My random thoughts on yesterday's game

[Trouty]

I am very pleased with Dak's game, just wish he passed a little more than the running he was doing -- those read option plays are fine, but I like Dak when he stays in the pocket, and, while a large contingent here likes the designed run plays, I'm not a huge fan -- unless it's in the redzone. Call it ptsd from Cam and Colin. I know it's a strength of his, but his arm is his true strength -- what sets him apart from the Tyrod's and Cam's of the world. And I'm not talking about the scramble, as he's a rook, and it (scrambling when flustered, rather than stepping up) is to be expected, and better, always, than a sack. Still, Dak played great, and perhaps I'm falling victim to the yds stat, lol.

He made some big boy throws yesterday. Some BIG BOY throws. A beaut that isn't getting enough attention is the pass to Butler, the long out against the sidelines that was a blatant PI. It was gorgeous. Dak is Tom Brady. I have a thread somewhere comparing the two, and I think I'm dead on. He was deadly accurate, again. He is Tom (comparatively, as a rook) but with wheels. Doesn't make mistakes, prefers the intermediate or short routes, to the deep routes, but can make all the throws.

As Brady grew in the league, he learned to trust his deep throws/patterns. Dak has all kinds of touch on the deep pass, but he's reluctant cuz he's still wet behind the ears, much like Tom was as a rookie.

The defense is what it is, we all know it and don't like it, but I think this team can do damage as there are very few, if any, complete teams in the league this year. Plus, we forced WSH to go one dementional as has been pointed out, already, so that accounts for some of Cousins' gaudy stats. SEA is probably the closest (to a well-rounded team) as Wilson continues to heal and Graham starts to shine. Baldwin is a stud, and they just got Rawls back. Their D is stout, they scare me. Hoping some scrub team pulls an upset on them in the playoffs so we don't face them lol

But it's looking like it'll be us and them in the NFCC <knock on freaking wood>

I wasn't much in the game thread as I was preoccupied with my largish family and facetiming the boy. But I went in a few times to scream my arse off. Lol

For those of you who haven't chimed in yet, what are you thoughts on the game?? And any others, your thoughts, too!

 

[SDCowboy]

Great post, Trouty. Well said.

 

[waldoputty]

Glad you had a good turkey day.
Dak seems to be playing better and better, and there are more and more longer throws that are dead on.
Kind of worrisome that they stopped our runs for a long stretch but not sure what they were doing.
The defense on the other hand made me the most nervous since the Eagles game.
Hopefully we win the next 4 and we can rest the starters and the injured during the Eagles game and on the bye.

 

[StarGazer1]

I enjoyed Gruden making excuses about the sun getting in their eyes. Boy, that wasn't the sun, that was Tom Landry's laser pointer.

 

[okstateCowboy]

Good post. However I would argue that Cam has an excellent arm. One of the best in the league actually

 

[Ranching]

Well said, defense a concern moving forward with the injuries in the secondary. That being said, i don't think even the most optimistic fan thought we would be sitting a 10-1.

 

[Trouty]

Good post. However I would argue that Cam has an excellent arm. One of the best in the league actually

First off, thank you for the compliment, OKSt.

He (Cam) has a strong arm, but his mechanics are still off. He continues to throw off his front foot (still, after all this time in the league, and yes, I know Dak, at times has this very same issue), doesn't plant his back leg, and continues to over-throw his receivers. Dak has a better pure arm (accuracy, touch, mechanics).

Cam has a canon and can make the big boy throws, but is sometimes aweful on the intermediate routes. I watch him. It is what it is.

I like Cam, but right now I have to think Dak's ceiling is much, much higher.

Edit -- just heard Max Kellerman compare Dak to Brady. Go back in my history, thread history and post history, been saying it since week 2 or 3 when everyone else was (incorrectly, and much to my dismay) comparing him to Donavan McNabb (lol) and Steve Freaking McNair. So much fail in those comparisons. Couldn't believe it was happening as much as it was. It's slowed down lately, thank god.

 

[knightrider94]

Agree with you.

We need Church and Mo back. If they can both get back and play like they were earlier this season, I think we will be okay; if not, I don't think we will be able to sustain a deep run.

Pass rush has always been a concern; we need Irving or Lawrence or somebody to get more pressure consistently.

 

[jazzcat22]

Some thoughts.
We controlled the game more than it looked.
Every time Washington scored, we countered with a score. They never, not once had the opportunity to score and tie or go ahead. Other than after the first few scores when it was like 7-0,7-3, 10-3. But that was all up front. Once we took that 2 score lead, we never gave them the chance to get back in it. The offense won this one.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Dak has all kinds of touch on the deep pass, but he's reluctant cuz he's still wet behind the ears

A large part of training camp he was the 3rd stringer. Next September, watch out for this kid.

 

[jazzcat22]

Also this was absolutely the worse match up both times we played them for our defense, and the D held in there. as in 2 games they gained over 900 yards on us. But with a few stops here and there, and holding them to 2 FG's, and 2 missed FG's was huge. I don't think we will have another match up like this except maybe Detroit.

 

[xwalker]

I am very pleased with Dak's game, just wish he passed a little more than the running he was doing -- those read option plays are fine, but I like Dak when he stays in the pocket, and, while a large contingent here likes the designed run plays, I'm not a huge fan -- unless it's in the redzone. Call it ptsd from Cam and Colin. I know it's a strength of his, but his arm is his true strength -- what sets him apart from the Tyrod's and Cam's of the world. And I'm not talking about the scramble, as he's a rook, and it (scrambling when flustered, rather than stepping up) is to be expected, and better, always, than a sack. Still, Dak played great, and perhaps I'm falling victim to the yds stat, lol.

He made some big boy throws yesterday. Some BIG BOY throws. A beaut that isn't getting enough attention is the pass to Butler, the long out against the sidelines that was a blatant PI. It was gorgeous. Dak is Tom Brady. I have a thread somewhere comparing the two, and I think I'm dead on. He was deadly accurate, again. He is Tom (comparatively, as a rook) but with wheels. Doesn't make mistakes, prefers the intermediate or short routes, to the deep routes, but can make all the throws.

As Brady grew in the league, he learned to trust his deep throws/patterns. Dak has all kinds of touch on the deep pass, but he's reluctant cuz he's still wet behind the ears, much like Tom was as a rookie.

The defense is what it is, we all know it and don't like it, but I think this team can do damage as there are very few, if any, complete teams in the league this year. Plus, we forced WSH to go one dementional as has been pointed out, already, so that accounts for some of Cousins' gaudy stats. SEA is probably the closest (to a well-rounded team) as Wilson continues to heal and Graham starts to shine. Baldwin is a stud, and they just got Rawls back. Their D is stout, they scare me. Hoping some scrub team pulls an upset on them in the playoffs so we don't face them lol

But it's looking like it'll be us and them in the NFCC <knock on freaking wood>

I wasn't much in the game thread as I was preoccupied with my largish family and facetiming the boy. But I went in a few times to scream my arse off. Lol

For those of you who haven't chimed in yet, what are you thoughts on the game?? And any others, your thoughts, too!

I thought it was Dak's best game. In previous games he has had some accuracy issues, primarily early in the games, but yesterday he was very accurate all game.

The national media claims that Dak has a simple game plan, but he is calling audibles often which is rare for a rookie QB. He is not a 1-read QB by any stretch of the imagination yet some media still claim that he is.

I don't have a problem with the occasional read-option. Dak is already taking less punishing in the pocket than most QBs due to the OLine's great pass blocking. He has not taken many big hits when he runs with the ball. There was a play down at the goalline where they ran read-option and he handed off to Zeke for minimal gain, but if he had kept it I think he would have been untouched for a TD.

Having said all of the above, Cousins was good also.

The Skins have a good team. The primary difference between them and the Cowboys is that they have too many knuckleheads like Norman and DeSean that are distracting them from the goal of winning with all of their antics.

 

[erod]

What I'm loving is watching Dak just get incrementally better week by week. He knows what he has to work with, and he doesn't press out of his comfort zone. Each week, that comfort zone is slowly expanding.

 

[Seven]

Right now, and a proponent of the QB setting his feet and the importance of that, Dakota Prescott is throws better while on the move. When he gets the mechanics under control, I see a better John Elway.....

I also love that he's a throw first, run second, QB. Didn't expect that.

He's so coachable it ain't even funny....

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Dak had to run. The Skins were making it obvious that they were going to crash down on EE no matter what. That's when EE wasn't very effective. Once Dak kept the ball and beat them with his legs...things opened up for EE and the Skins couldn't stop it.

I'm not a big fan of my QB running the ball either, but during the game I kept saying that Dak had to keep the ball as Kerrigan and Smith were not accounting for him and helping clog up the running lanes.

The only other problem is that Linehan started to favor the left side too much in the running game. Once he ran a few towards Martin/Free, we got some large holes for EE to run thru.




YR

 

[jazzcat22]

I thought it was Dak's best game. In previous games he has had some accuracy issues, primarily early in the games, but yesterday he was very accurate all game.

The national media claims that Dak has a simple game plan, but he is calling audibles often which is rare for a rookie QB. He is not a 1-read QB by any stretch of the imagination yet some media still claim that he is.

I don't have a problem with the occasional read-option. Dak is already taking less punishing in the pocket than most QBs due to the OLine's great pass blocking. He has not taken many big hits when he runs with the ball. There was a play down at the goalline where they ran read-option and he handed off to Zeke for minimal gain, but if he had kept it I think he would have been untouched for a TD.

Having said all of the above, Cousins was good also.

The Skins have a good team. The primary difference between them and the Cowboys is that they have too many knuckleheads like Norman and DeSean that are distracting them from the goal of winning with all of their antics.

Rob Kelley...excuse me Fat Rob....mouthing off too, throw him in there, wonder if he will do it again and be a knucklehead, or shut up and not be one...LOL.

 

[GIFTS86]

My biggest worry is missing a wide open dez for a td on norman. Tight games that could be the difference, especially against a team like the seahawks. I know we won but that's the only consistent knock on dak I can see. But hell were still winning right

 

[Trouty]

I thought it was Dak's best game. In previous games he has had some accuracy issues, primarily early in the games, but yesterday he was very accurate all game.

The national media claims that Dak has a simple game plan, but he is calling audibles often which is rare for a rookie QB. He is not a 1-read QB by any stretch of the imagination yet some media still claim that he is.

I don't have a problem with the occasional read-option. Dak is already taking less punishing in the pocket than most QBs due to the OLine's great pass blocking. He has not taken many big hits when he runs with the ball. There was a play down at the goalline where they ran read-option and he handed off to Zeke for minimal gain, but if he had kept it I think he would have been untouched for a TD.

Having said all of the above, Cousins was good also.

The Skins have a good team. The primary difference between them and the Cowboys is that they have too many knuckleheads like Norman and DeSean that are distracting them from the goal of winning with all of their antics.

This this this THIS!!! I wholeheartedly agree, X, my brother.

 

[JJHLH1]

The all-time record for teams with 500 yards offense and no turnovers, as the Commanders did yesterday, is 89-5. And yet the rookie-led Cowboys found a way to win. It's been a joy to watch them this this year.

 

[Trouty]

Dak had to run. The Skins were making it obvious that they were going to crash down on EE no matter what. That's when EE wasn't very effective. Once Dak kept the ball and beat them with his legs...things opened up for EE and the Skins couldn't stop it.

I'm not a big fan of my QB running the ball either, but during the game I kept saying that Dak had to keep the ball as Kerrigan and Smith were not accounting for him and helping clog up the running lanes.

The only other problem is that Linehan started to favor the left side too much in the running game. Once he ran a few towards Martin/Free, we got some large holes for EE to run thru.




YR

Fair enough, Yakuza. Thanks for your input, it's always thought-out and intelligent. Thanks for more insight, bud.