Cowboys vs. Rams
Zach Buchanan - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 28, 2007 6:27 PM
GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (3-0) vs. St. Louis Rams (0-3)
WHEN: Sunday, noon (CDT)
WHERE: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
TELEVISION: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)
BIG ISSUE: While the facing the ailing St. Louis Rams on Sunday may seem like an automatic win for the Cowboys, they know better than to look past this game. Despite drastic underproduction and several injuries to key offensive personnel, the Rams' offense is still dangerous and hungry to prove it's not as bad as the winless record, leading Rams receiver Isaac Bruce earlier in the week to boldly guarantee a victory at Texas Stadium. In order to extend their record to 4-0, the Cowboys will have to guard against listening to their egos, media and fans, and prepare to play as if they still were the underdogs they were against Chicago last Sunday.
The Rams seem to be in the exact opposite position as the Cowboys. While the Cowboys regained the limited services of cornerback Terence Newman last week and might be in the same situation with linebacker Greg Ellis this week, the Rams seem to sustain an injury with every snap. The have already lost two offensive linemen, Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace and starting left guard Mark Setterstrom, to season-ending injuries, and last week, after finally putting up decent rushing numbers, starting running back Steven Jackson went down for at least a week with a partial groin tear. And although he still is scheduled to start Sunday, quarterback Marc Bulger is among the walking wounded with two broken ribs. Some Rams reserves will have to play exceedingly well for the team to compete at a high level.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Beating the Rams will be a lot easier for the Cowboys if they don't beat themselves. The Cowboys lead the league in penalties after three games, having collected 30 little yellow hankies for a total of 256 yards. Last week alone the Cowboys had 12 penalties, costing them 100 yards, although a few of those seemed pretty questionable. If the Cowboys can focus and play penalty-free football, the score could grow even more lopsided than in previous weeks.
Although tied for last with a 0-3 record, the Rams lead the league in pass defense, allowing a stingy 146 yards per game. But stopping the pass doesn't necessarily stop the Cowboys, since running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones have shown to be an effective tandem. So the Rams will need turnovers, and they have yet to record an interception after three games and own a net turnover differential of minus-3, a whopping 10 less than the league-leading Cowboys (plus-7).
ONE-ON-ONE: The Cowboys' offensive line will do its best to continue giving quarterback Tony Romo the great protection he's enjoyed so far this season, and that means the Cowboys' $16 million dollar man, 6-6, 354-pound right guard Leonard Davis, will face off against former Cowboys defensive lineman La'Roi Glover quite a bit. Glover, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle - four as a Cowboy - is 10th among active players with 77 career sacks, and while undersized for a defensive lineman, capitalizes on his speed to get in the backfield. Davis, who has been more comfortable since moving from tackle to guard when he signed with the Cowboys this off-season, will try to use his sheer strength to dominate Glover as he has dominated defenders through the first three games of the season.
While the rest of the offense may be hurting, the Rams' wide receiver corps remains perfectly intact. That means Cowboys corners Anthony Henry and Jacques Reeves (with normal starter Terence Newman expected to contribute only in the nickel defense) will face the task of covering future Hall-of-Famers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. Both Bruce and Holt are big, physical receivers, and while Henry has the strength to muscle up with whomever he lines up against, the 5-11 Reeves will be mismatched against either one. Reeves will have to trust the pass rush to force the ball to come out quickly so he doesn't get stuck in man coverage on a deep ball to Holt or Bruce.
SUPPORTING ROLE: With starting fullback Oliver Hoyte still out, rookie Deon Anderson will start in his place once again. Anderson started last week against the Bears and did an OK job, though he did struggle some in blitz pickup and made a few rookie mistakes. Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said the Cowboys will likely utilize more two-tight end sets in order to help out with protection, occasionally lining a tight end up in the backfield to disguise whether the Cowboys are in a one-back or two-back formation.
The Rams have a rookie of their own who will be thrown into the fire: Running back Brian Leonard, the second-round draft pick out of Rutgers starting in the place of injured Steven (slightly torn groin). Leonard had previously been lining up at starting fullback, but now must make the transition to running back against a stingy Cowboys run defense. Rams head coach Scott Linehan said he intends to use Leonard in the same fashion as Jackson, as a dual run-receiving threat.
HEADSET GAMES: The Cowboys always like to pressure the passer, but the Rams know that. Due to the deficiencies on the Rams' offensive line and Bulger's broken ribs, Bulger is likely to utilize a lot of three- and five-step drops, the latter of which Phillips said is the most difficult to mount a pass rush against. Because they know the ball will be coming out quickly, the Cowboys' rushers will concentrate less on sacks and quarterback knock-downs and more on pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.
The Rams know it's difficult to stop the Cowboys attack, so they'll probably stick with what they do best: Stop the passing game. The Rams D may keep six, seven, or eight men back in order to handle the Cowboys' passing game, knowing they must devote extra attention to wide receiver Terrell Owens and tight end Jason Witten. That may mean the Rams might be choosing the poisonous running game, because if the front four can't contain running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones, the Cowboys could have quite a day rushing.
HEALTH WATCH:
Cowboys
The Cowboys sustained a few injuries that will probably affect special teams most of all. Starting fullback Oliver Hoyte (neck), backup safety Keith Davis (shoulder), and third-team rookie safety Courtney Brown, all key special teams players, are listed as out, as is receiver Terry Glenn, who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. The two weekly Cowboys question marks, cornerback Terence Newman (foot and knee) and linebacker Greg Ellis (heel), straightened out ever so slightly into exclamation points as both practiced more than in previous weeks. Both are listed as questionable. Newman appears set to handle the nickel responsibilities he did last week while Ellis might be a week away from coming in as a pass-rush specialist. Backup linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who had a slight tear in his right quadriceps tendon, is listed as probable, and should play after practicing on Thursday and Friday.
Rams
This might take a while, because the Rams are extremely banged up. Starting left tackle Orlando Pace and left guard Mark Setterstrom have landed on the injured-reserve list and are out for the season. The Rams also have been without starting right guard Richie Incognito (ankle) the past three games, and he has only been upgraded to doubtful for this game. Starting cornerback Tye Hill is listed as out with a back injury, as is starting running back Steven Jackson (groin). Starting quarterback Marc Bulger (broken ribs), starting weak-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (ankle), starting defensive end James Hall (pectoral) and backup linebacker Tim McGarigle (groin) all practiced in full Friday and are listed as probable.
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
September 28, 2007 6:27 PM
GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (3-0) vs. St. Louis Rams (0-3)
WHEN: Sunday, noon (CDT)
WHERE: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
TELEVISION: Fox (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)
BIG ISSUE: While the facing the ailing St. Louis Rams on Sunday may seem like an automatic win for the Cowboys, they know better than to look past this game. Despite drastic underproduction and several injuries to key offensive personnel, the Rams' offense is still dangerous and hungry to prove it's not as bad as the winless record, leading Rams receiver Isaac Bruce earlier in the week to boldly guarantee a victory at Texas Stadium. In order to extend their record to 4-0, the Cowboys will have to guard against listening to their egos, media and fans, and prepare to play as if they still were the underdogs they were against Chicago last Sunday.
The Rams seem to be in the exact opposite position as the Cowboys. While the Cowboys regained the limited services of cornerback Terence Newman last week and might be in the same situation with linebacker Greg Ellis this week, the Rams seem to sustain an injury with every snap. The have already lost two offensive linemen, Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace and starting left guard Mark Setterstrom, to season-ending injuries, and last week, after finally putting up decent rushing numbers, starting running back Steven Jackson went down for at least a week with a partial groin tear. And although he still is scheduled to start Sunday, quarterback Marc Bulger is among the walking wounded with two broken ribs. Some Rams reserves will have to play exceedingly well for the team to compete at a high level.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: Beating the Rams will be a lot easier for the Cowboys if they don't beat themselves. The Cowboys lead the league in penalties after three games, having collected 30 little yellow hankies for a total of 256 yards. Last week alone the Cowboys had 12 penalties, costing them 100 yards, although a few of those seemed pretty questionable. If the Cowboys can focus and play penalty-free football, the score could grow even more lopsided than in previous weeks.
Although tied for last with a 0-3 record, the Rams lead the league in pass defense, allowing a stingy 146 yards per game. But stopping the pass doesn't necessarily stop the Cowboys, since running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones have shown to be an effective tandem. So the Rams will need turnovers, and they have yet to record an interception after three games and own a net turnover differential of minus-3, a whopping 10 less than the league-leading Cowboys (plus-7).
ONE-ON-ONE: The Cowboys' offensive line will do its best to continue giving quarterback Tony Romo the great protection he's enjoyed so far this season, and that means the Cowboys' $16 million dollar man, 6-6, 354-pound right guard Leonard Davis, will face off against former Cowboys defensive lineman La'Roi Glover quite a bit. Glover, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle - four as a Cowboy - is 10th among active players with 77 career sacks, and while undersized for a defensive lineman, capitalizes on his speed to get in the backfield. Davis, who has been more comfortable since moving from tackle to guard when he signed with the Cowboys this off-season, will try to use his sheer strength to dominate Glover as he has dominated defenders through the first three games of the season.
While the rest of the offense may be hurting, the Rams' wide receiver corps remains perfectly intact. That means Cowboys corners Anthony Henry and Jacques Reeves (with normal starter Terence Newman expected to contribute only in the nickel defense) will face the task of covering future Hall-of-Famers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. Both Bruce and Holt are big, physical receivers, and while Henry has the strength to muscle up with whomever he lines up against, the 5-11 Reeves will be mismatched against either one. Reeves will have to trust the pass rush to force the ball to come out quickly so he doesn't get stuck in man coverage on a deep ball to Holt or Bruce.
SUPPORTING ROLE: With starting fullback Oliver Hoyte still out, rookie Deon Anderson will start in his place once again. Anderson started last week against the Bears and did an OK job, though he did struggle some in blitz pickup and made a few rookie mistakes. Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said the Cowboys will likely utilize more two-tight end sets in order to help out with protection, occasionally lining a tight end up in the backfield to disguise whether the Cowboys are in a one-back or two-back formation.
The Rams have a rookie of their own who will be thrown into the fire: Running back Brian Leonard, the second-round draft pick out of Rutgers starting in the place of injured Steven (slightly torn groin). Leonard had previously been lining up at starting fullback, but now must make the transition to running back against a stingy Cowboys run defense. Rams head coach Scott Linehan said he intends to use Leonard in the same fashion as Jackson, as a dual run-receiving threat.
HEADSET GAMES: The Cowboys always like to pressure the passer, but the Rams know that. Due to the deficiencies on the Rams' offensive line and Bulger's broken ribs, Bulger is likely to utilize a lot of three- and five-step drops, the latter of which Phillips said is the most difficult to mount a pass rush against. Because they know the ball will be coming out quickly, the Cowboys' rushers will concentrate less on sacks and quarterback knock-downs and more on pass deflections at the line of scrimmage.
The Rams know it's difficult to stop the Cowboys attack, so they'll probably stick with what they do best: Stop the passing game. The Rams D may keep six, seven, or eight men back in order to handle the Cowboys' passing game, knowing they must devote extra attention to wide receiver Terrell Owens and tight end Jason Witten. That may mean the Rams might be choosing the poisonous running game, because if the front four can't contain running backs Marion Barber and Julius Jones, the Cowboys could have quite a day rushing.
HEALTH WATCH:
Cowboys
The Cowboys sustained a few injuries that will probably affect special teams most of all. Starting fullback Oliver Hoyte (neck), backup safety Keith Davis (shoulder), and third-team rookie safety Courtney Brown, all key special teams players, are listed as out, as is receiver Terry Glenn, who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. The two weekly Cowboys question marks, cornerback Terence Newman (foot and knee) and linebacker Greg Ellis (heel), straightened out ever so slightly into exclamation points as both practiced more than in previous weeks. Both are listed as questionable. Newman appears set to handle the nickel responsibilities he did last week while Ellis might be a week away from coming in as a pass-rush specialist. Backup linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who had a slight tear in his right quadriceps tendon, is listed as probable, and should play after practicing on Thursday and Friday.
Rams
This might take a while, because the Rams are extremely banged up. Starting left tackle Orlando Pace and left guard Mark Setterstrom have landed on the injured-reserve list and are out for the season. The Rams also have been without starting right guard Richie Incognito (ankle) the past three games, and he has only been upgraded to doubtful for this game. Starting cornerback Tye Hill is listed as out with a back injury, as is starting running back Steven Jackson (groin). Starting quarterback Marc Bulger (broken ribs), starting weak-side linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa (ankle), starting defensive end James Hall (pectoral) and backup linebacker Tim McGarigle (groin) all practiced in full Friday and are listed as probable.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:07 AM
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