YosemiteSam
Unfriendly and Aloof!
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Our defense has some serious problems. Our front four cannot seem to get pressure in less than five seconds. That puts our already troubled secondary (safeties specifically) in dire straits. I really wish we had Todd Grantham back. When he was our D-Line coach, they were really getting lots of pressure.
Turnovers have been coming a lot of late. They seem to be coming when we are playing zone. (which is a lot lately) What I've also noticed is the fact that they come deep in plays. (several seconds after the play has started) What I mean by that is that secondary is keeping coverage long enough for the defensive front to start applying pressure. (ie over 3 and sometimes 5 seconds after the start of the play)
Wade Phillips had the defense playing almost exclusively man coverage. When playing man coverage, Scandrick never looked back at the QB. Yesterday Scandrick had a pick six and if you watch the play, he was playing zone and spying the QB. Sean Lee's two picks? Zone also. That doesn't mean the team should play exclusive zone of course. That would just tell the opposing offense what to expect.
Now that Doug Free is being left on an island a few warts are starting to show. Thats okay though. I think the kid is going to get that straightened out. He is what I like to call a rookie starter. (his first year starting) That is IMO the single season in an offensive linemen's entire career that they learn the most.
It appears that the defense is getting tired at the end of games. When the game gets the the fourth quarter, the defense can't stop anyone. I'm guessing this probably has to do with the injuries to the defensive line and now even the secondary.
Garrett's call to down the ball and the end of the game with 20+ seconds and three timeouts angered me beyond belief. That was a stupid call. The defense clearly was having real trouble stopping the Colts in the 4th quarter(as noted above) and you don't even try to win the game when you have the ball and some time left on the clock? If the Colts win the coin flip, along with the way the defense was allowing the Colts to move the ball, it was almost certain defeat. The first drive where the Colts had to punt, wasn't even a purely defensive stop. Reggie Wayne dropped a first down pass on 3rd down. The Colts second possession, you have to give an incredible amount of credit to Jenkins for making a play on that ball. It almost look like he intentionally slapped the ball straight to Sean Lee.
Dez's injury. Wow, I mean just wow. That is an absolutely crushing blow to my current exciting about the team. With Ware having a down season, Dez is easily the most mesmerizing player on the field. I'm going to coin the word Dezmerizing. The kid is unbelievable.
I'm still not sure what to think about Buehler. I'm glad to see his kickoffs getting into the end zone again. He still misses some field goals, but I believe most have been in the 45+ range. Granted I don't want him to miss them either. I don't fault him for missing 59 yarder against the Saints, but he needs to make that 48 yarder last night.
Speaking of kicking. Anyone else notice now that Buelher is kicking the ball into the end zone again, opposing teams are returning it even if it is 5+ yards deep? Is it me, or do teams not disrespect the Cowboys kickoff coverage unit? I've seen the Cowboys stop several returns well before the 20. Why are teams returning kicks that are 5+ yards deep against us?
A lot of people are screaming that Choice should be starting and or getting more snaps. I agree, but not for the fact that I think Choice is playing so awesome that it's stupid to not put him out there. I think he should be out there just because I think Barber is all but spent. He isn't the same back he was in 2007. Back in 2007 it was clear that his playing style couldn't be sustained. (just like Brandon Jacobs) When Jerry gave Barber that fat contract, I knew he had just made another one of his notoriously dumb loyalty contracts.
Either Garrett isn't stressing protect the ball, or he isn't teaching them to protect the ball properly. They must hold the ball high and tight, yet several times I see players that aren't doing that. When McCann fumbled, he looked like he wasn't holding the ball very tight at all. Not only that, anytime you get into a crowd, they need to use two hands to cover the ball. Garrett needs to get that cleaned up and quickly. Nothing will turn a game like a turnover. Ask Peyton Manning. He threw 4 INTs two for TDs and only lost by three points yesterday. High and tight!
While I've been seeing some improvement in ST coverage, (though that isn't perfect either) I've also noticed that the ST blocking on kicks is not improving. Every game there seems to be some type of breakdown. It doesn't always result in a blocked kick, but there is always a breakdown. I'm a big fan of coach D, but he has to clean that up.
I've also noticed that sometimes Garrett goes into a mindset of I'm only going to run the ball when we get down neither the endzone. While I agree sometimes that is what you want to do, it isn't always and sometimes you need to mix it up a little. The Cowboys were getting rejected left and right (huge disappointment in the offensive line) The only reason we got to score was a penalty on the Colts and finally trying something other than running the ball. Come on Garrett; when things are consistently failing, you have to mix it up to keep the defense honest.
Turnovers have been coming a lot of late. They seem to be coming when we are playing zone. (which is a lot lately) What I've also noticed is the fact that they come deep in plays. (several seconds after the play has started) What I mean by that is that secondary is keeping coverage long enough for the defensive front to start applying pressure. (ie over 3 and sometimes 5 seconds after the start of the play)
Wade Phillips had the defense playing almost exclusively man coverage. When playing man coverage, Scandrick never looked back at the QB. Yesterday Scandrick had a pick six and if you watch the play, he was playing zone and spying the QB. Sean Lee's two picks? Zone also. That doesn't mean the team should play exclusive zone of course. That would just tell the opposing offense what to expect.
Now that Doug Free is being left on an island a few warts are starting to show. Thats okay though. I think the kid is going to get that straightened out. He is what I like to call a rookie starter. (his first year starting) That is IMO the single season in an offensive linemen's entire career that they learn the most.
It appears that the defense is getting tired at the end of games. When the game gets the the fourth quarter, the defense can't stop anyone. I'm guessing this probably has to do with the injuries to the defensive line and now even the secondary.
Garrett's call to down the ball and the end of the game with 20+ seconds and three timeouts angered me beyond belief. That was a stupid call. The defense clearly was having real trouble stopping the Colts in the 4th quarter(as noted above) and you don't even try to win the game when you have the ball and some time left on the clock? If the Colts win the coin flip, along with the way the defense was allowing the Colts to move the ball, it was almost certain defeat. The first drive where the Colts had to punt, wasn't even a purely defensive stop. Reggie Wayne dropped a first down pass on 3rd down. The Colts second possession, you have to give an incredible amount of credit to Jenkins for making a play on that ball. It almost look like he intentionally slapped the ball straight to Sean Lee.
Dez's injury. Wow, I mean just wow. That is an absolutely crushing blow to my current exciting about the team. With Ware having a down season, Dez is easily the most mesmerizing player on the field. I'm going to coin the word Dezmerizing. The kid is unbelievable.
I'm still not sure what to think about Buehler. I'm glad to see his kickoffs getting into the end zone again. He still misses some field goals, but I believe most have been in the 45+ range. Granted I don't want him to miss them either. I don't fault him for missing 59 yarder against the Saints, but he needs to make that 48 yarder last night.
Speaking of kicking. Anyone else notice now that Buelher is kicking the ball into the end zone again, opposing teams are returning it even if it is 5+ yards deep? Is it me, or do teams not disrespect the Cowboys kickoff coverage unit? I've seen the Cowboys stop several returns well before the 20. Why are teams returning kicks that are 5+ yards deep against us?
A lot of people are screaming that Choice should be starting and or getting more snaps. I agree, but not for the fact that I think Choice is playing so awesome that it's stupid to not put him out there. I think he should be out there just because I think Barber is all but spent. He isn't the same back he was in 2007. Back in 2007 it was clear that his playing style couldn't be sustained. (just like Brandon Jacobs) When Jerry gave Barber that fat contract, I knew he had just made another one of his notoriously dumb loyalty contracts.
Either Garrett isn't stressing protect the ball, or he isn't teaching them to protect the ball properly. They must hold the ball high and tight, yet several times I see players that aren't doing that. When McCann fumbled, he looked like he wasn't holding the ball very tight at all. Not only that, anytime you get into a crowd, they need to use two hands to cover the ball. Garrett needs to get that cleaned up and quickly. Nothing will turn a game like a turnover. Ask Peyton Manning. He threw 4 INTs two for TDs and only lost by three points yesterday. High and tight!
While I've been seeing some improvement in ST coverage, (though that isn't perfect either) I've also noticed that the ST blocking on kicks is not improving. Every game there seems to be some type of breakdown. It doesn't always result in a blocked kick, but there is always a breakdown. I'm a big fan of coach D, but he has to clean that up.
I've also noticed that sometimes Garrett goes into a mindset of I'm only going to run the ball when we get down neither the endzone. While I agree sometimes that is what you want to do, it isn't always and sometimes you need to mix it up a little. The Cowboys were getting rejected left and right (huge disappointment in the offensive line) The only reason we got to score was a penalty on the Colts and finally trying something other than running the ball. Come on Garrett; when things are consistently failing, you have to mix it up to keep the defense honest.
