Friday, September 24, 2010
Wade Phillips Job Security
Just a quick thought since ESPN reported today that Jerry Jones has affirmed that Wade Phillips job is not in jeopardy even if the Cowboys fall to 0-3. If the Cowboys were to fall to 0-3, devastating as it may be, the season is still not lost. Their division is weaker than in past years and there is no reason why they could not go on a dramatic winning streak. With that being said, firing a coach at any part of the season is something that teams that have written off the year or teams that are in a serious rebuilding phase do; not teams that have any sort of playoff aspirations. Think about it. If the Cowboys fire Wade Phillips and even the incompetent Jason Garrett now it will cause further implosion within the franchise. These players are in Wade's system. Romo is in Garrett's system and has been for the past few years. At this point in time the solution to the problems is to tinker with what you have and fix the problem. Now, if, down the road, the season becomes lost, by all means fire the whole staff. If the cowboys fail to make the playoffs or give their fans another early exit performance the entire staff should be shipped out. For now, however, let us all just hold our breath and hope that we make it out the other side.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Some NFL thoughts from week 2
Just a few thoughts after a very interesting week 2.
Although the uproar by Cowboys fans about their teams pathetic start and anemic offense are justified, there are some bright spots that are encouraging as the Cowboys forge ahead into a HUGE Texas showdown in Houston against the well equipped Texans. Tony Romo is actually second in the entire NFL (behind Peyton Manning) in passing yards and first in the NFC. Miles Austin leads all NFL receivers with 288 yards receiving. Although these stats are misleading; Romo has thrown a ton and many of his yards come late in the game when the Cowboys are playing from behind. It is still encouraging to know that Romo can still move his team down the field.
Another gift bestowed upon the Cowboys this week is the 4 game suspension of Texans left tackle Duane Brown. If Wade Phillips utilizes his brain cells the Cowboys defense should get to Matt Schuab with regularity on Sunday.
In Philadelphia Andy Reid has finished his turn on the sea-saw and has picked Michael Vick as the Eagles starting QB until further notice, leaving them with a frustrated and expensive backup in Kevin Kolb. Last year I would have laughed at this decision thinking that Vick's time as a threatening and dominant player in the league had expired. This notion is now far from the truth. Vick seems to have his gazelle legs back under him and now he's equipped with a hose that he's not afraid to use, throwing the ball with strength and accuracy down the field. The Eagles D is still a question mark but the intangibles that Vick brings to the table are downright frightening.
There seemed to be a battle for the restoration of balance to the league last week. Peyton Manning and the Colts once again looked like the team that expects to contend for the Super Bowl every year. They trounced the Giants and exposed a defense that looks like it had never discussed the notion of stopping the run in practice. Peyton tooled on his little brothers' team in every way possible. The Giants look like they're going nowhere fast, especially when their once feared running back Brandon Jacobs' equipment poses more of a threat to spectators than his ability does to opponents. On the flip side of this "restoration of balance" to the league idea, Brett Favre and the Vikings looked incredibly vulnerable against a Miami team that not everyone has yet bought into. Next week's Monday night match up against the Jets should show us if Miami is for real or not. As for the Vikings, they better hope Favre hasn't hit menopause just yet because they need him to perform at least a fraction like he did last year for them to have a chance. 5 picks in 2 games sounds familiar for those who know Favre, except Minnesota fans.
A few other head turners from last week included the implosion of Joe Flacco. I really thought he was going to turn a corner after a solid game against a very good Jets defense. Instead he went haywire and threw four picks, essentially giving the game to Cincinnati.
The 49er's picked up the intensity after the drubbing they received from the Seahawks and nearly pulled off a shocker against the Saints. If coach Mike Singletary can keep that teams intensity up I fully expect them to secure the weakest division in football.
Shame on me for picking against the Steelers last week. Their defense is always among the best in the league and it made both Vince Young and Kerry Collins look absolutely silly this past weekend. Even though the Steelers offense will continue to be a joke at least until Ben Roethlisberger returns, their defense will keep them in that division race for the entire year.
Finally, I think we learned something about both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots this week. The Jets, for all the over-hype they get and their chronic appetite for distractions, are a very good team and, defensively, are extremely intimidating. The Patriots on the other hand, have shown that they are no longer the intimidating juggernaut that can have Tom Brady just toss the ball into outer space and have it land for a touchdown. Aside from Moss's brilliant, one-handed escape from Revis island, Tom Brady could not take advantage of the opportunities he was given. With Revis out of the ballgame I expected the Patriots passing game to flourish but the Jets defense was just too good. Sanchez out played Brady in all aspects of the game and deserves a good deal of credit. He finally looked like a real pro quarterback. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
Although the uproar by Cowboys fans about their teams pathetic start and anemic offense are justified, there are some bright spots that are encouraging as the Cowboys forge ahead into a HUGE Texas showdown in Houston against the well equipped Texans. Tony Romo is actually second in the entire NFL (behind Peyton Manning) in passing yards and first in the NFC. Miles Austin leads all NFL receivers with 288 yards receiving. Although these stats are misleading; Romo has thrown a ton and many of his yards come late in the game when the Cowboys are playing from behind. It is still encouraging to know that Romo can still move his team down the field.
Another gift bestowed upon the Cowboys this week is the 4 game suspension of Texans left tackle Duane Brown. If Wade Phillips utilizes his brain cells the Cowboys defense should get to Matt Schuab with regularity on Sunday.
In Philadelphia Andy Reid has finished his turn on the sea-saw and has picked Michael Vick as the Eagles starting QB until further notice, leaving them with a frustrated and expensive backup in Kevin Kolb. Last year I would have laughed at this decision thinking that Vick's time as a threatening and dominant player in the league had expired. This notion is now far from the truth. Vick seems to have his gazelle legs back under him and now he's equipped with a hose that he's not afraid to use, throwing the ball with strength and accuracy down the field. The Eagles D is still a question mark but the intangibles that Vick brings to the table are downright frightening.
There seemed to be a battle for the restoration of balance to the league last week. Peyton Manning and the Colts once again looked like the team that expects to contend for the Super Bowl every year. They trounced the Giants and exposed a defense that looks like it had never discussed the notion of stopping the run in practice. Peyton tooled on his little brothers' team in every way possible. The Giants look like they're going nowhere fast, especially when their once feared running back Brandon Jacobs' equipment poses more of a threat to spectators than his ability does to opponents. On the flip side of this "restoration of balance" to the league idea, Brett Favre and the Vikings looked incredibly vulnerable against a Miami team that not everyone has yet bought into. Next week's Monday night match up against the Jets should show us if Miami is for real or not. As for the Vikings, they better hope Favre hasn't hit menopause just yet because they need him to perform at least a fraction like he did last year for them to have a chance. 5 picks in 2 games sounds familiar for those who know Favre, except Minnesota fans.
A few other head turners from last week included the implosion of Joe Flacco. I really thought he was going to turn a corner after a solid game against a very good Jets defense. Instead he went haywire and threw four picks, essentially giving the game to Cincinnati.
The 49er's picked up the intensity after the drubbing they received from the Seahawks and nearly pulled off a shocker against the Saints. If coach Mike Singletary can keep that teams intensity up I fully expect them to secure the weakest division in football.
Shame on me for picking against the Steelers last week. Their defense is always among the best in the league and it made both Vince Young and Kerry Collins look absolutely silly this past weekend. Even though the Steelers offense will continue to be a joke at least until Ben Roethlisberger returns, their defense will keep them in that division race for the entire year.
Finally, I think we learned something about both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots this week. The Jets, for all the over-hype they get and their chronic appetite for distractions, are a very good team and, defensively, are extremely intimidating. The Patriots on the other hand, have shown that they are no longer the intimidating juggernaut that can have Tom Brady just toss the ball into outer space and have it land for a touchdown. Aside from Moss's brilliant, one-handed escape from Revis island, Tom Brady could not take advantage of the opportunities he was given. With Revis out of the ballgame I expected the Patriots passing game to flourish but the Jets defense was just too good. Sanchez out played Brady in all aspects of the game and deserves a good deal of credit. He finally looked like a real pro quarterback. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Cowboys Bears reaction
The Cowboys and their impatient fans waited for what must have seemed like a year for this game to come, after week one's let down. The result? In a disgraceful showing, the boys fell flat on their faces. Now, after what was considered a lighter portion of their tough schedule, they are sitting at 0-2 and face a daunting uphill battle to turn their season around. The Houston Texans are next weeks opponent and I see no reason for Cowboys fans to look forward to this game.
The Cowboys, after all their talk during the week about correcting the mistakes, only compounded them with more (many by veteran players!). Give the Bears their due though. Their defense was especially impressive and the turnover prone Jay Cutler not only posted a zero in that category, but relentlessly unleashed long bombs all over the Cowboys secondary, making them look foolish.
Where do we start when analyzing this game? The offense for the second straight week (7th if you count the preseason) looked nothing like the vaunted bunch that was supposed to score at will coming into the season. Romo had a terrible game. Don't let his 374 yards fool you, many of his throws were inaccurate, including the pass to Jason Witten that bounced off his hand and into the arms of Bears defensive back D.J. Moore. Moore made an uneducated comment, stating that Witten "heard footsteps" and was "scared" and that is why he dropped the ball. The same Jason Witten who has played a season with 2 cracked ribs? The Jason Witten who repeatedly hauls in balls in heavy traffic and takes on severe hits as if they were rain drops? No, Witten dropped that ball because it was thrown behind him and he could not react in time to get a good hand on it. Aside from Moore's bumptious comment, he does deserve credit for playing a good game.
Despite the return of the two starters on the offensive line, the fortunes of the Cowboys offense did not change. Once again, Jason Garrett decided that a balanced offense was not prudent, electing to pass 51 times and running only 19 times. Does he not understand that getting the running game started will help Romo and the passing attack? In the first quarter, Marion Barber repeatedly rushed for over seven yards and the Cowboys marched down the field. (Surprise, surprise, the drive stalled.) Still, why abandon the run for the rest of the game? Their run attack for the final 3 quarters was nothing less than a joke, and often was merely a feeble attempt to catch the Bears off guard in terms of defending Romo's arm. Good luck trying to catch the likes of Urlacher and Briggs off guard.
Kicker David Buehler has done nothing to inspire confidence in the hearts of the Cowboys. He missed another easy kick and poorly executed a surprise onsides kick. (This "gutsy" call had to have Cowboys fans pulling their hair out all over the country.) Buehler looks like he is just trying to muscle these field goals through the uprights and is throwing his technique into the wind. To make matters worse, I haven't seen any of those booming kickoffs that he's known for yet this year. In short, he has been useless thus far. Dare I say, bring back Nick Folk?
Then, on the defensive side of the ball, the boys were exposed and humiliated. In the first quarter I would have boldly predicted that they would tally up around 6 sacks on Cutler for the day. Ware and Anthony Spencer were flying around like mad men. It looked as if Cutler wanted nothing more than to head back to the Bears bus and hide under a seat. They were literally unblockable, and they must have been licking their chops when the Bears had to insert a backup tackle into the game. Instead, Wade Phillips stopped calling for effective blitzes and the Cowboys sat back as Cutler was allowed to settle down and pick apart a secondary that played uncharacteristically poor. CB Mike Jenkins, usually the Cowboys best cover corner was beaten frequently. He also suffered a knee bruise but is expected to start next week. His replacement Michael Hamlin looked like he had never been taught how to cover anyone on Cutlers third TD toss.
It also appeared that Bears O-coordinator Mike Martz out smarted defensive guru Wade Phillips. Often the Cowboys were caught in coverage that left the middle of the field wide open. On the first Bears TD, tight end Greg Olson was barley touched as he scampered for 39 yards into the endzone. (Greg Olson does drop the best lines in the U-Miami's 7th floor crew, so its hard to hate on him for that.)
Heading into next week, it is an understatement that the Cowboys have a lot to work on. They must figure out how to run a respectable offense. Their talent is without question, but their execution is among the leagues worst. Roy Williams has finally shown that he can catch the ball; Now hold on to the damn thing! Dez Bryant looks like a superstar in the making and Miles Austin is a bonafide superstar. Romo must return to form and the offensive line must drastically cut down on penalties. I can't even begin to count how many drives have been stalled by holdings and false starts in the past 5 years. These guys are supposed to be experienced veterans!
Defensively we need to get some turnovers. This D has too much talent to not add to the turnover margin. Dial up the blitz more often! It scares me that we couldn't even get one interception off of the leagues leader in throwing them from last year. It is not panic time yet. Key word yet. Let us not forget that the New York Giants started off 0-2 a few years ago and ended up winning the Super Bowl. In 1993 the Cowboys also started off 0-2 and went on to win the big one. (Of course, the main reason for starting off 0-2 was Emmitt Smith's absence because of a holdout.) The NFC East is still wide open but their is a closing window of opportunity for the Cowboys. The time for the right words A.K.A cheap talk is over. Get out there and play ball!
The Cowboys, after all their talk during the week about correcting the mistakes, only compounded them with more (many by veteran players!). Give the Bears their due though. Their defense was especially impressive and the turnover prone Jay Cutler not only posted a zero in that category, but relentlessly unleashed long bombs all over the Cowboys secondary, making them look foolish.
Where do we start when analyzing this game? The offense for the second straight week (7th if you count the preseason) looked nothing like the vaunted bunch that was supposed to score at will coming into the season. Romo had a terrible game. Don't let his 374 yards fool you, many of his throws were inaccurate, including the pass to Jason Witten that bounced off his hand and into the arms of Bears defensive back D.J. Moore. Moore made an uneducated comment, stating that Witten "heard footsteps" and was "scared" and that is why he dropped the ball. The same Jason Witten who has played a season with 2 cracked ribs? The Jason Witten who repeatedly hauls in balls in heavy traffic and takes on severe hits as if they were rain drops? No, Witten dropped that ball because it was thrown behind him and he could not react in time to get a good hand on it. Aside from Moore's bumptious comment, he does deserve credit for playing a good game.
Despite the return of the two starters on the offensive line, the fortunes of the Cowboys offense did not change. Once again, Jason Garrett decided that a balanced offense was not prudent, electing to pass 51 times and running only 19 times. Does he not understand that getting the running game started will help Romo and the passing attack? In the first quarter, Marion Barber repeatedly rushed for over seven yards and the Cowboys marched down the field. (Surprise, surprise, the drive stalled.) Still, why abandon the run for the rest of the game? Their run attack for the final 3 quarters was nothing less than a joke, and often was merely a feeble attempt to catch the Bears off guard in terms of defending Romo's arm. Good luck trying to catch the likes of Urlacher and Briggs off guard.
Kicker David Buehler has done nothing to inspire confidence in the hearts of the Cowboys. He missed another easy kick and poorly executed a surprise onsides kick. (This "gutsy" call had to have Cowboys fans pulling their hair out all over the country.) Buehler looks like he is just trying to muscle these field goals through the uprights and is throwing his technique into the wind. To make matters worse, I haven't seen any of those booming kickoffs that he's known for yet this year. In short, he has been useless thus far. Dare I say, bring back Nick Folk?
Then, on the defensive side of the ball, the boys were exposed and humiliated. In the first quarter I would have boldly predicted that they would tally up around 6 sacks on Cutler for the day. Ware and Anthony Spencer were flying around like mad men. It looked as if Cutler wanted nothing more than to head back to the Bears bus and hide under a seat. They were literally unblockable, and they must have been licking their chops when the Bears had to insert a backup tackle into the game. Instead, Wade Phillips stopped calling for effective blitzes and the Cowboys sat back as Cutler was allowed to settle down and pick apart a secondary that played uncharacteristically poor. CB Mike Jenkins, usually the Cowboys best cover corner was beaten frequently. He also suffered a knee bruise but is expected to start next week. His replacement Michael Hamlin looked like he had never been taught how to cover anyone on Cutlers third TD toss.
It also appeared that Bears O-coordinator Mike Martz out smarted defensive guru Wade Phillips. Often the Cowboys were caught in coverage that left the middle of the field wide open. On the first Bears TD, tight end Greg Olson was barley touched as he scampered for 39 yards into the endzone. (Greg Olson does drop the best lines in the U-Miami's 7th floor crew, so its hard to hate on him for that.)
Heading into next week, it is an understatement that the Cowboys have a lot to work on. They must figure out how to run a respectable offense. Their talent is without question, but their execution is among the leagues worst. Roy Williams has finally shown that he can catch the ball; Now hold on to the damn thing! Dez Bryant looks like a superstar in the making and Miles Austin is a bonafide superstar. Romo must return to form and the offensive line must drastically cut down on penalties. I can't even begin to count how many drives have been stalled by holdings and false starts in the past 5 years. These guys are supposed to be experienced veterans!
Defensively we need to get some turnovers. This D has too much talent to not add to the turnover margin. Dial up the blitz more often! It scares me that we couldn't even get one interception off of the leagues leader in throwing them from last year. It is not panic time yet. Key word yet. Let us not forget that the New York Giants started off 0-2 a few years ago and ended up winning the Super Bowl. In 1993 the Cowboys also started off 0-2 and went on to win the big one. (Of course, the main reason for starting off 0-2 was Emmitt Smith's absence because of a holdout.) The NFC East is still wide open but their is a closing window of opportunity for the Cowboys. The time for the right words A.K.A cheap talk is over. Get out there and play ball!
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