Worry, don't panic about Cowboys just yet

As the old saying goes, if you're going to commit six turnovers in an NFL game, you better make sure it's the preseason. In the aftermath of a 12-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett seemed to take a small measure of pride in having a chance to win at the end despite all those turnovers.

One can only hope these two men weren't delivering that message to the players.

Fortunately for Cowboys fans, I don't think what happened Sunday is indicative of how the team will look during the regular-season. And had the Cowboys blown the Cardinals off the field and won by a wide margin, I'd be saying the same thing.
 
The most important stat in any preseason game involves the number of injuries a team sustained. The Cowboys lost backup running back Lance Dunbar to a foot sprain that will likely knock him out of the season opener Sept. 8 against the New York Giants. Despite his undrafted status, Dunbar emerged as one of the pleasant surprises of training camp. He provides a great change-of-pace from the bruising style of starter DeMarco Murray, as well as being a pass-catching threat. Yes, he was one of the players who fumbled Saturday, but Jones quickly absolved him based on how exciting the play was to watch.
 
"Totally forgive him," Jones told reporters after the game. "I'm so glad our fans got to see him. He's quick, fast and makes plays."

The biggest issue on offense remains the offensive line. Surely the Cowboys aren't shocked that a left guard with a degenerative knee condition had to have his other knee scoped last week. Ron Leary should return in time to start against the Giants, but his durability remains a major concern. And it looks like the Cowboys have reached an impasse with retired guard Brian Waters, who hails from nearby Waxahachie. It can't be a great sign that Dallas keeps trying to invite retirees to start at right guard. Having been turned down by former Jets guard Brandon Moore, the Cowboys moved onto Waters. Apparently, though, Waters had the nerve to ask for a fat paycheck. Why can't players simply show up out of the goodness of their own hearts anymore?
 
"We've kind of moved on from there, for the time being" Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told KRLD 105.3 The Fan on Saturday.

"We don't ever rule anything out, but there's a lot of different ways to get players, and we're certainly looking at all of them. We certainly would still like to improve ourselves there in the interior of our offensive line if we could."
 
The Cowboys may be able to look at an area where they have a surplus of talent – running back/receiver – and perhaps trade for a guard. They have also been studying other teams in hopes that a serviceable player will end up on the waiver wire. This is not a blueprint for assembling a cohesive unit, but the Cowboys aren't exactly thrilled with their in-house candidates. As I've stated plenty of times, they are still paying for whiffing on veteran guards Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau during the 2012 free agency period.
 
On defense, the Cowboys will not have a chance to see two of their four starters on the D-line at any time during the preseason. Anthony Spencer (knee) and Jay Ratliff (hamstring) are both expected to play against the Giants on Sept. 8, but Spencer still hasn't been cleared to run. And I detected a sense of frustration from Garrett when he was providing an update on Ratliff's status Monday. The Cowboys believe that Spencer and Ratliff have taken enough mental reps to grasp Monte Kiffin's 4-3 scheme. But it's unreasonable to expect either player to be in peak condition by Sept. 8. They will be lucky to play 20 plays apiece against the Giants. Spencer will be moving from outside linebacker to defensive end, and he admitted Monday that he could benefit from some repetitions.

"I don't think any time is good to miss," Spencer said. "I like to be out there. You can only get better by being out there, so actually I'm not helping myself right now."
 
We don't know what Ratliff's thinking since he rarely speaks or even makes eye contact with reporters. He had a well-publicized confrontation with Jones last season when he felt like the owner was challenging his toughness. I noticed that Jones spent a lot of time with Ratliff during training camp, when the owner wasn't entertaining his "Montecito friends."

Assistant offensive line coach Frank Pollack told me during camp that he thought the offensive line needed to develop a "couple of badasses" like the Cowboys have on the defensive line. I think he was talking about Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware.
 
But it's time for the brooding Ratliff to return to practice. The Nick Haydens and George Selvies have filled in admirably, but they're best suited for backup roles.

This is no time to panic about preseason losses, but it's perfectly acceptable to worry about the offensive and defensive lines.
 
If only the Cowboys worried more about those things in April.