Browns Stuff…
- Thread starter boozeman
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 54,985
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 27,903
Are you calling for the 2003 Brett Favre MNF special?
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 54,985
That's just what seems to happen. Or maybe it was just that once.
dpf1123
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2013
- Messages
- 2,340
Cowboys Pregame Three Thoughts for Week 1
One of the top challenges of the season is first as Cowboys must deal with Cleveland.
Bob Sturm
Sep 06, 2024
There are many different ways to start a season. If truth be told, I assume a coach would hand-select one of his easier matchups to put first so that he may work through all uncertainties before a heavyweight matchup. But we know television does not want that to happen, and the more television pays billions, the more they get to make the Week 1 matchups some of the best of the year.
So, Ravens must go to Kansas City. Packers and Eagles must go to Brazil. Rams, you head back to Detroit on Sunday Night. Jets and Niners on Monday Night. These are all wonderful playoff clashes, and so is the one that Dallas must handle – a Week 1 game that will take them into the deep waters in Cleveland.
Last year, the Browns opened at home by destroying the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-3. On that day, Jim Schwartz threw it all at Joe Burrow, and the confident QB1 had the worst day of his career. He was 14-31 for 82 yards for the entire game and had a passer rating of 52. The mighty Bengals scored 3 points.
The Browns went 8-1 at home last year, with one week being the day they made the 49ers look extremely ordinary. They won 11 games overall, despite QB chaos – did you know they started five different QBs and still won 11 games? – and huge injuries all over their offense. Why? Because their defense is the real deal, and they are going to attempt to rattle the Cowboys to start 2024.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have had some real struggles since 2009 in Week 1 when they are not allowed to play the New York Giants. The last win was against Tampa Bay in 2009 (I will give you significant points if you can name the Buccaneers QB on that day - see below for answer) and since then there have been 14 games. Here is how they break out:
The answer to the question above was Byron Leftwich. Evidently he started 3 games with the Bucs in 2009 which I have completely erased from my brain.
Well, at Cleveland in Week 1 is definitely not the New York Giants. They are an excellent team that might be “just a QB away." It is also Tom Brady’s debut for Fox, and I must tell you that this game should be a fantastic battle of Xs and Os between the coaching staffs. You don’t get to choose when these measuring stick games appear on your schedule. You just pack your bags and arrive on time. With that in mind, let’s dive into the matchups.
These are my Cowboys PreGame Three Thoughts:
– Dallas is going to have to prove they can run the ball into the teeth of this defense or it could be a very long day of trying to deal with Myles Garrett and friends.
When Dallas has the ball:
OK, this isn’t that complex, right?
You have a team that can rush the passer with just its front four, but also a team that plays man coverage behind it and then has linebackers and safeties who are athletic and able to help in all of those spaces you want to attack. It isn’t an easy defense to get after, and when you look at last year’s rankings, we quickly see that you are facing the No. 1 passing defense and the No. 1 third-down defense.
So, what should this tell us? It should clearly say that if you are trying to pass against Cleveland in passing situations, you are going to find very little in most situations.
Yes, you can still pass, but you have to pass in “normal” situations. Normal means it could be a run, and it could be a pass. Balanced. 1st and 10. 2nd and normal. Stay out of third-down passing situations where they will dictate terms to you. Yes, that leans into two things: 1) run the ball and 2) play-action passes.
That leads us to the questions we have asked all offseason. They are clear and obvious:
How the heck can two rookies hold up against this opponent in this situation as starters on your offensive line?
How the heck can you run the ball into the teeth of the Browns' run defense with what would be considered about the 32nd-best backfield in the league?
It is time to find out.
Here is how the teams will line up on Sunday, thanks to my graphics main man, Skyler:
Now, you might say that Myles Garrett is actually going to be going up against Tyler Guyton, and I would agree – most of the time. But the thing about Garrett is that he will move everywhere. He will even line up right over Cooper Beebe at times, and you better be ready for that guy breathing right over Beebe as he tries to make a shotgun snap while he can’t hear anything because the stadium is rocking.
Quite a first test for any center who has never started a single game at any level at the position.
Garrett is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was the first pick of the 2017 draft from Texas A&M and has been everything he was expected to be and more. Yes, he took some wrong turns a few years back with the helmet incident and the car wreck, but it is reasonable to say he has put a lot of his nonsense behind him and is now just a scary game-wrecker.
Would you like to see every sack from 2013? Thanks to my Friday film assistant, Josh Clevenger, here they are and you can roll right through it like you are Tyler Guyton trying to see his favorite moves:
The first one is just freakishly great. But you can see it is just unfair. People will compare him to Micah Parsons, but given his size, it is a different animal altogether. He is strong enough to straight-up destroy even the best tackles in the league, and he comes from both sides. What an absolute freak. He is unstoppable, and Guyton and Steele better have their chin straps tight.
Of course, you might actually be wiser to simply not ask them to hold up by getting the ball out and not risking it, but understand, Cleveland has seen it all. They are expecting you to scheme for screens, runs, and quick passes because they deal with this every Sunday. That is where their scheme takes advantage.
If Dallas can somehow get to 21 points, that will be a real nice day against these guys.
Let’s get to the next thought:
– The Mike Zimmer debut is the path for the Cowboys to win this game against an offense that has high quality AND a high amount of shaky confidence at the QB spot.
When Cleveland has the ball:
Well, here we go. How will the Cowboys' defense keep the game in the range where they can do their part? I would argue that playing defense for the Cowboys is amazingly easy when it comes to public ridicule. As the entire world blames gas prices on Dak Prescott, the defense has come up pretty short in these showdown games. Think about San Francisco last year. Or Buffalo. Or Green Bay. I mean, the Green Bay game is amazing. They gave up 48 points, and everyone was mad at the QB.
Allow me to review how well the defense held up against the Packers in the first seven drives of that playoff game.
Here is what they face this week based on last year’s rankings:
Of course, this is a very weak statistical profile for Cleveland. But remember, they had five starting QBs and all sorts of problems on the OL and RB from a health standpoint. Nick Chubb is not here, but everyone else is back and ready.
Meanwhile, Dallas features new cornerbacks, new defensive tackles, new linebackers, a new scheme (less man coverage, more zone, more emphasis on stopping the run), and a new level of size to this defense.
Cleveland has a very solid offense. They only lack two things - their elite RB and reasonable QB play. If they get both this year, they can win the Super Bowl. But, the QB play has turned into a tremendous “if” and given the expenditures in draft capital and cash on DeShaun Watson, it has to be one of the biggest storylines in football.
That said, the weapons are everywhere. We know you know Amari Cooper, but Josh did a cut-up on TE David Njoku who is a favorite and he is coming off his best season to date in 2023 with all the QB chaos:
He runs like a deer for a man his size and is just everything you want in a seam-threat TE down the middle of your defense or running those corner routes. He is a real matchup issue I would keep an eye on—especially in the red zone. That middle screen in Seattle is a great go-to move.
Needless to say, the Cowboys need some big defense on Sunday, and it will start with the front showing they will not get bullied this year.
– Buckle in for a wild weekend. There could be major contract news and there could be a very rough first game. Cowboys chaos will return with loud noises immediately.
You know the drill. You understand the noise. You know it is modern-day Cowboys football. I think this is a very good football team, but I also think the first two months are one bear after the next on the schedule. There will be some pain, but they have a chance to have a very big year, and getting some more stability in the organization in terms of locking in pieces would go a long way.
But beware of the knee-jerking. This is going to be one game against a team I think can contend this year. If it were in Dallas, we would expect a win. But it is in Cleveland, and I expect it will be a tough one to get.
In other words, if Dallas wins this game, they might be even better than I thought. That would be a fun problem to explore.
Enjoy the game.
One of the top challenges of the season is first as Cowboys must deal with Cleveland.
Bob Sturm
Sep 06, 2024
There are many different ways to start a season. If truth be told, I assume a coach would hand-select one of his easier matchups to put first so that he may work through all uncertainties before a heavyweight matchup. But we know television does not want that to happen, and the more television pays billions, the more they get to make the Week 1 matchups some of the best of the year.
So, Ravens must go to Kansas City. Packers and Eagles must go to Brazil. Rams, you head back to Detroit on Sunday Night. Jets and Niners on Monday Night. These are all wonderful playoff clashes, and so is the one that Dallas must handle – a Week 1 game that will take them into the deep waters in Cleveland.
Last year, the Browns opened at home by destroying the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-3. On that day, Jim Schwartz threw it all at Joe Burrow, and the confident QB1 had the worst day of his career. He was 14-31 for 82 yards for the entire game and had a passer rating of 52. The mighty Bengals scored 3 points.
The Browns went 8-1 at home last year, with one week being the day they made the 49ers look extremely ordinary. They won 11 games overall, despite QB chaos – did you know they started five different QBs and still won 11 games? – and huge injuries all over their offense. Why? Because their defense is the real deal, and they are going to attempt to rattle the Cowboys to start 2024.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have had some real struggles since 2009 in Week 1 when they are not allowed to play the New York Giants. The last win was against Tampa Bay in 2009 (I will give you significant points if you can name the Buccaneers QB on that day - see below for answer) and since then there have been 14 games. Here is how they break out:
- 6-1 against the New York Giants
- 0-7 against everyone else.
The answer to the question above was Byron Leftwich. Evidently he started 3 games with the Bucs in 2009 which I have completely erased from my brain.
Well, at Cleveland in Week 1 is definitely not the New York Giants. They are an excellent team that might be “just a QB away." It is also Tom Brady’s debut for Fox, and I must tell you that this game should be a fantastic battle of Xs and Os between the coaching staffs. You don’t get to choose when these measuring stick games appear on your schedule. You just pack your bags and arrive on time. With that in mind, let’s dive into the matchups.
These are my Cowboys PreGame Three Thoughts:
– Dallas is going to have to prove they can run the ball into the teeth of this defense or it could be a very long day of trying to deal with Myles Garrett and friends.
When Dallas has the ball:
OK, this isn’t that complex, right?
You have a team that can rush the passer with just its front four, but also a team that plays man coverage behind it and then has linebackers and safeties who are athletic and able to help in all of those spaces you want to attack. It isn’t an easy defense to get after, and when you look at last year’s rankings, we quickly see that you are facing the No. 1 passing defense and the No. 1 third-down defense.
So, what should this tell us? It should clearly say that if you are trying to pass against Cleveland in passing situations, you are going to find very little in most situations.
Yes, you can still pass, but you have to pass in “normal” situations. Normal means it could be a run, and it could be a pass. Balanced. 1st and 10. 2nd and normal. Stay out of third-down passing situations where they will dictate terms to you. Yes, that leans into two things: 1) run the ball and 2) play-action passes.
That leads us to the questions we have asked all offseason. They are clear and obvious:
How the heck can two rookies hold up against this opponent in this situation as starters on your offensive line?
How the heck can you run the ball into the teeth of the Browns' run defense with what would be considered about the 32nd-best backfield in the league?
It is time to find out.
Here is how the teams will line up on Sunday, thanks to my graphics main man, Skyler:
Now, you might say that Myles Garrett is actually going to be going up against Tyler Guyton, and I would agree – most of the time. But the thing about Garrett is that he will move everywhere. He will even line up right over Cooper Beebe at times, and you better be ready for that guy breathing right over Beebe as he tries to make a shotgun snap while he can’t hear anything because the stadium is rocking.
Quite a first test for any center who has never started a single game at any level at the position.
Garrett is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was the first pick of the 2017 draft from Texas A&M and has been everything he was expected to be and more. Yes, he took some wrong turns a few years back with the helmet incident and the car wreck, but it is reasonable to say he has put a lot of his nonsense behind him and is now just a scary game-wrecker.
Would you like to see every sack from 2013? Thanks to my Friday film assistant, Josh Clevenger, here they are and you can roll right through it like you are Tyler Guyton trying to see his favorite moves:
The first one is just freakishly great. But you can see it is just unfair. People will compare him to Micah Parsons, but given his size, it is a different animal altogether. He is strong enough to straight-up destroy even the best tackles in the league, and he comes from both sides. What an absolute freak. He is unstoppable, and Guyton and Steele better have their chin straps tight.
Of course, you might actually be wiser to simply not ask them to hold up by getting the ball out and not risking it, but understand, Cleveland has seen it all. They are expecting you to scheme for screens, runs, and quick passes because they deal with this every Sunday. That is where their scheme takes advantage.
If Dallas can somehow get to 21 points, that will be a real nice day against these guys.
Let’s get to the next thought:
– The Mike Zimmer debut is the path for the Cowboys to win this game against an offense that has high quality AND a high amount of shaky confidence at the QB spot.
When Cleveland has the ball:
Well, here we go. How will the Cowboys' defense keep the game in the range where they can do their part? I would argue that playing defense for the Cowboys is amazingly easy when it comes to public ridicule. As the entire world blames gas prices on Dak Prescott, the defense has come up pretty short in these showdown games. Think about San Francisco last year. Or Buffalo. Or Green Bay. I mean, the Green Bay game is amazing. They gave up 48 points, and everyone was mad at the QB.
Allow me to review how well the defense held up against the Packers in the first seven drives of that playoff game.
- Touchdown - 67 yard drive
- Punt
- Touchdown - 29 yard drive
- Touchdown - 93 yard drive
- Touchdown - 75 yard drive
- Touchdown - 75 yard drive
- Touchdown - 40 yard drive
Here is what they face this week based on last year’s rankings:
Of course, this is a very weak statistical profile for Cleveland. But remember, they had five starting QBs and all sorts of problems on the OL and RB from a health standpoint. Nick Chubb is not here, but everyone else is back and ready.
Meanwhile, Dallas features new cornerbacks, new defensive tackles, new linebackers, a new scheme (less man coverage, more zone, more emphasis on stopping the run), and a new level of size to this defense.
Cleveland has a very solid offense. They only lack two things - their elite RB and reasonable QB play. If they get both this year, they can win the Super Bowl. But, the QB play has turned into a tremendous “if” and given the expenditures in draft capital and cash on DeShaun Watson, it has to be one of the biggest storylines in football.
That said, the weapons are everywhere. We know you know Amari Cooper, but Josh did a cut-up on TE David Njoku who is a favorite and he is coming off his best season to date in 2023 with all the QB chaos:
He runs like a deer for a man his size and is just everything you want in a seam-threat TE down the middle of your defense or running those corner routes. He is a real matchup issue I would keep an eye on—especially in the red zone. That middle screen in Seattle is a great go-to move.
Needless to say, the Cowboys need some big defense on Sunday, and it will start with the front showing they will not get bullied this year.
– Buckle in for a wild weekend. There could be major contract news and there could be a very rough first game. Cowboys chaos will return with loud noises immediately.
You know the drill. You understand the noise. You know it is modern-day Cowboys football. I think this is a very good football team, but I also think the first two months are one bear after the next on the schedule. There will be some pain, but they have a chance to have a very big year, and getting some more stability in the organization in terms of locking in pieces would go a long way.
But beware of the knee-jerking. This is going to be one game against a team I think can contend this year. If it were in Dallas, we would expect a win. But it is in Cleveland, and I expect it will be a tough one to get.
In other words, if Dallas wins this game, they might be even better than I thought. That would be a fun problem to explore.
Enjoy the game.
Chocolate Lab
THEY'RE EATING THE DOGS
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2014
- Messages
- 22,918