The Tape: Dominoes

by John Morgan on Oct 9, 2008 2:08 PM PDT in Game Preview Comment 5 comments

Cowboys 3 - Packers 3

2-10-GB 48 (Q1: 3:23)

The Dallas Cowboys align 2 WR, Rb (left); WR, TE (Right), Tony Romo in shotgun. The Green Bay Packers align in a 4-2 nickel. At the snap, right tackle Marc Colombo and right guard Leonard Davis double left defensive tackle Colin Cole. Cole looks a little like Howard Green: Short, stout and too easily blocked. Tight end Jason Witten engages right defensive end Aaron Kampman. Left guard Kyle Koser pulls right. Marion Barber receives the handoff and begins, methodically right. Step. Slowdown. Step. Colombo and Davis swallow Cole. Left linebacker A.J. Hawk charges downhill into the suddenly gaping right "C" gap, is met and then cut by the pulling Koser. Barber enters the beginning of the hole, ashoulder Kampman. Kampman pushes Witten high, grabs Witten and then tosses him aside, but the momentum leaves him unbalanced and behind Barber. Barber advances. Colombo disengages Cole, blindsides linebacker Nick Barnett, leaves Barnett stumbling towards the exiting Barber; Barnett attempts to tackle but buries his left shoulder into strong safety Aaron Rouse. The collision picks Rouse, Barnett can't wrap, Rouse manages only an arm, and Barber, so adept at getting low and powering through tackles, gets low and powers through Rouse. Barber explodes out of the broken tackle, cuts up field and records a tidy 25.

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Translation:

Cowboys ran a counter right and executed well.

Seems like it’d be more relevant if the Seahawks were playing the Cowboys.

by thecassino on Oct 9, 2008 8:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Not really.

What’s relevant is that Green Bay’s run defense has appeared quite “porous” over the last few games.

by redwolf75 on Oct 10, 2008 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Green Bay prefers to use linebackers who they used first round picks on. Got it.
Green Bay’s run defense hasn’t been the best, but why not evaluate a play from last week’s game against the Falcons? Or two weeks ago when they played the Bucs, whose offense is perhaps the closest in the NFL to that which Mike Holmgren employs?
If you think that a good team to compare the Seahawks to is the Cowboys, then you’re delusional.

by thecassino on Oct 10, 2008 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think a lot can be taken from this.

Green Bay’s preferred nickel linebackers.
A weakness against the run at defensive tackle.
The fact that Aaron Rouse was able to fill so quickly.
The fact that Aaron Kampman was functionally single blocked by Jason Witten.

by John Morgan on Oct 10, 2008 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Green Bay prefers to use linebackers who they used first round picks on. Got it. Who would’ve guessed?
A defensive tackle being double teamed does not show a weakness at defensive tackle especially when one of the doublers is Marc Colombo and the play being run is a counter.
Aaron Kampman was single blocked by Jason Witten. On one play. I’ll just go ahead and raise the sample size issue.
Rouse fills quickly. On one play. For all you know his assignment could have been Marion Barber. Again: sample size.
It’s cherry picking to choose one play from a game three weeks ago and say that there’s a lot to be learned from it. Now if the ‘Boys had run this play a few times with such success that’s something else.

by thecassino on Oct 10, 2008 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs