CFZ Thoughts/Opinions about last night's game!

[gimmesix]

-Whole secondary really struggled, Thomas with a terrible penalty that ultimately led to a TD. Scott continues to struggle and is not even guaranteed a roster spot any longer. Actually thought Joseph was the best last night, although he stills grabs way too much. Backup DB is a need.

Think Joseph has been the best corner in both games. Of course, his snaps have seemed more limited than others and come mostly when the starters and even the second string are no longer in for the other team.

I'm not super happy with what we're seeing, but when we get Lewis back that will help. Bland's play as an outside corner hasn't been great, which is a concern since he is the primary backup. But remember that there's no game-planning, no film study, etc., so it is essentially just the DB matching up against receivers he knows nothing about.

 

[Creeper]

I re-watched the 1st half last night (sound off) and I have some thoughts. This is a little long, sorry about that but not atypical for me!

First, Seattle played their 1st string offensive and defensive lines for much of the first half. The Cowboys used Osa Odighizuwa on defense and I guess he is the closes thing to a starter. They also used Sam Williams some. But it was mostly the 2nd and 3rd team DTs. They did okay against Seattle's OL. Osa had a good game for the little he played. He could have a breakout year this year. So did Sam Williams, who is still a little raw but has toms of potential. Williams shows strength against the run and the pass. Mazi had an off night as well. Gallimore was inconsistent and playing against backups he should be showing us more. The guy who looked good while he was in there was Viliani Fehoko. It was his first game so we need to see more, but if he continues to play like he did against Seattle, Golston might be out of a job. Fehoko showed power and speed as a pass rusher from the inside. He has me interested.

On the other side, Our backups on the OL faced Seattle's first team defensive front and while they had some problems they weren't terrible. Farniok was good at C where he played most of the game. They moved Hoffman to LG and he was not so good. Asim Richards struggled at LT. I still think he needs to move inside to LG. Believe it or not, Josh Ball had a good night against Seattle's first string DTs. He was moving guys off the line in the running game. I need to see more of this, but if he develops at RG, it will be a big help for the OL. Waletzko could not handle Mafe, Seattle's starting OLB and edge rusher. Waletzko did not play much before he got hurt but he was not very good while h was in there. If I were a Seattle fan I would worry about my team who I think struggled against the Cowboys backups. The Cowboys are thin at swing tackle. If Tyron goes down they can move Tyler over and use Farniok at LG, or maybe move ball over to LG. But losing Steele could be a bigger problem. Sorry guys, but I still think Bass is not the guy. He was awful against the backups for Seattle. He is a rookie so I will cut him some slack but he isn't ready.

RB is going to be a problem when cut time comes around. I liked what I saw from all of them including Luepke. If they keep 3 I am guessing it will be Pollard, Dowdle and Vaughn, but I like the way Malik Davis runs as well. And of course they have Ronald Jones and Hunter Luepke. I can see Luepke going to the practice squad. Jones is out the first two weeks serving a suspension. Maybe they just cut him.

The Cowboys seem to have a lot of capable WRs, and TEs. I don't think Hendershot looked good against Seattle but it is one game. With Stephens out for the year I think Hendershot makes the team now. I am concerned about Schoonmaker. I do not think he threatens Ferguson for the starting job. He looks like David LaFleur to me. It is early for him but I thought he would show a little more quickness and speed for a 2nd round pick. At Wr, we have the starting 3 and the 4th spot looks like to goes to Tolbert. I am still wondering what is Turpin going to do. Simi Fehoko is just a JAG. I am not sure I would keep him at this point. I would not be shocked if Brooks or Drummand takes a roster spot from him.

The Cowboys backups in the secondary had a lot of problems. Again, it is preseason and receivers can look really good in preseason and stink in the regular season, but I saw some issues in the secondary. Don't be surprised if when Lewis comes back he steps in at the slot CB ahead of Bland. Bland was sloppy against Seattle. The rest of the nobodies in the secondary were pretty bad too. Joseph gets a lot of flack but I think he had another good game. I don't know if the light went on for him or not, but he looks like he is improved at least a little.

We have to remember when the Cowboys take the field in the regular season LVE and Parsons will be in the game. Clark still looks good and Overshown also looked good before he got hurt. But they will be fine with Clark, LVE and Parsons or Cox. The more Cox plays, I think the better he will get. At times he is slow to react but he has the ability, and experience will help him in the long run. He is not flashy but he makes plays. Harper was not as good this week as he was last. But he has one more game to show us something.

Finally, I have to say another word about the refs in this game. Awful. They couldn't even spot the ball correctly. They missed so many calls and looked lost for much of the game. I hope this crew is not a regular season crew.

 

[Cowboyny]

I re-watched the 1st half last night (sound off) and I have some thoughts. This is a little long, sorry about that but not atypical for me!

First, Seattle played their 1st string offensive and defensive lines for much of the first half. The Cowboys used Osa Odighizuwa on defense and I guess he is the closes thing to a starter. They also used Sam Williams some. But it was mostly the 2nd and 3rd team DTs. They did okay against Seattle's OL. Osa had a good game for the little he played. He could have a breakout year this year. So did Sam Williams, who is still a little raw but has toms of potential. Williams shows strength against the run and the pass. Mazi had an off night as well. Gallimore was inconsistent and playing against backups he should be showing us more. The guy who looked good while he was in there was Viliani Fehoko. It was his first game so we need to see more, but if he continues to play like he did against Seattle, Golston might be out of a job. Fehoko showed power and speed as a pass rusher from the inside. He has me interested.

On the other side, Our backups on the OL faced Seattle's first team defensive front and while they had some problems they weren't terrible. Farniok was good at C where he played most of the game. They moved Hoffman to LG and he was not so good. Asim Richards struggled at LT. I still think he needs to move inside to LG. Believe it or not, Josh Ball had a good night against Seattle's first string DTs. He was moving guys off the line in the running game. I need to see more of this, but if he develops at RG, it will be a big help for the OL. Waletzko could not handle Mafe, Seattle's starting OLB and edge rusher. Waletzko did not play much before he got hurt but he was not very good while h was in there. If I were a Seattle fan I would worry about my team who I think struggled against the Cowboys backups. The Cowboys are thin at swing tackle. If Tyron goes down they can move Tyler over and use Farniok at LG, or maybe move ball over to LG. But losing Steele could be a bigger problem. Sorry guys, but I still think Bass is not the guy. He was awful against the backups for Seattle. He is a rookie so I will cut him some slack but he isn't ready.

RB is going to be a problem when cut time comes around. I liked what I saw from all of them including Luepke. If they keep 3 I am guessing it will be Pollard, Dowdle and Vaughn, but I like the way Malik Davis runs as well. And of course they have Ronald Jones and Hunter Luepke. I can see Luepke going to the practice squad. Jones is out the first two weeks serving a suspension. Maybe they just cut him.

The Cowboys seem to have a lot of capable WRs, and TEs. I don't think Hendershot looked good against Seattle but it is one game. With Stephens out for the year I think Hendershot makes the team now. I am concerned about Schoonmaker. I do not think he threatens Ferguson for the starting job. He looks like David LaFleur to me. It is early for him but I thought he would show a little more quickness and speed for a 2nd round pick. At Wr, we have the starting 3 and the 4th spot looks like to goes to Tolbert. I am still wondering what is Turpin going to do. Simi Fehoko is just a JAG. I am not sure I would keep him at this point. I would not be shocked if Brooks or Drummand takes a roster spot from him.

The Cowboys backups in the secondary had a lot of problems. Again, it is preseason and receivers can look really good in preseason and stink in the regular season, but I saw some issues in the secondary. Don't be surprised if when Lewis comes back he steps in at the slot CB ahead of Bland. Bland was sloppy against Seattle. The rest of the nobodies in the secondary were pretty bad too. Joseph gets a lot of flack but I think he had another good game. I don't know if the light went on for him or not, but he looks like he is improved at least a little.

We have to remember when the Cowboys take the field in the regular season LVE and Parsons will be in the game. Clark still looks good and Overshown also looked good before he got hurt. But they will be fine with Clark, LVE and Parsons or Cox. The more Cox plays, I think the better he will get. At times he is slow to react but he has the ability, and experience will help him in the long run. He is not flashy but he makes plays. Harper was not as good this week as he was last. But he has one more game to show us something.

Finally, I have to say another word about the refs in this game. Awful. They couldn't even spot the ball correctly. They missed so many calls and looked lost for much of the game. I hope this crew is not a regular season crew.

Some good points! V. Fehoko did flash and barely noticed the likes of Gallimore/Golston. It is going to be interesting who they decide to keep. Think they are going to have to roster Land, he has been impressive thus far.

Secondary is a concern, Bland has struggled as an outside corner, where the backups have really struggled. Scott has really had a tough time.

Cox/Harper worry me if they an injury would occur.

 

[quickccc]

First it sucks to lose Overshown, but that is apart of this game. Next man up and hope Overshown has a speedy recovery. Is it time to sign a veteran?

Offense

-Rush may not look flashy nor have a strong arm, but he is always calm under pressure. Grier is the exact opposite, always panics inside the pocket and makes throws on the run. Really liked how MM called that scoring drive mixing it up.
-Tremendous game from Tolbert, he is looking like that player we thought we drafted last season. Turpin continues to also make an impact, believe both are roster locks.
-Once again the TE group flashed. That drive after half was all about the tight ends. Think we keep 4 with the 5th on the PS.
-Thought they ran the ball well early on, then Seattle adjusted. Clearly Dowdle is ahead of Davis. Vaughn was pretty bottled up. Luek, is probably fighting more for a PS spot at this juncture.
-Backup OL had it's struggles again. Walesco got destroyed by Mafe, a player many of us on the draft site really liked two years ago. After two games, it appears that Richards has played better and he was playing Guard all camp. Backup Tackle and Center are a concern, as I thought Farnoik had his struggles as well.

Defense

-I know many are already calling Mazi a bust, it's way too early to make that assessment. Most of us on the draft thread, thought Mazi was more of a day 2 prospect who needed development. Michigan asked him to just take on blockers and not rush the passer. He gets in trouble with being so slow after the snap and tends to play too high at times, these issues are correctable, but development takes time.
-Sam Williams with a nice sack, but once again 15 yard penalty. Land had a sack, don't think they can hid him onto the ps.
-Not sure who they keep out of Gallimore/Golston/Bohanna-none of the three have stood out.
-I don't know what to think of Jabril Cox, not that physical at the point of attack, slow reacting. Think Bell is better in that Kearse type of role, especially against the run.
-Whole secondary really struggled, Thomas with a terrible penalty that ultimately led to a TD. Scott continues to struggle and is not even guaranteed a roster spot any longer. Actually thought Joseph was the best last night, although he stills grabs way too much. Backup DB is a need.

Special Teams

-Go figure the special teams had a terrible night and it wasn't our place kicker. Gave up a big punt return and had a punt blocked.

Thanks for Sharing ...

OFFENSE

- OL Did Watlesko's struggles related to his shoulder issue ? Even last week, i don’t get as excited about Matty Wally as I am with Asim Richards- at best,
he strikes me as an limited overachiever.
- Josh Ball still presses as JAG, i note how vs pass, he see to play more in space help than having to be more isolated and holding his own one on one,
vs run,.. he made the cut off blocks but I'm not the least convinced at all about this guy. If he were pressed to start per injury,
I think we'd be in panick world of trouble.
- So much time to Ball, ...and far less time to see TJ Bass. Bass seems to know line play, even at new OG role, but he's limited athletically the more
he has to reach out to the 2nd level of defenders, he has problems getting there even inside at OG, . But i do not see DTs blowing right by him vs pass.
- We've failed at center competition vs Farniok, Hoffman is awful at OG, and like Farniok much better in space-help than handling one on one.

- TE Really Hated TE Stephens per ACL on IR, ..the TE group is clearly set now (4 TEs) .. Fant to Practice Squad

- WR; Tolbert. He's not a big speed, pull away guy or sensational open field
run after catch wonder but he is consistently making these contested catches with defenders draping over him. still would've liked to see more of Brooks,
both QBs seem to be making a huge effort to target Tolbert. (per coaches instructions?)
- Simi is a str8-line stiff who cannot track vertical ball well, has suspect hands and needs a free release to build up leggy momentum.
- Turpin caught another big 3rd down catch. Houston had his usual
in space openings catches.

- RB Rico is clearly ahead of Davis ,.. but is he clearly ahead of Deuce ? Current vibe i get is Rico will be 2nd RB- the RB2, as club at ease with his blocking.
and will use Deuce in certain rotation. Could we go with only 3 RBs ?
If we do the 3 RBs, .we have to keep a valid RB handy on practice squad if/when Rico gets hurt again ( Malik Davis ?.. Ronald Jones ?)
Per his 5'5 height and jump-cuts, shifty elusiveness, low legged balanced, Deuce is just so difficult to locate vs tacklers.
Still dunno about his blocking yet. Why does Hunter Lupeke seem to stumble and loses his balance of his very few carries ?

QB - Rush still shows me how physically limited he is and how he limits our passing offense- cannot drive the ball deep go- fly routes.
Pocket was clean enuff on under-thrown pass to Tolbert. Kept Poised.
- I want a competitive replacement for Grier next offseason. I would not want him as THE primary backup. He makes poor decisions
(taking 20 yard sack from 20 yd to 40 yd !!) poor passes.. (ala INT at goal line to a covered Simi WR) ..and inaccuracy tosses all over the pass.
No changed plans for Grier to practice squad as a emergency injury QB.

 

[Whirlwin]

I’m glad Cooper Rush is our back up. Because we don’t have anyone better right now. But calm I don’t think so.

 

[baltcowboy]

First it sucks to lose Overshown, but that is apart of this game. Next man up and hope Overshown has a speedy recovery. Is it time to sign a veteran?

Offense

-Rush may not look flashy nor have a strong arm, but he is always calm under pressure. Grier is the exact opposite, always panics inside the pocket and makes throws on the run. Really liked how MM called that scoring drive mixing it up.
-Tremendous game from Tolbert, he is looking like that player we thought we drafted last season. Turpin continues to also make an impact, believe both are roster locks.
-Once again the TE group flashed. That drive after half was all about the tight ends. Think we keep 4 with the 5th on the PS.
-Thought they ran the ball well early on, then Seattle adjusted. Clearly Dowdle is ahead of Davis. Vaughn was pretty bottled up. Luek, is probably fighting more for a PS spot at this juncture.
-Backup OL had it's struggles again. Walesco got destroyed by Mafe, a player many of us on the draft site really liked two years ago. After two games, it appears that Richards has played better and he was playing Guard all camp. Backup Tackle and Center are a concern, as I thought Farnoik had his struggles as well.

Defense

-I know many are already calling Mazi a bust, it's way too early to make that assessment. Most of us on the draft thread, thought Mazi was more of a day 2 prospect who needed development. Michigan asked him to just take on blockers and not rush the passer. He gets in trouble with being so slow after the snap and tends to play too high at times, these issues are correctable, but development takes time.
-Sam Williams with a nice sack, but once again 15 yard penalty. Land had a sack, don't think they can hid him onto the ps.
-Not sure who they keep out of Gallimore/Golston/Bohanna-none of the three have stood out.
-I don't know what to think of Jabril Cox, not that physical at the point of attack, slow reacting. Think Bell is better in that Kearse type of role, especially against the run.
-Whole secondary really struggled, Thomas with a terrible penalty that ultimately led to a TD. Scott continues to struggle and is not even guaranteed a roster spot any longer. Actually thought Joseph was the best last night, although he stills grabs way too much. Backup DB is a need.

Special Teams

-Go figure the special teams had a terrible night and it wasn't our place kicker. Gave up a big punt return and had a punt blocked.

Good post. I usually like to challenge your assessments but you are right on with your assessments of the team. Scott Jr. Is my most disappointing player of the preseason. The Cowboys traded future assets for the player and he gets beat like a drum in practice and the games. Supposedly Jordan Lewis is close to being activated so.I think the Cowboys might run the secondary back again with the addition of Gilmore instead of Brown.

 

[Cowboyny]

Good post. I usually like to challenge your assessments but you are right on with your assessments of the team. Scott Jr. Is my most disappointing player of the preseason. The Cowboys traded future assets for the player and he gets beat like a drum in practice and the games. Supposedly Jordan Lewis is close to being activated so.I think the Cowboys might run the secondary back again with the addition of Gilmore instead of Brown.

Think they should be looking for another veteran corner for depth

 

[rambo2]

They are going to miss Overshown. He was awesome.

 

[baltcowboy]

Think they should be looking for another veteran corner for depth

Who? The Ravens are signing every defensive free agent they can get. The Ravens secondary is a mess. The Cowboys are depending on Gilmore, Diggs, Bland, Isreal and Lewis. That’s as good of a secondary then any team in the league.

 

[Cowboyny]

Thanks for Sharing ...

OFFENSE

- OL Did Watlesko's struggles related to his shoulder issue ? Even last week, i don’t get as excited about Matty Wally as I am with Asim Richards- at best,
he strikes me as an limited overachiever.
- Josh Ball still presses as JAG, i note how vs pass, he see to play more in space help than having to be more isolated and holding his own one on one,
vs run,.. he made the cut off blocks but I'm not the least convinced at all about this guy. If he were pressed to start per injury,
I think we'd be in panick world of trouble.
- So much time to Ball, ...and far less time to see TJ Bass. Bass seems to know line play, even at new OG role, but he's limited athletically the more
he has to reach out to the 2nd level of defenders, he has problems getting there even inside at OG, . But i do not see DTs blowing right by him vs pass.
- We've failed at center competition vs Farniok, Hoffman is awful at OG, and like Farniok much better in space-help than handling one on one.

- TE Really Hated TE Stephens per ACL on IR, ..the TE group is clearly set now (4 TEs) .. Fant to Practice Squad

- WR; Tolbert. He's not a big speed, pull away guy or sensational open field
run after catch wonder but he is consistently making these contested catches with defenders draping over him. still would've liked to see more of Brooks,
both QBs seem to be making a huge effort to target Tolbert. (per coaches instructions?)
- Simi is a str8-line stiff who cannot track vertical ball well, has suspect hands and needs a free release to build up leggy momentum.
- Turpin caught another big 3rd down catch. Houston had his usual
in space openings catches.

- RB Rico is clearly ahead of Davis ,.. but is he clearly ahead of Deuce ? Current vibe i get is Rico will be 2nd RB- the RB2, as club at ease with his blocking.
and will use Deuce in certain rotation. Could we go with only 3 RBs ?
If we do the 3 RBs, .we have to keep a valid RB handy on practice squad if/when Rico gets hurt again ( Malik Davis ?.. Ronald Jones ?)
Per his 5'5 height and jump-cuts, shifty elusiveness, low legged balanced, Deuce is just so difficult to locate vs tacklers.
Still dunno about his blocking yet. Why does Hunter Lupeke seem to stumble and loses his balance of his very few carries ?

QB - Rush still shows me how physically limited he is and how he limits our passing offense- cannot drive the ball deep go- fly routes.
Pocket was clean enuff on under-thrown pass to Tolbert. Kept Poised.
- I want a competitive replacement for Grier next offseason. I would not want him as THE primary backup. He makes poor decisions
(taking 20 yard sack from 20 yd to 40 yd !!) poor passes.. (ala INT at goal line to a covered Simi WR) ..and inaccuracy tosses all over the pass.
No changed plans for Grier to practice squad as an emergency injury QB.

Backup OL is definitely a concern, haven’t seen much to be confident with.
Tolbert is that go get the ball type that this group has lacked, yes doesn’t have great speed but he makes a lot of contested catches.

 

[Cowboyny]

Who? The Ravens are signing every defensive free agent they can get. The Ravens secondary is a mess. The Cowboys are depending on Gilmore, Diggs, Bland, Isreal and Lewis. That’s as good of a secondary than any team in the league.

Pretty sure more will come available after the cuts. We cannot put all our eggs in the basket in a 33 year old starter

 

[baltcowboy]

Pretty sure more will come available after the cuts. We cannot put all our eggs in the basket in a 33 year old starter

There is nobody out there that is better then we already have.

 

[TheBigEasy]

Seattle Announcers: I live in Philly country and am a Sixers fan and the Seahawks preseason announcer is Kate Scott, who also happens to the the Sixers play by play person. Took some getting used to as a Sixers fan but I must say, she was BRUTAL calling that football game. I watched the 2nd half with the TV muted. Again I say, BRUTAL.

The screeching and 'over the top' accolades made me want to punch a hole through my new TV. Probably an unfavorable opinion but I'm having a hard time watching and enjoying games, of any sport, with most of these women play by play announcers. Listening to Doris Burke do NBA games makes me never want to watch again. Call me old school but give me announcers who actually played the game that they're announcing. On the plus side, I've gotten really good at using the mute button, streaming the radio broadcast and adjusting the timing so what I'm watching flows perfectly with the radio stream.

 

[quickccc]

Backup OL is definitely a concern, haven’t seen much to be confident with.
Tolbert is that go get the ball type that this group has lacked, yes doesn’t have great speed but he makes a lot of contested catches.

Really ? I think Gallup has go get the ball type.

He's a jump ball goal line guy, can make toe- tapped sideline catch, and his game is physically batting for the closely contested ball, even with
CBs draped tightly all over him.
I just don't care for his sloppy routes that too often lead to several Dak INTs.

And who doesn't believes Lamb is not a go get 'em guy ? Imo, go get 'em guys is definitely already have on this team.

 

[Cowboyny]

Really ? I think Gallup has go get the ball type.

He's a jump ball goal line guy, can make toe- tapped sideline catch, and his game is physically batting for the closely contested ball, even with
CBs draped tightly all over him.
I just don't care for his sloppy routes that too often lead to several Dak INTs.

And who doesn't believes Lamb is not a go get 'em guy ? Imo, go get 'em guys is definitely already have on this team.

Tolbert is far more physical then Gallup will ever be, Lamb has gotten better in that area, but still waits on passes. This is one of the reasons why they wanted to sign OBJ if he was healthy.

 

[Cowboyny]

There is nobody out there that is better then we already have.

I disagree as our depth is very weak behind the starters.

 

[kskboys]

I'm not sold on Rico being our short yardage back. We may need to add someone if he and/or Davis can't step up.
I live in central PA and am a 76er fan as well. I can't stand listening to that woman call games. It's terrible. It gets worse when a big play happens, her high pitch squeal makes my ears hurt.
OL depth is and has been a major concern. They need to address it now before it's too late.

Not crazy about any of our RB's after Polly.

I do like Deuce, but only as a space back. They tried him as a full timer. Didn't work, as expected.

I really just cannot see what you guys see in Dowdle. Looks like a PSer to me. What am I missing? He's not particularly quick to the hole. Not fast. Not powerful. All I saw was him picking up yards when the holes were wide.

I don't hate the kid at all, just don't see an NFL back.

 

[kskboys]

I disagree as our depth is very weak behind the starters.

Yeah, that was a major homer post.

 

[baltcowboy]

I disagree as our depth is very weak behind the starters.

Who is better than Wright and Joseph that will get cut? That will play over Lewis, Isreal and Bland? The Ravens have Rock and an Eagle cast off that wouldn’t get a tryout here.

 

[Cowboyny]

Who is better than Wright and Joseph that will get cut? That will play over Lewis, Isreal and Bland? The Ravens have Rock and an Eagle cast off that wouldn’t get a tryout here.

We have to see if any quality hits the streets