Random Thoughts on Game

[TwoCentPlain]

1) Can't say enough good about Orlando Scandrick. He made one of the key plays in the game. I think the score was 17-7 late in the 3rd quarter and the Lions were driving and had a 3rd and 2 deep in Cowboy territory. Scandrick covered Tate on a slant and forced a 4th down. A completion there and the score would have been 24-7 and game over. With all the money Carr is being paid, he really needs to take Scandrick out to dinner and buy him a car and a house.

2) Romo needs to take Beasley out to dinner, buy him a car and a house. Beasley took a wicked hit and held the ball. But, Beasley's game-saving play might have been his fumble recovery after Romo got sacked to begin the 2nd quarter. Two outside blitzers both got to Romo at the same time. It was a perfect call and execution by Detroit. Romo had the ball stripped and I think Beasley was there to recover. Two other Cowboys were near the ball but Beasley got it I think. A Detroit recovery there and the Cowboys probably go down 21-0 and game over.

3) Detroit walks away with the win (and maybe the super bowl) if they take Odell Beckham Jr. or Zach Martin with the 10th pick in the 2014 draft instead of Ebron.

4) Our 4th rd pick Hitchens was covering 1st rd pick TE Pettigrew on the famous no-call pass interference. Detroit chose Pettigrew with the Dallas pick acquired in the 2009 draft with the Roy Williams trade. If Pettigrew makes that catch or jumps into Hitchens, the Roy Williams trade continues to haunt the Cowboys.

5) DLaw beat a 2012 1st rd pick in OT Reilly Reiff for his sack strip. Reiff was the 23 player taken and the 2nd OT taken in the draft.

6) I think Detroit knew more about Linehan and his tendencies than Linehan knew about Detroit in this game. Or maybe the Lions were just more motivated playing against their old OC.

7) That was the best I ever saw Ansah play in his career. He was all over the place. He was living in the Cowboys' backfield all game, it seemed. He also looked like he got more muscular this year.

8) Carr had a nice pass breakup on a 3rd down early in the 1st quarter against Tate. The Cowboys desperately needed a stop and Carr delivered.

9) Detroit had a good game plan on defense. They took the run away and made the Cowboys one-dimensional. They also took Dez away. I think the Cowboys need to get Dez more in motion and definitely more crossing patterns for him. I would like to see the Cowboys use the bunch formation with Dez and the other WRs.

10) Detroit failed to run on 3rd and short many times in the game and will regret that decision for a long time.

11) Det WR Fuller has some real speed and I am thankful they didn't go to him too much yesterday.

12) I was expecting some trick plays in this game. None. A flea flicker or end-around may have worked.

13) I don't remember the Cowboys using much play action. Might be because the DL was getting too much penetration early. No roll-outs or bootlegs for Romo which surprised me since Det was selling out on the edge rushers.

14) I saw TE Ecobar standing next to OT Tyron Smith and they looked almost the same size in the shoulders. Escobar has hit the weight room hard this year. And he can get open and catch.

15) Clutts had a nice block on the 4th and 1 for Murray's TD.

16) Spillman came to play on special teams. And Dwayne Harris had nice catches in traffic on the punts.

 

[jazzcat22]

good stuff.
Carr did have some nice passes defensed also, and other than the 51 yard TD to Tate, the secondary did a very nice job overall.

 

[Titleist]

Spillman has been an absolute ace on special teams this year. Seems to be around the ball all the time and makes plays when they're needed most (examples: tackle at the 5 yard line in lions game; fumble recoveries on muffed punts in jags and Commanders games; numerous "blow-up" tackles).

Not sure I'd want him at safety, but Spillman is for sure a keeper at special teams.

 

[jrumann59]

Spillman has been an absolute ace on special teams this year. Seems to be around the ball all the time and makes plays when they're needed most (examples: tackle at the 5 yard line in lions game; fumble recoveries on muffed punts in jags and Commanders games; numerous "blow-up" tackles).

Not sure I'd want him at safety, but Spillman is for sure a keeper at special teams.

Beginning of the year he was pretty flat but he has turned up the last few weeks. He was brought in more for ST than playing defense.

 

[xwalker]

.....

5) DLaw beat a 2012 1st rd pick in OT Reilly Reiff for his sack strip. Reiff was the 23 player taken and the 2nd OT taken in the draft.
That was a pure talent sack. DLaw just straight up beat the OT.

6) I think Detroit knew more about Linehan and his tendencies than Linehan knew about Detroit in this game. Or maybe the Lions were just more motivated playing against their old OC.
It was not too difficult to know that the Cowboys struggled the most in games this season when the defense blitzed often.

7) That was the best I ever saw Ansah play in his career. He was all over the place. He was living in the Cowboys' backfield all game, it seemed. He also looked like he got more muscular this year.
He is a good player and elite athlete. Much the of cause of the pressure and sacks was due to coverage and Romo holding the ball too long. The Cowboys biggest weakness on offense is their lack of quick, blitz beating routes. They had started using a few more of them towards the end of the season, but they still revert back to the longer, slower developing routes and it make it impossible to succeed against the blitz when they don't have receivers running the short routes in the middle of the field.

8) Carr had a nice pass breakup on a 3rd down early in the 1st quarter against Tate. The Cowboys desperately needed a stop and Carr delivered.
Yes, Carr was good enough.

9) Detroit had a good game plan on defense. They took the run away and made the Cowboys one-dimensional. They also took Dez away. I think the Cowboys need to get Dez more in motion and definitely more crossing patterns for him. I would like to see the Cowboys use the bunch formation with Dez and the other WRs.
Dez had his big play on a crossing route and IIRC was covered by a LB.

14) I saw TE Ecobar standing next to OT Tyron Smith and they looked almost the same size in the shoulders. Escobar has hit the weight room hard this year. And he can get open and catch.
As a receiver I don't think Escobar has done anything wrong this season. It's just that Beasley has been too good to take off the field and Hanna is still a better blocker. I agree that Escobar has the frame to get bigger and stronger as a blocker.

 

[d_dub88]

Lawrence and Spencer's pass rushes on Detroit's final drive has me wanting more. GB's line is playing a little better this year but we should still be able to pressure Rodgers.

 

[MagicMan]

Lawrence and Spencer's pass rushes on Detroit's final drive has me wanting more. GB's line is playing a little better this year but we should still be able to pressure Rodgers.

And even moreso now with his mobility hampered......his strength is throwing on the run and with a bad wheel, this hurts him alot. So gotta put pressure on him.

 

[JBS]

If you are buying somebody a house and a car, is it necessary to take them out to dinner as well?

 

[Kaiser]

Totally agree on Scandrick, he was great yesterday and has established himself as a #1 CB. Carr has always been a #2 CB who is out of place when covering the elite WRs - he will take a paycut but I'm fine with him as the second CB next year. Add a #1 or #2 draft pick, get the normal second year improvement from Patmon and the same play out of Sterling Moore and you have a reasonable rotation. Claiborne could very well claim the 2nd or 3rd spot if he improves, he became a whipping boy this year but was an OK starter as a rookie, which still takes considerable talent.

 

[perrykemp]

Totally agree on Scandrick, he was great yesterday and has established himself as a #1 CB.

Scandrick as a #1 CB? If so, you'd think they would have matched him up with Megatron.

I think Scandrick is the #1 Slot CB in the NFL. That's big time important in today's NFL.

 

[Kaiser]

I mean Scandrick as the best CB on the team, not that he is an elite shutdown CB. IMO he has clearly been the best CB on the team this year.

Also I haven't gone back to watch the tape but I think Scandrick and Carr both played Megatron (with safety help) and Scandrick may have taken more snaps covering him. Not sure, but it will likely be in the news articles this week.