ESPN Insiders Scouting Report: Cowboys vs Bills
Investment in the line paying off for offense
01:14 AM CDT on Sunday, October 7, 2007
IRVING – Forget Tony Romo dancing around the pocket like he's in a cone drill. Forget Patrick Crayton turning a 5-yard hitch route into a 59-yard touchdown. Forget Terrell Owens' brilliance and Jason Witten's dependability.
When the clock's running down, and it's winning time, the true identity of this high-wire act of the Cowboys offense comes clear.
It's the same face that the Team of the '90s wore. It's marked by a big, grinding offensive line that's worn opponents down and out through the Cowboys' 4-0 start.
Those '90s teams had the same type of explosiveness these Cowboys do. But the case then and now is that this team's brass has spent big, built big and gotten results.
"You can see the commitment there," said offensive line coach and assistant head coach Tony Sparano, pointing to the money the team has spent on the front five. "Anytime you spend the money Mr. [Jerry] Jones has spent in the last year ... there's definitely a commitment to make the position better."
That commitment is bearing fruit, not only in protecting Romo (only six sacks allowed), but also in making it tough for opposing defenses to stop the run for 60 minutes.
In the first half of games, the Cowboys' running game has been ordinary, compiling 181 yards on 53 carries (a 3.4-yard average). But the team is sticking to the ground – averaging more than 13 carries per first half.
The effect is cumulative. In the second half of games, the pounding is taking its toll. The Cowboys have rushed for 429 second-half yards on 71 carries (a 6.0-yard average), gaudy numbers that show the drive dying in defenders.
"They don't have that fight they had before," offensive guard Leonard Davis said of such situations. "Getting off the ball, getting off blocks, they kind of get to the point where they say, 'I'm not going to make the extra effort to make a play, I'm going to let someone else do it.' You can tell; you can tell by their demeanor."
From left to right, tackle Flozell Adams, guard Kyle Kosier, center Andre Gurode, Davis and tackle Marc Colombo average 324 pounds, and all are at least 6-4.
But it's more than just their size, the coaches say. It's the athleticism each brings to the table. Kosier and Davis came into the league as tackles, with the feet to play on the edge, and Gurode has experience at guard.
Add that to the commitment each put into conditioning in the off-season, and it's all that much tougher to play them down the stretch.
"These guys, for big guys, play pretty fast," Sparano said. "And by the end of this thing, when they're playing 65, 70 plays out there, I think it takes its toll. The thing I think our guys do a good job of is at the end of games, they're getting pretty big eyes and they're playing a little harder."
When you consider the payroll, that should be expected. The five players combined to cop $45 million in signing bonus money in their most recent deals.
01:14 AM CDT on Sunday, October 7, 2007
IRVING – Forget Tony Romo dancing around the pocket like he's in a cone drill. Forget Patrick Crayton turning a 5-yard hitch route into a 59-yard touchdown. Forget Terrell Owens' brilliance and Jason Witten's dependability.
When the clock's running down, and it's winning time, the true identity of this high-wire act of the Cowboys offense comes clear.
It's the same face that the Team of the '90s wore. It's marked by a big, grinding offensive line that's worn opponents down and out through the Cowboys' 4-0 start.
Those '90s teams had the same type of explosiveness these Cowboys do. But the case then and now is that this team's brass has spent big, built big and gotten results.
"You can see the commitment there," said offensive line coach and assistant head coach Tony Sparano, pointing to the money the team has spent on the front five. "Anytime you spend the money Mr. [Jerry] Jones has spent in the last year ... there's definitely a commitment to make the position better."
That commitment is bearing fruit, not only in protecting Romo (only six sacks allowed), but also in making it tough for opposing defenses to stop the run for 60 minutes.
In the first half of games, the Cowboys' running game has been ordinary, compiling 181 yards on 53 carries (a 3.4-yard average). But the team is sticking to the ground – averaging more than 13 carries per first half.
The effect is cumulative. In the second half of games, the pounding is taking its toll. The Cowboys have rushed for 429 second-half yards on 71 carries (a 6.0-yard average), gaudy numbers that show the drive dying in defenders.
"They don't have that fight they had before," offensive guard Leonard Davis said of such situations. "Getting off the ball, getting off blocks, they kind of get to the point where they say, 'I'm not going to make the extra effort to make a play, I'm going to let someone else do it.' You can tell; you can tell by their demeanor."
From left to right, tackle Flozell Adams, guard Kyle Kosier, center Andre Gurode, Davis and tackle Marc Colombo average 324 pounds, and all are at least 6-4.
But it's more than just their size, the coaches say. It's the athleticism each brings to the table. Kosier and Davis came into the league as tackles, with the feet to play on the edge, and Gurode has experience at guard.
Add that to the commitment each put into conditioning in the off-season, and it's all that much tougher to play them down the stretch.
"These guys, for big guys, play pretty fast," Sparano said. "And by the end of this thing, when they're playing 65, 70 plays out there, I think it takes its toll. The thing I think our guys do a good job of is at the end of games, they're getting pretty big eyes and they're playing a little harder."
When you consider the payroll, that should be expected. The five players combined to cop $45 million in signing bonus money in their most recent deals.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:27 AM
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