OFFICIAL GDT - COWBOYS vs BUCCANNEERS!!! - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Underdog · 10-26-2008, 01:21 AM

Buccaneers vs. Cowboys
Losing Streak Must End Against High-Flying Bucs

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GAME SET
WHAT: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) at Dallas Cowboys (4-3)
WHEN: Sunday, Noon (CDT)
WHERE: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
TELEVISION: Fox (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa)

BIG ISSUE: The Cowboys need to win this one. After dropping a clunker to the Rams last week, they've lost all room for error in terms of winning games while starting quarterback Tony Romo is out with a broken pinkie. Dallas is mired in third place in the NFC East behind the Giants and Redskins. The best-case scenario on Sunday would be a Cowboys win coupled with losses by both Washington (to winless Detroit - not likely to happen) and New York (to one-loss Pittsburgh - this game's a toss-up). That would place the Cowboys in a tie for second place with the Redskins (although Washington would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker) and within a half-game of the Giants again.

Things are a lot better for the Buccaneers than for the Cowboys right now. Tampa Bay is sitting at the top of their division at 5-2 with Carolina, and is tied for the second-best record in the NFC. Still, the Bucs can't afford a loss to drop them back into the pack. The Falcons are sitting a half-game back at 4-2, which nobody would have predicted. And the Saints (3-4) are much better than their record suggests. If all three of the other NFC South teams win and the Bucs lose, they suddenly go from first to third - a game behind Carolina and a half-game behind Atlanta.

NUMBERS, PLEASE: Cowboys running back Marion Barber ranks 10th in the league in yards per game with 77. The Buccaneers defense ranks 10th in rushing yards per game with 91.6. Barber has scored five times on the ground; the Bucs have yet to allow a rushing touchdown. Something's got to give on Sunday. The Buccaneers secondary is a veteran one, and it's moxie has shown in it's interception total - Tampa Bay is second to only Green Bay with 12 picks. The Cowboys, by comparison, are second-to-last with two. The Bucs' leader, though, is not a seasoned veteran, but a rookie cornerback Aqib Talib, who has three.

ONE-ON-ONE: The Buccaneers hardly have one guy who makes the rest of the offense go, but if forced to choose, it'd have to be running back Earnest Graham. Although he splits carries with Warrick Dunn, who has run for just 33 fewer yards, Graham is the back the Bucs rely on to score - he has four touchdowns to Dunn's one. Neither back is really used as a passing threat, so it will fall on Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff to clog up the middle enough to make Graham a non-factor. When he splits carries with Dunn, Graham sometimes serves as a lead blocker for the former Falcon, and possibly even more this Sunday with fullback B.J. Askew unlikely to play. That makes it even more imperative Ratliff become disruptive at the line of scrimmage, closing any holes that might open. But Dunn is listed as questionable for the game, so Graham could receive the lion's share of the carries.

How long do you think defenses can actually keep Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens down? Buccaneers corners Ronde Barber and Phillip Buchanon intend to find out. Teams have essentially taken Owens out by playing the Tampa 2 defense the Bucs have perfected, which uses man coverage on Owens underneath and a safety over the top. The safety helps allow the corner to jam Owens at the line of scrimmage, and by the time he gets past the jam, the quarterback has moved on to a different read. But this time the Buccaneers secondary will have to deal with a threat on the other side of the field - wide receiver Roy Williams. Williams, traded for last week from Detroit, has had the benefit of another week of practice, and should record his first catch on Sunday. More catches for Williams will likely mean more for Owens, since teams will have to pay equal attention to both receivers.

SUPPORTING ROLE: As for the other Roy Williams, the safety, he's out for the season since the Cowboys placed him on injured reserve earlier in the week with a broken arm. That means sixth-year safety Keith Davis will again be called on to fill the void. Davis is very similar to Williams in a few respects - for one, he's a punishing hitter on the run. But, unlike Williams, he's also shown flashes of playmaking ability in pass coverage - see his two-point conversion-saving pass deflection on Cincinnati's Ben Utecht three weeks ago. Fellow safety Pat Watkins should finally play on Sunday after missing time with a bulging disc in his neck, but likely only on special teams. Then Courtney Brown will come in for Davis on the sub-packages so Davis can stay fresh for special teams, where he's a captain and emotional leader.

Cowboys fans will see a familiar face lining up at receiver on Sunday, although in a different uniform than they're used to. Very quietly, former Cowboys receiver Antonio Bryant has led the Bucs with 31 catches for 406 yards - twice as many as the next guy, Ike Hilliard. Hilliard and another former Cowboys receiver, Joey Galloway, are usually Tampa Bay's top two receiving threats, but both are questionable for Sunday's game. That would make Bryant the top receiving option. Bryant has a healthy yards-per-catch average at 13.1, but that's kind of distorted from last week's six-catch, 115-yard day against Seattle. Still, against a Cowboys secondary depleted by injuries, Bryant could have another career day at Texas Stadium, just not in the jersey he's used to.

HEADSET GAMES: You can't ask Cowboys backup quarterback Brad Johnson to win games for you - that much is evident from last week's 34-14 loss to the Rams. The Cowboys got behind early and Johnson isn't the kind of quick-strike passer who will get a team back into a game in a short amount of time. Therefore, the Cowboys must beat the Buccaneers at their own game - ball control. Marion Barber will be the focus of the offense for most of the day, and will receive little relief from rookie Tashard Choice until late in the game. Barber did manage a 100-yard rushing day last week, but his production, like the rest of the team's, faded as the game progressed. The Cowboys will need Barber to be his strongest at the end of the game, and that means the offensive line will have to be at its best in the final frame as well.

The Cowboys defense will go back to the basics against the Buccaneers. Nickel linebacker Kevin Burnett said the defense will only be running about 10 plays all game, so the emphasis will be on running them well. The Bucs are a ball-control team that relies on the run, although quarterback Jeff Garcia is able to win games with his arm. The Cowboys will still aim at stopping the run first, though, because they can't afford another opponent runner to have a career day against them like last week.

HEALTH WATCH:

Cowboys
It's in or out for the Cowboys this week. And for five players - running back Felix Jones (hamstring), starting left guard Kyle Kosier (foot), starting corner Terence Newman (abdomen surgery), starting quarterback Tony Romo (broken finger) and backup outside linebacker Anthony Spencer (hamstring) - it's out. For the other five players on the injury report - nickel linebacker Kevin Burnett (calf), starting linebacker Greg Ellis (calf), starting linebacker Bradie James (elbow), backup nose tackle Tank Johnson (ankle) and backup safety Pat Watkins (neck) - they're all listed as probable and should play. And don't forget, safety Roy Williams (fractured arm) already has been placed on injured reserve and Pacman Jones is serving the second of a minimum four-game suspension.

Buccaneers
There is a chance every player on the Bucs' injury report will or won't play. Likely not to play are fullback B.J. Askew (hamstring) and wide receiver Maurice Stovall (hamstring) - both are listed as doubtful. Four players have 50-50 odds of playing and are listed as questionable - starting running back Warrick Dunn (back), starting wide receivers Joey Galloway (foot) and Ike Hilliard (head) and quarterback Brian Griese (elbow). Another four players are listed as probable, meaning they have better than even chances to play - kicker Matt Bryant (hamstring), long snapper Andrew Economos (shoulder), starting middle linebacker Barrett Rudd (knee), and starting left guard Aaron Sears (back).

Ninkobei · 10-26-2008, 01:23 AM

its the battle of old-teammates...Brad Johnson vs the Buccs and...uh, Antonio Bryant vs the Cowboys? Oh yeah, Joey Galloway too. Wonder how many touchdowns they are going to light the cowboys up for this week? If Dallas's secondary plays like they did last week, this game is going to be over in the 2nd quarter.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 09:15 AM

Damn. The Bucc's receiving core is what ours was in the Quincy era. Didn't even realize that until this game lol. Cowboys secondary should be better this week. Mike Jenkins will probably still show his youth but hey you have to live it with it. It'll benefit him in the long run. I just hope the o-line gives Brad Johnson some time to throw. Wade is coaching the defense now. No blame to place on Stewart anymore.

Cowboys 1st in the league in converting 3rd downs. The Bucc's are #2 in stopping converting on 3rd downs.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 12:13 PM

Its dead in here. I guess you can tell when the Cowboys are winning or struggling lol.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 12:17 PM

Good grief....they can't even get on page with a simple turn-in route.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 12:38 PM

I've seen enough of Brad Johnson...

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 12:48 PM

Starting to come alive finally.

BGMaverick9 · 10-26-2008, 12:48 PM

Is Johnson a turnover away from getting benched?

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 12:54 PM

His throws are just horrible. He's not even throwing it to the receiver anymore.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

His throws are just horrible. He's not even throwing it to the receiver anymore.

It's ridiculous...absolutely ridiculous. It's about a 1-4 ratio of decent to horrible throws.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 01:23 PM

The playcalling before the 2minute warning really pisses me off. They have 2and1 with 18seconds left and instead of getting up there, running it up the gut to get the first down, they wait for the 2minute warning and then go up the gut for the first down and take 30+ seconds off the clock.

Now it's 33 seconds and they are down to their last timeout. Dumbasses..

GermanDunk · 10-26-2008, 01:23 PM

Can anyone provide a good mms ?

nikeball · 10-26-2008, 01:24 PM

GO ROY!!!

He gave them the crowd the.. HOOKEM SIGN.

double nice

FINtastic · 10-26-2008, 01:24 PM

Welcome to the Dallas Cowboys Roy Williams!

BGMaverick9 · 10-26-2008, 01:25 PM

That was a nice catch, had to expect some contact coming right as he was getting the ball/coming down.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 01:25 PM

Good god....johnson can't get it in the same zipcode as those big receivers.

FINtastic · 10-26-2008, 01:26 PM

Man it doesn't have to be pretty, but if we can just find some way to squeeze out a victory today that would be so huge (as sad as it is to say that about this team).

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

It's ridiculous...absolutely ridiculous. It's about a 1-4 ratio of decent to horrible throws.

I agree. Damn. I had no clue how much Romo was worth until he got hurt. He's worth more than the 66 million Jerry gave him. Goodness. I have no faith in Brad Johnson at all. Last game everyone said he had no time in the pocket. This game you can't use that excuse. The O-line is playing pretty well and giving him time and he still can't make the throw. I guess it limits a lot of potential passes when you just sit in the pocket with no movement at all.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 01:31 PM

He's been nowhere close to receivers when he's had plenty of time. They had to have almost 4 free firstdowns to get that drive....

So who's gruden pissed at, the refs or his players. Heh...

FINtastic · 10-26-2008, 01:40 PM

Is it that the first play that Bobby Carpenter has made as a Cowboy?

FINtastic · 10-26-2008, 01:43 PM

The fact that the Cowboys ran it to Marion Barber on a 3rd and 3 pretty much says what you need to know about their confidence in Brad Johnson.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 01:46 PM

And Johnson dumps it down for nothing...Good grief

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 01:56 PM

Barber is a BEAST!

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 01:58 PM

How do you overthrow on that pass? I just don't understand. Is Bollinger this bad? Or are they trying to be loyal to Brad Johnson?

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 01:59 PM

Oh no. That could've been a TD. Dammnit. Good kick by Folk.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:01 PM

My god....ridiculous...just ridiculous.....If he weren't missing wide open throws I'd suspect he was throwing it on timing and they are off...but he's missing 'em when it's right there. If they pull this one out with him as QB...the defense deserves all of the game balls. Wow...he's horrible.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:06 PM

Anthony Henry hurt. Jesus. We have 2 rookie cornerbacks out there right now. Maybe 3 if you consider Alan Ball a rookie.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:13 PM

Sad thing is I think i'd rather let the Bucc's score 3 and get the ball on the 20 at the least than have them punt to us within the 10.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:13 PM

Barber just can't be tackled.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:20 PM

Our offense is so predictable. I can't seem to understand how can someone like Matt Cassell who hasn't started a football game since High School can come in and have success somewhat and Brad Johnson can't do anything. He hasn't made a turnover this game which is a plus but I don't think we can sit here and expect for this defense to prevent the Bucc's from scoring a td in a whole game. It could happen but I don't think you should ask the defense to do that.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:21 PM

Gotta make that play Bradie....

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:28 PM

Goodness gracious....can't get the play off in time. Cut him.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:34 PM

I tell ya one thing...I'm not sure if it's just a lot more careabout or Wade calling the defense..but the defense is putting a lot more pressure on 'em than last week. It's the way to protect those corners.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:38 PM

Wow that's probably the best thrown ball Brad has thrown this season. And that's probably been the most difficult.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:38 PM

Johnson does throw the ball on timing...I think some of the receivers aren't as used to it as well. That was a shock that it was a good throw. That's the 1 let's see the next 3.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:40 PM

Gotta go.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:41 PM

Thank you marion....you a stud.

dude1394 · 10-26-2008, 02:42 PM

Little much...the guy's good but he's not superman. That one needed a pass play.

Dtownsfinest · 10-26-2008, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dude1394

I tell ya one thing...I'm not sure if it's just a lot more careabout or Wade calling the defense..but the defense is putting a lot more pressure on 'em than last year. It's the way to protect those corners.

I don't know who was in charge but whoever the idiot was had Ellis and Ware in coverage for a large part of the game and kept wanting to rely on the line to get to the quarterback. Today we're blitzing everyone. ITs what the Chargers use to do when Wade was there. I don't like how far off our corner's are from the receivers but I don't recall being beat deep so I guess its working today anyway.

FINtastic · 10-26-2008, 02:50 PM

Dang it I wanted Ware to get that sack to continue the streak.