- Messages
- 5,432
- Reaction score
- 0
Cowlishaw: Top priority for new Cowboys coach: Fix the defense
08:07 PM CST on Sunday, December 19, 2010
COLUMN By TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News
wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON – When you have fallen as far as the Dallas defense, going from a unit the Eagles feared at the end of 2009 to one that is simply frightening for Cowboys fans to watch this year, I understand the cause for celebration.
Near the end, the defense produced back-to-back sacks that forced a punt. And on the game's final play, Terence Newman grabbed the interception that secured a 33-30 Dallas win over the Washington Redskins.
"You pick your battles, and you win when you can," linebacker Bradie James said.
Neither the Cowboys nor the Redskins won many in 2010. Both teams are 5-9. The race for a distant third place behind the Eagles and Giants remains to be decided.
But when this season ends and the topic of the day becomes whether or not Jason Garrett will coach this team in 2011 (the answer is almost certainly "yes"), there's one more thing to consider.
In many ways, it's not really about who serves as head coach next season. It's about who serves as defensive coordinator and how the Dallas defense gets fixed since it was primarily that unit's demise that got Wade Phillips fired last month.
And in the final home game of 2010, a crowd of 86,904 nearly witnessed the Cowboys' biggest defensive collapse of the season.
I suppose from the Redskins' point of view, the second half was all about the rise of Rex Grossman as the 30-year-old journeyman quarterback rallied his team from 20 points down to tie the score at 30-30 with 7:37 left.
And maybe that's what happened. Maybe after being extremely ordinary (at best) his entire career, Grossman suddenly transformed his questionable skills into those of a Pro Bowl passer.
Grossman threw for 322 yards. It was the second 300-yard passing day of his pro career.
He threw for four touchdowns. It was the second time he had ever done that, too.
By those standards, and given the fact that the Cowboys were this close to losing a game in which they led by 20 points for the first time in 22 years, it was the finest individual work of Grossman's career.
I think in their assessment the Cowboys coaches have to take a different view.
The Cowboys defense – mostly the secondary but not entirely the secondary – is simply not ready for big-time football.
Grossman threw two TD passes to Santana Moss, who has killed the Cowboys before. He threw one to tight end Chris Cooley, who also has been a pain in the Cowboys side.
He threw for 100 yards to Anthony Armstrong, who has not had days like that against Dallas, but he surely might enjoy another one soon.
Armstrong was the eighth opponent to have a 100-yard receiving day against Dallas this season, the most since 1985. On the plus side, he didn't make it to 200, so the streak started by the Colts' Reggie Wayne and Eagles' DeSean Jackson at least reached its conclusion.
The bottom line is that some of new coordinator Paul Pasqualoni's changes have not worked. How could anyone expect otherwise? When basically nothing was working for Phillips, it's an achievement that anything at all is working for Pasqualoni.
But the problem is that the players who have been to Pro Bowls – Newman and his fellow corner Mike Jenkins – often look as beatable as the secondary's rookies and unproven players.
So when you're talking about fixing this defense ... where to begin?
The Cowboys defense ranked 25th in total yards coming into the game and they were one of three teams giving up an average of 6 yards per play.
As James said, you take the few battles you can win and make the most of them.
Against the Redskins it was just enough to win at home for the second time all season. But the problems of a defense that can surrender 30 points even to the bad teams remain.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would focus on the winning plays and worry about the rest later.
"I'm going to be like Gone With the Wind. I'm going to think about that tomorrow," he said.
Not surprising he would reference a film about the fall of the South after watching the decline of the Cowboys in 2010.
Slightly surprising that he went with a Scarlett O'Hara line rather than a more suitable one from Rhett Butler, something like, "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation."
Only after some courageous and correct decisions are made by Jones can this defense begin to shed the reputation it developed and ranking it deserved in 2010.
08:07 PM CST on Sunday, December 19, 2010
COLUMN By TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News
wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON – When you have fallen as far as the Dallas defense, going from a unit the Eagles feared at the end of 2009 to one that is simply frightening for Cowboys fans to watch this year, I understand the cause for celebration.
Near the end, the defense produced back-to-back sacks that forced a punt. And on the game's final play, Terence Newman grabbed the interception that secured a 33-30 Dallas win over the Washington Redskins.
"You pick your battles, and you win when you can," linebacker Bradie James said.
Neither the Cowboys nor the Redskins won many in 2010. Both teams are 5-9. The race for a distant third place behind the Eagles and Giants remains to be decided.
But when this season ends and the topic of the day becomes whether or not Jason Garrett will coach this team in 2011 (the answer is almost certainly "yes"), there's one more thing to consider.
In many ways, it's not really about who serves as head coach next season. It's about who serves as defensive coordinator and how the Dallas defense gets fixed since it was primarily that unit's demise that got Wade Phillips fired last month.
And in the final home game of 2010, a crowd of 86,904 nearly witnessed the Cowboys' biggest defensive collapse of the season.
I suppose from the Redskins' point of view, the second half was all about the rise of Rex Grossman as the 30-year-old journeyman quarterback rallied his team from 20 points down to tie the score at 30-30 with 7:37 left.
And maybe that's what happened. Maybe after being extremely ordinary (at best) his entire career, Grossman suddenly transformed his questionable skills into those of a Pro Bowl passer.
Grossman threw for 322 yards. It was the second 300-yard passing day of his pro career.
He threw for four touchdowns. It was the second time he had ever done that, too.
By those standards, and given the fact that the Cowboys were this close to losing a game in which they led by 20 points for the first time in 22 years, it was the finest individual work of Grossman's career.
I think in their assessment the Cowboys coaches have to take a different view.
The Cowboys defense – mostly the secondary but not entirely the secondary – is simply not ready for big-time football.
Grossman threw two TD passes to Santana Moss, who has killed the Cowboys before. He threw one to tight end Chris Cooley, who also has been a pain in the Cowboys side.
He threw for 100 yards to Anthony Armstrong, who has not had days like that against Dallas, but he surely might enjoy another one soon.
Armstrong was the eighth opponent to have a 100-yard receiving day against Dallas this season, the most since 1985. On the plus side, he didn't make it to 200, so the streak started by the Colts' Reggie Wayne and Eagles' DeSean Jackson at least reached its conclusion.
The bottom line is that some of new coordinator Paul Pasqualoni's changes have not worked. How could anyone expect otherwise? When basically nothing was working for Phillips, it's an achievement that anything at all is working for Pasqualoni.
But the problem is that the players who have been to Pro Bowls – Newman and his fellow corner Mike Jenkins – often look as beatable as the secondary's rookies and unproven players.
So when you're talking about fixing this defense ... where to begin?
The Cowboys defense ranked 25th in total yards coming into the game and they were one of three teams giving up an average of 6 yards per play.
As James said, you take the few battles you can win and make the most of them.
Against the Redskins it was just enough to win at home for the second time all season. But the problems of a defense that can surrender 30 points even to the bad teams remain.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would focus on the winning plays and worry about the rest later.
"I'm going to be like Gone With the Wind. I'm going to think about that tomorrow," he said.
Not surprising he would reference a film about the fall of the South after watching the decline of the Cowboys in 2010.
Slightly surprising that he went with a Scarlett O'Hara line rather than a more suitable one from Rhett Butler, something like, "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation."
Only after some courageous and correct decisions are made by Jones can this defense begin to shed the reputation it developed and ranking it deserved in 2010.
