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Updated: August 22, 2010, 3:41 AM
Act Three
Work Left To Do As Starters' Time Increases
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
Sensabaugh injured his shoulder, though X-rays were negative.
SAN DIEGO - Two prominent preseason trends reversed Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium: the Cowboys' starting offense scored its first red zone touchdown in four tries, and the starting defense allowed its first and only points in eight series.
In between those bookends - the two results that will dominate training camp chatter for the six remaining days in Oxnard, Calif. - the Cowboys got some good and bad from their starters and backups in a 16-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Plays were made. Corrections also will need to be made. That, in a nutshell, defines preseason.
The first-team units each played deep into the first half, the most reps yet in three preseason games. Although the Chargers clearly had a more exotic game-plan on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys weren't crisp early in either area.
Protected relatively well by a makeshift offensive line, quarterback Tony Romo completed only four of 11 passes for 30 yards. He threw an interception on his sixth play from scrimmage, allowing the Chargers to break the defense's shutout streak with an 11-play, 40-yard touchdown drive.
The defense, which had allowed only 21 yards in 14 previous preseason plays, would give up 205 yards in the first half. Worse, starting inside linebacker Keith Brooking and strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh also left with shoulder injuries (Brooking's, which he called "mild," was more of a precaution; X-rays for Sensabaugh were negative but he could be held out until the regular season opener, pending further evaluation).
"The first two quarters, I'd be happy if I were San Diego than I am with the Cowboys," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said. "It looked they really came to play physically and that's something that you can do something about."
But a pair of takeaways - all offseason, a focus area for improvement - did stall two other Chargers drives inside the Dallas 20. Terence Newman intercepted Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on the game's opening series, and in the second quarter Bradie James forced a fumble that rookie safety Barry Church returned 80 yards to the San Diego 8.
Three plays later, Romo hit Miles Austin in the corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. It was a positive finish to an uneven half - one turnover, 43 total yards - and a merciful end to the offense's red zone inconsistencies dating back to last season, when they ranked 24th in efficiency (scoring points on 40 of 50 trips).
"We made some mistakes all across the board," Romo said. "Each play it seemed we had someone doing something wrong. I made a mistake, someone on the O-line made one, a receiver. It was right across the board.
"We all have to pick it up, go back and correct what we did wrong. We'll get better with it this week."
The Cowboys have seven more practices scheduled before they break camp in Oxnard and play their final two exhibition games. The Aug. 28 game at Houston is the customary "dress rehearsal," in which the starters will likely play into the second half.
When the starters took a seat Saturday night, head coach Wade Phillips saw positives from select reserves, young players and others sitting squarely on the roster bubble:
* In addition to Church's steady play in Sensabaugh's place, fellow rookie safety Danny McCray possibly earned a job with three special teams tackles and two on defense.
* Cletis Gordon, the frontrunner for the fourth cornerback spot, made a dazzling one-handed interception in the fourth quarter.
* Second-round linebacker Sean Lee and Fourth-round safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah made their NFL debuts. Lee replaced Brooking in the base and nickel defense; Owusu-Ansah had a pass breakup on defense and returned kickoffs and punts.
* Returning from a sore ankle, third-year tight end Martellus Bennett caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna in his preseason debut.
* Kitna's 10-play, 67 drive tied the game at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter. With 3:55 remaining, second-year linebacker Victor Butler produced a sack-and-forced-fumble on Chargers quarterback Jonathan Crompton, leading to a safety and the Cowboys' winning points. The defense finished with four takeaways, counting the safety.
"I didn't think we played our best early on," head coach Wade Phillips said. "But I thought we kept fighting and made plays at the end of the game."
Phillips and his staff will preach better execution this week. They still need answers on certain players in the final two games.
Following a night in which mistakes were buoyed by good effort and timely plays, the evaluation process will continue as the Sept. 12 opener approaches.
"Our team realizes what turnovers can do," Jones said. "It can take a game that you're actually not playing as well as the other team and win the ball game and I think that's a neat deal.
"This will be really great stuff to work off of for our players as we get into the week."
Act Three
Work Left To Do As Starters' Time Increases
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
Sensabaugh injured his shoulder, though X-rays were negative.
SAN DIEGO - Two prominent preseason trends reversed Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium: the Cowboys' starting offense scored its first red zone touchdown in four tries, and the starting defense allowed its first and only points in eight series.
In between those bookends - the two results that will dominate training camp chatter for the six remaining days in Oxnard, Calif. - the Cowboys got some good and bad from their starters and backups in a 16-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Plays were made. Corrections also will need to be made. That, in a nutshell, defines preseason.
The first-team units each played deep into the first half, the most reps yet in three preseason games. Although the Chargers clearly had a more exotic game-plan on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys weren't crisp early in either area.
Protected relatively well by a makeshift offensive line, quarterback Tony Romo completed only four of 11 passes for 30 yards. He threw an interception on his sixth play from scrimmage, allowing the Chargers to break the defense's shutout streak with an 11-play, 40-yard touchdown drive.
The defense, which had allowed only 21 yards in 14 previous preseason plays, would give up 205 yards in the first half. Worse, starting inside linebacker Keith Brooking and strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh also left with shoulder injuries (Brooking's, which he called "mild," was more of a precaution; X-rays for Sensabaugh were negative but he could be held out until the regular season opener, pending further evaluation).
"The first two quarters, I'd be happy if I were San Diego than I am with the Cowboys," Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said. "It looked they really came to play physically and that's something that you can do something about."
But a pair of takeaways - all offseason, a focus area for improvement - did stall two other Chargers drives inside the Dallas 20. Terence Newman intercepted Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on the game's opening series, and in the second quarter Bradie James forced a fumble that rookie safety Barry Church returned 80 yards to the San Diego 8.
Three plays later, Romo hit Miles Austin in the corner of the end zone to tie the game at 7-7. It was a positive finish to an uneven half - one turnover, 43 total yards - and a merciful end to the offense's red zone inconsistencies dating back to last season, when they ranked 24th in efficiency (scoring points on 40 of 50 trips).
"We made some mistakes all across the board," Romo said. "Each play it seemed we had someone doing something wrong. I made a mistake, someone on the O-line made one, a receiver. It was right across the board.
"We all have to pick it up, go back and correct what we did wrong. We'll get better with it this week."
The Cowboys have seven more practices scheduled before they break camp in Oxnard and play their final two exhibition games. The Aug. 28 game at Houston is the customary "dress rehearsal," in which the starters will likely play into the second half.
When the starters took a seat Saturday night, head coach Wade Phillips saw positives from select reserves, young players and others sitting squarely on the roster bubble:
* In addition to Church's steady play in Sensabaugh's place, fellow rookie safety Danny McCray possibly earned a job with three special teams tackles and two on defense.
* Cletis Gordon, the frontrunner for the fourth cornerback spot, made a dazzling one-handed interception in the fourth quarter.
* Second-round linebacker Sean Lee and Fourth-round safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah made their NFL debuts. Lee replaced Brooking in the base and nickel defense; Owusu-Ansah had a pass breakup on defense and returned kickoffs and punts.
* Returning from a sore ankle, third-year tight end Martellus Bennett caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jon Kitna in his preseason debut.
* Kitna's 10-play, 67 drive tied the game at 14-14 early in the fourth quarter. With 3:55 remaining, second-year linebacker Victor Butler produced a sack-and-forced-fumble on Chargers quarterback Jonathan Crompton, leading to a safety and the Cowboys' winning points. The defense finished with four takeaways, counting the safety.
"I didn't think we played our best early on," head coach Wade Phillips said. "But I thought we kept fighting and made plays at the end of the game."
Phillips and his staff will preach better execution this week. They still need answers on certain players in the final two games.
Following a night in which mistakes were buoyed by good effort and timely plays, the evaluation process will continue as the Sept. 12 opener approaches.
"Our team realizes what turnovers can do," Jones said. "It can take a game that you're actually not playing as well as the other team and win the ball game and I think that's a neat deal.
"This will be really great stuff to work off of for our players as we get into the week."