Post by ccboy on Oct 31, 2008 0:48:12 GMT -7
*off of Vela's blog....
Games
One Vote for the Rag-Arm
I’m looking at the Cowboys-Giants matchups and I see lots of statistical similarities. But there’s one stat that’s a Giants walkover:
Turnovers:
New York — 4
Dallas — 13
The Giants have turned the ball over in only two games this year, once in their season opener against Washington and three times against the Browns, their only loss so far.
Dallas turned the ball over in every game until last week’s Tampa Bay game. That blank sheet let them outlast the Bucs 13-9.
Which gets us to this week. I’ve seen lots of calls for Brooks Bollinger to start over Brad Johnson. Please. Raise your hand if you think Bollinger can go four quarters against the Giants rush, in an offense he’s trying to learn on the fly and not commit a turnover.
Bollinger has played a Jim Johnson scheme once. He replaced Kelly Holcomb in a 23-16 loss to the Eagles last year and was a respectable 7-10 for 94 yards. But that was in a Vikings uniform. I don’t know if he’s got the Cowboys’ scheme down, having missed all of training camp.
The Giants are a blitzing team. They’re good and it and they have to be. I’m not impressed with their secondary, which has two new safeties and Aaron Ross regressing in his second year. They’re going to do what they do, overloading the middle of the line, overloading a side, bringing corner blitzes and playing zone and man behind them. They’re a 4-3 version of the Cowboys.
This will leave room for the type of throws Johnson can make. Slants, crosses, hooks, curls and seams.
If Dallas is going to compete, they’ll need another close game, of the type that they played against the Bucs and the type which the Steelers played against New York last week. It’s too much to ask Dallas to stop the Giants run. They’re averaging 5.1 yards an attempt. But they need to drop this at least a yard. Hold New York under 4.0 yards a carry and the game goes to Eli.
The Giants are a power team. They no longer have Tiki Barber or Jeremy Shockey, the two biggest Cowboys killers of the past few years. They’re a ball-control unit. They throw deep now and then, but that hasn’t been their way in ‘08. Plaxico Burress is averaging 12.7 yards a catch, tops among the Giants’ top three WRs and their tight end. T.O., Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin all average at least 2 yards more than Burress. (Roy Williams’ sample size is way too short to measure.)
The Cowboys didn’t go heavy with rushes last week because they didn’t want Jeff Garcia to break the pocket and make big throws while on the run. The Cowboys also played with precise lane discipline, to keep Garcia in the middle of the field at all costs. This cut their rushing abandon as well.
They won’t be so coy this week. Eli isn’t a scramber. He’s steady in the pocket and the Giants have protected him very, very well this year, but that’s partly due to their running effectiveness. He’s rarely in 3rd and longs.
In short, the defense can afford to crowd the line more and both play the run and blitz. If the Giants come out pass heavy, trying to attack the young corners, they’ll probably do the Cowboys a favor. They’ll be going against their tendencies.
Something tells me they won’t. They not the champs for nothing. They’re not 5-1 for nothing. The Cowboys will have to prove they can stop Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward.
If they can slow it down, we’ll have to just wait on the old guy. Hope he hits the slant to Roy Williams when it’s open. Hit T.O. on his crosses when he’s clear. Find Martellus Bennett on a seam against the linebackers when the opportunity presents itself. If he does, Dallas can get some short catches and long runs.
Johnson can make these throws. Whether he will tells the story of this week. But I put my vote with him, rag arm and all, to make the decisions. If he takes a handful of sacks but protects the ball, the Cowboys have a chance.
Games
One Vote for the Rag-Arm
I’m looking at the Cowboys-Giants matchups and I see lots of statistical similarities. But there’s one stat that’s a Giants walkover:
Turnovers:
New York — 4
Dallas — 13
The Giants have turned the ball over in only two games this year, once in their season opener against Washington and three times against the Browns, their only loss so far.
Dallas turned the ball over in every game until last week’s Tampa Bay game. That blank sheet let them outlast the Bucs 13-9.
Which gets us to this week. I’ve seen lots of calls for Brooks Bollinger to start over Brad Johnson. Please. Raise your hand if you think Bollinger can go four quarters against the Giants rush, in an offense he’s trying to learn on the fly and not commit a turnover.
Bollinger has played a Jim Johnson scheme once. He replaced Kelly Holcomb in a 23-16 loss to the Eagles last year and was a respectable 7-10 for 94 yards. But that was in a Vikings uniform. I don’t know if he’s got the Cowboys’ scheme down, having missed all of training camp.
The Giants are a blitzing team. They’re good and it and they have to be. I’m not impressed with their secondary, which has two new safeties and Aaron Ross regressing in his second year. They’re going to do what they do, overloading the middle of the line, overloading a side, bringing corner blitzes and playing zone and man behind them. They’re a 4-3 version of the Cowboys.
This will leave room for the type of throws Johnson can make. Slants, crosses, hooks, curls and seams.
If Dallas is going to compete, they’ll need another close game, of the type that they played against the Bucs and the type which the Steelers played against New York last week. It’s too much to ask Dallas to stop the Giants run. They’re averaging 5.1 yards an attempt. But they need to drop this at least a yard. Hold New York under 4.0 yards a carry and the game goes to Eli.
The Giants are a power team. They no longer have Tiki Barber or Jeremy Shockey, the two biggest Cowboys killers of the past few years. They’re a ball-control unit. They throw deep now and then, but that hasn’t been their way in ‘08. Plaxico Burress is averaging 12.7 yards a catch, tops among the Giants’ top three WRs and their tight end. T.O., Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin all average at least 2 yards more than Burress. (Roy Williams’ sample size is way too short to measure.)
The Cowboys didn’t go heavy with rushes last week because they didn’t want Jeff Garcia to break the pocket and make big throws while on the run. The Cowboys also played with precise lane discipline, to keep Garcia in the middle of the field at all costs. This cut their rushing abandon as well.
They won’t be so coy this week. Eli isn’t a scramber. He’s steady in the pocket and the Giants have protected him very, very well this year, but that’s partly due to their running effectiveness. He’s rarely in 3rd and longs.
In short, the defense can afford to crowd the line more and both play the run and blitz. If the Giants come out pass heavy, trying to attack the young corners, they’ll probably do the Cowboys a favor. They’ll be going against their tendencies.
Something tells me they won’t. They not the champs for nothing. They’re not 5-1 for nothing. The Cowboys will have to prove they can stop Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward.
If they can slow it down, we’ll have to just wait on the old guy. Hope he hits the slant to Roy Williams when it’s open. Hit T.O. on his crosses when he’s clear. Find Martellus Bennett on a seam against the linebackers when the opportunity presents itself. If he does, Dallas can get some short catches and long runs.
Johnson can make these throws. Whether he will tells the story of this week. But I put my vote with him, rag arm and all, to make the decisions. If he takes a handful of sacks but protects the ball, the Cowboys have a chance.