Dallas Cowboys’ Expectations High – As Always
Though people expect the Dallas Cowboys to be better this season, is there a year in recent memory where that hasn’t been the case? They’re expected to make noise in a crowded NFC East, expected by Vegas to finish second in the final divisional standings. A lot of offensive responsibilitiy will fall on running back DeMarco Murray this season, though he didn’t perform well enough for head coach Jason Garrett on Saturday, who benched the star running back for fumbling in the second quarter.
“We know how important the ball is,” Murray said. “I think there’s different approaches to go about it, so they chose to go about it that way. And I respect that. Just got to take care of the ball. At the end of the day, that’s the whole message.”
“Let it marinate a little bit,” Murray continued. “It was a little frustrating, I got to be honest. But I’m just trying to make plays. I’m a competitor. I wasn’t mad at anyone, I wasn’t pouting on the sidelines, I wasn’t anything. I was waiting for my opportunity to get back in the game. Once my number was called, I was ready to play… As a competitor, you’re never happy to not be in the game. Like I said, he’s a smart coach, great coach, I’m always going to be behind him, and whatever is best for the team, I’m all for it.”
“[The fumble] can’t happen,” Garrett said. “I don’t care who you are; we can’t have it. DeMarco’s a man. He understands team. He understands what his role is on this football team. We just felt that was the right thing to do, and he responded exactly how we thought he would respond, came back and played really hard and really well and took care of the rock.”
Of course, as always with the Cowboys, a disproportionate amount of blame for the team’s losses will fall on quarterback Tony Romo, who received a massive contract extension in the offseason. His owner, the ever-outspoken Jerry Jones, waxed poetic about Romo’s offensive mind this week on his weekly radio show in Dallas. Jones said that former Cowboys coach (and recent Hall of Fame inductee) Bill Parcells was a big fan of Romo’s football IQ, and that the quarterback’s approach to the game is similar to former Cowboys offensive coordinator and Saints head coach Sean Payton.
“Bill knows Tony well and he has always had a real appreciation for Romo’s approach and his intellect relative to play calling relative to seeing and understanding the game,” Jones said. “He’s unique in that way. In a way, Tony has some of the kind of skills you might see in a Sean Payton.”
“For me, I think sometimes I think about the game very detailed,” Romo said. “Little things matter tremendously as far as the outcome of plays — the releases, the differing things as far as where you want people on certain plays at what depth. And a lot of good coaches do that stuff. I just think you see it that way a little bit more when you get older.”
Here are all of the team prop bets for the Dallas Cowboys, courtesy of Bovada.lv.
Will the Dallas Cowboys make the playoffs?       Â
- Yes                 +150
- No                   -180
Dallas Cowboys – 2013 Regular Season Win Total  Â
- Over                           8½ (+105)
- Under                         8½ (-135)
Odds to win the 2014 NFC East Division
- New York Giants           2/1
- Dallas Cowboys            21/10
- Washington Redskins   5/2
- Philadelphia Eagles       15/4
