Tell Me I'm Wrong

[Concord]

This the post I saw. Does that help?

Saves the day.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

This the post I saw. Does that help?

YES....THANK YOU.

The original has been put back in.

Sorry Wayne and guys and another thank you to Tass.

 

[ccb04]

Great pass rushers beat tackles - period. Now, not to get in a Meriman debate - but his sacks aren't necessarily from beating tackles either. Ware has no other pass rushers to help him out other than Ellis - and it is too easy to block two bookends, and we seldom rush both. I think a bgger problem is that we have vastly overrated our 3-4 ends. Sacks aren't their job, but if anyone thinks that it isn't their job to at least disrupt the line and the backfield, they are sorely mistaken.

My issue with Ware and our passrush is lack of technique. I am convinced that we should make a defensive coaching change - to both the line, lb and coordinator portions. The fact that ware uses two techniques is very telling.

Spot on about Merriman. He rarely beats tackles for sacks. Usually it's a back, TE, or he's mopping up as the Chargers have other people that can consistently get pressure ... and they bring it from everywhere.

If the knock on Ware is that he doesn't consistently beat OT's ... well, the same applies to Merriman.

 

[Tass]

No biggie. I had copied it to keep because it was such an excellent post.

 

[Zaxor]

I agree with all but one and that is Ware...he is not gonna be a great pass rusher I think.... but I think he could be good to very good... but he needs some help with getting some pressure up the middle it is too easy for the qb to step away from him

 

[TNCowboy]

This the post I saw. Does that help?

Thanks.

Excellent post, Wayne. The one thing I disagree with is Ware. I think he can play. I think he's shackled by what they do with him. He rarely bursts off the end and tries to get around the tackle. When he does, he gets pressure. He usually hesitates, or worse, runs straight into the tackle, not even trying to get on his outside shoulder. I can't help but believe that he's doing what he's told, or they'd be trying to correct it. It also doesn't help that our inside guys get no pressure at all.

You called out Ware, but I think that it's Spears and Canty that need to be called out. Neither of them do squat to help the pass rush. They get stifled at the LOS every play. A lot of Cowboy fans bemoan that we took Ware instead of Merriman, but I suspect that if we'd taken the alternative, we'd be griping about how we missed out on Ware.

 

[trickblue]

1. This team is NOT going to the playoffs and doesn't deserve it. I don't care what you say about the Commanders, being on the road, divisional game, etc, we needed this game as badly as they wanted it. We weathered the initial storm and then had every opportunity to blow it open. Except for one run by Portis on which Ellis was out of position for the 2nd time and Henry got treated like a female dog by Brandon Lloyd, they had no running game and no Moss. Now we'd have to not only beat Arizona, Detroit,TB, and Philly (the losers)but we'd also have to win 2 of 4 from Indy, NY, NO, and Atlanta (playoff caliber teams). Impossible? no, but we couldn't beat Washington...get serious.

While I'm not sure we DESERVE making the playoffs, we still have a good chance of making them. I'm tired of this team playing to the level of the competition.

2. Our defense is way way over-rated...don't give me stats...I've said all year that our defense can't stop anyone...I was happy with the goal line stand in the first quarter, but let's not forget that we let them drive 80 yards down the field with no running game. We had many opportunities with them backed up at their 20 or inside the 30 all game, and we never got a 3 and out...we let them drive the ball just about every time. This defense is not even helping win games, much less taking over.

Agreed. I was willing to give Zim a chance, but he has brought his personality of bend don't break to the 3-4. The 3-4... a supposed aggressive and attacking scheme and we are sitting back on our heels letting teams come to us. Units typically take on the personality of their coach. In our case, this isn't a good thing. Zim has GOT to go.

3. Demarcus Ware is not a good pass rusher...period. Get up his butt and praise him all you want, but we should use him in coverage because he's not very good at getting pressure. If he totally beats his man 1-1, then yes, he can get any QB, but let him get blocked and he has nothing left. The only time he did anything yesterday was when they dared to try and block him with a TE...Their tackles owned him all game, especially when it counted.

We still cannot pressure the QB...not only did Brunnell have all day to stand back there, but his line also created huge passing lanes...no push up the middle at all....it was sad. Notice I didn't say Ware isn't a great LB...he is, but anyone who actually thinks he's going to be a great pass rusher is just not actually watching.

Again, I blame this on Zim. Ware does get good pressure but always seems a step late. We need to change our attitude to one of "Nasty SOB's"... we are too nice and I saw several times yesterday where our guys helped theirs up off the ground. Inexcusable. This is the same team last year who rushed the field and stomped on the Star. THey made fun of you and ridiculed you and you are helping them up off the ground...

4. Our secondary is not very good in cover two...big surprise...the skins receivers were open over the middle all game long, guess who has the middle...Lb's and safeties...safeties playing deep...ouch.

I don't know what has happened to this secondary. We suck in middle coverage. Manning is gonna light us up over the middle.

5. Roy Williams is what he is...a great safety who is not so great at pass coverage...once again, he is back there, but he takes a bad angle, misjudging the WR and the ball...INT. He's improved in coverage...he's no Archelletta, but it's his biggest weakness...that's a fact...to argue otherwise is to ignore game results that occur time and time again.

The Commanders exposed us deep again....all teams need to go deep on us...they will either get a nice play because our CBs don't see the ball, or they'll get a penalty...it's rare for us to intercept a pass...Henry had two in the endzone and dropped them both, one resulting in a TD. Roy let one bounce off his head, through his hands.

Nothing to add here. Spot on...

6. Two point conversion in first quarter...stupid, regardless of what the cheat sheet says....period...too many various scoring factors for the next 3 quarters than can change the point spread in many different ways.

Terrible terrible game decision...

7. Penalties....close to 200 yards in penalties....ridiculous, mostly by the defense. There's no blaming this one on the refs since replay after replay showed we were getting away with holding on offense again and again, not to mention they were calling offensive interference on the Skins, usually a sure sign that there's no favor.

One thing I looked forward to when Parcells took the helm, was a disciplined team that would minmize mental mistakes. In all honesty I think we have gotten worse.

8. T.O.....still dropping passes....still selfishly getting camera time and a 15 yard penalty....then yammering back at Parcells who wasn't happy....he knew we'd get that 15 yarder...it's written in stone...you can't go to the ground.... with a kicker who can't get it past the 10....just selfish....we were lucky the Skins screwed it up....catching the kickoff at the 30, they should have been at midfield or around our 40. A great player? sometimes...is he earning his 10 million...nope...a 10 million dollar receiver doesn't drop a TD in a tight game....period.

Agreed

9. We have two tough hardrunning backs who will be around for a while...you have to like them both yesterday and wonder why they weren't used a little more on the road....especially the short passes to Barber.

I agree... both of our running backs are above average. Barber has really gotten aggressive and hard-nosed as of late. We were burned all day yesterday with the swing pass to the RB, we should be running the same play.

10. I know when to admit I'm wrong....two games in, there's no doubt about it...two different schemes bringing pressure, yesterday huge pressure on 3rd downs....We have us a QB, Boys. The Carolina game seemed to prove it....The Skins game nailed it down for me....big 3rd down plays again and again, under pressure....even the moxie to keep the ball and look like he's running before a last second pass to Barber that gave Barber the angle on the defender to run for a first down....the huge completion to Witten to get the win (oh yeah...someone blew an assignment and let it get blocked from the side). WE have a QB.

Romo was great to watch yesterday. I think we really have something here. The lone bright spot in yesterday's game.

11. This season is basically over as far as any playoff hopes go...but we found a QB...we improved the OL and can do more next year....we still need to add some youth to the WR mix.

Get OL's in here that can play, fire Zim and change the attitude of this team. We have some quality talent on this team.

12. We also learned that T.O. is good, but can't be counted on as a sure thing.

Every WR has drops, but you can't make the drops in critical situations. Owens has cost us dearly twice now. He's right, he does owe the Cowboys... two game checks...

13. It's too early to judge this past year's draft class, but right now it doesn't look good...the first day looks very very bad.

I'm a big proponent of the three year rule. I'll judge these guys in 2009.

 

[ghst187]

We need the Cowboy fans to watch every Patriot and Charger game that's shown on TV.

This text book at how to use the 3-4. They blitz on every play nearly, but the key is, they show blitz on every play. This means that they are constantly forcing the QB to think about changing the play because of the threat of the blitz, and it comes from a different location every down.

I don't know what the heck we are playing out there, but it's not a 2000s version of a 3-4.

that my friend......is SPOT ON!!!!

this was exactly the purpose of switching to the 3-4!! why can't we do it?
You'd at least think that since what we are doing now HAS FAILED MISERABLY and in EVERY way possible, that we'd think about changing SOMETHING about how we're employing the 3-4. But we seem to come back to the same scheme and same defensive gameplan just to prove it doesn't work....like a dog returns to its vomit.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I don't know how many 1 on 1 matchups he gets in a game. I certainly don't chart the games like some or the posters here. I have seen way too many bull rushes from Ware IMO.

He bull rushes because he's trying to make sure to guard against the run. When you speed rush, you typically give up a lot agains the run.

People just need to watch other teams play. Every week I see defenses get the occasional the free shot at an unsuspecting QB because their blitz is disguised well enough and the opposing O-Line can't recognize it. I don't know when the last time that has happened with the Dallas defense. Teams pretty much know before they snap the ball who is blitzing and where they are coming from. The only question is whether or not the CB's can cloak the receivers or in the rare cases, if the QB can get the ball off quickly and accurately.



YAKUZA

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

And try to support your argument with facts.

1. This team is NOT going to the playoffs and doesn't deserve it.

Well... look, we lost a heartbreaker...we have a new QB he almost went 2-0 instead we are 1-1 with him.... I know you wrote EVERYTHING that was wrong and went wrong... but still... at the end of the game... it was there to win.... Romo doesnt look like a quitter and the team will follow him....

we wanted to go 2-1 on this road trip and we could do just that.. we have been in every game... had a chance to win every one... that is better than not having a chance... at some point...we will hit our stride... its coming....

Attention: We cannot find the fat lady....

 

[Yakuza Rich]

We need the Cowboy fans to watch every Patriot and Charger game that's shown on TV.

This text book at how to use the 3-4. They blitz on every play nearly, but the key is, they show blitz on every play. This means that they are constantly forcing the QB to think about changing the play because of the threat of the blitz, and it comes from a different location every down.

I don't know what the heck we are playing out there, but it's not a 2000s version of a 3-4.

The Patriots and Chargers don't blitz that often. In fact, I suspect the Pats at the very least don't blitz much more than we currently do.

Last year Pittburgh had the 3rd highest percentage of only sending 3 pass rushers on defense. They finished 27th in the percentage of times they sent at least 6 pass rushers.

I don't expect Dallas to sack the QB at the rate the Chargers do since they have Jammal Williams and Luis Castillo which are two huge factors in their pass rush.

But as far as New England goes, they have one real dynamic player in Seymour. Other than that, guys like Banta-Cain, Colvin, and their secondary are not nearly as talented. But when they blitz teams aren't exactly sure where it's coming from or if it's coming at all.


YAKUZA

 

[dboyz]

I don't agree the season is over, but you can see it from here. Our margin for error is very small. We're going to have to win some difficult games to make it, like here against the Colts or at NY.

We have the building blocks. We just shoot ourselves in the foot a lot. We have a quarterback (isn't that a good feeling), a good defense (although they didn't play that well yesterday, a good running game. We have found ways to lose some games.

It's really unfortunate that Romo wasn't put in earlier, although I don't really blame Parcells. Because we have a QB, our season is still alive and we have some hope, we just don't have much margin for error.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Wow...I really expected to catch some crap for #3...especially from all the guys who have defended him in the Merriman debates.

I think he's going to be a great LB, but he may need to move to the Ellis position next year and find someone else who can actually pass rush.

I think your wrong but it's not that big of a deal. He's a young player and he will need to learn. That's all it is IMO. Some guys, it takes a little time. I'm not worried. I think he will be a great player as well. That includes being a good pass rusher.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

11. This season is basically over as far as any playoff hopes go...but we found a QB...we improved the OL and can do more next year....we still need to add some youth to the WR mix.

I disagree here. The season is not over yet, we are still 4-4, tied for 2nd Place in the division.

Go look outside the Division and search for the teams that could get non-division winning Playoff spots.

St. Louis, Minny, Atlanta, Philly...we are right there with them record-wise. Look at the Giants' schedule, they could lose several games as well.

No, this season is not over with.

 

[Cbz40]

It's very difficult to argue w/you Wayne when everything you said is on the money.

I even agree with your evaluation of Ware.....A pass rusher he is not. He may prove us wrong in the future but to date he is not a good pass rusher.

 

[GoodOleDays]

i think the biggest disappointment of this year so far has to be our draft class. we needed another good draft to become a legit superbowl contender, in my opinion. i haven't seen carpenter even make a play this year.. he was supposed to be the surefire starter at lb. we can't even work him into any situation on defense at any time? after seeing ellis get burned on the run twice in a row i realized how we really need a true olb there instead of an old slow DE. i like ellis, but he's not fast enough to play olb.

whats most depressing is watching mcneil be a dominant tackle for san diego, while we sit here thinking what might of been?

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Pick your numbers, and tell me I'm wrong.

I'd love to, Wayne, but I can't.

The only 'argument' I have is with #1.

This team, with it's roller coaster performance, maddening inconsistency, under-achieving stars, endless bouts of game effecting penalties, hit-or-miss execution, and yes, inferior coaching ISN'T out of it yet.

Should be, but ain't.

It's what I see in most every game, every weekend. Teams playing like gangbusters with heart one week, laying eggs the next. Check some of those scores yesterday... and pity the 'betting' man/gal.

Perhaps it would be kinder if we could be put out of our misery right now.

But this one's going down to December.

 

[George]

And try to support your argument with facts.

1. This team is NOT going to the playoffs and doesn't deserve it. I don't care what you say about the Commanders, being on the road, divisional game, etc, we needed this game as badly as they wanted it. We weathered the initial storm and then had every opportunity to blow it open. Except for one run by Portis on which Ellis was out of position for the 2nd time and Henry got treated like a female dog by Brandon Lloyd, they had no running game and no Moss. Now we'd have to not only beat Arizona, Detroit,TB, and Philly (the losers)but we'd also have to win 2 of 4 from Indy, NY, NO, and Atlanta (playoff caliber teams). Impossible? no, but we couldn't beat Washington...get serious.

I appreciate your post. Good Job. We'll make the playoffs.

2. Our defense is way way over-rated...don't give me stats...I've said all year that our defense can't stop anyone...I was happy with the goal line stand in the first quarter, but let's not forget that we let them drive 80 yards down the field with no running game. We had many opportunities with them backed up at their 20 or inside the 30 all game, and we never got a 3 and out...we let them drive the ball just about every time. This defense is not even helping win games, much less taking over.

Penalties didn't help now did they?

3. Demarcus Ware is not a good pass rusher...period. Get up his butt and praise him all you want, but we should use him in coverage because he's not very good at getting pressure. If he totally beats his man 1-1, then yes, he can get any QB, but let him get blocked and he has nothing left. The only time he did anything yesterday was when they dared to try and block him with a TE...Their tackles owned him all game, especially when it counted.

Ware is one of the best pass rushers in the game, you've got to be kidding me.

We still cannot pressure the QB...not only did Brunnell have all day to stand back there, but his line also created huge passing lanes...no push up the middle at all....it was sad. Notice I didn't say Ware isn't a great LB...he is, but anyone who actually thinks he's going to be a great pass rusher is just not actually watching.

If Roy catches the interception and we win the game do you change your mind a little?

4. Our secondary is not very good in cover two...big surprise...the skins receivers were open over the middle all game long, guess who has the middle...Lb's and safeties...safeties playing deep...ouch.

I agree here. NO ADJUSTMENTS seemed to be made.

5. Roy Williams is what he is...a great safety who is not so great at pass coverage...once again, he is back there, but he takes a bad angle, misjudging the WR and the ball...INT. He's improved in coverage...he's no Archelletta, but it's his biggest weakness...that's a fact...to argue otherwise is to ignore game results that occur time and time again.

The Commanders exposed us deep again....all teams need to go deep on us...they will either get a nice play because our CBs don't see the ball, or they'll get a penalty...it's rare for us to intercept a pass...Henry had two in the endzone and dropped them both, one resulting in a TD. Roy let one bounce off his head, through his hands.

We exposed them and their corners and safeties are at least as good as ours. Too bad T.O. let the ball slip out of his hands.

6. Two point conversion in first quarter...stupid, regardless of what the cheat sheet says....period...too many various scoring factors for the next 3 quarters than can change the point spread in many different ways.

Hindsight is 20/20. This could have gone either way.

7. Penalties....close to 200 yards in penalties....ridiculous, mostly by the defense. There's no blaming this one on the refs since replay after replay showed we were getting away with holding on offense again and again, not to mention they were calling offensive interference on the Skins, usually a sure sign that there's no favor.

Amen. A big problem for the Cowboys. I'm not sure about the holding on offense "again and again" though.

8. T.O.....still dropping passes....still selfishly getting camera time and a 15 yard penalty....then yammering back at Parcells who wasn't happy....he knew we'd get that 15 yarder...it's written in stone...you can't go to the ground.... with a kicker who can't get it past the 10....just selfish....we were lucky the Skins screwed it up....catching the kickoff at the 30, they should have been at midfield or around our 40. A great player? sometimes...is he earning his 10 million...nope...a 10 million dollar receiver doesn't drop a TD in a tight game....period.

Agreed. That needs to be dealt with.

 

[Fernando Fernandez]

YOU'RE WRONG!!!!

geez! that was fun.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I don't agree the season is over, but you can see it from here. Our margin for error is very small. We're going to have to win some difficult games to make it, like here against the Colts or at NY.

We have the building blocks. We just shoot ourselves in the foot a lot. We have a quarterback (isn't that a good feeling), a good defense (although they didn't play that well yesterday, a good running game. We have found ways to lose some games.

It's really unfortunate that Romo wasn't put in earlier, although I don't really blame Parcells. Because we have a QB, our season is still alive and we have some hope, we just don't have much margin for error.

2-0 on the road
4-2 at home