Sturm: Why I expect game vs. Giants to be very tough for Cowboys

Sturm: Why I expect game vs. Giants to be very tough for Cowboys
By Bob Sturm sturm1310@aol.com
6:46 pm on October 15, 2014 | Permalink


The Ticket’s Bob Sturm answered your questions about the Cowboys in a chat Wednesday. Here are some highlights.

Question: Giants will be a cornered animal. Their season is on the line. I expect a very tough game. Agree?

Bob Sturm: I do agree. It is a divisional game and the Giants were just humiliated. These next two games – especially this one – will test the Cowboys ability to lock in on the task at hand and leave the praise and the Seattle game at the door. Can they perform well as the front runner? What a great problem to have.

Question: Should the Cowboys give Murray a long-term deal or is this OL good enough that they can replace him fairly easily?

Bob Sturm: What if I said that I would say no to both questions. I think Murray is fantastic. What I love about him is he is good and solid at so many spots. He blocks and protects well. He catches well. He runs with force and he gets his yards and doesn’t dance around. If it wasn’t for durability concerns, I would happily sign him for a deal in the 4/$24 range. But, I don’t think he would take that. He would want the 4/$40 that is out there for his contemporaries. As for the question of whether this line can block for anyone, I don’t totally disagree with that premise. But, I do think it is important for us to remember that you need both. Emmitt and the OL were necessary. Edgar Bennett was not going to be the all-time leading rusher behind the Cowboys Great Wall. And Emmitt wasn’t getting those yards behind Detroit’s line. We can’t undervalue the RB and he fits this style like a hand in a glove.

Question: What happens if they tank and go 8-8 again?


Bob Sturm: I imagine if that happens, which would require a 3-7 stretch drive, this city will be very sad and the Cowboys will have a new coach in 2015. But, they will have 8 wins by their bye week. So, I now see 9-7 as their floor. Crazy. I had them 6-10 this year in Oxnard.

Question: there are some in the local media calling for Jerry to give Garrett an extention now. Do you agree? I say wait until after this season is over.

Bob Sturm: I agree with you. I cannot think of 1 single competitive reason why to extend Jason Garrett before the season is over. He has said this is his dream job. That means any chance he shops for offers in January is unlikely. I also find it unlikely that another organization would target him like Jim Harbaugh might be targeted with only 1 year of great accomplishment (assuming this season is that one). So, I think I would vote that they don’t rush into any conclusions of success before it is achieved. People will say it is a poor situation to have a lame duck coach, but I don’t think this particular case applies. I say to wait until we see how we feel on New Year’s Day.

Question: Which of the Cowboys D linemen are getting the high grades on performance this year?

Bob Sturm: I don’t want to speak for others, but my highest grades on the DL easily would go to Tyrone Crawford. He has been so much better than we saw in 2012. I figure he spent all of 2013 in the weight room, because now he just throws guards around, and if you study the league, you know that offensive guards are the most difficult players to throw. They are generally huge and strong. He has dominated Jahri Evans and James Carpenter in the last few weeks on bull rushes. He is very impressive. Beyond that, I would say Mincey has been very impressive with his high motor – although you would like to see more sacks. Melton has flashed and Spencer now, too. Hayden has been solid. Selvie has been too quiet for me after his big 2013, and other than that, we have seen mainly spot duty for the rest.

I don't know. I feel like the staff will have done a good job this week of reminding everybody that they haven't accomplished shat, and this is the division opener, and there are no guarantees. Eli in Jerry World makes everybody a litle nervous, but from what we've seen the mental makeup of this team won't allow for a letdown in that regard. Not saying we can't, or won't lose, but if we do I certainly don't think it'll be because we came out flat, or entitled.

Sturm: How ‘out-of-this-world’ Rolando McClain was in retirement a great mystery to all involved
By Bob Sturm sturm1310@aol.com
6:37 pm on October 15, 2014 | Permalink


The Ticket’s Bob Sturm answered your questions about the Cowboys in a chat Wednesday. Here are some highlights.

Question: Is it just me or did Anthony Spencer look like he is making a difference?

Bob Sturm: I absolutely agree that Spencer is coming on strong. I was pretty amazed at his game against Seattle from a standpoint of quickness and movement. Wilson tried to fake him a few times and 93 was having none of it. That is really impressive given his injury and recovery.

Question: Bill Callahan was demoted this year from play caller to OL coach. I believe his contract is up, so do you expect him back next year?

Bob Sturm: It is hard for me to know what Callahan’s situation is like right now. To be honest, at training camp, it seemed that his situation was dicy and confusing. We heard about friction between him and Garrett that was awkward and caused issues in 2013. I don’t know how true it all is, but given his ability to teach zone blocking and the subsequent performance of the offensive line, well, I think he has to get some of this credit we are all looking to award these days.

Question: Cowboys’ run game obviously helping their defense, but there’s got to be more to it. Could Marinelli be making this much of a difference? Was Kiffin that bad?

Bob Sturm: I spend a lot of time trying to sort through the reasons for the defensive improvement. To be honest, it is difficult to narrow it down because so much goes into making a football team good. But, most refer to Rod Marinelli as a tremendous motivator who always “gets the most out of his players”. I think everyone believes he is a difference maker, but Monte Kiffin is one of the best ever, Marinelli was here last year, and the scheme is largely the same. So, in the end, we are all just looking at results and realizing that the defense is out of the gates at a much more impressive rate.

Question: Who are these Cowboys? Well, I believe the additions of Zack Martin and McClain have been huge. I know McClain was a football vagabond but since he arrived and started blasting dudes this defense has a attitude. What do you say?

Bob Sturm: There is no question that Rolando McClain is out of this world right now and a devastating force. How he was in retirement is a great mystery to all involved. Martin has been as impactful as a guard could be in his rookie season. In short, those two additions are 10 out of 10 right now and if they can keep going at this pace, the season can end happily.

Question: Do you know how bad Romo was injured in the last game?

Bob Sturm: I don’t, and I don’t know that anyone but Tony knows. However, unlike other times closer to his back surgeries, the eyeball test doesn’t seem to indicate that he is not himself anymore. He now does things in the pocket that we saw when he was 29. So, for those reasons, he appears in pretty good shape. You can still see he is trying to manage his hits, but that is ok and probably quite smart.