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Titans vs. Cowboys: Who has the edge?



Jim Wyatt, jwyatt@tennessean.com 11:37 a.m. CDT September 12, 2014


The Titans (1-0) are coming off a good season-opening win at Kansas City. Next they take on the Cowboys (0-1) at LP Field on Sunday (noon, WZTV-17, 104.5-FM).

Here's my take on which team has the edge at each position:

Quarterback: Cowboys

Tony Romo is known for his blunders, but he's very talented.

Running back: Titans

The Titans have a number of options out of the backfield.

Wide receiver/tight end: Cowboys

Wideout Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten are both dangerous.

Offensive line: Even

The Titans need to settle down and cut back on penalties.

Defensive line: Titans

Jurrell Casey should have favorable matchups.

Linebacker: Titans

The loss of Justin Durant hurts the Cowboys.

Secondary: Even

Cowboys spent big money here; Titans had strong start.

Special teams: Titans

Solid in the return game and the kicking game.

Coaching: Titans

Ken Whisenhunt has the Titans feeling confident.

Intangibles: Titans

The Titans have momentum and home-field advantage.

Titans (1-0) vs. Cowboys (0-1)

When, where: Noon, LP Field

TV, radio: WZTV-17, 104.5 FM

National anthem: Lee Greenwood

Honorary 12th Titan: Vanderbilt's baseball team

Titans-Cowboys series: Cowboys lead, 7-6

Last meeting: Titans 34-27 (Oct. 10, 2010)

Titans vs. Cowboys at LP Field: 2-4

Last week: Titans beat Chiefs, 26-10; Cowboys lost to 49ers, 28-17

Damn this team has finally killed all of our enthusiasm. Its Friday and we finally get a Titans game thread.

Rev said:

Damn this team has finally killed all of our enthusiasm. Its Friday and we finally get a Titans game thread.

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Everyone is snake bit.

Rev said:

Damn this team has finally killed all of our enthusiasm. Its Friday and we finally get a Titans game thread.

Click to expand...

Got that right.

I really don't give a shit what happens Sunday.

boozeman said:

Got that right.

I really don't give a shit what happens Sunday.

Click to expand...

Cheer up, I think Scandrick is eligible to play Sunday since the new drug policy was just passed unanimously.

boozeman said:

Got that right.

I really don't give a shit what happens Sunday.

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Fake fan or not I'm spending the day with my wife to celebrate her birthday.

Dez Vs. McCourty & Other Final Thoughts For Titans

Posted 17 hours ago


Bryan Broaddus

Football Analyst/Scout


IRVING, Texas – Before we get set for the weekend, I’ve once again compiled my final thoughts for this Week 2 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. If you’ve been reading our site during the buildup for this game, you’re familiar with the talking points by now.

Here are six big points I think you’ll want to have an eye on ahead of kickoff:

•I expect to see much more of Henry Melton this week -- even to the point where I believe he makes his first start for the Cowboys. I also know Terrell McClain received more work this week in getting ready for this game. As far as his workload, like the all the defensive linemen on this squad, these coaches would like for them to play around 30 snaps each. During the OTAs and minicamp practices, McClain lined up at the three-technique, but he has the versatility to back up both Melton and Nick Hayden.

•Don’t be surprised when Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton lines cornerback Jason McCourty over the top of Dez Bryant for a good stretch of this game on Sunday. McCourty is the Titans’ best man for that role. After watching the Titans’ tape against the Chiefs, when McCourty carried Donnie Avery all over the field, I am almost positive Horton will ask his talented corner to do the same with Bryant.

•Speaking of defensive tackles for the Cowboys, keep an eye on how they line up against left guard Andy Levitre for the Titans. Levitre really struggled against the Chiefs and dealing with the power of Allen Bailey when he lined up on his nose. This also might be a good matchup to put Jeremy Mincey or Tyrone Crawford inside and have them straight power rush him to see if they can push the pocket on Jake Locker.

•As I write these observations for the week, the Cowboys currently have three healthy safeties on the active roster -- Barry Church, J.J. Wilcox and Jeff Heath. All three of them play special teams, as well, so if they go with this look it will be a long day on Sunday. There is a possibility that Sterling Moore could line up at safety, but in asking a few questions he has only received work at cornerback and in the slot. If they needed to replace C.J. Spillman, who is listed as questionable, they could activate Micah Pellerin from the practice squad. That would require a roster move, so keep an eye on that possibility on Saturday before the team leaves for Nashville. During a normal practice, Pellerin would get work on the scout team and a snap or two with the regular defense, but this week I am sure that his work load increased.


•Last week against the Chiefs, the Titans suffered a huge loss when linebacker Zach Brown was lost for the season with a pectoral injury. Brown is one of those players that you see all over the field. Zaviar Gooden will start in his place and like all these Titans linebackers, he can really run. He is extremely active in the way he chases the ball. There are snaps where you see him actually overrun plays because he is in such a hurry to get down and make the play. When the ball gets to the outside he is on his horse and taking off. He did a nice job of extending his hands to take on blockers and get in the hole to make the tackle. He’ll wrap up and get his man on the ground. If he does have an issue it’s when those hands miss and he gets hooked up on a block.

•In the 2014 NFL Draft the Titans took Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan with their first-round selection, but coming out of camp he did not crack the starting lineup to open the season. For the Titans, former Baltimore first-rounder Michael Oher is the starter at right tackle, while longtime veteran Michael Roos is on the left side. Against the Chiefs I thought that Oher was the best of the group, and in talking to scouts around the league about Oher, they offered the same observation. To a man they said that Oher deserved to be the starter because of his play, but if there was a player that needed to be replaced, it was Roos. The plan appears for the Titans to eventually replace Roos with Lewan and go from there. Roos is in the final year of his contract and there has been some slippage in his play here early.

DallasCowboys.com Writers Share Their Game 2 Gut Feeling

Posted 4 hours ago
By DallasCowboys.com Report


The Cowboys haven’t started a season 0-2 since Jason Garrett has been the head coach. Not since 2010 has this team dropped the first two games, and that turned out to be a 6-10 record.

So for more reasons than one, the Cowboys need to get back on track this week as they travel to Tennessee, where the Titans are looking for a 2-0 start after last week’s big win at Kansas City.

Here are the gut feelings for Week 2 from staff writers Nick Eatman, Rowan Kavner, Bryan Broaddus and David Helman.

David Helman: We always think we know so much after Week 1, but how well do we actually know any team in the NFL? Are the Cowboys as horrendous as their four-turnover performance against San Francisco looked? Are the Titans as dominant as they appeared in their dismantling of Kansas City? The answer to both questions is
“probably not.” I’ve been leaning toward the Titans for the majority of the week, but I have to remind myself not to make snap judgments after one game. With an impressive running game and fewer mistakes from Tony Romo, I think the Cowboys can go on the road and get a win against a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2008. If they can’t, it’s going to be a long season. The offense will look better, the defense will force one crucial mistake out of Jake Locker and the Cowboys will escape with a win – something like 28-24.

Bryan Broaddus: It is very early in the season but a stat that I like to hang my hat on is third down percentage. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the offensive or defensive side of the ball, if you are sustaining drives, it is likely that you are putting yourself in position to score points. On the flip side, if you are getting off the field on third downs, it’s the exact opposite. The Titans are ranked first in the NFL when it comes to playing third down defense, while the Cowboys are ranked fourth when it comes to converting on third down. My gut feeling is that this Titans defense will hold the Cowboys offense under 35 percent and in doing so prevent them from sustaining the ball long enough to finish drives. The Titans’ pressure and secondary play at home will be just too much, and they will win this game.

Rowan Kavner: We should get a better idea of what this Cowboys team is really like this week after an unorthodox opener. It’s hard to take much from that loss, considering it was 21-3 before many fans tuned in. It should be easier to draw some conclusions on both sides of the ball against a young and talented Tennessee team. This needs to be a game Dez Bryant takes over. He’s the guy the Cowboys have to feed off of after a quiet week. He can help Tony Romo, he can open up room for DeMarco Murray and he can fire up the defense. Bryant bounces back, but it’s not quite enough as both teams score in the low 20s and a late Titans field goal leads to a three-point loss.




Nick Eatman: Just like last week, this is a tough game to call because beating Tennessee on the road seems like a difficult task. But we haven’t seen this team go to 0-2 in a while and I definitely see the Cowboys bouncing back with a better performance. Maybe it would be a good idea if the Cowboys can get their nine-time Pro Bowl tight end involved a little more. Instead of seeing what the defense gives you, how about going on the attack with Jason Witten and forcing the Titans to use a safety to cover him. That will open up the outside passing game and should open up more running lanes. I see Dwayne Harris having a big play, probably in the return game, but maybe on offense. But he’s going to have a game-changing play. It won’t be easy but just like the Cowboys have been a mediocre franchise, so have the Titans. So it would seem logical they both get to 1-1 this week.

boozeman said:

Got that right.

I really don't give a shit what happens Sunday.

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Let us all embrace the apathy. It has come to this.