IRVING, TEXAS - So if this is supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season, can you live with this?
Can you handle Cowboys 23, Texans 22 in a game that saw the Cowboys' starters take control on both sides of the ball, but penalties and turnovers still plagued them enough to keep this one closer than it should've been.
And in all reality, it wasn't all that much of a dress rehearsal anyway, considering the starters played only a half together, while some of the stars were pulled after halftime. But to me, that first half was still missing something, too.
Like a first-round pick to be exact.
Don't care that Felix Jones looked like a rookie for the first time this preseason. Don't care that he had his worst performance, probably counting all the practices this summer, too.
As proficient as the offense was here Friday night in the first half, and even if starting tailback Marion Barber was a huge reason for that, Felix Jones needs to play. Earlier this week, head coach Wade Phillips said he wasn't sure Felix would return kickoffs, stating he is reluctant because of the injury risk to one of his primary offensive players.
Ok, something has to give then.
Not only have we not seen him return a kickoff in three games, but he's not a part of the first-team offense. Not yet, anyway. The Cowboys played an entire half with the first-teamers and Felix Jones never got on the field.
Thought this was a dress rehearsal.
Now, not saying the coaching staff isn't planning on it. You know that Jones will have a role in this offense, and let's hope for special teams, too. We'll get back to that point in a second.
But if this was the dress rehearsal, then let's hope the Cowboys were saving one of their top performers from tonight's show. Seriously, Felix Jones has something this offense is still lacking. And it lacked last year, too.
Speed. Speed. Speed.
Ok, so he fumbled away the ball with the offense going in for a touchdown. Tony Romo, threw an ill-advised interception on the one-yard line, too. It happens.
Not saying that fumbles aren't important. Rookies certainly can't afford them. But it was obvious that Friday night wasn't Felix Jones' top performance. Five carries for 10 yards with a lost fumble. Two catches for four yards. That's not first-round like. We all know it, starting with Felix himself.
"This wasn't my best game tonight at all," said Jones, who doesn't seem to get too excited about his big plays, therefore it wasn't a surprise that he kept an even keel when asked about his off night. "But I'll be fine. This isn't the type of game I want to play. I need to get better all the time. You're always going to try to do that. So I'm just going to go back and look at the film and correct my mistakes."
Anyone worried? Shouldn't be. Just like Wade Phillips has said all along about his entire team - they need to play. They need to play together to get ready for the season. Well guess what, include Felix in that mix, too.
The one great thing about Terence Newman's injury during training camp is that first-round pick Mike Jenkins has received a ton of reps. While the Cowboys have given Jones some looks, too, we have yet to see him full throttle just yet.
"The biggest thing with Felix is that we just want to see him play," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said. "We want to get him touches in the running game and touches in the passing game. He's someone that is still a rookie and he's made the transition very smoothly. We just want to get him acclimated at this level."
While the Cowboys have certainly worked on offensive sets that include both Barber and Jones on the field together, Garrett said the Cowboys are sticking to the basics in the preseason.
"Right now, we're just trying to be a little more traditional with our personnel," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said. "We want to play Marion in a traditional set with a fullback. And the same with Felix. That's the way we're trying to do it right now."
It's obviously a fine line the coaching staff has to walk here.
Do you find out what your rookie running back can do in live games, against not only another defense, but the first-team defense? Do you find out if he can become a dynamic kick returner in the pros like he was in college? Or, do you say we've seen enough big plays in practice and try to hide him until the regular season.
That sounds funny - hiding a first-round pick, especially at running back.
But right now, what film do opposing teams have on Felix Jones, particularly in a complementary role to Barber? The rest of the league has seen him make plays with the second-team, but the big question will be just how he fits in with the starters.
Just how do the Cowboys work Jones into the scheme, either in a two-back system with Barber, or lined up as a receiver. Or maybe the Cowboys will find some kind of series rotation, similar to what Barber and Julius Jones had last year.
After the game, I got a chance to ask Felix about getting unleashed more when the season starts. If a look says it all, you should've seen the ear-to-ear grin on Felix when he answered. Safe to say, the Cowboys haven't scratched the surface just yet.
"It's the preseason right now, we're just getting the basics down," Jones said. "When the season starts, we'll get down to business."
Speaking of business, let's hope it includes a kickoff return, or three - each game.
Maybe Phillips is just laying low on this one, but I just don't understand the logic. Now, I'm not sure if he's going to be a great running back in the pros. It's safe to say he was a pretty good "tailback" in college.
But he was a phenomenal kickoff returner. A two-time All-American returning kicks with five career touchdowns in that area.
Why wouldn't you want a dynamic player to do what he does best? And if the answer is a fear of getting a guy hurt on special teams, then to me, special teams needs more emphasis.
Personally, I wouldn't mind having a guy back there who could take it the distance at any moment. Seems to work for the Bears. Not saying Felix Jones is Devin Hester, but it's safe to say that Jones did way more in college in the return game than Hester.
"Hey, if that's what they want to do, I respect their decision," Jones said of not returning kickoffs now. "Hopefully, I'll get a few soon."
And that might be the case now with Isaiah Stanback going down with a shoulder injury. Last year's returner, Miles Austin, is out a few more weeks with a knee injury. Seems like a good time to get Felix Jones a crack or two at kickoffs, especially with just one preseason game to go.
"I'm not worried right now," Jones said. "I'm confident in the coaches. They have a plan for me."
Whatever it is, it seems the Cowboys know the answer. They just don't feel the need to tell us, or the rest of the league, right now.
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Nick Eatman - 
