The Cowboys need to get the football in Felix Jones’ hands more often this season.  That will be easier said than done as Marion Barber and Tashard Choice also need carries.  Jones carried the ball 6 times for 22 yards (3.7 ypc) in the season opener against the Buccaneers.  He also returned 2 kickoffs for 50 yards (25.0 avg) in the Cowboys’ first game of the year.  Last season Jones carried the football 30 times for 266 yards for a average of 8.9 yards per carry which is pretty darn amazing.  Jones scored 3 TDs on runs last season in only 30 carries!   He only caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg) as pass catching is not his game.  Jones also returned 16 kickoffs last season for 434 yards (27.1 avg) for the Cowboys.  Jones has the speed to score any time he touches the football so the Cowboys need to get creative in getting him more carries.

The Cowboys were outstanding on offense yesterday which is why they won this game.  Tony Romo was sharp connecting on 16 of 27 passing for 353 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  Marion Barber gave the Cowboys some balance as he carried the ball 14 times for 79 yards (5.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  WRs Patrick Crayton (4 rec, 135 yards), Roy Williams (3 rec, 86 yards) and Miles Austin (1 rec, 42 yards) each caught a TD pass in this game.  TE Jason Witten pitched in with 5 catches for 71 yards (14.2 avg).  The Cowboys finished up with 462 total yards on offense (118 rushing, 344 passing) in this game.

The defense was not too good for the Cowboys in this game as the Bucs rolled up a lot of yards.  CB Terence Newman and LB Keith Brooking led the Cowboys in this game with 9 tackles apiece.  The Buccaneers finished up with 450 yards in this game (174 rushing, 276 passing) so the Cowboys have some work to do on defense.

The Cowboys have a new look and they have a good team to try it out on tomorrow in the Tampa Bay Bucs.  With T.O. not in Dallas anymore look for Tony Romo to spread the football around more.  His favorite target will be his pal TE Jason Witten who should have a good game tomorrow against the LBs and safeties of the Bucs.  But Romo will also have to get the football to Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Miles Austin in the passing game.  The Bucs could blitz a lot tomorrow to try to rush Romo into some mistakes.  The Cowboys will also run the ball a lot tomorrow with Felix Jones, Marion Barber and Tashard Choice who will all be a pain for the Bucs’ D.

The Bucs gameplan should revolve around running the football tomorrow, period.  Derrick Ward, Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams should get a lot of carries right up the middle to negate the speed of the Cowboys D.  Byron Leftwich probably won’t have a lot of time to throw against the Cowboys especially with OLB DeMarcus Ware chasing him around.  With that in mind look for Kellen Winslow to get targeted a lot.

PREDICTION:  DALLAS COWBOYS 23, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 13

The Vikings essentially handed this game to the Cowboys.  Jon Kitna started this game and he completed 9 of 14 passes for 100 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Rudy Carpenter finished this game and he was effective completing 12 of 18 passes for 125 yards with 1 TD pass.  Julius Crosslin led the way on the ground for the Cowboys in this game with 42 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.7 ypc).  TE John Phillips led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys with 75 yards on 3 grabs (25.0 avg).  The Cowboys only finished up with 310 total yards on offense in this game (92 rushing, 218 passing).

Despite giving up 31 points the D played allright helping seal this victory.  Safety Pat Watkins led the way on D for Dallas with 7 tackles and a 23-yard interception return for a TD.  LB Steve Octavien also was busy with six tackles and a interception that he returned 44 yards for a TD.  The special teams allowed a 81 yard punt return for a TD but WR Jesse Holley returned a punt 82 yards for a TD to cap the scoring for the Cowboys in this game.  The Vikings finished up with 369 total yards in this game (127 rushing, 242 passing).  The Cowboys finished the pre-season with a 2-2 record.

The Cowboys have claimed 24-year old DE Curtis Johnson off waivers from the Colts.  He is only 6′3″, 237 pounds so the Cowboys will likely shift him to outside linebacker.  He played in 7 games as a rookie for the Colts last season and he made 4 tackles and had 1 sack.  Don’t expect much out of Johnson.