Defense finally delivers pressure
by Tom Orsborn
IRVING - It turns out Greg Ellis' fears about making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker were unfounded.
Ellis seemed to come into his own at his new position Sunday, helping the Cowboys beat the Redskins 27-10. Flying in off the edge, he recorded four tackles and 1.5 sacks and helped pressure Mark Brunell several other times.
"I feel like I'm getting better and better at (linebacker) and I'm feeling confident," Ellis said. "It's not always just about sacks, although everybody likes to get those, it's also about batting the ball down, trying to flush him out of the pocket and getting in the quarterback's face and making him move around some."
The Cowboys did plenty of that against Mark Brunell, finishing with six sacks, five more than they recorded in the 24-17 opening-day loss to Jacksonville.
Three stars
Drew Bledsoe: The 14th-year quarterback bounced back from his three-interception performance in Jacksonville with a two-touchdown, 237-yard, no-interception outing. He was smart with the ball and would have had much more yardage had his receivers not dropped eight passes.
Mike Vanderjagt: So he really does know how to turn it on in the regular season. He kicked field goals from 26 and 50 yards, erasing memories of his shaky efforts in training camp and the preseason.
Roy Williams: The Pro Bowl strong safety tied rookie free safety for the team lead in tackles with six and recorded the defensive play of the game when he intercepted Mark Brunell at the Cowboys' 1-yard line late in the third quarter.
Turning point: The Cowboys followed Williams' interception with a 99-yard drive that Bledsoe capped with a 40-yard strike to Terry Glenn, giving the Cowboys a 24-10 lead with 14:53 left.
Report card
Offense: Kudos to Bill Parcells for sticking with the running game and for mixing in Marion Barber (39 yards and one TD on eight carries) and Tyson Thompson with Julius Jones, who had 94 yards on 20 carries for a 4.7 average.. Bledsoe threw a lot of hitches and slants early, but he also surprised the Redskins with some deep balls, including a 40-yard TD toss to Terry Glenn. Grade: B
Defense: Ellis, Williams and company held the Redskins offense to only 3 points. Sure, it helped that Clinton Portis was sidelined with a sore shoulder. But the 'Skins offensive line had all its starters but couldn't stop the front seven from hounding Brunell from start to finish. Grade A.
Special teams: Mike Vanderjagt (two field goals, including one from 50 yards) and Mat McBriar (seven punts for a 49.0 average) were great, but the kickoff team gave up a 100-yard return in the second quarter that kept the Redskins alive. Grade: C
Coaching: Parcells should take a bow for having the guts to use both Vanderjagt and kickoff specialist Shaun Suisham. He also did a good job last week keeping the team together after a gut-wrenching loss in Jacksonville. And does anyone out there think Tony Romo could have done a better job than Bledsoe? Grade: A
Overall: There were plenty of positives, many of which I've already mentioned, but this team won't become a playoff-caliber squad until it reduces the penalties (18 in two games). Grade: B
IRVING - It turns out Greg Ellis' fears about making the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker were unfounded.
Ellis seemed to come into his own at his new position Sunday, helping the Cowboys beat the Redskins 27-10. Flying in off the edge, he recorded four tackles and 1.5 sacks and helped pressure Mark Brunell several other times.
"I feel like I'm getting better and better at (linebacker) and I'm feeling confident," Ellis said. "It's not always just about sacks, although everybody likes to get those, it's also about batting the ball down, trying to flush him out of the pocket and getting in the quarterback's face and making him move around some."
The Cowboys did plenty of that against Mark Brunell, finishing with six sacks, five more than they recorded in the 24-17 opening-day loss to Jacksonville.
Three stars
Drew Bledsoe: The 14th-year quarterback bounced back from his three-interception performance in Jacksonville with a two-touchdown, 237-yard, no-interception outing. He was smart with the ball and would have had much more yardage had his receivers not dropped eight passes.
Mike Vanderjagt: So he really does know how to turn it on in the regular season. He kicked field goals from 26 and 50 yards, erasing memories of his shaky efforts in training camp and the preseason.
Roy Williams: The Pro Bowl strong safety tied rookie free safety for the team lead in tackles with six and recorded the defensive play of the game when he intercepted Mark Brunell at the Cowboys' 1-yard line late in the third quarter.
Turning point: The Cowboys followed Williams' interception with a 99-yard drive that Bledsoe capped with a 40-yard strike to Terry Glenn, giving the Cowboys a 24-10 lead with 14:53 left.
Report card
Offense: Kudos to Bill Parcells for sticking with the running game and for mixing in Marion Barber (39 yards and one TD on eight carries) and Tyson Thompson with Julius Jones, who had 94 yards on 20 carries for a 4.7 average.. Bledsoe threw a lot of hitches and slants early, but he also surprised the Redskins with some deep balls, including a 40-yard TD toss to Terry Glenn. Grade: B
Defense: Ellis, Williams and company held the Redskins offense to only 3 points. Sure, it helped that Clinton Portis was sidelined with a sore shoulder. But the 'Skins offensive line had all its starters but couldn't stop the front seven from hounding Brunell from start to finish. Grade A.
Special teams: Mike Vanderjagt (two field goals, including one from 50 yards) and Mat McBriar (seven punts for a 49.0 average) were great, but the kickoff team gave up a 100-yard return in the second quarter that kept the Redskins alive. Grade: C
Coaching: Parcells should take a bow for having the guts to use both Vanderjagt and kickoff specialist Shaun Suisham. He also did a good job last week keeping the team together after a gut-wrenching loss in Jacksonville. And does anyone out there think Tony Romo could have done a better job than Bledsoe? Grade: A
Overall: There were plenty of positives, many of which I've already mentioned, but this team won't become a playoff-caliber squad until it reduces the penalties (18 in two games). Grade: B
posted by The Gryphon at 9:22 AM
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