For patient Cowboys, the wait is worth it
Posted by: Anthony Bialy on November 20, 2007 12:25 AM
The impressive thing about the Cowboys isn't just that they've won nine of their 10 games, although that's pretty good in itself. What really stands out aside from that is the patience they've displayed in waiting for opponents to show weakness before attacking. Trailing by three going into the locker room against a resolute Washington team last Sunday, Dallas emerged not only full of determination but also with an aggressive plan to dissect the opposing secondary.
It's even more remarkable considering the fact they weren't particularly sharp early: Dallas gained 81 collective yards on three first-quarter drives, which ended with a missed field goal, interception and punt, respectively. Their next quarter was much more impressive, as they marched to the end zone in over 13 plays and 60 yards on their sole possession. They still found themselves on the short end of a 10-7 score 30 minutes in, but, as they've often shown in 2007, the Cowboys are like a coiled snake just waiting to strike.
They started with a three-and-out in the second half, but followed that with three straight touchdown drives, each of course culminating in a pass to Terrell Owens just as with their first score. Tony Romo and his primary receiver worked in flawless harmony Sunday, as the quarterback took advantage of the fact that Owens repeatedly found himself unbelievably open. Against Washington, they were a combination as potently smooth as Goldschlager and apple cider.
Aside from of course being stocked with talent at arguably every offensive position, Dallas' main weapon is exploiting the weakness of others. Safety Sean Taylor's absence truly hurt Washington, especially when Dallas tore through any zone coverage the Redskins attempted without him.
Instead of a zone actually easing the burden, members of the Redskins' secondary looked flummoxed as they tried to keep track of who was each defender's opponent to cover. Also, London Fletcher, a prototypical zone coverage middle linebacker, looked frequently baffled as he was one of many defenders who didn't know toward which receiver to cheat.
Regardless of the defensive lapses, Washington's offense did everything it could to keep things competitive. These are the sorts of games where won-loss records are almost irrelevant, as virtually anything can happen between two longtime rivals who despise each other. A now-.500 Redskins team actually outgained the home squad, 423 yards to 359, many of those thanks to the sharp passing of the emerging Jason Campbell, who was impressively efficient in defeat.
But ultimately, Campbell was forced to press at the end of the game to try to make up the deficit caused by Dallas' eventually deadly offense. That led to him throwing an interception on Washington's penultimate drive before his desperation heave was knocked away on the game's last play by part-time safety T.O. himself, the same player who helped force the Redskins into that situation.
Taking the time to wait for holes to open in Washington's defensive net was the very reason why Owens ended up guarding the goal line after crossing it himself numerous times. Despite the best efforts of its opponent, an offense that looked very good couldn't match an output by Dallas that turned out to be overwhelming.
The impressive thing about the Cowboys isn't just that they've won nine of their 10 games, although that's pretty good in itself. What really stands out aside from that is the patience they've displayed in waiting for opponents to show weakness before attacking. Trailing by three going into the locker room against a resolute Washington team last Sunday, Dallas emerged not only full of determination but also with an aggressive plan to dissect the opposing secondary.
It's even more remarkable considering the fact they weren't particularly sharp early: Dallas gained 81 collective yards on three first-quarter drives, which ended with a missed field goal, interception and punt, respectively. Their next quarter was much more impressive, as they marched to the end zone in over 13 plays and 60 yards on their sole possession. They still found themselves on the short end of a 10-7 score 30 minutes in, but, as they've often shown in 2007, the Cowboys are like a coiled snake just waiting to strike.
They started with a three-and-out in the second half, but followed that with three straight touchdown drives, each of course culminating in a pass to Terrell Owens just as with their first score. Tony Romo and his primary receiver worked in flawless harmony Sunday, as the quarterback took advantage of the fact that Owens repeatedly found himself unbelievably open. Against Washington, they were a combination as potently smooth as Goldschlager and apple cider.
Aside from of course being stocked with talent at arguably every offensive position, Dallas' main weapon is exploiting the weakness of others. Safety Sean Taylor's absence truly hurt Washington, especially when Dallas tore through any zone coverage the Redskins attempted without him.
Instead of a zone actually easing the burden, members of the Redskins' secondary looked flummoxed as they tried to keep track of who was each defender's opponent to cover. Also, London Fletcher, a prototypical zone coverage middle linebacker, looked frequently baffled as he was one of many defenders who didn't know toward which receiver to cheat.
Regardless of the defensive lapses, Washington's offense did everything it could to keep things competitive. These are the sorts of games where won-loss records are almost irrelevant, as virtually anything can happen between two longtime rivals who despise each other. A now-.500 Redskins team actually outgained the home squad, 423 yards to 359, many of those thanks to the sharp passing of the emerging Jason Campbell, who was impressively efficient in defeat.
But ultimately, Campbell was forced to press at the end of the game to try to make up the deficit caused by Dallas' eventually deadly offense. That led to him throwing an interception on Washington's penultimate drive before his desperation heave was knocked away on the game's last play by part-time safety T.O. himself, the same player who helped force the Redskins into that situation.
Taking the time to wait for holes to open in Washington's defensive net was the very reason why Owens ended up guarding the goal line after crossing it himself numerous times. Despite the best efforts of its opponent, an offense that looked very good couldn't match an output by Dallas that turned out to be overwhelming.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:02 PM
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