After a dominating performance against the Buffalo Bills, it may seem like everything is bliss in the world of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys, who dismantled the Bills 44-7 on Sunday, are over the .500 mark (5-4) for the first time since Week 3. Dallas is also just a game behind NFC East leading New York Giants (6-3) and is tied for seventh with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC playoff race. Plus, the Cowboys have a marshmallow soft schedule coming up featuring the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. The only concern about the upcoming schedule is that two of the three games are away from Cowboys Stadium, as they have a 1-4 road record this season.
The offense of the Cowboys appears to clicking on all cylinders now that quarterback Tony Romo is healthy and rookie DeMarco Murray has taken over the starting running back job. Romo, who suffered a crack rib against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2, carved up the Buffalo defense in the first half. Romo, who completed 23 of his 26 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns against the Bills, was perfect on his first 13 pass attempts.
What made his outing so impressive was that he read the Buffalo defensive coverage perfectly and hit his receivers in stride (with a few exceptions) where they could increase their YAC (yards after catch) total. These exceptions occurred on the opening drive when Romo, who likes to throw deep despite having an average arm, was aided by his receivers. The first such occurrence happened when wide receiver Jesse Holley, on a Go Route, came back to an underthrown ball for a 25-yard completion to keep the drive alive. The very next play, Romo went to wide receiver Dez Bryant on a Stop and Go pattern. Bryant, who was in the end zone, went over the top of cornerback Terrence McGee to reel in the 36-yard pass.
Romo also did a nice job stepping up into the pocket, which is one of his fortes, when he sensed the Bills infrequent pass pressure. The couple of times he could not step into the pocket, Romo used his astuteness to spin out of harms way. Romo, who has not been sacked the last two games, was barely touched by the defense of the Bills.
Murray, who was the third round draft choice of the Cowboys out of Oklahoma, has been spectacular since he took over for the injured Felix Jones. Murray, who averages 6.7 yards per carry, has gone over the 100-yard plateau in three of the past four games. Murray, who is a complete back, has the ability to bounce outside when he cannot find a running lane.
Jones, who is expected to return to action against Washington after injuring his ankle against New England, averages 4.0 yards a carry. Jones is extremely fast, can catch the ball out of the backfield and has good instincts.
With Murray entrenched as the starter, Jones could be freed to inject life into the return game, the biggest weakness of the team. If the Cowboys decide to use Jones in this capacity he should only handle kickoffs as he is prone to fumble. Jones, who averaged 27 yards per kick return in 2008, has not been part of the return team since 2009.
Currently, Dallas ranks 30th in the NFL in total kickoff yards with 279 and 27th in kickoff return average (21.5 yards per return). The longest return of the season is 38-yards and that was by 306-pound defensive end Sean Lissemore. The Cowboys also struggle returning punts as they average just 7.2 yards per return (28th in the NFL) and have a long return of 25-yards (23rd).
The Cowboys have used a variety of returners to try to kick start their return game even activating second-year safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah from the practice squad. Owusu- Ansah, a 2010 fourth round draft pick out of IUP, has a nose for football, is sure handed and has excellent return instincts. Although Owusu-Ansah does not have electrifying speed, he is the Cowboys best option unless they go with Bryant (punt returns) and Jones (kick returns). Owusu-Ansah averaged 21.1 yards per kick return before getting injured last year.
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