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By Gary Horton
Scouts Inc.
Carolina at Dallas
When: 8:30 PM ET
Watch: ESPN
Preview
More scouting reports: Week 3
Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Panthers-Cowboys matchup.
1. Panthers' coverage issues: New defensive coordinator Ron Meeks likes to play two-deep zones with limited blitzing. To make that work, the front four must bring pressure. That is not happening, however. Good quarterbacks have all day to attack those zones, and defensive backs are playing so many off schemes that they struggle to close on the ball and opposing receivers get a clean release. Dallas QB Tony Romo has enough weapons to carve up this defense if the Panthers continue to bring limited pressure.
2. Become more unpredictable on offense, Carolina: The Panthers are an easy offense to design a game plan against because they have strong tendencies. QB Jake Delhomme forces the ball to WR Steve Smith and he locks on to him when they need a big play. When they go to three-wide receiver sets, they almost always throw the ball -- even though they could run the ball against nickel personnel. The Cowboys often play without great defensive discipline and Carolina needs to be creative to keep them off balance.
3. The Panthers must shore up their special teams: John Fox-coached teams are usually sound in the kicking game, but that has not been the case through two games. The coverage units are not very productive, kicks are getting blocked and opposing offenses are consistently given a short field. This team is not good enough to overcome those mistakes and eventually it could cost them a game. If there is good news here it's that the Cowboys are only a middle-of-the-road kicking game.
4. Carolina -- rush four, drop seven: The Panthers cannot afford to blitz a lot because they have coverage issues on the back end of the defense. They will play some games up front with twists and stunts, but they will ask their linebackers to cover backs and tight ends and the secondary will sit back in fairly safe combo schemes. They will try to force Romo to drive the length of the field without making a mistake.
5. Carolina must run the football: The identity of this Carolina offense is the running game with backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson called 41 passes and only 25 runs against the Falcons. Stewart has inside power and Williams has outside speed and they should dominate time of possession -- especially against a Dallas defense that has played inconsistent gap control in the first two games. Let Delhomme manage the game and don't ask him to win it.
6. Dallas should attack the deep middle of the Carolina pass defense: Offenses are attacking the Panthers' defense with a lot of seam routes, over the linebackers and between the safeties. The secondary does not have great cover skills and they are vulnerable to pass-catching tight ends -- and Dallas has two of them, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. Plus those are fairly safe throws for Romo, especially if some of the passes come off play action.
7. Run the football: On a night when the Cowboys rushed for an astounding 251 yards against a good Giants run defense, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett continued to let Romo put the ball in the air, even though the Giants blitzed him a lot and he looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. That play calling led to three interceptions and not enough big plays. The Cowboys should be a physical, blue-collar team on offense with that running game, but it seems as if they want to get cute and entertain us with the passing game rather than grind it out.
8. Where is the rush? The Cowboys have zero sacks through two games and that lack of pressure is really exposing a secondary that is forced to hold coverages too long. The defensive backs seem to be playing a lot of off schemes and quarterbacks can exploit them with underneath routes. A strength of this defense is supposed to be the edge pass rush, but we have not seen it yet. This secondary will not hold up if the guys up front don't do a better job. Wade Phillips needs an attack scheme rather than read and react.
9. Key matchup: Carolina LT Jordan Gross versus Dallas ROLB DeMarcus Ware: Gross is an athletic guy and he did a nice job against Atlanta's John Abraham last week. He is a good backside protector for Delhomme. Ware had six tackles against the Giants, but no sacks. Pass-rush pressure is key in this game for Dallas and Gross will try to handle Ware without help on the edge.
10. Play that red-zone defense Cowboys: As inconsistent as the Cowboys have been on defense, they are better when they are backed into the red zone. They seem to have man-to-man personnel who are better in tight schemes. When the field shrinks near the goal line it seems to fit their skills -- they can play aggressively and up close. Against the Cowboys in Week 2, the Giants entered the red zone five times but failed to score a touchdown. Delhomme really could struggle to make plays against this tight defense.
Prediction
Carolina 13
Dallas 27
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=290928006
Scouts Inc.
Carolina at Dallas
When: 8:30 PM ET
Watch: ESPN
Preview
More scouting reports: Week 3
Scouts Inc. Position AdvantageQB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Panthers-Cowboys matchup.
1. Panthers' coverage issues: New defensive coordinator Ron Meeks likes to play two-deep zones with limited blitzing. To make that work, the front four must bring pressure. That is not happening, however. Good quarterbacks have all day to attack those zones, and defensive backs are playing so many off schemes that they struggle to close on the ball and opposing receivers get a clean release. Dallas QB Tony Romo has enough weapons to carve up this defense if the Panthers continue to bring limited pressure.
2. Become more unpredictable on offense, Carolina: The Panthers are an easy offense to design a game plan against because they have strong tendencies. QB Jake Delhomme forces the ball to WR Steve Smith and he locks on to him when they need a big play. When they go to three-wide receiver sets, they almost always throw the ball -- even though they could run the ball against nickel personnel. The Cowboys often play without great defensive discipline and Carolina needs to be creative to keep them off balance.
3. The Panthers must shore up their special teams: John Fox-coached teams are usually sound in the kicking game, but that has not been the case through two games. The coverage units are not very productive, kicks are getting blocked and opposing offenses are consistently given a short field. This team is not good enough to overcome those mistakes and eventually it could cost them a game. If there is good news here it's that the Cowboys are only a middle-of-the-road kicking game.
4. Carolina -- rush four, drop seven: The Panthers cannot afford to blitz a lot because they have coverage issues on the back end of the defense. They will play some games up front with twists and stunts, but they will ask their linebackers to cover backs and tight ends and the secondary will sit back in fairly safe combo schemes. They will try to force Romo to drive the length of the field without making a mistake.
5. Carolina must run the football: The identity of this Carolina offense is the running game with backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson called 41 passes and only 25 runs against the Falcons. Stewart has inside power and Williams has outside speed and they should dominate time of possession -- especially against a Dallas defense that has played inconsistent gap control in the first two games. Let Delhomme manage the game and don't ask him to win it.
6. Dallas should attack the deep middle of the Carolina pass defense: Offenses are attacking the Panthers' defense with a lot of seam routes, over the linebackers and between the safeties. The secondary does not have great cover skills and they are vulnerable to pass-catching tight ends -- and Dallas has two of them, Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. Plus those are fairly safe throws for Romo, especially if some of the passes come off play action.
7. Run the football: On a night when the Cowboys rushed for an astounding 251 yards against a good Giants run defense, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett continued to let Romo put the ball in the air, even though the Giants blitzed him a lot and he looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. That play calling led to three interceptions and not enough big plays. The Cowboys should be a physical, blue-collar team on offense with that running game, but it seems as if they want to get cute and entertain us with the passing game rather than grind it out.
8. Where is the rush? The Cowboys have zero sacks through two games and that lack of pressure is really exposing a secondary that is forced to hold coverages too long. The defensive backs seem to be playing a lot of off schemes and quarterbacks can exploit them with underneath routes. A strength of this defense is supposed to be the edge pass rush, but we have not seen it yet. This secondary will not hold up if the guys up front don't do a better job. Wade Phillips needs an attack scheme rather than read and react.
9. Key matchup: Carolina LT Jordan Gross versus Dallas ROLB DeMarcus Ware: Gross is an athletic guy and he did a nice job against Atlanta's John Abraham last week. He is a good backside protector for Delhomme. Ware had six tackles against the Giants, but no sacks. Pass-rush pressure is key in this game for Dallas and Gross will try to handle Ware without help on the edge.
10. Play that red-zone defense Cowboys: As inconsistent as the Cowboys have been on defense, they are better when they are backed into the red zone. They seem to have man-to-man personnel who are better in tight schemes. When the field shrinks near the goal line it seems to fit their skills -- they can play aggressively and up close. Against the Cowboys in Week 2, the Giants entered the red zone five times but failed to score a touchdown. Delhomme really could struggle to make plays against this tight defense.
Prediction
Carolina 13
Dallas 27
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/scouting?gameId=290928006