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The Dallas Cowboys Need To Be Nasty

By Daniel Ruppert

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Last summer as the Dallas Cowboys were in training camp I talked about the nasty the defense was playing with. I said that if they could carry over that streak to game days the defense could surprise people. For the most part that is exactly what the defense did. This summer I would look for not only the defense to continue its nasty chippy play in training camp, but the nasty violent play of the offense as well. That is one thing over the last few years the Dallas Cowboys have been missing, getting nasty and playing hard.

This defense needs to get to the QB. This is a simple statement that we have all been screaming for a few years now, but this season if they are going to be not only better than last year, but be in competition for a Super Bowl birth they need to take it up a notch. The LBs need to play with a fire to hit everything that moves coming across the middle of the field. The safeties need to not only hawk the ball, but they need to make receivers pay for catching the ball. The CBs need to play physical at the line and throw off the timing of the routes. And certainly the DL needs to not only get after the QB, but they need to make any RB think twice before running into the line. This is all about other teams fearing the Dallas Cowboys.

On offense the nasty starts up front as probably the best OL in football needs to not only push their blocks away from running lanes and Tony Romo, but they need to frustrate and grind down defensive fronts and pass rushers so that as the game goes on they become even more dominant. The WRs and TEs need to battle for the ball and be able to get extra yards after the catch. The RBs need to make people miss, lay a few hits, and hold onto the ball. All of this will equate to a dominant and forceful offense that teams will hate playing. Again, fearing the Dallas Cowboys is a priority.

Jason Garrett needs to stop playing to hold a win, he needs to develop the killer instinct that has so been lacking over the past few years. If you are up by 14, try to go up 21, stop being okay with running the clock out and punting over and over. The coaching staff needs to get into the ear of Garrett and let him know it is okay in the NFL to beat a team into submission. The Dallas Cowboys need Jason Garrett to take the next step himself if they are going to be a force to contend with.

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If the Dallas Cowboys want to be better than they were last year they need to get their nasty back like they had when they won championships. It isn’t enough in the NFL to just go for style points on wins. You need to make teams not want to play you. It is what the Seahawks, Patriots, and Ravens have done the past few seasons. If the Cowboys are to take the next step watch for how nasty they play in training camp.

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