File Review: Connor Williams vs. Cincy

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Geno is one of the top 5 DT's in the game today, if he held his own will take it. At least he did not get destroyed by him.

 

[northerncowboynation]

Dak is not Romo, he needs acceptable OL play to sustain drives.I fear teams will now target Connor as he is the weakest link.

Seriously brother, do you remember the Romo years when there wasn't acceptable O-line play? How did that work out?

 

[TwentyOne]

Dak is not Romo, he needs acceptable OL play to sustain drives.I fear teams will now target Connor as he is the weakest link.

Teams always target the weakest links. Its up to gameplanning and the coaches to strengthen our weaknesses.

Our OL looked good yesterday. This was the 2nd preseason game. The OL needs repetition to find together.

 

[superonyx]

Since there seems to be some concern about Connor Williams' play against Cincy, I thought I'd go back and focus solely on him in that game.

First drive

First and 10: Two-yard run to the left. Williams double-teams the DE with Tyron and they knock him back off the line of scrimmage. Smith peels off and the DE spins to the inside to escape Williams, but the play is already made. If it had not been, the initial block was effective enough that Smith would have had room to run to the left of Williams. Looney's DT actually threw him off and made the tackle, but Martin got knocked back into the backfield as well. GOOD ENOUGH

Second and 8: Williams was driven back into Prescott on the snap.The only good that can be said about this rep is that Williams at least stayed in front of Atkins long enough for Dak to throw a short completion to Jarwin. BAD

Third and 3: A linebacker charges Williams, who easily stops his charge and knocks him sideways on a quick slant to Gallup. GOOD

First and 10: Williams can't get fully in front of the DT going right and is powered past as his man is the first to hit Smith in the backfield on a 1-yard run. BAD

Second and 9: Williams and Looney double the DT before Looney peels off to assist Martin. All three are pushed back but not enough to disrupt the incomplete pass. Williams' man was starting to rip free to loop around the scrum, but it was too late. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 9: Williams and Smith double-team Atkins, who goes nowhere. The DE tries to loop inside, but Williams cuts him off with help from Looney. However, a free blitzer came from the outside forcing a quick throw to Hurns for 3 yards. GOOD

Next drive

First and 10: Williams handles the DT with a little assistance from Looney, who also assists Martin. Williams keeps the DT from turning in toward Dak and simply carries him upfield on the completion to Swaim. GOOD

Second and 2: Williams pulls left on a sweep and pins the safety toward the sideline. He had the play blocked for Smith to have a much bigger run than 4 yards, but Martin was also pulling and couldn't get around Swaim's block on the DE to get to the linebacker who made the play. It looked like Swaim's defender grabbed Martin. GOOD

First and 10: Straight power run for 2 yards behind right guard as Williams and Smith teammed up on a DT before Williams tried to peel off and get a linebacker. It was hard to tell who made the play as the line collapsed behind Williams. I think the DT both Williams and Smith initially blocked was in on the play. NEUTRAL to BAD (I can't tell exactly.)

Second and 8: Quick toss to Smith. Williams pushes the DT to his left with the throw going back to the right, so this was a pretty easy block because he didn't have to maintain it. GOOD

First and 10: Double-team with Looney gives Dak enough time, but he can't find anyone immediately and scrambles to his left as the blockers give ground. The DT spins away from Williams to give chase as Dak throws too high for Jarwin. Dak was flushed by some pressure coming from Collins' man, but the protection was good enough. GOOD

Second and 10: Williams got off the ball fast (at first I thought he had false started) to pin the DT to the inside on a run behind him. The DT tried to spin away, and got back around to where the play was made, but the block was good enough if Looney's had been. Instead, it was stopped for a 2-yard gain. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 8: Williams and Looney doubled the DT, stopping any push up the middle. The DT then looped around the outside, running Williams into Smith. Williams recovered to stop the DT's charge before he got to Prescott, but Dak got rid of the ball, throwing it through the back of the end zone. BAD, even though Williams recovered well

Final drive:

First and 10: On a 2-yard run off left tackle, Williams blocked the tackle out of the play, but didn't get much push to remove him from the hole. It's possible that Williams not rooting out the DT led to Smith having nowhere to run, allowing the scrum to collapse on him, but I can't tell. Possibly GOOD ENOUGH

Second and 8: The DT (Atkins) threw aside Williams but Looney was there to help. The interior were being pushed back into Dak's lap, but it was a quick drop and pass to Williams. BAD

First and 10: Fake run to the left and Dak rolls right to throw an incompletion. Williams absolutely shoved his man (I believe it was a DE) back like he was drive blocking, but it was partly because the player had seen the rollout. GOOD

Second and 10: Williams and Smith double Atkins as he fires into the line. The stop him and along with Looney form a wall blocking off the DE and two DTs as Smith cuts behind them for a 4-yard gain. GOOD

Third and 6: Williams carries Atkins past the pocket as he charges upfield. Looney was looking to help but it happened so fast that all he could do was chase. Great job of Williams using Atkins' momentum against him on a completion to Hurns. GOOD

First and 10: The DT swims right over the top of Williams, forcing Dak to make the DT dance long enough to fire a pass to Swaim. REALLY BAD

Second and 2: Williams comes off a quick double with Looney to get on a linebacker and bearhug him as Smith races by on a long run. GOOD, but might could have been called holding

First and 10: Williams pulls left and pins a linebacker to the outside and Smith runs to his inside for six yards. GOOD

Second and 4: Pitch left. Williams is out in front and takes over blocking Gallup's man, keeping him out of the play that is made behind Williams after a 3-yard run by a DT that Looney didn't hold up long enough. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 1: Williams and Smith initially double a DT, then Williams peels off quickly to knock a linebacker back on a power run straight up the gut for 2 yards. GOOD

First and 10: Much like the second play of the game (but a little better because he was able to delay the DT a little), Williams is driven back by power into Dak's lap as he throws too long for a well-covered Jarwin. BAD

Second and 10: Williams tried to chop the DT, which delayed him well enough that he wasn't involved in a 7-yard run to the right. GOOD

Third and 3: Williams and Looney team up to absorb Atkins' rush well enough on a quick throw to Gallup. GOOD

First and goal: Williams goes with Atkins' momentum to the left on a run up the middle, but Atkins pushes Williams off him and helps to make the stop on a 1-yard run. (Not completely Williams' fault, though, because Edwards had allowed penetration that slowed the play.) BAD

Second and goal: Williams and Looney doubled to completely stop the DT's rush, but Dak was flushed by a unblocked defender and ran for a yard to his right. GOOD

Third and goal: Williams stopped Atkins from getting penetration, but it almost looked like Atkins wasn't trying and was spying Dak. As Dak flushed to his left, Williams had hold of Atkins well enough that he couldn't pull away quick enough to pressure Dak before he threw the TD pass. It probably was a hold but not enough of one to be called. GOOD

Look at all these homers pretending a starting Guard who rated as Bad on 7 out of 26 plays is good.
And this was against backups on the Cincy DL towards the end.

Extrapolate this out to an entire game and see what you get. You can’t have your guard getting blown up and beaten on 20 plays a game.

Not expect all pro yet but this isn’t starter caliber.
He better figure it out soon or it’s going to cause troubles.
The guy is looking bad..

 

[VACowboy]

He just needs a good year in the weight room. He is serviceable now which is ok. Next couple years he will be a stud out there.

I agree. Incredible athlete but right now he looks like a 300-lb. TE.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Fletcher Cox eats everybody's lunch...arguably the best DT in the game.

He is, however, Id be comfortable with him lining up over Zack

 

[NorthTexan95]

Dak is not Romo, he needs acceptable OL play to sustain drives.I fear teams will now target Connor as he is the weakest link.

Wait ... so Romo didn't need a good offensive line? I think all of those non playoff seasons and the physical condition of his back says otherwise.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

This is why I wanted Hernandez that the gnats got. I knew he had that Big EW mean streak that was needed. I like those Big EW type that will bolo punch you like he use too and not help you up. More power and less athletic type.

 

[gimmesix]

An important thing to bear in mind is that Connor Williams' opponent, DT Doug Atkins, is about as good as DTs in the NFL get. He managed to do an admiral job, despite the fact that he's a rookie OG facing one of the premier d-linemen around. I'm confident he'll develop into, at least, a solid keeper and probably considerably more than that, given adequate time to develop. He'll likely bear more bulk and strength by 2019, in addition to developing more effective technique in both pass protection and run blocking. It simply won't happen overnight -- let's be patient.

The one who beat him the worst wasn't Atkins. For lack of a better description, it was some white guy who swam past him. (I didn't know the name of all of Cincy's players, nor did I care to look it up.)

 

[gimmesix]

Williams will be good pulling right, but he's going to limit our runs left. Maybe he chips and goes 2nd level, with Martin taking the guy he chipped on a pull. Hard to see us running right behind Williams. Maybe more wide left.

Actually we ran to the left quite often behind him and Smith. We'd either pull Williams around to lead the run, which he was good at or he and Smith would start off with a double and Williams would release to the second level to pick up linebackers.

I will add that I think he was better in space in this game than he was against San Francisco. In that game, he was kind of tentative when he got to the second level, waiting for the linebackers to make a move before trying to block them. This time, he was the aggressor.

 

[gimmesix]

Apologies for accidentally naming this File Review instead of Film Review. I hope to do some others later, particularly with Fleming and Looney since they are our two main backups, the starting DTs and Gregory. I'd like to take a close look at the tight ends too, but it's hard without the All-22 to see exactly what they are doing on each play.

 

[diefree666]

I agree. Incredible athlete but right now he looks like a 300-lb. TE.

Wisconsin, Iowa, ND have arguably as good a W/T programs as most teams in the NFL; that is why so many of them step right up as rookies. Unfortunately that is about all; just about anyone else needs at least a year and sometimes two.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Actually we ran to the left quite often behind him and Smith. We'd either pull Williams around to lead the run, which he was good at or he and Smith would start off with a double and Williams would release to the second level to pick up linebackers.

I will add that I think he was better in space in this game than he was against San Francisco. In that game, he was kind of tentative when he got to the second level, waiting for the linebackers to make a move before trying to block them. This time, he was the aggressor.

I think he can lead when he's pulling, but we're not running right behind him or to his gaps, unless someone else pulls and covers his gap after he chips.

We're losing something if we can't run straight forward through those gaps. But he will be contributing in space. It's not like Green/Cooper didn't have their own limitations.

 

[gimmesix]

I think he can lead when he's pulling, but we're not running right behind him or to his gaps, unless someone else pulls and covers his gap after he chips.

We're losing something if we can't run straight forward through those gaps. But he will be contributing in space. It's not like Green/Cooper didn't have their own limitations.

They did run a couple of times right behind him. Those were the blocks where he and Smith doubled the DT and Williams peeled off to the second level. If I'm remembering those plays correctly from watching him last night, the blocks there were good enough if the backside blocks had been. His second-level blocks were more making contacting and walling off, but without the backside tackles, Smith could have shot the gap created by Smith and Williams.

 

[cowboyec]

I like Williams...I think he'll be fine.
he wins some.
he loses some.
he always seems to bounce back after a bad play or series.
he's learning...getting better...he's a good'n.

 

[Billyd]

The take about running over him is a lil hard to judge at present with Fredbeard out an Smith subbing out..Going to be tough to get a good rehearsal this next game if Fredbeard and Mart

Actually we ran to the left quite often behind him and Smith. We'd either pull Williams around to lead the run, which he was good at or he and Smith would start off with a double and Williams would release to the second level to pick up linebackers.

I will add that I think he was better in space in this game than he was against San Francisco. In that game, he was kind of tentative when he got to the second level, waiting for the linebackers to make a move before trying to block them. This time, he was the aggressor.

I agree when i looked didnt have the tape or the angle to analyze like the op did, and cudos to him..I saw some improvement in the snaps i could see...I realize he is a rookie, plus did fred play?, were half of his snaps with Flemming at tackle? FLEMMING looks Heavy or he is Thinking a bit as well...He is about where he is..lol..I agree Smith and Beard Zach and collin s need reps together, Connor is putting in extra time with the seconds..For a reason..

 

[Billyd]

Previous post mentioned a good point..I havent seen much zone blocking concept in both games, but Zeke not playing yet either..If the previous refering to the zone 0-1 gap zone, (what i call it) then influence block there from connor important. YOU guys see any? I know we ran over Conners hole and he sealed, im talking about the cut back zone between guard and center..

 

[Rogerthat12]

Since there seems to be some concern about Connor Williams' play against Cincy, I thought I'd go back and focus solely on him in that game.

First drive

First and 10: Two-yard run to the left. Williams double-teams the DE with Tyron and they knock him back off the line of scrimmage. Smith peels off and the DE spins to the inside to escape Williams, but the play is already made. If it had not been, the initial block was effective enough that Smith would have had room to run to the left of Williams. Looney's DT actually threw him off and made the tackle, but Martin got knocked back into the backfield as well. GOOD ENOUGH

Second and 8: Williams was driven back into Prescott on the snap.The only good that can be said about this rep is that Williams at least stayed in front of Atkins long enough for Dak to throw a short completion to Jarwin. BAD

Third and 3: A linebacker charges Williams, who easily stops his charge and knocks him sideways on a quick slant to Gallup. GOOD

First and 10: Williams can't get fully in front of the DT going right and is powered past as his man is the first to hit Smith in the backfield on a 1-yard run. BAD

Second and 9: Williams and Looney double the DT before Looney peels off to assist Martin. All three are pushed back but not enough to disrupt the incomplete pass. Williams' man was starting to rip free to loop around the scrum, but it was too late. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 9: Williams and Smith double-team Atkins, who goes nowhere. The DE tries to loop inside, but Williams cuts him off with help from Looney. However, a free blitzer came from the outside forcing a quick throw to Hurns for 3 yards. GOOD

Next drive

First and 10: Williams handles the DT with a little assistance from Looney, who also assists Martin. Williams keeps the DT from turning in toward Dak and simply carries him upfield on the completion to Swaim. GOOD

Second and 2: Williams pulls left on a sweep and pins the safety toward the sideline. He had the play blocked for Smith to have a much bigger run than 4 yards, but Martin was also pulling and couldn't get around Swaim's block on the DE to get to the linebacker who made the play. It looked like Swaim's defender grabbed Martin. GOOD

First and 10: Straight power run for 2 yards behind right guard as Williams and Smith teammed up on a DT before Williams tried to peel off and get a linebacker. It was hard to tell who made the play as the line collapsed behind Williams. I think the DT both Williams and Smith initially blocked was in on the play. NEUTRAL to BAD (I can't tell exactly.)

Second and 8: Quick toss to Smith. Williams pushes the DT to his left with the throw going back to the right, so this was a pretty easy block because he didn't have to maintain it. GOOD

First and 10: Double-team with Looney gives Dak enough time, but he can't find anyone immediately and scrambles to his left as the blockers give ground. The DT spins away from Williams to give chase as Dak throws too high for Jarwin. Dak was flushed by some pressure coming from Collins' man, but the protection was good enough. GOOD

Second and 10: Williams got off the ball fast (at first I thought he had false started) to pin the DT to the inside on a run behind him. The DT tried to spin away, and got back around to where the play was made, but the block was good enough if Looney's had been. Instead, it was stopped for a 2-yard gain. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 8: Williams and Looney doubled the DT, stopping any push up the middle. The DT then looped around the outside, running Williams into Smith. Williams recovered to stop the DT's charge before he got to Prescott, but Dak got rid of the ball, throwing it through the back of the end zone. BAD, even though Williams recovered well

Final drive:

First and 10: On a 2-yard run off left tackle, Williams blocked the tackle out of the play, but didn't get much push to remove him from the hole. It's possible that Williams not rooting out the DT led to Smith having nowhere to run, allowing the scrum to collapse on him, but I can't tell. Possibly GOOD ENOUGH

Second and 8: The DT (Atkins) threw aside Williams but Looney was there to help. The interior were being pushed back into Dak's lap, but it was a quick drop and pass to Williams. BAD

First and 10: Fake run to the left and Dak rolls right to throw an incompletion. Williams absolutely shoved his man (I believe it was a DE) back like he was drive blocking, but it was partly because the player had seen the rollout. GOOD

Second and 10: Williams and Smith double Atkins as he fires into the line. The stop him and along with Looney form a wall blocking off the DE and two DTs as Smith cuts behind them for a 4-yard gain. GOOD

Third and 6: Williams carries Atkins past the pocket as he charges upfield. Looney was looking to help but it happened so fast that all he could do was chase. Great job of Williams using Atkins' momentum against him on a completion to Hurns. GOOD

First and 10: The DT swims right over the top of Williams, forcing Dak to make the DT dance long enough to fire a pass to Swaim. REALLY BAD

Second and 2: Williams comes off a quick double with Looney to get on a linebacker and bearhug him as Smith races by on a long run. GOOD, but might could have been called holding

First and 10: Williams pulls left and pins a linebacker to the outside and Smith runs to his inside for six yards. GOOD

Second and 4: Pitch left. Williams is out in front and takes over blocking Gallup's man, keeping him out of the play that is made behind Williams after a 3-yard run by a DT that Looney didn't hold up long enough. GOOD ENOUGH

Third and 1: Williams and Smith initially double a DT, then Williams peels off quickly to knock a linebacker back on a power run straight up the gut for 2 yards. GOOD

First and 10: Much like the second play of the game (but a little better because he was able to delay the DT a little), Williams is driven back by power into Dak's lap as he throws too long for a well-covered Jarwin. BAD

Second and 10: Williams tried to chop the DT, which delayed him well enough that he wasn't involved in a 7-yard run to the right. GOOD

Third and 3: Williams and Looney team up to absorb Atkins' rush well enough on a quick throw to Gallup. GOOD

First and goal: Williams goes with Atkins' momentum to the left on a run up the middle, but Atkins pushes Williams off him and helps to make the stop on a 1-yard run. (Not completely Williams' fault, though, because Edwards had allowed penetration that slowed the play.) BAD

Second and goal: Williams and Looney doubled to completely stop the DT's rush, but Dak was flushed by a unblocked defender and ran for a yard to his right. GOOD

Third and goal: Williams stopped Atkins from getting penetration, but it almost looked like Atkins wasn't trying and was spying Dak. As Dak flushed to his left, Williams had hold of Atkins well enough that he couldn't pull away quick enough to pressure Dak before he threw the TD pass. It probably was a hold but not enough of one to be called. GOOD

Nice review!

Williams will only get better as the season rolls on and yes he will struggle at times against the elite DT's.

However, as he gains upper body strength in the training program he will be excellent, the guy has great feet!

Definitely pleased with him thus far, that Cincy defense was stacked and he was fine overall.

 

[Billyd]

O one thing..Our running game through the first second third teams pretty solid..I say this coz smith, Bo, and Jackson all running with verve..

 

[Bullflop]

The one who beat him the worst wasn't Atkins. For lack of a better description, it was some white guy who swam past him. (I didn't know the name of all of Cincy's players, nor did I care to look it up.)

Well, I guess congratulations are in order for the "white guy," whomever he may be. May he find it much tougher the next time!