Cowboys @ Pats all-22 rewatch thread

[PP2]

Welcome to the analysis only thread. No hot takes allowed in here. Plenty of other threads for that.

Please be civil. Feel free to critique the play or disagree, but please don't become personal or start attacking each other.

Also, this thread is not some sort of "exclusive club." Everyone is welcomed to participate, to post an analytical tweet that's relevant, or to post original analysis, or a clip from the game.

Above all, if you don't understand something, whether it be terminology or concept, etc. Please ask!

 

[PP2]

While discussing the finer points of this game, let's remember how bad the weather was, last night. It was very windy, especially N to S, and raining hard. The thing to remember is that it wasn't just windy, it was also gusty, which is a lot more difficult to deal with. The wind was very inconsistent.

So a sloppy game was to be expected- have to be careful about placing blame. BB was in fact happy with the effort of his team, so happy he gave them another Victory Monday, twice in a row. That's unheard of.

 

[PP2]

No idea why Orlovsky is @'ing Mark Wahlberg who knows absolutely **** about football.

 

[PP2]

 

[PP2]

Our running game received a massive boost with the return of Wynn whose speed and athleticism gets him to the second level very easily- this was what was missing with Newhouse who moves with the speed of a bulldozer in reverse.

Now if Shaq could only get back to being 100%, our run game would be back. He was on and off the injury report with a calf issue. I suspect he is dealing with a muscle tear.

 

[PP2]

Hard to see here, but you have to notice how Slater was moved inside and tucked in between Calhoun and Bolden, overloading on the right side blocking-wise, creating a hole for Ebner, and leaving Slater on a one-on-one with their weakest blocker, so the personal protector, Heath, ends up in a pick-your-poison situation (he picked Ebner). Once again exploiting a tendency they saw on tape.

 

[luuked]

Our running game received a massive boost with the return of Wynn whose speed and athleticism gets him to the second level very easily- this was what was missing with Newhouse who moves with the speed of a bulldozer in reverse.

I think it was @reamer posting a couple Michel highlights in the postgame thread and in one you could see the athleticism of Wynn in action.

He wasn't blocking at the point of attack as the run went through the right B gap but he almost crossed the first down line at the same time as Michel. It was like a 10yd run. Pretty good stuff.

 

[luuked]

Hard to see here, but you have to notice how Slater was moved inside and tucked in between Calhoun and Bolden, overloading on the right side blocking-wise, creating a hole for Ebner, and leaving Slater on a one-on-one with their weakest blocker, so the personal protector, Heath, ends up in a pick-your-poison situation (he picked Ebner). Once again exploiting a tendency they saw on tape.

I never get tired saying it. I love the attention to detail out coaching stuff has. Plays like this are the flipside to things that dont work and objectively look unorthodox.

I'd rather faceplant a couple times when things dont work out as long as it means continuing to try to find ways to attack.

Sometimes you can confuse poorly coached opponents by not fielding a return player.

 

[PP2]

 

[SammyBlueCat]

The Cowboys were able to run the ball on offense.
I gather this was the old Giants vs Bills strategy from 1991.

 

[PP2]

The Cowboys were able to run the ball on offense.
I gather this was the old Giants vs Bills strategy from 1991.

They have one of the best RB's in the game and a pretty formidable OL. We were never going to stop them, just slow them down and we did. Held him to around 4 YPC and zero TD's.

 

[Kontradiction]

The Cowboys played a lot more man than they usually do against us. Posters were questioning why the Patriots were trying more stuff over the middle. C1 chokes that off because you’re always going to have a body near or in the middle hook. They essentially dared the Patriots to beat them deep and we couldn’t.

 

[venecol]

On the only pass to Watson, did he run the wrong route or was Brady trying to keep it away from the safety. Watson was open and could've had a big gain.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

The Cowboys played a lot more man than they usually do against us. Posters were questioning why the Patriots were trying more stuff over the middle. C1 chokes that off because you’re always going to have a body near or in the middle hook. They essentially dared the Patriots to beat them deep and we couldn’t.

Cleve, Phila & others had success when they ran it too. Been a constant throughout the year but hasn't killed us.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

On the only pass to Watson, did he run the wrong route or was Brady trying to keep it away from the safety. Watson was open and could've had a big gain.

Throwing it away from the safety. Watson misread the coverage, IMO, turning the wrong way, toward the defender rather than away, where he would have had leverage.

 

[sean10mm]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the blocking looked way better with Wynn in. Too bad they had to play with 2 out of the top 3 receivers out in a typhoon, but it's hard to fault them too much when nobody on either side could catch reliably.

If Wynn can stay in and they can just get some health/stability at WR I think the future prospects of this offense look pretty good based on that game in spite of it being a just waterlogged slog at first glance.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Can't wait for A22. I noticed the Wynn play DO talked abt as it happened but honestly saw a few other little things that stood out too. His athleticism was jumping off the screen all game. Esp climbing or just exploding to the 2nd level.
Look how quick he gets there. Gets underneath, right under 38's pits & it's over. We leave Quinn unblocked. That's Sony's man to beat & he jukes him w ease behind the los. Meyers does a terrible job getting his hands on Jones & Sony beats him outside as well.

The small things though right? Check the 2nd angle of the play. Wynn gets tight almost like he's going in w Thuney on a combo. Closes out any space & gives a lil booty bump at the end. Not sure if he even made contact but the intent was there. Not as significant as the last play DO highlights but speaks to the type of player you get w Wynn. Smart, aware, hard worker. Man his feet were moving all game



3rd play takes Quinn for a ride.

 

[PP2]

 

[WaterfallJumper]

People forget Quinn was a MONSTER coming out of college and is one of the few players in NFL history to approach 20 sacks (19 his best year). Good feet from Wynn.

Even better pocket movement from Brady, however. For those who say he's the problem, I can't disagree enough. He's playing at close to the same level he's always played at, but he's more willing to throw the ball away these days when there's nothing there. Now that his OL is giving him more opportunities, we're going to see an uptick in stats, but that doesn't mean his play has regressed. Too many extenuating circumstances. He's still SB caliber.

 

[NG Pats Fan]

Wynn has the best feet in the patriots organization...like his talent.