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2017-2018 Regular Season: Cowboys Stand Tall, Make
Giants Look Small, And Ready Their Forces For Denver’s White Horses
- September 13, 2017 At 11:46 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” has almost always had a love-hate
relationship with division games, which almost always prove so
incredibly key . . . as those contests almost always generate
avoidable anxiety. The pro football residents of “Hotel NFC East” –
from the Dallas Cowboys to the New York Giants to the Philadelphia
Eagles to the Washington Redskins – know each other so well that it
is rare for the results to be anything other than famine or feast.
Cowboys Nation (regardless of a promising past year that many did so
heartily cheer) has been conditioned towards a nagging feeling that
– until the game is well in hand – a simple, tide-turning mistake is
about to be made that will send fans reeling and destroy best laid
plans.
The Tortured Cowboys Fan is not necessarily envisioning “an accident
waiting to happen,” often referred to by ESPN First Take’s
Dallas-disparaging Stephen A. Smith . . . and something “Garrett’s
Gang” is trying hard to make into a(n eventual) myth.
Would the Cowboys’ secondary be prepared to dutifully ball out even
if Odell Beckham, Jr. the Giants had to go without . . . or would
they be exposed as overconfident attackers like they were for most
of their playoff game against the Jordy Nelson-less Green Bay
Packers?
The Cowboys and Giants exchange punts to begin the game . . .
placing fans in a nervous Déjà vu frame. The Cowboys get a field
goal here and a field goal there . . . even though past experience
screams there is not a single point (or touchdown opportunity) to
spare. They finally mix in a touchdown, reach halftime with a 16-0
lead, and everyone expects the G-Men to charge into the last 30
minutes as if they were on speed.
Low and behold, “Linehan’s Clan” progressively overcame a couple
injuries and a case of the yips to begin better adhering to coaching
tips. There was no self-destructive pass protection or run-blocking
by a partially rebuilt offensive line . . . in the face of a guy
named “Snacks" and a solid front four always looking to defensively
dine. A certain freshly freed running back seemed ready to start a
new yardage streak. “Marinelli’s Men” – even after losing yet
another starter – was not forced to take a chance on the prevent
dance, did not (severely) blow many coverages, or bite (too much) on
a cleverly-run route. It was as if the Cowboys had dragged the
Giants into a cage match and yelled "Yer not gettin' out!"
“America’s Team” held New York to a single field goal, won the game
19-3, and never allowed them out of their hole.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
While Dak Prescott seemingly served up an inordinate number of
inaccurate passes in exchange for a wider range of audibles, his
increasing ability to put the offense in position to succeed was
laudable.
Chaz Green may have finally arrived. He not only survived –
impossibly injury-free – but actually appeared to have thrived!
La’el Collins kept Jean Pierre-Paul from his usual defensive haul.
Collins practically shut him down for all but a few plays . . .
strongly suggesting perhaps that Doug Free’s old spot could be
enjoying better days!
Ezekiel Elliott might have been mildly distracted with the NFL
ensuring his off-the-field issues remain protracted . . . but fans
would not have known it, because his 104 yards rushing simply did
not show it. Zeke was also deployed to the flank, in the slot, and
out on the swings . . . reminding everyone of his flexibility with
QB flings.
Jason Witten - the sturdy soldier of a tight end - simply refuses to
play like he is almost around the bend. His seventh catch of the
night - which gave him 11,947 yards and the Cowboys career receiving
yards record - was an absolute delight. Witten deserved another nod
for producing the only touchdown by either NFL squad.
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- Ask one and all and the answer is almost always the same. Dez Bryant
still has tons of untapped game, and he is quite a beast. And yet,
such a physical player who can just go up and get it . . . struggled
– for the third consecutive Cowboys / Giants contest – against a
talented, handsy little rabbit. Where were Dez’s mighty vice-grips
in protest? The increasingly popular question is: has his ability to
gain separation been mentally or physically fleeced? It is no secret
that Dez still has room to improve the route-running skills needed
to make his catches regularly go boom. You do – with rare Dez-like
exception – still have to get open to catch the ball . . . before
brutalizing tacklers, one and all.
There is a flipside to every piece of metal currency . . . and it
would not hurt Scott Linehan to allow Dez more Michael Irvin-like
slants to get him untracked with a bit more urgency (like the one
that left Janoris Jenkins grabbing at air, freeing Dez up for 35,
and bringing him many a high-five). Dez can run go routes all day
but – when facing an equally aggressive defender determined to play
patty cake with no discernable break – alternative play calls will
help make them pay. Dak – for his one-year veteran part – is
(understandably) still perfecting his deep ball art. Before long
though, it may not take too much for him to achieve (or perhaps
exceed) that Tony Romo touch.
Terrance Williams – the Cowboys’ number two receiver and typically
sneaky-good Dez reliever – rolled the bones, err, his ankle when
stepping on a defender's foot. He got taped (and potentially shot)
up in time to lead the team in receptions, though – following the
game – he ended up in a precautionary boot . . . to protect him from
accidentally rolling up lame. The irony is that more of what Dez may
need – in crisp route running – regularly allows Terrance to
demonstrate such sharp cuts and speed in the face of defensive
destroyers gunning. When Williams cannot cut, he does not have
Bryant’s locomotive strength to regularly break out of a low-yardage
rut. No one is perfect . . . but (even after just ONE game) that
does not stop The Tortured Cowboys Fan from pining for more of a
hybrid Dez / Terrance performance intersect.
Brice Butler stepped in, dropped a gimme, and hauled in a great deep
one, trying to make the most of his latest opportunity. While some
bench players are better at cold starts than others, the sooner
Butler can get past his career-long issues with consistency, the
better chance he has to keep Noah Brown’s playing time in its
infancy.
Cole Beasley – last year’s leading receiver, though still listed as
the Cowboys’ third or even fourth pigskin retriever – pulled an
amazing twofer, combining two major Giants memories into one, and
turning the average Cowboys fan into a proudly baying woofer. He
simultaneously performed a left-handed Odell Beckham Jr. and the
David Tyree Super Bowl helmet catch . . . from a bobbling, physical
position that made the posterized Giants defender wish he was a game
time healthy scratch. While Beasley was limited on the night in
delivering only three “lumps of Cole,” he continues to show he is
capable of practically anything from his supporting role.
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- Cowboys Nation was saying its prayers for a Dallas defense depending
on rookies and missing some veteran players . . . and Marinelli’s Men still managed to
deliver, no matter the naysayers.
DeMarcus Lawrence was a persistent Tank . . . relentlessly pursuing
the statuesque Eli Manning and twice making him walk the sack plank.
Lawrence and his linemates consistently went savage . . . and made
the Giants offensive line look less than average. Failed protection
and total rejection.
Sean Lee – to no one’s surprise and with no need for play call
disguise – led the pace by preventing catches and making tackles all
over the place.
Jaylon Smith – from preseason “taste” through real deal game one –
continues to resemble a high energy, deep impact player with a drive
to get it done!
Orlando Scandrick fractured a bone in his hand pretty early when he
laid a hit so burly . . . on a Giants receiver as he was heading out
of bounds. Scandrick plays bigger and harder than his almost 200
pounds. His growing injury history and temporary absence may give
one of the Cowboys’ talented rookie corners a Dak-like opportunity
through upcoming game day rounds.
While the absence of Odell Beckham, Jr. undoubtedly had a dampening
effect . . . Giants head coach Ben McAdoo became McAdon't, and the
remainder of his effusively-praised receivers were given little
space for an alternative approach to erect. Brandon Marshall – a
former number one looking to fill the role of a bigger number two –
was held to one catch in garbage time. Who knew?
Will They Or Won’t They?
America’s Team travels to the Rocky Mountains to face the Broncos.
Dallas is readying its forces for Denver’s white horses.
These teams last faced off in a titanic 2013 AT&T Stadium tilt where
Peyton Manning and Tony Romo engaged in a dramatic duel and traded
touchdown blows. Romo – with the Dallas defense getting beaten like
a drum – outperformed Manning and played lights out. A seemingly
forced overtime interception allowed the Broncos to escape, made
(most of) Cowboys Nation angrily shout, and left a (literally)
stepped-on Tony feeling numb.
Four seasons later, the operative word is (and forever remains)
change. Peyton Manning retired in 2016, and Tony Romo quit – but did
not officially retire – from the NFL earlier this year. In different
directions each team would steer . . . and – when you are used to
seeing certain players in leadership positions – it can be strange.
While Trevor Siemian has not given Denver fans too much to write
home about . . . Dak Prescott looks prepared and determined to
follow a stellar rookie campaign with more consistent, largely
mistake-free play while performing behind a recently refreshed
“Great Wall Of Dallas” that – after one game – looks pretty stout.
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- For all the talk of what the Dallas Cowboys offense – Linehan’s
Clan – might achieve within the Mile-High confines of Sports
Authority Field . . . the contest may inevitably come down to what
each defense might yield. The Denver Broncos may have lost DeMarcus
Ware to retirement and other key talent to free agency, but the
defenders they still have – like Von Miller "The QB Killer" – seem
plenty capable of swarming to the ball (and the passer) with
urgency.
Will Marinelli’s Men – for their part – show enough heart to spend
their second consecutive game outperforming expectations . . . for a
unit now also missing a veteran starting cornerback on top of
existing defensive suspensions?
Will Dak continue to lead a balanced, low-risk, multi-target offense
and feed Zeke . . . helping him both inject more flexibility into
the passing game and build a new rushing yardage streak? Will Zeke
and “The Blockheads” be able to expose the Broncos soft middle and
play ‘em like a fiddle? Will Zeke be able to maintain a “one game at
a time” mindset . . . as the NFLPA and his legal advisors try to
expose the NFL’s poorly executed suspension bet?
Will Dallas escape the critical mental or physical booboo . . . that
has – just one horrific week into the year – twisted so many
seemingly postseason-ready teams into playing like preseason doo-doo?
Will the Cowboys bring the right attitude to succeed in Denver’s
high altitude, and how well will they fare in the thin air?
We shall see. We always do.
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