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- 2018-2019
Regular Season: Cowboys Have Fun On The Run Against Jags But Aerial
Remains Key Variable Between Great And Terrible
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October 19, 2018 At 11:27 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- If there is one thing Cowboys Nation can count on with the
latest version of “America’s Team,” they keep it interesting whether
winning or losing. The Cowboys’ contest against the visiting
Jacksonville Jaguars was no different. Many prognosticators were
(reasonably) belligerent in their expectations that Dallas would
remain inconsistent and (even against a Jaguars squad seemingly in
full reverse) some were calling for a home team hearse.
Much had been made of the similarities between the two teams . . .
from dangerous defenses to injury absences triggering a MASH unit
theme to offenses incapable of picking up steady, productive steam.
Yet, low and behold, the Cowboys’ offense no longer appeared so old
and incredibly oversold. “Linehan’s Clan” looked far from lame for
at least one game. Dak and Co. ran it, passed it, and protected it
from quarter to quarter and in no particular order. They did not
have to lean so heavily on “Marinelli’s Men” to the point of
breaking, and (depending upon your opinion of Jacksonville
weaknesses) Dallas was clearly not faking. The Dallas defense (for
the first time all year) was able to simply tee off rather than
press too hard to overcome an offense that (from series to series)
might gag and cough.
The result was a Cowboys’ 40-7 shellacking of a Jaguars team from
which even Cowboys Nation expected a better fight, angrily and
aggressively attacking.
As with every game, there were a handful of individual plays and
collective performances that were near-difference makers and true
game-breakers.
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- For the third game in a row, Linehan's Clan began early with a
quick shot to tight end Geoff Swaim . . . trying to light their
meager tight end flame. Dak forced the Jag's to spread and chase.
While Ezekiel Elliott and fullback Jamize Olawale went their
separate ways, Geoff Swaim chipped his way off the line and caught
one in space. Had Prescott decided to run instead, downfield
blockers (including Michael Gallup and Allen Hurns) would have been
ready to help him go full steam ahead.
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- Dak threw down the left sideline to Michael Gallup, who came
down on the Jaguars 47 and fought for a few more to the 44. He
received single coverage due to Smith, Swaim, Hurns, and Beasley
creating a potential receiver overage. Though Prescott still
struggles throwing to the correct shoulder, his 50-50 ball to Gallup
was decidedly bolder.
Upon reaching the Jaguars 31, Dak’s downfield vision went into third
down remission, and with a (GASP) wide-open Cole Beasley at the
first down marker, he would fail to get it done. Brett "Setting My
Own Bar" Maher made the 50-yard attempt, but Cowboys Nation could
only see another field goal start with Dallas, once again, being
touchdown exempt.
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- With 5:49 left in the first quarter and operating from the
shotgun at the Jags' 43 on third and five, Dak hit Beasley over the
middle, who took it to the Jags' 27 for the first down, rather than
settling for another fourth down crown.
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- Later during the same drive on second and seven, Dak went back to
pass, faked the jet sweep to Tavon Austin, and took off up the field
. . . before losing his grip on the ball, with Cowboys Nation
fearing a momentum-killing yield. And as if being gathered by
invisible hands back towards Dak, the near tragedy was transformed
magically . . . with Prescott catching his own fumble, continuing to
rumble, and quick-sliding inside the Jags’ 20. First down, right on
the money.
Dak – operating from the shotgun on the very next play – threw a
nice 50-50 ball to Michael Gallup, who got on his high horse to
catch it . . . only to literally moonwalk his way through the end
zone, failing to get both feet down for the touchdown.
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- Just when Cowboys Nation had thrown up their collective hands
and muttered “another easy score left on the cutting room floor,”
Dak and Co. would go back to the drawing board on second and ten and
it was then – by designed play – that the Cowboys would really start
to have their way. After the fake handoff to Zeke, Dak would run it
in on a keeper . . . giving the Cowboys a 10-0 lead that (as the
game went on) would become much deeper.
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- Two minutes into the second quarter, with the Jaguars about to
lose their grip, Dak and Co. decided to feed Zeke who took
Jacksonville up the right sideline of a growing ground game trip.
Jacksonville was unable to beat back a suddenly woke offensive squad
that – just a week ago – was scoring-stunted and deeply flawed.
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- Dallas played rope-a-dope with Jacksonville during that same
series in an effort to make their 10-0 score unrecoverable, forcing
the rapidly disengaging Jags to scream "No mas! No more!"
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- Prescott would throw a Beasley jab, followed by a Rico Gathers
sighting so fab, before coming back to the "Lump Of Cole" to split
red zone defenders and drill another touchdown hole.
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- The Cowboys game plan went so well they even (GASP) decided to
go for it on fourth down twice, with the results being quite nice.
Though these plays were but a cross-section sample, they are a
converse reminder that Dallas’ defense functions more effectively
following a quick offensive start so ample. Linehan’s Clan (more
often than not in the past two years) has been slow to get up and
go, typically asking (or begging) Marinelli’s Men to absorb
significant field position attrition. Dak and Co. (more often than
not in the past two years) have become trapped in trade of 7’s for
3’s, and while Marinelli’s Men are experienced in bravely bending
under such a lopsided TEAM weight, they eventually break, allowing
opposing offenses to do as they please.
Against Jacksonville, however, the Dallas defense was granted a
long-overdue thrill at not having to voluntarily swallow yet another
bitter offensive pill. And Marinelli’s Men – not to be outdone – did
plenty to participate in the Cowboys’ game day fun.
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- Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch were a dynamic double-headed
dragon, tallying ten tackles each and nowhere near flaggin'. Randy
Gregory showed up, as well, collecting a sack and two tackles for
losses to help out Dallas’ linebacking bosses. While DeMarcus "Tank"
Lawrence was still affected by his previously-painless torn labrum,
Maliek Collins added a solo sack that pushed a momentarily-surging
Jags' offense further off track.
David Irving and Tyrone Crawford also went halfsies on another
quarterback sandwich, allowing Tank to feel a bit better about his
temporary inability to flip the performance switch. Even Kris
Richard's secondary got in on the aggressive action, with Jeff "Nose
For The Ball" Heath and Jourdan "Sleight Of Hand" Lewis gaining some
desperately-missed turnover traction. Heath got his hands on a deep
tipped-pass interception which he returned 49-yards, and Lewis (as
he slid out of bounds) just barely got his magic mitts under a
Jaguars' fumble.
All Jacksonville could do – in any phase of the game – was stumble
and mumble.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
Many within Cowboys Nation – in all the excitement – are trying to
decipher this win as fallacy or reality. Buy or sell? How to tell?
Barry Church (former Cowboys safety) knew exactly what to expect
from Linehan’s Clan and still could not affect their plan.
Jacksonville even had former Cowboys offensive tackle Jeremy Pernell
and (at the time) reserve cornerback Tyler Patmon for further
insight, but they did nothing impactful to change the outcome of the
fight.
Did the offensive line play one of their best games in the past
year, or did they look better because Dak was willing to hold onto
the ball less and hit a more deliberate mobile gear? Dak’s
willingness to dash forced the Jaguars’ defense into more of a zone,
which (to the tune of 82 yards on 11 carries) Prescott would
repeatedly gash.
While the Cowboys had fun on the run against the Jags, aerial
remains THE variable between great or terrible. Even the most
successful play-action RPO approach is never beyond reproach if a
stout enough defensive front forces your quarterback to consistently
go with the throw. Just as with the “run and shoot,” if your only
running play (when you actually need one) is the draw, your offense
might get punched in the maw against defenses prepared to make it
moot.
While it was truly wonderful to see the Jaguars have to choose
between stopping Zeke AND Dak in the Cowboys ground game attack,
short and intermediate passes (for better-prepared defenses) prove
far easier to track. If Linehan’s Clan can continue to consecutively
deliver similar results to what they did against the Jags, more
sub-200-yard passing days by Dak will not trigger “prototypical
quarterback” red flags. And if not, the continued absence of a
legitimate vertical passing game will eventually make Dallas less
and less of a challenge to tame.
The "I Told You So's" should be confined to Brett “4-4 And Ready For
More” Maher. The offense – as a whole – still has quite a fair
distance to go to reach their 2016 bar.
The increased attention placed on player safety (particularly
towards the offensive side of the game) can sometimes allow other
forms of physical punishment to fall out of frame. Zeke Elliott gave
Jags’ defensive end Calais Campbell quite a rib shot when helping
out on pass protection, causing Campbell to sustain a rather violent
air ejection.
Having now lost Tavon “Injury Prone” Austin to a troublesome groin
injury that most-likely will cost him several games, the absence of
Linehan’s “web back” will potentially expose more of the
play-calling creativity the offense continues to lack, as well as
further diminish the Cowboys’ special teams attack.
The Cowboys’ “Ring of Honor” will soon be increased to include Tony
Romo at least. It has also been indirectly announced that DeMarcus
Ware will also be over there. Everson Walls – a personal favorite of
“The Tortured Cowboys Fan” – is also under consideration for Jerry
Jones’ Ring of Honor plan.
While valuable veteran linebacker Joe Thomas remains out, Sean Lee
appears set to return to a defense where Jaylon Smith and Leighton
Vander Esch have become increasingly stout.
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- The Cowboys continue to (publicly but not privately) be a
receiver-by-committee believer. Terrance Williams being suspended is
far from THE reason that committee continues to look upended.
Dallas’ level of receiver reliability has suffered further
instability with Tavon Austin sustaining a significant groin injury,
forcing him to choose between surgery or engaging in some
non-invasive healing. The recently re-signed Brice Butler has yet to
prove sufficiently appealing during the latest broken body syndrome
with which the Cowboys are dealing.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Dallas Cowboys’ offense put the wood to one of the top defenses
in the NFL, but being able to do so two weeks in a row is the only
real proof the Cowboys have really turned the corner and are ready
to ring the contender bell.
America’s Team travels to Fed Ex Field to see if the current NFC
East-leading Washington Redskins can be made to yield. While roster
churn continues to cause Cowboys Nation to endure familiarity burn,
the name of the game remains the same. Another NFC East rivalry is
renewed for the first of two games on the year, and fans get to
display the usual range of emotion: glee, anger, and fear.
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- Games at home versus away have exposed a significant difference in
the Cowboys’ level of play. Dallas (from 2014-2017) was 23-9 on the
road and 15-17 at home . . . thus the Cowboys’ hilarious happiness
to roam. Dallas – this year – is 0-3 on the road and 3-0 at home,
and the difference has zero to do with playing in a
climate-controlled dome.
Will Garrett’s Gang continue their consistent win one, lose one
outline or will they suddenly adopt a new, steady, win-stacking
design? Will they transition into a new mental mode or will they
remain a road toad?
Will Linehan’s Clan follow up their 40-point outburst with another
performance decline, or will they (for the second consecutive game)
continue to show some well-aligned offensive spine? With the
Cowboys’ receiving core (desperately) wanting for more, will Brice
Butler be brought more aggressively online?
Will the Redskins’ Adrian Peterson be allowed to catch or pass Tony
Dorsett in the career rushing yardage list . . . or will his effort
be sternly dismissed?
Will Marinelli’s Men get to enjoy a long-awaited, three-headed
linebacking monster with the return of an allegedly healthy Sean Lee
. . . or will his hamstring strike again and refuse to set him free?
Will Dallas end the day atop the NFC East or will the Kool-Aid-drinking
contingent of Cowboys Nation continue feeling fleeced?
We shall see. We always do.
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