Game Thread: Week 1 - Cowboys @ Rams

[Andresrenee]

Ok

I been saying all along that Conner William's is not a guard. Dak was under constant pressure from the right side. If Collins played I think the outcome of game different.

The problem is he won’t play for at least two more weeks. Look our killer offense lost another game where the D did enough for most average NFL offenses to get a W.

 

[UK Cowboy]

Yes it was a BS call but the Awuzie Int should have been called back, due to a missed penalty.

That's 100% correct. Hard to blame the refs when they had already blown a call on a turnover in our favor

 

[PDay8810]

Jerry curse continues in 2020

Dallas loses thus Andresrenee is an active poster

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

Not kicking that easy FG will haunt us later. Terrible decision

In hindsight... yeah. Probably should have kicked it. But at the moment in the game with the momentum they had going, I was good with the decision and I had no problem with the play call. Rookie has to run the route to the sticks. He’ll learn.

 

[Godstree]

In hindsight... yeah. Probably should have kicked it. But at the moment in the game with the momentum they had going, I was good with the decision and I had no problem with the play call. Rookie has to run the route to the sticks. He’ll learn.

I disagree. You take the points, tie the game. Momentum would have never gotten them in a 4th situation. But... thats is how I would have gone. People have differing philosophy.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

Little things...

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

I disagree. You take the points, tie the game. Momentum would have never gotten them in a 4th situation. But... thats is how I would have gone. People have differing philosophy.

Yep. Pretty much a 50/50 split on this one. But I think we can all sing Kumbaya in unison over not having to hear Jason Garrett’s monotone deflections of coaching decisions this morning.

 

[GNG]

The Cowboys are under a new coaching regime and had no preseason games so I wouldn't be too upset with the loss. They will start to hit on all cylinders once everyone gets on the same page.

 

[ROMOTOOWENS]

I was shocked McVay was so conservative. I don’t watch the Rams a lot , but with all the analytics now and teams throwing it all over the place- it surprised me a couple of times when he didnt go for it. 40 running plays for the Rams.

 

[jarntt]

My thoughts, mostly bad. Biggest issue was the injuries of course. Being down some key guys now after starting 0-1 could leave a mark.

New Year. New Coaches. New scheme. Same exact team with regards to time management, poor coaching decisions, penalties in the red zone and a defense that just can't stop anyone and gets pressure but no sacks. The Rams ran up and down the field on us at will. 3 games in a row they screened us over and over and ran the QB rollout/scramble with no one maintaining the corner. A lot of bad in that game but obviously the worst is the injuries.

When will an NFL coach learn that you call time out when the other team has the ball and it saves 35+ seconds, whereas when you have the ball it saves you half of that because you can hurry. Another coach that wants to save one time out and doesn't understand it is worse with regards to how much time you spend and the clock is your biggest enemy. The decision to not kick the tying FG was mind boggling. Mind Boggling. Did anyone not immediately see that as dumb? Just for that and the play before McCarthy should get shit all week from the media. Worse was possibly the decision to run it on 3rd and 6 right before it as if they had already decided to go for it. If you end up with 4th and 1, ok, I see going for it maybe, but you always tie the game when you have a chance late in the game. on 4th and 3 from that spot on the field.

As I feared Hill was horrible. Just blown all over the place. LBs were not really better than last year other than the fact that they didn't miss many tackles so I guess that was actually a little better. But no gaps filled and sealed off a lot. Diggs fit right in with our CBs last night (one game of course), tight coverage and couldn't make a play on the ball or stop the big completions. Awuzie couldn't have missed that interception if he tried, so kudos for it, but I think it got stuck in his stomach and not sure he even saw it coming until it was there. Safeties weren't too bad considering we know it's a weak spot, but Thompson must have missed at least 3 tackles and Woods was way too deep a couple of times. Hard to even see what he was doing on one completion. Aldon Smith looks like a monster. D Law still can't get home to the QB. I didn't really see if he was constantly doubled or just Goff getting the ball out really quickly. Seemed we never really had the the primary option covered and made it easy for him. DTs weren't very good. Our best cover guy was the Rams dropping passes. A couple of times we got penetration and blew up the flow of the play even if it just led to a missed tackle, so that was at least good to see.

Offense was OK. If the refs let the Gallup push off go it would have been a really good game for the Offense. Penalties in the red zone again an issue. The OL just isn't the top line it once was and it wasn't just the replacements as Martin got tossed around twice. It's been 3 years since we have seen a top 3 OL in the league but should be OK when Collins gets back and I thought they were OK against the run and while they allowed constant pressure and couldn't stop the pass rush there weren't any missed assignments that got Dak killed without at least slowing the guy down - I guess that doesn't really sound too good. Hard to fault Steele. Was a little out of his league but battled all night. Will be interesting to see if he starts over Knight if healthy and if teams will start looking to attack him. I thought he was better than what people seem to be saying about him all things considered. Tough spot for your first action. This is going to sound dumb but I also thought Williams was better than people are saying. He didn't always get help with Donald and Donald is the best player in the league., No one looks great against him. Looney played pretty well. They were OK in run game, some holes, some brick walls, but that's the NFL against good DLs. Zeke ran hard and looked quicker than last year and I thought had a real good game. Dak had no time all night and did a great job of getting the ball out quickly or they might have had double digit sacks, but sailed a few throws like the one at the end. I like seeing him running more on 3rd down and in big spots. He was OK, not great, but not bad. Cooper with an absolutely huge drop on the second to last drive. That put us behind the 8 ball for sure. Lamb looked great in space on Offense and returns. WRs overall looked really good. I think twice we had penalties in the red zone. Luckily we overcame one time and scored any way IIRC.

Overall it was week one in a weird offseason.. Mostly last night reinforced what I have been thinking: we are probably the favorites to win a weak NFC East, but still need to improve to be much better than that. It would have been great to steal a win even though we were outplayed and our defense looked like the same old same old. But, nothing really horrible or insurmountable happened last night other than the injuries and McCarthy looking just like Garrett on big decisions and time management. I really thought the Offense was close to looking real good. We just couldn't get the ball enough because the Rams dominated us in TOP. I think if the defense came up with a couple of stops in the first half it could have been totally different. I hate starting 0-1 when we had a chance to win the game, but even in a bad year last year the Rams were 9-7 so I don't think this is an indicator of us having a bad season at all.

 

[jarntt]

Yep. Pretty much a 50/50 split on this one. But I think we can all sing Kumbaya in unison over not having to hear Jason Garrett’s monotone deflections of coaching decisions this morning.

50/50 split? Seriously? That was Football 101. It was 3 yards, not 6 inches

 

[GNG]

I was shocked McVay was so conservative. I don’t watch the Rams a lot , but with all the analytics now and teams throwing it all over the place- it surprised me a couple of times when he didnt go for it. 40 running plays for the Rams.

They found a weakness in the Cowboy's run defense.

 

[Sir Robin Of Camelot]

50/50 split? Seriously? That was Football 101. It was 3 yards, not 6 inches

And I'm in the camp of liking the decision / liking the play / hating the WR not running the route to the sticks. The logic was sound.

On the pivotal fourth-down call, McCarthy passed on the “conservative play” -- as he called a potential field goal attempt -- even if it’s what he’s done his entire career. He apparently learned a few new metrics during his hiatus. The numbers said to go for it. He liked how Dak Prescott was moving the ball. A first down and, presumably, a touchdown would have been a “huge momentum play.”

- Dallas Morning News

 

[Earl Stevens]

Jaylon Smith might be worse than Bradie James.

 

[Earl Stevens]

I was shocked McVay was so conservative. I don’t watch the Rams a lot , but with all the analytics now and teams throwing it all over the place- it surprised me a couple of times when he didnt go for it. 40 running plays for the Rams.

McVay has always been conservative. You just wouldn't know it by how much the Rams score.

 

[Earl Stevens]

I was shocked McVay was so conservative. I don’t watch the Rams a lot , but with all the analytics now and teams throwing it all over the place- it surprised me a couple of times when he didnt go for it. 40 running plays for the Rams.

It's why the Rams always try to avoid 3rd downs. When they are at their best, they get first down after first down without even a 3rd down. When it's time to kick a FG or punt, McVay gets very conservative.

 

[DT LUNA]

It's why the Rams always try to avoid 3rd downs. When they are at their best, they get first down after first down without even a 3rd down. When it's time to kick a FG or punt, McVay gets very conservative.

You apparently follow the Rams a lot

 

[Earl Stevens]

You apparently follow the Rams a lot

Yeah, high-powered offenses like the Chiefs and Rams I like to follow to see how they do things and wished the Cowboys would follow suit.

 

[ROMOTOOWENS]

Up 10-7 , I was real surprised he didn’t go for it , instead of settling for the FG. Then 4rth and 1 at the 50 to pretty much end the game. He trusted his defense and his Punter to but Dallas deep. It worked for him.

The flag - to me it wasn’t so much the play being nullified but we also went back 10 yards. That was huge. We had just overcome a big sack. Real hard to overcome 2 big losses.

Beautiful stadium. Wasn’t a fan of the Rams uniforms. Not sure I like the orangish color in their logo.

First week , got a lot of work to do but our offense is stacked. Need to get healthy.

Goff vs Dak - Goff may throw a prettier ball, but other than that it’s not a contest. I know I’m a homer but that first down roll out on the Rams last possession is really all I needed to see. Even if Dak doesn’t make the throw - he wasn’t going to slide after a 3 yard gain. I think Dak makes the throw though. Just my opinion. Don’t even get me started on Wentz.

 

[ROMOTOOWENS]

My thoughts, mostly bad. Biggest issue was the injuries of course. Being down some key guys now after starting 0-1 could leave a mark.

New Year. New Coaches. New scheme. Same exact team with regards to time management, poor coaching decisions, penalties in the red zone and a defense that just can't stop anyone and gets pressure but no sacks. The Rams ran up and down the field on us at will. 3 games in a row they screened us over and over and ran the QB rollout/scramble with no one maintaining the corner. A lot of bad in that game but obviously the worst is the injuries.

When will an NFL coach learn that you call time out when the other team has the ball and it saves 35+ seconds, whereas when you have the ball it saves you half of that because you can hurry. Another coach that wants to save one time out and doesn't understand it is worse with regards to how much time you spend and the clock is your biggest enemy. The decision to not kick the tying FG was mind boggling. Mind Boggling. Did anyone not immediately see that as dumb? Just for that and the play before McCarthy should get shit all week from the media. Worse was possibly the decision to run it on 3rd and 6 right before it as if they had already decided to go for it. If you end up with 4th and 1, ok, I see going for it maybe, but you always tie the game when you have a chance late in the game. on 4th and 3 from that spot on the field.

As I feared Hill was horrible. Just blown all over the place. LBs were not really better than last year other than the fact that they didn't miss many tackles so I guess that was actually a little better. But no gaps filled and sealed off a lot. Diggs fit right in with our CBs last night (one game of course), tight coverage and couldn't make a play on the ball or stop the big completions. Awuzie couldn't have missed that interception if he tried, so kudos for it, but I think it got stuck in his stomach and not sure he even saw it coming until it was there. Safeties weren't too bad considering we know it's a weak spot, but Thompson must have missed at least 3 tackles and Woods was way too deep a couple of times. Hard to even see what he was doing on one completion. Aldon Smith looks like a monster. D Law still can't get home to the QB. I didn't really see if he was constantly doubled or just Goff getting the ball out really quickly. Seemed we never really had the the primary option covered and made it easy for him. DTs weren't very good. Our best cover guy was the Rams dropping passes. A couple of times we got penetration and blew up the flow of the play even if it just led to a missed tackle, so that was at least good to see.

Offense was OK. If the refs let the Gallup push off go it would have been a really good game for the Offense. Penalties in the red zone again an issue. The OL just isn't the top line it once was and it wasn't just the replacements as Martin got tossed around twice. It's been 3 years since we have seen a top 3 OL in the league but should be OK when Collins gets back and I thought they were OK against the run and while they allowed constant pressure and couldn't stop the pass rush there weren't any missed assignments that got Dak killed without at least slowing the guy down - I guess that doesn't really sound too good. Hard to fault Steele. Was a little out of his league but battled all night. Will be interesting to see if he starts over Knight if healthy and if teams will start looking to attack him. I thought he was better than what people seem to be saying about him all things considered. Tough spot for your first action. This is going to sound dumb but I also thought Williams was better than people are saying. He didn't always get help with Donald and Donald is the best player in the league., No one looks great against him. Looney played pretty well. They were OK in run game, some holes, some brick walls, but that's the NFL against good DLs. Zeke ran hard and looked quicker than last year and I thought had a real good game. Dak had no time all night and did a great job of getting the ball out quickly or they might have had double digit sacks, but sailed a few throws like the one at the end. I like seeing him running more on 3rd down and in big spots. He was OK, not great, but not bad. Cooper with an absolutely huge drop on the second to last drive. That put us behind the 8 ball for sure. Lamb looked great in space on Offense and returns. WRs overall looked really good. I think twice we had penalties in the red zone. Luckily we overcame one time and scored any way IIRC.

Overall it was week one in a weird offseason.. Mostly last night reinforced what I have been thinking: we are probably the favorites to win a weak NFC East, but still need to improve to be much better than that. It would have been great to steal a win even though we were outplayed and our defense looked like the same old same old. But, nothing really horrible or insurmountable happened last night other than the injuries and McCarthy looking just like Garrett on big decisions and time management. I really thought the Offense was close to looking real good. We just couldn't get the ball enough because the Rams dominated us in TOP. I think if the defense came up with a couple of stops in the first half it could have been totally different. I hate starting 0-1 when we had a chance to win the game, but even in a bad year last year the Rams were 9-7 so I don't think this is an indicator of us having a bad season at all.

Just hitting some of those points. I thought Dak was almost perfect the first half. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to score before half. The second half, the Rams seem to get more pressure on him. He was throwing out of some weird positions , which of course caused him to be a little erratic. I’m not remembering the Cooper drop. I do remember the TE having one clank ofF his hands. Are you talking about when Ramsey stuck him and forced him to fumble. ?? That would have been a first down. The offense to me looks very dangerous, especially with the run threat of Dak. I still go back to what Parcells use to say. Every 100 yards should equal 7 points. Last night we had 402 I think. Just not efficient enough. Now we did miss a long field goal.