Sean Martin, Author at Inside The Star Archives

Who will Lead the Cowboys Defense in 2016?

The date was January 11th, 2015. After winning the NFC East with a 12-4 record, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves a win away from the NFC Championship game. Standing in their way was the Green Bay Packers, as the Cowboys visited Lambeau Field for the Divisional round. In a more literal sense, it was Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers that stood in Dallas’ way, as the hobbled signal caller faced little resistance from a Cowboys’ defensive line that hit him just 3 times – resulting in Rodgers completing 24 passes for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns. While this game will be remembered for the Dez Bryant catch-that-was-not, it’s important to step back and realize how much this offense carried the team through the regular season.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 29, 2016

Tweet Break: Best of #Cowboys Twitter for May 27th

Every Friday here on Inside The Star, I bring Cowboys Nation the best of what was from the week on Twitter. Today’s edition is somewhat of a special occasion, as it is the last such post we will have for the month of May! This only means one thing, and it’s that we are inching closer to the next important dates on the Dallas Cowboys calendar – marching towards training camp, the preseason, and a shot at redemption when it matters the most in the 2016 regular season. Of course, this last week of May hasn’t gone by quietly at all, as the Cowboys were indeed back on the field for OTAs. With that, let’s enter the Twitterverse and look at some of the best from the silver and blue.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 27, 2016

Ezekiel Elliott Speaks To Media, Scores All “RKG” Points

The Cowboys modern triplets took the field for the first time together for OTAs, teasing Cowboys Nation of what lies ahead with a fully healthy Tony Romo, recovering Dez Bryant, and rookie Ezekiel Elliott. While it wasn’t a whole lot that they did on the field yesterday, the three players addressed the media in the locker room after practice. All eyes were on the young Elliott, who absolutely made his Head Coach in Jason Garrett proud with some of these quotes that exemplified his personality as one of Jason’s “right kind of guys” as well as a player deserving of the fourth overall pick. Let’s look at some of the quotes that stuck with me after the interview – “It’s definitely better to have competition in there. Competition makes you better.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 26, 2016

Is the Best Football Ahead for the Cowboys Offensive Line?

The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is one of the best positional units in the entire NFL. While the technical play of tackles and guards doesn’t interest many casual fans, there’s no doubt that Cowboys Nation can appreciate a perfectly executed zone blocking play with the likes of Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, and Doug Free all blocking in harmony. This very offensive line continued to do some amazing things in 2015, such as leading Darren McFadden to 1,089 yards on the ground. As we know, these yards turned out to be mostly empty, as Dallas won just 4 games and McFadden found the end zone just 3 times. Ezekiel Elliott is the player that made the pain of that 2015 season go away.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 26, 2016

What Can the Cowboys Expect from DeMarcus Lawrence in 2016?

Happy Monday, Cowboys Nation! Looking for some silver and blue tinted optimism to start off your week? Well, you came to the right place, because I’m here to talk about the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive end position. Wait, Sean, it’s Monday AND I have to read about one of the biggest sore spots on the Cowboys’ roster? Why would you do this…

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 23, 2016

Tweet Break: Best of #Cowboys Twitter for May 20th

It’s currently one of the slowest times in the NFL off season, as we drudge through May while looking ahead to the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp later on this summer. The great world of Twitter is helping Cowboys Nation get through this downtime with plenty of great -and at times not so great – Cowboys content. With that, let’s jump right in to this week’s best of the best. The Cowboys had their home run derby to raise money for the Salvation Army on Tuesday, and above are some of the best tweets from the event. While Mike Fisher’s Cowboys news is always on point, we may need him to find an additional source to confirm that Tyron Smith is actually swinging a baseball bat in that first video and not a toothpick.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 20, 2016

Who will Emerge from the Cowboys Linebackers?

Dating all the way back to the 2005 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have selected at least one linebacker every year. Many of them have not worked out, but the position still remains one that has a seemingly bright future with a solid amount of depth. When both healthy and in sync, Sean Lee and Rolando McClain are as good of a tandem at this position than anyone in the league. Since Dallas’ defense often plays dominantly in nickel packages, Lee and McClain see plenty of snaps as the only 2 linebackers needed on the field. However, the Cowboys current situation at LB may not be very sustainable in a long-term approach.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 19, 2016

Rookie Watch: Cowboys Sign Ezekiel Elliott, 3 Others

It took some time, but 4 of the newest Dallas Cowboys’ rookies have signed their first deal with the team. Ezekiel Elliott, Anthony Brown, Kavon Frazier, and Darius Jackson are all now under contract and ready for what lies ahead in the 2016 season and beyond! It goes without saying that Ezekiel Elliott headlines this group, as signing his contract is just a formality. Ever since his selection was announced, Cowboys Nation has fully embraced the team’s newest dynamic running back. Even still, there’s a certain level of excitement in seeing Elliott in that Cowboys jacket, smiling as he puts pen to paper.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 18, 2016

Cowboys Secondary: Don’t Forget About These Two Corners

On the surface, Cowboys Nation has plenty of reasons to still be concerned about the team’s secondary. However, a closer look at the depth available for Rod Marinelli and Dallas to work with warrants some optimism for a unit that has been holding the Cowboys back for years. Deji Olatoye and Terrance Mitchell stepped in at the end of the 2015 season to see some significant playing time, and certainly made the most of it. In the game the Cowboys were mercifully eliminated from playoff contention at AT&T Stadium against the Jets in week 15, Mitchell recorded the first interception by a Dallas corner since December of 2014 in a win at the Bears. Olatoye stepped in to start the very next week against the Bills, and recorded an interception of his own against Tyrod Taylor in the end zone.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 17, 2016

Finding Roles for the Cowboys Offensive Rookies

The Dallas Cowboys spent the majority of their 2016 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, and I attempted to find roles for that group of 5 players yesterday here on Inside The Star. However, the pick that we spent all off season talking about at fourth overall was used on a star offensive player in Ezekiel Elliott. While finding Elliott’s role may not be too difficult, Dallas also used a fourth round pick on QB Dak Prescott – their first drafted quarterback since 2009 – and their last two picks of the 6th round on RB Darius Jackson and TE Rico Gathers respectively. Let’s attempt to find roles for all four of these rookies in 2016: RB Ezekiel Elliott (Round 1, Pick 4) As mentioned, finding Elliott’s projected role is not all that hard.

Written by: Sean Martin

Published on: May 16, 2016