Approaching the Quarter Mark: A Chance to Grab an Edge

The Cardiac Andys roll on, determined to prove they can in fact win an NFL game by less than a point. 

Philadelphia won their third game in four this young season, this time by two points.  The Eagles' previous two had been by one point each. 

I'm sure that Cowboys fans are happy with a win by either the Giants or Eagles, because it tags a rival with a loss, but a Dallas win could put Dallas in a much better position in the playoff hut.  The Cowboys need to beat Chicago to stay inside the playoff zone -- five teams in the conference have winning records today and the winner of the Cowboys-Bears game will produce a sixth, since both enter the contest at 2-1.  We have a long way to go but you like to stay inside the playoff bubble any time you can.

Keeping pace with the Eagles will also move them ahead of the Giants, who have already dropped to 0-2 within the NFC East. 

What Effect the Refs? 

The old refs were greeted throughout the league with applause, though that good will quickly dissipated in Green Bay, where a bungled fumble call against the Packers had the Cheeseheads thinking conspiracy.  They survived.

What effect did the new old refs have?  And might they affect the Cowboys' game?  It probably depends on the crew.  The two afternoon games I saw seemed to called much closer than games with the subs.  The Eagles/Giants game had a modest amount of flags.  The Redskins/Bucs and the Packers/Saints games both saw 20 or more total penalties. 

Conversely, the Patriots/Bills saw only four penalties called, one against New England and three against Buffalo. 

If the Cowboys can't iron out their mental mistakes, they'll continue to draw handfuls of flags, replacement refs or regular ones.  And that could hurt them tonight. 

View Comments

Sunday Football Coming Down: How Much Better is the NFC?

"... and the beer I had for breakfast,
tasted good, so I had one more for desert."

-- Johnny Cash, Sunday Morning Coming Down

Here's hoping that Sunday afternoon finds you in a comfortable environment with good football food and better football friends.

The early match-ups today look meh from my decidedly NFL East-centric perspective.  The 49ers-Jets tilt aside, we're looking at several possible mismatches.  The Falcons host the Panthers, and the Cardinals go for 4-0 against the 1-2 Dolphins while the Texans take their run at a quarter season of perfection against the struggling Titans. 

The more intriguing match-ups come later.  The Packers and Saints will square off in the "Doh" Bowl, with the Saints trying to avoid an 0-4 opening.   The Eagles and Giants will do their part to aid the Cowboys chances by playing each other, while the Redskins will take their turn against that Bucs defense which gave Dallas so much trouble last weekend.

Two early defensive themes stand out this week.  The first is the emergence of so many young, strong, amoeba-like NFC defenses.  Five of the six top yardage units come from the senior conference, with only the Texans representing the AFC.  Yesterday, I talked about teams that can muster pass rush fronts stocked with smaller, more agile, more versatile linemen and linebackers.  The Seahawks, the Bears, the Eagles, the Giants and the Cowboys.   All of them save the Giants are in the top 10 this week, and New York would probably be in the discussion were its cornerback corps not decimated by injuries. 

Mobility and disguise seem to be the order of the day.  Six of those top 10 run 3-4s while the four 4-3 teams, the Seahawks, Eagles, Bears and Vikings, bring pressure from all directions.  The Bears are the closest thing to an old-style Tampa-2 scheme, but Lovie Smith has revised the defensive blueprints he used in St. Louis and in his earlier Bears days. 

Pressure D is the NFL's default, and the best pressure packages right now are in the NFC.

My other defensive observation comes from the down side of the tracks.  What has happened to former golden boy Steve Spagnuolo?  He helped get the four-end trend going with the Giants in their '07 Super Bowl year and used that to land the Rams job.  He never got the talent he needed and saw his team collapse. He's now in New Orleans and has not been able to contain the fire consuming his defense.

Granted, the Saints problems started in late '11, before the "Bountygate" story took out then coordinator Gregg Williams and several players.  Still, every Saints opponent in the pre and regular seasons has topped 27 points.  His guys are 30th in scoring D and don't figure to improve much with an angry Aaron Rodgers on today's to-do list.

It makes you appreciate Tom Coughlin a little bit more.  

Tell me what you see in the thread. 

View Comments

Perspective Check - Week 4

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
Special Teams = Team Depth

When a group of people analyze a subject in depth a verbal shorthand ensues. Not getting enough pressure on the QB after time will be referred to as "we need a 5 technique DE that can pass rush" or "our CB's play to far off and can't press" and "our Safeties have no range, can't cover TEs in the slot or make plays on the ball". All of the shorthand phrases refer to the same base issue, that the team is not getting enough pressure on the QB.

Each approach details a substantively different mind set and can lead a group of people to miss the point in time when a tactical issue no longer reflects the situaiton on the field.

Raf detailed aspects of this earlier in the week when he posted "Trusting the Backups", however I am talking about the next step. Let's look at the Dallas Safety position and some commonly perceived issues.

• Lack of depth
• Church is on IR
• McCray does't have speed/range needed
• We cut FA vet (Poole)
• Top S draft pick still injured
  (cowboys high draft pick injured is a yearly event)
• Sensabaugh can't stay healthy
• Safeties are not making "plays"

All of the above items are accurate. However if one put's to much focus on these short-comings they would miss the point that opposing teams offenses have not been able to attack the safety position. The Dallas Cowboys currently have the number 1 defense in the league. They have done this against very good teams. Against teams with tall, rangy wide receivers who can go over the top and savvy tight ends who can run the seam routes. 

The biggest concerns this past off season were:

• Stop up the middle pressure on the QB
• Be able to play press D in the backfield
• Get better LB play against the pass
• Put more pressure on the QB

Thanks to LB's Bruce and Lemon, CB's Carr, Claiborne & Lewis and the excellent play of the front 7 in general the Cowboys only have one item left to cross off the list and that is the ability to handle the pressure up the middle that teams are bringing every game. Do the Boys need to solve the issue the center of the OLine faces every week? You betcha! Could the Cowboys be in a better position at Safety? Of course. However every team has weaknesses  Every team has injuries. Every team has depth concerns at one position or another. Our OLine is progressing. So far our current crop of Safeties have come to play. A Special Teamer becomes a starter this Monday. I am looking forward to what a play-maker like McCray will add to the mix this Monday against Chicago.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

Rushed to Exhaustion: How the Smaller Rush End is Changing the NFL, Part 2

It was early in his team's season opener and Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell sensed a quick kill.  His opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, had lost their starting center Phil Costa to injury and had replaced him with Ryan Cook, whom had been on Dallas' roster a mere six days.

When Dallas faced obvious passing downs, Fewell moved both of his starting defensive ends, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre Paul, inside.  Pierre-Paul matched up against Cook, giving New York a four-defensive end front.  The Cowboys countered by sliding their pass protections inside, which helped the Giants edge pressure harass Tony Romo.  Romo prevailed, but only because of his ability to throw on the run.

This tactic is not new to the Giants.  The team has played Tuck as a nickel-down defensive tackle for years and his strong interior play in Super Bowl 42 helped the Giants upset the previously undefeated New England Patriots.  The Giants have made a practice of drafting a pass rushing end in the 1st or 2nd rounds any time one was available.

The rest of the NFL appears to be adopting the Giants approach.  On obvious passing downs the Chicago Bears, this week's Cowboys opponent, have started to use top end Juluis Peppers and 1st round rookie end Shea McClellin as defensive tackles.  They don't do it every down, but the Bears can also put four ends on the field, when Peppers and McClellin work inside Israel Idonije and Corey Wooton.  When Chicago puts some beef in its nickel front, it uses DT Henry Melton, a converted college running back.

Look at your own Cowboys.  On a key 1st quarter play last week, coordinator Rob Ryan put his top rushing lineman, Jason Hatcher, on the rush line with three outside linebackers, DeMarcus Ware, Victor Butler and Anthony Spencer.  Their pressure helped produce a turnover.

Earlier this week, I was told that NFL scouts are re-assessing their quarterback templates, and are giving more weight to mobility and athleticism than they have in the past.  Defensive demographics are dictating this change.  One source told me teams have to adjust to the numbers of athletic rushers used in the game.  It's a defensive chess move to counter the spread attacks and the waves of bigger wide receivers which are entering the game from the college ranks every year.

Where secondaries have struggled to stock up on cornerbacks to handle teams like the Packers and Saints, who can put four and five receiving targets on the field, offensive lines are now struggling to match up against defensive lines which can send three or four athletic rushers after the quarterback.  Look at the abuse Seattle's rush heaped on Aaron Rodgers; he was sacked eight times in the first half of their matchup.  The Bears rotating ends have notched fourteen sacks through three games, using only limited blitzing.

The spread of spread attacks has nearly eliminated certain defensive positions.  The run stuffing inside linebacker has no role against a three or four receiver attack.  The big, Roy Williams-sized safety is all but extinct.

The move towards rush end heavy defensive could change the look of offensive lines.  When I asked how teams could counter act psycho fronts like Dallas' or smallish, end-packed lines like the Seahawks, Giants, Eagles and Bears, I was told we may see a move towards lines stocked with former college offensive tackles.  "The shorter college left tackle, who may not be a blind side player in the pros, could be very valuable as a right tackle or as a guard," said one source.  "The big 330 - 340 lb. guard with poor feet, who stuck around because he could run block, might not last much longer," he continued.  "If you don't have the feet to pass protect, you can't play in the NFL anymore.  Teams will put 240 lb. rushers against you and beat you."

You're forgiven if those last quotes produced some bad Leonard Davis flashbacks.  The '90s Cowboys were lucky to have two massive guards with good feet in Larry Allen and Nate Newton,.  The team has stressed size ever since, but has too often valued girth over agility.

Guards Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau, the team's two free agent signings, were signed for their alleged ability to maintain the top of a pass pocket.  They worked well against the Giants quicksters, but Bernardeau played poorly in last week's Bucs game.

This week, they and center Cook will almost certainly see Peppers, McClellin and friends inside.  Do the Cowboys have guards who can handle quickness, or are they, like many other NFL teams, finding that they've fallen one move behind the game?

View Comments

2nd Look Cowboys vs Bears - Week 4

Steven Van Over - Sports TalkLine
Do these Dallas fans represent
Cowboys approach to safety position? 

In this series we take a look back at any one item from the week and take a second look. Have things changed? Do we have more information? Let's examine it closer.

Unlike the Seattle game, Manny Silva will not be part of the trust issue at Safety this week for Dallas. He was "technically" cut to make room for punter Jones replacement Mooreman. However after a "second look" that is an incomplete analysis of the event.

In a combination of events based on need (punter) and choice (who can we afford to lose) Silva was cut due to the teams decision to use Danny McCray as a viable and active part of the defensive package for the game against Chicago. Validation of this 3 part assesment is the signing of FS Frampton to take over McCray's Special Teams duties.

2nd LOOK OBSERVATIONS

Replacing McCray's duties is different from replacing his impact on Special Teams. I could be signed to replace his duties. Of course the Cowboys GM would certainly be replaced if that transaction took place, right?

Earlier this week Raf pointed out that the Cowboys need to prioritize Safety in the upcoming draft. After being able to cover the absence of Ratliff at NT, Costa at C (Cook has been fine), WR and the plethora of other injuries it is still DB that is the biggest weakness. It is also obvious that unlike 2011 where CB was the biggest issue now Safety is the primary weakness in the Cowboys defensive armor.

Will Matt Johnson alleviate a portion of our post Darren Woodson hangover? Until Johnson can get on the field we will not be able to assess this part of the equation. Of course not getting on the field is a large part of the equation for every effective Safety currently on the roster, not just Johnson.

What does McCray bring to the game? He is not the fastest, strongest nor can he jump the highest (that is Sensabaugh by far with a 42" vertical at the combine). My observation is that McCray is a football player. Everson Walls was to slow, Cliff Harris did not have range, Bates was a plodder. They are a part of the winning tradition of Cowboys football players in the defensive backfield. Will McCray be the next one? What does Cowboys Nation say?

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

Draft 2013: Cowboys Must Prioritize Safety

Kenny Vaccaro

The 2012 college season is well underway, which means it is time to begin some early 2013 draft reviews.  Wes Bunting has moved on after giving Cowboys Nation's readers two years of quality Cowboys-based reports.  

Join me in welcoming the first of two new analysts who will take us through next spring's draft.  Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko joins CN this evening to outline the 2013 senior safety class.

     *     *     *     *

Cowboys Nation: We're three games into the NFL season and it's clear to most Cowboys fans where the biggest needs lie.  Let's begin with the most worrisome position on defense.  Break down the top of the 2013 safety class, as you see it today.

Eric Galko: Focusing on seniors right now, I'd say the cream of the crop is Texas' Kenny Vaccaro. I think the way he plays translates to free safety at the next level.  He's a very rangy guy and reacts to the ball very quickly.  The Cowboys have obviously seen him a lot already, being a Texas player, and I think his ability to lead that Texas unit puts him at the top.

I think the next best safety is USC's T.J. McDonald, a bigger safety who is more in the Roy Williams mold.  I don't know if that's the type of player who would appeal to the Cowboys.

Two other players who deserve following, to see how they might develop, are one, Robert Lester of Alabama, a player who got lost at times in last year's Alabama defense, but who is still one of the more talented free safeties, maybe a strong safety guy.

The other is Kenny Tate, the former Maryland safety, now the Sam linebacker there.  Last week he showed the ability to come up in run support and then drop into coverage against West Virginia's Tavon Austin, one of the most explosive playmakers in college football.  That shows that he has the ability to play as either a third safety, when a team wants to play two strong safeties, or as a strong safety in general who can be effective covering tight ends in the NFL.

I think those four guys could fill safety needs for just about any team in the NFL and certainly could help the Cowboys.

CN: I'm going to work in reverse.  Tate's an intriguing guy because the profile you just gave will ring some bells with Cowboys fans.  Darren Woodson was a college linebacker and was moved to safety.   Tate moved up, but it sounds like he could move back into the secondary. Are you confident he could make that switch back at the pro level?

EG: I'm not sure right now.  It's been a full year and a half since he last played safety regularly.  His stock as a safety will likely be set at the East-West Shrine Game or the Senior Bowl, when he goes back to running safety drills and we can see him working at a depth of 12-15 yards and we can see if he can see his drops inside and out and see if he still has hip fluidity, change of directions and can get vertically into coverage.

I still think he can, but regardless of whether he can play a consistent strong safety, the NFL is moving more and more towards offenses that feature the tight end, the Jimmy Graham types and I think the best way of countering them is to have a hybrid linebacker/safety who cover and come up in support as well.  I think that fits Tate's game.

CN: That leads right into the next question.  Rob Ryan has a lot of funky nickel and dime sets that have two inside linebackers and one of them has been played by guys like Barry Church and Danny McCray, safeties who are big enough to fill the alley on outside runs and stick their heads in and stop draw plays.  It sounds like Tate would fit that role.

EG:  Absolutely.  I think Tate will be a chess piece at the pro level.  We're three weeks into the season and I think seven of the top ten touchdown scoring NFL receivers are tight ends.  If you have a player like Tate for situational downs, his ability to handle tight ends would help the Cowboys.

CN:  Let's go back to the top with Vaccaro.  The Cowboys have injury problems at safety.  They'll probably have to go the rest of the season with Brandon Carr as a starting safety.  It used to be that we talked about a strong safety who played in the box most of the time and a free safety, who played the deep middle.  With so many offenses running spread packages safeties now have to play run and pass, and you see them used more as left and right safeties, where they get responsibility short and deep in one half of the field.

Talk about the guys at the top of your list as pass defenders.

EG: I think the best guy in terms of playing the deep half, whether it's cover-2, cover-1, cover-3 or cover-4 situations is Kenny Vaccaro from Texas.  He was a former high school receiver who switched to defense and really does anything Texas needs in the back seven.  He can play a nickel back; he does that against teams that have talented slot receivers.  He can play a bit of strong safety.  He can be an edge rusher as a blitzing strong safety.

He really can do it all for Texas and he'll bring that versatility to pro teams. He can play the traditional strong or free or left or right.  I think he could offer immediate impact as a short-area cover man in the red zones.  Maybe not in week one but early in his rookie season I think he could be a player like a Brandon Boykin who could handle slot receivers who are motioned his way.  He's the best cover safety right now.

Robert Lester is also another guy who can be good as a strong or free safety.  I don't think he's a guy who is great at either spot but he can be solid at both safety positions.

CN:  How would you rate this class as a whole?  I know it's very early but would you say it's shaping up as a deep class?  As an average class?

EG:  Off the top of my head I can't think of any juniors who would be sure 1st-round talents and I'm not going to look hard at juniors until they declare.

Right now, I'd say Vaccaro is the only firm first 1st round safety right now.  I think T.J. McDonald has a chance to sneak in.  He's a big physical player, like Taylor Mays but with more physical development.  After that, you see a lot of 3rd and 4th round talents, with some small school guys in there, guys like Malcolm Bronson from McNeese State.

I think as a whole, last year's senior bunch was a bit deeper, but this year's group could have two or three impact safeties, which this class didn't have.

CN: Do you have a board that's updated regularly that the readers can bookmark and check regularly?

EG:  We have position rankings, including the last few years going back to 2009.

We have a big-board update scheduled for next week. 

View Comments

Cowboys vs Bears GameBook 2ndHalf – Week 4

Bears Game Book 2nd 1/2

Each GameBook is a 2 part article. We get out as many sections each week as the Cowboys Schedule allows.

GameBook Match-Ups section will detail avenues that either team may use to gain an advantage over the other based on personnel packages, injury or talent level.

GameBook 2nd 1/2 we discuss the kind of response either team may have in the 2nd half as a counter move. 2nd half adjustments are key in today’s fast paced game and we do our homework in order to get the jump on the opposition.

As with every game, individual match ups are games within themselves. Lets look at a few of the updates to the GameBook below.

LDE Idonije vs RT Douge Free - Free is saying all the right things after Callahan laid out to the media what we have been talking about here. He is struggling and needs to do better. He needs to be consistent. Leaving 2nd year veteran Tyron Smith 1 on 1 vs Julius Peppers is not an appetizing situation. Free needs to be able to handle this assignment.  If not Parnell waits in the wings.

 

CB Brandon Carr vs Ghost of Barry Church - With the signing of FS Eric Frampton, it is looking like the Cowboys plan on playing Danny McCray at safety using Frampton in McCray's Special Teams role. Will McCray play every down or primarily on running downs with Carr moving to Safety on passing downs? This has not been revealed, yet.

Devin Hester vs Dallas Special Teams - The play last week against the Buccaneers where we should have had a punt blocked but instead recovered a fumble did not leave the Dallas team unscathed. Jones knee was run into and is officially a sprain and an issue as on Wednesday the Cowboys signed former Bills punter Brian Moorman. Jones was doing an excellent job this year. Having to face Hester is not the best time to get your punter injured. All is not lost however as according to the Cowboys web site

"The 36-year-old Moorman played in all 16 games during each of his previous 11 seasons in Buffalo"
 

This is a veteran who has seen almost every returner in the league including Hester. If Dallas has to give up an extra 10 yards in field position every time they punt it will put immense pressure on the D. Moorman will have an impact on the game one way or the other. 

Injuries - Punter Jones has a sprained knee, Ratliff and Sensabaugh are looking like a strong possibility. Matt Forte is a possibility for game time and may even start. A multi-purpose back he instantly raises the bar for Chicago. This bears further scrutiny. OLB Spencer did not practice this Thursday due to "an undisclosed injury. His impact on the run game would be sorely missed and difficult to replace.

 

NOTE: Manny Silva was cut to make room for P Moorman.

The outlook will remain fluid until we get the full injury report. Until then keep your fingers crossed. We need all hands on deck.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

Draft 2013: The New Breed Rusher is Re-Making the Quarterback Position

My weekly canvass of league sources has produced an interesting piece of data relating to emerging quarterbacks prospects.

I got an excited call from a source earlier this week who said he has heard that many NFL teams are in the process of re-evaluating their quarterback grading systems, and are more open to mobile, more athletic quarterbacks.  The early success of quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton, Jake Locker and Andrew Luck has teams elevating signal callers who can make plays with their legs, in addition to their arms. 

Some follow up calls finds that this is indeed the case.  Players like E.J. Manuel from Florida State, Geno Smith from West Virginia and Collin Klein from Kansas State are rising in teams' ratrings systems, while more traditional pocket passers like USC's Matt Barkley and Oklahoma's Landry Jones are slipping somewhat.

Said one, "Barkley is not that big and he doesn't have an elite arm, and if you're not an elite thrower, in the Tom Brady mold, teams are not evaluating him as high any more."  Another said he does not expect to see any more Brandon Weeden's go in the first round and that he expects teams to give more weight to the Geno Smith, RG III types.

I asked about Wisconsin's Russell Wilson, who has made some big plays in his short time as the Seahawks' starter, and was told, "he's another example of what teams are looking for now.  He's 5'10'' or 5'11".  If he were a pure pocket passer there's no way he's a starting NFL quarterback, but he's smart with the football and he can make plays outside the pocket with his arm or his legs."

The source cited one of his contacts who asked, "name the true statue pocket quarterbacks in the NFL these days, guys who work almost exclusively in the pocket?  There's Brady, the Mannings and Phillip Rivers.  Joe Flacco can get outside and work outside the pocket. Even a guy like Carson Palmer has some sneaky athleticism, and that's probably the baseline now."

Next:  The defensive cause for the re-evaluation of mobile QBs.

View Comments

Rules, Stats and Musings

Quick Takes - Week 4

Our weekly Quick Takes section has a plethora of targets. Why wait? This is Quick Takes, let's dive right in!

We deal with game preparation today and this comes directly from an article I read from the Sports Day DFW. A facinating glimpse into the many facets of Game Day prep, in the article Sabin quotes Jason Garrett about game day preparation with replacement referees.

"It’s absolutely something we have done in the past,” he said. “We’ve studied all of the officials, all of the crews, what they’re most likely going to call, what they’re least likely going to call and we go through that with our team on Wednesday every week…There’s a whole history with those other guys".

This resonated with me in a very specific fashion. In my earlier years I coached elite level gymnastics and was lucky enough to have coached some incredible athletes. One of the items every gymnastic coach now uses I was instrumental in helping bring about. Being a trained analyst, I created a book on every judge. We would change the directions of floor routines, leave out items or put items in all based on what judges we had. Use of this technique created an average difference of just over 1/2 of a point in an era where a 10 was the maximum you could get. It was the difference between winning and losing. It was an edge. There is an open "book" quickly building on the replacement referees. I have listed below some of the things every coach is probably applying on game day due to the replacement referees.

• Don't worry about unnecessary roughness penalties on anyone but the QB
• Press WR up to 8 yards off the line
• You can now use almost any block that used to be illegal
• Get in a referees face quick and loud if there is a call against you
• At this time loaded firearms are still not recommended.

Ok, the last one was a test to see if you were still reading. However in reality a player (or coach) may get fined by the league later, but the win goes in the books and the team can do right by the player later to compensate (naaa, that would never happen right?).

What items would Cowboys Nation readers add to the book on the replacement referees? Put them in the comments below. Garrett might use them this week against Chicago!

View Comments

Another Look at the Cowboys D: Trusting the Backups

Brandon Carr

One frustrating quality of Dallas' loss at Seattle was the cautious nature of the defense once starting safeties Barry Church and Gerald Sensabaugh were no longer available. 

Coordinator Rob Ryan kept understudies Mana Silva and Danny McCray in deep halves.  This left only seven defenders in the box, limiting Ryan's run and pass blitz options.  When Seattle bulked up with two and three tight end sets, they outnumbered Dallas in the box and hammered the Cowboys front the last 30 minutes.

This past week, Ryan got a second shot at a run-first opponent.  This time he made a key in-week adjustment, moving his biggest corner, Brandon Carr, to free safety in his nickel and dime sets.  When Church was again lost in-game, this time because of a season-ending Achilles tendon injury, Ryan kept eight men in the box, playing a single high safety behind man coverage nearly all the time. 

This is the philosophy Ryan prefers, and the results suggest he'll stay in character, no matter who he has to play at the safety positions going forward.  Here are some looks at the creative fronts he deployed to slow down the Bucs excellent rookie running back Doug Martin.

3rd-and-1: Rob Channels Buddy

In the off-season, I did a series of breakdowns on Ryan's defensive tendencies and pointed out that he likes to use his father Buddy's old 46 front in short yardage situations.  Here is an early 3rd-and-1 play, and here is Rob leaning on his father's pet scheme:

Here's the classic eight-man 46 look.  Three men over the center and guards.  DeMarcus Ware in the Richard Dent role as the weakside 4-3 end.  Two linebackers, Anthony Spencer and Bruce Carter, bracketing the strong-side tight end and finally, strong safety Barry Church in the box playing a second inside backer next to MLB Sean Lee.  The Bucs tried some flim-flam here, faking a fullback dive and attempting a pitch to Martin.  Ware read the play and forced QB Josh Freeman to abort the pitchout:

This is a Ryan tendency that spans both his seasons as the Cowboys DC.  Look for more 46 as Rob's base short-yardage run defense.

2nd and 10:  Splitting Six to Stop Martin

Here, we see Tampa Bay in a 1st-and-10 situation one play into the 2nd quarter.  Martin has raced for an explosive run on the previous play and Ryan wants to beef up his front to keep Martin from getting into a rhythm.  Ryan keeps two safeties deep here, but plays far more aggressively than he did in Seattle. 

Ryan here has a split-6 front.  He's again using Ware as a defensive end in a four man line. He has Jason Hatcher and Josh Brent playing DTs, with each set wide on a guard's outside shoulder.  He's put Sean Lee and Anthony Spencer as inside backers to either side of the Tampa center.

Dallas has four defenders playing the A and B run gaps against three Tampa interior blockers.  The Cowboys are daring the Bucs to run Martin wide or to attempt a pass.  They're not going to let their nose tackle absorb double-teams, the way Josh Brent did against the Seahawks. 

Tampa takes the dare and tries a quick pass to the tight end on the right side.  He's smothered off the line by Bruce Carter.  Josh Freeman then holds the football, waiting for WR Mike Williams to clear Carter's lane on an up-field route.  Williams is playing nonchalant.  He's way too casual and it gets his QB in trouble.  Note how Williams is only turning to look for a pass at the moment that DeMarcus Ware is stripping the football from Freeman:

Play Three -- Four CBs Across

Here is one of the rare plays where Tampa Bay tried spreading the field with four wideouts.  This is mid-way through the 3rd, just after Church has departed. The Bucs face a reasonable 3rd-and-6. 

 Ryan has two safeties in the game, McCray and Carr.  In previous 3rd down situations, where the Bucs had tight ends or a fullback in the game, Carr would play centerfield and McCray would move up and cover the bigger target.  Here, Ryan has Mike Jenkins and Morris Claiborne playing tight man-to-man on the edges and has Carr and Orlando Scandrick in off man positions against the two Bucs wideouts in the right slot:

 

The play's design has the inside slot man and the widest receiver on the unbalanced side, the one opposite Jenkins, run deep vertical routes, clearing the short middle for a crossing route by Mike Williams (19).  Ryan confounds this pattern by dropping Anthony Spencer off the left end and having him trail Williams laterally:  

 

 Three Cowboys corners -- Jenkins, Carr and Claiborne, have the vertical routes covered.  The fourth, Scandrick, is behind Spencer if Williams also breaks vertically.  Williams instead runs laterally, and Spencer has him contained.  There is no target for Josh Freeman, who forces a throw at Williams feet to avoid Tyrone Crawford's (70) rush. The pass falls incomplete and Tampa punted.

This is very different from the previous week's approach.  Ryan was hired to call a pressure scheme and he's got the secondary talent to make it work, healthy safeties or not. 

Don't look for him to back off this week.  The Bears have a lot more skill position firepower than the Bucs and Seahawks, but they also have an offensive line that has struggled to protect against pressure. Ryan should keep that pressure dialed up high.

View Comments

Dallas vs Chicago Game Book Match-Ups Week 4

Each GameBook is a 2 part article. We get out as many sections each week as the Cowboys Schedule allows.

GameBook Match-Ups section will detail avenues that either team may use to gain an advantage over the other based on personnel packages, injury or talent level.

GameBook 2nd 1/2 we discuss the kind of response either team may have in the 2nd half as a counter move. 2nd half adjustments are key in today’s fast paced game and we do our homework in order to get the jump on the opposition.

 

As with every game, individual match ups are games within themselves. Lets look at a few of the more interesting ones below.

Dallas Interior OLine vs NT Toeaina and Paea - C Cook, RG Bernadeau and LG Livings will again be tested in the middle. Toeaina and Paea are strong and have excellent burst in short space. They can both mirror, shed and close. Paea showed some amazing hip fluidity on a delayed blitz for a sack where he ran full speed winding his way through protectors. They will both push the pocket on passing downs creating very little room to step up into the pocket. The Rams Bradford was harried all day up the middle. Bradford is not Romo however.

 

LDE Idonije vs RT Douge Free - When you have Julius Peppers on the other side you get a lot of solo dance sets. Idonije has taken full advantage of that dropping 2.5 sacks on the Rams Bradford last week.  6'6" 275lbs with a huge wingspan the man has a bull rush and not a bad speed rush. He is good with his hands and has a good motor. Free has not recovered his old RT form at this point. One can make an argument that Free will improve as the guard play next to him gets better and this is true to a point. However he is having issues when 1 on 1 during passing downs and seems to be fighting some confidence issues. This is a solid test for him. It will be interesting to see if Dallas decides to put help on his side and leave Peppers 1 on 1 vs Tyron Smith. Think positive thoughts people. We need some good vibes here and so far this year, Free has struggled.

 

TE Kellen Davis vs MLB Bruce - Kellen Davis is 6'7" tall. Chicago gets in the red zone or in short yardage they will look for this man. Bruce has the speed, but you can't teach height. Bruce will have to interrupt Davis route, knock him around and make solid tackles. Pressure by the front 7 will help alleviate Davis effectiveness as he does not seem to have the natural speed to get up the seam.

 

Brandon Marshal vs Ghost of Barry Church - Who will be primary on Brandon Marshall? If I was the Cowboys I would rotate several players through the safety position in practice to not give Chicago a solid answer on who to scout at CB. Question is will Carr move back to safety on passing downs (with Jenkins going to RCB) or will he sit back there the whole game relegating Silva to the bench? Marshall is not known as a cerebral player. I like the prospect of him having to spend more time in the film room or (even better) cutting his study time in 1/2 looking at 2 players. Hoping Raf will have some factual insight on this later in the week.

CB Brandon Carr vs Ghost of Barry Church - Carr is learning a new position. Not safety, RCB. He has been a LCB during his pro years thus far. Now we are throwing a second new position, FS at him. After last weeks performance, my respect for Carr has increased exponentially. Changing positions from CB to S is not an automatic. True, most safeties can not play CB, however strangely enough the opposite is also true. Carr is a football player. We are lucky to have him.

FB Rodriguez & RB Bush vs Dallas Blitz - Twice last week I saw the RB's give up sacks from the edge. Bush got on his man but was overwhelmed from the edge by the Rams Long. RT Carimi made the error reacting to an inside blitz that never materialized, however as all Emmitt Smith fans can recall, RB's need to be able to make that block. When Ware gets by Webb on the edge, he should be able to blow up the RB from what I saw last week.

OLB Ware vs LT Webb - TE Davis will probably be stuck on the W side. Not the strong or the weak, but the "Ware" side. He will go in motion if Ware flips to adjust. Webb is super strong but can be beat to the outside. He has the strength to drive players into the ground as they bend around them. I don't see this working with Ware. Conversely Ware is no one trick pony. When Webb does his stretch slide to the outside he leaves a huge gap between himself and the G. He does not possess the quickness to come back inside when Ware uses spin or swim techniques to adjust his route to the QB. This matchup is key to creating a close and personal relationship between Ware and Cutler. If Ware gets a solo from his new dance partner expect good results. Nuthin but luv.

 

TE Jason Witten vs Chicago LB Core - The question Chicago is asking itself this week, do we cover Witten with a LB? PLEASE disrespect him this way. I want you to, no I double-dog-dare you to do this. Witten had a busted spleen people. He will be the Witten of old soon. Chicago needs to guess which week. Murray gets going in the running game that will free Witten up and this game is over.

 

Devin Hester vs Dallas Special Teams - If you have not heard of Devin Hester and do not shave yet you get a pass. Otherwise there is really nothing to say about this critical match up. Directional punting (out of bounds) results in short fields as often as not. This is NOT an easy task. One I would have felt much better about if we had McBriar (sans drop foot). We have a very solid Jones and he has been excellent so far. Big test on MNF.

Injuries - Every team has them. We are (however) only worried about one team and we have a lot. Do you sit Witten and let him heal through the bye week? I dont' think so. That would reflect a setback and I don't believe he has had any physical setbacks. Does Sensabaugh come back this week or do you get him rest through the bye? Ratliff? And so on, we will revisit this later in the week.

The Cowboys should win this Monday at home. Look for the D to set the tone. Look for the O to get back on track. Special Teams is a wild card. We have to win 2 of the three phases to notch another victory. Coach D gets his team to play like last week, we will do OK, but let's not forget we should have had a punt blocked. Lucky is not good. Come on Coach D. Time to evolve! Nice to see we have lost our "we beat the World Champions" priviliged atitude. Now let's go take care of the Bears.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

Cowboys in Review: Psycho Makes the Bucs Crazy

You may recall the character of Large Marge, the woman trucker who picked up Pee Wee Herman in the movie Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.  Marge seemed normal, until one point where she revealed her true self by making the Large Marge face, with ghoulish features popping out and scaring the hero.

In the 2nd quarter, with the Cowboys trailing 7-0, Rob Ryan used a psycho package, his version of the Large Marge face, to scare Bucs QB Josh Freeman into a key turnover.

The psycho begins with the pre-snap package.  Dallas goes to a 4-2-5 nickel in look, but puts only one lineman, Jason Hatcher in this case, on the field. The other three of Dallas' four rushers are linebackers, DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer and Victor Butler.  All four hop around maniacally before the snap; when Josh Freeman gets the ball no Cowboys player had his hand down:

Ryan wants to keep his designs hidden.  Not only are his rushers all jumping, but the throws a zone blitz on behind them. Only three of the linemen rush, with cornerback Morris Claiborne coming off the left edge on a long, delayed blitz.

 

Tampa's line contains the three main Cowboys rushers, but Claiborne comes free.  And even though he started from way on the left edge, he's bearing down on Freeman.  The QB checks down to the running back in the right flat, hurrying a throw that Anthony Spencer tips.  The ball bounced off the backs shoulder pads and into Sean Lee's hands:

 The superb field position set up Dallas' lone touchdown drive of the day, and changed the game's tone.  

Sometimes you have to get a little crazy.  And sometimes it works.

View Comments

Scounting Report Week 4 - Chicago Bears

 

Scouting the Bears

This series is all about the next opponent. Just like the players, we have to move on. This Monday at 7:30 PM CDT we host the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium. Dallas leads the series 12-8-0 losing the first game in 1960 17 - 7 at Soldier Field and winning the last time they met in 2004 21 - 7 in Texas. Click here for a complete listing of previous games supplied by the Chicago Tribune. (a tip of the cap to Lonnie M Luna II who spotted that the Tribune got it wrong with the last game being in Week 2 of 2010. Knew I should have used a Dallas source!)

The Bears are a team with an identity in flux. They still have future Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher in the middle on D and he is still a force. Unlike the Super Bowl Shuffle years however, the Bears are not led by a tough minded QB. Jay Cutler leads the offense now and has a reputation as a player that can become frustrated.  The Bears are no longer, first and foremost, a running team. Cutler brings a big arm and the offense has changed to accommodate him. This does not sit well with Urlacher who has verbalized his distaste for the passing game approach.

Lovie Smith took over for Dick Juaron in 2004. His first year was a rough one as he had Rex Grossman at QB and it took time to instill his defensive philosophy. In 2005 however,  he won Coach of the Year honors from the AP and Pro Football Weekly (thank you Wikipedia). In 2006 Lovie Smith took the Bears to the Super Bowl where they lost to Tony Dungy's Colts.. Any coach that can take Rex Grossman to the Super Bowl is an incredible coach.  He played LB and Safety as a player and his defensive mind set is evident in the Bears game.

QB - Will the real Jay Cutler please stand up? Is he a veteran QB with a big arm that will scramble a bit and can take a hit? Or is he a whiner, a finger pointer, a pouter and cry-baby who will throw team mates under a bus in order to assuage his ego? He is both and it is hard to say which player will show up on any given day. A defense can frustrate him. Once frustrated he will throw picks, fumble, pout and throw mini-fits on the side line. But when he is "on" and getting protection he can make incredible throws. This year he is throwing to another enigma in ...

WR – 6' 4", 220lbs Brandon Marshall is a physical beast. Once he gets the ball in his hands he is a load to bring down. He has good speed and decent hands, however he is not an accomplished route runner and despite his size and strength can be effectively jammed at the line. He is backed up by Devin Hester who has never been able to bring his special teams success to the offensive side of the ball. The 6'7" Kellen Davis is a load at TE, a better blocker than receiver and with 5 touchdowns in 2011 is an able target in the Red Zone.

RB – Michael Bush (formerly of the Raiders) was an excellent Free Agent pickup. The starting RB with Forte injured, Bush is a capable blocker for the QB and a patient power runner who follows his blocking well. This skill makes him a threat in the screen game as he picks his way through the secondary. You do not want him to make it to the second level. They have a fine FB in Evan Rodriquez who CowboysNaiton should be familiar with as he was a popular fan draft target this last year.

OL – Strong. If you had to pick one word that would be the common denominator. LT - Webb 3 yr. vet,  LG - Spencer 8 yr. vet, C Garza 12 yr. vet, RG Louis 4 yr. vet and RT Gabe Carimi entering his 2nd year along the line are all strong guys. CowboysNation should be familiar with RT Gabe Carimi as he was a popular draft pick in lieu of Tyron Smith. He is a solid RT however the Cowboys got the better player. Carimi can be pushed back with a bull rush and I saw him make a mistake on a delayed blitz to his side where he left Bush one on one against a DE for a sack. The line is good, but does give up pressure. They do this more from the edges than up the middle. You can get around LT Webb, but he pushes the rusher to the ground as he initiates his bend displaying his strength and punch.

Defensive Backfield – Chicago is solid at safety. Major Wright and Chris Conte bring hard hitting and a head for the game. Wright showed excellent hands and speed in the 4th quarter of last weeks game picking off a deflected slant pass on the run and taking it 45 yards to the house. The two corners (Jennings and Tillman) are solid but at 5'8" Tim Jennings will be a target, that Austin, Dez or Oggletree should be able to exploit with back shoulder throws or jump balls in one on one coverage.

Defensive Front Seven – This is the heart of this team. They can apply pressure off the edges or up the middle and do so often. The front four of Jullius Peppers, Matt Toeaina, Hentry Melton and Israel Idonije were able to effect jail-break scenarios against the Rams last week notching 6 sacks and holding them to 160 total yards of offense and a 28% 3rd down effeciency rate. Backup NT Paea had an excellent delayed blitz up the middle for one sack and LE Idonije tossed in 2.5 sacks. Briggs plays sideline to sideline, makes big hits and can cover. Briggs and Urlacher together create an imposing force on the field. They make a player pay if they come across the middle and are able to handle most TE's in coverage.

Special Teams – Devn Hester. Do we have to say anything more? Devin is a threat to take it to the house any time he gets his hands on the ball. Any coverage team has to pracice directional punts and on kick offs the best tactic is to kick the ball out of the end zone for an automatic touchback. This man has to be respected.

The Bears were in the Super Bowl in 2006. They know how to win. They have talent, can run the rock, have big play ability and a nasty D. The Cowboys will have their hands full on Monday night.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

A Lifeboat Named Mike Jenkins?

Mike Jenkins

The Cowboys already-thin safety corps suffered a body blow with news that Barry Church injured an Achilles tendon and will need season-ending surgery.   With Gerald Sensabaugh already out with a calf injury, the Cowboys played much of the 2nd half with both opening day starters out.

Dallas received some assistance from a Bucs team that was equally thin at wide receiver.  The Bucs tried on a couple of occasions to target 3rd stringer Mana Silva, and drew an interference penalty against him immediately after he replaced Church.  In both cases, Tampa Bay sent their fullback at Silva.  Were this the Giants or the Packers, you can imagine Kevin Gilbride or Mike McCarthy spreading the field and trying to get a slot receiver one-on-one and deep against the green backup.  Thankfully, Tampa Bay wasn't nearly this creative.

The Cowboys survived in great part because their cornerback depth is remarkably deep.  Mid-way through the 4th quarter, rookie Morris Claiborne had to miss some downs with a lower body injury and the Bucs could not hurt them.  Josh Freeman did complete a fade route up the right sideline against Claiborne's understudy LeQuan Lewis, but could do no more damage before Claiborne returned.

The key was the prodigal corner Mike Jenkins' return. Jenkins' presence allowed defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to move starting right corner Brandon Carr to safety on the right side when Dallas deployed in nickel or dime packages, and put Jenkins at right corner.  When Church left, Carr stayed in centerfield.

Jenkins slid comfortably into the right corner slot;, he's been Dallas' starter on the right side since '09.  He stopped Vincent Jackson on a couple of throws, one a jump ball where Jenkins high-pointed the ball with the taller Jackson, forcing an incompletion.

Many Cowboys fans were in a hurry to deal Jenkins during the off-season, but keeping him may prove a season saver for the defense.  When Dallas took on Tampa's spread sets in the second half, they deployed this way:

LCB:  Morris Claiborne
Slot CB:  Orlando Scandrick
RBC:  Mike Jenkins
S:  Mana Silva
S:  Brandon Carr

When Sensabaugh returns, we will probably see a unit that has Carr and him at the safeties and Claiborne and Jenkins as the starters on the edges.

The Cowboys didn't sign Carr to play safety, and I'm sure they would prefer to get a return on Jenkins this year, but the objective is to get your best players on the field.  Jenkins is simply a better player than Silva, or any of the other Cowboys backup safeties, so it makes sense for Rob Ryan and Jerome Henderson to get him into the lineup as often as possible.

What's more, Carr has the size and the makeup to be a knockout free safety, even if it just for the remainder of 2012.  The game has moved away from the king-sized safeties of yesteryear, behemoths like David Fulcher and Dallas' own Roy Williams.  You still see an Adrian Wilson excel, but for every Wilson, there are four Ed Reeds.  Compare Carr's dimensions to two perennial All Pros:

Brandon Carr - 6'0", 210 lbs.
Troy Polamalu - 5'10", 207 lbs.
Ed Reed - 5'11", 205 lbs.

Carr loves to slug it out.  He may prefer to do it on the edges, but he's clearly Dallas' best option to handle tight ends and receivers up the slot.  He's got the ballast to roam the alleys and take down running backs. Granted, safety is not corner.  Matt Bowen, the National Football Post analyst and former NFL safety, notes that many corners think switching is easy, until they learn the reads and angles inside are far different.  We'll have to see if Carr can deal with the reads and techniques smoothly.  Regardless, Carr gives Dallas a decidedly better option than any safety they can find on the street.

The secondary talent may be badly imbalanced towards cornerback, but this year, Dallas does have a wealth of corner talent.  That surplus could patch the hole at right safety, and keep the Good Ship Cowboys afloat.

View Comments

Cowboys 16, Buccaneers 10: Earning the TKO

The Cowboys won a slugfest against Tampa Bay today, rallying behind a defense that shut down the Bucs and big play receiver Vincent Jackson.  Rob Ryan's unit went toe-to-toe with an offense that leaned heavily on rookie running back Doug Martin.  Like last week's opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, the Bucs got an early lead courtesy of a first series Cowboys turnover.

The Bucs clearly hoped to follow Seattle's blueprint to victory, but this week the defensive line won their share of the duels.  Martin looks like a quality back and made some big first-down runs.  He was never able to establish a rushing rhythm, so their day came to a series of 3rd down passes.

The Cowboys won those plays decisively.  The Bucs rely heavily on Jackson, their big-ticket free agent signing, and Dalllas gave their new toy, Brandon Carr, the job of stopping Jackson.  He did so, muscling up to stop the big target on early downs.  When Carr dropped into free safety in the Cowboys nickel Mike Jenkins played closer, stopping Jackson on every attempt he faced.  Jackson ended with day with a single reception, a 4th down catch over Orlando Scandrick's tight coverage.

The defense kept Tampa's yardage meter under 100 until the Bucs final drive of the game, a field goal march which created the final score.

The stellar performance was essential, because the Cowboys offense again struggled against a young, energetic front seven.  The right side of the Tampa line, end Michael Bennett and rush tackle Gerald McCoy, won most of their duels against Dallas' right side, right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, right tackle Doug Free and tight end Jason Witten.  Witten, in particular, looks like me might need some down time.  He provided his teammates with inspiration against the Giants, but he does not appear ready for full-down action.  He was outmuscled on several pass downs and again dropped some wide open attempts.

The continued drops and protection breakdowns, and several more procedure penalties, meant the Cowboys could not finish long drives in the end zone.  Dan Bailey rescued three of these possessions with field goals, but Tony Romo took a beating.

A frightening and familiar sight today.

     *     *     *     *

The Cowboys resumed playing where they left off in Seattle.  The offense took the opening kickoff and mangled its opening drive.  An incompletion on a fake reverse and a procedure penalty left the team in 2nd-and-15.  Tony Romo's pass for Jason Witten was tipped on 2nd down and dropped.  Then then tried forcing an out to slot WR Miles Austin on 3rd-and-15.  Romo's pass into the teeth of the Tampa zone was picked off by Aqib Talib at Dallas' 29.

The defense then took some swigs from the Wade Phillips' cup.  Three penalties, two off-sides and an interference on Morris Claiborne took Tampa inside the Dallas' eleven.  Two Doug Martin runs created a 4th-and-1 at the Dallas three.  A counter run to Martin gained two.  Tampa then suckered the Dallas line with a run fake to Martin and converted the touchdown with a pass to tight end Luke Stocker.

The Cowboys had trouble blocking the Tampa front on the 2nd and 3rd series.  The Bucs play a 4-man front with a slant nose tackle, and that NT was very good at beating the backside double-team blocks by the guard and center and blowing up plays run away from him.  This killed plays that had very good play-side blocking by LT Tyron Smith and TEs Jason Witten and John Phillips.  The Bucs also showed early lateral discipline, sniffing out a backside screen call for Phillips at the Bucs 11.

The defense helped the offense find its bearings by producing a short field.  On a 3rd-and-14 inside its own red zone, Rob Ryan put in a nickel look, a 4-2-5 that had one lineman, DE Jason Hatcher.  The four "linemen" were outside linebackers and a safety.  They danced in lanes before the snap.  Ryan rushed three of them and brought a CB Morris Claiborne off the edge on a delayed blitz.  Bucs QB Josh Freeman was flustered and rushed a dumpoff to his back.  The ball bounced to Sean Lee, who set up Dallas on their own short field.  (More on this and Rob Ryan's other funky fronts later this week.)

DeMarco Murray got one first down by faking out two defenders on a flare, moving the Cowboys to the Bucs eleven.  Here, Jason Garrett called another stretch play left and this time he got good blocking across the board.  Witten and Tyron Smith caved in the left side of Tampa's D, giving Murray a lane towards the pylon.  Murray dove in for the score, and Dan Bailey's conversion tied the game.

The defense moved its emphasis to stopping rookie RB Doug Martin, the key to Tampa's offense.  Rob Ryan played a lot more 4-3 from the opening gun, and after Martin ripped off a long run to open Tampa's third series, Ryan stayed in a base 4-3 that played DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer as stand-up ends.  Behind them, the Cowboys stacked Sean Lee, Orie Lemon and Bruce Carter, with Lemon playing middle linebacker.   They held the Bucs, after a Ware sack forced a Freeman fumble and a 3rd and long.

The teams then exchanged punts. Rob Ryan had Josh Freeman rattled and mixed fronts against him, using a straight 3-4, then a split-6 look with Spencer and Sean Lee as the inside linebackers, inside a four-man line that plays the DTs over each guard's outside shoulder.

The Cowboys got a break at the 6:16 mark when Jordan Shipley fumbled a Chris Jones punt at the Bucs' 39 and Dallas recovered.  A roughing the kicker penalty was added, as Jones was run over while kicking the ball.  Dallas subsequently started the series at the Tampa 24,  A false start penalty against Doug Free moved Dallas back five, but a slant to Kevin Ogletree gained 7 yards and Romo scrambled away from a Bucs blitz to convert 3rd-and-8.

Romo's slide put Dallas at the twelve.  Two plays lost two yards, and on 3rd-and-long Romo did one of his Houdini-like scrambled, circling right before mis-connecting with Ogletree in the left corner of the end zone.  Bailey made the kick, giving Dallas the lead, 10-7.

2:21 remained and Joe DeCamillis called an on-side kick, hoping to catch Dallas by surprise.  The kick failed, giving Tampa great field position near mid-field.  The Bucs were as error-prone as Dallas, and committed two, moving themselves back to their 39.  They punted and Dallas showed a flicker of life, but a sack stalled their final drive at mid-field.

The third quarter was a taffy pull.  Dallas simplified its game plan.  Seeing lots of Tampa Bay eight-man fronts and blitzes, they stayed in regular, two-back sets and worked quick in-breaking passes to Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.  They got several key first downs and advanced inside the Tampa Bay 20.  Here, Romo fumbled while trying to shuttle the ball to DeMarco Murray.  Tampa recovered, killing the drive.

Tampa advanced to mid-field, using two Doug Martin first down runs and a penalty against Mana Silva, who replaced the injured Barry Church.  The defense pressured Tampa into a punt, but quickly gave it back when Romo was sacked on a right side rush.  Tampa recovered at the Dallas 31, but immediately lost field position after a Josh Freeman grounding call.  Two more incompletions forced a punt, and the 10-7 taffy pull continued.

The defense produced another Tampa Bay punt and Romo went back to beating the blitz with seams and posts to Kevin Ogletree and Dez Bryant.  He again moved Dallas inside the 20 and was again let down by poor pass protection.  This time Gerald McCoy swam past right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau and rocked Romo.  Romo kept possession this time and Bailey's kick pushed the lead to 13-7.

The Cowboys special teams finally made a big play, holding the Bucs inside Tampa's fifteen.  A three and out gave the offense decent field position.  One long pass to Miles Austin moved Dallas near mid-field, but the drive sputtered.  Chris Jones' punt was short, but a personal foul penalty moved the Bucs back to their nine.

The Bucs stayed with their small-ball tactics, running Doug Martin on first and second downs and throwing on 3rd and short.  Ware here stripped Freeman of the football, which was recovered at the Bucs two by an offensive lineman.

The Tampa punter had to rush his kick with the short field and his kick was low and fast.  Dez Bryant fielded the ball at his 48, found one block on the right edge, and raced to the Bucs six.   Dallas tried a play action pass for seven, then handed the ball off to Murray the rest of the series.  Bailey's 22 yard field goal pushed the lead to 16-7 and let Dallas breathe.  Tampa scored a field goal in the last 44 seconds, but DeCamillis' return team handled the onside kick perfectly.  James Hanna grabbed the ball behind solid blocking and three Romo kneel-downs killed the game.

Notes

-- A strong day by Mike Jenkins, who had to replace Brandon Carr in nickel sets.  Carr was used as the free safety.  Having a centerfielder he could trust let Rob Ryan stay aggressive with his run-stuffing fronts and bltizes, things he did not do against Seattle after he lost Barry Church.  Jenkins spent most of his game man-to-man on Vincent Jackson, who caught one ball all game.

-- It might be time to look hard to backup RT Jermey Parnell.  Doug Free struggled all through camp with inside counter moves and in week one, Osi Umenyiora beat him with similar rushes.  This week, Free was walked back by Bucs RE Michael Bennett.  Free struggled at left tackle last year and he's struggling at right tackle this year.  And he doesn't have the lockout as an explanation.

-- He's tough, but Jason Witten has not been the same guy after his spleen injury.  He's getting jacked up when he stays in to block and he dropped a deep crosser where he was wide open in the 2nd quarter.

-- Let's give a nod to the understudies who played well today.  Bruce Carter, Mike Jenkins, Kevin Ogletree, Orlando Scandrick, Josh Brent, Sean Lissemore.  These guys can be inconsistent and get knocked when they play poorly, but they fulfilled their assignments this afternoon.  And of course, let's not take Dan Bailey for granted.

View Comments

Time to Get It Done

No short-week issues this week.

No long-week issues this week.

No time for talk about opening on the East Coast then traveling to the West Coast.

The Cowboys play a team that is three games into a new coaching regime.  One that spent big, but has to integrate more players than Dallas.

Dinged up?  Take a number.  Every team in the league is banged up and bruised.

You're at home.  It's opening day for the Cowboys faithful.

It's time to get it done.

I'll be a game-time Twitter jockey.  Follow @ cowboysnation1.  Drop the comments in the thread.

View Comments

Second Look - Week 3

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
CB Brandon Carr

In this series we take a look back at any one item from the week and take a second look. Have things changed? Do we have more information? Let's examine it closer.

In Raf's article from this AM he mentions "Eight Steps to Beat the Bucs" where he makes the observation "Outside, the game will depend on Brandon Carr's matchup with Vincent Jackson". This makes the 3rd time this week the critical nature of this match-up has been discussed. That is certainly worth a second look!

The implications, techniques and physical stature each player brings to the game were explained earlier and nothing has changed. Upon further review ....

• Brandon Carr is in his 5th year in the league.
• Vincent Jackson is in his 8th year in the league.
• Brandon Carr is in his 1st year with the Cowboys.
• Vincent Jackson is in his 1st year with the Buccaneers.
• Brandon Carr played his first 4 years with the Chiefs.
• Vincent Jackson played his first 7 years with the Chargers

That means that for 4 years these players saw each other 2 times a year for a potential 8 direct match-ups. What were the results of the most recent? Let's look at 2011 and see what we find. BTW thank you PFF (Pro Football Focus) for leading me to most of the needed information via NFL gamebook. I also fired up the game on NFL rewind for the eyeball test no stats can reveal. Here are some key items.

• 2011 Week 3 KC (17) at SD (20)
• RCB Brandon Carr - starting, WR Vincent Jackson - holding out
• 2011 Week 8 SD (20) at KC (23)
• RCB Brandon Carr starting,  WR Vincent Jackson - starting
• "Temp: 63° F (17.2° C) Humidity: 31%, Wind: Calm"
• Vincent Jackson Scoring Plays - 0
• Vincent Jackson "Final Individual Statistics"
  8 targets, 3 receptions, 49 yds, 16.3 avg, 27yd longest, 0 TD
• Flowers was on Jackson a good part of the time, but it varied often
• Carr was primarily on Malcom Floyd, another 6'5" WR
• Floyd had 7 targets, 5 rec, 107 yds, 21.4 avg 35 yd longest, 0 TD
• In 1st quarter, Carr got isolated on Jackson a few times when SD ran 3 wide on left side of field. Carr shut him down.
• 7:16 mark of 1st quarter Jackson catches a 12 yd out route against tight coverage by Carr. Nice thow and catch by Rivers/Jackson
• 5:00 mark of 1st quarter Carr is matched up on Jackson on the left. He goes in motion to the right, delays and then runs a very weak slant as he tries to get Carr picked off by the inside receiver. Carr positions himself well, cuts underneath the route just as Rivers lets go. The ball is tipped at the line and another player intercepts it, however Carr was in better position than the receiver to get the ball.
• Jackson gets his 27 yd reception at 9:57 in the 4th. off a scramble to the right by Rivers. Flowers had the coverage. It was a looooong play.
• More of the same .....

As you go through the game (love that coaches film) you notice that both Flowers and Carr stay to their sides letting SD dictate the match-up by where Jackson will line up. Between the two of them they handled Jackson. I believe Carr is up to the task. Mike Williams may be the bigger threat on game day.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments

A Belated CN Introduction and a Bucs Game Cheat Sheet

The home opener is straight ahead!

I want to give all of you a belated introduction to Steven Van Over.  He's taken over the afternoon page so smoothly, I was already taking him for granted!

In all seriousness, Steve has been a real find for Cowboys Nation.  He provided all the great training camp photos and brought a fresh perspective to viewing Cowboys games.  Join me in welcoming Steve to the site.

Steve's addition will be the first of a few coming in the next few weeks.  Next week I'll get the draft bandwagon rolling again, with contributions from Optimum Scouting's Eric Galko and Rotoworld's Josh Norris. They've taken the reins from Wes Bunting and will take us through the 2013 draft.

Beating the Bucs in Eight Steps

I watched the Bucs and Giants again and think the game can be boiled down to a few key points:

On Defense

• The Bucs want to run the same game plan Seattle did last week.  They want to go heavy and feed the ball to rookie running back Doug Martin.  He's the real thing.  He scored a 2nd quarter touchdown against the Giants which reminded me of one of Tony Dorsett's best goal-line runs.  Martin started towards the left inside, found it bottled up, then planted and spun wide to his left without hesitating.  He left several Giants grasping for air.  

• Dallas will have to defend the middle better.  Dallas played seven-man fronts when the Seahawks went heavy in the last week's 2nd half,  with two and three tight ends.  This left Dallas at a numerical disadvantage, with seven men in the box to guard against Seahawks seven blockers and a runner. That's problem one.  Rob Ryan didn't trust his safeties enough to leave one isolated in the deep middle.  He'll have to get Barry Church back or roll the dice on a Mana Silva or even Mike Jenkins this week and commit a strong safety or extra linebacker into the box.

• He'll also need better play from his nose tackles.  The key blocks on many Seahawks inside runs came inside, where the center and backside guard mashed Josh Brent and Sean Lissemore.  If the Cowboys don't play better up the middle, we'll see Martin's post-game line read between 25-30 carries.

• Outside, the game will depend on Brandon Carr's matchup with Vincent Jackson.  Jackson is a king-sized wideout who gave Dallas' smaller corners fits in his Chargers days.  He's Tampa Bay's marquee receiver now, and he burned all Giants defenders on stop fades, go routes and other vertical branches of the receiver tree.  Carr loves to mix it up and Jackson is the type of receiver Carr was signed to stop.  If Tampa goes heavy and the Cowboys park eight in the box, we'll see a lot of one receiver sets that leave these two heavyweights alone. 

On Offense

New York did something different against the Bucs.  They used their three-receiver set as their base last week.  This wasn't an emergency move to rescue a game that had gotten out of hand.  Eli Manning deployed his offense with Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden on the flanks and Victor Cruz in the slot from series one.  Tampa went man under and played two safeties deep.  This tactic left six Bucs in the box in a 4-2 look, and left room for the Giants running game and for tight end Martellus Bennett, who worked over single coverage from the Bucs nickel backer.  

Why shouldn't the Cowboys do the same?  Drops aside, they've had little trouble getting receives open this year and burned the Giants badly out of the spread set. 

• Look for a lot more Kevin Ogletree this week, with Miles Austin again working out of the slot.  Eli Manning got 500 yards against these guys last week.  Tony Romo must be salivating in anticipation of facing that secondary.

• Target Aqib Talib.  The Giants did, burning the former standout on shallow and deep routes.  He plays on the left edge most of the time.  Jason Garrett and Romo certainly know where he'll be at all times.

• Plan on seeing and beating the blitz.  The Bucs remain a 4-3 base team, but they're no longer wedded to the Tampa Two version of that defense.  They'll blitz more.  Against New York, they had to, because their front four couldn't get to Manning with any regularity.  Quick tosses, in routes to the wider wideouts and slants and crossers to Cruz tore up Tampa's interior secondary.  Jason Witten could bounce back with a big game against that two man shallow interior pass defense.

• Spreading Tampa out may get DeMarco Murray off and running.  Tampa had the same issue Dallas' D has last week.  They feared Eli Manning's deep game, so they kept two safeties deep.  They were undermanned against New York's traps and draws.  If Dallas sees a similar front against their spread, Murray will get lots of early carries.  

View Comments

Dallas vs Tampa Bay GameBook 2ndHalf – Week 3

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
Cowboys can get physical

Each Game Book is a 2 part article. We get out as many sections each week as the Cowboys Schedule allows.

GameBook Match-Ups section will detail avenues that either team may use to gain an advantage over the other based on personnel packages, injury or talent level.

GameBook-2nd 1/2 we discuss the kind of response either team may have in the 2nd half as a counter move. 2nd half adjustments are key in today’s game and we do our home work in order to get the jump on the opposition

Dallas Finesse Mentality VS Tampa Bay Physical Style -It is easy to confuse mental toughness vs. style of play. Loading up with 3 TEs and running power ball at the stout Tampa Bay D would not be the most efficient use of our resources. This begs the question, what is? Scheme and speed (counters and traps) are the obvious answer and we have the personnel to do them well. Raf detailed one technique in particular I believe we will see against Tampa in his playbook series . Basically the Cowboys run out of passing formations in order to keep the safeties out of the box. Be sure and review the post, as he lays it out just think Buccaneers and it works. It's a Raf playbook, you expected different?

Counters, traps and reverses are the plays to keep aggressive defenses reading instead of getting up field and creating havoc. The Buccaneers will have to match the Cowboys formations or risk getting burned in match-ups. Garrett has to stay balanced with his play calling. He does not have to stay balanced with his formations.

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
Cowboys front 7 with Ratliff watching from sideline

Buccaneers Running Game vs Cowboys Front Seven - It is time for a Rob Ryan special. The man can come up with some game plans. He may have had a great one last week. We will never know. Focus should not be an issue this week. Look for Rob to take the gloves off. That does not mean wholesale blitzing. It does mean Rob knows this is a must win game. Time to bring the toys out of the box. Hatcher is slated for more playing time as our major run stoppers across the DL are injured. Look for some exotic formations from Ryan using multiple LB and moving Ware around looking to create havoc by getting up field. This will give some DL some rest as well as get into Freeman's skull just a bit.

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
Carr locked on

CB Brandon Carr vs WR Vincent Jackson -This will be one of the best match-ups to watch. It should be a progression dance. No need to pull the big tricks out of the bag if the base ones are working. You will see the base ones first. Carr will line up and Jackson will try and mug him as he comes off the line. Jackson wants to get his hands on you. I watched him throw CB's to the side on NFL instant replay. If he is getting jammed they move him to the slot and have him come across the middle or double move to the outside, especially if he can get a match-up with a 3rd CB. Ryan will look to give Safety help over the top when he can. Carr is like minded and wants to get his hands on you as well. This could look like a cross between a Tango and a Hand-Slap contest within 5 yards of the line. Michael Irvin would recognize his influence with both Jackson and his running mate below......

Steven Van Over - SportsTalkLine
Claiborne playing physical press

CB Morris Claiborne vs WR Mike Williams - When Claiborne  has to play up on Williams he will have his hands full. Williams is strong and has a burgeoning "Jackson-like" mentality coming off the line. He has the ability to get a CB turned around if you give him time for double moves. Both of these WR believe that the ball is theirs and they will go up and get it. They are not afraid to use their bodies to protect the ball and you are not going to get many interceptions contesting jump-balls with either one of them. Both WR's will take a shot and jump right back up showing excellent toughness across the middle. Ryan will have to leave Claiborne isolated for a play or two, but look for him to make certain he gives the rookie Safety help over the top on a consistent basis. Claiborne will be tested every week. This is week 3.

Author: Steven Van Over

View Comments