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2009-2010 Regular Season: Pregame -
Make The Bye Week Your Best Week
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- October 21, 2009
At
1:32 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- Doing What Is Expected
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- The Cowboys have been spending their
bye week getting their walking wounded up and running like world
class sprinters and devising creative game plans for their next
opponent. This may be a generally held theory among Cowboys fans,
but it should be the logic for any NFL team faced with an
opportunity to catch its breath between games.
Even teams currently higher in the standings than the 3-2 Cowboys
know what can be accomplished – what improvements can be made – with
such a cherished break in the action.
We have learned with this year’s Cowboys team, however, to expect
the unexpected, even during such a golden opportunity as the bye
week – and we will simply have to wait until 3:15 pm, CST, this
Sunday to see what the Cowboys have been developing in their Valley
Ranch laboratory for their next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons.
On the other hand, while we are waiting, there is no law preventing
us from role-playing as the Cowboys’ coaching staff – creating a
laundry list of action items the Cowboys should have already begun
addressing in preparation for those south-eastern birds of prey. So,
without further adieu, let us engage in a list of to-do.
Convert Gimpy Into Game Ready
The Cowboys have a slowly growing list of damaged goods . . .
specifically among players from whom fans should expect and want
immediate and regular production.
Flozell Adams
– the truly offensive tackle who has a nervous twitch and just loves
to hug defenders – has a bum shoulder. Flozell is deaf or nearly
deaf in one ear – the one most important to Tony Romo’s blind side –
and he has had stingers in one or both of his shoulders before. This
current injury may just be symptomatic of growing wear-and-tear that
may need to be cleaned up through off-season surgery.
Marion Barber
– the bruising running back with an impressive ability to run
between the tackles and make catches out of the backfield – remains
pretty tender with a strained quad that continues to linger . . .
dangerously. The Cowboys have only one running back on the roster
proven capable of remaining healthy, and they thank their lucky
stars he is starting quality. No one wishes to tempt fate and
getting Barber back to full, punishing strength is a top priority.
Leonard Davis
– the mountainous guard – broke his thumb against the Chiefs. Unless
he decides to adopt former Cowboy Erik Williams’ infamous, illegal,
and powerful “cobra move,” Davis should be fine with only nine
fingers.
Andre Gurode
– the talented but unpredictable center – continues to work through
a knee sprain. Tony Romo knows Gurode is injured, thus, he knows
Gurode can provide only so much protection with a potentially
nagging injury. Gurode, under these circumstances, has hopefully
agreed to limit his penchant for high snaps in exchange for Romo’s
willingness to roll out more often in future games. Fans can only
wish for such an agreement between Romo and one of his key
protectors.
Michael Hamlin
– the promising rookie safety – has finally returned to practice and
proved functional wearing a cast on the arm he broke late in the
pre-season. The Cowboys have had poor luck with the safety position
for quite a few years now, and they welcome improvement at the
“center field” position with open arms. It should just be a matter
of a few games before he is re-activated for game day participation
. . . especially with the way some of the 2nd and 3rd stringers
continue to play.
Felix Jones
– the home run hitting Learjet compliment to the selfless Barbarian
– returned to practice on an extremely limited basis after missing
two games with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament. Everyone
would love to see Mr. Jones (the third most important one after
Jerry and Stephen) return to the grid iron yesterday, but he has
resembled a lingering injury magnate since being drafted by the
Cowboys. You simply cannot rush his return before his body is ready,
and – from all reports – Felix is one tough cat. If he can return
early, he will do it.
Gerald Sensabaugh
– the veteran strong safety who could be one of the missing
ingredients to the defensive secondary – continues to recover from
surgery performed on his fractured thumb from over two weeks ago.
The Cowboys’ collection of safeties, as in the last few years, does
not exactly strike fear in this season’s collection of scheduled
opponents. Sensabaugh seems to sense – even with such a limiting
injury – that his presence with nine good fingers is better than his
absence with one bad one.
Roy Williams
– the star wide receiver with a world of expectations and public
pressure on his shoulders – has returned to practice after being
unable to play since severely bruising three of his ribs against
Denver. The defenders of the trade that brought Williams from
Detroit to Dallas are growing fewer and fewer, while the
pitchfork-holding naysayers are growing greater and greater. Then,
again, even the naysayers – as rightfully impatient and upset as
they may be - ultimately want Roy “The Receiver” Williams, Tony
Romo, and their Cowboys to experience great success . . . together.
Most of these weary grid iron warriors will have the opportunity to
contribute to this weekend’s battle with the birds. The depth and
quality of their participation may be another story.
Wounded Ducks, Err, Falcons
The Falcons seem to have a rather limited collection of injured
players. Then, again, their GM - Thomas Dimitroff – hails from the
“Billicheck School of Withheld Information.” Nonetheless, a few of
the players are worth mentioning.
Jason Elam
– their kicker – has a sore left hamstring. Kicking is already a
crap shoot, and a sore hammy just adds to the mystery . . . even
with someone as established as Jason Elam.
Antoine Harris
– one of their starting safeties – has an injured knee, and his
status is unknown.
Brian Williams
– one of their starting cornerbacks – has been placed on injured
reserve with an eye injury. Though Romo may attempt to corner his
back-up, he must do so without underestimation.
Marty Booker
– one of their veteran receivers – has something of an abdominal
strain. Depending upon the severity of the strain, it can really
limit your ability to function. Remember what Shaquille O’Neal
endured during one of his final seasons with the Lakers? Not good,
but Mr. Booker’s injury may be significantly less severe.
The NFL Trading Deadline
The Cowboys – under Jerry Jones – have never been shy about trading
for a player they considered a difference maker. While the Cowboys
are still waiting for a reasonable return on last year's
mini-blockbuster trade for Roy Williams, no one should assume Jerry will
avoid listening to trade possibilities this time around. It would
certainly be a shock to see Jerry pull the trigger on another
multi-pick trade, but a good owner and general manager – objectively
speaking – is always looking for ways to improve his professional
sports franchise.
While I am not willing to make a bold prediction regarding the
Cowboys potential involvement in any pre-trade deadline activities,
I expect the Cowboys to look pretty hard at any available role
players . . . like the recently signed Alan Rossum.
Rossum has spent most of his career as a cornerback and kick
returner – who fills in adequately in the defensive secondary and
who can occasionally hit a special teams home run. Reports have him
getting up to speed rather quickly with the Cowboys’ playbook.
Rossum should be able to improve on the recent return game
deficiencies of Crayton and Newman. Ogletree – as I mentioned last
week – receives a one-time free pass for his rookie fumble against
the Chiefs.
Different Schemes For
Different Teams
While the Falcons’ offense is not the “Greatest Show On Turf,” it
does display a variety of weapons collectively capable of beating a
good team in a number of different ways.
Matt Ryan
– the Boston College product and one of a few young stars at the
quarterback position – has a solid command of the Falcons’
bob-and-weave offense, and he can even operate a pretty mean
no-huddle.
He has the prototypical mental and physical tools coveted by all NFL
teams. He is a big guy with the brain-arm synchronicity capable of
accurately delivering on all the throws and misdirection plays:
swing passes, crossing patterns, underneath dump-offs, intermediate
fades, long passes, frozen ropes, pump fakes, and fake hand-offs. He is not the most mobile QB, but he does
have some wheels when necessary, as displayed in the Sunday night
game against the Chicago Bears. While he is not infallible if you
can get enough aggressive pressure on him, he is like any other
prototypical quarterback when allowed enough time: deadly.
Tony Gonzales
– who upgraded his feathers from the Chiefs to the Falcons during
the off-season – remains one of the very best tight ends in the
league. Accurate passing makes him incredibly dangerous, especially
down the seam where tight ends make most of their milk money. He
continues to very successfully utilize his college basketball
block-out skills to catch game-changing passes in tight spaces.
Speaking of blocking, Gonzales is not afraid to mix it up with a
defensive lineman or two, either.
Michael Turner
– who toiled as a back-up to the San Diego Chargers’ LaDainian
Tomlinson until landing with Atlanta – is one of the smaller backs
in the league, but he has incredibly powerful Emmitt Smith-esque
legs and a Barry Sanders-esque low center of gravity. He has good
speed as well, and he will make a poor-tackling defender pay for not
wrapping up at the point of contact. While he excels at running to
daylight behind the Falcon’s good-but-not-great offensive line,
Turner can also catch passes out of the backfield. His size allows
him to get lost in a crowd and this fact may be enough to force the
Cowboys to incorporate a little old-fashioned gap-control between
their linebackers and defensive linemen. The alternative has the
Cowboys shooting the gaps, but over-pursuit is always a risk whether
chasing a QB or a running back.
Jerious Norwood
– with speed, strength, and smooth football-toting / pass-catching
skills – has an eye for the football from almost any spot on the
field. He has succumbed to the occasional nagging injury, but he is
an equally dangerous alternative to Turner. The Cowboys want one of
their fastest and best-tackling linebackers shadowing Norwood in
order to ruin any potential swing pass plays. They cannot afford to
get caught in any zone-blitzes where someone like DeMarcus Ware is
left overmatched against Norwood, who can make quick explosive plays
in space. You could easily say that Norwood – if utilized properly –
is the Falcons’ version of Felix Jones.
Roddy White
- a strong and physical receiver – has steadily gained the respect
of defenses throughout the league. While he may receive less press
than his more well-known offensive teammates, he will obliterate
loose zone coverage, and he will embarrass corners and safeties who
insist on “peaking in” on the QB. The Cowboys would do well to show
him a hefty helping of respect by jamming him at the line of every
play – forcing Matt Ryan to check down as often as possible – until
the final whistle blows.
The Falcons’ receiving corps is rounded out with a role-playing
combination of veteran experience and youthful promise.
Michael Jenkins
– the other starting wide receiver opposite Roddy White – is simply
a victim to playing opposite Roddy White. He has the size and skills
to potentially be a number one on other teams but that potential may
never be realized with only so many footballs to go around. From the
outside looking in, Jenkins seems to be pleased to perform his
duties as part of a greater collective. This 6 foot 5 inch receiver
is also a candidate for a good jam job by the Cowboys.
Marty Booker
– the old man of the bunch – has been around the block a time or
two, but he still has the skills of a good possession guy, as well
as the height and weight of a player you want to tackle the first
time.
Brian Finneran
has the height, weight, and hands of a star receiver, but the bad
luck of someone who has endured one too many knee injuries over the
course of his near-decade long career. He has been understandably
content as someone in the mix who can do his still-impressive part
to carve up a defensive secondary. Even so – his rangy capabilities
are too dangerous to ignore, and he could prove to be a pain in the
rear on those intermediate over-the-shoulder fade routes.
Eric Weems
is the newest addition to this group of good hands people. While he
is the smallest and lightest of his pass-catching teammates, he is
the fastest by far, proving both dangerous on
decoy-turned-legitimate go routes and on special teams kick returns.
The Cowboys must triangulate, zero in, and tackle, tackle, tackle –
better than before and much better than usual.
Keith Zinger
is Tony Gonzales’ back-up at tight end, and he has yet to record any
activity in 2009, but the Cowboys should still keep an eye out for
him. He could easily prove to be the Falcons’ version of the Chief’s
current and the Patriots’ former linebacker, Mike Vrabel – a goal
line irritant who has repeatedly been allowed to slip off the line
untouched for easy touchdown catches. Any opposing receiver named
“Zinger” has got to be full of unwanted surprises, and the Cowboys
have endured enough zingers this season.
The Best Defense Is A Good
Offense
While it appears I have just painted the Falcons’ offensive stars as
a solid, nearly-unstoppable group of players . . . I have only paid
due respect to the capabilities and potential they have displayed in
the past and present. The Falcons’ players – like all others
throughout the NFL – still must execute in order to realize all of
that capability and potential.
The Cowboys should already be aware of the finer points of the
opposition and much more. The Coaches must draw up what they believe
are the appropriate schemes that would put the defensive players in the
appropriate positions to succeed against such a well-rounded
collection of offensive weapons. The players, of course, must
execute on the field while the coaches hold their collective breath
on the sidelines. The coaches and players share equal responsibility
in preventing the fans from getting any further heartburn than they
have already experienced.
While the Cowboys’ defense has suffered through an on-again
off-again identity crisis over the first quarter of the season, the
Cowboys’ offense has had no personality at all.
Great defense sets up great field position for an offense. Great
defense sets up an offense for a long grind-it-out series to run out
the clock on the opposition. The Cowboys’ defense could play lights
out – ping-ponging, as recommended, between aggressive pressure and
gap control – and it would be an effort unfulfilled if Romo and Co.
cannot seem to finally get untracked.
The players who are active come this football Sunday are the players
who are responsible for executing – without exception and without
excuses. Tashard Choice will have another opportunity to shine
alongside Marion Barber. If Felix Jones is, indeed, ready to
contribute again, he will hopefully be able to take a few swing
passes – or run right out of the slot – for long chunks of yardage
without re-injuring his knee. Miles Austin – he of the poor route
running and broken tackles – will have another opportunity to shine
with or potentially without Roy Williams. Witten should be able to
take advantage of the Falcons’ linebackers and secondary down the
seam and with corner fades in the red zone. The offensive line will
have another opportunity to prove they are serious about running
blocking and pass protection.
Then, again, if Tony Romo is Luke Skywalker – and his offensive line
proves to once again be a big, bloated sieve – he would hopefully
not have to be reminded of his natural escapability from the
carbonite-freezing chamber. Romo
need look no further than footage of the Bear’s Jay Cutler
repeatedly succeeding on roll-outs against the Falcons’ defensive
linemen and linebackers in hot pursuit. The Falcons’ secondary also
displayed a bad habit of rarely looking back in time to find the
football on intermediate and deep outs – which can play towards
Romo’s improvisational skills (not the unintentionally comedic kind,
either).
Considering how close we are to Halloween, no one would have a
problem with either Wade Phillips or Jason Garrett dressing up as
Obi Won Kenobi, grabbing Romo by the shoulder pads, looking him in
the eye, and saying – after one poor line-collapsing play: “This time, let go of
your conscious self and act on instinct.”
I must have bumped my head recently, because I am joining Jerry
Jones in the minority of those who believe the Cowboys have the
talent to succeed on offense. This is not such a bold statement when
you are reminded that talent, again, must execute in order to
achieve success.
The Enemy Within
There are games when everyone has executed to perfection only to be
undone by one missed tackle or one untimely interception, but
nothing can drain a team of its desire to execute more quickly than
the enemy within: mental mistakes that lead to poor execution and
painful penalties.
The Cowboys were mistake mongers against KC, and they cannot afford
to play that way . . . in any game. Talent needs to execute, and
while – again – the Cowboys have plenty of talent, they have proven
without a doubt that consistent and productive execution is
currently beyond their grasp.
This problem is only temporary if the Cowboys – both coaches and
players – want to correct their ways badly enough. It is no more
involved than me explaining to my 5-and-a-half year old daughter
that she needs to listen and behave (accordingly). The Cowboys – on
both offense and defense – need to listen and behave . . . or “read
and react.”
Romo needs to set up the offense, read the initial defense, and make
adjustments at the line . . . without confusing himself or his
teammates and without being called for a delay of game. Romo might
even attempt to get Flozell Adams to yell “timber” anytime he thinks
he has been beaten on the edge. This way Romo will have been warned
into rolling away from the pressure rather than forced to endure
another holding penalty. Furthermore – maybe Flozell can be allowed
by the referees to bypass his down stance in favor of just standing
bolt-upright. This way he can avoid rocking out of place and being
called for more false start penalties.
Bradie James needs to set up the defense, read the initial offense,
and make adjustments at the line . . . without confusing himself or
his teammates and without being caught completely out of position.
Brady might even remind his safeties – before and after every play –
to wrap up on their tackles and not let go until the
opposing player has stopped, dropped, and the referee’s whistle has
been blown.
It goes without saying that the Chicago Bears should have beaten the
Falcons on Sunday night. What stopped them?
The Bears played really hard and were very competitive on offense,
being able to move up and down the field on the Falcons – despite
Jay Cutler’s two interceptions. The Bears played really aggressive
defense, and they tried to make the Falcons work for every yard. The
Bears back-up cornerbacks – as ridiculed as they are – even made
solo open-field tackles at the point of contact. The Bears never
used their mounting injuries and lost star players as an excuse.
The problem must have been the enormous number of mindless penalties
they incurred. Ah, yes. They simply copied the Cowboys’ blue print
from KC. Orlando Pace even resembled Flozell Adams: “False start –
offense – number 76 – five yard penalty – repeat first down.” It is,
indeed, the Halloween season.
Stand And Deliver
Fans expect the Cowboys to study up on and heal up for their
opponent every week – especially during an uninterrupted bye week.
Some people would call this a reasonable expectation while others
would call it a dream. It is time for the Cowboys to awaken from
their two week hibernation to deliver the goods, either way.
We are a few days away from seeing how the Cowboys will fair on
their Falcons final exam. Will the Cowboys have made the bye week
their best week? Will they take full advantage of the turmoil
suffered by their NFC East foes this past weekend?
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- We shall see. We always do.
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