NewsBot
New Member
- Messages
- 111,281
- Reaction score
- 2,947
IRVING, Texas—While everyone else is worried about what the Dallas Cowboys are going to do to stop Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, they will focus on themselves and what they do best.
So look for them to force the run with the NFL's top rushing attack in Sunday’s game.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has had one mantra this year: “It's about us. Focus on us. It's about us. It's not about them.”
That was his message after the Cowboys shocked the league with last Sunday's 38-17 blowout victory over the New Orleans Saints.
What the world thought was a surprise and a sign of the Cowboys arrival as a possible playoff contender, a matter-of-fact Garrett treated it as another step in the process. He told his team to continue to focus on itself and what they needed to do to get better because it's a long road ahead.
Garrett is taking a similar attitude when it comes to this Sunday's signature matchup against Texans and Watt, known as J.J. Swatt, who is the league's premier defensive player and passing-game disruptor.
"Again, we focus more on us and what we need to do individually and collectively and that offensive line group," Garrett said. "It’s a huge emphasis for us. You certainly prepare for the personnel and the schemes that you’re facing every week in all three phases. But the biggest focus is on us and how do we get better."
The Cowboys (3-1) won't get better as a team in terms of winning the game against the Texans (3-1) and build on their three-game winning streak if they don't find a way to contain Watt, the AFC's reigning defensive player of the week and newly crowned AFC defensive player of the month of September.
Watt has 15 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
His 16 quarterback hits are more than 13 other NFL teams. The next closest player in the league has eight hits on the quarterback. Coach Garrett said of Watt:
He's just a great football player anyway you measure it, he's a heck of a player...He's a big strong, physical, explosive guy. He's got great instincts for the game, a great feel for the game a motor that never stops, he just shows up. He shows up in the run game, he shows up in the pass game. He sacks the quarterback, he intercepts the passes he disrupts the game. He’s clearly one of the best defensive linemen in the National Football League.
The interesting thing about Watt's presence at AT&T Stadium on Sunday is that he could have easily been on the other sideline as a member of the Cowboys.
The Texans took him 11th overall in the 2011 NFL draft, two spots after the Cowboys took left tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick.
The Cowboys defense ran the 3-4 at the time and considered Watt as an option. They ultimately focused on a tackle in an attempt to rebuild the team’s aging offensive line.
Smith was the first draft pick of the Jason Garrett era and proved to the foundation of what has become the league's best offensive line. He was the first of three first-round picks in the offensive line in the last four years for the Cowboys.
Smith has developed into the league's best offensive tackle, earning the title of the highest-paid tackle ever with a six-year, $98 million contract extension August. Garrett discussed the decision of taking Smith over Watt:
Yeah, that's a long time ago, we liked him a lot...We did spend a lot of time investigating him, getting to know him and I think for obvious reasons. I believe that same year we took Tyron Smith so we feel really good about that decision. All those decisions we made very consciously and very deliberately and certainly that first pick was critical for us. We were at the point with our offensive line where we let three veteran offensive linemen go and we were really young and under resourced there. We felt like we needed to get some cornerstone players and Tyron Smith was coming out that year and we felt like he can be a left tackle and be a cornerstone player for us. We felt he had all the traits to be a great player for a long time at a really important position and he's certainly off to a good start.
The ideal matchup on Sunday would be Smith going up against Watt.
As nasty and dominating as Watt is on defense, Smith is equally overwhelming at offensive tackle. He has been known to engulf defenders one minute then toss them aside the next.
"It's really good match up," said Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player who works as a scout for the league-run website. "Both guys play with tremendous power. Both are athletic for their size. Tyron typically snuffs people out and knocks people off the line. Watt is not only about strength but length. He is relentless. Going up against him is an all day sucker."
The disappointing thing for Brooks and football fans every where is that there is little chance Watt spends a lot of time opposite Smith.
The Texans have been known deploy Watt all over the line to exploit mismatches. He has rushed from both ends spots, at defensive tackle and from over the center.
Look for Watt to line up mostly at left end to take advantage of suspect right tackle Doug Free. Free is not only the oldest player but he is the resident weak link on the Cowboys line, especially in pass protection. He has had trouble in the past stopping power and speed—an that issue seemed to be compounded by a timid demeanor. But Garrett has noticed improvement with Free:
I think that’s a technical thing. I think that’s a demeanor thing...The more he’s played, the better he’s gotten. That’s something that we really emphasize. Guys get to a certain point in their career and there’s a feeling from the outside that, ‘Nah, they can’t get any better; he is what he is.’ That’s not the way we approach it around here, and Doug’s a great example of that. He really gets better and better the more he plays, getting stronger, playing with more snap, playing with more aggressiveness. His hands are better. I think we’ve seen a lot of that in this first part of the season.
What is snap?
“Just play with some snap, you know what I’m saying?” Garrett said. “Don’t play oozie. Play with some snap to you.”
The Cowboys will need to play with some snap on offense to neutralize Watt.
Per Brooks, the Cowboys are not allowing quarterback Tony Romo to hold on to the ball long in the pocket. He has been getting it out fast, shunning deep routes for short, quick throws. He expects them to do the same against Watt and the Texans.
Look for them to also give Free some help when do decide to go with some deeper throws.
The Cowboys primary plan, however, is to force their dominant run game behind Smith and their massive front to limit Watt's effectiveness as a pass-rusher.
The Cowboys have the league's best rushing attack, led by running back DeMarco Murray. They are running it 54 percent of the time, while stopping the run has been a problem for a Texans defense that ranks 24th in rush defense, giving up 108.5 yards per game.
"Obviously this week starts with protection in the passing game, making sure that we secure that line of scrimmage, and he’s certainly the No. 1 challenge," Garrett finally allows.
But it's still about the Cowboys.
If they do what they do best and have success on the ground they won't have to worry about Watt doing what he does best and make disruptive and difference-making plays in the passing game.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
So look for them to force the run with the NFL's top rushing attack in Sunday’s game.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has had one mantra this year: “It's about us. Focus on us. It's about us. It's not about them.”
That was his message after the Cowboys shocked the league with last Sunday's 38-17 blowout victory over the New Orleans Saints.
What the world thought was a surprise and a sign of the Cowboys arrival as a possible playoff contender, a matter-of-fact Garrett treated it as another step in the process. He told his team to continue to focus on itself and what they needed to do to get better because it's a long road ahead.
Garrett is taking a similar attitude when it comes to this Sunday's signature matchup against Texans and Watt, known as J.J. Swatt, who is the league's premier defensive player and passing-game disruptor.
"Again, we focus more on us and what we need to do individually and collectively and that offensive line group," Garrett said. "It’s a huge emphasis for us. You certainly prepare for the personnel and the schemes that you’re facing every week in all three phases. But the biggest focus is on us and how do we get better."
The Cowboys (3-1) won't get better as a team in terms of winning the game against the Texans (3-1) and build on their three-game winning streak if they don't find a way to contain Watt, the AFC's reigning defensive player of the week and newly crowned AFC defensive player of the month of September.
Watt has 15 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery.
His 16 quarterback hits are more than 13 other NFL teams. The next closest player in the league has eight hits on the quarterback. Coach Garrett said of Watt:
He's just a great football player anyway you measure it, he's a heck of a player...He's a big strong, physical, explosive guy. He's got great instincts for the game, a great feel for the game a motor that never stops, he just shows up. He shows up in the run game, he shows up in the pass game. He sacks the quarterback, he intercepts the passes he disrupts the game. He’s clearly one of the best defensive linemen in the National Football League.
The interesting thing about Watt's presence at AT&T Stadium on Sunday is that he could have easily been on the other sideline as a member of the Cowboys.
The Texans took him 11th overall in the 2011 NFL draft, two spots after the Cowboys took left tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick.
The Cowboys defense ran the 3-4 at the time and considered Watt as an option. They ultimately focused on a tackle in an attempt to rebuild the team’s aging offensive line.
Smith was the first draft pick of the Jason Garrett era and proved to the foundation of what has become the league's best offensive line. He was the first of three first-round picks in the offensive line in the last four years for the Cowboys.
Smith has developed into the league's best offensive tackle, earning the title of the highest-paid tackle ever with a six-year, $98 million contract extension August. Garrett discussed the decision of taking Smith over Watt:
Yeah, that's a long time ago, we liked him a lot...We did spend a lot of time investigating him, getting to know him and I think for obvious reasons. I believe that same year we took Tyron Smith so we feel really good about that decision. All those decisions we made very consciously and very deliberately and certainly that first pick was critical for us. We were at the point with our offensive line where we let three veteran offensive linemen go and we were really young and under resourced there. We felt like we needed to get some cornerstone players and Tyron Smith was coming out that year and we felt like he can be a left tackle and be a cornerstone player for us. We felt he had all the traits to be a great player for a long time at a really important position and he's certainly off to a good start.
The ideal matchup on Sunday would be Smith going up against Watt.
As nasty and dominating as Watt is on defense, Smith is equally overwhelming at offensive tackle. He has been known to engulf defenders one minute then toss them aside the next.
"It's really good match up," said Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player who works as a scout for the league-run website. "Both guys play with tremendous power. Both are athletic for their size. Tyron typically snuffs people out and knocks people off the line. Watt is not only about strength but length. He is relentless. Going up against him is an all day sucker."
The disappointing thing for Brooks and football fans every where is that there is little chance Watt spends a lot of time opposite Smith.
The Texans have been known deploy Watt all over the line to exploit mismatches. He has rushed from both ends spots, at defensive tackle and from over the center.
Look for Watt to line up mostly at left end to take advantage of suspect right tackle Doug Free. Free is not only the oldest player but he is the resident weak link on the Cowboys line, especially in pass protection. He has had trouble in the past stopping power and speed—an that issue seemed to be compounded by a timid demeanor. But Garrett has noticed improvement with Free:
I think that’s a technical thing. I think that’s a demeanor thing...The more he’s played, the better he’s gotten. That’s something that we really emphasize. Guys get to a certain point in their career and there’s a feeling from the outside that, ‘Nah, they can’t get any better; he is what he is.’ That’s not the way we approach it around here, and Doug’s a great example of that. He really gets better and better the more he plays, getting stronger, playing with more snap, playing with more aggressiveness. His hands are better. I think we’ve seen a lot of that in this first part of the season.
What is snap?
“Just play with some snap, you know what I’m saying?” Garrett said. “Don’t play oozie. Play with some snap to you.”
The Cowboys will need to play with some snap on offense to neutralize Watt.
Per Brooks, the Cowboys are not allowing quarterback Tony Romo to hold on to the ball long in the pocket. He has been getting it out fast, shunning deep routes for short, quick throws. He expects them to do the same against Watt and the Texans.
Look for them to also give Free some help when do decide to go with some deeper throws.
The Cowboys primary plan, however, is to force their dominant run game behind Smith and their massive front to limit Watt's effectiveness as a pass-rusher.
The Cowboys have the league's best rushing attack, led by running back DeMarco Murray. They are running it 54 percent of the time, while stopping the run has been a problem for a Texans defense that ranks 24th in rush defense, giving up 108.5 yards per game.
"Obviously this week starts with protection in the passing game, making sure that we secure that line of scrimmage, and he’s certainly the No. 1 challenge," Garrett finally allows.
But it's still about the Cowboys.
If they do what they do best and have success on the ground they won't have to worry about Watt doing what he does best and make disruptive and difference-making plays in the passing game.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...