How Do You Defeat the Dallas Cowboys?

CalPolyTechnique

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I think the key is to get on top of Dallas quickly, whether it be big plays or turnovers. You jump out to say, an early 14-0 lead, it's much easier to get a team like us to abandon the run game.
 

JD_KaPow

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Other teams thought they had the answer, you harrass Dak Prescott into making mistakes, I.e. Impulse throws, wrong reads, INT's. You put pressure on him with blitzers, trick coverage. And a highly intense pass rush. You allow the Cowboys to run in this day and age the running game alone cannot beat you.

Standard operating procedure for. A rookie quarterback. The only problem was that Dak Prescott is not your standard rookie quarterback.

That isnt to say that Dak Prescott is an elite quarterback, some Super Arm freak of nature with the size of a linebacker. But what he is, he is the perfect coach's guy, someone who is smart enough to know ehat he can do even smarter to know what he can't do.
I'm sorry, but I don't know what game you were watching last week. The Eagles' blueprint worked perfectly against Prescott. He threw one bad INT, threw another bad INT that just barely touched the ground, and heaved at least two more balls up in the air for grabs as he was falling backward. He clearly didn't "know what he can't do," and it was a miracle he didn't get punished more for it.

Let me be clear: he did some excellent things too, and the game in no way diminished my excitement about him as our future QB. But he's a rookie, he looked like a rookie on a significant number of plays on Sunday, and there are wonderful teaching opportunities on that film. If another team does to him what the Eagles did (and not all teams have the personnel to do it so effectively) and he doesn't adjust, things will get ugly quickly. I look forward to seeing him develop, but he does need to develop.
 

waldoputty

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Other teams thought they had the answer, you harrass Dak Prescott into making mistakes, I.e. Impulse throws, wrong reads, INT's. You put pressure on him with blitzers, trick coverage. And a highly intense pass rush. You allow the Cowboys to run in this day and age the running game alone cannot beat you.

Standard operating procedure for. A rookie quarterback. The only problem was that Dak Prescott is not your standard rookie quarterback.

That isnt to say that Dak Prescott is an elite quarterback, some Super Arm freak of nature with the size of a linebacker. But what he is, he is the perfect coach's guy, someone who is smart enough to know ehat he can do even smarter to know what he can't do.

He is an excellent manager, someone who delegates the plays to the skill players iin offense, nut with intangibles to know when to run, when to throw, when to cut his losses and wait for the next play. He doesn't have the risk taking overcondfidence that gets other young quarterbacks in trouble.

Dak Prescott doeant make many mistakes even for a seasoned veteran. And since he is not really the offense, just the trigger you might say, stopping him still wont guarantee a win.

The key is the running game after all. It is the catalyst that creates the favorable corcumstances that give Dak and the passing game more success, by limiting the risky curcumstances.

2nd and 5, 3rd and 2, are far more friendly situations than 2nd and 9, 3rd and 7.

Opponents must stop the run. But how? Zeke Elliott has better protection than most World leaders. He has some of the biggest quickest, youngest, and intense bosyguards in the league. How do you get theough to him.

The answer is, you outnumber them at the onset. You load your Dline, you run stunts against rhe run. You bring up both safeties, perhaps even try a 4-4-3 look. You sell out to defend against the ground game which also includes Dak Prescott.

You frustrate a young team and players that are used to having their way. If the run fails consistantly the Cowboys will stop running, that has usually been Jason and the Cowboy's history.

You make Dak try to beat you as a passing quarterback and not a facilitator.


Given limited resources due to salary cap, I would focus my defensive resources on:
1. 3 top notch CBs that can single cover with confidence
2. play a 4-3 with huge DL (>330lb) that can stop rushes over the middle, like what the Giants have
3. blitz most of the time, with some delayed blitz
4. play 1 deep safety
5. play all other defenders (other than 1S and CBs) in the box
6. carry as many LBs as can be allowed.

On the offense, nothing special, just invest in the usual characters.
 
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