NFL.com: Anatomy of a play - Marshall's TD

by BoyfromOz on Oct 8, 2009 6:27 AM CDT Comment 12 comments

A pretty detailed video breakdown with pre-snap audio of the Bronco's - encapsulates some of the problems we are having on D. Pretty painful but informative - worth watching.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d81339d3c&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

I would have put this is in Fanshots but nobody seems to read those. Painful to watch but I think it captures a number of the issues we have with the D this year so far:

> Open field tackling is still crap - they just seem to get in each other's way. And Hamlin - what the heck was that!

> It shows clearly that from the personnel and position on the field the Bronco's knew exactly what coverage we were playing, well prior to the snap

> T-New has been pushing to play more man - I am not sure its his best option (although is Marshall really allowed to grab and pull like that? surely that is holding?)

> D-Ware looks indecisive. He pulls 3 moves (and the ball is gone) before he even engages with the tackle. Looks to me that he is thinking too much, he just needs to fly and hit one decisive move.

> The front-line do hustle - everyone saw Ratliff but Igor and D-Ware were down there too - from the other side of the field.

Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.

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Hamlin...

…is a total joke now.

The 2009 Dallas Cowboys: Talk to me in December.
The NFC East has won 11 Super Bowls; oddly none of those have come courtesy of the Eagles.

by gee-roj on Oct 8, 2009 7:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

was that james

that first got blocked by the tight end
then instead of containing he goes for the tackle … and instead of tackling he basically blocks newman

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by fuji1232 on Oct 8, 2009 2:03 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know what else to say. So disappointing. At this rate, we might not HAVE to offer the guy a mega contract. He’s certainly not playing like someone who deserves one. I know, the guy’s supposed to be infallible, but damn. He’s done next to nothing so far, coming off a 20 sack season. He’s supposed to be the guy who makes the defense go. Now he’s just a guy…

It really is a shame though. Jerry’s going to pay the guy a grotesque amount of money, despite the fact that he hasn’t even begun to earn it this year. It’s another very serious problem with the team. Guys like Hamlin, T New, etc. all get massive contracts because Jerry really likes ‘em, despite the fact that they’re grossly overpaid and haven’t proven they can play to the level they’re being paid to. Never thought D Ware would be one of those guys, but lo’ and behold…

Epic Fail since 1985

by the red scare on Oct 8, 2009 4:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

you're talking about 4 games

when the guys coming off back to back great, MVP caliber years. Even when hes “playing poorly”, he still gets a couple pressures in denver and forces a fumble. Any team in this league would be glad to take him off our hands and pay him a ton of money.

If Ware gets paid, it won’t include the first 4 games obviously.

Hes not playing his best ball right now, but hopefully the team keeps some perspective as opposed to paying players for what they’ve done in the last 4 games. If they were like you for example, they would decide the guy who many consider the best defensive player in the league the last two years is not worth the money.

Likewise, Newman was not one of those guys. He had played great ball for years – newman in 2005-6 gave up like 2 tds in 20+ games or more. The guy was a shutdown corner for a decent period of time. Same with Romo and Flo. You’re talking about guys who performed very well at key positions. They need to be paid.

Hamlin on the other hand…jerry was way too quick to pull the trigger. Maybe too quick to give a guy he wasn’t sure could be a full time starter big money with MBIII.

by foyesboys on Oct 8, 2009 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, that's just what I'm saying

Jerry has a bad habit of paying guys for what they’ve done in the past, as opposed to what they’ve done for him lately.

And I’m sure Ware can get back to his dominating ways. He’s an absolute freak. I’m simply saying he’s not been the same player after the first quarter of this season. Plenty of time to turn it around. I have faith.

And to be fair, I love T-New, I just question how prudent it was to give him a massive contract at his age, when he wasn’t ever really considered an “elite” corner(which isn’t exactly fair). He’s a great player, and most Cowboys fans who actually know what they’re talking about would agree, but I strongly doubt anybody else would have paid him quite so much. While he’s good, I’m just not sure he’s worth the price tag.

Epic Fail since 1985

by the red scare on Oct 8, 2009 7:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

In NFL History, no player has ever posted back-to-back 20 sack seasons

In fact, no player has ever done it twice through their entire careers.

Only 7 players have recorded 20+ sacks in (since they started tracking the stat) – and none were able to do it twice in their careers.
Gastineau came close: 22 then 19 – as did White – 21 then 18.
Strahan went from 22.5 to 9.5.

"Where's Woody? - We need another Darren Woodson

by BoyfromOz on Oct 8, 2009 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm well aware of the statistical improbability of Ware having another season like '08

I’m also aware nobody has had 20 or more sacks twice in their career.

I’m simply saying I expect Ware to produce at a high level every year. High double digit sack count, several forced fumbles, etc. in order to be worth the money Jerry’s likely about to pay him. He’s not looking like that player right now, even though it is early in the season.

Epic Fail since 1985

by the red scare on Oct 8, 2009 7:39 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Any chance that Ware is still feeling that neck injury from the Tampa Bay game? Something is wrong with him

Lifetime Cowboys Fan from the Swamps of Jersey

by Seanrude on Oct 9, 2009 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hadn't even considered that

Perhaps he is slowed down by injury. Whatever the case, he doesn’t look like the player he’s been in previous years.

Epic Fail since 1985

by the red scare on Oct 9, 2009 7:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

There was an interesting pre-season article

Where Ware was talking about refining and incorporating new moves – and Wade was saying he needed to focus on a few and execute those effectively.

This is where I think Wade needs to be stronger. Rather than voicing “an opinion” – which Ware has chosen to ignore – Wade should have told him that the new moves will actually detract from his performance and instructed him to refine a more limited set.

Right now it looks like Ware needs that guidance – he is thinking way too much – and thus playing way too slow. Its taking away from his primary strength – his phenomenal quickness/speed.

Ware is a much more complete player (e.g. compared to Merriman) in large measure because Bill wouldn’t allow him to just be a one-dimensional pass-rusher. Wade needs to be dictatorial on these issues.

"Where's Woody? - We need another Darren Woodson

by BoyfromOz on Oct 8, 2009 8:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

standard play and the defensive call was appropriate...

Marshall just fought for the position and the ball and then a slew of missed tackles followed.
Everyone played their position. Unfortunately the were all spectators of the Marshall show.
If anything – this is an endictment on TNew. He got outplayed.
There is a reason why he is not considered top tier talent.

They challenged TNew and called him out on that play. He wasn’t good enough to stop it.

by rotovibe on Oct 10, 2009 3:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs