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Cowboys vs. Giants Preview, Part I
By Rafael Vela
Old division rivals meet Sunday night to kickoff the ‘07 campaign. Both New York and Dallas enter the game with new defensive schemes and the Cowboys have a re-tooled passing game. Both also have significant injury concerns in their receiving corps and their secondaries. Part One will focus on Dallas’ offense versus New York’s D.
When Dallas Has the Ball
Tony Romo gets his first season as the opening day starter. He’ll have nine of the same starters as last year, which should allow for better continuity. The one change comes at right guard, where big-ticket free agent Leonard Davis replaces Marco Rivera.
The Cowboys made some minor changes to their running game with new O.C. Jason Garrett. One change was obvious during the preseason - more use of the lead draw, a staple during the ’90s. However, the Cowboys will retain much of the same running attack they used under Tony Sparano last year. That means lots of pulling and trapping and a heavier reliance on running to the perimeter.
Dallas unveiled a special toss play in the Denver game, setting up in a bunch formation on one side of the line, tossing to Julius Jones and letting him run wide behind the interference.
The Cowboys got much better blocking from their tight ends in the preseason and it will be interesting to see if the Cowboys can carry this improvement into the regular season. If Patrick Crayton starts in Terry Glenn’s place Sunday night Dallas will have the bulk to run this toss or some variant of it at New York.
The Cowboys have peculiar run tendencies. They like to pull their tackles and their fullbacks on wide runs and pull their guards across the formation on traps. Kyle Kosier has the agility to get outside and is very effective when Dallas runs screens but it remains to be seen if Sparano will give Leonard Davis the responsibility to get outside.
Dallas learned early on that Davis is a devastating run blocker and the Cowboys ran a lot to their right behind Davis and C Andre Gurode when in third-and-short situations. Davis will have mismatches against many DTs this year and will have one regardless of whether the Giants line up 317 lb. Fred Robbins or 305 lb. Barry Cofield, though Robbins is the better player.
If the Giants start late arrival Michael Strahan at LE and Dallas wants to create some mismatches, look for them to line up in strong right formations and test their right side against the inside and outside of New York’s line. New York would have Strahan lined up against Marc Colombo and 265 lb. Jason Witten against 265 lb. SOLB Mathius Kiwanuka.
Dallas would have big size advantages with both of its linemen. It will surely test Strahan’s conditioning to see if he is ready to play every down after practicing just two days.
Witten and Kiwanuka weigh the same but Witten is far more experienced in space; Kiwanuka was moved from defensive end to linebacker by new DC Steve Spagnuolo and the Cowboys will want to see how he can play runs in space.
The Cowboys will likely see lots of early run blitzing from the Giants, in a strategy similar to Philadelphia’s in last year’s 23-7 Christmas Day win. The difference this time is that Dallas’ line should be healthy. Last year’s version lost its punch the last six games of the season, breaking 100 yards rushing only once in that span. The Eagles were weak against the run but even they were able to mop up the running attack. Dallas has size on its side and will not back down, though it may throw a lot early, a subject I’ll treat in more detail later.
Spagnuolo was Philly’s LB coach and installed Jim Johnson’s blitzing package. The Eagles can be viewed as a 4-3 version of Dallas’ defense. They love to blitz from their linebackers and corners and mix man-to-man coverage with zone blitzing. Kiwanuka was moved outside to give the Giants another rush option; at LB the Giants can bring some combination of him, Strahan and standout RE Osi Umenyiora at opposing quarterbacks.
Spagnuolo helped beat the Cowboys twice last year and knows that his Eagles did perhaps the best job of stopping Tony Romo last year. The Eagles crowded the line last year, run blitzing heavily to shut down the Dallas run and put Romo in second and long situations. Then, they would blitz him from all angles.
The Eagles also played to one of Romo’s more obvious tendencies. They used FS Brian Dawkins to provide help on whichever CB was facing Terrell Owens. They knew Romo favors T.O. in the same way that Drew Bledsoe used to look for Terry Glenn whenever he faced some heat. They forced Romo to try and beat them with other options and he lacked the patience to do so. A forced deep pass to Owens when Dallas trailed 16-7 was intercepted by Dawkins and brought the game to an early close.
I expect Dallas to see lots of eight and nine man fronts on early downs and I think Jason Garrett will take a page from Norv Turner’s and Ernie Zampese’s playbooks to counter it. Everybody remembers the ’90s Cowboys as power runners, with Daryl Johnson and a huge o-line leading Emmitt Smith.
That’s true, but both coordinators favored throwing on first down and running on second and long, a contradiction to conventional wisdom. Zampese in particular would open games by throwing on the first five or six plays.
I look for Garrett to do the same, throwing a lot on first down and throwing to his secondary receivers. I think Owens will get the Eagles’ treatment and earn double coverage much of the time. If Spagnuolo brings early pressure Jason Witten will get some very favorable matchups against Kiwanuka or the Giants safeties. Dallas showed in camp that it will expand the deep middle for the tight ends, with deep ins at 15 to 18 yards, deep outs and seam routes.
This also suggests that we’ll see Anthony Fasano as the F-back a lot early, instead of top fullback Oliver Hoyte. Fasano looked leaner, stronger and faster in preseason and he gives Dallas a second down-the-field interior threat that Hoyte cannot match.
Look for Romo to throw more to his backs. Julius Jones averaged an outstanding 15.8 yards per reception last year but Dallas only threw to him nine times all year. He and Marion Barber combined for 32 catches in ‘06, an average of one pass per player per game.
The Cowboys threw a lot more flares and checkdowns in the preseason and Jones in particular excelled at catching a ball in space and making a defender miss. It’s the long-hand off philosophy and it’s been missing for a while. With New York certain to blitz, Jones and Barber should get chances for big gains against the New York LBs, who look stiff in space, MLB Antonio Pierce excepted.
Hope that Terry Glenn is available, because Dallas will have some favorable matchups outside if he plays. LCB R.W. McQuarters is an above average nickel back and is steady outside, but he will give up plays. On the other side veteran Sam Madison will try to rush back after a hamstring injury. He’s 33 and shows signs of wearing down. His injuries are becoming more frequent. He’ll likely get help from new FS James Butler if he’s matched up against T.O. but Owens will get some shots one-on-one if the Giants blitz hard.
If New York plays an Eagles tendency and bring their corners at Romo then Owens, Glenn and Patrick Crayton will get some juicy one-on-one matchups against the New York safeties.
Overall: Romo needs protection and Dallas needs to be patient early, while they try to figure out what Spagnuolo will throw at them. The Cowboys offense had a couple of short early drives against New York last year that were stopped by sacks, dropped passes and penalties. The Cowboys could not find an early rhythm and fell behind 12-0.
Dallas needs some early first downs. Quick passes off short drops, easy throws on first down and consistent pushes on running plays will help everybody gain confidence. Look for some early action by Julius Jones as a receiver, on perhaps a screen or two or a checkdown. If Dallas can find him on a Giants blitz, he could give them early momentum.
Key Matchups: Osi Umenyiora vs. Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo vs. Michael Strahan. Adams handled Umenyiora in Dallas’ win vs. New York last year. Colombo was outplayed badly by Strahan in New York’s win. It was the only game where Colombo was overwhelmed in ‘06. Give the Dallas OTs draws and the Cowboys will move the football. If the Giants duo win these matchups, they’ll have an edge.
Tomorrow: The Giants vs. Dallas’ D.
http://theboysblog.com/
By Rafael Vela
Old division rivals meet Sunday night to kickoff the ‘07 campaign. Both New York and Dallas enter the game with new defensive schemes and the Cowboys have a re-tooled passing game. Both also have significant injury concerns in their receiving corps and their secondaries. Part One will focus on Dallas’ offense versus New York’s D.
When Dallas Has the Ball
Tony Romo gets his first season as the opening day starter. He’ll have nine of the same starters as last year, which should allow for better continuity. The one change comes at right guard, where big-ticket free agent Leonard Davis replaces Marco Rivera.
The Cowboys made some minor changes to their running game with new O.C. Jason Garrett. One change was obvious during the preseason - more use of the lead draw, a staple during the ’90s. However, the Cowboys will retain much of the same running attack they used under Tony Sparano last year. That means lots of pulling and trapping and a heavier reliance on running to the perimeter.
Dallas unveiled a special toss play in the Denver game, setting up in a bunch formation on one side of the line, tossing to Julius Jones and letting him run wide behind the interference.
The Cowboys got much better blocking from their tight ends in the preseason and it will be interesting to see if the Cowboys can carry this improvement into the regular season. If Patrick Crayton starts in Terry Glenn’s place Sunday night Dallas will have the bulk to run this toss or some variant of it at New York.
The Cowboys have peculiar run tendencies. They like to pull their tackles and their fullbacks on wide runs and pull their guards across the formation on traps. Kyle Kosier has the agility to get outside and is very effective when Dallas runs screens but it remains to be seen if Sparano will give Leonard Davis the responsibility to get outside.
Dallas learned early on that Davis is a devastating run blocker and the Cowboys ran a lot to their right behind Davis and C Andre Gurode when in third-and-short situations. Davis will have mismatches against many DTs this year and will have one regardless of whether the Giants line up 317 lb. Fred Robbins or 305 lb. Barry Cofield, though Robbins is the better player.
If the Giants start late arrival Michael Strahan at LE and Dallas wants to create some mismatches, look for them to line up in strong right formations and test their right side against the inside and outside of New York’s line. New York would have Strahan lined up against Marc Colombo and 265 lb. Jason Witten against 265 lb. SOLB Mathius Kiwanuka.
Dallas would have big size advantages with both of its linemen. It will surely test Strahan’s conditioning to see if he is ready to play every down after practicing just two days.
Witten and Kiwanuka weigh the same but Witten is far more experienced in space; Kiwanuka was moved from defensive end to linebacker by new DC Steve Spagnuolo and the Cowboys will want to see how he can play runs in space.
The Cowboys will likely see lots of early run blitzing from the Giants, in a strategy similar to Philadelphia’s in last year’s 23-7 Christmas Day win. The difference this time is that Dallas’ line should be healthy. Last year’s version lost its punch the last six games of the season, breaking 100 yards rushing only once in that span. The Eagles were weak against the run but even they were able to mop up the running attack. Dallas has size on its side and will not back down, though it may throw a lot early, a subject I’ll treat in more detail later.
Spagnuolo was Philly’s LB coach and installed Jim Johnson’s blitzing package. The Eagles can be viewed as a 4-3 version of Dallas’ defense. They love to blitz from their linebackers and corners and mix man-to-man coverage with zone blitzing. Kiwanuka was moved outside to give the Giants another rush option; at LB the Giants can bring some combination of him, Strahan and standout RE Osi Umenyiora at opposing quarterbacks.
Spagnuolo helped beat the Cowboys twice last year and knows that his Eagles did perhaps the best job of stopping Tony Romo last year. The Eagles crowded the line last year, run blitzing heavily to shut down the Dallas run and put Romo in second and long situations. Then, they would blitz him from all angles.
The Eagles also played to one of Romo’s more obvious tendencies. They used FS Brian Dawkins to provide help on whichever CB was facing Terrell Owens. They knew Romo favors T.O. in the same way that Drew Bledsoe used to look for Terry Glenn whenever he faced some heat. They forced Romo to try and beat them with other options and he lacked the patience to do so. A forced deep pass to Owens when Dallas trailed 16-7 was intercepted by Dawkins and brought the game to an early close.
I expect Dallas to see lots of eight and nine man fronts on early downs and I think Jason Garrett will take a page from Norv Turner’s and Ernie Zampese’s playbooks to counter it. Everybody remembers the ’90s Cowboys as power runners, with Daryl Johnson and a huge o-line leading Emmitt Smith.
That’s true, but both coordinators favored throwing on first down and running on second and long, a contradiction to conventional wisdom. Zampese in particular would open games by throwing on the first five or six plays.
I look for Garrett to do the same, throwing a lot on first down and throwing to his secondary receivers. I think Owens will get the Eagles’ treatment and earn double coverage much of the time. If Spagnuolo brings early pressure Jason Witten will get some very favorable matchups against Kiwanuka or the Giants safeties. Dallas showed in camp that it will expand the deep middle for the tight ends, with deep ins at 15 to 18 yards, deep outs and seam routes.
This also suggests that we’ll see Anthony Fasano as the F-back a lot early, instead of top fullback Oliver Hoyte. Fasano looked leaner, stronger and faster in preseason and he gives Dallas a second down-the-field interior threat that Hoyte cannot match.
Look for Romo to throw more to his backs. Julius Jones averaged an outstanding 15.8 yards per reception last year but Dallas only threw to him nine times all year. He and Marion Barber combined for 32 catches in ‘06, an average of one pass per player per game.
The Cowboys threw a lot more flares and checkdowns in the preseason and Jones in particular excelled at catching a ball in space and making a defender miss. It’s the long-hand off philosophy and it’s been missing for a while. With New York certain to blitz, Jones and Barber should get chances for big gains against the New York LBs, who look stiff in space, MLB Antonio Pierce excepted.
Hope that Terry Glenn is available, because Dallas will have some favorable matchups outside if he plays. LCB R.W. McQuarters is an above average nickel back and is steady outside, but he will give up plays. On the other side veteran Sam Madison will try to rush back after a hamstring injury. He’s 33 and shows signs of wearing down. His injuries are becoming more frequent. He’ll likely get help from new FS James Butler if he’s matched up against T.O. but Owens will get some shots one-on-one if the Giants blitz hard.
If New York plays an Eagles tendency and bring their corners at Romo then Owens, Glenn and Patrick Crayton will get some juicy one-on-one matchups against the New York safeties.
Overall: Romo needs protection and Dallas needs to be patient early, while they try to figure out what Spagnuolo will throw at them. The Cowboys offense had a couple of short early drives against New York last year that were stopped by sacks, dropped passes and penalties. The Cowboys could not find an early rhythm and fell behind 12-0.
Dallas needs some early first downs. Quick passes off short drops, easy throws on first down and consistent pushes on running plays will help everybody gain confidence. Look for some early action by Julius Jones as a receiver, on perhaps a screen or two or a checkdown. If Dallas can find him on a Giants blitz, he could give them early momentum.
Key Matchups: Osi Umenyiora vs. Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo vs. Michael Strahan. Adams handled Umenyiora in Dallas’ win vs. New York last year. Colombo was outplayed badly by Strahan in New York’s win. It was the only game where Colombo was overwhelmed in ‘06. Give the Dallas OTs draws and the Cowboys will move the football. If the Giants duo win these matchups, they’ll have an edge.
Tomorrow: The Giants vs. Dallas’ D.
http://theboysblog.com/