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Dying By the Dime?

June 4, 2008

“If you cry about a nickel, you’ll die for a by the dime,”

– Robert Johnson, “Last Fair Deal Gone Down”

With all due apologies to Robert Johnson, the most intriguing news from early Cowboys’ OTAs is their revamped dime package. The DMN’s Todd Archer writes:

Over the last two years, Anthony Henry has heard talk about him moving to safety. He said that talk has died down some this year, but he that doesn’t mean he’s playing only outside at cornerback.

He has spent the last few days working inside in the dime package, defending Jason Witten.

This is the first step in using the deep CB pool Dallas now has at its disposal, but it’s not the first time Dallas has used this tactic. In the December ‘06 rematch against the Giants, Jeremy Shockey abused Keith Davis for an early TD. The next time the Giants punctured the Cowboys’ red zone, Dallas put Terence Newman on Shockey and stymied a third down pass to the tight end. (see point 10)

Newman usually lines up in the slot when Dallas is in the nickel and dime packages, following the opponents best WR around the field. With Pacman Jones now getting reps at left corner, Newman can stay in the slot against receivers and Henry will join him inside shadowing tight ends. Henry has the size and the experience to play inside; he got 10 interceptions in 2001 playing in the slot for Cleveland.

I have not seen the full package, but I imagine the Cowboys 4-1-6 dime could line up as follows:

  • LE — Jason Hatcher/Anthony Spencer
  • DT — Jay Ratliff
  • DT — Greg Ellis (he’s played a lot inside on passing downs)
  • RE — Demarcus Ware
  • LB — Kevin Burnett
  • LCB - Adam Jones
  • Slot — Terence Newman
  • Dime — Anthony Henry
  • RCB — Mike Jenkins
  • S — Ken Hamlin
  • S — Pat Watkins/Courtney Brown

This package looks just a wee bit better than ’07’s dime set, no?

Written by Rafael Vela · Filed Under News | 33 Comments 

He’s Lost Top Gear and His Technique

June 4, 2008

I’ve been transferring the last of my ‘07 Cowboys games to tape this past week, and I can’t help but notice how much Roy Williams‘ game further deteriorated. I reviewed the second Eagles game, where Williams earned a one-game suspension for a horsecollar tackle on Donovan McNabb. That was Williams’ third flagged horsecollar that year but it was hardly his only offense.

I also saw him reach for the back of the neck in the second Redskins game and the Lions game as well. Any time an opponent got even or past him, Williams instinct was and apparently still is to grab the collar.

I’ll ask those of you who have played a down of football, on any level. When have you ever been taught to tackle like this? In what way does this even come close to good tackling technique? You’re not getting low. You’re not making any effort to strip the ball.

Never mind that there’s a rule banning this practice with your name on it! It’s just lazy football. If it were not so dangerous it would be pathetic.

So what are we left with here? Coverage skills are suspect. Blitzing skills no longer exist. No sacks last year. No sacks in three of the last four years to be exact. And Roy isn’t even dependable as a tackler any more. Seriously, what’s left? ‘07 was worse than ‘06. And ‘06 was bad. Here’s my write up on Williams after the Seattle playoff loss:

Five Words That Give Me Pause

Roy Williams — Cowboy for Life.

How bad is he going to be when he loses a step?

The Seahawks had six plays of over 15 yards last night:

1. Bobby Engram catches a 36 yard pass from the slot in Seattle’s opening drive. Williams takes a bad angle, misses a tackle and lets Engram get past him;
2. Deion Branch catches a short out. Anthony Henry misses the tackle and Branch runs up the sideline for 27 yards;
3. Jerramy Stevens catches a 15 yard out for a TD. Williams never gets close to covering him;
4. Engram beats Terence Newman on a flag route for 30 yards;
5. Stevens runs down the right seam, gets beyond Williams and catches a 37 yard TD;
6. Shaun Alexander runs 20 yards from the Seattle two. [Williams freelances and leaves his gap. What should have been a tackle for loss or no gain gives the Seahawks a critical first down when Dallas still had a chance to win the game.]

Williams was involved in four of them. Sixteen of Seattle’s 21 points left tread marks on his jersey. I think the Cowboys will come to regret the big deal they gave him in a couple of years. He’s not going to get any faster. To me, he’s the second coming of the Bengals’ David Fulcher, a king-sized, big-hitting safety who went to three Pro Bowls between ‘88 and ‘90, and then disappeared once he lost his top gear…

– “He’s got Joe Pisarcik Eyes” January 7, 2007

He’s lost his top gear and his technique. And he’s only 27.

Written by Rafael Vela · Filed Under News | 50 Comments 

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