Gridiron Experts

Dallas Cowboys 2009  Preview-  Written By BetOnline.com

The NFL odds makers aren’t quite sure what to make of the Dallas Cowboys. Their Super Bowl odds don’t payout so much since the Cowboys are a public team and everyone likes to bet them, but they haven’t lived up to expectations in the previous few seasons.With Terrell Owens out of town, the outlook has been tempered and with less pressure to perform, the Cowboys could be in line for a surprise Super Bowl run.

Offseason Transactions

The Cowboys had a busy offseason but most of it was cycling out distractions and bringing in good quality leaders. Gone are Owens, Pacman Jones, Roy Williams (the safety), Greg Ellis and Tank Johnson, in are Keith Brooking, Igor Olshansky and Jon Kitna. There is still plenty of talent on this squad and this unit should be tighter knit. The disruptive players are gone.

Offense

While most people will point out that Owens is gone, the truth is that he was more trouble than he was worth. He was a distraction off the field, creating chemistry issues, and on it he distracted the offense from pounding the football on the ground

The Cowboys have a big, road-grading offensive line and two complementary running backs. They also have Jason Witten, a Pro Bowl tight end and Roy Williams, a Pro Bowl-caliber wideout.

Williams has grown significantly in the offseason, hitting the gym and adding bulk – for the first time in his career, allegedly – and has also been working to build chemistry with Romo since February. This offense might have one less weapon but if they are more focused than they were last year, they will be better overall.

Defense

The sportsbetting crowd knows that the Cowboys defense has plenty of talent and a shrewd defensive coach in Wade Phillips, but similarly, they have been underachieving.

The Cowboys added Igor Olshansky and Keith Brooking and Gerald Sensabaugh in the offseason, which adds plenty of experience, toughness and versatility to this unit. Factor in the growth of youngsters like Mike Jenkins and Anthony Spencer, and this defense is now deeper and faster than before. Again, the key on defense will be the lack of pressure to perform this year versus the enormous pressure they faced last year.

Outlook

The Cowboys faced enormous pressure to succeed last year and fell flat on their face. The expectations were high to begin with, then when the Cowboys traded for Roy Williams, the Cowboys were supposed to run away with the NFC.

This year, it’s a completely different story. After missing the playoffs, then losing Owens, there aren’t many people that are picking this team to win the NFC- let alone the division.

But with less weight on their shoulders, the NFL wagering community should look for the Cowboys to have much more fun playing on a weekly basis. This team is still the most talented in the NFC and could very well do it now that they are not the talk of the town

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