If you are a true football fan then you have to love this matchup. Not to sound too much like Ron Jaworski but we have a classic battle of two of the most historic franchises in NFL history on our hands this Sunday. Much of this game has been overshadowed by the AFC game, mostly because of the personalities involved, but the Chicago Bears- Green Bay Packers rivalry is the oldest and perhaps greatest rivalry in football history.
Both these teams have true grit and spit football roots with legendary players toeing the turf on both sides: Lombardi, Starr, Nitschke and Favre; Halas, Butkus, Walter "Sweetness" Payton, Singletary, Ditka. The list of great players and coaches that have gone to war against one another in this rivalry is staggering. Surprisingly these two teams have only matched up once in the playoffs, a Bears 33-14 victory in 1941. Both teams are used to playing in arctic temperatures and both teams have a prodigious amount of hate for one another. A great backdrop for hard-nosed, black-eyed, swollen nads football.
Everyone seems to be giving this game to the Packers. I do think they will ultimately win the game but I have a feeling it will not be nearly as easy as everyone is making it out to be. Let us remember that the Packers are the 6 seed and the Bears are the 2. The Bears defense is very strong, especially against the run. (2nd in the league) Brian Urlacher is playing with a chip on his shoulder and their front four are relentless. Julius Peppers will be bothering Rodgers all day and could potentially create a game-changing turn over. The Bears also have a talented but vulnerable secondary. I think the entire Bears team will play with something to prove. No one has taken them seriously all years; everyone has written them off as lucky. Now they are one game away from the Super Bowl and I think they are grinding their teeth, hoping to have the last laugh.
The problem for the Bears is that Aaron Rodgers is playing like Joe Montana re-incarnated so far in these playoffs. He has the 2nd greatest completion percentage in the playoff's (so far) for a QB who has thrown at least 70 passes, 76.4%. (Montana threw for 78% in 1989). Rodgers has long been touted as a great Quarterback but he is playing like an MVP right now. I don't think that any team, unless they are hitting him all day, can stop his air assault. He also has a great set up legs and can elude potential pressure. He also has a reliable stable of receivers and an improved running game.
I think the Packers defense is underrated and will be another factor the game. Cutler is shaky, as he is subject to implosion at any moment. The Packers should be able to rattle him. Clay Matthews will be running around like a hippie-freak and the Packers secondary is solid against the pass. The Bears running game is much improved and they also have quality guys to haul in the rock.
I think, ultimately, the Packers have too many playmakers for the Bears to contend with. I'll take the Pack to shake the Bears 27-17 with a furious 4th quarter finish.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Maybe the Steelers and Jets can both go to the Super Bowl..and make out
So it is official. The New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a relationship. They have been fornicating and exchanging vows all week and will probably get hitched at Heinz field instead of playing the game. ENOUGH ALREADY! I'm sick of these two teams unzipping each others pants and playing tummy sticks with each other. We get it. They both think that their opponent is a good team. What happened to the bold and brash Rex? How are the Jets going to possibly play hard this week without something to prove? Can we get some real smack talk please? Half the reason that last week was interesting was because of all the squawking that went back and forth between the Jets and Pats as well as the Steelers and Ravens. There was genuine hate and it showed on the fields. Last week was Return of the Jet-I; this week is more like Rex and Tomlin make a porno. At least Ike Taylor said he was going to lay out Santonio Holmes but that was probably just Ike flirting.
Hopefully this love affair will end once the two teams take the field. They both play smash-mouth football and have similar offenses. They are built on the run but in this game I would be surprised if either team surpasses 100 yards rushing. The Steelers held the Ravens to a total of 34 yards rushing last week! Brett Kiesel's beard is definitely not taking any prisoners. I think this game will be very close. We all know how much bravado the Jets will be playing with. Bart Scott has Tom Jackson not sleeping at night. With Mike Wallace marooned on Revis island, it is uncertain whether the Steelers will have the offensive weapons to overcome the Jets defense. The Steelers offensive line is also highly combustible but luckily the Jets pass rush is usually invisible.
On the Jets side of the ball you can take the running backs out of the equation right now. They are done. The Jets do have one of the best offensive lines in the league but I think the half man half predator James Harrison could hospitalize Sanchez and a few other Jets this weekend. He is unblockable and he'll take a few fines to break a few bones. Overall the Steelers linebackers are probably the best in the league. Plus Polamalu, who didn’t play last time, will be a huge factor this week. Where the Jets have a decided advantage is in the matchup between their receivers vs. the Steelers cornerbacks. The Jets have some studs going up against backs whom are ineffably terrible.
So perhaps it will come down to the quarterbacks. One is a grizzly bear of a man, facial hair and all: Not only is Roethlisberger good at saying yes to chicks who say no, but he is impossible to tackle and he is good at getting rings. On the other side, Sanchez has shown a good ability to not only stuff down hot dogs but win games in the clutch after not showing up for the first halves of games. If Sanchez can win he will own a unique and impressive stat of being 4-1 in playoff games with all his wins coming on the road. Still, I'm going to have to stick with Big Ben and the Steelers who grind this one out to a victory after a Nick Folk FG miss.
Steelers 17- Jets 13
Hopefully this love affair will end once the two teams take the field. They both play smash-mouth football and have similar offenses. They are built on the run but in this game I would be surprised if either team surpasses 100 yards rushing. The Steelers held the Ravens to a total of 34 yards rushing last week! Brett Kiesel's beard is definitely not taking any prisoners. I think this game will be very close. We all know how much bravado the Jets will be playing with. Bart Scott has Tom Jackson not sleeping at night. With Mike Wallace marooned on Revis island, it is uncertain whether the Steelers will have the offensive weapons to overcome the Jets defense. The Steelers offensive line is also highly combustible but luckily the Jets pass rush is usually invisible.
On the Jets side of the ball you can take the running backs out of the equation right now. They are done. The Jets do have one of the best offensive lines in the league but I think the half man half predator James Harrison could hospitalize Sanchez and a few other Jets this weekend. He is unblockable and he'll take a few fines to break a few bones. Overall the Steelers linebackers are probably the best in the league. Plus Polamalu, who didn’t play last time, will be a huge factor this week. Where the Jets have a decided advantage is in the matchup between their receivers vs. the Steelers cornerbacks. The Jets have some studs going up against backs whom are ineffably terrible.
So perhaps it will come down to the quarterbacks. One is a grizzly bear of a man, facial hair and all: Not only is Roethlisberger good at saying yes to chicks who say no, but he is impossible to tackle and he is good at getting rings. On the other side, Sanchez has shown a good ability to not only stuff down hot dogs but win games in the clutch after not showing up for the first halves of games. If Sanchez can win he will own a unique and impressive stat of being 4-1 in playoff games with all his wins coming on the road. Still, I'm going to have to stick with Big Ben and the Steelers who grind this one out to a victory after a Nick Folk FG miss.
Steelers 17- Jets 13
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Rob Ryan hired as D Coordinator
So it looks like the coaching tree under Red J is falling into place a bit and it’s a bit of a shakeup from Wades staff. Of course we have the even-keeled, intellectual, red haired head coach who is a disciplinarian and condescending to the media. Jerry has given him free reign on his staff.
His big hire (although not officially announced) is for the defensive coordinator position. Garrett has hired Rob Ryan. That's right...Rex's fat twin brother. They are identical twins except Rob rocks a huge silver bullet mullet and a fantastic silver goatee. Hopefully he will ride into Valley Ranch on a Harley and give this defense and identity. What I like about this hire is that he is the polar opposite of Garrett. He is loud and rambunctious like his brother. He runs the 3-4 and will kick his player’s asses if they play like dogs. I think it is good for the head coach and defensive coordinator to have different personalities.
I think it isn't fair to judge how Ryan will be as the coordinator based on his previous 2 jobs. He has been the coordinator for the Raiders and most recently the Browns. Both teams had mediocre to modestly good defenses but it would be an exaggeration to call any of the players on either team talented. He was coordinating mutts. I am excited to see what he can do with this defense that has some talent. (Not too much though).
As far the other coaches, Garrett has promoted his brother, John Garrett from tight ends coach to "passing game coordinator." I don't know exactly what that means but it sounds like an upgrade in pay from tight ends coach. Hudson Houck, it appears, will be retained as the offensive line coach. He was the O-line coach during the Cowboys great run in the 90's but the line last year was downright offensive. Still, much of that can probably be attributed to age. The Cowboys have interviewed former TE Dan Campbell (played for both the boys and the Giants...looked like Jeremy Shockey without the skill) and hall of famer Bruce Matthews (14 pro bowls with Houston Oilers) for assistant offensive line coach duties. I would not be opposed to someone of Matthews pedigree coming in here and helping out with the much beleaguered line. I am still interested to see who comes in to work with these young receivers.
His big hire (although not officially announced) is for the defensive coordinator position. Garrett has hired Rob Ryan. That's right...Rex's fat twin brother. They are identical twins except Rob rocks a huge silver bullet mullet and a fantastic silver goatee. Hopefully he will ride into Valley Ranch on a Harley and give this defense and identity. What I like about this hire is that he is the polar opposite of Garrett. He is loud and rambunctious like his brother. He runs the 3-4 and will kick his player’s asses if they play like dogs. I think it is good for the head coach and defensive coordinator to have different personalities.
I think it isn't fair to judge how Ryan will be as the coordinator based on his previous 2 jobs. He has been the coordinator for the Raiders and most recently the Browns. Both teams had mediocre to modestly good defenses but it would be an exaggeration to call any of the players on either team talented. He was coordinating mutts. I am excited to see what he can do with this defense that has some talent. (Not too much though).
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Jets v Pats
After, seemingly a season of hype, we can finally kick off our shoes, put our feet up and watch the much anticipated rubber match of the Jets-Patriots playoff match up. People have been going with the Star Wars metaphor for this game so I'll be unoriginal and follow in suit.
You have to give the Jets credit. They may not know when to shut up but at least they're not playing scared. They got buried by the Patriots only a few weeks ago but Gang Green has been resilient and have earned themselves another match up with the "evil empire." Darth Belichick has been surprisingly quiet and boring throughout this whole process, breathing useless answers out of his dark sweatshirt mask. I guess you could say Brady and Belichek are one in the same so for the purposes of this game he can be Anakin. I'll take Gisele over Natalie Portman but in the end, Anakin & Brady are both losers. Still, every time Tomakin wields his light saber he seems to destroy everything in his path.
On the other side... The Jets have clearly taken on the identity of the pesky rebel alliance. Rex Ryan fits the body type of Jaba the Hut but as the New York Post hilariously concluded, Rex is clearly Han Solo. He is brash, bold, outlandish and full of swagger and he is at the wheel of the Falcon. He drives the Jets bird. He has been shooting laser beams at the evil empire from the moment they wiped their ass with his team in week 13. At the end of A New Hope, Han Solo returned just in time to save Luke Skywalker and his super-cool fighter pilot friends and save the day. Perhaps Rex Ryan can muster up the will inside his players to walk into the Death Star in Foxboro and tear the stadium down. Like the rebels victory, it would be a stunning upset.
So if Rex Ryan is Han Solo in a fat suit, I guess that would leave Mark Sanchez to play the role of Luke Skywalker? Lets draw the parallels. Mark Sanchez is at best a decent quarterback, who has been blessed with poise and some timely throws at the end of close games. Mark Hamill (who portrayed Luke Skywalker in Star Wars) is a below average actor who has since disappeared into acting galaxies unknown to man. (I believe his last film appearance was "Cock Knocker" in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) I expect Sanchez to pull off some Jedi-like throws and keep the Jets within striking distance for a good part of the game. Sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter we will all see that the force is not with him when he finds out that Cheech Marin is his father.
So how will this game break down? Well Tomakin will have his deflector shield up in the form of his big offensive line. The Jets pass rush is woeful and that will leave Tomakin ample time to pick and choose which of his interchangeable storm troopers to throw the ball to. Brady will also rely on his little R2 D2 running back to shuffle around the Jets defense. I wouldn't be surprised if Woodhead gets well over 100 yards combined on the ground and through the air.
Even if Darrelle Revis turns his island into Tattooine and locks up, say Wes Welker, like Princess Leia was locked up to Jabba, the Jets still have to account for Darth Sith (Hernandez) and Count Dooku (Gronkowski) lumbering over the middle. (What do you think Rexy would do to Princess Leia's feet?) Also, don't think that Tomakin will forget those who have crossed him. Namely, Antonio Cromartie. I think his coast his going to be under siege this weekend. All this talking has probably awakened an already dominant monster in Tomakin. He will most likely punish Cromartie by throwing a reception for every illegitimate kid Cromartie has, to whomever he is guarding.
I'm getting tired of trying to remember Star Wars characters. (I guess Nick Mangold or his sister could pass for Chewbacca) so lets just wrap this up. I see the Jets running the ball efficiently and creating some big plays in the first half. I see the Patriots creating even more offensive opportunities and staying 2 steps ahead of the Jets for most of the game. I see Jason Taylor (Jar Jar Binks) making maybe 1 tackle. In the end, I see the rebel alliance failing at its mission and we will see Rex Ryan after the game turn from Han Solo into Jabba the Hut, with the sense of humor of C3-PO. Han Solo will be frozen into carbonite until further notice. In a few weeks we will see the Evil Emperor Bob Kraft come out from his suite and raise up the Lombardi Trophy. Then we will all puke.
Final Score- Patriots 35- Jets 21
Oh yeah, Obi Wan Kanobi.
You have to give the Jets credit. They may not know when to shut up but at least they're not playing scared. They got buried by the Patriots only a few weeks ago but Gang Green has been resilient and have earned themselves another match up with the "evil empire." Darth Belichick has been surprisingly quiet and boring throughout this whole process, breathing useless answers out of his dark sweatshirt mask. I guess you could say Brady and Belichek are one in the same so for the purposes of this game he can be Anakin. I'll take Gisele over Natalie Portman but in the end, Anakin & Brady are both losers. Still, every time Tomakin wields his light saber he seems to destroy everything in his path.
On the other side... The Jets have clearly taken on the identity of the pesky rebel alliance. Rex Ryan fits the body type of Jaba the Hut but as the New York Post hilariously concluded, Rex is clearly Han Solo. He is brash, bold, outlandish and full of swagger and he is at the wheel of the Falcon. He drives the Jets bird. He has been shooting laser beams at the evil empire from the moment they wiped their ass with his team in week 13. At the end of A New Hope, Han Solo returned just in time to save Luke Skywalker and his super-cool fighter pilot friends and save the day. Perhaps Rex Ryan can muster up the will inside his players to walk into the Death Star in Foxboro and tear the stadium down. Like the rebels victory, it would be a stunning upset.
So if Rex Ryan is Han Solo in a fat suit, I guess that would leave Mark Sanchez to play the role of Luke Skywalker? Lets draw the parallels. Mark Sanchez is at best a decent quarterback, who has been blessed with poise and some timely throws at the end of close games. Mark Hamill (who portrayed Luke Skywalker in Star Wars) is a below average actor who has since disappeared into acting galaxies unknown to man. (I believe his last film appearance was "Cock Knocker" in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) I expect Sanchez to pull off some Jedi-like throws and keep the Jets within striking distance for a good part of the game. Sometime in the 3rd or 4th quarter we will all see that the force is not with him when he finds out that Cheech Marin is his father.
So how will this game break down? Well Tomakin will have his deflector shield up in the form of his big offensive line. The Jets pass rush is woeful and that will leave Tomakin ample time to pick and choose which of his interchangeable storm troopers to throw the ball to. Brady will also rely on his little R2 D2 running back to shuffle around the Jets defense. I wouldn't be surprised if Woodhead gets well over 100 yards combined on the ground and through the air.
Even if Darrelle Revis turns his island into Tattooine and locks up, say Wes Welker, like Princess Leia was locked up to Jabba, the Jets still have to account for Darth Sith (Hernandez) and Count Dooku (Gronkowski) lumbering over the middle. (What do you think Rexy would do to Princess Leia's feet?) Also, don't think that Tomakin will forget those who have crossed him. Namely, Antonio Cromartie. I think his coast his going to be under siege this weekend. All this talking has probably awakened an already dominant monster in Tomakin. He will most likely punish Cromartie by throwing a reception for every illegitimate kid Cromartie has, to whomever he is guarding.
I'm getting tired of trying to remember Star Wars characters. (I guess Nick Mangold or his sister could pass for Chewbacca) so lets just wrap this up. I see the Jets running the ball efficiently and creating some big plays in the first half. I see the Patriots creating even more offensive opportunities and staying 2 steps ahead of the Jets for most of the game. I see Jason Taylor (Jar Jar Binks) making maybe 1 tackle. In the end, I see the rebel alliance failing at its mission and we will see Rex Ryan after the game turn from Han Solo into Jabba the Hut, with the sense of humor of C3-PO. Han Solo will be frozen into carbonite until further notice. In a few weeks we will see the Evil Emperor Bob Kraft come out from his suite and raise up the Lombardi Trophy. Then we will all puke.
Final Score- Patriots 35- Jets 21
Oh yeah, Obi Wan Kanobi.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Garrettop Era
So now that all the speculation about whether or not Jason Garrett had done enough to remove the "interim" tag off of his coaching title and officially become the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is done with, we can start looking ahead to the real Garrett era. The biggest question on everyone's mind as it became clear that Garrett was the guy was "how much power would he have." We all know crazy Jerry and his narcissistic, megalomaniacal ways have clashed with both coaches and common sense ever since he bought the Cowboys. The last coach to have complete control was Jimmy Johnson...that turned out fine until Jerry's ego couldn't stand not getting the credit and he ran Jimmy out of town. Barry Switzer simply took over the best team in football...anyone could have coached that team to a Super Bowl. Ever since then, Jerry has been under the delusion that he can do this all by himself.
Hopefully this past season has doused some reality onto crazy Jerry and made him realize that he needs to loosen his grip on the wheel. He stated in the Garrett press conference that Jason would have complete control over who is on the coaching staff as well as players that are on the roster. This is exactly what Cowboys fans want to hear but does anyone believe Jerry for 1 second? I sure as hell don't. His ego was overheating at the thought. Not even halfway through the conference he was jumping over the table to grab the microphone from Jason Garrett to answer questions. Questions asked to Jason, not Jerry. We will have to wait and see if Jerry was telling the truth or blowing that smoke that he's gotten so good at puffing into his ears and out of his mouth.
I think there is some hope in the matter though. WR coach Ray Sherman will not be returning, which is a good sign. Not that he and Garrett have clashed but Sherman has always been the guy that our disgruntled receivers have sought consolation with when they weren't getting the ball on offense. (i.e. T.O., R. Williams, Dez Bryant). So now he's gone and that means that Garrett will get his own guy in that position. This offers a shred of hope that Jerry wasn't lying when he said Jason was in control. Only time (or perhaps the draft) will tell how long before Jerry needs to get his paws back on the power ball.
I think that every single personnel decision, both coaches and players, will give us clues as to how Garrett will be running the team and what kind of constraints he is under. In order for him to be a great coach, which he clearly has shown the potential to be, he will have to fend off Jerry's power grabs so that he can truly put his stamp on this team. Only time will tell.
Hopefully this past season has doused some reality onto crazy Jerry and made him realize that he needs to loosen his grip on the wheel. He stated in the Garrett press conference that Jason would have complete control over who is on the coaching staff as well as players that are on the roster. This is exactly what Cowboys fans want to hear but does anyone believe Jerry for 1 second? I sure as hell don't. His ego was overheating at the thought. Not even halfway through the conference he was jumping over the table to grab the microphone from Jason Garrett to answer questions. Questions asked to Jason, not Jerry. We will have to wait and see if Jerry was telling the truth or blowing that smoke that he's gotten so good at puffing into his ears and out of his mouth.
I think there is some hope in the matter though. WR coach Ray Sherman will not be returning, which is a good sign. Not that he and Garrett have clashed but Sherman has always been the guy that our disgruntled receivers have sought consolation with when they weren't getting the ball on offense. (i.e. T.O., R. Williams, Dez Bryant). So now he's gone and that means that Garrett will get his own guy in that position. This offers a shred of hope that Jerry wasn't lying when he said Jason was in control. Only time (or perhaps the draft) will tell how long before Jerry needs to get his paws back on the power ball.
I think that every single personnel decision, both coaches and players, will give us clues as to how Garrett will be running the team and what kind of constraints he is under. In order for him to be a great coach, which he clearly has shown the potential to be, he will have to fend off Jerry's power grabs so that he can truly put his stamp on this team. Only time will tell.
Friday, January 7, 2011
2010 Season Wrap-Up: Offense
THE OFFENSE
Despite the loss of Tony Romo, the Cowboys offense was still pretty good. There were a lot of times where the play calling would make you scratch your head and one yard gains from Marion Barber became more frequent than Seinfeld reruns. Still, whether it be Romo or the resurgent Jon Kitna, the Cowboys were able to move the ball better than average for most of the year. A lot of this has to do with the skill of both Romo and Kitna and the receiving weapons the Cowboys have. Still, no one can be thrilled with this offensive machine that constantly had either broken parts, or squeaky cogs, throughout the entire season.
The problems start with the offensive line. Down right abysmal. This group was more than an achilles heel for this offense throughout the entire year. They were slow and weak the entire year. Aside from LT Doug Free, the unit seemed old, tired and lackadaisical. Colombo was repeatedly speed rushed into submission from the right side, Leonard Davis could barley get out of his stance before he was beat and Andre Gurode is so retarded he just snaps the ball whenever he's tired of squatting down. The smartest player on the line, Kyle Kosier, is constantly hampered with injuries. (His replacement Phil Costa is about as assertive as a mall security guard).The Cowboys have a collection of relics (plus the less talented Gronkowski) protecting their quarterbacks which is why Tony Romo finished the season on IR and why there was not so much of a pore for the running backs to run through.
The running game for the Cowboys was also rancid. Marion Barber is done. Finito! Get em out! His body once hit defenders like a massive bowling ball. Now he's rolling down the lane and knocking over no pins. In every single short yardage situation, supposedly his specialty, he hit the defenders like a pilates ball. Felix Jones did get more touches this season but he proved that, although gifted with great agility and speed, he truly needs to have the field opened up for him to cause any sort of measurable damage. Tashard Choice was banished to the bench for almost the entire season after his miscarriage in week one right before the half. I think he deserved a shot at more carries and he did get a few more at the end of the season. He proved that he was a talented back worthy of carries but he too, is nothing special.
The receiving corps and quarterbacks were the best part of this team in 2010... Tony Romo did not start the season as sharp but I still believe he is a good quarterback. His mobility often concealed the masquerade of an offensive line that the Cowboys shuffled onto the field every sunday. His balls were more inaccurate than usual to start the season but I think that he will take some cues from Jon Kitna's assertive leadership and come back extremely strong next season.
The receivers were inconsistent but showed us that they can be deadly next season. Dez Bryant looked like T.O. in his prime for much of the season until his ankle injury. Although he often doesn't know the routes to run, he was almost uncoverable. Roy Williams had his bad moments at terrible times (game-changing fumbles) but he also caught a lot of important passes this year and showed that he can contribute. He will be a good third receiever should the Cowboys choose to retain him. Miles Austin looked fantastic early on but seemed to disappear as the season stretched on. He did catch a good amount of touchdowns but his stats toward the end of the season were unimpressive. He dropped a lot of balls and it seemed that the big contract he recieved over the off-season has tainted his focus. I still think he has a few things to prove. Jason Witten started off slow and I thought that his skills were in decline. He was not the big play threat as much this season but a lot of that has to do with the QB. He still led the league in TE receptions and eclipsed the 1,000 yd mark again. He is well on his way to Canton.
Now that Garrett is officially the coach we can finally turn the page on this disgrace of a season and look ahead. More analysis of what the Cowboys need to do ahead.
Despite the loss of Tony Romo, the Cowboys offense was still pretty good. There were a lot of times where the play calling would make you scratch your head and one yard gains from Marion Barber became more frequent than Seinfeld reruns. Still, whether it be Romo or the resurgent Jon Kitna, the Cowboys were able to move the ball better than average for most of the year. A lot of this has to do with the skill of both Romo and Kitna and the receiving weapons the Cowboys have. Still, no one can be thrilled with this offensive machine that constantly had either broken parts, or squeaky cogs, throughout the entire season.
The problems start with the offensive line. Down right abysmal. This group was more than an achilles heel for this offense throughout the entire year. They were slow and weak the entire year. Aside from LT Doug Free, the unit seemed old, tired and lackadaisical. Colombo was repeatedly speed rushed into submission from the right side, Leonard Davis could barley get out of his stance before he was beat and Andre Gurode is so retarded he just snaps the ball whenever he's tired of squatting down. The smartest player on the line, Kyle Kosier, is constantly hampered with injuries. (His replacement Phil Costa is about as assertive as a mall security guard).The Cowboys have a collection of relics (plus the less talented Gronkowski) protecting their quarterbacks which is why Tony Romo finished the season on IR and why there was not so much of a pore for the running backs to run through.
The running game for the Cowboys was also rancid. Marion Barber is done. Finito! Get em out! His body once hit defenders like a massive bowling ball. Now he's rolling down the lane and knocking over no pins. In every single short yardage situation, supposedly his specialty, he hit the defenders like a pilates ball. Felix Jones did get more touches this season but he proved that, although gifted with great agility and speed, he truly needs to have the field opened up for him to cause any sort of measurable damage. Tashard Choice was banished to the bench for almost the entire season after his miscarriage in week one right before the half. I think he deserved a shot at more carries and he did get a few more at the end of the season. He proved that he was a talented back worthy of carries but he too, is nothing special.
The receiving corps and quarterbacks were the best part of this team in 2010... Tony Romo did not start the season as sharp but I still believe he is a good quarterback. His mobility often concealed the masquerade of an offensive line that the Cowboys shuffled onto the field every sunday. His balls were more inaccurate than usual to start the season but I think that he will take some cues from Jon Kitna's assertive leadership and come back extremely strong next season.
The receivers were inconsistent but showed us that they can be deadly next season. Dez Bryant looked like T.O. in his prime for much of the season until his ankle injury. Although he often doesn't know the routes to run, he was almost uncoverable. Roy Williams had his bad moments at terrible times (game-changing fumbles) but he also caught a lot of important passes this year and showed that he can contribute. He will be a good third receiever should the Cowboys choose to retain him. Miles Austin looked fantastic early on but seemed to disappear as the season stretched on. He did catch a good amount of touchdowns but his stats toward the end of the season were unimpressive. He dropped a lot of balls and it seemed that the big contract he recieved over the off-season has tainted his focus. I still think he has a few things to prove. Jason Witten started off slow and I thought that his skills were in decline. He was not the big play threat as much this season but a lot of that has to do with the QB. He still led the league in TE receptions and eclipsed the 1,000 yd mark again. He is well on his way to Canton.
Now that Garrett is officially the coach we can finally turn the page on this disgrace of a season and look ahead. More analysis of what the Cowboys need to do ahead.
2010 Season Wrap-up: Defense
THE DEFENSE
After Wade, the lugubrious play of the defense was a main culprit in this season's failure. Check this: No Cowboys defense has ever...NEVER EVER...given up as many points as this wretched group did this season. Whatever idiot suggested that Alan Ball could be a starting safety in the NFL should be run over multiple times with a dump truck. My gripes with the defense have to start with Ball. He, along with Gerald Sensebaugh, ran a secondary that allowed Quarterbacks to drop back, lick their lips, and FEAST on the Cowboys defense all season. The corner backs did not play well (See Jenkins v. Green Bay, or Philadelphia...Newman looked like an old man... Scandrick's overachieving finally caught up with him) but seemingly on every touch down the Cowboys gave up through the air, our last image was of Alan Ball running off screen a few seconds too late. A lot of the times that the CB's looked like they were beat, it was obvious that they were expecting help from the saftey's over the top...help that rarely came. Then I had to be repeatedly insulted by Alan Ball's tennis ball tackles where he would bounce right off of anything that moved. (Also...Dave Campo, the secondary coach, sucked as a head coach and clearly still sucks as an assistant coach. He might be less than 5 feet tall and you expect players to listen to him? Get him out).
The play of the linebackers also suffered this year. Bradie James and Keith Brooking both looked straight up OLD. For some reason the Cowboys are afraid to play high draft picks so Sean Lee wasn't even given much of a chance to spell the two aging linebackers until late in the season. What did we find out? Lee (if he stays healthy) can be one helluva line backer. Brooking, while his pregame speeches are still fiery, is just too old to be a starting lineback in the NFL. On the outside Anthony Spencer made a great effort to make everyone forget about his great efforts on the field last year. He played most of the season as if he actually didn't know where the Quarterback lined up on the field, because I rarely saw Spencer in that general area. On the other side, Demarcus Ware did lead the league in sacks with 15.5 sacks but it seems that during some of the key games this season, when the boys backs were against the wall, Demarcus was also shut out a lot of the time.
The big guys down in the trenches on the defensive front also significantly lacked in production this year. Jay Ratliff, arguably one of the best nose tackles in the game had a subpar year, his sack and tackle totals diminishing by 1/3 compared with his average of the past two years. In a 3-4 defense the ends and tackles are not normally supposed to accumulate mind-blowing stats but the bottom line is Igor Olishanksy, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher were not eating up enough space for the linebackers to make plays in the running game and they, along with the rest of the (very vanilla) defense, failed to pressure any quarterback with any form of consistency. The entire, and by that I mean every single player with the exception of D-Ware, defense could use an upgrade. (Obviously this is impossible in 1 offseason, so lets start at saftey and work our way forward).
After Wade, the lugubrious play of the defense was a main culprit in this season's failure. Check this: No Cowboys defense has ever...NEVER EVER...given up as many points as this wretched group did this season. Whatever idiot suggested that Alan Ball could be a starting safety in the NFL should be run over multiple times with a dump truck. My gripes with the defense have to start with Ball. He, along with Gerald Sensebaugh, ran a secondary that allowed Quarterbacks to drop back, lick their lips, and FEAST on the Cowboys defense all season. The corner backs did not play well (See Jenkins v. Green Bay, or Philadelphia...Newman looked like an old man... Scandrick's overachieving finally caught up with him) but seemingly on every touch down the Cowboys gave up through the air, our last image was of Alan Ball running off screen a few seconds too late. A lot of the times that the CB's looked like they were beat, it was obvious that they were expecting help from the saftey's over the top...help that rarely came. Then I had to be repeatedly insulted by Alan Ball's tennis ball tackles where he would bounce right off of anything that moved. (Also...Dave Campo, the secondary coach, sucked as a head coach and clearly still sucks as an assistant coach. He might be less than 5 feet tall and you expect players to listen to him? Get him out).
The play of the linebackers also suffered this year. Bradie James and Keith Brooking both looked straight up OLD. For some reason the Cowboys are afraid to play high draft picks so Sean Lee wasn't even given much of a chance to spell the two aging linebackers until late in the season. What did we find out? Lee (if he stays healthy) can be one helluva line backer. Brooking, while his pregame speeches are still fiery, is just too old to be a starting lineback in the NFL. On the outside Anthony Spencer made a great effort to make everyone forget about his great efforts on the field last year. He played most of the season as if he actually didn't know where the Quarterback lined up on the field, because I rarely saw Spencer in that general area. On the other side, Demarcus Ware did lead the league in sacks with 15.5 sacks but it seems that during some of the key games this season, when the boys backs were against the wall, Demarcus was also shut out a lot of the time.
The big guys down in the trenches on the defensive front also significantly lacked in production this year. Jay Ratliff, arguably one of the best nose tackles in the game had a subpar year, his sack and tackle totals diminishing by 1/3 compared with his average of the past two years. In a 3-4 defense the ends and tackles are not normally supposed to accumulate mind-blowing stats but the bottom line is Igor Olishanksy, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher were not eating up enough space for the linebackers to make plays in the running game and they, along with the rest of the (very vanilla) defense, failed to pressure any quarterback with any form of consistency. The entire, and by that I mean every single player with the exception of D-Ware, defense could use an upgrade. (Obviously this is impossible in 1 offseason, so lets start at saftey and work our way forward).
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