Dallas Cowboys-Making The Grade
By Michael Huff
As the character known as the stranger said in the movie The Big Lebowski, “sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes, well, he eats you”. Well, the Dallas Cowboys ate the bear in New Jersey, but the bear definitely ate them last Sunday. All is not lost though.
Sept 16, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin (19) fails to catch a batted pass against Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29), cornerback Marcus Trufant (23) and cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE
Below you will see grades from my exclusive grading system that shows things in a new perspective.
Quarterback: Tony Romo made incomplete passes on the run all day and picked up a dropped premature shotgun snap, but he threw a touchdown pass and only one interception! And he was not distracted by any women in the stands wearing pink Romo jerseys. No injuries. Grade A+
Running backs: DeMarco Murray made the tackle on the Romo interception. Felix Jones hardly touched the ball on offense, and that’s a good thing, but he did stumble to the ground to end the game, or maybe his career. You don’t hear Lawrence Vickers’ name called for making a good play, but you don’t hear it on penalties either. No injuries. Grade A
Tight ends: Jason Witten let four balls hit the ground, but not his spleen, and John Philips made a catch. No injuries. Grade A
Wide receivers: Press coverage by the Seattle Seahawks super-sized corners made for a tough day for the Cowboys’ receivers. Dez Bryant had several drops and a fumble, but he didn’t get sued or charged with any crimes. Miles Austin made it through the game without tearing a hamstring and had one of his better games. Kevin Ogletree looked like the number two receiver compared to Dez’s performance. No injuries. Grade A+
Offensive line: The line did not protect Romo well and did not provide running room for DeMarco Murray, but overall penalties were down and they didn’t get penalized for any horse collar tackles. No injuries. Grade A-
Defensive line: The Seahawks pounded them with a heavy dose of Marshawn Lynch in the second half, gaining a lot of yards, but hey, there were tired! A couple of players were injured and Jay Ratliff does not appear to be ready to play. Grade C
Linebackers: Sean Lee took a big helmet to helmet hit from Golden Tate, but showed restraint by not ripping Tate’s head off afterwards. And Lee was able to come back into the game. Bruce Carter dropped a potential interception, but he was in position to get one! Yes, Dan Connor still sucks. Anthony Spencer actually sacked the quarterback (yes, he really did). Did DeMarcus Ware have a bye week, or was it just an off week? No significant injuries. Grade A
Sept 16, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett walks the sideline during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE
Defensive backs: I hear Mike Jenkins played, don’t recall seeing him though. We need to use the powers of invisibility he possesses to our advantage. Morris Claiborne, Orlando Scandrick and Brandon Carr didn’t get any interceptions, but none of the Seattle wideouts scored a touchdown either. Safety Danny McCray went inside, when he should have remained outside, leading to a 16 yard run by Seattle. Gerald Sensabaugh and Barry Church both left the game with injuries. Grade C
Special teams: Felix Jones fumbled on the opening kickoff, but it only resulted in a field goal. On ensuing kickoffs he tried to run it out from deep in the end-zone, making it to about the 15 yard line as an average. But he only fumbled one time! Dez dropped a punt, but was able to recover it. Dan Connor missed his block on the punt attempt causing the kick to be blocked and Leon Washington didn’t have any big returns for the Seahawks. The rest of the Cowboys’ many punts were not blocked! No injuries. Grade A-
Coaches: They were not able to adjust to what Seattle was doing to them, but Garret continues to be a good model for Cowboys’ apparel and Rob Ryan got a haircut. Grade A
Extreme Cowboys’ writers and fans: It’s all over after one loss! Really? Grade F