Cowboys Midseason Report

Heading into the 2009/10 NFL season, many pundits placed the Cowboys as the third best team in the always tough NFC East.  At 2-2 to open the season the Cowboys reeked of mediocrity.  Since then they have been playing their best football in two years.  They beat quality opponents (i.e., Eagles, Falcons) and find themselves alone on top of the NFC East.  Plenty of football is left to play, but the Cowboys are poised to give themselves a shot at the division title.  Let’s breakdown the first half.

First Half Awards:

Miles Austin has been the biggest surprise for the Cowboys this season.  He has stretched the field at the wide receiver position, and he shows a great ability to run after the catch.  It is no surprise that his emergence correlates directly with the Cowboys four game winning streak.  He has 541 yards with 6 TD’s in that span.  Replacing Terrell Owens was the question on offense heading into this season, it looks like Austin has proven the Cowboys will be just fine without the volatile T.O.

The defensive MVP in the first half has to be Jay Ratliff.  He has to be regarded as one of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL.  He consistently stops the run and provides a devastating pass rush up the middle.  He has 4.0 sacks on the season mainly from the nose tackle position.  Albert Haynesworth might have got the big pay-day in the offseason, but Jay Ratliff is the best defensive tackle in the division.  If he stays healthy, a second pro bowl is a mortal lock.

Tony Romo is clearly the Cowboys Offensive MVP for the first half of the season.  He has been a terrific team leader, and the offense continues to improve as the season progresses.  During the Cowboys recent winning streak, Romo has been deadly accurate.  He has thrown only one interception during that span.  If he continues to play mistake-free football, then the Cowboys offense will be difficult to stop.  The biggest improvement I have seen is his ability to take sacks or throw the ball away rather then make the low-percentage throw.  His maturation as a quarterback gives the Cowboys a real chance to win the division.

The biggest disappointments thus far have been Roy Williams and Ken Hamlin.  Williams has failed to live up to his “number 1″ receiver billing.  He has struggled to get on the same page with Romo and the results have suffered for it.  Nevertheless, he had a solid game against a good Eagles secondary, so he could be a breakout candidate in the second half.  Ken Hamlin on the other hand has had a brutal first half.  He has zero interceptions and only one pass deflection.  I hope the Cowboys look elsewhere for a safety next year.  Hamlin has to improve his play in order for the Cowboys to get where they want to go

Second Half Outlook:

The Cowboys have a stretch of very winnable games in the month of November.  They play the Packers, Redskins and Raiders to finish the month.  They very well can be 9-2 heading into the always difficult December.  If that is the case, then I think this team will be heading to the playoffs.  The month of December has been trying on the Cowboys in the past, and this year the schedule makers did not help the Cowboys out.  They play:

• @ Giants
• vs. Chargers
• @ Saints
• @ Redskins
• vs. Eagles

It is clear December will be another challenging month for the Cowboys.  If they go 3-2 during that span, then that should leave them at worst 11-5.  It will be interesting to see how the second half plays out.  If Wade Phillips wants to be back as head coach, he has to do well in December and at minimum win a playoff game this year.  I think the Giants and Eagles will both be on the Cowboys heels all season long.  Therefore, it is important to be playing your best ball late in the season.  With the improve each week philosophy, I think the Cowboys can hold off both teams and win the division.  Lots of football left, and we will be here to cover it all so Stay Tuned!!

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Jay Ratliff, Jerry Jones, Ken Hamlin, Marion Barber, Mike Jenkins, Miles Austin, New York Giants, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Roy Williams, Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Wade Phillips