By Rainer Sabin Follow @RainerSabinDMN rsabin@dallasnews.com
Staff Writer
Published: 06 October 2015 05:48 PM
Updated: 07 October 2015 12:03 PM
Related
IRVING -- The excitement about Christine Michael began to swell immediately after Seattle shipped him to Dallas for a conditional 2016 seventh-round pick last month. The fervor increased in the days leading up to last Sunday, when he was activated by the Cowboys for the first time.
Could the former second-round choice help solve the problems experienced by the Cowboys' running game? Could he make any kind of measurable impact?
But for 53 minutes and 23 seconds fans those questions went unanswered. He stood on the sideline of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, waiting for an opportunity. Then he got one with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Situation? Third-and-1 at the Dallas 39-yard line with the Cowboys trailing 20-13.
Michael took the handoff, leaned left and then cut right into the teeth of New Orleans' defense. Before Michael could even get back to the line of scrimmage, he was stopped by Bobby Richardson and Brandon Browner for a one-yard loss.
The play never looked as if it would succeed. The Saints had eight players stacked near the line of scrimmage, because they had to figure that Michael, a bruiser, would get the ball if the Cowboys were using him now for the first time with one yard separating Dallas from a first down. In fact, Browner was in the right spot to tackle Michael because he moved back towards the middle, following Cowboys receiver Devin Street when he was sent in motion to settle in behind tight end Jason Witten.
Chalk this up as a mistake by the Cowboys' coaches, who put Michael in a position to fail on his first carry since joining the team.
Why would they wait until a crucial, pressure-packed moment late in the game to unveil Michael when they go out of their way to make sure their quarterbacks establish a rhythm during the scripted portion of the game plans every week? Why would they tip their hand on the play-call by deploying Michael in that particular situation, hinting at their strategy with a personnel choice?
As Jason Garrett said, "we really had him as our short-yardage back."
That was obvious to everyone, including Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Sure, players are supposed to execute at the NFL level. But coaches are expected to give them the best chance to succeed, too. Garrett and his assistants didn't do that for Michael, and everybody paid the price for it.
Staff Writer
Published: 06 October 2015 05:48 PM
Updated: 07 October 2015 12:03 PM
Related
IRVING -- The excitement about Christine Michael began to swell immediately after Seattle shipped him to Dallas for a conditional 2016 seventh-round pick last month. The fervor increased in the days leading up to last Sunday, when he was activated by the Cowboys for the first time.
Could the former second-round choice help solve the problems experienced by the Cowboys' running game? Could he make any kind of measurable impact?
But for 53 minutes and 23 seconds fans those questions went unanswered. He stood on the sideline of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, waiting for an opportunity. Then he got one with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter. The Situation? Third-and-1 at the Dallas 39-yard line with the Cowboys trailing 20-13.
Michael took the handoff, leaned left and then cut right into the teeth of New Orleans' defense. Before Michael could even get back to the line of scrimmage, he was stopped by Bobby Richardson and Brandon Browner for a one-yard loss.
The play never looked as if it would succeed. The Saints had eight players stacked near the line of scrimmage, because they had to figure that Michael, a bruiser, would get the ball if the Cowboys were using him now for the first time with one yard separating Dallas from a first down. In fact, Browner was in the right spot to tackle Michael because he moved back towards the middle, following Cowboys receiver Devin Street when he was sent in motion to settle in behind tight end Jason Witten.
Chalk this up as a mistake by the Cowboys' coaches, who put Michael in a position to fail on his first carry since joining the team.
Why would they wait until a crucial, pressure-packed moment late in the game to unveil Michael when they go out of their way to make sure their quarterbacks establish a rhythm during the scripted portion of the game plans every week? Why would they tip their hand on the play-call by deploying Michael in that particular situation, hinting at their strategy with a personnel choice?
As Jason Garrett said, "we really had him as our short-yardage back."
That was obvious to everyone, including Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
Sure, players are supposed to execute at the NFL level. But coaches are expected to give them the best chance to succeed, too. Garrett and his assistants didn't do that for Michael, and everybody paid the price for it.
