Cowboys Mailbag: Cowboys chewing up the clock
Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer
Besides the final score and the defense’s four takeaways, the most important numbers in the Cowboys’ 21-14 victory over the Colts were 33:42.
That’s how long Dallas controlled the ball Sunday: 32 minutes, 34 seconds.
The Cowboys are second in the league behind the Chargers in time of possession with an average of 32:34. The Cowboys are first in fourth-quarter time of possession (8:44) and second-half time of possession (17:12). With the exception of the loss to Jacksonville in the opener and the Oct. 23 thrashing at the hands of the New York Giants, the Cowboys have held the ball longer than their opponents in each game.
That’s one of the reasons the defense is ranked sixth in the league. It’s staying fresh because the Tony Romo-led offense is moving the chains and chewing up the clock.
Since Romo became the starter four games ago, the offense’s average time of possession is 34:15. In the six games Drew Bledsoe started, the unit averaged 31:40.
It also helps that the running game is averaging 133.8 yards per game, good enough for fifth in the league.
The Cowboys accumulated 117 yards against the Colts, marking their fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game and eighth of the season.
Now on to this week’s questions:
Mike Vanderjagt’s "brash" behavior, as you described it recently, is an exaggeration, for really there were only a few relatively minor incidents (in Indianapolis).
The most notorious situation, where he commented in a Canadian interview that he felt Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy might not be displaying enough passion to win the "big games" wasn’t really such an outlandish statement.
Over the course of several years, Vanderjagt did his job for the Colts and did it well. He was popular figure on the team and to the fans.
He had a bit of an edge with his competitive, outgoing personality, but who says all kickers must just be seen but not heard?
I’m a long-time Colts fan, and like most of us, we still like Mike!
Kevin, Indianapolis
I’m glad somebody does.
Do the Cowboys need an upgrade at center? It seems like there are too many plays where the line is pushed back.
Ken Reid, Los Angeles
Actually, Andre Gurode is enjoying his best season. The line struggled earlier this season with pass protection, but it has been solid at run blocking all season. Bill Parcells has put a lot of time and effort into getting Gurode to play better and it seems to have finally paid off.
Does it seem to you that the Cowboys get an unusual amount of questionable penalties? I have noticed the Cowboys’ opponents clearly hold, block in the back and constantly interfere with receivers, yet Dallas is the team that gets flagged. Does it seem lopsided to you?
Mike Campbell, Bucyrus, Ohio
The Colts, especially Peyton Manning, would laugh at that one. In Sunday’s game, Cowboys safety Roy Williams got away with pushing tight end Dallas Clark to the ground just before intercepting a Manning pass. No flag was thrown.
"I find it hard to believe my quarterback would throw it right to someone on defense," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I question that."
Manning also questioned the play on the Colts’ final possession when one of his underneath targets was knocked to the turf.
There have been a few questionable calls, including several crack-back blocks and the flagrant facemask penalty against Kyle Kosier at the end of the Washington game. But it would be wrong to say the officials are picking on the Cowboys. By and large, most of the penalties called against the Cowboys are warranted.
How will the loss of strongside linebacker Greg Ellis effect the Cowboys defense?
- Raul, San Antonio
The Cowboys were able to overcome his loss Sunday against the Colts by disguising their alignments and coverages and moving weakside linebacker DeMarcus Ware from side to side. But teams will watch film of the game and make the necessary adjustments. Rookie Bobby Carpenter must step up and put pressure on the quarterback. Carpenter had only one tackle against the Colts, but he was in the backfield a few times and played with confidence. Without Ellis, teams will be able to double-team Ware, which will force the Cowboys to blitz more and try to come up with creative schemes like the one they employed Sunday. If Carpenter comes on, that won’t be necessary.
Why don’t the Cowboys use the no-huddle offense? That should keep defenses on their heels?
- Efrain, San Antonio
What keeps a defense on its heels is a quarterback who makes proper reads, releases the ball quickly and has a strong, accurate arm. The Cowboys have one of those now in Tony Romo, which is a big reason why the team is 3-1 with him as the starter. The no-huddle is probably a bit too exotic for Bill Parcells’ tastes, but it wouldn’t hurt to use it at times to throw the defense off balance.
When will the Cowboys’ new stadium be open for business?
Jim Pena, San Antonio
It should be ready for the 2009 season. Several Dallas-area mayors and business leaders are already planning to put in a bid for the 2011 Super Bowl.
Express-News Staff Writer
Besides the final score and the defense’s four takeaways, the most important numbers in the Cowboys’ 21-14 victory over the Colts were 33:42.
That’s how long Dallas controlled the ball Sunday: 32 minutes, 34 seconds.
The Cowboys are second in the league behind the Chargers in time of possession with an average of 32:34. The Cowboys are first in fourth-quarter time of possession (8:44) and second-half time of possession (17:12). With the exception of the loss to Jacksonville in the opener and the Oct. 23 thrashing at the hands of the New York Giants, the Cowboys have held the ball longer than their opponents in each game.
That’s one of the reasons the defense is ranked sixth in the league. It’s staying fresh because the Tony Romo-led offense is moving the chains and chewing up the clock.
Since Romo became the starter four games ago, the offense’s average time of possession is 34:15. In the six games Drew Bledsoe started, the unit averaged 31:40.
It also helps that the running game is averaging 133.8 yards per game, good enough for fifth in the league.
The Cowboys accumulated 117 yards against the Colts, marking their fourth-straight 100-yard rushing game and eighth of the season.
Now on to this week’s questions:
Mike Vanderjagt’s "brash" behavior, as you described it recently, is an exaggeration, for really there were only a few relatively minor incidents (in Indianapolis).
The most notorious situation, where he commented in a Canadian interview that he felt Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy might not be displaying enough passion to win the "big games" wasn’t really such an outlandish statement.
Over the course of several years, Vanderjagt did his job for the Colts and did it well. He was popular figure on the team and to the fans.
He had a bit of an edge with his competitive, outgoing personality, but who says all kickers must just be seen but not heard?
I’m a long-time Colts fan, and like most of us, we still like Mike!
Kevin, Indianapolis
I’m glad somebody does.
Do the Cowboys need an upgrade at center? It seems like there are too many plays where the line is pushed back.
Ken Reid, Los Angeles
Actually, Andre Gurode is enjoying his best season. The line struggled earlier this season with pass protection, but it has been solid at run blocking all season. Bill Parcells has put a lot of time and effort into getting Gurode to play better and it seems to have finally paid off.
Does it seem to you that the Cowboys get an unusual amount of questionable penalties? I have noticed the Cowboys’ opponents clearly hold, block in the back and constantly interfere with receivers, yet Dallas is the team that gets flagged. Does it seem lopsided to you?
Mike Campbell, Bucyrus, Ohio
The Colts, especially Peyton Manning, would laugh at that one. In Sunday’s game, Cowboys safety Roy Williams got away with pushing tight end Dallas Clark to the ground just before intercepting a Manning pass. No flag was thrown.
"I find it hard to believe my quarterback would throw it right to someone on defense," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "I question that."
Manning also questioned the play on the Colts’ final possession when one of his underneath targets was knocked to the turf.
There have been a few questionable calls, including several crack-back blocks and the flagrant facemask penalty against Kyle Kosier at the end of the Washington game. But it would be wrong to say the officials are picking on the Cowboys. By and large, most of the penalties called against the Cowboys are warranted.
How will the loss of strongside linebacker Greg Ellis effect the Cowboys defense?
- Raul, San Antonio
The Cowboys were able to overcome his loss Sunday against the Colts by disguising their alignments and coverages and moving weakside linebacker DeMarcus Ware from side to side. But teams will watch film of the game and make the necessary adjustments. Rookie Bobby Carpenter must step up and put pressure on the quarterback. Carpenter had only one tackle against the Colts, but he was in the backfield a few times and played with confidence. Without Ellis, teams will be able to double-team Ware, which will force the Cowboys to blitz more and try to come up with creative schemes like the one they employed Sunday. If Carpenter comes on, that won’t be necessary.
Why don’t the Cowboys use the no-huddle offense? That should keep defenses on their heels?
- Efrain, San Antonio
What keeps a defense on its heels is a quarterback who makes proper reads, releases the ball quickly and has a strong, accurate arm. The Cowboys have one of those now in Tony Romo, which is a big reason why the team is 3-1 with him as the starter. The no-huddle is probably a bit too exotic for Bill Parcells’ tastes, but it wouldn’t hurt to use it at times to throw the defense off balance.
When will the Cowboys’ new stadium be open for business?
Jim Pena, San Antonio
It should be ready for the 2009 season. Several Dallas-area mayors and business leaders are already planning to put in a bid for the 2011 Super Bowl.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:10 PM
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