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2009-2010 Regular Season: Postgame -
Sore Seahawks Soar South And Cowboys Fixate On Philly Fun Fest
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- November
5, 2009
At 8:15 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- The Seahawks showed up at Cowboys Stadium as a shell of the team
they used to be a few years ago – having many new faces and having
lost familiar ones for the season. They left the stadium with even
less – proving to be only a low-flying appetizer leading up to what
should be a high-flying main event against the Eagles.
Offensive Flexibility
Tony Romo and his offensive mates picked up where they left off
against the Falcons – continuing with a pretty efficient trend on
offense.
Tony Romo was 21-36 for over 250 yards and three touchdowns –
leading the Cowboys to three wins in a row. It was the 16th game of
his career in which he has thrown for at least three touchdowns.
Romo has thrown no interceptions over the past three games, and it
is the first time in his career he has accomplished such a feat. His
accuracy may not last forever, but he can rest assured that fans are
well aware of his achievement.
Romo utilized 10 different receivers on the way to throwing
touchdowns to Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Sam Hurd. Marion
Barber did his part as the run warrior, with just over 50 yards and
a ground floor 2-yard touchdown.
While the running game realized limited production for the 3rd game
in a row, it was timely production with Barber, Felix Jones, and
Tashard Choice playing their roles in support of the passing game –
the now dominant component of the Cowboys’ offensive scheme.
Patrick Crayton delivered another great special teams touchdown
along with three timely, moving-the-chains catches for almost 40
yards.
Miles Austin had another five catches for over 60 yards to go along
with his touchdown against the Seahawks. His 482 receiving yards in
his first three starts are now the most receiving yards of any
player in his first three starts since the NFL-AFL merger.
More important than numbers is that Austin continues to make the
most of his opportunities, gaining even more of Romo’s trust, and
helping to deliver wins for the Cowboys.
Austin might have accomplished even more if Seahawks’ defender
Marcus Trufant had not interfered with him on more than one
occasion.
Regarding Roy Williams’ “revelation” that he and Romo just have yet
to click, it is a bitter-sweet arrangement for all involved. The
Cowboys would love to have Roy racking up the receiving yards and
scoring plenty of touchdowns as a result, but his temporary
disconnect with Romo has pushed some of his less accomplished
teammates to the
forefront.
Consistent Defense
The Cowboys’ defensive unit continued to build its portfolio of
consistent play, delivering three more sacks and a forced fumble,
never allowing the Seahawks to get any closer to the Cowboys lead
than 17-10 in the second quarter of Sunday’s victory.
While Ware has begun to wear down offensive lines – adding another
sack on Sunday – he has done it with a little help from his friends.
Jay Ratliff went from almost missing the game to starting – helping
to clog the running and passing lanes of a shaky Seahawks’ line.
Keith Brooking and Bobby “Back From The Dead” Carpenter also pitched
in with one sack each of the helpless Hasselbeck.
"We put two weeks into this game plan. I felt like we were ready,"
Hasselbeck said. "We just didn't get it done . . . I feel physically
drained, emotionally drained. I'm frustrated. We're all searching
for answers."
Similar comments from Donovan McNabb after the Eagles game would be
music to the Cowboys’ ears as well. Continued consistency from the
Cowboys defense will go a long way towards making this a reality.
Extra Special Teams
Could special teams be playing any better than they are now? Could
they be anymore exciting? There is always room for improvement,
but the results have certainly been otherworldly in the last few
games.
Patrick Crayton returned another punt – 82 yards this time – for a
touchdown for the second straight week. He and his blocking
teammates have flipped the special teams switch for a guy who had
never returned a punt for a touchdown in his career before this
season.
Crayton’s attitude since being demoted from his starting roles has
been nothing short of miraculous and refreshing, as fans –
throughout college and professional football – have learned to
expect a less positive, less stand-up response from upset or
disgruntled receivers.
Alan Rossum – Crayton’s erstwhile replacement – remains another week
or so away from returning to practice. Crayton has hopefully
determined that as long as he continues to play as reasonably hard
as possible – and maintain his focus – that he will be encouraged to
participate wherever and whenever possible by the coaching staff.
Sharing the load is not the same as sitting on the bench. The
specter of poor execution dictates that everyone on the roster must
be ready to play. The suddenly cruising Crayton understands this
first hand.
Meanwhile, the Cowboy’s kicking crew continues to cook up a punted
pigskin masterpiece. Mat McBriar is dropping more and more of his
punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
Rookie David Buehler is dropping more and more of his kicks inside
the opponents’ end zone for a current total of 17 touchbacks. He has
tied the second-most touchbacks in a Cowboys season since 1991 . . .
and 10 games have yet to be played.
Nick Folk continues to do a sturdy job of placing his field goals
cleanly between the uprights, although it is only a matter of time
before Buehler is eventually given the opportunity to test his own
accuracy.
A Team Theme
While Jerry Jones has been known to disregard team chemistry as
somewhat of a non-factor towards success, he did point out an even
more valuable ingredient – highly visible over the past three games
and sorely lacking in recent Cowboys teams of the past decade – when
he said "I'm just glad to see as many people really do as well and
play as well as they did today.”
He, of course, is talking about depth – the real team theme – even
greater than team chemistry when it comes to professional football.
What happened to the Cowboys when Danny White broke his wrist in
1986?
What happened to the Cowboys when Alvin Harper left the team for a
big pay day?
What happened to the Cowboys when Charles Haley was forced to retire
due to injury?
What happened to the Cowboys when Michael Irvin was forced to retire
due to injury?
What happened to the Cowboys when Kevin Smith got injured and never
regained his form?
What happened to the Cowboys when Jay Novacheck was forced to retire
due to injury?
What happened to the Cowboys when Nate Newton became a shell of
himself?
What happened to the Cowboys when Erik Williams became a shell of
himself?
What happened to the Cowboys when Mark Tuinei died from an
accidental drug overdose?
What happened to the Cowboys when Moose Johnston was forced to
retire due to injury?
What happened to the Cowboys when Troy Aikman was forced to retire
due to concussions?
- What happened to the Cowboys when
Darren Woodson was forced to retire due to injury?
What happened to the Cowboys when Terry Glenn was injured and never
regained his form?
The list goes on and on – every team has one. Every team understands
the value of depth.
You can have all of the team chemistry in the world – players
enjoying each other’s presence and playing extremely well together
on a regular basis – with a solid offensive, defensive, or special
teams unit, and it will mean very little if a star player needs to
be replaced with a back-up who is not at least serviceable. Team
chemistry is suddenly obliterated.
Your team has a better chance, a fighting chance – to both survive
and win – if the majority of your players are involved on game day,
whether as a starter or a role player . . . much like the New
England Patriots' approach to game day preparation.
The past three games have exposed a new found depth for the Cowboys
at a number of positions.
Roy Williams and Romo have had some trouble getting on the same
page, thus far, this season. Their frustrating but hopefully
temporary issue, however, has resulted in the successful inclusion
of every other Cowboys receiver into the offensive scheme.
While Jay Ratliff’s knee injury did not prevent him from starting
against Seattle, it gave others like back-up defensive tackle Junior
Siavii an opportunity to get more involved . . . and shine.
While Flozell Adams seems to have found a little groove of late,
back-up left tackle Doug Free was able to collect some valuable
playing time in the fourth quarter of the Seattle game as well.
Flozell goes from predictably bad to unpredictably good, and
reinforcements must be ready.
While Romo now has a ridiculous number of receiving weapons at his
disposal, it was also nice to see promising rookie wide receiver
Kevin Ogletree get in on the offensive production as well. Who knows
whether or not Austin’s sore groin will cause him any serious
discomfort next Sunday? There has never been a better time in
Cowboys’ history to have all hands on deck.
The Cowboys have made a “habit” out of almost always having a nice
core of skill position players who play well together – on both
offense and defense. Most teams would kill for some of the talented
combinations the Cowboys have enjoyed over the decades. While they
all dream of having the next coming of Aikman, Irvin, and Smith on
their rosters (which the Cowboys would never trade for anything),
the downside is not being able to utilize more players on those
rosters. When the day comes that a star player goes down, you want
to know that his replacement is ready to rumble.
This season appears to represent a golden opportunity for back-ups
to step up . . . because, for once, it may not always take an injury
for them to be called into action. All hands on deck.
Eyeballing The Eagles
Donovan McNabb has really had quite the motley crew of receivers for
most of his NFL career.
The closest McNabb had ever gotten to a quality group of receivers
was the year he had Brian Westbrook out of the backfield, Chad Lewis
down the seam, and Terrell Owens down the sideline – when the Eagles
went to the Super Bowl just a handful of years ago.
Before that year, McNabb had regularly dealt with the likes of:
Freddie “FredEx” Mitchell – known more for being outspoken than
being a productive receiver.
James Thrash – known for being a career utility player.
Todd Pinkston – known for being a human pipe cleaner.
Hank Baskett – known for being the husband of one of Hugh Heffner’s
many ex-girlfriends.
This “impressive” cadre of receivers does not give McNabb an excuse
for all of the games in which he started off so cold and
inaccurately, but his accomplishments certainly would have been
greater with better raw talent in his corner.
All is not lost, however, with last year’s addition of 2nd year wide
receiver and return man DeSean Jackson and this year’s addition of
rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, as well as rookie Tight End
Brent Celek. Brian Westbrook – when healthy – remains as deadly as
ever, and his rookie back-up, LeSean McCoy, has proven very capable
out of the backfield as well.
The Cowboys are aware of the transformation that has occurred within
McNabb with this newly freshened weaponry at his disposal. Awareness
and a plan of action, however, are two different items.
The Oakland Raiders – for all of their miserable shortcomings –
created an intriguing blueprint to defeat the Eagles. They shut down
the Eagles running game early and forced McNabb and company to
become one dimensional. The Raiders obviously played out of their
minds, and their defense teed off on the Eagles for the rest of the
game.
The Cowboys are certainly capable of shutting down a team’s running
attack, but they must not do so at the cost of forgetting about
their speedy wide receivers. The opportunity is new, and the
scenario is all too familiar.
The Cowboys defensive line and linebackers must not be so eager –
against a suspect Eagles’ offensive line – that they over-pursue,
allowing running backs and tight ends to slide out for a quick,
productive swing pass . . . or down the seam for a big gainer. The
Cowboys cannot afford to allow any of their 3-4 scheme linemen to drop back
into coverage on speedy backs like Westbrook or McCoy. Orlando
Scandrick may prove to be an incredibly important asset as someone
who can blitz from the slot and trip up running backs . . . on the way
into tackling McNabb.
The Cowboys secondary must play absolutely perfect man-and-man and
zone schemes – never peeking into watch McNabb – lest he burns them
to a crisp. Terence Newman must try his very best not to play a
baiting game with McNabb, as his new toys are simply too fast with
which to play catch-up. The secondary – in general – really needs to
jam the Eagles’ receivers at the line as often as possible . . .
especially on sweeps where the receivers instantly become downfield
blockers.
The Cowboys would also do well to remind themselves that McNabb’s
ribs are officially healed. If he is left with an opportunity to run
for a first down, he will take that chance. The Cowboys need to show
an impossibly nice mix of restraint in the gaps and calculated
aggression against perceived weaknesses . . . in the Eagles
protections and pass patterns.
This is easier said than done, but the Cowboys have the raw talent
and mental resources to succeed against the Eagles’ offensive attack
. . . and even shut them down. Wade Phillips and staff simply need
to hand down quality instructions, and his players simply need to
accurately execute them . . . mixing in adlibs when necessary.
Solid, wrap-up tackling at the point of contact - as a quality
alternative to a big (hit) whiff - remains a great place to begin
excellent play call execution.
The Eagles defensive unit is another but simpler story. They have
struggled to get over the passing of Jim Johnson – the brilliant
defensive coordinator they had enjoyed for so many years. They have
struggled to get over the free agent loss of one of their best
players and emotional leaders in former strong safety Brian Dawkins.
Asante Samuel is a talented cornerback, but he is better with the
heavy hitting ball hawk Dawkins playing over his shoulder.
What about their demolition of the Giants, you say? The Eagles
played very well against a Giants team that made plenty of mistakes.
A defense can be dominating regardless of what an opponent does, or
a defense can be opportunistic – finding success through the
mistakes of an opponent.
Regardless of their early season struggles – or their true
capabilities in the face of a mistake-ridden opponent – the Cowboys
can always count on the Eagles riding a high crest of pride into any
game in which they face each other. The Cowboys have no right to
overlook any aspect of what the Eagles might bring to the grid iron
this Sunday. The Eagles are just hoping, drooling over the idea that
the Cowboys will underestimate them again.
A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To
Waste
The Cowboys entered their game against the Seahawks tied for 6th in
the league in penalties. The Cowboys had their 2nd-lowest penalty
total of the season against Seattle as well.
The name of the game, of course, is no penalties . . . rather than
some penalties, and the Eagles are one of the last teams to which
you want to give charity.
The mental mistakes do not just stop with penalties. They continue
with turnovers no fan wants the Cowboys to make on offense, as well
as the pressure the defense should have been placing on an
inconsistent, beaten and battered Seahawks offensive line.
Romo fumbled near his own goal line – resulting in a Seahawk
touchdown – and Crayton needs to keep his eyes and hands on the ball
for receptions and returns. Austin – the recently crowned golden boy
– fumbled on an end around, which he recovered. If he is not careful
though, repeat fumbles will come around to spell the end for his
starting status.
Matt Hasselbeck was playing with broken ribs against the Cowboys –
behind a patchwork offensive line – and even though he was painfully
sacked three times and hit several other times, he still managed
nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
A healthy McNabb will do far worse damage than a hurt Hasselbeck
without a nice helping of pressure from Cowboys defenders.
Bradie James – inside linebacker and one of the Cowboys’ leaders on
defense – was heard to say "I just hate that we gave up 17 points.
That kills me, but we'll get better."
James should be pleased to learn that it kills many Cowboys fans, as
well. The Eagles will be only too happy to take any free lunches the
Bradie Bunch decides to mistakenly hand out on Sunday.
James should also know that his unit is not alone in its required
perfection. The offense, defense, and special teams all need to play
a full 60 minutes against their fine-feathered enemies – especially
to offset any penalties that may be called. Whether the Cowboys find
themselves in a tight game or a blowout in their favor, they must
keep the pedal to the floor until the final whistle sounds.
The Cowboys inability to think straight – from the very beginning of
the game – will have the Eagles looking for another blood, err, bird
bath. The Eagles – as a “west coast offense” team – have a scripted
set of their first 10-15 offensive plays. The Cowboys need to read
from that same script and, then, spend the rest of the game
rewriting it. “Everyone put your thinking caps on.”
Identify Yourself
The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are not what any hardcore fan would call
normal.
The Dallas Cowboys have had a rich and successful history – spanning
5 decades – as “America’s Team.” They have been mostly dominating
with 34 winning seasons, 5 Super Bowl victories, 10 Conference
Championships, 19 Division Championships, and 29 playoff
appearances.
They have been sometimes mediocre – to a spoiled fan – with 7
seasons of just above or just at .500, and they have been rarely
forgettable with 15 seasons as a below .500 team.
The Cowboys have almost always had more talent than their opponents
. . . leading them to both dominating victories against the
overpowered and embarrassing losses to the overlooked.
They have won so much that, for a long time, it had become second
nature – to fans and players alike – to expect opponents to tremble
in the face of the Cowboys’ mystique or at the once-imposing
spectacle of Texas Stadium “where God could watch his favorite team
through the hole in the roof.”
The Cowboys’ lone Achilles heel has always been a lack of heart,
true grit, and incredible urgency when faced with a game-day
situation they could not defeat with their usually awesome talent
alone. Some people might alternately suggest - or angrily insist -
an extreme case of disinterest rather than a lack of heart. The
Cowboys - like any other past champion - have had more than their
share of bored-to-tears moments.
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- Nonetheless, such a game-day situation always involved and
continues to involve an opponent who
was no longer in awe of the Cowboys’ accomplishments – an opponent
who was absolutely desperate and willing to do whatever it took to
survive and live for another day.
There certainly have been coaches and players - Tom Landry, Bob
Lilly, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Dennis Thurman,
Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Darren
Woodson, Bill
Parcells, and a long list in-between - on Cowboys’
teams of the past who could and would carry and lead their specific
units and their entire teams from the depths of near-defeat to the
jaws of sweet victory.
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- As with any professional sports
team, that leadership came and comes from an emotional pep talk, an ingenious play
call, calmness in the huddle, or incredible execution on the field.
Losing those coaches and players, however, many times spelled
all-encompassing doom for the Cowboys as the remaining team members
simply did not know how to fill such a powerful leadership vacuum in the face of such a
fearless, devil-may-care opponent.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been such an opponent – since the
arrival of Dick Vermeil, since the arrival of Buddy Ryan, and since
the arrival of Andy Reid and his substantial run of success over the
past decade. The “Iggles” – and their fans from the city of
“Brotherly Hate” – have long despised the Cowboys for the
overwhelming body of success they have represented.
The Iggles have worn the underdog “we came from nothing” label like
a badge of honor. The Iggles, in fact, continue to wear it, because
to act like their arch rival Cowboys – to act like they deserve a
victory every time they step onto the grid iron – is not what they
are about, and it would alienate their blue collar fans in the worst
way.
The Iggles – for all of their Rocky Balboa background – do not have
the nerve to adopt the cocky self-assuredness, full-of-themselves
identity long associated with the Dallas Cowboys. Many teams have
always dreamt of receiving the kind of attention leveled at
America’s Team. The Cowboys, however, are the only team who are
accustomed – good, bad, or indifferent – to living in the white hot
media spot light 24-7, 365.
The Iggles and their fans – secretly, deep down – absolutely dread
the idea of winning a Super Bowl, let alone 5 of them, and thumbing
their nose at the rest of the league during every victory
celebration.
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- The Iggles and their fans
collectively remind me of the owners of a small mom and pop store -
who want the spoils of a big corporation . . . without the immense
responsibility that comes along with it. Each time they have gotten
close to winning it all, they whither back into their comfy mom and
pop mode. It is not so easy being a historical winner, a constant
target . . . the Dallas Cowboys.
The great irony attached to the Iggles-Cowboys rivalry is that each
team needs what the other possesses in order to achieve their
ultimate goal. The Iggles need to understand that part of being King
means acting like a King – mixing the rags with the riches . . . or
tossing the rags altogether. The
Cowboys need to understand that the days of winning on mystique and
raw talent alone are long gone . . . and that a King without a heart is
no King at all. They need look no further than their 2007 playoff
loss to the New York Giants or their miserable 2008 sleep-walking
finale against none other than the Iggles.
The team that can overcome its past identity – correcting an
incomplete and flawed approach to a familiar opponent – will be the
team that wins on Sunday, eventually wins the NFC East . . . and
ultimately accomplishes great things in the NFC playoffs.
Will the Iggles continue flying high or will the Cowboys lasso them
into a nose dive? Will the Cowboys "declare independence" from their
last encounter with the Iggles, or will they suffer from another
round of cheese steak heartache? Will the Cowboys show the ultimate
sign of respect for a familiar-and-hated opponent by over-preparing,
just in case? Will the Cowboys match and exceed the
take-no-prisoners heart that will surely be on display from the
Eagles?
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- We shall see. We always do.
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