How did the Cowboys’ offensive line hold up against the Bucs’ fearsome front? Studying film for answers

 Each week, I want to offer answers to the questions that are presented about the Cowboys and their challenges. I want to study the film with a notebook of observations and look for the battles within the game that tell us who won and why they won. But perhaps more importantly, I want to also ask what that tells us about upcoming battles on the schedule and even on the depth chart as this team begins to transform into whatever it might be by year's end.

https://theathletic.com/2825505/2021/09/14/how-did-the-cowboys-offensive-line-hold-up-against-the-bucs-fearsome-front-studying-film-for-answers/

From Micah Parsons to Quinton Bohanna, film tells stories of the Cowboys' 2021 rookie class

 This week we know the Cowboys are really zeroing in on the makeup of their roster. So this is the first of a two-part series where we will first look at the progress of the 11 draftees from April and then later in the week mix in the all-important special teams discussions which often help us know who is making the team and who is not. But, first things first. Today, I am offering thoughts on the new 11 picks and what they have shown me in camp and during the preseason.

https://theathletic.com/2784968/2021/08/23/from-micah-parsons-to-quinton-bohanna-film-tells-stories-of-the-cowboys-2021-rookie-class/

Evaluating Tyler Biadasz, the latest Wisconsin center in the Cowboys’ pipeline

 https://theathletic.com/1811412/2020/05/14/evaluating-tyler-biadasz-the-latest-wisconsin-center-in-the-cowboys-pipeline/

Xs And Os: A Moment of Rob Ryan Brilliance

I think we are all ready to put the New Orleans game in our collective rear-view mirrors, but let's cover a few things from the game that I felt were noteworthy by a Xs and Os standpoints.  Both are from the mind of Rob Ryan and both seemed successful on Sunday.  I am quite sure that Ryan had a full bag of tricks waiting to be sprung on the Cowboys, and I am guessing he didn't get to use most of them because the score was out of hand.  Pity.  

The first idea that we should examine is the cover photo of the magazine that is getting everyone agitated around these parts, the "Why Isn't Dez Getting the Ball?" weekly.  

There isn't a ton to discuss about the details of the play, because it was on the play by play sheet as a simple incomplete pass to Terrance Williams, but as you can see, this was Rob Ryan seeing what the Cowboys tendencies when they get inside the 10 yard line of the opponent and simply taking it away.

The Cowboys love to run the back shoulder fade to Dez and the counter move is simply a regular fade with a jump ball scenario.  It is impossible to cover both with one man, so, Ryan had a laugh here and treated Dez on this 1st and Goal as if he was the gunner on a punt team.  We are not even going to let him get off the line.

I don't understand why more teams don't do this - and maybe they are starting to do this more often league wide since QBs and WRs have gotten so proficient at this move.  It basically takes Dez out of the play and then - although the defense is now out-numbered everywhere else on the field - it forces Romo and the Cowboys to prove that they have a counter move, which seems debatable even though they had their man to man look out right to Williams.  Why that route Williams is running did not convert to a slant or a dig or something easier and more aggressive with no safety over the top is a mystery to me, but clearly the Cowboys let a real opportunity get by here.

If a team is going to pull this nonsense, you either make them pay or you face it again next week.  I assume that will be an objective in the bye week to figure out a proper counter move to this defensive plan.



I was asked this week if I had ever seen anything like that before, and the only thing that came to mind was the safety alignment that Jim Haslett threw at the Cowboys last Thanksgiving on a few occasional
opportunities to mess with Romo and company.

As you can see above, it isn't the same look, but rather a safety immediately over the top of Bryant so that the corner can press right in his face with no real concerns about getting beat vertically because the safety is right there.  These are rather exotic looks that you don't want to show too often, because your coverage elsewhere is unsound, but if you are Rob Ryan and Jim Haslett, you don't mind rolling the dice once in a while to mess with Romo.  

The point is that sometimes the "just throw it to Dez" offense is not a solution, in fact, it is an idiotic suggestion in these particular cases.  The defense is going to extremes to take Dez away.  Like I said, they don't do it often, but they respect him so much that they are not going to lose to him.  Therefore, the idea is not to force the ball directly to him, but rather to figure out how to use your numbers advantage properly elsewhere.

And, of course, the practical application might be to ask why the Cowboys defense didn't consider this idea when Megatron was lighting them up for 329.  It seems if there was ever a time to roll out a silly coverage plan like this, October 27th was the time.

=====

This, right here, is one of my favorite things I have seen this season.

And, in a game that was already a blowout loss, this if it happened 5 times would have been a pick-6 at least twice.  It, in my estimation, is what film study and preparation are all about.

So, we asked last week who has the technical advantage when Rob Ryan faces the Cowboys offense.  Do they know him or does he know them?  Well, I said before the game that this is easy, because we never saw Rob Ryan's true defense once Jerry freaked out and wanted him to strip down the "complications" that he became convinced were holding his team back.  By the way, it is this type of feedback he gets from the voices he trusts that assure him it isn't the players who he acquired who are holding the team back, but rather the coaches decisions, that keep this team in the mediocre state that they hover in presently.

Regardless, Rob Ryan had been at 32 consecutive Cowboys games during his tenure and knows what Romo/Garrett/Friends do not like dealing with.  And he also knows tendencies and habits and preyed on one here with a stroke of genius.

It is 3rd and 5, and the Cowboys have been using plenty of these situations to go at the Dez/Beasley side, but now want to use that to come back to the left and find an open Witten.  We have seen this a million times, and against 2-deep safeties it is too easy as the Saints are clearly in 2 Deep/Man-under or "2-Man" for short.

But, the coverage is not what it seems to Romo and to anyone who looks at this, because Ryan has planted a huge trap because he knows what the Cowboys are doing.  In fact, he even puts more bait in the trap by having a corner who is covering Witten (31-Carr) play with extreme inside leverage, asking Witten to break to the sidelines for the most basic read of an option route and what surely is an easy pitch and catch 3rd Down conversion, right?

Romo looks to the right to give Witten a chance to get open, and Witten certainly loves 31 playing so inside.  This will be an easy conversion, surely.  But, here comes the ambush.  Jabari Greer is lined up over Terrance Williams, but he is not covering the WR.  Instead, he is about to pounce on the throw that is 100% safe against man coverage because Williams would take his man deep.  Unless that man isn't really covering him and is instead waiting on this Romo/Witten tendency and is going to get to the ball before Witten can.

Now, because Romo has identified "2-Man", he can just pivot and throw as he sees Witten's man in a trail position and unable to get to this ball.  But, to those of us who can see the whole field, we see that Rob Ryan has done something that you seldom see.  He has nobody covering Williams out wide - except for an extremely deep safety who will try to get there if Romo can see the blur before the ball is gone.  But, he doesn't and Greer is right on top of the throw.

Look at how close this is to a pick-6.  Greer has his full body in front of the ball as it arrives.  I imagine the entire Saints defensive staff was screaming at this play being so close to exactly how they hoped it would go.  You do all of your film study and planning and most times, these situations never present themselves.  But, for the Saints and Ryan, they did their work, put the cheese in the trap, and although they forced another punt, they likely know how close they were to the big knockout by trying a coverage that Romo won't see for months.

The video below shows how he doesn't have the time or ability to see Williams or his man.  The throw has to be on time and it starts with looking off the coverage by selling a play to his right and then trusting the play to his left by letting the throw go to a place that should work.

But, sometimes, your experience betrays you.  And anyone on either side knew that Rob Ryan had pulled a fast one here.

Pretty brilliant idea and concept that nearly worked for the former Cowboys Defensive Coordinator.  I will tell you that we never saw his crazy ideas and unsound concepts here because they were labeled "too complex" and "too difficult" here.  I think that means his personnel was not capable of pulling it off here, but obviously, these are the risky plans that have made the Ryan family so good at what they do over the years.  If you have no plans to let them take risks, then you have no reason to employ them.

It appears the Saints are willing to live with the high risk/high reward concepts that come with the long-haired, loud-mouthed Ryan.

One team's trash is another team's treasure.

Xs and Os: 90 Yards To A Victory

This week, the Xs and Os study will focus on the rare 90-yard Cowboys drive.  This, as of right now, is the longest drive of the season from a yardage standpoint - Dallas' previous long drive of the year was the 87-yard drive, also in the 4th Quarter, that gave them a 48-41 lead over Denver - and also, maybe the most vital drive of the year based on what was at stake.

And that drive, while open for debate, put a game in the Cowboys' win column, and kept optimism somewhat alive for a divisional crown and a playoff berth.  Surely, a loss to Minnesota and a very difficult game in New Orleans might have put them at 4-6 at the bye week.  Even in a lousy division, that would have made just getting back to 8-8 a tough haul.

Now, thanks to a 9-play, 90-yard drive that had to be successful, they are still in a spot where they are in control of their own fate.

What makes the drive more impressive to me is that they were down 23-20 when it started.  Years of NFL research show us that when a team is down 4+, they play with aggression to score a touchdown.  But, when they are down 3, they often settle for a FG by getting far more conservative once they arrive in field goal range.  Home teams often think they can get the game to over-time and "take their chances."  The fact that they remained in attack mode and were willing to trust their offense not to do anything silly and risk the tie for the sake of the win, speaks loudly on their behalf.

Yes, it was only the Vikings and yes, that defense can't stop very many, but the Cowboys needed 90 yards and a touchdown, and they got it done.

Let's examine the drive:

Play #1

1/10/10         2:44          3          underneath right to Witten +11 FD

Starting with Romo standing in the shadow of his own goalpost, the Cowboys put in the Shotgun 01 crew, with 4 WRs (Harris, Beasley, Williams, Bryant, and TE Witten).  This means lots of 5 man protections, with Witten staying in to make it 6 if Romo audibles.  On this first play, the Cowboys line up with the 3 targets on the right (2 on the left) and throw a pass underneath at the line of scrimmage to Witten with Harris and Williams out wide blocking down the field for Witten who races behind them.  This is the bread and butter play of any spread attack, with the throw basically targeting the TE racing down the 10 yard-line and then he cuts up field with a convoy.  The Vikings open with just rushing 3, and asking their DT 97-Everson Griffen to drop into coverage against Witten if 82 runs the hook/curl, but since he doesn't, Witten is unaccounted for and gets a very easy 11 yards and a first down.  Romo had the ball gone in 1.05 seconds, so protection is not an issue.

Play #2
1/10/21         2:18          4            Harris on hook +6  

Here, on a new 1st Down, the Cowboys have Harris and Beasley sit down on companion routes to 5 yards down the field, with Witten running a seam route to clear out the linebackers and give them space.  Romo can read deep to shallow with Witten on the seam, Bryant on the dig, and then Harris on the short stop.  Doug Free is struggling with 96-Bryan Robison at RT on this pass rush and Romo feels it and unloads in 2.28 seconds.  Harris catches and tries to get a little more yardage and is stopped by 50-Erin Henderson at the 27 for a gain of 6, as the clock ticks down to the 2-minute warning.

Play #3
2/4/27           2:00          3            left to Beasley +18

This is what I really like to see here on the first play after the 2-minute warning.  The concept on this play is the the 3 inside receivers are going to all sit in the zone at a similar shallow depth (Harris, Witten, and Beasley) and Romo is going to hit the open receiver and quickly eat up yardage (at least enough for a new first down with ease).  This play, the Vikings start sugaring the double A-gap blitz with their two inside LBs.  This is something that gives the Cowboys fits as it is basically the Vikings 2 LBs 52-Greenway and 50-Henderson bluffing (maybe, but you don't know for sure until the snap) that they are blitzing off each of Travis Frederick's shoulders.  The good news is that they are usually also responsible for the shallow zones, so especially to the edge receivers, you can get Cole Beasley to his mark before Greenway can get back to him.  That is where Romo goes, in about 2.00 seconds and the ball is out.  Then, Beasley shows his great elusiveness and gets the ball to the 45 by getting past Greenway and moving up the field until Henderson and 34-Sendejo corral him.

Play #4
1/10/45         1:35          6            INC to Williams – Drop

The clock continues to run and although they have moved the ball 35 yards, they still are not to midfield.  This time, the Vikings have decided the 3 man rush is not working, so they show blitz and then bring 6 as the Cowboys leave Witten in to block.  Romo takes 1.78 to release the ball quickly and decisively out to Terrance Williams on the right flank at the 1st Down marker.  It is the right read, but Cole Beasley was available in the middle without much cover either had he had time to look over the blitz.  Instead, Williams with a very poor drop of the ball on the sidelines in front of 24-AJ Jefferson who was full of confidence from his interception on the last drive, and the good news is that the clock stops at 1:30.  

Play #5
2/10/45         1:30          5            slant in to Dez +34 FD

This is great work here.  The Vikings show a 6 man rush but only bring 5 (Greenway peels off and takes the middle zone).  Meanwhile, on the left, Beasley and Bryant work with a nice route combination that is sold by a Romo pump to Beasley underneath and because of the way this drive has gone so far - with Romo throwing to the safe underneath options, everyone on the Vikings defense is worried about Beasley.  This leaves a real opportunity to Dez Bryant on a square-in at 10 yards right behind the out by Beasley, and then Dez splits the safeties and is off to the races.  Witten stayed in again for pass protection and the ball is away again at 1.86.  As you notice, the ball is hardly in Romo's hands for 2 seconds on this drive.  Quick hitting stuff right down the field.  And, when one guy can break a tackle, there is lots of yardage after the catch - another big attribute of S01 with spreading out your defense and then making them tackle well after short, high-percentage passes.

Play #6

1/10/21          1:01          4            stunt – out to Beasley +9  0:55

Now, with the Cowboys at the 21-yard line, you can see how they are now quite in rhythm and have confidence with 1:01 to go.  This is where they can either get conservative and take the Field Goal, or they can continue to act like they are on the attack and are going to make them prove they can defend.  This is the great truth of the slot receiver in this league - and the Cowboys appear to have a nice one that they have developed in Beasley - that no matter how good a LB may be, he is not going to run with a tiny, elusive WR underneath.  The Cowboys see 52-Greenway lined up over Beasley, and Romo is instantly going to go there.   1.83 seconds before the out to Beasley is gone and despite the Vikings deciding to throw end-tackle stunts at the Cowboys protection, they are not getting close.   On the last 4 plays, the Vikings have rushed 3, then 6, then 5, then 4.  Nothing is slowing the Cowboys offense down finally.  Where has this been all day?  Gain of 9 and now they are at the 12.

Play #7

2/1/12            0:55          3            down to Witten +5 FD

The Cowboys go back to the same play that started this drive, except over on the left rather than the right.  This is the TE horizontal route behind the 2 blocking WRs and try to get the convoy going down the sideline.  It does not look as smooth, but Witten does move the chains and gets the ball down to the 7 yard line on a pass that takes 1.34 and is as high percentage as it gets.  The Cowboys then take their 2nd timeout and now prepare to get 7 points with 4 shots at it and plenty of time.   Both times they have run this, the Vikings have called their DT - 93-Williams to drop into Witten's hook/curl spot, but each time the Cowboys have seemed to know it and sent Witten wide.  Would love to know how they sniffed it out because those drops by DTs on that route can lead to the most untimely of turnovers if the QB doesn't see it.  Romo is seeing just about everything on this drive.

Play #8

1/G/7             0:47          3            INC OB as Romo avoids the rush 0:42

Here is a play where things could have gone wrong.  The Vikings again show a massive blitz, but then were bluffing.  But, in doing so, they pretty much took the entire Cowboys OL out of the play aside from Tyron Smith on Jared Allen and then isolating Jason Witten on Robison.  By bluffing and bailing, the Vikings are trying to trick Romo into a short pass to Beasley that isn't open.  But, they also have Free out of position to help Witten and once Romo pump fakes to buy time, Robison nearly blind sides him after wearing out Witten on an edge rush (don't expect your TE to handle that for that long against a good pass rusher).  This was 4.07 with the ball for Romo, and it nearly cost him.  But, he got out of trouble and was able to send the ball out of bounds rather than throw it into trouble.

Play #9

2/G/7             0:42          4            Romo steps up and Touchdown to Harris  +7 yards

And now, the final play of the drive.  Romo has 3 on the right and 2 on the left in a stack with Beasley and Bryant attracting attention on that short side.  This appears to be a combo read for Romo with Witten running the up and out and Harris back underneath against a 3 over 2 defense.  This means that the linebacker goes with Witten and then Harris takes the nickel corner 35-Marcus Sherels behind him and whichever draws the safety is going to send Romo to the other guy.  Witten draws the safety and you can see Romo waiting and then when Harris cuts back inside, he steps up and finds him.  This is happening as the coverage is closing in, so Romo needs all 2.78 to keep this play alive and give it a second to work.  But, it does, and then Harris does a great job of finding a crack between his man and Greenway at the goal-line.

Spread em out and slice em up.  Where was this all day?  They went into S01 for the entire drive which left Romo with an empty backfield and then worked it like a charm.  That is a 2-minute drill to frame and remember.

Video for the full drive is here:


Romo drive from Bob Arnold on Vimeo.

Xs and Os Breakdown: Stafford Vs Cowboys Safeties

There were a number of things we could have selected to study from the Detroit game, but to ignore the aerial show from the Lions that was historic and I imagine something that we really will remember in 20 years seems like it would be folly on our part.

So, let's pick a few plays that were of the highest leverage variety and focus on the real issue that we see going on and moving forward which is the achilles heel of the last decade of Cowboys defensive football - the safeties.

I have written about this quite a bit each offseason - with the latest version here - as we have detailed both the history of how Dallas has not placed significant investment in safeties since Roy Williams blew up on them and the issues that this has caused on the field of play.

Below, please see a rough chart that shows the progression of the safety position over the years since Darren Woodson roamed center field at an All-Pro level so well.  One note is that as the position has morphed over the years, the designation from free to strong safety has almost merged, and therefore this chart is not to claim that one played one position more than the other - but rather a simple rundown of who the two were at the post at the time.

Year	F Safety	S Safety
2002	Woodson	Williams
2003	Woodson	Williams
2004	Lynn Scott/Tony Dixon	Williams
2005	Keith Davis	Williams
2006	Pat Watkins	Williams
2007	Ken Hamlin	Williams
2008	K Hamlin	Davis/Watkins
2009	K Hamlin	G Sensabaugh
2010	Alan Ball	G Sensabaugh
2011	Abram Elam	G Sensabaugh
2012	G Sensabaugh	Church/McCray
2013	Allen/Wilcox/Heath	Church/Hamilton

Not exactly a list of stars, is it?  I haven't totally understood the idea of just grabbing anyone to play a vital spot league-wide, but it is clear that Jerry/Stephen Jones treat the two safety spots as far down the list of priorities each year.  Even a guy like Gerald Sensabaugh, who might be the most significant addition besides Ken Hamlin over the last decade, was certainly not highly regarded in Jacksonville when the Cowboys brought him in (1 year starter) and the Cowboys signed him to a series of 1-year deals before inexplicably giving him a 5-year deal after 2011 and then cutting him after 2012 (in perfect Cowboys cap management style.

And like I said, that is one of the better ideas.  We haven't even started on Keith Davis and Abram Elam - two guys who were brought back a few times, Pat Watkins, or heaven forbid, the Brodney Pool story (I won't waste your time, but let's just say he makes the Will Allen story look like a book worth reading).

Anyway, fast forward to 2013, where we are starting to think that the Cowboys realize that this needs to be a point of emphasis, and have tried to find the proper fits at safety here for the last few years.  It is a tricky position, because you need a guy who can hit (sorry, Sensabugh), has ball skills (sorry, McCray), and can stay healthy (Matt Johnson, anyone?) as the position requires lots of high-speed collisions from players who are not built like linebackers.

Barry Church has really taken the next step in his development and although he is not close to perfect, he is a candidate for the "best Cowboys safety in years"title these days.  Meanwhile, in small doses, JJ Wilcox has looked the part of a very strong prospect who everyone has high hopes for.  Together, they seem to form a capable duo that tells you that development is making strides.

Well, in Detroit, JJ Wilcox was in street clothes.  And in the final 5 minutes, Barry Church was on the sideline, too, with a hamstring issue that appeared to occur at 4:50 to go when he sprung to action to tackle Reggie Bush.  That leaves centerfield against the scary Lions attack to undrafted rookie Jeff Heath from Saginaw Valley State and after Church left, undrafted rookie Jakar Hamilton from South Carolina state and a guy who was promoted from the practice squad the day before this Detroit game because Wilcox got hurt.

Play #1 - 4Q - 6:45

When the Lions are in 11 personnel, the Cowboys have to figure out how to handle Reggie Bush and Brandon Pettigrew.  By design, both are difficult match ups for linebackers, and therefore whether you play zone or man, the Cowboys and most opponents try to bring a safety up against at least one of them - usually the TE Pettigrew.  Of course, this is what Matt Stafford wants, because hitting home runs over the top is a lot easier if you only show him a single-high safety.  And, you have to imagine that when they see a young safety on the opposite hash from Calvin Johnson, it is meal time.

The above frame shows you exactly what you would expect to see from a QB who knows exactly what he is doing.  Stafford looks to his left and holds the safety over there.  Heath can see that he has plenty of help on both Durham and Ross (the 2 threats to the offensive left), but the eyes of the QB are too much to ignore.  Meanwhile, at the top of the screen, you can see Johnson getting inside leverage on Brandon Carr and nothing but green turf in front of him.  Church has moved up to the 30 and is now looking for someone to cover since Pettigrew is not in a route, but rather in protection.  In this particular zone coverage (except for Carr on Johnson), Church is now going to peel off and look for someone to assist and he sees Ross coming through the middle (also at the 30 yard line on the hash) and switches over to him.

In the above frame, Lee has released his man to Church.  Scandrick and Webb are all over Durham down below, but Stafford sees his 6'5 monster inside Carr and the safety is across the field still.  This is where you imagine it is difficult not to smile if you are Stafford.

Stafford had to slide to his right to buy an extra second and here is the moment of the release of the ball.

Heath does close quickly and it looks like there is nothing wrong with his wheels, but he has no chance in a jump ball situation against Johnson and it is a wonderfully simple gain of 54 yards in one play.  I wonder if Heath tries to hit Johnson in the midsection rather than attempt to compete for the ball has a chance to change the outcome of the play, but it really looks very easy for the Lions.  One editorial note, at this point of the game, I am staying in 2-high no matter what.  If they beat me because Bruce Carter or Ernie Sims can't deal with Pettigrew, then fine.  But, at this point, Megatron already was over 200 yards easily.  Why not have him locked down more?  You could argue that the Cowboys are coaching for that chance at a turnover, and if Church sneaks into the path of a ball, Kiffin is a genius.  But, man, you sure look silly when they kill you for 54 and you only have Jeff Heath trying to deal with Megatron.

Play #2 - 4Q - 0:40 - 2/10/O37

It seems like most people agree that this is maybe the biggest play of the game.  Here the Lions are with no timeouts and the only way they can win this game - down 6 - is to hit on a huge play.  If they have to take several plays of 8-10 yards at a chunk, there is not enough time.  They have to hit on a big one.  And, remember, on the final 2 drives, Jakar Hamilton is now in the game after spending another week as practice squad body until JJ Wilcox hurt himself.  Then, he was promoted to the roster, but still figured he would to have to do anything unless there was another injury.  And what were the odds of that?

In the frame above, I want to show what my friend Bryan Broaddus covered on Dallas Cowboys.com this week about safety play in this defense.  In late game situations, it is customary to widen your safeties to take away boundary plays (like protecting against doubles by guarding the lines in baseball). If you give up a play to a team with no timeouts, make sure it is not to the sidelines where they can also get out of bounds and stop the clock.  So, we see Jeff Heath on the numbers where you want him, but Hamilton is a few strides inside the numbers.  This will prove to be a big deal in a frame or two.

When Stafford looked right, it again held the safety from going to Durham.  Then, Stafford is flushed right by George Selvie.  This would eliminate a throw to the left sideline for most NFL QBs and every college QB you might guess.  Hamilton - at South Carolina State last fall - likely assumed that Stafford would not attempt this crazy throw.  But, not only did he attempt it, but he made it look easy.  What a cannon.  And what a poor job of safety coverage with no other threat on that side of the field.

Here we circle Hamilto to show how he has no chance on this ball.  Would Barry Church or JJ Wilcox have been on the scene in time?  We will never know.  But, this seems like a text-book rookie mistake from a talented player that was taught a tough lesson by a QB who demonstrated some great skills.  

Play #3 - 0:33 - 1/10/D23

Here is the very next play.  Again, the Cowboys want one safety up on Pettigrew.  Easy for me to say on Thursday, but there is a 0% chance I do that in this spot because I cannot expose my two young safeties anymore to Stafford.  They bring Heath up for Pettigrew because they are playing man-to-man on everyone with Lee in a rover zone in the middle (perhaps partly to spy on Stafford, but with no timeouts I am not sure that can be the plan) and here is Jakar Hamilton all alone up top to clean up any mess.  Remember, he was just burned by Durham for 40 yards, so he isn't thinking that the obvious threat is Megatron on the right numbers.

Stafford sees man coverage above and Hamilton to the top.  Stafford knows that Megatron is on a go route right down the numbers and that Hamilton has no chance to get there now that he sees Heath moving up.  Again, I have Heath and Hamilton high and I ask Sean Lee to run with Pettigrew underneath.  At this point of the game, Pettigrew had 31 yards receiving and Johnson had 307!

Carr's coverage is fine, but that doesn't matter.  Stafford trusts his guy to win a battle even when it looks like he is covered.  Stafford is no dummy.  He has seen this episode many times.

Clinical stuff from Detroit, but the entire time one wonders if the Cowboys would have just gone to the most vanilla settings and attempt to have 2 safeties playing high how much could be prevented.  In fairness, they tried many different schemes all day and nothing was working.  But, to see single-high to the very end with a practice squad safety is really putting a lot on a rookie.

I assume the biggest takeaway here is the requirements for healthy and able safeties soon.  Luckily, Minnesota cannot do this sort of thing with their QB play, but Drew Brees is likely not losing sleep when he studies this film.  

Xs and Os: Tanner and Wilcox

Let's close the books on Week 7 in Philadelphia with a film breakdown of two of the more significant plays from the game.  There was a lot to choose from, but the interception of DeMeco Ryans was talked about all week at great length - especially when the announcers seemed to miss the call - and I also wanted to highlight the ability of young JJ Wilcox on a play he made - on the very next snap.  So, basically, we are going to break down 2 consecutive plays from a game that had 150 different plays.

Let's get started:

3Q - 2:58 - 3/3/P35 

This is the new 3rd Down package, with Beasley in the slot right, on top of Witten.  I absolutely love this idea, because it forces the Eagles into a 3 over 2 concept, where they have a nickel CB, a LB, and a safety trying to handle those 2 extremely different receivers with 3 players.  Meanwhile, the 2 outside receivers - Bryant and Williams - against 2 corners and a single-high safety.  And protection-wise, the Eagles have 5 potential rushers against the Cowboys OL plus Tanner.

Now, look at this frame above and the concept with Witten and Beasley.  They put Cole behind Witten, and therefore he has protection coming off the line.  No corner can jam him up and he gets a release right behind Witten.  Now, Witten heads down the seam right at the safety and this forces the nickel corner to go with as he surely has the responsibility of the "deepest threat", meaning he has to determine which of 82 and 11 is going down the field and stick with him (due to his speed).

Once Witten takes 2 with him, this leaves the amazing opportunity of Beasley one on one with a LB in 95-Mychal Kendricks, the 2nd round pick in 2012 from California.  Beasley versus a LB is something that the offensive coaching staff is dreaming of, especially when he has the entire field to himself.  Beasley gets past the 3rd Down sticks and now can likely run an option route to either the outside or inside, depending on the positioning of Kendricks.  Beasley sets the cut perfectly by releasing on his stem directly straight.  Once Kendricks adjusts to him, he cuts right across the face and is easily open within a moment.  It is textbook "taking candy from a baby".

Here, a moment later, is where Phillip Tanner gets into trouble.  His job is a called "check/release", which means he checks the pass protection to see if he is needed (that means, check for blitzers - LBs and DBs who may be rushing) and then if no blitz is there, he releases into the flat.  If you scroll up to the previous frame, you can see that 59-DeMeco Ryans is outside Tanner, inviting Tanner to release to the inside with his outside leverage.   This is where things get a bit fuzzy without the benefit of the coaches specifically detailing Tanner's mistake.  Everyone admits that Tanner should be inside this blue circle, but they haven't detailed if he had an option to cut it back inside, if he was supposed to know to leave that area open for Beasley, or what specifically was his mistake.  But, it is clear that the coaches and the QB wanted Tanner to take his man far from where they had Beasley isolated at the sticks, and Tanner, who had only played 12 offensive snaps the whole season before this game, made a mental bust.

Here is the moment of truth, and you can see by the blue line how the intersecting routes could not have worked out better for Ryans who is 5 yards in front of Beasley, but coming from the opposite direction.  I have heard many argue Romo should have known he was going to be there, but it would appear those people are suggesting that Romo should know not only the play, but also the play that Tanner is running without anyone else being notified - which certainly isn't the actual play.  That is an unreasonable request of a QB who is trying to avoid a pass rush and make a play to the opposite side of the field.

Here is the end zone look.  Here, we also need to discuss something that gave the Cowboys fits on Sunday, and that is the End-Tackle stunt on the left side of the Cowboys' line that crossed up Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, and Tanner on several occasions.  You can also get a good look at the Witten/Beasley combo here, too, from Romo's perspective.

The DT - 75-Vinny Curry hits the B-gap (between Leary and Smith) and 58-Trent Cole shoots across and goes for the A-gap to Leary's right where Travis Frederick has gone to help the right side.  90% of the time or more, the RB side does not get center help on protection.  So, if you see Tanner to the left, know that it is very likely Frederick is going to his right.  Well, the defense knows this, too.  And this stunt is going to make Smith get Curry and Leary take Cole.  Sounds easy, but at full speed, this is quite tricky.  Look at Beasley squared perfectly and setting Kendricks up for the inside cut.

Boom.  Beasley is now wide open.  But, in Romo's face, Cole is winning and Curry has Tyron in a bad spot, too.  Protection is breaking down and Romo has to slide left to stay alive.  Look at Romo and ask yourself if he can see Tanner or whether the Curry/Smith battle in his lap keeps that walled off.  Still, a slide step from the QB will allow an easy throw to Beasley and he should have room to run for another 20 yards.

The throw is away in this picture, and you can see that Tanner thinks it is for him.  Ryans thinks it is for him, too.  Beasley knows the ball is for him, but what looked like the jackpot a moment ago now looks like it is being thrown into a mess.  What might have been a gigantic conversion and a nail in the Eagles coffin, now turns into a huge play that can turn the game, just because the RB broke right instead of left.  Amazing.  Meanwhile, the announcers - including the normally spot-on Troy Aikman - tell the audience that this is a poor throw to Tanner.  Which, of course, is absolutely wrong.  But, the misinformation have most fans believing that Romo made a major mistake.  And, as we have detailed, any blame he takes for this is simply trying to protect a well-meaning RB from the onslaught of a week in the spot-light.  Luckily, it didn't lead to a disastrous loss.

3Q - 2:46 - 1/10/D30

Here is the very next play.  Sudden change is a very well-discussed coaching concept where teams seem to enjoy going for a quick score after a turnover as they feel like being forced back onto the field by an offensive giveaway might have the defense dragging their feet and maybe not perfect focus for that first snap.  So, the Eagles are going to attempt this trick and see if they can go right for the jugular on snap #1 after the Ryans pick.

S11 personnel for Philadelphia and the Cowboys are in their nickel that they played almost all day.  This means TE Brent Celek and RB LeSean McCoy are linebacker problems shallow and safety issues deep.  Meanwhile, with the Cowboys playing a zone on this play, we see that Church is cheating up and Wilcox is going to have center-field all to himself.  Riley is wide right, Avant is wide left, but they are going to go for DeSean Jackson deep, from the right slot and cutting across the field to try to split the safeties deep.

You don't think targeting a rookie safety with a deep ball across the field was an objective of Chip Kelly at the right moment, do you?  It looks like the Cowboys use Church early to discourage any middle routes, but then they seem to drop back into a zone that is resembling quarters (as Church is quick to peel back to the deep hash marks).  But, as you can imagine, with Jackson about to be released by Scandrick to the safeties, that this all has to happen very quickly.

Foles is looking and sees that Jackson and Church are even, but Jackson has a clear path to the end zone unless Wilcox can handle this.  Foles loves this option and will take DeSean against a safety every day of the week.

The ball is in the air and now we check Wilcox's range and ball skills.  And, of course, can he do all of this without giving up the most costly of sins in the NFL, the defensive pass interference which, of course, is a spot foul and 1st and goal at the 1 - something most offenses are happy to settle for over a touchdown, and an argument on why you should always look for deep ball opportunities.  Remember where Wilcox started at the snap and who he is running with here.

And then here is the amazing result.  Wilcox saves a touchdown that would have made Philadelphia's stadium erupt.  This play and a few others caused the Eagles to settle for a Field Goal and the victory was safe.  But, there is no question that this demonstrates the skills and talent of the Cowboys' young safety.  This is not an easy play and one that I think gets made last year against those sub-standard safeties that the Cowboys had for most of the year.

I very much appreciate the job that Pro Football Focus attempts to do and I am a subscriber of their service.  However, I disagree with their methodology and I recognize it for what it is - a subjective grading system by football enthusiasts off the TV copy of a game.  They are doing a great job getting their name out there and the media is using it as a tool to study the game and even quoting it in stories as some sort of proof of performance.

I have heard some refer to it as a scouting service (it is not) and as the basis of proving a debate point.  You should know that Sunday, one Cowboys defensive back was given a negative grade and it was JJ Wilcox.  He did miss one tackle on Riley Cooper and was called for a penalty of defensive holding against Brent Celek, but I thought it might have been Wilcox's best game of his career (even without the interception that was reversed by replay).  I realize I am being subjective, too, but they claim it is his worst game of his career if you go by their grades and I strongly disagree.

Wilcox was graded harshly for his pass defense, despite playing against a team that barely completed a pass all day.  I couldn't disagree more with their assessment after studying the film, but I am hearing people quoting their numbers again, so I just wanted to add this to the end of this study.  Use your own eyeballs, media, and decide for yourself - and use PFF as perhaps a reference tool to compare or cross-reference if you wish.  They are not infallible - especially without using coach's film to see the entire picture.

Xs and Os: The Denver Pick Plays

For this week's Xs and Os breakdown, I realize I am risking the possibility of too much Peyton Manning this week.  But, then, I countered that possibility with the idea that he is the industry leader in a very competitive business and that we may never see him again during his career vs Dallas (which I am sure they are thankful for), so I decided to cover one more impressive thing about their offense.

This one is certainly the type that you wonder about legalities involved.  It is the patented Peyton Manning "pick plays".  He certainly isn't the only offensive mind that designs these, but he is a master at it.  Most offenses have found this area of the field (0-10 yards) to be a place where yards can be found with relatively small amounts of risk compared with trying to thread the needle down the field into coverage.  The pass arrives quickly and on time and the defenders in zone or man have such a short amount of time to close off the pass windows and no idea what the smallish, quick receivers are going to do.  They are given option routes and can respond to the defensive coverages with a counter for every look.  

The pick play can honestly work against man or zone because the only real goal is to find one guy's defender and impede his ability to stop the pass for just that split second needed.  From there, assuming he is isolated on the flanks, he now has no chance to recover until the completion is made and the receiver is headed upfield.

Is it illegal?  Let's review offensive pass interference from the NFL Rulebook:

There shall be no interference with a forward pass thrown from behind the line.  

It is pass interference by either team when any player movement beyond the line of scrimmage significantly hinders the progress of an eligible player of such player’s opportunity to catch the ball. Offensive pass interference rules apply from the time the ball is snapped until the ball is touched. Defensive pass interference rules apply from the time the ball is thrown until the ball is touched. 

Actions that constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to: 

(a) Blocking downfield by an offensive player prior to the ball being touched.   

(b) Initiating contact with a defender by shoving or pushing off thus creating a separation in an attempt to catch a pass. 

(c) Driving through a defender who has established a position on the field. 
Actions that do not constitute offensive pass interference include but are not limited to: 
(a) Incidental contact by a receiver’s hands, arms, or body when both players are competing for the ball or neither player is looking for the ball. 
(b) Inadvertent touching of feet when both players are playing the ball or neither player is playing the ball. 
(c) Contact that would normally be considered pass interference, but the ball is clearly uncatchable by involved players. 
Note 1: If there is any question whether player contact is incidental, the ruling should be no interference. 
Note 2: Defensive players have as much right to the path of the ball as eligible offensive players. 
Note 3: Pass interference for both teams ends when the pass is touched. 
Note 4: There can be no pass interference at or behind the line of scrimmage, but defensive actions such as tackling a receiver can still result in a 5-yard penalty for defensive holding, if accepted. 

Take special note of "Note 1" - "If there is any question whether player contact is incidental, the ruling should be no interference." 

Also, note that the pick play is basically a legal play if the pass is behind the line of scrimmage.  So, these two loopholes keep these picks from ever being called, even if the letter of the law is not followed by the offense.  

Remember, this league wants offense and wants games with high levels of drama and excitement.  Calling offensive pass interference is not that. 

In fact, just to give you the up to date numbers, there have been 77 league games this season and we have seen just 22 offensive pass interference calls (83 defensive pass interference).  Eric Decker has been called twice this season, but when nobody ever calls these plays, why not run them?  They are nearly impossible to defend.  Let's look at the 3 most obvious pick plays on Sunday.  

Play #1-

This is the 1st play of the Broncos 2nd Drive on Sunday.  It had Welker stacked on top of D Thomas on the top, and the Cowboys showing a man-look.  Manning brought Julius Thomas, his tight end, across the formation in motion.  This helps him see the coverage and also lets him switch from Ernie Sims to Sean Lee as the man that the Broncos want to pick off.   So, when you watch the play, watch 88 (D Thomas) and 83 (W Welker) who are both going to run inside routes that are there just to occupy 80's man - Sean Lee.  Julius Thomas is going to run to the sideline and catch a quick out and then truck upfield with Lee trailing 5 yards behind because he was hit with "incidental" contact.

The frame above shows how absurdly easy the play can be as Manning is not looking anywhere else and sees a very easy 17 yards to start the drive.  The pass is "close enough" to the line of scrimmage and the contact is "incidental enough" to prevent any calls - and frankly, they do it all so smoothly that you hardly even protest.

Same play, end zone view:

Lee knows he is going with Julius Thomas #80.  Everything is fine, above.

Now, look at his traffic.  How is he supposed to get out there?  He has no chance to defend this.  Even if everyone switches men, it is still difficult to see how to defend this.  

Play #2 - Late in the game, in fact, it is the play immediately after the Romo interception.

Same concept, except this time Knowshon Moreno is supposed to go get Brandon Carr.  Then, Demaryius Thomas will just run a wheel route and Carr does a nice job fighting through the traffic and getting to Thomas but it is still a quick 15 yard gain.

In this frame above, you can see Moreno squaring back to Manning as if he expects a pass.  I am quite sure this is taught as a way to not look so obvious and to sell the "incidental" aspect of all of this.  He will say that he was simply was running his route and was caught up in traffic.  Meanwhile, Thomas gets his free release, Manning is looking nowhere else, and it is pitch and catch time.

In the video below, look at Thomas telling Moreno what he needs and where he needs it.  I am guessing that Denver might have been annoyed with Moreno's effort here had they not completed it, because he likely did not get enough of Carr to please his side.  How do you defend this?  Carter switches to defend Demaryius Thomas?  I am sure Denver is fine with that switch.

Play #3 - just 2 snaps later:

This time, the Broncos know they have the game if they don't take any chances.  They would love to not give the ball back, but the reason they go with a throw like this is that either it is a gain or incomplete.  There is almost no way this go turn into a interception.  Not with this play and this QB.  If you notice, there is also a pick play at the bottom of the screen as Demaryius is going to free up Welker, too.

Above, see Decker cut in and just try to impede Wilcox.  This gives Julius Thomas the edge with a nice space.  Again, is the ball behind the line of scrimmage?  No.  Is the contact incidental?  Of course not, but is it blatantly obvious?  No.   Again, how do you defend it?  I am not sure you can.

In the big scheme of things, it is silly to say this is their entire offense.  At the most, they did this 5-6 times on Sunday.  But, when they want a no-risk pass and a rather easy result, it seems they know when to go to it.

My takeaway is that this is one of many ways that this Denver team can beat you and that smart offenses should look to steal these ideas.  Not sure the officials will always afford you the same wiggle room that Manning gets, but if the NFL doesn't see this as anything more than "football", then teams are not using all their advantages to mount drives and scores with a simple technique like this.

Because it sure frustrates the defense who is trying to stop it.