- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 123,042
Five Wonders: Cowboys CB roles
September, 16, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas – It's time for Five Wonders as the Dallas Cowboys keep their historic run at four straight 8-8 finishes in place with Sunday's win against the Tennessee Titans.
In this segment, we'll wonder more about just the final record for the forever .500 Cowboys.
Away we go:
•With Orlando Scandrick due back this week once the NFL and NFL Players Association finalize their agreement on a new drug policy, I wonder what happens to Morris Claiborne. Jason Garrett likes to say the best players will play, regardless of where they came from or how much they are paid. This will be a true test. If the Cowboys are going to evaluate players on the merits of what they do, then Sterling Moore does not deserve to go to the bench. Moore was one of the Cowboys' best defenders against the Titans. He was aggressive in coverage. Scandrick was the Cowboys' best cornerback in 2013 and perhaps he gets worked back into the lineup slowly after missing the first two weeks of the season due to his suspension but his absence wasn't so prolonged that he couldn't play at least a full-time nickel defense role. Claiborne missed a chance at an interception and failed to wrap up Delanie Walker on what turned into a 61-yard touchdown.
•Speaking of Walker, he had 10 catches for 142 yards against the Cowboys. He was able to exploit the middle of the field, but he also took advantage of J.J. Wilcox in coverage a few times. The Cowboys will face a bevy of good tight ends this season and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints is looming in two weeks. This week they get the St. Louis Rams' Jared Cook, who has eight catches for 102 yards in two games and caught five passes for 44 yards last year against the Cowboys. The Cowboys will also see Brent Celek and Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles, Martellus Bennett of the Chicago Bears, Zach Miller of the Seattle Seahawks as well as Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener of the Indianapolis Colts. If defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is looking to tighten up one area of concern, it should be defending the tight end.
•Jason Witten caught at least 60 passes in 10 of his first 11 seasons, topping out with an NFL record for a tight end 110 receptions in 2012.He has had at least 70 catches in the last seven seasons. In 15 games with Tony Romo last season, Witten caught 61 passes. He got over the 70-catch mark with Kyle Orton looking at him 12 times for 135 yards in the season finale against the Eagles. I wonder if we see an end to Witten's 70-catch streak. After two games, Witten has six catches for 46 yards. It's entirely too early to extrapolate those numbers over a 16-game season (48 catches by the way), but with the emphasis on the running game, Witten might not get as many chances this year. And if the pass protection does not improve, he could be asked to help keep Romo upright more in the passing game than to be his normal security blanket.
•I wonder if Dan Bailey is taken for granted. The Cowboys understand his importance. They gave him a seven-year, $22.5 million contract in the offseason and were chided by several who couldn't believe they committed that kind of coin to a kicker. Those people were evidently unaware at just how many close games the Cowboys have played the last few years and needed Bailey to kick either tying or winning field goals late in the fourth quarters. Bailey has made 26 field goal attempts in a row and will have a chance to tie or break the team record of 27 set by Chris Boniol in 1996 this week inside the Edward Jones Dome.
•Let's keep it on a special teams' bent here for a second wonder. I wonder if Bruce Carter will block a punt this season. He had a blocked punt taken away from him in the preseason against the Miami Dolphins because the officials incorrectly asserted the Cowboys lined up illegally. Against the Titans, Carter deflected a Brett Kern punt in the first quarter. The ball still traveled 41 yards, which was somewhat amazing, but Carter has shown a knack for getting around the corner quickly. In case you were wondering, Carter has the Cowboys' most recent blocked punt. It came Dec. 24, 2011, against the Eagles. After searching for the proper role for Carter, maybe the Cowboys have found one: designated punt blocker.
September, 16, 2014
By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas – It's time for Five Wonders as the Dallas Cowboys keep their historic run at four straight 8-8 finishes in place with Sunday's win against the Tennessee Titans.
In this segment, we'll wonder more about just the final record for the forever .500 Cowboys.
Away we go:
•With Orlando Scandrick due back this week once the NFL and NFL Players Association finalize their agreement on a new drug policy, I wonder what happens to Morris Claiborne. Jason Garrett likes to say the best players will play, regardless of where they came from or how much they are paid. This will be a true test. If the Cowboys are going to evaluate players on the merits of what they do, then Sterling Moore does not deserve to go to the bench. Moore was one of the Cowboys' best defenders against the Titans. He was aggressive in coverage. Scandrick was the Cowboys' best cornerback in 2013 and perhaps he gets worked back into the lineup slowly after missing the first two weeks of the season due to his suspension but his absence wasn't so prolonged that he couldn't play at least a full-time nickel defense role. Claiborne missed a chance at an interception and failed to wrap up Delanie Walker on what turned into a 61-yard touchdown.
•Speaking of Walker, he had 10 catches for 142 yards against the Cowboys. He was able to exploit the middle of the field, but he also took advantage of J.J. Wilcox in coverage a few times. The Cowboys will face a bevy of good tight ends this season and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints is looming in two weeks. This week they get the St. Louis Rams' Jared Cook, who has eight catches for 102 yards in two games and caught five passes for 44 yards last year against the Cowboys. The Cowboys will also see Brent Celek and Zach Ertz of the Philadelphia Eagles, Martellus Bennett of the Chicago Bears, Zach Miller of the Seattle Seahawks as well as Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener of the Indianapolis Colts. If defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli is looking to tighten up one area of concern, it should be defending the tight end.
•Jason Witten caught at least 60 passes in 10 of his first 11 seasons, topping out with an NFL record for a tight end 110 receptions in 2012.He has had at least 70 catches in the last seven seasons. In 15 games with Tony Romo last season, Witten caught 61 passes. He got over the 70-catch mark with Kyle Orton looking at him 12 times for 135 yards in the season finale against the Eagles. I wonder if we see an end to Witten's 70-catch streak. After two games, Witten has six catches for 46 yards. It's entirely too early to extrapolate those numbers over a 16-game season (48 catches by the way), but with the emphasis on the running game, Witten might not get as many chances this year. And if the pass protection does not improve, he could be asked to help keep Romo upright more in the passing game than to be his normal security blanket.
•I wonder if Dan Bailey is taken for granted. The Cowboys understand his importance. They gave him a seven-year, $22.5 million contract in the offseason and were chided by several who couldn't believe they committed that kind of coin to a kicker. Those people were evidently unaware at just how many close games the Cowboys have played the last few years and needed Bailey to kick either tying or winning field goals late in the fourth quarters. Bailey has made 26 field goal attempts in a row and will have a chance to tie or break the team record of 27 set by Chris Boniol in 1996 this week inside the Edward Jones Dome.
•Let's keep it on a special teams' bent here for a second wonder. I wonder if Bruce Carter will block a punt this season. He had a blocked punt taken away from him in the preseason against the Miami Dolphins because the officials incorrectly asserted the Cowboys lined up illegally. Against the Titans, Carter deflected a Brett Kern punt in the first quarter. The ball still traveled 41 yards, which was somewhat amazing, but Carter has shown a knack for getting around the corner quickly. In case you were wondering, Carter has the Cowboys' most recent blocked punt. It came Dec. 24, 2011, against the Eagles. After searching for the proper role for Carter, maybe the Cowboys have found one: designated punt blocker.
