Ravens @ Cowboys..what are you looking for?

[blumayne38]

The defense to force an incomplete pass.





YR

yah especially that

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Jason Garrett called the defense out for not getting off blocks, about guys not using their hands, about guys not filling the right gaps.

I want to see if these guys have improved in any of those regards. I want to see Crawford, Bishop, Coleman, Mincey, Hayden, Holloman, Wilber, Carter, everyone on the front 7 fighting off blockers hands and running to the football.

I want to see Wilcox and Church in coverage. Has Heath figured out how pursue ball carriers? Can Dixon execute any better in space? Is Hamilton worth a flip?

Can Mitchell cut off the hands at 5 yards? Will Scandrick get booed? Is Carr playing? Can we find the new corner? What does Moore look like.

Can the oline run against this bigger front 7? Does Leary play better than Mack? Does Martin see any matchups with Jerrnigan? How does Romo respond to a live rush? Can Weeden be consistent? How do Murray and Dunbar look? Can Escobar continue to get open downfield? How is the perimeter blocking? Any of the young WR make any plays?

Are we going to see any of the screen game?

 

[Alexander]

More interested in how physical we are.

The entire week of scrimmages against the Raiders showed a chippy team.

If they shrink in the face of a physical team like Baltimore, it will tell me a lot.

The run defense has to improve. I am not going to waste time thinking we can manufacture a pass rush.

 

[Bullflop]

Hoping for a competitive game and no injuries. I'd like to see Romo looking like he's returning to his old self again. Who knows, in time perhaps he'll be even better than ever with that tough OL in front of him. It'd be great to see the running game find the ability to make those tough first downs that were so elusive last year. Let's see those young WRs looking like they're making progress. More progress from our running game would help as well. Let's see that OL looking like the rebirth of our OL from the glory days.

It'd be great if the defensive front seven started looking as though they're making strides in improving their run coverage. The run stoppage wasn't anything like what it needs to be last week. We'd best hope to see that improve. A good game from Rolando McClain would also be a welcome sight and signal a possible MLB spot for him in the future. Am hoping for something resembling a pass rush via our youngsters as well, although it'll likely take more time for that to develop. It'd be comforting to see it begin, tho.

 

[percyhoward]

First thing I'll be looking for is my seats.

Then I'll be looking for Romo to look absolutely normal, the OL to open up gaping holes in the middle of the Ravens' D, and improvement on 3rd down. I'm also looking forward to seeing Street and Dunbar.

On defense, like the last 4 years, hope like heck for a punt.

 

[AsthmaField]

The same as always. For me, in the preseason I want to see the rookies excel. I am such a big fan of the draft and I feel like the young guys are the quickest way for the team to improve, so nothing is as exciting as seeing a rookie play very well.

For Zack Martin, I want to continue to see what he has been showing since the day he walked in to Valley Ranch. He is simply a fantastic player. He has everything you could want out of a rookie OL. Frankly, I don't ever remember seeing a rookie OL look so comfortable and confident.

I want to see Hitchens looking decisive and active. He made a terrific play in the first game and several solid ones. I did see him looking unsure on a couple of plays but that is to be expected from any rookie not named Zack Martin. I'd like to see a progression in his recognition and to see him have some big hits. I honestly think he can become an enforcer in the LB corps because of his aggression and toughness, so I'm anxious for him to start showing it.

Street also looked really solid for his first outing as a rookie. He is smooth for such a young guy and has better hands than I thought he did. I'd like to see him playing physical while maintaining his advanced route running. Maybe a couple passes over the middle. I have to say I wasn't real thrilled with the choice of Street, but he is making me look silly. He looks damn good for a rookie... much less a 5th round rookie. Now I see why Dallas had him ranked in the 3rd round.

Now these 7th round guys are picks that I really liked. I have always had a natural affinity for defense and most of my favorite players growing up were defensive guys. I enjoyed playing defense more than offense and I like the attitudes of defensive guys. So, as an avid draftnik, I have always leaned towards good defensive players when I get my pet cats (Donald, Donald, where for art thou Donald?).

Ahmad Dixon was a guy I liked in the draft, but I worried about his coverage in today's NFL, so i wasn't that fired up about him. Well, Mr. Dixon reminded me last week why I like defense so much. He no so gently reminded everyone that football is a contact sport and that a lot goes into playing safety besides just dropping back in coverage. It is guys like Dixon that makes some WR's into devout cowards and changes games with pure physical aggression. I want to see Dixon flying around hitting guys and continuing to not so subtly announce that Dallas has a guy back there that will take you out if you don't keep your head on a swivel.

I want to see that reckless, bone jarring guy on the back end of the Dallas defense... and I want every other team to see it too.

Bishop is sort of a pet cat of mine and I have to say, he is looking better even that I thought he would. He has some really quick hands and he uses them well. At his height you'd expect him to play with good leverage, but man does he do it well. He is strong and with his leverage he is going to be really difficult to move out of there once he learns what he's doing. There truly is a lot to like about Bishop if you're a Cowboy fan. He is quick for his size but he still has good strength. He plays with a lot of heart and hustle and he plays smart. If you put all that together, you can see why Dallas is so excited about him. It looks like Marinellii drew him up for his 1-tech position. I want to see Bishop continuing to play with urgency and using those quick hands of his to give OL problems. I loved seeing him fly around the field last week and I want to see more of it tomorrow night.

Terrance Mitchell is a guy that I have really grown to like a lot. You just gotta love his attitude and how he plays. I wasn't particularly looking at CB's in this year's draft, so I didn't know a whole lot about him before hand, but what I see, I definitely like. Frankly, I'm not sure why he lasted until the 7th round other than this being such a deep draft. He doesn't play or act like a 7th round pick, and although I was focused on lineman in this draft, he is quickly turning into one of my favorite guys we picked. As NFL fans, we hear about swagger all the time and we say this guy or that guy has swagger constantly... however, it really isn't that common. Not a whole lot of guys possess true confidence in their abilities to the level that it becomes apparent in the way they carry themselves and the way they play the sport. Just watch Mitchell if you want to see true swagger and not just lip service. Watch him compete against Dez or Terrance Williams if you want to see an athlete with absolute confidence in his ability to play with and come out on top of anyone who steps across from him. It just shows. Like a 20 foot neon sign on a dark night, it is clear for all to see that Mitchell thinks he's going to beat you and beat you bad.

It is awesome to watch and it has a tangible effect on everyone around him. What a guy like that means to a defense can be immeasurable. It can take a unit, or even a whole defense and turn it into something that the other guys really don't like playing against. We have all seen it before and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Mitchell continues to play well, makes the roster, and gets some time out on the field as a rookie. If he does, his attitude will take root and some cocky, mean SOB's will spring up on defense.

I forgot to say what I want to see from him.... just more of the same. I just want him to continue to slap around whoever he plays against and for his team mates to watch him doing it. Best thing that could have happened for Dallas.

As for Will Smith, I'd like to see him flying around and playing reckless, particularly on special teams, where I think he will need to excel to make the team. He didn't really stand out to me in last week's game, so I'm going to try to watch for him tomorrow night.

Devon Coleman is another rookie that I have high hopes for. He has good quickness and is a good athlete for a big guy. I want to see him penetrating into the backfield some because if you can do that with regularity from the DT spot, you can be successful in Marinelli's defense. Some like him more than Bishop and while that isn't true for me, I do like him and think he can make the team. I'd rather him than Hayden because at this point, what we see is what we get with "Golden Cock". Coleman, with experience can be much more than Hayden, even if he isn't better than Hayden just yet.

I also like Dartwan Bush as a possible DE. He has a little something on the rush and I'd like to see him get some chances in passing situations to pin his ears back and get after the QB.

Anyway, this is too long, but that is some of what I'm looking forward to seeing tomorrow night.

 

[BAT]

The same as always. For me, in the preseason I want to see the rookies excel. I am such a big fan of the draft and I feel like the young guys are the quickest way for the team to improve, so nothing is as exciting as seeing a rookie play very well.

For Zack Martin, I want to continue to see what he has been showing since the day he walked in to Valley Ranch. He is simply a fantastic player. He has everything you could want out of a rookie OL. Frankly, I don't ever remember seeing a rookie OL look so comfortable and confident.

I want to see Hitchens looking decisive and active. He made a terrific play in the first game and several solid ones. I did see him looking unsure on a couple of plays but that is to be expected from any rookie not named Zack Martin. I'd like to see a progression in his recognition and to see him have some big hits. I honestly think he can become an enforcer in the LB corps because of his aggression and toughness, so I'm anxious for him to start showing it.

Street also looked really solid for his first outing as a rookie. He is smooth for such a young guy and has better hands than I thought he did. I'd like to see him playing physical while maintaining his advanced route running. Maybe a couple passes over the middle. I have to say I wasn't real thrilled with the choice of Street, but he is making me look silly. He looks damn good for a rookie... much less a 5th round rookie. Now I see why Dallas had him ranked in the 3rd round.

Now these 7th round guys are picks that I really liked. I have always had a natural affinity for defense and most of my favorite players growing up were defensive guys. I enjoyed playing defense more than offense and I like the attitudes of defensive guys. So, as an avid draftnik, I have always leaned towards good defensive players when I get my pet cats (Donald, Donald, where for art thou Donald?).

Ahmad Dixon was a guy I liked in the draft, but I worried about his coverage in today's NFL, so i wasn't that fired up about him. Well, Mr. Dixon reminded me last week why I like defense so much. He no so gently reminded everyone that football is a contact sport and that a lot goes into playing safety besides just dropping back in coverage. It is guys like Dixon that makes some WR's into devout cowards and changes games with pure physical aggression. I want to see Dixon flying around hitting guys and continuing to not so subtly announce that Dallas has a guy back there that will take you out if you don't keep your head on a swivel.

I want to see that reckless, bone jarring guy on the back end of the Dallas defense... and I want every other team to see it too.

Bishop is sort of a pet cat of mine and I have to say, he is looking better even that I thought he would. He has some really quick hands and he uses them well. At his height you'd expect him to play with good leverage, but man does he do it well. He is strong and with his leverage he is going to be really difficult to move out of there once he learns what he's doing. There truly is a lot to like about Bishop if you're a Cowboy fan. He is quick for his size but he still has good strength. He plays with a lot of heart and hustle and he plays smart. If you put all that together, you can see why Dallas is so excited about him. It looks like Marinellii drew him up for his 1-tech position. I want to see Bishop continuing to play with urgency and using those quick hands of his to give OL problems. I loved seeing him fly around the field last week and I want to see more of it tomorrow night.

Terrance Mitchell is a guy that I have really grown to like a lot. You just gotta love his attitude and how he plays. I wasn't particularly looking at CB's in this year's draft, so I didn't know a whole lot about him before hand, but what I see, I definitely like. Frankly, I'm not sure why he lasted until the 7th round other than this being such a deep draft. He doesn't play or act like a 7th round pick, and although I was focused on lineman in this draft, he is quickly turning into one of my favorite guys we picked. As NFL fans, we hear about swagger all the time and we say this guy or that guy has swagger constantly... however, it really isn't that common. Not a whole lot of guys possess true confidence in their abilities to the level that it becomes apparent in the way they carry themselves and the way they play the sport. Just watch Mitchell if you want to see true swagger and not just lip service. Watch him compete against Dez or Terrance Williams if you want to see an athlete with absolute confidence in his ability to play with and come out on top of anyone who steps across from him. It just shows. Like a 20 foot neon sign on a dark night, it is clear for all to see that Mitchell thinks he's going to beat you and beat you bad.

It is awesome to watch and it has a tangible effect on everyone around him. What a guy like that means to a defense can be immeasurable. It can take a unit, or even a whole defense and turn it into something that the other guys really don't like playing against. We have all seen it before and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Mitchell continues to play well, makes the roster, and gets some time out on the field as a rookie. If he does, his attitude will take root and some cocky, mean SOB's will spring up on defense.

I forgot to say what I want to see from him.... just more of the same. I just want him to continue to slap around whoever he plays against and for his team mates to watch him doing it. Best thing that could have happened for Dallas.

As for Will Smith, I'd like to see him flying around and playing reckless, particularly on special teams, where I think he will need to excel to make the team. He didn't really stand out to me in last week's game, so I'm going to try to watch for him tomorrow night.

Devon Coleman is another rookie that I have high hopes for. He has good quickness and is a good athlete for a big guy. I want to see him penetrating into the backfield some because if you can do that with regularity from the DT spot, you can be successful in Marinelli's defense. Some like him more than Bishop and while that isn't true for me, I do like him and think he can make the team. I'd rather him than Hayden because at this point, what we see is what we get with "Golden Cock". Coleman, with experience can be much more than Hayden, even if he isn't better than Hayden just yet.

I also like Dartwan Bush as a possible DE. He has a little something on the rush and I'd like to see him get some chances in passing situations to pin his ears back and get after the QB.

Anyway, this is too long, but that is some of what I'm looking forward to seeing tomorrow night.

Nice write up, enjoyed reading it. But nothing for Boatright? Other than the guys you mentioned above, want to see if Boatrigt can sustain the WOW he was showing in camp.

 

[itsaboat]

I want to see this Boatright guy... right?

 

[Alexander]

I want to see this Boatright guy... right?

Well played.

 

[AsthmaField]

Nice write up, enjoyed reading it. But nothing for Boatright? Other than the guys you mentioned above, want to see if Boatrigt can sustain the WOW he was showing in camp.

Yeah, I do want to see him to, but the write-up was getting too long, so I stopped.

Don't know if you've noticed... but I'm a tad long winded.

 

[CF74]

I want to see the D look average and the O look Top 5, anything more for the D would be unrealistic and anything less from the O would be disappointing for this team right now.. Nah, more rook playtime, let the best scrubs win....

 

[lane]

Dez Bryant and Rolando McClain

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Has there been a definitive listing of who is and who isn't playing tonight?

 

[DogFace]

I'm looking at hopefully seeing the beginning of the game. It's a double header so I bet we miss some.

 

[CCBoy]

Yeah, I do want to see him to, but the write-up was getting too long, so I stopped.

Don't know if you've noticed... but I'm a tad long winded.

Don't apologize for a terrific post...and I'll see if I can dig up a few old items left behind by John Randle at Gill Steinke Stadium in Kingsville, to forward to Bishop.

 

[texbumthelife]

Terrance Mitchell ( I think he will get nickel duties for the first four weeks)
Both McClain boys (put up or shut up)
Safety play (no matter who it is)
Escobar making play (already looked significantly more effective in the first ps game)

 

[DFWJC]

I assumed Ro McClain was not playing.
Am I wrong?

 

[xwalker]

Not seeing Hayden start

We agree on something. There's a first time for everything.

 

[xwalker]

I had enough, which is my own opinion, of the past draft of 2009 vs whatever, living in the past crap. Enough DL / LB / Defense this and that talk. But I'm sure after saturday night, there will be an entirely new things to discuss on the same topics...LOL...but rightfully so, as after every game.

Anyway, there is a game Staurday night...what are you looking for and want to see.

Yes, starters and projected starters will yet again be missing.
Looking to see if the OL can look like they did against SD or better, and with Romo and his limited, scripted plays, Conservative plays I should say. I want to see how he moves in real time action.
I want to see Dunbar in this offense, and of course the young WR's.

On defense, just some consistency, even from the 3rd and 4th stringers, like the past week of practice shows they learned something. As they know more what to expect from actual game preparation, even though not game planned. I want to see a bit more of a pass rush, but it's not like they have to be world beaters. But just show something. I hope to see Wilcox get some extended playing time to see his progress.

Of course all this depends on who actually plays.

1. No injuries.

2. Rolando McClain

3. DEs. Can one of the young guys step up and claim a spot?

4. I would like to set Terrell McClain but I don't think he is playing.

5. The 2 guys they acquired this week (a CB and DT).

 

[RS12]

Not hard to see why he isnt much of a blocker.