The Boys Grow a Pair
Since the announcement in Early 2007 that Wade Phillips was being hired as Dallas Cowboy head coach, Guru has been one of his fiercest critics.
From the moment he was hired, I pointed out that in 30 years of Professional Coaching, from time with his father, Bum and the '70s Oilers to Denver to Buffalo and to San Diego, the pattern was the same...
Talented teams who played loose and comfortable, but invariably made the big mistakes at critical junctures and lost to more focused units.
The final year in San Diego, the 14-2 Chargers manhandled the Patriots, only to lose when a DB took a 4th Down, 4th Quarter INT and tried a runback, rather than simply take a knee and seal the win.
Naturally, the 2007 season ended when the 13-3 Cowboys manhandled the Giants for 40 minutes, but came completely apart late to blow a certain victory.
In 2008, the Cowboys have been amongst the most penalized teams in the NFL and were coming off a loss in a game in which they held the Steelers to 105 yards through 3 periods and dominated both lines of scrimmage, only to turn the ball over F-O-U-R times and blow the win inside of two minutes.
Point being - To this point in his career and his Cowboy tenure, his team(s) have played STUPID football.
Dallas, possessing dominating talent on both Offense and Defense, has squandered much of their season on bad penalties, mindless turnovers, horrible special teams and critical mind-cramps. Those are the places where Coaching can make a difference, you can't 'create' talent on Offense or Defense, you either have it or you don't. BUT you teach efficiency, respect for the ball, simple things like DON'T LINE UP IN THE NEUTRAL ZONE, BLOCK THE OTHER TEAM ON EVERY PLAY...Special teams is simply a matter of concentration and EFFORT.
Much of all that was in evidence again last night against the New York Giants...
Cowboys perpetrated a mind-boggling ELEVEN penalties for 108 yards, or exactly 50% as much yardage surrendered to the Giants as they earned (21
through their efforts. A dizzying array of 3rd Down stops were undone by Defensive Offsides, Holding, Hands to the Face...and a complementary number of Offensive drives moved two steps forward, one step back from an endless variety of holds and false starts...
Ahead 14-3 in the 4th Quarter, with the Defense in complete control...the Cowboy offense found itself pinned down near the goal line, with only a meaningless 3rd down to dispense with before punting the ball away and Defending. Incredibly, the entire Left Side of the Offensive line completely missed the snap count, allowing Giant linemen to run unimpeded towards an already injured Tony Romo, sack him for a Safety and barely miss scoring a game-tightening TD. It was reminiscent of the Cardinal OT loss, when Dallas failed to block two Cardinal rushers, who promptly blocked a kick for a game winning TD (first time in NFL history) AND broke the foot of Cowboys All-Pro Punter, Mat McBriar...
Train-wreck stuff.
But you know what?
It didn't matter.
The Cowboys manhandled the Giants physically, the way they did the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and this time, Romo took care of the ball and managed the game brilliantly. As with last week, their Defense took free reign on the QB (8 Sacks) and shut down the opposing receivers, despite playing a CB at Safety (Anthony Henry) and two rookie CB's (Mike Jenkins, back from an injury in the 1st Giant game and Orlando Scandrick). The Giants couldn't run, they couldn't throw, they were overwhelmed throughout and the Cowboy Defense gave up ZERO TD's. Since going to Tampa Bay and holding the Bucs to 3 FG's, the Defense has surrendered 1 TD to the Skins, no TD's to the Seahawks, 2 meaningless garBAGE time TD's to the 49ers after taking a 32-9 lead and 1 TD to the Steelers before none for Big Blue.
On Offense, with Marion Barber playing on one foot and Jason Witten somehow gritting it through his battered, broken body and backup RG, Montrae Holland, joining starter, Kyle Kosier, on the injury BUS, they were ably augmented by 3rd String RG, Cory Procter, who came in and stabilized the Giant rush, which had been tearing up Romo early...by mid-third Quarter, the Cowboy line was leaning on the Giants. That size advantage and time for Romo allowed him to utilize the magnificent skills of Rookie tight-end, 6'7", 265 pound Martellus Bennett and Rookie RB, 3rd String Tashard Choice, who ran around and over the Giants in the 4th Quarter, adding 9 carries, 91 yards and a TD plus 4 catches for another 52 to his 166 all-purpose yards against Pittsburgh.
With the brilliant Rookie RB, Felix Jones out for the season and Marion Barber nursing his own cracked Toe, Choice has stepped up for a healthy 326 yards (5.3 p/carry) and caught another 13 passes (11.7 per catch), culminating his impressive debut with a 40 yard game clinching TD on Sunday night. This is a rookie being thrown into a desperate situation against the league's top Defenses and dominating.
Wow.
In fact, this years Cowboy draft is looking like an all-time winner.
Felix Jones, the fastest Offensive player in the draft, Jones played sparingly in 5 games but managed TD runs of 60 and 33 yards on his way to 266 yards on only 30 carries (8.9 Yards per carry). Oh, and he also had a 102 Yard Kickoff return. His injured toe cost him this season, but his future is glittering.
Mike Jenkins, the fastest DEFENSIVE player in the draft, Jenkins struggled in his first start against St. Louis, when forced into the lineup by injuries to Terrence Newman and PacMan Jones suspension...but was terrific in the next game, giving the Buccaneers nothing and then helping hold Eli Manning to 147 yards passing in the Meadowlands and running back an INT for six. He got hurt in that game, but returned last night and shut his man down cold.
Orlando Scandrick, the only Cowboy DB to remain healthy all year, he was put in the slot out of desperation and has proven to be a shutdown type right out of the gate, speed, instincts, tackling...all were on display against both Pittsburgh and New York.
Martellus Bennett and Tashard Choice, we've already spoken of.
Five IMPACT picks from late selections in each round. Next time you hear some know-nothing criticizing Jerry Jones for not hiring a 'Football' guy to handle the GM duties...think about this draft.
Or think about this. Jones went out and traded draft picks (he knows he doesn't need on his loaded, young team) for proven stud WR, Roy Williams, who is basically an insurance policy for Romo amongst Witten, Owens, Bennett, Crayton, Austin and the backs. Williams would have been the feature WR for the Giants, even IF Plaxico Burress was playing.
Too bad TO didn't score, I was hoping he'd do 'The Plaxico', you do a couple of salsa steps, bang back a couple of drinks...
and shoot yourself in the thigh!
Whatever the Cowboys are NOT, and we've detailed their sloppy, undisciplined play throughout this discussion...they are the greatest assemblage of talent on any NFL roster and, in any game they manage to avoid turnovers, have to be considered the favorites. Such teams rarely win it all and I am under no illusions that the penalties, turnovers and special teams gaffes will rear their ugly heads again these final two games and into the playoffs (if they make it).
But the Cowboys proved their toughness and talent these past two weeks and, whether its under Phillips this season or someone else in the future, this much talent is going to be impossible to deny sometime real soon.
From the moment he was hired, I pointed out that in 30 years of Professional Coaching, from time with his father, Bum and the '70s Oilers to Denver to Buffalo and to San Diego, the pattern was the same...
Talented teams who played loose and comfortable, but invariably made the big mistakes at critical junctures and lost to more focused units.
The final year in San Diego, the 14-2 Chargers manhandled the Patriots, only to lose when a DB took a 4th Down, 4th Quarter INT and tried a runback, rather than simply take a knee and seal the win.
Naturally, the 2007 season ended when the 13-3 Cowboys manhandled the Giants for 40 minutes, but came completely apart late to blow a certain victory.
In 2008, the Cowboys have been amongst the most penalized teams in the NFL and were coming off a loss in a game in which they held the Steelers to 105 yards through 3 periods and dominated both lines of scrimmage, only to turn the ball over F-O-U-R times and blow the win inside of two minutes.
Point being - To this point in his career and his Cowboy tenure, his team(s) have played STUPID football.
Dallas, possessing dominating talent on both Offense and Defense, has squandered much of their season on bad penalties, mindless turnovers, horrible special teams and critical mind-cramps. Those are the places where Coaching can make a difference, you can't 'create' talent on Offense or Defense, you either have it or you don't. BUT you teach efficiency, respect for the ball, simple things like DON'T LINE UP IN THE NEUTRAL ZONE, BLOCK THE OTHER TEAM ON EVERY PLAY...Special teams is simply a matter of concentration and EFFORT.
Much of all that was in evidence again last night against the New York Giants...
Cowboys perpetrated a mind-boggling ELEVEN penalties for 108 yards, or exactly 50% as much yardage surrendered to the Giants as they earned (21
through their efforts. A dizzying array of 3rd Down stops were undone by Defensive Offsides, Holding, Hands to the Face...and a complementary number of Offensive drives moved two steps forward, one step back from an endless variety of holds and false starts...
Ahead 14-3 in the 4th Quarter, with the Defense in complete control...the Cowboy offense found itself pinned down near the goal line, with only a meaningless 3rd down to dispense with before punting the ball away and Defending. Incredibly, the entire Left Side of the Offensive line completely missed the snap count, allowing Giant linemen to run unimpeded towards an already injured Tony Romo, sack him for a Safety and barely miss scoring a game-tightening TD. It was reminiscent of the Cardinal OT loss, when Dallas failed to block two Cardinal rushers, who promptly blocked a kick for a game winning TD (first time in NFL history) AND broke the foot of Cowboys All-Pro Punter, Mat McBriar...
Train-wreck stuff.
But you know what?
It didn't matter.
The Cowboys manhandled the Giants physically, the way they did the Pittsburgh Steelers last week and this time, Romo took care of the ball and managed the game brilliantly. As with last week, their Defense took free reign on the QB (8 Sacks) and shut down the opposing receivers, despite playing a CB at Safety (Anthony Henry) and two rookie CB's (Mike Jenkins, back from an injury in the 1st Giant game and Orlando Scandrick). The Giants couldn't run, they couldn't throw, they were overwhelmed throughout and the Cowboy Defense gave up ZERO TD's. Since going to Tampa Bay and holding the Bucs to 3 FG's, the Defense has surrendered 1 TD to the Skins, no TD's to the Seahawks, 2 meaningless garBAGE time TD's to the 49ers after taking a 32-9 lead and 1 TD to the Steelers before none for Big Blue.
On Offense, with Marion Barber playing on one foot and Jason Witten somehow gritting it through his battered, broken body and backup RG, Montrae Holland, joining starter, Kyle Kosier, on the injury BUS, they were ably augmented by 3rd String RG, Cory Procter, who came in and stabilized the Giant rush, which had been tearing up Romo early...by mid-third Quarter, the Cowboy line was leaning on the Giants. That size advantage and time for Romo allowed him to utilize the magnificent skills of Rookie tight-end, 6'7", 265 pound Martellus Bennett and Rookie RB, 3rd String Tashard Choice, who ran around and over the Giants in the 4th Quarter, adding 9 carries, 91 yards and a TD plus 4 catches for another 52 to his 166 all-purpose yards against Pittsburgh.
With the brilliant Rookie RB, Felix Jones out for the season and Marion Barber nursing his own cracked Toe, Choice has stepped up for a healthy 326 yards (5.3 p/carry) and caught another 13 passes (11.7 per catch), culminating his impressive debut with a 40 yard game clinching TD on Sunday night. This is a rookie being thrown into a desperate situation against the league's top Defenses and dominating.
Wow.
In fact, this years Cowboy draft is looking like an all-time winner.
Felix Jones, the fastest Offensive player in the draft, Jones played sparingly in 5 games but managed TD runs of 60 and 33 yards on his way to 266 yards on only 30 carries (8.9 Yards per carry). Oh, and he also had a 102 Yard Kickoff return. His injured toe cost him this season, but his future is glittering.
Mike Jenkins, the fastest DEFENSIVE player in the draft, Jenkins struggled in his first start against St. Louis, when forced into the lineup by injuries to Terrence Newman and PacMan Jones suspension...but was terrific in the next game, giving the Buccaneers nothing and then helping hold Eli Manning to 147 yards passing in the Meadowlands and running back an INT for six. He got hurt in that game, but returned last night and shut his man down cold.
Orlando Scandrick, the only Cowboy DB to remain healthy all year, he was put in the slot out of desperation and has proven to be a shutdown type right out of the gate, speed, instincts, tackling...all were on display against both Pittsburgh and New York.
Martellus Bennett and Tashard Choice, we've already spoken of.
Five IMPACT picks from late selections in each round. Next time you hear some know-nothing criticizing Jerry Jones for not hiring a 'Football' guy to handle the GM duties...think about this draft.
Or think about this. Jones went out and traded draft picks (he knows he doesn't need on his loaded, young team) for proven stud WR, Roy Williams, who is basically an insurance policy for Romo amongst Witten, Owens, Bennett, Crayton, Austin and the backs. Williams would have been the feature WR for the Giants, even IF Plaxico Burress was playing.
Too bad TO didn't score, I was hoping he'd do 'The Plaxico', you do a couple of salsa steps, bang back a couple of drinks...
and shoot yourself in the thigh!
Whatever the Cowboys are NOT, and we've detailed their sloppy, undisciplined play throughout this discussion...they are the greatest assemblage of talent on any NFL roster and, in any game they manage to avoid turnovers, have to be considered the favorites. Such teams rarely win it all and I am under no illusions that the penalties, turnovers and special teams gaffes will rear their ugly heads again these final two games and into the playoffs (if they make it).
But the Cowboys proved their toughness and talent these past two weeks and, whether its under Phillips this season or someone else in the future, this much talent is going to be impossible to deny sometime real soon.