Blogging Dem #Boyz (M20)

[bestbrother]

Spend it like Jerry!

The past few weeks have been like a breath of fresh air, Jerry has opened up the chequebook and the #Boyz are on their way back. My expectations have been exceeded and im sure many of our Cowboy Nation feel the same way.

First of all, we have Dez back! Yes it was a tough deal to take back when we cut him and im sure we had all began to move on... BUT its Dez and he will come back hungry and wanting to prove to us and the league why he is one of the elite players in the NFL.

I personally would have been satisfied with that, but the deals flowed, Eric Berry gives us a huge upgrade at SS, another 1 year deal, another chance for a big time player to perform on the biggest stage. Then we may not have needed him, but (RE) Mike Daniels signing for just under $9,000,000 for the year is another signal of intent.

Those 3 additions to our already strong roster is the marker for me that Jason Garrett has to deliver. Its no good us competing for 9 wins and hoping. We need 12+ and a statement, Jerry has put on a buffet of talent and its time for our coaching staff to serve that up PIPING HOT to this league.

#Boyz in da Club
(WR) Dez Bryant, 1 year @ $7,150,000
(SS) Eric Berry, 1 year @ $5,750,000
(RE) Mike Daniels, 1 year @ $8,950,000

[bestbrother]

Does it Matter?

Pre-season, yeah its great to have onfield action again to watch, but does it matter and what does matter at this time of year?

Lets look at how we got on... well, we went 3-1, came out with no major injuries and the new guys settled well as Jason Garrett found a winning formula.

So confidence has to have grown right? We can go into the regular season on the back of some winning performances and knowing that we have our starters lining up when the Giants come to town.

Dak now has plenty of weapons at his disposal, Dez will slot in nicely and is easily a #1 WR in this system, but with Amari Cooper, we have killer options. Zeke looks his usual self and as long as the defense can hold up, you have to think we are favourites to win the East and go from there.

Anything Else?

Well as usual its that time of year to trim the fat, weed the garden... basically get the roster in shape for the season. 12 players have been cut, in no particular order I cant say im unhappy to see any of these guys leave;

(TE) L.P. Ladoucher, (QB) Mike White, (LG) Cody Wichmann, (WR) Devin Smith, (CB) C.J. Goodwin, (SS) Jameil Showers, (SS) Kavon Frazier, (P) Kasey Redfern, (WR) Reggie Davis, (C) Adam Redmond, (RE) Taco Charlton & (CB) Treston Decoud

On top of that we have sent (RE) Randy Gregory and (WR) Tavon Austin to the Bears for a 2020 2nd Round pick. It gives us something back for a pair of players who have slipped down the depth chart, but im all about the here and now, so maybe we can flip that pick for something as the season progresses!

[bestbrother]

Who will ROCK our Jersey?

Offense:

QB - Dak Prescott; a big year for our Dak, he has the ability and now he has a full loadout of weapons to utilise. We have to keep him healthy as there is no depth here, so let Zeke do the ground work and let your arm make Amari and Dez earn they pay.

HB - 'Zeke Elliott; no alot I have to say here, if we are to be successful this man is going to carry a tonne of workload. Keep him happy Jerry, pay the man and let his feet bring home the Championship.

FB - Jamize Olawale; just get him into blocking lanes and let the talent around him do their jobs.

WR - Amari Cooper; another 1000+ year for Amari and we will be in a good place. Dak now has legitimate targets, so Amari has to step up and prove himself as our #1 WR with my boy Dez back on the scene.

WR - Dez Bryant; they said it was over, they said he would never wear the Lone Star again. However Jerry got it done, Dez is back in Dallas and he is ready to repay the faith shown in him. Bryant is clutch and for me, his deal puts us over the top in our receiving corps.

TE - Jason Witten; Big Jason has alot more to give and we are in safe hands here. You know what you are getting with him and as long as we keep him healthy there is nothing to worry about.

LT - Tyron Smith; the best left tackle in the business, no one is getting by.

LG - Connor Willliams; 2nd year now and he is settled in to our O-Line nicely, plenty more to come from Williams but he is surrounded by talent who can only enhance what we get back from him.

C - Travis Frederick; another huge piece of our O-Line, Big T will marshall those around him to keep Prescott safe on the field.

RG - Zack Martin; ZMart adds to our impressive line and there in is its strength. Experience and youth developing together, you have to believe we are potentially the most explosive offense in the league.

RT - La'el Collins; coming off a clutch of injuries leaves Collins as a question mark in terms of durability. However the talent is there and we should get production, hopefully over 16 games.

[bestbrother]

Who will ROCK our Jersey Pt. 2?

Defense:

RE - Mike Daniels; Former Pro Bowl, dominated on the Packers, a huge pickup for us on a 1 year deal. Mike instantly upgrades us and allows T-Craw to play Nose tackle.

DT - Maliek Collins; Maliek has to learn quick this year, he will be paired with Crawford in a crucial area for the team.

DT - Tyrone Crawford; moved over from RE as the team look to squeeze him into a role following the deal to acquire Mike Daniels. Plenty of upside, I like the move, he just needs to integrate quickly in his new shift.

LE - DeMarcus Lawrence; the best bar none. Pressure from the outside with Lawrence and Daniels is going to cause our opponents nightmares.

CB - Byron Jones; 2015 first round pick, production dipped a little last year but fully expect him to be a staple at Corner in 2020.

CB - Chidobe Awuzie; stepped up last year to be an integral part of our defense. Needs to continue on this trajectory and fully expect him to do so.

FS - Xavier Woods; has impressed so much that there we had no need to go out and find an upgrade. Another full year in the role should elevate him further.

SS - Eric Berry; did we need to go out and add Berry? Probably not, but im glad Jerry did. Berry is another signal of intent for this franchise to bust out this year.

ROLB - Leighton Vander Esch; a monster, our monster, there is little to deny that we have a potential HoFer in our midst. He has all the tangibles to lead this team for the next decade.

MLB - Jaylon Smith; another big time player in our Linebacker corps. Fully established himself alongside Vander Esch last year and believe there will be more of the same this time round.

LOLB - Sean Lee; old man Lee is coming to the end of his time in the League and his health will remain a concern over the course of a season. But he will offer invaluable experience in gluing together the younger guys in tough periods.

[bestbrother]

Can we get our MONEY back?

If this is what I/we as Cowboy fans are going to be putting up with for the rest of the year, then just scrap 2020 and give us our Sundays back. Old man Manning picked us apart and that 3 minute circus show at the end of the half just about sums up everything that Dallas has been in recent years.

14-0 up, im thinking an easy 1-0 start against a Giants team hoping to get 6 wins out of the year. Then with Dak once again giving up possession, we let Manning drive them back into the game. However the less said about the final minute the better, not only do they tie it, but Pollard coughs up the kick return to end the half and the Giants SCORE? Are you kidding me! 14-21 at the break.

At this point im screaming at Garrett to give the rock to 'Zeke. Luckily he listens, well im assuming he does. Zeke does his thing, racking up 124 yards and a TD to tie things up. Contrast that to Barkley of the Giants who we knock out of the game as he dislocates his hip in week 1 (OUCH!).

Anyway all square at 24 and its our to lose in the 4th quarter, then with the ball in Dak's hands you have to think we are on the march to victory. We get into field goal range, im already cracking open a celebratory Bud' but then it happens. Prescott coughs up his 2nd pick of the game... Manning as dull and reliable as he is, trots the Giants down the field and bang, 3pts we are done.

The Giants came here, beat us 24-27 and the inquest will begin. Its not the start we wanted, expected or needed but there is little time to wallow in self pity, the Redskins are next in D.C.

My 3 Takeaways:

• Prescott looked to hurried at times, he has options, but is forcing his throws. If he calms down then these mistakes will iron themselves out.
• Zeke is on fire, he will carry us through the bad times but he needs support.
• Its great to have Dez back, but Berry shone in defense and is definitely a huge upgrade for us at Safety.

[bestbrother]

Cowboy Chicken Club comes home to ROOST!

When there are 6 minutes to go and you just watch your team have a punt blocked that is returned for a TD, let me tell you, that things dont go down well.

But there was a whole game before that which saw us slug it out with the damn Redskins in Washington and eventually leave me with a smile on my face. It was wet and miserable (it always is up there) and for all the good Elliott did last week, he almost chewed us up this week as he dropped the rock 4 times!

However besides that he did have us ahead at the half thanks to a pair of runs, interspersed by a short yard TD catch from Richardson. Washington would lead going into the 4th thanks to their 3rd FG, but when Pollard found a hole in the 4th, we looked good for the road win.

Yet, YET, all that came crashing down midway through the quarter when a blocked punt would fall into the hands of Nicholson as he returned it for a slender 21-22 Washington lead. Alas the turning point would be Vander Esch clamping down Peterson as he tried for the 2pt conversion.

All we needed from our final drive was a score and with 'Zeke having butter hands and the rain continuing to pour, we needed big plays from our other options. Thankfully Dak found some change across the board, with Witten, Cobb and Gallop all producing.. the latter in the 4th as Cooper would leave the game with a potential PCL tear.

This would leave us with a chip kick to win it and Maher did just that as the clock expired. We have gone to Washington, released the chickens and beat those 'Skins in D.C.

It wasnt pretty, but Dallas are back!

My 3 Takeaways:

• Ezekial Elliott, my man, 2 TDs and 4 turnovers! Ill let him off as the conditions were appalling, but that has to stop.
• Special teams, I mean if we lose games because of our Special teams... im calling Jerry up and telling him to start firing those chumps!
• DEPTH! With Cooper seemingly out now for chunk of the season, how good was it to see Cobb and Gallup turn up and contribute under tough conditions

[bestbrother]

Dez Delights in Dallas!

Its what we wanted and what Jerry paid the money for, Dez Bryant stepped up, collected his first TD on his return and dominated the Miami defense en route to over 100 yards receiving.

Once again we looked ripe for a beating, Miami put plenty of pressure on Dak, so much so I was about to headline the report 'Sack' Prescott as we allowed our QB to get crunched 4 times in the opening half. However that improved and with Zeke continuing to bust 100 yard games, the Dolphins soon wilted in the heat.

Down 10-13 at the half, we turned things around thanks to a Safety as Fitzpatrick was pressured into the endzone. Then it was Dez's time to shine, under pressure he managed to put up a big hand and haul in the rock, as an interception looked likely.

Once again we would finish with a squeaky bum, as the Dolphins tied things up in the 3rd,before old reliable Jason Witten would get picked out at the back of the endzone as Prescott would deliver us to a 2nd win. From there on the Dolphins barely tested us and for once we could eat the clock and collect our first win at AT&T this year.

Next blog we focus on the off field issues @ Dallas.

My 3 Takeaways:

• Our much vaunted O-Line needs to come together and protect Dak more. 4 sacks in one half almost saw us not only lose the game but also our QB.
• Dez proved his value to the team, thats the sort of performance we know he can produce, which is even more crucial with Cooper on the D/L.
• Less turnovers.. my heart cant take it!

[bestbrother]

Around the Cowboys

Everything appears to be going hunky dory for us on the field right now, back to back wins (should be 3-0 but thats another story) and the team is looking sharper every play.

Yet for all the relative success there is always another side to the story and this is where I wrap up a little of the Front Office news coming out of the #Boyz.

Injury Report:

Above: Cooper is involved in negotiations to extend his current deal, but is out of action until mid-season

We all know Amari Cooper is out and confirmation has him returning in roughly 6 weeks as he is out due to a Partial PCL Tear. Fortunately the re-signing of Dez Bryant tempers this news a little, plus with Cobb and Gallup being able to step up, the loss of Cooper isnt being felt as much.

However his return will be a massive uplift in our offense for the 2nd half of the year.

Contract News:

This is where things may become tricky for the Cowboys. 4 players are rumoured to be in negotiations for extensions and we can only hope Jerry ensures that this team remains together.

Above: Jones commits his future to the franchise with a $50M+ deal over 3 years

Confirmed deals include the 3 year package given to Byron Jones, as he inks for $52.4M and re-affirms his status as the teams #1 CB for the foreseeable future.

Jaylon Smith has also re-upped for 5 years and $54.3M. Smith has been exceptional to start this year and is likely to be a huge piece of our LB Corps alongside Vander Esch in the coming season.

The final offer on the table yet to be confirmed is that of a 4 year $60M package to Amari Cooper. As mentioned Cooper is currently out injured and the team have to consider that as they put together his package. However he will be a cornerstone to this franchise and I expect both parties to get this done well before it becomes an issue in the locker room.

Veteran Sean Lee is not going to be offered a new deal at this stage. The team are looking to get younger and although Lee has been a big part of Dallas, the team feel the time is right to pursue other opportunities.