Owner/GM Jerry Jones did a nice job in last April’s NFL Draft as they found two impact players on offense in OT Tyron Smith and RB DeMarco Murray.  They also got some nice complementary type players who could see their roles expand in the future.  Here is a look at how the rookie class did in 2011:

21-year old OT Tyron Smith came to the Cowboys in the first round last April and he was really good as a rookie.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year.  He is going to be a big part of the foundation of the Cowboys’ O-Line both now and in the future.

23-year old LB Bruce Carter didn’t get to play much as the Cowboys have a pretty solid LBing unit.  Carter played in 10 games for the Cowboys last year and he had 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.

23-year old RB DeMarco Murray was a steal in the 3rd round for the Cowboys.  He played in 13 games for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 164 times for 897 yards (5.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 26 passes for 183 yards (7.0 avg) and he returned 2 kickoffs for 36 yards (18.0 avg).  Murray is likely going to push Felix Jones out of his starting role in 2012.

24-year old OG David Arkin was a 4th round pick last April.  He didn’t get into any games for the Cowboys in 2011 as he was banged up most of the year.  He still could develop into a decent O-lineman if he can stay healthy.

22-year old CB Josh Thomas came to the Cowboys in the 5th round last April.  He didn’t make the cut with the Cowboys and he was picked up by the Panthers.  Thomas played in 9 games for the Panthers last year and he had 1 tackle and 1 fumble recovery.

24-year old WR Dwayne Harris was a 6th round pick for the Cowboys.  He was outstanding in the pre-season for the Cowboys but he didn’t catch any passes for them in the regular season.  Harris played in 7 games for the Cowboys last year and he returned 15 punts for 80 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also returned 8 kickoffs for 231 yards (28.9 avg).  The Cowboys cut Harris early in the season but they brought him back a few weeks later and he’s still with the team.

23-year old FB Shaun Chapas was a 7th round pick of the Cowboys.  He only played in 3 games for the Cowboys last year and he didn’t touch the ball.

24-year old OG Bill Nagy was also a 7th round pick of the Cowboys.  He won a starting job right off the bat.  He played in 4 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year.  His season ended due to a severe ankle injury.  I look for Nagy to reclaim his starting job in 2012 if he can stay healthy.

GRADE FOR THE 2011 SEASON:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+

The Cowboys have signed 27-year old LB Baraka Atkins to a reserve/future contract.  Atkins has now played in the NFL since the 2008 season with the Seahawks.  Atkins has now played in 21 games in his first 2 years in the NFL and he has 29 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 pass defensed.  Atkins will be a longshot to win a job for the Cowboys in 2012 or beyond.

Sure, the Cowboys were only 8-8 on the season……but that wasn’t Tony Romo’s fault.  The 31-year old Tony Romo played in 16 games (all starts) for the Cowboys last year and he completed 346 of 522 passes (66.3%) for 4,184  yards with 31 TD passes and 10 INTs (102.5 QB Rating). Romo also carried the ball 22 times for 46 yards (2.1 ypc) with 1 TD run last year.  Romo has now played in 105 games (77 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,672 of 2,592 passes (64.5%) for 20,834 yards with 149 TD passes and 72 INTs (96.9 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 158 times for 459 yards (2.9 ypc) with 4 TD carries so far in his NFL career.  Romo is now 47-30 (61%) as a starting QB during the regular season in the NFL.

26-year old Stephen McGee got into a game this year when Tony Romo injured his hand and he didn’t play too bad.  McGee completed 24 of 38 passes (63.2%) for 182 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (83.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards (7.0 ypc) last year.  McGee has now played in 3 games (1 start) for the Cowboys in his career and he has completed 46 of 82 passes (56.1%) for 420 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs (82.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 17  times for 102 yards (6.0 ypc) so far in his NFL career.  McGee is 1-0 as the Cowboys’ starting QB.

39-year old Jon Kitna is likely near the end of the line as his season was ended early due to injury.  Kitna played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 87 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (82.1 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 3 times for -2 yards (-0.7 ypc) last year.  Kitna has now played in 141 games (124 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 2,677 of 4,442 passes (60.3%) for 29,745  yards with 169 TD passes and 165 INTs (77.4 QB Rating).  Kitna also has carried the ball 313 times for 956 yards (3.1 ypc) with 11 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  Kitna is 50-74 (40.3%) as a starting QB during the regular season in his NFL career.

The Giants were just the better team last Sunday, plain and simple.  Tony Romo was under duress this whole game as he was sacked six times.  He still managed to complete 29 of 37 passes for 289 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Felix Jones led the way on the ground with 30 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 7 passes for 47 yards (6.7 avg).  Sammy Morris pitched in with 3 carries for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) in this game.  WR Dez Bryant (6 rec, 70 yards), TE Jason Witten (7 rec, 69 yards) and WR Laurent Robinson (4 rec, 61 yards, 2 TD grabs) led the way for the Cowboys in the passing game.  The Cowboys finished up with 49 yards rushing on 16 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 37 passes (78.4%) for 251 yards as they had possession of the ball for 25:27.

The defense did not play well against the Giants in this game.  LB Sean Lee (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Abram Elam (10 tackles) led the way for the Cowboys in this game.  OLB DeMarcus Ware (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and 3 QB hits) also had a very solid game.  The Giants finished up with 106 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 33 passes (72.7%) for 331 yards in this game.  The Cowboys finish the 2011 season with a 8-8 record.

This is a do or die game.  The winner is the NFC East Champ and the loser goes home.  The Cowboys have lost three of their last four games, including a 37-34 loss to the Giants just three weeks ago.  The Giants have won two of their last three games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys know that they are likely going to have to score a lot of points to beat the Giants tomorrow night.  They say that Tony Romo is going to start with his badly bruised right hand.  The Cowboys’ O-Line is going to have to protect Romo well in this game because the Giants are without a doubt going to be coming after his hand.  DE Jason Pierre-Paul (15.5 sacks) and the Giants (42 sacks this year) love to bring the heat on QBs.  Romo is going to have to make quick decisions in this game and the passing game will likely be of the shorter variety.  That means that Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Miles Austin will have to get a lot of yards after the catch.  If Felix Jones is ready to go in this game, he could make a big difference on the ground for the Cowboys.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants will probably try for a more balanced attack than the first time they played the Cowboys.  Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs will be attacking a Cowboys’ D that is allowing 98.6 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Cowboys will be coming after Eli Manning with DeMarcus Ware (18 sacks)  and the rest of the D, as they can rattle him and force him into mistakes if they hit him early and hard in this game.  That being said, Manning has two of the better playmakers at WR in the NFL in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 34, COWBOYS 23

The Cowboys have placed 32-year old punter Mat McBriar on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a left foot injury.  McBriar played in 14 games for the Cowboys this year and he has punted the ball 58 times for 2,542 yards (43.8 avg).  He had 7 touchbacks (12.1%) and pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 21 times (36.2%).  The Cowboys have promoted 22-year old punter Chris Jones from the practice squad.  Jones played in 1 game earlier this year for the Cowboys and he punted the ball 4 times for 172 yards (43.0 avg).  He didn’t have any touchbacks and he pinned the oppositon inside their own 20-yard line 2 times.  The Cowboys better hope that Jones is ready for prime time tomorrow night because he’s going to have a huge role in this game.

The Cowboys will be sending 29-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware and 30-year old DT Jay Ratliff to the Pro Bowl.  Ware has played in 15 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 53 tackles, 18 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Ware has been a unstoppable force this year for the Cowboys as he appears to be living in opposing backfields.  Jay Ratliff has played in 15 games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has 35 tackles, 2 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.

The Dallas Cowboys have placed 31-year old guard Montrae Holland on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to partially torn left biceps.  Holland played in 10 games (all starts) for the Cowboys this year.  He has played in 31 games (14 starts) in his first four years with the Cowboys.  The Cowboys have re-signed 29-year old G/T Daniel Loper to replace Holland on the active roster.  Loper didn’t get in any games earlier this year for the Cowboys.  He has now played in 58 games (9 starts) in his first seven years in the NFL.

UPDATE:  (12/31/2011) – The Cowboys have waived Daniel Loper.

The Cowboys were doomed early in this game when Tony Romo injured his throwing hand.  He threw 2 incomplete passes.  Stephen McGee finished up this game at QB for the Cowboys and he completed 24 of 38 passes for 182 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 28 yards (7.0 ypc).  Sammy Morris led the way on the ground for the Cowboys with 13 carries for 29 yards (2.2 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 10 yards (2.5 avg).  Felix Jones could only muster 4 carries for 24 yards (6.0 ypc) as his hamstring was barking.  WR Dez Bryant (6 rec, 62 yards), WR Miles Austin (4 rec, 40 yards, TD) and TE Jason Witten (4 rec, 24 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Cowboys.  The Cowboys finished up with 81 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 40 passes (60%) for 157 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:23.

The defense did not play too well for the Cowboys in this game.  OLB Anthony Spencer (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) and CB Terence Newman (6 tackles) led the way for the Cowboys in this game on D.  LB Sean Lee (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) and OLB DeMarcus Ware (4 tackles, 2 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 QB hits) also had solid games.  The Eagles finished up with 105 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 32 passes (56.3%) for 281 yards.  The Cowboys are now 8-7 on the season.

The Cowboys need to step up and play a good game against a decent team today if they want to make the playoffs.  The Cowboys are 1 game ahead of the Giants and 2 games ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East…..so they need this game.  The Eagles thrashed the Cowboys 34-7 in Philly earlier this year.  The Eagles have won two games in a row by a combined score of 71-29!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are likely going to come out throwing the ball with RB Felix Jones gimpy.  The O-Line is going to have their hands full with the Eagles’ pass rush as they already have 46 sacks so far this year.  If Tony Romo has time to throw the ball today, he is going to be effective as Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten give him a lot of lethal targets in the passing game.  RB Sammy Morris will try to give the Cowboys some balance on offense today.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Eagles are likely going to come out running the ball with Lesean McCoy shouldering most of the load.  Michael Vick is going to be opertating out of the pocket for the most part today, with his ribs still barking.  The Cowboys will try to contain him, while bringing a lot of heat on the pass rush.  The safeties are likely going to have issues with TE Brent Celek who has really stepped up lately for the Eagles.  Jeremy Maclin and Desean Jackson will challenge the Cowboys’ secondary down the field today.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 27, COWBOYS 23