Cowboy Palooza – Dallas Just Needs To Be Good at Math!

With Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) starting Monday, Tony Romo will find himself with number of weapons for the upcoming season. The question will be how will they be used, and will it be affective?

At this time last year, the Cowboys were noted for having a three-headed rushing attack with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice; however, they were seldom used effectively and the most productive running back at the time was not necessarily on the field.

Now the Cowboys have the same three headed monster rushing the ball but may also have the same receiving.

The addition of Dez Bryant will open the field for many.

Let us do the math. Both sides have 11 players on every given play. The defense has to stop six players who can potentially get the ball. Depending on the scheme the defense will have as many as eight defenders to stop those six. So let’s use those numbers, Offense-6 and Defense-8.

Miles Austin – Emerged as a true threat and earned the honor of playing in the pro bowl following a break out season that only consisted of 12 starts. Also, Austin has proven he can beat single coverage so we can expect 2 people paying attention to him at all times. Offense-5 and Defense-6.

Jason Witten - Arguably the best tight end in football and excellent passing option. If a defense is not geared to have two people bracketing Witten, then him ole Romo will have a field day of throw and catch.

Offense-4 and Defense-4

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Roy Williams – Scored seven touchdowns but still considered by many to be a huge flop in Dallas, however, is very capable of beating single coverage and his size alone makes him a huge target.

Offense-3 and Defense-3

Dez Bryant – Rookie. Unproven NFL player who might have been a top 5 pick had he got to finish his junior year of football. He is big, physical and has great speed and will draw the attention of at least one defensive back possibly two.

Offense-2 and Defense-2

Felix Jones – The “x” factor. When healthy, he can take it to the house at any given moment. If the Cowboys are running the ball those two defenders better be in the box and if the Cowboys are throwing he is going to be one on one, I like those odds.

Offense-0 and Defense-0

The Cowboys call a play where they are in a 4 wide receiver set, (Witten, Austin, Williams, and Bryant) with Jones in the backfield. According to the math the 4 wide will use up 6 defenders leaving Jones with 5 in the box to beat. Well the Cowboys still have 5 offensive linemen so now the defense is down a man leaving the Cowboys with the option to just hand it off to their biggest threat.

Will this be the case every time? No. Although, things could be a lot simpler for Tony Romo’s come time for him to make a decision with the football.

By: Andy Townsend
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent