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In case you missed it getting caught up in the hype for Buffalo’s upcoming preseason battle with Denver, Terrelle Pryor, former Ohio State quarterback, held a pro day that was well attended and drew rave reviews.Now these rave reviews didn’t come from …
Last week the Bengals had a lot of high expectations that some spectators didn’t think they met in an ugly showing against Dallas in the Hall of Fame game.
This week the Bengals came out with something to show a home crowd as the game was not sold out and they did just that.
It was a rough start for the Bengals they gave up a touchdown on the opening drive for the Broncos and the first drive for Cincy ended with a dropped pass by Terrell Owens and a missed field goal.
It looked even worse as the penalties continued to plague the team and then Denver scored yet again to make it 14-0.
The starting offense stayed on the field the whole first quarter and ended their last drive with a touchdown by Cedric Benson.
This Denver secondary was a good one and it took Palmer a few throws to know to stay away from veteran corner Champ Bailey. Bailey caused all three of Carson Palmer’s incomplete passes.
Palmer was more efficient this week going 12-15 for 105 yards. The biggest difference was rookies Jordan Shipley and first round pick Jermaine Gresham.
Gresham has already proven to be a weapon for Palmer being thrown to three times and catching each gaining 37 yards.
When they started covering Gresham they brought Shipley in the game and he made 5 catches for 50 yards and he was a huge key to the Bengals scoring their first touchdown. Terrell Owens had high praise for the rookie in his transition from college to pro football.
If you had to give a game ball to the most productive player for this game its without a doubt second year running back Bernard Scott.
Scott showed flashes of greatness last season gaining over 100 yards against the Raiders when Cedric Benson was down with injury.
Tonight Scott had a productive night in every phase that he could gaining 138 total yards in this game. He had 25 kick return yards, 68 rushing yards, and 48 receiving yards.
I said it last season I can see this guy being a key player in the Bengals offense and I think he can definitely take pressure off of Benson in the back field and provide an explosive boost.
The Bengals have a great problem with their offense in having many weapons. The line was giving Palmer great protection after a couple series and if they can do that this season it will be nearly impossible to stop this offense.
The number one and two receivers just so happen to be Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens known for explosive plays as well as mouths. You have a threat at tight end with Jermaine Gresham that can’t be left unnoticed. You have three players fighting for the slot position in Jordan Shipley, Andre Caldwell, and Matt Jones that have made big plays.
Those are just receivers then you have to worry about Cedric Benson, one of the best backs in the league. Bernard Scott is behind him on the depth chart who not only can run but can burn you in the screen game.
Last but not least you have Carson Palmer the Heisman trophy winning first round pick who has proven he can do great with talent when he won the Pro-Bowl MVP a few years back. When he has protection he will find the open receiver and I have a feeling this will be the biggest year yet.
The defense struggled a bit tonight, but they just know what they need to work on now and I expect them to get things done come Friday. They did have a pick six to go up 17-14 in the second quarter. They also forced a fumble in the third to set up a score.
This was what we expected to see last week and this proves that all the credit goes to the Cowboys for shutting the Bengals down.
Even though Ochocinco only had one catch and T.O had four don’t take that as a bad thing. It’s fantastic because they’re taking the attention off the tight end and slot receivers. So get your popcorn ready because come week one I guarantee you the Bengals will be ready to play.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
As a die-hard Cowboys fan, the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals are quite the interesting case study.
Not only are they looking to build on the unexpected division-winning success from last year, but they are looking to do so by adding many of the same malcontents, hooligans, and rabble-rousers that single-handily allowed the 2008 Dallas Cowboys’ season to devolve into absolute tomfoolery (yes I channeled the ghost of my long dead great aunt Agnes to write that last sentence).
Terrell Owens. Adam “Pacman” Jones. Tank Johnson. Roy L. Williams (I was tempted to put “the Roy Williams who sucks” here to differentiate, but then realized that both Roy Williams in the NFL are walking embodiments of the Antichrist in my book and the books of most Dallas Cowboys fans).
Regardless of whether or not this ludicrous re-creation of the 2008 Cowboys leads to the postseason success the embattled Cincinnati Bengals have been striving for since Kimo von Oelhoffen played the John Wilkes Booth to the Abraham Lincoln of Carson Palmer’s ACL (too soon?), this potentially explosive team will undoubtedly lead to many potentially interesting headlines.
Here is my best guess on the 10 most likely headlines that the Dallas Cowboys of Cincinnatti will generate in 2010:
1. Adam “Pacman” Jones Suspended after Punching Owner Mike Brown in the Face
The Pacman Jones fiasco in Dallas came to quite the ignominious end. Jerry Jones, whose penchant for signing “high-risk-high-reward” players like Pacman, took every step possible to keep the much maligned defensive back out of trouble.
When I heard that Jerry had hired two “bodyguards” to keep Pacman out of trouble like Liz Lemon hired Grizz and Dotcom to keep an equally insane Tracey Jordan out of trouble on 30 Rock, I thought there was no way Pacman could do anything that would upset Roger Goodell or the team to the point of suspension.
However, proving that his in-person demeanor was nothing like that of the pleasant, yellow, pill-gobbling orb of his namesake, Pacman found a way around such seemingly impenetrable countermeasures:
By punching one of his TEAM-HIRED bodyguards in the face at a party.
I mean for you to have to give the Pac some credit for creativity on that one.
I literally cannot thing of another way Pacman could have gotten kicked off the team under those circumstances besides punching a team employee hired to keep him out of trouble in the face.
What should the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals learn to expect from this?
Never put anything past a Pacman Jones with a desire to act up. And I mean anything. Even punching your team owner in the face. Which is the only headline more ridiculous than punching your team-hired bodyguard whose only job is to keep you out of trouble in the face.
Warning to Bengals fans from somebody who has gone through this already: Pacman Jones makes Demitrius Underwood seem the picture of mental stability, and Demitrius Underwood was arrested in a drug-induced psychosis dressed as an indian throwing batteries at cars.
Enjoy the ride Ohio.
2. Goodell Enraged after Discovering Under-the-Table Wager Between Mauluga, Polamalu on Who Can Hit Reggie Bush the Hardest
By all accounts 2010 will be the season where former USC linebacker Rey Mauluga has his coming out party.
Rey-Rey followed up an absolutely beastly career as a middle linebacker at USC with a strong rookie campaign, recording 63 tackles and three forced fumbles.
While considering if Mauluga could take the AFC North crown for “Hardest Hitting Defender of Polynesian Decent” away from Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, I happened to notice that both the Bengals and the Steelers happen to play the New Orleans Saints this year, the Steelers on October 31st, and the Bengals on December 5th.
This also happens to be the same year revelations about Reggie Bush and his regrettable tendencies to accept illegal gifts in college have cratered Troy and Rey’s alma mater’s football program with the hardest-hitting NCAA sanctions since the SMU Death Sentence.
A wager between the two ferocious defenders on who could knock the gold cleats off of Kim Kardashian’s ex the fastest is probably the least crazy possibility I’ve come up with in this entire article.
Good luck Reggie.
3. Roy Williams Ostracized From Team Events after Bowling Three Consecutive 0′s at Bowling Outing
If I were a betting man, I would bet that Roy Williams bowls exactly like he plays football: throws the ball as hard as he possibly can because all he cares about is hitting the pins as hard as he possibly can, a strategy which could easily result in 90 consecutive gutter balls.
Cowboys fans know all about Roy Williams’ famed “gutter balls” on the football field (see: Santana Moss, Monday Night Football, 2006, or anytime the Cowboys played the Giants and he tried to play man up on Jeremey Shockey).
Unfortunately, Bengals fans do too (see: Week 1 of last year, Brandon Stokley).
In the omnipresent quest for stories and information in this 24/7 news cycle we find ourselves embroiled in, I have seen much more mundane stories pop up on ESPN.com than one regarding Roy Williams’ bowling maladies, so this headline wouldn’t surprise me much easier.
I would say stick to football Roy, but you seem to struggle immensely on that front as well.
4. Marvin Lewis Unfazed by Bryant Jersey-Throwing Incident, or Anything Else That Has Ever Happened
In an attempt to upgrade the wide receiver position, the Bengals went out and signed another Dallas Cowboys cast-out: former Pittsburgh standout Antonio Bryant.
Bryant had mixed success in Dallas, but his talent was finally overshadowed by his off-filed demeanor. His final act as a Dallas Cowboy was throwing his sweaty practice jersey in the face of Bill Parcells as he walked off the field during preseason, a move that falls somewhere between kicking a polar bear in the groin and attempting to eskimo-kiss a great white shark on the “stupidest things you could ever possibly do” list.
What if he tried a similar stunt in Cincinnati?
For the life of me, I cannot remember the last time Marvin Lewis’ face changed or showed any emotion whatsoever.
For a coach who has only made the playoffs twice in seven seasons at the helm, you would think that the occasional sign of inner turmoil or emotional stress would break through the unflappable facade Marvin Lewis wears every second of every year.
Not a chance.
Even if he did get smacked in the grill with a sweaty Antonio Bryant practice “penny” (man do I hate it when people call jerseys that), I firmly believe that Marvin would keep on truckin like nothing happened, probably resulting in a hilarious “its just business as usual” press conference that would cause Skip Bayless to die on air after his insides exploded with incredulity like a seagull who was just fed Alka-Seltzer by the second-grade version of Pacman Jones.
5. Tank Johnson Pulls a Gilbert Arenas on Ocho after Perceived Reality Show Slight
Remember that scene in Terminator two when John and Sarah Connor, accompanied by the current governor of California, travel to the desert to load up with weapons to take down Cyberdyne Systems?
After arriving at some random rest stop in the middle of the desert, Sarah Conor pulls the lid off the top of a gigantic underground room that is filled with every single possible gun imaginable.
That is how I envision the mind boggling arsenal the police found in Tank Johnson’s basement in 2006, a discovery that led to his suspension from the league and ended his tenure with the Chicago Bears.
Can’t you just see, after a blowout loss to the Ravens, Ocho or T.O. spouting off about the defense not holding up their end of the bargain on E! (or whatever god-forsaken channel these reality shows are on), only to show up the following day to see a stool placed in front of their locker with three guns on top of it and a note that says “Pick One”?
Except, unlike Gilbert Arenas, who placed three simple handguns on the stool, Tank would dig deep in his arsenal and leave behind a flame thrower, a rocket launcher, and the BFG 5000 from Doom II.
Not out of the realm of possibility in my opinion.
6. Matt Jones Kicked Off Team After Mis-Interpreting Order to “Go Run Some Lines”
Mean, below-the-belt, and completely uncalled for, and I fully expect to get punched in the face if I ever meet Matt Jones.
I laughed too hard after thinking of it to leave it off the list though.
7. Ochocinco and T.O. Hold Shirtless Press Conference in Palmer’s Front Lawn After Failing to Get Off Line vs. Press Coverage for Five Consecutive Weeks
Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson (yes I’m going throwback) have accomplished a lot in their time in the NFL.
However, neither receiver is in the prime of their career by any stretch, and both are beginning to struggle with the same crucial aspect of being an NFL receiver: getting off the line in the face of physical press coverage.
T.O. really began to struggle with it in his final year with the Cowboys, and Ochocinco, who is much slighter than the freakish Owens, has always had a problem with it that seems to be getting worse with age.
I can completely envision a press conference held in Carson Palmer’s front lawn, without asking Palmer permission first, where T.O. and Ocho answer a series of questions regarding their questionable production in the last few weeks while doing shirtless alternating sit ups to show the world they are still tough.
8. Tight End Jermaine Grisham Leaves Grade-School Level Note in Palmer’s Locker to Gain Upper Edge in Competition for Quarterback’s Attention
The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t had a game-changing tight end for as long as I can possibly remember.
They seem to want to buck that trend this year by drafting the Oklahoma Sooner’s beastly tight end Jermaine Gresham.
However, all the hullabaloo this year in Cincy is centered around the acquisitions of new, verbose wide receivers to compliment the already loquacious Chad Ochocinco.
Understandably, the potentially explosive Grishman will be fighting for the quarterbacks attention for the entire season.
Carson Palmer will no doubt be hearing pleas for the ball from all corners of the locker room this year.
A well placed “Do You Like Me?” note in Palmer’s locker with a “Yes” box, a “No” box, and a “Maybe” box to check would be both classy and understated compared to uproar the QB will be dealing with from the rest of the receiving corps.
9. After Weeks of Anti-T.O. “Reports,” Ed Werder Released From ESPN After “Inside Source” Discovered to be a “Guy Who Gave Owens A High Five From the Bleachers Once”
Despite my earlier jab on Owens’ ability to get off of press coverage, by no means am I writing off Owens as completely ineffective or a waste of money.
Owens will have a lot to offer to the Bengals offense this year. However, where Owens goes, so go the reporters with “inside anonymous sources” that are always unnamed but always cited whenever a negative T.O. report is released.
During his final two years with the Cowboys, Ed Werder’s constant citing of anonymous sources within the Cowboys organization for T.O. locker room stories was nothing short of infuriating.
Okay Ed, so you are reporting that Terrell Owens said he wants to drop Wade Phillips into a volcano in Hawaii. Who told you this? A “source?” Really? That’s all you can give me?
That information is very different if it comes from Tony Romo or comes from a ball boy who won a radio contest to work a practice for a day. The problem is, when simply citing an unnamed “source” as they did in Dallas and will continue to do with every Owens-induced locker room problem in Cincy, that “source” could be anybody from the team owner to the janitor who vacuums the locker room.
Owens admittedly brought this upon himself with his behaviors in San Francisco and Philadelphia.
But unfortunately that has led every single reporter covering Owens to feel like they have the right to substantiate any anti-T.O. story by simply citing an anonymous “source” within the organization and leaving chaos to ensue.
It drove me crazy when T.O. was in Dallas, and it will drive you crazy too Bengals fans. Just hope it doesn’t drive T.O. crazy, and you should be all good.
10. Cincinnati Defeats the Patriots in AFC Championship to Advance to First Superbowl since 1989
For all the crap I’ve given the Bengals in the preceding paragraphs, the fact remains that they do have the pieces in place to make a deep playoff run this year.
However, this is only if all the new, less-than-mentally-stable additions they have made don’t explode in their face like those same additions did to the Cowboys in 2008.
The Bengals have a very strong defense that finished 4th in the league in yards allowed and 6th in the league in points allowed.
As mentioned earlier, Rey Mauluga is an absolute monster in the middle who will be taking another step forward and will form a formidable trio alongside Keith Rivers and the illustrious poet Dhani Jones.
The defensive line will also see the return of a very productive Antwan Odom, who missed a large portion of last season with an Achilles injury.
The Bengals also sport one of the most solid cornerback duos in the league in Leon Hall and Jonathon Joseph. If they can lock down the outside, they might even be able to overcome Roy Williams’ coverage deficiencies and allow him to play closer to the line where he belongs.
And that’s just on the defensive side.
If Cedric Benson and the Bengals large run-blocking O-line can reproduce the productivity from last season, thereby taking the pressure off of Carson Palmer and his tandem of talkative pass catchers, a clock-controlling strategy like the one offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski implemented last year could lead the Bengals deep into the post-season for the first time in a long time.
To make a long story short, things seem to be looking up in Cincy.
As long as Pacman can avoid punching the team owner in the face.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
We all caught a quick glimpse of what the pairing of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens will mean for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010, and while it was short-lived, it was also fairly unimpressive.
Carson Palmer completed just two passes and the Bengals offense looked ill-prepared against the Dallas Cowboys. Then again, it was just the first preseason game of August, and this team has almost an entire month to prepare for a brutal division and tough NFL schedule.
But it’s not just about the trenches, wins, and losses. For some, the fantasy football aspect is more important than anything else. And concerning that, NFL Soup takes a close look at the 2010 Cincinnati Bengals, and comes up with five bold predictions for the upcoming fantasy football season:
1. Cedric Benson Won’t Be a One-Hit Wonder
Everyone thought his 2008 end-of-the-year stretch of solid numbers was a joke, but Benson got the last laugh in 2009, as he even carved up his former team (Chicago Bears), while helping Cincy to the division title.
Benson isn’t particularly fast or explosive, but he runs hard and still has a chip on his shoulder. If he can stay fully healthy, he should be in line for his best season as a pro, especially with added offensive additions that should help the offense become more balanced and less predictable.
2. Carson Palmer Finds the Long Ball Again
Palmer didn’t go deep down the field much in 2009, and while much of that had to do with the Bengals’ offensive approach, it also had a lot to do with a lack of elite receiving weapons to work with. Of course, there’s the theory that his arm wasn’t fully 100 percent, either.
With Terrell Owens in town and rookie Jordan Shipley showing some spunk in the slot, Palmer suddenly has a slew of athletic weapons to use. If rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham can provide the type of impact Cincy was hoping for when they drafted him, Palmer could really take off.
Either way, the addition of Owens should free up Chad Ochocinco and make both players legitimate deep threats. That is, if everything goes according to plan.
3. Matt Jones Makes the Team
What is with all this negative talk about Matt Jones? He might not be the most explosive guy anymore, but there’s no knocking his hands and route-running these days. He can still make plays, too.
Antonio Bryant not being at full health could go a long way to helping Jones stick on the final roster, but we’re actually banking on Jones continuing to work hard and prove his doubters wrong. After all, if you can’t turn your career around in Cincinnati, where can you?
4. T.O. and Ocho Will Both Top 1,000 Yards
For those who say the 2009 season was evidence that Terrell Owens is showing his age or losing any skills, they simply aren’t looking closely enough.
Owens still has the inconsistent route-running and hands that he always has, but along with those issues, he still has the strength, speed, and explosiveness.
Owens was in a disastrous situation in Buffalo from day one, and will be walking into 2010 with a better quarterback, a better offensive line, better coaching, and better receiving talent around him.
On the other hand, Ochocinco finally has a capable receiver opposite of him again, as well as a quarterback who has fantasy stardom potential.
As you may recall, number 85 has spent much of the past two seasons either catching passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick, or watching Laveranues Coles crumble under expectations.
Look for “Batman and Robin” to feed off of each other, make Palmer look better than he actually probably is, and kill it with two 1,000-yard seasons. Because let’s be honest, these two wouldn’t have it any other way.
5. Jordan Shipley Will Man the Slot and Return Punts/Kicks
Sorry, Bengals fans, but we already predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers would win the division (although that has nothing to do with fantasy football). However, there’s still room for some rookie love (or hope?).
Shipley has already displayed great return ability and solid shiftiness and route-running in the slot. While Andre Caldwell was solid in the slot last year, he’s not the receiver or slot demon Shipley is (already), and he also faded down the stretch in 2009.
Look for Shipley to carve out a very nice role with Ochocinco and T.O. helping him out, while also making an impact in both facets of the return game.
For more Fantasy Team Predictions, Fantasy Player Profiles, and weekly fantasy football advice, check out NFL Soup.
Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com
Last week, I published 19 things for you to watch in Sunday night’s Hall of Fame game. Well, here is what we learned regarding each of those issues.
Note: Let’s remember this is just one preseason game. Some things we learned are useful (such as the fact that John Phillips, before he tore his ACL, may have been the Cowboys’ most improved player), while some things we think we learned are meaningless (such as notes about play calling, which tends to be very basic this time of the year).
1. How much will the starters play?
The Cowboys starters, as predicted, stayed in the game for one series. The lone exception was fullback Deon Anderson, although he isn’t a starter per se, just the No. 1 guy at his position. I though left tackle Doug Free might get a little extra work, but he was sensational in his limited action and came out with the rest of the ones.
2. Will the first-string offense score on their first drive?
They scored, but it was just a field goal. The red zone offense stalled again, though Tony Romo said they used very “vanilla” stuff down there. Tight end Jason Witten was not targeted in four plays inside the five-yard line (although one was negated due to a defensive penalty and one was actually a designed run).
3. How will new Bengal Terrell Owens be treated by his former Dallas teammates?
Pretty well, in fact. Owens spent a good amount of time with many of his former Cowboys teammates on Saturday, including Roy Williams, Tashard Choice, Terence Newman, Jay Ratliff, Patrick Crayton, and Martellus Bennett.
On the other hand, it doesn’t look like Owens and Romo will be exchanging gifts at Christmas.
4. How will Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins perform against “Batman” (T.O.) and “Robin” (Chad Ochocinco)?
There really wasn’t a large enough sample size of plays to draw any conclusions about this one. T.O. caught a ball on Jenkins on a short “out” route, but that’s about it. Overall, the Cowboys’ first-team defense looked good against a potent Cincy offense.
5. Who will step up in the tight race for the fourth cornerback job?
No one particularly stepped up, although rookie Jamar Wall struggled badly. He gave up a plethora of receptions to Matt Jones and looked lost in coverage. He has an uphill battle ahead of him to make the roster.
Undrafted rookie Bryan McCann was back deep on a couple punts but never got a chance to return one. Veteran Cletis Gordon appears to have the early lead for the fourth cornerback spot.
6. How will Alan Ball tackle?
Well, he didn’t really have an opportunity. Ball didn’t make a tackle on the night, but the Bengals never really moved the ball too close to him.
7. Will Anthony Spencer, who has a bruised Achilles tendon, receive any reps?
Surprisingly, yes. Spencer started and played the first series.
8. If Spencer doesn’t start, who will replace him: Victor Butler or Brandon Williams?
Spencer’s start meant we couldn’t determine whether Butler or Williams would have been his primary backup, although Butler is listed as the second-string strong side outside linebacker. Williams initially figured to be superior against the run, but Butler showed marked improvement over last year’s poor missed tackle rate. He chased down ball-carriers from the weak side multiple times, displaying tremendous pursuit. Butler also appears to have added some muscle.
9. Will either Robert Brewster or Sam Young, both of whom have played well at offensive tackle during training camp, step up in their first game action?
Neither player shined, although Brewster really played poorly. He got dominated at both right tackle and left tackle (he moved to the left side after Alex Barron’s injury), although he did appear to be more natural on the right side. There is a possibility the Cowboys kick Brewster inside to guard if they plan to keep him on the 53-man roster.
10. Will left tackle Alex Barron limit his false starts and outperform starter Doug Free?
Barron didn’t false start, but he was heavily outperformed by Free. Barron yielded a sack and some pressure at left tackle, while starter Doug Free looked magnificent. He stoned Bengals defensive end Antwan Odom a few times and even looked comfortable in run blocking.
11. Will we see left guard Kyle Kosier play any center?
No, but his time is coming.
12. Is Titus Ryan really the No. 1 kick and punt returner?
As of now, yes. That will change once rookie Dez Bryant returns from his high ankle sprain, but right now Ryan is the guy. He had a solid return of the opening kickoff, showing some burst and “wiggle,” but he looked uneasy fielding punts.
13. How will David Buehler perform on both field goals and kickoffs?
Despite going three-of-four on field goals, Buehler struggled. He missed a 49-yard attempt by a mile and even his made field goals didn’t look great. None of them were longer than 34 yards and a couple just snuck in the uprights. He also almost missed an extra point.
On kickoffs, Buehler looked phenomenal once again. His five kickoffs traveled to the six-yard line, two yards deep, five yards deep, six yards deep, and out of the back of the end zone.
14. How will offensive coordinator Jason Garrett use tight end/H-Back John Phillips?
Early and often. Phillips was the Cowboys’ offensive MVP before going down with a torn ACL. It is really unfortunate for a player who was coming on so strong to begin the preseason.
15. Will the Cowboys run more to the weak side?
Yes! The Cowboys ran to the weak side 19.5 percent of plays last season, averaging 5.2 yards-per-carry (as opposed to just 4.7 on strong side runs).
Dallas ran to the weak side seven times for 37 yards (5.29 yards-per-carry) on Sunday night. They ran to the strong side 14 times for 30 yards (2.14 yards-per-carry). The rest of the runs came in balanced formations, and thus there was no strong or weak side.
The sample size is obviously small, but a weak side run rate of 33.3 percent is a huge jump from last season. We will see how much the Cowboys continue to run to the weak side the rest of the preseason.
Note: I am not counting a scramble by Stephen McGee for six yards into these totals.
16. How many plays will the Cowboys run out of “Double Tight Right Strong Right”?
The good news is the Cowboys only ran three plays out of “Double Tight Strong.” Last season, they lined up in the formation over seven times a game.
The bad news is the play calling from the formation has not yet changed. The Cowboys ran a strong side dive on all three plays from “Double Tight Strong.” Here is my in-depth analysis of Dallas’ 2009 usage of the formation. Last season, they ran that same strong side dive on 71.6 percent of all plays from “Double Tight Strong.”
17. How often (and when) will Dallas run play-action passes?
Dallas ran six play-action passes on Sunday night out of 44 total pass plays (13.6 percent). That fits well with the 15.1 percent rate from last season.
Two of the six play-action passes were screens. If you remember from my study on the Cowboys’ 2009 play-action passes, the screen rate more than tripled following a play-fake (from 7.1 percent on non-play-action passes to 22.9 percent on play-action passes). That trend may be here to stay.
Dallas also yielded one sack on a play-action pass against the Bengals.
18. What will the Cowboys do in the red zone to improve?
Well, not much, but it is only one game. I completed a study detailing why teams should run more inside the 10-yard line, but the Cowboys passed three straight times while inside the five during their first drive.
However, the Cowboys did have one 1st and Goal run play nullified due to a defensive penalty (and a Felix Jones fumbled), and they actually called a pass play on the subsequent 1st and Goal from the two-yard line. Romo attempted a back shoulder fade to Roy Williams, though, and overthrew him.
Jason Witten was also not out in a route on two of the three “Goal-To-Go” pass plays, although the first one was a designed run, so we obviously wouldn’t expect him to be in a route. He stayed in to block on 2nd and Goal, then went out into a route on 3rd and Goal.
19. Will the ‘Boys run more on 3rd down?
These statistics are of course very situational with the limited sample size, but Dallas ran three times on 3rd down–twice with a single yard-to-go and once on 3rd and 6. The Cowboys converted only one of the three plays for a first down.
Despite their failures against Cincy, I still think the ‘Boys should run more on third down.
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Note: I have just finished breaking down Sunday’s game film and I will be posting final observations and player grades tonight/tomorrow.
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