Rams Stuff...

I agree that I don't think it's in Garrett, Romo or Linehan's DNA to stick with the run if we're down or not producing at least like 4.5-5.0 YPC. The true test will be when we get down by 10 or so points and/or are only averaging around 4.0 YPC, if we stick with the run in those types of situations and don't revert back to throwing 80% of the time that's when I know it's for real.
 
Big Picture: Dallas D Improving; Rams' Pass Rush Struggles

Posted 7 hours ago



David Helman

DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer


It’s hard to judge this team through two weeks, given the contrasting performances from Week 1 to Week 2. The one constant has been a devastating ground game, as DeMarco Murray leads the league in rushing yards and is No. 2 in carries after two weeks.

The rest it a bit more muddled, as the Cowboys now have a cleaner, dominant road win to go with an ugly, turnover-laden home loss so far on their 2014 resume. It was a bit unusual to see Tony Romo to pass for fewer than 200 yards last week in Tennessee, but it’s hard to argue with the end result.

The gameplan might call for more of the same this weekend in St. Louis. In their 2013 meeting, Romo threw for just 210 yards while Murray romped to 175 on the ground. When Murray set the franchise rushing record of 253 against the Rams in 2011, Romo threw for just 166.

Behind Murray, the biggest headline in Dallas is the improved defensive play to this point. The Cowboys stymied Jake Locker and the Titans’ offense to just 314 total yards – in fact they rank No. 12 in the league in total defense after two weeks.

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Dallas defense so far has been tight end. Vernon Davis had just four catches for 44 yards in Week 1, but he scored two of San Francisco’s three offensive touchdowns. On Sunday, Tennessee’s Delanie Walker had 10 catches for 142 yards and a long score.

Another athletic tight end is coming the Cowboys’ way in Week 3 in Jared Cook. He’s been productive but not outstanding so far this season, with nine total catches for 102 yards this season.


St. Louis Rams

Any conversation about the Rams this week will probably begin and end with their quarterback situation – does Shaun Hill return to the lineup, or does Austin Davis get his second career star


Hill, the primary starter with Sam Bradford out for the year, injured his quad in the Week 1 loss to Minnesota. That opened the door for Davis to start his first-ever game on Sunday in Tampa. He looked fantastic in completing 22-of-29 passes for 235 yards on the day. He didn’t commit any turnovers, and he drove the Rams 71 yards for the game-winning field goal with 42 seconds remaining.

It’s unclear if Hill is fit to play just yet, but Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that he will return to the starting role when he is healthy. That begs the question – will Hill be ready in time for the Cowboys’ visit to the Edward Jones Dome? Or will Davis get another opportunity to show his stuff?

The Rams’ defense is missing Chris Long for the foreseeable future, but with the weapons on their defensive front – Pro Bowler Robert Quinn, as well as first-round picks Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald – the early numbers are a bit surprising.

Both Minnesota and Tampa Bay ran at will on the Rams in the first two weeks. St. Louis is allowing an average of 171 rushing yards through two games – 30th in the league to this point. Led by Quinn, that fearsome defensive front has also combined for just one sack on the season, which is tied for 31st in the NFL. A big chunk of that likely has to do with the absence of Quinn’s pass rush partner, Chris Long.

Long is expected to miss several weeks with an ankle injury. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cowboys handle Quinn, since they won’t have to handle Long on the opposite side of the line.

The St. Louis secondary has allowed just 371 combined passing yards through two games, though opponents have completed 71 percent of their attempts.
 
By Charean Williams

cjwilliams@star-telegram.com

Tony Romo and Dez Bryant returned to practice Thursday.

Romo said he felt good after a full practice in which he took every rep. The quarterback missed Wednesday’s practice with tightness in his surgically repaired back.


“It was just to try something new,” play-caller Scott Linehan said of Romo sitting out Wednesday. “I don’t think we felt as good as we wanted to feel last Thursday, so that’s why we’re trying something different. I think it was a little bit of tightness or something like that. But he looked really good today.”

Bryant was limited in Thursday’s practice after sitting out Wednesday to rehab his injured right shoulder.

“It’s a little bit sore, but nothing that’s going to keep me out,” Bryant said. “I’m going to be ready to roll on Sunday.”

Starting middle linebacker Rolando McClain missed another day of practice with a groin injury. McClain’s chances of playing Sunday decrease by the day, with only one day of practice remaining.

“We certainly have confidence in his ability to play, but we believe in practice,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He has to practice this week in some way, shape or form for us to believe that he can play in the game, so hopefully as the week goes on, he’s able to do get out there and get some snaps.”

Defensive tackle Ken Bishop (illness) returned to a full practice after being limited Wednesday. 　

Linebacker Justin Durant (groin), defensive tackle Davon Coleman (calf) and running back Joseph Randle (concussion) did not practice again, and tight end Gavin Escobar (knee) was limited again.

Defensive end Anthony Spencer was in pads a second day for some individual drills and was listed as limited on the official injury report.
 
Cowboys vs. Rams preview
September, 18, 2014

By Nick Wagoner and Todd Archer | ESPN.com


The St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys put together two of the league's most dubious Week 1 performances, but both teams rebounded with road victories last week.

This week, the teams meet for the second consecutive season in search of their second win. The Cowboys thrashed the Rams 31-7 in Dallas in 2013.

ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer and Rams reporter Nick Wagoner preview Sunday's matchup.

Wagoner: Todd, if DeMarco Murray ever goes into the Hall of Fame, he should probably say thank you to the Rams in his speech. He has shredded them in the past and it looks like he's off to a good start in 2014.

Does he look better now than he has in the past? And what is it that has made Dallas' running game so effective so far?

Archer: He really turned a corner late last season well after he ran for 175 yards on 26 carries against the Rams. He ran with more conviction and had a better feel for the scheme and what the linemen were doing in front of him. But it's more than that. It's understanding where the defensive fronts can give him some trouble before the snap. He has run with power but he's shown the ability to bounce plays and get more positive yards so far. The offensive line helps. The Cowboys have three first-rounders up front in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin. After years of talking about wanting to be a physical team but not actually doing it, the Cowboys are actually doing it and it's because they believe more in the line than they have since making the playoffs in 2009.

Not to get too carried away here, but did Austin Davis work at a grocery store after toiling in the Arena Football League? I thought the Rams were in trouble when they had to go to Shaun Hill after Sam Bradford's injury, but how is Davis getting it done?

Wagoner: Does serving a few weeks as a quarterbacks coach at the Westminster Christian Academy here come close enough to stocking shelves at the grocery store? A year ago at this time, that's exactly what Davis was doing. Seriously, though, Davis took most of us by surprise with his performance last week against Tampa Bay. He didn't put up any jaw-dropping numbers, and a rash of injuries limited Tampa's defense, but the most impressive thing about his performance was how cool he was under pressure. Time and again he faced pressure, stood tall in the pocket and delivered the ball.

For Davis, that has been the biggest change. When the Rams released him in 2013, it was in no small part because he struggled to recognize coverage and was too quick to take off running without keeping his eyes downfield. He was much improved in that area against the Bucs. Whether he starts remains to be seen because coach Jeff Fisher says Hill is the starter so long as he's healthy. But Hill hasn't proved he's back to 100 percent and the Rams have a bye next week, which would allow Davis another go.

The Cowboys' defense took a lot of heat before the season started but seemed like it found some answers against the Titans last week. What do you make of that group so far? And what are some areas of weakness we should be watching for?

Archer: I still have my doubts. It has been better than I or many thought. But I need more visual evidence. Maybe it's just not wanting to be fooled so much. In Week 1, I believe San Francisco really shut it down in the second half and just wanted to avoid the big mistakes with a 28-3 lead. Last week at Tennessee, Jake Locker was terrible. Now some of that was the Cowboys' making. They got a good rush on him at times and the coverage was solid, but he also missed some throws. If they have another good game this week against Davis (or Hill), I'm still not sure I would get carried away. But it would give the Cowboys confidence and that's more important than anything I would say.

One of the matchups I want to see this weekend is Robert Quinn vs. Tyron Smith. Both guys received giant contracts recently. What kind of start is Quinn off to, and how is Chris Long's absence affecting him?

Wagoner: Quinn doesn't have any sacks yet but that single stat is really a disservice to the work he has done. Tampa Bay and Minnesota made it a point to get rid of the ball quick and both teams used screens, slants and other short routes as a way to help negate Quinn and the Rams' pass rush as a whole. Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel had the fewest air yards per attempt of any quarterback in the league in Week 1 and the Rams had no sacks.

But Quinn is still wrecking offensive lines and creating pressure despite the lack of sacks. Teams are throwing multiple blockers at him on every play and linemen are desperately clutching and grabbing him to keep him from getting to quarterbacks. He's not always getting the calls but the attention going to him should open things up for others. Of course, he also hasn't seen a tackle as good as Smith in the first two weeks, either.

Tony Romo has also had some big games against the Rams in the past. What have you seen from him, coming off his injury? And do you expect him to return to his usual levels of production?

Archer: Romo has not looked the same, despite what he, Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett say. I think he's working his way back into game speed after being limited so much in the offseason and in four preseason games because of back surgery last December. He has not had the same zip on passes. He has not moved around as well as he has in the past. It's all intermittent right now. The back can be a tricky thing and it takes some time to heal. Romo has been sacked seven times and had only 73 pass attempts, so clearly the line isn't protecting him as well. He needs to play better. I think he will get there eventually this season -- maybe even this week -- but it's a good thing the Cowboys look to have a ground game they can rely on.

Michael Sam spent the summer with the Rams and had a productive preseason. Cowboys fans have asked me about how Sam has done since joining the practice squad, but it's hard to judge development there. You saw him in the preseason. What kind of player can he be?

Wagoner: Sam really just kind of is what he is -- a high-energy, all-out effort player who has a motor that constantly runs. He's never going to wow anyone with an array of pass-rush moves or overwhelming power to win with a bull rush. He has to win by getting to the edge with his speed and/or by chasing down quarterbacks or ball carriers, because he simply never quits on a play. Because of that, his upside is limited but it's also a quality that should eventually earn him a chance to play in the league.

Dallas once added a former highly touted college performer who was a seventh-round pick of the Rams in George Selvie, and he turned into a pretty decent NFL player. I see no reason Sam couldn't eventually follow a similar but slightly lessened trajectory.
 
Stats-eye view of Cowboys-Rams
September, 18, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – Thanks to the fine folks at ESPN Stats & Information, here is a stats-eyed look at the Dallas Cowboys as they enter Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams.

Ground and pound: Last season the Cowboys were ranked 29th in rush percentage, but are ranked fourth after two weeks. That translates to having the second most rush yards in the NFL with 347 yards on the ground. During the 2013 season, the Cowboys finished 24th in total rush yards with 1,504. They are also leading the league in time of possession after finishing 26th last season.

There's this from the folks at Elias: The Cowboys' final series included 11 straight runs. The last time the Cowboys ran the ball 11 or more consecutive times on the same drive was Dec. 2, 2001 at Washington. They ran it 14 consecutive times in a drive which spanned the first and second quarters.

Less is more: Romo threw 29 passes last week against the Tennessee Titans. He's much more effective the less he throws. He's efficient too. Romo has thrown a touchdown pass in 30 straight games.

Security blanket: Dez Bryant was targeted on 14 of Tony Romo's 29 pass attempts in Week 2. That's the highest percentage of Romo passes to go to Bryant in a game since the two became teammates in 2010. Romo threw two interceptions on six Bryant targets in the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
 
Was feeling pretty good about this game early in the week, now not so sure. Dunno why.
 
boozeman said:
Was feeling pretty good about this game early in the week, now not so sure. Dunno why.
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The reason I'm not is because Garrett has been on about how not throwing as often is throwing off Romo's rhythm. The Rams poor pash rush plus this makes me wary about what he is thinking.
 
The notion that Romo is more efficient and effective when he throws less is nonsense.
 
Clay_Allison said:
We certainly win more when he throws less.
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Two different things. Also, I think there's a happy medium.

But he threw less against Tennessee and I don't think it would be accurate to say Romo was more efficient and more effective than usual.
 
Linehan returns to St. Louis for first time
September, 19, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- For 36 games from 2006-08, Scott Linehan was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Linehan, now the Dallas Cowboys' passing game coordinator, on Sunday will make his first appearance at the Edward Jones Dome since his dismissal.

"That’s two jobs ago," said Linehan, who had a five-year run as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator in between. "In this business it seems like I’ve had about six homes in the last 15 years. But I had a great three years there. It didn’t work out, but we developed some very good friendships there and we loved living there. We enjoyed our time, but both myself and my wife and my boys are here in Dallas and we love it here. We’re just going in there to be the enemy, and that’s our goal, to hopefully come out on the better half. But we had some great experiences there. There were very good people there."

Linehan took over a team that was hanging on to the Super Bowl past with aging players like Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt and Orlando Pace while attempting to transition to younger players like running back Steven Jackson.

Linehan’s final record was 11-25 and ended with eight straight losses spanning his last two seasons.

"There’s no easy jobs in the NFL," Linehan said. "There’s no real excuse why it didn’t work out. Things just didn’t. That’s kind of the way the ball bounces in this business. You’ve just got to dust yourself off and go to the next job and go about your business there. The great thing was some of the things we went through there were good learning experiences for getting things turned around in Detroit. We got right there at Detroit, but there were some things we were able to use the valuable experiences I had in St. Louis that carried over to our ability to bring some youth and things like that into our offense, which really helped over time ... It was a great experience. I learned a lot. I probably learned more in those three years I was there."
 
Iamtdg said:
Linehan returns to St. Louis for first time
September, 19, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- For 36 games from 2006-08, Scott Linehan was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

Linehan, now the Dallas Cowboys' passing game coordinator, on Sunday will make his first appearance at the Edward Jones Dome since his dismissal.

"That’s two jobs ago," said Linehan, who had a five-year run as the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator in between. "In this business it seems like I’ve had about six homes in the last 15 years. But I had a great three years there. It didn’t work out, but we developed some very good friendships there and we loved living there. We enjoyed our time, but both myself and my wife and my boys are here in Dallas and we love it here. We’re just going in there to be the enemy, and that’s our goal, to hopefully come out on the better half. But we had some great experiences there. There were very good people there."

Linehan took over a team that was hanging on to the Super Bowl past with aging players like Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt and Orlando Pace while attempting to transition to younger players like running back Steven Jackson.

Linehan’s final record was 11-25 and ended with eight straight losses spanning his last two seasons.

"There’s no easy jobs in the NFL," Linehan said. "There’s no real excuse why it didn’t work out. Things just didn’t. That’s kind of the way the ball bounces in this business. You’ve just got to dust yourself off and go to the next job and go about your business there. The great thing was some of the things we went through there were good learning experiences for getting things turned around in Detroit. We got right there at Detroit, but there were some things we were able to use the valuable experiences I had in St. Louis that carried over to our ability to bring some youth and things like that into our offense, which really helped over time ... It was a great experience. I learned a lot. I probably learned more in those three years I was there."
Click to expand...
A better story would have been how Garrett was all but moved in to be HC of the Rams until all the season ticket holders complained and they changed their minds on him
 
boozeman said:
Was feeling pretty good about this game early in the week, now not so sure. Dunno why.
Click to expand...

Here's why: this game will come down to Romo.

The Rams DL is talented and they are going to stuff the box and make Tony beat them through the air. I don't see Murray getting 100 yards on Sunday. I think this game comes down to whether or not Romo has enough time to make some big plays in the passing game to back the D off-- and that may be a huge problem with his lack of arm strength, the poor pass protection we've seen lately, and the fact that the Rams DL is pretty nasty.

We could see Romo on the ground quite a bit on Sunday-- and it could turn into a feeding frenzy. I'm a bit shaky too honestly.
 
jsmith6919 said:
A better story would have been how Garrett was all but moved in to be HC of the Rams until all the season ticket holders complained and they changed their minds on him
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I don't think I remember hearing about this. That is funny.
 
Iamtdg said:
I don't think I remember hearing about this. That is funny.
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They actually announced Garrett was new HC on news there then they got flooded by calls and they changed their mind and went with Spagnuolo, the main complaint even then was his offense was too predictable and he refused(or didn't know how) to adjust
 
jsmith6919 said:
They actually announced Garrett was new HC on news there then they got flooded by calls and they changed their mind and went with Spagnuolo, the main complaint even then was his offense was too predictable and he refused(or didn't know how) to adjust
Click to expand...

Yeah, I remember that.
 
jsmith6919 said:
They actually announced Garrett was new HC on news there then they got flooded by calls and they changed their mind and went with Spagnuolo, the main complaint even then was his offense was too predictable and he refused(or didn't know how) to adjust
Click to expand...

That is hilarious.
 
boozeman said:
Was feeling pretty good about this game early in the week, now not so sure. Dunno why.
Click to expand...

Because we're the Cowboys and we've seen this horror show before. also explains why we're only 1 point favorites.
 
 
Hawkeye19 said:
Here's why: this game will come down to Romo.

The Rams DL is talented and they are going to stuff the box and make Tony beat them through the air.
Click to expand...

Romo has destroyed the Rams historically, but they will have to be super-patient and stick with the run so beasts like Quinn and Donald can't pin their ears back.

If they attack with balance and Romo is even close to healthy, he should have an easy time of it against the Rams' relatively crappy secondary.
 
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