Brian Martin, Author at Inside The Star Archives

Moving Tyrone Crawford To Defensive End Is A Mistake

It has been rumored this off-season that the Dallas Cowboys are toying with the idea of moving Tyrone Crawford to defensive end due to Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence’s pending four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The depth at the defensive end position is a concern, so Crawford’s possible position switch is understandable. First off, I’m in favor of doing anything that will help out the defense overall, but Crawford’s potential move to defensive end concerns me a little. Actually, it concerns me more than a little. I’ll go as far as saying that I think it would be a mistake and I’ll attempt to explain why.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 15, 2016

Dallas Cowboys: Getting Back To The 2014 Blueprint

For a period of time, the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t seem to get away from the 8-8 record, until finally in 2014 they finished with a 12-4 winning season. Unfortunately, the numbers 12 and 4 would pop up again in 2015, but this time the numbers flip-flopped which resulted in the Cowboys finishing with a 4-12 record and having one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The 2014 blueprint that the Cowboys used should once again work for the organization in 2016. There are number reasons why you can take comfort in the fact that this is the direction that head coach Jason Garrett and the rest of the coaching staff believe that this is the best course of action to take. The Cowboys offense carried the entire team in 2014 and helped them go undefeated on the road (8-0).

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 14, 2016

3 Reasons Why Tony Romo Will Thrive In 2016

First off, let me tell you that I personally believe that Tony Romo will have an amazing year in 2016 and that despite his recent struggles with injuries, he will once again get the Dallas Cowboys back on track and in contention of making a deep playoff run. If you paid any attention to the 2015 season, you noticed first hand just how important Tony Romo is to this team. He is the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys and without him in the lineup the entire team takes a giant step back. Below I decided to share with you three reasons why I personally believe Tony Romo will thrive in 2016 and have the Cowboys once again sitting atop the NFC East division. Now, you may be a little skeptical about Romo’s chances due to circumstances out of his control, but I believe I have a pretty good argument as to why that skepticism might be a little unjustified.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 12, 2016

Five Defensive Players That Need To Step Up In 2016

Yesterday I shared with you five offensive players that need to step up in 2016, and today I thought I would take a look at the other side of the ball and express what defensive players I think need to step up their game for the 2016 season. In 2015, the Dallas Cowboys defense under the guidance of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli performed admirably and actually kept the team in games that were close enough to win, if the offensive performance would have been a little bit better. The Cowboys lost a number of games by less than a touchdown and if they can carry that over into 2016, there is no telling how far the team may go. There are a lot of players that could have been mentioned on this list, but if these players can step their game in 2016, it should improve the overall play of the entire defense. Here are the five players I would like to see step up their game in 2016:

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 11, 2016

Five Offensive Players That Need To Step Up In 2016

The 2015 season is over thankfully and we can put the past behind us and turn our focus to what lies ahead in the upcoming season. Year in and year out, organizations around the league have to continuously tinker with the roster in order to hopefully put together the best 53 man squad as possible. Well, I decided to take a look at the roster and share with you five players that I think need to step up their game in 2016 in order to secure a roster spot. Not all of these players are in jeopardy of losing their jobs, but through improved play they should be able to not only make the 53 man roster, but earn more playing time. Devin Street, WR (6’3″, 200) Devin Street will be entering his third season in the NFL, but is already facing an uphill battle to the make the Cowboys roster.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 10, 2016

Dallas Cowboys Weighing All Options At Fullback

The age of having a traditional fullback on the roster in the NFL has really started dwindle over the last several years. So much so that very few teams even have a fullback on their roster. Teams have started using H-backs, tight ends, and even offensive/defensive lineman to come in and make those traditional type fullbacks expendable because they can contribute in more ways for the team. Since taking over the head-coaching responsibilities for the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Garrett is one of the remaining few that likes to have a traditional fullback on the final 53 man roster. Since 2013, Tyler Clutts has been the Cowboys fullback, but he is currently a free agent and it appears as if the organization is ready to examine all options to replace him.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 8, 2016

Dallas Cowboys: Backup Quarterback Still A Concern?

The 2015 season for the Dallas Cowboys was a complete disaster and the majority of the blame can be placed squarely on the backup quarterback situation. Once Tony Romo went down not once, but twice with a broken clavicle, we pretty much knew that the season was on the line. Who was actually comfortable knowing that Brandon Weeden was a backup behind Romo heading into the 2015 season? I know I wasn’t. I thought it was an absolute mistake by the organization.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 6, 2016

2017 Cowboys Draft: First Round Prediction

The dust is just starting to settle after the 2016 NFL Draft and fans are just now starting to come to grips with the selections that their favorite teams made. The Dallas Cowboys in particular are a team that have already faced a lot of scrutiny based on their draft selections, but whether you agree or disagree it doesn’t really matter at this point. For those of you who weren’t satisfied with the Cowboys 2016 draft class, Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com Dan Brugler has already published his first Super-early 2017 NFL Mock Draft. Now, there is really no way of exactly knowing what team will be selecting where so what Brugler did in his mock draft was use the current Vegas odds to win next year’s Super Bowl.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 5, 2016

Why Didn’t The Dallas Cowboys Draft A WR?

Leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft I was nearly positive that the Dallas Cowboys would address the wide receiver position at some point, but as we know now I would have been proven wrong. After watching the Cowboys receivers struggle throughout the 2015 season I thought for sure that the organization would have put serious thought into upgrading the position, but whether it was by design or lack of interest, they decided to forgo drafting a WR with any of their nine draft picks. However, if you think about it in a roundabout way they did use a 2016 draft pick on a wide receiver when they traded their 2016 5th round pick to the Oakland Raiders in order to obtain the rights to Brice Butler. Butler may have been one of the top WRs if he would’ve been a part of the 2016 draft class if you compare his pre-draft measurables against the other receivers. Brice Butler’s pre-draft measurables Ht.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 4, 2016

Cowboys Running Backs: Who’s In? Who’s Out?

The Dallas Cowboys are going to be faced with a difficult decision when it comes to evaluating the running back position and deciding who’s in and who’s out. One of the most surprising selections for the Cowboys in the 2016 NFL Draft was when the organization decided to draft Eastern Michigan’s Darius Jackson in the six round, especially after making running back Ezekiel Elliott the 4th overall pick. If you would have asked me before the draft what position the Cowboys were most likely to double dip in I would’ve probably answered either defensive end or cornerback, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the Cowboys would use two of their nine draft picks on running backs. The running back position will be one to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the off-season and it will be interesting to see what the Cowboys ultimately decide to do with all of these RBs. Let’s take a look at the depth chart and try to predict who stays and who goes.

Written by: Brian Martin

Published on: May 3, 2016