Friday, September 5, 2014
Cowboys Defense Shows Up in Preseason Opener
Defense holds Chargers to 268 Total Yards
Dallas, TX -- If there was one question mark about this Dallas Cowboys team coming into the season, it was definitely on the defense. Last season the Cowboys had one of, if not the worst defense in the NFL, ranking 32nd in yards allowed, giving up an average of 415.3 yards per game. Granted it's the preseason, but in the first true test of the year, the defense stood tall and shut down a dangerous Chargers offense in a 13-9 victory.
Dallas only allowed a total of 268 yards, while forcing one turnover and allowing just 3 field goals on the night. Off season acquisition Rolando McClain led the way with a total of 9 tackles on the night, while recently signed free agent Jabari Greer was able to pick off Phillip Rivers in his Cowboys debut.
On the offensive side of the ball however, the Cowboys seemed to struggle a bit. Only managing to amass a total of 293 yards themselves, and were only able to score one touchdown, along with 2 field goals. Josh Freeman played well in his debut for the Cowboys. Freeman, who will be battling with Brandon Weeden for the primary backup spot this season, threw for 133 yards and the games only touchdown. He did however struggle with his accuracy, only completing 13 of his 25 passes, along with an interception. Freeman was also constantly under pressure from a relentless Charger defensive front, and was frequently trying to avoid pressure.
All in all the Cowboys played a well rounded game, even with the struggles on offense. While it was refreshing to see a defense that was actually able to stop someone, it is only week 1 of the preseason after all. We will hold off on getting too excited after this game, but it does at least bring a little hope to the situation.
| Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers | |||||
| Aug 6, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Dallas Cowboys (1-0) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| San Diego Chargers (0-1) | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Team Stats Comparison | ||
| DAL | SDG | |
| Total Offense | 293 | 268 |
| Rushing Yards | 89 | 52 |
| Passing Yards | 204 | 216 |
| First Downs | 17 | 14 |
| Punt Return Yards | ||
| Kick Return Yards | ||
| Total Yards | ||
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Converstion | 3 | 4 |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0 | 0 |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0 | 0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 1/2 | 0/2 |
| Penalties | ||
| Posession Time | ||
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Signed CB Jabari Greer to a 1 yr deal.
Signed CB Asanti Samuel to a 1 yr deal.
Signed LOLB James Harrison to a 1 yr deal.
Signed RB Michael Bush to a 1 yr deal.
Signed QB Josh Freeman to a 1 yr deal.
Signed P T.J. Conley to a 1 yr deal.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
| Injury Reprt | ||
| Pos | Player | Injury Note |
| MLB | Sean Lee | Torn ACL (Out for Season) |
| Dallas Cowboys Pre-Season Roster | ||||||
| # | OFFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 77 | Tyron Smith | LT | 23 | 6'5" | 318 | USC |
| 88 | Dez Bryant | WR | 25 | 6'2" | 222 | Oklahoma St. |
| 9 | Tony Romo | QB | 34 | 6'4" | 228 | Eastern Illinois |
| 82 | Jason Witten | TE | 32 | 6'6" | 261 | Tennessee |
| 29 | Demarco Murray | RB | 26 | 6'0" | 219 | Oklahoma |
| 68 | Doug Free | RT | 30 | 6'6" | 325 | Northern Illinois |
| 44 | Tyler Clutts | FB | 29 | 6'2" | 254 | Fresno State |
| 72 | Travis Frederick | C | 23 | 6'3" | 311 | Wisconsin |
| 73 | Mackenzy Bernadeau | LG | 28 | 6'4" | 333 | Bentley College |
| 89 | Gavin Escobar | TE | 23 | 6'6" | 249 | San Diego State |
| 25 | Lance Dunbar | RB | 24 | 5'8" | 188 | North Texas |
| 83 | Terrance Williams | WR | 24 | 6'2" | 200 | Baylor |
| 74 | Uche Nwaneri | RG | 30 | 6'3" | 318 | Purdue |
| 3 | Brandon Weeden | QB | 30 | 6'3" | 220 | Oklahoma St. |
| 70 | Zack Martin | RG | 23 | 6'4" | 305 | Notre Dame |
| 2 | Josh Freeman | QB | 26 | 6'6" | 248 | Kansas St. |
| 17 | Dwayne Harris | WR | 26 | 5'10" | 207 | East Carolina |
| 31 | Michael Bush | RB | 30 | 6'1" | 248 | Louisville |
| 11 | Cole Beasley | WR | 25 | 5'8" | 180 | SMU |
| 21 | Joseph Randle | RB | 22 | 6'0" | 198 | Oklahoma St. |
| 87 | Jordan Najvar | TE | 23 | 6'6" | 256 | Baylor |
| 65 | Ronald Leary | LG | 25 | 6'3" | 318 | Memphis |
| 78 | Jeremy Parnell | RT | 28 | 6'6" | 307 | Ole Miss |
| 80 | LaRon Byrd | WR | 25 | 6'4" | 220 | Miami |
| 48 | J.C. Copeland | FB | 23 | 5'11" | 275 | LSU |
| 75 | Darrion Weems | LT | 25 | 6'5" | 320 | Oregon |
| 15 | Devin Street | WR | 23 | 6'3" | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| 67 | Ronald Patrick | C | 22 | 6'1" | 318 | South Carolina |
| # | DEFENSE | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 69 | Henry Melton | DT | 27 | 6'3" | 295 | Texas |
| 33 | Jabari Greer | CB | 32 | 5'11" | 180 | Tennessee |
| 50 | Sean Lee | MLB | 28 | 6'2" | 234 | Penn State |
| 22 | Asante Samuel | CB | 33 | 5'10" | 185 | UCF |
| 93 | Anthony Spencer | RE | 30 | 6'3" | 262 | Purdue |
| 39 | Brandon Carr | CB | 28 | 6'0" | 206 | Grand Valley St. |
| 54 | Bruce Carter | ROLB | 26 | 6'2" | 246 | North Carolina |
| 42 | Barry Church | FS | 26 | 6'2" | 218 | Toledo |
| 52 | Justin Durant | MLB | 28 | 6'1" | 228 | Hampton |
| 99 | George Selvie | LE | 27 | 6'4" | 270 | USF |
| 90 | Demarcus Lawrence | RE | 22 | 6'3" | 251 | Boise State |
| 91 | James Harrison | LOLB | 36 | 6'0" | 275 | Kent State |
| 32 | Orlando Scandrick | CB | 27 | 5'10" | 195 | Boise State |
| 24 | Morris Claiborne | CB | 24 | 5'11" | 190 | LSU |
| 55 | Rolando McClain | MLB | 25 | 6'4" | 259 | Alabama |
| 95 | Cesar Rayford | DT | 28 | 6'7" | 267 | Washington |
| 27 | J.J. Wilcox | SS | 24 | 6'0" | 218 | Georgia Southern |
| 40 | Will Smith | ROLB | 22 | 6'2" | 227 | Texas Tech |
| 53 | Cameron Lawrence | LOLB | 23 | 6'2" | 234 | Mississippi State |
| 60 | Amobi Okoye | DT | 27 | 6'2" | 292 | Louisville |
| 97 | Terrell McClain | DT | 26 | 6'2" | 293 | USF |
| 37 | Matt Johnson | FS | 25 | 6'1" | 212 | Eastern Washington |
| 98 | Tyrone Crawford | LE | 24 | 6'4" | 284 | Boise State |
| 56 | Martez Wilson | RE | 25 | 6'4" | 252 | Illinois |
| 92 | Jeremy Mincey | RE | 30 | 6'4" | 265 | Florida |
| 59 | Anthony Hitchens | ROLB | 22 | 6'0" | 240 | Iowa |
| 96 | Nick Hayden | DT | 27 | 6'4" | 301 | Wisconsin |
| 57 | Devonte Holloman | LOLB | 23 | 6'2" | 242 | South Carolina |
| 51 | Kyle Wilber | LOLB | 25 | 6'4" | 250 | Wake Forest |
| 79 | Zach Minter | DT | 23 | 6'1" | 297 | Montana State |
| 30 | Terrance Mitchell | CB | 22 | 5'11" | 192 | Oregon |
| 36 | Ahmad Dixon | SS | 22 | 6'0" | 212 | Baylor |
| 58 | Orie Lemon | MLB | 26 | 6'1" | 242 | Oklahoma St. |
| 66 | Ken Bishop | DT | 23 | 6'0" | 301 | Northern Illinois |
| 71 | Ben Gardner | LE | 23 | 6'4" | 262 | Stanford |
| # | SPECIAL TEAMS | POS | AGE | HT | WT | COLLEGE |
| 5 | Dan Bailey | K | 26 | 6'0" | 191 | Oklahoma St. |
| 4 | T.J. Conley | P | 29 | 6'3" | 220 | Idaho |
Posted on September 2, 2014 at 11:04 AM.
Disclaimer: I want to play this franchise to have fun. So if I make some moves/trades that aren't probably going to happen IRL, then so be it. I'm playing this to have fun, and to share my progress with the community.Intro:
I started up a Dallas Cowboys Online CFM playing as a Head Coach. Went with online for 2 reasons, 1 the sim stats are fixed, and 2 I can access the info from anywhere. Owner mode seems to be kinda wonky dealing with funds, etc, and I didn't really want to mess with that. I'm looking to build up the defense into something that is a force to deal with. Also, there are some things on offense I'll have to deal with, as in finding Romo's replacement, getting a future Witten replacement, etc. Should be a fun job, and a challenging one as well.
Settings:
I'm using the most up to date roster EA has provided, with pre-existing injuries on.
Difficulty: All-Pro
Minutes: 13 min qrtrs.
Play clock: 15 seconds
Accelerated clock on
Game speed normal.
Everything else is default. (Including sliders/penalties, etc.)
I figure I'll roll with these settings for the first season. If I blast through everything and it's way to easy, I'll make changes in the off-season. If things are ridiculous, as in I'm winning every game 55-0, then I'll make changes mid season. I'm not using any sliders yet, simply because IMO, I don't feel there is enough data out there on a good set yet to support changing a bunch of stuff given what I've seen as far as results on default settings so far.
Thanks for stopping by and checking it out, I hope you like what you see and I'll be updating probably on a daily basis, every other day at the least.
Also, feel free to comment on anything you'd like to see, or any suggestions you may have. I'm not going to jump down your throat if you say that I suck. I'd just prefer if you would offer some constructive criticism instead of just the "You suck, go kill yourself" garbage that is on the internet.
With all that said, I hope you enjoy it and away we go....
Mav3rek7
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