Day After Thoughts Week One

[JPP1974]

Really not having Odell really hurt the Giants big time. Eli just missed having him there. Despite only Brandon Marshall getting just one catch.

 

[MrB]

The Giants' run D is and was legitimately good. They're obviously good overall.

But Dak was missing some relatively easy open throws where he wasn't even pressured. Not saying he'll keep doing that all year or even for another week, but for last night, that surprised me.

Yea it surprised me a little too at first but I just figured it was a combination of being super hyped to start the season, and playing against a very good defense. He settled down as the game went along and overall played a good game.

 

[spiderfan_MJ]

The Cowboys played great, especially defensively something which I didn't expect.

 

[Omegasupreme]

It depends on the prognosis of his back, that would be the worrisome part IMO.

If he has a huge year maybe instead of a long term deal you think about tagging him for a year or two.

That's a long way off though. he's got 15 more games to continue to prove himself. He did have a really good game last night though.

Couple of things.

First I would say the probability of D-Lawrence's back issues recurring is very low just from the offseason rehabilitation program he had to do. He gave an interview in August talking about how tough his offseason was (no vacation or downtime)because he needed to ensure, to the best he could, that he could get through the season without a recurrence of the previous back issues. He said it was much harder than training camp or anything like that. I'm not a big believer in him as an athlete because other than strength, I don't really see his value as the edge rusher they need at DE. But listening to him essentially complain about what he had to go through makes me think that he is in beast-mode shape and determined. Wondering if we will have a PED issue with him. But in the meantime, I think we are going to see D-Lawrence giving QBs a lot of meantime. His goal was 12 sacks I think. So far so good.

I have to weigh in on two points of eternal aggravation for me.
First the Cowboys charity-special needs WR TWilly. Here is what happened (and has happened many previous games): he has a strong self-concept of his limitations. He uses a what's called a "self-handicapping" defense mechanism for when he makes blameworthy mistakes or in anticipation of a challenge he tries to manipulate the regard for him. There was a great deal of tension on him last night. He was blamed for almost the whole year on Twitter for not going out of bounds. He feigned an injury last night so that if he played and failed it was the injury, but if he played well it would show his toughness. He tries to promote himself as a blocker because he really is not that good as a WR. He tried to convince fans that he had other offers in free agency but nobody has stepped forward or revealed that they wanted him. He can't go anywhere else because they will find out that he can't catch certain passes and he is kind of limited in his role with routes too. It took him a long time to learn his role In the offense. You really can't have a severe sprained ankle and keep playing like he did. Similarly, he is considered a brute and passionate practice player. He puts on a show and plays hard every practice because he is comfortable with his teammates. But that toughness doesn't translate to the games. In fact two of his runs could have been TDs if Dez were running. Yes, 7 targets and 6 catches was good - his drop was almost picked off because it was above his shoulders and he can't catch that. Hey if he gains enough ego strength or inferiority relief to have that kind of production, that's great. But he plays very scared because he really should not be in that role of #2WR (like an Issac Bruce or John Jefferson or Reggie Wayne or Emmanuel Sanders. He's not them. Not even close.

The charity part is he gets excused by "so many other options" or "he blocks well" etc. Wrong. The options emerged because he's not getting open. A typical Coryell play would be "Split right Scat Right 545 F Post". The left 5 is for Dez and the right 5 is for TWilly. There is no asterisk next to TWillys 5 that gives him an excuse not to expect the ball just as much as Dez. But that's what happens. The offense would be much better with a Stefan Diggs or a faster tougher player on that side. I can't tell you how many Dallas radio show hosts except for Steve Dennis have said "leave Terrance alone he was hustling". But Ed Werder said it best "Terrance disappears in games because he can't beat single coverage when they need him to".

My other issue was just the typical Garrett gameplan. 39 passes 26 runs. Passing at the goal line is not Linehan. Yes Zeke should get the ball even if the play is obvious just as much as Dan Bailey should get the kick on all FGs. There is no one better.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

4) My one complaint offensively would be with the playcalling on the first FG drive after Butler's 30 yd gain. We had 1st and goal inside the 3, and didn't attempt a single running play. Elliott was in the game, but they called 3 straight passes. Now I cant say for sure whether the plays were called by Linehan or if Prescott called them himself, but not running Zeke behind this OL even once was pretty stupid. Hopefully it's something that wont happen again. That said, Prescott should have had the TD on the slant to Dez.

Vintage Garrett. His M.O.

 

[dbair1967]

Vintage Garrett. His M.O.

They asked Garrett about this on Monday, and he was in full Red ****** mode trying to explain it.

He should just say "we fucked up" and move on, but he cant do that.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

My other issue was just the typical Garrett gameplan. 39 passes 26 runs. Passing at the goal line is not Linehan. Yes Zeke should get the ball even if the play is obvious just as much as Dan Bailey should get the kick on all FGs. There is no one better.

THANK YOU! Same shit he did last year in the playoffs against the Packers, and back in 2014. And a number of other times, but those two stand out.

I'm reminded by Captain Queenan's (Martin Sheen) line in the movie, The Departed.

"We deal in deception here. What we do not deal in is self-deception."

Garrett is dealing in self-deception. He does the opposite. He thinks that being contrarian is a mark of genius.

Choosing to pass on goal line situation instead of hammering the defense with the best Oline and RB, is throwing the rabbit in the brier patch. Garrett's thinking is that everyone expects him a running play in that situation--- in other words employing common sense; but he's going to show them! He's going to pass! Not once. not twice, but all three times, and then a FG. But you watch... he's setting them up. He really is going to fool them. There'll be a time, when the Cowboys will be on the goal line, and Garrett will call three pass plays, and then he will send out the FG unit, and on 4th down... he'll pass from out of the FG formation.

 

[dbair1967]

I had given Brice Butler props for that great catch he made to give us 1st and goal at the 3.

There was another throw later on that I originally thought might have been a miss by Prescott, but someone put the QB view of the throw up on CZ and on a 3rd and 2 play from about the NYG, Prescott threw an absolutely perfect slant to Butler and it bounced off him. Play would have been 1st down inside the Giants 30.

Instead we had to punt, costing us points.

Dude had an awesome camp and really good preseason, but he cant drop those.

 

[Rynie]

Uh, dude.

I was suggesting that you and TE were reading too much into "Dak's struggles" because of the Giants defense being good.

I guess all that time you've spent with a 380lb woman of color sitting on your face has deprived your brain of much needed blood supply.

Bwahahahaha.

 

[Doomsday]

I had given Brice Butler props for that great catch he made to give us 1st and goal at the 3.

There was another throw later on that I originally thought might have been a miss by Prescott, but someone put the QB view of the throw up on CZ and on a 3rd and 2 play from about the NYG, Prescott threw an absolutely perfect slant to Butler and it bounced off him. Play would have been 1st down inside the Giants 30.

Instead we had to punt, costing us points.

Dude had an awesome camp and really good preseason, but he cant drop those.

There was nothing wrong with Dak that couldnt be reasonably attributed to rust. Just, lack of full speed game reps, ball gonna tend to sail or go to ground short. I thought he got a better handle on it as he played.

 

[TheZoneSucks]

THANK YOU! Same shit he did last year in the playoffs against the Packers, and back in 2014. And a number of other times, but those two stand out.

I'm reminded by Captain Queenan's (Martin Sheen) line in the movie, The Departed.

"We deal in deception here. What we do not deal in is self-deception."

Garrett is dealing in self-deception. He does the opposite. He thinks that being contrarian is a mark of genius.

Choosing to pass on goal line situation instead of hammering the defense with the best Oline and RB, is throwing the rabbit in the brier patch. Garrett's thinking is that everyone expects him a running play in that situation--- in other words employing common sense; but he's going to show them! He's going to pass! Not once. not twice, but all three times, and then a FG. But you watch... he's setting them up. He really is going to fool them. There'll be a time, when the Cowboys will be on the goal line, and Garrett will call three pass plays, and then he will send out the FG unit, and on 4th down... he'll pass from out of the FG formation.

I subscribe to the old school approach. If they can't stop it, keep doing it. I don't recall going all pass in goal to goal situations when we had Emmitt and the offensive line in the mid 90s. Garrett was around in those days. Guess he just wasn't paying much attention.

 

[TheZoneSucks]

There was nothing wrong with Dak that couldnt be reasonably attributed to rust. Just, lack of full speed game reps, ball gonna tend to sail or go to ground short. I thought he got a better handle on it as he played.

A few of the passes considered "off" by some were actually not. The long pass to Dez in the left side of the end zone was put perfectly where only Dez could have caught it, but since he isn't elite, he failed to make the highlight catch. That would have been a TD.

Also, Dwight Clark makes the catch on the slant early on that Dez got a hand on, but failed to haul in.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

I subscribe to the old school approach. If they can't stop it, keep doing it. I don't recall going all pass in goal to goal situations when we had Emmitt and the offensive line in the mid 90s. Garrett was around in those days. Guess he just wasn't paying much attention.

Well at least he had Zeke in the game instead of the sidelines. I guess that's progress.

 

[Doomsday]

A few of the passes considered "off" by some were actually not. The long pass to Dez in the left side of the end zone was put perfectly where only Dez could have caught it, but since he isn't elite, he failed to make the highlight catch. That would have been a TD.

Also, Dwight Clark makes the catch on the slant early on that Dez got a hand on, but failed to haul in.

What you're saying is right, but even a blind person knows he had some sailers and some grounders early. Witten pulled two off the turf, one sailer was caught, but most of the errant passes were harmlessly incomplete. He got better with more reps though. It was rust.