We were catcalling Al Michaels and co in the second half especially when we first got the lead. Listening to them gush about the Giants for most of three quarters and then deadpan any success the Cowboys had was one of the more unprofessional performances I have witnessed. It was very satisfying listening to the disappointment unto tears that the timbre of his voice had in the fourth quarter and at the end of the game.
Giants played very well particularly Eli Manning. He made the one mistake that Church capitalized on but their gameplan was solid and well executed. Giants receivers shredded our zone coverages in the soft spots particularly in the first half. I thought the LB and S were good in coverage and the CB not named Scandrick putrid but more on that in a bit.
Coughlin runs a very good team. Mara hides behind his proxy in Reese calling all the shots. Apparently, the NYG use the same management structure as when the team was founded in 1928 and the GM acts more like a chancellor. I wonder if they shoot the messenger though. My preference is to see Reese retained and Coughlin canned. A meltdown in NY would be nice.
Romo was very very good. He had a couple passes sail on him but unlike Church, the Giants were not able to capitalize. Outside of that he did a good job helping his OL shifting in the pocket, not throwing the ball up for grabs and instead out of reach if at times just barely. It is a game of inches as they say. Anyway, another 4th quarter comeback to win the game to go along with thoe 4 TDs.
Thought the oline did well. Smith couldn't hold a couple JPP blocks and committed a penalty but JPP was playing some inspired ball. I'm not sure that Smith's wheels are right cause I have seen him with better lateral agility then he showed at times.
The three guys in the middle presented a solid front and pulling Fred and Martin on that counter tre looking play gets me out of my seat every time. Hankins' injury helped soften the middle and Free consistently caved his side and got Murray room to run off the edge.
Between the running performance and the pass protection master piece on the game winning drive makes a compelling statement about how good this squad is. I think you can make a compelling case for all 5 guys to make the pro bowl with the level of their play.
Murray is consistent in his performances and while it was excellent it's his ability to do this game after game after game. One guy has been able to do what Murray has done and if he can keep this up he will rival any single season that Smith ever did. I do not want Peterson if it means we have to give this guy up.
Dunbar had the nice play that kept us in the game in the first half but overall I would like to see better performance out of the backup guys. Murray and Peterson is a pipe dream if a pleasant one but we need to add talent here in the offseason.
Witten and Hanna blocked very well in the run and pass pro. They also made very timely catches. Witten's ability on third down is instrumental for this offense. Escobar was a bit disappointing in limited opportunities. He short armed a drop early and missed a block in the first half.
Dez continues to demonstrate he can be the bell cow in the passing game and was effective throughout the game. His scores were game changers. Beasley was also huge on third down and watching him outrun the Giants secondary for the score was eye opening. I didn't know he had that in him. On the downside Williams continues to wilt faced with physical corners. He managed a catch but he needs to get stronger.
Harris looked much better returning kicks which was encouraging and I finally saw some blocking execution on PR which was a nice change of pace from the putrid showing as of late. KR still is suspect but nothing bad happened. Chris Jones didn't yip anything so that was good, and if you didn't know, Dan Bailey is pretty good.
I understand that Marinelli is thinking. Hayden makes the line calls and works his butt off but for pete's sake I would love to have a guy in there that can dictate flow on single blocking rather than this guy I see perpetually washed out of the play and getting credit for hustling. While he did get off a block to make a play at a key moment of the second half, he spent most of the day on the chase with plays running right by his single block. Seeing him in during obvious passing situations down the stretch is just irritating. If Marinelli is going to leave anyway as a GM I would be very tempted to waive Hayden and force the issue.
The defense did a good job executing a series of zone blitzes, stunts and assorted other line games to generate pressure after sputtering out of the gate. I saw us bring McClain up to press an A gap and Scandrick to the farside edge. The guys not named Scandrick or McClain all didn't do much in pass coverage.
Selvie started getting loose, then Mincey, then Crawford and Melton. It wasn't constant but it was good enough that we could get stops in the second quarter and half. They got a lot of stops up to get us back in the game. They choked up that final TD but I maintain that there is no way that the ball wasn't fumbled on the 2 yard line right before they got that 3rd TD in the first half.
Lawrence and Spencer weren't particularly active but the Giants payed them a lot of attention. Spencer made Manning move but never got close. Lawrence hustles but he had some issues getting off blocks; he played better in the second half. Giants did slide the protection that way a lot.
Wilber cannot run well enough to play 4-3 LB. He needs to go play 3-4 OLB. That he was out there at Carter's expense speaks volumes. The LB did a poor job of covering TE on third downs. Giving up mnay third and longs when the rush couldn't get home.
McClain is the only reason why Hayden works at all with his ability to take on and shed OL. He is incredible but I wonder what it would be like with a DT that could hold his ground for him to play off of. A man can dream.
Just seeing that the Red Sox are signing Hanley Ramirez AND Pablo Sandoval. Incredible. What's next Sherzer and Lester?
Hitchens needs to get stronger but his instincts and quickness are tremendous. He keeps this up and it will go along way to making up for losing Holloman and LB depth in general. Looking forward it appears that LB will be right up at the top of the list of draft needs nonetheless. We need help all over this defense.
Was almost as happy to see Heath on the field as I was to see Hayden. He is good for a first down anytime you please. There was a lot of bad tackling and filling wrong gaps. McClain and Wilber participated in this party too but outside of Wilcox everyone in the secondary was pretty bad. Heath got his interception but his lack of range was apparent. He missed tackles.
Carr makes too much money and needs to go but I am not too worried about him. He is not built to handle this scheme and of course will struggle. He wants to bump and run and they don't let him do it a whole lot. He is a gamer though and will make a play before this year is through. His signing and then changing to the 4-3 speaks to a sea change in the Cowboys front office. That is for sure. Give malcontents a banner issue. I am going to laugh when we draft a CB.
Scandrick had the hold but overall wasn't thrown on much that I could tell. Moore gave up some completions early but settled down. Eli did most of his work against LB and Carr.
I thought Wilcox played well. He did a good job bracketing over the top, playing seek and destroy on screens and underneath. He had two very good stops on two second and goals that went for naught.
We need help at S, CB, LB, and DE. We're fine at DT with Crawford, Brent, Bishop and hopefully Melton and Coleman. Melton is making a strong case for that contract. Offense needs depth at WR, RB, OL, and QB.
Enjoy reading your take, as always.
Agree completely on Hitchens and Wilcox -- both are making big progress, and have the instincts and talent for their positions.
Hannah is growing into an NFL TE -- he and Escobar will be able to fill Witten's void. Hannah's blocking has really improved, and he's an unused weapon downfield.
While Wilbur, Carr, and Hayden don't fit the scheme, they will most likely not return. Yes, we need to draft a CB.
Smith still has a bad ankle, and can't push off fully on that side.
Spencer will never return completely to form, and may be worse next year. Should be able to limit his snaps as a backup, and sign him for the minimum.
Harris is a baller and is surprisingly durable, considering the hits he gives and takes.
Beasley and Dunbar are under-used.
Tony wasn't sharp early; probably needed time for his shots to kick in.
Michaels is a NY homer, but I imagine the network wanted it that way last night.
The Gnats nearly beat us at our own game.
They won decisively in TOP, third down efficiency, and first downs. Their receivers were wide open too often, and they beat us in passing yards.
That INT was the big difference, coupled with the fact that we can still run the ball (we won that battle).
OL is blue-chip and blue collar.
Your apparent baseball TIA is noted; must be withdrawals.
