Belated Atlanta rewatch thoughts

[Proof]

How about an original thought? This is regurgitation from local, national media and CZ posters.

Rude

 

[buybuydandavis]

- Didn’t realize we used Antwan Woods at FB on goal lines. Also didn’t see him get much push, but like the idea.
-Tristen Hill looks 100x better than last year. Now if he can start finishing more plays in the backfield, he will propel himself into a new caliper of player

Hill played some FB in college.

I like giving the big boys a shot at FB. But if everyone is healthy, my big boy for FB is Collins. He's got a real knack at contact in the open field. Great punch.

My other Big Boy play is to see if any of the backup oline can catchy decently, teach them a few routes, and make them the Jumbo Blocking TE.

 

[Clove]

Well dang, since you all are throwing out your observations, I may as well add my two cents.

Offense:
I thought the offense, as usual, always gets off to a slow start. I don't know what this coaching staff can do to get us going earlier, but we need to figure it out because if we can get going early, we will absolutely blow some teams away.

Receivers:
This receiving core is everything we wished it could be and more. Guys are running all over the field catching nearly everything. Once McCarthy and Kellen Moore gets things figured out, look out.

TE:
I thought Dalton Schultz was a stud this game. The Cowboys have always had good TEs and Schultz, surprisingly, is another one of a long line of pretty good tight ends.

OLINE:
I thought we got off to a rough start (not surprisingly) but as the game went on, these guys started to protect and move people. The experience these tackles are getting is something we will need down the line.

RB:
I thought Zeke was a stud this game and last game. He's got some zip in his step, he seems more focused, mature, he's going to be an animal this year.

QB:
Dak Prescott will be competing this year for an MVP.

DLine:
This line is nothing I thought it would be, but hopefully the changes they are going to make will help them a lot. I didn't think they got much push, it's just a bad scheme for the guys we have. Go back to the 4-3 and let's see what we've got there.

Linebackers:
The lone bright spot to me was Thomas. He was everywhere. Jaylon Smith is hit or miss, and solid but not great in coverage. But he's what we have so we'll need him to just be serviceable until we can find something better. I don't think he ever 100% healed from his catastrophic injury a few years back.

Secondary:
A future stud is Diggs. He's in position, all he needs to do now is make some plays. Everyone else is meh.

Special teams:
The kicker is experienced, you can tell. Overall, I thought the SP was pretty solid. I just wish we could do something about Pollard coming out of the end zone, just don't do it Pollard.

Coaching:
I think this coaching staff (WILL) be a good coaching staff. I think MM is still trying to figure his team and coaches out, mainly Dak Prescott, the defense, and Kellen Moore. I came away thinking that he now trusts Dak completely and I think, or hope, he will now take the reigns off and let him loose. I would say he should let Moore loose also but he has to keep a close eye on Moore, IMO. As for his coaching style, I love it. He's aggressive, VERY aggressive. Whether this turns in to victories or not is yet to be seen.

Summary:
All in all, I thought we got away with one but this is why you fight and practice, and play 60 minutes. Now it's time for MM and the Cowboys to come out Sunday with a strong first half and try to finish Seattle off, which is no easy task.

 

[BEARCATSKLZ]

I wanted to give Nolan the benefit of the doubt. But he really needs to just drop the 3-4 concept this year. We don't have the personnel and the training for it.

I'm glad that they finally decided to let Griffen and Tank on a 3 point stance. That's what they do best and that should have never been changed from the beginning.

I agree... Nolan needs to follow the Offense lead and wait until next year to make big changes...

 

[John813]

Not going to make excuses for the D, cause I expected more passrush by now, but the Falcons trio of receivers is very good.

We all know about Julio, who was kept in check by his hammy and that big dropped pass. Ridley is a man possessed this year and Gage had a strong end to last year and has kept it up this year. If you give Ryan time, he will tear up most secondaries.

Add in Hurst who had the talent/athletic ability but was surpassed by Andrews in Baltimore.

 

[MWH1967]

I just rewatched the condensed game tonight myself.. thanks to my father-n-laws NFL gamepass login

A few quick thoughts of my own:

-Joe Thomas was a tackling machine. Not to mention he was hitting folks hard. I’ve always respected his game, but his “play hard” attitude seems to energize others.

-No surprise here, but the Offensive Player of the week, Dak Prescott, played his arse off. I’m not sure what else he can do to prove to folks that he’s elite. At this point..his paycheck is only getting bigger. Those that thought Carson Wince is a better QB are only lying to themselves

- Brandon Knight can hold his own and would be starting on most teams.
-Terence Steele obviously needs work, but he’s a rookie. Several holding penalties, bull rushed, and can’t set his feet. He’s not ready. La’el godspeed, son.
- Didn’t realize we used Antwan Woods at FB on goal lines. Also didn’t see him get much push, but like the idea.
- Glad to hear Griffen and Lawrence are returning back to the 3point stance, bc they really looked awful. Hopefully they’ll look better when they aren’t defending short fields the whole game. Give them a lead, so they can pin their ears back and hunt
-Tristen Hill looks 100x better than last year. Now if he can start finishing more plays in the backfield, he will propel himself into a new caliper of player
- CeeDee Lamb is everything we thought he could be
-Gallup and Cooper are too. When La’el and TSmith come back to give Dak more time, this offense will be Explode.. as if 40 wasn’t enough.
- Zeke is just a human dump truck wrecking grown men’s lives. And it’s fn awesome to watch.
- I’m sorry.. but Conner Williams isn’t strong enough to be at LG. Swing tackle? Maybe. Hopefully, this coaching staff recognizes it before he gets Dak hurt. I realize they can’t do much ab it now with all the OL injuries..I just thought he would be more improved by now
-Our secondary really scares me, and that was before the injuries to Brown, Awuzie, and Diggs.. my god, I hope we can piece this together soon. That said, they were playing against Ridley, Jones, and Gage. That’s 3 very formidable WRs to defend.

-Tristen Hill looks 100x better than last year. Now if he can start finishing more plays in the backfield, he will propel himself into a new caliper of player.

 

[Cowboyny]

Sorry this is late in the week and it should be Seattle time, but first shot I got at a rewatch and wanted all your thoughts....

--First, I'm no XO expert, but it sure does appear Nolan is running a 34 base, not a 43.

This is doing Lawrence no favors at all. He may have stunk it up last year but he is getting thrown around in this scheme.

Also Woods and Poe appear to be getting blown up routinely. I'm hoping they go back to more of a 43...and theres been talk of the personnel fitting that better. Yeah no kidding.

Maybe it's the unavailability of Lee and LVE, but this is a 43 team, and whole the different looks idea may have been a fun dream, but I'm not sure how realistic or effective that look can be, at least in 2020.


--Im shocked to say this, but the defense wasnt quite as bad as I thought. They were awful on the drive that made it 26-7, and disappointing to end the half, but the fumbles and ill advised first fake punt did them in more than anything. Decent job holding to FGs considering. Don't get me wrong, they aren't any good right now, just not as terrible as I thought on an emotional first watch.


--Connor Williams: As soon as I make note of how he seems to be holding his own at LG, he gets tossed aside for a TFL. He is more good than bad though. Not at all awful.


--Looks like we have a swing tackle in Knight. Him and Steele look to be about the same player, with one having been in an NFL strength program before and the other not. They each played better than I thought they may. I'll say this much....barring a bunch of injuries, the Cam Erving ERA in Dallas didnt last long.

-Griffen/DLaw are true 4-3 DE's, they are poor fits as stand-up linebackers. The likes of Aldon, Anae and even Gregory fit better.

-If our pass rush doesn't get better, our secondary will get exposed. This is the area in which the front office needs to prioritize in the off-season. I don't see any player earning a second contract from the group of Awuzie, Lewis, X Woods. CB and S are priority needs for this team.

-Everyone wants Connor McGovern to replace the other Connor, but we have yet to see him play a single snap. There is a reason
why Connor Williams is the starter over him as he is the better player at this juncture.

-I would like to see Knight replace Steele as the RT starter until Collins returns. He seems far more polished of a player at this time. Some view him as a Marc Columbo type.

-Defense really misses Lve in pass defense. The middle of the field is wide open to exploit.

 

[fivetwos]

-Griffen/DLaw are true 4-3 DE's, they are poor fits as stand-up linebackers. The likes of Aldon, Anae and even Gregory fit better.

-If our pass rush doesn't get better, our secondary will get exposed. This is the area in which the front office needs to prioritize in the off-season. I don't see any player earning a second contract from the group of Awuzie, Lewis, X Woods. CB and S are priority needs for this team.

-Everyone wants Connor McGovern to replace the other Connor, but we have yet to see him play a single snap. There is a reason
why Connor Williams is the starter over him as he is the better player at this juncture.

-I would like to see Knight replace Steele as the RT starter until Collins returns. He seems far more polished of a player at this time. Some view him as a Marc Columbo type.

-Defense really misses Lve in pass defense. The middle of the field is wide open to exploit.

Great points on all.

Not a great idea to put McG into the lineup while the two tackles are out.

Eventually one of the kids has to get into the lineup on the interior OL though.

 

[McKDaddy]

- Zeke is just a human dump truck wrecking grown men’s lives. And it’s fn awesome to watch.

yet some can't see.

 

[McKDaddy]

Special teams:
The kicker is experienced, you can tell. Overall, I thought the SP was pretty solid. I just wish we could do something about Pollard coming out of the end zone, just don't do it Pollard.

I understand the reaction on one level but geez after all the passive years under the old regime I can't complain. We say he is a playmaker so he has to take shots to break one. especially when you are down 20 pts.

Good summary though.

 

[DogFace]

I just rewatched the condensed game tonight myself.. thanks to my father-n-laws NFL gamepass login

A few quick thoughts of my own:

-Joe Thomas was a tackling machine. Not to mention he was hitting folks hard. I’ve always respected his game, but his “play hard” attitude seems to energize others.

-No surprise here, but the Offensive Player of the week, Dak Prescott, played his arse off. I’m not sure what else he can do to prove to folks that he’s elite. At this point..his paycheck is only getting bigger. Those that thought Carson Wince is a better QB are only lying to themselves

- Brandon Knight can hold his own and would be starting on most teams.
-Terence Steele obviously needs work, but he’s a rookie. Several holding penalties, bull rushed, and can’t set his feet. He’s not ready. La’el godspeed, son.
- Didn’t realize we used Antwan Woods at FB on goal lines. Also didn’t see him get much push, but like the idea.
- Glad to hear Griffen and Lawrence are returning back to the 3point stance, bc they really looked awful. Hopefully they’ll look better when they aren’t defending short fields the whole game. Give them a lead, so they can pin their ears back and hunt
-Tristen Hill looks 100x better than last year. Now if he can start finishing more plays in the backfield, he will propel himself into a new caliper of player
- CeeDee Lamb is everything we thought he could be
-Gallup and Cooper are too. When La’el and TSmith come back to give Dak more time, this offense will be Explode.. as if 40 wasn’t enough.
- Zeke is just a human dump truck wrecking grown men’s lives. And it’s fn awesome to watch.
- I’m sorry.. but Conner Williams isn’t strong enough to be at LG. Swing tackle? Maybe. Hopefully, this coaching staff recognizes it before he gets Dak hurt. I realize they can’t do much ab it now with all the OL injuries..I just thought he would be more improved by now
-Our secondary really scares me, and that was before the injuries to Brown, Awuzie, and Diggs.. my god, I hope we can piece this together soon. That said, they were playing against Ridley, Jones, and Gage. That’s 3 very formidable WRs to defend.

When did they say the 3 point stance will be returning? Good news on two levels.

1. They’ll play better
2. The staff won’t stick with what doesn’t work.

 

[Rockport]

Rude

Yes it was

 

[Rockport]

Really? So you think I wasted my time collecting the thoughts of others?

No one asked you to read it.

Did it make you feel better to say that?

Sorry it was so disappointing for you, but then again I dont recall ever being especially enlightened with anything you've ever written here.

I apologize. My post was very rude.

 

[Creeper]

Sorry this is late in the week and it should be Seattle time, but first shot I got at a rewatch and wanted all your thoughts....

--First, I'm no XO expert, but it sure does appear Nolan is running a 34 base, not a 43.

This is doing Lawrence no favors at all. He may have stunk it up last year but he is getting thrown around in this scheme.

Also Woods and Poe appear to be getting blown up routinely. I'm hoping they go back to more of a 43...and theres been talk of the personnel fitting that better. Yeah no kidding.

Maybe it's the unavailability of Lee and LVE, but this is a 43 team, and whole the different looks idea may have been a fun dream, but I'm not sure how realistic or effective that look can be, at least in 2020.


--Im shocked to say this, but the defense wasnt quite as bad as I thought. They were awful on the drive that made it 26-7, and disappointing to end the half, but the fumbles and ill advised first fake punt did them in more than anything. Decent job holding to FGs considering. Don't get me wrong, they aren't any good right now, just not as terrible as I thought on an emotional first watch.


--Connor Williams: As soon as I make note of how he seems to be holding his own at LG, he gets tossed aside for a TFL. He is more good than bad though. Not at all awful.


--Looks like we have a swing tackle in Knight. Him and Steele look to be about the same player, with one having been in an NFL strength program before and the other not. They each played better than I thought they may. I'll say this much....barring a bunch of injuries, the Cam Erving ERA in Dallas didnt last long.

My first reaction to Steele was pretty positive. But upon further review, I think he is always a nit-picky ref away from a holding call. I am concerned he will get called for holding on a crucial play to kill a potential scoring drive. It's probably because he is adjusting to NFL speed but it's something to work on.

 

[fivetwos]

My first reaction to Steele was pretty positive. But upon further review, I think he is always a nit-picky ref away from a holding call. I am concerned he will get called for holding on a crucial play to kill a potential scoring drive. It's probably because he is adjusting to NFL speed but it's something to work on.

Yep good call. He just doesnt have the leg strength an NFL OT needs.

It definitely looked like he got away with a hold or two, and I think he had three penalties accepted.

But he held his own for the most part.

(Goes to show you how BAD the Chaz Green thing was....both his performance and the staff doing nothing about it, and not knowing in the first place)

That said it's nice to have a young guy gaining valuable game experience. Hopefully he can grow into something useful.

 

[Creeper]

I just rewatched the condensed game tonight myself.. thanks to my father-n-laws NFL gamepass login

A few quick thoughts of my own:

-Joe Thomas was a tackling machine. Not to mention he was hitting folks hard. I’ve always respected his game, but his “play hard” attitude seems to energize others.

-No surprise here, but the Offensive Player of the week, Dak Prescott, played his arse off. I’m not sure what else he can do to prove to folks that he’s elite. At this point..his paycheck is only getting bigger. Those that thought Carson Wince is a better QB are only lying to themselves

- Brandon Knight can hold his own and would be starting on most teams.
-Terence Steele obviously needs work, but he’s a rookie. Several holding penalties, bull rushed, and can’t set his feet. He’s not ready. La’el godspeed, son.
- Didn’t realize we used Antwan Woods at FB on goal lines. Also didn’t see him get much push, but like the idea.
- Glad to hear Griffen and Lawrence are returning back to the 3point stance, bc they really looked awful. Hopefully they’ll look better when they aren’t defending short fields the whole game. Give them a lead, so they can pin their ears back and hunt
-Tristen Hill looks 100x better than last year. Now if he can start finishing more plays in the backfield, he will propel himself into a new caliper of player
- CeeDee Lamb is everything we thought he could be
-Gallup and Cooper are too. When La’el and TSmith come back to give Dak more time, this offense will be Explode.. as if 40 wasn’t enough.
- Zeke is just a human dump truck wrecking grown men’s lives. And it’s fn awesome to watch.
- I’m sorry.. but Conner Williams isn’t strong enough to be at LG. Swing tackle? Maybe. Hopefully, this coaching staff recognizes it before he gets Dak hurt. I realize they can’t do much ab it now with all the OL injuries..I just thought he would be more improved by now
-Our secondary really scares me, and that was before the injuries to Brown, Awuzie, and Diggs.. my god, I hope we can piece this together soon. That said, they were playing against Ridley, Jones, and Gage. That’s 3 very formidable WRs to defend.

Good post. We are 3 years into the Connor Williams experiment and I think he is who he is. He is never going to get any stronger than he is now. He is better pulling and blocking but given the DTs in the NFC east, Leonard Williams, Fletcher Cox, Payne/Allen we need bigger and stronger at LG. I am still wondering if when Collins and Erving get back, they should try Steele at LG.

 

[BigTimeBlues]

-Everyone wants Connor McGovern to replace the other Connor, but we have yet to see him play a single snap. There is a reason
why Connor Williams is the starter over him as he is the better player at this juncture.

-I would like to see Knight replace Steele as the RT starter until Collins returns. He seems far more polished of a player at this time. Some view him as a Marc Columbo type.

I think you answered your own curiosity over the Steele/Knight statement with the Connor/Connor statement.

I will say, however, I have a hunch that Knight was going to get the nod at RT over Steele but then tweaked his ankle the week of the Rams game.

Then, once he was healthy enough to replace Steele, Tyron went down so he started at LT. It's mostly speculation on my part.

 

[Knotamus]

When did they say the 3 point stance will be returning? Good news on two levels.

1. They’ll play better
2. The staff won’t stick with what doesn’t work.

I believe Griffen mentioned it in a tweet..

I sure someone has posted in another forum

 

[Cowboyny]

I think you answered your own curiosity over the Steele/Knight statement with the Connor/Connor statement.

I will say, however, I have a hunch that Knight was going to get the nod at RT over Steele but then tweaked his ankle the week of the Rams game.

Then, once he was healthy enough to replace Steele, Tyron went down so he started at LT. It's mostly speculation on my part.

At least we have seen Knight in real game action, McGovern has only been a gameday active backup for 1 game.

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

I apologize. My post was very rude.

Thanks Rockport

You're a good poster Rocky. But you are just succumbing to the nature of this board which is to verbally castrate anyone for the slightest reasons.

It's one reason I have started posting a lot less. It's a sad state of affairs that should be controlled by those with the means to. I understand a difference of opinion and a spirited argument but I have seen too many outright attacks and hatefulness (it's what's wrong with our society in general).
Can we all strive to add to the content versus taking away? (I feel like Rodney King saying this . . . "Can't we all just get along?"))