Cardinals stuff...

Mailbag: What Do The Problems Against Washington Mean For Arizona?
Wednesday, October 29, 2014 11:41 AM CDT


JEREMY CRENSHAW
ANNA, TX

Although Tony Romo is clearly a better QB, did it hurt us that he came back, because we abandoned a run game that was working at the end of the game?
Bryan: The offensive coaches did what they thought was right. There were guys that were open on the plays they call. The game film showed that. The quarterback had a bad game hurt or not. If they don’t turn the ball over we are not even talking about any of this. Give the Redskins credit: their plan was good and they executed well, the Cowboys didn’t.

David: I’m all for criticizing the decision to throw the ball so much in overtime, because it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. I don’t have a problem re-inserting Romo, though, because he was medically cleared and he’s your best option. You always want your best option available if he’s healthy enough to do so. I don’t think his return to the game is the cause of the decision making. It’s just my opinion, but I honestly just think the Cowboys lost their cool in a pressure-packed situation.

TIMOTHY FRISBIE
THOMASVILLE, GA

I've played out all the what if's from last night in my mind all day and I am over it now and on to next week. We know Arizona is going to blitz, too. What changes in protection can we expect to see and how do you do it without limiting your offense?

Bryan: I am going into this game thinking that Arizona is not going to blitz as much as you think. If Dallas is going to max protect all game or keep James Hanna in to block, why waste those players on defense? Dallas has the ability to spread the Cardinals out like Denver did and get rid of the ball quickly. They had better think about coverage in this game more than blitzing since you asked me.

David: Shockingly, to me at least, the Cardinals rank last in the league in passing yards allowed per game. They’ve allowed three of the last quarterbacks they’ve played to go for more than 350 yards. I think there’ll be plays to be made, and I expect the Cowboys to use plenty of quick throws – and like Bryan said, use plenty of extra protection from their tight ends. DeMarco Murray has also been much better in protection this season than he showed on Monday night. I think it’s fair to expect him to bounce back in that regard.

Been saying all year, McClain is fine. He just doesn't want to practice. He's come up with some injury every week.

Also, I saw that Peterson cleared his concussion test and should play. Looked like he got KTFO last week.

Chocolate Lab said:

Been saying all year, McClain is fine. He just doesn't want to practice. He's come up with some injury every week.

Also, I saw that Peterson cleared his concussion test and should play. Looked like he got KTFO last week.

Click to expand...

I think it has more to do with being away from football for so long his body has to get used to the pounding.

Plus this was nothing more than a walkthrough practice since this is a short week, per Garrett.

Cardinals vs. Cowboys preview
October, 30, 2014

By Todd Archer and Josh Weinfuss | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas – Few would have pegged Sunday’s meeting between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals as so important in terms of the NFC hierarchy.

The Cardinals (6-1) have the best record in the conference and lead the NFC West. The Cowboys' winning streak ended Monday, but their 6-2 record has them in first place in the NFC East.

These former division rivals have played some zany games, with two of the past three meetings going to overtime and the other decided, in part, because of a missed extra point.

ESPN Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss and Cowboys reporter Todd Archer offer up this week’s game preview:

Todd Archer: A lot of people are waiting for Tony Romo to falter after his strong start, aided by a great running game, and I think a lot of people are waiting for the same from Carson Palmer. Why is this a different Palmer and is it as simple as Bruce Arians keeping it all together?

The number of total yards DeMarco Murray has gained in eight games. In NFL history, that trails only Jim Brown (1,416 in 1963), Marshall Faulk (1,326 in 2000), O.J. Simpson (1,300 in 1975) and Priest Holmes (1,297 in 2002). Murray leads the NFL with 1,054 rushing yards and needs only 68 yards to establish a career high. He has also caught 26 passes for 239 yards.

Josh Weinfuss: I think the Carson Palmer you see now is partly the result of him being more mature and more comfortable with his lot in football, as well as the Bruce Arians effect. Palmer fits Arians’ scheme perfectly and Arians has tailored his play calling to what Palmer does well. And Palmer also has a talented corps of receivers, a fast back in Andre Ellington, brutish tight ends who can block and get out for a pass here and there, and an offensive line that has done a great job at keeping him clean -- not necessarily pressure-free, but clean -- and combined, that’s helped Palmer play the best he has in years.

How will coming off a short week and now coming off a loss impact the Cowboys after what looked like to be a pretty physical game?

Archer: It’s all about Romo. He missed two series in the second half against the Redskins because of a bruised back and was limited in practice. This is a tough matchup anyway, but it’s even tougher on a short week. Romo's injury wasn’t the only one. Justin Durant is out for the year with a torn biceps and Ronald Leary suffered a groin injury. Jason Garrett does a good job of getting his team to move on from the good or bad, but this test could be different because of Romo’s health. He was held out of the offseason because of back surgery last December and did not practice more than two straight days in training camp. He has taken Wednesdays off since the second game of the season to make sure he would be ready for game day, so his schedule has not been thrown too far out of whack, but the Cowboys have to make sure the issues they had against the Redskins’ pressure were more about a bad night than something that will expose them for the rest of the season.

Todd Bowles was a secondary coach here under Bill Parcells and has been a head coach candidate for several jobs. What has he brought to the Cardinals' defense, other than having some really good players to work with?

Weinfuss: Bowles hasn’t won so much with his players as much as his scheme. He’s playing with just two of his front seven from last season -- and that number was one for the past couple of weeks while Calais Campbell was out -- so while players help, it’s what Bowles has been able to do from a schematic standpoint that has been the deciding factor. But if I had to choose one thing that Bowles brought to the Cardinals, I’d go with a No. 1 and No. 1A. No. 1 was a slight change to the previous 3-4 scheme Arizona ran, and that was getting rid of the multiple-gap responsibility. This is now a single-gap scheme, and guys love it. And No. 1A is pressure. Bowles loves to blitz, as was clear on the last drive against the Philadelphia Eagles. It has been working so far.

Last season, Bruce Arians was adamant about not putting too much responsibility in the run game on Andre Ellington, in large part because he didn’t want him to wear down in his first season. Granted, DeMarco Murray is at a different stage of his career, but he’s still a running back getting significant carries. How much of a concern is it that the Cowboys are riding him too much?

Archer: There’s some concern about it, and they have rested him at different times for a series or a few plays in the first half of the past three games, but he is their bell cow. He is their guy. They will be mindful of how much work he gets, but he’s too good to take off the field for extended spells. They like backup running backs Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar, but those guys can’t do what Murray does in the run and pass game. He doesn’t look like he’s wearing down. He had 19 carries for 141 yards against the Redskins, so his carries were down from what they had been. But I’d maintain he took more of a beating in that game than he did when he had 29 carries in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. Jason Garrett was around Emmitt Smith for the bulk of his career, so I think he has a watchful eye to this sort of thing, as does Scott Linehan, who was around Steven Jackson in St. Louis. They will be smart with Murray, but not to the point that it costs them games.

I know Larry Fitzgerald. I know Michael Floyd. I didn’t know I needed to know John Brown, too. Has he changed the dynamic of the Cardinals’ offense any?

Weinfuss: He has, and it’s been a lot more than people realize. With Brown, Arizona added a reliable speed option. Palmer and Brown developed a great rapport while working together in Southern California this offseason and it’s just translated onto the field. While Fitzgerald has shown he can make a tough catch in traffic and break free for 80 yards and Floyd can go up and over anyone who challenges him, it’s Brown who can take the top off the defense. He has started showing up more and more on opposing game plans over the last few weeks, but after his game-winning touchdown catch Sunday, I’m sure he’ll be a point of emphasis going forward, which will spread secondaries thin and open up the middle and underneath for the rest of the Cardinals’ receivers.

There’s a lot of hype here, at least, surrounding the Cardinals’ run defense, which dropped from first to third this week. How much of Sunday’s game will come down to the league’s No. 1 rushing offense versus the league’s No. 1 rushing defense? Do you think the passing games will get any credit?

Archer: We talked about Romo’s back injury earlier and that could affect how the Cowboys plan to attack Arizona. I can’t imagine they will come out and chuck it 50 times and leave Romo exposed like that. The Cowboys are a run-first team, so if they’re playing the top run defense or the worst, they will attack the way they have attacked all season. They always say, "It's about us." Well, the Cardinals offer a great challenge to the running game. Teams have been committing eight guys at the line to slow Murray, and they haven’t been able to do it for four quarters. There have been some games that have been more difficult than others, but the Cowboys eventually figure things out and get to the runs that produce big plays. Then they work the pass game off the run game. They are trying to emulate the formula that worked so well in the 1990s. It has worked better than anybody really could have imagined at the start of the season.

Stats-eye view of Cowboys-Cardinals
October, 30, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- Here is a stats-eye view of Sunday's game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals thanks to the fine people at ESPN Stats & Information:

The good and the bad: The Cowboys have won 14 straight regular-season home games against the Cardinals, which according to the Elias Sports Bureau is the second-longest active home win streak against a single opponent. The last time the Cardinals won a regular-season game in Dallas was Oct. 29, 1989 and the Cardinals head coach was Gene Stallings.

The Cowboys saw their six-game win streak end on Monday and need to bounce back quickly, but they have struggled in the game's following an appearance on "Monday Night Football."

In the five seasons prior to this one, the Cowboys have played one "Monday Night Football" game each season and lost their next game each time.

The pace car: DeMarco Murray has 1,054 yards in eight games, putting him on pace to set the record for the most yards in a season. Here is how his start matches the other 2,000-yard seasons.



Tough to crack: Murray has opened the season with eight straight 100-yard games but faces a big test in the Cardinals run defense.

Arizona is ranked third in the league both in yards per rush allowed (3.32) and rush yards per game (77.9). They have allowed only four rushing touchdowns, which is tied for seventh best in the NFL.

Ready for the call?: If Tony Romo cannot play Sunday because of a back injury, then Brandon Weeden would start. As a starter with the Cleveland Browns, Weeden had a 5-10 record with 21 touchdowns and 25 picks. He completed 56.5 percent of his throws and had a Total QBR of just 25.9.

Since 2012, that 25.9 mark as a starter is the worst in the NFL among 32 quarterbacks. Chad Henne (27.1), Geno Smith (32.9) and Josh Freeman (44.7) follow Weeden with the lowest Total QBRs.

Good news.

Ron Marinelli gets the Cowboys' defense ready
October, 30, 2014

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys are facing an Arizona Cardinals offense that's averaging 26 points during this current three-game win streak on Sunday.

Overall, the Cardinals ranked near the bottom of the league in total offense (25th), rushing (28th) and middle of the pack in passing (15) and points per game overall (15th).

Star receiver Larry Fitzgerald is tied for 48th in receiving with just 30 catches for 443 yards and two touchdowns. But in last week's victory over Philadelphia, Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 160 yards including a career-long 80-yard touchdown reception.

Rookie wideout John Brown had five catches for a career-high 119 yards.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is trying to get his defense ready minus weakside linebacker (and leading tackler) Justin Durant (season-ending biceps surgery). The team is coming off a season-high three-sack game against Washington.

"I just think obviously, a heck of a player for us, really terrific player and having a great year," Marinelli said of Durant. "It's part of the business, we got other guys stepping up and you have an opportunity to work with them and other guys have to step up that where it is. Each guy has to bring their game up a little bit more."

Marinelli saw positive things from his defensive line last week particularly from defensive tackle Henry Melton, who picked up two sacks and overall the Cowboys had eight tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries against a third-string quarterback in Colt McCoy.

What will Marinelli's group do against Carson Palmer, a veteran of 12 NFL seasons?

"Usually what it comes down to is alignment, assignment, key and technique," he said. "Every defense, every call. If we’re on our alignments, we’re on our keys, we’re on the proper technique and we’re hustling, we’ll play good. So it’s consistent throughout. Some you can see bigger than others. Sometimes we’ll see a guy get hooked for a 5-yard run, shouldn’t happen. Alignment."

If he plays, Tony Romo will wear extra protection
October, 30, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are doing all they can to make sure Tony Romo will be protected if he can play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Romo has not practiced this week and it is not clear he will be able to do so on Friday, but the Cowboys’ equipment staff is sewing added Nike Combat gear protection into the undershirt Romo wears on gameday. They have done similar things for other players for extra protection.

Romo has worn a rib protector since he became the starter and when he suffered a punctured lung and broken rib it was fortified with Kevlar. He also wore a specially designed vest as added protection for a number of games that year as his rib healed. He already has an longer than normal back plate for more protection after undergoing two back surgeries.

Coach Jason Garrett has said the team has no hard and fast rules about whether a player needs to practice in order to play. Romo has talked about the importance of practice leading into a game, but he has played without a practice before.

If it happens again this week, the Cowboys want to make sure Romo has extra protection.

Cowboys prepping for Cardinals' blitzing
October, 31, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – One game does not make a trend, but the Dallas Cowboys know the Arizona Cardinals will try to emulate what the Washington Redskins did against them Monday.

Passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, however, did not like the suggestion that the Cowboys were exposed by Washington. The Cowboys were able to beat the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints when they brought pressure.

“We’ve defeated the blitz all year,” Linehan said. “We got sacked a couple of times last week that was disappointing, but the fact that we were able to have the long runs that we’ve had and the average per carry we’ve had, and the average per attempt we’ve had, that’s what we’ve done. We’ve done it consistently all year. Not as well this last game, but all year we’ve been pretty good at it.”

The Cowboys had few answers for Washington’s pressure and it led to Tony Romo being sacked a season-high five times. The Cardinals are a heavy blitz team as well, but they don’t bring the Cover 0 blitzes as much as the Redskins where the cornerbacks have no help.

“I don’t think that’s Arizona’s tendency, although you’ve seen it,” center Travis Frederick said. “They have it. We know they have it, so they might bring it out.”

The Cowboys believe they will have the correct answers this week whether Romo plays or if Brandon Weeden has to start.

Frederick said the good that came from the Washington game is that it can get corrected in a hurry.

“It gets you a chance to see that, find where your flaws are and fix it,” Frederick said. “It’s finding the leak before it explodes I guess. You could say the pipe exploded last week but as long as you get it fixed, you get a patch on it. Hopefully we can make it so nobody is coming through this week.”

Prediction: Dallas Cowboys to drop second straight
October, 31, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' 6-2 start was better than just about anybody could have imagined, but the loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday night in overtime quelled some of those good feelings. Plus it is not clear whether Tony Romo will play against the Arizona Cardinals because of a back injury. Even if he does play, can he move around well enough to avoid the pressure-happy Arizona defense after the Redskins were able to put him under constant pressure?

Cracks appeared for the defense too. The Redskins hit the Cowboys for two pass plays of more than 40 yards and Colt McCoy completed 83 percent of his passes. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer can press the ball down the field to Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd or rookie John Brown. Without a steady pass rush, the Cowboys' defense has holes and it won’t have linebacker Justin Durant. It’s too early to hit a panic button, but the timing of the matchup is coming at a bad time for the Cowboys with a confluence of injuries and questions.

My prediction: Cardinals 27, Cowboys 20