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Dallas Cowboys 2009 NFL Predictions

The Dallas Cowboys will debut their new $1.1 billion stadium in Arlington with a different team then the one that ended 2008. After their 44-6 loss to the Eagles which prevented Dallas from a playoff berth, they made several moves. The Cowboys fired their defensive coordinator, released Pacman Jones and Terrell Owens, didn’t re-sign Tank Williams, signed three veteran defensive free agents and traded for a backup quarterback. Dallas will try to end their 12-year drought without a playoff victory. Only the Lions have gone longer without a playoff win in the NFC. NFL odds have the Cowboys listed at +300 to win the NFC East at Sportsbook.com.

Offense: Tony Romo has produced a 27-12 regular season record as the starting quarterback, but he has yet to lead his team to a playoff victory. Romo is 5-10 in his career in December and January, including 0-2 in the postseason. The Cowboys signed Jon Kitna in a trade with Detroit to give Romo a proven backup incase he gets injured again in 2009, and they drafted Stephen McGee in the fourth round. Marion Barber became the fulltime starter at running back for the first time in his career last season. Barber had his most success in the first half of his games, and the Cowboys want him to become more of a closer like he was earlier in his career. Felix Jones will play a bigger role earlier in games to make that happen. Jones was a candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after compiling 710 total yards in six games before going on the injured reserve with toe and hamstring injuries. Tashard Choice got thrown into action when Barber and Jones went down to injuries, and he proved to be one of the biggest steals of last year’s draft. The Cowboys plan to run the ball more this season, which hasn’t been the case since 2005.

Though Owens’ departure might mean better chemistry in the locker room, the Cowboys will be hard-pressed to replace his numbers. Roy Williams was supposed to fill the void, but he has been a disappointment to this point. Miles Austin also influenced the team’s decision to release Owens, and he’ll get his opportunity this season to prove that they weren’t making a mistake. Dallas is high on Sam Hurd, who has been slowed by injuries in his three seasons here. Patrick Crayton may be best suited as a No. 3 receiver in this offense. Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten, who led the team with 81 catches last year, may play an even bigger role in the offense this season. Martellus Bennett scored four touchdowns at the tight end position last season, and he and Witten form one of the best tandems in the league at their position. Left tackle Flozell Adams is 34 years old and clearly on the downside of his career. The Cowboys gave him a new contract in 2007, and somehow he made the Pro Bowl despite allowing 7.5 sacks, committing nine false starts and three holding penalties. The strength of the Cowboys offensive line remains on the inside with center Andre Gurode, right guard Leonard Davis and left guard Kyle Kosier. Right tackle Marc Colombo earned a new contract after a solid performance last season.

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Defense: Nosetackle Jay Ratliff earned Pro Bowl honors last season after recording 7.5 sacks. The rest of the defensive line combined for just six, so Ratliff was easily the most dominant force on this unit. Ratliff may see some time at end this year considering the other ends have not been productive getting after the quarterback. Chris Canty left for the Giants and this may be Marcus Spears’ last season as a Cowboy. Spears has only 5.5 sacks in four seasons. Igor Olshansky comes over from San Diego to take Canty’s spot. DeMarcus Ware has been a Defensive Player of the Year candidate each of the past two seasons. He is among the league’s top pass-rushers and made a run at Michael Strahan’s single-season record for sacks last season. Greg Ellis has been cut, so there is a void at linebacker. That means Anthony Spencer, a former first-round pick, should take over for Ellis. Dallas has gotten thin at inside linebacker, a position in which it has spent big money and top picks to try and shore up. Bradie James has been solid, though he rarely makes game-changing plays. James has led the team in tackles in four consecutive seasons. Veteran Keith Brooking has been signed from the Falcons in hopes that he can do a much better job than Akin Ayodele and Zach Thomas have done the past two seasons.

Kevin Burnett left in free-agency, which leaves Bobby Carpenter as the backup at inside linebacker. He is a valuable special teams performer, but the team has little confidence in him at linebacker. That’s why they drafted Jason Williams out of Western Illinois in the third round and TCU’s Stephen Hodge in the sixth. Dallas finally parted ways with Roy Williams, who was a liability in pass coverage. They also released Pacman Jones and traded Anthony Henry after seeing Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick out-perform these two at cornerback. Scandrick played better than Jenkins overall last season, but Jenkins improved late in the season to give the team some hope. Scandrick won the nickel back spot last season, and he’ll stay there unless he wins the starting cornerback spot opposite Terrence Newman. Newman has battled injuries the past two seasons, but he can be a shutdown corner when healthy. Gerald Sensabaugh was signed from Jacksonville to take over at strong safety. If he can stay away from trouble off the field, Sensabaugh will combine with free safety Ken Hamlin as a solid safety tandem.

InfoPlays Prediction: 3rd in the NFC East – Dallas did not improve in the offseason, they got worse. But with less expectations than in year’s past, there isn’t as much pressure on the Cowboys to perform. That might be just what they need to go under the radar. Still, there isn’t enough talent offensively for the Cowboys to keep up with the Eagles and Giants in this division. Dallas still has a lot of questions in their secondary and teams should be able to pass all over them again this season. The Cowboys no longer have one of the more dangerous offenses in the league, and this team is going to be mediocre in 2009 before they get better. Dallas finishes in third place in the NFC East division.

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