ESPN

The Cowboys praised the play of fullback Tony Fiammetta last season. But a three-game absence, which led to some tense moments at Valley Ranch, might have sealed his future leading the team to sign fullback Lawrence Vickers on Wednesday.

Fiammetta missed those games with an undisclosed illness. The team didn't know what was wrong with Fiammetta. At one point, after a news conference, coach Jason Garrett addressed reporters by saying Fiammetta didn't have a concussion.

The team didn't know what was really wrong.

Fiammetta was a ghost at Valley Ranch for three weeks. He couldn't even work out.

Then finally he reappeared. Normally when approached by reporters, he chats, but one day he declined to comment as two reporters walked with him toward the parking lot.

Fiammetta was later diagnosed with an inner-ear infection which caused balance issues. He did return for the last four games of the season.

He wasn't the same player. He was a good blocker but he didn't move defenders out of the way as fast as he did early in the season. The Cowboys still valued him, and there was a thought he might get a new contract after he wasn't given a exclusive rights deal Tuesday.

But enter Vickers, whom ProFootballFocus.com ranked as the 15th best fullback in the league in 2011. Fiammetta was ranked 27th while playing in 227 snaps. Vickers played 235.

A source said Fiammetta didn't have any new health issues come up when the season ended. So this move is more about Vickers being better than Fiammetta.

So give the Cowboys credit for upgrading their roster.

Todd Archer provides more analysis regarding Vickers here.

IRVING, Texas – Tony Fiammetta quickly became something of a legend last year as the Cowboys’ lead blocker for DeMarco Murray.

It seemed the move to a more traditional fullback helped open up avenues for the running game that the Cowboys did not have with their tight ends serving as blockers. And the stats backed up the thought.

But Fiammetta could not stay healthy. He missed five games last year. He missed eight games in his first two seasons with Carolina.

As much as the Cowboys wanted to keep him, they did not want to pay him $1.26 million as a restricted free agent. They had talks with his agent about a multi-year contract that would have been more cap friendly but when one did not materialize they decided not to tender him a contract.

That made Fiammetta free to sign elsewhere but it also made the Cowboys free to shop elsewhere.

They signed Lawrence Vickers to a two-year deal Wednesday, leaving him unemployed for not long after Houston cut him. Vickers is older (he turns 29 in May) but he’s bigger and he has shown to be more durable. He has missed just two games in the last three years in opening holes for Peyton Hillis in Cleveland and Arian Foster last year.

The decision to sign Vickers shows that Jason Garrett believes there is something to having a true fullback on the game-day roster.

But it also comes at a cost and the Cowboys did not want to overpay for a guy that would play 15 or so snaps a game.

IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys did not tender a contract offer to any of their restricted free agents and only put the one-year offers out to exclusive rights free agents Jermey Parnell and Clifton Geathers.

PODCAST
The Cowboys have released David Buehler and Terence Newman. Good moves? What's next? Coop and Nate debate. Listen

The Cowboys had some talks with Tony Fiammetta’s agent about a multi-year deal on Tuesday but could not reach a deal. It is possible he could re-sign but now he is free to sign with another team. Had they put the restricted free-agent tag on Fiammetta he would have been paid $1.26 million in 2012 and received a fourth-round pick in return if signed with another team.

The Fiammetta move could be fallout from the $5 million the NFL took away from the Cowboys’ 2012 salary cap for sanctions involving the 2010 uncapped season. Another $5 million will be taken away from the cap in 2013.

In addition to Fiammetta, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree and quarterback Chris Greisen were not tendered as restricted free agents. The Cowboys also made wide receiver Jesse Holley a free agent but not tendering him a deal as an exclusive rights free agent.

Parnell and Geathers will make $540,000 in 2012.

Parnell served as the backup offensive tackle last year and played sparingly. Geathers played in five games and was credited with two tackles and three quarterback pressures.

The Cowboys had plans to offer a tender to only one restricted free agent, fullback Tony Fiammetta.

PODCAST
ESPN NFL analyst Ed Werder talks about how the NFL's salary cap penalty could prevent the Cowboys from re-signing free agents, namely WR Laurent Robinson. Listen

That has now changed according to a source, because the team is now working on a new multi-year contract with Fiammetta.

The Cowboys were expected to give Fiammetta a tender offer of $1.26 million, which would also give the team the right of first refusal. If a team matched the tender, the Cowboys would pick up a fourth-round pick because that's the round Fiammetta was drafted in by Carolina in 2009.

Fiammetta played in 10 games last season, but he was viewed as a valuable asset to the running game. Starting running back DeMarco Murray praised the blocking of Fiammetta during the season.

A health scare cost Fiammetta three games in late November/early December. He was diagnosed with an inner-ear infection. There was some uncertainty about bringing Fiammetta back due to this health issue, but once the Cowboys' medical staff deemed Fiammetta was physically fit to play, the team felt it best to bring him back long-term.

IRVING, Texas – The NFL’s 2012 salary cap increased by less than $300,000 over last year’s figure to $120.6 million, which is close to what the Cowboys were expecting as they budgeted for their offseason spending.

The Cowboys will not have to release players to get under the cap by Tuesday, but if they are to be as aggressive as owner and general manager Jerry Jones said they will be when the market opens, they will have to re-work a number of contracts to have money to spend.

The official cost of Anthony Spencer’s franchise tag is $8.856 million, which leaves the Cowboys with around $3.5 million of room. That does not include the tenders that will be given to restricted free-agent fullback Tony Fiammetta (expected to be $1.26 million) and exclusive rights free agents Jesse Holley, Clifton Geathers and Jermey Parnell.

The Cowboys can create cap room by releasing Terence Newman, which could save either $4 million or $6 million. They can also re-work the deals of DeMarcus Ware, Doug Free, Orlando Scandrick and Dez Bryant and create as much as $13 million in room.

The Cowboys would like to re-sign wide receiver Laurent Robinson and have been linked to free-agent cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Cortland Finnegan as well as guard Ben Grubbs.

IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones hinted last week at the NFL scouting combine that the team would not tender every restricted free agent this offseason.

PODCAST
Jerry Jones thinks this Cowboys team is still talent-laden and ready to contend for a Super Bowl. Ben and Skin discuss. Listen

According to a source, the only restricted free agent the Cowboys plan to tender an offer to will be fullback Tony Fiammetta.

By not extending the tender to the other two restricted free agents, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree or quarterback Chris Greisen will be free to sign anywhere else. It is possible the Cowboys could re-sign Ogletree at a lower salary.

Fiammetta is expected to receive the $1.26 million tender, which would give the Cowboys the right of first refusal. If a team signed Fiammetta and the Cowboys chose not to match, they would receive a fourth-round in return because that’s the round Carolina selected him in 2009.

Ogletree was given every chance to win the No. 3 receiver spot last preseason but never took advantage and was surpassed by Laurent Robinson, who ended up leading the Cowboys with 11 touchdowns. Ogletree made the roster as an undrafted free agent from Virginia in 2009 and showed flashes of ability to think the Cowboys had another find.

He caught 25 passes for 294 yards in 31 games. He also handled some punt and kick return duties.

Fiammetta played in 10 games and helped change the fortunes of the Cowboys’ running game along with DeMarco Murray as a solid lead blocker. He missed four games with an illness later in the season but returned for the final four games.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Officially, the league has not released the tender amounts for restricted free agents, but the right of first refusal offer is expected to be worth roughly $1.3 million, a slight raise from 2011.

The Cowboys have three restricted free agents: fullback Tony Fiammetta, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree and quarterback Chris Greisen.

With such a high price tag, the Cowboys could choose to tender an offer only to Fiammetta, who excelled as a lead blocker for DeMarco Murray but battled through a mysterious illness for a few weeks that caused him to miss three games.

“We’ll have guys that we’ll tender and guys that we won’t tender,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “It’s getting higher where you don’t just assume you [tender] anymore, especially if they’re a down-the-line, special teams-type player.”

Jones said the Cowboys could offer a player a lower contract than the tender offer if the player wanted to remain with the Cowboys. If the player would not accept the offer, then he would be free to sign elsewhere.

The $1.3 million tender also affects the contract of kicker David Buehler. Because he hit an escalator in his contract in 2010, the kicker’s base salary jumped from $565,000 to $1.26 million. Buehler is coming back from a groin injury that required surgery and limited him to four games in 2011. He lost the field goal job to Dan Bailey, who also did a decent job on kickoffs in Buehler’s absence.

None of the other remaining players from the Cowboys’ 2009 draft class -- Stephen McGee, Victor Butler and John Phillips -- made their escalator and will earn $565,000 in 2012.

This is the second-part of a 12-part series on the Cowboys roster. Today we look at the running backs.


Players: Felix Jones (signed through 2012), Tony Fiammetta (free agent), Shaun Chapas (signed through 2014), Sammy Morris (free agent), Chauncey Washington (free agent), DeMarco Murray (signed through 2014), Phillip Tanner (signed through 2013).

Top free agents: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears; Arian Foster, Houston Texans; Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns; Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks; Ray Rice, Baltimore

Top draft prospects: Trent Richardson, Alabama; Lamar Miller, Miami (FL); David Wilson, Virginia Tech; LaMichael James, Oregon; Doug Martin, Boise State.

2011 review: The season started off with uncertainty as Jones took over the starting role after Marion Barber was released. An injury to Jones opened the door for Murray, a rookie, who set a franchise record with a 253-yard rushing performance against St. Louis. Murray's season ended with a fractured ankle, but he rushed for 897 yards. He will become the starter in 2012 and Jones will go back to coming off the bench. Murray is the future and has the skills and mindset to have a bigger season. Fiammetta burst onto the scene as a strong fullback that cleared the way for Murray and Jones to pick up big yards. Tanner has a future as Murray's backup but must have a strong training camp to make the roster again.

Offseason preview: Should the Cowboys consider trading Jones this offseason? It's hard to accomplish a trade with Jones entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys should explore whether a fourth-or fifth-round pick is available for the former first-round pick. The team doesn't trust Jones to become a 20-down back in the NFL. He's a solid backup, which leads us to Tanner. He should compete with Jones for more playing time. If he makes the roster, he should get more game-day carries and special teams snaps. The Cowboys need to re-sign Fiammetta to maintain the chemistry he developed with Murray. Fiammetta was the glue to a solid running attack in the middle of the season. If Fiammetta's health issues (inner ear infection) are solved, then his return should be considered a positive.

Bryan Broaddus' Scout's Eye: Running back will be a position of strength for the Cowboys going into the 2012 season. Murray was outstanding when given the opportunity to start for the club, which allowed Jones to return to the role for which he is better suited -- backup off the bench. Tanner was a nice fit as a third back who contributes on special teams -- a role that Jerry Jones likes.

The learning curve for Murray was not that steep and he was able to do things as a pass protector that allowed him to stay on the field for more than two downs. The Cowboys were a different offense with Murray in the lineup, and Garrett was a better playcaller. If the Cowboys try to upgrade the position, it will most likely be for Tanner, but he will be tough to replace. I don't see the club using a draft pick on this spot unless it's late and it's a height, weight and speed player with high-quality traits.

Need meter (0-5): 2.

This is the third installment of Fixing the Cowboys:

When the final whistle blew on that chilly night at MetLife Stadium, the season ended for the Dallas Cowboys. The hope of a division title died with a roster that wasn’t good enough to compete with the Giants for the second time in four weeks. If Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett are honest with themselves, they will look at this roster and say that it’s just not good enough to compete with the Giants and the Eagles. We can talk about the Super Bowl all we want, but if you are not playing well in your division, there are going to be problems.

When I worked for the Cowboys, the biggest issues I had during our final meeting of the season was that we were not honest with the makeup of our squad. When you go 5-11 for three straight seasons and the coaches talk about the players like we were 11-5, there are going to be problems. Garrett and these coaches can't keep Jerry from believing his roster is better than it really is. I'm not going to say that there isn't talent on this team, but I will say there were players on this roster that Jones and Garrett were counting on that just weren't good enough.

Here is what I would try and do to help it:

1. As much as I want to overhaul this secondary, I am going to try and fix the left cornerback spot first. Terence Newman needs to be replaced immediately. His level of play has clearly slipped and he no longer plays with any confidence. When a corner lacks confidence you might as well be playing with a speed bump out there. There are two ways that Jones can attack this area. The first is to trust his pro scouting staff, which brought him Laurent Robinson and Tony Fiammetta. The big name corners on the market this spring will be Cortland Finnegan of the Titans and Brent Grimes of the Falcons. Both of these players are similar in age and will command top dollar. If I had to lean one way, I would probably go toward Finnegan because of his aggressive style and the nastiness in his play, which this team lacks. If there might be a hitch, it'd be that Jones and Garrett would like to have a corner with more size -- Finnegan and Grimes are both in the 5-9, 185-pound range.

The second way this area could be addressed is through the draft, which can either be feast or famine. Sitting in the 14th spot, Jones is still in decent shape because you usually have between 15 to 18 players that have first-round grades on your board. The second-best corner on the board will be Dre Kirkpatrick from Alabama. There is no questioning Kirkpatrick's ability or size (6-2, 192 pounds), but now character issues have been raised -- he was charged with possession of marijuana Tuesday and was released after paying a $120 fine.

When I worked for Bill Parcells, he put players with character flaws into "The Box" -- an area where you put players that you did not want to draft, period. I guarantee there will be teams that will take Kirkpatrick off their boards and into "The Box." The question for the Cowboys: Will Kirkpatrick be able to explain what happened, and will other examples of questionable behavior be uncovered? I would still consider Kirkpatrick an option for the Cowboys, but he really has to convince me that it'd be in my best interest to select him. I promise the Cowboys will turn over every rock to get to the bottom of this. He's that good of a player.

2. As much as I want to fix the interior of this offensive line with the addition of a free-agent guard like the Saints' Carl Nicks, I have to think about the amount of funds I wound have to allow for this to work. Don't get me wrong, it'd be money well spent, but there's also an opportunity to select the best guard in the draft -- Stanford's David DeCastro.

Jones and Garrett have to ask themselves if finding a replacement for OLB Anthony Spencer is more important than filling a position where you seem to have better options. Does Kyle Kosier, Montrae Holland, Derrick Dockery, Kevin Kowalski, Bill Nagy and David Arkin make you feel comfortable enough with the guard spot as is, whereas you just have Victor Butler and Alex Albright at outside linebacker? There is no doubt the Cowboys lacked a pass rusher that could help DeMarcus Ware on the other side. The Cowboys like Butler -- and he very well could be the starter going into 2012 -- but why not use the 14th pick to upgrade that spot with Alabama's Courtney Upshaw or South Carolina's Melvin Ingram? The Cowboys must do a better job of pressuring the quarterback because Ware can't do it alone. I have been critical of Ware, but a player on the other side could take pressure off him and help this defense tremendously.

3. Sticking with the defense, I'm also taking a hard look at three spots -- defensive end, inside linebacker and safety. At defensive end, I'd move on from Kenyon Coleman, who wasn't nearly as good at the end of the season as he was at the beginning. I like Jason Hatcher, and I also think there is a role for Marcus Spears. Sean Lissemore proved to be a nice swing guy, but he looked better at nose tackle, so I'm tempted to keep him there. The scouts have hope for Clifton Geathers, but I don't share that. I would look to draft a productive player like Boise State's Billy Winn, who played tackle but should be suited more for play on the outside.

4. I'm also looking for help at inside linebacker, because there's really no depth. It's time to move on from Bradie James and Keith Brooking. Bruce Carter will be ready to play in 2012 and will be productive playing next to Sean Lee. However, behind those two, there's nothing. I'd try to add player in the fourth round that could be a quality backup but also help in the nickel, like Kevin Burnett did several years ago. Texas' Emmanuel Acho could be an interesting choice. Acho has a nose for the ball and is super active.

5. At safety, I'm moving on from Abram Elam because I need someone with more range. I have too many safeties on this roster that are forward players, such as Barry Church and Danny McCray. This defense needs someone that gets their hands on the ball and can help off the hash or middle of the field. I don't need safeties that can't adjust to Victor Cruz going down the field or Riley Cooper catching a jump ball from Michael Vick. If the Cowboys have a safety with range, it would be a step in the right direction in helping this secondary.

For all the problems that Garrett has had with game management, I feel he's got a good eye for talent and understands how you go about gathering players. Despite what people want to believe, the head coach does have a great deal of say in what players are signed and drafted. Bill Parcells took advantage of this; Dave Campo didn't. Chan Gailey convinced Jones that he wanted nothing to do with Randy Moss. Jason Garrett went to USC last season to see Tyron Smith work out and talk with members of the staff to get a feel for him.

You might not want to trust Jerry Jones, but you should trust Jason Garrett. I think he gets it.

IRVING, Texas -- Today we wrapped up the What Went Right in 2011 for the Cowboys’ series and you can click on the links below to get a recap.

But more than five things went right, even in an 8-8 season that finished with the Cowboys losing four of their final five.

** Laurent Robinson. Little was expected of him when the Cowboys signed him and even less was expected when he hurt his hamstring in his first practice, which led to his release. Once he was re-signed, he was too good to be true. He had 11 touchdown catches and had 54 receptions for 858 yards. He has to be one of the Cowboys’ top priorities in free agency but if a team wants to blow him away with an offer the Cowboys will have to let him go.

** Mike Jenkins. The former first-round pick displayed a toughness some wondered he had after an abysmal 2010 season in which he had too many penalties. He played through a stinger and shoulder injuries but a hamstring strain kept him on the shelf for four games. When he played he was the Cowboys top cornerback and that is not meant to as faint praise. He is in the final year of his contract and the Cowboys should want to keep him.

** Pro personnel department. They found Robinson, Tony Fiammetta, Frank Walker, Montrae Holland and Sammy Morris and all five players helped the team win games. Walker slumped badly down the stretch, but it’s not easy picking guys up off the street and the Cowboys had more hits here.

** Dez Bryant. He developed as a receiver in his second year and was on the field for 15 games. He continues to need work but improved at his craft as the year went on. As Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote, this is a huge offseason for Bryant in terms of his maturity.

** DeMarcus Ware. Complain all you want about how “quiet” his sacks were, but there is not a team in the league that wouldn’t want Ware. He had 19.5 sacks and played hurt down the stretch. Ware was named an All-Pro again, so he had to be doing something right.

Here's the top five:

DeMarco Murray emerges as No. 1 back

Emergence of kicker Dan Bailey

Sean Lee takes over at inside linebacker

Tyron Smith takes over at right tackle

Tony Romo returned to form

IRVING, Texas -- Earlier in the week we brought you the Cowboys’ 13 unrestricted free agents. Today we bring you the team’s three restricted free agents and four exclusive rights free agents.

PODCAST
ESPN NFL analyst Chris Mortensen breaks down the playoff matchups and talks about why the Cowboys will be watching from home. Listen

Unlike the previous two years when the Cowboys placed the highest tenders on wide receiver Miles Austin and Doug Free to secure their services, the Cowboys will not have to make such a decision on wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, fullback Tony Fiammetta and quarterback Chris Greisen.

Because of the collective bargaining change, Free eventually became an unrestricted free agent and was signed to a long-term deal.

Before that Free’s tender cost $3.442 million. The 2012 tender numbers are not yet known, but last year they were $2.7 million for first-round, $1.9 million for second-round and $1.2 million for original tender/right of first refusal.

Greisen was not tendered last year and is likely to have the same fate this year.

Clifton Geathers, Jermey Parnell, Jesse Holley and Chauncey Washington are the exclusive rights free agents. They cannot negotiate with another team unless the team chooses to not tender them an offer.

The breakdown:

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

WR Kevin Ogletree: He came out of camp as the No. 3 receiver almost by default and finished with 15 catches for 164 yards once Laurent Robinson surpassed him on the depth chart. He also handled some punt and kick return duties. If he is tendered at all, it would be for the right of first refusal, however, Robinson will be an unrestricted free agent and could be gone in 2012. Because he was an undrafted free agent the Cowboys would not receive any compensation in return.

FB Tony Fiammetta: He did a nice job in helping resurrect the running game, especially when DeMarco Murray took over, but he was not as good when he came back from an illness that knocked him out of three games. He could be tendered at the right of first refusal, which would garner the Cowboys a fourth-round pick in return. He was Carolina’s fourth rounder in 2009.

QB Chris Greisen: He’s a smart quarterback but he’s also 35.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

DE Clifton Geathers: He was kept around for the entire season and active for five games. He finished with two tackles and three pressures. He’ll be back for camp but he’s not a guaranteed a roster spot.

OT Jermey Parnell: He saw limited snaps during the year but was active for every game. The Cowboys have put two years in him, so they will give him another try. They like his athleticism but with the players in front of him he’s destined to be a swing tackle on gameday.

WR Jesse Holley: He keeps sticking around and this year he made some plays on offense. He will always have the San Francisco game to fall back on. He was decent on special teams and is a good locker room guy.

RB Chauncey Washington: He was a late-season addition and could be brought back to camp, but it’s possible that he will not be tendered.

IRVING, Texas -- For the sixth straight year the Cowboys had more than 100 penalties in a season, matching the longest streak in team history.

The Cowboys’ 114 penalties were fifth-most in the NFL and Jason Garrett was unable to correct a problem that has plagued predecessors Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips.

Doug Free and DeMarcus Ware led the Cowboys with 10 penalties called, although Ware had one penalty declined during the year. Free had five holding penalties and five false starts. Ware had seven offside penalties, two roughing the passer penalties and a neutral zone infraction.

Tyron Smith, Anthony Spencer and Orlando Scandrick had eight penalties called against them this year. Scandrick had two declined, Smith had one.

Spencer had four neutral zone infractions, which means the Cowboys’ best pass rushers had 12 penalties in which they could not time the snap properly. Spencer’s other penalties were an unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer, running into the kicker and face mask.

An interesting note: three backup secondary players combined for 20 penalties. Scandrick had eight. Alan Ball had seven. Frank Walker had five. Fourteen of those were on defense. Scandrick was a quasi-starter as the nickel back, but Ball and Walker were flagged far too often given the amount of snaps they played. Guard Montrae Holland had six penalties in 10 games.

Another interesting note: Mike Jenkins was not penalized all year. Yes, he missed four games, but he was flagged nine times last year with six pass interference penalties. He was a much improved player all around in 2011.

Here’s the player-by-player breakdown of penalties

10 – Doug Free, DeMarcus Ware
8 – Anthony Spencer, Tyron Smith, Orlando Scandrick
7 – Alan Ball
6 – Montrae Holland
5 – Terence Newman, Tony Romo, Frank Walker
4 – Jason Hatcher
3 – Martellus Bennett, John Phillips, Jason Witten, Phillip Tanner, Kyle Kosier
2 – Keith Brooking, Jesse Holley, Kevin Ogletree, Tony Fiammetta, Barry Chruch, Josh Brent, Derrick Dockery, Jay Ratliff, Dez Bryant
1 – Bradie James, Sean Lee, Laurent Robinson, Gerald Sensabaugh, Victor Butler, Kenyon Coleman, Phil Costa, Abram Elam, Kevin Kowalski, L.P. Ladouceur, Stephen McGee, Miles Austin, Sean Lissemore

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- For some Cowboys, tonight’s game against the New York Giants could be their final game with a star on the helmet.

Here’s a list of the team’s free agents -- unrestricted, restricted and exclusive rights -- going into 2012. This does not include players who could be cut for salary-cap purposes.

Unrestricted free agents
Alan Ball
Martellus Bennett
Keith Brooking
Derrick Dockery
Abram Elam
Montrae Holland
Jon Kitna
Daniel Loper
Mat McBriar
Sammy Morris
Laurent Robinson
Anthony Spencer
Frank Walker
Bradie James

Restricted free agents
Kevin Ogletree
Tony Fiammetta
Chauncey Washington

Exclusive rights free agents
Clifton Geathers
Jermey Parnell
Jesse Holley

When Jason Garrett's Cowboys met at Valley Ranch this week, all they had to do to be reminded of what these Philadelphia Eagles did to them in Week 8 is sit down in their meeting rooms and study the tape of the total domination to understand what they will be up against this weekend.

The Cowboys have faced some quality opponents, but when you study the Eagles you see nothing like the other teams in the league with what you have to deal with from an offensive standpoint. There were days when I was in Green Bay and playing the '90s Cowboys when you went into a game against them trying to figure out how you were going to stop Emmitt Smith from running the ball or Jay Novacek on third downs or Michael Irvin on the slant. Just when you thought that you had one of those areas taken care of, the other players would find a way to take the game from you. This Eagles offense puts a lot of those same thoughts in my mind that I experienced against those Cowboys teams.

In the last meeting between these two teams, Rob Ryan and his staff made the decision to not allow these Eagles wide receivers to make any vertical plays down the field. Safeties Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh, as Ryan put it, played "503 yards deep" from the line of scrimmage. The problem with this decision for Ryan was with his safeties so deep, he opened up the middle of the field.

Then to compound the problem, he lost Sean Lee in the game -- the only linebacker that was athletic enough to make a play in the middle of the field. This was a horrible situation for Ryan because it meant that he had to rely on Keith Brooking and Bradie James, who were exposed in coverage and in the running game. With the deep safeties, it allowed tight end Brent Celek and wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson to work crossing routes inside.

When I have studied Vick his last four games, the one area that he likes to attack is the middle of the field. Matter of fact, his best and worst throws come when he is working the middle of the field. Vick just looks more comfortable throwing to targets right in front of him, but like I mentioned he will make mistakes trying to fit ball down the middle against safeties.

McCoy looms as multi-dimensional threat

The deep safeties also hurt Ryan in the running game dealing with LeSean McCoy.

There are three areas that McCoy can hurt your defense.

The first one is on the stretch play when you have the offensive line with full flow running with defenders and he takes the ball all the way to the edge and around the corner. The Cowboys got gashed in the last meeting by the down blocking by tackles Jason Peters and Todd Herremans, who were able to set the edge allowing the ball to get outside. Watch how Marcus Spears, Jason Hatcher and Kenyon Coleman play in this contest, because if the Eagles are running the ball well on the edges, it's probably because the defensive ends are not doing their jobs getting off blocks.

The second way that McCoy hurts you is with the sprint draw. Teams have various ways they run the draw, but the Eagles take full advantage of the ball-handling skill of Vick. Teams try so hard to get up the field and attack the Eagles before they get going that it leaves lanes in the defense. As the defense is coming up the field, Vick does an outstanding job of tucking the ball into McCoy and letting him use his vision and quickness to get the ball up the field past the oncoming defenders.

The final way that McCoy can hurt you is as a pass catcher, whether that is in the flat or more impressively in the screen game. The Eagles love to run screens and they will do them from anywhere on the field. The Eagles are the most dangerous when they get into the red zone and once again try to take advantage of defenders getting up the field. The Eagles will throw wide receiver screens to Jackson, they will use Celek in a delay screen where he blocks for two or three counts, then works his way to the outside in the open field, but the player that gives defenses the most trouble is McCoy. He catches the ball so well on the move and when he gets one-on-one, he can break anyone down. The problem for Ryan is that he doesn't really know when offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is going to use these screens, but he knows they will.

The Eagles' struggles this season have been with their offensive line. Against the Cowboys in the last meeting, I felt like that they were better than the Dallas front seven. There were too many plays where the Cowboys didn't do a good enough job of getting off blocks allowing the Eagles to control the game upfront.

The best offensive lineman for the Eagles is Peters at left tackle. In the games I was able to study, Peters more than has held his own, whereas earlier in the season, he didn't appear to move all that well. I thought he moved way too slow with his feet, but that has changed.

Teams have taken advantage of the Eagles inside with guards Evan Mathis and Danny Watkins. Rookie center Jason Kelce will get overpowered at the point of attack. The mobility of Vick and the quickness of McCoy really assist this offensive line in overcoming a great deal of their shortcomings.

Smith handles Babin once more

The last time that these two clubs met, there was a great deal of pressure on Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo because of the direction that the defense was going. Losses were mounting and the players that were brought in had yet to truly play as a collective unit.

The buzzword that you will hear in all the pregame shows will be how the Eagles play this defensive alignment of a "Wide 9," which is simply, defensive ends Trent Cole and Jason Babin play wide on the outside shoulder of the tackles Doug Free and Tyron Smith. At times they will be a full man removed from the tackle. When you play this type of scheme, you are asking your ends to get up the field as quickly as possible to disrupt the running game but more importantly cause problems in the passing game. Pass rush is where the Eagles cause the most problems.

Usually your best pass rusher will rush from the offensive left hand side, but the Eagles' best rusher comes from the offensive right. The Green Bay Packers are the same way with Clay Matthews rushing from the offensive right.

Babin, who has a league-leading 18 sacks, is as explosive as any rusher Smith will face all season. As a matter of fact, Babin was the rusher who gave Smith the most trouble with his inside move. Talking to Smith, he now understands what he is up against and I think he is better for it.

Babin is unique with this move because he is able to do it at the depth and level of the quarterback's drop. He has a real feel for how to push up the field and get all of the weight of the tackle on his outside foot then quickly duck underneath. Smith really struggled when Babin used this technique on him.

At the other end is Trent Cole against Free. There should be serious cause for concern here because of the struggles that Free has had with technique this season. Cole is a better run player than Babin.

The Eagles are at their best in run defense when the ball goes wide and they are able to handle the play. It is when teams have run the ball at them that they have had their struggles. I thought the Seahawks did a real nice job with this in the regard that they physically came off the ball, getting hats on hats and making the Eagles fight blocks then have to deal with Marshawn Lynch.

The Eagles' weakness on defense is at linebacker. In studying Akeem Jordan, Jamar Chaney, Brian Rolle and Casey Matthews, I didn't feel like they did a good enough job of taking on blocks. With the injury to Felix Jones, I would not be one bit surprised to see Jason Garrett try to attack this Eagles defense with fullback Tony Fiammetta, Jones and Sammy Morris going straight ahead.

Teams have had also had success running the ball with misdirection plays. By that, I mean starting flow one way and getting the defense to react then bringing the ball backside with an H-blocker or fullback. If Jones was healthy, this is something you might see more of.

In the secondary, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie are the corners with Joselio Hanson as the nickel. Asomugha will play the slot. The last time that these two teams met, he covered Jason Witten when he was in line and in the slot.

Something else to watch for is that Castillo has gone back to some of the old exotic blitz schemes that former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson used. In the Jets and Dolphins games, Castillo used two down linemen and had Cole, Babin and Matthews standing up in the middle of the defense. The Cowboys have had their troubles with blitz pickups when teams put pressure in the middle of the pocket with twist stunts.

Two things must happen this week: the Cowboys receivers must find a way to win on the outside and the offensive line must be able to pick up blitzes in the middle of Eagles defense. If they struggle in either area, you will see sacks much like Mark Sanchez and Matt Moore suffered in their games against the Eagles.

IRVING, Texas -- With two games left, the season is winding down but we’re still wondering about some things. Here are five of them:

** I’ve resisted this one for quite a long time, but now I wonder if the Cowboys will switch Tyron Smith and Doug Free next year. Free has not played as well as he did in 2010, but let me point out that while people will want to credit two sacks to Free in the last two games, I’d put them more on Montrae Holland (he stuck too long inside with Free setting wide to take away the outside threat) and Tony Romo (the QB has to get rid of the ball after Free pushes a rusher past the pocket). But Smith has not played like a rookie, has a terrific demeanor and the athleticism to handle the left tackle spot. Maybe they should make the move in the offseason. That being said look at the left defensive ends/outside linebackers in the NFC East. Guys like Justin Tuck aren’t so easy to block either.

** I wonder if people realize how hard it is to spread the ball around the way the Cowboys and Tony Romo have this season. The top wide receivers, Dez Bryant, Laurent Robinson and Miles Austin, have eight, eight and six touchdown catches. There is a chance the Cowboys will have four guys with at least 50 catches. Jason Witten has 68, Bryant has 51. Robinson has 49 and Miles Austin has 37. With two games against teams in which Austin has put up numbers in the past, he could reach the 50-catch mark, despite missing six games. The Cowboys have never had four guys with at least 50 catches. They’ve had four guys catch at least 40 passes in the same season just six times in the Jones’ Era.

** Something right is happening in the personnel department. Tony Fiammetta, Laurent Robinson and Montrae Holland were all signed “off the street,” and have become valuable members of the Cowboys’ offense. After one game, I’d put Sammy Morris in that category, too. With just three practices, Morris was a big part of last week’s game plan. I wonder if that will remain for the rest of the season. It should. Morris’ experience made him a better signing than, say, Lonyae Miller, who had experience in the Cowboys’ system. His history with Jason Garrett helped too. The Cowboys have tried these sorts of moves and they haven’t always worked: Michael Bates in 2003, Allen Rossum two years ago. It’s difficult to find players at this time of year to help. The pro scouting staff deserves some praise.

** Last week I asked Stephen Jones if he could see Stephen McGee as the Cowboys’ No. 2 quarterback in 2012. I didn’t expect Jones to say no, but I wonder if McGee will be the No. 2 guy next year. Here’s why: Since Jason Garrett has been with the Cowboys he has had Brad Johnson and Jon Kitna as Tony Romo’s backup quarterbacks. Combined, they had 456 years of NFL experience. I might be off by a century or three. But clearly Garrett values experience in the backup. I think it gives him another voice to bounce things off in the meeting room and it gives Romo another set of eyes. Unless something drastically happens in the final two weeks, McGee will enter next year having played in two games in his first three seasons. Next year will also be a contract year for him. I’ve also wondered if the Cowboys would select a quarterback early in the 2012 draft.

** I wonder if Sean Lee can finish the season with more solo tackles than whoever finishes second on the team in total tackles. With two games to go, the coaches have credited Lee with 77 solo tackles. Gerald Sensabaugh is second on the team with 70 total tackles, trailing Lee by a staggering 46. For those counting at home, Lee has 39 assisted tackles. Lee needs a sack and a forced fumble to record a check mark in the 10 major defensive categories. He is tied for the team lead with four interceptions. He is second with nine pass deflections. He is tied for the lead in fumble recoveries (two). His six tackles for a loss are tied for second best on the defense. Fan voting for the Pro Bowl ended Monday. Players, coaches and personnel folks vote this week. I wonder if Lee will get a spot. If it doesn’t happen this year, it will happen in the future. Book it.