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Ed Werder

  (11:03 AM)

Good morning everybody. Spent the past two days at Valley Ranch with the Cowboys even though I'm not doing the game. SalPal is on it though. Lets get to it

Chris (Boston)

Ed, can you explain the lack of production we have seen from Witten this year?

Ed Werder

  (11:05 AM)

Very good question. I think that until very recently the Cowboys have been forced to use Witten in pass protection and have not been able to send him out on pass routes. The first priority on every play is to protect Tony Romo. In the Denver game, Flozell Adams played poorly and Witten was very limited as a receiver. If the offensive line continues to perform at the level we've seen recently, then Witten will be released into the passing game again.

Terik Crawford (Fort Washington, MD)

How do you think Dallas will do against the Pass rush of Philly??? They have a great player in Cole how do you expect them to handle the blitzes that philly will be bringing?

Ed Werder

  (11:08 AM)

Tony Romo has had two performances at Philly at opposite ends of the spectrum. Two years ago, he was brilliant when they didn't pressure for some reaeson and led a victory. Last year, he was the first reason they lost 44-6. You can't give the Eagles two defensive touchdowns and expect to be competitive, much less win the game. This is one of those games where Romo must value the football. A punt can be a win for the offense. Flozell Adams has a hearing deficit that increases the difficulty for him to hear the snap count and to have adjustments communicated to him effectively. The Cowboys had that in mind when they made some changes with their calls, mostly to eliminate presnap penalties. Marion Barber's recognition in blitz pickup will be crucial. The Eagles will be coming for Romo. They've seen him turn the ball over, so that will be their motivation.

John (Miami)

Tashard Choice has shown that he has break away speed and good vision and can run between the tackles.Why do they keep giving Barber the ball so much if he is still not 100%?

Ed Werder

  (11:11 AM)

The Cowboys seem to be encouraged about Marion Barber's quad returning to health. That's been affecting his explosiveness, ability to change directions and to break tackles. Barber's the Cowboys' best all-around back _ third-down blitz pickup, goal-line, etc. He's also paid the most so he's going to be on the field. Tashard Choice is an effective player, but he doesn't have a unique quality that makes him special. He's consistent but doesn't make the big play as often as Barber or Felix Jones.

malandro9 (luling, tx)

do u think the winner of the eagles-cowboys game will go on to win the nfc east??

Ed Werder

  (11:13 AM)

I think it would be a significant victory for whichever team wins because they would have the division lead heading into the second half of the season. It would be monumental for the Cowboys to succeed because that would force the Eagles into a catchup position where they would have to win at Cowboys Stadium to break even. Winning at Philadelphia would provide the Cowboys legitimacy, a sense of confidence and remind critics that Tony Romo is capable of winning big games.

Rusty (Germantown TN)

Can the Cowboys pass on the Eagles secondary?

Ed Werder

  (11:16 AM)

I think the Cowboys will have difficulty throwing the football against the Eagles for two reasons _ they have to protect against one of the best pressure teams in the league, and I think Philadelphia's corners are better athletes than the Cowboys' receivers. All the Cowboys receivers, even Miles Austin, lack the explosive quickness and acceleration to create separation. Even while Austin has made huge plays, it's been because of his ability to break tackles after the catch. The Eagles corners are going to be nearby so Romo's going to have to be accurate or the Eagles will add to their interception total. That's the other thing. The Eagles catch the football.

Rusty (Germantown TN)

Will the Eagles be able to overcome the losses of Brian Dawkins and Jim Johnson?

Ed Werder

  (11:18 AM)

That is a lot of leadership and a significant amount of playmaking that the Eagles lost with Jim Johnson's death and the defection of Brian Dawkins, who has been a tremendous player for the Broncos. But the Eagles seem to be playing well on defense for the most part _ although they had a horrendous performance against the Saints at home and a dreadful loss to the woeful Raiders. So they've lost badly to a good team and been blown out by a bad opponent as well

Rusty (Germantown TN)

Are the Cowboys ready for DeSean Jackson?

Ed Werder

  (11:19 AM)

DeSean Jackson is going to be a difficult matchup for the Cowboys. He's excellent with the double moves, which is why Dave Campo has been making a point with his players this week of making sure they keep their eyes involved in their coverage of him. I think Mike Jenkins is playing well enough that the Cowboys won't go into the game thinking they have to put Terence Newman on Jackson wherever he goes.

kevin (st. louis)

should the cowboys try to dump roy williams

Ed Werder

  (11:22 AM)

I'm really confused about the Romo-Williams disconnect. I've spoken with people who have broken down the tape who insist Williams is open and that Romo has missed him badly on some throws for no apparent reason. I've talked to other people looking at the same tape who say that Williams is a poor route runner, not overly competitive and overrated. Either way, there's no way the Cowboys will get rid of him. Jerry Jones has his reputation and money invested in Williams eventually being successful. They won't even take him out of the starting lineup.

Joe (Buell)

Hey Ed,Do you think its unfair that the media seems to constantly put Jerry Jones in the same boat as a Dan Snyder? The Roy Williams has not worked out but I think it really is to early to tell. Plus, he has to be credited with the likes of Tony, Miles, Demarcus etc. Thanks for your great coverage.

Ed Werder

  (11:23 AM)

The reason people put Jerry Jones into the same ownership category as Dan Snyder and Al Davis is that they are the most involved owners in the league, involved themselves in personnel and sometimes even coaching aspects of running their teams. But I think Jerry trusts his coaches and his scouting and personnel departments far more than either of the others.

Page (Tyler Texas)

Who do you think will have a big game at wide receiver against the Eagles. Austin, Williams or Crayton.

Ed Werder

  (11:25 AM)

I think Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton will be provided more one-on-one coverage. Williams hasn't proven he can be dependable catching the football, so I guess I would have to take Crayton in that scenario even though he's not going to get as many snaps as the others.

Tierre Webster (Ann Arbor, MI)

Is there any chance the Cowboys will trade one of their running backs in the off season to help address their secondary, namely, the saftey position?

Ed Werder

  (11:26 AM)

I think what's happened this season has proven to the Cowboys that if Felix Jones is one of your running backs, then you've better have two others you trust. I think the Cowboys have prospects on their roster who might be considered for playing time at Ken Hamlin's position eventually.

Ryan (Van, TX)

Hey Ed, the emergence of Miles Austin has further brough to light an often overlooked gift from the Parcells era and that is his ability to find talent low in the draft rounds. From the lower rounds he found Jason Witten (3rd round), Bradie James (4th round), Tony Romo and Miles Austin (undrafted), Jay Ratliff (7th round.) People tend to focus on the dissapointments in the first round (i.e. Bobby Carpenter and Marcus Spears) but wouldn't you say it's fair to credit him more for the late round steals than the few first round disappointments? Thanks for your time!

Ed Werder

  (11:33 AM)

I think the Cowboys did a tremendous job while Bill Parcells was the head coach in finding what he called free players who made significant contributions. I also know that the scouting and personnel departments had a lot to do with identifying prospects. I also know there are people with the Cowboys who insist that Parcells wanted to draft Marcus Spears ahead of DeMarcus Ware. So it takes a lot of people to make good decisions in player acquisition and development. Everybody's trying to take credit for Miles Austin. Here's what I know about that, which provides some good instruction about this subject in general. The first person to create awareness about Austin at Monmouth was John Wojciechowski, the northeast scout. He filed reports, made a school visit and put him officially into the Cowboys' system as a player to track. Walter Juliff got involved as a cross-checker and put a draft grade on Austin high enough that then-receivers coach Todd Haley evaluated him. Haley put a fourth-round grade on him. When Austin wasn't drafted, his grade made him a priority free agent and he was signed. I do believe that when Parcells was leaving, he urged Jerry Jones to be patient with Austin because he could develop into a No. 1 receiver.

DCFanatic (NY)

Does Romo need to throw for 300 yards to win this game OR not throw any interceptions to win this game?

Ed Werder

  (11:33 AM)

If he can do both, I think the Cowboys win. If he does just one, I think the more important of the two is obviously extending his streak of games without an interception to four.

Fugi (Dallas)

Ed dont come back to Dallas again please, tired of all the fabricating that you and espn do. Yawll should write fairy tells for all the crap yawll put out! Good day sir and stay away from Cowboy country.

Ed Werder

  (11:37 AM)

This post is as ridiculous as Tony Romo's suggestion yesterday in responding to the Roy Williams situation as though the media invented or fabricated the Terrell Owens locker-room chemistry issue last season. Romo knows that was true. Jerry Jones validated that when he cut his most productive wide receiver and accepted a $9 million cap hit in the process. You think Jerry would take a $9 million player off his roster because the media fabricated a story about what a divisive influence he was. The story about TO came from people inside the Cowboys' organization who were frustrated that the team did nothing to prevent Owens from destroying them from within.

Steve (London)

Roy Williams doesn't appear to be a great athlete - he's looks kind of awkward in his movement - and I can't blame Romo for not trusting him as I've seen no evidence of him fighting for catches and winning those battles like a Miles Austin. What's your take?

Ed Werder

  (11:38 AM)

Like Ray Sherman told me last week, and as he reminds his receivers every game, the quarterback throws the ball to the guy who gets open and catches the ball. Roy Williams has not been that guy often enough.That's all the time for this week. Let's do it again next Friday.