NFL Draft Info - Dallas Cowboys

2009 Dallas Cowboys Report Card

by: Bryan Martin

Quarterback

Tony Romo had his best overall season as a starter in the NFL.  Setting career records for attempts, completions, and yards; Tony Romo is the reason that the Cowboys were able to play so well down the stretch.

With an emphasis on ball protection, Romo was able to balance smart play with risky play to throw 26 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions.  With the maturity of Romo increasing exponentially you can expect that he will only be getting better over the next few years.

Overall Grade: A

Running Back

Despite being ranked 7^th in the league overall in rushing offense, I felt very disappointed in the running game.  With limitless potential in 3 starting caliber backs you should’ve seen at least one break 1,000 yards.  I felt like Felix started off very well this season and ended the season just the same.  However, the disappointment lies in Marion Barber who, despite running 214 times for 932 yards, seemed to lack any burst and power down the stretch.  Not to mention that Tashard Choice has earned some extra carries.

That being said our running game still averaged 4.8 yards a carry which is pretty good in my opinion.  There is still room to improve and ways to get all 3 backs improve, if in fact all 3 backs return next season.

Overall Grade: B-

Wide Receiver

In this very group you’ll find the biggest surprises and letdowns on the whole team.  Miles Austin exploded onto the scene in Kansas City when filling in for the injured Roy Williams. Miles is responsible for the success of this unit partnered with Patrick Crayton coming out of the slot.  Combined Crayton and Austin had 1942 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The cancer of the group was Roy Williams whose offseason plan of bulking up seemed to hinder his ability to get fast breaks off the line.  After trading a 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th to the lions for the star-studded receiver, he just hasn’t produced.  Expected to be the number one receiver he amassed a measly 596 yards and dropped more passes than anyone in the league.  He has a lot of the work to do this offseason since it seems unlikely he’ll go anywhere.

Another surprise comes in a fan favorite known as Kevin Ogletree.  Ogletree had an outside chance of making the squad and since becoming a full time member he has been impressive on screen patterns.  His speed sets him apart but his heart is what defines him.  He is and will continue to be a find addition to this Cowboys team.

Overall grade: B

Tight End

This should be very brief.  Jason Witten is solid, Martellus Bennett is not.  Witten continued to establish himself as an elite tight end.  His blocking is solid and he still manages to break 1,000 yards as a receiver.  He will continue to wreak havoc on linebackers and safeties for years to come.

Bennett is not so solid.  Expected to be a great addition to this passing offense he simply was a non-factor.  He spent way too much time tweeting and not enough focusing on fundamentals.  I believe that he is the personality that the Cowboys tried to rid themselves of.

With the solid play of rookie John Phillips, Bennett may find himself on the outside looking in and he alone has brought this unit down in the grade category.

Overall Grade: C+

Offensive Line:

This has been a pretty solid line for some time now.  Large players with speed and strength have paved the way for Dallas’ rushing attack.  That being said the line is getting old.  Flozell Adams can’t get over his dirty play and mistakes and the injury to Colombo hurt the line.

Doug Free, filling in for Colombo, was solid though didn’t produce like a Colombo.  However, he does offer Jerry Jones a good option for the future.  Once again Leonard Davis was impressive.  Overall this has to be one of the best lines in football and they only allowed 34 sacks.

Overall Grade: B

Defensive Line:

The addition of Igor Olshansky proved to be a good one as this defensive line was just dominant all season.  The purpose of a 3-4 defensive line is to simply clog holes.  This particular defensive line was able to do that and more as they combined for 10 sacks.

You have to credit this group in particular for helping the defense be fourth in the league with rush yards allowed per game.  Jay Ratliff found himself in the pro-bowl again and this unit is on the verge of being one of the elite defensive lines in the league.

Overall Grade: A

Linebackers

The Cowboys most prolific unit is it’s linebackers core.  These guys are intense playmakers.  From the addition to Keith Brooking to the emergence of Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Spencer, this unit was built for success.  DeMarcus Ware wasn’t as statistically impressive as last year but played just as well if not better.  He hit the quarterback, rushed the quarterback, or sacked the quarterback seemingly every play.  Not to mention Ware was playing injured all season.

Bradie James continued his underrated play with Brooking next to him.  This linebacker unit sent fear to offensive quarterbacks and did a great job of applying pressure.

Overall Grade: A

Defensive Back

The Cowboys did everything they could last offseason to ensure big plays wouldn’t be made on them.  The signing of Gerald Sensabaugh proved to be a good one but still didn’t fix the problem.  The Cowboys still ranked in the lower tier of passing defense (20^th).

Terence Newman was solid but Mike Jenkins was better helping shut down big names like DeSean Jackson consistently.  Nevertheless, they were still prone to big plays and it haunted them in big games.  They are a good unit, but some more players need to be acquired.

Overall Grade: B-

Special Teams

Again pretty short here, Nick Folk melted down, David Beuhler was awfully impressive, and Mat McBriar is never bad.  The Cowboys are in need of a serious need of a FG kicker.  Beuhler had 29 touchbacks which added to the field position battle quite nicely.  Overall a strong unit once a FG kicker is in place.

Overall Grade: C