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Trick or Treat?

My brain keeps running in a mobius strip, going over the same offensive and defensive points.  I think Dallas can keep it close and perhaps win if they can pick Eli.

We’re going on faith that the youngsters can repeat the Bucs performance.  I believe in Orlando Scandrick and am gaining faith in Mike Jenkins.  But Alan Ball?  Hey, I want to believe, mister, but all I have is 30 minutes of play.

Looking at the series the last few years, it’s surprising how often the matchup has confounded the predictors.  Think back to 2005.  The first meeting, in Dallas, pitted two of the hottest offenses in the league.  The Giants had averaged 34 points in their first month.  The Cowboys had averaged 32 points in their three wins, and had dropped 33 on Philly the week before.  The over/under was high.

The game was a 16-13 nail biter.

There has only been one blowout since ‘05, that being the ‘06 Monday Night fiasco where Drew Bledsoe finally cracked and handed the reins to Tony Romo.  Regardless of injures, the Dallas defense matches up pretty well against the Giants.  I’m discounting last year’s opener because those games are outliers, which distort our views of matchups.  In the other two games the Cowboys allowed 20 and 21 points to New York.

The line is Giants by 9.  I’m not a betting guy but I’d take the points if I were.  New York has not overpowered the Cowboys at any time in the last three years.  Unless New York has discovered the perfect steroids- masking drug, I don’t see the Giants suddenly overpowering the Cowboys now — unless Dallas gives them help with turnovers.

The trick for me is getting the Cowboys to 20.  I’m having a hard time getting there.

Come on, Alan Ball…

New York 20, Dallas 16

Your turn.  What’s in your crystal ball?

P.S. — just a hunch, but I think Roy Williams emerges this week.

One Vote for the Rag-Arm

I’m looking at the Cowboys-Giants matchups and I see lots of statistical similarities.  But there’s one stat that’s a Giants walkover:

Turnovers:

• New York — 4
• Dallas — 13

The Giants have turned the ball over in only two games this year, once in their season opener against Washington and three times against the Browns, their only loss so far.

Dallas turned the ball over in every game until last week’s Tampa Bay game.  That blank sheet let them outlast the Bucs 13-9.

Which gets us to this week.  I’ve seen lots of calls for Brooks Bollinger to start over Brad Johnson.  Please.  Raise your hand if you think Bollinger can go four quarters against the Giants rush, in an offense he’s trying to learn on the fly and not commit a turnover.

Bollinger has played a Jim Johnson scheme once.  He replaced Kelly Holcomb in a 23-16 loss to the Eagles last year and was a respectable 7-10 for 94 yards.  But that was in a Vikings uniform.  I don’t know if he’s got the Cowboys’ scheme down, having missed all of training camp.

The Giants are a blitzing team.  They’re good and it and they have to be.  I’m not impressed with their secondary, which has two new safeties and Aaron Ross regressing in his second year.  They’re going to do what they do, overloading the middle of the line, overloading a side, bringing corner blitzes and playing zone and man behind them. They’re a 4-3 version of the Cowboys.

This will leave room for the type of throws Johnson can make.  Slants, crosses, hooks, curls and seams.

If Dallas is going to compete, they’ll need another close game, of the type that they played against the Bucs and the type which the Steelers played against New York last week.   It’s too much to ask Dallas to stop the Giants run.  They’re averaging 5.1 yards an attempt.  But they need to drop this at least a yard.  Hold New York under 4.0 yards a carry and the game goes to Eli.

The Giants are a power team.  They no longer have Tiki Barber or Jeremy Shockey, the two biggest Cowboys killers of the past few years.  They’re a ball-control unit.  They throw deep now and then, but that hasn’t been their way in ‘08.  Plaxico Burress is averaging 12.7 yards a catch, tops among the Giants’ top three WRs and their tight end.  T.O., Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin all average at least 2 yards more than Burress. (Roy Williams’ sample size is way too short to measure.)

The Cowboys didn’t go heavy with rushes last week because they didn’t want Jeff Garcia to break the pocket and make big throws while on the run.  The Cowboys also played with precise lane discipline, to keep Garcia in the middle of the field at all costs.  This cut their rushing abandon as well.

They won’t be so coy this week.  Eli isn’t a scramber.  He’s steady in the pocket and the Giants have protected him very, very well this year, but that’s partly due to their running effectiveness.  He’s rarely in 3rd and longs.

In short, the defense can afford to crowd the line more and both play the run and blitz.  If the Giants come out pass heavy, trying to attack the young corners, they’ll probably do the Cowboys a favor.  They’ll be going against their tendencies.

Something tells me they won’t.  They not the champs for nothing.  They’re not 5-1 for nothing.  The Cowboys will have to prove they can stop Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward.

If they can slow it down, we’ll have to just wait on the old guy.  Hope he hits the slant to Roy Williams when it’s open.  Hit T.O. on his crosses when he’s clear.  Find Martellus Bennett on a seam against the linebackers when the opportunity presents itself. If he does, Dallas can get some short catches and long runs.

Johnson can make these throws.  Whether he will tells the story of this week.  But I put my vote with him, rag arm and all, to make the decisions.  If he takes a handful of sacks but protects the ball, the Cowboys have a chance.

Witten Will Try to Play Sunday. Should He?

A scan has revealed Jason Witten has a fractured rib.  He says he will try to play against the Giants on Sunday, giving Brad Johnson another weapon against the Giants rush.

What can be done to make him ready and is this a dangerous move?  I asked Luis Rios, my Sportsdoctor partner and a real doctor in his own right.  He says:

“Rib fractures have a lot of stability, because there’s a lot of muscle tissue around them.  They’re very painful, because those supporting muscles expand and contract every time you breathe.  You can put a flak jacket over the injured rib and you can inject the area around the injury and deaden the pain for four to six hours.  He can be made comfortable for the game.

What I would ask him is whether he feels its worth this, because if he plays and reinjures the area the healing starts over.  Is he willing to do this again and again?  If he wants to play and I’m on the Cowboys staff, I’d prepare him but not start him.  They’ll know early on if the game is competitive.  If he’s needed, let him play.  If it’s another Rams game, where you’re way down early, let him heal and let Martellus Bennett go.”

And the Newbies Shall Lead Them

A big tip of the hat today to Tom Ciskowski, the Cowboys Head of Pro and College Scouting.  His guys found Alan Ball in the 7th round last year.  They gave the grades on Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick, whom Dallas traded up to draft in the 1st and 5th rounds.  They were the starting corners in the 2nd half yesterday, after Anthony Henry injured a quad defending a bubble screen to Joey Galloway early in the 3rd.  The kids played as well as guys named Newman, Henry and Jones, keeping Tampa out of the end zone.

The value of the win they helped secure is immense.  Dallas will now go into the bye with a winning record, regardless of what happens in New York.  They get to play with house money in the Meadowlands.  Few people are expecting them to win against the Giants with their deep list of injuries.

And yet, they’ll get a chance to make plays.  They might not get a chance to show it, but Dallas has the weapons to exploit New York’s weakness.  The Giants have a highly rated pass defense, but the New York corners have given up big plays.  Aaron Ross has suffered a sophomore slump.  The Steelers had receivers open in the intermediate zones and deep last week, but could not protect Ben Roethlisberger well enough for him to find them.

The Cowboys may not be able to keep Brad Johnson clean enough to damage the Giants either, but he’ll have targets.  New York won’t sit in cover two shells and take his deep throws away.  That’s not their style.  They’re winning with their pass rush and they’ll dial it up to eleven next week.

This means that simple slants and crossing routes to T.O., Roy Williams and Patrick Crayton will be there.  The lingering question is whether Johnson can connect with them. He’s coated in rust and is missing high with consistency.  The Giants will give him routes he can make and he’s got receivers to get open.  If he can hit just a handful of timing routes the Cowboys should make more plays than they did against Tampa Bay.

On the other side of the ball, the game will be decided on first down.  The Giants run well.  Dallas, until last week, didn’t stop the run well.  We’ll know early if the Tampa Bay game was a fluke.  Some stout run defense will give the secondary a chance.  The Giants are not a speed offense.  They’re a power team.  Their best matchup advantage, Jeremy Shockey, is now a Saint.  Kevin Boss is a possession right end.  They chased Tony Gonzalez at the trade deadline for a reason.

Amani Toomer isn’t a deep threat.  Plaxico Burress hasn’t been one lately either.  Steve Smith is their one big play receiver at the moment and he’s a master of working the middle.  The Cowboys don’t have to respect Eli Manning’s scrambling ability, as they did with Jeff Garcia, so I expect more blitzing this week.  A lot more.

It’s power versus power.  If the Cowboys can slow Brandon Jacobs to three and four yard runs instead of five, six and seven yarders, they’ll be competitive.  If they can complete simple timing routes, they’ll make some plays.  I have not convinced myself to pick them yet, but I’m not as down as a lot of people on these threads appear to be.

For the first time this year, they won’t be favored.  They’ll get to play loose.  I think this will be a real game.

Cowboys vs. Bucs 2nd Half Thread

Here it is.

Bucs @ Cowboys - 1st Half Thread

Looking around the division, the Eagles host the Falcons and rookie QB Matt Ryan, and the Redskins are playing at the Lions. In a late start, the Giants play at the Steelers.

The Cowboys host the Buccaneers and need to clear their minds of the nightmare visions known as the past two week’s games.

The ‘Skins obviously have the easiest path. The Cowboys needs to pick it up here to keep from dropping to .500 …

Second Whack at the Same Pitch

What does Dallas need?

What it started with last week, and lost after seven minutes.

On offense — attack laterally in the air.  Quick timing routes on the outside.  Lots of crossing routes to the receivers and lots of vertical throws to the tight ends.  Dallas showed how this is done on the opening drive.  Run effectively, either from heavy sets or from spread formations and throw shallow crosses and seams to the tight ends.

What the Cowboys cannot do is overdo the run.  Eight of Dallas’ first nine 1st down plays were runs to Marion Barber, and while they worked on the initial Dallas drive, they were sabotaged by run blitzes the rest of the first half.  Play action off of Barber runs should give Brad Johnson some throwing lanes.

It’s also time to re-aquaint Jason Witten with the Dallas passing game.  With T.O. facing weekly double teams, Roy Williams cramming to learn the playbook and with teams sure to stack the box for Barber, Witten should have free reign in the middle of the field.  However, he’s short-circuited a lot of promising Dallas plays with drops and motion penalties.  The motion miscues were a problem for Witten his first three years but John Garrett ironed them out of his game last year.  They’ve crept back at the worst time and Witten needs to regain his attention to detail.

The weapon most missed is Felix Jones.  He’s the perfect antitode to an injured Tony Romo, a player who can take a simple swing pass, delay or draw and go 60 yards.  Without him, T.O. is the only speed option for this offense, until Williams and Miles Austin show more.

On the opposite side of the ball, the name of the game will be execution.  The tackling must improve.  The run defense has to step up.  Nothing special schemes will matter if the Cowboys consistently find themselves in 2nd and twos, as they did against the Redskins and last week against the Rams.  The linebackers have been very sloppy in forcing runs and have been poor at getting off blocks.  These are fundamental issues and multi-year vets like Greg Ellis and Zach Thomas have no excuse.

We may see more zone than the Cowboys are used to playing, because Mike Jenkins is having growing pains at left corner.  He looked better late in the Rams game but the damage was done in the first half against him. He’s thinking on the field and having trouble tracking the football.

More than anything, there seems to be a communications issue on the field.  On Donnie Avery’s first seried TD catch the back seven looked confused.  Linebackers were not sure whether they were playing zone or man.  The safeties were unsure if they should play up or back.  And this is the Rams fourth play of the game.  Maybe there is something to the complaint that the schemes are too rigid and complicated.  When vets are running around like the Keystone Cops from the opening gun, there are problems.

Prediction:  I think the Cowboys will play a lot harder.  I do think we’ll see some pride.  I also think there are so many problems that not all of them can be sorted through in one week.  The penalties can be cut, but do you see the o-line, the shotgun snaps, the penalties, the run defense, special teams coverage and the pass coverage ALL being fixed in seven days?  A lot of these problems have been lingering for weeks.  It’s like expecting to lose 20 lbs. in one week after eating junk food non-stop since August.  It can happen but usually not overnight.

I see a much closer game, and a disappointing finish.  It’s the Redskins and Cardinals redux.  A big step forwards, but not big enough:

Tampa Bay 20,  Dallas 17

Tampa’s Extreme Defensive Splits Give Dallas Hope

I’ve argued that the Bucs have been the most consistent NFC team so far this year, going 4-0 against winners and avoiding a blowout loss, something every other NFC contender has endured.

Blog-regular David looks deeper into Tampa Bay’s extreme home/road splits and finds that opposing QB play much better against Monte Kiffin’s guys when they can play them at home:

So far in 2008, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are two different teams on the road, at least when it comes to their defense. Here’s how four opposing quarterbacks have done in the surroundings of hostile (“Nobody Loves”) Raymond James Stadium:

Matt Ryan: 33-13-158, 0 TDs, 2 Int.,  Tampa Bay won
Aaron Rodgers: 27-13-165, 2 TDs, 3 Int.,  Tampa Bay won
Jake Delhomme: 39-20-247, 0 TDs, 2 Int.,  Tampa Bay won
Seneca Wallace: 23-12-73, 1 TD, 1 Int.,  Tampa Bay won

Total: 121-58-643, 3 TDs, 8 Int.

When opposing QB’s visit Tampa, they are a combined 0-4, are completing 47% of their passes, have thrown 5 more interceptions than touchdowns, and are averaging a wretched 5.31 yards per attempt. They’ve also been sacked seven times in those four games.

Three of these visiting QB’s have hardly any starting experience (Ryan was in his second career start, Aaron Rodgers his 4th career start and Seneca Wallace in his 5th career start). Rodgers was injured midway through the Green Bay game and Wallace’s top receivers were out with injuries.

On the other hand, Delhomme is a grizzled veteran, but Tampa’s defense should be starting to figure him out by now, having played him eight times since 2003. And Steve Smith did drop at least one long TD pass against Tampa.

Tampa’s defense also has shut down decent runners in the comfy confines of home as well, including Atlanta’s Michael Turner, Green Bay’s Ryan Grant, Carolina’s tandem of DeAngelo Willams and Jonathan Stewart, and our old friend in Seattle, Julius Jones. In fact, in four home games their defense is allowing 69 rushing yards per game at 3.3 yards per clip.

Now let’s looks at the three “away” games on the Buccaneers schedule so far; specifically, how the “home” quarterbacks have performed against Monte Kiffin’s defense:

Drew Brees: 32-23-343, 3 TDs, 1 Int.,  New Orleans won
Kyle Orton:  34-22-268, 2 TDs, 2 Int.,  Tampa Bay won
Jay Cutler:  34-23-227, 1 TD, 0 Int.,  Denver won

Total: 100-68-828, 6 TDs, 4 Int.

It’s a small sample so far, but the evidence bears out that Tampa’s defense – when playing “away” games - allows opposing QB’s to complete 68% of their passes, for 8.28 yards per attempt, and a couple more touchdowns than interceptions.

These opposing QB’s have been sacked four times in those three games.

Meanwhile, Tampa’s defense has allowed 123 yards per game (and 100+ in all three) and 4.0 yards per carry when playing in another team’s stadium. Per contest, Tampa’s defense is allowing 10 more carries for 54 more yards when playing away games.

No doubt a successful passing game feeds off a successful running attack, or vice versa. The fact is that the statistics show so far in 2008 that Tampa Bay’s defense is playing much better at home than away, against less experienced QB’s for the most part. Over the four home games, Tampa’s defense has allowed just under 220 total yards and just nine points (I’m not counting Green Bay’s interception return for a TD) per contest. During their three visiting match-ups, Tampa’s defense has allowed over 380 yards and 23 points per game. The stats don’t lie, nor are they even really just misleading – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have thus far been playing much better in home games than away games.

Whether the Dallas Cowboys, playing at home and led by a grizzled veteran QB of their own (and who Tampa’s defense should have some background info on), can take advantage of this recent trend remains to be seen.

Good News — Romo’s Out

Tony Romo announced today he won’t play against Tampa Bay this Sunday and probably won’t play again until the Cowboys return from their bye against Washington.

Why is this good news?

Because Romo is almost halfway through his rehab, which will take four weeks.  I was told by Dr. Luis Rios that re-fracturing the finger resets the rehab clock at four weeks.

“If you were going to try to play with it, last week would have been the time.  If Romo re-injures the finger then, well, then just you add a week to the rehab, that’s not too bad.  But what if he’s three weeks in, and you play him against the Giants and he re-breaks the finger because it’s not fully healed.  Then, you’re back to square one and he misses four more weeks…”

The Cowboys have already had an awful history this year of injured players trying to rush back and re-injuring themselves.  Kyle Kosier was going to miss three September games, came back after two games and re-broke his foot.  Now, halfway through the season, Kosier has just one appearance.

Terence Newman was going to miss the Browns opener rehabbing his injured groin, played three weeks in apparent pain, didn’t look like himself and last week had surgery for a hernia.  We’re halfway through ‘08 and have yet to see a healthy, pain-free Newman.

Roy Williams tried coming back as soon as possible and re-broke his forearm.  Now, he’s out for the year.  Anthony Spencer is now rehabbing a hamstring after rehabbing a knee.

Dallas needs to bite the bullet and let Romo’s finger heal completely.  It does not matter what the Cowboys record is the next two games.  Whether they are 4-5 after the bye, 5-4 or 6-3, they don’t have the slightest chance without number 9 under center.  Jerry should take some of Tex’s deposit money for his seats in the new stadium and send Tony and Jessica back to Cancun until the bye is over.

You’ve Got to Lose…

… you can’t win all the time.  Especially in 2008.

One positive sign for the Cowboys is that very few teams in either conference appear capable of running away and hiding.  Who’s dominant at this point?

In the AFC, lets begin in the West.  The Broncos are an Ed Hochuli-inflated 4-3 and just got thrashed 41-7 by the Patriots.  The Chargers, the presumed AFC favorite, are 3-4 and have only one road win, over the Raiders.

In the North, the Steelers are 5-1, having won three, but are beaten up.  They have not played a team with a winning record yet and were left for the dead by the Eagles three weeks ago.

In the East, the Pats are are basking in a blowout win over Denver.  On the down side, they’ve already suffered a 25 point loss to Miami and a 20 point loss to San Diego.  The division-leading Bills have been the most consistent but were abused by Arizona two weeks ago.

The South sports the lone consistent AFC, NFL team in Tennessee.  The Titans have a tough defense, and a rock-ribbed running attack.  On the other hand, they have yet to play a winning team.  And does anybody fear Kerry Collins and his passing attack?

The NFC has been mercurial, from top to bottom.  In the North, the Packers lead at 4-3 and have already endured a three game losing steak, which is sandwiched between two two-game winning streaks.  Chicago is tied with Green Bay but they’re playing shootouts every week.  That’s not Bears football.

The Giants lead the suddenly deflated East but have had their shaky moments against mediocre teams the last month.  They throttled the Seahawks but needed a late score to beat Cincy, were destroyed in Cleveland and were so-so against the 49ers.  The Redskins looked like the bully in waiting but were beaten by the Rams and just escaped the revitalized Browns.  Everybody here has a chance.

Right now — for this week and possibly this week alone — the three best NFC teams are in the West and the South. The Cards just blew out the Bills and beat up Dallas, but have an embarrassing 56-35 loss on their resume.

The Panthers are a strong 5-2 and were humiliated by Tampa Bay 27-3 two weeks ago.  Atlanta is flying quietly under the radar at 4-2 and has a solid win at Lambeau Field on their record.

The best NFC team after 7 weeks may be the Tampa Bay Bucs.  They’re 4-0 against winners this year, with the blowout over Carolina topping that list.  They’ve also beaten the Packers, Bears and Falcons.  They’re one of the few winners to avoid a blowout loss.

They’re also Dallas’ next opponent.

Hey, nobody said turning the season around would be easy.

Same As It Ever Was

• 2006, at this point — 4-3;
• 2008, at this point — 4-3;

• 2006, penalty yards rank:  5th;
• 2008, penalty yards rank:  2nd;

• 2006, net punting - 38.0;
• 2008, net punting - 38.7;

• 2006 KO ret. avg./rank — 23.3/8th
• 2008 KO ret. avg./rank — 23.9/11th;

• 2006 punt ret. avg./rank - 8.4/19th;
• 2008 punt ret. avg./rank - 6.7/27th;

• 2006 opponent avg. start after kickoff — 28 yard line;
• 2008 opponent avg. start after kickoff - 31.5 yard line;

Bill Parcells was known as a disciplinarian.  A hardass.  He told Jerry when he was hired that he would need to win right away because his act would not wear well over time.  Kind of like Jimmy Johnson’s.  The Tuna’s teams didn’t take stupid penalties.

Bruce DeHaven had a reputation as one of the league’s better special teams coaches.  His Buffalo squads, with Hall-of-Famer Steve Tasker leading, were superb.

Then, both of them came to Dallas.  Their last team couldn’t stop committing stupid penalties.  It was mediocre on special teams.  It’s numbers are about the same as this year’s team.

We can cry for Wade Phillips’ head and Brian Stewart’s head and Bruce Read’s head but lets put the fair share of blame on the players.  Hard coach/soft coach.  Well known special teams coach/no-name special teams coach.  The results are almost identical.

And what has changed on the roster?  On defense, there are only two starters who were not here in ‘06 — Ken Hamlin and Zach Thomas.  On offense, Leonard Davis is the only member of the starting eleven who wasn’t a starter or key role player two years ago.

You can bring in a Bill Cowher or a Jimmy Johnson but if you don’t give him the saws and scalpels to perform radical roster surgery you have what you have.

Unless the players hearts — and brains — grow three sizes, Grinch style, it’s the same as it ever was.

It’s Time to Name These ‘Boys Sue

“And he said: ‘Son, this world is rough,
And if a man’s gonna make it, he’s got to be tough,
And I knew I wouldn’t be there to help you along.
So I give you that name and I said goodbye,
I knew you’d have to get tough or die…”

– Johnny Cash, A Boy Named Sue

Rams 34, Cowboys 14.

We’re angry.  We’re indignant.  We’re embarrassed. But we’re Cowboys’ fans.  Let’s not pretend we’ve never seen this before:

• 1970, week 9 — Cardinals 38, Cowboys 0.  A second consecutive loss that drops the ‘Pokes to 5-4;
• 1971, week 7 — Bears 23, Cowboys 19.  A loss to a weak Bears team in the infamous QB rotation game leaves Dallas 4-3.
• 1978, week 10 — Dolphins 23, Cowboys 16.  A second consecutive loss, this one in dreaded Miami, where Tom Landry always lost, drops the Cowboys to 6-4.
• 1981, week 6 — 49ers 45, Cowboys 14.  A second consecutive loss drops Dallas to 4-2 after a 4-0 start.
• 1992, week 5 — Eagles 31, Cowboys 7.  Dallas comes out of its bye week and gets thrashed on a Monday Night in Philly.
• 1995, week 15 — Eagles 20, Cowboys 17.  Dallas loses its second in a row and third in five weeks in the infamous 4th-and-1-x-2 game.  Their record is 10-4 but they’re being written off as yesterday’s champs, done in by Jerry’s meddling and Barry’s ineptitude.

Every one of these teams made it to the conference championship game.  Five of them made it to the Super Bowl.  Three of them won it.

I’m sure most of the Max Mercys in the press corps are writing about a coaching change today.  I’m sure if they were around in ‘70 they would have been calling for Tom’s head too.  Some of them were around in ‘95 and I know they wanted Barry axed immediately.   Don’t be led along.  You might want Wade Phillips and a couple of assistants fired too.  He might deserve to be fired.  But it’s not going to happen now.  When did a mid-season firing ever send a team on a tear?

This year’s team will have to look within itself, as these other Cowboys teams did.  It will have to draw on the devotion and camaraderie voiced by Nate Newton in the Philly locker room after that embarrassing ‘95 loss, when he said, “there’s too much love in this locker room for us to turn on each other.”

We’re going to learn how much these guys love each other, and how much they really trust each other.  Because today, each other is all they got.

So in the spirit of helping, and because I need to laugh to keep from grinding my teeth to the gums, I’m going to do my small part.  I will henceforth refer to the ‘08 team as “the ‘Boys Named Sue.”

They’ll either get tough or die.

There are No Heroes

13 Pro Bowlers, huh?  Let’s see:

1. Terence Newman — rehabbing an ailing groin;
2. Tony Romo — standing on the sideline with a broken finger;
3. Nick Folk — short kickoffs and a missed field goal;
4. Flozell Adams — an undistinguished day and a key offsides penalty on a 3rd-and-one.  Had another awful day blocking a speed rusher;
5. Andre Gurode — started the offensive meltdown by throwing a shotgun snap on an early drive.
6. Leonard Davis — did you recall anything he did, pro or con?
7. Marion Barber — fumbled for the third time in four weeks;
8. Jason Witten — committed another awful motion penalty in a key moment, snuffing out a scoring drive late in the first half;
9. Terrell Owens — was doubled again while his offensive mates fell apart;
10. Greg Ellis — invisible.  Was run at on the Rams second TD drive;
11. Roy Williams — where was Roy?  Probably with Waldo.  The Thong is cashing Demarcus Ware’s checks right now;
12. Ken Hamlin — missed tackles, not doing anything distinctive;

Demarcus Ware was the one guy who made plays today.  He’s the only Pro Bowler Dallas had on the field.

Mentally tough teams are not suspectible to extreme momentum swings.  The Rams scored on a big run immediately after Nick Folk missed his field goal early in the 3rd quarter.  These guys let down when they’re entrusted with a lead and they completely deflate when the offense isn’t leading the way.

Last year, in the world of soccer, Liverpool owner Tom Hicks made headlines when he allegedly interviewed former German national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann.  Hicks’ manager Rafael Benitez had won a suprise Champions’ League cup in his first year and lost another final, but was posting mediocre records in the regular league standings, even though he was given the big money signings he requested.

The team denied a new manager was being interviewed behind the scenes, but Benitez got the message.  His team is playing much better this year, and is today tied for top of the league.

Jerry Jones should take a page from Tom Hicks’ book.  (That’s right, I’m actually recommending emulating Tom Hicks.)  He’s got a lot of complacent players.  They shook off Bill Parcells and got the players’ guy they wanted.  The results have been the same.  Don’t listen to any finger pointing in the press.  Nobody not named Demarcus Ware should even speak to the press this week.

If Jerry wants to get his coaches’ and his players’ attention, he should schedule a “clandestine” meeting with Bill Cowher, and invite every paparazzo he can find.

Cowboys @ Rams, 2nd Half Thread

I don’t advocate Tony Romo playing but this team won’t come back with Brad Johnson.

Winning this week depended on managing the game. Getting the lead, leaning on the defense and pulling slowly away.  Johnson delivered on the first series.

Then, his teammates picked up lemmonades and sat down in their rocking chairs.

The offensive line got whipped on the next two series.

Worse, the defense had no spark.  They played hard for two plays, surrendered a first down on third-and-long and commenced rocking.

You don’t let the Rams jam the ball down your throat.  They’re playing their RG at LT.  They’re playing a backup at RG.  They’re inexperienced and unsettled, and they ran tosses and stretch plays right through the heart of the Cowboys’ front.

This isn’t scheme.  The plays are too basic to be matters of scheme.  This is a lack of respect for your opponent and pride in your job.  Right now, I see two Cowboys defenders who can say they’ve played hard every snap — Demarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff.  Both corners have been burned badly.  Ken Hamlin missed a tackle on Stephen Jackson’s first TD run. Roy Williams?  Well, you would have to find him to say what he’s doing wrong.  He’s not even in the image.

The rest of the D show up from time to time, but this is an embarrassment, to the players and to the staff who are supposed to prepare them.  But I’ll repeat for everybody who wants Wade Phillips’ head on a plate.  You could can him tomorrow and it wouldn’t matter.  These guys were freelancing on Bill Parcells too.

Cowboys @ Rams 1st Half Thread

Finally!  A noon start!

Update 5:  The leaders continue to melt down.  Jason Witten doesn’t set and wipes out a huge pass to him that went inside the Rams 10.

Update 4:  The D finally looks awake.  Demarcus Ware realized he’s playing against a converted RG named Adam Goldberg and got 1.5 sacks on that series.  The missed FG gives Dallas its first good field position of the day.

Update 3:  Rams 21, Cowboys 7

The tackling and effort are atrocious.  The Rams have not run like this on anybody.  The inside linebackers are lost.  Greg Ellis is playing terribly.  Roy Williams is a ghost.  When your first action is to say, “I didn’t do it,” you should not be on the field.”

The offensive line is already erratic.  The Rams are getting after Cory Proctor, bull rushing  him to the ball.

And Marion Barber, who did not fumble in his first two and a half years has now lost fumbles in three of his last four games.

This is how you lose football games.  When your big names play like clowns.

Update 2:  Cowboys 7, Rams 7

Welcome back, Roy Williams.  He and Anthony Henry are talking about coverage responsibility after Donnie Avery’s TD catch.

Update 1:  Dallas 7, Rams 0

How do you ran a game plan with Brad Johnson?  Like this:  quick timing routes on the outside, crossing routes to T.O.  Go heavy with three TE sets and overwhelm the Rams interior D-line.

The Cowboys show a crispness and urgency that we didn’t see in Arizona last week.  But then the issue for Dallas of late has been consistency of effort.  Let’s see if they can sustain their pressure.

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