Dallas Cowboys Game Tape Review: Defense

[Defensewins]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

The 2006 Colts and 2009 Saints were pretty weak versus the run. Those teams did other things well (passing offenses), but they were very good defenses overall.

Which why I said "Not to many Sb winning teams that were weak against the run. Just a fact."

Interesting side note on the 2006 Colts while not good during the season against the run, they shut down the other teams run in the playoffs when it mattered.

2006 Playoffs
Wildcard game vs. KC = 44 yards rushing total

Division playoff game vs. Ravens= 83 yards rushing

Conference Championship game vs NE = 93 yards rushing

Super Bowl vs CHI = 111 yards rushing

And their opponents knew their weakness.

[Lotus]

GTripp, that was a fine analysis. It is much appreciated.

However, I have to agree with Defensewins and others. The weak Cowboys line led to about a 5 ypc. A stronger offensive line will lead to worse. The long runs may have been 11 and 12 yards, but against a better (and better coached) offense those longs could turn into 15 or 20 yards.

Giving up yards even in just 5 yard chunks makes it difficult to put offenses in third and long situations, where conversion is difficult and we can turn dogs like Rak loose.

Our run defense just has to tighten up. It may take an offseason to happen, given that we need to stop putting 4-3 square pegs in 3-4 round holes and we really need a real NT.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

3) Other teams are going to throw on us frequently as well.
4) If we can perform like we did against Dallas with just seven guys in the box, and play the run to the level we did, we'll be fine

For # 3, not if we keep giving up 4.7 Yds/Att. For #4, No, we won't.

Here's what you said that's raising eyebrows, "Giving up 5 yards a run only matters if it forces you to pull extra guys out of pass defense to stop it because you can't make any other adjustment. Our front seven is far too good to reach that point."

That's where the over 4.5 Yds/Att arguments are coming from. Regarding the part about our front 7 being too good for that, against an average/below average OL, with shitty playcalling, we gave up 4.7 per rush with a long rush of 12, so it's not like we shut them down but gave up one 80 yd run. We're lucky Dallas chose to throw 67.6 % of the time and definitely agree on the poor Dallas playcalls.

I'm a little confused about why people are concerned about getting our run defense to post sub 4.0 YPC numbers. It'd be nice for sure to excel in all facets of the game, but if teams actually ran the ball 60% of the time against us because they thought they could sustain an offense that way, I'd be thrilled. That's good for us.

No one said anything about sub 4 YPC numbers. And if Dallas ran 60% of the time on Sunday, assuming even a 4.5 YPC, we would've lost.

I, and others, believe you're missing or downplaying the problems on our DL and at OLB against the run. Our problems were covered by a poor coaching job by Dallas, but a couple more weeks of film with run performances like Sunday and we'll be looking at teams running at us 60% of the time and us not being able to stop it, then getting beat with PA or in 1-on-1 coverage with no help over the top the other 40% of the time.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Lotus

Our run defense just has to tighten up. It may take an offseason to happen, given that we need to stop putting 4-3 square pegs in 3-4 round holes and we really need a real NT.

Well stated.

[tryfuhl]

Apparently D. Ware suffered a minor concussion during the game. Means Trent was all up in his face probably as only he and I believe, Cooley on one play, really touched him the whole game.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by tryfuhl

Apparently D. Ware suffered a minor concussion during the game. Means Trent was all up in his face probably as only he and I believe, Cooley on one play, really touched him the whole game.

It was probably from the hit he took from LJ late in the game

[exit0]

I give the defense an overall A- against this Dallas team who is suppose to have this high powered, 30 points a game offense (although noted is their OL injuries). Even with throwing the ball almost 50 times in this game, Dallas still only averaged 5.8 yards per attempt... pretty lousy for what is suppose to be the "most talented" offense in the league. Dallas may not have even scored a touchdown without that shanked punt by the Skins.

As for the upcominmg Houston game, I would hope to see the Skins stack the line of scrimmage and play "offensive" defense against the run... ala the Jets and Ravens. I still remember way back in the George Allen days when the Skins had a playoff game against the Packers who had a great running game with John Brockington and Allen stacked the DL and stuffed Brockington all day long. Make Houston beat us with the pass and negate their strong running game.

[MTK]

Thought this was good stuff

Mike Shanahan SFX From The Sidelines Of The Dallas Game

The most revealing part of the video, and the part I'd most be interested in following up on, is London Fletcher's reaction from the very end. Here's Steinberg's recounting of it:

"That was my fault for making it that close," Fletcher said when Shanahan tried to congratulate him on the field right after the game ended.

"Ohhhhh no," Shanahan scoffed, seemingly incredulous.

"I busted coverage on Austin," Fletcher said.

"No," Shanahan said. "I'm so proud of you."

[over the mountain]

holy freakin flying funk. you tellin me the whistle wasnt even blown when fletch got that PI!?! the freakin ref said that his forward momentum was stopped. shanny says why didnt you blow the whistle then?

WTF! i assumed they blew the whistle, like the announcers did, but we couldnt hear it b/c of the crowd noise.

wt the flying f.

i hope the skins asked the league for a review and clarification on that penalty.

[scowan]

Here is claification on that penalty.... the ref blew the call. The guy wasn't down, he was almost breaking the tackle by D. Hall and Fletcher came in with a shoulder blow. Not a spear or a helmet first illegal blow or anything nasty, just you common everyday tackling kind of move.