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2009-2010 Regular Season: Postgame -
A Win But No KC Masterpiece
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- October 14, 2009 At 2:00 AM CST
- By
Eric M. Scharf
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- Grid Iron Chef
There is an old Snickers candy bar commercial depicting a distracted
end zone painter who accidentally misprints the Chiefs logo. It
surprisingly read “Chefs,” but it would have been absolutely
appropriate for last Sunday’s game.
Rumor has it that Arrowhead Stadium is one of the toughest ovens,
err, venues in which to play an NFL game. The Cowboys kept wondering
why they heard “cook off” when the ref said “kickoff.” They kept
wondering why the field was surrounded by a large swath of tin foil.
They kept wondering why the field was covered with charcoal
briquettes. They kept wondering why the Chefs were so aggressively
chasing after them on every play with BBQ brushes. They kept
wondering why there were large grill marks up and down their
backsides from every time the Chefs would score a touchdown.
When you show up for a game in one of the greatest grillin’ capitols
of the world – thinking you can sleepwalk your way to victory
without two of your better offensive weapons – you could very well
find yourself wondering how you lost a game everyone expected you to
win.
The Good
The Cowboys did just enough to avoid getting cooked in KC’s kitchen
– doing a combination of good, bad, and mindless things – and
getting seared pretty well in the process.
Thank God for Miles Austin: he of the three touchdown opportunities
– the one he dropped and the two he quite literally manufactured for
Romo. Austin caught 10 passes for a franchise record 250 yards. Tony
and Jason Garrett should each seriously consider giving Austin half
of their game checks.
Depending on which fan you ask, however, the following question
lingers: did Austin break a tackle or did the defender simply make a
poor attempt at tackling? It is hard, after all, to tackle someone
when you are wearing oven mitts.
DeMarcus Ware was credited with his first two sacks of the young
season. First two you say? I assume he will manage to collect a few
more before the season comes to a close. Then, again – depending on
which fan you ask – is Ware a great player breaking out of a four
game funk or is KC’s offensive line that bad? BBQ sauce, after all,
can create slippery blocking assignments.
Jay “Our Undersized Nose Tackle” Ratliff broke through KC’s
offensive line and evoked the ancient defensive technique known as
“blocking a field goal” – regularly performed by the enormous likes
of Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Harvey Martin, and Leon Lett (it be) to name
a few. While Gerald Sensabaugh certainly did block a kick against
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I have always been more impressed when a
lineman accomplishes the task – versus seeing a member of the
secondary squirt around the corner and dash in front of the ball.
And I selfishly enjoy seeing Ratliff do his “Hulk Smash” routine
after great plays.
The KC kicker’s name, on a related note, is Ryan Succop (pronounced
suck-up). Can you imagine the relentless razzing he must endure
whenever he is caught being nice to someone? “Oh, yeah, that Ryan –
he is such a little suck-up!”
Last but certainly not least is Tashard “The People’s” Choice who
ran 8 times for 92 yards, even though he did not start. He continues
as a solid multi-dimensional running back capable of starting for
other teams. Marion Barber, who did start, ran for a little more
than 50 yards, and he continues to suffer from the lingering effects
of his quad injury. Tashard very well could end up being the
people’s choice if he continues to be the only running back on the
roster capable of remaining healthy on a regular basis. Health
brings a wealth . . . of playing time.
The Tentative
While Tony Romo threw for over 300 yards and no interceptions, he
did have another fumble, and his stats benefitted greatly from YAC
(Yards After Catch). Fans love hearing about no interceptions, but
fumbles - in my opinion - are worse, because they are quite
literally an "accident" rather than a risky decision you knowingly
pursue. Fumbles also tend to create better field position for your
opponent, because recovering a turnover at or around the line of
scrimmage prevents a longer return usually seen with downfield
interceptions. Football, among many other things, is a game of
field position.
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- Is it fair to judge a quarterback on
the quality of his passes - how, when, and where on the field of
play that his receivers catch his passes - and the type and number
of his turnovers? Yes and no. The quarterback is the star of the
show - always receiving more credit and blame than he deserves. Romo
of late has been going through an identity crisis: is he a gun
slinger who will take a chance when he sees one? Is he going to run
around like a chicken with his head cut off when his offensive line
collapses - buying more time for his receivers to get open? Is he a
bus driver who will take no chances and take a sack rather than
stepping up or out of the pocket to save his life?
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- This season will unfold to show Romo
attempting to be all of these quarterback types . . . and maybe even
one more. While Romo continues experimenting like an actor with
amnesia - whether by his choice or through Jason Garrett's playbook
- fans will continue to scrutinize him until he settles into one
reliable method of quarterbacking that satisfies everyone. Fair or
not, it is all tentative right now - his successes, his failures,
and the weird limbo in which Romo currently finds himself.
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- I think all fans hope that Romo
returns to his dazzling 2007 form where, no matter who his receivers
are, he is keeping defenses guessing with his footwork, his ability
to stand tall in the pocket, and his accuracy throwing on the run.
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- The Bad
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- Terrance Newman and company looked more like cornbreads than
cornerbacks, as KC’ receivers ate them up all day – with an
unrelenting onslaught of dink and dunk passes that were, once again,
helped by poor tackling or the complete absence of it.
What is so incredibly wrong with understanding and executing the
fundamentals of defensive football? Is it really so bad to perform
the perfect tackle on a player that was prepared to go the distance
– only to be limited to a few yards or stopped cold by you? Does it
really matter that tackling is not as glamorous as a monster hit –
for as rare as cataclysmic collisions occur?
Does Wade Phillips’ staff really teach the defensive secondary to
run alongside opposing receivers and exchange phone numbers, rather
than triangulate towards those players, close in quickly, wrap them
up, and take them down like so many rodeo steer? I firmly believe
Wade and his coaches repeatedly attempt to remind the defense that
positioning and tackling are the name of the game. If this is the
case, the players are choosing to ignore the full breath of their
assignments. Yes, big surprise in today’s NFL.
I do, however, have the perfect solution, and it comes in the form
of a contract incentive. The basic concept follows the behavioral
theme of what Mike Brown attempted and failed to accomplish with the
Bengals player contracts. Any future Cowboys player contracts –
brand new, extended, or re-written – would have an incentive clause
tied to well-executed tackling. This would apply to both defensive
and offensive players because – in the case of an interception – the
offensive players must turn into defenders.
Such a clause would not be subject to unique interpretation,
because, thankfully, everyone associated with college and
professional football knows exactly what constitutes a perfectly
executed tackle – versus what is clearly a broken tackle where the
opposing players made their best efforts – simplifying the concept
of an irresistible force meeting and immovable object. Tackling does
not involve “hanging chad / dimpled chad / pregnant chad”
subjectivity. Tackling has only one intention and one goal: violent
neutralization of an opposing player’s forward motion.
The Bradie James Bunch and the defensive linemen kept Larry
Johnson in check for all but a portion of the fourth quarter. There
was no point in allowing Johnson any daylight unless Wade Phillips
believed he needed to double up on KC’s receivers without exception.
The Ugly
Patrick Crayton is starting to become the “all talk / all drop”
clown of the Cowboys receiving corps and special teams. His steady
downward spiral began with his abysmal failure to perform in the
2007 playoff game against the New York Giants. The Cowboys needed
him to step up in support of injured teammates Terrell Owens and
Terry Glenn, and – unlike Miles Austin against KC – he was unable to
deliver the goods. The muffed punt helped not one bit, either.
While T.O. would customarily receive all of the media attention –
whether he wanted it or not – Crayton was and continues to be only
too happy to give the press a sound bite or ten. Talking –
objectively or otherwise – is only acceptable if you are reliable in
the clutch.
Bill Parcells at least once acknowledged Crayton as having one of
the best if not the best set of hands on the team. Parcells was
obviously never asked for his opinion on Crayton’s sense of urgency
or his ability to focus on the task at hand.
Crayton can catch. Fans everywhere have seen him do it. Crayton can
talk. Fans everywhere have heard him do it. Crayton has been
inconsistent his entire career. Fans everywhere have seen him be it.
Crayton has an atrocious sense of urgency. Fans everywhere have seen
him take his sweet time ambling up to the line of scrimmage with
mere seconds left for an incredibly important play.
It is up to Crayton to decide if he is going to be known as a
reliable receiving target and punt returner . . . or a second
receiver slacker just counting his cash. Crayton understands Romo
needs all the help he can get on offense. Let us see if Crayton is
responsible enough to provide it and on a regular basis as well.
And just so Crayton does not feel all alone with his intermittent
receiving woes, Sam Hurd (he of the one great 4th down catch and one
horrible 3rd down drop against the Denver Broncos) must start
catching more of the uncontested passes that are thrown to him. Romo
threw a sure touchdown pass to Hurd late in the first half of
Sunday’s game, and while it was a bit behind him, the ball went
right through his hands. And for all we know, he simply could have
been mimicking Anthony Spencer’s performances of late.
If Miles Austin receives another opportunity to prove his worth and
succeeds, the next time we will have “heard from Hurd” will be how
much he loves his full-time special teams assignments.
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- Do I really need to mention the
quality of Jason Garrett's brilliant, consistent, and inspiring
play-calling? There, I just did.
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- Red Ball continues to bring a knife
to a gun fight. The Cowboys come to town missing two of their
offensive stars, and he shows no creativity at all. I imagine that
Garrett has simply been dressing up as himself every Halloween for
the past few years, as he has to remain consistent.
Must Minimize Mental Mistakes
Are the Cowboys – on some level – auditioning to become the Raiders?
13 penalties for 90 yards are completely unacceptable, and they ran
the gamut from unnecessary roughness to holding to false starts.
You can pick apart a laundry list of problems with a sports team,
but when that team has problems with etiquette, efficiency, and
overall execution, it is a direct reflection of the coaching staff .
. . with all due respect to Flozell Adams’s hearing loss.
Accidents happen and hands can get inadvertently caught on facemasks
and the backs of shoulder pads, but outside of uncontrollable
occurrences, you need look no further than Wade Phillips.
Special Attention
Some people like to say that a strong defense wins championships.
Others say a good offense and a good defense provide just the right
balance to win a championship. And there are still others -
like me - who say that it takes all three fazes of the game to be
certain of any win in the NFL. Special teams require special
attention.
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- Nick Folk missed a perfectly makeable 40-yard kick on Sunday. The
discussion would normally end there, but the circumstances under
which he was asked to make that kick were unfortunate. Mat McBriar
was evidently unable to turn the laces of the football away from
Folk before the kick. This part of the kick holding procedure is an
absolute must for most if not all NFL kickers to connect properly
with the football. McBriar as the holder, however, allows
flexibility for the Cowboys to activate a more functional player in
a roster spot that is traditionally occupied by a clip-board
holding, field goal holding back-up.
Promising rookie wide receiver and punt returner Kevin Ogletree
spent most of his first NFL game returning kicks, but he could not
help himself with a fumble out of bounds. It happens, especially to
rookies, and with more opportunities, he will grow better prepared
to take proper advantage of them.
Those opportunities will not become a reality if, of course,
Ogletree looks towards Crayton or Newman as exemplary punt
returners.
Burden Of Proof
The Cowboys narrowly avoided being the main course of KC's gridiron
grill . . . just in time to potentially get their eyes pecked out by
a Falcons team that is flying high after mining the 49ers for a
45-10 victory. Maybe the Bears will do the Cowboys a favor
this week by performing a bird beat down and feast on the Falcons.
I love the Dallas Cowboys, and I am one of their most ardent fans. I
am also a perfectionist and one of their biggest critics. Such an
exciting but nail-biting victory over the down-trodden Chefs means
the burden of proof still rides heavily on the Cowboys' shoulders:
proof of the team's true capabilities on a consistent basis.
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- Is
Arrowhead Stadium such a nightmarish place to win, or, did the
Cowboys overlook another team? You would think flashbacks from last
year’s St. Louis Rams game would be enough to keep the Cowboys
honest. Sunday’s game was much closer and much more competitive than
it ever should have been.
Did the Cowboys really miss Felix Jones and Roy Williams that much?
Was a still-gimpy Marion Barber that ineffective?
Will Miles Austin get another opportunity to prove his worth? Can he
break more tackles? Can he make tough catches in the narrow red zone
rather than in the expansive middle of the field?
Can the Cowboys potentially put together another tough
character-building win without some of their starters? Can they cut
down on enough of the silly mistakes to save their own lives?
The Falcons will glide into Cowboys Stadium after the Cowboys heal
up during a much needed bye week. The Cowboys have enough weapons to beat them,
but they do not have enough to overcome inconsistency or mistakes.
Will the Cowboys fall victim to sharp talons or will they shoot a
predatory bird from the skies above? Will the Chefs win enough games
this season for me to begin calling them the Chiefs again?
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- We shall see. We always do.
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