JoaquinFenix
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We all know you can't coach speed. But can you coach stupid? Terrance Williams says no.
Look, Williams isn't the sole reason the Cowboys lost this game. He caught the ball at the 47.5 yard line and likely would've made it out of bounds around the 45. That's a 62-yard field goal. Not a "gimme" by any means, but doable for Dan Bailey.
But we'll never know whether "Split Em'" would've lived up to his name. Because Williams is dumb. How a professional cannot grasp what thousands of amateurs intuitively understand is beyond me. If I'm in the Cowboys front office, I'm moving Butler up the depth chart to be the #2 wide receiver and letting Williams walk after his contract expires this offseason. I'll take whatever comp pick I can get and bid him adieu.
Now, for the rest of the team. First, Dak Prescott wasn't preseason Dak spectacular, but for his first NFL game ever, he was pretty doggone good and outplayed Eli Manning (low bar, I know). He went through his progressions, didn't make the big mistake and made plays with his feet. Imagine what his stat line would've been if Beasley and Bryant hadn't dropped touchdown passes (not to mention the final score of the game).
By comparison, Zeke wasn't nearly as impressive. Yes, yes, the Giants were game planning to stop Zeke. But you know what? Morris didn't seem to have much of a problem finding the creases on his carries. I think Zeke will be a good player, but ultimately he's still just a running back. This is a passing league, and it sure would've been nice to have Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack out there defending the pass (I'm looking at you, Wilcox and Hitchens).
Speaking of, why is J.J. Wilcox still on this roster? Not only that, but he was on the field A LOT in defensive packages. I know this because he showed up every time the Giants had a big play.
The offensive line must be better. They did a decent job of keeping Dak clean against a good Giants pass rush but looked pretty mediocre in the run game. This team won't win unless that line is dominant.
A tight end screen to Witten? Really? That play shouldn't be in the play book. He no longer has any YAC ability. He's your safety valve and that's it. It doesn't help that Jerry's $1 billion stadium faces east/west right into the glare of the setting sun. Sorry, Jason, that Jerry can't afford black-out shades for those poorly placed windows.
That pass rush is what we thought it was. Which is crap. Both Cowboys' sacks were anything but. Mayowa's was a coverage sack, and Scandrick got credited for a sack on Eli's lateral. This pass rush is so anemic because, again, you can't coach stupid. Failing multiple drug tests in the NFL is just that.
And the rush defense was no better. Vereen kept gashing the Cowboys up the middle late in the game despite the fact that everyone knew what was coming. Would it kill Marinelli to use a middle linebacker in obvious rushing situations? It would also be nice if this defense had a 3-tech. Tyrone Crawford is just stealing money at this point.
Finally, you can't expect to win a game like this while repeatedly settling for field goals inside the red zone. That's the bottom line. Unless the red zone efficiency improves, this is going to be another long season.
Look, Williams isn't the sole reason the Cowboys lost this game. He caught the ball at the 47.5 yard line and likely would've made it out of bounds around the 45. That's a 62-yard field goal. Not a "gimme" by any means, but doable for Dan Bailey.
But we'll never know whether "Split Em'" would've lived up to his name. Because Williams is dumb. How a professional cannot grasp what thousands of amateurs intuitively understand is beyond me. If I'm in the Cowboys front office, I'm moving Butler up the depth chart to be the #2 wide receiver and letting Williams walk after his contract expires this offseason. I'll take whatever comp pick I can get and bid him adieu.
Now, for the rest of the team. First, Dak Prescott wasn't preseason Dak spectacular, but for his first NFL game ever, he was pretty doggone good and outplayed Eli Manning (low bar, I know). He went through his progressions, didn't make the big mistake and made plays with his feet. Imagine what his stat line would've been if Beasley and Bryant hadn't dropped touchdown passes (not to mention the final score of the game).
By comparison, Zeke wasn't nearly as impressive. Yes, yes, the Giants were game planning to stop Zeke. But you know what? Morris didn't seem to have much of a problem finding the creases on his carries. I think Zeke will be a good player, but ultimately he's still just a running back. This is a passing league, and it sure would've been nice to have Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack out there defending the pass (I'm looking at you, Wilcox and Hitchens).
Speaking of, why is J.J. Wilcox still on this roster? Not only that, but he was on the field A LOT in defensive packages. I know this because he showed up every time the Giants had a big play.
The offensive line must be better. They did a decent job of keeping Dak clean against a good Giants pass rush but looked pretty mediocre in the run game. This team won't win unless that line is dominant.
A tight end screen to Witten? Really? That play shouldn't be in the play book. He no longer has any YAC ability. He's your safety valve and that's it. It doesn't help that Jerry's $1 billion stadium faces east/west right into the glare of the setting sun. Sorry, Jason, that Jerry can't afford black-out shades for those poorly placed windows.
That pass rush is what we thought it was. Which is crap. Both Cowboys' sacks were anything but. Mayowa's was a coverage sack, and Scandrick got credited for a sack on Eli's lateral. This pass rush is so anemic because, again, you can't coach stupid. Failing multiple drug tests in the NFL is just that.
And the rush defense was no better. Vereen kept gashing the Cowboys up the middle late in the game despite the fact that everyone knew what was coming. Would it kill Marinelli to use a middle linebacker in obvious rushing situations? It would also be nice if this defense had a 3-tech. Tyrone Crawford is just stealing money at this point.
Finally, you can't expect to win a game like this while repeatedly settling for field goals inside the red zone. That's the bottom line. Unless the red zone efficiency improves, this is going to be another long season.
