Looking forward

Clearly the Cowboys are better than last year's 9-7 will attest. But they certainly won't be the NFC Consensus to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl not based on last year's dissappointment but probably because it's simply a level playing field. That said, the opportunity window is still there. And will continue to be. My prediction is that the Giants take a step back this year in the standings, the Redskins continue to hover around .500 while the Cowboys main threat is the Eagles. That's what I predict this year. On the surface it doesn't look like much has been done thus far to improve the team. No doubt that there is a lot of talent on the team and what seems to be believed within the organization is that they will be able to harness it more without T.O. It's unfortunate that he had to go but it looks as though he had to go. A combination of inner turmoil and the fact that he may finally be starting to show some age. (He will turn 36 on Dec. 7 of this football year) Is Roy Williams the guy at the number one slot? They think so apparently. Will Crayton be as affective back at the number two as he was in '07? He's just turning 30. The offensive line being smart and healthy along with a healthy three man-running back tandem of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Taschard Choice is vital. And Witten and Bennett at the Tight Ends. Witten was beat up much of '08 and hardly missed any time. He's the best in the business. Especially if he's healthy. There's talk about using Bennett in the wideout sets and two tight end sets. And ofcourse there's Romo. He's unflappable and fearless. He just needs to take a sack or throw it away instead of throwing an INT in those rare instances that he's in trying to improvise and everyone's blanketed. The depth at WR includes the return of Sam Hurd and a healthy Miles Austin. The defensive secondary is expected to be solid for sure with the developement of a lot of guys getting playing time last year when injuries forced them into action. There's still a long summer left ahead between now and then. Plus there are probably a few acquistions to be made too. It would be nice to bring in a Julius Peppers on defense to bolster the front line as well as maybe some more depth at the offensive line. One thing that will help is the drafting of USC kicker David Beuller to be the kickoff specialist while steady Nick Folk(over 88% FGs made) will continue to handle FG duties. Definitely not what's broken. But Folk hasn't been very deep on the kickoffs. Team Game. The Dallas Cowboys, if they play as a team, could seriously be the best considering their top notch talent level. The biggest question marks will be Roy Williams being a number one slot receiver, the offensive line, and Tony Romo, the QB, the leader. I think this is a 12 or 13 win club if they stay healthy. In 2008, they were anything but.