Looking Ahead: Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans

The Cowboys sucked on Sunday. No other word so perfectly encapsulates the team’s performance. “Disastrous” sounds as if the entire team was in complete chaos. I would argue otherwise: Tony Romo was so in sync with San Francisco’s defense that it was almost poetic. “Disastrous” also sounds too harsh off the tongue to capture this poetry, so it fails in two ways. “Terrible” and “Horrible” both have these problems as well. “Heinous” solves this problem, but the implication is all wrong. Evil acts are “heinous”. Complete inadequacy is not. In my mind, there are three more options: the aforementioned”inadequate”, “inept”, and “sucked.” “Inadequate” and “inept” don’t fully convey the embarrassment every Cowboys fan felt watching the season-opener. “Sucked” does. “Sucked” is quick and concise, just like many of the Cowboys’s drives, rolls off the tongue nicely enough, and conveys how thoroughly they failed at almost every level far better than the previous two options. The offensive line was good. Practically everyone else sucked.

That’s not to say the representatives of America’s Team didn’t sacrifice. Dez Bryant even crucified himself for the sins of his team.

It wasn’t enough.

Sep 7, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant (88) runs after a catch against San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and Jimmie Ward (25) at AT&T Stadium. The 49ers beat the Cowboys 28-17. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

But every week is a new opportunity, and maybe the Cowboys will acknowledge this one. They play the Tennessee Titans this Sunday.

The Titans held the Kansas City Chiefs to 10 points, which is impressive until one considers the latter is led by Alex Smith. (Signed to a nominally 68 million dollar contract, Smith has been okay the last two seasons. But his only good season was with the 49ers two years ago, and last season was less successful. NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed so he will almost certainly never see anything close to the full value, but the Chiefs may be wishing they had a do-over.)

Tennessee also scored 26 points, so they won considerably. They committed no turnovers. They ran well. It was a solid game all around.

Jake Locker, the Titans’ quarterback, completed 22/33 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. He was, however, sacked four times and lost 23 yards. The 8th overall pick in the 2011 draft, Locker’s career hasn’t gone exactly as planned. The former Husky has never played more than 11 games in a season, partly due to injuries and partly due to ineffectiveness. It’s possible that Ken Whisenhunt’s offense may be a great fit and last week’s game was just the tip of the ice burg on what’s bound to be a great season. What is more likely is that Locker is what Locker’s been: very athletic but not very good. So far in his career he hasn’t played like a starter (again, injuries could have played a role in that), but it’s possible he could have turned the corner. Either way, the Cowboys should be fine, or at least as fine as what appears to be the worst defense in the league for the second year in a row can be.

The Cowboys’ defense appears to be so awful that saying “the Cowboys should be able to contain X” isn’t actually accurate, since it’s entirely possible that they can’t contain anyone.* So, instead, how about this: most teams could probably handle Shonn Green. He is about average. His last two full season, both for the Jets, look about the same. He ran ~1,050 yards and 4.1 yards per carry. He does benefit from what appears to be a solid line in Tennessee. His partner in the running back committee, Dexter McCluster (ironically a former Chief), fits more in the Reggie Bush mold than anything else. He should be good, or at least decent, at running and catching the ball as a wideout, but so far he hasn’t been particularly great at either, though he is adequate at wideout. Finally Bishop Sankey, a second round pick, rounds out the trio. He is explosive, but the most notable thing about him right now are his eyebrows. They are truly outstanding.

Sep 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) throws a pass during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Locker distributed the ball well. No receiver totaled more than 65 yards. But there definitely is potential. The potential star of this week’s game is Justin Hunter is, per ESPN, “widely expected to have a breakout season”, so he should be watched closely. He would have to be watched closely anyway–he’s really fast and the Cowboys’ defense isn’t–but his ability to stretch the field can’t be overlooked. (The Cowboys won’t, but that doesn’t mean anything. He will probably score a long touchdown anyway.)  

I gave a lot of the blame for the Chief’s ten run performance to Alex Smith. Some credit still has to be given to Tennessee. Switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 in the offseason, the defense fired on all cylinders in its win. Credit to Ray Horton, (underrated) defensive coordinator, is due. However, considering Dallas’ talented line, Romo should be under less pressure than Smith. Of course, the former’s problem last week was appalling decision making, not intense pressure. And while the Titans, who were shredded in the preseason, played admirably well last week, they also faced some bizzare play calling from the Chiefs–Jamaal Charles ran seven times for 19 yards. It’s too early to tell if the Titans are really as good as they played or if they lucked out from one-sided play calling from the usually balanced Andy Reid*. I’m inclined to say the Cowboys should be fine against them. Tennessee did have the luxury of extended planning for the season opener, so I’m skeptical they can maintain the polish for a second straight week. And all of this assumes the Cowboys don’t shoot themselves in the foot. Unfortunately, that’s hardly a given.

Prediction:

Cowboys 26–Titans 22

I’m taking a wait-and-see approach. Locker doesn’t have the track record so far for me to expect another good game, and scheme-changes usually show some rust. If the Titans are for real, than you can basically reverse the score I posted above.

*I’ve read a few blog posts, such as this one, commending the Cowboys defense for being less putrid than last year. And it’s true, to an extent. But they also played basically three quarters. 319 yards in 3 quarters and 4 plays sounds less than impressive to me.

**Not a serious characterization.