Maikeru-sama
08-30-2004, 11:43 PM
2004 Preseason Titans at Cowboys Game Analysis
August 30, 2004
By: Michael D. Green
Dallascowboyz.com - Staff Writer
Quarterbacks
Vinny Testeverde looked very good. Despite not having many big plays in the running game, Testeverde was able to move the ball down the field with his arm. He showed great mobility when plays were designed to move the pocket and just showed good veteran awareness in the pocket, by making subtle moves to by time in the pocket. He spread the ball around to just about everyone on the field, including Witten, Campbell, Glenn, Bryant, and even trying to hit Julius Jones deep in one on one coverage up the left side of the field. Though he threw an interception in the redzone when trying to hit Glenn on a slant, throughout most of the drive, he made very good throws. Basically, when given time, as the offensive line gave him, he showed he could really make all the throws and make solid reads. Though it's just preseason, this guy looks really good. Al Michaels, the ABC Announcer let it be known that Vinny had compiled the most passing yards thus far in preseason.
Drew Henson looked okay after coming off a nice game last week against the Raiders. Some of his first few passess to Antonio Bryant were a bit high. As he settled down, Henson would throw some nice passes to Jason Witten and Julius Jones on screen passes. He would eventually lead a drive that would see the Cowboys score their second touchdown of the preseason.
Tony Romo had a nice game. He seems to have developed a good feel for Dedric Ward, who he seems to throw too when things get tough. He took better care of the ball this time out and made some nice throws when under pressure. He was blindsided by a defender on one occasion, where he fumbled, but the fumble was eventually recovered by the Cowboys.
Running Backs
Eddie George looked okay during this game. He didnt make many big plays and seemed to go down when hit by the first defender.
Juluis Jones looked very fluid. He showed off his versatility by going out on deep routes, catching screens, running up the middle, the outside, and catching a key short pass up the middle to help set the Cowboys up for a possible score.
Although he was penalized for not having his foot on the line of scrimmage during a punt, Reshard Lee turned in another solid performance. Throughout preseason, I have felt he has looked better than Eddie George, and just as good as Julius Jones. He really showed his power, by literally dragging several would-be defenders into the end zone to score the 2nd touchdown of the night for the Pokes.
Fullbacks
Didnt see too much out of the fullbacks this game. Besides dropping a screen pass, Ritchie Anderson had some nice short runs and caught a screen pass in the first half. I was very impressed with Anderson's blocking and blitz pickup. On one occasion, he was one on one with a linebacker, and protected Vinny's right side. Darian Barnes made a nice play on special team, by blasting a Tennessee punter returner on a punt return series.
Offensive Line
Al Johnson was called for holding and Flozell Adams had one false start, but overall the game ball has to go to this group. Vinny Testeverde could have literally took a nap and still had time to throw to the many weapons at wideout for the Cowboys. John Madden, a big fan of offensive linemen, was constantly talking about how well the line was playing throughout the course of the game. Larry Allen showed off his agility and power by pulling several times on runs to the outside and just overwhelming his man. Torrin Tucker really made a huge claim for the opportunity to start at Right Tackle. John Madden talked about the explosivness and overall good play Tucker demonstrated throughout the course of the game.
Tight Ends
The Tight Ends looked very good during the game. Similar to Keyshawn Johnson, Witten had at least 4 big catches to convert on third down. On one occassion, Witten caught a nice pass up the middle, broke a few tackles, and set up an eventually touchdown by Reshard Lee. His partner in crime, Dan Campbell even got in on the act, by hauling in the first touchdown in the preseason for the Cowboys. The Tight Ends for the Cowboys are among the most gifted and versatile in the league. On another note, Rookie Sean Ryan missed a block on the left side, which resulted in Tony Romo being hit from the blinside, causing him to fumble. The Cowboys were fortunate to recover the fumble.
Receivers
Similar to last year, this unit still features one of the best trio of receivers in the league. The three headed monster was out in full force tonight. Keyshawn Johnson lived up to his billing as I witnessed him rack up at least 4 catches that went for 1st downs. Glenn was solid as well, even catching a huge bullet from Testeverde up the middle, that would later result in the first touchdown in the preseason for the Cowboys. Antonio Bryant also had some nice plays. He showed he had some speed, when he blew right by his man so fast, that all the would-be defender could do was hold him to prevent the touchdown, which would later set the Boys up for a field goal.
Defensive Line
The defensive line played okay during the game. La'roi Glover was constantly getting pressure up the middle and stuffing the run on several occasions. While being double, Leonardo Carson showed great technique, by getting his hands up and deflecting a pass. Eric Ogbogu even chipped in by blocking an attemted field goal by opposition. Overall, Tennessee has one of the better offensive lines in the league, and the Cowboys didnt get much of a pass rush with a four-man rush.
Linebackers
Besides a pass interference call on Dexter Coakley in the 3rd Quarter, the linebacking core played solid. Kalen Thornton had a nice evening by sacking the quarterback on 2 occasions.
Corners
Overall the defensive back field struggled again. They were called for a good number of Pass Interference plays. If Pete Hunter and Tony Dixon weren't being beaten for good yardage, Jemeel Powell was gambling on interceptions and being burned. Bruce Thornton looked as if he was "Trying to keep his own house from burning down", as Bill Parcells likes to say. He was clearly beaten so bad on one series, that he tackled a receiver to prevent a pass from being caught and just as quickly was called for the obvious pass interference.
Roy Williams even had a rare missed tackle, when Chris Brown stiffed armed him to the ground as he ran in for a touchdown. Williams would eventually redeem himself by preventing a sure touchdown when Tony Dixon was beaten badley on a deep pass. He also made a nice tackle on Tyrone Calico, when the Titans ran a reverse, in which Calico would be injured on the play and would not return. Donald Mitchell had a nice pass deflection and on that same play, Lynn Scott dished out a punishing hit to knock the ball out of the receiver's hand. Towards the end of the game, Mitchell seemed to struggle a bit. First he was penalized for holding, which cost the Cowboys 5 yards and on the next series, he missed an open field tackle in the flats, which allowed the receiver to pickup the first down. Nate Jones recorded a sack in the 4th quarter.
K/P Returns
The returners for the game were solid. Patrick Crayton had a nice series where he showed some wiggle, as picked up nice yardage on a kick off in the 4th quarter.
Punting
Matt McBriar turned in another solid performance. He even kicked a booming 58 yard punt that would eventually be downed inside the Tennessee 5 yard line.
Kicking
Billy Cundiff had a nice day kicking. Going 2-2 on field goals, including a 41 yard field goal.
Notes:
Both Flozell Adams and Julius Jones left the game for a couple of series due to injury. Adams left the game, but would return after a defender landed on his leg and driving his knee into the ground awkwardly. After gaining 11 yards on a screen, Julius Jones got up slowly after taking a solid hit from a Tennessee tackler. The next series, in which Henson would hit Witten deep up the middle, Julius Jones would leave the game.
LINK (http://www.dallascowboyz.com/games/2004/2004_Preseason_Titans_at_Dallas_Analysis.asp)
August 30, 2004
By: Michael D. Green
Dallascowboyz.com - Staff Writer
Quarterbacks
Vinny Testeverde looked very good. Despite not having many big plays in the running game, Testeverde was able to move the ball down the field with his arm. He showed great mobility when plays were designed to move the pocket and just showed good veteran awareness in the pocket, by making subtle moves to by time in the pocket. He spread the ball around to just about everyone on the field, including Witten, Campbell, Glenn, Bryant, and even trying to hit Julius Jones deep in one on one coverage up the left side of the field. Though he threw an interception in the redzone when trying to hit Glenn on a slant, throughout most of the drive, he made very good throws. Basically, when given time, as the offensive line gave him, he showed he could really make all the throws and make solid reads. Though it's just preseason, this guy looks really good. Al Michaels, the ABC Announcer let it be known that Vinny had compiled the most passing yards thus far in preseason.
Drew Henson looked okay after coming off a nice game last week against the Raiders. Some of his first few passess to Antonio Bryant were a bit high. As he settled down, Henson would throw some nice passes to Jason Witten and Julius Jones on screen passes. He would eventually lead a drive that would see the Cowboys score their second touchdown of the preseason.
Tony Romo had a nice game. He seems to have developed a good feel for Dedric Ward, who he seems to throw too when things get tough. He took better care of the ball this time out and made some nice throws when under pressure. He was blindsided by a defender on one occasion, where he fumbled, but the fumble was eventually recovered by the Cowboys.
Running Backs
Eddie George looked okay during this game. He didnt make many big plays and seemed to go down when hit by the first defender.
Juluis Jones looked very fluid. He showed off his versatility by going out on deep routes, catching screens, running up the middle, the outside, and catching a key short pass up the middle to help set the Cowboys up for a possible score.
Although he was penalized for not having his foot on the line of scrimmage during a punt, Reshard Lee turned in another solid performance. Throughout preseason, I have felt he has looked better than Eddie George, and just as good as Julius Jones. He really showed his power, by literally dragging several would-be defenders into the end zone to score the 2nd touchdown of the night for the Pokes.
Fullbacks
Didnt see too much out of the fullbacks this game. Besides dropping a screen pass, Ritchie Anderson had some nice short runs and caught a screen pass in the first half. I was very impressed with Anderson's blocking and blitz pickup. On one occasion, he was one on one with a linebacker, and protected Vinny's right side. Darian Barnes made a nice play on special team, by blasting a Tennessee punter returner on a punt return series.
Offensive Line
Al Johnson was called for holding and Flozell Adams had one false start, but overall the game ball has to go to this group. Vinny Testeverde could have literally took a nap and still had time to throw to the many weapons at wideout for the Cowboys. John Madden, a big fan of offensive linemen, was constantly talking about how well the line was playing throughout the course of the game. Larry Allen showed off his agility and power by pulling several times on runs to the outside and just overwhelming his man. Torrin Tucker really made a huge claim for the opportunity to start at Right Tackle. John Madden talked about the explosivness and overall good play Tucker demonstrated throughout the course of the game.
Tight Ends
The Tight Ends looked very good during the game. Similar to Keyshawn Johnson, Witten had at least 4 big catches to convert on third down. On one occassion, Witten caught a nice pass up the middle, broke a few tackles, and set up an eventually touchdown by Reshard Lee. His partner in crime, Dan Campbell even got in on the act, by hauling in the first touchdown in the preseason for the Cowboys. The Tight Ends for the Cowboys are among the most gifted and versatile in the league. On another note, Rookie Sean Ryan missed a block on the left side, which resulted in Tony Romo being hit from the blinside, causing him to fumble. The Cowboys were fortunate to recover the fumble.
Receivers
Similar to last year, this unit still features one of the best trio of receivers in the league. The three headed monster was out in full force tonight. Keyshawn Johnson lived up to his billing as I witnessed him rack up at least 4 catches that went for 1st downs. Glenn was solid as well, even catching a huge bullet from Testeverde up the middle, that would later result in the first touchdown in the preseason for the Cowboys. Antonio Bryant also had some nice plays. He showed he had some speed, when he blew right by his man so fast, that all the would-be defender could do was hold him to prevent the touchdown, which would later set the Boys up for a field goal.
Defensive Line
The defensive line played okay during the game. La'roi Glover was constantly getting pressure up the middle and stuffing the run on several occasions. While being double, Leonardo Carson showed great technique, by getting his hands up and deflecting a pass. Eric Ogbogu even chipped in by blocking an attemted field goal by opposition. Overall, Tennessee has one of the better offensive lines in the league, and the Cowboys didnt get much of a pass rush with a four-man rush.
Linebackers
Besides a pass interference call on Dexter Coakley in the 3rd Quarter, the linebacking core played solid. Kalen Thornton had a nice evening by sacking the quarterback on 2 occasions.
Corners
Overall the defensive back field struggled again. They were called for a good number of Pass Interference plays. If Pete Hunter and Tony Dixon weren't being beaten for good yardage, Jemeel Powell was gambling on interceptions and being burned. Bruce Thornton looked as if he was "Trying to keep his own house from burning down", as Bill Parcells likes to say. He was clearly beaten so bad on one series, that he tackled a receiver to prevent a pass from being caught and just as quickly was called for the obvious pass interference.
Roy Williams even had a rare missed tackle, when Chris Brown stiffed armed him to the ground as he ran in for a touchdown. Williams would eventually redeem himself by preventing a sure touchdown when Tony Dixon was beaten badley on a deep pass. He also made a nice tackle on Tyrone Calico, when the Titans ran a reverse, in which Calico would be injured on the play and would not return. Donald Mitchell had a nice pass deflection and on that same play, Lynn Scott dished out a punishing hit to knock the ball out of the receiver's hand. Towards the end of the game, Mitchell seemed to struggle a bit. First he was penalized for holding, which cost the Cowboys 5 yards and on the next series, he missed an open field tackle in the flats, which allowed the receiver to pickup the first down. Nate Jones recorded a sack in the 4th quarter.
K/P Returns
The returners for the game were solid. Patrick Crayton had a nice series where he showed some wiggle, as picked up nice yardage on a kick off in the 4th quarter.
Punting
Matt McBriar turned in another solid performance. He even kicked a booming 58 yard punt that would eventually be downed inside the Tennessee 5 yard line.
Kicking
Billy Cundiff had a nice day kicking. Going 2-2 on field goals, including a 41 yard field goal.
Notes:
Both Flozell Adams and Julius Jones left the game for a couple of series due to injury. Adams left the game, but would return after a defender landed on his leg and driving his knee into the ground awkwardly. After gaining 11 yards on a screen, Julius Jones got up slowly after taking a solid hit from a Tennessee tackler. The next series, in which Henson would hit Witten deep up the middle, Julius Jones would leave the game.
LINK (http://www.dallascowboyz.com/games/2004/2004_Preseason_Titans_at_Dallas_Analysis.asp)