FB Stands for Flexi-Back
Posted: October 31, 2006 @ 12:21 pm
Who knew the Cowboys offensive brain trust could innovate the game by transforming — the fullback position?
I’ve got a lot of tongue in cheek there, but Dallas is doing some wild things at a spot that’s becoming as relevant to NFL offenses as spoilers on a Hummer. The coaches have taken a true accessory position and turned it into an attacking platform. Consider the many player models that now occupy the F-back position, as the Dallas coaches call it:
The Muscle Car
The prototype ’90s fullback was Daryl Johnston. The 236 lb. hammer didn’t have much shake in his game, but could do everything else to support the running and passing games. He bludgeoned linebackers. Pull out your Super Bowl 28 tapes sometime and savor his pancake block on Bills Pro Bowler Cornelius Bennett just before halftime, which sprung Emmitt Smith on a long run.
Johnston could also catch the ball. Dallas would line up at tight end, split wide and sometimes in the slot. And he would produce. Johnston, not Michael Irvin, was the receiving star of a ‘96 win over the 49ers when he caught two vital throws in the fourth quarter and overtime. His versatility let the Cowboys run multiple formations from their base two WR, two-back set.
Johnston was also a masher on special teams. Dallas has been searching for a newer version of the Moose since his retirement in Chan Gailey days but has been sold out by the college game. The glamour schools don’t use fullbacks in their pass-happy attacks anymore, so the position is all but extinct. That hasn’t stopped the Cowboys from trying. Nicky Sualua, Jamar Martin and Lousaka Polite were all college bangers drafted or signed to fill this vital role. All failed. When Parcells was asked what he would do for a fullback after cutting Polite, he coyly asked the reporter, “You got one? You know where I can get one?”
When you can’t get a part off the shelf, you have to custom build one and the Cowboys staff appears to have succeeded in retrofitting 250 lb. linebacker Oliver Hoyte into the thumper’s role. He can mash linebackers and safeties. He’s already an ace on special teams. Can he catch? We don’t know yet. Tony Romo jokingly referred to Hoyte as his favorite receiver but Hoyte has yet to field a pass. He’ll have to make some catches now and then to thrive, but for now the Cowboys are happy to turn him loose on defenders.
The Hybrid
Dallas drafted Anthony Fasano in the second round to be the full time F-back. He’s struggled in the blocking department but is getting better. He’s working more on the perimeter of late and is catching a lot of passes out of the backfield. He’s got sure hands and will continue getting lots of reps if his learning curve continues upwards.
F is for Ferrari-back
The real creativity has come from using receivers as fullbacks. Dallas didn’t pioneer this tactic. I can’t say for certain who did but the first team I saw do this was San Francisco in the early ’90s. Once or twice a game they would motion Jerry Rice into the backfield and line him up at fullback. He would draw linebackers in coverage and toy with them. The play was especially effective in third and short situations, where Rice would run quick outs and pull away from the poor grunt assigned to cover him.
Dallas first aped the tactic in the Houston game, where Terrell Owens lined up on the margins of a goal line formation, as a tight end. In the fourth quarter, he ran a drag pattern underneath the offensive line to get away from his safety. Owens caught a short TD pass from Tony Romo to put some frosting on a big Cowboys’ win. This is a tried and true play in many NFL teams’ playbooks; Dallas ran it in Super Bowl 30 to break Jay Novacek for a short TD versus Pittsburgh. What’s rare is seeing a wideout playing the part, but Owens is H-back sized.
Against New York, Owens again lined up as a second tight end and as a fullback. He got mismatches on linebackers and once on DE Michael Strahan. Again, “toyed with the defender” is probably the best way to describe the matchup.
The Cowboys threw a further wrinkle at the Panthers Sunday. With Dallas looking at second-and-18 deep in its own territory late in the third quarter, it motioned Terry Glenn into the fullback spot. He released up the left seam and drew linebacker Thomas Davis. As you might expect, it wasn’t a fair matchup. Glenn easily sprinted away from him and caught a 22 yard pass to springboard a long field-goal drive that pulled Dallas to within 14-13. The coaches saw that Carolina was rotating their safeties to the outside and set up Glenn to run amok inside. Expect this play or some variants of it to be run again soon, maybe even this week against the soft Redskins’ secondary.
Many fans key on the QB or the RB when watching at home. Pay extra attention this week to the fullback position, because you can’t be sure who the Cowboys will line up there. Opposing linebackers certainly can’t.
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hoyte certainly shows promise. if he could be a decent short yardage runner (2 or 3 plays a game) and an adequate receiver……
the moose, novacheks, and aikmans dont grow on trees you know.
In the years that I have been a Dallas fan I have never seen any f-back block like Hoyte. Great find.
On the Newman topic.
Newman is a great cover corner but not a ball hawking corner. He has trouble finding the ball even when it is thrown right at him for should be int’s. He is good against the run but not great, misses tackles from time to time. All that being said he does get the rare big hit in. Last year I remember mixing up #41 whith #31 after a couple big hits.
Raf, just another great column from you. I know you hear this often, but trust me it’s not often enough: thank you. Your blog is by far the best source of info for the serious fan.
As for our F-back situation, it’d be great to see Hoyte become successful, but history is against him. When defenses see him they’ll just assume run until he proves himself effective in the passing game as both a blocker AND a receiver. That’s why guys like Moose were so rare even in the 90’s; he was a mismatch waiting to happen.
Here’s hoping Hoyte will evolve into that! (but not holding my breath)
Can someone explain to me the novelty in claiming the first post?
Ramnant,
He’s only doomed if Dallas runs exclusively on plays where he’s in.
They don’t. If teams assume Dallas will run when Hoyte’s in the game they’ll get burned. Carolina was, and what’s more, Hoyte’s damn good on blitz pickup.
Yes, it would round out his game if he can catch, but at this point he’s adding a ton of value to the offense with his blocking.
well will wonders never cease.
the first power rankings of the week, and i actually agree with the blurb they wrote under the cowboy’s box:
“Trick: It wasn’t all his fault, but Drew Bledsoe threw some really bad passes.
Treat: It’s early, but Tony Romo looked like the real deal.”
(this from the ESPN site).
Hey tony romo(not the real one). that probably sums up how i feel about the QBs right now better than how i replied to you in the last post.
Raf, didn’t realize he was also so effective on blitz pickup Sunday. That would already make him the best FB we’ve had in years!
I guess that means we’ll see less of Fasano. Will that allow defenses to choose the defender they want on Witten more? Funny now how we were all excited in preseason about the multiple-look, formation-flexible offense that we were going to have with 2 TEs.
Remnant,
They’re still using it a lot. The think is, they’re rotating five different people (Barber has also been in the backfield with Jones) into a position we thought Fasano would have alone.
They’re adapting to the talent on hand, and are doing a pretty good job so far. It’s been years since Dallas had an offense than can score like this one.
Rafael,
29.1 a game. 4th in the league in scoring.
if we can limit TOs and limit the giving up of big plays…….
stand by NFC.
so? no one can explain it? or is there a little fight club at work here?
Great read again.
I said about 4 weeks ago that the fullback looked like it would be a bigger part of the game plan and Polite was not going to be active much more.
Fasano is Improving quite a bit and he was starting to block just as well as Polite. Witten was lining up as fullback and in the strong I formations we had Barber, Witten, and Fasano in the power I. They can all catch the ball out of a pure running formation. I saw a running play off guard with Witten at fullback early in the year and a couple plays later out of the same formation witten was in motion which put us in a 3 wide out with Fasono at end. The defence put a linebacker on Witten. I said right there we have the ability to change from standard packages to nickle without ever changing a player. Or go to the I and run right at a nickle defence. Hoyte, Owens, and Glenn I did not see coming as fullback options.
2 or 3 weeks into the season I gave a pretty lengthy write up to how the offence was evolving and Fassano was the key. our offence can change its colors right in front of you and turn into something very different than what you are prepared for.
It would seem the team has even more twist to add.
Ive read a few redskins blogs and it appears they are pretty fired up fan wise for this game. Seems like they have given up on the season but beating us is a must.
Norm!!!
your take on the skins fans just about sums it up.
it is all about dallas week here. they can lose the rest of the games this year as long as they beat us.
jason campbell is about as popular as tony romo right now, and he hasnt even played a game.
I live just outside of Washington, DC and the ’skins fans are looking at this game as the turn around point. They want to win this game to save their season. The fans I talked to stressed that winning vs. Dallas is a must but they also think this game can lead to another win streak like they had last season.
I think Dallas will struggle early but will pull ahead by the end of the 3rd or in the 4th quarter.
racer_x,
I’ll take a stab at it (being first poster).
It is a stupid, immature game that we like to play. We, as males, tend to like stupid and immature things in all forms. Add to this any kind of competition, and viola.
It isn’t distracting, it doesn’t take up space, we get kicks out of it, my questions to you is; when you gonna join us?
Raf,
You need to watch more tape. BP is just too conservative to try anything new. I think you’re confusing Friday night at the local high school game with the Cowboys.
steelyeyedmissile,
And high school offenses are innovative? Mostly single wing in my part of the world.
VA dallas fan,
man, at least you talk to some guys who havnt thrown in the towel. the guys i talk to just want to beat us and see campbell.
SEM,
are you just trying to stir things up?
where/how has BP been too conservative?
don banks at cnn/si has gone ahead and picked the division winners and wildcards. while that is a waste of time, i wish he would show more cajones and pick us or the iggles to win the division. he takes the safe pick, giants.
T.O. media has been overhyped and under hyped on Carolina Steve Smith. Remember when Smith was hamstrung longer than T.O. but got a tenth of the play?
Read this story about Smith unilaterally saying he won’t be returning punts..
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/6121348
If T.O. had laid it down like Smith apparently is, the media frenzy would be frothing by now.
Its nice to see other teams embarrassed for a change
shane-
Thanks for the attempt. I do know of childish and immature behavior and I guess its my bad for not recognizing it. I expect worthless comments in a running game thread, but I guess I just look for a little more in the discussion threads. I have seen more people doing it, when I first wondered it only seemed like one guy was doing it….
23rd!!!
Raf-
You gave me a little flack when I said what we get out of the Carolina game was what we would probably see from our defence the rest of the year.
I think they played pretty good and i also think they will play pretty good the rest of the year. I think they will have a huge game against Indy because of Peytons ineptness against the 3-4. Solid is how I think they will play the rest of the year.
yo- y’all remember me from the ‘get white’ campaign? bet is a bet and i lost. i had to donate money to rafael’s fund raiser for his oxnard trips. man, i had lots going on since that time- girl problems, job hunting problems, post-college life crisis, u name it. but i’m back in one piece. i missed being involved with this board. grab a chair and get ur popcorns ready.
first off, for those of you who never supported romo, you guys must have intestines made out of steel. i could not bear to stomach another game of bledsoe sitting duck. if i had to sit thru another game of that, i may not be alive today. if a meltdown on monday night football against the giants is what it takes romo in the game, then so be it. it’s a small price to pay. when ur coaching a football team with that rollercoaster o-line, u can do whatever you want to camoflouge that problem- shake em, bake em, flip em, swap em, cook em, but aint nothing gonna hide the fact that the o-line just simply wasn’t hacking it. for the games that we lost and won with bledsoe sitting duck in the middle of the pocket, the o-line dealt with a high level of stress, a high level of intensity, and a high level of pressure while the opposing line dealt with a small level of stress, a small level of intensity, and a small level of pressure. what am i talking about??? let me put this into a very simple perspective. think about those “where’s waldo” puzzle books that we all played with when we were kids. if there were 20 different pages in there, we’d be pretty damn tired by the time we find waldo in each one because it’s a lot of concentration and effort to find that one damn guy, let alone do it 20 times. for christ sake, i get tired after only doing one of them. that’s how i saw it for the panthers trying to chase down romo. they couldn’t keep up, romo was up, down, left, right. but, how easy would this damn thing be if waldo was in the SAME spot in all 20 puzzles. there u have it, romo vs bledsoe. u can figure it out. bledsoe is in the middle of the pocket- there’s where these cats need to go to get their sacks and whack the bledsoe’s ass to the grass to boost their stats. on the flip side, u can bust ur ass past colombo or fabini, but romo might not be there. why not? because maybe romo rolled out of the pocket and is already sliding into first down, or maybe t.o. already has the ball, or maybe it’s already en-route to terry glenn deep down the field, or maybe fasano already caught the ball. wait, did i just say fasano? when the season started, i coulda sworn i heard that we’ll be using two tight ends formation. was that a trick to throw off opponents because i barely saw witten and fasano before the panthers game. fasano had receptions in only two games (total of 5 catches) before the panthers. what two tight end formation??? holler- romo was kind enough to introduce us to the two tight ends- witten and fasano. does it seem like i’m giving too much credit to the cowboy’s victory over the panthers? sure panthers dropped a lot of balls, but take a look at the drive charts. cowboys scored six times while panthers scored only two times (3x the amount). we were offensively on fire. two games, 497 passing yards by romo. uhm that’s almost 83 yards per quarter? nice. i like. by the way, we play the deadskins next? last i heard, they are worth $1.3 billion. hello, that’s the most lucrative sport team of ALL pro teams in the country regardless of sport (not even yanks can top that). boy i’d like to waltz into that stadium and stick that 1.3 bil up their ass.
sorry for the long post.
Racer x ( a cartoon character ) gives us a lecture on maturity. That’s nice?
mvppalisades
Glad you could get that off your chest and
yes
apologies accepted
norm
your last post made me smile. Watch out for the rebuttal
Norm!!!
you’ve been on a roll lately.
well done, spoken like a true smart ass.
Jarhead,
I think the reason Gibbs is not playing the new kid, Campbell is the fact that he has a bad experience from his past…
Remember, when skins picked Heath Schuler (spl?) in a high 1st round pick from Tennessee… Gibbs inserted him too quickly in the games and turned out it back fired and heath was termed as bust (too dumb to read NFL defenses)… Gibbs is no dummy and doesn’t want to make the same mistake. Perhaps he is not confident that Campbell can come in and be successful.
By the way; looks like heath Schuler is repeating history of being a bust,… now he is getting into politics and running democrat candidate… Another BUST!!!
Sorry Norm, I left the part out about how I am prone to immaturity myself.
There was no lecture intent.
Toast,
Im sure he has some sound reasons for not starting the kid, but the call has been pretty loud around here to put him in.
If young romo (the real one) comes in and beats the skins, the roar will become deafening for campbell, particularly if brunell struggles.
Smart Ass= Someone who can sit on a lollipop and tell you what flavor it is. Or see photo of Norm. (actually I am just jealous cause you were quicker than I am.
For those of you complaining about being too conservative on offense. I wholeheartedly disagree that we have been doing that but; How creative can you be when the O-line was having problems, penalties were drive killers, and turnovers are what kills you?
If you can sustain a few drives you can set up all sorts of things. I think we have given our opprtunities. If what we have heard from Raf is true (and it appears that it is) then DB was ignoring some of those designed plays and free-lancing anyway.
Also for those same people who dislike the conservative calls. Just wait until this Sunday’s game. I think we will se a very conservative, ball control game. They are down with their backs against the wall, they will be taking chances, they do still have some talent (I almost hate even printing that), we are at their place, and you never know what can happen in these grudge matches with rivals. We play it safe on offense and defense.
Jarhead,
Injury reports for skins is impressive!!
Portis ankle (not too many cuts), and little moss’s left hammy should slow him down..
These two guys are the skins most dangerous playmakers…
I think we should be okay…
Mick said today that the most likely Skin to miss the game is Moss. What have you DC area guys been hearing?
Campbell will play Sunday. When the Skins go down by more than 21 late in the 3rd, Gibbs will have to put him in.
Raf, Nice post. Mixing metaphors a but eh?
dude, espn is garbage…last week it was all parcells is going to have a friggin’ heart attack…he’ GOT to retire after this season. then today, just heard sean sallisbarry say he doesn’t think he’s going to retire after the season. BASED ON ONE GAME???? eh, stupid.
mikhu,
the injury report comes out tomorrow. he didnt practice monday, but i doubt he’ll miss the game.
toast,
portis has not been getting alot of carries and has not been particularly effective in the last two games. i beleive his ankle is nagging him a bit, though i dont use the dreaded “high ankle sprain.”
i think these guys will play and that we will need to be at the top of our game to hold them down.
thats ok.
emrdog,
how much better are we?
we lose a game, its all over.
we win a game, our problems are solved.
its tuesday, and im already seeing some bold predictions for sunday.
I say we do whatever possible to get to Brunell early and often. A few sacks and even throw aways will take the crowd out of it, and possibly send in the inexperienced sophomore to turn it over a bunch. I haven’t watched any skins games, but if Brunell is starting to pull a Bledsoe then we all know what will beat their offense.
As stated above, I definitely think we are superior right now to the Foreskins. Even stated how I think we do it (ball control and playing it safe on O and D).
That being said, how many times have they been better and we beat them, how many times have we been better and they beat us? Probably 50-50 the times that the poorer team has won this matchup.
slide,
our blitz didnt bother the panthers much. if we get burned, the crowd will be out of control.
why not play our base and force them to drive 60-70 yards?
i dont think they can do that much.
jarhead,
you’re killing me. I ain’t making no predictions man!!! read my post!!!
I’m saying espn is the one making the predictions!!!!
read my post before you knock, AHHHHH!!!!!
Williams likes to put a lot of people in the box and bring the blitz. how do you think Romo will react to that. Heck do you think Williams will bring the Blitz with our weapons in the passing game and Romos pocket presence. I wonder what Williams thinks his best chance of winning is.
Raf and Jarhead,
Yes, I admit it. I’m a rabble rouser. Yes it was a tongue in cheek poke at all of those BP bashers (myself at one time) for thinking the game has passed him by. It still comes down to having talent that doesn’t suffer anal glaucoma. (unable to see your a– making a play)
Would y’all rather them start Jason Campbell or go with Mark Brunell another week?
Norm,
Good question. I assume that he still stacks and blitzes at the beginning. For those of you that have seen some of the Foreskins games this year; how has their defense played any of the teams that have been successful at beating their blitz? Do they still continue regardless?
emrdog,
i did read your post!!!
im not accusing you of making predictions, but there are alot on the blog that do. there are alot that proclaim doom and gloom after one game and alot that proclaim all is well after one game.
i only make the point b/c i see a pattern similar to the network media in many respects: The knee-jerk reaction to 1 or 2 weeks of play (good or bad).
I dont like it in the media, as obviously you dont, nor do i like it on the blog.
SEM,
i thought that might be the case.
Norm!!!
i bet williams brings it. so be it.
shane,
they do continue. their problem has been TERRIBLE coverage from the secondary and an inability to shut down the run with the front 7.
taylor and archuleta struggled in coverage this year. this is the first time that sean springs and carlos rogers will be playing together though(springs had a abdominal tear, he is the best CB they have).
Also, they have no great pass rusher.
We can beat these guys if we limit mistakes (particularly TOs) and giving up the big play, nothing new.
emrdog,
to elaborate,
BP and JJ have been making careful, calculated decisions for the last two years, and this team is poised to be competetive for years as a result.
If they followed the advise of some on this site, they would do things to blow up all their hard work without having though the matter through (much like media types simply talk talk talk in 2 minute sound bites about things they havn’t through through). thats ok, the media and bloggers can do that, i just dont want BP and JJ doing it.
TT is now on IR. Keylon Kincade has been signed.
that should say “thought” through.
less emotion, more consideration please.
jarhead,
so what? EVERYONE here knows that the sports media is that way…you don’t have to lecture anyone here about it. but guess what jarhead, whether you like it or not the win against Carolina was pretty friggin’ big. Is it season changing? who knows? why ask? But at least we do know that this team is capable of producing good football. I’m not going to point figers at people who have changed there perspective on this team based on the recent developments. Most everyone who is here has watched every down. We know this team is capable of beating almost in anyone in the NFL given they are playing their best. So, it’s not like we are saying “oh crap, they beat Carolina, they are good again.” no, here’s the change, he’s the hope.
1) NO MORE BLEDSOE. You can say what you want but Bledsoe more than any other player helped lose 3 games for this team. He’s gone…that’s a start.
2) DALLAS BEAT A GOOD TEAM. Now we know it’s at the very least possible.
Based on those two issues, I have to at least give this team three more wins in my mind.
I don’t know who’s screaming super bowl or whatever but I know it isn’t me. But I think most of us have a right to at least speculate how good this team could be.
Look at it this way,
a HC or GM making an “impulse” decision can have far more reaching and disastrous results than, say a QB, making an “impulse” decision inside his own 20 yard line.
Jarhead,
you call T.O. calculated? dude, you are drinking the cool aid.
emrdog,
speculate away.
Im fine with that.
Im just saying there are those on this site that sound alot like media types at times.
i never said you were one of them.
Im off to trick or treat with the kids.
happy halloween.
BOO!!!
emrdog,
yes i do.
do you think BP going to lunch with the guy’s agent was part of his calculated decision?
do you think BP talking to people around the league who knew him (including those in the iggles organization) was part of his calculated decision?
do you think JJ didnt ask around before he pulled the trigger?
do you think they didnt deliberate a little on that one before they signed him?
Absolutely it was calculated.
Risk free is not the same as calculated. i never said it was risk free, nor did they.
the only kool aid ill drink is the dallas is a good team with a good defense and sound talent, that has been well coached and managed lately (AND that tony romo is a young QB with alot of promise that needs to limit his mistakes).
after i drink all that, ill go to the bathroom and THEN go trick or treating.
Its a redskins sight but it is really funny
http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177918
Regarding the Deadskins playing or starting Campbell soon, I remember hearing one of the talking heads on the radio a few weeks back. Might have been Landry or Banks. They commented on how the kid is having a hard time with the play book and didn’t think Gibbs thinks he’s ready. I hope they hold him out another week at least, I’m sure we’ll be better prepared to deal with the old man in the rocker than the kid.
jarhead,
I can’t help noticing your about face on Romo and Bledsoe. Over the last month you were a pretty staunch Bledsoe supporter and blamed all the problems on the OL.
Jarhead,
I’m sorry, I just can’t get on the bus with you with the “trust jerry and bill” stuff. I trust bill cause he’s a coach who’s won championships. Jerry on the other hand, no, no way. He’s made too many mistakes for me to lable him as “calculated”. Dallas has a “good team, sound talent etc.” I’ll go with that. However, I don’t know how you can ignore the screw ups at quartback. what is it? 9 starters since aikman. Sorry, that’s not calculated. that’s sad, that’s bad management. Only one team has had more starters at QB than that in the league. Don’t hug on Jerry cause he’s paying the rent. It’s bill parcells, he’s the difference maker.
From post 60 if you can get on the sight its worth looking at its real funny.
ermdog,
Since jar isn’t here I’ll take a stab. Jerry Jones had been a major problem for the franchise starting at the end of the Jimmy Johnson era.
I fault him more in his meddling with head coaches, than I do the qb decisions. Top tier draft pick qb’s are not garaunteed and can cost you big time. So while I do fault him, it is with less intensity than other shortcomings.
I think he took a huge step in recognizing this when he brought in BP. It seems that is a turning point and he has helped by not helping if you will. He has been willing to bring in some talent and structure contracts to fit into future plans as well as now. You could make an arguement that you should credit Stephen for that however. I assume this is where the ‘calculated’ remarks come in.
In the above aspects, then yes, BP has been the difference. Give JJones some credit however for recognizing that and bringing him in. It could be DSnyder or ADavis (I shiver at the thought).
Norm,
Hate ‘em, but that is great. The Pat McQ one has got to get my vote for the best. 2nd place goes to Romo.
Raf- in the Tennessee game the Titans brought up an extra guy to the line on kickoff returns. This left a hole in the coverage. Vanderjack kicked it goofy twice in that game to the open spot. I said then I thought it might have been on purpose. It seems even more likely now that is something he does.
Norm,
I saw that as more of an accident that paid off in both games. He did do it more than what could be considered a fluke however. I’m skeptical, but you may be on to something.
Shane J,
yeah, you make a good point. I think that’s a good balanced look at it. I just don’t understand jarhead’s and other folks perspective that Bill and Jerry have it under control and we should just stop whinning about things.
I kinda reject the idea that things are so calculated in the nfl. anybody who’s played football knows that there are so many unexpected factors in football. players get hurt sometimes or just plain don’t work out. So in that respect I can ease up on critizing the top dogs of the frachise. However, I think that also knocks down the idea that things are calculated or precise.
Norm,
Thats funny… I think Romo’ wins the first pice though… Pat McQ is close second!
First Place that is…
i think the boys will b in the superbowl!
Methinks tipp is wearing the homer goggles. Not that homers ain’t welcome, don’t misunderstand.
Just looked at the power rankings on the four letter network. We are rated 11th right now. There is nothing in the remarks about Mr Initials. Don’t know that I can argue much except that 9 thru 13 are real close.
I’m not sold on the ‘Aints just yet, I’ll wait until the Chiefs can do it more than once. What’s up with Cinci?
IM NOT WEARIN NO GOGGLES. I SEE WHAT WE ALL SEE. NOW THAT BLEDSOE IS BENCHED THE CARELESS TURNOVERS WILL EVAPORATE AND THE BOYS ARE UNSTOPPABLE. THE END.
Shane,
tipp, is a cowboy… like rest of us. It is not out of relm of reality that the Boys making it to the big dance and winning it all… Of course lots of things has to happen and get some breaks… bingo we win the sixth one.. Example, last year’s champ, stealers.. they were left for dead after the first 5 weeks of the year and just came together at the end and the rest is history… goggles anyone… c’mon its all good.
thks toast. its not like im reaching too high. this is a good team and we all know it, they are more than capable of makin the playoffs. and when a team reaches the playoffs anything is more than possible. go cowboys!!!!!
ref: Jarhead’s post #49…
I think alot of what you call knee-jerk reactons are people venting frustrations after losses/poor play.
But I think one thing you may have called a knee-jerk reaction at the time were the cries of those of us who were pulling for the benching of Bledsoe.
I think we all see how much of a knee-jerk reaction that was now. It wasn’t. It was a sound coaching decision anybody with two eyes and a pulse would make.
I guarantee the next game we lose there will be a lot less “blow ups” on the blog and by the media because at least the right players are on the field now.
Tipp/Toast,
I think there are at least 15 teams who could say they are not out of the realm of possibility.
I did not say he shouldn’t think that way (neither did you say I did), I simply noted in a humorous way that he is a little early.
I too, was giddy after the game. It shows us what we could be capable of and against a good team.
I simply would like to see what Romo can do in a few more games, I would like to see the penalties reduced, I would like to see us be able to get the tough run yards when they know it is coming, I would like to see a pass rush not dependant on the blitz, and maybe more than anything I would like to see a defense that can show me what they did against the Panthers on a consistent basis.
I’m on the wagon, I just want to look at the route they take and try to figure out how soon they can arrive.
word is true cosby sweater!!!
Len,
I mix metaphors at your pleasure.
Norm,
Yes, I noticed that Vandy had looped them in an earlier game and that’s why I posted that his loopers Sunday were probably planned. As it is, his kicks are going to about the five or six, which isn’t bad. But if he can get the return guys to bobble the ball once or twice a game, you’re set up for a short field. He almost had one in the first half that went through about six players’ hands.
On the D, I’m not razzing you because I think they were going to play poorly. I think they’ll play better. I just think the kids are not all going to improve at the same time.
S.E.M.,
I figured you were trying to mix things up.
well im back and full of candy.
anyway, i see now why my ears were burning as i was walking around with my son.
emrdog,
ref post 63. this is a “what have you done for me lately” league so lets look at what JJ has done lately. as shane pointed out, the hiring of BP signaled a fundamental shift in JJ’s perception of his own ability to evaluate talent and of his willingness to forgo control in the name of progress (can we give him some credit without being accused of drinking the kool aid?)
The TO signing was certainly a calculated move. it remains to be seen if it pays off, but there is no way to reasonably argue that they didnt carefully consider the potential risk and rewards before pulling the trigger.
to say otherwise sounds more like what gets tossed out on ESPN than sound analysis.
It appears that the GM/owner, the HC, and the scouting dept are all on the same page, the long term benefits of that can be substantial.
cosby, i understand what you are saying about frustration. A fan blog is of course a viable location to vent those, but i caution against making rash judgements, or calling for rash courses of action, while frustrated, and I certainly dont want JJ and BP doing it (see my comments above). believe me, i was very frustrated after the giants game.
Speaking of the giants game, stillhate: I discussed in previous posts that i changed my mind about DB after that game. apparently BP changed his mind during the game. I went into some detail how i felt about it with tony romo (not the real one) who called me out for not responding and then didnt respond to me.
Its no longer a knee jerk reaction when you make a change to a starter who has CONSISTENTLY demonstrated failure in key areas (such as DB has done).
For example, might the benching of David Carr this weekend have been a knee jerk reaction? maybe.
the benching of DB however, was not. i dont see that BP had any other choice. Im sure he decided going into that game, that if DB threw another stupid pick and more than once ignored the design of the play, that he would bench him.
It remains to be seen if it will work out, but as i stated before, there is reason to be confident that it will. we’ll see.
Hi Everybody
Alright, Oiler Troll geek alert. If you watch old early AFL tapes (and of course Oiler Troll is talking about George Blanda’s pass addicted 1960-62 Oilers), you would see with some regularity the Hyrbid type player you mentioned line up in a Flanker position, only he would be positioned diagonally so as not to tip if he was blocking or going out.
The Cowboys have done away goofy diagonal set, but use the guy for the same effect as you so eloquently pointed out.
Oiler Troll hopes that we all learned something valuable by looking back at the Houston Oilers.
The next lesson is to never let your team be owned by a dude wearing baby-blue scarves and a toupee`.
Thank you.
Raf,
Was there any sign of Hoyte’s transition in training camp or pre-season - or any previous experience in College/HS? I didn’t think so - in which case its pretty amazing that he is playing at this level with so little transition time. Gotta be a lotta scope for improvement! and of course he’s Romo’s favourite receiver….
Great that he is a ST’s standout - indicates to me that he is the right kinda guy for a FB - likes to knock guys heads off.