Game Day ***Cowboys vs Buccaneers Post-Game Thread***

[Rockport]

I haven't bet on a football game in over 30 years but when the line went to +10 for the Cowboys I had to place a bet. Easy money.

 

[Plankton]

Hell of a game last night. The team fought their rear ends off. Prescott got more confidence in his legs and base as the game went on, and made some really good throws. The defense, though they lost the line of scrimmage badly, were able to cause turnovers to create opportunities for the offense. The offensive line was pretty good in pass protection last night when Vita Vea wasn't collapsing the interior of the line. To me, the loss boiled down to these things:

• The Buccaneers scored four touchdowns, the Cowboys scored three. The Cowboys needed to be better in plus territory, and not attempt five field goals. Some of this was playcalling, some of this was plain execution.
• In the preseason, clearly this team didn't place a lot of emphasis on special teams. Zuerlein didn't really get challenged for his role, and he wasn't even available to kick until the tail end of camp. The Cowboys lost this game on special teams. The coverage units were not good on kickoffs (Jayden Mickens had multiple good kickoff returns), and Zuerlein looked like a guy who barely kicked in camp. Not to mention that Bradley Pinion was absolutely outstanding last night for Tampa. For all of the accolades that Bones Fassel gets, his approach to camp this year led to the results the team got last night. Even the decision to kick the 60 yard field goal was suspect, and they were fortunate that they didn't give up points to Tampa on the back end of that decision.
  
• For all of the people who thought that the additions on the defensive line were enough, you may want to reconsider that viewpoint. They got little to no pressure all night long. There's an APB out for Randy Gregory and Osa Odighizuwa, who were absolutely invisible last night. While DeMarcus Lawrence made good plays in the run game, and did a great job in causing the fumble by Ronald Jones, he didn't affect Brady in the pocket. Some of that was Tristan Wirfs. The rest is that he frankly hasn't gotten home much the last couple of years.
• Anthony Brown is a liability, and will be so as long as he is an outside corner. Why he gave Antonio Brown a free release on the long touchdown is anyone's guess.
• CeeDee Lamb showed some great route running and footwork, but he has to improve his concentration. Too many drops last night, and it continued last year's trend.
• It's hard not to note the irony in that Michael Gallup was called for OPI late in the game on Week One a season ago, on a play that cost the Cowboys a shot at a win, but this year, Chris Godwin gets away with an OPI on a end of game drive. Judgment calls are killers.

Kudos to Connor McGovern and La'el Collins in pass protection last night, Trevon Diggs in coverage (he shut down Mike Evans), Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott. These guys deserved a better outcome.

Here's hoping that the injured list is short this coming week, and they come out ready to roll in Los Angeles.

 

[Carson]

Not really sure how anybody can watch that game and not think this is a playoff caliber team.

They went on the road, when they raised the super bowl banner and a team returned 22 starters and could’ve / should’ve won even after being 9 point dogs and getting no chance from anybody.

We don’t play another playoff team from last year until week 11. We will make a run here

 

[Daillest88]

Collins was great. Mcgovern needs to be our LG when Martin comes back. He’s strong as hell

 

[pitt33]

I’m not into moral victories and some players played very well. But it seems to me after watching football for 50 years the teams that win meaningful games have similar attributes:

• They harass/pressure/sack the quarterback.
• Stop the run
• Good special teams
• Well coached by guys who think on their feet…quickly.
• Ball control offense

Someday we will see that again with this team.

Someday…

 

[Runwildboys]

none of them or us are nfl refs though. what fans say is usually meaningless.
There is no conspiracy by refs or nfl to help bucs and brady win games.
Brady does tend to have good luck, I will go along with that.

I'm not saying there's any conspiracy. I'm just saying it was an atrocious non-call.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Prescott played at a very high level considering how long he's been off.
The O line needs work.
Conner Williams is a back up.
Brown is a liability in the secondary, he's playing like he always has, from behind and never turns to the ball.
What running game?
Special teams was awful. We win the game if not for misses. Field position was horrible. Our covers were very bad.
Lamb started off slow and needs to focus on the catch.
The defense still can't stop the run, none of the LBers stood out to me, and the D line didn't get to Brady nearly enough.
When we spread out, they couldn't stop us. When our formations were compact in the middle, we were not effective.

It was a great game against a great team on the road, I'm feeling good if we make some changes. We legit should have won the game.

For real i would rather see the rookie Corners making mistakes with a chance to make a play than Brown who literally gave up 50% of the air yards yesterday. He is just taking up air and not making any plays.

 

[G2]

For real i would rather see the rookie Corners making mistakes with a chance to make a play than Brown who literally gave up 50% of the air yards yesterday. He is just taking up air and not making any plays.

It was a flashback watching Brown get beat and never turning to the ball. He was getting picked out and abused.

 

[Runwildboys]

It was a flashback watching Brown get beat and never turning to the ball. He was getting picked out and abused.

And now it's gonna happen all season long. Thanks Tom, for showing everyone how to score at will.

 

[zrinkill]

It was a flashback watching Brown get beat and never turning to the ball. He was getting picked out and abused.

He will not be starting long.

 

[Runwildboys]

Hell of a game last night. The team fought their rear ends off. Prescott got more confidence in his legs and base as the game went on, and made some really good throws. The defense, though they lost the line of scrimmage badly, were able to cause turnovers to create opportunities for the offense. The offensive line was pretty good in pass protection last night when Vita Vea wasn't collapsing the interior of the line. To me, the loss boiled down to these things:

• The Buccaneers scored four touchdowns, the Cowboys scored three. The Cowboys needed to be better in plus territory, and not attempt five field goals. Some of this was playcalling, some of this was plain execution.
• In the preseason, clearly this team didn't place a lot of emphasis on special teams. Zuerlein didn't really get challenged for his role, and he wasn't even available to kick until the tail end of camp. The Cowboys lost this game on special teams. The coverage units were not good on kickoffs (Jayden Mickens had multiple good kickoff returns), and Zuerlein looked like a guy who barely kicked in camp. Not to mention that Bradley Pinion was absolutely outstanding last night for Tampa. For all of the accolades that Bones Fassel gets, his approach to camp this year led to the results the team got last night. Even the decision to kick the 60 yard field goal was suspect, and they were fortunate that they didn't give up points to Tampa on the back end of that decision.
  
• For all of the people who thought that the additions on the defensive line were enough, you may want to reconsider that viewpoint. They got little to no pressure all night long. There's an APB out for Randy Gregory and Osa Odighizuwa, who were absolutely invisible last night. While DeMarcus Lawrence made good plays in the run game, and did a great job in causing the fumble by Ronald Jones, he didn't affect Brady in the pocket. Some of that was Tristan Wirfs. The rest is that he frankly hasn't gotten home much the last couple of years.
• Anthony Brown is a liability, and will be so as long as he is an outside corner. Why he gave Antonio Brown a free release on the long touchdown is anyone's guess.
• CeeDee Lamb showed some great route running and footwork, but he has to improve his concentration. Too many drops last night, and it continued last year's trend.
• It's hard not to note the irony in that Michael Gallup was called for OPI late in the game on Week One a season ago, on a play that cost the Cowboys a shot at a win, but this year, Chris Godwin gets away with an OPI on a end of game drive. Judgment calls are killers.

Kudos to Connor McGovern and La'el Collins in pass protection last night, Trevon Diggs in coverage (he shut down Mike Evans), Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott. These guys deserved a better outcome.

Here's hoping that the injured list is short this coming week, and they come out ready to roll in Los Angeles.

I agree with all of this, but Brady was getting rid of the ball way too fast for the D-line to do anything on most of the plays. The game came down to Anthony Brown absolutely sucking...hard. Antonio Brown gave just the slightest of a fake that he was stopping, and Brown just gave him about 7 yards, en route to another TD.

 

[OGCowboy]

My take....what I saw last night was a highly entertaining and competitive Cowboys team...something I haven’t seen in a few years.
Looking forward to a fun and exciting season for first time in a long time.
Puro Cowboys

 

[Carson]

A few key cogs out that will help all 3 units.

Martin at RG.

Gallimore at DT.

Brown on special teams.

 

[JohnnyTheFox]

a blind man can see that defense is much better

Much better?
Gronk, Godwin and Brown combined had about 300 yards receiving.
Maybe slightly better but that isn't no big feat considering how horrible they were last year.

 

[GORICO]

Or if we had scored a TD instead of a FG. Or gotten the OPI (although Tampa probably still would have made a field goal). Or if Parsons had made the interception on the pass Brady threw by falling. Lots of ifs in a two-point game.

The good thing is that this defense should improve over the course of the season.

gimmiesix-----total agreement...we went toe to toe with heavy weight champ and he may have won.....and i usually hate this term.....i am feeling big moral victory with so much potential for improvemnt

in coming weeks...our defense is so young and inexperienced in many areas...and never played together.....and they got 4 TO's that usually guarantees you victory...i am proud of our team and proud

to be cowboy fan

 

[GORICO]

Much better?
Gronk, Godwin and Brown combined had about 300 yards receiving.
Maybe slightly better but that isn't no big feat considering how horrible they were last year.

no we dont have shut down defense....but we are young inexperienced many never playing together....not a lot of preseason time together in games......defense will get much better...Martin back next week

O Line will even get better and we went against toughest interior D line in NFL and went toe to toe with champs and woulda coulda shoulda won.....but me gots big Moral Victory and me proud cowboys

and proud to be cowboy fan

 

[Jstopper]

Much better?
Gronk, Godwin and Brown combined had about 300 yards receiving.
Maybe slightly better but that isn't no big feat considering how horrible they were last year.

Okay lets follow your loigc. The Bucs have a trash defense, because the cowboys dropped 450 yards on them.

 

[Floatyworm]

Losers lose.

Woke up this morning with that very thought...snatched that loss from the jaws of victory just like we always do.

 

[DandyDon52]

How about the OPI, at the end of the game?

well had that been called it would have changed things, but they might have still won the game.
on that I think you have to fully extend your arm for it to be a push off, and his arm wasnt fully extended.
I need to see it again to be sure on that.

 

[Floatyworm]

Collins was great. Mcgovern needs to be our LG when Martin comes back. He’s strong as hell

Funny...how the NFL couldn't have that. Now Martin might be our tackle for the next 5 weeks...and Conner Williams lives again. Dude has more lives than a cat.