The30YardSlant
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First of all, it was the preseason for the technical crew too it seemed. Stadium music and sounds were cutting in and out all night, volume would get really loud then really soft, and in the second quarter the big screen went entirely black for almost a full minute.
Now, onto the game...
The starting offense looked good, though Romo did miss an open Dez Bryant and skipped a pass in front of him on his final throw. The line was ok, definitely quicker and more athletic than past years, but Romo only had a clean pocket on one of his four throws (excluding the screen pass to Felix). Tyson Smith looked ok for most of the night, but twice on the first series Von Miller blew by him and would have had a sack both times had he not slipped and fallen. Still think he'll be a great lineman for years for us once he hits his stride, though. Arkin did pretty well to my surprise, he pancaked a few guys in the second quarter on running plays and looked good blocking downfield on a couple occasions. He looked very strong and knew how to use his strength it seemed.
The starting defense was about what I expected...bad. Denver's first team offense was able to do pretty much whatever they wanted, especially on the ground. Our front seven got pushed around on their first drive. Lissemore dissapointed me, I think he got driven back on every single snap. I also specifically watched Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam while they were in. Elam is a definite upgrade and looked good, but man watching Sensabaugh is a beating. He couldnt cover me. To be fair, four starters were missing including both corners, but it wasnt what you would call encouraging. Hopefully as they adapt to Ryan's system things will improve.
I hate talking about punters, but Matt McBriar is just amazing. The control he has over his punts is remarkable to me. I'm convinced you could put a three yard by three yard square on the field and he could punt the ball into it seven or eight out of ten times.
Kitna's arm strength has left him. He really looks pained every time he has to throw the ball more than 10 yards. I'd feel much better playing McGee if Romo went down again.
Bryan McCann looked good, had a great pass breakup in the endzone on a fade and put a great stutter step move on a blocking back to create pressure on a corner blitz.
Wasnt impressed with Lonyea Miller. Phillip Tanner looked MUCH better IMO.
Stephen McGee has come a long way. He really does seem to perform better when the game is on the line, going back to his two games last year and tonight.
Dwayne Harris is a PLAYER. Runs good routes and has great speed, very excited about his future.
Shaun Chapas is a good blocker, but I wonder if he has the athleticism to play at this level. He looked like he was moving in slow motion relative to everyone else. Hopefully once he gets accustomed to the speed of the NFL he will pick it up.
Victor Butler looks like he might really turn into a player, or at least a situational player. He has a great burst off the edge and is just very athletic overall. He flows to the ball as well as any linebacker we have due to his lateral quickness. However, once he gets blocked he doesnt get off them very well. Kind of hit or miss, but when he gets around the corner or in open space he can be deadly.
Nobody works harder than John Phillips. He goes 100% every snap and is always the last guy to stop moving or quit blocking. He also runs very crisp short routes, really a textbook example of a true effort guy who a decent amount of talent to boot.
Though he has no chance of making the team, Raymond Radway impressed me. He threw a couple great blocks on Tanner run plays in the fourth and seemed to get open consistently.
Now, onto the game...
The starting offense looked good, though Romo did miss an open Dez Bryant and skipped a pass in front of him on his final throw. The line was ok, definitely quicker and more athletic than past years, but Romo only had a clean pocket on one of his four throws (excluding the screen pass to Felix). Tyson Smith looked ok for most of the night, but twice on the first series Von Miller blew by him and would have had a sack both times had he not slipped and fallen. Still think he'll be a great lineman for years for us once he hits his stride, though. Arkin did pretty well to my surprise, he pancaked a few guys in the second quarter on running plays and looked good blocking downfield on a couple occasions. He looked very strong and knew how to use his strength it seemed.
The starting defense was about what I expected...bad. Denver's first team offense was able to do pretty much whatever they wanted, especially on the ground. Our front seven got pushed around on their first drive. Lissemore dissapointed me, I think he got driven back on every single snap. I also specifically watched Gerald Sensabaugh and Abram Elam while they were in. Elam is a definite upgrade and looked good, but man watching Sensabaugh is a beating. He couldnt cover me. To be fair, four starters were missing including both corners, but it wasnt what you would call encouraging. Hopefully as they adapt to Ryan's system things will improve.
I hate talking about punters, but Matt McBriar is just amazing. The control he has over his punts is remarkable to me. I'm convinced you could put a three yard by three yard square on the field and he could punt the ball into it seven or eight out of ten times.
Kitna's arm strength has left him. He really looks pained every time he has to throw the ball more than 10 yards. I'd feel much better playing McGee if Romo went down again.
Bryan McCann looked good, had a great pass breakup in the endzone on a fade and put a great stutter step move on a blocking back to create pressure on a corner blitz.
Wasnt impressed with Lonyea Miller. Phillip Tanner looked MUCH better IMO.
Stephen McGee has come a long way. He really does seem to perform better when the game is on the line, going back to his two games last year and tonight.
Dwayne Harris is a PLAYER. Runs good routes and has great speed, very excited about his future.
Shaun Chapas is a good blocker, but I wonder if he has the athleticism to play at this level. He looked like he was moving in slow motion relative to everyone else. Hopefully once he gets accustomed to the speed of the NFL he will pick it up.
Victor Butler looks like he might really turn into a player, or at least a situational player. He has a great burst off the edge and is just very athletic overall. He flows to the ball as well as any linebacker we have due to his lateral quickness. However, once he gets blocked he doesnt get off them very well. Kind of hit or miss, but when he gets around the corner or in open space he can be deadly.
Nobody works harder than John Phillips. He goes 100% every snap and is always the last guy to stop moving or quit blocking. He also runs very crisp short routes, really a textbook example of a true effort guy who a decent amount of talent to boot.
Though he has no chance of making the team, Raymond Radway impressed me. He threw a couple great blocks on Tanner run plays in the fourth and seemed to get open consistently.
