Dallas Cowboys' special teams are just that in opener
01:39 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Cowboys special teams, awful at times last year, were terrific in the opener against Tampa Bay.
Rookie kickoff specialist David Buehler had three touchbacks. Gerald Sensabaugh blocked a field goal attempt, and Nick Folk hit two field goals, including a 51-yarder in the first quarter.
And the coverage units did a nice job shutting down Clifton Smith, one of the league's top punt and kickoff returners.
Too many times, the Cowboys lost the special teams phase of the game last season, which is why Bruce Read is gone and Joe DeCamillis is in charge of special teams.
DeCamillis is a hard-nosed, energetic coach who accepts no less than maximum effort. He's had success throughout the league, and he's already making an impact on the Cowboys.
Q: Do you feel the self-deprecating remarks from Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin are genuine?
David Birdwell in Gettysburg, Pa.
TAYLOR: I think so. Obviously Roy Williams' remarks were said tongue in cheek. These guys all believe they're good players, and they've been looking forward to an opportunity to prove just how good they can be. Only time will tell, though.
Q: The Cowboys should have fired Wade Phillips and hired Mike Shanahan and Don Capers to run the defense. The Packers' D looks great. Garrett and Shanahan working together on offense, that's a championship-caliber coaching staff.
Lamont Epps, San Diego
TAYLOR: Let's not put too much into the first week. The Cowboys tried to hire Capers last year, but Brian Stewart balked, so they didn't. We all know Capers is a terrific coordinator. Just so you know, I don't think there's any way Jason Garrett will be on the same staff with Shanahan, who would certainly be coordinating the offense and calling the plays. I don't think Garrett would be happy in that setup.
Q: What is it with defense? I don't care to hear that it was only the first game. Those guys do not play hard all the time. If someone is not playing up to their abilities, then call them out. In this case, you can start with the Cowboys' defense as a whole. Can we count on you guys to do this?
Glenn Guillory
TAYLOR: I certainly don't have any problem calling out players or praising them, depending on the situation. There have been times throughout the years when the Cowboys haven't played hard, but Sunday wasn't one of them. Don't confuse the issue. You can play hard and play poorly, which is what the Cowboys did. Actually, you can make the argument they were playing too hard, which is why they were flying to the ball instead of playing their gaps. Let's see what happens after a few games before we decide whether the defense is good or not.
Q: I think you're jumping the gun on the viability of the post-T.O. era. I'm not sold on Tony Romo and Jason Garrett until we see some success against better secondaries than Tampa's. T.O. isn't a chump. You can't replace him so easily. I feel bad about what happened to him.
Joe Duarte, Tempe, Ariz.
TAYLOR: In Monday's column, I wrote that it has just been one game, so we need to maintain some perspective. We all know Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton aren't going to combine for eight catches, 263 yards and three touchdowns most weeks. They probably won't do it again this season. What their performance proved, however, is that if you don't pay attention to those guys they're each capable of hurting you. As for T.O., no one said he was a chump. I just said the Cowboys didn't miss him in their first game.
Q: We're light in the butt up from our interior defensive linemen to our inside linebackers to our strong safety. We don't have anyone who packs a wallop and can provide some physicality in the middle. That's why not getting Ray Lewis was a huge loss for us. Brooking is nice, but he's not a physical presence. Ratliff is a Pro Bowler, but he's more talented than he is physical. It's going to be a long season for our defense.
Omar Savoy, Los Angeles
TAYLOR: It takes about six weeks before you know the offensive and defensive identity of a team. At that point, there's not too much to add to the offense or defense and the stats actually mean something. The Cowboys don't have a lot of size because they're relying on speed, quickness and scheme to make plays. It's a philosophy, and it's not changing. The Cowboys were 12th against the run last year, allowing 106.6 yards per game – and that was after giving up 265 yards to Baltimore in the final game at Texas Stadium. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think the Cowboys will give up 174 yards rushing per game.
Q: Can we please stop with all the T.O. crap? After every game, are you going to write about how the Cowboys did or did not make up for T.O.'s absence? I was sick of reading about him when he was with the Cowboys, and now that he is gone, I'm still reading about him. He is gone. In Buffalo. Forget about him, nobody cares anymore except maybe the people in Buffalo. If you want to continue writing about him, move to Buffalo. But do us all a favor and quit talking about him. Jeez, enough already.
Rob Simon
TAYLOR: I hate to tell you, but we can't ignore the biggest story of the off-season just because you're tired of reading about it. The Cowboys releasing T.O. was a huge story, and we were going to address it in the first game whether the Cowboys' receivers played great or poorly. Now that the first game is out of the way, we probably won't deal with it much the rest of the season. That said, it's an underlying issue this season just like Wade Phillips' job security and Roy Williams' performance.
Q. For the Cowboys to become at least a playoff team, they should get out of the 3-4 and back to the 4-3. Thoughts?
Sean Myrick
TAYLOR: Sean, it took the Cowboys about three seasons to get the personnel to play the 3-4 and get all of their players used to playing it. To go back to the 4-3 would take a similar commitment. Besides, Jerry Jones hired Phillips because he was a 3-4 expert. Frankly, the scheme doesn't matter as much to me as the personnel. If you have great players, you can win no matter what scheme you're playing.
Q: Prediction: David Buehler will be this year's Orlando Scandrick, a total steal. I told you this in July. What do you think?
Ami Heda, Maplewood, N.J.
TAYLOR: I'll give you props for sending me a note about Buehler in training camp and following up after the first game. He had three touchbacks in the first game, which helped Dallas tremendously with field position. He's going to be a weapon all season. It'll be a well-spent pick, if he's this good all season.
Q: During the Cowboys' game, Darryl Johnston said the defense wasn't allowed to take the running backs to the ground in training camp. If this is true, why would Wade Phillips do it?
Tackling has been an issue with this team for the last several years. I would think they would focus on it instead of avoiding it in camp.
Eddie Arnold
TAYLOR: A lot of teams don't tackle during training camp because they don't want to risk injuring their players. This is not a new concept or a philosophy particular to Phillips. Players are so valuable that no coach wants to risk losing a player in practice. Like you, I believe that's part of the reason there is so much poor tackling throughout the league.
Q: If they beat the Giants next week, and I know that is a huge if, Dallas will be 8-0 when they play Philly. Do you want to bet?
Quitman, Texas
TAYLOR: I'll take that bet. Shoot me an e-mail and we'll work it out. No way the Cowboys go 8-0 if they beat the Giants. They're not that talented, and it's too tough to win each week in the NFL for Dallas to go 8-0.