The Dallas Cowboys are hoping that 2012 will be the year that frustrations will be put aside for their fan base. The Cowboys have not been in a Super Bowl for the last 17 years. Optimism is always high in Cowboy Country, but you cannot live on the past. Head Coach Jason Garrett is beginning his 2ndfull year in charge of the Cowboys. His record is 13-11 overall. Coach Garrett has a giant task in front of him. Not only does he have to make improvements on all areas of his team, but he has to change the culture of the team. Players cannot bank on the past. They must earn there right to be great. The keys for the Cowboys success are in the hands of quarterback Tony Romo. The major question is can he step up and be an elite quarterback in the NFL. The Cowboy brass feel that he is. The injury bug devastated Dallas last season and they are hoping that a full year under strenghth and conditioning coach Mike Woicik can solve a lot of those issues. Woicik was with the Cowboys during the elite years in the 1990’s and his programs paid off. DeMarco Murray will handle the largest majority of carrys in the backfield and Lawrence Vickers will lead the way as fullback in the Cowboy offense. Weapon on offense should not be a problem for Tony Romo. His primary receivers will be tight end Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. If Bryant has a breakout season then watch out. It could open up a lot of options in the Cowboys offense. The Cowboys overhauled the offensive line during the off season. Tyron Smith will move to his natural position as left tackle and Doug Free will move to the right tackle position. Players that were brought in to strengthen the offensive guard positions were Nate Livings and Bernadeau Mackenzy. The big question mark will be who will man the center spot. Expect Phil Costa to man the position when the smoke clears. If not, the Cowboys may be looking at the waver wire. On the other side of the line things are not as rosey for the Cowboys. The secondary was a major disappointment and the Cowboy organization addressed this problem in a major way. They signed Brandon Carr to a free agent contract and moved up in the NFL draft to obtain Morris Claiborne. Both of these players are high quality cornerbacks. The Cowboys hope that the weakness at cornerback is now a strength. Add Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick to the mix and they might be right. The defensive has two Pro Bowl players. Those players are Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware. Ratliff is a force in the middle as a nose tackle and Ware is a monster on the outside as a stand up linebacker. The Cowboys must find someone who can take pressure off of Ware. Hopefully, Anthony Spencer or just drafted Kyle Wilber will provide pass-rush help. The Cowboys are hoping that Bruce Carter and Sean Lee will handle the inside linebacker positions. On special teams, Dallas is comfortable with Dan Bailey who converted 32-37 field goal attempts last season. The big question mark is who will be there punter. Look for Chris Jones to earn that position. The 2011 season was not a good one for the Cowboys. The NFL lockout prevented them from getting a good grasp of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s defense and they are hoping that with a full offseason in the strength and conditioning program and a second year in the current defensive scheme, things will improve.
“HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS”.
2012 Schedule
Sept. 05 @ N.Y. Giants
Sept. 16 @ Seattle
Sept. 23 Tampa Bay
Oct. 01 Chicago
Oct. 07 OPEN
Oct. 14 @ Baltimore
Oct. 21 @ Carolina
Oct. 28 N.Y. Giants
Nov. 04 @ Atlanta
Nov. 11 @ Philadelphia
Nov. 18 Cleveland
Nov. 22 Washington
Dec. 02 Philadelphia
Dec. 09 @ Cincinnati
Dec. 16 Pittsburgh
Dec. 23 New Orleans
Dec. 30 @ Washington
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