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Connor Williams allowed zero pressures vs. Giants, leveling up
By Patrik Walker
Step away from the panic button.
Now 1-1 to start the season and with an early lead in the NFC East, all hope is not lost for the Dallas Cowboys. It may have felt that way following their nauseating 16-8 opening day loss to the Carolina Panthers, and to be clear, they deserved the evisceration -- on offense mostly, though. One week later, following a CIA-style exit from Bank of America Stadium by both offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and owner Jerry Jones, the days leading up to the Week 2 battle with the New York Giants were filled with tales of a coming unpredictability by the offense, but a large part of the success would also be predicated on the legs of quarterback Dak Prescott and improved pocket protection by the offensive line.
Speaking to the latter here, the world saw two different movies between watching the season opener and Sunday Night Football, in large part to rookie left guard Connor Williams and center Joe Looney.
"I didn't do the best I wanted," Williams said after Week 1, where his NFL training wheels were on full display, via The Dallas Morning News. "Definitely learning from it, watching film, analyzing and getting better from what I can."
Williams had zero opportunity for ramp-up in his rookie debut, tasked with helping contain All-Pro interior lineman Dontari Poe and his pro bowl compatriot, Kawann Short -- a tall task for even a veteran to achieve. The former Texas star struggled with the strength of both, harkening back to a pre-draft concern by many who saw his weight as being a concern with the conversion from a collegiate tackle to an NFL guard, the latter being responsible for stopping/blocking some of the biggest players in the sport.
Not naive to this fact, the 6-foot-5, 296 lb. Williams is working to improve in that arena.
"Strength comes with time," he said. "It's not like I'm going to get super strength overnight, so it's all about technique right now and learning from my flaws. ...Moving from tackle to guard and then playing a 200-pounder to 350, it's definitely an adjustment. But it's something I can definitely learn and get better at.''
He most certainly did, by the way, not allowing a single pressure against the Giants while playing all 53 offensive snaps. One look at the following play and you'll get an instant idea of why the Cowboys were ecstatic he was available with the 50th-overall pick.
Simply put, rumors of his NFL demise after only one game were greatly exaggerated.
The other (and arguably bigger) headline on this new-look offensive line stretches across the shoulder pads of Looney, who has the unenviable job of replacing a perennial All-Pro in Travis Frederick, sidelined indefinitely with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He's stepped up in an impressive way for two games now, allowing no pressures* in the season opener and turning All-Pro defensive tackle Damon Harrison into a breakfast at IHOP, amongst the other impactful plays he made throughout the game.
For the record, Harrison is one of the best in football and also stands 6-foot-3, weighing over 355 lbs. That folks, is one very large pancake.
What will be key going forward is the mobility of Prescott, his ability to leave the pocket keeping defenses from pinning their ears back, in turn helping the offensive line play better. It's a one-hand-washing-the-other sort of thing that will be a virtual necessity if the Cowboys are serious about making the playoffs, the offense displaying a staunch bipolarity between how inept they looked in Week 1 versus the dynamic version of themselves put on display in Week 2, and it's not hard to tell what the difference was and can be going forward.
Improved play by the O-line will need to carry over to Seattle as they prep to face another talented defensive front, but it's safe to say both Looney and Williams are quickly digging their heels in as starters.
Interestingly enough, while it's the Cowboys' defense justifiably labeling themselves the Hot Boys, the offensive line is also proving the block... is hot.
By Patrik Walker
Step away from the panic button.
Now 1-1 to start the season and with an early lead in the NFC East, all hope is not lost for the Dallas Cowboys. It may have felt that way following their nauseating 16-8 opening day loss to the Carolina Panthers, and to be clear, they deserved the evisceration -- on offense mostly, though. One week later, following a CIA-style exit from Bank of America Stadium by both offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and owner Jerry Jones, the days leading up to the Week 2 battle with the New York Giants were filled with tales of a coming unpredictability by the offense, but a large part of the success would also be predicated on the legs of quarterback Dak Prescott and improved pocket protection by the offensive line.
Speaking to the latter here, the world saw two different movies between watching the season opener and Sunday Night Football, in large part to rookie left guard Connor Williams and center Joe Looney.
"I didn't do the best I wanted," Williams said after Week 1, where his NFL training wheels were on full display, via The Dallas Morning News. "Definitely learning from it, watching film, analyzing and getting better from what I can."
Williams had zero opportunity for ramp-up in his rookie debut, tasked with helping contain All-Pro interior lineman Dontari Poe and his pro bowl compatriot, Kawann Short -- a tall task for even a veteran to achieve. The former Texas star struggled with the strength of both, harkening back to a pre-draft concern by many who saw his weight as being a concern with the conversion from a collegiate tackle to an NFL guard, the latter being responsible for stopping/blocking some of the biggest players in the sport.
Not naive to this fact, the 6-foot-5, 296 lb. Williams is working to improve in that arena.
"Strength comes with time," he said. "It's not like I'm going to get super strength overnight, so it's all about technique right now and learning from my flaws. ...Moving from tackle to guard and then playing a 200-pounder to 350, it's definitely an adjustment. But it's something I can definitely learn and get better at.''
He most certainly did, by the way, not allowing a single pressure against the Giants while playing all 53 offensive snaps. One look at the following play and you'll get an instant idea of why the Cowboys were ecstatic he was available with the 50th-overall pick.
Simply put, rumors of his NFL demise after only one game were greatly exaggerated.
The other (and arguably bigger) headline on this new-look offensive line stretches across the shoulder pads of Looney, who has the unenviable job of replacing a perennial All-Pro in Travis Frederick, sidelined indefinitely with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He's stepped up in an impressive way for two games now, allowing no pressures* in the season opener and turning All-Pro defensive tackle Damon Harrison into a breakfast at IHOP, amongst the other impactful plays he made throughout the game.
For the record, Harrison is one of the best in football and also stands 6-foot-3, weighing over 355 lbs. That folks, is one very large pancake.
What will be key going forward is the mobility of Prescott, his ability to leave the pocket keeping defenses from pinning their ears back, in turn helping the offensive line play better. It's a one-hand-washing-the-other sort of thing that will be a virtual necessity if the Cowboys are serious about making the playoffs, the offense displaying a staunch bipolarity between how inept they looked in Week 1 versus the dynamic version of themselves put on display in Week 2, and it's not hard to tell what the difference was and can be going forward.
Improved play by the O-line will need to carry over to Seattle as they prep to face another talented defensive front, but it's safe to say both Looney and Williams are quickly digging their heels in as starters.
Interestingly enough, while it's the Cowboys' defense justifiably labeling themselves the Hot Boys, the offensive line is also proving the block... is hot.
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