Restoring the Star || Driveshaft's Dallas Cowboys

[Driveshaft815]

Preseason News

Cowboys added some more depth to the offensive line and special teams, signing a few players, including the speedy wide receiver, Eddie Royal. Cowboys have signed the following players:

OT Reid Fragel, 1 year $570K
OT Derek Sherrod, 1 year $730K
LB Zaviar Gooden, 1 year $640K
WR Eddie Royal, 1 year $1.4M


Position Battles

With the Cowboys' first preseason game quickly approaching, there are some interesting position battles to keep an eye on, including the most talked-about running back position.

HB1: Mark Ingram vs. Cassidy Reynolds
Both running backs bring a lot to the table; Mark Ingram has the most experience in the young backfield, and could be the most reliable in the passing game. Whereas Reynolds provides the breakaway speed when rushing the edge that the O-Line will help provide.

LE1: Jeremy Mincey vs. Orleans Ray
Another case of the veteran versus the rookie -- Orleans Ray could be a 7th round steal for the Cowboys. The strong defensive end was incredibly impressive during OTAs and practice. Ray was originally being planned to be shifted back and forth between the interior and exterior line, but depending on how he performs this preseason, he could be taking Mincey's starting role.

LOLB2: Brayden Ogletree vs. Cameron Lawrence
Although Justin Durant has secured the starting position, these two young linebackers will both have an opportunity to get a lot of playing time. Cameron Lawrence didn't see a lot of action in 2014, but after losing Bruce Carter and Rolando McClain, Lawrence and Ogletree are both going to be expected to step up. Ogletree has tremendous speed, but still has a lot to work on.

CB3: Alfonzo Dennard vs. Tyron Tyson
Another position that could be taken by a rookie: Dennard impressed everyone last year when he came over in a trade from the Patriots. However, Tyron Tyson has been equally impressive during practice, and will be given a lot of playtime this preseason to see how he does.


Cowboys' 2015 Schedule

Preseason
Week 1: @ Buffalo Bills
Week 2: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: vs. New York Jets
Week 4: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Regular Season
Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 2: @ New York Jets
Week 3: @ Washington Redskins
Week 4: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week 5: @ New York Giants
Week 6: @ Green Bay Packers
Week 7: @ Atlanta Falcons
Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 11: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins
Week 14: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 15: @ New England Patriots
Week 16: @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 17: vs. New York Giants

[Driveshaft815]

Preseason Week 1 - Recap

Although the Cowboys had a nice outing on both offense and defense, the Buffalo Bills were able to clinch a 1-point win over the 2014 NFC Divisional Champs. Both Ingram and Reynolds were both unable to muster up much of anything against the Bills' stellar D-Line.

The Bills' may not have had a first or a second round pick in the 2014 draft, but their third round pick made a name for himself against the Cowboys. The rookie defensive end, J.J. Sellers, recorded four tackles against the Cowboys, two sacks, and an interception, which would ultimately help the Bills seal the win.

Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills
Aug 13, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Dallas Cowboys (0-0)	0	7	7	10	24
Buffalo Bills (0-0)	0	13	0	12	25

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Dustin Vaughn 15/22 177 2 1 Tony Romo 4/6 29 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cassidy Reynolds 15 54 3.6 1 Mark Ingram 3 10 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Gavin Escobar 4 80 20.0 1 Cole Beasley 4 43 10.7 0 Cassidy Reynolds 3 8 2.6 0 Jason Witten 2 23 11.5 0 Devin Street 2 16 8.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Barry Church 6 0 0 0 Jeff Heath 4 0 0 0 J.J. Wilcox 4 0 0 0 Terrell McClain 3 1 0 0 Anthony Hitchens 1 1 0 0 Mo Claiborne 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Bailey 1/1 3/3 6 47

Buffalo Bills PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kevin Kolb 8/16 181 1 0 EJ Manuel 2/2 6 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bryce Brown 15 64 4.3 0 EJ Manuel 1 27 27.0 0 C.J. Spiller 6 17 2.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Bryce Brown 5 33 6.6 0 Damian Williams 2 55 27.5 0 Scott Chandler 1 19 19.0 0 Joshua Cribbs 1 79 79.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Nickell Robey 5 0 0 0 Kyle Williams 4 1 0 0 Aaron Williams 4 0 0 0 J.J. Sellers 4 2 1 0 Manny Lawson 1 1 0 0 Mario Williams 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Carpenter 4/4 1/1 13 53

News and Headlines

Bears add depth for rookie QB
The Chicago Bears selected the top-rated QB in the 2015 draft, Curt Durham, with the third overall pick. Earlier this week, the Bears announced they had signed both Vincent Jackson and Pierre Garcon to 1-year deals. Along with Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, the rookie QB will have a plethora of receivers to throw to.

[Cheese2121]

Nice clean layout for the preseason. Will you be doing any in-game pictures?

[Driveshaft815]

Quote: Originally Posted by cheese2121

Nice clean layout for the preseason. Will you be doing any in-game pictures?

Thanks! And yes, definitely. I plan on doing more in-depth game recaps and whatnot for the regular season -- I was just looking to speed through the preseason. Admittedly, this is my first time actually playing preseason games... normally I just sim through them.

[Driveshaft815]

Preseason Week 2 - Recap

The Cowboys' rookies put on a show in Tampa Bay, as the team walked away with a devastating 37-6 victory. Cassidy Reynolds had a whopping 161 yards and a touchdown, Tyron Tyson had his first interception, and Orleans Ray had his first sack.

The Cowboys' defense was stellar, picking off Mike Glennon three times. There wasn't much of an upside for Tampa Bay, although Larry English did record two sacks on Dustin Vaughn, and Doug Martin lead the team in both rushing and receiving yards.

Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Aug 23, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Dallas Cowboys (0-1)	14	10	6	7	37
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)	0	0	0	6	6

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Dustin Vaughn 10/15 140 1 0 Tony Romo 7/8 83 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cassidy Reynolds 22 161 7.3 1 Mark Ingram 6 33 5.5 1 Joseph Randle 3 11 3.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Devin Street 4 78 19.5 1 Cassidy Reynolds 3 35 11.6 0 Gavin Escobar 3 24 8.0 0 Jason Witten 2 28 14.0 0 Mark Ingram 2 15 7.5 0 Dez Bryant 1 27 27.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jeff Heath 6 0 0 0 Justin Durant 5 0 0 0 Mo Claiborne 4 0 1 0 Tyron Tyson 2 0 1 0 Alfonzo Dennard 1 0 1 0 Orleans Ray 1 1 0 0 DeMarcus Lawrence 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Bailey 3/3 4/4 13 42

Tampa Bay Buccaneers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Glennon 15/24 152 0 3 Kevin Weatherford 2/3 22 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Doug Martin 6 26 4.3 0 Perry Umodu 4 21 5.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tiquan Underwood 5 74 14.8 0 Doug Martin 5 35 7.9 0 Bear Pascoe 2 17 8.5 0 Earl Bennett 2 21 10.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD William Gholston 5 0 0 0 J.T. Thomas 4 1 0 0 Larry English 3 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Billy Cundiff 2/2 0/0 6 47

News and Headlines

Anthony Barr placed on IR
The Minnesota Viking's big outside linebacker, who was in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, has officially been placed on injured reserve, Zimmer reported. The young linebacker will require surgery; the NFL wishes him a speedy and healthy recovery.

[Driveshaft815]

Preseason Week 3 - Recap

Tony Romo was able to take his offense down the field and score on an opening drive for the second week in a row; and then an early fumble by Geno Smith caused the Cowboys to take over with great field position, leading to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Despite the two score deficit, the former Browns and Patriots quarterback, Brian Hoyer, started to lead his team to a comeback. However, a pick six late in the 4th quarter by Morris Claiborne was enough to seal the victory for the Cowboys.

New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys
Aug 29, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York Jets (0-2)	0	10	3	7	20
Dallas Cowboys (1-1)	14	7	3	10	34

New York Jets PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brian Hoyer 27/34 278 2 2 Geno Smith 3/4 42 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chris Ivory 11 58 5.2 0 Knowshon Moreno 5 14 2.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jeff Cumberland 8 69 8.6 1 Knowshon Moreno 5 51 10.2 0 Jeremy Kerley 3 57 19.0 0 Shaq Evans 3 29 9.6 0 Ted Ginn 2 30 15.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Antonio Allen 4 0 0 0 Trevor Reilly 4 1 0 0 Craig Robertson 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Nick Folk 2/2 2/2 8 34

Dallas Cowboys PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Dustin Vaughn 11/16 175 1 0 Tony Romo 4/6 92 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cassidy Reynolds 15 56 3.7 0 Mark Ingram 7 20 2.8 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cole Beasley 4 96 24.0 1 Jason Witten 3 37 12.3 0 Jamar Ferguson 2 62 31.0 0 Gavin Escobar 2 37 18.5 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Zaviar Gooden 7 0 1 0 Jeff Heath 5 0 0 0 Sean Lee 4 1 0 0 Mo Claiborne 4 0 1 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Bailey 2/2 2/2 8 32

News and Headlines

Cowboys trade Dennard to Jets
Following the 34-20 win over the Jets, the Cowboys and Jets sealed a deal that would send over Alfonzo Dennard in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2016 draft.

[Driveshaft815]

In Mo We Trust?

After the trade with the New York Jets that sent over Alfonzo Dennard for a 3rd round pick; the Cowboys made another big trade, this time with the Panthers. The Cowboys traded corner back Brandon Carr, and in exchange, the Cowboys received outside linebacker A.J. Klein.

The trade helps out both teams with depth issues. But also, this trade puts a lot more pressure on rookie Tyron Tyson and Mo Claiborne. Jason Garrett has been impressed with Claiborne so far this preseason. In three games this preseason, Claiborne has 9 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 sack, and 1 touchdown.

[Cheese2121]

Claiborne has been having a fantastic preseason so I think he will be ready to be the number one corner. Curious to see how the running game pans out. Loving this.