FuzzyLumpkins
The Boognish
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On defense the DE play was outstanding getting consistent push against the run and pass for 4 quarters. The DT never got any consistent push. The starters managed to hold their ground but the backups were inconsistent.
Taco still has some balance issue as he learns his techniques but he is getting better. You are not seeing him thrown around. Moreso, he is becoming more comfortable with his moves. IT seemed to me that he was practicing his slap/swim because he used it repeatedly. When he uses his length to keep his body free he can be a force with his quickness and power on display. Needs to do a better job keeping his feet and finishing tackles. Was getting good push on most downs.
Irving was dominant. His ability to set the edge and squeeze it is better than anyone I can recall in a Cowboys uniform. It's reminiscent of what Tyron does on the other side of the ball when he seals. His massive size, quickness, and strength is going to present problems for the league's RT. They were doubling him this game. That is going to open up the weakside. His hands are noticeable heavy as you see him rock OL when he clubs and punches them. Powerful player.
Moore seems consistent. He has a good first step and works to keep blockers off his frame. When he does so he keeps working upfield to make a play. The disengage and finish is there. Against the run he uses his length similarly. His issue is when he does get caught, he has poor anchor and will get washed. This is more pronounced when working inside on the nickel.
Tapper did not improve much in this game and looked much the same player. He can get on the outside shoulder but he needs to learn how to bend inside and rip. I have not seen that executed correctly yet although he is keeping he feet better if not disengaging. He has good extension and an effective bull rush as well as an inside swim move but as it is he is going to have OT sit on his inside moves until he learns to disengage their hands. You can see his 2 gap experience go to work on runs. He steers the OL where he wants. Just needs to disengage.
Jones played LDE and spent his evening ripping and bull rushing the backup RTs of LA. He was doing a very good job knocking the OL hands away and giving the RT fits. I would like to see him play against better competition. He deserves a closer look after dominating deep reserves.
Ash is a trashcan full of dirt and is difficult to move. On stretch plays you see his weakness. He is absolutely glacial trying to redirect and stop. He is like a very poor man's McCLain who also struggled in that capacity before learning handwork. While bigger and stronger he is not as athletically gifted as McClain was. I don't see how he fits for all the starts he has seen.
Carrell looked the same as last game and that does not bode well. He was getting pushed around and even pancaked once against LAR starters. He likes to play paddycake and dance with the OG. Lett wants his guys to have active hands and move onto the shoulder and then upfield. He just does not seem to be making progress.
Ivie is feast of famine. He looked downright Haydenesque getting dominated on a double team and washed 5 yards in the wrong direction on one play. Then he would stick a mitt into the OG or C shoulder and spin him. He looks like many of these guys do trying out the handwork and that alone puts him ahead of Carrell and Ash who are remaining static. That alone puts him ahead of Ash and Carrell in my mind.
Neal was the backup 3T and struggled with his technique. He is used to having space to work with and struggled working with his hands inside. He would get stood and when he tried to get skinny he would open himself up to help and got hooked. I like him a lot better at DE. He does have the strength to anchor but lacks the handwork to do more than paddycake inside.
The DT inability to get off blocks allowed for TE, OG, and C to consistently get onto the second level. Other than Hitchens and to a lesser extent Wilson none of the off the line LB seemed to react to it well. They weren't reading it fast enough to flank around them and then they were not stacking and working off a shoulder but instead taking the blocks on their heels. If it were not for excellent DE and S play it could have been a trainwreck. Time after time a DE working down the line of a S coming up to fill ended up having to make a play because LB were eating blocks. I can guarantee you that Eberflus was tearing some new ***** in the film room earlier in the week. Disappointing in the unit.
In the passing game lack of range in the starting 3 led to big soft spots in middle zones. The backups were much rangier and combined with Mannion's struggles reading coverage they were effective.
Wilber remains what he is, a proficient inline SAM who struggles the more space you put him out in. He is playing with a very high effort and is helping set the tone with hits.
Hitchens has improved in his drops he was taking away reads by buzzing underneath routes. Disciplined in his run fills, his hit on the goalline on the first drive set the tone. I still don't like him if he has to turn and run with speedy backs and TE but he seems much better prepared to help in middle coverage than he has in past years. He has a feel for routes and gets under them. That is how you get QBs to move onto the next read and throw picks.
Wilson is a proficient SAM and an unathletic WILL. He was doing a good job inline setting the edge as opposed to last game but out in space he was always trailing trying to catchup instead of staying on top of and dictating routes. Smith, Nzeocha or even Jones is going ot have to be active on game days to backup Hitchens and Lee. Wilson simply does not have the footspeed to play in space in the NFL.
Nzeocha has not played in a year and it showed. He struggled repeatedly to make run fits and pick up his man in zone or man coverage. He did get stronger as the game went along and he was playing and making mistakes as opposed to thinking and doing nothing. His athleticism in space and in pursuit is obvious. He needs to attack blocks, play off them and not retreat from them though. Nice finish on his tackles. He was consistently around the ball helping on the gang tackle.
Jones was not as dominant but he flashed impressive talent. He backpedaled, flipped his hips and ran with a WR on a skinny post out of the slot. Looks more like an athletic S than a LB doing it. He goes 6' 235 lbs. Was having issues with his run fits and retreating from blocks on the second level. Doesn't seem to recognize what routes are coming at him and is reacting to combination routes. Athleticism helps here. Very raw but his athletic ability is rare indeed particularly for a UDFA.
Gilchrist had an underwhelming performance getting blocked and sealed by the LAR backup TE. He was only able to disengage b peeling off when the play was past. He needs to step it up or he is going the way of Wacha.
Wacha is physical and can run but just seems lost on his run fits and coverage assignments. Spends far too much time staring down plays struggling to diagnose. Likely why he was cut.
Leslie showed up trying to catchup to plays and trailing behind. Not a good look for him. Lotulelei is much the same.
The secondary play was outstanding in its physicality and coverage. Outside of a blown coverage early, the WR found difficulty getting space. The tackling particularly of the S set the tone in the second half.
Scandrick has recovered the quickness that he had lost last year. He is not going to develop ball skills this late in his career but his coverage reminds me of Terrence Newman in how he sticks with WR through cuts.
Carroll does a good job playing off in cover 3. He handles the push at the stem of the route well and stays on top. Did not play much but he appears a good fit.
McFadden covers well and can play the slot but he needs to start making plays on either defense or ST if he wants to make the 53.
Seamster needs to be more physical off the line. He struggles to redirect and gives up the inside release too easily. He much like McFadden needs to make plays if he wants to make the squad.
Duke Thomas was a heat seeking missile for 2 and half quarters. The coverage was good and the tackling was outstanding. Does a good job staying on top of deep routes. More performances like this and he will be a very tough cut. Showed up on ST too. Great game.
Jones looks rangey and physical. I want to see these ball skills he has been reported to have in practice.
Heath was quiet. There was some controversy about a blown assignment that was either on him or Wilson. Given both's past I am inclined to trust Heath more. Was not having to run across the field to cover for missed run fills this game and the LAR really didn't try deep throws.
Frazier is a rich man's Barry Church at least in terms of athletic ability. He doesn't have the quickness to play man but he does have the footspeed to play intermediate zones. His tackling is outstanding as is his pursuit. Physical finisher. Shows up on ST.
Woods jumped ahead of Blanton on the depth chart and made the most of it. He diagnoses plays quickly and attacks. Extremely physical finisher that belies his size. He, Thomas, and Frazier seemed to make play after play after play.
Showers made a play in coverage and actually looks like a S. He has come far but not far enough to make the squad. Could be a PS candidate if he is still eligible.
Blanton is buried on the depth chart and does nothing of note against inferior players. He is running out of time.
Taco still has some balance issue as he learns his techniques but he is getting better. You are not seeing him thrown around. Moreso, he is becoming more comfortable with his moves. IT seemed to me that he was practicing his slap/swim because he used it repeatedly. When he uses his length to keep his body free he can be a force with his quickness and power on display. Needs to do a better job keeping his feet and finishing tackles. Was getting good push on most downs.
Irving was dominant. His ability to set the edge and squeeze it is better than anyone I can recall in a Cowboys uniform. It's reminiscent of what Tyron does on the other side of the ball when he seals. His massive size, quickness, and strength is going to present problems for the league's RT. They were doubling him this game. That is going to open up the weakside. His hands are noticeable heavy as you see him rock OL when he clubs and punches them. Powerful player.
Moore seems consistent. He has a good first step and works to keep blockers off his frame. When he does so he keeps working upfield to make a play. The disengage and finish is there. Against the run he uses his length similarly. His issue is when he does get caught, he has poor anchor and will get washed. This is more pronounced when working inside on the nickel.
Tapper did not improve much in this game and looked much the same player. He can get on the outside shoulder but he needs to learn how to bend inside and rip. I have not seen that executed correctly yet although he is keeping he feet better if not disengaging. He has good extension and an effective bull rush as well as an inside swim move but as it is he is going to have OT sit on his inside moves until he learns to disengage their hands. You can see his 2 gap experience go to work on runs. He steers the OL where he wants. Just needs to disengage.
Jones played LDE and spent his evening ripping and bull rushing the backup RTs of LA. He was doing a very good job knocking the OL hands away and giving the RT fits. I would like to see him play against better competition. He deserves a closer look after dominating deep reserves.
Ash is a trashcan full of dirt and is difficult to move. On stretch plays you see his weakness. He is absolutely glacial trying to redirect and stop. He is like a very poor man's McCLain who also struggled in that capacity before learning handwork. While bigger and stronger he is not as athletically gifted as McClain was. I don't see how he fits for all the starts he has seen.
Carrell looked the same as last game and that does not bode well. He was getting pushed around and even pancaked once against LAR starters. He likes to play paddycake and dance with the OG. Lett wants his guys to have active hands and move onto the shoulder and then upfield. He just does not seem to be making progress.
Ivie is feast of famine. He looked downright Haydenesque getting dominated on a double team and washed 5 yards in the wrong direction on one play. Then he would stick a mitt into the OG or C shoulder and spin him. He looks like many of these guys do trying out the handwork and that alone puts him ahead of Carrell and Ash who are remaining static. That alone puts him ahead of Ash and Carrell in my mind.
Neal was the backup 3T and struggled with his technique. He is used to having space to work with and struggled working with his hands inside. He would get stood and when he tried to get skinny he would open himself up to help and got hooked. I like him a lot better at DE. He does have the strength to anchor but lacks the handwork to do more than paddycake inside.
The DT inability to get off blocks allowed for TE, OG, and C to consistently get onto the second level. Other than Hitchens and to a lesser extent Wilson none of the off the line LB seemed to react to it well. They weren't reading it fast enough to flank around them and then they were not stacking and working off a shoulder but instead taking the blocks on their heels. If it were not for excellent DE and S play it could have been a trainwreck. Time after time a DE working down the line of a S coming up to fill ended up having to make a play because LB were eating blocks. I can guarantee you that Eberflus was tearing some new ***** in the film room earlier in the week. Disappointing in the unit.
In the passing game lack of range in the starting 3 led to big soft spots in middle zones. The backups were much rangier and combined with Mannion's struggles reading coverage they were effective.
Wilber remains what he is, a proficient inline SAM who struggles the more space you put him out in. He is playing with a very high effort and is helping set the tone with hits.
Hitchens has improved in his drops he was taking away reads by buzzing underneath routes. Disciplined in his run fills, his hit on the goalline on the first drive set the tone. I still don't like him if he has to turn and run with speedy backs and TE but he seems much better prepared to help in middle coverage than he has in past years. He has a feel for routes and gets under them. That is how you get QBs to move onto the next read and throw picks.
Wilson is a proficient SAM and an unathletic WILL. He was doing a good job inline setting the edge as opposed to last game but out in space he was always trailing trying to catchup instead of staying on top of and dictating routes. Smith, Nzeocha or even Jones is going ot have to be active on game days to backup Hitchens and Lee. Wilson simply does not have the footspeed to play in space in the NFL.
Nzeocha has not played in a year and it showed. He struggled repeatedly to make run fits and pick up his man in zone or man coverage. He did get stronger as the game went along and he was playing and making mistakes as opposed to thinking and doing nothing. His athleticism in space and in pursuit is obvious. He needs to attack blocks, play off them and not retreat from them though. Nice finish on his tackles. He was consistently around the ball helping on the gang tackle.
Jones was not as dominant but he flashed impressive talent. He backpedaled, flipped his hips and ran with a WR on a skinny post out of the slot. Looks more like an athletic S than a LB doing it. He goes 6' 235 lbs. Was having issues with his run fits and retreating from blocks on the second level. Doesn't seem to recognize what routes are coming at him and is reacting to combination routes. Athleticism helps here. Very raw but his athletic ability is rare indeed particularly for a UDFA.
Gilchrist had an underwhelming performance getting blocked and sealed by the LAR backup TE. He was only able to disengage b peeling off when the play was past. He needs to step it up or he is going the way of Wacha.
Wacha is physical and can run but just seems lost on his run fits and coverage assignments. Spends far too much time staring down plays struggling to diagnose. Likely why he was cut.
Leslie showed up trying to catchup to plays and trailing behind. Not a good look for him. Lotulelei is much the same.
The secondary play was outstanding in its physicality and coverage. Outside of a blown coverage early, the WR found difficulty getting space. The tackling particularly of the S set the tone in the second half.
Scandrick has recovered the quickness that he had lost last year. He is not going to develop ball skills this late in his career but his coverage reminds me of Terrence Newman in how he sticks with WR through cuts.
Carroll does a good job playing off in cover 3. He handles the push at the stem of the route well and stays on top. Did not play much but he appears a good fit.
McFadden covers well and can play the slot but he needs to start making plays on either defense or ST if he wants to make the 53.
Seamster needs to be more physical off the line. He struggles to redirect and gives up the inside release too easily. He much like McFadden needs to make plays if he wants to make the squad.
Duke Thomas was a heat seeking missile for 2 and half quarters. The coverage was good and the tackling was outstanding. Does a good job staying on top of deep routes. More performances like this and he will be a very tough cut. Showed up on ST too. Great game.
Jones looks rangey and physical. I want to see these ball skills he has been reported to have in practice.
Heath was quiet. There was some controversy about a blown assignment that was either on him or Wilson. Given both's past I am inclined to trust Heath more. Was not having to run across the field to cover for missed run fills this game and the LAR really didn't try deep throws.
Frazier is a rich man's Barry Church at least in terms of athletic ability. He doesn't have the quickness to play man but he does have the footspeed to play intermediate zones. His tackling is outstanding as is his pursuit. Physical finisher. Shows up on ST.
Woods jumped ahead of Blanton on the depth chart and made the most of it. He diagnoses plays quickly and attacks. Extremely physical finisher that belies his size. He, Thomas, and Frazier seemed to make play after play after play.
Showers made a play in coverage and actually looks like a S. He has come far but not far enough to make the squad. Could be a PS candidate if he is still eligible.
Blanton is buried on the depth chart and does nothing of note against inferior players. He is running out of time.
