Red Zone Play Leaves Dallas Red-Faced. Oakland Wins 19-13

I agree Rafeal, Cortez was one of the very few bright spots. Bledsoe still looked good and has been way more then expected.

But I still think something needs to be done with Mike Zimmer. He has the personell now and cant perform. We need to blitz alot more. Watching Jim Johnson’s defense makes me drool. We need a swarming D like that. I dont know if they run a 3-4 or 4-3, but we need blitzes like that. I always thought the guy was okay, but now Im questioning him ability to run a 34.

We still could have won the game, we didnt deserve it but we should have won. But that wont last against a good team like Philly or Atlanta. Or even the Giants with the way their playing.

Uh, Lou,

I was making the point that he doesn’t have the personnel. You can only do what your talent allows you to, and if you’re working with half a linebacking corps, and your scheme is linebackers dependent, I’m not going to throw you out because those linebackers suck.

And why burn him over this? The Cowboys had half a secondary last year, half a defensive line and two thirds of a linebacking corps. I like the line now and they’ve given themselves three quarters of a secondary, plus a decent nickel back.

Why kill Zimmer over the fact that Dallas couldn’t plug all of their many holes in one offseason?

Good report Raph,

Marion Barber is NOT the answer to spell JJ. His disasterous running ALONG the line of Scrimmage instead of making a plunge for the 1.5 yards that Dallas needid had Parcells screaming at him on the sidelines. Seriously, F**K him! That was a high school play. You need a plunge for a First, then you PLUNGE you IDIOT!!.

Yes our Heart – NT and inside backers – looks weak. Letting a second tier RB LIKE Jordan beat us is embarassing. Once again – La Roi Glover is being WASTED at NT. He is undersized and will burn out. Dat had some good Passes Defended, but yes, Bradie is a ST player and a Back Up.

Flozell And LA!!!! You broke my heart today. To let a washed up DT like Sapp beat you on the regular …LA ? I don’t know what to say. Flozell got pancaked on that first attempt near the GL at the end of the game and I think Parcells lost confidence in the short yardage running game.

Bledsoe’s throw to TGlenn was in the air for at least 65 -70 yards. He threw that at the 12 and TGlenn caught it at the Raiders 38. He is NOT the weak link on this offense. The OLine play Sucked today. Shame on LA, Flozell, Petitti, Rivera, Gurode/Johnson.

Can we stop pretending that Ellis is succeeding in the 3/4? Start Canty already. Ellis is putting the soft into a two year olds pillow. BS game.

Raiders tried so hard to give it to us, but no, we wanted to be 2/2 facing the eagles next week. B******T!!!!!!!!

What is with our running game or lack of running game. It seems to me that everytime we hand the ball off someone is waiting right there to tackle JJ. Or everytime we try to make a running hole the defense blows up our blockers and plugs the hole. How much of this is JJ’s fault cause it seems is is a little slow to start his runs and how much of it is just our line not blocking?

If the inside linebackers are having so much trouble then maybe they should play more 4-3 defense.

My observations:

Drew looked good. Considering he had no running support and lots of pressure, he was tough and made good decisions. He had almost won the game despite the lack of line and running support.

JJ, Was he hurt? Most of the time the Raiders did a good job of stopping the run but when there was a hole JJ was late. I saw him favor the groin once during the game.

The D looked good. The O needs to score more points. Ware had some “bone-head” penalties, but he is a rookie and out there giving 100%. I’ll give him a break for now.

Some of the so-called experts said in the past that Moss was the fastest man in pads. If so, why did he get run down by Newman from behind on the Raiders first big pass play. This was the main reason they were stopped to 3 points on the drive.

Pick up the Blitz!!!

The Raiders are better than their record.

We need to at least split the next two games.

If Dallas can be 4 and 4 halfway they’ll be ok.

Go Boys!

that groin he favored was in the 3rd Quarter……when we BP sent in Barber……and Marion makes a rookie mistake by running down the line of scrimmage on a 2nd and 1. Too bad……I think JJ could have got it on 2nd but Raiders were ready on 3rd. One bad thing if JJ is hurt…….he aint ever going to admit til the xray 3 days later………LOL. Big Bad Bill has him trained in that regard.

Drew Bledsoe was not a major problem…..he held on a bit too long some……he also missed on that throw to KJ and Glenn at the end……neither pass play would have been my choice…….but hey I am sunday night quarterbacking……….I am not sure how much any qb would have done with as much pressure as our line allowed. Right up the gut too. Disappointing loss, but honestly we were outplayed at the line of scrimmage……..and as Rafael points out in the middle of our defense.

Glover and Ellis are still key players. Canty is a beast……and is only going to get better and stronger………..Ware still has a lot to learn…..but he will get there…………for my 2 cents………we got the cap space………what our options in FA next year for some 3-4 LBs? I ain’t against drafting one also……..but I sure would like to have an experienced player in that 4 some also.

If we lack the personnel would a 4-3 bring a better run stuff…….I don’t know about pass rush……but maybe we need a 4 man front on the 1 or 2 down when we expect run.

We were all worried about Randy Randy Randy…….and the just Ran Ran Ran all over us. That run stuffing defense looked like it was full of holes.

Well………I say it was our offensive line. Some penalties……..lots on both sides. And just flat play. We play like this next week and the Eagles will put 40+ points in Texas Stadium again. We gotta get better! We gotta win next week too. Redskins, Giants and Eagles all won today! Skins 3-0. Stupid Kickers! ………..Chiefs had em beat but decided to quit playing in the 2nd Half. Oh well……….

Good analysis. I have been on Bradie James for awhile now. Sometimes, I feel like my posts have just been blasts about him, and I get tired of writing them. I don’t hate him as a human being, but I have just never seen him make an impact play in 3 years. While Dat and Singleton are outmanned, but game, James is just in over his head. He needs to get back to ST, if that.

Before anyone here decides Fujita is the answer, remember that he and Pile came from KC, which has sucked for years on D. Fujita and Pile were the KC leftovers, swept away this year by others, so they are probably not going to be the answer, either. That said, this year they may be the best available. This D is still at least a year away, it is becoming apparent. Their personnel is just not good enough to stop Oakland from getting a 1st down when they need to do so and get the ball back.

I’m not ready to jump off a bridge, but the losses were both pretty disappointing, for different reasons. This is a mediocre team right now; there are no two ways about it. If they do not improve considerably, 8-8 is about right.

jj up the middle over and over again into sapp and washington, never used speed to the outside somethings wrong.
Can A Thompson pick up a blitz? I trade it over special teams play right now.
Growing Pains

Rafael: I’ll give you your analysis on the Defense & Offense; I saw it with a bunch of other Cowboy fans on a HUGE screen in a Sports bar, and you’ve got a good eye.

But, the fact is, the 2005 Dallas Cowboys could be, right now, very easily either 0-4 or 4-0; and as a result, 2-2 is probably just right.

They are not a Super Bowl team, as everyone was HOPING, right after they beat the Chargers. They are an “okay” team, getting better, but an “okay” team with a “caretaker” QB, and one that is getting old at Receiver, and one that is about 2 “pieces” away on the OL, and about 2 LB’s and a FS away on Defense; those are the facts.

That, and the fact that Bill Parcell’s influence, on Sean Payton, on the play calling, is just abysmal, as usual.

If I see another 6 yard pattern run, when they need to pick up 7 yards, or another 2 yard pattern, when they need 3 yards, I’m going to scream.

Even IF Glenn catches that last pass from Bledsoe, he’s a yard short of the first/TD, and would’ve been tackled immediately.

The illegal motion agains Keyshawn, is, by the way, the second time he’s done that this year, and he should know better!

But, as always, the asinine playcalling, is what doomed even this mediocre effort, as it did against the Redskins.

It’s a shame, they needed this victory, as they did the one against the Skins, because with the Eagles and Giants, playing quite well, it’s going to be a long season.

i think Bradie James is a lost cause. I would sit him…….Move Burnett to the inside…….and put Shanle or Fowler and Fujita in rotation at OLB with Ware. I never see James make tackles.

Dat missed a great INT today……..could have made a difference. Even though Coakley was small………HE TACKLED!!!!!! He had a sense for the ball. I don’t ever see Bradie James in on anything except standing next to the pile after Roy or some other secondary guy makes the tackle. He should not be allowed to even wear the number 56! Nothing personal……i just knew this guy was going to have to step up this year and he has not! I think Rafael mentioned in a thread preseason also.

Oh well……all is not lost 2-2 when we could be 4-0 is a big disappointment. This does not get easier as we go along. Two games against NYG and two against Philly. We got a long way to go if we want to be in the playoffs.

Looking back maybe we should have signed Boulware. We are too young or too small or too slow at Linebacker. Too inexperienced. I say scrap James…….and stick in Burnett…….lets find out if that kid can play.

Roger Craig did a game time analysis……and he is right on about one thing. Dallas does not decide to show up until the 4th Quarter………hey I say the Two TDs in Dallas to DC was a fluke. Dallas looks slow and out of Rythym in the first 2 quaters of every other ballgame. San Diego looked atrocious til the 2nd Half. Penalties GOTTA STOP!!! Both sides of the ball. Someone pointed out way too many runs up the middle………I agree Thompson and Jones both have outside speed……..time to use it. Tony Dorsett made a living taking the ball outside and down the sidelines. We finally got a couple of RBs with some serious speed and we are running striaight up the gut? Pitch left…….Pitch right………..ole Barry Switzer says run the OPTION DREW………option left then fool em and option right…….they never see that one coming! Drew run the option!
Lol. OK no options……..but a pitch left or right or toss or something……..

A Thomas might be a better blocker than Barber or Thompson……..uh we had a kid named Reshard Lee that sure looked like a RB but couldn’t block……so we cut him………..Marion and Tyson pay attention!

Arrrrggghhhh! This irritates me more than the Redskin loss! Sorry for posting again!

Play-calling: number one issue; it’s Payton/Parcells both; this is the direct reason for both the Skins and Raiders losses; it’s abysmal.

You can’t run, ALL day, against the Raiders line; so, on 2nd and 2, what do you do?? Run, of course!

Where’s the fade to Keyshawn? Where’s Witten?

For 3 and 1/2 quarters, they ignored T. Glenn; and only threw to him, when the game was desperate.

What’s up with the pass patterns that are always run, 2 yards short of the down marker.

Madden said it best on MNF against the Skins: You might be able to throw a 4yd pass on 3rd & 5, but you sure can’t do it on 4th down! Which they did, by the way!

I wonder how many of Emmitt’s yards, all 18,000+ of them, were picked up without a FB?

That was a problem against the Skins, dang near killed us against the 49ers; at least now he’s active; but they’re not using him!

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb loss!! Dumb!

As poorly as the OL played, as stupid as some of the mistakes made, were, like Keyshawn’s penalty; it’s the playcalling that doomed us against both the Skins and Raiders, and that’s Parcells and Payton’s fault.

I’m with the folks pointing out what I think is obvious: if we don’t have the LB’s this year, but we have plenty of solid DL, then why don’t we play a base 4-3?? There would be the added advantage of playing to our D-Coordinator’s experience: Zimmer has put together a top-ranked 4-3 defense: I don’t think he has much of a clue on how to assemble a good, much less great, 3-4 scheme. We have the talent to make the playoffs as a 4-3 team. We probably don’t as a 3-4 team. Other than Bill’s pride, should there even be a debate?

Dan and Mondana,

You don’t play 4-3 because the decision was made to go 3-4 in the offseason.

— all the linemen and LBs drafted are for the 3-4, and they’re good;
— every minute of the offseason, preseasona and season has been in 3-4;
— I’m assuming everything they do next offseason is with the 3-4 in mind;

You don’t rip it up and start over again. That will make it WORSE. What’s more, if you’re going to do this again next year, why stunt the learning curve? Singleton and James may be busts in this scheme, but how is Demarcus Ware going to improve as a 3-4 OLB if you shut it down? That’s what he is and that’s what he’s going to be. He’s not a 4-3 end or OLB. Marcus Spears and Canty were drafted to play DE in 3-4. How are they gonna get better if you shift schemes on them?

These are the growing pains everyone predicted. Some of these guys won’t be here next year, or be around as starters. But you have to stay committed and make everybody who will be long term contributors better.

Really now, did anybody think this was a Super Bowl team? Most people predicted growing pains for this team. They’re here.

Oh and one more thing: if you go 4-3, you STILL don’t have linebackers who can play it. Dat can play in the middle. but then you’ve got to sit Ware because Burnett is better OLB in a 4-3 than him. Then you start the questions of “why did you draft Ware to be a situational rusher?”

You didn’t. You just can’t overhaul a defense with that many holes in one offseason.

I heard a little bit of BP’s press conference and he did admit that on the last play to Glenn that Witten was open on the other side. BP said that as soon as the ball was snapped, Bledsoe decided to go to his right. I watched the play again and Jason was at the two yard line with no one within 5 yards of him. Had Bledsoe taken a half a second to look (he had time) Witten coulda scored. Brad Sham on the radio said that Witten was so furious that he didn’t bother to shake hands with anybody after the final gun and was the first to just run into the locker room. You figure that in a game like this where the WRs seemed to be blanketed that the TE (be it Witten or Campbell) would be open between the hash marks. Bledsoe should’ve gone into that well until the Raiders show that they could stop it. But I digress. This loss is a team effort. Everything from missed assignments to penalties to lack of urgency,etc. The Cowboys cannot keep this up and expect to compete in the NFC East. It seems that all the teams in the division have improved which makes it tougher for us to try to make the playoffs with a subpar season. I keep hoping that they make improvements despite the overall inexperience of the club but it’s gotta give Parcells constant heartburn that along with rookie mistakes he is seeing his veterans commit egregious mental and physical errors.

Back to the draft question. At QB if Brady Quinn, a JR at Notre Dame, is looking like the real deal. He can move, he has size, he can make all the throws, and is a very smart QB. If he does come out he seems like a good choice for a mid first rounder. Other possibilities would be Drew Stanton, maybe Marcus Vick although I am not a fan of that type of QB.

I figure that Fujita will become a good player on the outside. Inside Burnette should be the next Dat, and Dat could be around for a couple of years so the Lb position could be settled.

As far as DE we seem to be strong at for a really long time. DT, however, I could see being used as a first rounder. Someone like Ngata, a big 6’5", 345 Jr out of Oregon, who could be rotated in with Ferguson.

FS could be a solid 2nd round pick. A big ball hawking corner who would be willing to switch. Or just draft a regular Fs.

FB is a must getting a guy like we had in Darryl Johnson would really, really benefit JJ.

Wr, I think that Crayton will be strating and that the logical choice would be to get a Big play receiver wether it be through the draft or FA.

Last year the focus was on big D-linemen, this years draft picks will consist of plenty of young O-linemen, Flo should go, to many mental mistakes. Our G’s are getting old so i could see projects like Pettiti drafted in the later rounds in hopes of finding a gem.

Matt,

When you have holes in your starting 22, you draft to fill them. Dallas has holes in it’s starting 22, and they don’t have one at QB right now, as far as I can see. They’ve got some in other places, like SOLB, SILB and FS.

My impressions:

I’m starting to have doubts about JJ. Obviously something’s wrong. It could be the coaches are scheming away his strengths, as some have suggested, but I have seen little of the shiftiness that we saw last year. 3.5 ypc after 4 games is not good. Don’t mean to be overly negative but the question must be asked. Where are the attributes we saw last fall to make him think he was the long – term answer at RB?

I agree that Bledsoe works best when balanced with a good running attack. If teams stop respecting the running game Bledsoe and the passing game will suffer.

I also agree with others’ posts that the interior D has problems. I still have faith, though, in the rotating DL. I think they can compensate for weak LBs, to some extent. And the fact that little was heard from Raider WRs after the initial Moss reception means that the secondary played well. The issue with LaMont is that the Cowoys can’t stack up against a power RB with only 7 in the box, as we saw today. Which goes back to a weak LB corp. Throughout the season they’ll do better against speed backs (Tomlinson) and struggle against power backs (Jordan).

The up/down nature of the first four games is definitely symptomatic of a growing team. The good news is 2-1 on a difficult 3-game road trip to start the year. Even if they lose the next 2 weeks against Phila and NYG they can take the following 2 and reach the bye at 4-4. With an easier 2nd half schedule, I believe one win in the next 2 weeks means the Boys could still reach 10-6. The key will be more production from the running game, which will make everything easier, including defensive troubles.

Like I said last week, the Wash loss in week 2 will come back to haunt this team.

One more thought: it seems like we still haven’t seen all 22 guys show up at the same time for a full game. We get bursts here and there, good offense, playmaking D, for a quarter or two. But this team has yet to play a complete game.

Len,

You are right about the whole team showing up time. For the most part, the the majority of the team shows up Sunday. But it seems that there is a lot of incosistency in our secondary and with our DT & ILBs. In the Skins game, it was Roy and A.Glenn that screwed up. In the 49ers game, it was Davis and Henry. This, some untimely penalties and some bad play calling have cost us the 2 losses. With regards to the play calling, I would have thought Payton would have learned his lesson from the Skins game. The Boys were in another 3rd and 5 and they passed both times. I would have taken my chances on 3rd to at least take a run w/JJ and attempt to least bring the ball the 2 yard line. At least with 4th and 2(goal), the team could have planned a play like a lot of teams do when they want to make a 2 pt conversion. I was really dissappointed with the last 2 plays called. I am hoping the Boys can over come these growing pains as soon as possible.

Rafael, I suppose you’re right about not switching schemes at the drop of a hat. I was hoping that Ware would be able to play OLB in a 4-3 scheme. He’s certainly fast and athletic enough. We could still use the 3-4 on passing downs, but it seems like the 4-3 is a better way to shut down the run. I was under the impression that we would have the capability to play both schemes this year, depending on needs.

You make sense, though. We have to be realistic about this year. And we have to keep things as simple as possible for our rookies.

If we stayed committed to the 3-4, which I believe we will, then Parcellâ€â"¢s should strongly consider the trade value of Ellis and or Glover. They simply arenâ€â"¢t fits in this defense scheme and with Canty stepping up it gives BP more options.

Also, early returns are we overpaid for Henry, Ferguson and Rivera; especially Ferguson and Rivera as I suspect their skill sets will decline as we make our SB push 2 years from now.

disappointment, not just with the obvious errors that the team makes but the overall lack of focus for the franchise. Dallas Cowboys use to be the Kings of the nfl but now it seems as if they are just happy being ok. I dont get it, I thought when Parcells came here he was going to bring back the domineering, swaggering attitude that Dallas had for 40 years but it seems to be just a middle of the road team.

I dont get it, maybe the team has just quit and we dont know it yet.

I’m actually feeling more hopeful than ever right now. Why, you ask?

We all want the same thing: more Superbowls. We all knew the Cowboys wouldn’t be winning one this year. So it was really all about developing the young talent. And you know what?

Parcells, despite all our worries that he wouldn’t, is sticking with the young talent. Even when they’re messing up and losing. He’s even unapologetic about it in the post-game. So Petitti, TT, Davis, and others had some blown assignments and missed plays yesterday. Sometimes they got just plain outplayed. But they’re learning!

So, yes, I think he’s a poor in-game coach who makes too few personnel adjustments and calls detestable plays. But all in all, good job, Bill. At last we’ve got some talent, and next year is looking brighter by the minute.

Well here we are another disappointing loss. For this one in my eyes Parcels as usual beating up on rookies this was not the problem. Of course missed assignments didnt help but how can you justify being able to complete a 60 yard pass when Oakland knew thats what you needed but all you could do the rest of the game is dink and doink 4 and 5 yard passes.

Rank point#2:
   TEAMS ARE LOOKING FOR JONES!! And we are making it easy for them. Everyone says that coaches arent public with there game plan, but could anyone one this board not script at least 85 percent of the Cowboys plays. How many times can you watch a movie before you know it line for line. We have more weapons than JJ, and right now he cant get it done, they know hes coming.

    The defense held for most of the game but once again we couldnt capitalize on a suspect secondary. AND WHY DO YOU ASK? Because that is not big Bills gameplan. And if hes does get a 3 point lead he sits on it… Just hoping his “ball control” will when the game. Unleash this thing already. We only score over 15 point when we have to. If Philly played that way they would never have made four NFC title games.

DEAR BILL:

I would like to see you hold down the clutch, Give it some gas, Then pop that thing and take off spinning. AND FOR ONCE DONT LOOK BACK!!!

We wouldn’t have to worry about the Red Zone if BP would let his team win. The first two years I thought it was due to lack of talent. Four games into the season I’ve seen enough. He’s so afraid of losing a game he won’t let go of the reigns on this team. His conservative approach is like giving the opposing defense a twelf man. It’s nonsense to keep trying to “keep it close” until the 4th quarter and then open up because we’re behind. We have the offensive talent to just out score teams while the defense gels. For God sake Parcells, let them win one instead of trying to steal one.

Amen.. steelyeyedmissle!!!!

Um, Davis is a necessary evil. Don’t start thinking he’s the long term answer for anything.
If Lousaka Polite is active, i’d like to see more I formation sets where he clears out LBs. If that’s not going to happen, use a TE and activate Price. For crying out loud, Bledsoe had lots of time to pass, but no one was open. Our guys couldn’t break free. Price’s speed would help in this regard, and, Price just being in the game would act in a minor way as a fullback. If he were to spell Keyshawn, the safety would think, “Uh oh. Unusual speed there on the outside, what’s price doing in the game? I better keep an eye on him and not let him get deep.” and the safety is taken out of run support in that way. Then run a misdirection pitch, draw, screen to jones with a TE leading the block on the opposite side of the field.

Crazy idea here:
Trade Glover and a pick to the Chiefs for Derrick Johnson. Trade a pick to the Cardinals for Darryl Blackstock.

Joey2zs,

I like your thinking, but I believe Johnson and Blackstock are both WOLB. Dallas aready has Ware AND Burnett to play there. They need a thumper inside to help us forget Bradie James and/or another big OLB who can manhandle tight ends. Both those guys are probably walking on college campuses as we speak.

After the third game people were saying this offence is good but I didn’t think so. We are a 500 team right now. We are last in the east. NY is playing well and are getting better, Washington is winning and Philly is Philly. We have looked good in one game this year. We could be 4-0 or 3-1 but I think we could be 0-4 easily. We have been behind in every game at some point this year. I asked this question a couple days ago is it JJ or the oline?? Last week we beat a team we should have walked over. How good are we? The next two game are big. We cant go 0-3 in the divion and hope to have a good season.

For several weeks there has been talk of moving Burnett to ILB next year. If Bradie is stinking it up so much, why isn’t Burnett at least practicing there, much less playing there?

Rafael……….while I am not on the bandgwagon for switching to the 4-3 full time. I disagree with your point we are a 3-4 team.

Glover and Ferg have both played both schemes. Ellis is a true 4 man front end. How is it that Canty, Spears or Ware could not play the other end or roatate in at DT for Spears? Ratliff? LB……….Singleton and Dat were starters in the 3 LB corps. So we lost Dexter Coakley…….hmmm lets see…….Burnett looks fine there.

The argument could easily be made we have the personnel to play either. While I agree we drafted for the 3-4 and I am actually liking the pressure it is bringing on the passers. If you don’t stop running up the middle……………..something the RAIDERS did very effectively with a 4 man front……..and Sapp and Washtington in the middle……….are they better than Glover and Ferguson? I think not. Then the 3-4 is as you said going to be a long season.

Demarcus Ware played his entire College career as a DE……ok I think he might have started as a TE but he played in a 4 man front. He is stronger and bigger than Dwight Freeney……….he is fast…..although not as fast as Dwight Freeney……..he is as big as Charles Haley…………While I ain’t for having him off the field as a situational rusher…….I don’t think he would have a hard time learning to be a DE in the 4-3.

Would Lawrence Taylor have been any less effective had he played DE for a 4 man front? I think not. The guy was football player no matter what scheme you put him in. Jason Taylor appears to be fine at either……….

While I agree we need bigger LBs for next year also an FS that can cover. Possibly a WR, KJ maybe old……and so if Glenn but I see those guys still making plays. Bledsoes pass to GLENN was a mistake Witten was open in the End Zone……..Glenn would have been tackled before he scored a TD or got the first down and we would have lost even had the pass been completed……….I blame that on the QB you gotta check down to Witten at the GOAL if that was Ben Coates he would have been looking for him all day. Witten is a serious red zone threat……he is just too good not too use…….he has similar skills to KJ in the red zone except it size and strength…..over smaller safeties or a LB that cannot cover him anyway. And I ain’t for a wholesale change to a 4-3……….I ain’t against using it to stop a guy like Lamont Jordan when we were not able to do it with a 3 man front!

What is frustrating is we are not a good enough team to lose games like Washington and the Raiders and still compete for the playoffs or for the division. Here we sit at 4-0 and we have already had 2 fourth quarter comeback victories……..one failed…..Raiders…….and one successful against us. We got a long way to go. Our rotation seems to be working and we look fresher than the competition in most 4th Quarters. However we still need to get JJ on TRACK………..he has plenty of speed…..teams saw us use him mostly up the middle last year……they are favoring it……..

run a two back set with Thompson and Jones……..both split……almost like a Wing T with no fullback in the middle behind the QB……..JJ left and TT right……..or whatever…….then you have several options……….toss left……..toss right………or pass………TT is fast and maybe a liablity in the backfield as a blocker…..send him out as reciever…….JJ blocks then strolls off for a screen………can you run handoff up the gut………YES…..but can you also toss left or right to two of the fasted guys on your team………the Raiders never had to respect our speed outside……..cuz we never used it………bad play calling up the gut against TW and Warren Fatt………i don’t think Warren would be chasing JJ or TT down from Behind……..and we already saw what a great tackling secondary the Raiders have once you get into it.

Just a thought but our Draws and Traps and runs up the gut ain’t working……..JJ has yet to have a run of more than 14 yards…….and at some point………you gotta ask why not to the outside……….a smart coach that won Two super bowls in Dallas………one said…………SPEED KILLS………….well we finally got some and we ain’t going to use it……….hey Payton and Parcells………that ain’t Troy Hambrick or the 35 year old Emmit Smith……..back there………hey if it were Emmit he would have got us the first down that Barber failed on! USE THE SPEED!!!!!!

I cannot believe we only allowed the raiders 19 and lost. I think Bill will be taking back the playcalling soon if he watches the film. Jerry Jones could have called a better game on offense than that. If you need 6 yards for a first and 7 for a touchdown……..you never never never throw a 5 yard pass! On fourth down? I would have passed on 2nd down………Witten would have been open again with the Raiders looking for RUN RUN RUN!!!!

Rafel
Thanks for keeping FS in top three needs. Our draft status is improving just like the last two years when losses were easier to take.
Two things that still kill me.
1. Bledsoe says he lives for 4th and goal with the game on the line, last week he squezes one into Key for 6 and then another tight throw , which had to be reviewed, for the extra 2. This week another low tight throw to glenn, with little margin for error…seems like they are making it hard on themselves in the red zone…witten, as everybody knows now was wide open.
2. Why run Barber on third and 1, he ran by 4 first downs trying to turn the corner for a big play. Parcells is committed to playing the rookies.

Matt,

I hope Marcus Vick plays his senior year at VT. But I think they will contend for and possibly win the National Title. They have a defense that can stop the USC 2nd half on slaught. Texas could not beat VT! VT is a better all around football team. He is draft eligible. He is not running like Michael……..he is a deadly accurate passer in a mostly run oriented offense. Beamer ball is the college version of Parcells ball…….and Vick at this level is better than Michael was as a passer…….he also has better recievers and he benefitted from his time away.

While I was never a fan of a 6’ QB……..Troy Aikman made the point even at 6’4" he had to look over 6"7" Gogan, Erik Williams others………what difference does it make……….Flutie and Drew Brees look good at 6’ and 5 7"………..Marcus Vick will be an NFL QB and unlike Michael so far……..he will be doing it with passing TDs not rushing. Can he run yes……..does he open up your ability to not have a great offensive line……..yes he does………is he better than any QB in the state of Texas. If he did not smoke the ricky weed he would have shown it last year and started over Bryan Randall.

Well just watch! He is very accurate passer and looks pass first.

Brady Quinn is for real, but he is benefitting from the best offensive play caller in the NFL who is now his head coach. He will be an NFL pick………if healthy the kid at MSU is good too. Leinhart ain’t the only QB coming out that can chuck it. Personally I would go LB first round……QB 2nd if and only if Henson and Romo are for sure both bust……..and then another LB……….our front rotation looks pretty good………we need the meat in the middle and another LB too bookend Ware………

This loss is on the coaches. Play calling was just awful. Rookie Barber to get a needed 1st down? Spears as a blocker on a key run in the final drive? No pressure at all on Collins? All the stupid runs on 1st down for 1 yard and two yards? This team was very predictable…extremely conservative…this is going to burn JJ down and the blame will be on him (unfair).

This loss was not on Bledsoe (at all!!!), nor on JJ or Witten…maybe Davis (back to ST my friend, you cant cover your own shadow)…

Zimmer, Payton and BP are to blame for this one…

Don’t bash JJ to bad. Every game this year he has routinly been met at the line of scrimage by the defense. I say that this game was lost by the O line. Flo getting pancaked, LA making Sapp look like a pro bowler, come on. I feel bad for JJ like I did for Emmitt when it was him vs. the D. Santa please send help, I really believe this team has playoff potential. Note to Bledsoe-start throwing to Whitten.

Jon,

They may have guys who are 4-3 fits, but when you spend ALL your time in the offseason working 3-4, you’re not going to junk it. Parcells isn’t anyway. He won a big tug of war with Jerry to make this philosophical change. There’s no way he backs off now.

And please, nobody is going to stop USC’s second half onslaught, because they won’t need one. Give Pete Carroll a month to prepare for anybody in a New Year’s bowl game and he’ll have them dusted by halftime with his talent. I thought Iowa was the most under- appreciated team two years ago. Carroll crushed them. Did the same to a very good Oklahoma team last year. He’s got the rest of the college field lapped right now.

My opinion on a few things while watching our Cowboys….total lack of urgency till the end of the game,no excitement from the players,coaches have to have an anvil fall on them before they figure something out,subpar playcalling,and the killer……playing a ball control offense way too much!

Auburn not Oklahoma should have played for the Title. Since when does an SEC team go undefeated and not get a shot at the Title? Virginia Tech gave Leinhart and USC all they wanted at FEDEX field last year. That was without Marcus Vick and a bevy of better wide recievers. Go watch the tape they played USC better than anybody else did all that year…….for four quarters!!!!

USC is vulnerable. They have the most talented team in football. I ain’t arguing that point. But nobody is unbeatable in college football. Lets see how they do at South Bend! Give Charlie Weiss time to prepare and even with less talent he is going to make a game out of it!

I ain’t for junking the 3-4. Not at all. But when a team with the great(please not sarcasm) rushing attack of Raiders is running all over you for 8, 9 and 10 yards on first downs? I would have put Ferguson and Glover in the middle…….Ellis and Canty on the ends………and had Dat, Burnett, and whoever else in at LB. Everybody on this team already knows how to play and coach the 4 man front……….why not use it when the 3 man front ain’t stopping the run.

Is our front seven only able to stop the run with Roy in the box? If so we don’t have the front seven that we thought we had. We got a front 8 then.

The defense actually held them to 19 points……….however as you pointed out they won the clock battle and ran all over us. There were a lot of reasons we lost, and I ain’t sure a four man front would have made any difference………you still gotta throw the ball to the open guy in the end zone on 4th down in the 4th quarter when trailing by 6. The play calling would have looked BRILLIANT if Bledsoe throws a TD to WITTEN!!!!

I watched a team that was a 3 man front last year……stuff us up the middle all day with a 4 man front. While I watched that same team run all over our 3-4. We ain’t there yet……….I don’t see Jerry Jones firing Parcells or ditching the philosophical plans if we had used the 4-3 on every first down………where the Raiders Lamont Jordan seemed to have a guarnteed 8 or 9 yard pickup.

I am still fully for the switch…….and see the benefits of both pass rush and the draft of LBs vs DEs. However……….we used both last year………the Patriots use whatever is going to stop their opponent………are we any less coachable? I would have had a 4 man front on first down and seen if that stopped Lamont Jordan. Two deep on Randy and we fail to stop Lamont Jordan. On the other side since when do we have to run between the tackles on every play? Donovan McNabb and Tom Brady smoked the pass defense of the Raiders…….why didn’t we? Tyson Thompson looked pretty good in relief of Jones…..why do we have a committee of rbs out there.

Question for the Cowboys faithful name the running backs that backed up Emmit Smith……….and carried the ball other than Darry Johnston a FB? Hard huh……..well my recollection is DJ got a few carries a game……and then our other RB got a few touches. I don’t recall very many of their names………Chris Warren in the twilight of his career……..Troy “can’t shut up” Hambrick………..and uh……when Emmit was 2 years out of college? Hard…….cuz Emmit got all the touches. Of course he was a stud and the complete back. I don’t see JJ as a liablity in passing downs……and he is a threat in the backfield…….I don’t see a need for Thompson and Barber and all the rookie mistakes. A Train has been pathetic also, but he would not have run sideways at the line on a 2nd and 1………like Barber did! I heard Bill Parcells say A Thomas was a short yardage back, not Marion Barber! Hech just hand it to Marcus Spears why not!

Jon,

On the coachability thing:

When the Pats were making their shift, they had as their linebacking corps:

Willie McGinnest, Ted Johnson, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel.

ALL of these guys had extensive experience in both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts. McGinnest played 4-3 end, a la Charles Haley. Johnson was the MLB when they lost the Super Bowl to the Packers in a 4-3, and had played 3-4 in college. He also played 3-4 in the pros. Bruschi is the smartest guy you’ll find. You could draw up a scheme in the dirt and he would have it mastered in 15 minutes. Vrabel was drafted to be a 4-3 Haley-type end but played a lot in 3-4.

All are veterans. All played extensively in both schemes. All are very smart.

Look at Dallas. Your best LB is a rookie playing 3-4 for the first time. You’ve got NOBODY on the other side who fits 3-4 and who are middling options in a 4-3. Inside, you’ve got Bradie James, who has trouble playing well in any scheme.

So yes, the Pats are more coachable than this group of Cowboys, because this isn’t the groups Parcells really wants. He’s only got about half of that right now.

Emmitt backups:

Curvin Richards; Derrick Lassic, Sherman Williams… (for some reason they liked really little RBs from Alabama.)

Good Job Rafael

Your analysis is right on the money. I have been a Cowboy fan over here in North Carolna for years and have always had great pride in saying so (even when I was stated in DC). But I am getting to the point that I almost feel ashamed to wear my gear and let folk know that I am a Cowboy.

These games are showing us that this team is still undisciplined and unable to do the necessary things to win game. I realized that they pulled two rabbits our of their hats with wins over SD and and Sf but you cannot call yourself a good team win you keep winning lucky.

We as fans deserve a better showing than what we have been getting. The Cowboys have a real good passing game but refuse to use it until it is late in the game and desperate. I heard that Witten was all alone in the end zone on that last drive. How can a Pro Bowl TE get lost after a great year last year.

Well, I’ve vented and i only hope that the score next Sunday is only 48-10 (Philly). Look out for TO and big day.

Is it me or dallas shot them selves in the leg this off season with the free agent signings?they signed palyers for the 3-4,but i was thinking you usually change your schemes to your personnel,and dallas decided to hunt for players to force in the 3-4 system all of that is looking pretty stupid right now!and zimmer is having a horrible year i dont think his mentallity or play calling fits the 3-4,his putting to many players in the box to blitz and nothing gets done allowing other players to look bad like they missed there assignments and such.All i know is that this is not a team thats breaking into the system by making those heart aching mistakes.I just think they forced this system into this personnel that wasn’t ready for it,or should i just say they dont have enough personnel to run the system.This is very foolish if you ask my,and a bad mistake by bill parcells.All he can do for now is stop blitzing so much redeem himself and play more zone to take away the big play,like they did much in 00-01-02 etc those yrs they were ranked high not cause of the personnel,but beacuse of the system that helped them for there lack of playmakers,dallas thought they had some this year,but i just think there deep in all the wrong areas,when instead of depth they should try to solidify all positions,depth comes in time cause those role players you can find them any where,but dallas seem this year add depth through free agency draft and such.Dallas needs to focus on solidifying all positions first,and they need o-linemen bad and then maybe Julius Jones can look like the star that he is,last yr there line despite all the problems they had were still better than this yr,and thats why Julius had that break out second half of the year.Forget all the playmakers you wanna draft as your seeing this year that its the unsung heros that get the real work done most of the time that allows good player to look good,they need an o-line and thats the bottom line,and that should be there highest priority on top of linbackers recievers etc.DALLAS PLEASE GET SOMEBODY ON THAT LINE THAT CAN PROTECT!!!!! CAUSE WITHOUT THOSE GUYS NOTHING HAPPENS ON OFFENSE!!

Ya know it just seems like the Cowboys only play hard when they have to,and by then it’s usually too late!It’s obvious that our young defense is going through growing pains so we have to rely on the offense to score and keep them off the field.We have the recievers and an accurate QB so why not utilize our strengths more?When we open up the offense we score(and win),ball control offense is killing us!(Keyshawn-one catch,Crayton-one catch,JJ-one catch,Glenn two catches) I mean come on!We don’t have a strong enough defense yet to play low scoring ball control!To win this year we need to score!And start early,not wait till the second half to wake up!

That was a bummer on Sunday but the boys have looked better than I expected in the first month. Look for them to beat the Eagles and the Giants in the next couple weeks. Never forget the Parcells factor!!!

Just some observations………we’ve shown we can stop the run(LT,Portis) but why can’t we do it consistantly?We’ve shown we can finally shut down a great reciever(Moss in the second half) but why can’t we do it consistanly?Why are we always flat and stumbling around when we start the game?Why can’t we pass against the 31st ranked (against the pass) defense in the NFL?Hmmm……any thoughts Rafael?

Jakey did you see the Eagles this weekend. They came back from being blown out to beat the KC Chiefs. I hope they scored all of last week and not next. I think we need to hit McNabb early and often. He needs to ride the pine with an injury the rest of the year and decide to go ahead and get that hernia fixed……ouch.

We have been beated by two mediocre football teams Oakland and Washinton. You gotta win those games. Especially considering the NFC East is looking improved. Giants are a scoring machine right now. Philly only loss to Atlanta.

I don’t think all is lost this year. It is just disappointing for the team the fans and the players. At least we have not quit…..I do see us fighting and a few times last year we just gave up. I think we can still be competitive. Youth and inexperience will eventually be youth and experience. Your only a rookie once!

We are going to have to play a full four quaters to beat the Philadelphia Ealges. No mistakes and no stupid penalties. Offsides on offense and defense is unexcusable. We gotta tighten up!

Rafael……..any thoughts on any FA LBs? Can we afford another young and inexperienced LB added to the corp? Fujita is obviously not what I mean.

Because we dont try to pass against a tem ranked 31st. That wouldn’t follow the “ball control” philosophy

And another thing…..why do our players act like they don’t know who they are supposed to block and cover,while the other teams do?Hmm….

WHATS WRONG WITH BP?WE HAVE PRICE AS A FOURTH RECIVER AND IN MY OPINIOPN WE SHOULD HAVE USED HIM IN THE OAKLAND GAME,KNOWING HOW WEAK THEIR SECONDARY IS AND NOT USING A RECIVER OF HIS CALIBER IS A STUPID MOVE.THROWING HIM IN THE GAME WOULD HAVE REALLY CAUGHT THE RAIDERS BY SURPRISE AND COMPLETLEY CHANGED THE WAY THEIR SECONDARY WAS LININIG UP.WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN 3-1 AT THIS POINT.I LIVE IN CALI AND NOW I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THESE BASTARDS OVER HERE.

Jon
You answer your own question JJ is not Emmit so that’s why we need the other two. JJ had three real good games last year out of seven starts. Is the line not as good as it was last year???? What is the problem? I’m not going to say its all on JJ but I’m not going to say its just the Oline either. Is this what JJ is, he will have good game against poor run Ds and just be average at best against other teams? Or is the Oline just not getting it done?

Sharkz
Can we stop the run??? We stopped LT but seeing him now I think SD had something to do with that too. We stopped Portis but he hasn’t done anything this year but we did stop him. I think we can stop the run when its out main objective. Its wasn’t against SF or Oak so that is why they got off like that.

I think we need to realize that unless something miraculous happens – this team is 7-9, 8-8, 9-7, and just out of the playoffs this year. This defense is NOT FINISHED YET. We have one NT and one and a half LB’s that fit this system.

Unless Burnett becomes Johnson/Bruschi and Ware becomes Vrabel/Mcginest we are done in terms of getting anywhere – in the playoffs – this year.

AlanTdot
The D hasn’t cost us any game this year. If we would have lost against SF or SD it would have been because of our D. If we only put up 13 points we are not going to win.

Unable to watch game in Tennessee because we have the loathsome Titans and for some reason the Falcons drubbing of the Vikes was considered entertaining by FOX. However in reading all of the responses I can get a feel for how it went down. Just want to make a few points:

1) We need a FS. Davis cannot cover his shadow
2) Defenses are stacking up against JJ
3) Our defense is new to the 3-4, give it time
4) We are 1 linebacker short
5) Rushing defense is not as bad as you think

Point 1: We have to get someone there that knows their responsibilities. We almost lost the SD game and did lose the Washington game due to mental lapses in coverage
        2: We need to attack teams with the passing game (use Price downfield) to open up the box
        3: Mental lapses and people being out of position will reduce in number with time and reps
        4: Kevin Burnett is the real deal, he needs to be on the field soon
        5: Again I could not watch the game, however I’d bet we had to keep Roy away from the line of scrimmage to help in pass coverage. Roy was able to attack the run in SD because LT was their only threat. Same with Washington and Portis. With Moss and Porter as receivers I’m surprised Jordan didn’t have 200 yards.

Final point: This team is getting better. Team depth is better, Team speed is better, and Team age is going down on defense. don’t know how long it will take, however once everthing clicks this team has a chance to compete for Super Bowls for years (they still need a good backup QB though).

The problem is BP!!! The game has passed him by!!!! The game today is set up for teams to score, not to ball control and play to win with 3 point leads! We can score but they are never turned loose until the situation is desparate. BP knows talent, but unfortunately does not have the nose for the game these days!!! Going to be a long year with our schedule, but go Cowboys!!! Sucks living in Colts country these days!

I hate to say it myself, but I think we need a RB.

We need game plans that will come out from the start and take it to the opponent instead of sitting back and playing it safe.Play to WIN! And stop playing to not get beat!

AW,

yes our D hasn’t lost us a game yet, but it also hasn’t faced any truly threatening offenses. We will see what happens next week. I am not looking forward to that Philthy game.

Our RB is fine, just going through a slump right now. If we beat Philly sunday which is possible, its at home and the Eagles are hurting, they had a good game but they are vunerable, everyone will calm down and realize we knew this was going to happen. The defense hasnt gelled and neither have the coaches to maximize the talent on the field.

Here’s my key’s to winning on Sunday:

5. Activate Price and play him. We know the Eagles got alot of good corners, so we need alot of good WR’s. LETS FINALLY SEE WHAT THE GUY GOT. He was a pro bowler only what 3 years ago?

4. Block for Julius. Get him started. Make them respect the pass a little and give it to JJ on delays and draws.

3. WIN THE FIELD POSITION BATTLE. We wont win if the Eagles constantly are starting at midfield. We’ll get killed.

2. Stop Brian Westbrook. I repeat Stop Brian Westbrook. That means stop the run and stop the screen passes and passes to him. The guy can destroy you.

1. Don’t get down early! We’ve done it every game I think. Let’s try to get the lead before we just run the ball and control the clock. You cant do that down 10.

I dont have contain McNabb because he’s hurt and isnt really scrambling this year. But thats killed us in the past.

The ofense play calling is really bad. BP needs to start throwing to Terry Glenn down field to losing up the defense and stop throwing short passes to K. Johnson.

Doom and gloom, as my old Jewish friend says"its tough to lose". Did we lose bad? No. Last I checked we were 3-1/2 point dogs in this game, and were in the game right to end! My only complaint would be running into 2 pro bowl tackles (Sapp and Washington) over and over again. Yeah, loosen up the play calling a little. However, 2-2 at this point of the season isn’t all bad. Look for continued improvement as the season goes on!

In every game thus far, we’ve been in a position to win up until the final seconds. We’ve NEVER been out of a game- not bad for young team with a new defensive scheme.

Take away EITHER the stupid mistakes OR the bone-head penalties, and we WIN every game thus far- in spite of our CRAPPY CONSERVATIVE OFFENSIVE PLAY-CALLING, which many of us have been complaining about for weeks now… There’s still hope, and I think THIS Cowboys team has some surprises for us still.

And this week’s game against philly is gonna be emotional and intense-

Did ya’ll see Witten at the end of yesterday’s game. These guys KNEW they coulda won that game, and they KNOW they should have beaten the damn skins, everybody does (especially the skins).

They’re still really confident. I think they think they’re a 4-0 team. I hope they do anyway.

At home against the eagles- This is gonna be a good one- A GOOD ONE.

Yeah we’re fine, as long as Sean Payton is replaced with some one who can play call. I say we switch some things up this week though, bench Bradie James and Al Singleton and put in Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle. I trust Shanle more and we need a change at OLB.

Our D will be fine if THEY CAN JUST KEEP EVERYTHING IN FRONT OF THEMSELVES. Lets just focus on not getting beat and tackling good then getting INTS.

I would also propose that the DL packages be changed. I say Canty, Glover, Coleman for one, and Ellis, Fergunson, Spears for the other. Anyone else like this better? Canty is bigger and will get in the backfield and lessen Glovers double teams. Ellis will have a better time rushing with big Fergunson in the middle.

I think we need a RB. I see Jones running into the first defender that makes contact and falling down. The guy doesn’t keep his feet moving like he did last year.

Definitely the calls near the endzone were awful. The Cowboys offense is far too conservative and they don’t always take what the defense gives them. For example, on the 2nd down and 3+ at the 4 yard line, it was obvious that Dallas’ tendencies are to run in that situation, especially after a first down run that was fairly successful, but Oakland knew that, which is why they had nearly nine men in the box. In instances like this, Bledsoe has to audibilize out of it, by calling a play action and really sell it too. It is frustrating how we don’t anticipate effectively what the other team thinks we are going to do.

Also, Julius Jones is lined up too far back in the eye, and their running plays are too slow in developing. They have got to hit the hole a lot quicker. I would start Crayton instead of Glenn, and have Glenn in the slot so he can utilize his speed against either a linebacker or saftey. We really need a big speed receiver as well.

The pass blocking wasn’t that good in this game, as Oakland was getting conistent penitration in the middle of the line, and Bledsoe was having either to back up further, as he doesn’t move side to side very well.

Lastly, why didn’t Bledsoe take a bigger drop on that last pass, as it would likely have given him more time, open some passing lanes for him. That was a pass that should not have been rushed, especially throwing to a small receiver.

Sorry for discursive rant, but I feel better.

Robert

Cann I sue the cowboys for affecting my health cause if they keep playin like this they are going to give me a heart attack or something.

lou,
sounds good, moving Canty.

It’s funny how we bash the Cowboys when they lose. It’s only four games give them a break! We all know they are not a SB team, but give them time and it will get better. So relax, kick up your feet, turn the tv on, and watch our boys start winning!

AlanTdot
Hold up Oak has a good Offence and so does SD. We did a good job with points with Oak and a ok job with SD.

Cash
I don’t know if JJ is the problem or the answer at RB yet. I do know he had a three great games last year but he hasn’t had a good game against a good D yet. But he hasn’t even played in 16 games yet in his career. After this year we should know what he is made of.

Good suggestions, Robert.

hey get this raider crap off the site, this is cowboys site. why are you advertising other teams gear

The lesson for this game is FOCUS,FOCUS,FOCUS. Realistically, the Cowboys are beating themselves. We all saw what happened in the Washington game and now the raiders game. Jj should have been givin that ball four times in a row if necessary and just pounded the ball in the end zone straight up the gut of the stinkin raiders. whats all the fancy stuff about? We only needed two yards to punch it in. CLEARLY the Cowboys should be 4-0 right now in my opinion. If DA BOYS stay focused and play there game, they will be very hard to beat.

One thing I might add is that the play calling for the offense and defense has got to get better fast. On offense, get back to smash mouth type football. You know what we’re going to do, but you cant stop it. that will really deminish a defense, they will be on their heels. And then on defense, the 3-4 D has to be executed at all times and of course keep some blitzing in the mix as well. And again, NO mental errors!! I could have jumped off of a bridge with the play calling in the closing minutes of the raiders game. That was going to be a sweet come back win, but bad play calling killed it.

AW,

Oakland has a very predictable offense, and we played SD without their Lead passing threat AGates. So no, I don’t think we have faced a serious offence yet.

Look for Witten to ruin Phily, down with the eagles down I say!!!!