- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,135
Three thoughts on the Cowboys' 30-23 win
October, 14, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys won their fifth consecutive game, their longest streak since 2007, with a convincing win over Seattle on Sunday.
The Seahawks had won 17 of 18 regular-season games at home by an average of 16.4 points. Dallas is now tied for the best record in the NFL and shares first place in the NFC East with Philadelphia.
Here are three thoughts on the Cowboys' win:
1. I think Jeremy Mincey shows the value of pressuring quarterbacks.
He doesn’t have a sack this year, but it was Mincey pressuring Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson on fourth-and-6 with 2:40 left in the game and forcing him to rush his throw. Mincey faked an inside move and blew past the tight end designated to block him, allowing him to immediately force Winston from the pocket.
Against Houston, he applied heavy pressure on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on a third-down play in overtime that resulted in an incompletion. Houston punted and the Cowboys drove for the game-winning field goal.
2. I think Gavin Escobar’s blocking on the Cowboys’ final touchdown drive will result in more playing time and a larger role.
It would really help the Cowboys’ offense because he’s a much better receiving threat thanJames Hanna, which would make their two-tight end package more lethal. But this team's top priority is running the ball, so Escobar's playing time will only increase if he can block as well as Hanna has been doing it.
On the Cowboys' final touchdown drive, Escobar delivered one of the key blocks on DeMarco Murray’s 25-yard run. He had a pancake block on the next play and did a good job blocking a defensive end on Murray’s 15-yard touchdown run.
3. I think having Orlando Scandrick at cornerback and Sterling Moore as the third cornerback in the nickel has made the Cowboys’ secondary considerably better.
Scandrick is emerging as one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks and Moore has a knack for knocking down passes even after receivers have their hands on them.
More importantly, Scandrick and Moore are each much more physical players than Morris Claiborne, who's out for the season with a knee injury, which also makes the run defense better when teams attack the perimeter.
Key Stat: 23
Murray leads the NFL with 23 runs of 10 yards or more, seven more than Baltimore's Justin Forsett.
He has at least three 10-yard runs in each game this season. Against Seattle, Murray had a 10-yard run in the second quarter and added runs of 25 and 15 in the fourth quarter on the touchdown drive that gave Dallas its final lead.
Seattle had allowed only eight runs of 10 yards or more in its first five games this season. The combination of the blocking Murray’s getting from the offensive line and his understanding of the scheme has made him the NFL's most lethal runner.
Murray waits until the last possible moment to attack the hole, which gives the linemen time to get to the linebackers, so when he cuts back they're walled off. Last year, a lot of times he committed a fraction too early and the linebackers had time to recover.
Player to Watch: Anthony Spencer
It has taken a few games, but you can see Spencer becoming more of a factor each week.
He played 29 snaps -- his highest total of the season -- and turned in his best performance with three tackles, a quarterback hit and some consistent pressure on Wilson.
That’s what the Cowboys need from him. This team doesn’t have a lot of natural pass-rushers on the roster, so if Spencer can be that guy it would make this defense much better.
The Cowboys are keeping him on a strict play limit and Spencer doesn’t practice on Fridays to give his knee a break. The Cowboys continue to manage him in hopes that he will be an impact player before the season ends.
October, 14, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys won their fifth consecutive game, their longest streak since 2007, with a convincing win over Seattle on Sunday.
The Seahawks had won 17 of 18 regular-season games at home by an average of 16.4 points. Dallas is now tied for the best record in the NFL and shares first place in the NFC East with Philadelphia.
Here are three thoughts on the Cowboys' win:
1. I think Jeremy Mincey shows the value of pressuring quarterbacks.
He doesn’t have a sack this year, but it was Mincey pressuring Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson on fourth-and-6 with 2:40 left in the game and forcing him to rush his throw. Mincey faked an inside move and blew past the tight end designated to block him, allowing him to immediately force Winston from the pocket.
Against Houston, he applied heavy pressure on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on a third-down play in overtime that resulted in an incompletion. Houston punted and the Cowboys drove for the game-winning field goal.
2. I think Gavin Escobar’s blocking on the Cowboys’ final touchdown drive will result in more playing time and a larger role.
It would really help the Cowboys’ offense because he’s a much better receiving threat thanJames Hanna, which would make their two-tight end package more lethal. But this team's top priority is running the ball, so Escobar's playing time will only increase if he can block as well as Hanna has been doing it.
On the Cowboys' final touchdown drive, Escobar delivered one of the key blocks on DeMarco Murray’s 25-yard run. He had a pancake block on the next play and did a good job blocking a defensive end on Murray’s 15-yard touchdown run.
3. I think having Orlando Scandrick at cornerback and Sterling Moore as the third cornerback in the nickel has made the Cowboys’ secondary considerably better.
Scandrick is emerging as one of the NFL’s better cornerbacks and Moore has a knack for knocking down passes even after receivers have their hands on them.
More importantly, Scandrick and Moore are each much more physical players than Morris Claiborne, who's out for the season with a knee injury, which also makes the run defense better when teams attack the perimeter.
Key Stat: 23
Murray leads the NFL with 23 runs of 10 yards or more, seven more than Baltimore's Justin Forsett.
He has at least three 10-yard runs in each game this season. Against Seattle, Murray had a 10-yard run in the second quarter and added runs of 25 and 15 in the fourth quarter on the touchdown drive that gave Dallas its final lead.
Seattle had allowed only eight runs of 10 yards or more in its first five games this season. The combination of the blocking Murray’s getting from the offensive line and his understanding of the scheme has made him the NFL's most lethal runner.
Murray waits until the last possible moment to attack the hole, which gives the linemen time to get to the linebackers, so when he cuts back they're walled off. Last year, a lot of times he committed a fraction too early and the linebackers had time to recover.
Player to Watch: Anthony Spencer
It has taken a few games, but you can see Spencer becoming more of a factor each week.
He played 29 snaps -- his highest total of the season -- and turned in his best performance with three tackles, a quarterback hit and some consistent pressure on Wilson.
That’s what the Cowboys need from him. This team doesn’t have a lot of natural pass-rushers on the roster, so if Spencer can be that guy it would make this defense much better.
The Cowboys are keeping him on a strict play limit and Spencer doesn’t practice on Fridays to give his knee a break. The Cowboys continue to manage him in hopes that he will be an impact player before the season ends.
