Sunday 7 September 2014 13:44, UK
If recent history is anything to go by then Sunday’s clash between the San Francscio 49ers and Dallas Cowboys will be a match-up between excellence and mediocrity.
San Francisco have gone deep into the playoffs in each of the last three years, coming agonisingly close to winning the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 season, while Dallas have finished every season since 2011 with a record of 8-8.
The 49ers are therefore favourites to start the new campaign with a win, even if the game is taking place at the Cowboys home venue of AT&T Stadium.
But each team has unresolved issues following an off-season in which both have grabbed the headlines, and San Francisco are no longer viewed as a guaranteed success story in many quarters.
The most prominent of several Cowboys question marks heading into the new season hangs over the head of quarterback Tony Romo. The 34-year-old underwent back surgery at the end of last season but insists he will still be able to play “all out”, while Dallas owner Jerry Jones says the veteran passer will even be improved in comparison to 2013, when he threw for 3,828 yards and 31 touchdown passes.
Romo’s time on the operating table sparked a wider discussion over his role as the starting quarterback for Dallas. Despite restructuring his contract in the off-season he still has a cumbersome salary cap number for the next three seasons and is yet to lead his team to any notable playoff success. A poor performance at home in the opening game of the new season could prompt more criticism.
The 49ers have risen into the elite echelon of the NFL over the last three years thanks largely to a fearsome defence, but their stop unit enters the season looking at its weakest point during the Jim Harbaugh era. The problems started in last year’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks, during which first-team All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman suffered a serious knee injury which will rule him out for around half of the new season.
San Francisco then lost cornerbacks Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown in free agency, while safety Donte Whitner also left after his contract expired. If that wasn’t enough, star pass rusher Aldon Smith and starting defensive lineman Ray McDonald both suffered with off-field problems. Smith has been suspended for nine games for violating of the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies and McDonald could be held out of the opener after being arrested on domestic violence charges.
Sunday’s clash with the Cowboys will be a big test for the youngsters and other players who have been promoted up the depth chart and into starting defensive roles.
If the 49ers have it bad on the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys are in a perilous situation. After finishing dead last in the NFL’s defensive rankings in 2013, they lost their both best defensive player (linebacker DeMarcus Ware) and one of the only defenders to emerge from last season with some credit (lineman Jason Hatcher) to free agency.
Linebacker Sean Lee then tore his ACL during organised team activities (OTAs) and will miss the whole of the season. The front seven look to be in a terrible state, which means much of the defensive burden will fall on cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. The pair have undoubted talent but did not play up to their potential last season. If they can manage to keep the likes of star Dallas receiver Dez Bryant quiet on Sunday, it will put them back in the good books of the Cowboys faithful.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick endured a disappointing regular season in 2013, ending it with a completion percentage of just 58.4 and only 21 passing touchdowns. He did pick up his game during the playoffs but there are still doubts whether he can be counted on as a reliable week-in, week-out passing option in the NFL.
His performances in pre-season have only added further fuel to the fire. He finished the four-week stretch of tune-up contests with just 12 of his 22 passes completed for 115 yards. Fortunately for the 26-year-old he could have the perfect tonic on Sunday if the Dallas defence is as bad as expected.
“I think you’ll see an improved player relative to the experience and the time that he’s spent with his new coordinator (Scott Linehan). This is a real successful match-up. I think these guys are going to be pretty effective with the way they work together," Jerry Jones speaks to 105.3 The Fan about the progress of Tony Romo.
"It's a very physical, fast-flowing game that has humbled the best players who have ever played. There's only one way to play it - all out, all the time." Romo on whether he will play more cautiously after back surgery.
“(It) will be based on information and facts” Jim Harbaugh on how his team will decide whether Ray McDonald should play.
