Ok Cowboys nation, we’ve had a few days to come down off
the high of beating a terrible 49ers team. Don’t get me wrong the Cowboys
needed a win last Sunday and it didn’t matter who it was against. What gets me,
is the overreaction to the win. Before beating the 49ers the Cowboys had a
struggling defense, the offensive line wasn’t looking good, and Zeke had taken
a step back. After the win against the 49ers, the Cowboys have soared in power
rankings, has the best offensive line in football, and the defense is now a
work in progress; what a difference one game makes.
The Dallas Cowboys have been inconsistent in this 2017
season. After six games, the offensive line appears to have gelled. I like
Cooper at left guard over Chaz Green, because that is Cooper’s natural position
and he is powerful player. This defense is and will continue to be a work in
progress. Marinelli has his hands full with personnel rotations and secondary
packages. I would love to see him run more man defense and allow these young playmakers
to play. Bryon Jones is a playmaker; he should be able to play in the robber
zone sometimes, so that he can get his hands on some passes over the middle. I
don’t think they use Jones properly. My point is nothing has changed about
where this team was to start the season.
Dak and Dez still have to find a rhythm; Dez catching
some contested passes would really help speed up this process. Scott Linehan
still has to figure out ways to feature Beasly and get Switzer involved. The
run game will continue to get better as they settle in on a starting five unit
upfront. I hope they stick with Cooper at left guard! Its week six and Jeff
Heath is still starting at strong safety. I know they won, but beating a
terrible team doesn’t all of a sudden make everything right. I didin’t feel
like the season was over going into the bye, but not much else has changed
about the feeling of this team. They do have an excellent opportunity to gain
some momentum on Sunday versus the Redskins. Here is how I think the Cowboys
will beat the Redskins.
Test Norman Ribs!!!!!!
I hate forcing Dez Bryant the ball but if the other team
is going to disrespect him by putting a 70% Josh Norman on him, then you must
attack. Dez is one of the most physical receivers in the game. Yes, cornerbacks
have been holding him in check but it isn’t without getting a few bumps and
bruises in the process.
Norman likes to play Dez because he is able to put his
hands on him. That’s going to be awfully hard to do with bad ribs. It’s hard to
breathe when you have broken ribs, let alone fight with a 225 lbs wide receiver
for 60 mins. If Norman is going to play, get Dez the ball short and make Norman
come up to tackle him. Get Zeke the ball on the edge and see if Norman is
willing to come up and make a tackle in space. I understand Norman is one of
the best cornerbacks in the league. If he can’t cover Dez, or come up in run
support against Zeke, the Redskins can’t stack the box and play the run.
Find Jason Witten
The Redskins have a hard time defending tight ends. Zach
Eartz has killed them twice, Gerald Everett had over 90 yards receiving against
them. Travis Kelec torched this team. Witten isn’t the player he once was, but
he still gets open. If the Redskins don’t want to cover him, then throw him the
ball. The Skins will have their hands full with stopping the run, and that may
leave one on one opportunities for Witten. Outside of Zack Brown, I don’t see
anyone else taking Witten away (Norman will be on Dez). Get Witten involved and
force the defense to stop him.
Attack DJ Swearinger!!!!!
That dude is a liability in coverage! I like Swearinger’s
toughness, and he is a solid tackler, but he can’t cover. He fell for two
double moves in that game against Philly last week, and was late rotating a number
of times. I expect Swearinger to play close to the line for run support but
when he is in coverage throw at him.
Double A Gap blitzes
Kirk Cousin’s has struggled with making adjustments to
combat the double A Gap blitz his entire career. It’s easy to speed up Cousin’s
clock because he wants to throw the ball short. He is a timing quarterback and
those blitzes disrupt his timing thus forcing him to make bad throws, or throws
that are short of the first down.
This is an important key because the Cowboys don’t blitz much.
When they do it’s usually off the edge with a defensive back. I love the theory
of pressing Cousin’s even it’s from the outside. Occasionally that pressure
should come right up the gut. Show two linebackers in the A Gaps and bring both
of them.
Another reason to blitz Cousin’s is because his offensive
line is banged up. Trent Williams is playing with a torn ligament in his knee,
Morgan Moses has two bad ankles, and Brandon Scheiff is playing with a torn ligament
in his knee. Blitzing in the A Gaps will create one on one situation with the
Cowboys edge rushers. I like their chances to beat Moses with bad ankles and
Williams with a bad knee. The Reskins don’t run the ball great so play the run
in rout to the quarterback.
Press and Play man!!!
Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis are two good, young
cornerbacks. No, I don’t think they’re shutdown corners but they are great
athletes. The Redskins don’t have great wide receivers. Terrelle Pryor has been
terrible this season. Josh Doctson can’t seem to win over the coach or the
trust from his quarterback. Let the young defensive backs press these guys and
make life difficult for them. Will they get beat, yes. They will also be in
great position to make plays on those short timing routes that Cousin loves to
throw. They can also get tip some passes up in the air and allow other defenders
to pick off them off. Only good things will come from pressing these receivers.
If the Cowboys sit back in that soft zone, Cousins will pick them apart and get
into a rhythm. We saw him throw for 400 yards in that second game last season.
He had two good wide receivers then. The Cowboys can’t afford to let Cousins
get going. Disrupt the timing of the routes and make these wide receivers work.
Chris Thompson leads the Skins in rushing and receiving. The
focus should be on stopping him, but the Redskins see this struggling defense and
think they can get right. Thompson will get his; he is that good a player. The Cowboys
have to limit Davis and let Jones play on Reed. Jones does a great job against
Jordan Reed.
On offense stick with the run, get Beasley involved, and
allow Dak to make plays. He showed last week that he will throw into tight windows;
he just needs his receivers to start making more of those catches. Dak will be
the difference in this game. He can do all the same things Wentz did against
the Skins last week. I’m taking the Cowboys 24-17.
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