Preseason Week 2 Preview – Denver @ Dallas

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Denver Broncos @ Dallas Cowboys
Saturday, August 18, 5:00 P.M.

[UPDATED INJURY REPORT 14:37] The Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys are set to square off on Saturday, August 18th at 5:00 P.M. in Irving, Texas in both teams’ second pre-season game of the 2007 campaign. Television coverage is provided by CBS (KCNC Channel 4), and the game will re-air on national cable television on the NFL Network on Sunday, August 19th at 2 P.M. PDT.

The two teams have held practices together in Irving over the past week, participating in low contact scrimmages and drills in preparation for tonight’s game.

INJURY REPORT

OUT – DEN – WR Brandon Stokley, T Adam Meadows, T Jacob Rogers, T Ryan Harris, DE Tim Crowder, DE Kenny Peterson, DT Gerard Warren, OLB Warrick Holdman, WR Rod Smith. DAL – DE/OLB Greg Ellis, WR Terry Glenn, T Doug Free, DE Jason Hatcher.

QUESTIONABLE – DEN – WR Javon Walker

PROBABLE – DEN – WR Brandon Marshall, T Matt Lepsis. DAL – WR Terrell Owens

STORYLINES

New Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips will be coaching against his former team Saturday. Phillips was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos from 1989-1992. He was hired as the Broncos Head Coach in 1993 and worked in that role for two years. He was replaced by current Denver head coach Mike Shanahan.

Several Broncos assistant coaches and players have experience in the Cowboys organization, including Assistant Head Coach/Defense Jim Bates, Defensive Coordinator Bob Slowik, and DE Ebenezer Ekuban was drafted by the team and played there for the first four years of his career.

Other Broncos call Texas their first home, including the Broncos’ two first draft picks Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder, the latter having played for the University of Texas.

Two Cowboys stars were also close to signing with the Broncos at different times in their careers. Quarterback Tony Romo and star wide receiver Terrell Owens both had offers from Denver in the past few years, but both elected to join the Cowboys instead.

The late Darrent Williams, who was shot and killed on New Years Day of this year in a drive-by shooting, hails from Fort Worth. His mother Rosalind Williams visited the Broncos in an emotional reunion on Thursday upon the invitation of coach Shanahan.

WHAT TO WATCH

OFFENSE – The starting offense will play 20-25 snaps, according to coach Mike Shanahan. This should flow well into the second quarter. Last week Broncos fans were excited over the explosive play of RB Travis Henry – look for him to repeat his success. The offensive line had returned to its dominant ways, with right guard Montrae Holland looking especially impressive. Look for backup LG Chris Myers to bounce back from a rough start last week in replacing then-injured starter Ben Hamilton.

UPDATE – Brandon Stokley will NOT make his Broncos debut tonight, but Brandon Marshall will likely start. There are conflicting reports whether WR Javon Walker and/or T Matt Lepsis will play tonight – they are listed as questionable here because of these conflicting reports.

The backup offense will play late in the second quarter and likely through the beginning of the fourth. The backup running back job is still under grabs, with Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp seeing most of the snaps. Undrafted rookie Selvin Young looked impressive last week as well; look for him to make his impact in the fourth quarter again.

DEFENSE – The Broncos defense did not look stellar last week. A lot of fans were excited in anticipation to see the revamped defensive line, but with DT Gerard Warren sitting out both this week and last as trade rumors continue to circle him, the line struggled to stop the 49ers running backs. Amon Gordon will get the start opposite Sam Adams on the inside of the line, and John Engelberger and Ebenezer Ekuban will continue to start at defensive end.

Throughout the week of practices, reports indicated that Dallas WR Terrell Owens was enjoying success against Broncos CBs Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, widely considered the best cornerback tandem in the league. Look for the secondary to try and shut down the Cowboys’ talented receivers – the last time Owens and Bailey squared off was in 2005 when Owens enjoyed the longest touchdown of his career, a 90+ yard play as a Philadelphia Eagle.

The linebackers hope to make more of an impact than last week as well – new inside linebacker D.J. Williams didn’t stand out like some fans had hoped, and the battle for strongsdie linebacker will continue. Nate Webster started on Thursday’s practice, but he and D.D. Lewis have been alternating these duties in practice. Lewis got the start last Monday.

Again, something NOT to watch: The Score.

I will catch up with the fans tomorrow during the nationally televised re-air on the NFL Network. Enjoy the game tonight for those who are in the Denver and Dallas areas, and feel free to comment on what you see. I will have the news version of the nights’ events posted later tonight from work – no, I won’t be able to follow the game live because of my work schedule tonight. Trust me, I’m more disappointed than any of you may be.