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2017-2018 Regular Season: Dallas Endures
Unexpectedly Rough Day As White Horses Say Nay, Err, Neigh
- September 18, 2017 At 12:03 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” spent week one focusing on how the
hard-fought outcomes of division games are often determined by years
of intense familiarity between age-old foes. Week two touches upon
how out-of-conference contests are often decided by intense
differences that keep even well-prepared teams on their toes . . .
while knocking others off their feet when they appear unprepared to
compete.
Cowboys Nation had reasonable expectations of a Mile-High victory .
. . but the winner was the Rocky Mountain enemy. The Denver Broncos
brutally bucked “America’s Team” with far more accuracy,
consistency, energy, and urgency. Any other applicable “y” words
left out? If you come up with any, just give an anguished shout.
The Dallas Cowboys undoubtedly believed – from Jerry Jones in the
visiting owner’s skybox to the players on the grid iron – they were
ready to “Rumble In The Rockies” . . . but they began the game with
too few pistons a firin’ and seemed determined to roleplay some
pre-Halloween horror stories.
The offense was truly offensive, the defensive was indefensible, and
an uneventful special teams unit rounded out some gawd awful game
day themes.
Prognosticators, writers, and fans everywhere have cherry-picked
critical what-if opportunities and packed them into list after list
of “These X Plays” . . . but The Tortured Cowboys Fan has punted on
the near-pointless practice of putting lipstick on an overly plump
pig in so many ways.
The NFL season is 16-game sprint wrapped in a survivalist marathon.
It takes but a few key mistakes and a resultant handful of losses
before fan and team dreams alike are shredded and gone. (Most but
not all) NFL teams are never quite as good or bad as one game makes
them seem . . . and it remains an incredible challenge for those who
(fanatically) judge not to fill up with too much emotional steam.
See today’s exhibit A (the Denver Broncos’ particularly ugly 21-16
loss to the Buffalo Bills) . . . where week one reaction gave way to
a week two reality entirely absent of last week’s 42-17 Mile-High
thrills.
The week one damage done by Denver does not change the week-to-week
or overall mission of “Garrett’s Gang.” If “The Linehan Clan” and
“Marinelli’s Men” cannot perform the most basic of their
meat-and-potatoes thang – with the (perpetually underappreciated)
special teams of Bisaccia steering clear of the negative media –
they can-and-will face a growing harangue.
Any (experienced) coach will tell you – as much as superior talent
is typically “all that” – a toxic mix of poor play calls and
mindless execution will consistently make your winning percentage
fall flat. Coaches regularly remind everyone it is their job to put
players in position to succeed . . . with reasonable-if-not-perfect
play call execution for which both coaches and fans continue to
plead. Players, of course, who choose to listen and learn tend to
set themselves up to (more often than not) avoid the critical
execution burn in football land.
While great play calls and solid execution can do wonders, it would
be excessively naïve to overlook an equally motivated opponent as
another potential source of game day blunders. Still, every NFL
coaching staff is expected to game plan for those opposing players
they expect their active 46 to face on any given Sunday, Monday, or
Thursday. There simply is no other way.
The Dallas Cowboys – like any other team following a critical flop –
are in (concerned but not yet a desperate) search of by-the-numbers
proof they are not a collective goof incapable of making a poor
performance stop. And, yet, as complex as the play call and
execution solutions may ever become . . . the mission, again,
remains simple and practically dot-to-dot dumb.
“The Linehan Clan” – in the post-Tony Romo era – lives and dies ONLY
if “The Great Wall Of Dallas” complies. While Dak Prescott may one
day adopt (some of) Romo’s magical ability to “create your own
pocket” in the face of an offensive line that unpredictably comes
loose from its seemingly sturdy socket . . . that moment may never
arrive, and it is incumbent upon Prescott and his “play within the
system (no matter what)” style to help ensure the Cowboys thrive.
Though every football fan on Earth understands Dallas is a run-first
team, that approach trips and falls face first without a successful
offensive line theme. If Dak is not protected enough to avoid (most
but not all) defenses bringing rough and tough, Ezekiel Elliott will
spend much of his remaining Cowboys career facing the
nine-in-the-box stuff. Defenses – just like most of last year – must
be coaxed into respecting the arm and play-extending mobility of
Prescott . . . or it might not matter how much untapped capability
Zeke’s got.
The receivers – from Dez Bryant to Terrance Williams to Jason Witten
to Cole Beasley to Brice Butler to Noah Brown – could all be
wickedly sharp route-running and pass-catching cleavers . . . but if
Dak or Zeke are regularly up the protection and daylight creek,
catch-as-catch-can would become the unreliable plan, with Dez and
Co. almost better off just leaving town.
“Marinelli’s Men” face a nearly identical situation. If they cannot
apply enough pressure through their defensive front four . . . their
(typically) three linebackers have to be (unusually) aggressive
attackers. And if – from blockers – Sean Lee and Co. cannot break
free . . . the secondary – already downfield, chasing their
assignments – have to perform sudden about-face alignments to stop
the opposition before they (potentially) score.
Bisaccia’s special teams unit faces the less complex (but equally
important) ordeal of ensuring airtight blocking on both their own
kicks and punts, while magically filling all visible gaps to avoid
the opposing returners’ scoring stunts. Ever since the road-clearing
wedge was outlawed, some special teams have occasionally become
frozen in their tracks (during otherwise preventable scoring
runbacks) . . . returning to the sideline for a well-earned
screaming before getting thawed.
Add into that unpredictable mix the ever-present specter of injury,
and – on any given game day – your chances of winning could quickly
become history. Just ask promising rookie cornerback Chidobe Awuzie
or veteran Nolan Carroll – who left the game after a
helmet-to-helmet collision with fellow vet Sean Lee.
The Tortured Cowboys Fan knows the Cowboys had a (sizeable) hand in
their Denver demise. Some fans looked away from the televised horrors
. . . while others could not believe their eyes, seeing so many
unabated Broncos scorers. The Tortured Cowboys Fan – as has been
detailed in the past – has such a name because of an admittedly
unrelenting and perpetual perfectionist blast. Stupid mistakes are
survivable to some and unacceptable to others. Depending upon your
perspective, stupid mistakes (from cute play calls to players out of
position from mental attrition) oftentimes lead to a feeling that
claustrophobically smothers.
If the Cowboys want to stop their game two bleeding, they must
correct mistakes in game three to induce the desired healing.
Will They Or Won’t They?
A week of somewhat self-inflicted torment for America’s Team may
stop or perhaps continue against the Arizona Cardinals in an away
game this coming Monday night. It is – as always – entirely up to
them to leave their skills dormant . . . or show some serious grit
and put up a fight.
The Denver Broncos punched the Dallas Cowboys in the mouth. Will
Dallas (like an understandably concerned Cowboys Nation) act like
the sky is falling or will they take the necessary preparatory steps
to avoid going further south?
Fans were reminded that Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott – as
veteran-like as they previously were – are both still susceptible to
moments where plays, down-and-distance, assignments, and scheme
recognition can seem like a blur.
Zeke – aside from his off-the-field immaturity – is as capable as
anyone of suffering nationally-televised moments of frustration in
front of Cowboys Nation. Though lest fans forget and (always) try to
demonize, Zeke – like his teammates – is only human. No matter how
hard he is trying to compartmentalize, his NFL suspension legal
challenge lingers in the back of his mind . . . and the sheer idea
that he could spend the rest of his natural born life labeled as a
domestic abuser has got to be most unkind.
Will Zeke get back on track by treating the Red Birds to an
unrelenting ground attack?
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- The Tortured Cowboys Fan stated on Twitter (among many other
things) that Dak Prescott would eventually develop a solid touch
pass technique . . . but – fair or not – the sooner the better, as
Dez may, indeed, be at his route-running peak.
He (like Tony Romo before him) must lead the go route in order for
the wide receiver to reasonably space out. When you have a
straight-line muscle car . . . you need to drive it into a wider
range of routes in order for your offense to really go far.
Will Dez Bryant be able to convey that his “separation anxiety” is
not really the way fans should expect him to play?
Will Prescott be ready to show Cowboys Nation that delivering solid,
(reasonably) mistake-free performances he never really forgot?
Will The Great Wall Of Dallas – the Cowboys’ much talked-about
offensive line – help their offensive brothers to positively
realign?
Will Marinelli’s Men successfully arise from their familiar turn in
the injury den . . . or will their banged up secondary hang on just
barely?
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- Will recently returned Damontre Moore have some fresh-and-timely
defensive pressure in store?
We shall see. We always do.
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