The 4th down play on Bland

[Rayman70]

wouldnt bother me a bit and i agree but I dont know it does anything in terms of fixing things. It may send a message and perhaps you can improve marginally but the problem on defense is talent. The line of scrimmage on defense is bad and we have 1 player that can create any kind of success maybe 2 but thats a stretch.

#41 is the only player Id keep on this defense. The entire secondary is garbage including our high priced corners. and Linebackers are the worst group in the league. We still cant stop the run. Clark is better than Mazi but at this point hes not very good either and Osa against the run is a liability;ity

Agreed. It's both. Players and coaching on d. Drastic changes need made this morning. Can't wait another minute

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Even with Micah, yesterday was gonna happen. Same way. Let's just stop . All the QB needed to do was throw the ball up and he knew his guy would either get the PI call or it would be a huge play. He didn't need time to throw. Because they were open instantly.

I'm sure about that, Ray........I am 100% confident Micah presence forces them to play differently. Besides, Eberflus is using 2-3 players to manufacture the same pressure Micah did alone, which freed those players to make other plays. It's beyond me how anyone still says we don't miss Micah. Don't get me wrong, I'm OK with the trade. The damage was done but you can't get rid of your best defensive player, who happens to be a top 3 defensive player in the league, and NOT be impacted. You just can't.......

 

[CowboyoWales]

And the fact the dbs seem lost from start to finish and leave guys running open by 15 yards all day . Has little to do with getting pressure. We are generationally poor on d. We also are very unsure on what we are doing defensively. Eberflus should be fired today. Diggs ought to be gone. He sucks . Doesn't care.

Can also bring up that we have two BallHawk CB's who are compromised by Zone that will bring up Tet v Wilson match-ups and a non-existent pass-rush to help provide rushed throws....nothing Eberflus does appears inline with the roster we've got......
.......and if he's a LB Whisperer, if so he needs to talk a bit louder.
I agree fire him now, bring in someone who can at least play a scheme that suits those defensive players we hope to keep in 2026.

 

[NDGAEDE]

The Cowboys lost this game when the offense had the ball 1st-and-10 at their own 46 with just over 8 minutes left. In Aubrey”s range.. The wind was crazy but I’d take that chance. The play calling on that drive was terrible.

-5 yards to J. Williams
-7 yards to J. Williams
4 yards to H. Luepke
Punt

There were 6 and a half minutes left in the game.

 

[Flamma]

Yep, as Belt is saying, the play proceeded they expected, and lost out on execution (by Murray being late). Bland was the bait. Whether that was the right play on 4th and 4 (when the QB struggles under pressure) is the problem. Eberflus' stubborn inability to pressure the QB and not putting players situations that suit their skillsets.

The plan was solid. The only drawback would have been if the QB didn't throw it seeing the danger. Then the WR breaks open over the middle unless our pass rush gets to him.

 

[BLEU3ASY]

There were 6 and a half minutes left in the game.

When Dallas took possession of the ball on their own 46 there was 8:18 on the clock. They gave them the ball back with 6:07 on the clock. I was there watching it live.

 

[DuncanIso]

Have to mix up your coverage shells.

I would have played 2 man press on that play.

Ditch the cover 0 with the 2 dbs playing off man.

Weird scheme

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

15 plays 71(?) yard drive that ate all 6+ minutes the 2 min warning, and *2* Dallas time outs.

That is impossibly bad Defense not to get the ball back. After the conversion to Renfrow I would have purposely let them score or instruct my defenders to only make a tackle inside the 10.

This team has almost zero chance without the ball in its hands last.

Agree

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

I mean, this isn’t rocket science. You have a defense that has met it’s quota on stops for the day while allowing an average RB gash you all game long. With however minutes were left on the last drive, you need to be aggressive, burn some time and score. Td or a FG, it doesn’t matter but they needed a score to force them to do the same. Dallas played not to lose and they lost.

Perfect post!

 

[links18]

Bland had one good season and they paid this guy elite money.

Bland and Odigizuwa both get paid over 20 million a season. They’re both just average players. Absolutely insane front office.

They must have been reading this forum.

 

[chicago JK]

It is just so bad. They play off and then back peddle. Although when they play press coverage, the WR runs right by Diggs. Both of these cornerbacks rely on pressure. That is when healthy. Diggs may be damaged goods. Asking them to cover with no rush is just a killer. Even so, guys should not be so wide open. When the QB gets time (every play) and then can create a little more time, you know someone will be running wide open. I have never seen something like this.

 

[NDGAEDE]

When Dallas took possession of the ball on their own 46 there was 8:18 on the clock. They gave them the ball back with 6:07 on the clock. I was there watching it live.

And?

Do you ordinarily expect a team to be able to kill the game with that much time on the clock?

 

[Creeper]

Zero excuse for this .........hell, Eberflus or Schotty should have called timeout




BTW.....with 6 min left, Dak thought they would get the ball back

First that 4th down play. I get the concept. They were trying to bait Young into throwing the slant. Then Murray was supposed to slide over and get in the passing lane to intercept it or knock it down. But think about it. It sounds like something kids would make up in their backyard game. Anyone who has watched Murray this year would realize that was way too risky. Of course Murray get there too late. He been late to make plays all year. Have watchin Murray on video from every game, there is no way I would have trusted him to make that play.

As for Dak thinking they would get the ball back, I ask the same question. Have you been watching the defense at all this year? The Panthers ran for 37 yards on that last drive. That's 6 yards more than Dallas ran for in the entire game. If Dak could have looked at our forum yesterday he would find a number of us saying the Panthers would run down the clock and score. That was obvious.

I am not blaming Dak for the loss but his situational awareness yesterday on that last drive was sub-par to what he had been doing in the previous 5 games. All game the Cowboys could not get the ball outside the Panthers defense. They tried screens, flares, running Blue on sweeps, etc. and not once did they have success. Their best chance was a vertical passing game mixing in some runs up the middle to keep the defense honest. Whoever called that fake screen right, screen left play is a bozo. That was never going to work. It took too long to develop and the Cowboys tipped it off because they are terrible at those plays.

Where I fault Dak is first, not throwing the ball in the dirt on 1st and second down. And second, not trying to get the ball downfield. To not realize at that point that not scoring meant they lose the game is inexcusable. He cannot throw those check downs 5 yards behind the LOS. All night the Panthers were smothering them close to the LOS. The best players were downfield.

But at the end of the day, give the Panthers credit. They made plays when they had to on offense and defense. The Cowboys didn't.

 

[blueblood70]

Zero excuse for this .........hell, Eberflus or Schotty should have called timeout




BTW.....with 6 min left, Dak thought they would get the ball back

And you posted a video and I know that's what it looks like he's supposed to have help underneath how does that lie back or not intercept that football or knock it down you don't know what his assignment was it looks like Bland was playing over the top it's probably zone not man so he's waiting there for that guy to clear into his zone but that linebacker went right underneath and went right past the ball and nearly hit him..

A lot more to these plays than you want to diagnose it looks like he's playing off but you don't know his assignment and I'm guessing by looking at that play now really slow that linebacker was supposed to be his zone he was supposed to be cut under that and picked the ball off or liked that player up or at least smack the ball up in the air..

Realize this is just not systemic these players all together are making mistakes but you don't know which ones are making the bigger mistakes because you don't know their assignments and in this case I'm betting that linebacker or whoever that was passed right by that receiver that was his zone..

 

[Whyjerry]

Not sure I follow. What's he supposed to do exactly? He is missing tons of key players, we are playing with guys that shouldn't or would never start, much less play in an NFL game...and you want him gone. Ok lol... Oh and he doesn't play defense, doesn't call the defenses. Other than that your right.

I am saying he isn't a head coach. He was a middling OC for decades. Showed nothing hence was never a HC. Jerry needed a yes man so he hired a guy no one would interview. Players see this. League sees this. Shottenheimer isn't winning a thing and he will never get another HC opportunity once the inevitable firing happens. Just like Garrett.

 

[blueblood70]

Zero excuse for this .........hell, Eberflus or Schotty should have called timeout




BTW.....with 6 min left, Dak thought they would get the ball back

I want to know the linebackers named that decided that he was gonna let the guy clear his zone without stopping and even trying to play the ball i'm betting this wasn't on Bland bland was probably sitting back in his zone waiting for that guy to clear and then he breaks on the guy but it looks like that linebacker the numbers blurry when I'm trying to watch it but it looks like 59 or 56 i'm betting it's Murray that was his zone that was his responsibility one was playing high one was playing low it wasn't a bracket but it's a zone you have to play your zone and he ran right by the ball it nearly hit him in the head..

 

[JustChip]

it looked like they were trying to bait the slant but our LB is terrible and slow and couldn't get there in time

Well, they succeeded.

Murray was cheated to the opposite side. The only way he’s going to get under the slant to Renfro is if he takes off at the snap. He was toast when he stutter-stepped.

The question is, why did he hesitate? Maybe he had to protect against the inside receiver slant on his side and waited to read the QBs eyes and what route the receiver was running.

The problem with this is the DB on this receiver was playing press and they were rushing from that side. The slant to that side was way more difficult.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they’re reviewing this in meetings to know exactly what the coaches expected to happen.

 

[blueblood70]

fire flus fire flus....

 

[blueblood70]

Well, they succeeded.

Murray was cheated to the opposite side. The only way he’s going to get under the slant to Renfro is if he takes off at the snap. He was toast when he stutter-stepped.

The question is, why did he hesitate? Maybe he had to protect against the inside receiver slant on his side and waited to read the QBs eyes and what route the receiver was running.

The problem with this is the DB on this receiver was playing press and they were rushing from that side. The slant to that side was way more difficult.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they’re reviewing this in meetings to know exactly what the coaches expected to happen.

Oh he ran right underneath it the ball whipped right past the back of his head watch it again That was the linebackers responsibility underneath that is why Bland was most likely playing off the ball by design which none of us like the design anyway but don't tell me that linebacker couldn't have got under there he was right there when the ball was thrown..

I don't know what you're watching he literally didn't know the ball zoomed right past his head he was going out to cover the far outside guy if he had just stopped if his instinct if he had any instincts he would have dropped in sean Lee would have intercepted that ball no matter what his responsibilities were at the beginning of the play if he was watching the play he'd have seen the ball went right by him..

 

[Rayman70]

Can also bring up that we have two BallHawk CB's who are compromised by Zone that will bring up Tet v Wilson match-ups and a non-existent pass-rush to help provide rushed throws....nothing Eberflus does appears inline with the roster we've got......
.......and if he's a LB Whisperer, if so he needs to talk a bit louder.
I agree fire him now, bring in someone who can at least play a scheme that suits those defensive players we hope to keep in 2026.

Agreed