Scout's Eye: Succes Stories In The Dallas Secondary, Praise For Free; Mor

RS12

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1) I thought J.J. Wilcox’s hit on Odell Beckham Jr. in the first quarter was a tone setter -- not only for this Cowboys defense, but Wilcox as well. Wilcox hit Beckham with such force that the Giants receiver got up and started toward the wrong bench. Wilcox surprisingly was asked to play man- to-man coverage on Beckham out of the slot on two different snaps, and on both occasions Wilcox was right where he needed to be to deny him the ball. It was also a productive game for Wilcox as a space tackler, where in the past we would have seen him too aggressively attack the ball and end up out of position. His tackle late in the fourth quarter on Rashad Jennings was textbook and saved a likely touchdown that would have put the game out of reach.

2) As good as Jason Witten’s game-winning touchdown was, I thought the one on the previous drive that resulted in a touchdown was a better call. When Romo brought Witten across the formation from the right to left, it created separation on Landon Collins, who was a good three to four yards behind Witten. Collins not only had to fight through his own teammates, but through the route of Cole Beasley running inside to try and track Witten down. It was a clutch call by Scott Linehan knowing he was going to get man coverage in that situation and dialing up the right play.

3) I thought these Giants cornerbacks played well against Dez Bryant, but in going through the tape -- they had plenty of help. It showed that Bryant was fighting double and triple-team coverage the entire night. Each play, there was usually a safety over the top with a linebacker in his path underneath in certain situations to prevent the slants and “in” cuts that Bryant is so dangerous running. When you do see Romo go in Bryant’s direction it was primarily when he was able to draw just single coverage.

4) Can’t say enough of Morris Claiborne’s technique when facing these Giants receivers – especially Odell Beckham Jr. Where Claiborne tends to get in trouble is when he is lined up in press man and holds the receiver off the line.

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