October, 4, 2011
By Todd Archer
Link
IRVING, Texas -- It’s a bye week but we’re never off from wondering some things about the Cowboys, so here is this week’s Five Wonders:
** Nose tackle Josh Brent has had two snaps as the goal-line fullback. At 318 pounds, I understand why the Cowboys want to use Brent, especially with fullback Tony Fiammetta unable to play against Detroit because of a hamstring injury. I’m wondering why they don’t give a look to defensive end Sean Lissemore. He has better feet as evidenced by his 38-yard kickoff return vs. the Lions. He was a track athlete in high school where he ran the 100 and 200 meter. Lissemore’s return was the longest in team history by a lineman. It was also the longest the Cowboys have had since a 43-yarder in the third quarter last year at Indianapolis. The Cowboys have had one return in their last 26 tries go as long as Lissemore’s. Bryan McCann had a 38-yarder last year vs. Washington in Week 15.
** New England has not lost at Gillette Stadium in the regular season with Tom Brady as its starting quarterback since losing, 17-14, to the New York Jets on Nov. 12, 2006. That’s 29 straight games and they have the Jets visiting this week. I wonder if that is a good thing for the Cowboys that the Patriots have to play their most hated rival this week. New England will expend plenty of emotion and sweat to win that game. But recent history indicates that the Patriots don’t have too much trouble letting go of what has happened against the Jets. Since Rex Ryan has been New York’s coach, New England is 3-1 after playing the Jets. The only loss came at New Orleans, 38-17, in 2009.
** As David Buehler recovers from a groin injury, Dan Bailey has made the kickoff specialist almost irrelevant. In the last two games Bailey has five touchbacks in 13 kickoffs and only two returns have gone to the 30. I understand that both games have come inside Cowboys Stadium, but the Cowboys have only one truly cold-weather game and that’s the Jan. 2 finale at the New York Giants. I guess you could see some cold weather in Washington on Nov. 20, but you should get the point. Roster spots are too valuable to keep two kickers and Bailey is showing he is up to the task.
** In his first start with the Cowboys Laurent Robinson had seven catches for 116 yards. Not a bad debut start. Would you believe it was the eighth time in franchise history that a player had more than 100 receiving yards in his first start with the team? Miles Austin did it in a big way with 250 yards at Kansas City in 2009. The others: Ron Sellers (Oct. 15, 1972 vs. Baltimore), Tony Hill (Oct. 8, 1978 vs. the New York Giants, Doug Cosbie (Sept. 13, 1982 vs. Pittsburgh), Kelvin Edwards (Oct. 11, 1987 vs. Philadelphia), Raghib Ismail (Sept. 12, 1999 vs. Washington) and Keyshawn Johnson (Sept. 12, 2004 vs. Minnesota).
** It was funny to see some comments on our chat about how loud the Cowboys Stadium crowd seemed to be Sunday. We are behind glass at the stadium, but we can still get a feel for the atmosphere and it did not seem loud at all. But that’s been the case for all but maybe two games in the $1.2 billion stadium. Texas Stadium did not get very loud either, so maybe it is not a case of the venue. Maybe it’s the people in attendance. I wonder if the focus of the people inside the place is the football game or attempting to get their face on the center-hung digital board during breaks in the action. Plus there is this: the announced crowd of 78,222 was the smallest in Cowboys Stadium’s brief history. The previous low was 80,886 when Seattle visited in 2009. In fact two of the three smallest crowds have been when the Lions visited. Only 81,261 packed the place last year. With St. Louis, Seattle and Buffalo on the home schedule I’m not expecting huge crowds.
By Todd Archer
Link
IRVING, Texas -- It’s a bye week but we’re never off from wondering some things about the Cowboys, so here is this week’s Five Wonders:
** Nose tackle Josh Brent has had two snaps as the goal-line fullback. At 318 pounds, I understand why the Cowboys want to use Brent, especially with fullback Tony Fiammetta unable to play against Detroit because of a hamstring injury. I’m wondering why they don’t give a look to defensive end Sean Lissemore. He has better feet as evidenced by his 38-yard kickoff return vs. the Lions. He was a track athlete in high school where he ran the 100 and 200 meter. Lissemore’s return was the longest in team history by a lineman. It was also the longest the Cowboys have had since a 43-yarder in the third quarter last year at Indianapolis. The Cowboys have had one return in their last 26 tries go as long as Lissemore’s. Bryan McCann had a 38-yarder last year vs. Washington in Week 15.
** New England has not lost at Gillette Stadium in the regular season with Tom Brady as its starting quarterback since losing, 17-14, to the New York Jets on Nov. 12, 2006. That’s 29 straight games and they have the Jets visiting this week. I wonder if that is a good thing for the Cowboys that the Patriots have to play their most hated rival this week. New England will expend plenty of emotion and sweat to win that game. But recent history indicates that the Patriots don’t have too much trouble letting go of what has happened against the Jets. Since Rex Ryan has been New York’s coach, New England is 3-1 after playing the Jets. The only loss came at New Orleans, 38-17, in 2009.
** As David Buehler recovers from a groin injury, Dan Bailey has made the kickoff specialist almost irrelevant. In the last two games Bailey has five touchbacks in 13 kickoffs and only two returns have gone to the 30. I understand that both games have come inside Cowboys Stadium, but the Cowboys have only one truly cold-weather game and that’s the Jan. 2 finale at the New York Giants. I guess you could see some cold weather in Washington on Nov. 20, but you should get the point. Roster spots are too valuable to keep two kickers and Bailey is showing he is up to the task.
** In his first start with the Cowboys Laurent Robinson had seven catches for 116 yards. Not a bad debut start. Would you believe it was the eighth time in franchise history that a player had more than 100 receiving yards in his first start with the team? Miles Austin did it in a big way with 250 yards at Kansas City in 2009. The others: Ron Sellers (Oct. 15, 1972 vs. Baltimore), Tony Hill (Oct. 8, 1978 vs. the New York Giants, Doug Cosbie (Sept. 13, 1982 vs. Pittsburgh), Kelvin Edwards (Oct. 11, 1987 vs. Philadelphia), Raghib Ismail (Sept. 12, 1999 vs. Washington) and Keyshawn Johnson (Sept. 12, 2004 vs. Minnesota).
** It was funny to see some comments on our chat about how loud the Cowboys Stadium crowd seemed to be Sunday. We are behind glass at the stadium, but we can still get a feel for the atmosphere and it did not seem loud at all. But that’s been the case for all but maybe two games in the $1.2 billion stadium. Texas Stadium did not get very loud either, so maybe it is not a case of the venue. Maybe it’s the people in attendance. I wonder if the focus of the people inside the place is the football game or attempting to get their face on the center-hung digital board during breaks in the action. Plus there is this: the announced crowd of 78,222 was the smallest in Cowboys Stadium’s brief history. The previous low was 80,886 when Seattle visited in 2009. In fact two of the three smallest crowds have been when the Lions visited. Only 81,261 packed the place last year. With St. Louis, Seattle and Buffalo on the home schedule I’m not expecting huge crowds.
