Sturm: Marinelli Report - Surviving The Dramatic Last Moments In Oakland

Cotton

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By Bob Sturm, Special contributor

Sunday night may possibly not have anything to do with the final fate of the 2017 Dallas Cowboys. That doesn't mean it wasn't wildly entertaining and memorable from a pure dramatic standpoint.

These games are played for 3 hours plus between two teams that don't want to give in to the other. They are often not separated by more than one play here or there. That is the sport and that is why we love it so much. For all of the off-field drama and stories that annoy us as well as the vague manner in which the league draws its on-field rules, it is still the best soap opera any writer could ever conceive. It is two teams of amazing athletes destroying their bodies for the pursuit of a win.

Even if that win might not stand the test of time.

The Cowboys survived on Sunday night. They survived because they made one more play. Or maybe just the one play that matters. Or maybe the opponent just made the vital mistake at the wrong moment and the Cowboys were the beneficiaries of that gift.

Choose your own description.

Today, I wish to go back to that final drive and just look at each of the 9 plays from a defensive standpoint to see how the Cowboys did survive and notch their third win in a row and their eighth win of the season. They again held their opponent under 300 yards of offense (5th time this year), but also failed to get a takeaway (5th time) or a sack (4th time).

In fact, what once was a very promising sack season - they were 3rd in the NFL after 8 games with 27 sacks and only trailed Jacksonville and Carolina - has now disintegrated. Since the Kansas City game, the Cowboys have played 6 games and registered 5 sacks, which as you might imagine ranks 32nd in the NFL. During that same span of time, Tennessee has 27 sacks and the Rams have 22.

Their team total of 32 sacks still ranks 16th in the league, but the idea that they were a sure thing to reach 40 for the first time in years is just a far-off fantasy again. In fact, they will do well to get to last year's total of 36 in the last two games.

WEEKLY DATA BOX - VS OAKLAND



Again, several of the numbers above will please you. They did a nice job of limiting big plays, making sure Oakland got nothing easy, and even fighting hard against that Marshawn Lynch battering ram. They failed on 3rd downs many times and with no sacks or takeaways (even those that hit them in the chest) they flirted with losing a game that the defense played pretty well.

Oakland obviously is depleted at the skill positions and aside from Michael Crabtree had very little. He isn't a top-tier receiver, but he has some very Dez Bryant-like attributes with his ability to win with strength on 3rd downs and in the red zone. But, beyond that, the Raiders found almost nothing.

DEREK CARR THROW CHART



Looking above, you can see that the secondary was very strong. Carr had almost nothing down the field and that would suggest that the pass rush was effective, despite no sacks. You want it more effective, mind you, but he certainly didn't appear to have all day back there.

SEAN LEE WOWY



Sean Lee - With Or Without You stats continue to impress. We know he is good and we know the Cowboys desperately rely on him (probably way too much), but we are going to have a full season of very impressive defensive days when he plays and not so much when he doesn't. That, of course, begs the question of how this season would be different if he had perfect attendance, but I suppose every team has a sob story to tell you - and nobody wants to hear them.

SNAP COUNTS



SPLASH PLAYS - OAKLAND



I hate to make splash plays subjective - and I don't believe I did, technically. But, there are two that are not as cut and dried as others. Awuzie's 3rd down stop was a driving tackle that left Crabtree a yard short of the sticks on a 3rd and 8. Normally, positive yardage is not allowed, but if you get the team off the field with a tackle, I make a 3rd down stop a splash if deemed a strong personal effort.

And, same goes for Jeff Heath on the final play. That was a 5 yard gain from Carr and Heath did not technically cause the fumble. But, if you saw it, I assume we all agree it was an extraordinary effort by Heath to save the day.

SEASON TOTALS FOR SPLASH PLAYS



Ok, let's look at that final drive from the 1st play until the last.



1st and 10 - Oak 11 - 1:38 to go. Carr unloads quickly to his left to Roberts in the flat in front of Anthony Brown. Brown is right there and bats the ball away. Good aggressive break on the ball that stops a short Oakland gain.



2nd and 10 - Oak 11 - 1:34 - Carr and Roberts go again, this time from the opposite slot and this time Brown releases Roberts to the safeties. Roberts sits down before he gets into Heath's area and is able to pick up 19 in a small window which qualifies as the longest pass play of the day that connects. You can see that Woods is more conservative than Heath because he has to account for the sideline man to his left running vertical. Heath is ready to pop Roberts if he continues, but he wisely sits down in the soft spot. 1st down.



1st and 10 - Oak 30 - 1:16 - Now Carr tries the right sideline to Crabtree. Awuzie does what he always does and that is aggressively go up and make a play on the ball. He is so good right now and his confidence is only making him better. It helps to know that Crabtree has speed limitations, but Awuzie does not allow for any separation and he doesn't want to give up any completions, either. A real nice player.



2nd and 10 - Oak 30 - 1:10 - Here is Crabtree's best move. Middle against Sean Lee, he just pushes Lee to make space. That is some TE strength there, but Carr is off with the timing and accuracy of the throw. Lee is looking for a flag which seems to be a reasonable request. Incomplete.



3rd and 10 - Oak 30 - 1:05 - Carr wants Roberts again. Anthony Brown knows this and undercuts the route. The ball hits Brown in the chest. It may not be a pick-6, but even if it is not, it still ends the game right here and right now. Instead, as Brown has shown against the Rams and Eagles, opportunity falls to the ground. Nice play for sure, but these are game changing moments that you can't let get away.



As you can see, Carr did not play well, but he also doesn't have the most dynamic options ever. And if the Cowboys are just going to rush 4, that means they have a 7-man zone to make sure there are small windows. The pocket is collapsing and he has to get rid of it. Also, the Cowboys don't leave many escape routes.



4th and 10 - Oak 30 - 1:01 to go - Huge moment and the Cowboys still can't get home. They try the tackle-end stunt and Demarcus Lawrence is closing fast, but almost like Aaron Rodgers last January, Carr steps to his left and is unable to launch a pass 55 yards down the field to Crabtree. Heath sees an issue up at the 50 and that leaves Jourdan Lewis by himself with Crabtree. The ball is under thrown, Crabtree knows how to draw the flag, and Lewis looks like he is a little panicked. Flag.



The end zone view. Crawford falling gives Carr the escape path and then you see Lewis is the victim of the under thrown ball. Pass interference looks like the easy call and the Raiders get their 4th down miracle.



1st and 10 - Dal 15 - 0:51 - Here is a great pass rush off the edge by Taco Charlton and he almost gets there. Carr sees Patterson on the sideline and takes the quick 7 there before Awuzie pushes him out of bounds.



2nd and 3 - Dal 8 - 0:44 - This is a close call that looks like an improv from Crabtree or a very rough looking double move. Either way, he has Hitchens here and it is up to Jeff Heath to dive in and save the day. This is tremendous job by Heath because he has to watch two threats and if he is not on his toes, this might be the game winner right there.



Heck of a play by Heath against a guy who doesn't lose in the red zone very often.



3rd and 3 - Dal 8 - 0:39 - This is the play. Oakland has a timeout. They really just need 3 yards and the Cowboys are in big trouble. But, make a stop and force overtime, at least. Lawrence is over the Left Tackle and this is another "almost sack" for 90. He has to get Carr to the ground here, but Carr is pretty slippery. Once he does, he seems to have a chance to get to the pylon. Look at Heath and all the things Jeff Heath has to consider before he realizes that Carr is taking off. Awuzie has to stay with Cook or Carr will pass it to him. Then Cook looks like he is trying to impede Heath.



Again, I have no idea why Carr doesn't just take his 1st down and get out of bounds. I think it is a horrible mistake by the QB to put the game on a reach for the pylon. He almost threw the pick a few plays ago and now he does this. If I am an Oakland fan, I definitely feel like my $125 million QB let the team down on this final drive.

But, from a Dallas standpoint, perhaps this drive gives you a better appreciation for Jeff Heath and this secondary. Marinelli never blitzed once and if Carr gets in, I likely would wish to discuss that with Rod. But, they survived. It was quite a finish and the Oakland QB gave the Cowboys a lifeline when it looked like they were in big trouble.

Great stuff.
 

Cotton

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I missed this one. Not only did we get screwed with the DPI, we got screwed for the lack of an OPI here.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I missed this one. Not only did we get screwed with the DPI, we got screwed for the lack of an OPI here.
:lol

Wow that is pretty bad. I always wonder sometimes if refs don't call games in attempt to keep them competitive. Like when a team is trying to mount a comeback they know to sort of not call flags against that team in hopes to make for a more "exciting product." Not an official mandate or anything but these refs don't want to sit out there during a blowout either. They want to be a part of an "an exciting" game.
 

ravidubey

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:lol

Wow that is pretty bad. I always wonder sometimes if refs don't call games in attempt to keep them competitive. Like when a team is trying to mount a comeback they know to sort of not call flags against that team in hopes to make for a more "exciting product." Not an official mandate or anything but these refs don't want to sit out there during a blowout either. They want to be a part of an "an exciting" game.
There’s no doubt some of the refs are showmen.
 

Cowboysrock55

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There’s no doubt some of the refs are showmen.
Especially the crew in the Raiders game. It's why he did that paper stuff when he already had made up his mind. Hell I think he spotted the ball there specifically to try and make the measurement more dramatic because he shorted us like half a yard.
 
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