Dallas Cowboys 2009 Preview

With distractions such as Terrell Owens, Adam "Pacman" Jones, and Jessica Simpson now gone, the Cowboys look to stay focused and make a return the post-season this year.

Tony Romo has proved himself to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league and with more experience under his belt, he should only get better. Romo will be without Terrell Owens however, but still has plenty of weapons he can use that will make this offense pretty dangerous. Roy Williams will be the number one receiver this year and should have a much more productive season as he has more experience playing in the Cowboy's system. The rest of the receiving core consists of veteran Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin who does not have much NFL experience so far in his career. Crayton is a solid number two while Austin has impressed Dallas' coaching staff thus far. At the tight end position, Romo will have Jason Witten as his main option. He is one of the top tight ends in the league and could be used even more this season with T.O. no longer on the team. Dallas will once again return a strong running game with the likes of Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice getting snaps in the backfield. All three are very solid backs and provide the Cowboys with a lot of depth at the position. The offensive line is a bit of a weak spot for this offense with tackles Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo returning from disappointing seasons. The Cowboys do have a Pro-Bowler playing on the line in guard Leonard Davis but the other guard position has its question marks with Kyle Kosier coming back from injury last season.

Dallas loses some big names on defense and this could end up hurting them this season. Pacman Jones and Roy Williams will not be returning this season for the secondary. Cornerback Terrence Newman hopes to stay healthy this season after missing six games last year. 2nd year player Mike Jenkins will occupy the other corner position and he hopes to improve his inconsistent play from his rookie year. At free safety, Ken Hamlin will be fighting for the starting spot after not showing much last season. Gerald Sensabaugh was brought in to fill the shoes of Roy Williams and the Cowboys took a gamble with him as he is known to be injury-prone and comes with a lot of baggage. Keith Brooking was brought in to replace inside linebacker Zach Thomas and this will not be much of an upgrade even after Thomas struggled in the Cowboy's system last season. Play-makers DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James will be returning this season and they should once again strike fear into opposing offenses. Dallas lost play-maker Chris Canty at defensive end and Igor Olshansky was brought in to be his replacement. The loss of Canty is a big one and Olshansky struggled last year with San Diego. Marcus Spears will be playing at the other end position and is an overall solid player. Anthony Spencer will also see a lot of playing time filling in for Greg Ellis. Jay Ratliff will be the nose-tackle this season and although he is a bit undersized for the position, he should provide solid production for Dallas.

The Cowboys hope to have a great first season in their new multi-billion dollar home but they will be playing in a very tough NFC East and lose many important players this offseason. Don't expect this team to be in the post-season this year.

2009 Season Prediction: 7-9, 4th NFC East

Source: http://mvn.com/outsider/2009/07/nfl-outsider-season-preview-2009-dallas-cowboys.html