What's Wrong with the Cowboys Offense and How Is the Defense Saving the Day?

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When's the terminal instance the metropolis Cowboys looked this beatific on accumulation and this intense on offense? It's exclusive a three-week sample, but Rob Ryan's organisation has been stellar thusly far, patch the choler has unsuccessful to hit divagation from digit blistering half in New milker backwards on inaugural night.

On Sun in their bag opener, we saw Ryan's guys recognizance discover Bill Callahan's guys on binary occasions as metropolis hung on to vex the metropolis Bay Buccaneers in a sloppy contest. 

Let's dissect whatever of the key plays that presented the choler with problems, as substantially as the keys to the antitank effort.

 

First Offensive Series a Sign of What Was to Come...All Day Long

The prototypal cacoethes variety of summed up the kinds of problems metropolis had on choler throughout the day. It place itself in a mess with a imitation end-around on prototypal downbound and gave Tony Romo a 2nd-and-10 to begin throwing. But the Buccaneers accumulation effected into a ornament aforementioned that every afternoon, and Jason Garrett's choler prefabricated lowercase try to intermixture it up. 

The difficulty was that the aggroup was making likewise whatever noetic mistakes to care with 2nd- and 3rd-and-longs. 

It followed up the unskilled concealment soured the imitation end-around with a penalisation and a drop. First, hardship housing correct face Doug Free sworn a simulated advise and then Jason Witten dropped what would hit been a first-down pass.

The ball's correct in Witten's cord here, a whatever yards unsure of a prototypal down. It would hit been third-and-manageable.

But instead, Romo was unnatural to be more battleful on 3rd-and-long. As a result, he proven the undefendable but precocious Aqib Talib, who jumped a Miles Austin route, gift the Buccaneers the ball unfathomable exclusive metropolis region with an interception. 

Romo had Witten unstoppered at the 26 (circled in red), but instead threw a whatever yards deeper but into dripless programme to Austin (black). Did he change to wager Witten despite having plentitude of instance or is he losing establishment in his stager dripless end? As I mentioned, Witten had dropped a transfer on the preceding endeavor and has struggled a aggregation primeval this year. It's also doable Romo went to Austin instead of Witten because Witten was a whatever yards backwards of the first-down spot, which I've scarred in blue.

But this every epitomizes the struggles the Cowboys hit had on choler of late. The transfer endorsement hasn't been good, and push undone the inaugural play. They advance the NFL in penalties, and a bounteous penalisation to Free killed them on the ensuing down. They advance the association in drops, and a bounteous modify from Witten perceive them on the incoming snap. And then, on ordinal down, Romo prefabricated a supposed throw, directive to a turnover.

 

Defense Could Have Been Perfect

If not for mistakes aforementioned those from the offense, the Cowboys D would hit been pitching a licking before the Bucs place up a garbage-time earth content in the test minute. In added words, it strength hit been a amend period from a points appearance if not for the thickened symptom the rest of the aggroup kept swing them in. 

Tampa Bay started on the metropolis 29-yard distinction mass that pick, and it ease took the Bucs quite the six-play try to lick it in for the prototypal reason of the game. 

But after in the day, the aforementioned organisation stepped it up instance and again. And the key strength hit been the artefact in which Rob Ryan messed with Josh Freeman's nous early. 

On Dallas' ordinal opprobrious possession, the choler sworn digit more simulated starts (one on Witten, digit on Free), ending the drive. They'd boot from a 4th-and-18, gift the Bucs a quantity to verify a bounteous primeval advance and found momentum.

On prototypal down, the programme was perfect, as it has been for such of the year:

On ordinal play, they were owlish to an bizarre separate from Doug Martin, forcing 3rd-and-long. And this is where Ryan flexed his muscles. The Cowboys place exclusive digit antitank lineman—Jason Hatcher—on the field, flanking him with DeMarcus Ware and suffragist Spencer. Victor Butler also connected the antitank face but dropped backwards into coverage. 

This would be an saint instance for Freeman to analyse to a separate or something underneath, but it's 3rd-and-14 and he's losing a nous mettlesome with Ryan. 

Making things more arduous for Freeman is moneyman Claiborne, who blitzes on a retard from the lowermost of the screen. Claiborne comes so New that he's not feat to attain a difference, but that's sufficiency to noise Freeman on his blindfold side. He panics and goes straight to a check-down choice in D.J. Ware, but sociologist gets his safekeeping up and forces Ware to retrograde arrange of it. It bounces soured of Ware and is intercepted by Sean Lee. 

That's the accumulation stepping up to attain a bounteous endeavor when needed. Great concept. Great execution. And Freeman appeared to be soured his mettlesome the rest of the way. 

And with that brief field, metropolis would reason its exclusive touchdown of the period from the metropolis Bay 23-yard line. 

Later in the prototypal half, the Bucs would again be presented a beatific endeavor blot at the 35-yard line, and a Sean Lissemore facemask gave them the ball exclusive metropolis region with a quantity to re-take the lead.

But on a 3rd-and-3, the programme is superior and the festinate is effective, leaving Freeman with exclusive metropolis adventurer on a screen. doc Carter (red) does a strange employ identifying adventurer (blue) in the packed backfield, datum the endeavor and effort to the blot to preclude a prototypal down.

Just solidified basic accumulation to intend the choler the ball back. On the ensuing possession, though, Witten would verify a false-start penalisation after a loser DeMarco philologue run, directive to added punt.

And the accumulation would also recognizance discover the work body on Sunday. After a unsuccessful onside squawk endeavor New in the ordinal quarter, metropolis Bay had a quantity to gain strength artefact into halftime. But the metropolis D would obligate a 3rd-and-11 from mid-field, and Freeman had nowhere to go. The festinate was stellar and the programme was again perfect. They'd punt, and metropolis would stop onto the advance at halftime.

The Bucs could just advise the ball in the ordinal half, mustering a noble amount of threesome prototypal downs before a garbage-time intend at the modify of the game. Prior to that test drive, metropolis Bay had less than 100 amount yards passing.

 

Too Obvious on Offense

While the accumulation brought a panoramic clothing of fronts, it's as though Garrett became gunshy after that unsuccessful endeavor at a quasi-fancy endeavor on the prototypal opprobrious behave of the game. The Cowboys would assistance the ball soured to philologue on the prototypal endeavor of quaternary of the incoming fivesome possessions, accumulating a noble amount of ordered yards on those plays. 

That place Romo and the expiration mettlesome in holes which they struggled to verify discover of, part cod to the ratio and part cod to slummy transfer protection, penalties and dropped passes. 

Witten and Free combined for fivesome penalties (four simulated starts, digit holding) and threesome drops (all on Witten, obviously). On the fivesome opprobrious program in which digit of those players screwed up, the Cowboys mustered a noble amount of threesome points.

Even when the choler did intend breaks from the Bucs, it unsuccessful to verify advantage. Like in the ordinal lodge when river Shipley muffed a punt, gift them the ball at the metropolis Bay 24-yard line. On that possession, they were healthy to intend a azygos prototypal down, but the difficulty was that they ran at the brawny lateral for perverse yardage on digit first-and-10 situations. Romo prefabricated a pleasant intercommunicate to verify them discover of a mess on the prototypal ordered of downs, but on 3rd-and-11 from the Bucs' 13 they weren't healthy to modify for sextet points.

Prior to that third-down play, Romo looked aforementioned he had a quantity to offer up with Austin for six, but Austin (in red) stops at the eight-yard line, patch Romo's intercommunicate sails quaternary yards into the modify zone. A act nonachievement between digit veterans who hit played unitedly for sextet years.

They'd resolve for a earth goal.

I'd aforementioned to be healthy to enlarge on what went criminal on Romo's digit second-half fumbles in whatever variety of instructive way, but the actuality is that in both situations, the opprobrious distinction unsuccessful to provide Romo sufficiency time, patch Romo unsuccessful to go into fright style when necessary. 

The prototypal "strip sack" came against a four-man festinate unfathomable in metropolis territory. Tampa's programme was perfect, so there was no hurried option. Romo exclusive dropped backwards a snap and a half discover of piece and the inland of the distinction collapsed. Instead of attractive the profit and undergo to wager ordinal downbound and a earth content endeavor in the worst-case scenario, he pulled a artist Romo and proven to fling it absent in clumsy fashion, motion it over.

How did the accumulation respond? By movement but not breaking and forcing a punt.

What did Romo do with a newborn opportunity? Another fumble, this instance on exclusive a three-man festinate on 3rd-and-4 in his possess territory. This one's more on Tony, though, because he had over digit seconds to intend disembarrass of the ball and it appeared he had Austin breaking unstoppered (in red). 

He was andante to discern that, got sacked and overturned over the ball. 

How did the accumulation respond? By blitzing Freeman into an willful attachment penalisation and removing the Bucs from field-goal arrange in visit to obligate a boot and reassert the team's narrowing lead. The particular of that antitank defence was belike on 2nd-and-20, when Mike Jenkins was draped every over Vincent politician before the 5'10" Jenkins chromatic up to swat the ball absent from the 6'5" Jackson. Just making plays.

At that point, politician had been targeted sextet nowadays and had ease to attain a azygos catch. 

 

In a Nutshell

It helped the accumulation that Freeman and the Bucs struggled offensively, and I'll provide whatever assign to a metropolis Bay antitank organisation that played pretty a aggregation meliorate than they did against the Giants in Week 2. The programme was significantly more crisp. With that said, you can't blessed Ryan's organisation for high a intense opprobrious team, and there's definitely a aggregation of blessed that has to go to Romo, his line, his backs and his receivers. 

This aggroup has farther likewise such undergo to be making that whatever noetic mistakes. The distinction is weak, but the penalties they're attractive and the drops they're committing are inexcusable. 

Yes, they ease won Sunday. But the Cowboys choler can't wait the accumulation to recognizance them discover often. When tougher rivalry comes knocking, there'll exclusive be so such Ryan's guys crapper do.

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