NFC Playbook

[ScipioCowboy]

Nope, not at all.

Sorry if you get all out of sorts by a few innocuous comments by a rival fan.

Who's "out of sorts"? Did I express anger or frustration at your comments? Hardly. I was simply extolling the predictive capabilities of one of our more esteemed members.

Some posters here wouldn't admit that Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan may have turned the Commanders in the right direction even if held at gunpoint.

I just look at it this way: How much fun would you make of Commanders fans if our squad was as nicked up as yours and Skins fans predicted an easy victory?

I'm curious. Who's predicting an easy victory?

 

[BlueStar3398]

I saw those guys on Playbook and their predictions. They took film of the Cowboys D from last year to use as examples as to why the Skins would win Monday night. Have they not seen the new improved D this year?

 

[Kilyin]

The Playbook series has a lot of potential, it's just the guys they have on there that ruin it IMO (off the top of my head - Billick, Sharpe, Baldinger, Theismann). I rarely ever bother to watch it anymore.

 

[CooleyDiesel]

I'm curious. Who's predicting an easy victory?

No matter, our b-squad will take this game. Spread i think is about 5-6. Still expect the boys to pull away in second half and get helped out by Grossman being Grossman. Not to mention the skidz just don't have any taletn.

playing the Commanders and the lions....sure they are 2-0 but when is the last time that these teams were even serious contenders. there are so many teams every year that start off 2-0 and end up missing the playoffs by 4 or 5 games. im thinking we beat both teams by 2 td's or more....the 49'rs are much better then either of them

I think this is a statement game that we win, and win fairly convincingly despite the injuries.

I also don't think this Skins squad is as good as either of the teams we've already played.

Just a few. I'm sure I can find more if you'd like?

Like I've said, this should be a heckuva game that should go down to the wire.
Hopefully, neither team suffers any more injury and this game becomes an ESPN Instant Classic.
I would wish you guys luck but it's not within my DNA to do so.....
See you guys Monday Night....

 

[AsthmaField]

I saw those guys on Playbook and their predictions. They took film of the Cowboys D from last year to use as examples as to why the Skins would win Monday night. Have they not seen the new improved D this year?

That's just crazy. Completely different defense this year.

One reason why Grossman had a pretty decent day against Dallas last year was that it was very easy to predict where and who was coming on the blitz, as well as what the entire defense would do.

Give Rex that kind of comfort in the pocket with a secondary that's doing exactly what he thought they would, and he can have success.

Put Rex in a situation where he's never sure if the defense is playing zone or man and where or from who the blitz will be coming, and I think you'll see bad Rex rear his ugly head very quickly.

Who knows who wins the game, but no matter what happens, Rex isn't going to be nice and comfy in the pocket like he was last time he was in Dallas.

Rob Ryan is going to confuse the **** out of Rexy, and we're gonna hit him a lot. Coverages will be disguised this time and he won't be able to do it just like Shanahan drew it up. He will have to think on his feet all day long.

That doesn't mean Dallas wins, but the question is: Can Rex perform at a high level under those circumstances?

We're fixin' to find out.

 

[Kilyin]

Just a few. I'm sure I can find more if you'd like?

Like I've said, this should be a heckuva game that should go down to the wire.
Hopefully, neither team suffers any more injury and this game becomes an ESPN Instant Classic.
I would wish you guys luck but it's not within my DNA to do so.....so I'll just say I hope it's an injury free game.

See you guys Monday Night....

Agreed. Should be a good game. It is the nature of the rivalry for both teams fans to discredit the other team, and exaggeratingly so. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[67CowboysFan]

I saw those guys on Playbook and their predictions. They took film of the Cowboys D from last year to use as examples as to why the Skins would win Monday night. Have they not seen the new improved D this year?

BlueStar gets a Gold Star for that observation. For those that actually watched NFC Playbook and saw what they perceived at the Commanders strength on offense will know that with our new defense negates their strength. We seal the edges with Spencer and Ware to take away the cut back lanes that they try to exploit. I look for Rat and Hatcher to make some big plays on MNF. Probably Ware and Spencer too since they will be waiting on the play action passes.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

Just a few. I'm sure I can find more if you'd like?

That's a grand total of three posters, and only one can really be accused of predicting an "easy win." One said we would pull away in the second half, and the other predicted "a statement game."

It's certainly nothing out of the ordinary. Even if the Cowboys were playing the Patriots at New England, you could probably find at least three posters predicting a blowout win in favor of Dallas.

 

[AsthmaField]

That's a grand total of three posters, and only one can really be accused of predicting an "easy win." One said we would pull away in the second half, and the other predicted "a statement game."

It's certainly nothing out of the ordinary. Even if the Cowboys were playing the Patriots at New England, you could probably find at least three posters predicting a blowout win in favor of Dallas.

Haha... this is from a Commanders Message Board:

The Cowboys are going to get Creamed!!!!!


That's right.

Our Commanders are gonna beat up on Dallas, I'm sure of it.

This is the best I've felt about this matchup in a while.

They wont be able to stop our run game and a big reason why is Will Montgomery can match Ratliff on power in the trenches. Ware is a monster but Trent's time is NOW- Put it all together monday night Trent and show what you can do. If he shows up it will be a very long and dreadful night for the Cowboys...

Helu is going to break some long runs in this game and Hightower is gonna punish them with consistent 5-7 yard runs that will tire them out.

Rex knows he can exploit this secondary of the cowboys and he will. The play action pass is gonna be a nightmare for Dallas. Just when they think they are in position to get a stop in the run game, boom, your gonna see Armstrong going in for a long TD etc

Fred Davis is gonna be an absolute nightmare for the cowboys.

But its on offense where Dallas is really gonna be in trouble.

With no Dez Bryant and no Miles Austin, there options are limited.

I'm hoping Romo plays.

I dare him to step on the field. He's not gonna last the whole game, not with Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Fletch, Rocky, and Landry in his face all night.

And we're the homers... :laugh2:

 

[BlueStar3398]

Haha... this is from a Commanders Message Board:



And we're the homers... :laugh2:

Wow! :laugh2:

 

[firehawk350]

I used to think Playbook was the best football show on television until I realized it's nothing more than a survey show. They don't really analyze the games.

You're telling me Rex Grossman and Jabar Gaffney are the only elements that are going to beat the Cowboys? Let's not even contest that they will. Let's accept it. You're telling me that's the single reason? There are a multiplicity of reasons, and Playbook never discusses them.

Here's why I think the Cowboys will win:

1. Rex Grossman's 59.1 rating against 3-4 teams. Two times, he's been shutout and thrown 3 picks against 3-4 teams. One of those times was against us.

2. The Cowboys have the 2nd ranked rushing defense. The Commanders have the 15th ranked rushing offense. This forces Rex to throw. See Reason 1.

3. The Commanders have the 24th ranked rushing defense. Although we're 32nd in the rushing department, most of that is skewed because we had to abandon the run in order to win the 49ers game. Even if Felix is dinged, Choice and Murray should be good enough to eat clock and give our defense a rest.

All of this is assuming we execute properly and Romo doesn't get injured. But even then, what I listed are primarily defensive statistics. What you're going to see in this game is our defense bring the Commanders offense down a notch. Whether or not that is good enough to win is dependent on how our offense is rolling on Monday night.

You are succombing to fundamental attribution error. That is, you attribute flaws in yourself to external factors (we were behind and had to abandon the run) while assuming the Skins' rankings are due to internal factors (just aren't good). Either way, statistical analysis means very little when you are drawing from two games, any statistician will tell you as much.

It's week three of the season - all those stats you just mentioned dont mean crap...as a matter a fact, stats dont mean crap for ANY Divisional game.

Two games is too small a sample size, division game or not.

The Defense did just that in the 49ers game. I don't think the Commanders running or passing game is much better than the 49ers.

While I'm still on the fence about Grossman, I think the rest of the Skins offense is well above the 49ers at just about every position, with a possible exception to Gore who didn't look good in either game.

Myself, I would leave the early season predictions of a conflict driven media...in the same category that I do tea leave readings and Ouija Board findings. They have been consistently in left field over the entire past four to five years on all topics concerning the Cowboys.

When the Cowboys win on Monday, they actually will be in control of the NFC East....and looking at even harder matchups in the Lions and then the Patriots. But this game against the Commanders is an important one...as the metal of that same Grossman hasn't been challenged upon how strongly he has been forged to in this season. Weaknesses in his very metal will be found out as he is bent and given character challenges. His ability to be steel, as in the vein of Tony Romo now, will be seen in a relatively short manner.

For now, the volumn levels will be left on, as there will be some directed and effort filled activity by both teams. We shall see were talent levels settle out for this very game. Myself, as long as the actual starters for Dallas remain in tact for this game, whether that includes Phil Costa, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, or even Felix Jones.

Terence Newman can handle Santana Moss. Gerald Sensabaugh can handle Fred Davis. And the Dallas box can handle Tim Hightower.

If Terrance Newman can handle Santana Moss, then why has Moss done so well against the Cowboys? I doubt Sensabaugh can handle Fred Davis too. Davis is bigger and faster than Sensabaugh.

 

[Ren]

If Terrance Newman can handle Santana Moss, then why has Moss done so well against the Cowboys? I doubt Sensabaugh can handle Fred Davis too. Davis is bigger and faster than Sensabaugh.

None of that will even matter of your OL can't handle Ware, very few team can so it's not a reach to say you'll have trouble too. This game comes down to how well Grossman handles pressure. The same can be said for Romo but considering he's not had a clean pocket once this season i'm fairly confident he's used to it by now

 

[TwoDeep3]

Knock the shate out of Grossman a couple of times and their "advantage" could change drastically.

He has the potential of being terrible. Smacking his arse around and creating chaos in the pocket is the best way to reveal the real Rex Grossman.

Watching Extremeskins implode might be better than a double cheese burger.

 

[Ren]

Knock the shate out of Grossman a couple of times and their "advantage" could change drastically.

He has the potential of being terrible. Smacking his arse around and creating chaos in the pocket is the best way to reveal the real Rex Grossman.

Watching Extremeskins implode might be better than a double cheese burger.

They're doing so much pre-celebrating this week it's disgusting, watching the postgame carnage if they lose to our injury riddled team will be better then the game it self

 

[firehawk350]

None of that will even matter of your OL can't handle Ware, very few team can so it's not a reach to say you'll have trouble too. This game comes down to how well Grossman handles pressure. The same can be said for Romo but considering he's not had a clean pocket once this season i'm fairly confident he's used to it by now

You're right, that'll be a key match-up. I expect, at least early on, a lot of running up the gut to slow Ratliff down (Montgomery is strong as an ox but may struggle with Ratliff's first step) then rolling protection over to Ware.

On the other hand, while Romo may be "used to" getting hit, getting hit over and over again with a broken rib is something else entirely. We hit Eli a bunch of times and they have a better line than you do. Garrett will have to call short passes to get the ball out of Romo's hands quickly and that will allow our players to cheat up. If pass protection is a problem for the Skins, it's doubly so for the Cowboys. The difference in talent between your front 7 and our OL is considerably smaller than the difference in talent between our front 7 and your OL. In addition, the consequences for protection break downs are more dire and the effect of the hits will be felt much more acutely by Romo. Furthermore, your running game has yet to prove it can carry the load.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

If pass protection is a problem for the Skins, it's doubly so for the Cowboys.

The Skins have surrendered as many sacks (5) as the Cowboys have on two fewer pass attempts.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Good that settles it... Dallas wins.

 

[sonnyboy]

You're right, that'll be a key match-up. I expect, at least early on, a lot of running up the gut to slow Ratliff down (Montgomery is strong as an ox but may struggle with Ratliff's first step) then rolling protection over to Ware.

On the other hand, while Romo may be "used to" getting hit, getting hit over and over again with a broken rib is something else entirely. We hit Eli a bunch of times and they have a better line than you do. Garrett will have to call short passes to get the ball out of Romo's hands quickly and that will allow our players to cheat up. If pass protection is a problem for the Skins, it's doubly so for the Cowboys. The difference in talent between your front 7 and our OL is considerably smaller than the difference in talent between our front 7 and your OL. In addition, the consequences for protection break downs are more dire and the effect of the hits will be felt much more acutely by Romo. Furthermore, your running game has yet to prove it can carry the load.

Smoke crack much?

I've pretty much said the same thing breaking down this matchup. Of course I'm right and your high.

Before you get too "high" on your B squad there in DC, take a look at just whom you've actually played.

Giants and Cardinals at home! Giants have half their defense on IR and I wasn't big on them before that. 6-8 wins at best this year. Cardinals have no defense. It may be one of the worst units in football this year. They can't stop the run or rush the passer, but at least they can't cover anyone.

These are the teams you've played and you've played them at home.

Now lets look at whom the Cowboys have played. Jets and Niners on the road. Obviously the Jets are a legit SB contender with a top 2-3 defense. The Niners have a great OL and great defensive front and not much else.

We've been through the meat grinder, you guys haven't. How many sacks did you register at home against these teams. How many have the Cowboys registered against much better OLs on the road.

Our front seven is significantly better and deeper than yours. I wouldn't put either of our OLs in the top half of the league right now. You look at ours and see the names.....Nagy, Costa, Kowalski and think, who are these guys? Well go look at what they did against two of the best defensive fronts in football on the road. And around those guys we just the OTs to handle you edge rushers.

The Giants and Cardinals defenses are nothing....nothing close to what your OL and Grossman we see Monday Night. Good luck running the ball when two of the best running teams couldn't. And good luck keeping Grossman upright. We have 10 sacks in 2 games on the road against better OLs. Now we're at home with the benefit of crowd noise.

Sure you guys have the advantage in the trenches, dream on.

 

[shockandroll]

If Terrance Newman can handle Santana Moss, then why has Moss done so well against the Cowboys? I doubt Sensabaugh can handle Fred Davis too. Davis is bigger and faster than Sensabaugh.

Going back just a few years, Moss burned Newman when he tried to play hurt. He then had surgery and missed a little time and pretty much shut Moss down later in the year when he was healthy.

Also, you are listing individual matchups as if nothing else affects them. If Rex has time, Moss and Davis will probably get open. If we are in his face within 2.5 seconds, they probably will not be. The pass rush has the ability to shut those guys down.

Sensabaugh typically covers TE's pretty well. I don't expect him to win that matchup over all but he does not really have to. He needs to win it on a few key plays and our pass rush needs to win their battles. That will allow Sensabaugh to be good enough for us to win the game, imo. We can give up yards and even give up 2 TD's and still be very much OK.

 

[BlueStar3398]

Smoke crack much?

I've pretty much said the same thing breaking down this matchup. Of course I'm right and your high.

Before you get too "high" on your B squad there in DC, take a look at just whom you've actually played.

Giants and Cardinals at home! Giants have half their defense on IR and I wasn't big on them before that. 6-8 wins at best this year. Cardinals have no defense. It may be one of the worst units in football this year. They can't stop the run or rush the passer, but at least they can't cover anyone.

These are the teams you've played and you've played them at home.

Now lets look at whom the Cowboys have played. Jets and Niners on the road. Obviously the Jets are a legit SB contender with a top 2-3 defense. The Niners have a great OL and great defensive front and not much else.

We've been through the meat grinder, you guys haven't. How many sacks did you register at home against these teams. How many have the Cowboys registered against much better OLs on the road.

Our front seven is significantly better and deeper than yours. I wouldn't put either of our OLs in the top half of the league right now. You look at ours and see the names.....Nagy, Costa, Kowalski and think, who are these guys? Well go look at what they did against two of the best defensive fronts in football on the road. And around those guys we just the OTs to handle you edge rushers.

The Giants and Cardinals defenses are nothing....nothing close to what your OL and Grossman we see Monday Night. Good luck running the ball when two of the best running teams couldn't. And good luck keeping Grossman upright. We have 10 sacks in 2 games on the road against better OLs. Now we're at home with the benefit of crowd noise.

Sure you guys have the advantage in the trenches, dream on.

:bravo: :clap2: