2012 Season Game Threads Mega-Merge

[Irving Cowboy]

Key matchup: Tampa’s quick, physical DT Gerald McCoy could be tough task for new Cowboys center Ryan Cook
By Brandon George / Reporter
11:47 pm on September 18, 2012

Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy vs. Cowboys center Ryan Cook

This could be McCoy’s breakout season after he struggled with injuries his first two years in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers selected McCoy (6-4, 300) third overall in the 2010 draft out of Oklahoma. McCoy is quick and physical, a lethal combination for an interior defensive lineman. In the season opener against Carolina, McCoy sacked Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and almost took him down two other times. He helped hold Carolina to only 10 rushing yards in the game. Through two games, the Buccaneers’ run defense ranks third in the NFL, having allowed only 104 rushing yards.

Cook made his second career start at center Sunday at Seattle. It was his first start in his second game with the Cowboys since they acquired him three weeks ago in a trade from Miami for a 2013 seventh-round draft pick. Cook had only one problem snapping the football, and that came late in the first quarter, when he snapped the ball prematurely as Tony Romo was walking back up to the line to change the play. Romo was able to recover the fumble, however. Cook is filling in for starting center Phil Costa, who is out with a back injury.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Tampa Bay’s controversial shot at Eli Manning should serve as a warning to Cowboys
By Rainer Sabin / Reporter
11:42 pm on September 18, 2012

At about the same time the Cowboys were sowing the seeds for their first loss of the season against Seattle, their next opponent, Tampa Bay, was giving them something to think about on the plane ride home.

Near the end of the New York Giants’ 41-34 comeback victory over the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay’s defense attacked quarterback Eli Manning as he took a knee on the final play of the game. Because it’s customary in the NFL for the losing team to concede victory and back down in such a scenario, the aggressive tactics by Tampa Bay raised eyebrows and drew harsh rebukes from Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Manning.

But Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano was unapologetic, saying that he wants his team to fight to the finish. Whether or not the Cowboys agree with Schiano’s methods, they can’t say they are unaware of Tampa Bay’s approach.

“Certainly there is a style of football they are trying to implement down in Tampa and they feel like that, in some ways, is indicative of how they want to play, how they’re going to handle end-of-game situations,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.

“We will just be aware of what happened in the past and make sure we handle it the right way on our end.”

That’s a reasonable tack. But come Sunday, the Cowboys had better be prepared to play until the last second expires because Tampa Bay will battle to the bitter end.

 

[Midswat]

I feel really good about tomorrows game. Think the Panthers can win.

I think the Giants might've blown their emotional load on Sunday, and have a let down against Carolina.

And I think the Buccaneers could be demoralized after blowing an 11 point lead in the final quarter.

I would love for the Giants to drop to 1-2.

 

[bkeavs]

I think they can win also. Giants are really banged up and their secondary has been horrible.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Same here, I think the Giants lose. Newton is a handful and it's always tough to travel on a short week.

As for us, I don't know. I think it helps us that we're getting killed all week - we seem to respond better to that than getting our asses kissed. But they're a tough team that is playing pretty well, too, and that Schiano bit with Coughlin is the kind of thing that can galvanize a team. And it might motivate them that we beat them by 50 or whatever last year. Plus our fans always seem sleepy for noon games at home.

 

[Theebs]

The noon crowd after a loss this week will be bad.

count on it...

Drives me nuts...

The second halves usually wake up but early its a quiet place.

 

[marionbarberthe4th]

Lol

http://www.dallascowboysuniverse.co...ne-to-be-added&p=188785&viewfull=1#post188785

 

[Midswat]

‏@TomRock_Newsday
Ouch. “@Giants: WR Hakeem Nicks has been downgraded to out and will not play vs. the Panthers. Nicks did not make the trip”

 

[NoShame]

‏@TomRock_Newsday
Ouch. “@Giants: WR Hakeem Nicks has been downgraded to out and will not play vs. the Panthers. Nicks did not make the trip”

Damn it. My fantasy football team is taking all kinds of injuries this year.

 

[Midswat]

Shouldn't have drafted faggots.

 

[NoShame]

Shouldn't have drafted faggots.

Speaking of faggots. Why don't you go kneel down.

 

[Midswat]

Because I've been on my knees all day.

Your dad left his watch over here. Could you let him know?

 

[NoShame]

Because I've been on my knees all day.

Your dad left his watch over here. Could you let him know?

lol

 

[Theebs]

Watching the giants bucs all 22...

On one hand I am scared because they come right out and play that wide 9 technique with an end and then they stunt a ton.

On the other hand this line Is not as good as the previous two we played....feels kinda like the rams line...

And bill Sheridan is there defensive coordinator. Garrett and room lit up sheridans ny defense in 09.

Btw the giants pick up the stunting every time it appears.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Bucs @ Cowboys: Dallas Injury Update
by Tom Ryle

Going into the home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dallas Cowboys had seven injured players from the active roster during practice at Valley Ranch on Wednesday. Phil Costa, Jay Ratliff, Gerald Sensabaugh, Matt Johnson, Marcus Spears, Kenyon Coleman, and Alex Albright all did not participate or were very limited. Also, Sean Lee was listed as a limited participant with a hip injury, which is not expected to keep him out of the game. He seems to have suffered no ill effects from the helmet-first hit delivered by Seattle receiver Golden Tate, who has now been fined $21,000, according to reports, for the blow the referees did not notice during the game.

With the team needing to get the ugly, dead animal bad taste out of their mouth following the debacle against the Seattle Seahawks, the coaches are trying to sort out how to cover the impact of the injuries.

The biggest issue at this time is the trio of defensive linemen, Ratliff, Spears and Coleman. This only leaves four healthy linemen: Jason Hatcher, Josh Brent, Sean Lissemore, and rookie Tyrone Crawford. Ratliff was still working on rehab, and stretched with the team, but did not practice in pads, Given the situation, it would seem that he would get a chance to be active for the game if he is at all able to go, but the team continues to be very cautious with him.

Of the other injured linemen, Coleman looks to be the most doubtful to come back. He was seen with crutches and a knee wrap earlier in the week. There has been no update on Spears' ankle.

Even if some of the dinged up linemen do make it back onto the field this week, it is certain that Crawford is going to be playing a bigger role, according to Jason Garrett.

"He's growing, and he's learning a lot, and you can really see his development on a daily basis, and so you really multiply that when you're talking about playing a game against the opponents he's working against this early in his career," Garrett said. "He played more in the Seattle game than he did against the Giants, and we anticipate him getting more snaps as we go on here."

However, the team is going to need some of the injured D-line players back, and fast. Tampa Bay has taken steps to upgrade their running game with the addition of rookie Doug Martin, who was a player Dallas was interested in as well. He has totaled 161 yards in his first two NFL games, and a 5.7 yards per rush average. After the way Seattle and Marshawn Lynch controlled the game in the second half, the Cowboys cannot afford to let their defensive front get worn down. They badly need more than four healthy, or at least capable, linemen for the game.

After the defensive line, the safety position is the one of greatest concern. Sensabaugh was wearing a boot after the Seattle game, but Garrett stated that his status for the next game is not certain yet. And there was some positive news regarding him and Barry Church.

Starting free safety Gerald Sensabugh is out of his boot, but his calf injury has not healed enough for him to practice. He could miss Sunday's game.
The good news, though, is strong safety Barry Church did make it through all of Wednesday's practice, including special teams, despite having a quad contusion.

The team has some options for filling in at safety. Mario Butler has practiced at safety, and Mike Jenkins, now that he is back, has been mentioned also. After all the doubt some here had about his dedication (mea culpa), he does sound like maybe we were a bit hasty in our judgement.

Mike Jenkins on possibly working at safety: "I’m just a DB right now. I’m just a DB. Whatever it is, in all honesty. I played it all before"
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 19, 2012

The team also continues to wait on Matt Johnson to recover from his nagging injury, which would be welcome news. He is just as frustrated by it all as anyone.

"I've had tweaks in the past where they'd go away in a day," Johnson said. "That's what's really frustrating. That's what we're trying to figure out why it's happening."

How?

"We're looking at everything," Johnson said. "Just past history, what I'm doing, what I'm eating, my daily diet, when I'm stretching if I shouldn't stretching, doing enough stretching, yoga. Just everything to see what's going on."

Otherwise, the injuries seem to be manageable. Ryan Cook has led many to expect that Phil Costa will be in a backup role when and if he recovers from his back problem. And Albright is primarily a special teams player. He is valuable, but the fact that Kyle Wilber is not being listed in the reports might indicate that he is ready to step in and play this week, which could offset Albright's potential absence.

This is now the likely pattern for the rest of the season, as the team tries to get injured people back as others suffer the inevitable damage of being an NFL player. We will be trying to keep you all up to date as changes happen.

 

[Irving Cowboy]

Doug Martin And Mark Barron Lead The Youth Movement In Tampa Bay
by Archie Barberio

The Dallas Cowboys will be taking on a young and talented team when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. While the memory of the Seattle game is still lingering in our minds, it's time to move on and see what is on our plate in front of us.

This game becomes very important after the Cowboys dropped to 1-1. There is no reason to hit the panic button yet, but it is important for the Cowboys to show up and play good football. Right now, that is all we can ask for.

The Buccaneers are coming off a tough loss themselves after blowing a 14-point lead in the third quarter to the New York Giants. Eli Manning had a career day, throwing for 510 yards. Both teams in this game will be looking to get back on track this Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the middle of a transformation. They thought they had found the winning formula after head coach Raheem Morris led them to a 10-6 record in 2010, but they failed to make the playoffs. Morris was canned after another lackluster season in 2011, and the Bucs needed to go back to the drawing board.

Greg Schiano was a successful college coach at Rutgers, but now he is the man responsible for turning the Buccaneers into contenders again.

Schiano has brought with him a physical approach to the game that demands hard work and fighting until the "end". He needed to make his presence felt on the personnel side of the football, and that began with his first NFL Draft. The Buccaneers took Schiano's advice and drafted three very good football players who will bring immediate change to that franchise.

Mark Barron
Many on here should remember Mark Barron pretty well. For months we talked about Barron as a potential pick for the Dallas Cowboys, but we traded up for LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. Tampa could have drafted Claiborne, but they opted to trade down when Jacksonville made them an offer to move up for Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

Honestly, I think Barron really wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy. He looked pretty upset when the Cowboys traded up for Claiborne, but now he is the safety Schiano needs to run his defense.

Barron made his physical presence felt in the season opener against the Carolina Panthers. He also racked up 13 tackles against the Giants and continues to get more comfortable with more experience. Other than one mental lapse in coverage against the Giants, he looked like he has real range at the safety position.

We will get our first look at Barron in action against Tony Romo and the Cowboys. Keep your eye on #24.

Doug Martin
Schiano had a workhorse running back at Rutgers when he had Ray Rice. It was important for Schiano to get his running game on track in Tampa, so the Buccaneers traded back into the first round to get Boise State running back Doug Martin. Schiano may have found a Ray Rice "clone" in the form of Martin.

Martin was on the Cowboys' radar during the pre-draft process. The Cowboys are starting to develop an eye for talented running backs. They were very high on DeMarco Murray, and they were also highly interested in Doug Martin.

With a short and compact build, Martin is a physical runner who hits his holes with amazing burst. He can be the bell cow type of running back who can take over late in games. The Cowboys had trouble with Marshawn Lynch last week. Lynch ran for 122-yards and kept the Seahawks' offense on the field. It wouldn't be surprising to see Martin be a big part of the gameplan this Sunday.

Pay close attention to Martin this game. He is really the key to the Tampa offense. If the Cowboys can shut him down, it makes the Buccaneers' offense one dimensional.

Lavonte David
The last young player to keep an eye on this Sunday is third-round pick Lavonte David. David was a monster at Nebraska, and he is the perfect fit for the Tampa Two defense. Schiano really had a smart plan entering the draft. He got the running back he wanted, but he also shored up the middle of his defense by taking a playmaking safety and an athletic linebacker.

David is already reminding some people of Derrick Brooks. The rookie linebacker is making the calls in the huddle, which is unheard of for a rookie player. Gerald McCoy was really impressed by his rookie teammate.

"Hey man, that's not easy to do," said McCoy. "That's not easy to do in college, to go out there and get all your reads and make all the calls. That guy came in and did it in the NFL, opening day, and wasn't shaken at all. He never looked nervous. [Fans] can just see what's happening; you don't see everybody's eyes and faces out there. He never looked shaken, never looked nervous, and now I see why we drafted him. He's going to be around for a while."

That is very impressive, and I expect to see David play for a long time in the NFL. He is another player leading the youth movement in Tampa, so be sure to watch him when the Tampa defense is on the field.

 

[Midswat]

‏@calvinwatkins
Danny McCray and Barry church took all the reps at safety yesterday. Church said his quad injury is fine.

 

[Midswat]

I would cut my small toe off if it guaranteed a Panther victory tonight.

I really feel like if the Giants win, they'll go on a roll. But if they lose, it could cause them to be inconsistant all year and end up an 8-8 team at best.

 

[Theebs]

geez, broaddus just said lee didnt even practice yesterday.

I imagine he will play but man, we cant have him limited on the sideline.

sounds like spears and lee will both play though, they are just going to be limited in practice.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

Limited why? Concussion or something else? (Never mind, looked it up and it's a hip. Wonder if that's the truth.)

We definitely need Lee. Connor should never see the field.