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Rainer Sabin / Reporter
Moments after Mike Jenkins left the picture, Terence Newman entered it, watching the final part of the play unfold while resigned to its outcome. During DeSean Jackson's 91-yard touchdown reception Sunday in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia's 30-27 victory over the Cowboys, one Dallas cornerback had been beaten while the other looked defeated.
As Jackson galloped across the field, swerved past defenders and tumbled into the end zone, a disappointing season for Jenkins and Newman had descended into greater depths. For the second consecutive game, an opposing player accumulated more than 200 receiving yards against the Cowboys, providing the latest proof that something is indeed terribly wrong with Dallas' flimsy secondary.
"We have been in pretty good position to make plays," Newman said Sunday. "But we just haven't made them."
That has been the reality for much of the year. Based on data alone, the coverage provided by Jenkins and Newman has been far from impervious. They are among a select group of eight defenders who have yielded the most receptions in the NFL this season.
Before Sunday, quarterbacks have completed 49 of 75 pass attempts against Jenkins, attaining a 105.7 passer rating in the process. Newman hasn't been much better. He has been picked on 73 times, allowing 47 receptions as quarterbacks have achieved a 94.1 passer rating.
The evidence collected this season wouldn't be so alarming if the results had been anticipated. But they weren't. Jenkins was selected to the Pro Bowl last year after having a season during which quarterbacks who threw in his direction produced a 53.6 passer rating.
Meanwhile, Newman, an established veteran, proved sturdy, as quarterbacks who delivered their passes in his vicinity only managed a 77.3 rating in 2009. But since the opening week in early September, both Newman and Jenkins have offered diminishing returns, and it's difficult to explain why they have experienced such a precipitous decline in performance.
Is it because the Cowboys are not generating enough pressure, allowing quarterbacks more time to dissect the coverage? Last season, the Cowboys ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks, accumulating 42. This year, 19 teams have collected more sacks than the 24 the Cowboys have accrued.
Is it because the safety support has been inadequate? In 13 games this season, Dallas has allowed 47 completions of 20 yards or more - two more than they had surrendered during the entire 2009 campaign.
Is it because fatigue from the previous year has adversely affected Newman and Jenkins this season? Last year, Newman, who was 31 and underwent surgery on a sports hernia the previous season, played more snaps - 1,007 - than any other defensive player on the team. Jenkins, meanwhile, was one only five Dallas defenders who were on the field for more than 900 plays in 2009.
Maybe it's a confluence of all these factors or perhaps there is no relevant justification for what has transpired.
But the regression experienced by Newman and Jenkins is, at the very least, intriguing. And it's among the many reasons the Cowboys' defense is on pace to surrender more points than they ever have in a single season. As was the case with Dallas' dramatic collapse in 2010, few could have predicted that both cornerbacks would become easy targets for their opponents this season.
But that's the reality, and it set in long before Jackson's dash across the turf on Sunday night.
Mike Jenkins
Stat..........................................2009............2010 (Through 12 games)
Receptions yielded.........................51................49
Times targeted.............................107...............75
Receiving yards yielded..................643..............745
Touchdowns yielded........................2.................3
Interceptions.................................5.................1
Quarterback rating against.............53.6.............105.7
Terence Newman
Stat..........................................2009............2010 (Through 12 games)
Receptions yielded.........................48................47
Times targeted..............................93................73
Receiving yards yielded..................698...............632
Touchdowns yielded........................4..................3
Interceptions.................................3..................2
Quarterback rating against.............77.3..............94.1
Moments after Mike Jenkins left the picture, Terence Newman entered it, watching the final part of the play unfold while resigned to its outcome. During DeSean Jackson's 91-yard touchdown reception Sunday in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia's 30-27 victory over the Cowboys, one Dallas cornerback had been beaten while the other looked defeated.
As Jackson galloped across the field, swerved past defenders and tumbled into the end zone, a disappointing season for Jenkins and Newman had descended into greater depths. For the second consecutive game, an opposing player accumulated more than 200 receiving yards against the Cowboys, providing the latest proof that something is indeed terribly wrong with Dallas' flimsy secondary.
"We have been in pretty good position to make plays," Newman said Sunday. "But we just haven't made them."
That has been the reality for much of the year. Based on data alone, the coverage provided by Jenkins and Newman has been far from impervious. They are among a select group of eight defenders who have yielded the most receptions in the NFL this season.
Before Sunday, quarterbacks have completed 49 of 75 pass attempts against Jenkins, attaining a 105.7 passer rating in the process. Newman hasn't been much better. He has been picked on 73 times, allowing 47 receptions as quarterbacks have achieved a 94.1 passer rating.
The evidence collected this season wouldn't be so alarming if the results had been anticipated. But they weren't. Jenkins was selected to the Pro Bowl last year after having a season during which quarterbacks who threw in his direction produced a 53.6 passer rating.
Meanwhile, Newman, an established veteran, proved sturdy, as quarterbacks who delivered their passes in his vicinity only managed a 77.3 rating in 2009. But since the opening week in early September, both Newman and Jenkins have offered diminishing returns, and it's difficult to explain why they have experienced such a precipitous decline in performance.
Is it because the Cowboys are not generating enough pressure, allowing quarterbacks more time to dissect the coverage? Last season, the Cowboys ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks, accumulating 42. This year, 19 teams have collected more sacks than the 24 the Cowboys have accrued.
Is it because the safety support has been inadequate? In 13 games this season, Dallas has allowed 47 completions of 20 yards or more - two more than they had surrendered during the entire 2009 campaign.
Is it because fatigue from the previous year has adversely affected Newman and Jenkins this season? Last year, Newman, who was 31 and underwent surgery on a sports hernia the previous season, played more snaps - 1,007 - than any other defensive player on the team. Jenkins, meanwhile, was one only five Dallas defenders who were on the field for more than 900 plays in 2009.
Maybe it's a confluence of all these factors or perhaps there is no relevant justification for what has transpired.
But the regression experienced by Newman and Jenkins is, at the very least, intriguing. And it's among the many reasons the Cowboys' defense is on pace to surrender more points than they ever have in a single season. As was the case with Dallas' dramatic collapse in 2010, few could have predicted that both cornerbacks would become easy targets for their opponents this season.
But that's the reality, and it set in long before Jackson's dash across the turf on Sunday night.
Mike Jenkins
Stat..........................................2009............2010 (Through 12 games)
Receptions yielded.........................51................49
Times targeted.............................107...............75
Receiving yards yielded..................643..............745
Touchdowns yielded........................2.................3
Interceptions.................................5.................1
Quarterback rating against.............53.6.............105.7
Terence Newman
Stat..........................................2009............2010 (Through 12 games)
Receptions yielded.........................48................47
Times targeted..............................93................73
Receiving yards yielded..................698...............632
Touchdowns yielded........................4..................3
Interceptions.................................3..................2
Quarterback rating against.............77.3..............94.1