Fuzzy First Impressions PS vs. MIA '16

[xwalker]

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:


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.

I think Wilcox was supposed to help to the inside on that slant where Jones was covering the TE in the endzone.

 

[gimmesix]

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.

I think the combination of the three spots (RB, FB, TE) most of the time ends up around eight so four tailbacks, a fullback and three tight ends would work for that. I'm not sure that will end up being the division of those spots. I don't think we need three veterans behind Elliott, but I want to see more of Jackson before I give him the nod over one of them. I also am not at all satisfied with the fullback options. Traylor is my dark horse to steal that spot as more of an H-back, but we'll see how it plays out.

I'd really like to see (like I said in my analysis) Garrett consider putting Morris and Elliott in the backfield together on short yardage plays. It would be more like option A and B to carry the ball than having a lead blocker, but there are all kinds of plays we could run out of that setup.

 

[gimmesix]

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.

I thought Gachkar was considered to be a very good special teams player. I can't seem to find his stats from last year to check. I do agree that he needs to show something, but I think he has a leg up because he's had a year in the system. He could be bumped by youth, but Dallas does know at least with Gachkar that he can step into a starting role if needed.

 

[gimmesix]

I think Wilcox was supposed to help to the inside on that slant where Jones was covering the TE in the endzone.

Interesting. I didn't see that, but it would make sense since he was playing outside leverage.

 

[Bluefin]

I think the combination of the three spots (RB, FB, TE) most of the time ends up around eight so four tailbacks, a fullback and three tight ends would work for that.

Right now, I'm willing to go short at QB (2) and OL (8), so going long at RB, FB, TE shouldn't be too tough.

Can even sneak in Andy Jones as the 6th WR if I want to.

 

[gimmesix]

Right now, I'm willing to go short at QB (2) and OL (8), so going long at RB, FB, TE shouldn't be too tough.

Can even sneak in Andy Jones as the 6th WR if I want to.

Right now, I think Jones is a practice squad guy. He just hasn't shown enough for Dallas to feel like it's a risk to try to get him there.

It will be interesting to see over the next couple of games if someone like him proves that he just has to be kept. I agree with Fuzzy that James Morris could be one of those guys. It could be one of the young OL, but I think if we decide to go with nine there it's going to be some vet not on this roster.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I think Wilcox was supposed to help to the inside on that slant where Jones was covering the TE in the endzone.

sup X.

 

[Bluefin]

I agree with Fuzzy that James Morris could be one of those guys.

I'm fine with James Morris as the 6th LB.

Sean Lee, Anthony Hitchens, Kyle Wilber, Mark Nzeocha, Damien Wilson and Morris.

Justin Durant will probably remain unsigned if we let him go and be waiting for a call in the event of an injury.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

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.

QB (2) Romo Prescott
RB (3) Zeke Morris Jackson
FB (1) K Smith
WR (5) Dez TWill Beasley Lucky Butler
TE (3) Witten Escobar Swaim
OL (9) Fred LC Martin Smith Free Green Looney Leary OT/TBD
DL (9) Crawford Crawford Thornton Mayowa McClain Russell Jenkins Tapper Irving
LB (6) Lee Hitchens Wilber Nzeocha Wilson Morris
CB (6) Scandrick Carr Claiborne Brown Thomas Olatoye
S (4) Jones Heath Church Frazier
ST (3) Ladouceur Bailey Jones

PUP: Collins Hanna; Suspension: DLaw Gregory

That is 25 of offense and 23 on defense. Leaves 2 spots once you account for ST

2 spots for the likes of Durant Gachkar Showers Jones DMC Dunbar. Not a bad problem to have really. Speaks to the overall depth of the team.

 

[Bluefin]

PUP: Collins Hanna.

Maliek Collins has returned to practice and is off PUP.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Maliek Collins has returned to practice and is off PUP.

Hmm that makes the DL a pita to figure out. Keep 10? Tapper to IR? Cut McClain? Hope likely in vain that Jenkins makes the PS?

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Hmm that makes the DL a pita to figure out. Keep 10? Tapper to IR? Cut McClain? Hope likely in vain that Jenkins makes the PS?

I rather roll with 10 on DL

 

[Kaiser]

I'm a Gachkar fan too but with the emergence of Nzeocha he is expendable.

I think Gachkar is on the bubble for several reasons. He was supposed to be a solid backup and Special Teams Ace but Nzeocha will likely be that. Add to that his salary is 1.3 Million and Durant can play all three LB spots, which puts Gachkar 3rd or maybe 4th on the depth chart.

1.3 Million isn't a ton under the salary cap but I think it will be another nail in the coffin.

 

[gimmesix]

QB (2) Romo Prescott
RB (3) Zeke Morris Jackson
FB (1) K Smith
WR (5) Dez TWill Beasley Lucky Butler
TE (3) Witten Escobar Swaim
OL (9) Fred LC Martin Smith Free Green Looney Leary OT/TBD
DL (9) Crawford Crawford Thornton Mayowa McClain Russell Jenkins Tapper Irving
LB (6) Lee Hitchens Wilber Nzeocha Wilson Morris
CB (6) Scandrick Carr Claiborne Brown Thomas Olatoye
S (4) Jones Heath Church Frazier
ST (3) Ladouceur Bailey Jones

PUP: Collins Hanna; Suspension: DLaw Gregory

That is 25 of offense and 23 on defense. Leaves 2 spots once you account for ST

2 spots for the likes of Durant Gachkar Showers Jones DMC Dunbar. Not a bad problem to have really. Speaks to the overall depth of the team.

I think it will be interesting to see how the spots up for grabs works out.

I have 42 who I think are locks for the roster (and that's probably being conservative):

QBs — Romo, Prescott
RBs — Elliott, Morris
TEs — Witten, Escobar, Swaim
WRs — Bryant, Williams, Beasley, Butler, Whitehead
OL — Smith, Collins, Frederick, Martin, Free, Leary, Looney, Green

DE — (Lawrence), (Gregory), Mayowa, J. Crawford, Irving, Russell
DT — T. Crawford, McClain, Thornton, Collins
LBs — Lee, Hitchens, Durant, (McClain), Wilber, Wilson
CBs — Scandrick, Claiborne, Carr
Ss — Church, Jones, Heath
ST — Bailey, Jones, Ladoceur

So that leaves 11 spots to be decided among the following (I believe):

QB — Showers
RBs — McFadden, Dunbar, Jackson
FBs — R. Smith, K. Smith
TEs — Traylor
WRs — Jones
OL — Witzmann, Brendel

DE — Tapper
DT — Jenkins
LBs — Nzeocha, Gachkar, Morris, Akunne
CBs — Brown, Thomas, Olatoye, McKinnon
Ss — Frazier, Wilcox

I bolded the ones who I believe had a leg up for those spots, but I acknowledge that some of the others on the list could end up getting the nod. (I also am going back and forth on whether Nzeocha's spot on the 53 is a lock or not. Same with Tapper.)

I think there are a few others who are intriguing like Coe and King but I believe to be strictly practice squad candidates at this time. (Andy Jones and Traylor also might fall into this category even though I have them contending for a 53 spot.)

 

[gimmesix]

I'm fine with James Morris as the 6th LB.

Sean Lee, Anthony Hitchens, Kyle Wilber, Mark Nzeocha, Damien Wilson and Morris.

Justin Durant will probably remain unsigned if we let him go and be waiting for a call in the event of an injury.

I've got Durant as a lock because Dallas attempted to re-sign him last year before he chose to go to Atlanta for more money and he played well in 2014. However, I cannot recall seeing him play this preseason, unless I just haven't noticed him.

 

[reddyuta]

Is showers eligible for PS?

 

[gimmesix]

Is showers eligible for PS?

Yes, we've only had him for one season and he was strictly a PS player. He's got a couple of years of eligibility remaining.

 

[gimmesix]

Hmm that makes the DL a pita to figure out. Keep 10? Tapper to IR? Cut McClain? Hope likely in vain that Jenkins makes the PS?

Terrell McClain? He's playing quite well and probably will rotate with Thornton at 1-tech.

The Tapper situation bears watching, though.

 

[Idgit]

Terrell McClain? He's playing quite well and probably will rotate with Thornton at 1-tech.

The Tapper situation bears watching, though.

It's hard to tell, sometimes, if Broaddus has heard something, or if he's giving you his own best guess. His best-guesses are just awful. But he does get fed tidbits now and then, too. Unless he comes out an tells you whether or not his got inside info, you don't know what to think.

 

[xwalker]

sup X.

Hey Fuzzy.

I liked you game analysis thread. I think you might be correct about Romo not having the best touch on really short passes. He has missed some screen passes and passes in the flat over the years, but I never really thought much about it.