November 2007 - Posts
-
 If Tony Romo’s 35-yard completion to Patrick Crayton on third-and-19 from the Cowboys 11 wasn’t the biggest play of the game, then this one was: DeMarcus Ware’s sack of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers on third-and-5 from the Packers 40 with the Cowboys leading only 27-24 and 13 minutes left in the game to force a punt. “If they got a first down, there is no telling if they would have scored, so I guess it was a big play,” said Ware, who now has 10 sacks, his second consecutive double-digit sack season with four games still to play. “If you got a lead like that, you just got to make plays.”
Sure, the Cowboys defense gave up 27 points and 357 yards, 233 of those passing. But really, they were like two plays away from turning in a stellar performance. One, the ridiculous 62-yard touchdown run by Ryan Grant on a third-and-1 with the Cowboys leading 13-3 late in the first quarter. That was their opponents’ longest run of the season by 18 yards. And two, the 43-yard pass play, Rodgers to Greg Jennings, setting up the Packers’ half-ending touchdown, cutting the Cowboys lead to 27-17. That was just an 8-yard out on second-and-11 from the 25, but missed tackles doomed the Cowboys. Add ‘em up, that’s 105 yards on just two plays.
Told you the key to stopping Brett Favre was pressure. And boy did the Cowboys get pressure on the 38-year-old quarterback, sacking him twice in the first 19:49 of the game. Not only that, but the Cowboys must have hit him a half-dozen times, two of those hits causing interceptions, and the one by Nate Jones on a blitz not only leading to Terence Newman’s third pick in three games, but knocking Favre out of the game at the 10:11 mark with a sore elbow and a separated shoulder.
|
-
Well, here we go, down the stretch drive, those final five games of the season. As you know, the Cowboys have gone 2-3 in the final five games of each of the past four seasons under Bill Parcells. But at least the Cowboys have some equity built up this time, already having won 10 games. My gosh, if they went 2-3 down this stretch, they would finish the season 12-4, matching the franchise’s second-best 16-game season record. Anyone out there pick the Cowboys to go better than 12-4 this year? But don’t think this is lost on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. When asked if he’s convinced the Cowboys are beyond that final five-game fade, Jones said all he keeps thinking is, “Boy, let’s not go 2-3 over the last five again. That keeps haunting me.”
Key to the game? The Cowboys receivers’ ability to bust through bump-and-run coverage at the line of scrimmage. They must come off the ball attacking, making sure Charles Woodson, if he plays (I say he does), and Al Harris don’t get their hands on them to terribly delay getting into the route. If they don’t get off the line somewhat cleanly, Tony Romo might find it difficult to buy time against the Packers’ pass rush. It’s almost as if Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd need to be the aggressors.
Also, keep an eye on Jason Witten. The Packers have struggled taking care of quality tight ends. Three tight ends have gone for 100 yards against the Packers – San Diego’s Antonio Gates 11 for 113; Washington’s Chris Cooley nine for 105; and Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez 10 for 109. Oh, and the Chicago tight ends combined to catch seven passes for 119 yards. So the Packers might have to rethink allowing their linebackers to run with Witten or chance bringing a safety down to cover.
And the score . . . Cowboys 30, Packers 27, that home-field Texas Stadium advantage enough to forge the three-point difference. That, and the Cowboys’ ability to run the ball enough to keep that Green Bay defense on its heels, requiring some safety help to stop Julius Jones and Marion Barber.
|
-
Terrell Owens has registered four 100-yard receiving games in the past five and five for the season, along with a 97-yarder. Well, Green Bay, with corners Charles Woodson and Al Harris, has allowed only two receivers to catch 100 yards worth of receptions in the past 24 games. Something’s got to give.
Note, though: Woodson is suffering from a turf toe injury sustained against Detroit on Thanksgiving and did not practice for a second straight day on Monday. But the Packers’ coaching staff has no problem holding Woodson out of practice for injury reasons and then letting him play if ready on game day. The Packers also are working Tramon Williams as their punt returner instead of Woodson. Also not at practice again on Monday was pass-rush specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and safety Aaron Rouse, who attended practice but reportedly did very little.
Strange day Sunday for Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips. All these years coaching in the NFL, and he couldn’t remember ever practicing for a regular-season game on Sunday. “Yesterday was really odd,” Phillips said, the Cowboys having to work on Sunday following their Thanksgiving Day game since they play again this Thursday. It’s the first time the Cowboys have followed their holiday game with anything but a 10-day break.
So tell me this: Are you kicking the ball to Devin Hester?
|
-
No secret to the Cowboys the Packers like to play their cornerbacks in bump-and-run coverage. So Cowboys savvy wide receivers coach Ray Sherman, the former Packers offensive coordinator, had his receivers on Sunday working on different drills to break those jams at the line of scrimmage. The guys seemed to be taking this portion of practice very seriously, too.
With reporters infiltrating The Ranch on Sunday, and surely more to arrive over the next few days since the game is at Texas Stadium, one covering the Packers asked Wade Phillips if the Cowboys, with Jason Witten, would try to take advantage of the Packers’ perceived inability to cover tight ends. Phillips, undaunted as he’s been all year to criticize too much about his 10-1 team, responded by saying, “Seems like their pass defense is 10-1.”
If reporters had their way, they certainly would subscribe to the long-ago Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album 4 Way Street. We all like it every way we can get it. First, it’s been the heavy criticism Roy Williams has been getting for his pass coverage. Then the Cowboys remove him from this particular nickel package that includes three defensive linemen, four linebackers, three corners and one safety (Ken Hamlin). So now Phillips is getting peppered not about the possibility of taking Williams off the nickel, but about why Williams is being taken out of coverage in those three-cornerback alignments, to the point of not starting him Thursday against the Jets’ game-opening three-receiver set. Duh! Why not? He’s not a linebacker, and you sure as hell want to limit his man coverage responsibilities. And if you are playing a single-safety high, who you want back there, Hamlin or Williams?
Tell you the truth, sure would feel better about the Cowboys’ chances in this game with Patrick Crayton on the field. He didn’t practice Sunday, but Phillips said there would be a chance he’d be back out there on Monday. Probably the same way the Packers feel about Charles Woodson (toe), Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (leg) and Donald Driver (ankle). But with the altered week of practice, evidently the NFL will not ask the two teams to officially fess up about practice participation until Tuesday.
|
-
So the Cowboys must really like this single-high safety formation on one of their sub-package defenses to combat three-receiver sets when it’s like first or second down. Because when the Jets opened in three wides, instead of playing standard defense and forcing Roy Williams to get caught in single coverage wide, they came in with their two-inside-linebacker nickel, with Anthony Henry coming in for Akin Ayodele and Kevin Burnett coming in for Williams – better cover guys and still sound against the run. Which means Williams didn’t technically start a game for the first time in his six-year career.
Seemed pretty noticeable Patrick Crayton missed this game with a sprained ankle. His replacement, Sam Hurd, was held to just one reception, and it appeared, with Jets corner Darrelle Revis shadowing Owens, bumping him on the line of scrimmage with safety help over the top, Tony Romo wasn’t finding anything to the other side. Receivers not getting open had a lot to do with Romo getting sacked three times, which matched his season high.
All right, the Cowboys and Packers held serve, both moving to 10-1, putting together the titanic match-up next Thursday at Texas Stadium. But guess what, the Packers have lost eight straight at Texas Stadium – regular season and playoffs. Why, the last time they beat the Cowboys at Texas Stadium was the final game of the 1989 season (1-15) when it was so cold here, the pipes in the bathrooms froze and first-year head coach Jimmy Johnson departed nearly immediately after the game to The Bahamas to escape the misery.
|
-
The Cowboys have four former players suiting up for the New York Jets, but maybe the closest relationship will be Cowboys starting right defensive end Chris Canty and Jets starting left offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. The two guys played at the University of Virginia for three years together and will be meeting up (literally) for the first time in the NFL. “I can’t wait to see him on Thursday,” said Canty, in his third season. “I know all our coaches from back in college will be watching.” Maybe Wade Phillips needs to name Canty captain again. Or how ‘bout Julius Jones, facing brother Thomas for a second Thanksgiving game? Just a thought.
With just one sack on Thursday, Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware could vault himself into the NFL sack lead, even if it might be for only a few days. Ware enters the game with nine sacks, just a half-sack behind co-leaders Jared Allen of Kansas City and Mike Vrabel of New England, and tied for third with Philadelphia’s Trent Cole and Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman. Sack guys are just like home-run hitters. Ware knows exactly how many he has and where he stands. Can’t remember the last time the Cowboys had a player leading the league in sacks this late in a season.
With Patrick Crayton listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, but appearing on the wrong side of 50-50 since he still was walking around in a boot at The Ranch on Wednesday, Sam Hurd and Austin Miles must step up a notch. But my guess is, the guy who really must step up is tight end Jason Witten, who could figure into the nickel offense even more since Austin really hasn’t played that much wide receiver this season.
And the score . . . Cowboys 24, Jets 10, and to me, when you play another game four days later, the theme of the day is, just win, baby. And the key might be to keep the Jets from going into the second half with momentum since that’s when the quick turnaround for the visiting team really kicks in hard.
|
-
Play of the game? How about Wade Phillips’ challenge of Rocky McIntosh’s interception and return to the Cowboys 3 with the Redskins leading at the time, 10-7. Phillips said linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni said McIntosh looked like he might not have controlled the ball when he went to the ground. So Phillips came running out on the field as if a javelin thrower, heaving the red flag on the run. Sure enough, when McIntosh hit the ground, the ball jostled loose, the ground causing the ball to reposition in his hands. Incomplete. Next play, Patrick Crayton burns the Redskins’ zone, drawing a 51-yard interference call, leading to Romo’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens. The Cowboys led 14-10 when they very well could have trailed, 17-7.
And as I was saying earlier last week: Any more complaints about DeMarcus Ware? Seven more tackles, another sack, another forced fumble, a pass defensed and nearly dragging Washington quarterback Jason Campbell down again, but into a critical grounding call. The guy now has nine sacks, tied for the NFC lead. And God bless him, he was cramping up bad in the fourth quarter. Barely had anything left, but was still going against Redskins top tackle Chris Samuels. The guy needed two IV’s after the game.
OK, so I was wrong on this one, though. Said there was no way without big-time receivers healthy the Redskins would expose the Cowboys’ coverage on a tight end as the Giants did last week with Jeremy Shockey. Ha. First possession, a 16-yard pass to Chris Cooley is followed by a 19-yard touchdown pass to Cooley. The culprit both times? Yep, you guessed it, Roy Williams, but certainly he will blame someone else, actually pointing at the poor Bradie James who did a good job running underneath Cooley’s touchdown route knowing he has safety help over the top. This now means that in the past two games Shockey and Cooley have combined for 20 receptions worth 219 yards and two touchdowns. Look, I don’t care what they’re paying Roy, something’s got to give, and I actually saw a couple of plays he came off the field in a couple of the change-up defenses.
|
-
Want to predict the game Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo sets the team’s single-season touchdown pass record? You know he has 23, just six short of Danny White’s 1983 record with still seven games to go. I mean, he’s on pace to throw 41. But even more amazing is that nine games into his first season as the season-opening starter Romo has matched Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman’s single-season high (23). Then again, Romo isn’t playing with a four-time NFL rushing leader nor the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
Wade Phillips comes off as this happy-go-lucky guy who is just glad to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Why just the other day when asked to expound on being 8-1 and if the nine-game record is beyond his wildest imagination, Phillips gave one of his oh-shucks answers, saying, “I’m just riding this train and ringing the bell.” Yeah right. Well you should have heard him sound off about those personal fouls the Cowboys drew against the Giants after Thursday’s press conference. This was a side of Phillips rarely seen, and you would do well to read Rob Phillips’ piece on this.
Told you the NFL would take that second sack away from the Giants. They did, which not only is good news to the Cowboys’ offensive line, which now has given up just 12 sacks in nine games, but also to Cowboys outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, whose eight sacks now match Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who returns to eight. That also reduces the number of guys ahead of Ware in NFC sacks to just three.
And the score . . . Cowboys 30, Redskins 13, once again the Cowboys finding themselves in a first-half tussle, then slowly but surely pulling away in the second half – providing they can control an improving Jason Campbell.
|
-
You know, I keep hearing and reading how Tony Romo won’t become a top-notch quarterback – never mind his 103.3 QB rating leads the NFC and is third in the NFL behind Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger – until he quits taking so many chances and throwing so many interceptions. OK, he does have 11, and that’s like 27th in the NFL. But does anyone saying this stuff realize five of those 11 interceptions came in one game? Look, I know they count, but he had one really bad game that he won. Peyton Manning threw in a clunker on Sunday and he didn’t win. So that means in the other eight games, Romo has thrown six interceptions, but never more than one in any of those games. That means his percentage of interceptions would fall from 3.8 to 2.5, moving him up from 24th to 11th in his first full season of starting in the NFL.
Wonder if those folks realize Romo has thrown for more than 300 yards in five of these nine games. Only Brett Favre has more 300-yard passing games this season in nine games, but you know what, only one more (six). Romo’s five ranks second in the NFL, and guess what, one more than Tom Brady and one more than the Mannings combined.
Here is one of those obscure stats that I find quite interesting about Terrell Owens’ season: His 18 receptions on third down are the most in the NFC and his 285 receiving yards on third down leads the NFL.
Hey, it’s Redskins week. Don’t let their 5-4 record lull you into a false sense of security heading into Sunday’s game at Texas Stadium. This will be the 95th game in the series, and 36 of the previous 94 games have been decided by less than a touchdown, with two ending in ties. Strange things have happened in this series, and you need not look back any further than the last game the two teams played (Redskins 22, Cowboys 19 on that no-time-remaining field goal). Or look no further than the Cowboys managing to lose both games in 2005 or both games in the 1995 Super Bowl season to a 6-10 Redskins team and lose once in each of the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowl seasons. Beware.
|
-
OK, OK, the Cowboys had two dumb penalties, but those personal fouls were a tad out of character for this team, and obviously Bradie James, Kevin Burnett and Keith Davis got caught up in the moment. Got to stay above the verbal garbage on the field. Guess I’m going to have to go back to look at two of those 15-yarders, because to me they could have just as soon been overlooked as called. Davis could have gotten away with his pushing and shoving if his hands hand not slid up to the player’s helmet.
The Cowboys have survived what was perceived as two tough stretches in the schedule. Forced to play three road games in a four-week span, they won all three. Forced to play three consecutive NFC East games, including back-to-back games at Philly and New York, they won the first two. Now they have a stretch of three home games to be played in 12 days. Hey, after arriving home late Sunday night, the Cowboys don’t have to budge from Nov. 12 until departing for Detroit on Dec. 8, what with the three consecutive home games against Washington, New York Jets and Green Bay. But they still have another tough stretch, having to go on the road for three road games in the final four weeks of the season – at Detroit, at Carolina and at Washington.
The Cowboys family suffers another loss, former assistant coach Di ck Nolan passing away at the age of 75 after battling prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s. Nolan served two tours of duty with the club, first coaching the defensive backs under Tom Landry from 1962-67 before heading off to San Francisco as head coach where he won three straight NFC West Division championships (1970-72), only to be eliminated from the playoff all three times by the Cowboys. He would later return to Dallas to coach receivers and then defensive backs from 1982-90, those last two years with Jimmy Johnson. Always remember Nolan telling me this story about his playing days, wanting to point out how random the medical care was. Evidently he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the first half playing the Giants back in the 50’s. Well, since he was on the visiting team, there was no team doctor on the bench. He said teams basically would hire a doctor in the city they were playing and would pay him with free tickets to the game. Well, as Nolan tells the story, here he is in the locker room suffering in pain and the doctor doesn’t arrive until halftime because he, a big Giants fan, didn’t want to miss any of the game. And they say those were the days.
|
-
During the Cowboys’ touchdown drive the final 1:48 of the first half, quarterback Tony Romo completed five straight throws to three different receivers to move the club to a first down at the Giants 20 with 35 seconds remaining. The Giants realized they were quickly running out of real estate, so defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knew he had to gamble, calling for a blitz. But when the Cowboys picked it up, Patrick Crayton ran a quick little look-in pattern, beating corner Aaron Ross from the slot, and once he broke the tackle he had clear sailing to the end zone.
If you noticed the Cowboys played two different alignments in their nickel defense: One, their standard, with four down linemen, linebacker Kevin Burnett and Roy Williams the second wave and then Pat Watkins coming in at safety and Anthony Henry as the extra corner. But they also have this pressure alignment, where they play five guys up front, only Burnett at linebacker, three corners and Williams stays at safety along with Ken Hamlin. That means they are unleashing DeMarcus Ware, Greg Ellis, Anthony Spencer, sometimes Jason Hatcher and Jay Ratliff. “It’s saying, ‘OK, let’s put the eggs all in the basket,’” Ellis said of the defense gambling to get to the quarterback before he can get a pass off against six cover guys taking on potentially five receivers. “It’s very confusing (for an offense). I get confused myself.”
Just how hyped up were the Giants in this game? Let Cowboys backup corner Nate Jones tell you: “Our goal is the Super Bowl. They treated this game as their Super Bowl.” Truly good teams know that over a 16-game season you must play on an even keel.
|
-
Now Carolina and Washington can get chilly in December, but usually nothing like New York. So that the Cowboys are playing the Giants in early November might mean escaping any really bad weather games this season. Looks like the game-time temp Sunday should be in the 40’s, with no sign of precipitation and best of all, only a gentle breeze of maybe 10 mph.
In case you didn’t catch this, former Giants linebacker Carl Banks, who checked in with us Wednesday on Talkin’ Cowboys, is impressed with Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware’s progress since he last worked with him at training camp in Oxnard, Calif., that summer of 2006 at Bill Parcells’ request. “He’s developed into one of the most complete linebackers in football,” Banks said, and that’s a mouthful coming from one of the most complete linebackers in football in his day and currently a member of the Giants’ radio network broadcast team.
And this from Banks on Tony Romo: “He has to eliminate the one goofy play he has every game.”
Six teams have given up fewer sacks than the Cowboys’ 11, and one of them is the Giants. Their quarterbacks have been sacked nine times. Rather remarkable, though, is that New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees has only been sacked five stinkin’ times, and he has thrown 335 passes, 71 more than Romo. Yet he has thrown for 133 fewer yards than Romo, averaging 6.49 yards per attempt while Romo leads the NFC at 8.74.
And the score . . . seven-game winning streaks in the NFL should be reserved for Patriots and Colts, not Giants. Go with the percentages here, time for the Giants to lose one, even if they are at home. Cowboys 27, Giants 23.
|
-
Guessing you thought this was going to be a long night, what with Donovan McNabb picking on Cowboys left corner Jacques Reeves there early in the game. He picked on Reeves that first series, hitting Reggie Brown for 10 yards and a first down on third down and went to Brown again for 45 yards with Reeves giving futile chase on the Eagles’ way to tying the score at 7-7. But when Reeves got to the bench, he made a serious pit stop, having the equipment guys change out all his cleats for longer ones. Evidently he kept slipping on the soft turf, and with NBC analyst John Madden saying McNabb’s plan was to pick on Reeves, the young corner did a much better job the rest of the way with sounder footing.
Now you would think the Eagles simply blew that coverage on Tony Romo’s 45-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens. With Owens lined up in the slot, the alignment changed up by Jason Garrett for that particular play, Brian Dawkins lined up on T.O. but started showing blitz. Romo sensed Dawkins was coming, “and if he’s coming there is nobody there,” Romo said. So as the ball was being snapped and Dawkins blitzing off the slot, there is Romo yelling “T.O . . . T.O.” knowing the Eagles’ other safety didn’t rotate to the middle of the field. Pitch, catch, touchdown.
You realize the Eagles hadn’t given up more than 21 points in their previous seven games? And as many as 20 in only one other? Let those 38 points scored by the Cowboys at The Linc then sink in. Let also DeMarcus Ware’s 7 sacks at the halfway point sink in, putting him on pace for a 14-sack season.
While there are no stats for this, and while the Cowboys’ offensive line did play superbly against the Eagles, let’s not forget tight ends Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano. The Cowboys nearly turned their two-tight set this night into their base offense, lining up those two guys on each end of the line. That helped the tackles with the Eagles’ defensive ends, but more than that, helped the Cowboys maul the Eagles in the running game. Some real nice dirty work turned in by Witten and Fasano.
|
-
Not a good day today after learning Cowboys longtime team chaplain John Weber, maybe the nicest man I’ve ever known, died of a heart attack. Not many details are known at this time. John would travel with the team to away games to hold pregame chapels and also held bible studies for the guys. He’d also hold great conversations with people like me, and when he talked to you, you were the most important person in his universe. John will be greatly missed by the Cowboys – and by me.
When I went to the 2005 Senior Bowl, I was told by Chris Hall in the Cowboys scouting department to keep my eye on these two defensive players: DeMarcus Ware and Trent Cole. I did, and remember both defensive ends in college playing outside linebacker in their respective teams’ 4-3 defense. I left there thinking these two guys could really play. We know about Ware and we’re finding out about Cole, the starting defensive end for the Eagles who leads the NFL with nine sacks. Attention Flozell Adams.
Sure like the Cowboys secondary a little more knowing starting corner Anthony Henry should be healthy enough to at least come in on the nickel defense, just as Terence Newman first eased back onto the field. With Henry coming in on third downs, that means Newman can move back into the slot, where he is ultra-valuable. That’s one of the main aspects of the team’s nickel defense that has been missing . . . not able to man the slot receiver, which would free up a safety for other responsibilities.
And the score . . . Cowboys 23, Eagles 20, finally this team’s ability to score a few points and put pressure on Donovan McNabb will turn the tide in what has been a lopsided rivalry of late.
|
|
|
|