The pre-season win vs Raiders was encouraging but needs some perspective

[CCBoy]

Denzel Daxon, Defensive tackle​

The one thing that stood out in this game was how well the Cowboys commanded the line of scrimmage on both sides. The Cowboys were without Mazi Smith, who did not travel with the team; therefore, all eyes were on how the Cowboys would fare against the Las Vegas running attack. They passed the test with flying colors. Denzel Daxon plugged up the middle of the Raiders’ offensive line and led the defensive linemen group with five tackles. For a better barometer of how good Daxon and the defensive line were, the Cowboys held the Raiders to just 3.9 yards per rush as a team on 16 attempts before the Raiders’ final drive of the game.

After their difficulties stopping the run in 2023, it’s a positive sign for Daxon and the defensive front. The Cowboys recently traded for Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants, and he is expected to supplement the interior of the defensive line. However, it would be a bonus if Daxon could work himself into the rotation. However, if he doesn’t make the team, don’t expect Daxon to go anywhere; he is eligible for the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. In these conditions, Dallas can have Daxon on the practice squad this season without counting him against the 90-man roster, a great way to keep him and his potential in the fold.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...aiders-brandon-aubrey-kemon-hall-danzel-daxon

 

[Bobhaze]

You might consider typing this kind of disclaimer at the start of OPs. Everyone does not read them at the end.

Of course, not everyone will read them at the beginning of OPs either.

This was the first line of the OP: “Last night’s pre-season win over the raiders was encouraging in several ways.”
There are always a few who read the headline and post their opinion based solely on that.

 

[zrinkill]

This was the first line of the OP: “Last night’s pre-season win over the raiders was encouraging in several ways.”
There are always a few who read the headline and post their opinion based solely on that.

I totally get what you are saying.

But I am still not gonna miss out on my chance to post this gif.

Please forgive me

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Last night’s pre-season win over the raiders was encouraging in several ways. Try Lance looked better and flashed some of the talent that made him the 3rd pick in the 2021 draft. His athleticism and arm strength was on display. Still needs lots of growth but the talent is visible. Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman showed some flashes as did several rookies on both sides of the ball.

But here’s some balancing perspective - Never trust a preseason performance as being a straight line to regular season success. It’s as old as NFL pre-season games itself. See a backup player or practice squad player make a few good plays in ps and think, “That guy is really good.” That can be very misleading for many reasons.

The difference between a ps game and regular season game is huge, and simply not a realistic gauge of regular season performance. It can give us glimpses of a player’s talent or potential but it is not testing them like a regular season NFL game.

In pre-season games:

• Defenses play plain vanilla coverages and rarely if ever blitz. Which makes it way easier for QBs to not have to make a ton of coverage reads. PS defensive alignments are super basic.
• It is easier for RBs in PS because they usually do not have to pick up blitzers. That changes in the regular season and will be something Deuce will need to improve on to get some regular season pt.
• OL have less to worry about with exotic blitzes or stunts in pre-season. Communication between lineman is less challenging.
• Defenses have less to worry about too. Most teams run their most basic pass routes and simplest running plays.

I am NOT saying there was nothing to like about last night’s ps win. I liked a lot that I saw from many of our players. Just need to keep it all in perspective.

Agreed. Can’t read too much into the results of a preseason game at all, but they are useful gauges of how a player responds to a more realistic game scenario.

Here is how I look at it: A player can play well in preseason, but struggle in the regular season. However, it is also worth noting that rarely will a player struggle in preseason and then suddenly find success in the regular season.

 

[jazzcat22]

1989, Jimmy Johnson, went 3-1 or was 4-0 in PS. I believe he said he played to win. Then we seen what happened. He learned from that.

Winning in the preseason is still winning. It instills confidence in players and the team. Even though they know the reality of it all.
Fans will be fans. We see it on here all the time. Some will get pumped up, some will keep it in check and some will be negative. And each of those 3 types of fans, will always be those type of fans.

I can't wait for Saturday's game to see more of Trey and I don't care if it is against 2nd and 3rd and 4th stringers. It is about is he doing what he is supposed to do. And did he improve on his touch passes, by not throwing too high or with too much velocity. As he improved upon that in game 2.

How much playing time will Mazi get as well. Or will they just sit him. And let the backup DT's play for those last few DL positions.

 

[VaqueroTD]

In pre-season games:

• 
  
• It is easier for RBs in PS because they usually do not have to pick up blitzers. That changes in the regular season and will be something Deuce will need to improve on to get some regular season pt.

I am NOT saying there was nothing to like about last night’s ps win. I liked a lot that I saw from many of our players. Just need to keep it all in perspective.

As I recall, Deuce looked like a world beater last preseason as well but couldn't even scrounge a yard in regular season. I didn't even recognize half the names on the box score in week one.

I don't put much stock in preseason but two things I'm optimistic about are secondary getting a lot of turnovers, and youth on offensive line looking like it can hang.

Not yet ready to say they can stop the run. Will need regular season to find out. Trey Lance still doesn't look like much to me other than one of those 5-star athletes you recruit in college because of their size and skills, but can't find a position they excel at.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Agree with the OP....nothing wrong with the preseason, but very rarely should you get too high or low on any team or player due to preseason performance. There are no shortage of players with excellent preseason showings who became duds during the regular season or were outright cut from the team.

Its football, its entertaining, its something to discuss that isnt contract related, and we have been craving games for 6 months now. Not saying dont watch, I certainly do, but if we went back to look at posts on this forum last preseason I bet we would all have a good chuckle about how excited we were about Duece, Tolbert, Neville Gallimore, Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph, etc.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Agree with the OP....nothing wrong with the preseason, but very rarely should you get too high or low on any team or player due to preseason performance. There are no shortage of players with excellent preseason showings who became duds during the regular season or were outright cut from the team.

Its football, its entertaining, its something to discuss that isnt contract related, and we have been craving games for 6 months now. Not saying dont watch, I certainly do, but if we went back to look at posts on this forum last preseason I bet we would all have a good chuckle about how excited we were about Duece, Tolbert, Neville Gallimore, Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph, etc.

There's a few wideouts too the last 30 years that had me convinced they were the next great #2 or #3 and then quickly disappeared forever.

 

[Bobhaze]

Agree with the OP....nothing wrong with the preseason, but very rarely should you get too high or low on any team or player due to preseason performance. There are no shortage of players with excellent preseason showings who became duds during the regular season or were outright cut from the team.

Its football, its entertaining, its something to discuss that isnt contract related, and we have been craving games for 6 months now. Not saying dont watch, I certainly do, but if we went back to look at posts on this forum last preseason I bet we would all have a good chuckle about how excited we were about Duece, Tolbert, Neville Gallimore, Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph, etc.

Good post. Like you, I have missed football and am glad to see we are almost to the regular season. PS games can be fun for me too, I just don’t put a lot of stock in them.

I always remember guys like RBs Beau Morgan and Lousaka Polite. Had “great camps” and looked great in PS games. Morgan led the team in rushing in PS back in ‘96 or ‘97 and scored several TDs in PS. He never played a down of regular season football. Polite was a Cowboy for I think two seasons and did have maybe 4-5 career rushing attempts in a real NFL game.

It’s all good. Real football is just 3 weeks away.

 

[Diehardblues]

Does this mean we aren’t going to SB

 

[Brax]

Everyone knows it’s just a preseason game do you think we’re all stupid? Nothing wrong though in getting excited about the game and some of the players. No one’s proclaiming they’re in the Super Bowl. Let us have our enjoyment.

Attack right out the gate, with an insult to his post, yet you post about road graders based on nothing. It’s amazing to me how you can read the post and come away with he’s implying everyone is “stupid “, just have to laugh.

 

[75boyz]

I thought the performance of the offensive and defensive lines in general was a night and day improvement.
I realize more snaps were played by projected starters on the oline(Guyton and Beebe) but the other guys looked much improved as well.
Defensively, Phillips made a better than average debut at the 1T, Kneeland flashed and again, the remaining depth performed much better as a group as compared to last week.

This game is still won in the trenches.
If we can control the LOS we've got a competitive chance in any ball game.

At the very least, that is encouraging to see.

 

[Cowboys5217]

The final score didn't matter. I just wanted to see if Lance could do better, and he did, but still has a long way to go.

Aubrey provided a WOW moment. It is technically an NFL record - the longest made FG in an exhibition game. Yes, these stats are tracked.

I was glad that the Raiders went for some 4th downs, because I want to test that kind of thing in preseason games. I wish teams would agree to go for most 4th downs, and run several trick plays, fake punts, and anything else in the bag of tricks because preseason is the best chance to try that stuff out.

 

[ChuckA1]

I'm a big fan, Bob. And I think we all know it's just preseason, but it was fun watching the 2's and 3's play well against 1's and 2's. Of course things weren't perfect, but it was great watching the physicality that has crept into the Cowboys' play. Even if it was preseason, it was fun.

What I meant to say here was I'm a big fan of yours. That said, I think we all know...