GB - Week 1 Quick Hits

[Galian Beast]

Because Nola wanted him and apparently Dallas did not.

Fact.

And that was a mistake as we can see every time Morris touches the ball.

 

[bud914]

1. It only lasted for one play and then was not a problem. When it happens in the heat of the battle you are going to lose time assessing the situation. You are making no sense.

2. short is considered 2 or less. That is how the split is always done. I showed support for my case. You have nothing for yours.

3. You are fear mongering. It's boring.

4. He is accurate, makes quick decisions and likes to take advantage of medium range. He does not turn the ball over. His arm is not quite as strong but he is much more mobile and able to escape. He is efficient. Even better the game plan worked.

5. So you are going to double down on 3% of the plays. I am just going to laugh at you.

6. They needs two scores with 2 point conversions to tie it. Even then we ran the ball 8 times and had 3 first downs on the last drive milking their TO and near 6 minutes off the clock. YOu don't even know what you are arguing anymore do you?

7. There is no we. There is only you and I don't really care what you call me. Introspection is beyond you is all I see.

8. For the last two years when they played man coverage, Jones took the TE. You are without a clue. That is irrelevant as the only play he was isoed was a zone and the TE went to the flat first.

9. So a hand injury and ankle injury in 6 years leading to 6 games missed. OH NOES!

10. So you cannot think of what he could have done better. You talk in generalities instead. How boring.

Fuzzy, you're better off doing this than trying to turn a pessimist...

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

And that was a mistake as we can see every time Morris touches the ball.

It is YOUR opinion that it is wrong...and you can flap your opinion all day long...It will not change the FACT that the cowboys did not want him and therefor all you are doing is wasteful whining for no other reason than to find an excuse (in your mind) to belittle the team.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I'm done arguing with you, you don't listen to facts.

Ingram is the starter in New Orleans...

That is fine. I will take the last word.

The Saints split carries in a RBBC approach. Ingram only had 200 carries last year. AP does not want the scraps that Zeke is going to leave.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Fuzzy, you're better off doing this than trying to turn a pessimist...

Oh I know he is not going to change his mind. My point is to show how baseless his arguments are to everyone else.

 

[jjktkk]

I'm confused on how to word this properly... You're arguably the most delusional armchair GM/QB on here. Which makes you a great armchair GM/QB, or, because of your overall ,negative, over exaggerated takes, you are the worst armchair GM/QB? Or vice versa? I remain confused, but highly entertained.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

While we did win, I hope no one is patting themselves on the back too hard after this one. Play like this isn't going to beat top teams. It isn't going to win playoff games. It isn't going to win super bowls.

It's a division game, teams that win Super Bowls sometimes struggle against division teams, sometimes against bad division teams, so while I'd agree we need to improve as the season progresses, I'd say the same for any SB contender.

Coaching
I would say some poor 1st half clock management and timeout management cost us 4 points and a poor decision not to run it on the goal line on with three back to back passes cost us an additional 4. Starting the second half 24-0 would have really helped put this game away early.

I continue to be unimpressed with Garrett and the mentality and persona he brings to this team. He has no killer instinct nor does he have a view for smash mouth football. Someone in the comments for the game mentioned it best that under Garrett 3rd and 2 has turned into a passing down. I understand they think it gives them more options, especially with a mobile QB like Prescott, but it just isn't smart football.

Marinelli catches a lot of flack, but he is without a doubt the best coach on our team and has made the best use of the players he has available. You also don't see him play around much with best player available. For some reason Cooper, Rush, and McFadden were scratched for the night. This made no sense.

The poor decision to not run the ball did not cost us four points, Dak's errant throw to an open Dez cost us four points.

Offense
Passing Game
Dez Bryant continues to disappear when he is needed the most. Part of it is Dez not being the same player he used to be, but the other end is Prescott simply isn't as good as many people think he is. He's a good young quarterback, but he isn't elite, nor is he a gunslinger. Beasley continues to elevate his game. He is truly dependable.

At the end of the first half Prescott had 28 passes... This is stunning to me. 39 passes in all...

I have to say, I was not pleased with the offensive game plan. The best player on this team is Ezekiel Elliott and he needs to be spotlighted in our offense. Linehan and Garrett treat him like a nice to have, while trying to overuse Dak Prescott as if he were Peyton Manning (he isn't).

You're really coming down hard on Dak, when he had 90 rating and 6.9 ypa, against a team that last year was a top 10 unit. A team that when playing last year had ratings of 69 and 45 and ypa of 5 and 4.5. If this is Dak's worst game of the season, which it won't be, just not realistic, then we go 13-3 again and have a deep playoff run. I can only assume the game plan called for more passes, because the Giants wanted Dak to beat them, which is evident by Elliott's game. He had a good game, very good considering the Giants were #3 vs the run last year, but no real long runs, which was probably by design and how the Giants wanted to play.

Running game
Every time I see Morris in the game it reminds me we could have had Peterson for roughly the same value as Morris and McFadden combined. Instead we almost always see Morris struggle in there. Nothing stalls a drive faster than putting Alfred Morris in the backfield. Stunned more people weren't onboard with getting Peterson who would have been an excellent backup.

Offensive Line
The offensive line isn't what it was last year or the year before. The 40 percent turnover on the line has created an issue for what was the working mechanism for this team. I have to hope that they improve as the season goes on. I think the ceiling on Collins is obviously much higher than Doug Free. This team needs to rediscover its identity on offense quickly.

As far as Morris goes, I'll just say on the plays that Morris got carries, Adrian Peterson would have fared no better. RBs need carries to get into a rhythm and against the Giants, you aren't going to have success coming in for a carry here and there. If there is a knock on Morris, I'd say due to his pass blocking and pass catching ability, it's obvious it's a run when he comes in.

As far as the o-line goes, you'd be hard pressed to say they didn't play better than they did against the Giants this year than either of the matchups last year. Yes there was a 40% turnover, but La'el is an upgrade over Free and Chaz played well. Had Cooper gotten the start and played as well as Green, you'd be pointing at the o-line saying they improved.

Defense
Now the defense on the other hand performed very well, but that should be expected with the Giants missing OBJ.

Defensive Line
I was surprised by the pressure the defensive line was able to generate, but that was also to be expected as the Giants don't have a great offensive line. Lawrence is playing for his contract and as hard as we all are on Crawford, he isn't a bad player, just has a terrible contract.

Linebackers
Sean Lee had an absolutely great game and I think we can all be pleased with where Smith is now and where he will go from here. Damien Lewis on the other hand shouldn't be expected to play a lot. Can't wait til Hitchens returns.

Secondary
They were decent for all the weaknesses and injuries, but disappointed Scandrick once again can't stay healthy. Anthony Brown continues to be an absolute diamond in the rough.

I agree with most of your assessment, except when Hitchens returns, Wilson is still the SAM. Maybe Hitchens gets some of Wilson's nickel snaps (not sure if he got any) but that's about it, unless someone goes down. Has nothing to do with who is better, just Hitchens really knows two positions well, the MIKE and WILL.

Kicking Game
Ryan Switzer just doesn't give you anything at the NFL level as a returner. Absolutely nothing. Much more interested in how he can integrate in the offense. We've also got to have the worst blockers. We've never been able to handle gunners. When was the last time we actually had a punt return?

Speaking of which I hate the 25 yard touchback on kickoffs and how close they're kicking from. They've really ruined a great part of the game.

Dan Bailey continues to be money.

Way to early on Switzer, who didn't play at all in preseason.