dbair1967
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As I said before the game, I really didn't expect us to win, but I did think we'd play well and make it a really good game. Instead, we saw yet another mistake prone effort that was 60 minutes of total shitpile defense. The special teams coverage units were awful as well (a trend that has been going on all year TBH). Offensively they were hamstrung by horrendous play from both OT's. While they didn't get blown out, the Lions win was pretty dominant in all phases. We proved once and for all that this team is nowhere near ready for postseason success and is a near lock to miss the postseason now altogether.
1) The defense literally gave this team no chance to win, again. We stopped their offense TWICE the entire game. Eberflus' level of stubbornness and just stupidity was on full display again, as after having success on a handful of plays being aggressive to start the game, he crawled back into his soft coverage and 4 man pass rush shell the remainder of the game. Goff had a field day picking apart the Cowboys cream puff zone defenses. The run defense mixed in a handful of decent stops with too many bad plays. The defense as a whole showed no aggressiveness anywhere and tackled like a bunch of fucking pussies. We have the worst safety and LB groups in the NFL, by far and the CB's usually have no chance because they are so far off the WR's/TE's. Eberflus has to be canned after the season. "Continuity" means nothing f the coaches in place are lousy. The Cowboys rank at near the bottom of the league in virtually every defensive stat, especially when it comes to pass defense. They badly need a guy with new ideas and concepts.
2) Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson stick out like sore thumbs. They are both painfully slow and have no idea how to take angles in pass defense, and now both of them suck v the run as well. Missed tackles galore and they never get to the "help" spot. Hooker somehow botched what should have been one of the easiest picks of his life by misplaying a ball into the endzone where Goff threw into double coverage. Kenneth Murray is possibly the worst starting LB we have ever had. He has the LB instincts of a turnip and is the classic example of a "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" player. Yet Eberflus plays all three of them religiously.
3) As bad as Eberflus is as a defensive coordinator, the ST Coach Nick Sorensen is right there with him. The kick coverage unit has been bad all yr and last night was beyond terrible. If a return guy like Turpin got to play vs these coverage units he'd score a TD every week. The Lions drives after a kickoff or punt started at the 36, 47, Dal 42, 29, 26, 32, 32, 41, 49. They averaged 33 yds per return on 8 kickoffs and returned their punt 21 yards. This is bad special teams. They also had more ST penalties (another boneheaded one by Turpin too) and had multiple block in the backs/holds, one wiped out a Turpin return to midfield. Sorensen was not good in his previous stint as a ST coordinator, and he is downright bad here. Like Eberflus, he needs to go.
4) The pass protection has had some ups and downs this yr but had been pretty good since the bye week. Unfortunately last night was an extremely porous effort, particularly by Nate Thomas and Steele. Prescott reportedly "looked like an 80 yr old man" getting to the locker-room after the game ended from the beating he went through. Was sacked 5 times total, but EASILY could have been sacked 10 times or more and took some huge hits on plays he did get the ball off on. Detroit was credited with pressures on nearly 40% of drop backs and I am sure that number is going to be revised upward upon a detailed review. This is really perplexing because the Lions had next to NO pass rush for the last month or so and had notched only 4 sacks in their previous 4 games combined. Steele should be benched for good now when Guyton returns, and they really need to think about starting someone else on that side.
5) Javonte Williams has had a really, really good yr and is a quality all around back, but several of the Cowboy reporters commented before and after the game that all the usage has started to take a toll and he has slowed down quite a bit. You can definitely see he doesn't have quite the same "giddy up" through these holes now. His career high in touches is 264 and he is already at 248 with 4 games to play, he's obviously tired. Really hope we bring him back next yr but whether they do or don't getting a talented RB to pair with him (or assume the #1 role) has to be a priority.
6) Prescott obviously was not great, he had a few off target throws and ultimately had two picks (the pick 6 was not really on him), but he got zero help last night from anyone other than Lamb or Flournoy. We needed him to be almost perfect to have a decent chance to win, and he wasn't. No QB should have to play this way every damn game. You really have to wonder how many more "really" good years Prescott has at this point, finding the next QB has to be a priority for them in 26 or 27.
7) Ferguson and Bland both got prioritized to get contract extensions after the Parsons trade and while Ferguson's overall numbers are decent enough, he's had far too many bad plays (fumbles, drops, missed blocks or dumb penalties) considering what he got. He also isnt much of a threat to stretch the seams (his 7.4 yds per catch is one of the lowest in the league for a starting TE) Bland is one of the more hot or cold players we have. He's either good or really bad, and last night was another "really bad" game for him. In the case of Ferguson, it was noted after the game he had zero fumbles in his first 35 career games but has had a whopping 7 in the last 25. Bland was a real ball hawk his first two seasons, but now hardly ever gets his hands on a football.
8) On the good side, Brandon The Robot Aubrey set another league record last night with most 55+ FG's made in one game. Did nearly miss a short one but nailed the other three easily (57, 55 and 63). Lamb was having another huge game and might have went for 200+ had he not got a concussion early in the 2nd half. Second straight great game from him after the Eagles debacle and a dropped gimmee TD v Raiders. Ryan Flournoy went off for 9 catches/115 yds and a TD, his 2nd 100+ yd game of the season even though he is the 4th WR on the depth chart. Very bright future for him.
9) Schottenheimer has more good than bad this yr, but last night was another bad one IMO. Ranked right up there with the Bronco and Cards game debacles in terms of poor in game decisions and poor game planning in general. I thought kicking the FG before halftime on 4th and 3 inside the Lions 40 was pretty lame, and the defense easily gave up the get back FG right after anyway. I also thought it was odd that early in the game they seemed to be forcing the ball to Flournoy despite having Lamb and Pickens both out there vs a severely depleted Lions secondary. Then he challened a play thinking the Lions player was out of bounds, lost the challenge and lost a timeout. Just calling TO at that point would have served the same thing and because it was a lost challenge the clock didnt stop, forcing a 10 second run off. He's botched several challenges (or non challenges) now. Also at some point as HC you also have to direct your other coaches to do something different. Eberflus coached a fucking horrible game and I didnt see Schottenheimer say one word to him. Why didnt he tell that idiot Sorensen to just have Aubrey kickoff into the endzone? How many near broken long returns do you need to see? Terrance Steele and Nate Thomas were damn near Chaz Green last night and neither was ever removed from the game.
Season is essentially over, even though blubbering drunk Jones will insist "there's still a chance at the postseason!". One more loss will definitely end the season though and at that point they really need to focus on seeing young players in real game action. Seeing Joe Milton get a couple starts would be a positive, benching or releasing completely lousy players like Hooker, D Wilson, Murray and Steele needs to happen.
1) The defense literally gave this team no chance to win, again. We stopped their offense TWICE the entire game. Eberflus' level of stubbornness and just stupidity was on full display again, as after having success on a handful of plays being aggressive to start the game, he crawled back into his soft coverage and 4 man pass rush shell the remainder of the game. Goff had a field day picking apart the Cowboys cream puff zone defenses. The run defense mixed in a handful of decent stops with too many bad plays. The defense as a whole showed no aggressiveness anywhere and tackled like a bunch of fucking pussies. We have the worst safety and LB groups in the NFL, by far and the CB's usually have no chance because they are so far off the WR's/TE's. Eberflus has to be canned after the season. "Continuity" means nothing f the coaches in place are lousy. The Cowboys rank at near the bottom of the league in virtually every defensive stat, especially when it comes to pass defense. They badly need a guy with new ideas and concepts.
2) Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson stick out like sore thumbs. They are both painfully slow and have no idea how to take angles in pass defense, and now both of them suck v the run as well. Missed tackles galore and they never get to the "help" spot. Hooker somehow botched what should have been one of the easiest picks of his life by misplaying a ball into the endzone where Goff threw into double coverage. Kenneth Murray is possibly the worst starting LB we have ever had. He has the LB instincts of a turnip and is the classic example of a "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane" player. Yet Eberflus plays all three of them religiously.
3) As bad as Eberflus is as a defensive coordinator, the ST Coach Nick Sorensen is right there with him. The kick coverage unit has been bad all yr and last night was beyond terrible. If a return guy like Turpin got to play vs these coverage units he'd score a TD every week. The Lions drives after a kickoff or punt started at the 36, 47, Dal 42, 29, 26, 32, 32, 41, 49. They averaged 33 yds per return on 8 kickoffs and returned their punt 21 yards. This is bad special teams. They also had more ST penalties (another boneheaded one by Turpin too) and had multiple block in the backs/holds, one wiped out a Turpin return to midfield. Sorensen was not good in his previous stint as a ST coordinator, and he is downright bad here. Like Eberflus, he needs to go.
4) The pass protection has had some ups and downs this yr but had been pretty good since the bye week. Unfortunately last night was an extremely porous effort, particularly by Nate Thomas and Steele. Prescott reportedly "looked like an 80 yr old man" getting to the locker-room after the game ended from the beating he went through. Was sacked 5 times total, but EASILY could have been sacked 10 times or more and took some huge hits on plays he did get the ball off on. Detroit was credited with pressures on nearly 40% of drop backs and I am sure that number is going to be revised upward upon a detailed review. This is really perplexing because the Lions had next to NO pass rush for the last month or so and had notched only 4 sacks in their previous 4 games combined. Steele should be benched for good now when Guyton returns, and they really need to think about starting someone else on that side.
5) Javonte Williams has had a really, really good yr and is a quality all around back, but several of the Cowboy reporters commented before and after the game that all the usage has started to take a toll and he has slowed down quite a bit. You can definitely see he doesn't have quite the same "giddy up" through these holes now. His career high in touches is 264 and he is already at 248 with 4 games to play, he's obviously tired. Really hope we bring him back next yr but whether they do or don't getting a talented RB to pair with him (or assume the #1 role) has to be a priority.
6) Prescott obviously was not great, he had a few off target throws and ultimately had two picks (the pick 6 was not really on him), but he got zero help last night from anyone other than Lamb or Flournoy. We needed him to be almost perfect to have a decent chance to win, and he wasn't. No QB should have to play this way every damn game. You really have to wonder how many more "really" good years Prescott has at this point, finding the next QB has to be a priority for them in 26 or 27.
7) Ferguson and Bland both got prioritized to get contract extensions after the Parsons trade and while Ferguson's overall numbers are decent enough, he's had far too many bad plays (fumbles, drops, missed blocks or dumb penalties) considering what he got. He also isnt much of a threat to stretch the seams (his 7.4 yds per catch is one of the lowest in the league for a starting TE) Bland is one of the more hot or cold players we have. He's either good or really bad, and last night was another "really bad" game for him. In the case of Ferguson, it was noted after the game he had zero fumbles in his first 35 career games but has had a whopping 7 in the last 25. Bland was a real ball hawk his first two seasons, but now hardly ever gets his hands on a football.
8) On the good side, Brandon The Robot Aubrey set another league record last night with most 55+ FG's made in one game. Did nearly miss a short one but nailed the other three easily (57, 55 and 63). Lamb was having another huge game and might have went for 200+ had he not got a concussion early in the 2nd half. Second straight great game from him after the Eagles debacle and a dropped gimmee TD v Raiders. Ryan Flournoy went off for 9 catches/115 yds and a TD, his 2nd 100+ yd game of the season even though he is the 4th WR on the depth chart. Very bright future for him.
9) Schottenheimer has more good than bad this yr, but last night was another bad one IMO. Ranked right up there with the Bronco and Cards game debacles in terms of poor in game decisions and poor game planning in general. I thought kicking the FG before halftime on 4th and 3 inside the Lions 40 was pretty lame, and the defense easily gave up the get back FG right after anyway. I also thought it was odd that early in the game they seemed to be forcing the ball to Flournoy despite having Lamb and Pickens both out there vs a severely depleted Lions secondary. Then he challened a play thinking the Lions player was out of bounds, lost the challenge and lost a timeout. Just calling TO at that point would have served the same thing and because it was a lost challenge the clock didnt stop, forcing a 10 second run off. He's botched several challenges (or non challenges) now. Also at some point as HC you also have to direct your other coaches to do something different. Eberflus coached a fucking horrible game and I didnt see Schottenheimer say one word to him. Why didnt he tell that idiot Sorensen to just have Aubrey kickoff into the endzone? How many near broken long returns do you need to see? Terrance Steele and Nate Thomas were damn near Chaz Green last night and neither was ever removed from the game.
Season is essentially over, even though blubbering drunk Jones will insist "there's still a chance at the postseason!". One more loss will definitely end the season though and at that point they really need to focus on seeing young players in real game action. Seeing Joe Milton get a couple starts would be a positive, benching or releasing completely lousy players like Hooker, D Wilson, Murray and Steele needs to happen.
