Fuzzy Game Thoughts vs PHI

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the write up Fuzzy.

 

[Crown Royal]

I appreciate your recaps Fuzzy, they always bring great insight. But I got a bone to pick with you regarding Barry Church.

You're willing to overlook mediocre games by Wilcox and highlight his positives because he's a young guy who hasn't been playing the position very long.

But I don't ever see you give Mr. Church the benefit of the doubt, nor do I see him acknowledged even when he has good games.

I thought he was a catalyst in last week's come from behind win vs. NYG. He had two "splash plays" that I can recall off top, one of which he was robbed of by the refs (the forced fumble on Andre Brown inside the 10). But no mention from you.

Then vs. the Eagles, I thought he was very active around the LOS. He was in on several tackles and did a good job of keeping outside contain from what I recall. He was milliseconds away from creating a huge forced fumble on Shady inside the Cowboys redzone. He also had that four point saving pass deflection on Ertz on 3rd down in the redzone which resulted in a Philly FG.

Give my guy some credit.

I won't speak for Fuzzy but I'll give an opinion on this, especially as a guy who is a Church fan.

Church is in his 5th year, and despite his 4.69 combine time, seems to lack rangy speed and can't cover ground all that quickly. He's not a poor athlete, but he's a touch slower than you want a deep safety to be. Where he gets by is his technique and ability to make tackles. When a 5th year pro who is not an amazing athlete makes mistakes such as poor angles, poor tackling or just being out of position, he gets no benefit of the doubt.

Wilcox, on the other hand, seems to be athletically capable. I never really watch Wilcox and just think the guy can't run - he can move and move quickly. Additionally, this is his second year in the league and only third year overall. He shows some very good flashes, which he did on Thursday, but also some mistakes. His mistakes are currently mental, but for a guy only playing the position for the third year, and as a second year pro, he gets a little more wiggle room and patience.

If Wilcox doesn't improve mentally over the next season or two, I would expect you will see him get the same treatment as Church currently does - perhaps more, since his physical ceiling seems higher.

 

[Crown Royal]

Now that I type all that out, I wonder if they wouldn't consider putting church in at LB and Wilcox/Spillman at safety in passing situations. I'm not too happy with either position right now, but I really really don't like our LBers in coverage.

 

[cowboys1981]

IMO, Hayden is a big cause for the failure of the defense. When the 1-tech can't draw a double team or gets blown out if he does, then it throws off the entire DLine. If the DLine is off that throws off the rest of the defense. The LBs are seeing extra blockers on their level in the run game and the lack of pass rush obviously is bad for the secondary.

I'm ready to see if Josh Brent has anything. The early 2012 version of Josh Brent would definitely draw double teams.

If Crawford and Melton can't play all of the snaps in the Nickel, I think T. McClain is a better pass rusher than Hayden.

I appreciate that Hayden is Mr. Hustle, but it's just not enough to overcome his lack of talent.

He is! I think his performance is being overlooked by many. Wait until we see a 1Tech that can draw two blockers. It's a big difference when you see gaps for LBs to run through without having to see a lineman (extra) in your face consistently.

 

[xwalker]

Now that I type all that out, I wonder if they wouldn't consider putting church in at LB and Wilcox/Spillman at safety in passing situations. I'm not too happy with either position right now, but I really really don't like our LBers in coverage.

They had Wilcox, Church and Spillman all in the game together for some snaps, IIRC. A LB has to be out of the game for the extra Safety to be in.

I know that they gave up a big pass play when Spillman was in the game.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Thanks Fuzz - hey, I saw this quote by Garrett, after watching the tape, do you have any idea who he's talking about--

''I can show you consecutive plays where we executed really well and the same guy did not do what he was supposed to do in the same situation and they really hurt us,'' coach Jason Garrett said.

That's about as 'called out' as you'll get in public by Jason, I'm thinking it was a linebacker who didn't contain - any thoughts?

Leary, Hanna, Hitchens, and Spillman all come to mind. Wiclox kept on eating play fakes on the first couple drives as well before it was corrected.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I appreciate your recaps Fuzzy, they always bring great insight. But I got a bone to pick with you regarding Barry Church.

You're willing to overlook mediocre games by Wilcox and highlight his positives because he's a young guy who hasn't been playing the position very long.

But I don't ever see you give Mr. Church the benefit of the doubt, nor do I see him acknowledged even when he has good games.

I thought he was a catalyst in last week's come from behind win vs. NYG. He had two "splash plays" that I can recall off top, one of which he was robbed of by the refs (the forced fumble on Andre Brown inside the 10). But no mention from you.

Then vs. the Eagles, I thought he was very active around the LOS. He was in on several tackles and did a good job of keeping outside contain from what I recall. He was milliseconds away from creating a huge forced fumble on Shady inside the Cowboys redzone. He also had that four point saving pass deflection on Ertz on 3rd down in the redzone which resulted in a Philly FG.

Give my guy some credit.

I didn't do the Giants game as my work schedule is erratic as implementation moves forward.

I'm not very high of Church and he looks slow. The pick he got against Eli was a bad throw. He was Johnny on the spot but a 4.4 guy is on the receiver and not 2 yards away.

I said he does a nice job in pursuit. He doesn't bust assignments but he looks slow to me. Sorry. I don't hate the guy, I just want better athletes and of the back 7 only Wilber is worse in that regard. If we can use him as a nickel LB and ST ace that would be ideal. I don't want to get rid of him and I value his contributions.

 

[popp1234]

It's a tall order especially on the road, but not impossible. We cannot have poor OL play again.

Thanks very much for the original post and insight. Hell, the Cowboys playing on the road is exactly what gives me confidence. As strange as that may sound.

 

[Crown Royal]

I didn't do the Giants game as my work schedule is erratic as implementation moves forward.

I'm not very high of Church and he looks slow. The pick he got against Eli was a bad throw. He was Johnny on the spot but a 4.4 guy is on the receiver and not 2 yards away.

I said he does a nice job in pursuit. He doesn't bust assignments but he looks slow to me. Sorry. I don't hate the guy, I just want better athletes and of the back 7 only Wilber is worse in that regard. If we can use him as a nickel LB and ST ace that would be ideal. I don't want to get rid of him and I value his contributions.

Church is like Anthony Henry was (although shorter). He has to be technically perfect to make up for lack of athleticism. If he can't be technically perfect, he isn't a starter.

 

[xwalker]

I have read about people complaining about playcalling but to my eyes it looked like a series of bad individual performances was the real issue. While Murray was able to only gain 3.7 ypc that was due to poor blocking particularly from the left side.

The defense still fails to cover routes run into zone coverages particularly underneath and a lack of team speed was on full display.

The OL was at best a mixed bag. Both Leary and Smith were bad and appear hurt. Smith failed to reach blocks, seemed weak at the poa and was pressing to the point it created problems.

Leary was god awful for all of some fans excuse making. He missed several blocks on first half runs fail to block anyone on the second level multiple times. He followed that up by being a sieve for Fletcher Cox in the nickel. He whiffed horribly on simple inside out moves and gave up sacks on consecutive plays in the 3rd when we finally abandoned the run. After that they gave him help but he continued to struggle and failed to block anyone allowing pressure into his A and B gap on stunts and blitzes. When Leary is on he is a mauling force but this game saw him as bad or worse as Chicago or Detroit last year.

Fred was up and down. He lost his feet a couple times trying to reach blocks and led to negative runs and screwed up the snap count leading to a sack but he also was dominant at the poa a few times springing runs in the first half.

Martin was once again dominant at the poa and on the move. I think it makes sense next year flipping guards and having Leary closer to potential help of the strongside. Martin seems better suited to matchup with the league's various 3 techniques on a consistent basis.

Free was consistent in reaching his blocks and executing but as usual he doesn't have great power to tryuly be a difference maker. When he is the worst player on the line it's great. When the left side plays as it did then that is another story.

Romo got freaked out after the left side caved and poor pass protection was once again a serious issue. We can make noise all we want about how Callahan has done wonders for the run game but his pass protection has been spotty all year. Romo was not particularly accurate to begin with but soon he was throwing off balance on his front or back foot and plain running for his life. The interceptions were bad but he was clearly impacted by the pass rush we couldn't block very well.

Murray ran hard but left yards out there trying to make a play. Cannot fault his effort though. While much of the skill position players came in soft and half asleep, he came to play from the opening. Randle and Dunbar looked very good with quickness to the line and determined running.

Dez made plays and kept his cool for what must have surely been a frustrating game for him. He fought for passes and kept trying to make plays when the offense was clearly struggling in the second half. Williams finally decided to play with a bit more urgency at the end but by then it was out of reach. His soft route running has become a problem.

Beasley can get open easily against most coverages in the NFL. He is an asset. The fumble he had saw him moving the ball from the inside to outside arm and the LB made a good play. That being said that is no excuse; if he is going to fumble then he needs cover with both hands and get down. That fumble in the second quarter was a back breaker.

Witten continues to block well at the poa but its hard to evaluate route running with the telecast. Hanna and Escobar got pushed around and didn't hold LB blocks particularly well. Hanna was particularly disappointing

Defense was not good. Selvie is okay but he lacks quickness and was exploited. He is a solid backup but marginal starter. He did make a few plays and pressures but also failed at the poa and was a nonfactor at other times.

Nick Hayden just pisses me off now. He saw one double team and blown off the ball but for the most part he saw single blocking and was dominated. It's entirely too easy to hook and seal him leaving a big fat lane. The Eagles ran at him and Selvie a lot and it worked. Seeing him in on the nickle at this point really really really makes me mad. He makes no plays and gets no push. I fail to see the point of him outside of making line calls and chasing down plays 10 yards downfield.

Crawford was a bright spot and was able to beat Mathis several times. He did a good job penetrating and getting off blocks all game long. Mincey struggled to get away from Peters all game long. He is another who is a marginal starter but superb backup.

Spencer was quick and did a good job chasing down the line and getting off blocks. His pass rush wasn't dominant but it did move Sanchez off his spot and force throws. Problem is that the Hayden single block and double on the 3 tech left a nice pocket to step into.

T McClain plays a bit out of control. He is quick upfield and disruptive but he doesn't maintain control and cannot finish. Melton didn't play much and got a LOT of attention when he did.

Lawrence saw a lot of runs and held his own at the poa. He uses his arms to his advantage. His pass rush moves are unrefined to say that least and his handwork is a work in progress. Lack of training camp impacted him severely.

WIlber didn't see much action in the first half. We played a lot of Heath at nickel LB with Spillman andWilcox behind. When Wilber was in he wasn't effective.

Rolando looked like much of our defense: slow. He gave good effort but the eagles did a good job getting guards onto him and he was forever on the chase. He was not prepared to cover routes into his zone.

Hitchens was targeted and exploited in the run and pass all game long. He was dominated against Celek and the OG at the poa. Blown off the ball and gave up huge runs. They ran routes at him continually and he failed to keep up with Celek on a crossing route giving up a TD. He gave up another big play on the Bruce Carter special being baited underneath and giving up a play over the top

Carter was playing scared and uncertain once again. You cannot do that against runs up the middle and sharp off tackle. Instead of filling holes he was a step slow. He came closest to executing his zones but failed to makes plays on the ball.

Church looks slow and they ran right at him in the nickel and he caved. Did okay chasing off the back end but he cannot get outside to the sideline on deep throws when taking a deep drop. Was pushed around on teams as well.

Wilcox was up and down but he was relentless and aggressive. His play in the second quarter was inspiring and got some stops but the offense's turnovers made it all for naught. He did make some mistakes in coming up too aggressively and taking bad angles but he continues to make plays and I expect those bad decisions to become less and less as he gains experience. He can get to the sideline and he likes to hit.

Spillman got plenty of time and was targeted and exploited as well. He lacks awareness and doesn't anticipate throws or routes into his zone. Sanchez was not scared to throw into the middle of the field due to atrocious coverage from LB and S.

Corners were okay. Carr is a favorite whipping boy but outside of the in route off cover 3 he was fine. He is not equipped to play that coverage well especially with LB who don't know how to buzz routes worth a flip.

Scandrick was flattened in the run game multiple times and surrendered crossing routes.

Moore was consistent in coverage and made plays the few times he was thrown on.

Garrett and company got outcoached and outmaneuvered. Spillman, Wilber, Heath, Hitchens, Hayden, Smith, Leary, Hanna, and Romo were all targeted successfully and exploited resulting in the butt whopping we all watched.

What do you think they should do in the offseason on defense? Would 1 elite DE be enough combined with Brent/Bishop replacing Hayden?

 

[Idgit]

Aren't they really the same person?

Here's what I always think of:

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

What do you think they should do in the offseason on defense? Would 1 elite DE be enough combined with Brent/Bishop replacing Hayden?

For DT I would be okay with going with Brent, Crawford, Bishop, and Coleman. If a DT is BPA you certainly don't shy away but its not critical.

Retain McClain and with Lee coming back we have two starters but we needs a third and depth and bringing back Durant does not change that. An athletic OLB is a huge need.

Corner won't be a trainwreck if Scandrick and Moore come back with Patmon in the wings but an upgrade is in order.

Our biggest needs are at DE and FS. Lawrence is a nice prospect but he still is a question mark. Spencer needs to move to RDE or to a 3-4 team. He is miscast as a SDE. Selvie and Mincey are backups.

We have no FS on the roster except Hamilton and they do not trust him. I trust them in htose types of decisions even if I am ignorant.

And we still need depth at RB and OL as well as a WR2 to compete with TWill.

 

[Risen Star]

Hey guys?

Would signing one elite DE be enough to fix this defense?

Could we be one really good player away?

I've been personally scouting this issue all day. What say you?

But before you respond, keep in mind all of our talent.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I rank team needs as follows

DE
FS
OLB
CB
WR
RB
OT
DT
QB
OG/C
TE

 

[Crown Royal]

I rank team needs as follows

DE
FS
OLB
CB
WR
RB
OT
DT
QB
OG/C
TE

Id switch OLB and FS. Even if Durant returns, Carter is gone and the lbers depth is meh.


Also move TE up. Value to be had in RD2

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Here's what I always think of:

I think it's kinda funny. I make them really really mad but I was fairly critical of several players so they don't know what to do. Sam won't respond to me. I think he doesn't trust himself to not get banned but I cannot be sure. B is not worth going back and forth with because our mutual loathing shines through very quickly and it devolves too quickly.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Id switch OLB and FS. Even if Durant returns, Carter is gone and the lbers depth is meh.


Also move TE up. Value to be had in RD2

I cannot quibble that I just think a true rangy FS would be more beneficial than a Sam. Church is not a FS and is miscast over on the weakside in the base.

I would love to get that FS from Fresno State but I don't see a playmaker like that lasting to us that late. I'm not sure what options are at LB tbh.

 

[Idgit]

I think it's kinda funny. I make them really really mad but I was fairly critical of several players so they don't know what to do. Sam won't respond to me. I think he doesn't trust himself to not get banned but I cannot be sure. B is not worth going back and forth with because our mutual loathing shines through very quickly and it devolves too quickly.

That means you're kind of in the sweet spot. It was another really good OP though, and that's what matters most to most of us. Good stuff.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Hey guys?

Would signing one elite DE be enough to fix this defense?

Could we be one really good player away?

I've been personally scouting this issue all day. What say you?

But before you respond, keep in mind all of our talent.

Trollscore: 2/10

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Trollscore: 2/10

Yeah, it was a meh attempt.