Day After Thoughts

[dbair1967]

Solid win yesterday over a bad team, but it beats the hell out of nail biters every week.

I think they said the Rams were missing their top 3 CB's and were actually playing guys who were the 6th and 7th CB's to be on on their team, so it was somewhat surprising to me that the passing game didnt have a field day. But long term getting the running game going at a quality level wil pay big dividends, so in the end I'm glad they pounded the ball whole game.

1) Demarco Murray...amazing debut as a feature back (he actually did not get the start). Took over the game, ran with power and speed. Showed quick feet and made some nice cuts. Ran with some attitude too. Like I said after the game yesterday, its easy to see why the Cowboy warroom was so pumped after getting him in the 3rd round now. Also really smart move by the kid to go down after he saw he wasnt going to score on that last long run. Dont risk the fumble.

2) Sensational game of run blocking by the OL, and Fiametta shook off a bad hold early to have what appeared to be a dominant game run blocking. Holland was a huge upgrade over Nagy, hopefully he can stay healthy. Free gave up the bad sack but otherwise seemed fine. About the only complaint I could make is some of the blitz protections seemed off a little, although some of that could be attributed to Jones being out. Choice doesnt even try when he's back there, and Murray probably doesnt have enough experience at it yet, although he was pretty good at it at OU.

3) Garrett should "Curvin Richards" Tashard Choice. I dont care how long Jones might be out, Choice is a liability on the team. The guy is a dog, get him out of here. Tanner ran with authority and showed the same quick feet he had in training camp, and is a vastly better (and more powerful) runner than Choice is.

4) Rams come in yielding the most sacks in football, have lousy OL overall, lose their best OT early in the game. And yet somehow we have very little pass rush, manage only one sack and the Rams crap OL isnt flagged one time for offensive holding. I'm sure its just a coincidence. The refs do a great job.

5) Mike Jenkins is really having a good year, and he still probably isnt 100% yet. Scandrick looked pretty solid to me yesterday and appears to moving pretty good. T-New is playing at a high level, and even Alan Ball looks decent. Jenkins got credit for 3 passes defensed yesterday as fyi. I also thougth Elam had by far his best game yesterday. Led the team in tackles and also had 3 tackles for loss, in addition to the forced and recovered fumble.

6) Dez had a nice game, but that dropped td in the first half shouldnt happen. Gotta catch that ball. The other one that some of the media idiots (DMN, FWST) are calling a drop (it was the very next play) looked more like pass interference to me. Also looked like the Ram DB was chucking/grabbing Dez virtually the whole time on the TD he did catch in the 4th qtr. Yeah, with the WR's and TE's we have against a team of slobs in the secondary, not one defensive holding, pass interference, illegal contact. But I'm sure its just a coincidence, the refs do a great job.

7) DeMarcus Ware now has 8 sacks on the season and is on pace for 21 or 22 sacks. He's clearly the best defensive player in the league. Hopefully this will be the year they get the DPOY right for a change. Ware should definitely have one and probably two already.

8) Seems like every week now, but this Dan Bailey kid is just amazing. That 51 yd FG looked like it would have been good from 55+, and the thing split the uprights. He's now 17/18 overall and made 16 in a row. His kickoffs, other than the one that went OB when he was trying to directional kick have been fine. Dont see why we'd be keeping Buehler any longer. Either IR him or release him.

Next weeks game at Philly is really big, and IMO could be the first real watershed game of Garrett's HC career. Its a chance to put us into the drivers seat in the NFC East, as the Eagles would be close to being eliminated and the Giants schedule turns brutal after this week vs Miami. They have upcoming road games at New England, at SF, at New Orleans and at us, and in between have a home game against Green Bay and still have to play the Jets.

 

[Cr122]

Next weeks game at Philly is really big, and IMO could be the first real watershed game of Garrett's HC career.

We went into Philly last year and won. And we have a better team this year. I like our chances.

Can't wait to see what Rob has in store for the Eagles.

 

[Theebs]

Good post.

It looked to me like we were not even trying to bring pressure. Everything was geared toward closing lanes for jackson.

They were throwing the ball so quickly for the most part that it would have been difficult to get there, Bradford likes to hold the ball and throw deep and he didn't have Jackson for all but 1 game. I think that played a huge role in there sack numbers. Ware was pretty damn close repeatedly to getting a strip on feeley. He must have missed it 5 times in the second half by a split second.

Fiametta makes a huge difference, running with him and without him is night and day.

Tyron smith was injured on the Td throw to DEz and was on the sideline with the trainers for the last drive were Parnell played rt. I hope it was just something minor.

Stephen Jackson should have had a Td on that last drive, he had a huge lane and sensebaugh stuck his shoulder in there and stopped him. He injured himself however and couldn't lift his right arm after the play, he stayed in the game when lee and Newman were telling him to get off the field. He stayed out there till the end, but he was really nursing his right shoulder.

DEz Bryant pulled off one of the dumbest punt returns ever in the first qtr....he let a ball he could have easily caught bounce right in front of him a at the 16 and it rolled to the 5. Made no sense.

Laufenberg seemed less willing to go after romo yesterday unlike last week where it appeared babe was in full on protect Jason Garrett mode. I am curious how comments on romo this week. I still think his comments on romo were shortsighted, thoughtless and made to take away from the coaches mistakes. Babe really loves Phillip tanner. He was talking about him in the pre game again and insisted he deserves playing time, he said after the game it is time for choice to go read the story of Wally pip.

Romo had Austin on that deep go route down the sideline in the third qtr, he just threw the ball to flat, he needs to get some air under it.

This eagles game is huge. If we win, it could be our division, if we lose it will be an uphill battle to get back into the race. And we would also let the eagles right back in. Again, like dbair said, we have det, sf, ne and the jets out of the way. That is huge for us.

If the offensive line holds up i think we will be ok. We scored a bunch of points on this defense last year when we played the titans. They also hit romo 7 times. So the game will be won or lost up front of romo.

Two weeks in a row we have blown a huge play or Td with a sack, last week smith gave up a sack with austin standing all alone in the end zone, yesterday romo was sacked on a play where witten wa just running down the middle of the field all alone. Not sure if he would have scored,but would have been a huge day.

It's amazing to think that anytime a media guide is opened up in the future, demarco murray is going to be sitting there as the top rushing day ever over that emmitt Philly game. Amazing.

Oh and we were rotating corners all day, not sure I have ever seen that. Frank walker sure plays a lot for a guy off the street.

 

[Theebs]

We went into Philly last year and won. And we have a better team this year. I like our chances.

Can't wait to see what Rob has in store for the Eagles.

His we will beat their ass comments are going to get played ad nauseum this week. And I hope it rallies our team when the eagles start mouthing off about it, I actually think are defense is going to beat their ass.

 

[VA Cowboy]

SAlso really smart move by the kid to go down after he saw he wasnt going to score on that last long run. Dont risk the fumble.

Really? So whenever you may get tackled then just drop to the field? lol

Not taking anything away from the guy because he obviously had a history breaking game. But just say he was winded on that run instead of trying to spin it as a good decision trying not to fumble.

 

[Midswat]

Really? So whenever you may get tackled then just drop to the field? lol

Not taking anything away from the guy because he obviously had a history breaking game. But just say he was winded on that run instead of trying to spin it as a good decision trying not to fumble.

Agreed. He went down like that because he was running on empty.

 

[dbair1967]

Agreed. He went down like that because he was running on empty.

I suspect thats some of it, but I think he knew he had 2 or 3 guys trailing him that were going to hit him and try to tear the ball out.

 

[dbair1967]

I hadnt even noticed Parnell was out there, and havent seen anything today on Smith being hurt. Hopefully we hear something this morning.

 

[Midswat]

Some of my thoughts...

-- I can't recall the last regular season game I was so disinterested in, this early in the year, while we still have strong divisional and playoff chances. Only a few instances of the game got me excited: Murray 91yarder. Ware sack. Dez late TD. The rest of the game I just wasn't feeling it.

-- To me, the offense came out disinterested. I can't decide if we're just not in sync, or if this was one of those games where the team knows they're playing a dog, with a big game the following week. I'd like to think that JG wouldn't allow for that, especially after the past two losses.... but it really felt that way.

-- Interesting that Jason Garretts offense is responsible for the Cowboys single game receiving yards leader (Austin) and rushing yards leader (Murray).

-- AJ Feeley is a douche. The Rams are getting worked, in the second half, and he's applauding like he's making big plays because his hard count fools our defense 2 or three times during the game.

-- It seemed to me like Romo was trying to force Dez the ball - which he should. Dez is the kind of receiver that we should showcase. He has elite skills. Make him a focal point in the offense, like Witten is. Good things will happen. I guarantee we won't see another missed TD like we saw from him for another couple years. And that fourth quarter TD was great. In the redzone... just throw it near him and let him get it. He'll win that battle most of the time.

-- The defense was great, yet again. Sean Lee. Abram Elam. Demarcus Ware. Mike Jenkins. Rob Ryan has this unit playing at a Championship level. Teams simply can not run on us. And that late game goal line stand was impressive. We normally give that score up. And quite frankly, it would've been easy for the defense to half-ass it since the game was already decided. But you could see they took pride in keeping the Rams out of the end zone.

-- Hats off to Murray. From the instant he was drafted, I've been bashing the pick. I'm still not in love with the selection, as I have legit concerns about his long-term durability. But I'll happily eat crow in the meantime. That was as impressive a performance from a Cowboys runningback as I've seen in years. And I'm not just talking about the yardage total. I'm talking about HOW he ran. With power, and a deceptive burst.

-- And although he probably only ended with less than 20 yards (haven't seen the box score), I'm equally impressed with Tanner. The guy runs violently.

-- Dan Bailey. Wow. I know it was indoors and all, but that 51 yarder would've been good from 80 yards (slight exaggeration). The kid is on fire right now. Folk who?

-- I haven't hated a player like I hate Choice, since maybe... oh... shit... Marion Barber last year. lol

-- 3-3 feels good. Next week is huge. Reid usually has the Eagles playing their best ball after a bye week. It's going to be a tough game to go up into Philly and beat them, after they've had two weeks to prepare. That said, we're the better team, and we've got better coaching. I like our chances.

 

[Idgit]

Really? So whenever you may get tackled then just drop to the field? lol

Not taking anything away from the guy because he obviously had a history breaking game. But just say he was winded on that run instead of trying to spin it as a good decision trying not to fumble.

Agreed. He went down like that because he was running on empty.

Yep. It was the combination. He was dogged, and decided to go down rather than risk a fumble when he knew he was gassed. I'll take it.

I'll echo the comments that Fiammetta makes a huge difference in the running game.

I feel for the Rams. Losing your top 3 CBs in the first quarter of the season is rough. Having to sell out on coverage and leaving yourselves exposed in the running game--for a defensive HC--that just sucks. I hope they win the Luck-derby b/c they're the one team that might legitimately keep their own QB and then that pick goes up for grabs and we get to see who gets fleeced trying to get the next Peyton Manning.

Frank Walker, he's doing a great job, by in large, for a guy right in off the street. The local talking heads say he's a funny guy, too, and well-liked in the locker room. Another good FA pickup, so far.

Can we get some man-love for Abram Elam? What did he have, three tackles in the backfield yesterday? Plus the hit-strip-re-establish himself-fumble recovery? Man, our safety play has improved.

On the RBs: I like all of our RBs, honestly (yes, even Choice, though I agree it's time to move on with him. He's got the yips). Felix and Tanner are my favorites, though. Murray, I love his temperament and his interviews. And I'd love to see him take over the starting role, because that means we've found an upgrade to Felix. I just haven't been all that impressed with his running style prior to this Rams game. What was impressive in the Rams game was his ability to get yards after contact. That, and the straight-line speed we all knew he had. His balance and vision, though...I don't know. He's a guy who will bend a play to take advantage of a stretched out defense. I love that. But it can also be readily defended. I'm very curious to see how he does against Philly this week, because it will say a lot about his ability to be a long-term starter for us.

*Loved* watching the defense close out that last drive. We didn't need the points, but in principle, it was great to see. It's the kind of series, actually, that can build momentum for a unit for the rest of the year. My bet is that the defense is absolutely on fire in PHI next week for a full 60 minutes.

Kudos to Jenkins and Bailey, too, for obvious reasons.

 

[cmd34]

Love the win, love the fact we weren't in a nailbiter but it's the Rams. Thought a lot players played well though.

This next game is HUGE. A win here not only makes a statement about us, it pretty much ends the Eagles. The fallout there will be off the charts.

 

[carphalen5150]

I'd love to have a 10 minutes opening drive against the Eagles. Just chew up clock on a time consuming drive on the ground and with a controlled passing game. The Eagles would want to strike back fast and could lead to a big turnover.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

I suspect thats some of it, but I think he knew he had 2 or 3 guys trailing him that were going to hit him and try to tear the ball out.

It was pretty obvious the tank just ran on empty. If he wasn't winded those 2 or 3 guys would have been left in the dust without even getting a hand on him.

Fiametta is money helping our OL in the run blocking. He had a key block on that 91 yard score. Love having the guy in our lineup.

Jenkins has quietly been our best corner all year.. and Ball has played well, despite most of you saying he was garbage. Glad to see him get some time and it'll help down the line that we have a deep team, not only in the secondary, but on the DL as well. Spears has played very well in Hatchers absence and it'll be fun when he comes back and both those guys can rotate in so that the offensive line never gets a chance to breathe.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Some of my thoughts...


-- It seemed to me like Romo was trying to force Dez the ball - which he should. Dez is the kind of receiver that we should showcase. He has elite skills. Make him a focal point in the offense, like Witten is. Good things will happen. I guarantee we won't see another missed TD like we saw from him for another couple years. And that fourth quarter TD was great. In the redzone... just throw it near him and let him get it. He'll win that battle most of the time.

-- The defense was great, yet again. Sean Lee. Abram Elam. Demarcus Ware. Mike Jenkins. Rob Ryan has this unit playing at a Championship level. Teams simply can not run on us. And that late game goal line stand was impressive. We normally give that score up. And quite frankly, it would've been easy for the defense to half-ass it since the game was already decided. But you could see they took pride in keeping the Rams out of the end zone.

This. Hopefully Tony starts to learn this. Just throw it Dez way, and he'll go get it.

Take away the one big play and our defense held one of the elite running backs in the NFL to 30 yards on 17 carries. Pretty damn good, even if we were loading the box.