Believe it or not, I thought of the title before I realized today features a rare treat to astrologist nationwide; an eclipse will appear in our skies at some point around 1:30 CST…and, in a sense, an eclipse is the closest simultaneous representation of night and day you will find in your lifetime. So while that particular occasion did not quite inspire the title, it does make the theme all the more befitting.
When I say, “Night & Day” I’m merely comparing two things that appear to be completely different from each other. It could be in regards to a player from this year versus that same player last year; or it could be one player as compared to another player in the same position thus far in preseason. Ultimately what we are looking at, though, is my impressions based on both what I have been able to see in training camp, what I have read of other people’s analytics and, of course, my takeaways from three preseason games now in the books.
Moore Vs. Rush
The discussion is no longer a logical or worthy debate; regardless of Kellen’s supposed intelligence, irrespective of his command of the playbook, and with or without Linehan’s seal of approval, it should be clear to the football watching world who gives the Cowboys a better chance with Dak standing/sitting on the sideline. When Kellen is on the field, the offense look’s a whole helluva lot like 2015. Transversely, when Cooper Rush takes the field, something changes in the air; of a sudden the entire team plays better.
I’ve heard the coach-speak; the suggestion that, for whatever reason, Kellen is not getting the same chances in the pocket that Rush is and that is the reason Cooper looks so much better. Perhaps there is some truth to that. I’ll concede that point; but don’t get too excited Kellen fan; if you think my agreeing to that is a trap, despite your clear lack of intelligence for still standing by Kellen in the first place, your ability to recognize a deception in the making is working quite well.
For me, this is just yet another vote in Rush’s favor to be the primary backup. Despite going to work with mostly 3rd’s, he was still able to effortlessly move the ball down the field. What does it mean that Rush was working with a cleaner pocket than Kellen? Perhaps he was making the right blocking assignment calls and/or checks at the line. Or, just maybe, the fans aren’t the only people who have more confidence in Rush; perhaps the players parrot that sentiment and play accordingly.
Many have made the Rush plays like Romo comparison, but I’m not sure that’s a fair comparison. But I would say, minus the ability to hurt teams with his legs, Rush reminds me a whole lot of what we saw from Dak last year in preseason. Cooper has the poise. Cooper has the velocity and accuracy in his passes. And lastly, perhaps the most compelling piece to this argument, Cooper is in no way is afraid to throw the ball down the field; even when the recipient of said pass looks to be covered when Cooper throws the ball. That factor is key because it means he possesses perhaps the most coveted attribute a quarterback can have in the NFL: Anticipation.
I am not a quarterback scout nor have I ever played the position, so my opinion means next to nothing at the end of the day. Having said that, there is a night & day difference in how this team plays collectively when Rush is in there versus when Moore is in there.
You know who else hopes we keep Kellen as our backup and cut Rush from the final 53?
31 other teams.
2016 Jaylon Smith Vs. 2017 Jaylon Smith
I’ll be honest; I think some of us are getting a bit carried away with the Jaylon love from his play Saturday night. Granted, he made a tackle of a player who caught a pass in front of him. Forgive me for not being all that impressed. Because, for me, you have to balance that one play against all the plays he didn’t make. And the most disconcerting aspect of those plays he didn’t make is the reason behind him not making those plays.
Point blank, as of right now, Jaylon Smith is a liability when he is on the field. His recovery from the now well-known devastating injury to his knee has reduced him to being an Alligator Defender; as long as his target is in front of him he can run fast in a straight line and make a good progress-stopping text book wrap-up tackle. He has my confidence in the regard.
But what happens when he has to change directions? Rut roh. As far as Jaylon is concerned, nothing…it takes too much time for him to reset and change directions. Before you start collecting a lynch mob for me, go back and look at every snap. There was at least two instances that I recall where he shot a gap and had an opportunity to make a play behind the line of scrimmage to stop the ball carrier for a loss but because the cut was to his right, he was unable to plant and make the play. Furthermore, you will notice after showing good explosion to the ball, if he has to change direction, he has no acceleration in his cut, which generally puts him in too far of a trailing position to make up ground and catch the ball carrier.
But, if you want something to be encouraged by in regards to Jaylon, you need only look at Jaylon a year ago in a moon-boot. He is absolutely making progress. But if Saturday night was any indication of where he is at right now, he will not start against the Giants…and if he does, we may regret it. In my opinion, as of right now, Anthony Hitchens is the better player. Jaylon does, however, have the much higher ceiling; he just needs more confidence in his right knee before he can realize his full potential.
However, if you are looking for encouraging signs beyond him playing, I will also point out that he does seem to have a knack for sifting through traffic and staying clean of offensive lineman to make a play. Once he trust that knee, that knack could very well lead to Pro Bowl consideration…eventually.
Taco Game 1 Vs Taco Game 2 & 3
Before I acknowledge what I think most of us have seen, I must address the ever-present elephant in the room for this particular discussion. Taco has not faced the same player in game 2 & 3 that stonewalled him in game 1 versus the Cardinals. That is a very important consideration, because for all we know the guys he has looked marginally good against in games 2 & 3 respectively, may be taking your order at a McDonalds near you in a few short weeks.
That said, we are finally starting to see the explosion off the line that Marinelli likes. Perhaps it is not as pronounced as say Tapper’s explosion off the line, however, Taco seems to have a better feel of how to use it to his advantage as compared to Tapper, who seems to let that explosion take him out of the play more often than not. Tapper will beat his man to the edge, but he tends to overextend on the outside, which in turn makes it easier for the OT to use Tapper’s momentum against him and push him too far wide of the QB. Taco on the other hand, does a better job of holding the point of attack and it seemed from my point of view that he was able to generate a few pressures from the RE position…a position, I admittedly, did not think he was ideal for versus Tapper.
I still say we as a fan base need to practice patience with our young first round pick and temper our expectations for 2017. But, as compared to game 1 of the preseason, it does seem as though he is making progress. But again, the level of talent he has faced since then very well could make that impression Fools Gold.
2016 Dak to Dez Connection Vs 2017 Dak to Dez Connection
I’m really excited about this section because I think (though, I could be wrong) I’m the first to notice this departure from the norm for Dak. To appreciate this difference, I have to take you back to an interview that occurred prior to us fully understanding who Dak is. Last year Dez got injured and had to miss 4 games. Prior to embarking on an undefeated stretch of games without Dez, Dak was questioned about how the Cowboys would survive without their prized marquee receiver. Dak explained (paraphrasing): “I’m going to throw to the open receiver. I don’t care who it is, just so long as they are open.”
Why is that important? Because on the Touchdown pass to Dez that occurred during the very first possession for the Cowboys, Dez was not open when Dak threw the ball. But Dak knew, given the single coverage, that Dez would win. Granted, the way Dak placed the ball was perfect; when the ball arrived, Dez was basically standing by himself. But this was still a departure from the Dak from a year ago. Dak from a year ago, as a general rule, threw to whomever was the most open. On this particular play, that simply wasn’t the case. Dak threw a ball into a situation where he knew his receiver would have to make a play; and he threw it to Dez in particular because Dak has learned through repetition that Dez is such a receiver who will 9 times out of 10 make a play on the ball…and make it look easy.
With that significant change in approach from Dak and the reported improvements Dez has made to his overall game, Zeke’s absence becomes less and less of a factor in my mind.
Wrap It Up
All in all, this looks like a very well-coached team. I know this may rankle the Garrett/Linehan/Marinelli haters out there, but this team at times looked as though there were in mid-season form. “At times,” for the most part, I define as when Kellen Moore was not playing. The Cowboys were a well-oiled machine, however, it should be noted that the Colt are only in preseason game 2 as compared to game 3 for the Cowboys and the Colts collective roster is nowhere near as talented as the Cowboys, so that game, for the most part, looked the way it was supposed to look.
That said, I did walk away from the viewing much more confident about life without Zeke. The Cowboys may not go on the same winning streak that made Dak famous last year, but they will survive; after 6 games I see no worse than 3 and 3, and honestly expect better than that. My ultimate point is this: if I could choose who would miss the first 6 games, Dak or Zeke, I’d still choose Zeke to miss those first 6 games, because I’m not nearly as confident about the Cowboys without Dak behind center.
Thoughts?
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