7. Cowboys enroll in Chemistry 101

For the Cowboys, the offseason wasn’t about adding talent as much as it was about finding a better mix.

The Cowboys arguably were the NFL’s best team on paper a year ago, and all that got them was a 9–7 record, good for third place in the NFC East.

So instead of acquiring more stars, the Cowboys subtracted some. Gone are wide receiver Terrell Owens, cornerback Pacman Jones, safety Roy Williams, defensive end Chris Canty, cornerback Anthony Henry and defensive tackle Tank Johnson. In their place, they hope, is better chemistry.

Coach Wade Phillips also is promising to be tougher with his players, who may have taken too much for granted a year ago. And Phillips is taking a more hands-on approach, saying he will be in charge of the defense.

While these Cowboys should play together better, it remains to be seen if they will play better. They will be dependent mostly on improved play from quarterback Tony Romo, who won’t have T.O. to throw to but also won’t have T.O. to listen to.

And others will need to step up, such as wide receiver Roy Williams, defensive end Igor Olshansky and cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones always has been attracted to star players, so this philosophy is a bold departure for him. Ultimately, it won’t matter if the Cowboys get along better if they don’t win more games.

“Chemistry is always important,” Phillips says. “But production is the most important thing.”

8. High hopes for Stafford and Sanchez

The bar for first-round quarterbacks was set last year by Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco just past the highest cirrus clouds: Come in as rookies and play like veterans.

Good luck, Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez.

Barring any roster additions, Sanchez will be throwing to a group of Jets receivers who have not distinguished themselves. Stafford, who likely will begin the season backing up Daunte Culpepper, will eventually have the responsibility of turning around a Detroit franchise that has slipped to the bottom of the NFL food chain.

Both Sanchez and Stafford will be playing for rookie coaches, as did Flacco and Ryan. But they won’t have all of the advantages that Ryan and Flacco had. For instance:

• Sanchez does not have a long history of college production, as Ryan and Flacco did. Ryan started 32 games at Boston College and was known for his decision-making and intangibles. Flacco’s college history wasn’t as impressive, but he started 26 games at Delaware after transferring from Pitt, so he was battle-tested. Sanchez was a one-year starter.

• Stafford is not as accurate as Ryan and Flacco. Ryan completed 59.9 percent of his passes in college and 61.1 percent of his passes in the NFL last year. Flacco completed 63.3 percent of his passes in college and 60 percent as an NFL rookie. Stafford completed only 57.1 percent of his passes at Georgia. He did, however, complete 61.4 percent of his throws as a junior.

If anyone expects Stafford and Sanchez to duplicate the rookie performances of Ryan and Flacco, it’s a good bet they will be very disappointed.

9. Out with the old

You will be excused if you fail to recognize the NFL this season. After all, it will be an NFL without Jon Gruden, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and Mike Martz. And it still won’t have Brian Billick, Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer. Coaches on that list have won seven of the last 13 Super Bowls. Their fingerprints remain everywhere in the game, but for now, at least, most of them are only voices — broadcast voices. The smart bet is that some teams are already privately jockeying to position themselves to hire some of these men as soon as the season ends.

In the meantime, we are left with a new breed of coaches — men who came to their teams young, unproven — and cheaply. Of the league’s 11 new head coaches (including Oakland’s Tom Cable and San Francisco’s Mike Singletary, both of whom had the interim tag removed after the season), nine are first-time NFL head coaches. That group includes the apple-cheeked Josh McDaniels in Denver and four men who had never even been NFL coordinators — Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis, Raheem Morris in Tampa, Singletary and Cable. Three of the new hires — Morris (32), McDaniels (33) and Cleveland’s Eric Mangini (38) — are under 40.

To what do we owe this trend? Well, Mike Tomlin was largely unknown two years ago. The Steelers hired him away from Minnesota, where he had been a precocious defensive coordinator for all of one season, at age 34. And for their boldness, they were rewarded this year with enormous, diamond-encrusted finger jewelry. Three other “no-name” head coaches helped turn around their teams last year. Mike Smith stopped the Falcons’ ship from sinking. John Harbaugh revitalized the Ravens. And Tony Sparano made the Dolphins contenders. All three teams made the playoffs. If this trend continues, the line forming for the legends might get shorter.

10. Haynesworth’s worth — to two teams

There is no disputing that Albert Haynesworth has been among the most dominant defensive players in the NFL, and to prove it he signed a $100 million free agent contract with the Redskins in February. He leaves a gigantic hole in the middle of the Titans’ defense and is faced with gigantic expectations in Washington. His move may hurt the Titans more than it helps the Redskins.

In Tennessee, Haynesworth made everyone around him better because he demanded double-teams and created one-on-one opportunities for others. That meant the Titans rarely had to rush more than four players.

Unless Jason Jones plays every week like he did against the Steelers late last season in a game Haynesworth missed, the Titans don’t have another dominating player up front. So they will have to scheme more to get pressure this year, and that will mean taking more chances that will leave them vulnerable at times. Opponents won’t be so hesitant to run it up the gut anymore without Haynesworth creating piles in the middle of the field. Their defense subsequently will take on a completely different personality.

But some of the things that made Haynesworth a dominant player in Tennessee were not packed in his bags bound for Washington. Hunger and coaching, for instance. Haynesworth hasn’t always been the most motivated player on the field. It helps when he has a carrot dangling. Now that he has gotten paid, the carrot has been swallowed.

And there is no question Haynesworth benefited from the coaching of Jim Washburn, who is to defensive linemen what Eric Clapton is to guitars. Washburn had a connection with Haynesworth that was special and rare. It is entirely possible Washburn was irreplaceable to Haynesworth.

Even if Haynesworth does find his groove with the Redskins, it might take him a while to show it. Free agent signees typically start out slow in new cities and new schemes. So don’t be surprised if the Haynesworth move is questioned in Nashville and in Washington — for entirely different reasons.

This feature appears in the 2009 Athlon Sports Pro Football magazine. Click here to purchase your copy.