Silver and BlueBlood

If you have ever watched MartyB TV on YouTube, or if you are a follower of Jupiter’s Crunch on Twitter, then you know what a Devil-may-care, fun guy Martellus Bennett is.

From his rap about having “Jerry Jone (sic) money, iPhone money” his rookie year to hosting the controversial “Black Olympics” thing with his cousin, Marty B is a prime product of the irreverent-but-always-connected Generation Y. (Or is it  Generation Z? I don’t know. I can never keep up.) Read the rest of this entry »

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OK, Blue Bloods. Nobody likes to lose…not even in the preseason. But if you are going to lose, that is a better time than any to do it. Games that don’t count don’t count.

Losing 31-10, you might think would indicate that there were few positives to be taken from the game. That just isn’t so. I saw plenty to smile about last night. Here are some things that come immediately to mind:

Martellus Bennett and Felix Jones

The Cat!

Marty B and Felix are not your typical back ups. They are frontline talents whose skills will – or should – be prominently displayed all season long. If The sight of Martellus catching a short pass in the flat, scooting past one defender, and bowling over another for a first down doesn’t get you stoked, then your stoker is broken.

And Felix…wow!

In the 1970s the Cowboys were the best team in the NFL at running the screen pass. Why? Because of Tony Dorsett. His vision, burst, patience, and speed made him a threat to score at any time. The screen pass got him outside the tackles, on the corner, where it often became mano y mano, catch me if you can.

They frequently could not.

Say hello to Felix Jones. The Cowboys haven’t had the combination of burst, vision and break away speed that he brings to the team since the great Dorsett. He showed again last night that if he can stay healthy, he is a weapon every opposing defensive coordinator will have to account for…and the screen pass will live again in Big D.

David Beuhler

After getting the jitters out, the linebacker-size kickoff specialist sent a kick eight yards deep into the end zone. Touchback! Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Especially since the Cowboys were the NFL’s only team not to record a single touchback in 2008.

He also pegged a 35-yard field goal, which is just icing really.

Tony Romo

For all the haters out there (and there are plenty of them), Romo remains one of the league’s top playmakers at the most important position (by far) on the field. Witness the touchdown pass to Jason Witten. Pump, move those feet, dip that shoulder, he’s open..fire!

Quickest release in the league? If not, it’s within milliseconds of whomever is faster.

Jason Garrett

That TD drive was a nice display of mixing things up, spreading the ball around, and using all of his weapons. And did anyone besides me notice how much more “presidential” on the sideline Garrett looks than the Pillsbury Doughboy, aw shucks, so-called head coach?

Keith Brooking

Yes, it was only one sack, but…nice!

Jon Kitna

He’ll do, won’t he? Nice to have a backup QB who could probably start for about half of the league.

Concerns? Sure! Plenty of them, but most of them have to do with reserves rather than starters. I would say the biggest concern at the moment is the injury bug. If the wrong people go down, it could be a long season. If the Cowboys stay relatively healthy, they won’t be losing to the Raiders 31-10 come Thanksgiving.

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Double Trouble

Word out of Cowboys camp is that 2009 will see the ‘Boys’ offense lining up the 12 personnel package a good deal more than in years past – and with good reason.

Confusingly enough, reporter Tom Orsborne (yes there is that weird “r” between the “O” and “s”), of the San Antonio Express-News registers the following report on the Houston Chronicle’s site:

With second-year tight end Martellus Bennett emerging as a strong option in the passing game, it’s becoming increasingly evident the Dallas Cowboys’ primary offensive personnel grouping this season will likely be a two-tight end set.

“We ran a lot of two-tight end sets last year,” quarterback Tony Romo said. “I just think we’re trying to do different things out of it.”

In their playbook, the Cowboys call the grouping “12 personnel” because the formation calls for one running back and two tight ends.

Both Coach Wade Phillips and quarterback Tony Romo are gushing about the way Marty B is playing. Phillips says, “We have one certainly outstanding (tight end) in Witten. Maybe the top one in the league in Witten, and Martellus shows up every day. Every day you see him make a play.” Romo adds, “Martellus has really turned it up a notch this offseason, and he’s going to put himself in the position to have a pretty good season.”

The eyeball test alone tells even the most casual football fan that Martellus is potentially a very special player. At 6′7, 248, Bennett is big and strong. But he’s quick, too. He has cat-like reflexes. He is big enough to outfight linebackers and quick enough to outmaneuver safeties. He and Witten in the same formation will certainly put pressure on the defense.

Usually, a two tight end formation is used for pounding the ball. With Marion Barber, Felix Jones, or Tashard Choice in the backfield, the Cowboys can certainly use theirs to do just that. But it is just as likely that they will pass out of it. The versatility of the package may cause a quandary for the opposing defensive coordinator. Does he go big and put eight men in the box to stop the run? Or does he slap a nickel package out there and gear up to stop the pass?

Look for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to make the 12 personnel package a prime feature of his game plan this year. If it lives up to its potential, it ought to provide real versatility to the Cowboys’ assault on the NFL – and, specifically, the NFC East – in 2009.

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Say what you want about Martellus Bennett, but the guy does have a sense of humor…and bubbles over with personality. Hot on the heels of his highly controversial “Black Olympics” comes the one-of-a-kind MartyB Stadium Tour. Enjoy…

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