A Few Thoughts

[Bluestang]

- Romo is getting healthier, by his own admission in his post game press conference, and it shows with the way he is throwing the football. The passes are crisper and he's making great decisions. His footwork is looking much better along with his mechanics. I've been worried about the back injury, but if he keeps throwing the ball like he has and looking fundamentally better than I'll stop worrying.

- Another nugget he talked about, was the in-game adjustments that Linehan was doing throughout the game. Romo admitted that he'd never been around a coach that had done that throughout a game. I know he didn't mean it that way but those are pretty strong words about JG's OC days.

- Can't mention all of the success of the offense without talking about the OL. They are everything we wanted and everything we needed years ago when Colombo, Kosier, Gurode, Davis, and Flozell started to decline. My sig is quote from JG on describing what he wanted his team identity to be. 3 painful seasons later, we seem to be seeing that now.

- Murray is just beasting. I'm not sure what else to say other than this guy deserves a contract here because of his abilities and most importantly his ability to pick-up the blitz. If we let him walk, we are completely starting over on the 3rd down offense. Let that sink in...

- Linehan has been the most important hire that has completely refreshed the offense. Whoever went out and got him here should deserve alot of credit.

- This defense is playing alot better than most of thought. Despite the lack of stats, the pass rush is there and it's causing some issues. Some of the things that you need to look at is if the pass rush causes the QB to move off his spot when he gets to his drop. Against Brees, that happened alot but the DTs didn't do a good enough job to collapse the front of the pocket. Brees was still able to climb the pocket (something that he is very good at) and find his guys but he had to move around to do it. Is that enough? As long as the offense keeps putting up points then yes.

- I love watching Rolando McClain play. That dude loves to hit and he brings it every time. He is very enigmatic but it looks like that is just the way he is. He doesn't like to be the focal point, which is fine because we have other guys here for that, but I really hope that the Cowboys can keep him engaged in football for years to come. (yup, getting ahead of myself)

- Spencer coming back to play was such a great sight to see. Was he rusty? Of course, but as long as the knee holds up the arrow will be pointing up. I'll give him a few weeks to get in "football shape" but man what a boost for this defense to have him playing again.

- Jesse Holley said something interesting last night on the post game show. The fact that this defense has a bunch of guys trying to prove themselves is great thing. He was saying that alot of times guys would sit back and wait on the "superstar" guys to make plays.

- The secondary played great. The Claiborne injury is sort of a blessing in disguise, and I hate to phrase it like that but he was going to see the field over Moore because of his draft status. My disgust for Claiborne went up last week with his little tantrum but I hate to see him injured like that too. I don't know if Claiborne will ever play at high level in the NFL or even with the Cowboys, but he will need to get his head mentally in the game if wants to play. Scandrick played lights out, and Moore played very well as well. Carr is so-so, gave up that long 3rd down play. Wilcox is still inconsistent, and Church is such a great tackler. But if that's all they are going to give up then I'll take it. Interested to see Patmon get some reps to see what kind of player he is.

- No way Bruce Carter plays next week. That injury will keep him out at least this week if not longer. Sad to see but you can play Hitchens on the weak side and move Durant to the strong side.

- I'm pretty sure everyone saw that Jerry Jones face when we were up. Raise your hand if you had that same face...me <----raises hand.

 

[JakeCamp12]

I don't know what they see in Wilcox, he has that BW Webb lost look all the time. I would go for a safety that can cover high in the draft. That would solve a lot of problems in that back end.

 

[daveferr33]

I am proud of Jason Garrett.

Whether he was forced to give up the playcalling duties or not; whether it was his decision to hire Linehan or not. He has weathered the storm, taken a lot of criticism (much of it deserved) and is finally producing some results. Life is about getting up when you get knocked down. It is a process. And Garrett has never lost sight of that.

 

[DallasEast]

- This defense is playing alot better than most of thought. Despite the lack of stats, the pass rush is there and it's causing some issues. Some of the things that you need to look at is if the pass rush causes the QB to move off his spot when he gets to his drop. Against Brees, that happened alot but the DTs didn't do a good enough job to collapse the front of the pocket. Brees was still able to climb the pocket (something that he is very good at) and find his guys but he had to move around to do it. Is that enough? As long as the offense keeps putting up points then yes.

Excellent point. I believe we will witness the leading edge of QB pockets warp the more Crawford plays. He has a pretty good bull rush. Crawford adding a few more pounds and becoming more comfortable at defensive tackle should result in improvement in that area.

 

[CyberB0b]

Romo seems to have figured out how to read the defense after turning his back on a play action. That didn't run hardly any play action last year, and he was terrible against San Fran.

 

[Bluestang]

Excellent point. I believe we will witness the leading edge of QB pockets warp the more Crawford plays. He has a pretty good bull rush. Crawford adding a few more pounds and becoming more comfortable at defensive tackle should result in improvement in that area.

The tipped interception was a result of the pocket collapsing and Brees not stepping into his throw because of the rush. He threw it all with arm rather than driving the throw with the step through which caused it to be low and gave Carter a chance to tip it. Romo did the same thing when he threw that back breaking INT vs GB last season when he didn't set his feet.

Crawford was going to play DT from the beginning of camp but injuries forced him to fill in at DE. They had Selvie and Mincey penciled in to the DE spots entering camp. Crawford still needs to develop more moves but playing DT for him is a good fit.

 

[elcowboi]

Spencer played well for his first game and Crawford was a beast in the middle. The defense looks like it can get better as the season goes along. The only thing is the Boys need to get some more pressure on the QB's. Hopefully that will come as Spencer gets his legs and Lawrence gets back.

 

[waving monkey]

I am proud of Jason Garrett.

Whether he was forced to give up the playcalling duties or not; whether it was his decision to hire Linehan or not. He has weathered the storm, taken a lot of criticism (much of it deserved) and is finally producing some results. Life is about getting up when you get knocked down. It is a process. And Garrett has never lost sight of that.

Red has taken a load and most undeserved but maybe we're pasted that battle.Go Cowboys

 

[Bluestang]

Romo seems to have figured out how to read the defense after turning his back on a play action. That didn't run hardly any play action last year, and he was terrible against San Fran.

Another credit to Linehan because he 1) he's running PA more and 2) he's coached Romo on the progression reads of the PA call.

 

[maxdallasfan]

Don't forget that D Law will be popping his head out soon.

 

[John813]

Good points bluestang. Honestly, I would of never known Romo had back issues/surgery the way he was playing last night. Reminded me of Romo 5 years ago.

I hope you're wrong about Carter, but hopefully he's only out a week and doesn't linger longer than that.

I don't know what they see in Wilcox, he has that BW Webb lost look all the time. I would go for a safety that can cover high in the draft. That would solve a lot of problems in that back end.

Well, he's the best we got back there, I guess.
They love Heath, but only on ST.
I agree about drafting a safety high in the draft next year.

 

[Bluestang]

I am proud of Jason Garrett.

Whether he was forced to give up the playcalling duties or not; whether it was his decision to hire Linehan or not. He has weathered the storm, taken a lot of criticism (much of it deserved) and is finally producing some results. Life is about getting up when you get knocked down. It is a process. And Garrett has never lost sight of that.

While you may be proud of JG, I'm not.

For all the criticism that Jerry takes, he saw that JG couldn't call the plays and manage the game on Sundays before hand. Jerry made JG give up those duties to Callahan last season only to see that JG took them back after the offense sputtered. And then this year he made JG do the same, only it was on JG's terms having Linehan (yea, I think it was JG's move).

That is stubborness to me and I find it hard to applaud these moves when you were forced to them in the first place.

 

[VACowboy]

• Spencer may need time to get his pass rushing mojo back, but he played the run well last night.

• Biggest smile I saw on Jerry's face was after Romo's 21-yard run...

• ....which is what I'm sure I looked like too.

 

[khiladi]

Romo seems to have figured out how to read the defense after turning his back on a play action. That didn't run hardly any play action last year, and he was terrible against San Fran.

He was terrible because of his back and not getting enough time.. It wasn't play-action in particular... Sturm use to point out that even when they ran it in the excessively limited time with Garrett calling the plays, Romo ran it well.

 

[jazzcat22]

While you may be proud of JG, I'm not.

For all the criticism that Jerry takes, he saw that JG couldn't call the plays and manage the game on Sundays before hand. Jerry made JG give up those duties to Callahan last season only to see that JG took them back after the offense sputtered. And then this year he made JG do the same, only it was on JG's terms having Linehan (yea, I think it was JG's move).

That is stubborness to me and I find it hard to applaud these moves when you were forced to them in the first place.

Great OP.
But disagree with this, as how do we know what happened and really transpired. If it was JG's idea to switch this and become the walk around HC, or was it all on JJ.
Whatever, whoever...it was a great move.
So I guess JJ the GM should get credit.....or JG the HC...or was it a combination...don't matter, it seems to be working out...

 

[9darter]

Awesome post, Bluestang. Thank you. Just adding to my good feeling about this team.

 

[jrumann59]

You have to remember the Saints have a pretty good interior line, Grubbs, goodwin, and Evans are pretty good so for the DTs to do what they did was impressive. Sacks are nice and they tend to come in bunches but it is the fight that I want to see and that DL has a lot of fight.

 

[TwoDeep3]

- Romo is getting healthier, by his own admission in his post game press conference, and it shows with the way he is throwing the football. The passes are crisper and he's making great decisions. His footwork is looking much better along with his mechanics. I've been worried about the back injury, but if he keeps throwing the ball like he has and looking fundamentally better than I'll stop worrying.

I think the entire board was worried this might have been the beginning of the end. I know I sure was concerned by the first two games. I see him stepping into hios throws. And you are right, his mechanics have returned and the ball is crisper. He was really accurate last night.

Buit an ancillary bonus is with his full skill set on display, his decision making went back to being instinctive instead of trying to work his way around his body not responding in its usual way. He is playing football again and not having to overthink his throwing motion as he adjusts to his aches and strains.

- Another nugget he talked about, was the in-game adjustments that Linehan was doing throughout the game. Romo admitted that he'd never been around a coach that had done that throughout a game. I know he didn't mean it that way but those are pretty strong words about JG's OC days.

This was touched on last night by the Hatfield's and McCoy's. The in-game adjustment addresses play calling and tweaking the routes to find the soft spots. While this is just one game, my personal belief is this addresses the play callers we've had, starting with Garrett, and their lack of ingenuity in the push me pull youy way in-game adjustments work. If Romo is saying this, just how significant is this? Good call, Stang!

- Can't mention all of the success of the offense without talking about the OL. They are everything we wanted and everything we needed years ago when Colombo, Kosier, Gurode, Davis, and Flozell started to decline. My sig is quote from JG on describing what he wanted his team identity to be. 3 painful seasons later, we seem to be seeing that now.

I believe we are seeing something which negates all the lambasting done toward the defense. With a well balanced attack, and the ability to get tough yards on the ground, this is owning the clock. That is such a significant aspect. This line manhandles the other team - so far. There was a play where FredBear and The Martionator got on a tackle and pushed him back off the line, Martin slid a bit to take over and FredBeard released and obliterated a linebacker as Murray came through planting a foot and going by. We all love the touchdown pass, or the long touchdown run, but watching those two, working with the rest of those guys is just a joy. I DVRed the game before watching, and rolled it back to focus on the line play after each snap. There is a manly ballet going on between those guys and the defense, and our guys are crushing it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Murray is just beasting. I'm not sure what else to say other than this guy deserves a contract here because of his abilities and most importantly his ability to pick-up the blitz. If we let him walk, we are completely starting over on the 3rd down offense. Let that sink in...

Over the last few years I've seen the fans here get disheartened by Murray and his injuries. But something in his style and ability has always shined through for me. I could see the cuts, and the jukes. Not that I am a great eye for talent. Maybe he's been my pet cat. But I just felt if he ever got a line in front of him, he would show this team and these fans what he truly is. I don't know about 2000 yards, but this guy is the the running game what Romo is to the passing game for this offense. Others come in after he softens the defense up and shine. But Murray is a cut above and an integral part of why we are seeing success.

- Linehan has been the most important hire that has completely refreshed the offense. Whoever went out and got him here should deserve alot of credit.

Ditto!!

- This defense is playing alot better than most of thought. Despite the lack of stats, the pass rush is there and it's causing some issues. Some of the things that you need to look at is if the pass rush causes the QB to move off his spot when he gets to his drop. Against Brees, that happened alot but the DTs didn't do a good enough job to collapse the front of the pocket. Brees was still able to climb the pocket (something that he is very good at) and find his guys but he had to move around to do it. Is that enough? As long as the offense keeps putting up points then yes.

I hadn't considered this until you mentioned it, Stang. They do push the pocket in an uncomfortable way. I was thinking last night, if this team gets anything positive out of Lawrence and Spencer this season, that might be the mid season shot in the arm needed for this to be a great year. Still a lot of football to play. But this performance was very exciting to watch. rewatch, and watch again today.

- I love watching Rolando McClain play. That dude loves to hit and he brings it every time. He is very enigmatic but it looks like that is just the way he is. He doesn't like to be the focal point, which is fine because we have other guys here for that, but I really hope that the Cowboys can keep him engaged in football for years to come. (yup, getting ahead of myself)

That long run where Carter pulled up, I rewatched that several times. McClain overran the play. Had he been at the POA he would have stopped that cold. As he was trying to walk back his overrun an offensive lineman pushed him aside and he was technically done, for any positive purposes. He is a player, and a surprise to me. But sometimes he gets out of position by his aggressive nature. He did that several times last night. Still, what a significant find. Nice going, Jerry.

- Spencer coming back to play was such a great sight to see. Was he rusty? Of course, but as long as the knee holds up the arrow will be pointing up. I'll give him a few weeks to get in "football shape" but man what a boost for this defense to have him playing again.

See above.

- Jesse Holley said something interesting last night on the post game show. The fact that this defense has a bunch of guys trying to prove themselves is great thing. He was saying that a lot of times guys would sit back and wait on the "superstar" guys to make plays.

Now here is where I eat crow. This has a little something to do with what Holley was saying. But this also has a great deal to do with Marinelli. These are just the types of players who will sacrifice all for his enthusiasm and coaching. I think they still need an end rusher to push this forward. And the Mo injury is a blessing in disguise because it gets Moore on the field. As much as the New Orleans were out of sync, some of that was due to the defense. Brees still has his skill set and his receivers, and they were essentially snuffed out the first half.

- The secondary played great. The Claiborne injury is sort of a blessing in disguise, and I hate to phrase it like that but he was going to see the field over Moore because of his draft status. My disgust for Claiborne went up last week with his little tantrum but I hate to see him injured like that too. I don't know if Claiborne will ever play at high level in the NFL or even with the Cowboys, but he will need to get his head mentally in the game if wants to play. Scandrick played lights out, and Moore played very well as well. Carr is so-so, gave up that long 3rd down play. Wilcox is still inconsistent, and Church is such a great tackler. But if that's all they are going to give up then I'll take it. Interested to see Patmon get some reps to see what kind of player he is.

As a human being, I grief for his injury and perhaps the end of his career in Dallas. As a fan of this team, he is just a waste of a top pick that could have gone defensive line.

- No way Bruce Carter plays next week. That injury will keep him out at least this week if not longer. Sad to see but you can play Hitchens on the weak side and move Durant to the strong side.

That is the negative take-away from this game. Carter was getting very comfortable with his role.

- I'm pretty sure everyone saw that Jerry Jones face when we were up. Raise your hand if you had that same face...me <----raises hand.

I was smiling, that's for sure.

 

[TwoDeep3]

I am proud of Jason Garrett.

Whether he was forced to give up the playcalling duties or not; whether it was his decision to hire Linehan or not. He has weathered the storm, taken a lot of criticism (much of it deserved) and is finally producing some results. Life is about getting up when you get knocked down. It is a process. And Garrett has never lost sight of that.

Puppets don't have the ability to complain.

 

[TwoDeep3]

While you may be proud of JG, I'm not.

For all the criticism that Jerry takes, he saw that JG couldn't call the plays and manage the game on Sundays before hand. Jerry made JG give up those duties to Callahan last season only to see that JG took them back after the offense sputtered. And then this year he made JG do the same, only it was on JG's terms having Linehan (yea, I think it was JG's move).

That is stubborness to me and I find it hard to applaud these moves when you were forced to them in the first place.

This...