Ballyhooed defense disappoints
by Tom Orsborn
September 10, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The one thing I was sure would happen today – a dominating performance by the Dallas defense – never materialized in the Cowboys' 24-17 loss to the Jaguars.
It would be easy to blame it on the cornerbacks, who struggled to defend the Jaguars trio of tall receivers (Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford). But I think the defense's biggest problem was the lack of pressure by the front seven. Where was DeMarcus Ware? Ditto for Greg Ellis. Sure they pressured Byron Leftwich a few times, but this team needs sacks.
Defensive end Jay Ratliff recorded the only one. That's a pitiful number for a defense that's supposed to be one of the league's best.
Three Stars
1. Byron Leftwich: He overcame a slow start to complete 23 of 34 for 237 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted only once and ran for another score. Unlike Drew Bledsoe, he never rattled and efficiently found the open receiver. Of course, he did have a lot of time.
2. Fred Taylor: Former Jaguar-turned-Cowboys linebacker Akin Ayodele warned the Cowboys to ignore all those stories about how Taylor is slowing down at age 30. One of the league's most underrated backs rushed for 74 yards and one TD on 21 carries and caught six passes for 41 more yards.
3. Terrell Owens: T.O. caught six passes for 80 yards and could have had much more if Bledsoe had delivered him the ball. Still, Owens played a part in all three of the scoring drives either with plays of his own or by drawing double-coverage.
Turning Point
The Cowboys looked impressive in the third quarter when they methodically marched from their own 39 to the Jacksonville 10. But Dallas came away empty after an pass interference call against Jason Witten nullified his 10-yard TD reception and Shaun Suisham hit the right upright two plays later on a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Sparked by their defensive stand, the Jaguars marched 74 plays on 11 plays to take a 17-10 lead on Leftwich's 3-yard dash up the middle.
Report Card
Offense: D
Bledsoe threw three interceptions and had two other potential picks dropped and one nullified after a review. The offensive line gave up two sacks and at least 10 hurries. And what happened to Witten? He finished with just three catches, an inexcusable number for one of the game's best tight ends.
Defense: C
They probably deserve a D, but I think you've got to factor in the fact they held the Jaguars scorless in the first and third quarters and were blindsided by Bledsoe's interceptions. Still, the corners were helpless in the second half against the Jaguars receivers, who took advantage of the size mismatch.
Special teams: C
Punter Mat McBriar was outstanding, averaging 53.2 yards for his five kicks, which included a 62-yarder. The coverage teams also looked sharp. Suisham's 1-for-2 effort prevent them from getting an A.
Coaching: C-
More misdirection plays were needed to counter the aggressive Jacksonville defense. Bill Parcells also deserves some of the blame for his team's nine penalties. The Cowboys were an error-prone team before he arrived and they are still an error-prone team. Either he needs to ship off the repeat offenders are make life miserable for them until they shape up. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer also needs to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback.
Overall: D
Blown 10-point leads aren't uncommon in the NFL. But the Cowboys had plenty of opportunties to get back into the game and kept shooting themselves in the foot. More is expected from a team that has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and one of the game's greatest coaches.
September 10, 2006
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The one thing I was sure would happen today – a dominating performance by the Dallas defense – never materialized in the Cowboys' 24-17 loss to the Jaguars.
It would be easy to blame it on the cornerbacks, who struggled to defend the Jaguars trio of tall receivers (Reggie Williams, Matt Jones and Ernest Wilford). But I think the defense's biggest problem was the lack of pressure by the front seven. Where was DeMarcus Ware? Ditto for Greg Ellis. Sure they pressured Byron Leftwich a few times, but this team needs sacks.
Defensive end Jay Ratliff recorded the only one. That's a pitiful number for a defense that's supposed to be one of the league's best.
Three Stars
1. Byron Leftwich: He overcame a slow start to complete 23 of 34 for 237 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted only once and ran for another score. Unlike Drew Bledsoe, he never rattled and efficiently found the open receiver. Of course, he did have a lot of time.
2. Fred Taylor: Former Jaguar-turned-Cowboys linebacker Akin Ayodele warned the Cowboys to ignore all those stories about how Taylor is slowing down at age 30. One of the league's most underrated backs rushed for 74 yards and one TD on 21 carries and caught six passes for 41 more yards.
3. Terrell Owens: T.O. caught six passes for 80 yards and could have had much more if Bledsoe had delivered him the ball. Still, Owens played a part in all three of the scoring drives either with plays of his own or by drawing double-coverage.
Turning Point
The Cowboys looked impressive in the third quarter when they methodically marched from their own 39 to the Jacksonville 10. But Dallas came away empty after an pass interference call against Jason Witten nullified his 10-yard TD reception and Shaun Suisham hit the right upright two plays later on a 36-yard field goal attempt.
Sparked by their defensive stand, the Jaguars marched 74 plays on 11 plays to take a 17-10 lead on Leftwich's 3-yard dash up the middle.
Report Card
Offense: D
Bledsoe threw three interceptions and had two other potential picks dropped and one nullified after a review. The offensive line gave up two sacks and at least 10 hurries. And what happened to Witten? He finished with just three catches, an inexcusable number for one of the game's best tight ends.
Defense: C
They probably deserve a D, but I think you've got to factor in the fact they held the Jaguars scorless in the first and third quarters and were blindsided by Bledsoe's interceptions. Still, the corners were helpless in the second half against the Jaguars receivers, who took advantage of the size mismatch.
Special teams: C
Punter Mat McBriar was outstanding, averaging 53.2 yards for his five kicks, which included a 62-yarder. The coverage teams also looked sharp. Suisham's 1-for-2 effort prevent them from getting an A.
Coaching: C-
More misdirection plays were needed to counter the aggressive Jacksonville defense. Bill Parcells also deserves some of the blame for his team's nine penalties. The Cowboys were an error-prone team before he arrived and they are still an error-prone team. Either he needs to ship off the repeat offenders are make life miserable for them until they shape up. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer also needs to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback.
Overall: D
Blown 10-point leads aren't uncommon in the NFL. But the Cowboys had plenty of opportunties to get back into the game and kept shooting themselves in the foot. More is expected from a team that has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball and one of the game's greatest coaches.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:46 AM
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