DMN Blog: Dissecting the Cowboys' seven sacks vs. Seahawks
by Tim MacMahon
There are several reasons the Cowboys recorded their most sacks in a game in more than a decade. Here are a few of the reasons the Cowboys got to do their funky turkey dance seven times after putting Matt Hasselebeck on the Texas Stadium turf:
*DeMarcus Ware, who might be the best defensive player in the league, whupped future Hall of Fame LT Walter Jones.
*Wade Phillips and Co. exploited an inexperienced line (two starters inactive) with a variety of blitzes.
*The Cowboys jumped out to a big lead and shut down the run, allowing the Cowboys to pin their ears back and come after Hasselbeck.
For the nitty gritty on each of the seven sacks, follow the jump.
Sack 1 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On first-and-15, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ware beat Jones with a classic speed move, chopping the eight-time Pro Bowler's hands down while blowing by him to the outside.
Sack 2 (Tank Johnson) -- On first-and-10, Cowboys rushed five out of the base defense, with Ware dropping into coverage and Bradie James coming up the middle. NT Tank Johnson was left one-on-one with C Steve Vallos, lining up on the backup center's left shoulder and using quickness to beat Vallos to his right.
Sack 3 (Bradie James) -- On third-and-5, Cowboys rushed five out of the nickel. LB Bradie James came untouched up the middle on a delayed blitz, taking advantage of the inexperience of the Seahawks' interior linemen.
Sack 4 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On second-and-10, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ware beat Jones with an inside-out swim move, getting Jones to lean inside and slapping his hands down as Ware exploded to the outside.
Sack 5 (Bradie James) -- On third-and-14, Cowboys came with a five-man rush out of the 3-3 nickel look, with Ware dropping into coverage and Kevin Burnett and James coming. James, who came off the left edge, got matched up with TE John Carlson, overpowering the rookie to the inside after Carlson met James in the backfield.
Sack 6 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On third-and-6 out of the 3-3 nickel look, Cowboys came with a six-man rush with Ware, James and FS Ken Hamlin coming. RT Sean Locklear released Ware to try to pick up Hamlin when they both came off the left edge, letting Ware take the NFL sacks lead with an easy one. If Ware didn't get Hasselbeck, James would have.
Sack 7 (Greg Ellis) -- On second-and-4, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ellis bull-rushed Locklear. Hasselbeck covered the ball with both hands and went down without a fight.
There are several reasons the Cowboys recorded their most sacks in a game in more than a decade. Here are a few of the reasons the Cowboys got to do their funky turkey dance seven times after putting Matt Hasselebeck on the Texas Stadium turf:
*DeMarcus Ware, who might be the best defensive player in the league, whupped future Hall of Fame LT Walter Jones.
*Wade Phillips and Co. exploited an inexperienced line (two starters inactive) with a variety of blitzes.
*The Cowboys jumped out to a big lead and shut down the run, allowing the Cowboys to pin their ears back and come after Hasselbeck.
For the nitty gritty on each of the seven sacks, follow the jump.
Sack 1 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On first-and-15, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ware beat Jones with a classic speed move, chopping the eight-time Pro Bowler's hands down while blowing by him to the outside.
Sack 2 (Tank Johnson) -- On first-and-10, Cowboys rushed five out of the base defense, with Ware dropping into coverage and Bradie James coming up the middle. NT Tank Johnson was left one-on-one with C Steve Vallos, lining up on the backup center's left shoulder and using quickness to beat Vallos to his right.
Sack 3 (Bradie James) -- On third-and-5, Cowboys rushed five out of the nickel. LB Bradie James came untouched up the middle on a delayed blitz, taking advantage of the inexperience of the Seahawks' interior linemen.
Sack 4 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On second-and-10, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ware beat Jones with an inside-out swim move, getting Jones to lean inside and slapping his hands down as Ware exploded to the outside.
Sack 5 (Bradie James) -- On third-and-14, Cowboys came with a five-man rush out of the 3-3 nickel look, with Ware dropping into coverage and Kevin Burnett and James coming. James, who came off the left edge, got matched up with TE John Carlson, overpowering the rookie to the inside after Carlson met James in the backfield.
Sack 6 (DeMarcus Ware) -- On third-and-6 out of the 3-3 nickel look, Cowboys came with a six-man rush with Ware, James and FS Ken Hamlin coming. RT Sean Locklear released Ware to try to pick up Hamlin when they both came off the left edge, letting Ware take the NFL sacks lead with an easy one. If Ware didn't get Hasselbeck, James would have.
Sack 7 (Greg Ellis) -- On second-and-4, Cowboys came with a regular four-man rush out of the nickel. Ellis bull-rushed Locklear. Hasselbeck covered the ball with both hands and went down without a fight.
posted by The Gryphon at 3:35 PM
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