Dallas Cowboys Week 1 – Delayed Reaction
Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback
Tony Romo(9) throws against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
After watching week one for the Dallas Cowboys I decided to wait to write about what I saw. Last season I wrote immediately following the game and it was a little bit of a knee jerk reaction, so this year we will try to have a delayed reaction to the games. Win or lose I really didn’t want to react with an over amount of emotion to the game, so hopefully this will provide a little more insight and a little less reaction.
I am not sure anyone saw this game coming the way it happened. If someone had told me that the defense would get some pressure on Colin Kaepernick and DeMarco Murray would have over 20 rushes for over 100 yards I would have thought Dallas would have won the game. I know a lot of people out there will say that this was typical Tony Romo, but three INTs in the first half isn’t even “bad” Tony. I was almost laughing at how the game was going. It was better than crying I suppose. There are a few points here that should not be missed. Remember the Cowboys kept Romo under wraps for most of the preseason. I am sure this affected his game, as his back looked to be okay. But there are a few things the Cowboys have hope for, and a few things they need to fix. Let’s start with the negatives first:
1. Tony Romo – Again, I am hoping that his lack of playing in the preseason is the reason for the terrible game. The fact that Tony was overthrowing people left and right could simply be a sign of rust. What worries me is how Tony continues to check out of running plays and forces the ball into players instead of letting the game dictate where he needs to throw it. Harris was wide open on the slant in the end-zone, but he decides he is going to go for Witten instead and forces the ball for an interception. Tony needs to allow the game to come to him and not force it.
2. The Secondary – Not a single interception, or really not many contested passes. There were times the DL got to Kaepernick, but as he scrambled there were wide open receivers. The cushion that the DBs are giving to the receivers is just too much. So many blown coverages and poor angles again have this defense suspect to the pass. I know this is a bend, don’t break defense, but there has to be more physicality at the line by the DBs, and they have to stay in coverage. They are better built for man instead of zone, and they need to work on not allowing wide open zones if they do play in one.
3. Coaching – First, let me say I know I am not alone when I say how angry I get when the Cowboys have a bad series and there is Jason Garrett clapping on the sidelines. Beyond that, it seems like Jason Garrett still does not understand the idea of situational playcalling. Instead of running the ball on a 3rd and 1, there would be a shotgun with an empty backfield. Jason simply does not have the team ready to play and has so little fire to him, it is rubbing off on the team.
So through the bad we saw there were some good things as well:
1. DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar – The Cowboys ran the ball well against a really good defense. They also took advantage of the screens and both Murray and Dunbar impressed. While I wished they had run the ball in short yardage situations more, the fact they had a little more balance is a good sign for the season.
2. There was a pass rush – The defense still got chewed up, let’s be realistic, but they were better than we thought they would be (or at least many of us thought). They were able to collapse the pocket more and get into passing lanes. This is a positive compared to what we saw last season. Heck, they even forced a few punts!
3. Terrance Williams – Yea I know he didn’t have a 100 yard receiving game, but the kid did pretty well as the number 2 WR. He played well in space, got open, and made some really good catches. It looks like he is going to be a pretty good number 2 WR. Now we just need Romo to not miss him when he is wide open running down the middle of the field.
So there it is, the delayed reaction to week one. Let’s hope week two is after a victory.