There are few teams that have immense pressure heading into 2010. This team has to win to ensure a new billion dollar stadium is full and pays the hefty bills. They’re also being pressured to win the NFC Championship in order to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. And of course, when you dub yourself “America’s Team”, you put a target on yourself as a winner or a loser.
The Dallas Cowboys come into this season with a lot of expectations and none are higher than for Tony Romo. Statistically, Romo is coming off the best season of his career as he threw for 4500 yards and allowed the Cowboys to make it to the second round of the playoffs. He’ll no doubt be looking to make the next step by winning any form of championship.
His success will depend on how well his receivers do, especially breakout receiver Miles Austin. Last season, Austin came out of nowhere to catch 81 balls for 1300 yards. He won’t be surprising anybody this season and will be the focal point of defences every single Sunday. Because of that, Roy Williams will be counted on more than ever to finally live up to the hype he generated a handful of years ago after a great college career at the University of Texas. The Cowboys lost Patrick Crayton via trade after he said he wanted out.
The running game will be strong again with a three-headed monster of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice. At the tight end spot, Jason Witten represents one of the best in the game. He represents another option for Romo to rely on. Because of this balance between run and pass, the Cowboys were second in the NFL in total yards gained.
Defensively, the strength of this 3-4 comes with their set of linebackers. Unlike a traditional defence in which the defensive line threatens to sack the quarterback, the Dallas defensive schemes make the linebackers much more dangerous for the opposing quarterback. Their four starting linebackers accumulated more than half of their total sacks last season.
The secondary needs to be improved to make this a complete defence. Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins represent two cornerbacks with a lot of hype, but very little results. They have to better because the starting safeties on this team are young and inexperienced.
Two players to look out for in camp are Roy Williams and Marion Barber. Williams was picked up via trade and a lot was given up for his services. He has never found his form since entering the league. If he’s fails again, he could have a hard time finding a new employer. Barber made waves as such a physical runner coming out of the University of Minnesota. Even though he’s only been in the league for a handful of years, some are suggesting that he’s starting to slow down because of his physical style. This year may go a long way to figuring out if he’s going to be in this league for a while or if he’s close to hitting the wall already.
2010 Prediction: 10-6