Newsletter sign-up: 
Get Dallas Cowboys news on your cellTale of the Tape
2:22 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007 | Permalink
E-mail News tips
 |
 |
 
|
|
February 2008
Categories
Movers and Shakers Pre-season Texas Stadium dallasnews.com
Sports Blogs |
So much for the Eagles being a speed bump on the way to home-field advantage. Should’ve known it, too. The only thing really surprising about the whole thing is that the Eagles didn’t cough it up the end, like they have all season. Here’s what we got: Over the course of this year, I’ve lauded Tony Romo for his ability to quickly get rid of the ball in the face of a blitz, by identifying where the rush is coming from and attacking that area. The receivers, too, have been great in finding that hole, sitting down in it, and giving the quarterback a place to go. And that’s why you have to give Jim Johnson, the Eagles DC, all the credit in the world for one thing he did with his blitzing on Sunday. It started with this: Johnson knew that against the Cowboys offensive line, he’d have to play some games to bring heat. So on several occasions, he overloaded one side or another, bringing two extra rushers on that end. He’d then drop the defensive end on the opposite side to cover any checkdown in the flat. Then, things got real interesting. In a lot of these situations, Romo would have a hot read to a receiver in the area vacated by the rush. But Johnson had that covered. He’d rotate his coverage to bring a defender down quickly into the open area, which made Romo hesitate or led to a pass defensed in plenty of spots. It was tougher to do to Jason Witten, who’s so big that he can get body position and catch the ball. But to the slot side, it was effective. And it, at times forced Romo to go deeper into his progressions on what normally is an easy read. Another thing Johnson seemed to do well also related to this. Those defensive linemen and linebackers seemed to be schooled to get their hands up in these blitz situations. So if Romo was going to throw into the blitz, as he does quite a bit, he was going to have find a lane that – with one side or another overloaded – often wasn’t there. The Cowboys did adjust, taking more shots down field against the Eagles. And, in fact, Patrick Crayton’s big 41-yarder in the third quarter was against a five-man rush. But with the secondary they have, the Eagles seemed comfortable taking their chances in not allowing Romo to nickel and dime them to death. Thing is, you have to wonder if Romo fell in love with the deep ball too much here. At least twice, I saw the quarterback tossing to T.O., with guys on him, with a singled Jason Witten underneath. Most costly, was a second-and-4 from the Philly 4 in the second quarter. Romo tried to get a ball between to two defenders to Owens in the back of the end zone, while Witten had position on his man just shy of the goal line. The Cowboys got the ball back after the pick-and-Eagle-fumble on the next play. But the field goal only mean they blew four points, and not seven. Criticism on the team’s lack of commitment to running the ball is raining down right now, and I do think there’s reason to worry. Grinding out yards and wearing a defense down because an attitude and, eventually, a part of a team’s identity. Earlier in the season, the physical-beating-down of an offense was part of the offense’s ethos. No more. And part of it is pretty simple. When you’re not running the ball a lot, you may not forget how to do it, but you don’t get better at it. And execution suffers. Two examples come from the second quarter. On a first-and-10 on their own 44, the Cowboys went “power” right on the defense. Marc Colombo, the play-side tackle, and fullback Oliver Hoyte pulled. Both of them went to seal off Chris Gocong. Gocong had his path to the ball taken away, sure, but his occupying two blockers allowed Trent Cole to get in the hole off a block and bury Julius Jones for no gain. Two plays later, Omar Gaither, Philly’s Mike linebacker, came on a run blitz and went right past right guard Kyle Kosier, who was helping on one of the defensive linemen. Gaither wound up stringing Jones out by flattening out and playing the line, then buried him on the edge f. Point is, you can practice these plays until you’re blue in the face. But a line and its accompanying fullbacks and tight ends, won’t build confidence in a play-call and an understanding of assignments and areas to block without actually running the plays in question. You’d hope, with the playoffs a couple weeks away, the Cowboys will This all was also true when Philly ran safety blitzes. It was like no one knew how to block that. Marion Barber killed the Eagles blitz in the last game, and the Eagles weren’t going to let that happen again. When Barber was in on pass pro, Philly stationed a linebacker over him, and had that person spy to prevent the bruising back from slipping out into the flat or the middle to add another checkdown to Romo’s progression. This, in fact, led to a sack on a beautifully performed delay in the fourth quarter. On the Cowboys second-to-last offensive play, Barber was kept into block. He then saw a linebacker step up into an A gap, stepped up and ran at him, then broke to sideline. But just as he crossed the line of scrimmage, defensive tackle Broderick Bunkley looped inside, and came clean at Romo, with Barber having already left the backfield. The key was timing. Bunkley came around just as Barber was releasing, giving the Cowboys little chance. This is an adjustment to the way the Cowboys played Eagle “hug” blitzes in November, when Barber would run a delayed route to draw in linebackers. I don’t think it needs to be said again, but I’ll say it anyway: Jay Ratliff has become an absolute beast in the middle. He was great against the run, and became a weapon against the pass too. In the team’s “Cowboy” 3-3, which had outside linebackers on the edges of the line (creating a five-man front), Jason Hatcher and Greg Ellis most often played the 5-technique ends, with DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer outside. A few times, those four came, and Ratliff dropped off the nose, covering the middle underneath. Having a nose tackle with the athleticism to do that is a plus. But the big reason to have Ratliff there had more to do with Donovan McNabb than any receiver. Early in the game, when the Cowboys went with basic four-man lines and rush packages in the nickel, the QB was stepping up and tucking the ball for big gains. So having Ratliff there was to spy McNabb more than anything else, and he did a real good job of it. And he’s now consider enough of a threat that he’s drawing consistent double teams, one of which was responsible for springing a stunting Ware up the middle free for a four-quarter hurry on McNabb. No one needs to be told what kind pass rusher Ware is. Here’s what may surprise you – He just might be even better against the run. One of the big responsibilities of a 3-4 outside linebacker is setting the edge and not allowing backs to take the corner. And Ware doesn’t. A great example came on the Eagles’ first drive, on a second-and-10, when Ware chased Brian Westbrook down the line and pulled him down for a 3-yard loss after shedding William Thomas. At the start of the second half, there was another one where Ware strung a play all the way out to the sideline, this time dropping Westbrook for a 5-yard loss. Westbrook took yards in chunks on Sunday, but few of them came outside, and that’s because Ware and his less-spectacular, yet also effective bookend, Greg Ellis, don’t let anything get outside. Just as the Lions did, the Eagles threw on the Cowboys base 3-4, and that brings reason for concern. When the other team tosses it against the base defense, usually, one outside linebacker drops and the other rushes. The Eagles found a hole in throwing to flat on the rush linebacker’s side. It seemed like in a lot of cases, the inside linebacker to that side was responsible in covering the open flat. And if a quarterback gets the ball out there quick, as McNabb did – to Westbrook, usually – that’s a lot of ground for a big linebacker coming off the hash to cover. It was especially effective for the Eagles, because Westbrook is awfully good in space. The Cowboys’ personnel shuffling is great for building depth and getting starters breaks and matching up. But there’s been one grouping that’s puzzled me over the last couple weeks: Jason Hatcher and Stephen Bowen at end, with Tank Johnson on the nose in the 3-4. On a first-and-10 in the second quarter against Detroit, that crew yielded a 16-yard run to Kevin Jones, where the Lions absolutely seamed them up the middle. That’s more excusable than what happened against the Eagles. Twice in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys positively needing to stop the run, those three comprised the defensive line. On the first one, an inside zone call, Brian Westbrook cut back, as the inside linebackers stepped to the blocking. Normally, the inside linebackers can flow back to the ball, but with the front taken care of, linemen came off double teams to seal them off, and Westbrook was off for a 29-yard gain. That one flipped field position, and forced the offense to start its final possession at its own 12. Then, on Brian Westbrook’s head’s up play at the end, it Johnson, Hatcher and Bowen in there again, as the scatback sliced for 24 yards. On the defensive line, you need a rotation. But playing three backups, valuable as those guys are in their roles, at once in a run-stopping situation shouldn’t be part of it. Spencer, once he gets more playing time, is really going to be a player. He’s consistent, and he defended the run as well as he rushed the passer against the Eagles. Wade Phillips said that tape of the 3-3 “Cowboy front” looks like a highlight reel, and he wasn’t lying. Pairing Ellis and Ware with Spencer’s almost unfair. The only issue is that it did seem to leave the Cowboys a little vulnerable in the flat. But again, these types of things came up because Philly has Westbrook. And finally, the reason why the Eagles were successful against the Cowboys is pretty simple, and all this scheme stuff can be thrown out with that. It’s because the Eagles have a strong offensive line, which allowed them to spread out and test the Dallas secondary. And because they’ve got a secondary that doesn’t need a whole lot of help in theses situations, allowing for more defensive flexibility. Trust me on this: There are few teams as good in those two areas as Philly is. |
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
Posted by davej @ 2:58 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
How stout would that 3-3 defense be against the run? I would love to see more and more of it.
Overall, I think this was a "good loss". First of all, this team is not mature and I believe the wins have gone to their heads. It is part of the growing pains of any team. The Patriots, Colts, and previous Cowboy teams went through this. Teams that are immature can't handle long winning streaks.
This is a good time for a loss to bring the team back down to Earth because the only wins that count are the last 3 in the playoffs.
Second, Philly and Detroit last week exposed holes in the Cowboys. Again, I'd rather have these things exposed now that 3 weeks from now in the playoffs. At least now the Cowboys can work on them to fix the problems.
Posted by BigTexKahuna @ 3:14 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Thumb or no thumb... the genius of Jim Johnson, or the presence of the not-so-sharpest-blond-knife in the drawer... I don't think any of that would've mattered had TheScratchGolfer not overthrown that potential, of not certain, bomb for a touchdown to TO early in the game. I believe a TD right then and there would've blown the Buzzards' game psyche right out through the open roof of Texas Stadium, Jim Johnson's defensive schemes be dammed, and the rest of the game would've played right in our heroes' hands. But... woulda, shoulda, coulda... we blew it... especially on the offense, and I hope our guys are mature enough to realize what the hell happened to 'em, Cowboy-up, and git 'er done in Charlotte this Saturday. Otherwise, it just might get a little too chilly for them up in Green-freakin'-Bay...
Posted by LL from Austin @ 5:49 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Impressed with JJ's defensive and Andy Reid's offensive adjustments as well as this breakdown. Our guys got outcoached for the first time this year. New England just out played them.
Great stuff Breer. I will pitch in for the Christmas bonus. Great Stuff.
Posted by d. Wertz @ 6:38 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Don't get to cocky before an eagles game.
Posted by Big Tom, NYC @ 6:47 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Albert:
Really nice analisys. As an old timer, (40 something) I appreciate the break down on both sides of the ball.
You translate the game from a buch of big guys hitting each other to a battle field strategy.
I Love it! Keep up the good work
Posted by thepainster @ 7:18 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Breer you are an Einstein! Great analysis as usual.
It is pretty simple then. We need to pound the ball with JJ and MB3 until we get it right. Once we start running the ball effectively again, everything else falls into place.
Posted by KG @ 7:57 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
This analysis is some of the best on the web. I'm getting nervous bc GB is running the ball and playing better defense than big D right now. Hopefully they turn it around in Charlotte and run behind Bigg so Romo's thumb can heal.
Posted by gpaq @ 7:57 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
albert, great job again. i got a question for you: romo & wade made references to the Offense making several 'mental errors'. did you spot some of these? it looked like receivers/backs did not do what romo was expecting.
Posted by Mark @ 8:04 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
The bottom line is that the Eagles are a divisional team. Unless we are very, VERY good, we won't beat them twice a year. We may not beat Washington, again.
Big deal! We were 12-4 and still won the superbowl, and we lost to Washington twice that year. Before the game, everyone, even Troy and Joe said it, 'throw the records out the window'.
I wouldn't sweat it. Romo is still inexperienced, and it may take a couple full seasons for him to get his feet fully underneath him.
I was worried, but after a couple days to think about it, and after reading Albert's analsys, it becomes clear that we were beaten by a team who is much better than their record. They beat us fair, and square.
That being said, I am actually looking forward to the Carolina game. I live 2 hours away from the game, but can't get tickets. Oh well, I have NFLnetwork so I will be able to watch it.
Posted by steve @ 8:44 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
AB does a great job of analysis. Much better than the Hollywood Entertainment style of "reporting" done by Mosely. He was awful, thank goodness he has left the building.
The Cowboys have been exposed. Just hope they don't have to play New Orleans or Minnesota. Minnie will run the ball down our throats.
The Cowboys need a breakaway back and defensive secondary help. One question I would like to ask AB is why the Cowboys don't play tighter, bump and run coverage. With our effective rush, it seems a shame to waste it by giving up the 5-10 yard passes, preventing the big play that the opposing QB's don't seem to have time to connect on.
Posted by 05mustang @ 8:56 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Great stuff Breer!! Real football analysis that's head and shoulders above the tabloid work at ESPN.
Can't say enough about your work. It's refreshing as a fan to not hear the condascending fluff stories that we typically get from the major outlets.
Consider yourself on Santa's "good list" !!
Posted by ed @ 9:52 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Albert, Great job!!!
(Though I'm sure a big segment of the fans are disspointed it's not as simple as 'Jessica Simpson')
All of your contributions are absolute 'must read' gold!
Posted by bryan @ 9:56 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Great stuff Albert. I will agree though w/ Big Tex...had Romo hit TO on the overthrow and we score early it backs the D off. Also critical was the early "drop" by Sam Hurd that negated a 30 yard gain and would have helped the Offense get into the flow. In the end though, the Iggles had a great game plan and played inspired.
Posted by Joe @ 10:03 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
We held them effectively to 17 points, so in spite of all their strategy, they weren't very good offensively. And they aren't very good offensively this season in spite of Westbrook. He has lots of yards, but points have been scarce. They moved the ball across midfield pretty well against us, but when the field got short they couldn't keep the drives going and had to settle for few points. Like it or not (I don't) that's our strategy - avoid the big play, but give up the short stuff.
But offensively, it seems to me Romo needed to be told to keep throwing to Witten. I wonder if there was pressure in his mind to get T.O. and others involved even though Witten was consistently the best option. You can make this game too complex. As Jimmy used to say when the defense got too complex - just give it to Emmitt. But in Romo's case, it's just throw it to Witten. (Barber was getting stuffed late in the game and caused second or third and long consistently.)
Posted by bballcap @ 10:19 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Great insight. Thanks for the coverage. Maybe Wade needs to start reading Tale of the Tape so he can game plan each week.
God bless Texas, God bless Albert Breer.
Posted by Teddy @ 11:15 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
I do not have much information on Tampa Bay and Seattle. But I do know Green Bay has a better secondary and better defense line than Eagles. Does it mean Dallas offense will suffer badly against Green Bay? I think Green Bay offense line is not too bad either.
They can play a little bit backups more in the middle of the game. But when the game is on the line by the end of the game, they should play starters. Bowen was in because Canty was injured and out of game, right? It is hard to say who is better, Hatcher or Spears. Ratliff is possibly better than Johnson at this stage. So you can only replace Johnson with Ratliff who might be too tired because Ratliff plays in both base 3-4 and nickle defense. Dot not simply blame the coach.
Posted by Thomas Williams @ 11:39 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Albert,
I don't have anything to add other than: PLEASE DON'T EVER STOP DOING TALE OF THE TAPE!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent, Excellent stuff!!!!!!!!
Posted by Thomas Williams @ 11:41 AM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Albert,
I don't have anything to add other than: PLEASE DON'T EVER STOP DOING TALE OF THE TAPE!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent, Excellent stuff!!!!!!!!
Posted by Kevin @ 12:28 PM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
This is really good. Just stop doing that stupid power ranking thing you do. It's unreliable and very unbelievable as well. Stick to the things you know rather than someone else's crazy formula. And with the recent loss, don't bother bringing it out, it serves no purpose other than having all these praising people turn on you.
Posted by ap @ 1:07 PM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Albert, I caught a little bit of flack yesterday for calling for "more you" and "less macmahon" during simpson-fest yesterday...thank you for delivering.
Also, for those who didn't notice - Breer's tales of the tape usually come in at the wee hours of the morning. Now if only the offense had worked so hard... ;)
Posted by ltravail @ 1:26 PM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
Great piece of analysis. Should be a weekly column - or internet service. I don't think most singleminded Cowboys fans (or singleminded fans of any team) really understand the game and what's going on out there on the field. You have to watch more than your own team to better understand the game. Otherwise you get absurdities like fans voting Romo to the Pro Bowl after 4 or 5 games last year, or R. Williams to the Pro Bowl every year.
Posted by Jody @ 6:54 PM Tue, Dec 18, 2007
So, basically, we got out-coached. I wonder if a team that has played so flat and out of sorts for two weeks can get it back together for the more meaningful games to come? BTW, after watching MI and Chi last nite, MI cannot beat the Cowboys.