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- 2018-2019
Regular Season: Cowboys Outlast Tampa Bay To Win The NFC East And
Face The Giants, Last But Not Quite Least
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This edition of "The Tortured
Cowboys Fan" has also been published by the fine folks at
Sports TalkLine.
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December 30, 2018 At 3:47 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- “America’s Team” (for the second week in a row) had the division
crown within reach, yet it required the (natural born) killer
instinct that coaches often cannot just teach. The Dallas Cowboys
saw their five-game win streak come to a halt in Indianapolis (where
they laid quite an ugly egg) and – with fears of a sudden late
season backslide – “Cowboys Nation” was not in the mood to beg. The
Cowboys had to prove (to themselves and anyone watching) their
previously-pungent performance had died.
The 5-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had boarded “Jerry World” to plunder
the Cowboys’ near-postseason thunder. While Dallas was expected to
kick (some) pirate booty, Tampa certainly qualified as a team
against which Dallas might suffer a trap-game blunder.
After "Marinelli's Men" took their traditional shark bite to test
the strength of their opponent’s fight (absorbing a 38-yard pass
play that was on the money from Bucs' QB Jameis Winston to wideout
Mike Evans deep inside the Dallas 20), the “Hot Boyz” used their
first series findings to become whole, forcing the Bucs to settle
for a field goal.
The initial series for “Linehan’s Clan” involved the usual plan,
with Ezekiel Elliott taking the handoff from Dak Prescott and
showing good burst through the line as he picked up the first. While
Cowboys Nation knew what to expect, Prescott did dangerously
project. There was a near-fatal twist for the Dallas quarterback who
“some” believe may never get the proper read gist. Operating from
the shotgun on second down from his own 34, Prescott took the snap,
faked the handoff to a left-heading Ezekiel Elliott, got ready to
pass, and (with the Bucs' nose tackle in his face) side-armed a
throw (intended for Amari Cooper) that bounced right off the belly
button of unprepared Bucs linebacker Adarius Taylor. It was a
certified pick-six that could have resulted in a 10-0 deficit, but
Dak and Co. escaped first quarter failure.
On the very next play, Prescott found Michael “In Full” Gallup
streaking down the right sideline for a 31-yard, toe-the-line strike
that anyone would like. It was ALL AIR and just the kind of throw
“some” fans wish Dak would pursue with more flare (rather than the
normal overdose of YAC attack).
The next down saw Zeke get more involved, escaping some initial
defensive line traffic (and an uncalled facemask) to count another
first down solved. On the next play and with Amari Cooper lined up
just outside a slotted Blake Jarwin, Dak took the shotgun snap and
threw a low-lofted screen pass to the delayed-by-design Cooper (who
followed Jarwin's block and got lean to weave his way towards
another first down at just inside the Bucs' 15).
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- A few limited-gain plays later, Prescott took a(n unnecessarily
high) shotgun snap, faked the handoff to Zeke, and ran with
determination through the left side of the offensive line into the
end zone for the touchdown (while shrugging off a member of the
Bucs' secondary so solidly).
The Dallas Cowboys went ahead 7-3 (instead of being down 10-0), and
while the Bucs would (be allowed by more of Dallas’ offensive
inefficiencies to) make the game interesting, “Marinelli’s Men” did
enough to call their bluff. The Cowboys would never look back, and
(with a 27-20 victory) they officially returned to the game-winning
track. Two years after their last best chance at a legitimate
playoff feast, America’s Team has (once again) gained entrance to
“The Tournament,” and they are “REPPIN’ THE EAST.”
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- Short Shots And Hot Spots
Tyrone Crawford and the Cowboys dodged what appeared to be a huge
(and weird) bullet. Less than a minute into the game, Crawford was
engaged with a Bucs' offensive lineman (who did absolutely nothing
for which the NFL would fine him). Crawford – as he battled forward
– appeared to be turned ever-so-slightly and, as a result, suddenly
fell the ground in a way so frightening and unsightly. He displayed
movement in his extremities and avoided becoming one of those
“SPINEtingling” NFL casualties. While tests came back (structurally)
negative, his recovery (and postseason availability) remains a
critical imperative.
Speaking of defensive linemen who are also important to Dallas’
playoff cause but have been so tragically flawed, it is ironic that
Randy Gregory has been so personally and professionally dependable
that David Irving (the Cowboys’ current perpetual absentee) has
become expendable. “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” – like so many others
– is under no illusion regarding the daily challenges that remain
for each of these brothers (and feverishly searches for a wooden
block upon which to knock!). While Irving struggles with personal
matters that very well may leave his (Cowboys) football career in
tatters, Gregory has been getting progressing practically each and
every game. The player that began the year on the thinnest of ice is
simply not the same, and the results have been nice.
This is not to say The Tortured Cowboys Fan has turned a blind eye
when Randy and other members of Marinelli’s Men go (stupidly or
unintentionally) from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde to ensure the Cowboys
get “officially” fried. Xavier Woods (late in the second quarter)
was flagged for savagely applying the wood, err, entire forest to
Bucs' receiver Adam Humphries to make him feel like an unwelcome
tourist. Gregory was called for another questionable roughing the
passer penalty . . . for (ever-so-subtley?) appearing to lift and
piledrive Jameis Winston so prohibitively.
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- Nonetheless, Gregory’s hot pursuit strip-sack of Jameis Winston
was the ignition point for Jaylon “Smooth” Smith’s ready recovery
and supersonic launch down the sideline and into the end zone.
Gregory and Smith were not alone, as Leighton Vander Esch (the other
half of "Van Jaylon") collected a monstrous number of tackles, while
Maliek Collins and DeMarcus "Tank" Lawrence nabbed two more sacks to
help Marinelli's Men set the tone.
Gregory also recovered a late third quarter fumble (on a truly
misdirected Bucs' toss play), taking it inside the Tampa Bay
five-yard line . . . allowing Dak and Co. to once more dine.
Prescott would pull out his scoring blade and find Gallup in the end
zone for a clean back-shoulder fade.
Taco Charlton has seemingly learned his inactive player lesson (that
hard work helps dismiss any concern that you are a disinterested
jerk) but – even with five tackles on the day – fans did not have to
be particularly astute to notice he was incredibly slow in pursuit.
On the flipside, Brett Maher nailed a 59-yarder. Finding fault with
the man who helped bring Dan Bailey’s Cowboys career to a halt is
pleasantly becoming so much harder.
Time will tell if defenses have begun “taking away” Amari Cooper
over the past two weeks . . . or if Dak’s field surveillance (with
the ability to go through all his progressions and make all his
reads) have begun springing (additional?) leaks.
Will They Or Won’t They?
America’s Team heads to the Big Apple and MetLife Stadium to close
out the regular season against the Giants who (for Dallas) are
always ready to display defiance. New York has had a miserable year,
but they surely have enough venom for the Cowboys to throw their
performance into an appropriately-competitive gear.
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- It is clear that rest is the rule for any key players for whom
remains even mild injury fear, but that does not mean the rest of
the Cowboys’ roster (from fine and funky to bench-warming flunky)
cannot try their incentive-based best to get Dallas a tenth win to
finish out the 2018 year.
Jason Garrett is allowing Dak, Zeke, and a variety of other
offensive starters to play, but will Scott Linehan’s game plan
encourage them to work out the bugs from the past two weeks AND
pursue a game-winning day?
While The Tortured Cowboys Fan jumped the gun with Tavon Austin's
expected return last week, will his (official) reemergence from a
debilitating groin injury offer a quality postseason sneak peek?
Will this game be the Cowboys’ final showdown with Eli Manning and
(without the one-handed services of Odell Beckham, Jr.) what aerial
aggression (if any) might the brother of Peyton be planning?
Will Marinelli’s Men (even without Tyrone Crawford and against a
Giants’ offense that gave the Colts all they could handle) still
bring enough heat to light the Hot Boyz’ candle?
We shall see. We always do.
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