Dallas Defense Key to 37-20 Victory Over Miami

The Cowboys defense re-emerged Sunday playing perhaps their best game since Greg Ellis went down with a torn ACL last year. And, surprisingly, they did it without three key starters: Greg Ellis (still recovering from the torn ACL), Terence Newman (foot injury), and Jason Ferguson (torn biceps — out for the year).

The defense did give up 287 passing yards, but they also managed to pick off Trent Green four times. The run defense was also able to hold Ronnie Brown to just 33 yards on 11 attempts, bringing a sigh of relief to a team wondering how Jay Ratliff would hold up in Ferguson’s absence.

It was a solid effort with Dallas playing well on all three sides of the ball: offense, defense, and special teams which not only limited Ted Gin Jr but ripped off a great punt return after Patrick Crayton got a second chance following a Miami penalty.

Tony Romo had a solid outing 14 of 29 for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns. His numbers might have been better if Terrell Owens had not dropped a couple of passes in the first quarter, but the key stats were zero interceptions and zero fumbles. Romo had his moments, the best being a nifty two yard throw to Tony Curtis for a touchdown after Romo was going to the ground in the hands of a greedy Miami defender, and the worst being when he tried to squeeze the ball into Witten’s hands between two defenders. Luckily, the linebacker who had good coverage on Witten did not turn his head to make a play on the ball.

One thing really stood out: defenses respect T-Ro’s ability to scramble. On several occasions, the defensive end played containment rather than going for the sack, allowing Romo to scramble around a buy time to make a play. It’s odd, really, because while Romo might resemble Vince Young in shiftiness, there is certainly no confusing the two in running ability. And since Romo isn’t likely to run around the end and go for forty yards, the end should be playing more aggressively.

Chalk that one up to the perception that Romo throws better when moving outside of the pocket. Certainly, it is to Dallas’s advantage that the ends play containment and giving Romo time to use his legs to evade them.

Julius Jones ran better than I’ve seen all season and perhaps all of last season, though it doesn’t show in the stats. He ended up with 15 attempts for 32 yards, but his best run of the night — a ten yard run in which he evaded a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then powered through two defenders to pick up a first down — was called back because of a holding penalty. He also caught a swing pass and took it for twenty-four yards while make three or four Dolphins look completely silly.

I wouldn’t read too much into the 2.1 yard average. After all, LaDainian Tomlinson was only able to produce a 2.4 yard average. It does seem that Julius Jones is hit at or behind the line of scrimmage more often than Marion Barber. I was talking with a friend about this and we both agreed this was the case — the line does seem to block better for MB3. Not intentionally, of course, but I would not be surprised if they get a little more fired up when Barber is in the lineup simply because of Barber’s bring-it-all attitude and running style.

And, while I wouldn’t say it is time to regulate Julius Jones to the bench, it certainly seems like a good idea to get Marion Barber some more carries. He looks much improved from last year, and he was pretty good last year. There is a distinct advantage to having a two back system beyond just keeping both backs fresh. If one goes down, you have another solid back to replace him. But, it might be time to see what Barber can do if he’s given the opportunity to touch the ball 20+ times in the game.

Terrell Owens played well even though he dropped a couple of early passes. He was also flagged twice for celebrations in defiance of me writing about his good behavior thus far this year. I have to say, though, that the first penalty probably wouldn’t have been thrown had it been Marvin Harrison and not Owens. He certainly looked more like he was pitching the ball to where he thought a ref might be rather than celebrating. (And, while I’m a fan of acting like you’ve been there, I do think the league has become too hyper-sensitive to this stuff.) The second penalty was well-deserved and went a long way to helping Miami score their second touchdown — luckily we had Barber ready to even the score on the next drive.

Sam Hurd also had a solid game playing in Crayton’s place after Crayton dislocated his pinky finger. Crayton should be able to go next week, but it is always good to have a receiver that can come in off the bench and be a solid replacement.

But the real story was the play of the secondary. It was certainly helped out by a Trent Green that hadn’t cleaned off all the rust on his arm, but they played a solid game. Anthony Henry’s first interception came because of great coverage and was a ball that really shouldn’t have been thrown. His second interception was just a great play by Henry who read the route and jumped in front of it. Hamlin’s interception was a gift-wrapped overthrow by Green, and Roy got one of those late-in-the-game just throw it up there picks. Jacques Reeves also had a solid day breaking up a pass and generally covering his receiver well, though he did give up a touchdown.

About the only thing missing were a ton of sacks, though the Cowboys were able to put Green on the turf twice. They were also able to get some good pressure at times to rush some throws, but, generally, I thought Green had a little bit too much time in the pocket more often than I would like to see. However, this is due in some part to Newman’s absence from the defense. Once he returns, he will free up another defender that can be used to bring the pressure or play a robber zone.

The best thing about going 2-0 is that it makes it easier to rest Newman for another week if his foot isn’t ready to go. Certainly, if the Cowboys were sitting at 0-2 there would be a lot of pressure to get him on the field if at all possible, but I think most people, including the staff, would think a 2-1 record and a healthy Newman was better than a 3-0 record and a gimpy Newman. But, hopefully, skipping the first two games is all his foot needs.