Thursday, October 8, 2015
| Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys | |||||
| Jan 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Atlanta Falcons (0-3) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Dallas Cowboys (3-0) | 7 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 34 |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| ATL | DAL | |
| Total Offense | 259 | 343 |
| Rushing Yards | 46 | 107 |
| Passing Yards | 213 | 246 |
| First Downs | 19 | 12 |
| Punt Return Yards | 11 | 14 |
| Kick Return Yards | ||
| Total Yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| 3rd Down Converstion | ||
| 4th Down Conversion | ||
| 2-Point Conversion | ||
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Posession Time | ||
|
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In what is now becoming a trend, the Dallas defense turned in another outstanding performace. They pressured Matt Ryan all day and racked up 3 sacks. Devonta Freeman could never get the ground game going as Sean Lee as able to bring him down 4 times for a loss.
Offensively for the 3rd week in a row, the running game was middle of the road. Randle carried 19 times for 64 yards. He has yet to hit the century mark in his career, and has had problems finding holes early in the season. For the 3rd straight week, Dunbar made the most of his touches with 40 yards on 6 carries. He finished the last 2 quarter as the primary back, as Randle came in sparingly. Look for Dunbar to possibly get more involved in the offense here in the next week or so, to let the coaching staff see if there needs to be a change as far as the work load. In the passing game, Witten put on a Witten-esque clinic, with 8 receptions for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the second half he was nearly unstoppable, as Atlanta had no answer for him, even with dedicating a nickel corner and a safety on him.
Next week, Dallas heads to New Orleans to take on a 1-2 Saints team. They'll be facing old friend Rob Ryan, who will want redemption for last years whooping he received in his return trip to Arlington. I don't believe he will get his redemption. Brees is lighting up scoreboards, but their opponents so far have been able to put up more. If Dallas can run early and run often, they should be able to get chunk yardage which will open the passing game up. Brees will test this Dallas secondary, who have held their own so far this season. If they can keep him and Ingram in check, Dallas should move to 4-0 at the quarter mark of the season.
Gut feeling: Dallas 38-28
| Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles | |||||
| Jan 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Dallas Cowboys (2-0) | 3 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 34 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 | |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| DAL | PHI | |
| Total Offense | 381 | 225 |
| Rushing Yards | 76 | 77 |
| Passing Yards | 305 | 148 |
| First Downs | 19 | 12 |
| Punt Return Yards | ||
| Kick Return Yards | ||
| Total Yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| 3rd Down Converstion | ||
| 4th Down Conversion | ||
| 2-Point Conversion | ||
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Posession Time | ||
|
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well, I could not have been more wrong about how this game went. The first half was an entertaining defensive struggle, but the Cowboys Offense opened up the flood gates in the 2nd half with a flurry of touchdowns. The 2 Eagles touchdowns came in garbage time when Dallas was up 34-0 and cycling their depth through on defense.
Romo was brilliant all day. He threw for 305 yards. While his lone touchdown was to Devin Street on a beautifully run route for his first NFL touchdown, Romo drove the offense inside the 5 yardline 3 separate times, for all three running backs to pick up rushing touchdowns. Dez Bryant had 13 receptions for 133 yards, an improvement from his 55 yards last week.
Defensively, Dallas was absolutely suffocating. They didnt let Philly passed the 50 yard line until midway through the 4th quarter. They also held Eagles receivers to a mere 14 YAC, as they were on top of their receivers all day.
Next week, Dallas is home against a 1-1 Falcons team.If the defense can keep this string of dominating performances up, they should do just fine. Romo will have his hands full against an improved Atlanta defense led by Dan Quinn, but Dez should be able to get open often. Look for Witten to exploit the mismatch against Durant. Dallas knows Durant all too well, and they will want to attack him vertically, and not let him make plays on running plays at the line of scrimmage.
Gut feeling: Dallas 34-20
| New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys | |||||
| Jan 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| New York Giants (0-1) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| Dallas Cowboys (1-0) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| NYG | DAL | |
| Total Offense | 223 | 271 |
| Rushing Yards | 61 | 114 |
| Passing Yards | 162 | 157 |
| First Downs | 10 | 10 |
| Punt Return Yards | ||
| Kick Return Yards | ||
| Total Yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| 3rd Down Converstion | ||
| 4th Down Conversion | ||
| 2-Point Conversion | ||
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Posession Time | ||
|
| ||||||||||
Defense was the name of the game for Dallas today, as they kept Eli and the Giants out of the endzone and piled up 6 sacks. If not for pinpoint field goals, the Giants would have not been in this game at all.
Although the Cowboys were a force on defense, their offense struggled almost as much as the Giants. Romo could never get into rhythm, and threw for his lowest yardage total (152) in years. Randle racked up 76 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in his first NFL start, and Dunbar piled on another 27 on 2 carries. McFadden carried 3 times for 7 yards.
Next week, the offense will have to move the ball as they go into a hostile environment in Philadelphia, to meet DeMarco Murray in Eagles green for the first time this season. Chip Kelly will most likely have the offense firing on all cylinders, as they shredded Atlanta this week for over 400 total offensive yards. If Dallas comes out flat offensively early in the game, the crowd will jump on the opportunity, and look for Bradford to hit Ertz and Sproles to exploit the Dallas defense. The defensive line will have to repeat their performance from today to put pressure on Bradford, and give this offense time to find their rhythm. I believe Philly will jump out early, and Romo will storm back to make it a tight game, but won't have enough time to close the gap.
Gut feeling: Eagles win 27-24
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Lets get right into it. The final 53 has been submitted, and we already have a few surprises for this season. Dallas has parted ways with Brandon Weeden and decided to keep QB Kellen Moore as Romo's backup this season, with Jameils Showers on the practice squad as a developmental player. Weeden could never grasp the concept of Linehan's playbook, and they decided to go with unproven Kellen Moore who has more upside than an aging Weeden.
Jason Garrett has been vague all summer about the running back situation, and still has not given a definite answer as to how exactly the offense will approach the ground game this year. He has not officially named a starter, even though Joseph Randle is listed as the starter on the depth chart. Garrett has stated they will use the backfield-committee approach, with the departure of last year's league leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, who now dons green wings. It will be interesting to see how this 4 headed bunch will handle their opportunities in-game when they get touches, and it should make for exciting competition. For this reason, I believe the running game will not lose a step overall this season.
On defense, Sean Lee is finally back from his ACL tear that sidelined him for over a year, and Rolando McClain's suspension has been lifted by Goodell, making him good to start at Mike for week 1 against the Giants. Greg Hardy has chosen not to appeal his suspension, who will be unavailable until week 5. Going into the season, the assumption was Jeremy Mincey would start at that right DE spot until Hardy returned, with Gregory getting his reps. After 4 impressive preseason games with 5 total sacks, Gregory will get the nod ahead of Mincey to start this Sunday night.
Orlando Scandrick and Brandon Carr will start at the corner positions, with Claiborne and Patmon working the slot. Byron Jones looks to be used interchangeably at corner and Free Safety, but I am thinking he will be used to shut down opposing tight ends here early in the season. His athleticism will allow him to compete against the likes of Jordan Reed, Larry Donnell, Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham, who will present this defense with heavy problems early in the season.
Gut Feeling:
Looking ahead to tonights game, what Dallas will need to do is establish the running game early to keep NY from having extra bodies to put top coverage on Dez all night. Look for Cole Beasley to get work in the passing game against a mediocre secondary. Defensively, Eli will come in slinging as he always does on his annual trip to Arlington. In a surprise twist, Victor Cruz will be ready to go tonight, surprisingly, so he will likely line up outside, leaving OBJ to be free to move around the formations in order to work him into space. If he can get a few catches early, Scandrick may have to transition to star coverage and follow Odell across the formations. I believe Dallas takes a few drives to get going offensively, but will eventually wear down the Giants defense who will not be able to give Eli enough time on the field to put up more points than Dallas. In an exciting offensive showdown, I'm taking Dallas, 34-27.
| Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart - 2016 | ||||
| Regular Offense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| WR | Dez Bryant | Devon Street | Vince Mayle | |
| TE | Jason Witten | Gavin Escobar | James Hanna | |
| LT | Tyron Smith | Charles Brown | Chaz Green | |
| LG | Ronald Leary | La'el Collins | ||
| C | Travis Fredrick | Zach Martin | ||
| RG | Zach Martine | Mackenzy Bernadeau | ||
| RT | Doug Free | Chaz Green | ||
| WR | Terrance Williams | Cole Beasley | Lucky Whitehead | |
| QB | Tony Romo | Kellen Moore | ||
| FB | Tyler Clutts | |||
| HB | Joseph Randle | Lance unbar | Darren McFadden | Christine Michael |
| Base 4-3 Defense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LDE | Demarcus Lawrence | Jeremy Mincey | ||
| LDT | Tyrone Crawford | Jack Crawford | ||
| RDT | Terrel McClain | Nick Hayden | ||
| RDE | Randy Gregory | Greg Hardy | ||
| WLB | Sean Lee | Damien Wilson | ||
| MLB | Rolando McClain | Andrew Gachkar | ||
| SLB | Anthoney Hitchens | Kyle Wilbur | Keith Smith | |
| CB | Orlando Scandrick | Byron Jones | Corey White | |
| SS | Barry Church | Byron Jones | ||
| FS | JJ Wilcox | Byron Jones | Jeremy Heath | |
| CB | Brandon Carr | Morris Claiborne | ||
| Special Teams | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| K | Dan Bailey | |||
| P | Chris Jones | |||
| PR | Lucky Whitehead | Lance Dunbar | ||
| KR | Lucky Whitehead | Lance Dunbar | ||
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
| Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans | |||||
| Jan 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Dallas Cowboys (2-0) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Tennessee Titans (0-2) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
|
| ||||||||||
Top Performers
DAL Tony Romo 24-31 314 yds 4 TDs 4 INTs
DAL Dez Bryant 8 rec 115 yds 1 TD
TEN Jake Locker 19-22 232 yds 3 TDs
Recap:
This game came down to the final seconds and Dallas was able to walk away the victors after a late clutch touchdown. After starting the game forcing a 3 and out, Romo's first pass of the day was intercepted, leading to a Tennessee touchdown. On Dallas' next possession, another Romo interception would eventually put the 'boys down 10-0 early. Dallas could not get the offense moving until midway through the second quarter, when Romo led a near perfect drive going 7-8 throwing for 75 yards and an eventual touchdown strike to Witten to finally get on the board. Tennessee took the remaining 2 minutes in the half and drove down to kick a late field goal. Romo's 3rd interception of the day came on a hail mary attempt to end the 1st half.
In the second half, Dallas struggled to move the ball on the ground and had to continue to rely on the arm of Romo. He connected with Dez Bryant all day in key 3rd down moments to extend their drives. With a late lead, the defense could not stop the combination of McCluster on the ground and Jake Locker extending plays with his feet, and Tennessee was able to gain a very late 27-21 lead after a long touchdown reception by Nate Washington, after J.J. Wilcox missed a tackle. Romo and the 'boys would not be out done though, as they drove down the field with under 2 minutes remaining and 1 time out. Romo went 8-8 on the final drive, and hit a wide open Gavin Escobar in the back of the end zone due to a blown coverage. Dallas did not even half to use their final timeout, and held off a few hail mary attempts by Jake Locker to come away with a 28-27 victory.
Despite the win, Dallas started the game slow, and for a second week in a row they could not get their running game started. Murray had 6 carries for 8 yards, so there never really was an opportunity to get into any sort of rhythm for Murray and the offensive line. This formula barely worked today thanks to some magic from a sore Romo who looked better, but as we move further along into the season, look for this offense to struggle if they cannot get any production from the ground game. Both Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar were ghosts today as neither touched the field.
Defensively, Dallas tackled well for the most part and came away with 4 more sacks. Even with good tackling, McCluster was still able to reach 93 yards on the ground, as most of his yards were picked up before contact between the tackles. This is an area Marinelli will need to address this week in practice.
Next week Dallas heads to St. Louis to take on the 1-1 Rams. St. Louis has one of the toughest front 7's in the league, and Dallas will need to have a balanced attack on offense if they want to move the ball. It is not decided on who will start at QB for St. Louis this week, but regardless, look for Tavon Austin to be the key in the Rams offensive plans.
Gut feeling: Dallas 28-21
| San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys | |||||
| Sep 1, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| San Francisco 49ers (0-1) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Dallas Cowboys (1-0) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
|
| ||||||||||
Top Performers
DAL Barry Church 11TAK 3 TFL 3 sacks 1 INT
DAL Jeremy Mincey 5 TAK 3 TFL 3 sacks
SF Ahmad Brooks 4 TAK 3 sacks
Recap:
Defense was the name of the game today, as only 1 touchdown and a trio of field goals would light the scoreboard. Although the offenses struggled, it was still an exciting game to watch as both defenses were as physical as can be. Dallas finished with 7 sacks and 2 INTs on the day, and kept Kaepernick in the pocket with good containment for most of the day. San Francisco also had 2 INTs and brought Romo down 3 times. Both running games were held in check, as neither team could top 100 total yards on the ground, and barely 150 yards through the air.
Tony Romo looked stiff and uncomfortable the entire game, and did not move well in the pocket. He had multiple chances to hit open receivers throughout the game but he threw passes either too high or too low and could not hit targets that he usually hits with ease. The offensive line played well in pass protection, as all three San Fran sacks can be credited as coverage sacks.
Parnell played OK in place of Tyron Smith, but if the Cowboys want to take a step forward offensively, Tyron will need to come back and get to work right away.
Defensively, Dallas can be very satisfied with their performance. Rolando McClain was a force to be reckoned with, as he met Frank Gore in every hole he tried to run through. Barry Church had statistically the best game of his life, and Tyrone Crawford made his presence felt in his first game at the 3 technique.
Next week, Dallas heads to Tennessee for their first road game of the season. Dallas should do fine defensively against Jake Locker. He can use his legs, but not to the likes of Kaepernick. Where I think Tennessee can harm Dallas is with the duel threat of Dexter McCluster out of the backfield. Dallas may look to shadow McCluster with Sterling Moore or Claiborne, because it could be a matchup nightmare if one of these linebackers has to cover him in passing situations. The keys to victory will be containing McCluster, and getting this ground game going.
Gut feeling: Dallas wins this one 24-10
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
A tough game to open the season with so many injuries, a depleted defensive unit, and a still-recovering quarterback. If Dallas wants to win this game, they need to protect the ball, protect Romo, control the clock, and these linebackers need to make their reads first, before reacting. If Kaepernick catches them with the read-option and the LBs are out of place, Dallas could be in for a long afternoon.
Gut feeling: SF wins this one decidedly 34-17.
Tony Romo received limited snaps in only two games, as he is still recovering from back surgery. He looked stiff in each of his 3 appearances, but Garrett is adement that Romo will start week 1 vs San Francisco.
They decided to keep 4 runningbacks on the roster this year, as play caller Scott Linehan seems interested in coming up with creative packages to get all 4 backs involved. He was able to successfully use a loaded backfield in Detroit last year and got the most out of each of his skill players.
Rolando McClain started the preseason out of shape, as expected, but has come on strong toward the end. He is still very rusty with his reads, but his instincts are undeniable. He gets to the ball and creates violent colisions every time he makes a tackle. Marinelli has slated him as the starter for week 1 inside.
Orlando Scandrick has earned the top corner spot, with Brandon Carr playing in the 2nd slot, and Sterling Moore as the slot corner. This leaves former 6th round pick Claiborne as the outside man looking in. He will get work in nickel packages, but just 3 years into his career and he has fallen from the graces of his coaches.
DeMarcus Lawrence missed most of the preseason with a high ankle sprain, but he is ready to go and should start week 1.
As for injuries, the Cowboys did not walk away completely unscathed.
Injury Report:
Anthony Spencer 4w (Dislocated Ankle)
Sean Lee IR (ACL Tear)
Tyron Smith 2w (Partial MCL Tear)
Darrion Weems 2w (Broken Ribs)
Jeff Heath 1w (Broken Thumb)
Dekoda Watson 1w (Knee Cartilage Tear)
Josh Brent 7w (Hamstring Tear)
Here are the final cuts to get down to a 53 man roster:
QB Dustin Vaughan
TE L.P. Ladouceur
LT Tony Hills
CB Robert Steeples
DT Amobi Okoye
DT Nick Hayden
RT Donald Hawkins
LE Ben Gardner
RE Lavar Edwards
DT Davon Coleman
LOLB James Anderson
CB Micah Pellerin
Final Roster:
| Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart - 2014 | ||||
| Regular Offense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| WR | Dez Bryant | Cole Beasley | Devin Street | |
| TE | Jason Witten | Gavin Escobar | James Hanna | |
| LT | Tyron Smith | Jeremy Parnell | ||
| LG | Mackenzy Bernadeau | Ronald Leary | ||
| C | Travis Fredrick | Ronald Leary | ||
| RG | Zach Martin | Ronald Leary | ||
| RT | Doug Free | Jeremy Parnell | ||
| WR | Terrence Williams | Dwayne Harris | ||
| QB | Tony Romo | Brandon Weeden | ||
| FB | Tyler Cluts | |||
| HB | DeMarco Murray | Joseph Randle | Lance Dunbar | Ryan Williams |
| Base 4-3 Defense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LDE | Anthony Spencer | George Selvie | Jack Crawford | |
| LDT | Henry Melton | Terrel McClain | ||
| RDT | Tyrone Crawford | Jeremy Mincey | ||
| RDE | DeMarcus Lawrence | Jeremy Mincey | ||
| WLB | Bruce Carter | Cameron Lawrence | ||
| MLB | Rolando McClain | Keith Smith | ||
| SLB | Justin Durant | Anthony Hitchens | Kyle Wilber | |
| CB | Orlando Scandrick | Sterling Moore | ||
| SS | Barry Church | C.J. Spillman | Jakar Hamilton | |
| FS | J.J. Wilcox | Jeff Heath | ||
| CB | Brandon Carr | Morris Claiborne | Tyler Patmon | |
| Special Teams | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| K | Dan Bailey | |||
| P | Chris Jones | |||
| H | Brandon Weeden | |||
| PR | Dwayne Harris | Orlando Scandrick | ||
| KR | Dwayne Harris | Lance Dunbar | ||
| LS | Zach Martin | |||
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Dallas Cowboys
As day 1 of training camp has kicked off, this season of Dallas Cowboys football is full of storylines. Coach Jason Garrett, in the final year of his contract, is on the hot seat and needs to get this team into the playoffs to have a shot at earning an extension. Tony Romo, now 34, is coming off of his second back surgery in as many years, and is seemingly coming into the final stretch of his career. Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are both in the final years ... Read More
As day 1 of training camp has kicked off, this season of Dallas Cowboys football is full of storylines. Coach Jason Garrett, in the final year of his contract, is on the hot seat and needs to get this team into the playoffs to have a shot at earning an extension. Tony Romo, now 34, is coming off of his second back surgery in as many years, and is seemingly coming into the final stretch of his career. Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are both in the final years ... Read More
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