Video: Michael Irvin sees serious problems with Cowboys against 49ers

[jterrell]

Do NOT see any of this.

49ers have good DL but the LB and CB will play physically but they do not play all that well on that 3rd level of the defense.
Dak is a phenomenal outside deep ball passer and that is what SF struggles with most.
Coop and CeeDee on the outside going deep and Zeke/Schulz pass blocking leaves Ced working inside.
That could really hurt SF.

If Tyron is 100% this game could get ugly in Dallas' favor.

 

[Doomsday101]

Good post!
I agree with you.
I'm just pointing out how the argument goes.
Dak - as the quarterback - gets too much focus for winning and losing.
If the Cowboys win but lose against the Bucs (who I think we'll beat if we beat SF and the Bucs beat the Eagles), then the criticism will move from Dak beat a very good SF team to, well, Dak couldn't beat Brady.
Thus, those who don't see him as a top-echelon quarterback will use the defeat against Brady or Rogers to justify how they see him.

I understand and understand that for some because the camera is focused on QB they can't see anything outside of that position and fully agree QB gets too much credit and too much blame and yes I think they get too much money, Dak included but it is what the market is within the NFL for that position.

For me, if the Cowboys have the chance to play Tampa Bay and or Green Bay clearly how the defense plays vs Brady and Rodgers will go a long way in winning but at no point is the contest actually Dak vs Brady or Dak vs Rodgers, it would be Dak vs TB defense and or Green Bay defense. Other than pre game and post game are the QB even on the playing field at the same time.

 

[DonaldM]

Mike is stoned and not on set. So easy to tell when his nose is plugged up.

 

[Miller]

Listen I love Mike and his insight was spot on BUT there is one thing people forget…49ers are trash when not in sync. They looked like the Giants the first half last week. If we get a lead like that and then keep the pressure on, that run game goes away and they are just guessing what to do. All of this speculation by the media is on their game plan if no one is on D or in a bubble. We get them rattled and knock some teeth out then all bets are off.

 

[Creeper]

I think part of the problem is these two teams have not faced each other this year. No one is sure what to make of these teams. The 49ers looked good against the Rams Sunday, but they also lost twice to Seattle.
I think Dallas is the better team but they are not playing better right now. We'll have to see which Dallas team shows up Sunday.

 

[KJJ]

Listen I love Mike and his insight was spot on BUT there is one thing people forget…49ers are trash when not in sync. They looked like the Giants the first half last week. If we get a lead like that and then keep the pressure on, that run game goes away and they are just guessing what to do. All of this speculation by the media is on their game plan if no one is on D or in a bubble. We get them rattled and knock some teeth out then all bets are off.

Regardless how bad the 49ers looked in the first half last week they completely dominated in the second half. They neutralized Aaron Donald in the second half. The Rams have a very talented defense and they had no answers. The Cowboys aren’t the type of team that knocks the teeth out of anyone. The big knock on the team is they’re not physical. There’s been games this season where we’ve been manhandled upfront. It was happening last week against Philly’s backups but our offense was clicking and they didn’t have the talent on the field to stop it. If San Francisco starts running the ball early we’re done! If we start losing gap containment like we did against Denver and they start pushing us around upfront it’s going to be a long day. I’ve been saying all week that we don’t match up well with San Francisco. Right now I have the game as a tossup. It’s going to come down to how we start.

 

[Ranched]

MEANWHILE....

 

[Miller]

Regardless how bad the 49ers looked in the first half last week they completely dominated in the second half. They neutralized Aaron Donald in the second half. The Rams have a very talented defense and they had no answers. The Cowboys aren’t the type of team that knocks the teeth out of anyone. The big knock on the team is they’re not physical. There’s been games this season where we’ve been manhandled upfront. It was happening last week against Philly’s backups but our offense was clicking and they didn’t have the talent on the field to stop it. If San Francisco starts running the ball early we’re done! If we start losing gap containment like we did against Denver and they start pushing us around upfront it’s going to be a long day. I’ve been saying all week that we don’t match up well with San Francisco. Right now I have the game as a tossup. It’s going to come down to how we start.

I agree with all of this. Great post. My point above is they can look lost and sloppy. They did play 2 distinct half’s but much of the media talk has been in a bubble where they establish their game, everything goes as planned where our D is having issues etc. I just think we can find another gear. They were 3rd in the West at 10-7. They weren’t this machine this year. They are a tough matchup but playoffs bring surprises so we will see.

 

[KJJ]

I agree with all of this. Great post. My point above is they can look lost and sloppy. They did play 2 distinct half’s but much of the media talk has been in a bubble where they establish their game, everything goes as planned where our D is having issues etc. I just think we can find another gear. They were 3rd in the West at 10-7. They weren’t this machine this year. They are a tough matchup but playoffs bring surprises so we will see.

The key to the game for the Cowboys is getting off to a good start. We can’t allow San Francisco to drive the ball down the field on their first possession. They’re going to try and wear us down with the run to allow Jimmy G to manage the game. They want to keep our offense off the field. They held the ball for 39 minutes against the Rams. Every game that Jimmy G has turned the ball over they’ve lost. When games are put on his shoulders the 49ers are in trouble. However when they’re able to run the ball and not get behind the chains they’re hard to beat. When they get a lot of 2nd and 4s and 3rd and 2s that opens up their offense. They can pass or run. It keeps the defense off balance. We have to stop the run and put them in long down situations. I don’t have a real good vibe about this game but I’m hoping we step up.

 

[nathanlt]

Ouch, that's rough coming from the ultimate homer

Or, it is intentional on Michael's part to fire up the Cowboys, to keep them from looking past this game.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

Do NOT see any of this.

49ers have good DL but the LB and CB will play physically but they do not play all that well on that 3rd level of the defense.
Dak is a phenomenal outside deep ball passer and that is what SF struggles with most.
Coop and CeeDee on the outside going deep and Zeke/Schulz pass blocking leaves Ced working inside.
That could really hurt SF.

If Tyron is 100% this game could get ugly in Dallas' favor.

Love the confidence.

 

[GINeric]

Our interior defensive linemen are going to have to come up big for us in this game. Our offensive line is going to HAVE to establish themselves in a major way. I believe Pollard is our "X-factor" and Zeke will have to dig deep and give us runs with extra passion like his life depended on it.

With that said, there are moments in this game Dak is going to have to prove himself, period. He's going to have to somehow, overcome our offensive line holding penalties like he's had to in a few games. Dak will throw for a short first down, then next thing you know their was a holding call, now its 2nd and 20 or 3rd and 15 because of holding.

This is the playoffs, no room for underthrown passes and back to back 3 and outs. Dak may have to take off for 3 or 4 yards a pop, more than he usually do. All in all, the defense is going to have to control the 49ers running game and the offense is going to have to score points on damn near every possession. 3 and outs are slow cyanide deaths, especially against a clock controlling, running team.

 

[ESisback]

For real dude...it's like we're playing the offspring of the 85 bears and the greatest show on turf.

I hope this team comes out and does something special bc a 27-20 type of loss is going to make watching sports media unwatchable for about a month

Longer

 

[CWR]

Or, it is intentional on Michael's part to fire up the Cowboys, to keep them from looking past this game.

Ha, Mike was always awesome at getting everyone fired up. His first down signals are still my fave.

 

[kskboys]

I’m really surprised you’re putting this all on our QB. We’ll see how much help he gets .

I’m not sure why fans think he’s enough to overcome if other factors aren’t going our way losing the battle up front and on the ground. I don’t believe he’s that elite to carry us without a supporting cast contributing.

The rest of the team is good enough to beat SF easily. What we cannot have is Dak blowing chunks. That is the only way we'll lose the game.

 

[Romo_To_Dez]

So I take when Dallas wins no one here will be saying that the 49ers were just another weak team and Dallas beat a nobody? correct?

I expected at least a few "The 49ers are overrated or perhaps not as good as we thought they were." takes coming from the very same media, who will act like they weren't the ones hyping and praising the Niners all week in the first place.

 

[eromeopolk]

Being in zone helps in run defense. In Man you often times have your back to the play as you are on the WR or TE. In zone you are facing up the QB and playing your area. If Dallas is able to run vs their base zone defense they are in trouble.

Agree. Run the got darn ball.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Have to remember a couple of things:

1. Irvin played on great Cowboys teams when they were playing the 49ers in the playoffs, to him pretty much any current Cowboys team looks poor by comparison.
2. Current players probably listen to Irvin, if he rags on them it's done so that they won't get complacent, or they will take the "I'll show you Michael" attitude.

Wouldn't put it past Irvin to be playing devil's advocate here...

 

[Diehardblues]

The rest of the team is good enough to beat SF easily. What we cannot have is Dak blowing chunks. That is the only way we'll lose the game.

Interesting insight. I’ll keep it in mind