Random Thoughts after Cards Game

[TwoCentPlain]

1) The offensive game plan should have been opposite. AZ was going to blitz and was prepared for a heavy dose of Zeke. The first two series Zeke was the bell cow and the drives ended. AZ on the other hand went deep early on first two possessions to set the tone we are not afraid and have confidence. Cowboy plan was to play it safe with Zeke and not attack deep and said we have no confidence. Zeke is nowhere near a bell cow and even fumbled the game away. Zeke cannot be trusted or relied on. He does not have 'it.' Emmitt had 'it.'

2) Irvin had 'it.' Lamb has 'it.' Lamb is a very, very good player. He is open a lot. I am glad he is a Cowboy. Had the Giants or Eagles drafted Lamb, they would have a couple more wins. My guess is that the Eagles or Giants would be 4-3 now if they drafted Lamb. He is a difference maker. Cowboys need to use him a lot more. Became my favorite player from game 1.

3) The game got away from the Cowboys with some key plays: Zeke fumble, Zeke fumble, Lamb no-call on blatant pass interference killing a drive, and Gallup drop of TD ending with FG costing 4 points. Brutal four series which accounted for a 21-25 point difference. All in less than a quarter if I remember correctly.

4) The offensive game plan for the AZ game was poor. No play action, no reverses, no misdirection, no rollouts. Very few slants. Granted Dalton threw an INT on a ill-advised throw on a slant. They went somewhat deep twice the whole game, once to Gallup and once to Wilson. Need to go deep more with Lamb, Gallup, Cooper, and Schultz. Tire the defense out. Make them sprint. Play with confidence and play to win. Good chance to get PIs and penalties on the defense.

5) Thinking out of the box, this may seem weird but I would use Pollard and Dowdle in the 1st and 3rd quarters and Zeke in the 2nd and 4th quarter. Pollard has more breakaway potential and is the better receiver. I want big play potential on the field early with Pollard and the WRs and let Zeke work on tired defenses. Try to throw defenses a curveball. Open this offense up early.

6) Gallimore and Hamilton were a breath of fresh air in the middle. I have no idea what happened to Antuan Woods. I thought he would step up but he looks like nothing much out there. Poe is absolutely useless. Griffen fell off the face of the earth. Crawford is garbage. Going forward I want to see Gregory, Smith, Hamilton, Gallimore, Lawrence on the DL. Let Crawford, Woods, and Griffen back up.

7) DiNucci only played the last series and we only have a small sample. But, he looked really fluid out there. Yeah, they were simple handoffs but he looked quick and smooth. Might be nothing but it caught my eye and I wanted to see more. Same with Dowdle. Small and limited sample but definitely wouldn't mind seeing a little more to see if there is something there. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws but they stood out.

8) Thought I saw Worley with a mask out there on the field when he got beat bad. I have been wearing a mask for 7 months now and would not want to be running around and playing a game with one.

9) AZ drafted LB Simmons from Clemson. He had 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. Did not notice him out there at all. He was drafted at #8, 9 spots ahead of Lamb.

10) Zeke's blocking took a turn for the worse this year. Can't remember exactly but I thought I saw Zeke with a bad block on the defensive player who ended up with pressure on Dalton before Dalton flipped the ball to Zeke who then fumbled. Too many times where his blocking has not been good.

 

[gimmesix]

Funny thing on the game plan is I don't think Dalton is any worse as a quarterback than Murray, but the Cardinals kept taking shots.

Now, the line would have likely gotten Dalton killed eventually, but that's one reason you pass when they are expecting run, so they don't pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Zeke is nowhere near a bell cow

I don't know what your definition of bell cow is but Zeke lead the league in rushing attempts in 2018 and was 2nd last year just 2 attempts fewer than Henry.

 

[805BoysInBlue]

I'd also like to see more of Anae going forward. Hopefully the young guys start finding themselves with more play time. Honestly what can be worse?

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I don't know what your definition of bell cow is but Zeke lead the league in rushing attempts in 2018 and was 2nd last year just 2 attempts fewer than Henry.

Someone who is the leader of the offense and who you want to be the focus. Someone to carry the load to a win. Someone to be the heart of the offense. Zeke isn't that type of player. Emmitt is. Emmitt is navy SEAL mentally tough. Who knows where Zeke's head is half the time.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

I'd also like to see more of Anae going forward. Hopefully the young guys start finding themselves with more play time. Honestly what can be worse?

Yeah, I forgot about Anae. He has been showing up in limited action. Although, might be hard to make him and Gregory active on the same day.

 

[buybuydandavis]

1) The offensive game plan should have been opposite. AZ was going to blitz and was prepared for a heavy dose of Zeke. The first two series Zeke was the bell cow and the drives ended. AZ on the other hand went deep early on first two possessions to set the tone we are not afraid and have confidence. Cowboy plan was to play it safe with Zeke and not attack deep and said we have no confidence.

Our strongest weapons are Lamb and Cooper. Pollard is a hard matchup for a defense, and gives us a deep threat if a defense matches him to a LB.

With the defense both blitzing and playing press man, it was 2017 all over again. LOS too crowded to run. They're daring us to beat them over the top.

But in 2020, we have both speed and quality to beat teams over the top. We didn't try. Like we didn't try by using Butler in 2017.

Max protect with Bell as TE, Zeke, and Pollard going out or blocking depending on the matchup. I think we were trying some max protect.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Yeah, I forgot about Anae. He has been showing up in limited action. Although, might be hard to make him and Gregory active on the same day.

We have plenty of DEs. Let them rotate by games to get Anae some time.
Armstrong and Griffen don't need to play every week.

 

[xwalker]

1) The offensive game plan should have been opposite. AZ was going to blitz and was prepared for a heavy dose of Zeke. The first two series Zeke was the bell cow and the drives ended. AZ on the other hand went deep early on first two possessions to set the tone we are not afraid and have confidence. Cowboy plan was to play it safe with Zeke and not attack deep and said we have no confidence. Zeke is nowhere near a bell cow and even fumbled the game away. Zeke cannot be trusted or relied on. He does not have 'it.' Emmitt had 'it.'

2) Irvin had 'it.' Lamb has 'it.' Lamb is a very, very good player. He is open a lot. I am glad he is a Cowboy. Had the Giants or Eagles drafted Lamb, they would have a couple more wins. My guess is that the Eagles or Giants would be 4-3 now if they drafted Lamb. He is a difference maker. Cowboys need to use him a lot more. Became my favorite player from game 1.

3) The game got away from the Cowboys with some key plays: Zeke fumble, Zeke fumble, Lamb no-call on blatant pass interference killing a drive, and Gallup drop of TD ending with FG costing 4 points. Brutal four series which accounted for a 21-25 point difference. All in less than a quarter if I remember correctly.

4) The offensive game plan for the AZ game was poor. No play action, no reverses, no misdirection, no rollouts. Very few slants. Granted Dalton threw an INT on a ill-advised throw on a slant. They went somewhat deep twice the whole game, once to Gallup and once to Wilson. Need to go deep more with Lamb, Gallup, Cooper, and Schultz. Tire the defense out. Make them sprint. Play with confidence and play to win. Good chance to get PIs and penalties on the defense.

5) Thinking out of the box, this may seem weird but I would use Pollard and Dowdle in the 1st and 3rd quarters and Zeke in the 2nd and 4th quarter. Pollard has more breakaway potential and is the better receiver. I want big play potential on the field early with Pollard and the WRs and let Zeke work on tired defenses. Try to throw defenses a curveball. Open this offense up early.

6) Gallimore and Hamilton were a breath of fresh air in the middle. I have no idea what happened to Antuan Woods. I thought he would step up but he looks like nothing much out there. Poe is absolutely useless. Griffen fell off the face of the earth. Crawford is garbage. Going forward I want to see Gregory, Smith, Hamilton, Gallimore, Lawrence on the DL. Let Crawford, Woods, and Griffen back up.

7) DiNucci only played the last series and we only have a small sample. But, he looked really fluid out there. Yeah, they were simple handoffs but he looked quick and smooth. Might be nothing but it caught my eye and I wanted to see more. Same with Dowdle. Small and limited sample but definitely wouldn't mind seeing a little more to see if there is something there. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws but they stood out.

8) Thought I saw Worley with a mask out there on the field when he got beat bad. I have been wearing a mask for 7 months now and would not want to be running around and playing a game with one.

9) AZ drafted LB Simmons from Clemson. He had 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. Did not notice him out there at all. He was drafted at #8, 9 spots ahead of Lamb.

10) Zeke's blocking took a turn for the worse this year. Can't remember exactly but I thought I saw Zeke with a bad block on the defensive player who ended up with pressure on Dalton before Dalton flipped the ball to Zeke who then fumbled. Too many times where his blocking has not been good.

Good post, although I don't agree with all of it.

I do get the feeling that you really watched the game before posting you opinions...cheers.

Lamb looks like a true super star type player; although it is hugely beneficial to him having high quality outside WRs. Mike Irving was a super star with no other WRs to draw coverage away from him.

Zeke. Why is he fumbling? I can't explain it. Most coaches can't explain RB fumbling. I think he he "pressing" (i.e. Trying to hard).

Hard to blame RB for pass blocking this season when they're seeing jail-break type pass rushers making it hard to get into good position to block.

Pollard. There is no dropoff in pass blocking when Pollard plays. I would like to see more of Pollard.

I'm impressed that you noticed DT Hamilton. He looked strong on run plays. He looked like he is physically the strongest player on the DL.

Early in the season Gallimore was not good in limited snaps; however, he is improving with each snap. He top skill is a pass rusher but he has had limited opportunities in that area this season. Hill and Crawford had taking the bulk of the passing downs snaps but with Hill out and Hamilton in, Gallimore is getting more snaps on passing downs. We've gotten to see his burst on a couple of plays and it is very impressive. There are NFL DEs that don't have that type of burst. Gallimore is still susceptible to getting blown out by double-teams in the run game but if the 1tech/0tech were drawing more doubles, that wouldn't be an issues for Gallimore as a 3tech/5tech.

Worley wears some type of cloth wrap around his neck and head. I don't think he pulls it up over his mouth/nose but sometimes appears to have it around his chin. It's weird. The media asked him about it and he said "It's just my thing". Apparently he has used it to some extent in previous seasons.

Lamb's picture should be in the "dictionary" next to BPA (Best Player Available). If a draft pick is successful, it does not end up being important what position he plays. It allows teams many options in future seasons such as not overpaying to keep other players at that position. If the Cowboys move on from Cooper after 2021, then that is 20M to sign players at other positions because they drafted Lamb. On the flip side, if a draft pick is a bust it also does not matter that he plays a position of need (Taco).

DiNucci: I have not given any thought to DiNucci this season but on the QB topic it is even more obvious now just how impressive Dak had been this season. The team losing over-shadowed the unbelievable pace of production by the Cowboys offense.

 

[xwalker]

Yeah, I forgot about Anae. He has been showing up in limited action. Although, might be hard to make him and Gregory active on the same day.

Anae has only played 6 total snaps on defense for the season.

 

[jay94]

Bell cow who cares. Zeke can't produce without an elite line.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Anae has only played 6 total snaps on defense for the season.

He has looked decent in his 6 snaps. I did not think it was that low. Hard for him to get snaps if Gregory will be active.

I thought I noticed on one of the AZ TDs from the 2 or 3 yard line that the Cowboys had #58 Smith lined up at DT or in the middle and facing a double team. The Cards waltzed right in for a TD behind the double team. 600+ pounds against 265 pounds is no match. I was like, who called that defense. Don't know if I am mistaken or others noticed it.

 

[Creeper]

1) The offensive game plan should have been opposite. AZ was going to blitz and was prepared for a heavy dose of Zeke. The first two series Zeke was the bell cow and the drives ended. AZ on the other hand went deep early on first two possessions to set the tone we are not afraid and have confidence. Cowboy plan was to play it safe with Zeke and not attack deep and said we have no confidence. Zeke is nowhere near a bell cow and even fumbled the game away. Zeke cannot be trusted or relied on. He does not have 'it.' Emmitt had 'it.'

2) Irvin had 'it.' Lamb has 'it.' Lamb is a very, very good player. He is open a lot. I am glad he is a Cowboy. Had the Giants or Eagles drafted Lamb, they would have a couple more wins. My guess is that the Eagles or Giants would be 4-3 now if they drafted Lamb. He is a difference maker. Cowboys need to use him a lot more. Became my favorite player from game 1.

3) The game got away from the Cowboys with some key plays: Zeke fumble, Zeke fumble, Lamb no-call on blatant pass interference killing a drive, and Gallup drop of TD ending with FG costing 4 points. Brutal four series which accounted for a 21-25 point difference. All in less than a quarter if I remember correctly.

4) The offensive game plan for the AZ game was poor. No play action, no reverses, no misdirection, no rollouts. Very few slants. Granted Dalton threw an INT on a ill-advised throw on a slant. They went somewhat deep twice the whole game, once to Gallup and once to Wilson. Need to go deep more with Lamb, Gallup, Cooper, and Schultz. Tire the defense out. Make them sprint. Play with confidence and play to win. Good chance to get PIs and penalties on the defense.

5) Thinking out of the box, this may seem weird but I would use Pollard and Dowdle in the 1st and 3rd quarters and Zeke in the 2nd and 4th quarter. Pollard has more breakaway potential and is the better receiver. I want big play potential on the field early with Pollard and the WRs and let Zeke work on tired defenses. Try to throw defenses a curveball. Open this offense up early.

6) Gallimore and Hamilton were a breath of fresh air in the middle. I have no idea what happened to Antuan Woods. I thought he would step up but he looks like nothing much out there. Poe is absolutely useless. Griffen fell off the face of the earth. Crawford is garbage. Going forward I want to see Gregory, Smith, Hamilton, Gallimore, Lawrence on the DL. Let Crawford, Woods, and Griffen back up.

7) DiNucci only played the last series and we only have a small sample. But, he looked really fluid out there. Yeah, they were simple handoffs but he looked quick and smooth. Might be nothing but it caught my eye and I wanted to see more. Same with Dowdle. Small and limited sample but definitely wouldn't mind seeing a little more to see if there is something there. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws but they stood out.

8) Thought I saw Worley with a mask out there on the field when he got beat bad. I have been wearing a mask for 7 months now and would not want to be running around and playing a game with one.

9) AZ drafted LB Simmons from Clemson. He had 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. Did not notice him out there at all. He was drafted at #8, 9 spots ahead of Lamb.

10) Zeke's blocking took a turn for the worse this year. Can't remember exactly but I thought I saw Zeke with a bad block on the defensive player who ended up with pressure on Dalton before Dalton flipped the ball to Zeke who then fumbled. Too many times where his blocking has not been good.

Good post.

I agree with a lot of it. Just a couple of thoughts. The Cowboys just (over)paid Zeke $90 million. They are not going to sit him for Pollard and Dowdle. If that happens Jerry will take his hot line phone out of the box and place a direct call to McCarthy. I agree Pollard seems more dynamic in short stints and I think he is a much better receiver than Zeke, but Zke is getting paid to carry the rock and I don;t see Jerry allowing him to sit while he sucks cash out of Jerry's wallet.

I liked Hamilton too. He seems to play with some power and a little violence. I like that but one game is not enough to judge. I want to see more. He cannot be worse than Poe and the defense cannot be worse without Poe. I think Gallimore is going to be pretty good. He seems stronger than the typical Cowboys DTs. I hope they let him develop.

I thought the same thing about Worley and his mask. Those gaiter masks are not nearly as effective as other cloth masks but they still inhibit the flow of air a bit. I have no idea what effect it has on his O2 levels though. Like you, I cannot wear one when I am working out.

No matter how bad Zeke's blocking is, Pollard is far worse. I actually think blitz pickups are a strength of Zeke's. Every RB makes a mistake once in a while. But Pollard seems to mess it up every time. I have no idea what Dowdle's blocking looks like.

As for the game plan, I think it is natural to ease a backup QB into the games, especially when the offensive line is so banged up. Given that Dalton is not as light on his feet as Dak, they probably thought he was going to be under worse pressure. But Dalton does one thing better than Dak and that is step up into the pocket, even the tiny pockets the Cowboys offensive line was given him. But the Cards DL is not anywhere near as good as the Washington DL. They will also face the Steelers, Ravens and Eagles soon. The OL better stabilize quickly or we will see DiNucci at QB before the season is over. I thinki t would be fun to see what Ben DiNucci could do. He is a smooth thrower and a slippery guy in the pocket. But I saw him on college video. Players are a lot faster in the NFL DiNucci will have to react quicker. I think people will be shocked at how good a thrower he is if he has time. Having said all that, where are they going anyway? They may s well throw some deep balls to open up the game. They are just going to fumble the ball away anyway, right?

 

[cowboyec]

the strength of this offense are those WRs...not our ground game.
i wish we'd open with an aggressive,pass first offense and use our ground game to close it out.
similar to how arizona operates.
put Dalton in the shot-gun,go no-huddle/hurry-up mode and go after'm thru the air.
im not advocating abandoning the run.
you have to have balance.
but we can't be a run first,run heavy team.
not with the slip n slide back there.

unless the coaches think Dalton doesnt have the arm.
then at that point....tell Zeke to take the gloves off...and give Dowdle some carries if Zeke's fumbles continue.

on defense i'd like to see Anae more.
Gallimore seems to be coming on.

 

[xwalker]

He has looked decent in his 6 snaps. I did not think it was that low. Hard for him to get snaps if Gregory will be active.

I thought I noticed on one of the AZ TDs from the 2 or 3 yard line that the Cowboys had #58 Smith lined up at DT or in the middle and facing a double team. The Cards waltzed right in for a TD behind the double team. 600+ pounds against 265 pounds is no match. I was like, who called that defense. Don't know if I am mistaken or others noticed it.

They had 4 DL on that play with Aldon Smith at DED with Jaylon up on the line just outside of him.
- DLaw was standing up but he is a stand-up DE in that alignment, not a LB.

They were in Nickel. Keep in mind that they have to decide on personnel before they know the offensive alignment.

RDE=Aldon Smith
RDE=Poe
LDT=Crawford
LDE=DLaw (stand-up DE)

Smith had moved from the normal DE position just outside the OT to lined up on the OT's inside shoulder.

Jaylon moved outside the LT and up on the line instead of even with the LG and off the line.

Basically Jaylon and Aldon Smith swapped positions except both were on the line.

• The problems on the play:
  • Jaylon should have forced the LT to block him but went a couple of yards up field instead.
  • If Jaylon forces the LT then there is no double on Aldon Smith.
  • The LG initially doubled Aldon Smith then kicked over to double Poe.
  • If Jaylon had forced the LT to block him then the LG is forced to stay with Aldon Smith and no double on Poe.
  • Poe was too easily boxed out by the block.
  • Aldon Smith lost against the LT even after the LG moved to Poe.

The issue is that they've been burned by outside runs where the player outside the OT stayed tighter.
- I think the coaches were trying to scheme around that problem but created a different problem.

 

[blueblood70]

I don't know what your definition of bell cow is but Zeke lead the league in rushing attempts in 2018 and was 2nd last year just 2 attempts fewer than Henry.

(((ALERT)))

hate troll train ALERT, Zeke is the bell cow and can be counted on if we had an OL and a better OC..YES he blew this game with b2b fumbles , no different then the fumble and int by dak in games we lost this year, it happens..


OP got that right Game plans are Bipolar not consistent etc

all that writing from the OP and he blew it first paragraph because throwing deep or running takes an OL

we have all backups across the line and backups to backups and yes they blitzed a lot got there a lot 3 sacks dont tell the story , Dalton threw like 10 passes away to avoid sacks.

how are you supposed to throw deep with no time?

BTW they did throw deep ie AZ fr the tune of 9/23 not great passing stat by Kmurray.. he was erratic and got lucky on two big plays one Hop gets free short runs long bad tackling and the one deep one a db bit looking into the backfield..it was hardy a great game plan they punted their first 2 possessions and only got on track after the short fields by the fumbles..

 

[AbeBeta]

1) The offensive game plan should have been opposite. AZ was going to blitz and was prepared for a heavy dose of Zeke. The first two series Zeke was the bell cow and the drives ended. AZ on the other hand went deep early on first two possessions to set the tone we are not afraid and have confidence. Cowboy plan was to play it safe with Zeke and not attack deep and said we have no confidence. Zeke is nowhere near a bell cow and even fumbled the game away. Zeke cannot be trusted or relied on. He does not have 'it.' Emmitt had 'it.'

2) Irvin had 'it.' Lamb has 'it.' Lamb is a very, very good player. He is open a lot. I am glad he is a Cowboy. Had the Giants or Eagles drafted Lamb, they would have a couple more wins. My guess is that the Eagles or Giants would be 4-3 now if they drafted Lamb. He is a difference maker. Cowboys need to use him a lot more. Became my favorite player from game 1.

3) The game got away from the Cowboys with some key plays: Zeke fumble, Zeke fumble, Lamb no-call on blatant pass interference killing a drive, and Gallup drop of TD ending with FG costing 4 points. Brutal four series which accounted for a 21-25 point difference. All in less than a quarter if I remember correctly.

4) The offensive game plan for the AZ game was poor. No play action, no reverses, no misdirection, no rollouts. Very few slants. Granted Dalton threw an INT on a ill-advised throw on a slant. They went somewhat deep twice the whole game, once to Gallup and once to Wilson. Need to go deep more with Lamb, Gallup, Cooper, and Schultz. Tire the defense out. Make them sprint. Play with confidence and play to win. Good chance to get PIs and penalties on the defense.

5) Thinking out of the box, this may seem weird but I would use Pollard and Dowdle in the 1st and 3rd quarters and Zeke in the 2nd and 4th quarter. Pollard has more breakaway potential and is the better receiver. I want big play potential on the field early with Pollard and the WRs and let Zeke work on tired defenses. Try to throw defenses a curveball. Open this offense up early.

6) Gallimore and Hamilton were a breath of fresh air in the middle. I have no idea what happened to Antuan Woods. I thought he would step up but he looks like nothing much out there. Poe is absolutely useless. Griffen fell off the face of the earth. Crawford is garbage. Going forward I want to see Gregory, Smith, Hamilton, Gallimore, Lawrence on the DL. Let Crawford, Woods, and Griffen back up.

7) DiNucci only played the last series and we only have a small sample. But, he looked really fluid out there. Yeah, they were simple handoffs but he looked quick and smooth. Might be nothing but it caught my eye and I wanted to see more. Same with Dowdle. Small and limited sample but definitely wouldn't mind seeing a little more to see if there is something there. Maybe I'm just grasping at straws but they stood out.

8) Thought I saw Worley with a mask out there on the field when he got beat bad. I have been wearing a mask for 7 months now and would not want to be running around and playing a game with one.

9) AZ drafted LB Simmons from Clemson. He had 2 solo tackles and 2 assists. Did not notice him out there at all. He was drafted at #8, 9 spots ahead of Lamb.

10) Zeke's blocking took a turn for the worse this year. Can't remember exactly but I thought I saw Zeke with a bad block on the defensive player who ended up with pressure on Dalton before Dalton flipped the ball to Zeke who then fumbled. Too many times where his blocking has not been good.

Folks should stop reading when the get to "use Dowdie."

Sober up kid

 

[JoeKing]

This team needs Dak.

 

[Jake]

Funny thing on the game plan is I don't think Dalton is any worse as a quarterback than Murray, but the Cardinals kept taking shots.

Now, the line would have likely gotten Dalton killed eventually, but that's one reason you pass when they are expecting run, so they don't pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.

The Dalton fantasies will continue to fade weekly. He's not as good as Dak, he's not as good as Murray. It's not even close.

 

[SoBlue128]

That was cheap