2005 preview: Cowboys
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Dallas Cowboys
Head coach: Bill Parcells, third season
2004 record: 6-10
2004 rankings: Offense, 14th (324.8 yards/game); Defense, 16th (330.3 yards/game)
2005 strength of schedule: Ninth (tie)
From SportingNews.com: NFC East overview
The expected dominance of Bill Parcells and the Cowboys took a slight detour through reality, and the season ended with the team's defense struggling as badly as any unit Parcells has had in his NFL career.
As a 3-4 start fell to 5-9, Parcells sounded like a beaten man, even after finding bright spots like running back Julius Jones and tight end Jason Witten. But Parcells wasn't ready to walk away, as some thought. Instead, he spent the final weeks of the 2004 season plotting his offseason coordinates, which would involve an aggressive foray into free agency and a detailed draft plan.
OFFENSE
This unit didn't get near the offseason attention the defense did, only picking up veteran quarterback Drew Bledsoe and guard Marco Rivera. Both players are getting old, but they have a few solid seasons left in the tank. The design of the offense won't be too complicated anyway.
Bledsoe is going to be asked to hand the ball off to Julius Jones 20 to 25 times a game, then complement him with a modest passing game. Bledsoe might not be an upper-tier quarterback anymore, but he's still dangerous enough to pass for 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns with the receiving corps of Witten, Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn and Quincy Morgan.
Jones no doubt will be running plenty of plays behind the superb run blocking of Rivera and fellow guard Larry Allen, but he still is going to have to hold up under the work load. Running back Anthony Thomas could get a handful of carries each game, too, giving Dallas a physical 1-2 combination at running back.
The Cowboys can't afford to have any injuries on the line, where depth is thin. Rivera had some back issues during the offseason, but he is expected to be 100 percent by the first preseason game.
DEFENSE
The defense wasn't atrocious, but Parcells clearly was expecting a great deal more last season. He vowed to retool, switching the scheme to a 3-4 base and putting it on the path to becoming one of the league's best against the run.
While it's too early to know what the chemistry will be like, Parcells wasn't kidding around. The defense will have at least three new starters – rookie outside linebacker Demarcus Ware, cornerback Anthony Henry and nose tackle Jason Ferguson – and could have four if rookie Marcus Spears can work his way into the defensive end spot opposite Greg Ellis.
If Parcells can get some of last season's underachievers to play better (especially No. 1 cornerback Terence Newman), the defense could get better quickly. Then again, it's asking a lot for two rookies to come in and play vital roles immediately, which likely will happen with Ware and Spears. Parcells has been especially high on Ware, whom he has compared to one of his former Giants players – Lawrence Taylor.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter Mat McBriar is safe, but kicker Billy Cundiff could lose his job if he doesn't perform well in the preseason. There doesn't appear to be any serious threat going into camp, but if Cundiff struggles and a quality veteran shakes loose from another team (like Mike Vanderjagt of the Colts), Parcells wouldn't hesitate to snap him up.
Neither of the returners seems etched in stone, and the duties could be split up among several different players, including cornerback Lance Frazier and wide receivers Terrance Copper, Morgan and Patrick Crayton.
PREDICTION
The Cowboys will finish 9-7 and second in the NFC East.
