Giants Stuff...

Cowboys shrug at Pierre-Paul's comments

November, 18, 2013

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys responded to New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul's potential bulletin-board comments with a collective shrug.

Pierre-Paul’s colorful vow to “put it on” the Cowboys with a “lot of blood spilled” Sunday afternoon didn’t seem to raise any eyebrows at Valley Ranch.

“He’s supposed to feel that way,” Dallas receiver Dez Bryant said. “You’re an opponent. We’re an opponent for them. It’s great confidence.

“We’re just going to go out there and play our game. All we focus on is the way we prepare and get ready for games. We’re going to go out there and give it our all.”

Sounds like something head coach Jason Garrett would say, right? That’s not a coincidence. Bryant was simply repeating the company line, which he happens to believe.

Maybe Pierre-Paul’s inflammatory quote will end up on a bulletin board this week, but Garrett doesn’t want the Cowboys to get caught up in any sort of trash-talking back-and-forth, like the good ol’ days with Brandon Jacobs and Patrick Crayton trading barbs.

“We just have to focus on what we need to do,” Garrett said. “We have great respect for the Giants, their players, their coaches, their football team. We have to go up there and play our best football.”

The Cowboys certainly shouldn’t need any additional motivational fodder this week. The fact that they’re 5-5 and fighting for their playoff lives ought to provide all the proverbial fire they need.

Garrett not surprised by Giants' streak: 'They're doing things that winning football teams do'

The Giants have put together a four-game winning streak since their 0-6 start, and Jason Garrett is not surprised.

“No, they’re a good football team,” he said. “They’ve been a good football team for a long time. They’ve got a lot of good players. They’re doing what winning teams do, and I don’t think that’s a surprise or a revelation at all.”

For all the trouble they had in their slow start, the Giants can tie the Cowboys with a win on Sunday, and they would each be a game out of first place in the NFC East.

“When you play winning football and you have talented players on your team and you’re well coached, typically you’re going to win more than you don’t,” Garrett said. “They’ve done a good job fighting themselves out of this 0-6 situation, but we’ve played against them a lot in the past and we know what kind of people they have up there, what kind of talent they have. So it doesn’t surprise us one bit.”

Garrett said the Giants have some new faces because of injury, but are not necessarily doing anything different. They’re just doing it better, he said.

“I don’t know that they’ve changed their scheme dramatically,” Garrett said. “I think they’re doing things that winning football teams do.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Iamtdg said:

“When you play winning football and you have talented players on your team and you’re well coached, typically you’re going to win more than you don’t,” Garrett said.

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Jason Garrett's career record as a head coach: 25–23. Hey, that's winning more than they don't! He's a winner, guys. His team plays winning football. They must be talented and well-coached! Never mind the folding down the stretch every year and failing to even make a playoff appearance under his watch.

Apparently beating up on patsies makes one overestimate their abilities.

JPP talking shit as if the Giants are back on track.

They beat Josh Freeman and the Vikings, Matt Barkley, Terrell Pryor, and something called Tolzien.

GTFOH with that trash talk. Brag when you prove you can beat a team that's not being led by a practice squad QB.

I'm not high on Tony Romo but compared to that list of QBs he's easily the best QB the Giants will have faced in over a month. Romo looks like Peyton Manning compared to those scrubs.

1bigfan13 said:

Apparently beating up on patsies makes one overestimate their abilities.

JPP talking shit as if the Giants are back on track.

They beat Josh Freeman and the Vikings, Matt Barkley, Terrell Pryor, and something called Tolzien.

GTFOH with that trash talk. Brag when you prove you can beat a team that's not being led by a practice squad QB.

I'm not high on Tony Romo but compared to that list of QBs he's easily the best QB the Giants will have faced in over a month. Romo looks like Peyton Manning compared to those scrubs.

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Have you seen Romo's play recently? Not so good...

Iamtdg said:

Cowboys shrug at Pierre-Paul's comments

November, 18, 2013

By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com


IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys responded to New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul's potential bulletin-board comments with a collective shrug.

Pierre-Paul’s colorful vow to “put it on” the Cowboys with a “lot of blood spilled” Sunday afternoon didn’t seem to raise any eyebrows at Valley Ranch.

“He’s supposed to feel that way,” Dallas receiver Dez Bryant said. “You’re an opponent. We’re an opponent for them. It’s great confidence.

“We’re just going to go out there and play our game. All we focus on is the way we prepare and get ready for games. We’re going to go out there and give it our all.”

Sounds like something head coach Jason Garrett would say, right? That’s not a coincidence. Bryant was simply repeating the company line, which he happens to believe.

Maybe Pierre-Paul’s inflammatory quote will end up on a bulletin board this week, but Garrett doesn’t want the Cowboys to get caught up in any sort of trash-talking back-and-forth, like the good ol’ days with Brandon Jacobs and Patrick Crayton trading barbs.

“We just have to focus on what we need to do,” Garrett said. “We have great respect for the Giants, their players, their coaches, their football team. We have to go up there and play our best football.”

The Cowboys certainly shouldn’t need any additional motivational fodder this week. The fact that they’re 5-5 and fighting for their playoff lives ought to provide all the proverbial fire they need.

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It would be nice to pull Frederick a couple of times to dive at his knees.

Erik Williams would have taken care of business.

1bigfan13 said:

Apparently beating up on patsies makes one overestimate their abilities.

JPP talking shit as if the Giants are back on track.

They beat Josh Freeman and the Vikings, Matt Barkley, Terrell Pryor, and something called Tolzien.

GTFOH with that trash talk. Brag when you prove you can beat a team that's not being led by a practice squad QB.

I'm not high on Tony Romo but compared to that list of QBs he's easily the best QB the Giants will have faced in over a month. Romo looks like Peyton Manning compared to those scrubs.

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While that is true, sometimes all a team needs is confidence, and in the case of the Giants, they've done this before many times so even if they are beating up nobodies, just the mental edge it gives them could be dangerous.

Now, I agree with you and I still don't think they'll come close to sniffing the playoffs, but my point is that I could still see them making a move regardless of who they've beat so far because it still gives them an edge mentally.

If you are inclined to feel that you'd like the Cowboys to make the playoffs, this is a huge game. We are coming off a bye and getting a little healthy so we should have a bit of an edge. It's an ever-important division game. Winning would probably put us in good position given for the stretch run as well.

If we can beat them and then Oakland at home on Thanksgiving (not too hard to accomplish), we'd be 7-5 heading into the final 4 game stretch and it would seem pretty damn likely that the Eagles game at the end of the season will be for the division at the very least.

Seems somebody has worked out that whole 2 TE Offense:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579206513399318256

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—The Giants didn't exactly light up the scoreboard against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. They didn't pile up spectacular numbers or produce the sort of unstoppable display that will keep defensive coordinators up at night.

But in a season in which their offense has contrived to produce more turnovers than touchdowns, the Giants' 27-13 win over Green Bay stands out as arguably the team's most complete offensive performance of the season so far.

The Giants ran the ball effectively and moved the ball through the air with ease. There were even a couple of the deep passes from Eli Manning that have long been this team's hallmark.

"I'm excited about that and look forward to moving on and learning and growing and gaining confidence from this past weekend and applying it to the game as we go forward," Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said on a conference call Monday.

The team's improvement on offense speaks to the confidence that comes from a winning streak that now stands at four games. It also owes something to the return of key players from injury and a renewed emphasis on ball security.

But Sunday's win over the Packers also highlighted the offense's increased use of different formations to create mismatches, particularly a versatile package known as "12 personnel."

At its core, there is nothing special about 12 personnel. The term refers to a standard offensive grouping of one running back and two tight ends, which is a staple of offenses at every level of football, from high school to the pros.

But in today's NFL, this alignment has become one of the most prominent offensive packages thanks to the varied and voluminous selection of play calls it opens up.

"When you have two tight ends that are effective in both the run and passing game, it gives you so many options," said Chris Simms, a former NFL quarterback.

On Sunday, the Giants lined up in 12 personnel on 10 of their 67 offensive snaps and mixed up run and pass calls so effectively that, by the end, the Packers defense gave the distinct impression of having no earthly idea of what was coming next.

When the Packers deployed a sub-package heavy on run-stuffing defensive linemen, the Giants used play-action passes to get the ball to their tight ends in space.

But when Green Bay responded to the Giants' 12 personnel package by leaving its speedier pass rushers on the field, the offense dialed up a run and used their tight-end tandem to open spacious running lanes for running back Andre Brown.

This cat-and-mouse game of substitutions almost produced a spectacular big play in the first quarter.

On the first play of the game, the Giants lined up in 12 personnel, with Brown in the backfield and Brandon Myers and Bear Pascoe lined up at tight end. Clearly expecting a run play, the Packers stacked the line with defenders and duly stopped Brown for a three-yard loss.

On the first play of their next drive, the Giants again deployed their 12 personnel package and Green Bay's defense again loaded up to stop the run.

On this occasion, however, the Giants were bluffing. Once the ball was snapped, Pascoe burst downfield on a corner route with Packers linebacker Clay Matthews trailing behind. Only an overthrown pass prevented a surefire long touchdown.

The Giants' 12 personnel alignment again caught the Packers in the third quarter.

On their first drive after halftime, the Giants lined up in a single-back set with two tight ends at the Packers' 15-yard line. Wary of a pass play, the Packers kept two safeties deep and Brown bulldozed forward to four yards.

On their next drive, the Giants again came out in 12 personnel and the Packers responded by loading up against the run. But once the ball was snapped, Manning faked a handoff to Brown and hit Victor Cruz in single coverage for 14 yards (See the screenshot above. On the play, Matthews bit on the run, vacating the space for Cruz.)

In all, the Giants ran five running plays and five passes out of their 12 personnel package, leaving the Packers defense in a state of profound confusion.

"They use a lot of different formations and personnel groupings," said Matthews. "Ultimately, we had some breakdowns in technique and communication out there."

p1_ said:

Have you seen Romo's play recently? Not so good...

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True he's been shaky recently but any person in their right might would take him over anyone on that list....without hesitation.

I hope they rape us and forget to lube up.

Iamtdg said:

I hope they rape us and forget to lube up.

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With a sand paper condom?

Newt said:

With a sand paper condom?

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Fuck yeah. And I hope they aren't fast about it, either.

You're so much like Jerry you can't stand it.

Jerry is motivated by your hatred, Iamtdg. He loves that shat.

Perhaps you should start embracing him. Kill him with your kindness.

1bigfan13 said:

Jerry is motivated by your hatred, Iamtdg. He loves that shat.

Perhaps you should start embracing him. Kill him with your kindness.

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I had rather just kill him with my hands.

Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware: "Yeah, I'll play this week and I need to be effective."

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware guarantees he will be on the field for Sunday's crucial NFC East showdown against the New York Giants.

Ware has yet to practice since tweaking a quadriceps strain in the blowout loss to the Saints two weeks ago. He spent last week's bye rehabbing and plans to do something practice Wednesday as he gears up for Sunday's game.

"I'll play this week," Ware said Tuesday serving early Thanksgiving Day dinner with his teammates at the Salvation Army in Dallas. "I'm feeling a lot better. I tested it [Monday] in practice, it felt pretty good. Then this week I'll just do all the drills, make sure I get all my keys, and get ready for this week."

Ware is not yet 100 percent and admits he couldn't have played if the Cowboys had a game last week.

He is also admittedly frustrated about the injuries that have held him back this season. He has missed parts of several games with a stinger before missing three games with the quad strain.

But Ware is now focused on getting his body ready and fresh for the final six-game stretch.

"Injuries always come with football," Ware said. "But the thing is being productive when I’m out there, I feel like I am, but the thing is I feel like I want more time and the injuries have been holding me back from doing that. Now I’m just trying to get my body back right so I know what I can do and once I’m out there fully healthy. Now it’s just having this bye week, getting back to where we need to be. Right now the rest of my body feels like I’m just going into training camp. My leg feels like I just went through training camp. Now it’s just getting it to the point where it’s very functional. I know right now the way my body feels, it feels great, feels strong, feels fast. Now it just get over the hump of these little injuries and moving forward."|

The big question is whether Ware can move forward and be the dominant force of old over the last six games. He has just five sacks and is in jeopardy of failing to reach double-digit sacks for the first time since his rookie season.

Ware knows that if the Cowboys are going to make a push for the playoffs he needs to be effective and that means piling up some sack numbers.

"I’m always trying to carry the defense," Ware said. "But the thing is it’s not just one person that’s carrying it. We’ve got Hatch back. We’ve got Nick back. Claiborne, he might be back. But I think at the end of the day you look at the past and how you got 5 sacks in 10 games, you’re like 'OK you were out'. 'You haven’t had the opportunity'. Now while you’re out there, how effective can you be for this one game against the Giants? And yes I do need to be effective."

Clarence Hill