Well, going into it, I expected nothing but some good old-fashioned playground football. After all, the starters were sitting, and many of the guys playing will be gone from the roster by sundown Friday. But there were actually a few nice developments; some encouraging signs.
 
Since I haven't posted any lengthy notes on the final three preseason games, let me just sum up here based on my big impressions.
 
Things I feel good about:

• Romo, Austin and the running backs are better than they've looked this preseason. So is the starting defense, which sure looked leaky in its last two outings. You'd like to see everybody playing sharp in all circumstances, but I just don't believe any of them has fallen off a cliff. They'll be fine, and I'm not worried.
• "Preseason doesn't mean anything." It's a cliche, but it's true.
• David Buehler, who did not attempt a kick in the previous two games, went four for four in the preseason finale, including kicks at the whistle to cap off two-minute drives in both halves - one of them a 51-yarder and the other the game winner. He may not be a Pro Bowler, but I think he'll be okay.
• My (unpublished) notes from every game say that I liked Victor Butler's performance. Depth in the outside linebacker spot means fresh legs for Spencer and Ware late in games, and late in the season. This is really good news.
• I think Doug Free will be fine at left tackle.

 
Things that worry me

• The offensive line. Yes, I know I just said Free would be fine, but did you see that line without Kosier and Colombo? I still think that, with all the injuries the team suffered in 2008, the loss of Kosier hurt the most. That problem has definitely not been fixed. Barron, out at RT, seems to be easily overpowered. Holland looks like he is blocking a different scheme than everybody else. If the starters miss any appreciable amount of time, this could be really, really bad.
• This talk about releasing Crayton worries me. I like some of the young guys, I think Dez will be good, but right now Crayton is the second best receiver on the roster, and Dez's emergence will only push him to #3. And who's to say Dez's injuries won't continue to plague him throughout the season?
• The running game. Don't tell me "it was vanilla." First of all, I like vanilla ice cream. Second of all, in the running game, although there certainly is still scheming, it's a lot more about putting a hat on a guy and shoving him out of the way. The other guys were playing vanilla, too, and I wish we had seen Dallas win a few more battles in the running game.
• I thought the return of "redshirt rookie" Jason Williams would be an upgrade over Bobby Carpenter. Now I'm not so sure. He always looks a little bit lost to me out there.

 
Encouraging signs

• Jesse Holley, a.k.a., "Mr. 4th and Long," is playing well. He is making some catches and contributing on special teams. That is probably bad news for Sam Hurd, but it means the team can continue the youth movement.
• Martellus Bennett looked really good. He is stuck here in "encouraging signs" because he has looked good in preseason before. I'd be happy with his contribution returning to what he did his rookie year, and he gave me no reason to doubt that it can.
• Stephen McGee played really well in the finale. He led the two minute drill to bring the team from behind at the end of both halves. He made a beautiful deep TD pass to Sam Hurd. He made quick decisions and was pretty accurate. There had been some murmurs about keeping only two QBs, but I'm in favor of continuing the McGee project.
• The second team defense held up very well against Miami's starting offense. Depth wins championships - especially on defense.

 
Things I just don't know about
 

• Ogletree was just so-so this preseason. Maybe it was my high expectations, but he had a few drops and a big mental error in the two minute drill last night. He just wasn't what I expected. I still think he'll be okay, but with the once-again rumored release of Crayton and/or Hurd, he'd better be good.
• Cletis Gordon has reportedly had a great camp, but he got burned a few times last night. That's our #4 CB, gang - he is going to get on the field this year.
• Sean Lee has a motor and a nose for the ball, but he sure seems to get blocked easily. Sound like anybody else? I can't say this worries me right now, because the kid missed most of preseason and he's only a rookie, but it's something to keep an eye on.
• Mike Hamlin is another redshirt rookie who missed a lot of this preseason. He showed some flashes last night, but nothing I'd get excited about. And I was hoping he'd look better, so I'm putting him in the "don't know" category.

 
There were reasons to worry in some of these games, but, looking around the NFC East, I think every team had some horrible outings, and those are the guys Dallas has to beat. I'm still pretty pumped up about the season, but honestly, nothing from 8-8 to 12-4 would surprise me.
 
So, as usual, no predictions.