News: DC: Scout's Eye: Free Held Up At Guard; Safety Spot Becoming Clear

[NewsBot]

Observations from the film room at Valley Ranch: I understand what the front office and staff were trying to accomplish by playing Doug Free at guard just to get an idea of how that might look if...

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[MichaelWinicki]

Interesting comments about the safety position.

 

[Deep_South]

Also interesting that Broaddus thinks Free should go right back to playing tackle and Kowalski should play guard until Leary is ready.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Also interesting that Broaddus thinks Free should go right back to playing tackle and Kowalski should play guard until Leary is ready.

That was interesting. I wasn't watching Kowalski much in the second half but a couple others have said that he did well.

 

[jrumann59]

I just watched the replay and Kowalski like everyone else on the second unit would get blown up here and there.

 

[CowboyStar88]

Also interesting that Broaddus thinks Free should go right back to playing tackle and Kowalski should play guard until Leary is ready.

I think that's BB love fest for Mack. For some odd reason Mack is his pet cat and he didn't even mention how bad he was. I would let free practice at OG and Parnell at RT and play that same line against the Texans. I think there is more to free being at OG then the team is letting on. BB just won't knock his boy Mack. If they wanted to see how Free was at OG why not let him just play at LG and let Mack stay at RG? I'm reading between the lines here that they are not happy with Mack

 

[perrykemp]

Not exactly am comforting article re: Free at guard.

 

[CowboyStar88]

Not exactly am comforting article re: Free at guard.

Well I would look at who wrote it. He has a thing for Mack and is trying to sell is that Mack should start. I look at it this way from the naked eye free played well and out played Mack by a country mile. If they just want to experiment with free why not at LG while Leary is out? Still allows Parnell to get snaps and keeps Mack at Rg where he would start. So there is more to this move. I'm going to be curious if Free starts against the Texans at OG if he does I would say that's very telling.

 

[jobberone]

Well I would look at who wrote it. He has a thing for Mack and is trying to sell is that Mack should start. I look at it this way from the naked eye free played well and out played Mack by a country mile. If they just want to experiment with free why not at LG while Leary is out? Still allows Parnell to get snaps and keeps Mack at Rg where he would start. So there is more to this move. I'm going to be curious if Free starts against the Texans at OG if he does I would say that's very telling.

I don't agree at all he has a thing for Free or Mack. We roughly agree about both players although I'm higher on Free and less so about Mack than him. He's critical of Free's hands and I don't like that, his anchor (playing too upright or letting the defensive player getting into him and standing him up, or at times his playing to the whistle on the outside rush.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Why screw with Free now that he's had a good preseason at tackle?

Honestly, what does Kowalski have to do to get a chance to start here? Every single time he's gotten to play for us he's done well. I really wish he'd get a chance to win one of the guard positions.

On a dif note.. nice coverage on the pick by BW Webb. Glad to see him make a play against the starters.

 

[jobberone]

Why screw with Free now that he's had a good preseason at tackle?

Honestly, what does Kowalski have to do to get a chance to start here? Every single time he's gotten to play for us he's done well. I really wish he'd get a chance to win one of the guard positions.

On a dif note.. nice coverage on the pick by BW Webb. Glad to see him make a play against the starters.

He has to stay on the field enough to show them he's consistent and practice enough to do the same and gain some cohesion. He has a chance to stick but he'd better stay on the field and play very well next game.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

He has to stay on the field enough to show them he's consistent and practice enough to do the same and gain some cohesion. He has a chance to stick but he'd better stay on the field and play very well next game.

You may be right, but i'd play him over Bernadeau any day of the week.

..and if Berny is going to be our starting RG, he should be playing there now, and not at LG just because we have an injury, imo.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Interesting comments about the safety position.

Could help set the safety position for years going young like that.

 

[Hoofbite]

I'm not sure but I don't agree much with his assessment of the OL. Maybe it's one of those "you're not a scout so you don't know" things but I thought Tyron was clearly the best OL out there, followed by Fred. I watched the first half and looked at what each guy did on each play and Tyron looked the best with Fred, Parnell and Free being relatively similar but still a significant difference between them and Tyron. Mack was easily the worst guy out there and I'm not sure how it could be seen any other way.

I'm gonna take another look but I'd say the line was okay as a unit. Fred, Free and Parnell were all pretty solid. Tyron looked very good to me although there were a couple of bad plays and by my count about 5 plays where, either by design or choice of his own, he left Michael Johnson unblocked as he attacked the 2nd level. I'm pretty sure Johnson tracked down the RB or was in on the tackle on the opposite side of the field on each of them. He's a very gifted athlete and can make that play from the backside and I didn't care to see it occur as much as it did just in that one half. Mack was the weakest link, IMO, and it really wasn't even close. He had a couple of really good plays but he had a greater number of really bad plays while the rest was either okay or just barely good enough. There was a play where he was pulling around to the right side and should have had Newman squarely lined up for an easy block. He barely got an arm out as Newman just went right by him and got in on the tackle at the LOS. I really couldn't believe he was that ineffective on what should be one of the easier blocks he could ever be asked to make.

Almost all the TEs had their struggles, Witten with the fewest and Hannah and Escobar having some really ugly and ineffective plays.

I think Frederick impressed me the most. He handled things well, wasn't overpowered that often and had some key pick ups on DEs twisting into the middle as well as by saving the OGs on a couple of occasions.

If you watch Austin's TD right before half, Parnell is out of position and cannot take the DT who's rushing to the outside with the DE coming behind him to the inside. At the snap, the DE feigned a step out and then cut in. Parnell took the bait to the outside and the DT gave Parnell a shot, coming from the inside. The combination put Parnell in a very bad spot and he finished the play by pushing the DT in the back before falling flat on his face.

Free was doing well until the time came for Parnell to take the DT and Free to take the DE. Parnell was out of position so he couldn't take the DT but Free released him to go after the inside move by the DE. Frederick stepped up and popped the DE solidly, knocking him off balance and back about 5 yards away from the center of the field. Free, who had released the DT and was starting to go after the DE, saw this and went back to the DT who had and got a good enough push to move the DT beyond Romo, who had just started to step up into the giant void that was created by Mack losing position and his guy starting to get around him but also created by Frederick putting a shoulder into the chest of the DE, completely clearing the way for Romo to step up and throw the pass.

Here's an shoddy picture sequence that gives a good indication of what Fred did on the play.

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Not necessarily the world's greatest play on his part. He should be expected to make it but it was a very good play nonetheless. Quite honestly, probably not a play Dallas has been getting. At best I think the Cs of the last couple years would have picked the guy up but also likely would have just clogged up that middle part of the field by not being able to deliver that type of shot or by just waiting until the guy came to him.

 

[BAT]

Parnell and Bernadeau seem to have opposing weaknesses. Parnell let's the defender get into his body too much and Bernadeau has lousy footwork, he must have the heaviest feet ever for a supposedly athletic OL.

And Tanner is playing keystone cops out there when he is pass protecting. Did he even touch a defender on that play?

 

[Hoofbite]

Parnell and Bernadeau seem to have opposing weaknesses. Parnell let's the defender get into his body too much and Bernadeau has lousy footwork, he must have the heaviest feet ever for a supposedly athletic OL.

And Tanner is playing keystone cops out there when he is pass protecting. Did he even touch a defender on that play?

That wasn't a great play on his part but he picked up some blitzes nicely in other parts of the game. He kind of gut caught up in the wash and wasn't doing anything until he released out in front.