Thursday, July 28, 2011

The 2011 Dallas Cowboys Are Slowly Taking Shape

As expected, Marion Barber and Roy Williams were cut today. And along with them Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo were also let go. A few other guys got the axe as well but those four were the headliners. I'll miss Marc Colombo's intensity but he was clearly on the decline. I won't miss Marion Barber.

Now that the Cowboys have signed Kyle Kosier to a three year deal the offensive line is almost complete. Tyron Smith signed his rookie contract so now there is only a hole at right guard. But at least Montrae Holland is capable of starting if the Cowboys don't sign another offensive lineman. That leaves defensive end and safety.

Stephen Bowen is now with the Redskins so he is no longer an option at defensive end. And it is looking like Jason Hatcher might be headed for Denver. I'm still hoping that the Cowboys can bring Marcus Spears back but only if his price tag is reasonable. Sean Lissemore played defensive end during practice today so maybe he can provide some depth there.

Practice finally got under way today. While that is exciting I find myself frustrated that we are already talking about injuries to our rookie class again. Bruce Carter will likely start camp on the PUP list and DeMarco Murray will probably miss the first two weeks of camp. It seems like the Cowboys are cursed with their draft picks over the last few years. I know Bruce Carter was coming off a major knee surgery but DeMarco Murray's injury is a big surprise. I hope this isn't the beginning of another year of rookie injuries.

I can't wait to see the new defense in action. From the sound of it the Cowboys will now be moving around before the snap to disguise their defensive look. And the blitzes are going to come from everywhere. It should be exciting.

Stephen Jones made it clear that the Cowboys are ok with moving forward with just the receivers currently on the roster. That scares me. I really hope that Sam Hurd is brought back at a minimum just to add a little experience to the depth chart.

I'm hoping to get to training camp on Saturday to get a first hand look at the team. It should be exciting but it will probably be odd since all of the newly signed veterans won't be able to participate until August 4. I want to see how Tyron Smith looks in person. And I am very interested to see if Dez Bryant looks ready to take a big step forward this season. Can Sean Lee step into a starting role? Is John Phillips all the way back from his knee injury? I could go on. So many questions. So little time this year to answer them before the season starts.

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