Fuzzy First Impressions PS vs. MIA '16

[fatboygixxer]

Great Post! Thanks for this..

 

[Sydla]

Is it pretty much a given that the three backup OL are Leary, Looney and Green?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Is it pretty much a given that the three backup OL are Leary, Looney and Green?

Those three are about as much a lock as Romo at this point. Thing is they normally keep 9 or 10 OL. There aren't that many worth a roster spot atm.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Oh and one final note. Gathers had 3 plays at the end. He was asked to block each time and while it wasn't pretty he did block his guy. No whiffs.

 

[gimmesix]

At this point I do believe Showers is on the outside looking in. He hasn't shown enough that anyone would want to snag him, which means we would be able to get him onto the practice squad and save a spot on the 53. Here's what I've got after two games:

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (2)
Romo, Prescott
COMMENTS It was nice seeing Romo return to the field Friday. He was off on the short pass to Morris, but otherwise, was firing passes where they needed to be. Dak had a couple of bad passes of his own, but mostly has looked like he belongs on this level. What impresses me is that it isn't like he's just hitting open receivers or dumping the ball off, but he's making the right reads and hitting receivers on every kind of route, whether it's a slant, fade, back-shoulder, go or screen. It's also impressive that even though he can run with the ball, he's not doing like some young QBs and taking off at the first sign of trouble.

Running backs (4)
Elliott, Morris, McFadden, Dunbar
COMMENTS The more Morris carries the ball, the less I believe that it's necessary to carry three veterans behind Elliott. Morris is the kind of backup plan we need, a veteran who is able to step in and doesn't get injured. I'm still not ready to kick last year's 1,000-yard rusher or our change-of-pace back off the roster, but I'm getting closer. I like what Jackson is doing, but he hasn't wowed me to the point where I'm ready to hand him a spot on the 53.

Fullbacks (1)
R. Smith
COMMENTS I'm just not impressed with our fullback options right now. Rod Smith is out because of an infection and I admit to being surprised that Keith Smith could actually run with the ball a bit, but they haven't shown any reason to keep them. I'm only doing it because I believe Garrett will carry a fullback. My preference is to line up Elliott and Morris in the backfield at the same time in short yardage or see next comment.

Tight ends (3)
Witten, Escobar, Swaim
COMMENTS The tight ends all had some good moments. I especially liked seeing Escobar show some blocking ability and Swaim bounce back as a receiver. Hanna's injury lowers the number kept here to three, although I would probably keep Traylor as a "fullback" over the fullback options because he is a solid blocker.

Wide receivers (5)
Bryant, Williams, Beasley, Brice, Whitehead
COMMENTS Each of the receivers I had on the roster after the first preseason game made a play except Street, who was my 53rd guy last week. It was nice to see Brice show why he should get on the field with a few good plays. I don't think he beats out Williams for the No. 2 spot, but I would expect him to rotate in at times. Whitehead still remains more of a specialty player than a receiver, but he does his specialty well.

Offensive line (8)
Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Free, Leary, Looney, Green
COMMENTS I still don't see a ninth lineman worth keeping, although Witzmann and Brendel appear to be worth developing. I went back and rewatched the game to specifically focus on the line and other than being awed by the interior blocking of the first string, I came away feeling better about Green than I had. He had a few mistakes, but overall did a good job of stopping ends or pushing them wide on the pass rush and pushing defenders around in the run game. He's still a work in progress, but at least doesn't look out of place at left tackle. (It appears that we want to get him comfortable there before teaching him to play right tackle.)

DEFENSE
Defensive ends (5)
(Lawrence), (Gregory), Mayowa, J. Crawford, Irving, Russell, Tapper
COMMENTS I admit to being a bit disappointed in Lawrence in Friday's game. I expected him to at least pester the pocket ad he didn't. Crawford had the best showing by an end for us so far and could push for more playing time. Injuries, though, kept us from seeing more of Irving and Mayowa and Tapper haven't gotten into a preseason game for us yet. Russell has played quite a bit and I haven't been impressed with him up to this point. He could easily get bumped by another linemen or if we choose to go longer at another position.

Defensive tackles (5)
T. Crawford, McClain, Thornton, Collins, Jenkins
COMMENTS It looks like Crawford has returned to being disruptive, and I'm happy with what I'm seeing from both McClain and Thornton at the 1-tech. McClain had a couple of plays where he disrupted the run with penetration. I also like what Jenkins is showing as a raw 3-tech and finally saw that Coe might be worth developing. I think Coe could end up on the practice squad, but Jenkins is flashing enough to be kept on the 53 over players at other positions.

Linebackers (7)
Lee, Durant, Hitchens, Wilson, Gachkar, Nzeocha, Wilber
COMMENTS The linebackers functioned much better this week, probably because Lee played. I don't remember seeing Durant out there. Linebackers like Morris, Akunne and might have a chance to knock Gachkar off the roster since he hasn't been able to play, but I didn't really see anything from anybody in the group to make me think that we absolutely have to have that player. Wilber, after a poor week last week, showed his versatility by playing well at end despite fighting an injury. Not sure how this is going to shake out.

Cornerbacks (6)
Scandrick, Claiborne, Carr, Brown, Olatoye, Thomas
COMMENTS Claiborne is playing well enough to be given a starting spot over Carr. I don't think Carr is as bad as some on here do, but I do think Claiborne deserves the chance to prove his worth as a starter based on his preseason play.

Safeties (4)
Church, Jones, Heath, Frazier
COMMENTS For those who wanted Wilcox to replace Church, it should be easy to see now why he won't. He just lacks the football smarts to go with his physical abilities. Getting caught flat-footed playing two-deep is a big mistake. It's too bad we can't combine Church's football acumen with Wilcox's physical skills. Frazier shows similar understanding to Church. Jones also has that kind of understanding, but has better physical skills to match with it, even if he did make a mistake in letting the tight end beat him to the inside on the dropped TD throw.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker (1)
Bailey

Punter (1)
Jones

Long snapper (1)
Ladouceur

I've probably got two many defensive players (27) to offensive players (23), but considering that that side of the ball is more unsettled, I don't mind that. I'd rather see what a player like Jenkins can do than keep an extra offensive lineman or wide receiver.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Game was plagued by penalties but I felt like this was preseason for the refs too. What particularly stood out to me was Hitchens having his facemasked yanked and then having a punch thrown at him yet he received both penalties. Also the OPI deep down the right sideline on Butler was specious.Much of them were rightfully earned and sloppy play while not uncommon at this point in the season, is not something you want to have to constantly overcome. OTOH the team was able to do so.

Offense was vanilla. Tons of staple routes like the go, post and in were run along with middle isos and off tackle runs. The draw has been revived and the wham was used to help get some middle push with the second unit. I'm curious to see if the stretch/counter playcalling combo ever comes back but it's been gone since 2014 much to my chagrin.

Defense was similarly vanilla. SImple man, cover 2 and cover 3 were called ad nauseum with no disguising. The faked the blitz far more often than not and there were a stead supply of stunts and twists which continue to meet with success. Middle coverage continues to be an issue and range in the middle of the field continues to be exploited. When the pass rush got pressure it held but if not things got exposed.

Line did a pretty good job in the first half --when people who are likely to make the team are playing-- and that was despite Marinelli slanting the lines and really putting the onus on the LB to fill on the backside. DT play was a particular bright spot. LB were better but still not as consistent as I would like on their fills. Saw guys looking to fill the same gap and running into each other again.

Special teams was much improved. On coverage lane discipline was consistent and bottled up returns. Punt returns were a plus and Dan Bailey Remains money. Down roster guys who showed up on my radar were Morris, KSmith, Mayle, Swanson, and Jones

Romo looked rusty but he still looks nowhere near as stiff as he did a couple years ago. His throwing motion is smooth and he no longer appears to drag his legs and he rotates to throw. His accuracy to pass in the flat has never been a strength as he lacks the touch to really float the ball. He airmailed one over Morris head sure enough. He needs to play more and sharpen his game a bit before the opener.

That being said his accuracy on middle throws remains uncanny. He was threading passes into the hands of his receivers and overcoming negative plays with downfield strikes.

Prescott continues to impress. They moved the pocket around for him consistently with roll and sprint outs and the first and second units did a pretty good job keeping his pocket clean. His accuracy remains precise hitting receivers in stride. It was also encouraging to see him move his eyes from one side of the field to the other progressing through reads and finding open receivers on subsequent reads. He has developed a rapport with a wide array of receivers in a short period of time.

His sense of timing and feel for his surroundings is what allows him to routinely succeed on playfakes and escape pressure. Protections started to break down near the half and he turned defensive pressure into big plays. His deception is some of the best that I've ever seen from a Cowboy QB. It wasn't all perfect though. While the receiver's job is to cut in front of the face of the defender, it's the QB's job to realize that his receiver is getting jammed up and not throw the ball. Physical jams almost cost him two interceptions if not for a defensive penalty and a drop.

Showers is still running for his life. The protection was better than last time but that is not saying much. Cannot see downfield all that well with the telecast but he wasn't having a lot of luck finding open receivers. With the bevy or receivers, RB, and TE Showers may be on the outside looking in if he cannot step up his game particularly with Prescott looking a lot less like a project than a real prospect.

Dez is Dez. He seems sharp and I know that Linehan is holding things out for him. I see a bevy of big plays and a big year for 88.

TWill is doing a better job out of his breaks. Watching him get a 5+ yards separation on the out was something I have been looking for. I still want to see him win contested catches but he has clearly improved.

Lucky had another nice return making people miss and taking what he could get down the sideline, he also managed to get open downfield on a deep in but he got jammed up on a slant and that is something that bears watching. Have to beat the jam in the NFL.

Butler might have solidified his spot on the roster. Scoring a TD on a physical fade route, winning downfield on the go and post, and another deep in made for a nice evening.

Jones beating the press as a gunner, breaking down in space and making the open field tackle had to have gotten Bisscia's attention. He does it again and he might force them to keep 3 WR. There is going to be a lot of competition between the 4th RB, 6th WR, and 3rd QB for a roster spot. Hanna's injury simplified thigns somewhat but there are only ~25 spots for offense.

Swaim didn't drop a pass and showed he can be a reliable pass catcher. He did not stand out to me as a blocker as much as the previous week.

Escobar got a significant amount of time at the Y after Witten sat. His blocking was the best I've seen out of him. In the run game he was driving and kicking out DE. He lined up next to Green on the weakside and slid and stoned a DE in passing protection. He even caught a pass. His return from achilles repair has been remarkable. His ability to play Y will help him get on the field. He already had a role on third down and the RZ.

Green has good feet. He can get to the perimeter or second level and he can slide to pick up pass rushers. His power is pretty good. All of that is true until he wears down. He lasted until the last 5 or so minutes of the first half and he was leaning over his base and struggling to keep up. He did a better job not abandoning technique but he needs to be sent out there again and work on his conditioning. As it stands now he could fill in to finish a game but you don't want him starting and trying to finish one.

Collins, Fred, and Martin really haven't made my radar. If someone would care to comment on their play that would be good. I keep waiting for Martin to return to 2014 form but nothing he has done has stood out. That being said I've been focused on other things.

Free is what he is. Good feet and better punch that in the past.

Leary and Looney did a much better job holding up the middle as opposed to last game.

Jared Smith made my radar. He has very good feet, a requirement for Dallas OL, and he is a fighter as evidence by his recovery on a stunt pickup to keep his QB clean but he doesn't have the core and leg strength that you want to see up the middle. Definite PS candidate.

Morris is making this team and if DMC doesn't get back soon he may be playing elsewhere this year. Running the ball he reminds me a bit of Emmitt regarding his vision and balance. He's not the blocker or pass catcher 22 was but he is no slouch either. He continues to succeed on screen plays that fool everyone but most importantly the defense. He and Dak have that play working.

Jackson wasn't getting the running lanes Morris was but he did a good job taking what he could get. He was getting hit in the backfield particularly behind the 3rd OL. His athleticism stands out and I keep expecting him to break one. Didn't happen this game.

K Smith had a few nice runs but he is going to make this team on ST. He makes a showing there as well blocking and covering kicks.

Russell had a much better game setting the edge. Had a couple nice rushes. Still no sacks though.

Jack Crawford was a force. He lined up at DE and was extremely disruptive getting into the backfield and mucking things up.

Tyrone Crawford was similarly effective. The Fins struggled to block him. His power easily stood up blockers and he has the technique to shed their hands.

McAdoo got a lot of snaps and managed a couple of tackles. He had no success rushing that I saw.

McClain did a nice job holding the point of attack and played under control. In the past he would shoot a gap and get taken for a ride upfield and out of the play. Not so this game. DT did a good job limiting cutbacks.

Thornton was quick, active, and consistent. He was able to split some double teams and get penetration or failing that sit down and really muck things up in the middle. The scoop and rumble down the field put his athletic ability on display.

Coe stepped his game up from the first to second game. Did a nice job holding the point of attack and using his hands to shed the blocker to make a tackle. He doesn't have e;ite quickness so he might well be limited to a two down player but with his power he has a place in this league if his handwork can continue to come along.

Jenkins in contrast has the quickness and anticipation to beat OL to the gap. When isoed he had a nice spin or alternately swim move to keep his rush going. He lacks the hand skills now to disengage when he doesn't win outright but he anchors pretty well against the lower level competition. A lot of NFL starters will take him for a ride though at this point I'm anticipating. If he continues at this rate there is no way he makes it to the PS. He's raw but he has tools to be a successful 3T/LDE combo in the mold of 58.

Wilber lined up in the elephant role of a 2 point stance where the RDE normally sits. He was extremely disruptive against the opposing 2's. He was dominant at the poa and setting the edge and relentless in his rush getting to the QB. I am not keen on him starting but he is the type of player that good teams have as backups. He can backup 2 position groups and he excels at all facets of special teams.

Hitchens ability to evade OL on the second level helps him tremendously in pursuit. He also does a pretty good job stacking and quickly shedding when he cannot. He's doing a better job quickly diagnosing than he did last year where he would get caught watching the play and allow a blocker into him. He plays physically with an edge but lacks top end speed for coverage.

Wilson came in with the 2s. Both he and Morris lack instincts in zone coverage. He failed to cover the flat and stayed in the middle of the field which set up a Fins TD. His lack of top end speed was apparent. That being said he has a nose for the ball in pursuit and always seems to find his way around it. He runs better than his time speed accounts for but he needs to do a better job anticipating routes if he wants to play in the base defense.

Morris is much in the same boat. He has better speed and definitely shows leadership qualities as evidenced by him pointing out routes in front of him to pass off to his fellow LB. Unfortunately he missed the route coming into his zone and gave up a completion. Seemed to be a bit mentally overloaded this game and doing more thinking than just playing the play in front of him. I expect both he and Wilson to make the team nonetheless and be core special teams contributors.

Hepburn was around the ball a lot. He's a 25 year old 2013 7th round draft pick of the Lions. With the new PS rules, I could see him making the PS if he continues to pursue and tackle well in the next 2 games.

Claiborne seems like a different player. Recent years have seen him get hurt tackling and look physically intimidated. I get the impression that he was dealing with chronic pain that was finally cleaned up with his nth surgery. He finally seems to feel that he belongs and the confidence is helping his play. He is never going to be a physical tackler but it was encouraging watching him warp and take down tacklers as well as allowing his teammates to rally to his aide. He has elite quickness and sticks to receivers hips through breaks. He also tries to make plays on the ball which so far has resulted in deflections but he is beginning to show the promise that saw him drafted so high.

Scandrick was out there but not for long. I saw 32 rally to the football but nothing more of notice in his cup of coffee before being pulled.

Carr doesn't have the quickness that Claiborne does but he does play a more physical brand of football. That being said if he fails to reroute he needs help from his teammates. This was apparent on the first TD where Carr was in decent position to try and split his hands but his inside help in the form of Barry Church was nowhere close following his break on the ball. Given his reliability and talent, he is at a good price point following his salary reduction.

Thomas got a significant amount of playing time and was active. I would like to see better anticipation as he too often seemed to be reacting but he plays a determined brand of football. He is active in pursuit and physical when the situation requires. I would describe his coverage as more tenacious than tight at this point. He will give some separation and is far from a shutdown corner.

Jones exhibits great range but in what is becoming a theme, doesn't jump throws or routes in anticipation. I expect this to improve or time but with Church, Hitchens and Wilber on the field with him, more onus than ever will be put on him. How well he can acclimate to NFL S will likely determine how well middle of the field coverage ends up.

Church is what he is. I talked about him being nowhere near the thrown TD to Stills in the RZ. He can tackle and work well in short spaces but he should be a 2 down player or big nickel player at this point. Unfortunately nobody is stepping up to take his spot.

Heath apparently played but I didn't notice him. Similarly I only noticed Wilcox when he got isolated in man coverage on Jarvis and gave up a long completion. Wilcox is just asking for someone to beat him out at this point.

McKinnon makes plays in coverage and against the run. He runs well and has a nose for the football. If the starts making plays on ST look for him to make the roster.

Frey once again made a TD saving tackle putting the safe in safety. OTOH, he doesn't seem to do anything else. PS at best is my expectation here.

Anyone else I didn't mention its because I did not notice them.

I think a better conditioned Green could be a real threat to Free's starting job next year. But his conditioning really needs to improve.

I said in another thread, Jack Crawford is that guy you always forget about until he starts showing up. And he always seems to.

Interior rush should be a real strength this year. We have very sound depth there this year and we havent even seen Collins yet. Our interior rush could really take the onus off the edge, especially in that early portion of the year without Lawrence

 

[Sydla]

Those three are about as much a lock as Romo at this point. Thing is they normally keep 9 or 10 OL. There aren't that many worth a roster spot atm.

They only opened with 8 OL last year on the first 53, Green was on the PUP. But they did open with 9 in 2014.

 

[Sydla]

At this point I do believe Showers is on the outside looking in. He hasn't shown enough that anyone would want to snag him, which means we would be able to get him onto the practice squad and save a spot on the 53. Here's what I've got after two games:

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks (2)
Romo, Prescott
COMMENTS It was nice seeing Romo return to the field Friday. He was off on the short pass to Morris, but otherwise, was firing passes where they needed to be. Dak had a couple of bad passes of his own, but mostly has looked like he belongs on this level. What impresses me is that it isn't like he's just hitting open receivers or dumping the ball off, but he's making the right reads and hitting receivers on every kind of route, whether it's a slant, fade, back-shoulder, go or screen. It's also impressive that even though he can run with the ball, he's not doing like some young QBs and taking off at the first sign of trouble.

Running backs (4)
Elliott, Morris, McFadden, Dunbar
COMMENTS The more Morris carries the ball, the less I believe that it's necessary to carry three veterans behind Elliott. Morris is the kind of backup plan we need, a veteran who is able to step in and doesn't get injured. I'm still not ready to kick last year's 1,000-yard rusher or our change-of-pace back off the roster, but I'm getting closer. I like what Jackson is doing, but he hasn't wowed me to the point where I'm ready to hand him a spot on the 53.

Fullbacks (1)
R. Smith
COMMENTS I'm just not impressed with our fullback options right now. Rod Smith is out because of an infection and I admit to being surprised that Keith Smith could actually run with the ball a bit, but they haven't shown any reason to keep them. I'm only doing it because I believe Garrett will carry a fullback. My preference is to line up Elliott and Morris in the backfield at the same time in short yardage or see next comment.

Tight ends (3)
Witten, Escobar, Swaim
COMMENTS The tight ends all had some good moments. I especially liked seeing Escobar show some blocking ability and Swaim bounce back as a receiver. Hanna's injury lowers the number kept here to three, although I would probably keep Traylor as a "fullback" over the fullback options because he is a solid blocker.

Wide receivers (5)
Bryant, Williams, Beasley, Brice, Whitehead
COMMENTS Each of the receivers I had on the roster after the first preseason game made a play except Street, who was my 53rd guy last week. It was nice to see Brice show why he should get on the field with a few good plays. I don't think he beats out Williams for the No. 2 spot, but I would expect him to rotate in at times. Whitehead still remains more of a specialty player than a receiver, but he does his specialty well.

Offensive line (8)
Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Free, Leary, Looney, Green
COMMENTS I still don't see a ninth lineman worth keeping, although Witzmann and Brendel appear to be worth developing. I went back and rewatched the game to specifically focus on the line and other than being awed by the interior blocking of the first string, I came away feeling better about Green than I had. He had a few mistakes, but overall did a good job of stopping ends or pushing them wide on the pass rush and pushing defenders around in the run game. He's still a work in progress, but at least doesn't look out of place at left tackle. (It appears that we want to get him comfortable there before teaching him to play right tackle.)

DEFENSE
Defensive ends (5)
(Lawrence), (Gregory), Mayowa, J. Crawford, Irving, Russell, Tapper
COMMENTS I admit to being a bit disappointed in Lawrence in Friday's game. I expected him to at least pester the pocket ad he didn't. Crawford had the best showing by an end for us so far and could push for more playing time. Injuries, though, kept us from seeing more of Irving and Mayowa and Tapper haven't gotten into a preseason game for us yet. Russell has played quite a bit and I haven't been impressed with him up to this point. He could easily get bumped by another linemen or if we choose to go longer at another position.

Defensive tackles (5)
T. Crawford, McClain, Thornton, Collins, Jenkins
COMMENTS It looks like Crawford has returned to being disruptive, and I'm happy with what I'm seeing from both McClain and Thornton at the 1-tech. McClain had a couple of plays where he disrupted the run with penetration. I also like what Jenkins is showing as a raw 3-tech and finally saw that Coe might be worth developing. I think Coe could end up on the practice squad, but Jenkins is flashing enough to be kept on the 53 over players at other positions.

Linebackers (7)
Lee, Durant, Hitchens, Wilson, Gachkar, Nzeocha, Wilber
COMMENTS The linebackers functioned much better this week, probably because Lee played. I don't remember seeing Durant out there. Linebackers like Morris, Akunne and might have a chance to knock Gachkar off the roster since he hasn't been able to play, but I didn't really see anything from anybody in the group to make me think that we absolutely have to have that player. Wilber, after a poor week last week, showed his versatility by playing well at end despite fighting an injury. Not sure how this is going to shake out.

Cornerbacks (6)
Scandrick, Claiborne, Carr, Brown, Olatoye, Thomas
COMMENTS Claiborne is playing well enough to be given a starting spot over Carr. I don't think Carr is as bad as some on here do, but I do think Claiborne deserves the chance to prove his worth as a starter based on his preseason play.

Safeties (4)
Church, Jones, Heath, Frazier
COMMENTS For those who wanted Wilcox to replace Church, it should be easy to see now why he won't. He just lacks the football smarts to go with his physical abilities. Getting caught flat-footed playing two-deep is a big mistake. It's too bad we can't combine Church's football acumen with Wilcox's physical skills. Frazier shows similar understanding to Church. Jones also has that kind of understanding, but has better physical skills to match with it, even if he did make a mistake in letting the tight end beat him to the inside on the dropped TD throw.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker (1)
Bailey

Punter (1)
Jones

Long snapper (1)
Ladouceur

I've probably got two many defensive players (27) to offensive players (23), but considering that that side of the ball is more unsettled, I don't mind that. I'd rather see what a player like Jenkins can do than keep an extra offensive lineman or wide receiver.

You may have one too many TBs. They typically have only opened with 3 TBs on the initial 53. You also might be heavy on CBs/Ss. The last two years they opened with only 9 DBs, you have 10.

 

[gimmesix]

Morris is much in the same boat. He has better speed and definitely shows leadership qualities as evidenced by him pointing out routes in front of him to pass off to his fellow LB. Unfortunately he missed the route coming into his zone and gave up a completion. Seemed to be a bit mentally overloaded this game and doing more thinking than just playing the play in front of him. I expect both he and Wilson to make the team nonetheless and be core special teams contributors..

I don't see James Morris making the team, although I think he's got a good shot at the practice squad. He's a down-the-line preseason guy at this point and I think he's stuck behind too many other LBs to make it. Assuming we keep seven, he would have to beat out Gachkar, Wilson,, Wilber or Nzeocha. That's not a tall task, but I believe all of those are ahead of him right now. Of course, Gachkar and Nzeocha both have to get back on the field to secure their spots, so maybe something happens there.

 

[theebs]

It's Suh though. lol Nobody is going to dominate Suh. Zach will dominate NY week 1 I'm confident

the giants look damn good on there line. I don't think they are deep but there two starting dt's look solid. Its going to be hard to run week 1 and if we get into 3rd and longs they are going to blitz like crazy. Spagnuolo was sending corners and collins constantly it seemed yesterday.

Our offense will have its hands full week 1.

 

[gimmesix]

You may have one too many TBs. They typically have only opened with 3 TBs on the initial 53. You also might be heavy on CBs/Ss. The last two years they opened with only 9 DBs, you have 10.

We've opened with four tailbacks before when our depth was strong there, like it is this year. I think the sixth corner is definitely a spot that could go to another position.

 

[theebs]

I want to point out also that Escobar blocked Defensive End Jason Jones one on one and stood him up allowing prescott to hit williams on his first drive.

I think that was the only time i noticed Jason Jones the whole night. I wanted to sign him and still think he is a good end against the run.

Hope to see more of that from escobar, especially because he will be asked to do this vs the giants because they are going to blitz us to death.

 

[Sydla]

We've opened with four tailbacks before when our depth was strong there, like it is this year. I think the sixth corner is definitely a spot that could go to another position.

Actually, you are partially right. I only looked at the 14 and 15 opening 53s. In 2013, they carried 4 - Murray, Tanner, Randle, Dunbar. But they didn't carry a FB on the opening 53. So they still only carried four running backs.

But they did carry 5 TEs in 2013.

 

[Satchel89]

That penalty on Butler was ridiculous. I heard the announcers say they had a couple of extra refs on the field. They definitely don't need that. They're already involved too much in the game.

 

[jazzcat22]

That penalty on Butler was ridiculous. I heard the announcers say they had a couple of extra refs on the field. They definitely don't need that. They're already involved too much in the game.

Right, as they probably think if they call more penalties it will show they are needed. Like there are things that are missed by having fewer refs. When in fact it is a detriment to the game.

 

[ragman]

I heard that Coleman and his crew call more penalties than any crew in the NFL, so I was not surprised by the number of flags.

Not much to complain about this week, except for the number of flags. That has to stop.

I know it's only preseason, but Dak looks great. Are we sure he's only 23?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I want to point out also that Escobar blocked Defensive End Jason Jones one on one and stood him up allowing prescott to hit williams on his first drive.

I think that was the only time i noticed Jason Jones the whole night. I wanted to sign him and still think he is a good end against the run.

Hope to see more of that from escobar, especially because he will be asked to do this vs the giants because they are going to blitz us to death.

Yeah they called on him to block TE the entire time he was out there and he came through.

I'm beginning to think Garrett has themes for his PS games.

First one is to break them into hitting.
Second one is to challenge guys outside of their comfort zone. That was this one.
Third one is the dress rehearsal.
Last one is romper room where the young guys are showcased.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I don't see James Morris making the team, although I think he's got a good shot at the practice squad. He's a down-the-line preseason guy at this point and I think he's stuck behind too many other LBs to make it. Assuming we keep seven, he would have to beat out Gachkar, Wilson,, Wilber or Nzeocha. That's not a tall task, but I believe all of those are ahead of him right now. Of course, Gachkar and Nzeocha both have to get back on the field to secure their spots, so maybe something happens there.

Morris is good at covering kicks. Gachkar not so much even when he was on the field. Andrew needs to show something the next two games or I think he will be replaced. I'm a Gachkar fan too but with the emergence of Nzeocha he is expendable.

 

[RS12]

Romo looked rusty but he still looks nowhere near as stiff as he did a couple years ago. His throwing motion is smooth and he no longer appears to drag his legs and he rotates to throw. His accuracy to pass in the flat has never been a strength as he lacks the touch to really float the ball. He airmailed one over Morris head sure enough. He needs to play more and sharpen his game a bit before the opener.

That being said his accuracy on middle throws remains uncanny. He was threading passes into the hands of his receivers and overcoming negative plays with downfield strikes.

I have to say the mid strikes did have Brady vibe to them.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

I'm starting to think they are trying to hide Showers for the PS by playing him with scrubs. They're going to need his spot to go deep at another skill position.

Do you think they should be giving him time ahead of Prescott?