robinson 85 car, 423 yds, 5.0 avg & 2 tds
Receiving: A. Robinson (WR) 43 rec, 488 yds, 11.3 avg & 2 tds
Hurns (WR) 29 rec, 466 yds, 16.1 avg & 5 tds
Scoring: Scobee 10 fg & 15 xp for 45 points
Int: Thomas (LB) 2, Ball (CB), Martin (DB), Ball (CB) & Smith (LB) 1
Sacks: Clemons (DE) & Marks (DT) 4 & Branch (DE) 3

Injury Report
Dallas
Bruce Carter (LB) Probable
Jack Crawford (DE) Probable
Anthony Spencer (DE) Probable
Jermey Parnell (T) Probable
Tony Romo (QB) Probable
Barry Church (S) Probable
Doug Free (T) Probable
Ron Leary (G) Probable
Anthony Hitchens (LB) Probable
James Hanna (TE) Probable
Rolando McClain (LB) Questionable
Nick Hayden (DT) Questionable
Tyrone Crawford (DL) Out
Josh Brent (DT) Out (Reserve/Suspended by Commissioner)
Darrion Weems (T) IR (Reserve/Injured)
Ben Gardner (DE) IR (Reserve/Injured)
Sean Lee (LB) IR (Reserve/Injured)
Morris Claiborne (CB) IR (Reserve/Injured)
Chris Whaley (DT) Out (Reserve/Non-Football Injury)
Amobi Okoye (DT) Out (Reserve/Non-Football Injury)

Jacksonville
Andre Ellington (RB) Probable
Stepfan Taylor (RB) Out

Likely Cowboys line up
Offense
QB: Tony Romo #9
RB: DeMarco Murray #29
WR: Dez Bryant #88 & Terrance Williams #83
TE: Jason Witten #82 & Gavin Escobar #89
LT: Tyron Smith #77
LG: Ron Leary #65
C: Travis Frederick #72
RG: Zack Martin #70
RT: Doug Free #68



Defense
LDE: George Selvie #99
DT: Terrell McClain #97
DT: Henry Melton #69
RDE: Jeremy Mincey #92
SLB: Bruce Carter #54
MLB: Anthony Hitchens # #59
WLB: Kyle Wilber #51
LCB: Brandon Carr #39
RCB: Orlando Scandrick #32
FS: Barry Church #42
SS: J.J. Wilcox #27

Cowboys what to look for
Career
Rushing
DeMarco Murray requires another 73 yards to pass Walt Garrison (3,886) and move in to 7th spot on the Cowboys all-time career rushing lists

Result:
After two straight losses the Cowboys need to return to winning form. It should happen here against an ordinary Jaguars team.
Dallas 41 Jacksonville 10

 

[DC_fan]

Cowboys what to look for
Career
Rushing
DeMarco Murray requires another 73 yards to pass Walt Garrison (3,886) and move in to 7th spot on the Cowboys all-time career rushing lists

Murray rushed for 100 yards and is now in 7th spot

 

[DC_fan]

Dallas Cowboys 2014 "Player of the Year" points vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Wk 10)

Offense
Dez Bryant WR 3
DeMarco Murray RB 2
Tony Romo QB 1


Defense
Anthony Hitchens LB 3
Bruce Carter LB 2
Brandon Carr CB 1

Points for the 2014 season

Offense (Emmitt Smith Trophy)
DeMarco Murray RB 28
Tony Romo QB 9
Dez Bryant WR 7
Jason Witten TE 6
Terrance Williams WR 2
Cole Beasley WR 2
Zack Martin RG 2
Tyron Smith LT 2
Dan Bailey K 1
Lance Dunbar RB 1

Defense (Bob Lilly Trophy)
Rolando McClain LB 12
Justin Durant LB 11
Orlando Scandrick CB 6
Anthony Hitchens LB 8
Bruce Carter LB 7
Henry Melton DT 4
Jeremy Mincey DE 2
Sterling Moore CB 2
JJ Wilcox S 2
Tyrone Crawford DL 2
Brandon Carr CB 2
Barry Church S 1
Demarcus Lawrence DE 1

 

[DC_fan]

Cowboys activate Josh Brent months after intoxication manslaughter conviction

Josh Brent became a member of the Cowboys’ 53-man roster Tuesday.

Linebacker Tim Dobbins was waived to make room for Brent, the defensive tackle just finished serving a 10-game suspension.

“He’s had a couple of good weeks of practice,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s too heavy right now. He’s trying to get his weight down. He’s done a good job making some gradual progress on that…He’s done a good job of coming back, getting himself in physical condition and practicing.

This is the NFL. It’s a challenge and when the ball is snapped you better be ready to do it.”

Brent, 26, is eligible to make his 2014 debut in the Cowboys’ next game against the New York Giants on Nov. 23. He hasn’t played in 23 months.

Earlier this year, Brent was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation after he was convicted of intoxication manslaughter, the charge he faced for the death of practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown Jr. in a December 2012 crash. Brent was released in June and spent the final 45 days of his sentence in a treatment facility.

He rejoined the Cowboys on Sept. 29 and his involvement with the team gradually increased as the restrictions imposed during his suspension were periodically removed. This month, it was revealed that Brent signed a one-year contract extension with the Cowboys through the 2015 season that includes a base salary of $745,000 and no guaranteed money.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20141111-cowboys-activate-josh-brent-months-after-intoxication-manslaughter-conviction.ece

Not sure if I agree with this. But I suppose he has done his time, what little there was of it.

 

[Asnito]

Not sure if I agree with this. But I suppose he has done his time, what little there was of it.

I didn't want to run your thread down talking old time Cowboys stuff, but when this happened I'm pretty sure the victims parents weren't looking for a pound of flesh. This case is similiar to D Heatley in the NHL.

The guilt of killing a friend is hard burden to carry and the majority of 20 somethings that party have at some point been over the limit and drove. IMO what he did is something that he will carry with him the rest of his life and there's no point ruining him.

A little off topic but the talking heads here are rating J Winston any where from top 10 to mid twenties because of the off field stuff. I'm not sure what the Boys have behind Romo but if he was available in the mid first round would you want to take a chance?

 

[DC_fan]

A little off topic but the talking heads here are rating J Winston any where from top 10 to mid twenties because of the off field stuff. I'm not sure what the Boys have behind Romo but if he was available in the mid first round would you want to take a chance?

In this regard a lot will depend on how the Cowboys and Romo finish the season.

There is no doubt that Romo is getting beat up. Not because his Offensive line is doing a bad job, but more through the hits that qb's naturally take. Romo is tough and has shown he can come back from the big hits. But he will be 35 come next season and the question has to be asked, how much longer can he survive as an NFL quarterback?

The Cowboys have a lot of money tied up in Romo for the next few years. So they would want to hang on to him a little bit longer or else they get hit in the salary cap.

So do they invest more big money in a qb who maybe sitting around for a few years?

My guess is that they will look at a qb in next years draft but not in the first few rounds.

 

[DC_fan]

Feelin’ A Draft: Early Look At Potential O-Line Prospects For 2015 Draft

The Cowboys offensive line has gone from a question mark to one of the better units in the NFL over the past few seasons, mostly due to front office’s commitment to investing in the position through the NFL Draft.
But with starting right tackle Doug Free and left guard Ronald Leary currently in contract years – although the Cowboys have Leary’s exclusive rights and will certainly retain him - the offensive line could again be a need area for the organization in the 2015 NFL Draft.
And even if the Cowboys don’t address the position in the early rounds, offensive line depth is an area all 32 teams target each off-season.
Below are five offensive line prospects at the college level worth keeping an eye on:



OT T.J. Clemmings, redshirt senior, Pittsburgh (6-5 | 305)
A former defensive end, Clemmings made the transition to the offensive line during the summer of 2013 and has started the last 22 straight games at right tackle for the Panthers. He has explosive upper body strength with stone hands to knock defenders off their feet and lock out with his large wingspan. Clemmings sets up quickly with a wide base and possesses the foot agility to cut off speed rushers on the edges. He is still developing, but Clemmings brings moldable traits and tons of untapped potential to the field, making him worthy of top-30 consideration. Although he isn’t widely talked about now, that will soon change.

OG Arie Kouandjio, redshirt senior, Alabama (6-5 | 315)
Alabama has had at least one offensive lineman drafted in five of the last six drafts and Kouandjio has top-75 potential for the 2015 class. He has started every game at left guard for the Crimson Tide the last two years, using his length and upper body strength to win at the point of attack and seal run lanes. He will slightly overextend himself at times, but Kouandjio does a nice job leveraging the line of scrimmage to set up shop with consistent intensity each snap. If his last name sounds familiar, Arie’s younger brother, Cyrus Kouandjio, was drafted in the second round by the Buffalo Bills last May.

OT Daryl Williams, redshirt senior, Oklahoma (6-6 | 329)
A three-year starter at Oklahoma, Williams has seen playing time on the left and right sides, but is at his best at right offensive tackle, his regular position. He is a power player and people mover in the run game, using his physical hands to latch-and-drive defenders. Williams positions himself well in pass protection, engulfing rushers and blocking out the sun with his thick frame, but he needs to improve his consistency, often caught overextending at the waist. He has his flaws, but projects as mid-round option with possible starter potential.

OG Laken Tomlinson, redshirt senior, Duke (6-3 | 320)
Duke’s football team is a great story in college football as head coach David Cutcliffe has built a consistent and competitive program with players like Tomlinson. A Jamaican native, Tomlinson moved to the U.S. at the age of 10 and was late to pick up the game of football, but with his God-given size and ability, he has started every game for the Blue Devils since 2011 (48 straight games). Tomlinson has a NFL body type and uses his eyes well to pick up twists and extra rushers, but he struggles to consistently bring his feet with him or sustain when asked to block in space. While limited, he is an intriguing day three prospect.

OT Rob Havenstein, redshirt senior, Wisconsin (6-7 | 327)
Wisconsin averages 325.7 rushing yards per game in 2014 and a substantial reason behind that production is Havenstein at right tackle, clearing holes for Melvin Gordon and the Badgers’ ground attack. Havenstein has started the last 37 games at right tackle for Wisconsin, including all 14 games in 2012 with former Badger and current Cowboys’ center Travis Frederick. Havenstein isn’t the most athletic big man with a top-heavy build and tight footwork, but he uses angles well and relies on his upper body strength to bully defenders in the run game. A mid-to-late round prospect, Havenstein will endear himself to NFL coaches with his desire to eliminate defenders with his powerful hands and fierce temperament.

Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) is the Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, a property of The Sports Xchange distributed in partnership with CBSSports.com.
http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2014/11/14/feelin%E2%80%99-draft-early-look-potential-o-line-prospects-2015-draft

My thought is that right now the Cowboys are quite happy with the play of Leary and Free and will do their best to re-sign both.

The problem with the OL comes with depth and the team may look at drafting a offensive lineman in the later rounds for depth.

 

[DC_fan]

Sixteen Cowboys rank in the Top 10 in their respective position groups in the latest Pro Bowl fan voting, the second most of any team in the league.

With a little over five weeks of fan voting remaining for the 2014 NFL Pro Bowl, 16 Dallas Cowboys rank in the Top 10 in their respective position groups in the latest Pro Bowl fan voting, according to data from the NFL.
Of those 16 Cowboys, DeMarco Murray, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin rank in first place at their respective positions, and Dan Bailey is ranked second at his. We reported on those five yesterday, so they shouldn't come as a surprise, but some of the others in the top ten at their respective positions might:

• The second leading vote-getter for the Cowboys behind DeMarco Murray is Dez Bryant, but his 166,673 votes rank him "only" fourth among all wide receivers behind Antonio Brown (200,230), Demaryius Thomas (182,922), and Jordy Nelson (179,912).
• Quarterback Tony Romo ranks only 7th among all QBs, trailing Ben Roethlisberger but ahead of Russell Wilson.
• Even fullback Tyler Clutts gets a Pro Bowl nod, coming in 6th overall among all fullbacks.
• Rolando McClain comes in 3rd overall and has a good chance of making the Pro Bowl, provided he stays healthy. The next best defender is Henry Melton, whose chances will likely incresease proportionally to the number of sacks he records over the next six games.
• And hats off to Jeff Heath: recognized as the fourth best special teams guy.

Other Cowboys players recognized in the early Pro Bowl vote are Doug Free, Ronald Leary, Barry Church, Jason Witten, and Dwayne Harris. Here's the full table of all 16 Cowboys.

COWBOYS PRO BOWL VOTING LEADERS
Player Position Votes Pos. Rk.
DeMarco Murray RB 263,097 1
Travis Frederick OC 79,612 1
Tyron Smith OT 77,959 1
Zack Martin OG 68,896 1
Dan Bailey K 57,618 2
Rolando McClain ILB 44,498 3
Dez Bryant WR 166,673 4
Doug Free OT 51,628 4
Jeff Heath Sp. Teams 21,902 4
Ronald Leary OG 45,537 5
Tyler Clutts FB 34,843 5
Barry Church FS 24,032 5
Tony Romo QB 134,342 7
Jason Witten TE 53,672 7
Henry Melton DT 34,829 8
Dwayne Harris Returner 20,261 8

There's a good chance the entire Cowboys O-line could make the Pro Bowl.
88 players will eventually be eligible for the Pro Bowl draft that will be conducted during the week leading up to the game on January 25, 2015. Those 88 spots will be split as follows:

8 spots: WR, CB
6 spots: QB, RB, OT, OG, DE, DT, OLB, S
4 Spots: TE, OC, ILB
2 Spots: FB, P, K, Return Specialist, Long Snapper, Special teamer.

That means that a player like Ronald Leary, who ranks fifth among all guards, would make the Pro Bowl - if the coaches and players vote the same was as the fans do. If that were the case, and the rankings above hold until all votes are tallied, all five Cowboys offensive linemen would make the Pro Bowl.

A record Pro Bowl haul for the Cowboys?
Additionally, more players will be added to the Pro Bowl roster either as injury replacements or as replacements for Super Bowl-bound players, so a player could still make the Pro Bowl if he is ranked fifth or sixth, even though his position may only officially have four spots available.
Going strictly by the available spots and the current ranking in the fan vote, nine Cowboys would make the Pro Bowl: DeMarco Murray, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Dan Bailey, Rolando McClain, Dez Bryan, Doug Free, and Ronald Leary.

If we allow for injury replacements and Super Bowl-subs, that list could extend to include Jeff Heatch, Barry Church, Tony Romo and perhaps Henry Melton.

There a remote chance the Cowboys could equal the 2007 franchise record of 13 Pro Bowlers this year, and a double-digit total may be in reach for only the sixth time in franchise history (2007: 13, 1993: 11, 1994: 11, 1995: 10, 1967: 10).

Cowboys have the second-most players in the top ten at each position
The fan vote may not be the most unbiased source of rankings imaginable, but it is part of the Pro Bowl voting process. As such, some players will be more popular than others, irrespective of their actual performance, just as some teams will naturally accrue more votes in their favor than others. Of the 190 players ranked in the top ten across the positions, here's the distribution by team:

Team No. of Players Team No. of Players
Green Bay Packers 19 Cleveland Browns 4 Dallas Cowboys 16 Houston Texans 4 Denver Broncos 15 New York Jets 4 New England Patriots 14 San Diego Chargers 4 Pittsburgh Steelers 12 Atlanta Falcons 3 Indianapolis Colts 11 Kansas City Chiefs 3 Seattle Seahawks 10 Miami Dolphins 3 Baltimore Ravens 9 New Orleans Saints 3 Philadelphia Eagles 7 Tennessee Titans 3 San Francisco 49ers 7 Washington Redskins 3 Detroit Lions 6 Cincinnati Bengals 2 Carolina Panthers 5 New York Giants 2 Minnesota Vikings 5 Oakland Raiders 2 Arizona Cardinals 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2 Buffalo Bills 4 Jacksonville Jaguars 0 Chicago Bears 4 St. Louis Rams 0

To a degree, the ranking here correlates with the success - or absence of success - most teams are having this year. Notable exceptions are the 8-1 Cardinals, the 7-2 Lions, and the 7-2 Eagles, who have a lot less players in the top ten than their record would have you believe.

The Cowboys are positioned well in the fan vote, and if they continue their winning ways, the coaches and players might underline the fan sentiment. Until then you can make sure the fan vote continues to go the Cowboys' way: If you haven't yet voted for your favorite Cowboys players today, go to NFL.com and cast your vote. Multiple times. Every day

.http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2014/11/14/7215847/16-cowboys-players-in-top-10-at-their-position-groups-in-early-pro-bowl-voting

 

[Asnito]

In this regard a lot will depend on how the Cowboys and Romo finish the season.

There is no doubt that Romo is getting beat up. Not because his Offensive line is doing a bad job, but more through the hits that qb's naturally take. Romo is tough and has shown he can come back from the big hits. But he will be 35 come next season and the question has to be asked, how much longer can he survive as an NFL quarterback?

The Cowboys have a lot of money tied up in Romo for the next few years. So they would want to hang on to him a little bit longer or else they get hit in the salary cap.

So do they invest more big money in a qb who maybe sitting around for a few years?

My guess is that they will look at a qb in next years draft but not in the first few rounds.

I'm not up to date on the Cowboys cap but on pure athletic ability Winston would be hard to pass up. I guess it would come down to interviews and how he did there, he still may go top five if a team falls in love with him.