DAL vs PHI

Off to a good start...

Nice throw from Dak to Dez, and nice fake on a zone read for Dak to score a TD.

Bad INT in end zone ...... Do these guys throw anything beyond 8 yards? I thought that this was the same HC as last year with everything so quick.

How about an Overtime win, and the best record in the NFC?

I'm watching some highlights of the game that I missed.

Dak's "rookie" showed a little bit last night. On the interception, I don't think he even saw the LB in that zone right there. Of course, that happens to veterans too, so...

But I think WRT Dak at QB, I think he provides an extra dimension to the offense that they don't have with Romo. The ability to scramble and run upfield. Romo used to have it. But you can't outrun injuries or Father Time. Dak gives us the ability to supplement our primary offense with his running abilities, and the ability to mix in some zone read. I've been critical of the Zone Read in the past, but mainly as a "base" offense. If it's used like Dallas used it last night, in more of a "supplementary" manner, I don't have that much of an issue with it.

Successful fake punt on 4th & 8? Impressive.

A nice little bit of "trickery" attempted on that lateral to Beasley, then he throws downfield to T. Williams (overthrown, though).

Another roll of the dice in OT on a 4th & 1, with a successful conversion.

Dak's composure and poise is something else at this point. Very little seems to faze him.

Seems like they threw a bit more in this game. I suppose that they felt they could. Dak had 287 through the air, and Zeke had 96 on the ground.

I actually saw our DBs make some good, solid tackles yesterday, too.

I'd really like to see them finish more drives. Get more TDs instead of FGs...

And NYJ beat CLE, so Dallas rolls into Cleveland facing an 0-8 Browns team desperate for a win.

It was some game to watch, no question. We saw Dak at his worst and maybe at his best in the 4th & OT. Garrett, showed a side we rarely see in busting open the gadget plays and that push on 4th & 1. What I liked with it was that he knew his D was likely winded and shorthanded with injuries to Church & Mo. He would have been hung if they didn't get the yard passing up the nearly 100% sure FG. Sometimes you have to take risks and accept the consequences. We loved it because it worked out, but how many were running to Home Depot for some heavy weight rope if it didn't?

Heard this morning that the D posted 9 plays for a loss and none bigger than Lee getting the slippery Sproles and push them outside Pederson's comfort zone for a FG. We have to be aware of how bad our Special Teams were outside of Chris Jones 4.24 speed in the 40. A win negates a discussion on the stripes. They came into the game leading the league in dropping laundry on the field and held the top spot for at least another week. The one on the long run by Zeke, hurt a lot and effected the game at that point.

As for next week, don't sleep on the Browns. Remember McGown whipped us a few years back when he was with the Bears. They bolted out to a lead against the Jets and faltered in the 2nd half. We'll be short handed without Church (broken forearm) and Mo (possible sports hernia). I'm good with Anthony Brown stepping in at the slot and Scandrick moving back outside or vice versa. That SS spot concerns me with the difference between Church & Wilcox or Heath. Can't look past the Browns, its a big game to win and keep the momentum or get derailed before the next set of challenging games. I see them enjoying the winning and not letting up and Garrett's not going to give them a light week. He will press the pedal down IMO.

A surprising thing in watching this game was how small ball Philly played the game. People were questioning whether we had a limited playbook for Dak, but man, they showed nothing to me as a creative and varied offense. I don't know that they actually tried throwing a ball more than 10 yards from the LOS. Wentz may have thrown for 5 yards per attempt and that doesn't win many games. He did well in staying within the game plan and had them poised for a win.

Da was between very good and terrific in the 4th and OT. MRich, as you said there are plays with his feet that Tony's not going to make with his feet at this point in his career. Certainly not that read option. Through three quarters I saw the rookie in Dak and it wasn't pretty. He's got a great ability to throw without setting his feet, sometimes it looks great, sometimes ugly balls in the turf.

Had Beasley hit Twill, the house would have exploded, great call, great effort to pull one out of the hat. Me. I'd look to get Zeke more passes on the move to him and let him get into space. I was waiting for a screen pass last night and not sure why they didn't try one? It would have looked a lot like that sweep left behind Tyrun that was called back after 50 yards. I really expected it on the series that went 3 and out inside 2 minutes of the 4th. They were blitzing the house and what better scenario to hit that screen?

I thought in the 4th quarter they did run a screen and it was sniffed out. I could be wrong there.

But yeah, we have to be VERY careful. Cleveland could be a "trap" game...

What's exciting to me is the potential of this team getting better. That's something I'm looking forward to seeing.

I'll watch the 4th quarter/OT once or twice this week for sure and I'll check on that screen. Absolutely has the feel of a trap game, they're not a winning team but they're still paid to play and every player wants to put out good tape. McGown can be tough and gritty, so there's no quit in him. Pryor is making a name for himself as an up and coming WR only playing there since the switch from QB. We're better but we can't be flat on the road.

I saw yesterday things that have had me concerned about Dak from the start. His inaccuracy, his inexperience and coordinators getting him figured out and bringing things he hasn't seen. What surprised me and pleasantly I might add is that, inside the final two minutes, Schwartz brought the house 3x in a row for our 3 and out. We go into OT and he went base and sprinkled in pressure but nothing like that last 2 minute possession we had. It's like he went into a prevent D instead of pressure. Ok by me, gave Dak time to do what he had to do on passing downs. Those are things other coordinators will see and do what they can to bring pressure. I saw enough plays that were there and he simply didn't pull the trigger or hesitated. We're playing so much better as a team, that everything is working, but if he gets stopped, we're in a bit of a pickle. Our D swarms to the ball and is keeping most everything in front of them. We're not suffering those busted coverages for 50 yard plays, 2 or 3 times a game. A lot to like and things to be aware of. I'm sure the coaches will have plenty to keep them on their toes about after watching this one. Special teams can't be penalized as much as they were last night. I thought Boger just wanted camera time with all the calls being made last night.

I agree about Dak's accuracy, but that was a beauty of a pass he threw to Dez on that long completion. Accuracy can somewhat be worked on, but I don't know how much they can remedy that.

I was waiting on Zeke to bust a really long run, but I'll take the 13 or 14 yarders that he had in the game. I was disappointed he didn't go over the century mark, but it was effective running.

The one to Dez was beautiful, but a few were thrown into the turf. Watch his footwork and its not always classic form and gets him in trouble. He has such a strong arm that he'l throw all arm and little or no lower body. The game winner he had both feet off the ground as he rolled left.

Did you see the Zeke run of 50 yards called back by a bit of a ticky tack holding call on Fredrickson? I've seen far worse, he had him and let it go, but they called it. Shame was his man wouldn't have made a play on Zeke. It was a beautiful designed play. We didn't get enough plays for Zeke to hit the 100 mark. Dak completed less than 505 of his passes. The last drive of 5 for 5 was super solid and a W wipes away the mistakes, which we can call a learning experience.

Yeah, I saw that run. It was beautiful. The other thing was that "touch" throw to Zeke where Zeke ran over the defender going up the sideline. Loved it.

That's where I say, that I want to see him in space for those chunk plays. He can be used like Marshall Faulk was back in St Louis. A threat to have to put a CB or safety on him. That pass you're talking about was a fantastic throw and one that shouldn't be taken lightly. Underthrow that a hair and its 6 the other way. Once Zeke goes N to S, the speed is special, great burst.

Also regarding that pass, if Dak overthrows Zeke there, it's an incompletion and not a long gain.

And have you noticed that a lot of Zeke's long gains are right up the middle? Or at least it seems that way.

I hope they do start working to get him the ball in space. Though the "hurdle" thing is nice, I think I'd want him to work on going around guys instead of over them -- in most situations.

The middle is the best place to get the big runs. If you pop the line, that puts either 3-4 of the 11 behind you. You bust by the LB'er's and that takes out 6-7 players and leaves only 4 with any shot at you. 1-2 CB's are likely out of position and that leaves the 2 safeties to get to him. That's the play they popped for the TD of 60 or so yards. Same applies for punt or KO's. By going thru the middle it hurts the angles a defender has to get to him. This is why a guy like Dez demands coverage, so his guy is typically out of a play and if they double or cheat with a LB'er, there out of run D. If a team wants to contain Zeke with the average runs of 2-6 yards they have to pack the middle. That leaves Dez singled up. So pick your poison! If they double Dez, then the middle is weakened and susceptible to being gashed by Zeke. That's why to me, Romo takes advantage of this more than Dak. We'd see more chunk plays for both of them. But that's my view. I saw Dak look like a raw rookie against Philly for 3 quarters. That worries me on making a deep run this year. We have a legit shot if we can stay healthy. Losing Church and Mo for at least 6 weeks may hurt more than people even think about.

Here are the things I noticed and thought on Sunday:

1. I didn't much like Linehan's game plan. It was too pass heavy, and for no perceptible reason. There were long stretches in the 3rd quarter where Zeke wasn't a factor at all, and with Dak struggling the Cowboys essentially took one of their weapons out of the game. They seemed locked in on passing the ball, and it left them nearly no time to get back into the game.

2. I did like Garrett's gambling--the fake punt, the pass by Beasley, the 4th and 1. Those kinds of calls get made when you have confidence in your team, and it seems that Garrett finally has the team he's been wanting since he became head coach. I don't expect him to roll this dice this much every week, but he's giving opposing teams something to think about going forward, and that's a good thing.

3. Dak passed another important test this week--pull out a game you haven't particularly played well in. The interception was inexcusable--it wasn't just failure to see the safety, it was a bad read all around. Butler was never open on the play, and he was covered inside and outside. On top of that, Dak never looked for a second option. It was a Romo-esque blind fire into the teeth of the defense. I don't know whether his internal clock was off or if he just thought he could make the throw, but he had the time to look for alternatives. It's the kind of throw I hope we don't see too often--or ever again.

That said, his last 10 minutes of action was a thing of beauty. A 90-yard drive to tie, and then a 75-yard drive to win are the hallmarks of a cool, calm, collected QB with leadership and tangibles to spare. He's becoming the kind of QB that a team can put their complete trust and faith in, and they are doing it. Way too early for comparisons to Roger, but if Dak keeps it up his guys will run through walls for him.

4. Zeke is great up the gut, but the Cowboys seemed determined to have him run sweeps too many times. It's not his strength, and these particular plays seemed to be slow-execution numbers that don't work well when teams are stacking the box and are bringing more guys than you can block on the move. They also weren't doing a good job sealing off the backside pursuit. Zeke gets into the hole so quickly that making him run East-West waiting for a hole to appear is wasting his talents. Those kinds of plays seem to be more Alfred Morris' style.

5. One thing that Dak seems to do better than Romo is lead long drives. We've had more than a couple of drives go 85+ yards, and where often in the past we've seen the Cowboys eventually bog down on a long march and have to kick a FG, Dak and Zeke seem able to keep things going even if there's a setback along the way. They're not cashing in a TD every time, but they don't seem to need a short field to score sevens. As Dak matures and his game gets refined, this may be something to look forward to.

6. Jason Witten seems to be slowing down in my eyes, but he's still a valuable weapon. Contrary to what Cris Collinsworth said, the two Eagle defenders didn't cancel each other out on the winning TD. Rather, Jenkins ran into Witten and just stumbled backwards. It was a victory of size and strength. The amazing thing is that Witten didn't even push off. Jenkins just ran into a solid wall and bounced off. I don't think Witten is the factor he once was, but he can still come up big in big situations, as he did a couple of other times during the game.

7. If the Eagles can sue Chip Kelly for malpractice, they should. The difference in this game was the weapons Dak had on his side, and the lack of talent Carson Wentz had on his. Wentz only missed 11 out of 43 passes, and at least five of those were dropped by his receivers. Had he gone 38 of 43, we'd be talking about a different game.

8. Is it me, or did our defense get stronger in the 4th quarter? The sacks on the last two Eagles drives were crucial. That hit by Scandrick on Wentz nearly gave us the game right there. If Orlando was just a bit larger or if he had hit Wentz's arm a bit lower, that ball would've been out with nothing but white jerseys and green grass in the area. Yes, the Eagles played into the Cowboys' hands more than a little with an astonishingly passive game plan, but the Cowboys were equal to the task of snuffing those screens. The Cowboys are developing a nasty disposition in the run defense game, and if they can just get a little more pressure in the passing game they will have something. I still don't consider this to be a championship defense and I still think that they're another draft away from having one, so I don't know how far this team can ultimately go, but as long as Marinelli can pull rabbits out of the hat this team can get to the tournament and maybe surprise someone.

9. While I think Tony makes better use of Witten and Dez, I think Dak makes better use of the entire offensive arsenal. Having started out throwing to Terrence Williams, Brice Butler, and Cole Beasley on the second team, he's developed a rapport with them that Tony doesn't have. That comes in very hand when teams start keying on our top 2 receivers, because Dak's been very good at finding his third and fourth choices. I'm looking forward to Lance Dunbar's return, because his ability in the passing game gives Dak one more weapon that he was making effective use of before Lance got hurt. I really think Dallas can go heavy on defense at the top of next year's draft without shorting themselves on offense, and they can pick up some value at WR or TE in the middle rounds if they need to. The running game seems set, and at this point I'd be in no hurry to send Darren McFadden on his way. Since they didn't trade him by the deadline today, they might as well figure out a role for him and get their money's worth.

10. Lucky Whitehead played more like Lucky Bonehead the other night, and if I had been Rich Bisaccia I'd have sat him down after he fielded the punt on his 5 yard line. If you have to make an over-the-shoulder catch of a punt, it's probably a sign that you should've just let it bounce into the endzone. Between that and his stupid decision to run the opening kickoff from 8 yards deep suggests that he wasn't thinking clearly. Maybe he took too seriously Bisaccia's pregame exhortation for the special teams to win the game, and he tried to do it on the very first play. I won't even go into the fumble that could've been disastrous.

11. The team looked a little out of sorts during the first 5 minutes or so of the game. Not sure if that was the Eagles or the layoff, but I tend towards the latter since they had multiple breakdowns on both offense and special teams. Hopefully now that they're back in the weekly rhythm we won't see as rough a start going forward.

12. This may get overlooked, but the Cowboys could not possibly have asked for a better bye week than the one they got. They played 6 games and got a bye, then they'll play 5 games and get a few extra days before the last 3 from playing on consecutive Thursdays. It's a great way to break up the grind of the season, and it means they won't have to go too long before they get a chance to recover physically and mentally.

13. Nobody...I mean NO BODY thought that this team could or would be 6-1 at this point of the season when Tony went down in Seattle. This has been an amazing, remarkable season, and it's been a lot of fun. If the Cowboys take care of business this week (and I think they will), they'll be sitting at 7-1 at midseason, which gives them a tremendous advantage over the final two months because even if they split the remaining games it should be enough to win the East. Of course, having a chance to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, going 4-4 would be a tremendous letdown, so their sights--and ours--should be set a lot higher.

14. I have to go back almost 20 years to when I can remember a Cowboys team being this fun and entertaining to watch. If this is a glimpse of the future, we're going to have a lot to look forward to.