Marinelli Report - Week 15 - Oakland

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2017/12/20/marinelli-report-surviving-dramatic-last-moments-oakland

Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer

Cowboys safety Jeff Heath (38) breaks up a pass intended for Oakland Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) in the end zone during the final minute of the Cowboys-Raiders game at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017. (Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News)

By Bob Sturm, Special contributor Contact Bob Sturmon Twitter:@SportsSturm

The Marinelli Report

Sunday night may possibly have nothing to do with the final fate of the 2017 Dallas Cowboys. That doesn't mean it wasn't wildly entertaining or memorable from a pure drama standpoint.

 

These games are played for three-plus hours between two teams that don't want to give in to each other. They are often not separated by more than one play here or there. That is the sport and that is why we love it so much. For all of the off-field drama and stories that annoy us, plus the vague manner in which the league draws its on-field rules, it is still the best soap opera any writer could ever conceive. It is two teams of amazing athletes destroying their bodies in the pursuit of a win.

Even if that win does not stand the test of time.

The Cowboys survived Sunday night. They survived because they made one more play. Or maybe just the one play that matters. Or maybe the opponent just made the vital mistake at the wrong moment and the Cowboys were the beneficiaries of that gift.

Choose your own description.

Today, I wish to go back to that final drive and just look at each of the nine plays from a defensive standpoint to see how the Cowboys did survive and notch their third win in a row. They again held their opponent under 300 yards of offense (fifth time this year) but also failed to get a takeaway (fifth time) or sack (fourth time).

In fact, what was once a very promising season for sacks -- they were third in the NFL after eight games with 27, trailing only Jacksonville and Carolina -- has now disintegrated. Since the Kansas City game, the Cowboys have played six games and registered five sacks, which, as you may imagine, ranks 32nd in the NFL. During that same span of time, Tennessee has 27 sacks and the Rams have 22.

Their team total of 32 sacks still ranks 16th in the league, but the idea that the Cowboys were a sure bet to reach 40 for the first time in years is just a far-off fantasy again. They would do well to just get to last year's total of 36 in the last two games.

WEEKLY DATA BOX - AT OAKLAND

Several of the numbers above will please you. They did a nice job of limiting big plays, making sure Oakland got nothing easily and even fighting hard against the battering ram that is Marshawn Lynch. They failed on third downs many times and, with no sacks or takeaways (even those that hit them in the chest), flirted with losing a game in which the defense played pretty well.

Oakland obviously is depleted at the skill positions and, aside from Michael Crabtree, had very little. He isn't a top-tier receiver, but he has some very Dez Bryant-like attributes with his ability to win with strength on third downs and in the red zone. But beyond that, the Raiders found almost nothing.

DEREK CARR THROW CHART

Looking above, you can see the secondary was very strong. Derek Carr had almost nothing down the field and that would suggest the pass rush was effective, despite no sacks. You want it to be more effective, mind you, but Carr certainly didn't appear to have all day to throw from the pocket.

SEAN LEE - W.O.W.Y.

Sean Lee "With Or Without You" stats continue to impress. We know he is good and we know the Cowboys desperately rely on him (probably way too much), but we are going to have a full season of very impressive defensive days when he plays, and not so much when he doesn't. That, of course, begs the question of how this season would be different if he had perfect attendance, but I suppose every team has a sob story to tell -- and nobody wants to hear them.

SNAP COUNTS

SPLASH PLAYS - AT OAKLAND

I hate to make splash plays subjective -- and I don't believe I did, technically -- but there are two that are not as cut and dried as others. Chidobe Awuzie's third-down stop was a driving tackle that left Crabtree a yard short of the sticks on a third-and-8. Normally, positive yardage is not allowed, but if you get the team off the field with a tackle, I make a third-down stop a splash if deemed a strong personal effort. And the same goes for Jeff Heath on the final play. That was a five-yard gain by Carr and Heath did not technically cause the fumble. But, if you watched it, I assume we all agree it was an extraordinary effort by Heath to save the day.

SEASON TOTALS FOR SPLASH PLAYS

OK, let's look at that final drive -- from the first play to the last.

First and 10 at the Oakland 11, 1:38 to go. Carr quickly unloads to his left to Seth Roberts in the flat, in front of Anthony Brown. Brown is right there and bats the ball away. Good, aggressive break on the ball that prevents a short Oakland gain.

Second and 10 at the Oakland 11, 1:34 to go. Carr and Roberts go again, this time from the opposite slot, and Brown releases Roberts to the safeties. Roberts settles before he gets into Heath's area and is able to pick up 19 in a small window, qualifying as the longest pass play of the game that connected. You can see that Xavier Woods is more conservative than Heath because he has to account for the sideline man to his left running vertically. Heath is ready to pop Roberts if he continues, but he wisely sits down in the soft spot. First down.

First and 10 at the Oakland 30, 1:16 to go. Now Carr tries the right sideline to Crabtree. Awuzie does what he always does, and that is aggressively go up and make a play on the ball. He is so good right now and his confidence is only making him better. It helps to know that Crabtree has speed limitations, but Awuzie does not allow for any separation and doesn't want to give up any completions, either. A really nice player.

Second and 10 at the Oakland 30, 1:10 to go. Here is Crabtree's best move. In the middle against Lee, Crabtree simply pushes him to create space. That is some tight end strength there, but Carr is off with the timing and accuracy of the throw. Lee is looking for a flag, which seems to be a reasonable request. Incomplete.

Third and 10 at the Oakland 30, 1:05 to go. Carr wants Roberts again. Brown knows this and undercuts the route. The ball hits Brown in the chest. It may not be a pick-six, but even if it is not, it still ends the game then and there. Instead, as Brown has shown against the Rams and Eagles, opportunity falls to the ground. Nice play for sure, but these are game-changing moments that you can't let get away.

As you can see, Carr did not play well, but he also doesn't have the most dynamic options ever. And if the Cowboys are just going to rush four, that means they have a seven-man zone to make sure there are small windows. The pocket is collapsing and he has to get rid of it. Also, the Cowboys don't leave many escape routes.

Fourth and 10 at the Oakland 30, 1:01 to go. Huge moment, and the Cowboys still can't get home. They try the tackle-end stunt and DeMarcus Lawrence is closing fast, but almost like Aaron Rodgers last January, Carr steps to his left and is able to launch a pass 55 yards down the field to Crabtree. Heath sees an issue up at the 50 and that leaves Jourdan Lewis by himself with Crabtree. The ball is underthrown, Crabtree knows how to draw the flag and Lewis looks like he is a little panicked. Flag.

The end-zone view. Tyrone Crawford falling gives Carr the escape path, and then you see Lewis is the victim of the underthrown ball. Pass interference looks like the easy call and the Raiders get their fourth-down miracle.

First and 10 at the Dallas 15, 51 seconds to go. Here is a great pass rush off the edge by Taco Charlton and he almost gets home. Carr sees Cordarrelle Patterson on the sideline and takes the quick 7 there before Awuzie pushes him out of bounds.

Second and 3 at the Dallas 8, 44 seconds to go. This is a close call that looks like improvisation from Crabtree or a very rough-looking double move. Either way, he has Anthony Hitchens here and it is up to Heath to dive in and save the day. This is a tremendous job by Heath because he has to watch two threats and, if he is not on his toes, this might be the game-winner.

Heck of a play by Heath against a guy who doesn't lose in the red zone very often.

Third and 3 at the Dallas 8, 39 seconds to go. This is the play. Oakland has a timeout. The Raiders really just need three yards and the Cowboys are in big trouble. But, Dallas could make a stop and force overtime at least. Lawrence is over the left tackle and this is another "almost sack" for No. 90. He has to get Carr to the ground here, but Carr is pretty slippery. Once he does slip away, Carr seems to have a chance to get to the pylon. Look at Heath and all the things he has to consider before realizing that Carr is taking off. Awuzie has to stay with Jared Cook, or Carr will pass it to him. Then Cook looks like he is trying to impede Heath.

Again, I have no idea why Carr didn't just take his first down and get out of bounds. I think it is a horrible mistake by the quarterback to put the game on a reach for the pylon. He almost threw a pick a few plays ago, and then he does this. If I am a Raiders fan, I definitely feel like my $125 million quarterback let the team down on this final drive.

But from a Dallas standpoint, perhaps this drive gives you a better appreciation for Heath and this secondary. Rod Marinelli didn't blitz once and if Carr gets in, I likely would wish to discuss that with Rod. But they survived. It was quite a finish, and the Oakland quarterback gave the Cowboys a lifeline when it looked like they were in big trouble.

Great stuff.

Marinelli Report - Week 2 - Denver

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/dallas-cowboys/cowboys/2017/09/20/sturm-defense-significant-issues-denver

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back C.J. Anderson #22 of the Denver Broncos escapes from a group of Dallas Cowboys defenders in the first half of a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on September 17, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

By Bob Sturm, Special contributor Contact Bob Sturmon Twitter:@SportsSturm

The Marinelli Report

I don't know which defensive play sticks out most to you from Sunday afternoon against the Denver Broncos, partly because there are many to choose from. Denver deserves a lot of credit for the number they did on a Dallas defense that was celebrated all week for its destruction of the New York Giants, who were without their best player and are proving that, even with him, they aren't very good on offense. But, there were some moments in Denver that demonstrated the Cowboys weren't ready to play. This is best seen in their ability to end plays when a play is ready to be ended.

 

The play I am speaking of happened during the Broncos' second drive. It happened with 3:51 to go in the first quarter and, ironically, storm clouds had literally started rolling over Sports Authority Field at Mile High. A second-and-10 for the Broncos from their own 33, and they look like they are executing a simple run to the right with a pulling guard after a quarterback read. C.J. Anderson is given the ball at the mesh point and heads off right tackle. The Cowboys' defensive line is blocked pretty well and the weak-side linebacker, Sean Lee, runs into traffic as well. Jaylon Smith gets around the pulling left guard and scrapes to the outside nicely, where he is in a nice spot to bring Anderson to the ground. But Anderson does not cooperate with a little burst of quickness that Smith is not ready for, and his arm tackle effort is not close to ending the play. Instead, Anderson is able to wiggle around him easily and take on a dive-bombing Jeff Heath from the safety spot.

For whatever reason, Heath, who is in a fantastic spot to end the play, channels his inner Roy Williams and decides to try the shoulder collision technique rather than the safer idea of wrapping up and bringing Anderson to the ground. Anderson shrugs him off, spins back to his right, where Nolan Carroll is not terribly interested in getting around his wide receiver's block, but Lee and DeMarcus Lawrence have now rallied back to the ball and, for a brief moment, Anderson is in a triangle of Cowboys as Nos. 50, 90 and 24 are right on top of him. Anderson, however, keeps his legs churning and before anyone can blink, he is in the open field sprinting down the sideline after all three of those white jerseys collided with each other in "Keystone Cops" fashion and fell to the ground. Twenty-eight yards later, Byron Jones finally pushes him out of bounds and the Broncos are on the move again, with all the confidence in the world that the Cowboys aren't going to tackle them today.

Was it just about that play? Of course not. There were several plays before it when the Cowboys showed no ability to tackle. This one, though, was ominous in every way. Take a look:

This is not the most talented defense in the NFL. So, the defenders must work together to fly to the ball and end plays when they are begging to be ended. This play should have gained between 0-4 yards and instead, the Cowboys gave the Broncos their biggest play of the day for 28 yards. Let's review this simple thought from Vince Lombardi:

Lombardi had a knack for really boiling things down to the bare bones, as I would suggest there is more to football than just that. But, in terms of its most basic fundamentals, if you aren't going to tackle, then you aren't going very far in this sport. Especially if your franchise has not invested very heavily on the defensive side of the ball. Effort and execution must always be on point. And on this day, the Cowboys did not force a single punt until the fourth quarter, when the Broncos were already smiling over on their sideline.

If Ezekiel Elliott's effort level on Sunday was not appreciated, then I think we could also wonder how badly some defenders were interested in stopping the bleeding once it got rolling, too.

WEEKLY DATA BOX

It would be difficult to remember a more inefficient day on defense. Week 3 of the 2015 season vs. Atlanta was the last time the defense gave up nine different third-down conversions (in just 15 attempts). Week 9 of 2014 vs. Arizona was the last time the Cowboys allowed an opponent to go 4 for 4 on red-zone drives ending in touchdowns.

Basically, every time the Broncos challenged the Cowboys to dig deep and make a play that mattered in turning the game -- aside from Lawrence's strip-sack early in the second quarter -- the Cowboys did not answer.

They didn't stop a thing Sunday.

TREVOR SIEMIAN THROW CHART

I think this is a pretty interesting chart above from John Daigle. He shows what appears to be a clear and distinct attack on the Cowboys' thin ranks at cornerback and on the flanks.

If you are a Cowboys fan, you can talk yourself into believing they are going to be fine in the defensive backfield once everyone gets settled in. And that could be true. But if you are an opponent of Dallas, you must be thinking the best way to attack this defense is on the perimeter. Maybe not deep, because they are dropping seven into coverage in every pass situation, but what about on the flanks?

If there is no Orlando Scandrick playing, then which Cowboys defensive back do you think is an exceptional tackler?

Carroll demonstrated almost no interest in tackling. Here, they attacked him twice:

First, in man coverage, here is an easy 27 yards if Carroll cannot handle Demaryius Thomas.

Then, to the other one: SMU's Emmanuel Sanders against a zone, where Carroll is outside contain. And in both cases, I am not sure Carroll could have pulled a flag off the receiver, let alone tackle him. He is just getting in the way of those who are really into it.

Here is the end-zone view. I'm sorry, but this won't cut it in the NFL. Not only does he not make the tackle, but he seems to prevent Jones from making it, too.

SNAP COUNTS

With no Scandrick, Chidobe Awuzie playing just six snaps before getting hurt and Carroll playing the first 25, that left the Cowboys with three of their top four corners out of the game.

So, Anthony Brown played every last snap, Jourdan Lewis played 65 -- he might have played very few if everyone was healthy -- and Xavier Woods played 34. We know the Cowboys' best plans for corner depth is to play more safeties. This works sometimes, but after Sunday, it seems the Cowboys may have to consider something with Heath.

We saw this a bit in Week 1, but even though I think Heath can start for the Cowboys, I continue to share a level of concern with where they play him. He appears to be their nickel linebacker up next to Lee, and teams quickly attack that. I believe this would be Anthony Hitchens (if he were fit), Smith (if he were fit) or Jones in a pinch. They prefer Heath for now. But, if that happens, either you limit your call sheet to zones (which puts you in a real bind) or teams are going to attack him with quick backs out of the backfield. Then, things like this will happen:

This could be a footing problem, but that is part of the dinner in man coverage. You have to turn on a dime and deal with option routes, and there is literally nobody out there to help you.

The end-zone angle doesn't help us much, since No. 38 is hardly ever seen because he is still getting up behind the play.

Oh, dear.

I don't think any of us want to keep showing these, but there is more.

A third-and-11 here. Hold Denver to a field goal here, and the score is just 24-10 with almost the entire second half remaining. Where do you think the Broncos are going to attack?

Basically, can they throw it short of the line of scrimmage, and can this team corral him with 11 yards of padding?

I don't think Heath, Lee, nor Jones would put this on their Hudl page. This was not very good, all day long, from just about every defender in the back seven.

And then, 18 seconds after the world accused Elliott of quitting, we have this:

If you have ever been to training camp, this is about the defensive pace and intensity of a camp snap on a Wednesday afternoon in Oxnard.

I mean, there are so many issues with this, but the biggest one is that this looks like a defense that just wants to go shower and leave.

It happens, but you sure don't want it to happen to you.

*****

Here are some of the stats we keep. They seem pretty irrelevant after all of that, but for consistency and complete record-keeping, here we go:

WEEK 2 SPLASH PLAYS

Lawrence is a beast right now. Taco Charlton showed some flashes. And Maliek Collins is playing pretty well, but he is not quite finishing plays yet. Damontre Moore is now available and David Irving is two games away. I feel OK about the defensive line.

SEASON TOTALS FOR SPLASH PLAYS

BLITZ RATE

Without Scandrick, the Cowboys tried bringing pressure a few times, with limited results.

EXPLOSIVES ALLOWED

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This was about as disappointing a defensive effort as I can recall. Sure, other teams have made more plays and scored more points and put up more yards than Denver did Sunday. But this felt like the Cowboys were beaten because they simply couldn't tackle and work together to corral plays before they got out of control.

In other words, this felt like one side was prepared and focused while the other side was perhaps impressed with what it had heard all week about itself. Hopefully this team uses the events in Denver to demonstrate that this is a league where you better strap it on every week, or the talented guys on the other sideline will humiliate you.