• Home
• Privacy Policy
• “The Sports Doctors”

Subscribe

• Games
  • Previews
  • Threads
  • Wrapup
• General
  • Fantasy
  • The Leon Awards
  • Trends
  • Trolling the Universe
• News
  • Draft
  • History
  • Interviews
  • Podcast
• NFL
  • Players
  • Teams
• Training Camp

Woody the Friendly Ghost

Retirement doesn’t suit Darren Woodson. He wants to haunt the dreams of opposing receivers and running backs again.

ESPN reports tonight that the Cowboys have contacted Woodson about returning if they qualify for the playoffs tomorrow. The Cowboys have fielded a thin safety unit all year and are threadbare at the position with Roy Williams injuring an ankle against Carolina.

Woodson’s conditioning is unknown but wouldn’t he be a sight in uniform next weekend?

Peeking Ahead…

… while holding my breath this weekend. Here is the Cowboys’ 2006 schedule, as most of it is known.

Home games:
– Eagles, Giants, Redskins, Colts, Texans, Bucs, Saints, Lions or Vikings;

Road games:
– Eagles, Giants, Redskins, Jaguars, Titans, Falcons, Panthers, Cardinals or Rams.

Want to bet that Colts/Cowboys game leads off NBC’s new Sunday night package or is ESPN’s inaugural Monday night game?

Keep An Eye On This Story

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Green Bay offensive line coach Larry Beightol feels he may lose his job if the Packers clean house after a disappointing 2005.

Good offensive line coaches are as valuable as good quarterbacks these days and Beightol ranks among the NFL’s best. From 2001 to 2004 his lines allowed an NFL-low 82 sacks. In previous stops with the Jets and Dolphins, Beightol’s lines ranked among the league’s best in sacks allowed.

I have no idea if Bill Parcells will shop for a new offensive line coach next year. First year man Tony Sparano has had to work with a motley bunch after injuries wiped out his projected tackle tandem of Flozell Adams and Jacob Rogers. Still, the league runs on the bottom line and for much of the year Sparano’s guys have not gotten it done. Dallas has surrendered 45 sacks, ranking 28th in the league. Only six teams have a lower yards-per-attempt average than Dallas’ 3.6. Last year’s line coach George Warhop was dismissed for similar numbers.

If Green Bay drops Beightol, I would not be surprised to see the Cowboys pursue him. He might be able to put RG Marco Rivera’s career back on track. Rivera went to Pro Bowls from 2002 through 2004 while working for Beightol. The coach might also help his new team lure young free-agent-to-be Kevin Barry. He’s far from a household name, but Beightol feels the 26 year old OT can be one of the league’s most dominating linemen.

This news barely rates mention, compared to everything else going on this week. But a Beightol firing could figure prominently in Dallas’ ‘06 plans. Watch this story.

Cowboys - Rams Preview

Update: Bill Parcells announced this afternoon that LB Kevin Burnett tore an ACL and will be placed on injured reserve. This makes the 4-2-5 a lot more likely against the Rams, as Burnett’s loss puts Dallas down to five linebackers, with no reserves at the OLB spots.

Mike Martz is gone from the sideline. QB Marc Bulger is on injured reserve. Marshall Faulk may suit up for the final time in his storied career Sunday. The Rams are starting two rookies on their offensive line, one at left guard and the other at right tackle. They’ve given up 44 sacks, 6th worst in the NFL and only one fewer than the Cowboys maligned line. Their defense is so much worse than their offense. So why should they concern us?

Because they can still throw the ball. St. Louis is tied with the Colts for the third-best passing average in the NFL at just over 259 yards a game. After playing three QBs and losing its pass-mad coach, the former Greatest Show on Turf has shown it can still operate on collective muscle memory. That and a receiving quartet of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald.

They present real matchup problems for the Cowboys, who have seen the injury bug bite the secondary. Corner Anthony Henry returns, but there’s no telling how healthy he will be. Terence Newman, Aaron Glenn and Jacques Reeves have played well in his absence, but now Dallas has a hobbled Roy Williams to worry about.

I don’t expect a lot of blitzing this week. Steven Jackson sports a 4.1 yards-per-carry average, but the Rams rushing game has slumped this past month. The Rams like to play wide open football, so bringing five and six men would give them the one-on-one secondary duels they crave.

Look for heavy use of the 4-2-5 formation, to keep four rushers on the field. The Cowboys are also thin at linebacker, so a more conservative, conventional attack seems likely. The front four alone will have to pressure QB Jamie Martin. Look for Demarcus Ware, Chris Canty, LaRoi Glover and Greg Ellis to get lots of work as a unit. The matchups to watch will be Canty and Glover against rookie left guard Claude Terrell and Ellis versus rookie right tackle Alex Barron, the Rams top selection last April.

When Dallas has the ball, we should see more of the 2005 standard game plan, because this week it looks like the Cowboys’ best option. Expect a lot of the Julius and Marion show. The Rams are next to last in rush defense, allowing only seven inches less per game than last place Buffalo, so hammering the ball with both backs makes sense.

The Cowboys line comes off its best run blocking effort of the season. Forget the J.J. vs. MB III debate for a moment; if the Cowboys run effectively again and qualify for the playoffs, we’re facing a full-blown right guard controversy — Andre Gurode or Marco Rivera? Rivera was signed to take Gurode’s place but Gurode showed more explosion last week than Rivera has all year, helping his mates open large and regular holes for Julius Jones.

If Jones and Barber open strongly, play action will look equally as inviting, as the Rams also rank 22nd in pass defense. Injuries have wiped out their secondary, forcing them to play a lot of rookies. The lack of continuity has affected the team’s tackling so much that Vitt ripped his players publicly. Even the St. Louis press has gotten into the act, advising GM Charlie Armey to draft the “best tackler available” next spring.

When Dallas does throw, it will have to locate and neutralize DE Leonard Little. The undersized but turbocharged edge rusher leads the Rams with seven sacks. No other teammate has more than three. St. Louis, like all Cowboys foes, will likely try to get Little lined up across from RT Rob Petitti. Expect a lot of two TE sets, with Dan Campbell aiding Petitti, whether he faces Little or not.

Prediction:

Ball control. Long, methodical drives. Keep your backs happy and keep the Rams offense off the field. The Rams have let a lot of no-name backs rip them for big games this year. Last week, it was San Francisco’s Maurice Hicks, who gained 109 yards in only 10 carries. The Cowboys offer better talent and more experience across the skill position board. They should be able to move the ball and if they can prevent sacks and subsequent turnovers, the Cowboys should score.

Mike Martz was always fearless against pressure and interim coach Joe Vitt has maintained Martz’ philosophy. The Rams love to spread the field with three and four receiver sets. Dallas’ line will get chances against minimal protection schemes.

For this reason, I see Dallas getting turnovers. The Cowboys are a middling -1 for the season. St. Louis is second to last with a -14 margin. Mostly, I see one team with a lot to play for versus another with an eye on next year. The Rams have won five games this year. Four were against Houston, New Orleans, Tennessee and Arizona. Their only quality win came against Jacksonville. They’ve won just once since Halloween, that a last-second comeback against the Texans.

St. Louis has the worst scoring defense in the league. The Cowboys don’t deserve post-season consideration if they can’t tally big points against them.

Dallas 28, St. Louis 17

Thursday Morning Crumbs

It’s a slow day, as only six teams are in the dark about their playoff status. In the AFC the final spot will be won by either the Steelers or the Chiefs. In the NFC, three of the Panthers, Bucs, Redskins and Cowboys group will claim the remaining spots.

That means 18 teams are already looking forward to 2006, which in turn means the rumor mill is already red hot. Will Brett Favre retire? Will Dick Vermeil call it quits again? Will Dan Reeves name himself the next jefe of all trades in Houston?

From Dallas’ perspective, the most amusing and intriguing news comes from Washington, where LaVar Arrington’s pouting act has people on both sides of the Redskins/Eagles game talking. Eagles’ MLB Jeremiah Trotter, who played with Arrington in Washington, defended his friend. Arrington’s coach, Joe Gibbs, indirectly lashed out at Arrington, claiming anybody not focused on Philadelphia was distracting the team.

Talk on, Mr. Arrington.

In Dallas, Bill Parcells frets over Roy Williams’ bum ankle. The SS still limps, though he says he will play this weekend. The Rams have an ineffective defense, a rookie-heavy offensive line and a long injured-reserve list that includes their head coach and starting QB. Still, they have a dangerous receiving corps of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Kevin Curtis and Shaun McDonald. They also have an experienced backup in Jamie Martin. When you consider how the unsung Panthers receivers turned Keith Davis and Willie Pile inside out last week, you can understand Parcells’ concerns.

One good bit of secondary news — Anthony Henry returned to practice yesterday and says he will be ready for the Rams. A full set of corners would go a long way towards winning Sunday night.

Meanwhile, in St. Louis…

Interim head coach Joe Vitt has ripped his defense’s poor tackling. He has also given the business to his offensive line, who has failed to convert several key fourth and short situations lately. Vitt backed away from these criticisms yesterday and put the blame on himself.

These are typical sounds from a team that has lost four straight and six of its last seven. Don’t take Sunday’s game for granted, however. The Rams can still pass and if Anthony Henry’s abdominal strain keeps him out again the undermanned Cowboys’ secondary will be tested.

Notes:
– The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Drew Brees might play somewhere besides San Diego in 2006. Expect the New-Drew-to-Dallas speculation to swirl, but don’t bank on it, unless Bill Parcells picks up and leaves.

Brees’ 2005 has followed a similar path as Drew Bledsoe’s; Brees had a 100 QB rating at mid-season but has slumped badly in the second half. Acquiring him would be expensive, in picks and money. San Diego could franchise him again and then flip him for the best package it could find. Be sure that the Chargers would have suitors.

And let’s not discount money. Drew Bledsoe’s contract averages just over $4 million a season, putting him in the middle of the QB salary pack. Brees garnered $8.1 million from San Diego this season. Whomever acquires Brees will likely pay him a salary roughly double what Bledsoe makes. If you love him, hate him or are Bledsoe agnostic, know that he’s giving the Cowboys good value salary-wise. That means a lot to Jerry Jones.

– It appears that Redskins’ LB LaVar Arrington will also be on next year’s free agent market. The Washington Times reports that his spring roster bonus will force Washington to cut him. Arrington reads like a spurned suitor, claiming he might retire if the Redskins set him free.

Not likely. Arrington is only 27. The Cowboys would take him for a test drive if he became free, but I set long odds on him going to Dallas. Weakside linebacker is Arrington’s best position. That’s precisely where Demarcus Ware is breaking in. Arrington would also command a huge salary. I think Dallas will look for a bookend to Ware, but will find him in the draft.

Clip and Save

The Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill provides a handy-dandy guide to aid your scoreboard watching and rooting this weekend. It shows who gets in and who will be left out of the NFC playoff race in a tidy, little grid. I recommend printing it out and having it by your couch. Pop quizzes will be given on Friday afternoon.

All Hands on Deck

The Cowboys churned their roster to insure the freshest, deepest, most able squad for the Rams Sunday night. Highlighting the moves was Billy Cundiff’s release. Dallas re-signed Shawn Suisham, who kicked for them in mid-season after Jose Cortez was released.

The Cowboys also brought strong safety Tony Dixon back, as insurance for Roy Williams’ sprained ankle. Williams insists he will be able to play against the Rams.

The Metroplex scribes seem to have closen ranks behind Parcells, now claiming that nobody has claimed Parcells will retire.

Dallas holds the 19th draft slot today. The Cowboys would pick no higher than 21st if they made the playoffs this weekend and could pick as low as 32nd if they somehow won the Super Bowl.

Press Play

Bill Parcells is taking a defiant position on questions of whether he will nor will not retire after the season. He challenged the press to name names. “I challenge anyone to step forward to say, ‘This guy said to me he was thinking about retirement,’” said Parcells this afternoon.

Of course, his refusal to deny retirement is now being spun as proof that he might retire. Stay tuned.

One Week to Go

In the voting for Best Football Blog of 2005. We’re up a handful of votes on the Giants site. Go over and vote if you have not.

Panthers Notes

Some assorted observations while I wait for the combination of too much roast and tryptophan to wear off:

Flukey but deserved
The did-they-or-didn’t-they-block the kick questions are for the Panthers fans to argue. Regardless, Dallas outplayed the Panthers yesterday. The Cowboys won time of posession handily. They gashed Carolina’s rush defense for over 200 yards. They stopped the Panthers running game and stopped Steve Smith cold. That didn’ t mean the Cowboys were without fault, but they wanted this one more.

He actually bumped two refs
Smith didn’t give himself much of an alibi on his ejection play. In real time, it was a play that should make the next edition of NFL Bloopers, if they still make such things. The Panthers are in third and 6 at the Cowboys 44. Carolina goes to an empty backfield with four wide and a tight end. Jake Delhomme takes a five step drop and has his arm hit by Demarcus Ware as he looks for receiver. The ball pops free and rolls towards the sideline long the midfield stripe.

Smith, who has been running a shallow cross left to right, runs back and beats the Dallas linemen to the ball on the near sideline. He sprints back across the field and begins to pick up blockers. For an instant, it appears he’s going to run in one huge circle, going past the left slot where he started to gain a crazy first down.

Terence Newman comes off his man and tackles Smith two yards short of the first down. Newman wraps him high, around Smith’s helmet, but does not grab his facemask. Newman puts some mustard on the end of the tackle, twisting Smith down by his head. Smith jumps up and grabs the official, insisting on a personal foul penalty. He gets one — on himself. Smith runs towards midfield and away from a Dallas sideline cheering his being flagged and then bumps into the referee while arguing about his mistreatment from the first ref.

When the refs huddled, I’ll bet it was to determine which one got to throw Smith out of the game.

You won, but you still need to fix the problem, Bill
Julius Peppers claims he blocked Billy Cundiff’s last attempt with his rib cage. The referees said the replay was inconclusive, but on first viewing, it looked to me like the ball grazed his side. Whatever the case, Peppers found two holes in the Cowboys defense — right up the middle.

At the end of the first half, he stepped through the center/guard gap to the left of snapper J.P. Ladoceur and blocked Cundiff’s kick. At the end of the game he went to the right of Ladoceur, stepping past a frozen LarryAllen. It’s a wonder Peppers didn’t swallow up Cundiff and the ball, since he broke through so cleanly.

The guards to each side seemed to dive down, allowing an agile linemen like Peppers, who played college basketball, to leapfrog over them. All of Cundiff’s kicks looked low yesterday, but I can’t fault him for the first block. Nobody should come directly through your line that easily.

The wrinkle
Carolina could never solve the Cowboys bunch formation package, which it used in third and lone formations. Dallas would put their tight end on one side of the formation, usually on the right to help Rob Petitti. It would then bunch Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton and Keyshawn Johnson together on the left. Dallas spead the receivers about eight to ten yards wide of the left tackle, which is more than most teams will spead the bunch. Crayton would run deep clearing out the Carolina safeties and Johnson and Glenn would take turns catching intermediate passes beneath him.

Look ma, no thumbs
The first big play from bunch came in the second quarter with Dallas trailing 10-7. Glenn caught a 19 yard pass from Bledsoe on a third and six. When he punched out to stiff arm Panthers’ safety Marlon McCree, Glenn dislocated his right thumb on McCree’s shoulder pads. He left the game to have the thumb reset and wrapped. Watch tape of the second half and you’ll see Glenn bobbling nearly every other pass that came his way. He stopped the game- winning pass with his bad hand, brought it into his body with both hands and kicked both toes in bounds. Glenn was in tears at the end of the game. I’m sure they were caused as much by pain as they were by joy.

Playing with fire at safety
The Cowboys broke camp with only two safeties on their roster. They’ve gone the distance with only three, adding Willie Pile after he was cut by the Chiefs. Those shallow numbers hurt them yesterday. Keith Davis was burned when he let the ancient Ricky Proehl rumble past him for a 69 yard reception on the Panthers second possession of the day. Davis got caught looking into the backfield and failed to keep deep contain. Roy Williams was victimized by a nice Delhomme pump fake on Carolina’s next possession. The QB looked left and feigned a quick out to Steve Smith. The pump fake froze both Cowboys safeties and let the Panthers flanker run a post behind him for a touchdown.

When Williams injured his ankle after intercepting a Delhomme pass early in the fourth quarter, Dallas was down to Pile and Davis. Proehl beat Pile on an out and up at the 2:23 mark to put Carolina ahead 20 to 17.

We’ve all known safety is a position of need for ‘06. Carolina reminded everyone in the most rude way.

Shut up about Merriman, okay
Demarcus Ware said little after the game, but I’m sure he was thinking this after a week of having his selection questioned. Ware, like the rest of the Cowboys, struggled in Washington, while Shawne Merriman, the linebacker selected immediately after Ware in the April draft, led the Chargers’ rush in their upset of previously undefeated Indianapolis. One local scribe said this week that Dallas had made the wrong choice. Ware turned in his best performance of the season Saturday, with nine tackles, three sacks and three fumbles caused. Carolina was fortunate to recover two of them. The third, which Greg Ellis recovered, stopped a late first half Panthers drive and helped set up Cundiff’s blocked attempt.

Welcome back, Mr. Jones
Julius Jones could not have regained form at a better time, gaining 194 yards. It’s clear that Jones is finally healthy. On at least three occassions he made stop-and-go moves in the backfield, waving past blitzing runners and making a big gain. He hasn’t shown this trick since the 49ers’ win, suggesting that the high ankle sprain he suffered two weeks later against the Eagles has finally healed.

Jones also got a lot of help from his line, especially the interior three of Larry Allen, Al Johnson and Andre Gurode. Watch Jones’ big runs and you’ll see the three of them working in unison to create enormous holes. On Jones first big run, a 19 yard first quarter scamper, Allen and Johnson cross blocked; Allen blocked down in the nose tackle angled in on Johnson and Johnson pulled around with fullback Lousaka Polite to lead Jones through the left side of the line.

On Jones’s TD run, Johnson and Gurode turned their men left and right respectively, opening an enormous lane for Jones. For one of the few times all year Jones could reach the secondary with a full head of steam. Gurode, a free agent this spring, may make the front office reconsider keeping him. He was a flop as a guard last year but made a difference Saturday.

Polite also had his best day blocking. He didn’t destroy the Panthers linebackers and safeties, but locked them up long enough to let Jones get by. His play underscores how important good fullback play is to the running game.

Redemption is the theme of the day
The Cowboys bounced back as a team from their humiliating loss in Washington. Ware and Torrin Tucker led the comebacks, with Tucker handling Mike Rucker extensively in solo pass blocking and turning in a good day of run blocking. We also witnessed a couple of bounce backs within the space of the game:

Tyson Thompson gave Carolina an early break when he fumbled the kickoff immediately after the Panthers had taken a 3-0 lead. Carrying the ball in his left hand, he failed to wrap up with two hands after one defender swatted at the ball, failed to wrap up after a second defender swatted at his arm and paid for it when a third defender hit him from behind and punched the ball loose.

Thompson was left in the game and made amends when he returned the kickoff after Proehl’s TD to the Dallas 42, giving the Cowboys momentum for their game winning drive.

Roy Williams made up for his early coverage gaffe with a Willie Mayesque over the shoulder interception of Delhomme on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Other notables
Terence Newman had some safety help, but was the prime reason Steve Smith left the game with one catch for 16 yards. Smith was visibly frustrated and yelled at the Panthers sideline to get him the ball several times before he was ejected.

Jacques Reeves was targeted on a few deep passes and gave up nothing.

Ryan Fowler got extensive playing time at inside linebacker for Scott Shanle. He covered well and played the run effectively. Look for him to get more reps this week.

The Panthers complained all week that CB Ken Lucas deserved to make the Pro Bowl. I’ll bet they’re a little quieter now. Keyshawn Johnson abused Lucas on a couple of short passes, which then became long gains.

You can’t do that
At the end of the first half, Bill Parcells had an argument with two officials, claiming they cost Dallas 12 seconds of playing time. With Dallas at first and ten on the Panthers’ 20 and 35 seconds left in the half, Bledsoe was sacked. The Cowboys did not stop the clock until there were 19 seconds left.

On the sidelines, Parcells screamed to the side judge and to the referree that he signed for a timeout much earlier. One replay clearly shows him mouthing the line, “I called time out with 31 seconds left!”

Nice try, Bill, but the refs were right here. Bledsoe was hit by a rushing Panthers lineman at 31 seconds. Parcells assumed he would get a quick whistle and started to signal time out. However, the linemen did not wrap up Bledsoe. He did a half roll and backed his way back to the line of scrimmage before he was stopped and the whistle was blown. It was an odd looking play, but did not stop until there were 24 seconds on the clock. Bledsoe erred in not calling the timeout immediately, costing Dallas a pass into the end zone before Cundiff was brought on with 7 seconds left for his game tying attempt, which Peppers blocked.

Play of the Game:
The Panthers have all the early momentum. The 69 yard bomb to Proehl set up a field goal. They struck for a 32 yard TD to Drew Carter just nine seconds after John Kasay’s kick, on the play following Tyson Thompson’s fumble.

Drew Bledsoe is sacked on the first Cowboys play after the Panthers’ ensuing kickoff. Dallas faces a critical third and ten on its own 20. If it can’t move the ball, it faces another possible early blowout.

Dallas goes three wide, with Glenn in the right slot. It rolls Bledsoe out to the right, where Dan Campbell is helping Rob Petitti. Marion Barber provides backside contain against pursuing linemen. Bledsoe loads up and flings deep, where Glenn has run and out and up, shaking free from his cornerback pursuer. Glenn slows to catch the underthrown pass. The Panthers safety, his back turned to the throw, shoves Glenn in the chest as the ball approaches. Glenn keeps his concentration and makes the grab for a 51 yard gain.

His extra attention gives the Cowboys a bonus; Bledsoe was roughed after throwing the pass. Glenn’s reception allows Dallas to decline the pass interference flag that was thrown and tack 15 yards for a personal foul onto the pass. The Cowboys gain 66 yards on the play, moving to the Panthers’ 14. Julius Jones scores on an 8 yard draw three plays later and the momentum shifts to Dallas.

Save of the Game:
This goes to Sean Payton, whose craft play calls help the Cowboys escape two egregious mistakes. Midway through the third quarter, the Cowboys have forced the second Panthers three and out of the second half. They are starting at their own 39, trailing 13-10. On first down, a three-yard Julius Jones’ run is negated by a stupid Rob Petitti personal foul; blocking on the backside of the play, Petitti ran up to a Panthers cornerback and raked his right thumb across the player’s eyes.

Facing first and 25, Dallas regains 20 yards on a three yard Jones draw and a seventeen yard Jones screen pass. Facing a very makeable third and five, the line misplays, with Torrin Tucker flagged for a false start.

Now facing third and ten, Payton puts two tight ends on Petitti’s flank and Barber in the backfield. He keeps Dan Campbell in to help his RT and gives Bledsoe the showpiece throw for all QBs — the 18 yard out. Bledsoe times his throw perfectly to Keyshawn, who has run off Ken Lucas.

Julius Jones scores his TD on the following play, but he only got the chance because Payton overcame 20 yards of penalties.

Cowboys - Panthers 2nd Half Thread

Cowboys 24, Panthers 20

Final

Terry Glenn catches 2 yard TD pass with 0:24 in the game.

Julius Jones, 194 yards rushing, 2 TDs;
Demarcus Ware, 3 sacks, 3 fumbles caused, 9 tackles.

Predictable Spin

It’s late December, so like clockwork, the Bill Parcells-is-leaving-Dallas rumors have begun. Today the peddler is ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who cites “sources” claiming Parcells was affected by the death of his brother and might leave.

Duh, Chris. Who wouldn’t be affected by the death of their brother?

Remember after year one, when the glow of 10-6 was strong, how the rumors still surfaced that Parcells and Jerry were done? And last year, after 6-10, how people like Pat Summerall were willing to claim rumors that Parcells was going to quit?

None of these folks were right. Parcells admitted later that he felt down after the season and that he briefly considered leaving but just as quickly dismissed the thought because it meant quitting on an unfinished job. He then produced a stellar offseason.

I’m sure he feels down this year. Don Parcells’ passing had to hurt. The vicious reaction in the Metroplex press to last week’s loss, which Parcells admitted surprised him after the K.C. win, is on his mind. But he’s said all along that he likes this team. He referred to them as his family the week his brother died.

You never say anything definitive about the guy, but Parcells is the only source I will believe. I’ve heard too much of this nonsense before. Until I hear, “I’m leaving” from his lips, it’s all bull.

Update: Frank Luska asked Parcells about this rumor at the end of the post-game press conference moments ago. Parcells response: “F*** that. I don’t know where these guys get stuff like that. Why don’t you write about what this team did today?”

(Thanks to amoglioc, who posted this in the thread.)

Cowboys - Panthers Open Thread

Panthers 13, Cowboys 10
Half,

Billy Cundiff misses 32 yd. field goal with 0:04 in 2nd Qtr.

Julius Jones scores on 7 yd TD run.
Billy Cundiff 24 yd field goal.

Jones — 76 yards rushing

Cowboys - Panthers Preview

The Panthers worst loss this year came against the Bears. In that game Chicago provided the blueprint for a Dallas win Saturday. It allowed Steve Smith to go crazy, as he caught 14 passes for 169 yards. But they kept him from the highlight play. He had no receptions behind the defense; he did not catch a quick hitch and then race 60 yards for a score. Chicago let him have 10 and 12 yards hooks and outs and then tackled him.

The Bears smothered everything else. No other Carolina receiver had more than 20 yards. DeShaun Foster was limited to 41 yards on the ground. Jake Delhomme was sacked eight times. When he got frustrated, he threw two crippling interceptions.

On the offensive side of the ball, Chicago ran stubbornly, if not effectively. Thomas Jones averaged 3.5 yards per carry, a familiar number to Dallas fans. But Chicago gave it to him 25 times, helping them win the time of possession battle. Kyle Orton threw for only 136 yards, but made only one mistake, beating Delhomme in picks 2 to 1.

What Chicago exposed, more than anything else, is that the ‘05 Panthers, in many ways, resemble the ‘05 Cowboys. Their offensive tackles have trouble protecting against strong rushers. Their much ballyhooed power running game has sputtered all year, with neither Stephen Davis nor Deshaun Foster averaging more than 4.0 yards per carry. Their passing game is Steve Smith and nothing else: he’s got over 1,400 yards receiving and is more than 800 yards ahead of Carolina’s second rated receiver.

John Fox has won games the way that Bill Parcells was winning them in the middle of the season. Lean on your defense, run the ball relentlessly, even if the opponent is stopping you much of the time. Take some well-chosen shots at Smith. Win the turnover and time of possession battles and grind out close, 20 to 14 or 20 to 17 wins.

Dallas can win this game. Terence Newman, with a little help, can contain Smith in the same way Chicago did. He can stop 40 to 60 yard breakouts. The long pass to Eddie Kennison was the only touchdown caught behind him this year and that was the safety’s fault.

The bigger question is the front seven. Why have they regressed so much of late? They’ve suffered no major injuries, in the way the secondary has. Dat Nguyen’s loss has been felt, but it has been weeks since he was healthy.

This game will turn on their pride and on d-line coach Kacey Rogers’ rotation. Dallas needs Scott Fujita, Demarcus Ware and Kevin Burnett to play with abandon against the run. Rogers also needs to see that Greg Ellis is on the field as much as possible on passing downs. His reps have declined recently, especially on passing downs, but he’s been the spark for the pass rush when he’s been in.

If Dallas can put Carolina in second and third and long sitations and get Ellis, Chris Canty, Ware and LaRoi Glover on the field in those situations, they can pressure Delhomme. Watch first down carefully. The Panthers like to hammer it on first down too. If Foster can be held to two to three yard gains, this game will be available. If he starts ripping off seven, eight and nine yard gains on toss plays, we’re looking at another long afternoon.

Dallas will have to win those run-down matchups because the offense won’t have the luxury of a Kansas City-style game plan. The Panthers defense is much closer to the Redskins in philosophy and performance, which means Dallas will need to protect Drew Bledsoe as much as possible. Carolina’s ends are the best Dallas has faced since the Giants game, and we know what Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan did. In fact, we know what lesser ends like Philip Daniels can do if Dallas leaves its tackles in solo protection schemes. If Torrin Tucker and Rob Petitti are left alone against Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker, this game will be over by halftime.

Look for Dallas to slam the ball inside, no matter how erratic and ugly the results might be. The line does rip open holes from time to time. And Carolina lacks some ballast in the middle, since DT Kris Benson was lost early in the season to a leg injury.

If Bledsoe can get some time, he can make some throws downfield. The Panthers weakness is its secondary, especially right corner Chris Gamble. Dallas will have matchup advantages and should get receivers open. The bigger question is whether Bledsoe will have to time to locate them.

If the game plan goes to form the kickers will play a much more important role this week, especially Mat McBriar. His weak punts contributed to Dallas last first half collapse, giving the Redskins very short fields. Dallas needs him to return to form, since field position will be criticial if Dallas hopes to win.

Prediction:
A win over Carolina is possible. As banged up as they are, Dallas nevertheless has the talent on the field to win the game. The bigger question is whether a win is probable? In order for the plan to work, the OLBs, the secondary, McBriar, the offensive line and Bledsoe will all have to work at a high level.

I can see, in fact I expect to see, the team rebound from last week’s humiliation. I expect to see desperation and heart. The kids have been in 13 of their 14 games, something I didn’t expect and I imagine few others expected at the beginning of the year. However, I also expect to see mistakes. All the units I named have been error prone and somewhere along the line, I think more penalties or turnovers will pop up to plague them.

I hate writing this, but I see another hard-fought game that comes up short.

Carolina 17, Dallas 13

• 2008 Cowboys Tickets on eBay

• Burst Media

Copyright © 2008 Blue and Silver Report · Log in