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Fourth quarter collapse an indictment on Cowboys' defensive coordinator
12:46 AM CST on Sunday, December 26, 2010
GLENDALE, Ariz. – The answer is: Drew Brees, Michael Vick and John Skelton.
Gerry Fraley
Bio | E-mail | Cowboys blog
The question is: name three quarterbacks who have beaten the Cowboys with fourth-quarter rallies since Thanksgiving?
The extra-credit question is: How did Skelton join a pair of elite quarterbacks?
The answer is: In the fourth quarter, any quarterback is dangerous against the Cowboys.
Their fourth-quarter problems on defense continued in Saturday night's last-minute loss to Arizona. The Cowboys twice asked their defense to stop the offensively challenged Cardinals.
Each time, the defense failed against a Skelton-led onslaught against their zone coverages. The Cardinals produced a pair of field goals, that last of which wiped out a 26-24 Cowboys lead.
"I'm at a loss for words," Cowboys inside linebacker Keith Brooking said. "This league is obviously full of emotions. You feel like you played good enough to win the game, and obviously toward the end things didn't go our way."
For three quarters, the defense had Arizona under control. In the first three quarters, the Cowboys allowed only one offensive touchdown and 171 total yards on 31 plays. Skelton had completed only 7-of-17 passes for 111 yards.
The score came on another blown coverage by the secondary. Andre Roberts used an out move to shake cornerback Michael Jenkins , who tried interference as a last resort to no avail, and caught a pass of about 30 yards. Roberts cut hard to the inside to avoid late-arriving free safety Alan Ball and headed into the end zone on a 74-yard scoring play.
The defense's response? It allowed only 55 yards on the next 18 plays.
The fourth quarter has been a black hole this season for the Cowboys' defense. This was the Cowboys' fifth loss of the season when leading or tied in the fourth quarter.
"They made plays at crunch time, and we didn't," strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. "We've got to make those plays, and we didn't."
The Cowboys have given up 117 points in the final period. Only Jacksonville (120) and Denver (132) have been more porous in the fourth quarter.
The first eight games this season are on former head coach Wade Phillips, who handled the defense. Paul Pasqualoni has served as defensive coordinator for the last seven games.
In his first two games, the defense produced a fourth-quarter shutout. The defense has allowed 60 points in the final quarter of the last five games. For Pasqualoni, this is familiar, if unhappy, territory.
The fourth quarter was Pasuqaloni's undoing as defensive coordinator with Miami last season. The Dolphins surrendered a league-high 149 points in the final period. The regular late failures by the defense figured in Pasqualoni's dismissal after the season.
Pasqualoni's zone coverages, which have led to a marked increase in takeaways, sprung leaks this time.
Arizona's fourth-quarter drives each lasted nine plays and went for 49 and 46 yards. The common denominator was that Skelton found holes in the Cowboys' coverage. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 72 yards in the fourth. In the first three quarters, Skelton completed only 7-of-17 passes for 111 yards.
The most important completion came on a fourth-and-15 from the Arizona 19 with 1:17 remaining. Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald beat a zone for a 26-yard catch.
"They hit a couple of soft spots in our coverage," Brooking said. "We've got to put it all together there, and we didn't."
That the Cowboys could not hold off Arizona on a fourth-and-15 play likely contributed to the undercurrent of anger that swept through the locker room. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff said he was too emotional to comment and feared he would say the wrong thing.
That John Skelton stared down the Cowboys' defense in the fourth quarter is a strong and telling statement on its own.
• • •
12:46 AM CST on Sunday, December 26, 2010
GLENDALE, Ariz. – The answer is: Drew Brees, Michael Vick and John Skelton.
Gerry Fraley
Bio | E-mail | Cowboys blog
The question is: name three quarterbacks who have beaten the Cowboys with fourth-quarter rallies since Thanksgiving?
The extra-credit question is: How did Skelton join a pair of elite quarterbacks?
The answer is: In the fourth quarter, any quarterback is dangerous against the Cowboys.
Their fourth-quarter problems on defense continued in Saturday night's last-minute loss to Arizona. The Cowboys twice asked their defense to stop the offensively challenged Cardinals.
Each time, the defense failed against a Skelton-led onslaught against their zone coverages. The Cardinals produced a pair of field goals, that last of which wiped out a 26-24 Cowboys lead.
"I'm at a loss for words," Cowboys inside linebacker Keith Brooking said. "This league is obviously full of emotions. You feel like you played good enough to win the game, and obviously toward the end things didn't go our way."
For three quarters, the defense had Arizona under control. In the first three quarters, the Cowboys allowed only one offensive touchdown and 171 total yards on 31 plays. Skelton had completed only 7-of-17 passes for 111 yards.
The score came on another blown coverage by the secondary. Andre Roberts used an out move to shake cornerback Michael Jenkins , who tried interference as a last resort to no avail, and caught a pass of about 30 yards. Roberts cut hard to the inside to avoid late-arriving free safety Alan Ball and headed into the end zone on a 74-yard scoring play.
The defense's response? It allowed only 55 yards on the next 18 plays.
The fourth quarter has been a black hole this season for the Cowboys' defense. This was the Cowboys' fifth loss of the season when leading or tied in the fourth quarter.
"They made plays at crunch time, and we didn't," strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. "We've got to make those plays, and we didn't."
The Cowboys have given up 117 points in the final period. Only Jacksonville (120) and Denver (132) have been more porous in the fourth quarter.
The first eight games this season are on former head coach Wade Phillips, who handled the defense. Paul Pasqualoni has served as defensive coordinator for the last seven games.
In his first two games, the defense produced a fourth-quarter shutout. The defense has allowed 60 points in the final quarter of the last five games. For Pasqualoni, this is familiar, if unhappy, territory.
The fourth quarter was Pasuqaloni's undoing as defensive coordinator with Miami last season. The Dolphins surrendered a league-high 149 points in the final period. The regular late failures by the defense figured in Pasqualoni's dismissal after the season.
Pasqualoni's zone coverages, which have led to a marked increase in takeaways, sprung leaks this time.
Arizona's fourth-quarter drives each lasted nine plays and went for 49 and 46 yards. The common denominator was that Skelton found holes in the Cowboys' coverage. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 72 yards in the fourth. In the first three quarters, Skelton completed only 7-of-17 passes for 111 yards.
The most important completion came on a fourth-and-15 from the Arizona 19 with 1:17 remaining. Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald beat a zone for a 26-yard catch.
"They hit a couple of soft spots in our coverage," Brooking said. "We've got to put it all together there, and we didn't."
That the Cowboys could not hold off Arizona on a fourth-and-15 play likely contributed to the undercurrent of anger that swept through the locker room. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff said he was too emotional to comment and feared he would say the wrong thing.
That John Skelton stared down the Cowboys' defense in the fourth quarter is a strong and telling statement on its own.
• • •
