We’ve Got Some All-Too-Familiar Answers
By Matt Cordon (kh). Filed in Questions Waiting for Answers |
I can’t call anything on this four-month-old blog a tradition, but if I’m going to provide 17 weeks of questions, I probably need 17 answers as well. This coming a day after I’m accused of being a fair weather, bandwagon fan. Should have told me that when I was watching every single one of Dave Campo’s games…
(1) Can the Cowboys’ generate a pass rush without all-out blitzes? The answer before the injury to Ellis was generally yes. The answer lately has been that we like to give the opposing quarterback a pocket about 15 yards in diameter on each passing play.
DeMarcus Ware had three sacks, and the defensive line was causing some problems in the first half. That all seemed to disappear once Terence Newman muffed a punt return at the end of the first half. I could look up statistics and the full play-by-play… but why do that?
(2) Can we avoid coverage problems with Roy in the game? Have to think that the coverage problems are a result of lack of a quality free safety, but Williams has not been effective in coverage all year.
Williams should have had an interception return for a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but a Newman penalty negated it. But were there other coverage problems? Hmmm… hey Mr. Zimmer! Mike Furrey is an eligible receiver! Put someone on him?
Anyway, Jon Kitna went 28 of 42 for 306 yards and four touchdowns. And to add insult to… well, just a lot of insults, it is apparent not only to us bloggers and casual fans that, hey, it might be the scheme. Mr. Luska:
Detroit receivers Roy Williams and Mike Furrey all but chuckled aloud over the simplicity of the Cowboys secondary coverage. Further, how easy it was to get loose against a pass defense that never varied its scheme. They just repeated the patterns of three previous Cowboys opponents because, well, the Cowboys still hadn’t adjusted.
Um… wondering aloud if the Cowboys are adjusting as I write this.
(3) Have the Cowboys found any answers to their coverage problems? Anthony Henry looks like he is playing hurt, given how slow he seemed to run on his interception return in the first quarter against the Eagles (and I’m not the only one who has commented on that). Terence Newman became vocal after last week’s loss, and that may be a good thing. However, teams are having success even though they never throw in his direction.
Not quite sure why I had to ask this twice, but Henry was burned on a third-and-10 play from the Lions 39 in the fourth quarter that went for 24 yards when the Cowboys were ahead 31-30. Three plays later, Newman was burned by Mike Williams on what turned out to be the game winner.
(4) Can the Cowboys regain its running game? Julius Jones has his 1,000 yards, but he hasn’t been consistent. That said, Detroit has given up 130.1 yards per game on the ground and has allowed 11 runs of 20 yards or more. By comparison, Dallas has given up five runs of 20+ yards. If the Cowboys can’t run against the Lions, I’m not sure who they can run against in the playoffs.
Julius Jones and Marion Barber combined for 42 yards on 17 carries. Add in last week’s rushing totals (41 yards on 16 carries) and, well, pedestrian doesn’t quite capture it.
(5) Can the line give Romo a little bit more time? Dallas still has not figured out what to do when teams rush right up the gut. New Orleans established a blueprint whereby the defense contains Romo to the outside while getting pressure up the middle. The Cowboys are still searching for an answer to this.
Romo had a bit more time, and he was able to buy himself a couple of seconds by moving around the pocket. The problems came when Romo moved around with one hand on the ball, leading in large part to four fumbles, two of which were very costly.
(6) Will special teams be an issue? They haven’t been lately, except for the late field goal to beat the Giants.
In the first quarter alone, Eddie Drummond had punt returns of 40 and 32 yards. Terence Newman’s fumble on a punt return at the end of the first half led to a Lions touchdown, but Newman made some of it up with a punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Dallas defense promptly gave up a 13 play, 64 yard drive that led to a field goal.
Matt Mosley on the problems with Drummonds’ punt returns:
And if you’re wondering why Ed Drummond was lighting up the Cowboys, Ryan Fowler told me the Lions’ punt return unit did a great job of setting up a backside wall for Drummond to turn the corner on his 40-yard return early in the first quarter. On his 32-yard return later in the quarter, Fowler said the unit got too conservative and allowed Drummond to escape up the middle. “Hey, this guy has been one of the best in the league,” Fowler said. …
(7) Prediction: Dallas 27, Detroit 10. I wasn’t going to give a prediction, but I have every week this season. Had I been correct, Dallas would be 15-1 after this week.
Why do I give predictions, anyway? I’ll ask my four-year-old daughter what she thinks for the playoffs.
