George: What to watch for in Cowboys' second preseason game

[Irving Cowboy]

What to watch for in Cowboys' second preseason game: Tony Romo back in action, how QBs fare under pressure
By Brandon George

Brandon George, Cowboys beat writer for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, answered questions in a live chat recently. Here are some highlights:

Question: What's the number one thing you'll be looking for in the matchup against the Dolphins?

George: How Tony Romo looks in his first action in several months, followed by can Dak Prescott come close to a repeat performance the second time around. Do the Cowboys get any pressure on the QB?

Question: Are you looking forward to watching the Cowboys' O-line square off against the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Cam Wake and Mario Williams?

George: Sure, but that won't last long in a preseason game. The Cowboys won't play their starters long. I look for Tony Romo to play one series, maybe two.

Question: Who would you have liked to see more of/from in Saturday's showcase?

George: Would have liked to have seen more from David Irving and Ryan Russell. They played most of the game but didn't produce much. The Cowboys need those two young DEs to step up with so much doubt along the DL about the pass-rush. Russell had a great offseason but hasn't done much in camp. Irving has a lot of upside, but the Cowboys can't be too patient with him. They need him to show up now.

Question: Losing James Hanna for an extended period of time is pretty big, right? He's a solid blocker on the line and his absence, I'd imagine, puts much more pressure on Geoff Swaim, a second-year guy, to perform well in two-tight end sets

George: Yes, it does put more on Geoff Swaim and Gavin Escobar. But especially Swaim since he's the better blocker.
Swaim started fast in training camp, but then had two drops in the first half of Saturday's first preseason game. They need Swaim to be much more of a contributor than he was in his rookie season out of Texas.

Question: Who among the long shots (Anthony Brown, Andy Jones, Darius Jackson ...) has the best shot at making the 53-man roster?

George: Both Brown and Jackson have good shots to make the roster. Brown is hurt right now, so that won't help his case. Jackson could be the fourth back on the 53 to start the year if they begin the season with Dunbar on the PUP, which seems likely.

 

[bbgun]

Prescott throws two picks, and the phrase "put away the anointing oil" makes a comeback

 

[Doomsday]

Question: Are you looking forward to watching the Cowboys' O-line square off against the likes of Ndamukong Suh, Cam Wake and Mario Williams?

George: Sure, but that won't last long in a preseason game.

It sure as fuck won't. When they just fucking blow by us and smash Tony, he'll be out of there. Then they'll feast on dak.

 

[Omegasupreme]

Prescott throws two picks, and the phrase "put away the anointing oil" makes a comeback

Or "tap the brakes"

Or "part of the process"

Or "Remember that Dak is playing NFL football against professional NFL football players at the top of their games, and Dak is still learning."

 

[Midswat]

When is the game?

No, I didn't read the article.

 

[Doomsday]

When is the game?

Tomorrow night 7pm central time.

Pussy.

 

[Midswat]

Nice. Looks like it comes on NFL network so I can watch it.

 

[Doomsday]

Nice. Looks like it comes on NFL network so I can watch it.

Here in Texas, it's also on the local Fox affiliates.

You Commies gotta hunt and peck to git yer Boys.

 

[Sheik]

i hope they die.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Sounds like Dak has struggled this week in practice. Will be interesting to see if he's the type that turns on the light on game days.

 

[SixisBetter]

Here in Texas, it's also on the local Fox affiliates.

We're getting on Albuquerque channel 50,MYtv or whatever.
Anybody know why Directv put NFL Network in a lower tier and now don't have to buy a package to get it?
Because of NFLN's feud with Dish or because NFLN is supposedly losing viewers everyday?

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Cowboys vs. Dolphins (Preseason Week 2) 2016: How To Watch, Game Time, TV Schedule, Online Streaming, Radio & More
by Dave Halprin

Information on the Dallas Cowboys 2016 Week 2 preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, including the game time, TV channel, how to stream the Cowboys-Dolphins game online, injuries, radio, odds, announcers, predictions, and more!

The Dallas Cowboys will host the Miami Dolphins for their second preseason contest of the 2016 season. The Cowboys had a very good first half last week against the Rams when Dak Prescott led them to three scores (17 points) and looked very good doing it. The second half wasn’t as good as the Cowboys offense stalled under Jameill Showers and the defense was picked apart.

This week against the Dolphins we might get a look at some of the veterans, at least briefly. We don’t know for sure if Tony Romo will play, but he seems to think he will. He might get a couple of series to get his season underway before taking more snaps in the Week 3 preseason game. We likely will not see Ezekiel Elliott. He has returned to practice in a limited fashion, but he probably won’t be cleared for any game action.

On defense, the fans would love to get a look at defensive linemen Benson Mayowa and Maliek Collins, but like Elliott it is doubtful they will be turned loose in a game so quickly after returning from lengthy layoffs.

But the thing that most fans will be interested in will be whether Dak Prescott can repeat, or at least approximate, his performance from last week. Do it once and people take notice, do it twice and people might start to believe.

What You Need To Know
Important links: Cowboys depth chart | Roster
Date: August 19th, 2016
Game time: 8:00 PM EST
Location: AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
TV channel: NFL Network
Announcers: Miami - Dick Stockton, Bob Griese | Dallas - Bill Jones, Babe Laufenberg
Radio: 105.3 The Fan | Full listings
Streaming: NFL Game Pass - During preseason you can watch the game live by streaming it with NFL Game Pass.

Dallas Cowboys record: (0-1)
Miami Dolphins record: (1-0)

Latest Injury report:
Disclaimer: Don't put too much stock in the injury designations, teams will likely sit out guys who are not 100% healthy or some veterans.

Dallas Cowboys
Anthony Brown -CB -Hamstring -Probable
Chris Brown -WR -Foot -Out
Lance Dunbar -RB -Knee -PUP List
Ezekiel Elliott -RB -Hamstring -Probable
Gavin Escobar -TE -Achilles -Probable
Doug Free -T -Foot -Questionable
Andrew Gachkar -LB -Thumb -Questionable
James Hanna -TE -Knee -PUP List
Jeff Heath -S -Concussion -Questionable
David Irving -DE -Groin -Questionable
Darren McFadden -RB -Elbow -Non-Football Injury
Kellen Moore -QB -Lower Leg -Out
Lawrence Okoye -DE -Ankle -Probable
Tony Romo -QB -Collarbone -Probable
Jaylon Smith -LB -Knee -Non-Football Injury
Tyron Smith -T -Stinger -Probable
Devin Street -WR -Leg -Probable
Charles Tapper -DE -Back -Probable
Kyle Wilber -LB -Back -Probable

Miami Dolphins
Chimdi Chekwa -CB -Strain -Probable
Chris Culliver -CB -Knee -PUP List
Kenyan Drake -RB -Hamstring -Questionable
Xavien Howard -CB -Knee -PUP List
Dion Jordan -DE -Knee -Non-Football Injury
Jordan Lucas -CB -Leg -Questionable
Chris McCain -DE -Knee -Probable
Earl Mitchell -DT -Calf -Probable
Ndamukong Suh -DT -Back -Probable
Zach Vigil -LB -Undisclosed -PUP List

Odds: Dallas -4

Prediction: Cowboys 24 -Dolphins 17

 

[dbair1967]

Prescott throws two picks, and the phrase "put away the anointing oil" makes a comeback

I certainly don't expect him to equal last weeks performance, in fact I'd be extremely surprised if he came close.

Will be interesting to see if Prescott gets any time with the "starters" as well (like he did last week for a couple of series) or if most of the key guys will exit when Romo does. Other than Leary and maybe Looney, the rest of the backup OL were extremely poor last week so Prescott having to play behind them would certainly have an impact I think.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Cowlishaw: What I'll be looking out for in Cowboys' preseason game against Miami
By Tim Cowlishaw

Columnist Tim Cowlishaw recently held a chat to talk all things D-FW sports. Here are some highlights:

Question: What will you be keeping an eye on if Friday's preseason game vs. Miami?

Cowlishaw: See if a semblance of a pass rush on Ryan Tannehill shows up, see how they cover Jarvis Landry, obviously see if Romo takes any hits and, if he does, if his new "pogo stick" of a collarbone works, as he described it.

Question: More important: Finding a competent backup or Romo's heir? (Or are those two in one?)

Cowlishaw: Trying to combine them right now but the heir isn't that important. Not many teams make that smooth Joe Montana to Steve Young transition. That's a thing of the past. You play a good QB as long as you can and when he's done, you work hard to find another one. If you happen to be grooming one that's great, but it doesn't happen on a regular basis.

Question: If Elliott doesn't play Friday and he's not likely to play much if all in the final preseason game, a couple of quarters in the third game enough to get him used to the speed of an NFL game?

Cowlishaw: It makes you wonder what he will look like in the season opener and whether he will be a 20-carry guy right from the start. You have to have some doubts. But I think Morris can play a little more early in the season if it seems like that's necessary.

 

[Rynie]

Nice. Looks like it comes on NFL network so I can watch it.

Real Cowboys fans live in Dallas.

 

[dbair1967]

Dallas Cowboys
Anthony Brown -CB -Hamstring -Probable
Chris Brown -WR -Foot -Out
Lance Dunbar -RB -Knee -PUP List
Ezekiel Elliott -RB -Hamstring -Probable
Gavin Escobar -TE -Achilles -Probable
Doug Free -T -Foot -Questionable
Andrew Gachkar -LB -Thumb -Questionable
James Hanna -TE -Knee -PUP List
Jeff Heath -S -Concussion -Questionable
David Irving -DE -Groin -Questionable
Darren McFadden -RB -Elbow -Non-Football Injury
Kellen Moore -QB -Lower Leg -Out
Lawrence Okoye -DE -Ankle -Probable
Tony Romo -QB -Collarbone -Probable
Jaylon Smith -LB -Knee -Non-Football Injury
Tyron Smith -T -Stinger -Probable
Devin Street -WR -Leg -Probable
Charles Tapper -DE -Back -Probable
Kyle Wilber -LB -Back -Probable

Pretty sure I had read/heard report none of the bolded guys were playing tonight.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

5 things to watch for when the Cowboys play the Dolphins, including how much playing time Prescott gets
By Jon Machota

OXNARD, Calif. -- Jason Garrett has participated in training camps for over 25 years as a player and coach.

To this day, he says he can't accurately predict a season off of one.

The best he could do Wednesday is say he has a "very positive feeling" about what he's witnessed from this group since the offseason began in February.

Three weeks of training camp practices in California has reinforced that feeling.

"I have a very positive feeling about the approach that we're taking, the mindset our team has, the mentality they have," Garrett said. "As a coach, that's all you can ask for. That's going to give you the best chance to have success."

The Cowboys returned to Dallas Thursday. They play their second preseason game Friday night.

Here are five things to watch for when the Cowboys host the Miami Dolphins at AT&T Stadium.

1. How much will the offensive starters play?

Most of them were on the field for at least one series in the Cowboys' preseason opener Saturday night in Los Angeles. Expect the same against the Dolphins. But there will be one very important addition. Tony Romo is expected to make his 2016 preseason debut. Don't look for the franchise quarterback to play more than a series, but it will be the first time he and Dez Bryant play in a game together since Thanksgiving. Fourth overall pick Ezekiel Elliott hasn't fully returned to practice since straining his hamstring. Look for the rookie running back to make his preseason debut at Seattle next Thursday in Dallas' third preseason game.

2. How will the other quarterback snaps be divided?

Rookie Dak Prescott played the first and second quarters against the Rams. Jameill Showers handled the third and fourth quarters. After Romo's work early, look for Prescott to get the rest of the first quarter, all of the second and maybe even some of the third. The coaches might want to see how Prescott responds to some halftime adjustments. The Cowboys only have three quarterbacks on the roster, so Showers will play the remainder of the game after Prescott exits.

3. Where will the pass rush come from?

The Cowboys only had four defensive ends to work with against the Rams. Ryan Russell and David Irving played in all four quarters but neither recorded a sack. Shaneil Jenkins, who was signed earlier this month, recorded the team's only sack. Can the Cowboys get more pressure against Miami? If so, it will likely have to come from Russell, Jenkins and Mike McAdoo. Injuries have left Rod Marinelli's group extremely thin up front. Irving (groin) won't be in the lineup Friday. Benson Mayowa recently returned to practice but he's not expected to play. Outside linebacker Kyle Wilber could get some work at defensive end if needed.

4. Can they continue creating turnovers?

The defense has been showing positive signs in this area. They forced more turnovers during this year's training camp than they did a year ago. Linebacker Mark Nzeocha and defensive back Deji Olatoye each intercepted a pass against the Rams. Can they continue the production? No NFC team was worse than the Cowboys in this category in 2015. To be better than expected defensively in 2016, the takeaways must increase significantly.

5. Will there be more playing time for Rico Gathers?

The former Baylor basketball player has a long way to go to make the Cowboys' 53-man roster. He was only on the field for a few plays against the Rams. The reason: Garrett and the coaching staff wanted to ease the sixth-round pick into his first football game since eighth grade. They used him in situations where he could focus on being a receiver and not have to worry about picking up blitzes.