FuzzyLumpkins
The Boognish
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When you can see the whole field you go in thinking that you will finally be able to understand what the offense and particular Tony Romo is doing. One thing about All-22 is that it is silent. It's a shot of the entire field but during the telecast they do a good job of giving audio presnap and we can hear Romo make Erhardt-Perkins (EP) audilbles, kill calls and the like. In the future I will try to take notes and reference that in the all-22 and see if I can figure anything out. As it is right now that is a huge hole in my understanding.
That is the thing about QB play, I don't know the play call. I can see the routes now but I don't know which one are option routes nor do I know what type of adjustments the scheme/playcall demands. As such I am fairly limited in what I can really say about how Romo performed and can do little better than what you see in the press. He does seem healthier and performing better under the current workout regimen. Like accuracy on his throws is much more consistent. You guys already knew that.
One thing that I am quickly beginning to realize is that just as much as the slow relay of the playcall before was an issue, Romo didn't adjust. I find myself criticizing him for taking so much time every snap anyway. Dealing with the world as it is and not the ideal that you want it to be is a maxim of mine.
Anyway that is a moot point now. Linehan is getting the playcall in quickly, Romo regularly has 20 or more seconds to make calls and adjustments and he uses them aplenty. People might want to see the no huddle but Romo prefers the Peyton Manning treatment. That's fine and I want to give the benefit of the doubt but I would be lying if moving forward that does not worry me. I still remember him checking out of a run to throw a hot route that got picked off by the corner against GB.
It's emotional and I get that but it is there just the same. OTOH, the interior line is doing a good job for the most part of providing a solid front for him to step into. I'll get more into that here later but it is allowing Romo to consistently see the field and able to step into his throws. Guys are also doing a good job staying on their feet so even when they get beat by a rush, Romo can play off them to reestablish blocks and escape.
His timing is also better. In the first game, he was off and you could tell as he pulled the ball down and looked uncertain and panicked. That is no more. He is making his reads and then getting the ball out quickly or sidestepping the rush in the flow of the snap. Just a much better flow to his performance from pass to pass.
Linehan likes to use 3 receivers on the open side. The open side is the side of the field towards the opposite hash where there is more room to operate as opposed to the near or closed side. He will bunch them or spread them out and then attack all over that side of the field. He does that with one deep route ie a go up the seam or post from outside to attack the middle of the field or a go outside and flag inside to attack the deep perimeter. Then behind those he runs curls, ins and outs at various depths. So for example he might motion Williams inside of Witten and Beasley and then run a go up the seam. This is a look that we ran the ball out of a lot to set up. Then Witten runs the 5 yard out that he has made a living on over his career and then Beasley on an in at 12 yards. This puts a ton of pressure on the defense. If the LB drops are at say 10 yards then it going to be very difficult to attack the throw to Witten at the depth of 5 yards. We've all seen the completions and Witten sidestepping LB/S that come up to try and tackle him. A shorter drop lets Beasley get behind them.
This is something that I will make a point of creating a few gif examples for people to look at but before that I encourage you to look on Sunday for the three receivers on the open side and check the routes that come out of them. See if you see what I am seeing and whether or not you agree.
Now after the fact, Romo said that Linehan does an excellent job of adjusting the depths so that is another thing I am going to be looking for. Not necessarily the same receivers but I want to see how the depths of the routes evolve over the game relative to the LB drops. This ladies and gentlemen is the chess match that we always hear about. I cannot wait to see more of it.
As for Linehan's contributions, I have seen people attribute it to playcalling quite often. I have poo-pooed that notion in the past but in fairness there is merit there. He does do a good job of presenting a look -think Williams motioning in tight to the formation- and then setting up an expectation. In this case it was a series of runs with some impressive blocks from Williams on LB. He will show that several times. He will then come back and run play action out of it shoot Williams up the seam past the LB who is looking for that run.
He does this with everything. He will stretch left and roll out right. He will show inside power to the strong side and then do a counter toss to the weak when they overload and so on. That is undoubtedly playcalling but it is also so much more than that. Game planning and execution (re: practice) play a huge part in this. it's not all about what we watch on gameday. A lot of this is built in the meeting room and on the practice field. As a matter of fact, I have been very impressed by the preparation of the offense and defense as opposed to previous years. Our guys know the schemes better and the coaches better prepared to make adjustments on the fly.
The maturation of Bryant is chronicled in the press and it's easy to see why. He gets a lot of attention from safeties over the top and LB trying to flash underneath. He was limited by the scheme yet continued to play hard despite limited opportunities. He has also done an admirable job with his conditioning since last week. i'm not sure if he is pacing himself better or what but we are not seeing the fourth quarter collapse in his endurance like we had previously. that 4th quarter fade off pa was a gutsy call but single coverage on one of the best WR in the NFL is a look that you strive for. Now if the running game can continue to get him single coverage outside then sign me up. It will be interesting to see if teams can adjust to our running attack without relaxing coverage on Dez. The Saints didn't come close.
Williams not only has avoided the sophomore slump but he has elevated his game. In the run game he was blocking at an elite level for a WR. Blocking down and snuffing out LB inline is impressive. The play design helped him a bit by having him on the move during the snap -a gif would be perfect here I know- but to sustain a block on an NFL linebacker at the poa is something that not but a handful of WR in the NFL can do consistently.
He has good deep speed which was helped by the playaction that look gave but what has impressed me most about Williams game is his quickness. Take his slant route for example. Single step to the outside with his outside foot, plant it, and then just explode back inside. His technique has always been good but he is coming out of his breaks better than he has before and its beating single coverage. He is winning on the in, drag, curl, fade, and seam to get a half dozen catches and a couple TDs. Not a bad day's work.
I would also add that Williams catch radius has expanded and he is attacking the football better. I have yet to see him really extend to make a catch outside his body but he is doing better in that regard. Holding onto the ball on that in in the EZ was straight money after he snatched the ball out of the air.
Dwayne Harris has had some tough sledding this year. The blocking on the punt returns leave a bit to be desired and most punts saw gunners and middle coverage winning battles and demanding fair catches. Linehan uses him similar to how he uses Dunbar and I like his potential in the role. What I mean is that his role is to attack the underneath coverage. Underneath throws like the curl, smoke or flare and get him in space. He remains elusive and looks like he is going to break one here sooner or later. They did finally get him the ball on the inside run/end around play they like to run but the Saints defender did a good job keeping outside contain forcing him to loop around him and scuttling the play.
The Bease did not enjoy an expanded role as he did against the Saints. With his quickness, double moves are devastating. While I describe Williams as explosive -Dez too for that matter- I describe Beasley's as sudden and his ability to stop and start is unparalleled on the roster. I want to see more in and ups that beat double teams. As it was we saw the short in and that was about it for the most part from Beasley this game. It remains his staple.
Street needs to attack the ball and go get it. He much like Williams last year needs to go get the football as NFL defenders will try to compete for the ball. Byrd did. It wasn't a particularly good throw from Romo - those throws outside and underneath can be an adventure sometimes- but i would like to see him do a better job there. He was kind of soft on a throw to him against SF as well. I hate soft players and he needs to step up. He needs the Woicik treatment in a bad way.
Witten is just tremendous. I am not sure where to give credit with the coaches but all our guys ability to reach blocks in space is simply tremendous. You see the technique of breaking down and moving into position to cut off pursuit out on the perimeter and it works. -I know a good spot for a gif- Cowboys pulled him over to the poa multiple times and it sprung Murray for a TD at one point. It's a technique you see our guys use on kickoff returns so I suspect Bissacia but at the same token they weren't blocking like that before Pope was here.
In the passing game he ran a string of deep ins and quick outs that the NO LB and S struggled to cover when he was not assisting on pass blocks like he was on the Dez TD. Haven't seen him run up the seam often to this point very often which in previous years has been a staple. I definitely get the impression that we have not begun to see all of the tricks Linehan has up his sleeve. Hasn't been as much of focal point in the red zone either as opposed to last year. Nevertheless a very productive day for the future HoF. Predictions of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
Backup TE is something to look at moving forward and I am curious if this game wasn't a bit of a signal towards more snaps for Escobar. Hanna started the game and continues to show consistency if not a ton of power in his blocks. He reaches and sustains his blocks well on S, LB, and DE alike. He does not drive or finish like a top inline blocker though. He is not out in routes but his consistency made Escobar's role this game a bit of surprise.
Escobar came in early and showed up with a catch on an in route. You will see the inline TE run a short in and then somebody in the slot run a deep in to give Romo a couple of crossing routes to choose from. Drag routes from outside WR and a deep in are another favorite to achieve this look but I digress. Anyway, Escobar continued to get a lot of snaps and his blocking was impressive. I watched Smith pass off Gallette on the edge to him in pass blocking and he again showed excellent technique sliding and using his hands to carry him upfield. The Saints covered him up with a S as opposed to the LB Hanna was seeing and while i wouldn't say that he dominated Byrd, he was able to sustain his block and allowed Murray to run right behind him. What really struck me is at the end of the game when we were looking to run out the clock, it was Escobar out there instead of Hanna. That speaks to a high degree of trust and I am curious to see if it carries over into more consistent playing time. I know that he dinged his shoulder in PS and looking at practice photos, he has a wrap on his knee but he is doing a very solid job as a complete TE.
Smith dominated Gallette and added him to the list as yet another guy he had giving up on rushes. The telecast did a great job demonstrating the power of his punch but he is lightning fast when setting up on the snap. He straight pancaked Gallettes spin move. In the run game he blew up Gallette, blocked down on what was a long day for Cam Jordan and was one of four Cowboys OL that were dominant in the second level. I haven't watched a whole heck of a lot of LT but to this point he's outplayed Jake Long and Joe Staley that I have seen and Long had a good game against Mincey. He is looking like an all pro.
Leary whiffed on a move Bunkley put on him early and let him tackle Murray for no gain but he spent most of the afternoon destroying Cam Jordan who at the end of the game was being pissy and trying to start a fight. He does a pretty good job on the second level but his feet are the weakness to his game. His punch is devastating but if he lets a guy stack onto his pads or get inside them, they can get some push as Bunkley and Jordan managed to do once each. At the same time he is doing a much more consistent job reaching his blocks and you are not seeing the brainfart whiffs that you have in the past. I don't know how much more of a ceiling that he has but to this point he has developed himself into a solid pro. Maybe he can get stronger in the lower body and improve the anchor a bit.
Fred is a rock in the middle and sets up and anchors better than any Cowboys C I have ever seen. Stepnoski, Donaldson, and Gurode all went to the probowl but none have been better. OTOH, his ability in space on the second level is tremendous for a man of his size and power. He has taken over the role Bernadeau had last year where he would help set up blocks and move to the second level.
-insert GIF here-
Now he is the one securing Bunkley for Leary or Martin and then blowing up a LB. Lofton has to be having nightmares about him. Watching him run downfield on screen plays makes me wonder exactly how he ran a 5.61 40 or a 3 cone of almost 8 seconds. Between that and the 21 reps on the bench i question how seriously he treated the combine. His performance in Indianapolis is not commensurate with what I saw last Sunday. He looks very athletic.
Not as athletic as Martin though. One stretch left saw Bunkley lined up on the weakside A gap opposite Martin and get off the ball well, moving away from Martin. Because of that Frederick could not get more than a measly out of position push to slow him down. No matter for Martin who almost overran the block and sealed off the pursuit. Now I get that Bunkley is not the fastest bloke out there but the only other guy I have seen do that type of move and reach it is Smith. It's also amusing guys snap back when he hits them with his punch. Hicks was visibly jarred a couple of times.
the criticism is in dealing with line stunts. the DT or DE crashes Free who turns in to pick him up while the OLD/DE loops around to try and hit the far A gap off of Fred. In order to counter this, Martin has to be quick to turn and pick up Freds man or he cannot stop the A gap penetration. Martin will be a beat slow from time to time and that is all it takes. Romo still makes his oline look better though and Zack owes him a steak dinner or the like. Murray also will help clean this type of thing up but enough pass rushers and you are essentially a man down.
NO is a good matchup for free as they do not have a whole lot of talent of the strongside edge. He showed nice lower body power driving Hicks and Haralsen backwards. I don't know if Doug has small hands or what but the disparity between the power in his legs and that of his punch is marked. He can push but just cannot hold on very well against stronger players. When he can move his feet it doesn't matter though. The bad steps that he was taking a couple of years ago are a thing of the past. Solid game from Free.
That is the thing about QB play, I don't know the play call. I can see the routes now but I don't know which one are option routes nor do I know what type of adjustments the scheme/playcall demands. As such I am fairly limited in what I can really say about how Romo performed and can do little better than what you see in the press. He does seem healthier and performing better under the current workout regimen. Like accuracy on his throws is much more consistent. You guys already knew that.
One thing that I am quickly beginning to realize is that just as much as the slow relay of the playcall before was an issue, Romo didn't adjust. I find myself criticizing him for taking so much time every snap anyway. Dealing with the world as it is and not the ideal that you want it to be is a maxim of mine.
Anyway that is a moot point now. Linehan is getting the playcall in quickly, Romo regularly has 20 or more seconds to make calls and adjustments and he uses them aplenty. People might want to see the no huddle but Romo prefers the Peyton Manning treatment. That's fine and I want to give the benefit of the doubt but I would be lying if moving forward that does not worry me. I still remember him checking out of a run to throw a hot route that got picked off by the corner against GB.
It's emotional and I get that but it is there just the same. OTOH, the interior line is doing a good job for the most part of providing a solid front for him to step into. I'll get more into that here later but it is allowing Romo to consistently see the field and able to step into his throws. Guys are also doing a good job staying on their feet so even when they get beat by a rush, Romo can play off them to reestablish blocks and escape.
His timing is also better. In the first game, he was off and you could tell as he pulled the ball down and looked uncertain and panicked. That is no more. He is making his reads and then getting the ball out quickly or sidestepping the rush in the flow of the snap. Just a much better flow to his performance from pass to pass.
Linehan likes to use 3 receivers on the open side. The open side is the side of the field towards the opposite hash where there is more room to operate as opposed to the near or closed side. He will bunch them or spread them out and then attack all over that side of the field. He does that with one deep route ie a go up the seam or post from outside to attack the middle of the field or a go outside and flag inside to attack the deep perimeter. Then behind those he runs curls, ins and outs at various depths. So for example he might motion Williams inside of Witten and Beasley and then run a go up the seam. This is a look that we ran the ball out of a lot to set up. Then Witten runs the 5 yard out that he has made a living on over his career and then Beasley on an in at 12 yards. This puts a ton of pressure on the defense. If the LB drops are at say 10 yards then it going to be very difficult to attack the throw to Witten at the depth of 5 yards. We've all seen the completions and Witten sidestepping LB/S that come up to try and tackle him. A shorter drop lets Beasley get behind them.
This is something that I will make a point of creating a few gif examples for people to look at but before that I encourage you to look on Sunday for the three receivers on the open side and check the routes that come out of them. See if you see what I am seeing and whether or not you agree.
Now after the fact, Romo said that Linehan does an excellent job of adjusting the depths so that is another thing I am going to be looking for. Not necessarily the same receivers but I want to see how the depths of the routes evolve over the game relative to the LB drops. This ladies and gentlemen is the chess match that we always hear about. I cannot wait to see more of it.
As for Linehan's contributions, I have seen people attribute it to playcalling quite often. I have poo-pooed that notion in the past but in fairness there is merit there. He does do a good job of presenting a look -think Williams motioning in tight to the formation- and then setting up an expectation. In this case it was a series of runs with some impressive blocks from Williams on LB. He will show that several times. He will then come back and run play action out of it shoot Williams up the seam past the LB who is looking for that run.
He does this with everything. He will stretch left and roll out right. He will show inside power to the strong side and then do a counter toss to the weak when they overload and so on. That is undoubtedly playcalling but it is also so much more than that. Game planning and execution (re: practice) play a huge part in this. it's not all about what we watch on gameday. A lot of this is built in the meeting room and on the practice field. As a matter of fact, I have been very impressed by the preparation of the offense and defense as opposed to previous years. Our guys know the schemes better and the coaches better prepared to make adjustments on the fly.
The maturation of Bryant is chronicled in the press and it's easy to see why. He gets a lot of attention from safeties over the top and LB trying to flash underneath. He was limited by the scheme yet continued to play hard despite limited opportunities. He has also done an admirable job with his conditioning since last week. i'm not sure if he is pacing himself better or what but we are not seeing the fourth quarter collapse in his endurance like we had previously. that 4th quarter fade off pa was a gutsy call but single coverage on one of the best WR in the NFL is a look that you strive for. Now if the running game can continue to get him single coverage outside then sign me up. It will be interesting to see if teams can adjust to our running attack without relaxing coverage on Dez. The Saints didn't come close.
Williams not only has avoided the sophomore slump but he has elevated his game. In the run game he was blocking at an elite level for a WR. Blocking down and snuffing out LB inline is impressive. The play design helped him a bit by having him on the move during the snap -a gif would be perfect here I know- but to sustain a block on an NFL linebacker at the poa is something that not but a handful of WR in the NFL can do consistently.
He has good deep speed which was helped by the playaction that look gave but what has impressed me most about Williams game is his quickness. Take his slant route for example. Single step to the outside with his outside foot, plant it, and then just explode back inside. His technique has always been good but he is coming out of his breaks better than he has before and its beating single coverage. He is winning on the in, drag, curl, fade, and seam to get a half dozen catches and a couple TDs. Not a bad day's work.
I would also add that Williams catch radius has expanded and he is attacking the football better. I have yet to see him really extend to make a catch outside his body but he is doing better in that regard. Holding onto the ball on that in in the EZ was straight money after he snatched the ball out of the air.
Dwayne Harris has had some tough sledding this year. The blocking on the punt returns leave a bit to be desired and most punts saw gunners and middle coverage winning battles and demanding fair catches. Linehan uses him similar to how he uses Dunbar and I like his potential in the role. What I mean is that his role is to attack the underneath coverage. Underneath throws like the curl, smoke or flare and get him in space. He remains elusive and looks like he is going to break one here sooner or later. They did finally get him the ball on the inside run/end around play they like to run but the Saints defender did a good job keeping outside contain forcing him to loop around him and scuttling the play.
The Bease did not enjoy an expanded role as he did against the Saints. With his quickness, double moves are devastating. While I describe Williams as explosive -Dez too for that matter- I describe Beasley's as sudden and his ability to stop and start is unparalleled on the roster. I want to see more in and ups that beat double teams. As it was we saw the short in and that was about it for the most part from Beasley this game. It remains his staple.
Street needs to attack the ball and go get it. He much like Williams last year needs to go get the football as NFL defenders will try to compete for the ball. Byrd did. It wasn't a particularly good throw from Romo - those throws outside and underneath can be an adventure sometimes- but i would like to see him do a better job there. He was kind of soft on a throw to him against SF as well. I hate soft players and he needs to step up. He needs the Woicik treatment in a bad way.
Witten is just tremendous. I am not sure where to give credit with the coaches but all our guys ability to reach blocks in space is simply tremendous. You see the technique of breaking down and moving into position to cut off pursuit out on the perimeter and it works. -I know a good spot for a gif- Cowboys pulled him over to the poa multiple times and it sprung Murray for a TD at one point. It's a technique you see our guys use on kickoff returns so I suspect Bissacia but at the same token they weren't blocking like that before Pope was here.
In the passing game he ran a string of deep ins and quick outs that the NO LB and S struggled to cover when he was not assisting on pass blocks like he was on the Dez TD. Haven't seen him run up the seam often to this point very often which in previous years has been a staple. I definitely get the impression that we have not begun to see all of the tricks Linehan has up his sleeve. Hasn't been as much of focal point in the red zone either as opposed to last year. Nevertheless a very productive day for the future HoF. Predictions of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
Backup TE is something to look at moving forward and I am curious if this game wasn't a bit of a signal towards more snaps for Escobar. Hanna started the game and continues to show consistency if not a ton of power in his blocks. He reaches and sustains his blocks well on S, LB, and DE alike. He does not drive or finish like a top inline blocker though. He is not out in routes but his consistency made Escobar's role this game a bit of surprise.
Escobar came in early and showed up with a catch on an in route. You will see the inline TE run a short in and then somebody in the slot run a deep in to give Romo a couple of crossing routes to choose from. Drag routes from outside WR and a deep in are another favorite to achieve this look but I digress. Anyway, Escobar continued to get a lot of snaps and his blocking was impressive. I watched Smith pass off Gallette on the edge to him in pass blocking and he again showed excellent technique sliding and using his hands to carry him upfield. The Saints covered him up with a S as opposed to the LB Hanna was seeing and while i wouldn't say that he dominated Byrd, he was able to sustain his block and allowed Murray to run right behind him. What really struck me is at the end of the game when we were looking to run out the clock, it was Escobar out there instead of Hanna. That speaks to a high degree of trust and I am curious to see if it carries over into more consistent playing time. I know that he dinged his shoulder in PS and looking at practice photos, he has a wrap on his knee but he is doing a very solid job as a complete TE.
Smith dominated Gallette and added him to the list as yet another guy he had giving up on rushes. The telecast did a great job demonstrating the power of his punch but he is lightning fast when setting up on the snap. He straight pancaked Gallettes spin move. In the run game he blew up Gallette, blocked down on what was a long day for Cam Jordan and was one of four Cowboys OL that were dominant in the second level. I haven't watched a whole heck of a lot of LT but to this point he's outplayed Jake Long and Joe Staley that I have seen and Long had a good game against Mincey. He is looking like an all pro.
Leary whiffed on a move Bunkley put on him early and let him tackle Murray for no gain but he spent most of the afternoon destroying Cam Jordan who at the end of the game was being pissy and trying to start a fight. He does a pretty good job on the second level but his feet are the weakness to his game. His punch is devastating but if he lets a guy stack onto his pads or get inside them, they can get some push as Bunkley and Jordan managed to do once each. At the same time he is doing a much more consistent job reaching his blocks and you are not seeing the brainfart whiffs that you have in the past. I don't know how much more of a ceiling that he has but to this point he has developed himself into a solid pro. Maybe he can get stronger in the lower body and improve the anchor a bit.
Fred is a rock in the middle and sets up and anchors better than any Cowboys C I have ever seen. Stepnoski, Donaldson, and Gurode all went to the probowl but none have been better. OTOH, his ability in space on the second level is tremendous for a man of his size and power. He has taken over the role Bernadeau had last year where he would help set up blocks and move to the second level.
-insert GIF here-
Now he is the one securing Bunkley for Leary or Martin and then blowing up a LB. Lofton has to be having nightmares about him. Watching him run downfield on screen plays makes me wonder exactly how he ran a 5.61 40 or a 3 cone of almost 8 seconds. Between that and the 21 reps on the bench i question how seriously he treated the combine. His performance in Indianapolis is not commensurate with what I saw last Sunday. He looks very athletic.
Not as athletic as Martin though. One stretch left saw Bunkley lined up on the weakside A gap opposite Martin and get off the ball well, moving away from Martin. Because of that Frederick could not get more than a measly out of position push to slow him down. No matter for Martin who almost overran the block and sealed off the pursuit. Now I get that Bunkley is not the fastest bloke out there but the only other guy I have seen do that type of move and reach it is Smith. It's also amusing guys snap back when he hits them with his punch. Hicks was visibly jarred a couple of times.
the criticism is in dealing with line stunts. the DT or DE crashes Free who turns in to pick him up while the OLD/DE loops around to try and hit the far A gap off of Fred. In order to counter this, Martin has to be quick to turn and pick up Freds man or he cannot stop the A gap penetration. Martin will be a beat slow from time to time and that is all it takes. Romo still makes his oline look better though and Zack owes him a steak dinner or the like. Murray also will help clean this type of thing up but enough pass rushers and you are essentially a man down.
NO is a good matchup for free as they do not have a whole lot of talent of the strongside edge. He showed nice lower body power driving Hicks and Haralsen backwards. I don't know if Doug has small hands or what but the disparity between the power in his legs and that of his punch is marked. He can push but just cannot hold on very well against stronger players. When he can move his feet it doesn't matter though. The bad steps that he was taking a couple of years ago are a thing of the past. Solid game from Free.
