Winners Will Be Winners
October 4, 2008
Boys Will be Boys,
the Glory Days and Party Nights
of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty,
by Jeff Pearlman
Harpers, 416 pages
Major entertainment media, from the movie industry to pro sports, have always worked to protect the images of their stars, usually by controlling media coverage of these assets.
The movie industry accomplished this during its classical period by controlling its press. All the major fan magazines of the time, like Photoplay, were published by the studios themselves. Control disappeared in the ’50s with the appearance of magazines like Confidential, a forefunner to The National Enquirer, which traded in gossip and scandal.
In the sports world, secrets were willingly kept by the sports press, who was allowed near total access in return for its silence. A sportswriter often played wingman to the stars he covered. Take the example of Fred Leib, whose Baseball as I Have Known It contains lurid stories about Babe Ruth’s sex life. Leib waited until the mid-’70s, nearly 30 years after Ruth’s death, to commit his stories in print.
It took a former player, Jim Bouton, to push the private side of baseball into the spotlight. His Ball Four, published in 1970, exposed major leaguers as pill-popping, womanizing ruffians. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn attempted to discredit the book, demanding that Bouton sign a statement declaring his book a piece of fiction. Bouton refused, and helped redefine the sports publishing industry. Every year now, a new crop of star exposes and insider views of winning and losing team seasons hits the shelves.
Modern fans have embraced the voyeurism we associate with Hollywood. The two worlds have blurred more in recent years, to the point where Sports Illustrated now has a feature on sports and pop culture.
This would seemingly make Jeff Pearlman’s Boys Will be Boys an easy sell. Pearlman chronicles the wild times of the ’90s Jerry/Jimmy/Barry Cowboys, from the J.J.’s infamous dinner at Mia’s the night before Tom Landry was fired to Michael Irvin’s assault on Everett McIver. To a football fandom accustomed to stories of steroids, hookers, guns, and police blotters, those Cowboys still managed to stand apart. They won bigger, partied harder and ultimately fell more loudly than their peers.
Pearlman, however, had to consider a Cowboys fan culture possibly hostile to muckraking. The Cowboys have always directed their press better than other clubs. The Dallas Cowboys Weekly is the closest thing we have to an old ’40s-style Hollywood fan magazine, filled with glossy photos and profiles of players and cheerleaders alike. When former WR Pete Gent wrote North Dallas Forty, his account of the late ’60s Cowboys’ exploits, he, unlike Bouton, presented it as a piece of fiction. Older Cowboys fans were raised on the catechism that their team was more popular, more creative and more righteous than others. Anybody who read the papers regularly knew better, but the P.R. triumphed more often than not.
Times apparently have changed. Pearlman told BSR in a chat yesterday that almost all of the ‘90 players were cooperative. When asked why they would so readily surrender embarrassing stories, he said,
“I’d say it’s because they look back at those times not as humiliating, but joyful. It’s akin to reliving your fraternity days from college. At age 36, 37, 38 - one would rarely chug beer from a lamp shaped like Elvis’ ass. But it’s funny to look back and think about…”
Pearlman also said he was pleasantly surprised by the Cowboys Nation’s response, as he has not yet received any criticism for exposing their heroes. “I think fans knew that the team was wild, misbehaved, etc., so it’s not all that shocking.”
It seems the fans can’t get enough of the inside story; Boys Will Be Boys currents sits at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list for non-fiction. Readers won’t be disappointed. Pearlman delivers generous shovelfuls of dirt on everybody from Charles Haley to transient Cowboys like special teams ace Joe Fishback. He consistently goes beyond the familiar, adding new information to nearly every part of Cowboys story.
If the book were only about the parties and the women, however, it would be nothing more than an extended, hardcover edition of the Enquirer. Boys Will Be Boys aims for comprehensiveness, and Pearlman delivers. He shows not only the big libidos but the big egos, the big brains, the big ambitions and the incredible skills that made Dallas a three-time champion. When you read his sections on Jimmy Johnson, you see an unrepentant tyrant at work. You also understand that a softer touch might not have gotten this team to the top.
Vince Lombardi used to say you have to be willing to pay the price for success. Pearlman shows how high that price was, and how willing those players were to pay it. The off-field stuff, in the organizations’ collective mind, was their due. By fleshing out the Cowboys’ story, in both the literal and figurative senses, Pearlman brings a freshness to the tale, giving the reader the impression they are reliving the glory all over again — for the first time.
Back to Work — Cowboys @ Packers Preview
September 19, 2008
Well that didn’t take long, did it. The Cowboys enter week three of their murderer’s row opening stretch, going to Lambeau to face the revitalized Packers. Green Bay is buzzing after opening 2-0 under Aaron Rodgers, who is helping the organization put Brett Favre in its rear view mirror with incredible speed.
When the Packers Have the Ball
The Packers love to spread you out, with three and four receiver sets. They also like to motion their backs wide and give you a full “empty” look, with nobody in the backfield with the QB. The Packers run a lot of quick timing routes from these packages, utilizing WR Greg Jennings in the slot. He’s lethal on yards after the catch and beat the Cowboys repeatedly last November with short catches that he converted into large gains.
Dallas is playing with a stronger secondary this time. Anthony Henry and Terence Newman played last year but Newman left the game for a critical sequence mid-game with a bruised knee. This is when Jennings got hot, beating Nate Jones for a 43 yard pass and Roy Williams on a nine yarder on Green Bay’s second TD drive.
The Cowboys have more cornerback depth this year and I’m guessing we’ll see a lot more strength on strength matchups. Look for Newman to go against Jennings in the slot.
Dallas line will face a challenge similar to last week’s. Rodgers is a very fast and strong runner and like Tony Romo, he runs to throw the ball. The Cowboys blitzed him heavily early in last year’s game and broke their lane discipline, giving Rogers wide lanes to scramble for first downs.
Look for the Cowboys to open in nickel, with four linemen. Even if they go 3-4, look for them to maintain strict lane discipline on their rushes, in order to keep Rodgers in the pocket. If they let him get free to his right he’ll make some big plays. He can find targets down the field on the dead run.
Discipline and tackling will be key this week. The Packers don’t throw the ball down the field very much. They work the short and intermediate zones hard, with lots of slants, crosses and quick outs off three step drops or quick throws from the shotgun. This makes them hard to stop when they find a rhythm, and Rodgers has been in rhythm a lot this year.
They keys to controlling them are to tackle immediately, and hold a five yard pass to a five yard gain. Make them work for every yard and work to get a sack or tipped pass to break up their timing. This task will be made a little bit easier by Ryan Grant’s hamstring injury. He’s been on the injured list with swelling on one of his hamstrings and this has robbed him of his top gear. The Lions caught him a lot on backside slants last week and kept the Packers running game in check.
Watch for backup Brandon Jackson, who gashed the Lions for some big runs as a replacement.
When Dallas Has the Ball
Dallas has been working the deep middles of opposing defenses in the Jason Garrett era. They did it to Cleveland in week one and did it to the Eagles last week when the Eagles began to double on T.O. outside.
The Cowboys made ribbons of the Packers middle last year, targeting linebackers and safeties with T.O. and Jason Witten. Owens was motioned repeatedly inside and got matchups on inside linebackers and safeties. He got behind A.J. Hawk in the second quarter for 48 yards on such a play. In the second half, Witten abused Hawk and Nick Barnett. The damage would have been worse had Romo not ended two second and third quarter drives by overthrowing a wide open Witten on 3rd down plays. Dallas punted only once the entire game and moved the ball at will.
The good news for Green Bay is that Charles Woodson, its best secondary player, will participate in this game. He missed last year’s game with a knee injury. The bad news — for them — is that he’s playing on a broken toe suffered in the opener against Minnesota. He does not practice during the weeks and walks out each Sunday and goes.
That said, don’t think the Cowboys will go hard at him. He had one of his best games ever on that bad piggie last week against the Lions. He plays the same role in the Packers defense that Terence Newman plays in Dallas’. He plays on one edge and then slides inside when the Packers run nickel. If the Packers are going to be bold, they’ll match Woodson against Jason Witten. Woodson spent his last year in Oakland as a roverback and has some experience playing the middle of the field.
The Cowboys might aim a couple of throws his way, but I think they’ll go elsewhere. And they’ll have targets. SS Atari Bigby has not practiced this week and probably won’t dress Sunday. Backup Aaron Rouse made some big errors, blowing assignments and missing tackles in the middle of the Lions game, when Detroit made some big throws in the middle of the field and rallied from a 21-0 deficit to a 25-24 lead early in the 4th.
Dallas also won’t be coy about attacking Al Harris. He was a Pro Bowler last year, but got the nod mostly off his solid ‘06. He’s big, talks big, and goes for big plays. But as we saw last week, Terrell Owens beats everybody. And he beat Harris consistently last year, getting him on a variety of fades, stops and go routes. Roy Williams roasted Harris on a stop and go last week, and then set him up for a quick out, where the Lion caught a short pass and darted past Harris for another big gain.
The press tries to make Harris into some latter-day Deion, but don’t be fooled. Here’s a comparison of two corners’ YPA and their interception totals from 2004 through 2007:
- Corner X: 8.4; 7.7; 6.7; 6.6; Average - 7.4
- Corner Y: 7.1: 7.0: 6.3: 9.7; Average - 7.5
Interceptions, ‘04 through ‘07
- Corner X: 4; 3; 2; 6; Total — 15
- Corner Y: 1; 3; 3; 2; Total — 9
Corner Y is Harris. Corner X is none other than Anthony Henry. His 8.4 came with Cleveland and, as you can see, he’s been a steady and steadily improving corner since coming to Dallas. Harris, for all his hype, has had only one exceptional year, in ‘06. He was awful last year and T.O. helped blow up his totals. He’s the Roy Williams of corners. He’s Anthony Henry without the picks. If the Packers had T.O. and he was facing Henry, how confident would you feel?
Special Teams: Each team has a return for a score. The Packers got a punt return for a score that decided the Vikings game. Dallas got a kickoff return from Felix Jones for a score last week. The coverage teams on both sides will be taxed.
Overall: The Packers are a good team. Aaron Rodgers is the real thing at QB. They’ll move the ball. They’ll frustrate us, Eagles style, with their timing routes which will move the chains. They’re going to score. They’re at home.
That said, there’s nothing the Packers can do that’s better than what Dallas does. Rodgers is good, but Romo’s rating is as good. Romo has an even better completion percentage and is a much better downfield passer. Dallas’ line protects better than Green Bays’. Dallas gave ground against the Eagles but after two weeks they’re ranked 10th. The Packers are ranked 22nd on defense. And what’s their excuse? They have played the touchdown-challenged Vikings and the Bad News Lions.
What stands out are the matchups, which favor Dallas almost across the board. Aaron Kampman is their best rusher. Fine. A one-legged Marc Colombo shut him down last year. Kampman was the ultimate garbage man, with 8 of his 11.5 sacks coming against backup tackles. Colombo is healthy. I can’t see Green Bay getting more than one sack.
They didn’t get any last year. And they blitzed like crazy. I’m guessing they’re going to blitz more. Tony Romo will welcome that. The Packers safeties are banged up and that means more fun for Jason Witten and T.O. in the middle of the field. Unless Charles Woodson is Superman, and is matched on and shuts down Jason Witten, the Cowboys will continue to move and score points.
On the other side of the ball the Cowboys have matchup edges with their ends on the Green Bay tackles. Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher gave up eleven sacks last year, as many as the entire Dallas line. The Packers spread you out and play a lot of empty sets. This means that they give little or no help to their line. Demarcus Ware and Greg Ellis got a lot of pressure off the edge. The Lions got a lot of heat last week. Dallas will get some sacks this week.
The Packers don’t even have an edge in penalties. The Cowboys take an ungodly amount of flags but the Packers take just as many. They run a very close 1-2 in this category. Last year’s game had nine for the Packers. Look for another flag-filled game.
The Packers are good. The Cowboys are better. And they’re 6-0 in September with Wade.
Dallas 34, Green Bay 21
T.O. Scares Everybody
September 17, 2008
In the early days of training camp, I mentioned that the workouts could be summarized with the phrase, “T.O. Beats Everybody.” No player had a better, more productive camp than the man whose middle name is Eldorado.
The Caddy made Philadelphia’s ballyhooed corners look like refurbished Hyundais in the first half Monday night. He not only beat Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard, he humiliated them. Owens didn’t catch a pass in the second half, but his early level of dominance changed Philly’s second half game plan, and aided Dallas’ comeback.
Jim Johnson’s initial strategy was to blitz Tony Romo with some frequency. On Romo’s 14 first half attempts, the Eagles blitzed five or more men on 6 plays, or 43% of the time. The Eagles rushed four men on the remaining 8 plays.
The Eagles initially tried playing Owens with a single corner, but neither Brown nor Sheppard could stay wtih him. He ran Brown off on a 14 yard curl route, then left both Sheppard and safety Sean Considine more than five yards in his wake on a 72 yard bomb.
Johnson showed some brass putting FS Brian Dawkins one-on-one against Owens in the second quarter. T.O. looked insulted after he easily beat Dawkins on a 4 yard slant for a touchdown.
The play that probably changed Johnson’s thinking came on Dallas’ next series. The Cowboys had run the ball on every one of its first seven 1st-down plays and the Eagles had stuffed Marion Barber, walking eight and sometimes nine men into the box. Romo’s 4 yarder to T.O. had caught them off guard, and probably explains why Dawkins was left alone against Owens — the Eagles were expecting another run.
Now, facing 1st and ten on his 20, Jason Garrett called his second 1st-down pass, sending Owens on a stop and go at Brown. T.O. was again more than five yards behind the corner when he caught the ball, which he took 55 yards to the Eagles’ 25. The play was called back by a holding penalty, but it affected the remainder of the game.
Johnson had to give the corners covering Owens deep help. When the second half started the Eagles began playing a lot of cover two, with a safety always rotating to Owens’ side. This meant the Eagles now were playing with seven in the box, and Marion Barber began to find running room. He had only 14 first half yards on six carries, and he topped that on his first 2nd-half carry, a bend play around right end for 18 yards. He gained 49 second half yards on 12 carries, a far more respectable 4.1 average.
Cover two also compromised Philly’s rush. Thirteen of the Eagles first fourteen second-half pass calls rushed four men, a meager 7% average. The Cowboys’ line handled these rushes with relative ease, giving Romo time to work his backs and tight ends in the middle of the field against Philly linebackers. When the Eagles went to man coverage, they still tracked T.O. with two players. Owens cleared out the right side of the Eagles defense on a third quarter play from the Philly 17, giving Barber the space to catch a touchdown against the overmatched MLB Stewart Bradley.
That’s Why They Pay Him the Big Money
Amazingly, Garrett had the perfect play for the one time in that 14-pass sequence where Johnson blitzed. He called a screen to Barber on a 1st down play where Johnson rushed six men. Barber followed three blockers along the far sideline for 25 yards. Johnson again backed off; he would blitz just twice more in the game.
In a fitting end to his evening, Owens beat the new Eagle Asante Samuel, drawing an interference call in the end zone that set up Barber’s game winning run. T.O. left the field knowing he had gotten the better of all three Philly corners.
Owens appears to have found a 6th gear at age 34, one that makes good cornerbacks look stupid. He not only beats everybody, he flat-out scares everybody, top-tier coordinators included.
Note: Updated offensive stats will be posted later today.
The Cowboys Take Their Lumps but Win a Decision - Cowboys 41, Eagles 37
September 16, 2008
Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb turned back the clock last night; Romo played Don Meredith and McNabb played Sonny Jurgensen, reprising the 1966 shootout where those two combined for 701 passing yards. Romo and McNabb didn’t quite throw that far, combining for 593 yards through the air. They didn’t lack for highlights in the Cowboys 41 -37 win, making big throws, runs and mistakes. They posted 54 points on the scoreboard by halftime, when Philadelphia claimed a 30-24 lead.
They were not the only players in a throwback mode. Terrell Owens did his Bob Hayes impersonation, destroying the Eagles deep coverage, grabbing a 72 yard TD on Dallas’ first drive, crossing the goal line like a sprinter breaking the finish line tape. Jason did his best Mike Ditka, leaving the field to have an AC shoulder joint x-rayed (the Cowboys radio team said it was separated). He returned and caught over 80 of his game-leading 110 receiving yards with the bad wing.
The defense, while burned, showed an old-school trait missing in recent Cowboys defenses. They adjusted at halftime and surrendered only 7 points after intermission. What’s more, they finished with late pressure. They faced McNabb twice in the last 4:30 of play, forcing a three-and-out on the first series and a turnover on downs on the Eagles’ final drive. Greg Ellis and Demarcus Ware sacked McNabb in the final four plays, taking out frustrations built up over 59 minutes of chasing the QB around the Texas Stadium turf.
* * * * * *
Both teams brought in aggressive game plans, designed to exploit the other’s aggressive blitzing. The Eagles got great field position after Nick Folk sent the opening kickoff out of bounds. On 3rd and 6 from the Dallas 42, the Eagles went max protection, keeping Brian Westbrook and backup TE Brent Celek in while sending three receivers deep.
Or so it seemed. Celek teamed with RT Jon Runyan on Greg Ellis for two seconds, then released upfield. There were no linebackers or safeties in the middle of the field, as they dropped deep to cover the receivers, so Celek had an open field and took McNabb’s short pass 19 yards to the Dallas 23. The Cowboys held and the Eagles settled for a field goal, beginning a trend that would benefit Dallas in the end.
Dallas showed a more direct attacking style on its first drive. Facing 3rd and nine, Romo converted by finding Owens, who ran a curl route from the “delta” package. Three plays later, Dallas had not moved a yard, facing 3rd and 10 from its 28.
The Cowboys lined up in a a two TE set with Owens wide left. He feighed a square in at 12 yards. Romo pump faked towards him and SS Sean Considine bit hard, rushing up to break up the throw. When Owens sprinted up field on his double move he left Considine and CB Lito Sheppard five yards behind him. He slowed down to catch Romo’s bomb and romped into the end zone.
The Eagles made another modest drive to the Dallas 27, the big play being a curl to Greg Lewis in between the line of the Dallas’ zone. Improved pressure forced two incompletions on 2nd and 3rd down and David Akers nailed his second field goal, cutting Dallas’ lead to 7-6
Felix Jones pushed it to eight points in just 13 seconds, taking the ensuring kickoff 98 yards, behind stellar wedge blocks from Tony Curtis, Joe Berger, Pat McQuistan, Deon Anderson and Isaiah Stanback.
Dallas forced a three and out and seemed to have the game under control. Two huge Romo mistakes quickly turned the score in the Eagles’ favor. After a short Barber run, Romo ducked under an Eagles’ blitz. He rolled to his right and sidearmed a pass towards Miles Austin, who was open 12 yards upfield. The pass was high and sailed over Stanback and into the arms of Asante Samuel, who returned the pick to the Cowboys’ 28.
On the next play McNabb threw into the end zone for Lewis, who was well covered by Anthony Henry. Lewis lost his balance and cleverly drew an interference penalty. He grabbed Henry’s jersey and pulled the CB on top of him as he fell into the corner. The referee ruled Henry had pushed Lewis down and flagged Henry, putting the ball at the one. Brian Westbrook scored on the next play and the game was 14-13.
Isaiah Stanback mishandled Akers’ kickoff, letting it roll into the end zone. He was tackled at the Cowboys five. On the next play from scrimmage, Romo literally dropped the ball as he was turning to handoff to Marion Barber. Romo picked up the ball in the end zone and fumbled when he was hit by Omar Gaither. Chris Gocong recovered and the Eagles were suddenly ahead by six points.
The rookies helped Dallas quickly regain the lead. Felix Jones took the kickoff 43 yards to Dallas’ 44. On 3rd and 10 Romo found Witten behind Brian Dawkins for 14. Witten left the field in pain and was taken for x-rays on his injured shoulder.
Sensing that the Eagles would not double T.O., Jason Garrett called on the rookies in Witten’s absence. He called a reverse for Jones that gained six. He then called a tight end screen to Martellus Bennett, who raced up the right side to the Eagles 16.
Marion Barber finally found space inside, running a 2nd down trap for eleven yards to the Eagles four. Owens then beat Dawkins on a slant and Dallas was back in front 21-20.
Philadelphia then unveiled its special play. On 1st and ten from its 39, the Eagles lined up in a tight formation, with Lewis lined up as a wing outside L.J. Smith on the left, Westbrook in the backfield to McNabb’s right and Celek as the right end right. Jackson was the lone wide receiver, though he was lined up in the right slot.
Dallas deployed in zone. Jackson got a free release off the line and ran right at, and then right past Roy Williams. The Eagles used chip blocking from each TE to slow the Dallas OLBs and gave McNabb a solid pocket. He waited for his fastest receiver to torch Dallas’ slowest secondary player and then hit Jackson for an apparent 61 yard touchdown.
The ball was placed at the one when replays found Jackson had spiked the ball at the Dallas one. The ref had blown the play dead, assuming a score, so the Cowboys could not recover Jackson’s mistake. Westbrook scored on a dive and the Eagles were back in front.
The Eagles had a chance to make their own blowout when their defense forced a Cowboys punt. Philly then made an impressive march, converting a 3rd and long when it kept in seven men to block the Cowboys’ four rushers, giving McNabb time to find Jackson down the field on Pat Watkins. A few plays later, McNabb shook free from Greg Ellis, who looked to have a sack. The QB scrambled to the Dallas ten.
Here, for the third time in the half, the defense forced the Eagles to accept a field goal. Good coverage on 3rd down allowed Ellis to catch McNabb at the Dallas 4.
The Cowboys were down nine but regained the field goal when Jason Witten got behind Brian Dawkins for 42 yards, moving Dallas to the Philly 33 with just seven seconds to go. Nick Folk nailed a 51 yarder for the score.
The Eagles adjusted their coverage in the second half, giving their corners safety help after T.O. caught a 55 yard pass late in the 2nd quarter. (The play was nullified by a penalty.) In the second half, Garrett and Romo then adapted by running more and throwing short to the tight ends and backs. Dallas moved this way to a 3rd and 4 on the Eagles’ 17 early in the 4th. Dallas had converted a similar play earlier with a Felix Jones draw and the Eagles stacked the box.
Garrett countered by running Barber on a wheel route left. He easily got clear of MLB Stewart Bradley and put the Cowboys back in front, 31-30.
The Eagles went back to their pattern of throwing intermediate passes in front of the Dallas zone, converting one big play to Lewis on 3rd and 10. McNabb coufounded the Dallas rush when he scrambled right and flipped an unhanded throw to Westbrook, who raced from the Dallas 46 to the 28. A 15 yard facemask on Pat Watkins, the third such penalty on Dallas in the game, moved Philly to the 14. Westbrook scored his third short run one play later and the Eagles were back up by six.
Romo returned to the short game, hitting Witten for nine and Barber for 25 on a screen that reclaimed three points. When McNabb and Westbrook bungled an exchange on the following drive Dallas had the break it needed.
Romo returned to the short game, hitting Patrick Crayton for sixteen and Miles Austin for nine yards on two short passes, before he found Witten in front of Dawkins in the Philly zone. Romo hit Witten at the Eagles five. An interference call on Asante Samuel moved the ball to the one, where Barber scored on 2nd down.
Dallas was again in the lead and this time it kept it. The pass rush so erratic the first 55 minutes, asserted itself on the last two Eagles drives. Ellis and Ware got the better of Jon Runyan and sacked McNabb twice. When the Eagles failed on a hook and lateral on 4th and 17 with 1:10 left, the Cowboys Nation could finally exhale.
Notes
– Brian Dawkins has been the best safety in the NFC for about a decade, but last night the Cowboys made him look old. Think back to the ‘06 Christmas Day thumping the Eagles gave Dallas. Dawkins played over the top on T.O. all game and made a game settling pick on a deep ball to T.O. early in the 4th quarter.
Last night, Philly was cocky enough to put him one-on-one against T.O. when Dallas was in the red zone. Owens beat him easily for a touchdown by running a slant. Jason Witten really abused him, catching three passes for 88 yards against Dawkins. One was a huge 42 yarder before the half that let Dallas cut the lead from nine to six.
In the fourth, Tony Romo just missed Witten on a 30 yard post in front of Dawkins. On the next series the Cowboys went back to the same play and Witten gained 32, setting up Marion Barber’s game winning score.
Having Dawkins lose a step is like having Ken Hamlin turn into Keith Davis before your eyes. If he’s lost it the Eagles have a huge hole in their deep middle. We all saw how T.O. abused Sean Considine on his 72 yard TD.
– A good night for the Dallas special teams. They gave up one long return to midfield but remember Nick Folk kicked off eight times last night. None of the other returns got beyond the Eagles’ 28.
The punt coverage was strong but the real story was kickoff returns, where Felix Jones amassed 248 yards on six returns, with a 98 yard TD run topping the list.
– A lot of fans were disturbed by the Cowboys’ lack of rush, but that’s more a product of the Eagles’ game plan and Donovan McNabb’s legs. The Cowboys dropped him four times, including twice on Philly’s final series, when the outcome was in doubt. Were McNabb, well, not McNabb, Dallas might have had seven or eight, as he escaped several wrapups and scrambled for first downs.
Dallas got pressure, but couldn’t get it play after play.
If it makes you feel any better, they’re slamming the Eagles lousy rush line in Philly. The Inquirer’s Paul Domowitch groused today about “a defensive line that was unable to get any pressure on Tony Romo.”
They got pressure on him, but like McNabb, Romo made their jobs harder. The Eagles didn’t sack Romo once.
– You like the rookies now? Jones was huge. Martellus Bennett caught a big 20 yard screen just after Jason Witten visited the locker room for x-rays on an injured shoulder. He got a lot more reps and Romo threw teh ball his way. And Bennett doens’t run short routes. The Cowboys drafted him because he can get upfield and they send him upfield.
Mike Jenkins got his first extensive work in the Dallas dime package and broke up a deep pass to Greg Lewis.
– Does anybody take Nick Folk for granted? I don’t. He hit huge 51 and 47 yarders.
– Roy Williams is out for a month with a broken forearm. Pat Watkins replaced him last night. I wonder if we’ll see Courtney Brown get some chances? He’s got the coverage skills the other two guys don’t. But can he tackle in the box?
Felix Jones — He’s Crafty — Like a Cat
September 16, 2008
Felix Jones paid an immediate dividend last night, taking a David Akers kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown one play after the Eagles had drawn within 7-6. His returns show that he’s a natural at setting up defenders and already understands how to use his wedge. This suggests he’ll have a long and successful kickoff return career ahead of him.
Two years ago, I watched former special teams coach Bruce DeHaven work with the Cowboys’ returners and watched him teach his guys to use cutbacks. Returners were instructed to initially run directly up the field, even if it was not behind the wedge. The intent is to pull coverage guys towards you and give your wedge blockers an angle. After running a few yards upfield, the game is to then cut behind your blockers.
Jones followed this technique perfectly. Dallas had a center return called. Jones fielded Akers kick on his two, about three yards inside the yard numbers on the far sideline.
The Cowboys wedge formed at the fifteen, just outside the far hash mark. The Cowboys use Tony Curtis, Joe Berger, Pat McQuistan and Deon Anderson as their center four. They join hands and then move forward together under control until they encounter the line of Eagles. The returner who doesn’t field the kick, Isaiah Stanback in this case, runs up and flanks Anderson, adding a fifth blocker to the wedge.
Jones was about five to seven yards wide and to the left of Curtis, the closest wedge member, when he fielded the ball. Instead of angling to his right and running immediately to get behind his five bodyguards, Jones ran straight upfield, to about the ten.
At this point, the wedge met the center of the Eagles line, secondary man J.R. Reid and linebackers Akeem Jordan and Torrance Daniels.
By initially heading upfield, Jones challenged the coverage guys to leave their lanes and attack him. Daniels stayed in his lane and was double teamed by Curtis and Berger. Reid stayed in his lane and was double teamed by Anderson and Stanback on the right side of the wedge.
Jordan, the center defender of the Philly trio, tried cutting outside of McQuistan to the offensive lineman’s left, in an attempt to hem Jones towards the sideline. This was the break Jones was looking for. As McQuistan was shoving Jordan towards the far sideline, Felix cut sharply to his right, into the lane that Jordan had vacated. Jones darted through this alley into the second level of coverage, where only Akers stood between the him and a score.
Felix cut sharply back to the far sideline and easily outraced the pursuit down the sideline, perhaps thinking what Brad Sham said on the radio broadcast, “you’re not catching me, you thirty-something year old white kicker…”
The cutback is a seemingly simple task, but it requires expert coordination with your wedge. The best returners have that timing. Mediocre ones never develop it. Felix already has it. That he made two more big returns last night only confirms this skill. Imagine what he could do with a little more practice?
Full game report later this morning.
Cowboys-Browns Review: How Do You Shut Down a Star?
September 8, 2008
The Cowboys defense hit its stride mid game yesterday, going almost 29 minutes, 28:58 to be exact, without allowing a Derek Anderson completion. The defense had a little help from a Braylon Edwards drop on Adam Jones, but didn’t need any more assistance.
The impressive task was shutting down Kellen Winslow Jr. who made some big grabs in the middle of Dallas’ defense on the Browns long TD drive that ended the 1st quarter and bled into the 2nd. Dallas used a variety of coverages on him in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, never allowing him to get single coverage on a linebacker or strong safety Roy Williams.
Much of the time, the Cowboys sent SOLB Greg Ellis with Winslow wherever he went. And when I write follow Winslow everywhere, I mean precisely that. Several times Winslow lined up as a wide receiver and Ellis lined up directly opposite him. Cleveland always ran in these situations and used Winslow as a decoy to gain an open an edge to run towards. The only time Winslow lined up as a traditional tight end, Ellis jammed him and passed him to ILB Bradie James, who put a second wallop on Winslow for good measure.
When Winslow lined up in the slot the Cowboys made sure had had a corner sitting in coverage with him. Anthony Henry, Adan Jones and Orlando Scandrick all took turns blanketing him. The only time Winslow caught a pass the last 40 minutes of the game came on the one play where he drew single coverage from Roy Williams. Winslow beat him on a nine yard out.
Rookie Watch
– For his stellar play outside and in the slot, Orlando Scandrick gets the rookie game ball. Cleveland has a dangerous passing attack and took some shots at Scandrick, but he was better than solid. The future looks very bright for him.
– Felix Jones gets the the runner up game ball. His big play skills should be obvious by now and his blocking isn’t bad. It’s inconsistent, however. If he can get better at it, he’ll play a lot this year.
– Mike Jenkins was busy on special teams. He was a gunner on the punt coverage unit and an edge player on the kickoff coverage squad.
– Martellus Bennett got a few series in the tight end rotation but didn’t draw a pass.
– Tashard Choice is also on the coverage units and got the last handful of carries in the game. He made two first downs.
Notes:
– A veteran game ball to Leonard Davis, who showed awesome power against the big uglies of the Cleveland defensive line. On Marion Barber’s 22 yard 2nd quarter draw, Davis punched out on 325 lb. Corey Williams and bowed the Brown backwards. Barber ran through the ample lane Davis created. Leonard’s best work came on Felix Jones’ 11 yard TD run late in the 3rd. He put a double team block on Shaun Rogers that helped roll the biggest Brown two yards off the line of scrimmage. Big Bigg then scraped off and blocked ILB Andre Davis, clearning a huge path off right guard for Jones’ first NFL touchdown.
Jay Ratliff told me in camp that Davis is the toughest offensive lineman he’s ever faced. The Browns linemen would probably tell you the same thing today.
Roy is Special
– the kickoff coverage unit yesterday:
- Justin Rogers
- Bobby Carpenter
- Kevin Burnett
- Pat Watkins
- Keith Davis
- Tashard Choice
- Mike Jenkins
- Deon Anderson
- Orlando Scandrick
- Nick Folk and…
- Roy Williams
Taking A Punch and Throwing Four: Dallas Clobbers Cleveland 28-10
September 7, 2008
On Dallas second 2nd half drive, Tony Romo took a Willie McGinnest helmet to the chin. He lay dazed on the turf for a moment, gathered his wits and responded with a deep completion on 3rd and long to Jason Witten. The pass was a body blow to a Browns team that was blitzing like crazy, trying to get back into a game the Cowboys put under control in the first half. Romo threw more jabs before Felix Jones knocked out the Browns with an eleven yard uppercut, following Leonard Davis and Cory Procter on power right to power Dallas to a 28-7 lead.
The subject of HBO’s Hard Knocks applied some to Cleveland today. The Cowboys ‘08 season began in a style that recalled the ’90s teams. Remember the ‘91 Cowboys, who went into Cleveland and dominated the Browns? Or the ‘94 team, which opened in Pittsburgh, thumping the Steelers 26-9?
Today’s performance was just as dominant. This team manhandled the Browns offense, stuffing the Cleveland running game and breaking up Cleveland’s rhythm in the middle two quarters after the Browns completed a touchdown drive on their second possession.
Adam Jones and Orlando Scandrick played well in their first Cowboys games. The Browns went hard at Scandick early and after Jones late and didn’t trouble either of them. Anthony Henry also looked strong as the secondary shackled Braylon Edwards. The Browns big-name wide out dropped a Derek Anderson bomb on Cleveland’s first series and disappeared afterwards. He finished with two catches for just 14 yards.
Kellen Winslow got off to a hot start but Dallas then moved Anthony Henry over him and Winslow’s game slowed down. He finished with 47 receiving yards, the only Brown to get more than 20. Derek Anderson got good protection from his blue chip line but the Cowboys secondary did a stellar job in coverge; Anderson passed for just 114 yards on 24 attempts, a weak 4.75 yards per attempt.
The dominance was even greater in the other matchup, where the Cowboys offensive line kept the Browns rushers out of Tony Romo’s area code. Hudson Houck’s guys gave Cory Procter the help he needed. Shaun Rogers beat Procter a couple of times but he was not a factor, spending shorter series on the field as the game progressed and his fatigue level increased.
Tony Romo posted All Pro numbers — he completed 70% of his passes and averaged 10 yards per attempt. He was on his way to a perfect day but rushed a pass from the Browns five that was intercepted late in the 3rd quarter, when Dallas was ready to blast to a 35-7 lead.
* * * * * *
The sharpness the Cowboys offense showed this summer carried over to the real games. The Cowboys had four first half series and drove for touchdowns on three of them. They drove methodically, opening the season with a perfectly balanced, 10-play, 80 yard drive. After a three and out the Cowboys raced 69 yards in just four plays. Dallas ended the half with another 10-play drive that pushed Dallas to a 21-7 lead just 26 seconds before the half.
Romo showed an impressible ability to take what the defense offered. Cleveland mixed a lot of zone and zone blitzes early, giving extra attention to T.O. Romo turned to Jason Witten, who abused safeties in the middle of the field for 19, 22 and 8 yards, the final catch giving Dallas first and goal at the one.
The second Witten completion demonstrates how tight the passing game was. On 2nd and 2 from the Browns’ 33, the defense lined up in a standard 3-4 look to match up with the Cowboys, who were in a two TE set, with Witten left and Martellus Bennett right. Just prior to the snap free safety Mike Adams sprinted up to the line and lined up just outside Flozell Adams.
The Browns were attempting an overload of the Dallas left side, but it was picked up superbly. Andre Gurode stalemated Shaun Rogers. Cory Procter stopped Robaire Smith, who tried cutting into the LG-LT gap. Adams passed Smith on to Procter and stoned Adams.
Outside, Kamerion Wimbley tried jamming Witten before coming on a delayed blitz. The jam was crucial with the blitz because inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson had to get out into the flat and cover the tight end. He would have no chance unless Witten was knocked off balance at the line. Witten got a clean release outside Wimbley, raced several yards clear of Jackson and took Romo’s floater down to the Cleveland 12.
On the next series, Garrett showed that he hasn’t lost his matchup touch, getting Owens, his best receiving weapon, matched up against… nobody.
On the third play of the series Dallas faced 2nd and 12 on the Cleveland 35. Dallas lined up with a diamond package on its left flank — Jason Witten flexed wide and on the line of scrimmage, with Owens a yard behind the LOS and set to Witten’s left; Patrick Crayton was also a yard off the LOS and to Witten’s right. Martellus Bennett was lined up as the tight end right off Marc Colombo’s shoulder and Marion Barber was the line back directly behind Romo.
Cleveland was in a 3-4 look with SOLB Kamerion Wimbley lined up in space over Witten, with CB Brandon McDonald playing five yards off the ball off T.O.’s outside shoulder.
Just before the snap, Crayton went in motion left, lining up wide outside T.O. McDonald slid wide to cover him. The motion also pulled Wimbley farther towards the sideline, giving Witten a free release upfield. The Browns were in zone and Crayton’s pre-snap motion put three receiving targets in an area where the Browns had only McDonald and a deep safety playing center field. Witten ran a post, pulling the safety with him.
This meant that McDonald was alone on the right edge trying to cover both Crayton and T.O. Crayton ran 15 yards upfield and stopped. Owens ran up the left seam, unchallenged. Romo saw him and threw a perfect pass. McDonald got into the TV shot but he never had a chance to close from his wide position. It seems amazing that Owens got a free release and no direct coverage, but the Cowboys have created matchups like this for him ever since Garrett took over the play calling.
All was not perfect. The Cowboys took eleven penalties. Romo made two horrible passes in the Cleveland red zone. He got away with one, which was dropped, but the second forced throw was picked off. Romo won’t have the luxury of big leads every week and needs to cut these throws down. Felix Jones did a poor job of blocking on the pick but Romo could have taken a sack or thrown the ball away. Instead, he tossed it blindly.
Don’t be surprised if Montrae Holland is activated soon. Cory Procter did a good job of run blocking but the Browns began to beat him consistently on pass plays in the 2nd half. He blocked linebackers but could not stay with interior linemen who had any moves. Rogers whipped him several times with spin and swim moves. Eagles DC Jim Johnson will no doubt take note and target him next week. The pass blocking Procter showed today isn’t good enough for the long haul.
On the whole, the Cowboys were more than good enough. They took a game Cleveland’s best shots and gave back in abundance. They’ll have to stay sharp because a much better punching Eagles team comes to Texas Stadium next week.
* * * * * *
The Kids Are Alright
The rookies showed their value on the Cowboys final drive of the game. Cleveland took a field goal with 10:13 to close the gap to 28-13. They never saw the ball again. Dallas started at its own 20 and ended the game on the Cleveland 13, using 15 plays, 13 of them runs, to bleed the clock.
The Cowboys got one first down by relying on Felix Jones. The rookie carried twice and then threw a key block on a blitzing Browns safety, giving Romo the time to hit Crayton for seven yards and a first down. a
Two consecutive holding penalties put Dallas in 1st and 29. The team converted on a 15 yard out to Isaiah Stanback and a 22 yard slash by Felix Jones behind Leonard Davis and Marc Colombo. Jones run was the first of eight consecutive runs he and Tashard Choice made to end the drive and the game.
Stanback contributed, adding two catches for 24 yards to the tally. He showed some solid blocking on the perimeter.
Jones was the real sensation. The rookie took over in the second half after Barber left to have his ribs examined. He finished with nine carries for 62 yards, a tidy 6.9 yard average. He had a long run of 22 yards and just missed a longer TD run in the late third quarter, where Mike Adams made a desperate ankle tackle.
Now We’re Gonna Remember “the Other Guy’s” Name
August 23, 2008
Remember that old Seinfeld joke about The Three Tenors, where the cast members could all recall Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo but couldn’t remember, “the other guy?”
Kyle Kosier has been “the other guy” on the Cowboys Five Redwoods line. People know Flozell Adams, Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode. They’re Pro Bowlers. We even mention Marc Colombo’s name, since tackles are visible on the edge and since he’s had a good camp.
People tend to ignore Kosier, except to rip him for being the guy who succeeded Larry Allen. When he was signed some folks posted links to YouTube clips of him getting beaten in his 49ers days, when he played out of position at tackle.
Come draft day, he’s always a whipping boy, whom some people are itching to bench. Last year there was a special section of bloggers here just dying to draft Texas’ Justin Blalock and drop him into Kosier’s spot, though Blalock was unproven.
In the meantime, Kosier has become the steady Eddie of the line, playing a solid, consistent left guard. He’s this decade’s John Gesek, the “other guy” from the ’90s,who toiled alongside bigger names like Erik Williams, Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei and Mark Stepnoski.
Last week, I mentioned that the Cowboys’ weakness is their interior offensive line depth. That fact could be rudely demonstrated next week against the Vikings because Kosier has suffered an apparent foot sprain and has an MRI scheduled for this afternoon to learn its severity.
Pray it’s not serious because the team needs him. The backups in the interior line, Joe Berger, Cory Procter and James Marten has been consistently underwhelming. Procter and Marten have looked just awful thus far and a source I spoke to this week, one who has seen game tape of the San Diego and Denver games, seconded that opinion. He also said Joe Berger had a poor performance against Denver.
I watched their games last night, brief as they were — the trio did not play until the last two series in the 4th quarter. I’m sorry to report that nothing has improved.
Berger and Procter are consistently being pushed backwards by bull rushes. This is a big no-no for an interior lineman. If you can’t anchor, how can your QB step up in the pocket and throw? Marten has had a lot of trouble handing quick interior rushers.
In short, I don’t trust any of these guys to sub in the absence of Kosier, Gurode or Davis. If Kosier’s injury is serious, I think the team might move RT Pat McQuistan to left guard. He worked at multiple positions in camp, but took most of his reps at RT and LG. He’s bigger and more athletic than any of the other three guys and played guard in college.
The Cowboys can’t afford any interior line leaks. The Vikings have two massive, athletic DTs in Pat Williams and Kevin Williams. They’re probably the best DT duo in football right now. If the Cowboys have to put Berger in at left guard I’m not confident he can keep the Williams boys off Tony Romo without center help. If Kosier isn’t around for the season opener, new Brown and former Lion Shaun Rogers will be lined up over Berger a lot.
It’s said you often don’t know what you have till it’s gone. If Kosier is gone for any appreciable amount of time, Cowboys fans may learn what he’s really worth — the hard way.
Update: Kosier is out up to six weeks. This is bad news, though the big brains at the DMN think Isaiah Stanback’s injury, which will cost him two weeks, is “the biggest blow.” I’ll refer you again to the title of my post.
Cowboys vs. Texans Open Thread
August 22, 2008
Here ya go.
Corner Watch, Post-Denver
August 19, 2008
Corner is supposed to be a new strength on the team. How did they play, with Terence Newman out of the lineup:
Here are the six guys behind Newman in the pecking order:
Anthony Henry:
- Thrown at: 3
- Completions: 3
- Yards: 54
Eddie Royal blew up Henry’s line with a 32 yard catch where Henry got his hands on the ball but could not bat it away from the Bronco. Played soft on a Brandon Marshall comeback on the next play and surrendered a four yarder later.
Mike Jenkins
- Thrown at: 4
- Completions: 4
- Yards: 54
Welcome to the NFL rookie. Denver went after him on their opening drive. Brandon Marshall ran him off on a comeback; Jenkins was still running up the field when Marshall made his cut. Denver then crossed him up, running a stop and go to Royal that got Jenkins to bite. He slipped, letting Royal cruise for 35. Marshall ended Jenkins’ evening by executing Sprint Right Option, otherwise known to Dallas fans as “The Catch” play. Marshall ran what looked like a square in, then pivoted and took off for the deep right corner, where he caught Jay Cutler’s pass for a touchdown.
Evan Oglesby
- Thrown at: 6
- Completed: 3
- Yards: 37
A decent line, but it’s actually less than meets the eye. Twice he was beaten but saw his receivers drop the passes, at eight and 19 yards. Brandon Stokley beat him with ease when the Broncos starters were in. Oglesby’s good camp work may be eroding, because…
Adam Jones
- Thrown at: 4
- Completed: 3
- Yards: 6
How about that YPA of 1.5. Jones looked much more comfortable than he did in San Diego. His tackling was much better and he dropped an interception. He’ll likely start in the nickel on the right corner, with Newman playing the slot when teams go three wide. If Jones continues to play this way, Oglesby is back on the bench, and the fans will resume their chants to get Anthony Henry benched too.
Mike Lombardi said on last week’s show that Jones is not Deion Sanders. Who is these days? If Jones can play nickel corner like this, we’ll all be ecstatic. Jacques Reeves could never sub like this.
Orlando Scandrick
- Thrown at: 1
- Completed: 1
- Yards: 0
Scandrick’s lone throw was a memorable one. He blew up Broncos wideout Glenn Martinez on the goalline; Scandrick tracked his man into the end zone, saw Martinez cutting beneath him, released his original WR and rolled up to pop Martinez. The kid is making big hits on a regular basis. He also came within an eyelash of blocking a field goal and had a 32 yard kickoff return. Those are three good ways to keep yourself on the active roster on Sundays.
Alan Ball
- Thrown at: 4
- Completed: 1
- Yards: 20
Another less-than-meets-the-eye line. Ball took a penalty on one of the other plays, escaped a completion on another play because Marcus Smith tipped the ball and avoided being beaten for a TD on a fade when Patrick Ramsey’s pass floated wide and out of bounds. Ball looked lost on a couple of these plays and needs to make some positive plays to earn another year on the roster.
– Two weeks ago, Oglesby looked like he might force the coaches to keep six corners. He looked pretty good against San Diego but Adam Jones and Orlando Scandrick have probably jumped him in the pecking order. Oglesby still has a decent chance but he’ll need big games against Houston and Minnesota to turn momentum back in his favor. If the decision had to be made today, I think Dallas would keep five corners.
The Sports Doctors 08/19/08 Podcast
August 19, 2008
In today’s episode, The Sports Doctors discuss the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Denver Broncos from the past Saturday. Tune in and discuss and Rafael talks about the bright spots and low lights of the game.
Selective Perception is Alive and Well in Cowboys Land
August 17, 2008
“Nobody knows anything…”
– William Goldman
Goldman was a highly successful screenwriter and said that oft-quoted line about Hollywood, but it could apply today, given the knee-jerk reactions in some quarters after yesterday’s loss to Denver.
To those in Hype-land, last night’s perfromance by the first team was “pathetic,” “putrid” and worse. Yeah, so? And if it was, what would it mean? Those same guys were dominant against the Chargers, who will have a better year than Denver. Did the Cowboys become chopped liver in seven days? Did they lose the killer instinct for winning meaningless mid-August games?
For those who need reminding:
- Dallas’ record at this time in ‘07: 2-0.
- New England’s record at this time in ‘07: 0-2.
- Miami’s record at this time in ‘07: 2-0.
Nobody knows anything at this point, at least based on pre-season performances.
You can say the Cowboys hot start helped propel them to a strong season, but that would be logically inconsistent. Because:
Dallas went 0-2 in their last two pre-season games, finishing 2-2. After last year’s Broncos game, Denver was hot because the Cowboys were blitzing like mad. The third game is supposed to be “the dress rehearsal” and yet Dallas looked awful losing to the Texans.
Do we take the two early wins as being indicative of future performance, or the last two? Or concede that none of these games mean anything?
Last year Wade had “Camp Cupcake.” This year he’s had “Camp Marshmallow.” Yet he was 2-0 last year with the softies. And he’s 0-2 this year with the softies. Do we say that the softness made for a healthier, better team in ‘07 or a weaker, less disciplined team this year? Or again conclude that we can’t conclude anything from the results so far?
I’ll go off camp performance. I’ve watched the last four. In ‘05, Dallas had no pass rush, save for Demarcus Ware, and Bill Parcells was trying to make do with Rob Petitti at RT and Keith Davis at FS. Those gambles went snake eyes and his guys were a disappointing 9-7.
In ‘06, Parcells started with Drew Bledsoe, in spite of hot-shot Tony Romo’s hot camp. In one late camp practice, the Tuna took a long, slow walk to an empty end of the practice field after watching his guys blow assignment after assignment. He looked skywards, as if to say, “why me? Why am I still doing this?” That team lived down to his fears, with a maddening tendency to yo-yo from week to week, playing up to tougher opponents like Indy and playing down to mediocrities like that year’s Raiders.
Last year Romo looked razor sharp in San Antonio, T.O. was unstoppable and the defense showed more athleticism and speed. Those tells carried over to the season, not the up and down pre-season performances.
My point? Camp performances have been pretty consistent indicators of team performance. And this year’s camp was the best of the bunch. The one thing that concerned me was the over-aggressive play of the secondary, which drew a lot of laundry when the real refs arrived.
Seeing Adam Jones‘ play jump up made me feel a lot better. Anthony Henry gave up one big throw, but had his hands on the football that play. He’ll be there. So will Terence Newman. Getting Mike Jenkins farther along his learning curve will help. The special team’s overall performance last night matched the level of attention its received this summer.
Since everybody is tailoring the Cowboys performances to their own biases, I’m taking the liberty of staying calm. The first teamers looked good in Oxnard and they looked good in San Diego. That works for me, last night notwithstanding. The defense looked like it had more rush options and showed that against the Chargers. I’ll rely on those performances.
Hey, I know just as much as anybody else, which at this point is exactly nothing.
Why I’m Not Worried About The Special Teams — Yet
August 11, 2008
The late political pundit Molly Ivins was once asked how she became such a leftist firebrand when she was raised in a conservative Baptist household? “I was baptised several times as a child,” she said with a grin. “I was dropped in the water at least three times… but it never took.”
Molly could have been talking about the Cowboys punt coverage units. They were one of the trouble spots in 2007 and the team did not skimp on time or effort at Oxnard to prepare them for 2008. Every day several segments of each practice were devoted to special teams.
And in each drill, several coaches worked with the players to improve their techniques. Dallas broke every different special teams play into micro pieces, to allow every player to receive one-on-one prep with an assistant. Special teams has received as much attention as you could hope to see, which is why I’m staying far away from the panic button, even after the Cowboys’ woeful performance containing Darren Sproles Saturday night.
The fickle finger of fate will point at Bruce Read if the units don’t develop better consistency this year. However, at this point, I wonder if it’s the core guys on that group, the Justin Rogers, the Deon Andersons, the Kevin Burnetts, the Bobby Carpenters, the Pat Watkins and the like who might be having trouble getting those lessons to take?
Listen to Read’s descriptions of the team’s special teams teaching approach, the number of players he runs through, how much turnover occurs on special teams week to week and the many new return options Dallas has in ‘08:
Bruce Read on Dallas' ST Teaching Style: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Read on the Size of his Special Teams Squad: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Read on week-to-week turnover: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Read on Dallas' '08 Returners: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadG-Men Top the Raggedy Men, 21-17
January 13, 2008
A 94 yard drive? Not worth much.
A 20 play drive just before the half? Lost in the shuffle.
Tony Romo took the heat for going to Mexico, but it was his teammates who looked like they had too many margaritas by the pool this week.
Why?
Let’s see:
- A Demarcus Ware offsides penalty wipes out an incompletion and a three and out on New York’s initial drive;
- Two missed tackles on a short out to Amani Toomer two plays later turn a short gain into a 52 yard touchdown reception.
- New York goes 71 yards in just 40 seconds after Dallas scored on a bludgeoning 20 play drive to take a 14-7 lead with 47 seconds left in the half.
- Anthony Fasano lets a Tony Romo bullet bounce off his pads on the goaline on Dallas’ opening drive of the 3rd quarter.
- Romo, who made several daring escapes and throws, overthrows an open Terrell Owens on the following play from scrimmage. Owens was free to make a first down, if not a touchdown. A fourteen play, 8:07 drive ends with a short field goal, not a touchdown. This sequence would prove fatal.
- An unnecessary roughness penalty on Leonard Davis wipes out a ten yard pass to Jason Witten when Dallas was trying to march out of its own red zone;
- Patrick Crayton drops a pass two plays later that would have converted a 3rd and 13 deep in Dallas territory. The drop wasted a great Romo scramble.
- Two missed tackles, one by Patrick Watkins, give R.W. McQuarters room to run 25 yards to Dallas’ 37, setting up New York’s last scoring drive of the day.
Notes:
– Okay Marion Barber partisans, here are the splits:
- 1st half — 16 carries, 100 yards;
- 2nd half — 11 carries, 29 yards;
He’s not such a 4th quarter beast when he’s as tired as the defense, is he? Plus, he missed a blocking assignment on a key 4th quarter sack.
– When Patrick Crayton shot his mouth off after the Cowboys’ second win over New York, Deion Sanders shook his head in the NFL Network studios and said, “let your game do the talking.”
Perhaps today Patrick Crayton learned that he’s not Jerry Rice. A drop on after Romo made a key Houdini-like escape set up New York’s short TD drive.
Later, he pulled up on a fade route that would have been the game winner with sixteen seconds left. Let’s hope the big money didn’t turn him into a pumpkin.
– There will be lots of finger pointing and blame cast, but in my opinion there’s only one head I want — special teams coach Bruce Read’s. His units were poor all year and today had their worst game of the season. They didn’t tackle on coverage and their penalties on returns repeatedly left Dallas deep inside their own red zone.
Today, Sam Hurd took a holding penalty that pushed Dallas back to its own 10, a block in the back penalty put Dallas at its own 13, a 45 yard kickoff return was allowed and the 25 yard punt return meant New York only had to travel 37 yards to take its final lead. Dallas never got a kickoff past its 23, save for Miles Austin’s return to the 33 with one second left in the first half on a squib kick.
– It’s likely the last game for:
Jacques Reeves. How did the Giants go 71 yards in 40 seconds? Let’s see:
- 22 yard completion on Reeves;
- 11 yard completion on Reeves with a 15 yard facemask penalty tacked on;
- 19 yard pass to Kevin Boss on Reeves to convert a 3rd and 10;
That’s 67 yards in three plays. New York scored on a short pass to Amani Toomer right after the Boss completion.
Does anybody still doubt that cornerback will be a priority for this team in the draft?
Patrick Watkins — the defensive version of Tyson Thompson. Can’t cover and can’t tackle. Made some key special teams whiffs today.
And sadly, Terry Glenn. The old veteran was inconsolable on the sideline after the game. He reportedly took some strands of field turf with him on his tear-stained walk off the field.
Sleepy, Sloppy, Spectacular. Dallas Shades Detroit 28-27
December 9, 2007
Shall we say they’re slow Witten?
The Dallas defense stumbled through four quarters today, looking slow, soft and spaced out. They let a league worst running attack rip their interior defense. They conceded comebacks on the left and right flanks over and over, allowing the Lions to convert third and longs repeatedly.
They got a little lucky, when the normally automatic Jason Hanson missed a short field goal early in the fourth quarter. Then, they applied their best pressure of the day on a key third and long after conceding two first downs after Jason Witten had fumbled the ball on the Detroit one with just over four minutes to go.
The sequence required that the offense drive 83 yards with 2:22 and no time outs left. Tony Romo succeeded, working short to Marion Barber, Sam Hurd and Witten, who redeemed his fumble with a 16 yard TD reception with 18 seconds left, completing a comeback from a 27-14 deficit. The final catch capped a fifteen catch, 138 yard day; with the Lions doubling and tripling Terrell Owens and daring Romo to beat them in other ways, Witten became the weapon of choice.
Longer game report later.
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