skepticl1

The Sporting News Pro Football guide rates this years Cowboys quarterback crew
with a D minus. QB Chad Hutchinson was sacked 34 times in only nine games last
year and passed for 200 yards only twice. The 'Boys finished 30th in total
offense--19th rushing and 31st Passing. Much of this was due to Dallas'
offensvie line who were the NFL's largest last season at an average of more
than 330 pounds, but they were soft. At least two linemen were ordered to lose
30 pounds when Bill 'Big Tuna' Parcells came on board. On the defensive side of
the line the D line is undersized, Dallas proably won't start a defensive
lineman who weights more than 292 pounds in an era in which 325-pound tackles
are common. DE Ebenezer Ekuban, who had one sack in 2003 despite starting 15
games, has had only 10 sacks in four years with the team. So the concern for
the line goes beyond whether it can stop the run at critical times, there are
also qustions about whether it can rush the passer. Without competent rushing
specialists Cowboys will be forced to play a bend but don't break style or to
blitz to compensate for a pass rush. Dallas had only 24 sacks last season--one
more than the franchise low since the NFL went to 16 games. The Sporting News
also predicts that for the seventh straight season, Dallas won't have a player
with double-digit sack total. The Cowboys also had one of the worst special
teams units in the NFL last season.

Remember the half hearted effort the Niners gave when they played the Cowboys
in Dallas and they still came away with a dramatic last minute win. With the
toughest ranking schedule in the NFL this season could the 'Boys possibly go
winless?!

49ERS: BOSS OF THE BAY
Next 49er/Raiders match up: 2006

spike

lol

Thanks for the Cowboys update, SL1. It should be noted that while 325
pound tackles may be common (and they're really not, if you compare
the number of 325 pound DTs to the number of smaller DTs), they're not
the norm and they're generally not that good. There may be 4 or 5
worth mentioning.

alland

Three wins. I'd offer to bet Spike, but we all know how that goes......

spike

On 29 Jul 2003 07:33:54 -0700, alland@email.com (Allan Davidson)


I wouldn't bet you, but only because you have more than one persona in
this newsgroup.