The Cowboys bottomed out last season. Once a popular pick to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl the same season that they hosted the Super Bowl, the Cowboys started the season 1-7 and finished 6-10. However, it wasn’t all bad. Wade Phillips is finally gone. The Cowboys were never going to win a Super Bowl with him as a head coach so last season was really taking one step back to take two steps forward.

In for Wade Phillips is former offensive coordinator and former coach in waiting Jason Garrett. Garrett led this team to a 5-3 record down the stretch with Jon Kitna as his starting quarterback. Kitna somehow put up amazing offensive numbers with Garrett’s help. Imagine what Garrett can do now that Tony Romo is back.

He also has a full season of Dez Bryant in the starting lineup. Roy Williams is gone so Bryant will replace him full time in the starting lineup. Bryant is also in his 2^nd year and should be better than he was as a rookie. They still have Miles Austin. They still have Jason Witten. This has a chance to be a very explosive offense should Romo stay healthy.

As for Romo staying healthy, I don’t worry too much about that. Romo had only missed 3 games in 4 years before suffering a freak broken collarbone injury last season. He’s not an injury prone quarterback or anything. Besides, they’ve fixed up his protection. Marc Colombo allowed 7 sacks and 40 quarterback pressures last season at right tackle and Alex Barron was even worse in limited action committing 3 penalties on 80 snaps and costing the Cowboys a week 1 win when he unnecessarily committed a holding penalty, nullifying the game winning score.

Colombo and Barron are both game and Tyron Smith is in. Smith is extremely talented and was the 9^th overall pick in April’s draft. He is a rookie so he will be hurt by the lockout, but he’ll be a noticeable upgrade on the right side. On the left side, the Cowboys did a great job of resigning Doug Free long term. He is one of the better left tackles in the league.

On the interior of their line, they started Kyle Kosier, Andre Gurode, and Leonard Davis last season, 3 older players. Davis was cut. Kosier was resigned, but he’s still 33 in November and injury prone. He’ll start at left guard. Meanwhile, center Andre Gurode is 32 and coming off of knee surgery. He should be ready for the start of the season. If not, the inexperienced Phil Costa would start, which I think would be a bad thing.

At right guard, Leonard Davis’ old spot, veteran journeyman backup Montrae Holland is expected to start. It’s to be expected that rookie 4^th rounder David Arkin could see a lot of time at both guard positions and even center this season. However, overall I like their offensive line a lot more than I did last season, especially with Tyron Smith starting on the right side.

They could struggle to run the ball this year. That’s a worry, but it’s not like you necessarily need a good running game to do well in this league. Felix Jones will be given the first shot at the lead back job. He’s never been a lead back without getting hurt. He wasn’t even a lead back in college, where he backed up Darren McFadden. Meanwhile, 3^rd round rookie DeMarco Murray and career backup Tashard Choice should also see carries. More importantly, Marion Barber is gone, which means no more of Marion Barber averaging 3.3 yards per carry on 113 carries.

Offensively, they should once again be an explosive offense. They will struggle a bit to run the ball, but Tony Romo is back and Head Coach Jason Garrett is an offensive genius who turned Jon Kitna into a legitimate signal caller down the stretch. However, defense is a different story. They surrendered the 2^nd most points last season and their defense actually got worse after Wade Phillips was fired.

They didn’t focus on defense in the draft and they didn’t have the cap space to add to their defense in any meaningful way in free agency, but they did bring in Rex Ryan’s brother Rob from Cleveland to be their defensive coordinator. He’ll have his work cut out for him, however, turning this bunch into a legitimate defense.

Their problems start in the secondary. Mike Jenkins had the worst quarterback rating against of any cornerback in the league last season, allowing 67.4% of targets to go for completions and 6 touchdowns to 1 interception. He also had 8 penalties and allowed 16.6 yards per completion, 2^nd highest in the league. Terrence Newman wasn’t much better. He allowed 65.3% of targets to get completed and 5 touchdowns, though he did pick off 5 passes.

Jenkins could bounce back. He’s a 26 year old former 1^st round pick and a Pro Bowler in 2009. Newman, on the other hand, is 33 in September and should continue declining. Nickel cornerback Orlando Scandrick also has issues in coverage allowing 7 touchdowns to 1 interception and a 68.8% completion percentage. Why the Cowboys didn’t address this position in the draft until the 5^th round, I don’t know.

At free safety, Abram Elam is an upgrade over last year’s starter Alan Ball, but only by default. Ball allowed 63.0% completions and 7 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, all while struggling mightily against the run. He might have been the worst starting safety in the league last year. Elam, meanwhile, is a mediocre talent, but he’s an upgrade over Ball and familiar with Rob Ryan’s system coming over from Cleveland. At the other safety slot, Gerald Sensabaugh is their best defensive back. He’s a solid starting safety in this league.

Fortunately, this secondary does have some pass rush to help them out. They had 35 sacks last year, pretty middle of the road, thanks, in large part, to DeMarcus Ware’s 15.5 sacks. However, they really need to find a #2 pass rusher after him. 2^nd on the team was former first round pick Anthony Spencer with 5. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal and needs to break out this year at rush linebacker opposite Ware if he doesn’t want to be seen as nothing more than a reclamation project heading into free agency.

At nose tackle, Jay Ratliff had 13.5 sacks in 2008 and 2009 combined, but only 3.5 in 2010. They’ll need him to step up the pass rushing unless they want to be middle of the pack once again. Ratliff is a solid pass rusher, but struggles against the run, which makes sense since he’s an undersized nose tackle. The other two starters on the defensive line are Marcus Spears and Igor Olshansky.

Olshansky is decent against the run, but offers no pass rush, while Spears is a former first round pick who never lived up to his billing. Why the Cowboys gave him a 5 year deal in the offseason, I don’t know. The Cowboys will really miss Stephen Bowen on the defensive line. He wasn’t a great pass rusher, but he was a stud against the run. The Cowboys are hoping Jason Hatcher can step up in a similar fashion this season, but I have my doubts.

At middle linebacker, the Cowboys have 3 players for 2 spots and plan to use all 3 evenly. Keith Brooking is the veteran of the group at age 36 in October. He’s a declining player, but can still contribute and he provides great defensive leadership in the middle. Bradie James is a solid player coming off a strong season. He had the best season of the three in 2010.

Sean Lee, meanwhile, was their 2^nd round pick in 2010. He is reportedly playing very well in camp. 2011 2^nd round pick Bruce Carter could see some action after he returns midseason from an ACL tear, but it seems like the plan is for Carter to be purely a special teamer as a rookie and then start next to Lee in the middle in 2012 with Brooking and James being in the final years of their contracts.

Defense is still an issue for this team and while I still think they’ll be a little better on that side of the ball this season, their defense should still keep them from being legitimate Super Bowl contenders. However, I love this team’s offense. I love their leadership under new coach Jason Garrett. I love how they ended last season. I think this team has a very good chance to find themselves back in the playoffs this year, especially playing a last place schedule and, who knows, maybe with Wade Phillips gone they’ll even win a game or two.

Quarterback: A-

Running backs: C+

Receiving corps: A-

Offensive line: C+

Run defense: C+

Pass rush: B-

Pass coverage: C-

Coaching: B

Projection: 10-6 2^nd in NFC East

Hello, my name is Dean Holden, and I have been writing Detroit Lions for about two years, and a fan for about 20. On January 8, 2000, when the Lions were last in the playoffs, I was 13, and I missed the game. I don’t remember why. I had no idea I would be waiting this long to get another chance, but I’m primed and ready for it to happen, and soon. I would like to make a career out of writing about the Lions, but even if I don’t, I can’t see myself ever stopping. I love this team, and it’s going to take more than a decade-long playoff drought or winless season to shake me. It’s going to make the turnaround that much sweeter.

When I’m not watching the Lions (or another Detroit sports team), I’m an avid video gamer. I tend to play a little of everything, but I’m a particularly big fan of RPGs and tactical strategy games. I like my video games to require as much brainpower as reaction time, just like a good QB.

Feel free to contact me on Twitter and my other blog sites!

Twitter: Dean_Holden

Blog: http://www.nfltouchdown.com/category/detroitlions/

OR

http://bleacherreport.com/users/64307-dean-holden

By Paul Smythe

Last night’s offensive performance by the Miami Dolphins was very fun to watch. I don’t care if it does not really mean too much because it is preseason. It was just fun to see our passing game work out so well.

Imagine if our passing offense can be just like that this season.

Brandon Marshall had a few great catches and two great blocks, but we already expect that from him. He was not too much of a surprise.

No, the biggest surprise was Tight End Anthony Fasano. Fasano had two receiving touchdowns. One was a relatively short reception with a long run following. The other was a great grab in the air inside the endzone.

It was also good to see Chad Henne do so well. He was 11 for 14 with 151 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, and a 151.2 passer rating. It seemed like everything he threw was right on target and he was comfortable with the offense.

The best part about it was that Miami didn’t really even have to rely on the running game. It is good to see that we will not have to worry as much about the passing game this year. The running game will no longer be the crutch that we lean on. Just another weapon we can use at any time.

Another fun thing to watch was how well Pennington did. If, knock on wood, Henne is injured and unable to play we will have Pennington ready to step in.

I know I have said before that we do not really need Pennington, and I honestly still do not think he is an absolute necessity. But, he sure can run the offense. The Dolphins offense won’t lose much if he does have to step in.

So, be thankful that things are going well in the preseason so far. Now let’s hope it translates into the regular season.

http://www.dolphinshout.com/ 

Trade for Jets: Stanton demanded a trade after the Jets signed Tim Tebow as the career backup was promised he’d be the 2^nd string quarterback in New York when he signed. When I heard this I tweeted “Drew Stanton demands a trade. Uh…you’re Drew Stanton. You don’t demand a trade. You just get cut.” Looks like the Jets found a taker, however. They’re not getting much in return (they get a 6^th rounder for Stanton and a 7^th rounder), but it’s better than nothing.

Grade: A

Trade for Colts: The Colts needed a veteran backup for Andrew Luck and I guess they liked Stanton more than the other available options, guys like Billy Volek, AJ Feeley, Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Charlie Batch, and Curtis Painter (LOL). I don’t see much difference between Stanton and someone like Volek or Batch, but whatever, they didn’t give much up.

Grade: B

() FA Rank

QB John Parker Wilson

RB Jason Snelling

RB Jerious Norwood

WR Brian Finneran

WR Eric Weems 

OT Tyson Clabo (#44)

An above average right tackle, who made the Pro Bowl this season. That could inflate his value.

G Harvey Dahl (#41)

One of the best guards in the league and coming off arguably the best season of his career, but he’s 30 this offseason, so teams need to avoid paying him for things he’s already done and pay him for what they think he can do.

G Justin Blalock

DT Vance Walker

DT Trey Lewis- resigned

OLB Stephen Nicholas

OLB Mike Peterson

CB Brent Grimes

CB Brian Williams

S Erik Coleman- signed with Lions 1 year

K Matt Bryant

P Michael Koenen 

Offseason moves:

Cut Erik Coleman

Resigned Trey Lewis 

Draft 

Wide Receiver

Notre Dame

5-10 195

40 time: 4.36

Draft board overall prospect rank: #31

Draft board overall wide receiver: #3

Overall rating: 82*

2/28/10: He’s got more speed than I thought. I was expecting 4.4-4.45 and he ran 4.36 on a day where some receivers have been running slower than expected. I still have concerns about his ability to be a #1 option at 5-10, but this kind of speed helps.      

2/26/10: We knew Tate was on the short side, but he barely measured at 5-10 at his weigh in. There aren’t a lot of #1 options that are that short. He’ll still be a good player and he’s the second most NFL ready player in this draft class after Damian Williams, but he has future #2 written all over him and not future #1.

1/17/10: His production 151 catches for 2576 yards and 25 scores over the last two years, in a pro style offense is amazing, but he may be maxed out athletically and he doesn’t have a great upside. His 40 time is poor for his size and he may have trouble finding a niche as a wide receiver at the next level. A lot of his statistical prowess can be attributed to having Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, but he should still be a fine #2 wide receiver at the next level because he has very reliable hands and runs good routes for someone his age.

            Over the past two years, Golden Tate has quietly become one of the most dominant wide receivers in college football with 2576 yards and 25 touchdowns in the past two years for Notre Dame. However, he’s not the most dominant guy physically. He’s under 6 feet and under 200 pounds, but he is a very tough guy for his size and runs in the open field with a lot of power. His lack of great breakaway speed will hurt him and believe it or not he’s actually more of a power runner in the open field. A mid-low 4.4 at his size is not great, but he is fast. The only issue could be that there are a lot of cornerbacks in the NFL bigger, stronger, and faster than him. He may have some trouble getting out of the jam at the line of scrimmage as some other small receivers do. However, his lack of a great speed/size combination doesn’t make him a poor athlete. He is a two sport athlete and has been drafted in the MLB draft in the late rounds, but decided to pursue football. He’s already declared early for the 2010 NFL Draft, along with teammate Jimmy Clausen, so its clear that his focus is on football and why wouldn’t it be if he has a shot to go in the first round. Though he doesn’t outrun a ton of guys in the open field, he has good moves and agility and has actually seen some success in running plays, with 25 rushes for 188 yards this season which means he could be a guy used on end arounds or at wildcat in the NFL. Though production alone shouldn’t get you drafted in the first round, his production is very good in a pro style offense, though he hasn’t seen great competition. However, this season, he had 1496 yards and 15 touchdowns through the air and only 3 games in which he had less than 100 yards. Notre Dame did play some big games this season, Michigan (115 yards, 2 scores), Washington (244 yards, 1 score), USC (117 yards, 2 scores), Stanford (201 yards, 3 scores), and as you can see, Tate stepped up big time in those games. He makes a lot of nice athletic acrobatic catches and catches the ball at the right point to limit the effect of his lack of elite size, but he has dropped a few easy ones this year and had a couple of small mental lapses. His lack of size makes him a poor run blocker. His route running is still very raw, which is surprising for someone who has played in a pro style offense, but he has experience in a West Coast offense at Notre Dame and assuming he mastering the fundamentals routes of the West Coast with some time in the pros, a West Coast offense is the best fit for him. Its unclear whether he’ll fit in as a possession receiver or a deep threat in the NFL so right now he looks like a bit of a tweener and that could be bad if he struggles to find a niche in the NFL. This guy looks like the type of guy that is going to have his best season in his 3^rd season, rather than in his 1^st or 2^nd because he’ll take some time to develop into a legitimate NFL wide receiver, but he should be a solid #2 or possibly even #1 guy in the NFL.

NFL Comparison: Laveranues Coles

*= For a breakdown of what this means, click here

Free Agency Priorities

Cornerback

They ranked 32nd against the pass in terms of YPA last year, but they still refuse to spend premium picks on cornerbacks. Hopefully they can find a starting cornerback in free agency. 

Defensive End

It’s tough to blame their pass defense problems all on the secondary. They managed just 26 sacks last year. They spent big money on Aaron Kampman last year, but they can’t count on him to stay healthy anymore. They should try to sign another end through free agency. 

Safety

Can’t just blame the cornerbacks in the secondary, they need two new starters at safety and I don’t think Chris Prosinski is anything other than a special teamer and a depth safety. 

Outside Linebacker

Justin Durant is injury prone and a free agent. They may resign him or they may look to sign a different veteran at the position. 

Middle Linebacker

They could resign Kirk Morrison who has expressed interest in returning, but if they don’t, they’ll have to find a different middle linebacker through free agency. 

Wide Receiver 

Is Cecil Shorts going to start opposite Mike Thomas? That just doesn’t sound like a good idea. They won’t resign Mike Sims Walker, but maybe they can find a different wide receiver in free agency. They at least need depth.

Draft Needs 

Cornerback

This team ranked dead last in the league against the pass in terms of YPA. In 2009, they ranked 27^th. they’ve held three quarterbacks under 50% completion since late 2007, JaMarcus Russell, Kerry Collins, and Rex Grossman. Derek Cox needs to move to nickel corner and Rashean Mathis will be a free agent after next season.

Drafted Rod Isaac (#147) 

Safety

You can’t just blame the corners when you’re that bad against the pass. The Jaguars need one, if not two upgrades at safety.

Drafted Chris Prosinski (#121) 

Defensive End

Sticking with the pass defense, the Jaguars only managed 26 sacks this season after only managing 14 sacks in 2009. That’s a big reason why they can’t stop the pass. They can’t create pressure. Aaron Kampman was brought in to be their #1 end, but suffered a season ending injury for the second straight year, another ACL tear. He can’t be counted on in the future.

Outside Linebacker

Justin Durant is inconsistent and a free agent. They might look at a replacement for him in the draft or through free agency.

Wide Receiver

Mike Sims Walker is inconsistent and a free agent. Even if he’s brought back, their depth is fairly lacking.

Drafted Cecil Shorts (#114) 

Offensive Tackle

The tackle combination of Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton has led to the Jaguars allowing 82 sacks in the last two years, despite being a run first team. They’re still young so they have time, but if one busts, they should have someone wanting in the wings. Their depth is abysmal.

Guard

Interior line depth is needed.

Drafted Will Rackley (#76) 

Center

A better backup for the oft injured soon to be 34 year old Brad Meester is needed.

I’m torn on this one. Jeff Backus sucks and at 35 in September, he’s not getting much better. Last season, he allowed 7 sacks, 36 pressures, and committed 11 penalties. The Lions really need to draft a new left tackle. However, this is a thin left tackle class and the Lions don’t pick until #23. There probably won’t be a tackle capable of starting on the left side available at 23 so the Lions may have to draft someone who is a project or wait a year to address the position. There also weren’t any proven left tackles on the open market.

They didn’t have another option on the roster and Backus at least gives them continuity. It’s not a very long deal (2 years) and there probably isn’t a lot of guaranteed money. Besides, Backus is versatile and can play right tackle and guard, where they also need some help. I still feel 5 million per year is a bit rich for him, but it’s not the worst move in the world.

Grade: C

This offseason could have gone in two completely different directions for the Jets. It could have gone very badly. David Harris, Shaun Ellis, Brodney Pool, Antonio Cromartie, Braylon Edwards, Brad Smith, and Santonio Holmes were all free agents heading into this offseason. That’s 4 defensive starters and their top 2 receivers and their kick returner. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they had a lot of cap space and almost were able to sign Nnamdi Asomugha to play opposite Darrelle Revis, which would have easily been the best cornerback tandem in the league.

All in all, this offseason was roughly neutral for the Jets. They weren’t able to get Asomugha, but they were able to resign Antonio Cromartie to play opposite Revis, not exactly a bad cornerback tandem. They also resigned Santonio Holmes, David Harris, and Brodney Pool. They had to cut Jerricho Cotchery, but they were able to sign veteran Derrick Mason to replace him in the slot.

However, they did lose 3 significant players. Braylon Edwards is gone. The Jets think they can replace him with Plaxico Burress, but they will be disappointed. Burress is 34, 5 years older than Vick was when he was released from jail, and even Vick struggled in his first year back. They also lost Brad Smith and they don’t have anyone else on the team that does what he could do as a return man, a depth receiver, a running back, and a wildcat quarterback.

Possibly their biggest loss of the offseason was Shaun Ellis. Ellis was the longest tenured Jet, 11 seasons, but the Jets low balled him with a veteran’s minimum contract. He promptly jumped ship and took 4 times more money in New England with the Patriots. Ellis is not the player he once was, but he’s far from washed up. He’s still got plenty left in the tank. Just ask Matt Light, who he terrorized in the Jets/Patriots playoff game last year. Ellis brought Brady down twice in that game and wrecked havoc on almost every play. Now he’s on the other side. That has to hurt and it can’t be good for team morale.

Muhammad Wilkerson, their first round pick, will attempt to replace Ellis on the defensive line. However, he is still a rookie coming off a lockout shortened offseason so I have some doubts with him. They also lost Jason Taylor, a talented 3^rd rush linebacker and 3^rd down pass rusher from last season. Taylor is not what he used to be, but he did have 5 sacks last season. Where is that going to come from this season? They’ll really rely on Calvin Pace and Bryan Thomas, two decent starters, to lead their pass rush. That’s not a good thing.

While their pass rush won’t be as good as it was last year, their secondary should be better. They return all 4 starters, including Jim Leonhard, who broke his leg late last season. His return will be much appreciated. Also, Darrelle Revis will be better this season. He was very good last year, but he wasn’t the elite corner who took the world by storm in 2009. A lot of that can be blamed on various injuries. He held out before the season and was never in 100% perfect shape all season because of that. That won’t be the case this year.

They should also once again be very good against the run. Rookie 3^rd round pick Kendrick Ellis will team with Sione Pouha at nose tackle to give them what they were expecting out of Kris Jenkins last year before he got hurt. Behind the nose tackle slot will be two talented middle linebackers, Bart Scott and David Harris. This team had the league’s #1 defense in 2009 and one of the best in 2010. They should be in that same category again this year.

Offensively, more pressure will be put on Mark Sanchez than in either of his first 2 years. The Jets downgraded both their #2 and #3 receiver slots in the offseason. Burress is far from reliable and Mason, once the picture of reliability, is now 37 years old so it’s impossible to call him reliable. That means that Santonio Holmes is their only reliable wide receiver. He also has Dustin Keller, a solid starting tight end, to work with, but his receiving corps are far from what they were last year.

His running game also won’t be as reliable as it’s been in his first 2 years in the league. LaDainian Tomlinson started the season well, but he really showed his age down the stretch last year. He’s 33 which means that Shonn Greene will be counted on to be the lead back, something he’s never proven he could do, and the 2009 3^rd round pick has had chances. The good news for their running backs, however, is that they have one of the best offensive fronts in the league, but the question marks are still there.

Speaking of that offensive line, they return four starters from last year. Only Damien Woody, an aging player who struggled at times last season, did not return. He will be replaced by Wayne Hunter, who didn’t play well in relief of Woody last season. Playing only 531 snaps, he allowed 4 sacks and committed 8 penalties. He could be beaten out by 2010 2^nd round pick Vladimir Ducasse, a talented, but inexperienced player.

At the left side, however, things are much better. Former 4^th overall pick D’Brickashaw Ferguson has blossomed into one of the best left tackles in the league. He surrendered a mere 3 sacks last season. Left guard Matt Slauson surrendered 7, but made up for it as a strong run blocker. He should be better in his 2^nd season as a starter. Center Nick Mangold might be the best at his position in the league. There certainly isn’t a better run blocking center. Right guard Brandon Moore is also a fantastic player who allowed a mere 1 sack last season.

So, basically, the question is, can Mark Sanchez make that next step? Is he a game manager or a legitimate franchise quarterback? He’s game managed them to two AFC championship games, but if they’re going to win a Super Bowl, he’ll have to become a legitimate franchise quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady. In fact, only one quarterback has won the Super Bowl without first making the Pro Bowl in the past 20 years. That was Eli Manning, who made it the very next year. I don’t know if Sanchez has that in him.

Quarterback: B-

Running backs: B-

Receiving corps: C+

Offensive line: A

Run defense: A

Pass rush: C+

Pass coverage: A-

Coaching: A-

Projection: 10-6 2^nd in the AFC East