FuzzyLumpkins
The Boognish
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This was a fun game to watch. Yeah the defense freaked me out and I know middle coverage will be our achilles heal but Leary, Smith, and Hanna sloughed off very poor performances against the Eagles and were once again dominant. The first couple of series ended without points because Romo was erratic on third down but you could see it was going to a long day for Paea, Allen and company.
Special teams chipped in with nice returns and a block and we were up 35-7 by the third quarter. Cutler then figured out that he could throw up the seams and sideline into our zone particularly on Carr, Church, Carter and Spillman. Outside of Crawford the pass rush stank. RDE, FS, OLB. We need help. Mend well Lawrence and Patmon.
Romo ended with a good day but early he was throwing high. That is not doing Witt and Dez any favors. Had those been picked off, it would have been a problem but it wasn't and it is what it is. He seemed to get better as the game improved and ended the game strong. His reads have been good and the pass protection was much better if not perfect. He had a lot of snaps with a lot of time. His ability to dodge the end when the protection shifted left was game changing. He says he is almost out of the transverse woods. It will be nice when that is the case.
Murray wants the record and Garrett and Linehan seem to be intent on it as well keeping him in down the stretch after an already high usage rate. Them ironing out the cross formation pass protection is what let Dez get open for that 40 yard gain. He had to lunge on the earlier sack and missed. I questioned his hands in the offseason but no more. 90% completion percentage is a testament to his work in catching those balls slightly behind and low on the hip that he would drop in years past. Tremendous performance but I would estimate he left another 30 yards on the field being greedy. He looks very quick and fast but he isn't fast enough to cut back like that over and again to be effective. His jump cuts aren't completely lateral too which may be by design but got him in trouble moving backwards.
Joseph the past two weeks has encouraged me with his play. I have been beating the draft a RB drum but between his age and performance I think I will put the tom down. He has evolved into a top ST player and has been solid in executing pass protection when called. These are musts for a roster spot. More tantalizing has been the few chances he has had to run. Joseph was sluggish to the line and in his cuts last year but his improved athleticism this campaign has been a bit of a revelation. This is the year of Murray and I'm fine with that but I am intrigued by what this kid can do. That jump cut at full speed on the second level sprung him for a TD away from two closing defenders. That was elite.
Dunbar's role was minimal outside of teams. I will say I see him consistently reaching and holding blocks on returns with Harris' finding a little more daylight from week to week. He is definitely contributing.
Clutts shows up with good pop on LB in the run game. I would want to upgrade the position with more power but in a league short on FB talent, Clutts acquits himself well enough. I just like a decleater here.
Dez is being featured and responding throughout the game. It was clear they identified a physical mismatch and took advantage. Slants, posts, and in routes saw Dez dominate Fuller and when there was insufficient safety help it led to important third downs and big plays. You could find him blocking upfield with tremendous effort and all in all he had a very good if not gamebreaking day. Looked professional and dominant.
Williams was open but in a time where Witten is only getting 3 targets, I am not overly concerned about Romo looking elsewhere. I am concerned about his physicality in completing catches but it wasn't a problem this game and I am not going to make it one. He is still out there trying his butt off and he is getting open at a decent clip.
Beasley looks small out there but it is clear that he harnesses criticism and uses it as motivation to improve. He is covering the ball with two hands and I feel bad for nickelbackers and LB trying to cover him out to the sideline and the upfield or on his double moves. His quickness is a mismatch inside. I can only imagine how he shreds out middle of the field guys in practice.
Harris ran an out and was the victim of an early Tony Romo overthrow on third down. He doesn't get many opportunities and Romo likes to throw high to him. He was making some nice inline blocks in the run game. He is killer against nickel looks doing this. He also managed to be pretty efficient given his blocking on returns. 25-35 yard line on KO is a win and he would have likely broke the punt for a TD had Pellerin used proper technique. The ST unit is getting better from week to week which is a VERY good sign. Keith Smith is out there and looking active with Lawrence and co too. Remember they kept a potent Eagles ST unit in check the week before.
The offensive line when it on is fun to watch. Smith was sick or something last week but this week saw him matched up against an aging Jared Allen and more or less dominate all day. He is not perfect reaching multiple blocks in a zone and then finishing like one of his teammates but he is pretty good at it. When he sets up quickly in pass protection, you aren't getting around him. Allen was trying to dodge his punch but he had to go a LONG way to do it. As an inline blocker he was showing good pop and movement. His arrow is up.
Leary was back to his aggressive mauling self. What really convinced me of his health was his work on the second level. He got to the mike early and often and snuffed him out. Very good technique and power on the combo block when called on. More aggressive with his punch in pass protection and did a good job sitting down on guys. We need this Leary if we are going to be successful.
Fred is displaying more athleticism than I have credited him for in the past. Sometimes he takes bad steps and gets off balance but those occurrences are fewer and farther between. His work out in space pulling and on screens has been tremendous. Oh and he can sit down single blocking on the best NT the league has to offer. Chicago has a good one but it didn't matter. We blew that defensive front up. Right now Haloti Ngata is the sternest NT I have seen and that is right at about Fred's single blocking limit. Elite.
Martin is putting on one of the best oline performances I have ever seen. I can remember Larry Allen and pancaking Talley and Bennett en route to a SB routs. When you run behind Martin, he ends up blocking three people. First step is to the left where he uses his left hand to jar Paea over Fred. Second step right sees his right hand punch the DE and helps Free finish turning him outside. He then explodes into the LB and drives him back 5 yards. His combination of quickness and power is unparalleled. Pass protection with him is boring the way I like it. They get in range and their rush is over. His main issue is reacting to stunts, twists, and blitzes but as he sees them he is picking them up at a better and better rate. This time next year?
We know the book on Free. When he keeps his hands inside and takes good steps he is very effective. He did so. Not overly powerful but quick. I hope we can retain him. We need too much help elsewhere to spend too much focus on OT.
Witten was out on routes a lot this week. He got a lot of attention and some key third downs. Witten still draws double teams and Escobar was so wideopen in the end zone because Witten had the attention of a LB and S in front of him. His runs up the seam get multiple defenders attention. He is still turning LB and blocking down and DE to great effect.
Escobar is at least average in his blocking. He is not physically dominant but he is competent enough in his technique of getting low with hands inside to drive that he is making a difference inline. Murray TD was right behind him. He has been spotty on KR in space in his frontline role but he did a better job picking someone up and whiffing this week. TD was a nice route.
Hanna was a big part in springing Murrays runs particularly in the first half for big gains outside or offtackle. He was inconsistent last week but played much better Thursday.
I will write up the defense tomorrow where I will be much less glowing particularly in regards to coverage.
Special teams chipped in with nice returns and a block and we were up 35-7 by the third quarter. Cutler then figured out that he could throw up the seams and sideline into our zone particularly on Carr, Church, Carter and Spillman. Outside of Crawford the pass rush stank. RDE, FS, OLB. We need help. Mend well Lawrence and Patmon.
Romo ended with a good day but early he was throwing high. That is not doing Witt and Dez any favors. Had those been picked off, it would have been a problem but it wasn't and it is what it is. He seemed to get better as the game improved and ended the game strong. His reads have been good and the pass protection was much better if not perfect. He had a lot of snaps with a lot of time. His ability to dodge the end when the protection shifted left was game changing. He says he is almost out of the transverse woods. It will be nice when that is the case.
Murray wants the record and Garrett and Linehan seem to be intent on it as well keeping him in down the stretch after an already high usage rate. Them ironing out the cross formation pass protection is what let Dez get open for that 40 yard gain. He had to lunge on the earlier sack and missed. I questioned his hands in the offseason but no more. 90% completion percentage is a testament to his work in catching those balls slightly behind and low on the hip that he would drop in years past. Tremendous performance but I would estimate he left another 30 yards on the field being greedy. He looks very quick and fast but he isn't fast enough to cut back like that over and again to be effective. His jump cuts aren't completely lateral too which may be by design but got him in trouble moving backwards.
Joseph the past two weeks has encouraged me with his play. I have been beating the draft a RB drum but between his age and performance I think I will put the tom down. He has evolved into a top ST player and has been solid in executing pass protection when called. These are musts for a roster spot. More tantalizing has been the few chances he has had to run. Joseph was sluggish to the line and in his cuts last year but his improved athleticism this campaign has been a bit of a revelation. This is the year of Murray and I'm fine with that but I am intrigued by what this kid can do. That jump cut at full speed on the second level sprung him for a TD away from two closing defenders. That was elite.
Dunbar's role was minimal outside of teams. I will say I see him consistently reaching and holding blocks on returns with Harris' finding a little more daylight from week to week. He is definitely contributing.
Clutts shows up with good pop on LB in the run game. I would want to upgrade the position with more power but in a league short on FB talent, Clutts acquits himself well enough. I just like a decleater here.
Dez is being featured and responding throughout the game. It was clear they identified a physical mismatch and took advantage. Slants, posts, and in routes saw Dez dominate Fuller and when there was insufficient safety help it led to important third downs and big plays. You could find him blocking upfield with tremendous effort and all in all he had a very good if not gamebreaking day. Looked professional and dominant.
Williams was open but in a time where Witten is only getting 3 targets, I am not overly concerned about Romo looking elsewhere. I am concerned about his physicality in completing catches but it wasn't a problem this game and I am not going to make it one. He is still out there trying his butt off and he is getting open at a decent clip.
Beasley looks small out there but it is clear that he harnesses criticism and uses it as motivation to improve. He is covering the ball with two hands and I feel bad for nickelbackers and LB trying to cover him out to the sideline and the upfield or on his double moves. His quickness is a mismatch inside. I can only imagine how he shreds out middle of the field guys in practice.
Harris ran an out and was the victim of an early Tony Romo overthrow on third down. He doesn't get many opportunities and Romo likes to throw high to him. He was making some nice inline blocks in the run game. He is killer against nickel looks doing this. He also managed to be pretty efficient given his blocking on returns. 25-35 yard line on KO is a win and he would have likely broke the punt for a TD had Pellerin used proper technique. The ST unit is getting better from week to week which is a VERY good sign. Keith Smith is out there and looking active with Lawrence and co too. Remember they kept a potent Eagles ST unit in check the week before.
The offensive line when it on is fun to watch. Smith was sick or something last week but this week saw him matched up against an aging Jared Allen and more or less dominate all day. He is not perfect reaching multiple blocks in a zone and then finishing like one of his teammates but he is pretty good at it. When he sets up quickly in pass protection, you aren't getting around him. Allen was trying to dodge his punch but he had to go a LONG way to do it. As an inline blocker he was showing good pop and movement. His arrow is up.
Leary was back to his aggressive mauling self. What really convinced me of his health was his work on the second level. He got to the mike early and often and snuffed him out. Very good technique and power on the combo block when called on. More aggressive with his punch in pass protection and did a good job sitting down on guys. We need this Leary if we are going to be successful.
Fred is displaying more athleticism than I have credited him for in the past. Sometimes he takes bad steps and gets off balance but those occurrences are fewer and farther between. His work out in space pulling and on screens has been tremendous. Oh and he can sit down single blocking on the best NT the league has to offer. Chicago has a good one but it didn't matter. We blew that defensive front up. Right now Haloti Ngata is the sternest NT I have seen and that is right at about Fred's single blocking limit. Elite.
Martin is putting on one of the best oline performances I have ever seen. I can remember Larry Allen and pancaking Talley and Bennett en route to a SB routs. When you run behind Martin, he ends up blocking three people. First step is to the left where he uses his left hand to jar Paea over Fred. Second step right sees his right hand punch the DE and helps Free finish turning him outside. He then explodes into the LB and drives him back 5 yards. His combination of quickness and power is unparalleled. Pass protection with him is boring the way I like it. They get in range and their rush is over. His main issue is reacting to stunts, twists, and blitzes but as he sees them he is picking them up at a better and better rate. This time next year?
We know the book on Free. When he keeps his hands inside and takes good steps he is very effective. He did so. Not overly powerful but quick. I hope we can retain him. We need too much help elsewhere to spend too much focus on OT.
Witten was out on routes a lot this week. He got a lot of attention and some key third downs. Witten still draws double teams and Escobar was so wideopen in the end zone because Witten had the attention of a LB and S in front of him. His runs up the seam get multiple defenders attention. He is still turning LB and blocking down and DE to great effect.
Escobar is at least average in his blocking. He is not physically dominant but he is competent enough in his technique of getting low with hands inside to drive that he is making a difference inline. Murray TD was right behind him. He has been spotty on KR in space in his frontline role but he did a better job picking someone up and whiffing this week. TD was a nice route.
Hanna was a big part in springing Murrays runs particularly in the first half for big gains outside or offtackle. He was inconsistent last week but played much better Thursday.
I will write up the defense tomorrow where I will be much less glowing particularly in regards to coverage.
