gimmesix
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life
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Didn't do this after the Jets game because A) I was on vacation the next couple of days and B) I was too depressed.
But after such a drama-filled victory Sunday, I can't help myself.
OFFENSE
1) I hate to say this, but I was actually hoping Jon Kitna wouldn't play that well when he came in. (Of course, I didn't watch the second half until I got home from worship and I already knew we won.) If Kitna had played well, I'm not sure Tony Romo would have returned, and then the knuckleheads on this forum would have been crying for Kitna to start. Instead, we saw an inspiring performance from one of the best quarterbacks in the league. If Romo's effort with a broken rib didn't have you standing up and applauding that he's the Cowboys' quarterback, you have a serious problem, my friend.
I don't want to knock Kitna, though, he still made some good plays and tied the game on a beautiful throw to Miles Austin. He's just not, and never has been, as good as Romo, and he knows that, even if some here don't.
2) Speaking of inspiring, Fox did an excellent job of capturing the image of Romo getting in Holley's ear then going to him with Austin out. Hearing that Romo changed the play that resulted in Holley's 77-yard overtime catch makes me appreciate Romo more. Beautiful, memorable moment.
3) Although he got hurt, I thought Austin really needed this kind of game. Last year, he wasn't quite in the groove he was in in 2009, dropping passes, not being on the same page with Romo on some routes. We saw some of that in this game, too, then came the 53-yard touchdown catch. After that, Austin was a-grooving and a-moving. Having Bryant opposite him will likely cut down on these type of performances when Austin gets back, but it was just nice to see him show how dominant a receiver he can be again.
4) We're going to need the receivers and Romo and the tight ends to shine because this offensive line is not up to the task of run blocking well yet (to put it nicely). I wrongly thought that Felix Jones was going to have a big year because of his preseason performance. That performance showed Jones could have a big year, but the line's performance in the regular season has shown it's not very likely. Even though Romo got hit a lot, the line has been better in pass protection than run blocking so far.
5) Speaking of tight ends, no one should every again mention Vernon Davis in the same sentence with Jason Witten. Davis is a good tight end who has to be accounted for; Witten is a Hall of Fame tight end ... and he showed why again Sunday.
6) Oh, also on running backs, I didn't see anything to give me hope that Tony Fiametta can help the running attack. He didn't seem to do much better blocking than the fullbacks we cut. Of course, Fiametta hasn't been with the team very long and could have been tentative.
DEFENSE
1) Jason Hatcher appears to be loving this defense. I think the move to the right side and Rob Ryan's unorthodox alignments have really helped him. He's always had the explosiveness to make plays, but didn't seem able to consistently break free in the past lined up on the strong side. This defense seems to be creating room for him to pop through the line and make plays. He's also done much better than I thought he would against the run (as he did in the preseason), so I have to give him props for that.
2) DeMarcus Ware is simply like a work of art. Every time I see him, I gain a new appreciation for how great he is, how much he means to this team as more than just a pass rusher. The final sack by Jay Ratliff was just a textbook example of that. Ware peeled off to cover Frank Gore, taking away Alex Smith's primary option and giving Ratliff time to throw him down.
3) Oh, and those ragging on Ratliff this preseason, please go sit in the corner. He and Sean Lee are making it tough for teams to run up the middle. And the rest of the linemen also are doing a nice job at the point of attack against the run game. We are not getting pushed around like we did last year. Of course, the change in scheme should be given some credit for that, but having Marcus Spears back, Ratliff at full strength, adding Kenyon Coleman and the improvement shown by Hatcher also has a lot to do with it. Even Josh Brent was getting some nice push.
4) Lee is not a one-hit wonder. He followed up his excellent game against New York with another solid performance. This effort didn't stand out as much because there weren't as many big plays, but unbury the pile when a run was stopped near the line and you'd find Lee at the bottom of most of them.
5) Really hope Terence Newman returns this week. San Francisco rightfully targeted Alan Ball as the weak link among the starters this week. That's not a real knock on Ball. He isn't supposed to be starting or even being the primary backup. He's just a special teams guy who can offer decent coverage at times. Kudos to Ryan for this defense doing as well as it is despite not having two of its top three corners, with the other having injuries pretty much all over his body.
6) Feel much better about Dan Bailey being the kicker after he bounced back from the miss to make two in pressure situations. I think we have to realize that as a rookie, he's going to have a few kicks like that first one, but if he can be clutch that's all we can ask. Also don't really get the hate for Buehler not kicking every kickoff out of the end zone. There's a big difference in San Francisco being able to return one or two of his kicks and putting the ball in Ted Ginn's hands four or five times at the goal line. Three of Buehler's kickoffs sailed out of the end zone, preventing any kind of return by Ginn ... that's why he is here. Expectations are too high if we expect him to do that every time.
But after such a drama-filled victory Sunday, I can't help myself.
OFFENSE
1) I hate to say this, but I was actually hoping Jon Kitna wouldn't play that well when he came in. (Of course, I didn't watch the second half until I got home from worship and I already knew we won.) If Kitna had played well, I'm not sure Tony Romo would have returned, and then the knuckleheads on this forum would have been crying for Kitna to start. Instead, we saw an inspiring performance from one of the best quarterbacks in the league. If Romo's effort with a broken rib didn't have you standing up and applauding that he's the Cowboys' quarterback, you have a serious problem, my friend.
I don't want to knock Kitna, though, he still made some good plays and tied the game on a beautiful throw to Miles Austin. He's just not, and never has been, as good as Romo, and he knows that, even if some here don't.
2) Speaking of inspiring, Fox did an excellent job of capturing the image of Romo getting in Holley's ear then going to him with Austin out. Hearing that Romo changed the play that resulted in Holley's 77-yard overtime catch makes me appreciate Romo more. Beautiful, memorable moment.
3) Although he got hurt, I thought Austin really needed this kind of game. Last year, he wasn't quite in the groove he was in in 2009, dropping passes, not being on the same page with Romo on some routes. We saw some of that in this game, too, then came the 53-yard touchdown catch. After that, Austin was a-grooving and a-moving. Having Bryant opposite him will likely cut down on these type of performances when Austin gets back, but it was just nice to see him show how dominant a receiver he can be again.
4) We're going to need the receivers and Romo and the tight ends to shine because this offensive line is not up to the task of run blocking well yet (to put it nicely). I wrongly thought that Felix Jones was going to have a big year because of his preseason performance. That performance showed Jones could have a big year, but the line's performance in the regular season has shown it's not very likely. Even though Romo got hit a lot, the line has been better in pass protection than run blocking so far.
5) Speaking of tight ends, no one should every again mention Vernon Davis in the same sentence with Jason Witten. Davis is a good tight end who has to be accounted for; Witten is a Hall of Fame tight end ... and he showed why again Sunday.
6) Oh, also on running backs, I didn't see anything to give me hope that Tony Fiametta can help the running attack. He didn't seem to do much better blocking than the fullbacks we cut. Of course, Fiametta hasn't been with the team very long and could have been tentative.
DEFENSE
1) Jason Hatcher appears to be loving this defense. I think the move to the right side and Rob Ryan's unorthodox alignments have really helped him. He's always had the explosiveness to make plays, but didn't seem able to consistently break free in the past lined up on the strong side. This defense seems to be creating room for him to pop through the line and make plays. He's also done much better than I thought he would against the run (as he did in the preseason), so I have to give him props for that.
2) DeMarcus Ware is simply like a work of art. Every time I see him, I gain a new appreciation for how great he is, how much he means to this team as more than just a pass rusher. The final sack by Jay Ratliff was just a textbook example of that. Ware peeled off to cover Frank Gore, taking away Alex Smith's primary option and giving Ratliff time to throw him down.
3) Oh, and those ragging on Ratliff this preseason, please go sit in the corner. He and Sean Lee are making it tough for teams to run up the middle. And the rest of the linemen also are doing a nice job at the point of attack against the run game. We are not getting pushed around like we did last year. Of course, the change in scheme should be given some credit for that, but having Marcus Spears back, Ratliff at full strength, adding Kenyon Coleman and the improvement shown by Hatcher also has a lot to do with it. Even Josh Brent was getting some nice push.
4) Lee is not a one-hit wonder. He followed up his excellent game against New York with another solid performance. This effort didn't stand out as much because there weren't as many big plays, but unbury the pile when a run was stopped near the line and you'd find Lee at the bottom of most of them.
5) Really hope Terence Newman returns this week. San Francisco rightfully targeted Alan Ball as the weak link among the starters this week. That's not a real knock on Ball. He isn't supposed to be starting or even being the primary backup. He's just a special teams guy who can offer decent coverage at times. Kudos to Ryan for this defense doing as well as it is despite not having two of its top three corners, with the other having injuries pretty much all over his body.
6) Feel much better about Dan Bailey being the kicker after he bounced back from the miss to make two in pressure situations. I think we have to realize that as a rookie, he's going to have a few kicks like that first one, but if he can be clutch that's all we can ask. Also don't really get the hate for Buehler not kicking every kickoff out of the end zone. There's a big difference in San Francisco being able to return one or two of his kicks and putting the ball in Ted Ginn's hands four or five times at the goal line. Three of Buehler's kickoffs sailed out of the end zone, preventing any kind of return by Ginn ... that's why he is here. Expectations are too high if we expect him to do that every time.
