Tyreek Hill and Kansas City get enough done, but the Cowboys defense stands tall: Dan Quinn Report

 I realize that this is a short week and I am probably violating my sacred vow to have you ready for the Raiders game, but let’s give this Chiefs performance a little love for this last piece before Friday’s Morning After the Thanksgiving game.

The Cowboys defense did very well in this game. Not perfect and not really close to perfect, but when you play an offense that good and grow into the game where you are winning more battles than losing once you make your adjustments and catch your breath, we probably have very little bad to say about the defense.

https://theathletic.com/2976332/2021/11/24/tyreek-hill-and-kansas-city-get-enough-done-but-the-cowboys-defense-stands-tall-dan-quinn-report/

The Cowboys’ game planning is called into question in Kansas City loss: Decoding Kellen Moore

 Adrian Clayborn will never be forgotten for what he did to the Cowboys’ offensive plan in Atlanta in 2017 and more specifically Chaz Green.

Well, Chris Jones was far more equal opportunity. The former college teammate of Dak Prescott’s at Mississippi State had an absurd seven splash plays with 3 1/2 sacks, recovered a fumble, forced another one and also tipped a pass that became an interception. He destroyed the Cowboys front and he was kind enough to give everyone a chance to block him. From Connor McGovern to Zack Martin, nobody could block him. He was in the banana stand and then he was in it again.

https://theathletic.com/2973168/2021/11/23/the-cowboys-game-planning-is-called-into-question-in-kansas-city-loss-decoding-kellen-moore/

The Cowboys badly miss in their ‘Show America’ opportunity game: The Morning After

 They had a real opportunity. The NFL had tuned in to see this Cowboys team everyone had been talking up. If they are what they are said to be, this will be a chance to make a real statement in a place where the world will take notice. Very few teams will go into a pulsating Arrowhead Stadium when the weather has turned and end the day on top. If this Dallas team — especially one without several significant pieces that will be returning soon — is able to go into and defeat the team everyone knows will most likely be still standing at the end of January, well, then the Cowboys will no longer be able to fly somewhere under the radar.

https://theathletic.com/2971295/2021/11/22/the-cowboys-badly-miss-in-their-show-america-opportunity-game-the-morning-after/

Dallas goes to Arrowhead to measure its quality against the Chiefs: Cowboys pregame riffing

 Well, if you haven’t been waiting for this game since the schedule was released, you may want to check your heart rate and pulse. Because those of us who are still showing vital signs have been talking about this one and counting it down with eager anticipation since the day the fixture dropped.

This is Dallas’ first trip to Arrowhead Stadium since 2013, which pitted Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant in a Week 2 battle against Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe in a game where former defensive coordinator Bob Sutton blitzed the Cowboys into submission. Large human Dontari Poe had a couple sacks that day and the Cowboys limped home as 17-16 losers.

https://theathletic.com/2965875/2021/11/19/dallas-goes-to-arrowhead-to-measure-its-quality-against-the-chiefs-cowboys-pregame-riffing/

Dallas tries to prove to us that it is a different team: Cowboys pregame riffing

 Losing can play tricks with your head for sure. You lose one game in two months and then hear that Randy Gregory won’t play for a while, Tyron Smith is unlikely to return this week, and things snowball in your head. Before long you feel the stress of wondering about the traditional three games in 12 days stretch and with the Chiefs and Raiders waiting in the wings, you start to stress about how important this game is starting to look.

https://theathletic.com/2951093/2021/11/12/dallas-tries-to-prove-to-us-that-it-is-a-different-team-cowboys-pregame-riffing/

2017 Draft Profile - Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

Patrick Mahomes II

QB - Texas Tech - #5 - Junior

6-foot-2 - 225 - 4.80 speed

Two-year stats: 25 starts - 752 of 1164 for 9,706 yards - 64.6 completion percentage - 77 TD/25 INT - 262 runs for 741 yards - 22 rushing TDs

Mahomes is one of the most interesting prospects in this draft and only needs one team to think he is a potential winning lottery ticket. His ceiling seems quite high.

POSITIVES:  When you watch Patrick Mahomes play football, you are certainly taken with his immense arm and his confidence in his ability to make something out of nothing.  He can throw the ball a mile and on a rope.  He can wiggle out of jams and keep a play alive where he certainly can make magic.  He reminds people of Brett Favre, which seems ridiculous until you see one of his crazy improv plays and hair-trigger decisions that sometimes go well (see concerns, below). He is elusive when he keeps the ball and does a nice job of finding the sticks.  He has irrational confidence in his ability to fire the ball out of trouble to a touchdown.  His deep shots might be his best attribute.  He has very impressive escapability and also can throw the ball off balance and against his body.  He appears to have the full attention of his huddle and his team.   They want to see him lead them.  As tough as can be.  He keeps getting up for more punishment.

CONCERNS:  He thinks every idea is a good idea, which will require a coach that thinks similarly. There are many coaches who want play-making QBs, but do not want the collateral damage of hair-trigger decisions that go the other way.  Mahomes puts the ball in the wrong place pretty often, and this is a concern, not because turnovers are always his fault, but because he generates them by passing up a small gain as he continuously hunts for the bigger gains.   Sometimes, his eye-level drops to try to see pass rushers, which causes him to lose sight of receivers.  And yes, he plays in a Texas Tech program that does not have a play-book, huddle, or structure that makes NFL people comfortable.  He has tools, but will also be seen as quite a project where they attempt to find if he can fit in the complex classroom of the NFL offense.  

Overall, he seems like someone teams hope to harness the downside to pursue the improv genius.

2015 NFL Draft #41 - Steven Nelson, CB, Oregon State

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can. Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Nelson compares with the top CBs of the draft.

Steven Nelson, CB, Oregon State - 5'10, 197 - Senior - 4.49 40

Oregon State Steven Nelson (2) breaks up a pass against the University of Utah during an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore., Thursday, Oct.. 16, 2014. The University of Utah beat Oregon State 29-23. (AP Photo/Troy Wayrynen)

As we continue down the ranks at cornerback, we are reminded how important the position is every year, and how deep the draft will go to sift through the many prospects at this particular skill set.  If the league has truly become a passing league (it has) and has truly transitioned into a sport where there are almost no fullbacks in exchange for 3rd WR (it has), then we better get as many guys who can cover all of these receivers.  The idea that you have 2 "starting" corners are you are set is absurd.  The Super Bowl itself was decided when both teams started to routinely attack the opposition's 3rd and even 4th corners.  With Richard Sherman and Darrelle Revis on the field, they were mostly spectators as each QB knew enough to look elsewhere.  Where is that?  Deep on the roster as your 3rd target goes against their 3rd corner.

That is why we want to give you a few more players who may not necessarily be "Top 10" corners, but still are easily Top 100 players in this draft.

That brings us to Steven Nelson from Oregon State.  Nelson played 2 years at the college of the Sequoias before transferring to OSU for 2013 and 2014.  To study his work for the Beavers, we looked carefully at his game against Arizona State, USC, and Stanford.

What I liked:  When shopping for this very important position, we are looking specifically for mentality.  We want a player who is competitive, confident, and most notably, not bothered by what just happened.  Nelson gets A+ grades in pretty much all of these categories.  He is exceptional across the board with his level of battle as Oregon State would put him head to head with Jaelen Strong or Nelson Agholor and let him compete all evening with 2 very physical receivers.  Oregon State likes to play man, but in just about any coverage, it is clear that Nelson has some very good physical traits with great straight line speed and solid strength where he will not be overpowered. He drives on the ball very well and also has very strong ball skills where he breaks up a high number of passes.  He also uses his body to force receivers out and to leverage them against the sideline to make his job easier.  He is a very physical receiver who also seems to run his secondary quite a bit and looks really smart when it comes to figuring out how the offense is trying to attack.

What I did not like:  You do wish he could stick with his man a bit tighter underneath.  He almost cheats back because he is going to err on the side of the short pass rather than getting beat over the top.  This, combined with average change of direction led to players attacking him repeatedly underneath.  We see this constantly in the NFL, but just keep in mind that this is the style he plays because those hips might not be as fluid as you might see from some of the more highly-ranked prospects.  He also was beaten in the air a few times - as you would expect with a 5'10 corner.  There are plenty of places in the league for smaller corners, but the one thing they will never overcome is a jump ball with a 6'4 skywalker.  He was on the scene for a USC hail mary before halftime where he was but a close proximity spectator as the ball was brought down by a USC receiver.

Summary:  Nelson is the type of guy that you want on your team.  He has plenty of Orlando Scandrick qualities about him and if I could fill my secondary with guys who compete like Scandrick, I would be a happy man.  He is that guy.  The question now becomes how much you want to pay for a guy with a great mentality, but has limitations when it comes to size and even quickness.  He is good in those categories, but not great. He will, however, quickly become a leader on his team with his junk yard dog spirit and the  idea that he is here all day to compete with the best you have to throw at him.  It is a strong consideration at the end of round 2, and if you can get him in the 3rd round, you would cut to a camera shot of your war-room celebrating you feeling like you just made your draft.  You want him, not how much are you willing to pay?

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.

2015 NFL Draft #34 - Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

I have never been a scout or a NFL General Manager, but I am willing to watch a ton of football. By watching about 200 snaps of each prospect, we can really get a feel for a player and then know what we are talking about a bit better. It is no exact science, but the NFL hasn't quite figured out drafting either, so we are going to do the best we can.

Find all the profiles here.

Click here to see an interactive of how Peters compares with the top CBs of the draft.

Washington Huskies defensive back Marcus Peters (21) warming up before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 18, 2014. Mandatory Credit: (Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports)

Marcus Peters, CB, Washington - 6'0, 198 - RS Junior

Speaking of complicated cases in the 2015 NFL Draft, here is one that is off the charts due to the list of red flags on his biography.  In fact, if you would like to dive into the off-field and side-line issues that have been around Peters, perhaps you can catch up with this interesting story from last month in the USA Today.

However, Peters is a very talented corner and likely not the first or the last to emerge from this process as a guy who may have an issue or two to sort through as he matures into being a professional athlete.  Personality studies are often quite misleading and inaccurate when looking from afar, and frankly, when I break these guys down I want to be upfront and admit that hearsay is no way to do that.  Teams conduct many face to face interviews and personal investigations to see if a guy is worthy of being handed millions to represent the franchise.  We are not doing that here by any stretch.  I will point out that there have been issues and move on to his tape, because the football he plays speaks for itself.  To study Peters, I chose the Oregon, Hawaii, and Stanford games from 2014 and like Ifo Ekpre-Olomu yesterday, I also grabbed his 2013 battle with Brandin Cooks at Oregon State.

What I liked:  Peters is a very big corner who looks like he is reasonably comfortable in man coverage although if you watch Washington much, you will notice that they play a ton of zones so he is often off-and-soft at the snap.  Above, he is running hip to hip with Arizona State's prospect Jaelen Strong, but please note that this is the exception, not the rule for his resume.  His best attribute is absolutely his ball skills.  He plays the ball often like a receiver and comes down with the ball plenty.  He had 11 interceptions in 34 college games, which is a very high rate.  He is big, plays confident, and again runs routes and sees the ball like a wide receiver.  He also can contribute in special teams and will be that edge guy who blocks kicks on field goals because of his length/quicks combo.  He runs pretty well and has a highlight tape that will make the eyes bug out of your head.

What I did not like:  Unfortunately, there was a lot here that I didn't care for.  He is just not very interested in going up to help in run support much or in attacking the multiple bubble screens or quick outs that we see in the game these days.  I need my corner to be a physical man on the flank - especially at that size - who wants to mix it up and take a toll on those who dare mess with him underneath.  I just don't see that consistently as you could accuse him of too many "business decisions" as a corner that may count Deion Sanders as an inspiration.  Sanders is one of the all-time greats, but there were times where "team defense" never seemed like a great priority, and Peters is the same way.  Oddly, you don't always see that from "zone" corners, but there are many who think he is an ideal "press man" prospect.  He also looks like he is an outside guy who doesn't have the quicks underneath to stay with the smaller slot receivers, so if you want a bigger corner who will plays outside and make breaks on the ball, I think he will be be fine and likely a 1st rounder.  But, if you want corners who think they are bigger than they really are and love to dive-bomb a play underneath, Peters is not your guy.

Summary:  Overall, I am sure many will disagree with my tepid enthusiasm on Peters, relative to what I hear out there on the streets.  But, I have always preferred the corners who help set the tone of the defense with physicality and attitude and were models of consistency and often team leaders.  Peters will not be that (at least, at first) but he may have the best ball skills in this draft and will make some plays that will lead Sportscenter.  This might come down to how teams see the game and what flavor of ice cream they enjoy.  Honestly, if he enjoyed run support or tackling more, I would say he is the type of scheme and size corner that Dallas might target.  If he is available at #27, I am sure they will be tempted because he does possess all of the tools, but I just don't think he has the mentality that I prefer at the position.  It will be interesting to see his career develop.

You can view plenty of his tape here at Draftbreakdown.com.