week 7 preview & an article on the cowboys' defense

[Murphy3]

Dr. J's NFL Outlook for Week Seven

Dr. J Gallardo - SilverStarDigest.com
October 17, 2003 at 3:38am ET
Last Week: (11-3)
Season Totals: (57-31)

Anyone else wondering which old school Dick Vermeil and Bill Parcells attended and which old school Dan Reeves and Marty Schottenheimer went? Because I'm pretty damn sure that it couldn't have been the same one, not the way Reeves and Schottenheimer seem to be going the way of the Dodo...

Baltimore at Cincinnati
Marvin Lewis gets his first look at his old defense as the Bengals head coach. His team is improving, but they aren't ready yet. Ravens win.


Dallas at Detroit
How 'bout dem Cowboys? Bill Parcells has his team believing in his system. And why not? Dallas stays hot with a win.

Denver at Minnesota
Jake Plummer may not be ready for the game. Daunte Culpepper could be. I like the Vikings at home and with this offense.

Green Bay at St. Louis
The Packers blew two leads of 14 and 17 points twice against the Chiefs. Now, they'll get another shot at the same offense, only faster. Going with the Rams in a game where the over should be about 90 points.

New England at Miami
The AFC East heats up with this matchup between two tough defenses. I'm going with the Dolphins on this one. I don't think Tom Brady can repeat his 8 of 21, 112 yard performance last week and expect his team to win again.

New Orleans at Atlanta
Can anyone tell me where exactly the Falcons got their lone win of the year, better yet, tell me how? Saints win.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants
The Eagles and Giants have both been struggling on the offensive side of the ball and both their QBs have been right in the middle of it. Which team will find it's way back first? I'll say that it's the Eagles. Let's see if Rush was really right when he said the Eagles defense was the key to their success.

San Diego at Cleveland
The Browns are suddenly looking at .500 and need a win to stay within a game of first in the AFC North. The Chargers are just looking for their first win in nearly a calendar year. Browns stay hot with William Green running through a hapless Chargers defense.

Tennessee at Carolina
Are the Panthers the NFL's best team? They'll get a big test for their defense when perhaps the NFL's best QB, Steve McNair comes to town. But so far, this gritty Panthers team has taken on all comers and all challenges. Tough game, but I'll pick the Panthers to win.

N.Y. Jets at Houston
The Jets just manhandled Drew Bledsoe last week with seven sacks. David Carr better take his Advil. Jets win their second straight.

Chicago at Seattle
If the Cubs were in the World Series this Sunday, would anyone care what happens to these Bears? Look for Seattle to win easily and look for Rex Grossman to start next week against Detroit.

Tampa Bay at San Francisco
I'd like to see Terrell Owens go ballistic this week when his offense can't get a yard against this raging Buccaneers defense. Bucs win.

Washington at Buffalo
The Bills looked like the NFL's best team after two weeks, but then have been squashed offensively. The Redskins have been up and down, mainly due to their inability to keep Patrick Ramsey upright. I like the Redskins in what should be a very entertaining game.

ABC Monday Night Football
Kansas City at Oakland
Want to know what's wrong with the Raiders? Watch Monday night and count how many times you can guess the play when Rich Gannon steps behind center. The Chiefs haven't played exceptionally well on defense, but with the predictability of the Raiders' offense and their lack of speed in the wide receiving corps, the Chiefs should have no problem staying undefeated.

Dr. J's weekly predictions come out every Friday on the Insiders Sports Network.

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[Murphy3]

Dallas' aggressive defense making things happen

By STEPHEN HAWKINS, AP Sports Writer
October 16, 2003
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- The Dallas Cowboys are not afraid to blitz from start to finish.

This isn't last year's defense that seemed to live by the ``bend, but don't break'' philosophy. Yet there are eight starters back from last season.

``We're a little bit more aggressive,'' 12th-year safety Darren Woodson, the only remaining Cowboy with three Super Bowl rings, said Wednesday. ``I'm seeing it moreso this year than in the past, especially in crucial situations.''


In Dallas' 23-21 win over Philadelphia on Sunday, the Eagles started their final drive near midfield with a minute to go. Instead of being careful, the Cowboys blitzed on three straight plays -- two incomplete passes, the first with Donovan McNabb under heavy pressure, followed by a game-clinching sack and fumble.

``We're not sitting back and waiting for them, for the offense to dictate what they are going to do to us,'' said tackle La'Roi Glover, who recovered the fumble. ``We're attacking the line of scrimmage. ... That is an attitude change, and that's a mentality change.''

Three blitzes in a row with the game on the line.

``It was a gutsy call,'' Woodson said. ``You really have to have some confidence in your players to call it.''

With four straight wins, the Cowboys (4-1) are feeling confident. They play Sunday in Detroit (1-4).

Dallas is second in the NFL, and leads the NFC, allowing just 259 yards a game. The Cowboys have five interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

Last season, Dallas lost seven games after leading or being tied in the fourth quarter and finished 5-11 for the third straight year. The Cowboys opened this season with a 27-13 loss to Atlanta, which without quarterback Michael Vick clinched the game with a late 14-play, 75-yard drive that took 8 1/2 minutes.

``From that point on, we've gotten a lot more aggressive and played better,'' Woodson said.

Coach Bill Parcells talks every week with fourth-year defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, one of only a handful of carry-overs from the previous staff, about the philosophy of the defense.

``I've got to get a sense of a team, and I'm sensing the team likes to be aggressive now,'' Parcells said. ``He knows I want some pressure defenses ready in the game.''

Second-year safety Roy Williams keeps coming up with jarring hits. NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith left in his return to Dallas with a broken shoulder blade after taking a shot from Williams.

The Cowboys also able to be aggressive because of the continued development of cornerbacks Terence Newman, this year's No. 1 draft pick, Mario Edwards and Pete Hunter. And they hope soon to get Derek Ross back from a knee injury.

``Some of it is a mind-set. When we've got a team down, go for the throat,'' Edwards said. ``The coaches had to get comfortable in the corners before blitzing like this, like we wanted to do.''

[LRB]

The Cowboys D definitely looks more agressive than anytime in recent history. I remember being very surprised, howbeit pleasantly surprised, with the last 3 blitzes las Sunday. I gotta say I really like the agressive style versus the bend but don't break style. The latter is to close to the prevent defense which IMO only prevents your from winning.