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2009-2010 Regular Season: Postgame -
Blockbusters Beg Beyond The Beat Back Of Thanksgiving
Thievery
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- December
2, 2009
At 10:15 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- Thanksgiving Day feasts – for
Cowboys fans across the United States and overseas with expatriates
and our brave military personnel – were enjoyed and easily digested
for the fourth year in a row as America's Team rather easily rid
themselves of the Raiders.
The Cowboys won out in all categories – points, yards, turnovers,
tackles, sacks, and time of possession – in dispatching their latest
opponent.
Walking Wounded Work Well
The Cowboys limped into the Raiders game with a number of nicked up
starters. Marc Colombo and Ken Hamlin may have been sharing a skybox
couch somewhere in the stadium, but only Hamlin will be able to get
off of it in 4-6 weeks.
Otherwise, a tender Tony Romo dropped back and rolled out gingerly
but enjoyed a two touchdown, 300 yard passing day.
Jason Witten caught five passes for over 100 yards, played
limp-free, played penalty free (unless memory fails) and left the
stadium in a precautionary walking boot.
Roy “No Footsteps For At Least One Game” Williams caught two of four
passes for very few yards but also one touchdown – which are all
valuable at this stage in the season regardless of how they occur.
One of his catches was an absolute beauty – a purposely overthrown
jump ball – which he leapt up and caught without concern for his
recently healed ribs. The risk of physical harm was just as great
for this catch as the one he attempted to make several weeks ago
against Denver – before getting drilled in the ribs by Broncos
linebacker D.J. Williams.
The deep biceps bruise Mike Jenkins received in Green Bay has been
slow to heal, but he was still able to reach down deep and ruffle
the Raiders receivers all afternoon.
Keith Brooking had no problems with his ankle, leaving him with many
a Raider to rankle.
While David Buehler did not appear to suffer any problems with his
toe, you would have believed Nick Folk did – as he missed at least
one field goal for what may have been the third game in a row.
The Cowboys needed to display some turkey day toughness on a short
schedule, and they did just enough to keep upstart Oakland on their
downward path.
Who would have thought that Greg Ellis – the player with the biggest
axe to grind on Thanksgiving Day – would have bowed out early due to
a bum knee? It was the same knee he had surgery on in week eight,
and this may have been his last opportunity to play against or with
his former Cowboys teammates. Fans everywhere continue to wish Ellis
the very best in anything he chooses to pursue . . . except for when
he plays against his former team.
Fully Functional
Tony Romo’s performance was enough to make any Cowboys fan happy
considering the scoring woes of late, but the rest of his offensive
teammates reawakened as well, collectively forming a familiar system
that was firing on all cylinders.
The offensive line spent most of the game complying with the rules
of Romo – giving their sore star the protection he needed to deliver
believable pump fakes, throw crisp passes, and make clean hand-offs.
While Doug Free continues to learn on the job – finding his sea legs
with a little chip-blocking help from his tight end friends – he has
also given fans little reason to worry about an inexperienced melt
down in the absence of Colombo the Conqueror and his nasty line
play.
Tashard Choice started the running game off with a huge 66 yard run
out of the Razorback formation, Felix Jones added a touchdown on a
46 yard run, and Marion Barber added a 32 yard run of his own. All
three backs delivered 60+ yard performances and a solid
demonstration of what a balanced and deep running attack can
accomplish.
It has been clear for some time that each of the Cowboys’ running
backs could be a starter on another team and – until serious playing
time complaints are filed with the coaching staff or contract
demands are made – fans should eventually be treated to the regular
and consistent fruits of such a rushing triumvirate.
The wide receivers, meanwhile, surged back to life – gaining more
mileage out of Austin’s 7 catch, 145 yard game. He also added to his
long touchdown habit with a 49 yard catch.
Many fans were scared to death two years ago that the great hands
and speed of Terry Glenn were going to be replaced by a committee of
inexperienced receivers – Austin being one of them. Austin may not
have ideally ascended to Glenn’s starting spot – receiving it as a
gift due to Crayton’s periodic spastic play – but he continues to
make the most of his once in a lifetime opportunity. Depending upon
who you ask, he is just scratching the surface as well – proving
capable of catching the tough inside slant routes and breaking
catches on the way to long touchdown runs.
The many capabilities of Miles Austin – including kick / punt
returns when necessary – are incredibly important to the Cowboys,
considering the slow development / low achievement of Roy Williams
(who had a touchdown catch of his own as well). While Roy and Romo
continue to round up their rhythm, Austin will continue to be
heavily relied upon to make up the difference.
And while Austin continues to garner more and more defensive
attention, Romo’s security blanket – Jason Witten – remains just as
dangerous on every play. There was a chance he was going to miss the
game with a sprained foot and, yet, there he was (after pleading
with anyone empowered to let him play through the pain) – catching
five passes for over 100 yards – without even a grimace or a hint of
a limp. If Marion Barber is “the Barbarian” for his hard-hitting
running style, then, Witten must be “the King of Barbarians,” as he
continues to show how impossibly tough he has been in the face of a
collection of painful injuries over time.
It is duly noted that Austin and Witten became the first two Cowboys
receivers to gain over 100 yards each in the same game since the
2006 season, but accomplishing such a feet once means little if the
same performance cannot be repeated over multiple games.
Nonetheless, while Martellus Bennett received no looks in the
passing game, he certainly did his part in helping protect Romo and
block for the Cowboys’ running game.
Fans have two simple choices with Roy Williams and Martellus
Bennett. Fans can get rightfully frustrated at their limited game
day participation and point production, or fans can continue showing
patience with these players – hoping they will be ready when Romo
really needs to rely on them in a pinch. How a player begins a game
is important but how that player finishes is absolutely vital.
Defensive Depth
Oakland QB Bruce Gradkowski was a respectable 18 of 35 for 200 yards
along with a 4 yard touchdown pass to unreliable Raiders rookie
receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. It was simply not enough against a
Cowboys defense that is really beginning to find its identity – and
only allowed Gradkowski success in spurts.
While the Cowboys’ defenders have endured their fair share of recent
injuries, the back-ups have stepped up to both help maintain a
season-long hard-earned defensive consistency and also shown fans
that the Cowboys do, indeed, have some legitimate depth on the other
side of the ball.
Keith Brooking continues his tag-team leadership with Bradie James.
You simply could not ask for a better, more mature and consistent
effort. Brooking continues to play the part of the every-man veteran
player, ready for a Super Bowl run. Fans can only sit back and watch
as the rest of the season unfolds . . . to see if Brooking’s
teammates are up for the challenge as well.
Anthony Spencer – Greg Ellis’ replacement – collected his first two
sacks of the year against the Raiders. While Spencer continues to be
a bit of a work in progress, it must have been eerie to Ellis to
have left the Cowboys for an opportunity to play more . . . only to
be back on the (Raiders’) sideline again, injured again, and
watching Spencer succeed in his place again.
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- Igor Olshansky has done a solid job
of replacing the long-departed Chris Canty . . . and for a much
smaller investment, as well. Igor will get another opportunity this
weekend to show Jerry Jones why he should not miss having Canty on
the Cowboys' roster.
Whether the Cowboys want to admit it or not, Mike Jenkins is on the
verge of becoming the better half of the cornerback tandem with
Terence Newman. He has shown better toughness – even with his still
tender arm booboo – delivering wrap-up tackles the majority of the
time, rather than the cute little shoulder bumps that make fans ill.
He has shown equal or near-equal speed on every down. He has most
importantly not abused his speed by baiting the opposing QB too
often.
Some people would argue that Jenkins has already surpassed Newman as
the new secondary stud but – outside of his problem with lingering
injuries – Newman’s shortcomings have always been and continue to be
mental. His key problem is one of technique. Where Jenkins has been
far more careful in not allowing his opponent to get too far ahead
of him when baiting a QB, Newman has consistently allowed his
opponent to get too far ahead of him.
Newman – when healthy – is simply too fast to get beaten as often as
he has this season. If Newman has lost a step, then every
prognosticator worth his salt would have already said so in
triplicate. Newman remains in full control of his own destiny.
Newman, in fact, probably benefits the most from being told to jam
his opponents at the line, because it forces him to stay as close as
possible rather than risk being burned from peering in at the QB.
Newman certainly can bite on a double-move or a pump fake – just
like any cornerback – but that is better than purposely allowing
your opponent several steps in an often times unsuccessful effort to
trick a QB.
Newman can still hold onto his cornerback crown as long as he
focuses more on forcing a QB to thread the needle rather than
playing possum. He knows this, his teammates know this, Dave Campo
knows this, the fans know it, and T-New simply need to commit to
this.
Fans, in general, should still be pleased with the direction in
which the defense is currently headed – playing with more accuracy,
more zeroing in and less jogging along, and better play from the
backup safeties. Fans may still want to be wary of what can occur
when Jay Ratliff is being given a one or two play breather – and
Orlando Scandrick has yet to show whether or not he can handle more
responsibility than the slot. Nonetheless, the otherwise consistent
defensive effort thus far delivered by this unit is a welcome one.
Special Teams Still
Kicking
While fans thought they were going to be in for regular special
teams treats a handful of weeks ago – with visions of punt returned
touchdowns dancing in their heads – people can be pleased the
Cowboys’ special teams unit is working hard every week and
succeeding at avoiding most of the negative plays of years past.
Buehler’s cataclysmic kick-offs and McBriar’s pinpoint punting –
barring injury – should continue to provide a solid special teams
foundation for games and years to come.
Fans should continue to hope that Nick Folk’s recent
make-one-miss-one routine is only temporary.
The Giant Task Ahead
Everyone who knows anything about professional sports insists a team
should never look beyond their next opponent to their next game,
lest their current opponent knock their collective block off.
Fans desperately want to believe the Cowboys learned a powerful
lesson from how poorly they approached their game – a few weeks ago
– against the win-starved Green Bay Packers. It is squarely up to
the Cowboys organization – as a whole – to prove to everyone that
they are willing to approach each and every game like it is their
last.
It is understandable if the Cowboys are also steeling themselves up
for a brutal three game stretch – against the New York Giants at the
Meadowlands, the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome,
and against the San Diego Chargers at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys
have an enormous challenge, a religious experience, and a shocking
effort ahead of them – not to mention the annual blood feuds
awaiting them in Washington and the City of Brotherly Hate.
Speaking of which, the Philadelphia Eagles remain hot on the
Cowboys’ heals for the division crown, and fans should never forget
the Giants have come back from similar circumstances to catch fire
just in time for – depending upon your viewpoint – an unforgettable
playoff run.
It simply does not matter how banged up the Giants are heading into
the game this weekend. It simply does not matter how poorly they
have been playing. All that matters is fans should expect the Giants
to expend every last ounce of nerve and pride against the Cowboys.
The Giants think they can win the game, because they remember how
mistake prone the Cowboys were early in the season. The Giants know
how to take advantage of those mistakes and steal another victory.
They graciously accepted their first gift-wrapped victory against
the Cowboys this season, and if the Cowboys let them, the Giants
will be only too happy to accept a second win, as well.
The Cowboys are capable of victory in New York – even sound victory.
They can and should beat the Giants on manpower alone, but can the
Cowboys match the Giants nerve for nerve and pride for pride?
Can Wade Phillips and Red Ball call a solid game plan for an elusive
December victory? Can the Cowboys - once again - make a concerted
effort to limit silly penalties? Can the Cowboys defense plant Giants’ QB Eli Manning and his plantar
fasciitis into the ground? Can the Cowboys defense show tight end
Kevin Boss who is boss? Can the Cowboys’ secondary show glorified
possession receivers Steve Smith and Mario Manningham that they are
ready for their double moves and quick outs?
How many bites will it take for the Cowboys to get to the center of the Big Apple? Will the game end in a star-studded win or a Giant upset?
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- We shall
see. We always do.
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