Kiffin Report: Week 12 - Oakland - Turnovers Again Prove Big

With 4 games to go, the Dallas Cowboys defense has accounted for a total of 26 sacks through 12 games.  The season doesn't end today, but if it did, they would fall short of all Cowboys annual sack totals going back a decade (32 was the previous low set in 2003).  26 is a very low number for a team total, and a real far cry from the amazing 59 that the Cowboys put together in 2008 when they had DeMarcus Ware, Jay (Jeremiah) Ratliff, and Greg Ellis all crashing the pocket together, with Chris Canty and even Bradie James (8 sacks!) pitching in.

They are 26th ranked in the NFL with 26 sacks, above several bad teams and the Chicago Bears with fewer sacks (a team that needed Jeremiah Ratliff) below them.  The odd part about the very small sack number that the Cowboys have accumulated would be that they had 13 sacks in their first 3 weeks, and then 13 more sacks in the next 9.  Yikes.

Jason Hatcher has an amazing 9 sacks, George Selvie 6, and DeMarcus Ware just 5 in a season where he has hoped to find his health and never seemed able to do so.  Without an amazing December, Ware will fall short of the 10 sack mark for the first time since his rookie year of 2005.  And that will no doubt cause a small amount of drama knowing that he is sitting on cap hits of $16m and 17.5m in the next two seasons, but only is a $8m cap hit if they said goodbye.  Nobody wants them to say goodbye, but there aren't many places in the roster where you can shave off $8m in cap space with one decision and while Ware has been a star for almost a decade, we know that Father Time always wins.  My guess is that he restructures his deal down considerably (to $10m or so) so that they are not paying him QB money, but I suppose he can disagree with that opinion and we can see what Jerry would do next.

Try as they might, this front 4 has not made anyone forget the front 4 that made the Tampa 2 famous with their ability to destroy the offensive backfield so many Sundays, but like that group, the Cowboys are generally reluctant to blitz.  Our charts below track this each week, but just know they brought pressure in 11 situations on Thanksgiving against Matt McGloin and that tied their season high for blitzes.  They want big numbers in coverage rather than risking giant passes behind them.  It many respects it is picking your poison and given that they are 32nd in Opponents yards per game, 31st in Opponents yard per play, 32nd in Explosives allowed in the last 8 games, 32nd in 3 and Outs, and 32nd in 1st Downs allowed, you can see that the poison has been administered to this defense quite a bit.

And yet, because of 7 different games this year where the Cowboys had multiple takeaways, the team is 7-5 going into December.  Now, they actually lost 2 of those games (Denver and Detroit), but when you are turning the ball over and giving the team a very short field or scoring touchdowns yourself, you remain in the hunt regardless of yardage allowed.  Touchdowns this season from Nick Hayden, Barry Church, Brandon Carr, Jeff Heath, and Sean Lee, as well as turnovers that start the offense inside the 5 on a few occasions - including the one that got things rolling on Thanksgiving Day are doing most of the heavy lifting and righting plenty of wrongs.

Here is the record over the last 6 seasons for how important the turnover battle remains - so much so that they are able to overcome a number of other obvious weaknesses and still win games.

2008-2013	Win-Loss	Win %
When Cowboys win Turnovers	30-8	78.9%
When Cowboys lose Turnovers	9-30	23.0%
Winner of Turnover Battle in Dallas Games	60-17	77.9%

They are 5-2 in games with the turnover advantage this season and 0-1 in games where they were a minus (at Kansas City).  To play 12 games and to only lose the turnover battle once speaks to the ability for this team to play a smart brand of football.

And that is a tandem deal.  Taking the ball away is fine, but if your offense is returning the favor, it gets you nowhere fast.  The Cowboys have done a supreme job this year - to this point - of being #1 in the NFC in fewest Giveaways and #3 in the NFC in most Takeaways.  That type of differential is almost impossible to screw up.  If they maintain a +12 margin, there is almost no way to miss the playoffs according to history.

Here are the last 12 seasons by Takeaways and Differential:

Year	Takeaways	Turnover +/-
2002	30	-4
2003 ***	25	-4
2004	22	-15
2005	26	-1
2006 ***	30	+4
2007 ***	29	+5
2008	22	-11
2009 ***	21	+2
2010	30	Even
2011	25	+4
2012	16	-13
2013	25	+12

*** = Denotes Years Dallas Made the Playoffs

As you can see, almost all seasons of positive turnover margins ended in the playoffs, and almost all negatives did not.  There are a few that fly in the face of that logic, but overall it stands out.  And, to be a +12 in the year after a -13 speaks to this team understanding the value of the football and being smart with it - and taking it away.  It takes both sides of the ball working in concert to pull this off, and it seems like they may fully grasp it in 2013.  Perhaps another sign they are more well-coached than we think.


Let's check the Splash plays -

WEEK 12 Versus Oakland

First, a reminder of what a splash play is: 

What is a splash play? Well, for purposes of this blog I believe a splash play will include the following: A sack, a pressure that forces a bad throw, and big hit on the QB, and a batted ball that may lead to an interception opportunity. Again, you can see how this leads to subjectivity, but a subjective breakdown is better than no breakdown at all, I have decided. In addition, a splash play will include tackles for loss, a big hit for a short gain, or a stop which is an open field tackle where a player is pulled down on 3rd down short of the marker because of an exceptional effort from a defender. An interception is clearly a splash play, but so is a defended pass that required a great effort. A major hit in the secondary could be a splash play, but I believe that the outcome of the play will determine that. Sorry, defensive backs, but standing over a guy who just caught a 15 yard pass because you think you hit him hard will not generally pass the test on this blog. So, stop doing it. 

I am trying to be careful about handing out too many splash plays per game. I am trying to be picky, but too extreme in either direction. When I log a splash play, I will put time of the game on the chart so that if you want to review the same game and challenge my ruling, you are welcome to do so. Also, if multiple players deserve recognition on a single play, we will try to see that as well. 

Basically, we are trying to assign a value to making plays on the defense. We don't want to just see sacks and interceptions. We want to see broader definitions of splash plays to assign credit to those who help the Cowboys get off the field in important situations. These rankings will not deduct for negative plays at this point. There are simply too many occasions where we are guessing, and for now, I want to avoid that for this particular idea.  

A splash play is a play that makes a major difference in the game. And by keeping it all season long, we will see which defenders are play makers and which are simply warm bodies. We already have our thoughts on both categories, but let's see if we can dig a bit deeper and actually have numbers to back up our claims.

SPLASHES VS Oakland

Q-Time	D/D/Yd	Player	Play
1-13:07	1/10/O22	Hatcher	Run Stuff
1-11:14	2/7/O36	Heath	TFL
1-4:51	3/3/D45	Ware	3rd Down Big Pressure
1-0:53	1/10/O6	Wilber	Fumble Recovery
2-13:56	2/5/O49	Scandrick	Pass Defended
2-13:06	1/10/D29	Wilber/Hayden	Run Stuff
2-12:32	2/10/D29	Church	Open Field Tackle
2-11:10	1/G/D13	Ware	Tackle For Loss
2-9:42	1/10/D50	Selvie	Run Stuff
3-14:20	1/10/O41	Hatcher	Tackle For Loss
3-13:18	2/18/O33	Church	Open Field Tackle
3-5:03	2/10/O24	Selvie	Big Pressure
4-14:12	1/10/O21	Wilber	Run Stuff
4-9:35	1/10/D21	Heath	Pass Defended
4-8:46	3/9/D20	Carr	Pass Intercepted

2013 SEASON TOTALS

Here are the final results for 2011 and here are the final results for 2012.

Another great effort by Jason Hatcher and George Selvie.  Good to see Selvie showing that he isn't completely gassed as his workload is unlike anything he has every experienced.  His play has fallen off a bit, but given that he was never supposed to approach the 587 snaps he has played, he still needs credit for a lot of where this team is on defense.  That would also apply to Jeff Heath who has been far from ideal, but is fighting his tail off each week.

Player	Splashes
LB Sean Lee	22.5
DT Jason Hatcher	20.5
DE George Selvie	20
CB Brandon Carr	17.5
S Barry Church	17
DE DeMarcus Ware	14
LB Bruce Carter	12
CB Orlando Scandrick	12
DE Kyle Wilber	9.5
CB Morris Claiborne	7
DT Drake Nevis	6.5
DT Nick Hayden	6.5
S Jeff Heath	6
LB Justin Durant	4.5
S Will Allen	3.5
DE Jarius Wynn	3.5
DE Edgar Jones	3
S JJ Wilcox	2
DE Everette Brown	2
CB BW Webb	1.5
LB Ernie Sims	1.5
DT Ceasar Rayford	1
DT Marvin Austin	1
Team Totals	194.5

===========

Pass Rush/Blitzing REPORT

This segment of the defensive study is simply to find out how well the Cowboys are doing at getting pressure on the opposing QB.  We have spent a good part of the offseason talking about Monte Kiffin's philosophy that, like so many of the great 4-3 schemes, is based on using blitz as a weapon, not a necessity.  If you use the blitz as an ambush weapon that is always threatened but only used at the perfect times, you can often get free runs at the QB.  If, on the other hand, you must use the blitz because your normal pressure is not getting it done, then the offense usually is waiting for you and prepared - so even 6 rushers don't accomplish much.

Wow.  A team that gives up explosives should not surprise us when they give up explosives (plays of 20 yards or more), but 7 to the Raiders?  All through the air????  Crazy.

EXPLOSIVE PLAYS ALLOWED

Q-Time	D/D/Yd	Play	Rushers
1-6:50	1/10/O21	McGloin to Streater, +27	6
2-15:00	3/7/O24	McGloin to Streater, +20	6
2-13:50	3/5/O49	McGloin to Rivera, +22	5
2-11:48	3/9/D28	McGloin to Holmes, +20	4
3-14:54	1/10/O20	McGloin to Holmes, +21	4
4-10:21	1/10/O44	McGloin to Holmes, +35	6
4-1:11	2/10/O38	McGloin to Holmes, +24	4

SACKS AND INTERCEPTIONS

Q-Time	D/D/Yd	Play	Rushers
4-8:46	3/9/D20	Carr Interception	4

PASSING CHART

Red (Incomplete), Black (Interception), Blue (Complete), and Yellow (Touchdown)

Matt McGloin certainly accomplished more than we expected, but the Cowboys allowed him to play against a single-high safety most of the day and took away his running game.  That had mixed results early, but proved to be a sound strategy over 60 minutes.  Here is what he accomplished on the outside boundaries with all of those blue lines, but the black line was the interception late that doomed Oakland.

Pass Rushers Against Oakland Raiders - 29 pass rush/blitz situations:

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	0	0	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	0	6	1	2
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	0	0	0	0
Totals	0	6	1	2

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	1	1	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	0	5	0	1
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	0	2	0	0
Totals	0	8	1	1

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	1	2	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	0	3	3	1
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	0	0	0	0
Totals	0	4	5	1

And, here are the full season numbers to date:

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush	7 Rush
1st Down	9 - 4%	173 - 79%	29 - 13%	6 - 2%	0
2nd Down	3 - 1%	141 - 87%	15 - 9%	2 - 1%	0
3rd Down	5 - 3%	86 - 64%	23 - 17%	17 - 12%	2 - 1%
4th Down	1 - 9%	9 - 81%	1 - 9%	0	0
Totals	18 - 3%	409 - 78%	68 - 13%	25 - 4%	2 - 1%

The game by game pressure numbers sent by the Cowboys:

Wk 1 - NYG: 7/49 - 14%
Wk 2 - KC:   10/43 - 23%
Wk 3 - STL: 11/57 - 19%
Wk 4 - SD:  4/43 - 9%
Wk 5 - DEN: 6/42 - 14%
Wk 6 - WAS: 8/45 - 18%
Wk 7 - PHI:  10/51 - 19%
Wk 8 - DET: 8/49 - 16%
Wk 9 - MIN: 11/41 - 27%
Wk10- NO: 8/43 - 19%
Wk11 - NY: 6/33 - 18%
Wk12 - OAK: 11/29 - 38%

2013 Totals:  100/525 - 19%

2012 Totals:  134/551 - 24.3%

SUMMARY:  They have the ability to make plays on the ball and cover a lot of warts.  And make no mistake, as we detailed above, there are a lot of warts. The hope is that Sean Lee comes back and makes sense out of a lot of what has gone wrong since his departure with the Cowboys being steamrolled on the ground by the Saints and Giants.  

The fact is that this has not been a great defensive year, but it is also clear that they have not had DeMarcus Ware and Sean Lee healthy at the same time since Week 5.  Perhaps, if they can both stay not the field in December and return to their normal form, this team can get to its 10 wins and feel great about themselves as they return to the playoffs.   Of course, a lot can happen between now and then, and almost nothing is assured at 7-5, except that remain in the hunt.  

As it stands, the Cowboys have significant personnel issues that remain.  I hesitate to allow injuries to claim too much of the blame because we knew last spring that safety and defensive line issues need immediate attention.  Yes, injuries made it worse, but in April, I will pound the table again for defensive line and safety attention in the personnel department.  I like JJ Wilcox as a prospect and Jeff Heath as a special teams contributor/depth guy, but what could an elite safety do to this entire operation?  Some people argue that Seattle runs this exact scheme, but let's not forget what elite safety play (Earl Thomas in center field) can do to a scheme.  Its not always the Xs and Os, a wise football man once said, but the Jimmies and Joes.  

The football gods might be smiling with backup QBs a possibility against the Bears and Packers, and then a Redskins team playing out the string season in Game 15, but the Cowboys defense needs to stay on target.  Get some injury luck and finish December strong after a small break would be the hopes.  If they can do that and generate a few more short fields, a division title might be in the cards.  

Decoding Callahan - Week 12 - Oakland - Running Out of 11 Personnel

For wildly different reasons, the last two games have given hope to fans who want to see this offense click after weeks of getting stuck in neutral.

In New York, it was plenty more play-action passing and we saw plenty of Dez Bryant sitting in the slot and being moved all over the field.  That was a welcome change that was long overdue.  Then, 4 days later against the Oakland Raiders on Thanksgiving Day, we saw the team commit to their zone running mix with 11 personnel for an extended period of time that left the Raiders guessing and undermanned at the line of scrimmage.

And, as I have been saying for a week now, I am positive that these changes to the Cowboys offense have come because Jason Garrett quietly reassumed play-calling from Bill Callahan after the New Orleans debacle and the bye week.  This was first suggested in this space back on November 12, and although it seemed obvious at the time, it actually appears Garrett saw things the same way:

Further, there were multiple tight ends on the field for nearly the entire 1st half which is fine - unless they are never going to force the Saints to change their coverages.  They locked down on Bryant and never had to adjust to the Cowboys.  There was no creativity, no rhythm, and seemingly, very little logic put into the play-calling. 

Given the severity of the situation, if I am Jason Garrett, I realize the final 6 games will decide my job future in Dallas and would have to go get the play-calling duties back after a stinker like this.  Bill Callahan is a respected coach and a guy who knows what he is doing and he shouldn't be blamed entirely for all of this mess.  But, when you are Garrett, and this is your dream job and you don't want to know what being fired feels like, then your next 6 games could determine the rest of your career.  

The historic lows that were seen on Sunday from this offense and the season-long pathetic performances on 3rd Downs seem to demand instant attention and desperate measures.  I would never argue that Garrett has the answers, because if he did, Callahan would not be here in the first place.  But, if was Jason Garrett, I would definitely be grabbing that call-sheet back for the stretch run.   

So, I believe that about the time I wrote that, it (coincidently) happened.  Garrett, as far as I can tell, has been calling plays for 2 straight games and conveniently - for his sake - things have made far more sense.  Again, I hesitate to say that he has all the answers and that this was a long time coming, but I will be quick to remind people that most of what they have run would all fall under the heading of "Jason Garrett ideas" and we must recognize the huge amount of bad that must go with the good over the last several years.

That said, we can't fix 2011 or 2012 anymore.  And after 10 games of 5-5 football and a seemingly clueless offense (aside from the Denver game which must be called this season's version of Baltimore 2012 - a full aberration game), if Garrett has introduced obvious strategies like play-action and 11 personnel back into the mix, well more power to him and his coaching future.

Before we get to what I really enjoyed in the Oakland game, let me answer the question that I have fielded plenty this weekend, "why did the Cowboys not run play-action on Thursday?" - especially after it worked so nicely against the Giants.

Easy.  Play action is a full deception play that requires a bit of faith - like a naked bootleg.  That is, if your opponent thinks you are running it and you really are, you are in trouble.  Play-Action is easily taken away by the opponent if they catch you in your lie, because they simply order their linebackers to keep coming.  Play-action fakes work because you are luring a linebacker forward with the fake and then as he attempts to recover, you throw it right over his head.  He is in no-man's land.  Well, the remedy for this if you are a defense is to tell your linebackers to keep sprinting to the QB (rather than hit the brakes and back off) and this leads to compromising your pass protection badly.  On Thursday, that happened and Romo got crushed on a Nick Roach sack in first quarter because the Raiders were determined not to fall for that trick and play-action went into the garage until they play a team that is not going to play it so aggressively with a 50% blitz rate like the Raiders.  Play action is perfect against most teams that try to play 7-8 man pass coverages, but the Raiders weren't doing that at all.  They were bringing the heat.

Let's look at what I did like from the Cowboys on Thursday, which was a determined running attack out of 11 personnel.  This means that they take off the multiple tight end attack and replace it with 3 WRs and then run a balanced offense from that attack, rather than a heavy-pass offense.

It may seem like a subtle change, but it turned the game because the Cowboys had a front they could run against (6 bigs, nickel defense) rather than what 12 personnel brings (7 bigs, 4 DBs).  Then, they get under center and run the ball and allow their big boys to win their battle and get a smaller RB like Lance Dunbar out into space where he can hide behind a big guard.

Play #1 -



Above, see the assignments for zone left.  I like this in 11 personnel and with Dunbar because he seems far more likely to plant his foot and cut early in the play, rather than Murray who always seems to head for the sideline and try to turn the corner at the boundary.  But, notice, 4 DL, 2 LBs in this grouping against 11 personnel.  So, 6 blocking 6 which you always like and the safeties are deep.  In fact, this could be a run/pass option for Romo who reads the safeties and decides the option at the moment of truth.  Notice the combo block on the 3 technique who is shading the outside shoulder of Bernadeau.  That is Free's man for this play to work, because Bernadeau can reach the LB behind him, but Free cannot.  So, Bernadeau must push the DT over to Free, allowing Free to turn his body to the inside.  When Bernadeau gets that block to Free, he then, must go get Nick Roach, the LB.  This single block is the key to this entire play as long as everyone else just doesn't lose.

Above, see Frederick just mauling his guy out of the path, with 65-Leary and 77-Smith both in a fine spot.  Dunbar can already see where he is going because Free has crossed the face of that DT and 73-Bernadeau is already getting to the LB before Dunbar touches the ball.  Perfect.

Now, like I was saying above, Dunbar must plant the foot and go inside rather than take it out past Tyron Smith to find the best hole.  This sounds obvious, but instincts seem to always tell DeMarco to run to green space and sometimes that is exactly wrong.  Hit it up inside if there is a crease and trust the line to get to their marks.  Free is stumbling, but still in the way of his guy.  Everyone else is fine.

Now, as Dunbar hits the hole, look at Bernadeau just bulldozing his man back.  Perfect work here.

Above, see 24-Woodson looking at Dunbar spring into the secondary.  Woodson thinks he has an angle, but Dunbar is going to use Bernadeau as a way to lose both safeties and run for 45 yards.  Great job by everyone here.  Check the gif below to see Dunbar's cutback at the 39 yard line.

Play #2 -

OK, so you just saw this play above, but this one is flipped.  So, the LG, 65-Leary is the man with the backside, combo block on the zone right.  Again, 6 in the box because the Cowboys have 11 personnel on the field and forced Oakland into nickel.  Leary must get the 3 technique over to Tyron, and then go dig out the middle linebacker on his own.

Here we go.  Leary has to be quick here, because the DT knows what is happening and is trying to beat him to the spot - but Leary cuts him off.  Frederick and Bernadeau are doubling the other DT for now, and Free is ok.  The LB on the play side thinks he sees a crease here, but 73-Bernadeau is going to cut him off.

Above, see that LB peaking around the Free block?  He is expecting Murray to bounce outside (like he always does) and Murray stays on course.  Leary now is free and is targeting the LB on the hash mark while Tyron is cutting down the DT and Witten has his guy on lockdown.

Look at the wall to Murray's right.  Now Raiders are getting through, and with Leary and now Dez Bryant knocking out the last two defenders, this ball is headed for pay-dirt.

The video below shows Leary dominating.  And Dez digging out the safety.  Well done.  And you though the Cowboys couldn't run the football.

STATS FOR WEEK 13 against OAKLAND

Run-Pass	29-34
Starting Field Position	D31
1st Down Run-Pass	17-12
2nd Down Avg Distance to Go	6.61
2nd Down Run-Pass	9-12
3rd Down Avg Distance to Go	6.53
3rd/4th Down Run-Pass	3-10
3rd Down Conversions	7-13, 53%

PASSING CHARTS:

Here are the passing charts to see what was being accomplished on Sunday.  Intern Tim has made some pleasing to the eye charts for us to see.

Blue is a completion. Red is incomplete. Yellow is a touchdown, and Black is an interception. The passes are lines from where Romo released the pass to where the pass was caught. This shows you his release point and where he likes to throw when he slides in the pocket.

1ST HALF PASSING CHART -  (Red incomplete, Blue Completion, Yellow TD, Black INT)

2ND HALF PASSING CHART -  (Red incomplete, Blue Completion, Yellow TD, Black INT)

Dez Bryant Passing Chart -  (Red incomplete, Blue Completion, Yellow TD, Black INT)

Drive Starters - The 1st play of each drive can often reveal the intent of a coach to establish his game plan. How committed is he to the run or pass when the team comes off the sideline? We track it each week here -

Wk 1 - New York Giants: 5 Run/7 Pass - 42% Run
Wk 2 - Kansas City Chiefs: 3 Run/9 Pass - 25% Run
Wk 3 - St. Louis Rams: 8 Run/2 Pass - 80% Run
Wk 4 - San Diego Chargers: 6 Run/4 Pass - 60% Run
Wk 5 - Denver Broncos: 3 Run/8 Pass - 37% Run
Wk 6 - Washington Redskins: 5 Run/4 Pass - 55% Run
Wk 7 - Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Run/9 Pass - 35% Run
Wk 8 - Detroit Lions: 9 Run/5 Pass - 64% Run
Wk 9 - Minnesota Vikings: 2 Run/8 Pass - 20% Run
Wk 10 - New Orleans Saints: 6 Run/5 Pass - 54% Run
Wk 11 - New York Giants: 6 Run/5 Pass - 54% Run
Wk 12 - Oakland Raiders: 7 Run/3 Pass - 70% Run

2013 Totals: 98 Drives - 65 Run/69 Pass - 48% Run
* This statistic doesn't count the 1-play kneel down drives.

2011 Total: 181 Drives - 79 Run/102 Pass - 44% Run
2012 Total: 173 Drives - 76 Run/97 Pass - 44% Run


SHOTGUN SNAPS-

Shotgun snaps are fine on 3rd Down and in the 2 minute drill. But, we track this stat from week to week to make sure the Cowboys aren't getting too lazy in using it. They are not efficient enough to run it as their base, and with a 15%/85% run/pass split across the league, there is no way the defense respects your running game. When shotgun totals are high, the Cowboys are generally behind, scared of their offensive line, or frustrated.

As we look for trends that match up with Jason Garrett calling plays again, it would seem that the month from At Philly to At New Orleans, we see the Cowboys were in shotgun a stunning 70% of the time.  In the 2 games that I suggest Garrett has grabbed the play-sheet, it is much more balanced - now at 53% which resembles Garrett from 2012 (54%) and not what Callahan has done this year (62%).

Wk 1 - NYG: 44 Shotgun/71 Total Plays - 61.9%
Wk 2 - at KC: 46 Shotgun/60 Total Plays - 76.6%
Wk 3 - STL: 28 Shotgun/59 Total Plays - 47.4%
Wk 4 - at SD: 33 Shotgun/56 Total Plays - 58.9%
Wk 5 - DEN: 39 Shotgun/54 Total Plays - 72.2%
Wk 6 - WASH: 23 Shotgun/50 Total Plays - 46%
Wk 7 - at PHI: 53 Shotgun/73 Total Plays - 72.6%
Wk 8 - at DET: 33 Shotgun/55 Total Plays - 60%
Wk 9 - MIN: 50 Shotgun/63 Total Plays - 79.3%
Wk 10 - at NO: 27 Shotgun/43 Total Plays - 62.3%
Wk 11 - at NYG: 32 Shotgun/60 Total Plays - 53.3%
Wk 12 - OAK: 33 Shotgun/63 Total Plays - 52.3%

Season Total - 441 Shotgun/707 Total Plays - 62.3%

2011 Total - 445/1012 43.9%
2012 Total - 565/1038 54%

Here is the breakdown by groupings:

And now, a look at the efficiency of each personnel grouping.

Before you study the data below, I would recommend that if the numbers for the groupings are unfamiliar, that you spend some time reading a more expanded definition of the Personnel Groupings here.

Below, see that they finally make sense.  This is really how the offense was supposed to look when they left camp.  Lots of multiple tight end looks, lots of 11 personnel.  Lots of under center and still plenty of shotgun.  It is almost like they decided to actually stick with a game-plan for 60 minutes.

Totals by Personnel Groups:

Package	Plays Run	Yards	Run	Pass
11	14	95	11-92	3-3
12	11	33	7-30	4-3
13	2	1	2-1	0-0
21	0	0	0-0	0-0
22	0	0	0-0	0-0
23	3	9	3-9	0-0
S01	3	14	0-0	3-14
S02	0	0	0-0	0-0
S11	27	184	6-12	21-172
S12	3	16	0-0	3-16
S13	0	0	0-0	0-0
Other	0	0	0-0	0-0
Totals	63	352	29-144	34-208

* - Knee Plays are not counted in play calls.


Totals by Personnel Groups on 3rd/4th Down:

Package	Plays	Yards	Run	Pass	FD/TD
11	1	3	1-3	0-0	0/0
12	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
13	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
21	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
22	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
23	2	6	2-6	0-0	2/0
S01	1	8	0-0	1-8	1/0
S02	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
S11	9	66	0-0	9-66	4/0
S12	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
Other	0	0	0-0	0-0	0/0
Totals	13	83	3-9	10-74	7/0

Pass Rushers Against Dallas - 33 Pass Situations vs Oakland

I sort of admire Oakland's thought process.  They knew they were undermanned and they knew the Cowboys tendencies when getting frustrated offensively.  A blitz rate of nearly 50% screams that they agree with Jim Haslett-logic in dealing with the Cowboys offense.  It was quite a lot to deal with, including a 3rd Down display that blitzed at a crazy 90% rate.


Wk 1: NY Blitzed 13/49: 26%
Wk 2: KC Blitzed 19/46: 41%
Wk 3: STL Blitzed 10/25: 40%
Wk 4: SD Blitzed 8/41: 19%
Wk 5: DEN Blitzed 10/40 25%
Wk 6: WAS Blitzed 17/31 55%
Wk 7: PHI Blitzed  22/48 46%
Wk 8: DET Blitzed 9/31  29%
Wk 9: MIN Blitzed 9/54  17%
Wk 10: NO Blitzed 3/27  11%
Wk 11: NYG Blitzed 10/43 23%
Wk 12: OAK Blitzed 16/33 48%

Season Blitz rate vs Dallas 146/468: 32%

 

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	1	0	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	0	8	2	0
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	0	0	0	0
Totals	0	9	2	0

7

Rush

Short: 1

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	1	1	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	1	2	3	1
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	1	2	0	0
Totals	2	5	4	1

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush
Short (0-5 Yds To Go)	0	0	3	0
Second Level (5-10 Yds To Go)	0	0	5	0
Open Field (10+ Yds To Go)	1	0	1	0
Totals	1	0	9	0

SEASON TO DATE

Pass Rushers	3 Rush	4 Rush	5 Rush	6 Rush	7 Rush
1st Down	13 - 6%	127 - 67%	40 - 21%	7 - 3%	1 - 1%
2nd Down	10 - 6%	104 - 62%	43 - 25%	9 - 5%	0-0
3rd Down	10 - 8%	61 - 52%	39 - 33%	5 - 4%	1 - 1%
4th Down	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
Totals	33 - 7%	292 - 62%	122 - 25%	21 - 4%	2 - 1%

Thanks to John Daigle and Tim Krajewski for their work on the charts and graphs.

=====

SUMMARY:  Nothing comes easy, but now with a long break and a chance to play Josh McCown and Matt Flynn instead of Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers, we are starting to wonder if the Cowboys are going on around here.

The offense is starting to look like they are discovering themselves and evolving into something where they are learning their personality or identity, and I have to tell you, this seems way more technically sound than the nonsense of 2011 and 2012 at this point in the schedule.  They are mostly healthy and starting to feature more strategic options with their weapons.  This means more Miles Austin/Terrence Williams 11 personnel than Gavin Escobar/James Hanna, but it doesn't mean just going into shotgun and slinging it around and asking protection to hold up.

It is balanced and effective and the last two weeks they have been able to put the defense in a bind at times.  Again, we are not seeing 400 yard games very often, so there is still plenty of room for improvement, but there are almost no giveaway turnovers and there is some self-belief developing.

With 4 weeks to play, Jason Garrett is starting to make sense of the offense and it is not a second too soon.  Let's see how it functions in Chicago, because it sure looks like they are going to need points and possession to get a result out of there and that hostile setting next Monday.

2013 BaD Radio Podcasts

Our Latest Weekly Podcast: 

Weekly Pod for 11/29/13 - Episode #237 - Cowboys grind out a Thanksgiving Day victory over the Raiders, the story of Whitey Bulger's capture, Prince Fielder talk, Kobe Bryant's extension debated, Stars GM Jim Nill in studio.

The Full Archive From 2013:

Weekly Pod for 1/5/13 - Episode #192 - Cowboys come up short in D.C., the final Jason Witten show of the season, goodbye to a few interns, hello to a few others, Chris Kaman, Ghetto Jeopardy.

Weekly Pod for 1/12/13 - Episode #193 - Monte Kiffin hired as Cowboys defensive coordinator, Best Funeral Ever reviews, JFF crushes it in the Cotton Bowl, Big Game Brent, Friday Game Show.

Weekly Pod for 1/19/13 - Episode #194 - Initial reaction to the Manti Te'O story, Jaromir "Puff Nuts" Jagr , Chris Kaman show, John Beckwith of the show "Best Funeral Ever", Monkey News, Friday Game Show.

Weekly Pod for 1/26/13 - Episode #195 - Will Bill Callahan be calling plays for the Cowboys, "Waterboy" reviewed, MLK tribute, Chris Kaman's talk is real, GAMESHOW!

Weekly Pod for 2/2/13 - Episode #196 - Super Bowl 27 review, a trip to the 9th Ward, Bobby Hebert, the cast of The League on Radio Row, Super Bowl week bits.

Weekly Pod for 2/9/13 - Episode #197 - Super Bowl Talk complete with Phil Simms AND power outage e-brake audio, Rangers off-season issues, Chris Kaman, PED talk, and a gameshow courtesy of Kevin Turner.

Weekly Pod for 2/16/13 - Episode #198 - Jason Garrett is sounding like Miley Cyrus on salvia in press conferences, Gary Edwards of the "Carter Boys", classic audio from Bob's first time, Shawn Marion in studio, Grapevine Fugitive talk, Chris Kaman show.

Weekly Pod for 2/23/13 - Episode #199 - Josh Hamilton is now trolling the Rangers fan, Ticketstock songs, Monkey News, Meme of the Month: Harlem Shake, Tweetgrubes/Anthony Andro/Kittenface.

Weekly Pod for 3/2/13 - Episode #200 - Tony Romo contract extension talk, Oscars reviews, Jon Daniels, "Die Hard" review, Jere Lehtinen in studio, Craig Ludwig in studio, Homer Call of the Year Winner Brian Snow.

Weekly Pod for 3/9/13 - Episode #201 - Rangers power struggle, Britney Griner in studio, Dan Birthday Fun, Alamo Quiz with Jeremy Lin and Kevin McHale, Last Week's Gameshow.

Weekly Pod for 3/16/13 - Episode #202 - Bill Guerin in studio, An Ode To Cumulus for the sales department from Tom Gribble, John McCaa gets a hotplate from Donovan, Gordon Jago, Game Show featuring Mavs dancers.

Weekly Pod for 3/23/13 - Episode #203 - Marshall Henderson talk, Lance Berkman, Behind The Bit: The Upper Decker, Chris Kaman, young Dan with Mel Hall audio, Monkey News.

Weekly Pod for 3/30/13 - Episode #204 - Brendan Morrow traded, Chris Kaman in studio, Lunchpails from the NCAA tournament, Stars assistant GM Frank Provenzano talks analytics, Walt Goggins, a KT Game Show.

Weekly Pod for 4/6/13 - Episode #205 - Romo extension, Tick Talk, Darvish near perfect, Bobcat Goldthwaite, Bob joins Farrell On The Bench, Rangers Opening Day song.


Weekly Pod for 4/13/13 - Episode #206 - Josh Hamilton's return to Arlington, Scoops Callahan and Johnny Football, Derian Hatcher, Bob with Brett Favre, Screenless.

Weekly Pod for 4/20/13 - Episode #207 - Initial reaction to the bombings at the Boston Marathon, director of "Primer" and "Upstream Color" Shane Carruth, Dirk in studio, Monkey News, Uncle Ruslan audio.

Weekly Pod for 4/27/13 - Episode #208 - Review of Cowboys moves in Round 1 of the NFL Draft, 1st Round Pick Travis Frederick, "Eddie" reviewed, an update on The Year of Dan, Dan's Name Game, Evan gets engaged.

Weekly Pod for 5/4/13 - Episode #209 - A complete NFL Draft 2013 review including analysis, audio, and a call from Computer, Josh Hamilton is not a patient hitter so say the "advanced metrics", The Future of Horse Racing, Derek Holland.

 Weekly Pod for 5/11/13 - Episode #210 - We laugh at the Angels and Josh Hamilton, we celebrate Elvis Andrus by interviewing him, Cleveland News, the Mavs D12 and CP3 dreams, and some Mother's Day Fun.

Weekly Pod for 5/18/13 - Episode #211 - Darvish vs. Verlander, News teases during sweeps, Sean Lee, Donovan meets Ludacris, What Are Atheletes Using Twitter For?, Urban Family Feud.

Weekly Pod for 5/25/13 - Episode #212 - Jon Daniels, Murder  News from Southlake, Dave Cameron of fangraphs.com, Dan Game Show with P1 Contestants, Tony Hale (Buster Bluth).

Weekly Pod for 6/1/13 - Episode #213 - Rangers audio, the Tom Grieve show, "Sandlot" reviewed, Dan's trip to Six Flags, Anthony Jeselnik in studio, Donovan and Scoops Callahan meet Seth Rogen, the 2013 GBL Draft.

Weekly Pod for 6/8/13 - Episode #214 - The Tom Grieve show, Bob has a bobcat in his backyard, Monkey News,  Joe Nathan talks pitching and "Ted," the annual BaD Radio Spelling Bee.


Weekly Pod for 6/15/13 - Episode #215 - Trip to the ballpark brings us interviews with Ron Washington and Jurickson Profar, a GBL interview with writer Drew Magary, there is a snake problem in Coppell, we reveal our Summer Bash guest, and Tom has a newsy gameshow.

Weekly Pod for 6/29/13 - Episode #217 - Bob and Dan aren't going anywhere, Bob's birthday celebration including Craig Hodges and Ask Bob Anything, and Vacation Talk.

Weekly Pod for 7/12/13 - Episode #218 - Donovan talks about his vacation in Greece and has a Friday game show. The guys talk to Danny Trejo, Tyler Seguin, and Gabe Kapler. Finally the fellas talk about the amazing cinematic masterpiece Sharknado!

Weekly Pod for 7/20/13 - Episode #219 - Daryl Hannah, former co-host of the Tom Green Show Glenn Humplik, Sweet Brown, EuroTrip, Trey's Bad B Movie Game Show.

Weekly Pod for 7/27/13 - Episode #220 - Jason Witten live in the tent, Do NFL Rookies know the divisions in their own league, Gabe Kapler rips the tent apart, the show takes a trip to Anthony Jeselnik's studio show, Anthony Weiner is in trouble again.

Weekly Pod for 8/3/13 - Episode #221 - Kidd Kraddick's passing, Johnny Football talk, Riley Cooper is "in the news," Dan Cortese, Dan's World (Hey Did You Hear About Piolin?), George St. Pierre, a wedding at Cowboys Stadium.

Weekly Pod for 8/10/13 - Episode #222 - Johnny Manziel investigation and NCAA injustice, Alex Rios acquired by TEX, Ask Donovan Anything, Ask Tom Grieve Anything, Tecmo Trivia Bowl, Danny McCray Interviewed by Drops, Jason Garrett visits the tent.


Weekly Pod for 8/17/13 - Episode #223 - Mickey audio from The Blue Star Network, Jason Garrett or Good Brody or Bad Brody?, Breaking Bad talk, Antonio Vargas, Jerry word vomits about the move to Frisco, Remember The Titans reviewed, Urban Family Feud.

Weekly Pod for 8/31/13 - Episode #224 - The Cowboys "Secret Sauce" will not involve Jay Ratliff for the first six games, Bob trolls Newy masterfully, NFL Films 2012 Cowboys Season In Review, Dan's trip to The New Stajium, Breaking Bad Talk.

Weekly Pod for 9/7/13 - Episode #225 - Babe Laufenberg in studio talking Cowboys and Johnny Football, Homer Call Week 0, Gabe Kapler, Jamie Hector (Marlo), Tom's Gameshow, Breaking Bad Talk Ep. 4

Weekly Pod for 9/14/13 - Episode #226 - Cowboys beat the Giants in Week 1, Christopher "Kid" Reid, Donovan's song for Bob and Dan, Sinbad, Tom Grieve Hitting Challenge, Breaking Bad talk (Episode 5).

Weekly Pod for 9/21/13 - Episode #227 - Cowboys offense falls flat in Kansas City, Johnny Football can't beam 'Bama by himself, Homer Call featuring Copperas Cove, Dallas Stars Head Coach Lindy Ruff, Prank Calls Made With Drops, Breaking Bad Talk (Episode 6.)

Weekly Pod for 9/28/13 - Episode #228 - Cowboys beat up on the Rams, Big Game Brent was down Austin way, "The Program" reviewed, Homer Call Of The Week, James Marshall, Breaking Bad Talk (Ep. 7).

Weekly Pod for 10/05/13 - Episode #229 -Cowboys VS Chargers, Rangers season over, Breaking Bad Series Finale (Episode 8), Return of Fartman, Homer Call, Monta Ellis, Lunch Pails, and Kid from Kid n Play in studio.

Weekly Pod for 10/12/13 - Episode #230 - GBL Payoff Carwash Day, Cowboys come up short in Week 5 against Denver, Michael from The Wire (Tristan Wilds), Frontline: League Of Denial discussed, Rosie Perez, Scoops Callahan reunited with Peyton Manning and Alex Ovechkin.

Weekly Pod for 10/25/13 - Episode #232 - The Ticket debuts a shiny new FM signal, Cowboys come out of Philly with a win over the Eagles, High School football news featuring Aledo, "Gravity" review, Gabe Kapler, NBA/Mavs preview and a Jake game show.

Weekly Pod for 11/1/13 - Episode #233 - Cowboys lose a heartbreaker in Detroit, World Series audio featuring the ghost of Tim McCarver, Varsity Blues reviewed, Mark Cuban in studio.

Weekly Pod for 11/8/13 - Episode #234 - Cowboys hang on for win over the Vikings, Jonah Keri visits BaD Radio in studio to talk Rangers and all things MLB, Sex in Sports a.k.a. The Mavs Dancer Debate, Richie Incognito Talk, Nick Florence live from George's in Waco, Talker Magazine's Heavy 100 snubs Bob and Dan, Waco Fun.

Weekly Pod for 11/15/13 - Episode #235 - Cowboys suffer an embarrassing beatdown in the Big Easy, Lavell Crawford in studio, Jake's trip to New Orleans, Sam Hurd sentencing, BaD Radio Reports: Teens With Broken iPhones, a standout episode of Homer Call Of The Week, and a look at Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Weekly Pod for 11/22/13 - Episode #236 - Gus Johnson enjoying himself on the Tech/Baylor call, Jake gets engaged, Donovan witnesses some hood rat stuff in New Orleans, a review of the winner of The Most Interesting Sports Talk Challenge, Johnny Hendricks, Tyler Seguin, the Rangers trade Ian Kinsler for Prince Fielder, Homer Call, Gerald Posner, "JFK" reviewed.

DallasStars.Com - The Stephane Robidas Situation

It has been a long time since I had heard the Cinderella song from my high school days.  And yet, it popped in my head as I left the arena Friday night in a fantastic hockey game that was marred, to say the least, by the gruesome injury suffered by Stephane Robidas in the 2nd period that will surely end his season on the day after Thanksgiving.

Don't know what you got till it's gone 

Don't know what it is I did so wrong 

Now I know what I got 

It's just this song 

And it ain't easy to get back 

Takes so long

I am positive that Cinderella wasn't thinking about an under-appreciated French-Canadian defensemen when they penned those lyrics to a song that featured a ridiculous music video where a grand piano is on the ocean's shore while a man wearing too many rings for 2 hands screams into the sky his sad, sad song.  But, there is no question that I was able to link the two together.

You see, Robidas getting hurt hits those of us, who have had a relationship with this team every game of every season for the long term, right in the heart.  There is no avoiding that he is an unlikely fan favorite who would certainly not match up with any idea from Central Casting of what a fan favorite would be.  He is not the guy who scores amazing goals or makes amazing plays.  He doesn't seem to possess Mike Modano looks, instead covered with scars of hockey battles that have taken a toll.

But, he is a fan favorite for the very reason that you would want someone to ultimately be a fan favorite.  Because he has given every ounce of his strength, energy, resolve, and effort to the organization that he was employed to perform for.  He is the embodiment of the foot soldier in professional sports, in that he has battled for every inch he has ever been given.  The rare bird who seemed like he entered the sport as a fringe player, scratched and clawed to elude that status for the first half of his career, and then spent the last several years being admired league wide as a text-book example of what playing this sport for a living is all about.

Since the lockout that took away the 2004-2005 season, Stephane Robidas has played 13,336 minutes of ice-time for the Dallas Stars - easily the most of any player.  That is 21:43 of every game, every year since then for what amounts to almost a decade.  That is apparently 16,238 shifts, or 26.3 per game for every game over every season since, which for Robi is 614.  All of those numbers lead the team, except for the games, which his buddy and fellow soldier, Trevor Daley actually has played 4 more games, but fewer minutes and shifts.  Nobody else comes close.  Those are the two links to the past around here, and both of them have done what they could to fix what has gone off the track for the Stars defense corps for years and years.

And yet, they both were never going to be Sergei Zubov or Derian Hatcher, and so in both cases, every summer when guys like me whine about this team so badly needing an elite #1 defensemen, we generally allow our complaints to take out the collateral damage of those of lesser ability.  #3 and #6 both have been the targets of misplaced complaints, while proudly and bravely standing guard carving out their own careers shift after shift, and bruise after bruise.

And that is the most remarkable characteristic of Robidas and the enduring image that I will always remember when his career is over, that he could take the biggest beating of any professional athlete I have ever seen.  He seriously has sustained so many injuries in so many horrible instances that looked like they would have knocked a normal player out for a few weeks, that we just assumed that he is not normal in his body construction.  He seemed to be a bit cyborg-like in that he could not be kept down - think the cop in Terminator 2, but much kinder.  He would just bounce back up and take his next shift, because he always does that.

So, players who just go about their business and who never need a production around them when they get a bruise end up flying under the radar, because they are the constant.  There are variables in sports and there are constants that you can depend upon and just assume are going to be there the same day after day and year after year.  I guess you can be unreasonably mad at him for not being Bobby Orr, but you can't be mad at him for giving you 100% of Stephane Robidas.  That was a given.

When he stayed down on Friday night, right next to the end boards that he slid into after his leg seemed to break from a rather normal skating stride, you knew it was serious.  He doesn't stay down.  He pops back up as he always has, because he is Robidas.  That is what Robi does.  He has been our constant and the one you never worry about.

There was no other way to describe it.  It just was profoundly sad.  He will bounce back, because if anyone understand the grind necessary to do what these guys do for a living, it is Steph, but I hate to see him have to go through it.  I wish he would shake it off and take his next shift like every other time he looked to be in bad shape.

This will take months, and a team that has done a nice job of maintaining health will now have to figure out how to cover this major absence.  He no longer plays as much each game as Alex Goligoski or Brenden Dillon, but along with Trevor Daley, he takes a ton of ice time, and this is where a rather ordinary blue-line will be tested again to replace an important piece by asking Sergei Gonchar to step up and be counted upon back in the Top 4.

Just last night (before the injury) Stars General Manager Jim Nill said in a radio interview with me that Jamie Oleksiak is not ready yet and that the Stars need to play the long game and wait for him to push himself into the NHL, not rush him through valuable steps.  On the other hand, he will be in Dallas by sundown, so perhaps things change when bones break.  That leaves Aaron Rome and Kevin Connauton to push up and grab the spot next to Jordie Benn as the 5-6 pair that plays valuable spots, but not as highly leveraged.  Clearly, even with a healthy Robidas, Nill needs to figure out ways to inject elite talent into the blue-line as he had to the forward group with Tyler Seguin and Valeri Nichushkin over his first 6 months in office.

But, the time has to be right.  Cap space is a resource that should not be wasted on just anyone because you have money burning a hole in your pocket (we have some examples on the roster presently that we might like to have kept the receipts for a full refund), but in the right scenario, I am sure Nill wants to speed things along so that he can fix and develop at a reasonable rate while getting results.

These are realities that will reveal themselves in the weeks and months to come.

Also, on that list will be finding out how badly we have taken Stephane Robidas for granted.  As Cinderella so eloquently penned the lyrics, clearly you only appreciate Robi when you don't have him to take for granted anymore.

Don't know what you got till it's gone

He isn't gone, just missing in action for now.  But, his contract does expire this season and leg injuries like that are likely to require more time than his deal will presently allow.  I would love to be wrong, but months are needed, and the season goes by fast.

So does a career.

Hopefully the team can respond well and use his absence to inspire in the short term.  And hopefully, that is all that he is missing.  And while he is gone, it might be a good opportunity for those who have wanted to move him to realize what he has meant around here for so long.

So, Robi, thanks for getting me reacquainted with Cinderella.

Now, get better quickly.

The Morning After: Cowboys 31, Raiders 24 (7-5)

Luckily, for all involved from the Dallas perspective, these NFL games are 60 minutes long.  And therefore any catastrophes that occur on the first play or even the first half can be sustained, recovered from, and erased.

Dallas, a team that was challenged from the opening snap by an Oakland side that doesn't see the national stage very often, weathered the early storm, made their adjustments, and in last 32 minutes of the game outscored and outplayed their opponent to the tune of 24-3 and ground out their 7th win of the year.

It certainly tested the patience of the home crowd and helped perpetuate the mythical power of blue jerseys, but to deposit their 2nd win in 5 days and to appear to get through the stretch with most body parts in useable conditions is just what the doctor ordered to preserve hopes and dreams of a divisional title, a home playoff game, and even a 10-win season.

Adjustments, though, certainly needed to be made on both sides of the ball.  As we expected, the Cowboys would respond to the New York Giants running the ball at will for a huge chunk of yardage by sneaking an extra safety up to stop the run.  And, for the most part, the Cowboys answered their Sunday failings by plugging all holes in the run game and really taking away the biggest strength of a Raiders team and the biggest weakness of Dallas, simultaneously.

So, stopping the run by bringing up a safety works better against Oakland than it does against New York is what the conventional wisdom would tell us about Eli Manning versus Matt McGloin.  After all, one has 2 Super Bowl victories to his credit and the other is Matt McGloin.  And, the effects on Sunday are unknown, because no matter how many yards the Giants were running for, the Cowboys were going to stubbornly keep the safeties deep because the scoreboard agreed with them.

In this case, though, the respect for the QB was not going to come without proof, and to McGloin's credit, once the Cowboys brought up Barry Church and Jeff Heath to challenge the run early, the young Penn State QB was able to mount some impressive drives through the air.  The Cowboys showed all sorts of blitz looks with aggressive play to try to carry the game to the Raiders inexperienced QB, and for almost a half of football, he stood in tall and held his own.  Using receivers who were locked in tight man to man for quite a while, the Raiders were able to win enough battles to frustrate the veteran Cowboys secondary with guys who did not have very long resumes.

The best example is Raiders WR Andre Holmes, who Cowboys' fans recognize as one of the flashy names from Cowboys' camps past.  In 2011 and 2012, Dallas wanted Andre Holmes to establish himself on their roster badly.  I remember talking to scouts at those camps who saw his capabilities with his rare combination of size and speed.  But, where did he fit?  Could he play enough special teams to earn a spot, or was he going to be a guy who could only play on the offense.  And if that is the case, how would he fit with the personnel they had on hand (ultimately, they decided that Cole Beasley filled a vacancy much better because Beasley could play in the slot while Holmes was a lesser need as an outside guy who would not play as long as Dez Bryant was available)?  He always showed flashes, but Oakland is starting to realize his abilities by lining him up outside after the Cowboys cut him loose.

Holmes caught 7 balls on 11 targets for 136 yards and thoroughly frustrated the Cowboys corners - most notably Brandon Carr for the entire 1st half before the Cowboys started seizing the game on both sides of the ball and tightening up coverage all the more.  Holmes got loose because of a botched coverage in the 4th Quarter for 35 yards, but that would prove to be the only play of significance in the entire 2nd half against the Cowboys defense who was certainly the beneficiary of the offense driving the ball and keeping the defense rested and ready on the sideline after too many Sundays of playing way too long.  After that big gain to Holmes who was wide open across the field, Carr secured a massive interception in the end zone as the Raiders curiously tried a fade to the speedy, but diminutive Jacoby Ford rather than Holmes who looks likely to win any jump ball competition.  Drive extinguished, and from a defensive standpoint, game over.

It appeared that the Cowboys found a better balance with coverages and safety depth in the 2nd half to challenge the run properly while giving enough attention to throws over the top, and adjustments were also the order of the day for when the offense had the ball.

And that is where our conversation about the Cowboys offense begins.  Because their day was similar in the pattern that they took a while to figure some things out, and needed to show either some flexibility with the initial game plan or simply some persistence.  That is because the Raiders planned on doing what others have done against Tony Romo and the offense - and that is to test with the blitz on a regular basis.  The one subtle difference, however, that the Raiders presented that took time for acclimation, was that the Raiders seemed more than willing to send blitzes from literally every direction.  Linebackers would blitz, and so would safeties, and even corners.  We will study the film over the weekend, but I am reasonably sure that the Raiders brought more cornerback blitzes than any Cowboys opponent in 2013.

Blitzing liberally against the Cowboys is perhaps the biggest achilles heel over the recent past, and while it is a tightrope that can suffer a painful death, if you are an underdog who is already out of the playoff mix, why wouldn't you take a home run swing at the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and see what happens?  The Raiders blitzed on 6 of Romo's first 8 passes, and effectively chased the Cowboys out of their play-action game after a sack and 3 frustrating drives to start the game.  Not only that, but the Cowboys run game was running right into these blitzes, and after 5 carries they found just 5 yards total, and at halftime, it was 7 carries for 12 yards.  12 personnel was getting pounded and the balance of the running game was simply stopping down more drives and getting the team and yes, the fans, annoyed.

We have seen this happen so many times, that I was pretty sure the next move, which in the past has been to rip up the game-plan and throw it in the trash, run the 2-minute offense for the rest of the game and pray that Romo can beat the blitz enough times to get out of the game alive.  And yes, the 2-minute drill before halftime was vital with a seam pass to Jason Witten for 22 yards and a slant to Dez Bryant for 25 more to convert a key 3rd Down before DeMarco Murray waltzed in to make the halftime score a manageable 21-14, Oakland.

But, to the Cowboys credit, the adjustment was less noticeable to the average viewer, but large enough to the strategy of the game, where the Cowboys took the "12 personnel package" and put it on the sideline.  They decided to go almost exclusively "11 personnel" for the next several drives and ran their balance by pushing the Raiders into nickel personnel and then running "11" from under center and giving the ball to Lance Dunbar and DeMarco Murray against a lighter defense.  It may not seem like much, but when the Raiders have only 6 bigs on the field, there is more space to run, and the zone stretch plays really started humming, thanks to some dominating zone blocking from the interior of the Cowboys line, with Travis Frederick looking the most impressive, but his guards, Ron Leary and MacKenzy Bernadeau both looked strong moving forward.  The combo blocks at the point of attack pushed the guards to the 2nd level to pick off linebackers and before you know it, Dunbar and Murray were running all over the place in the 3rd and 4th Quarters.

This adjustment found the ever-elusive balance that everyone dreams of.  On the drive that ended with the game tied at 21-21 on Dez Bryant's back shoulder fade Touchdown over Mike Jenkins, the Cowboys had a 10 play drive with 4 runs/6 passes and positive yardage on every snap.

The next drive, which ended on yet another DeMarco Murray Touchdown run of 7 yards, it was a 9 play drive with 6 runs and 3 passes, both drives all with 11 personnel, and almost no personnel changes other than Dunbar and Murray spelling each other.

This may not be the recipe every week, because the play-action game of Sunday is something that was seldom used on Thursday, but using 11 personnel moving forward from shotgun and more notably, under center is an interesting option now, especially with Miles Austin back in the arsenal.  Basically, the weapons they have at wide receiver are far more potent at this juncture than Gavin Escobar or James Hanna have proven to be.  12 personnel brings out another "big" defender, which at the moment seems to accomplish little tactically, and clogs up the running game with less space to find a crease in the defense.

Regardless, the offense looked as confident and as in control as they have looked in a really long time on Thursday.  They converted 3rd Downs and nicely looked for Oakland to pick their poison and then attacked the weak spot.  It wasn't immediate on Thanksgiving, but the systematic dismantling of their opponent over the course of 4 Quarters speaks to things starting to fall into place as they head down the stretch.

Not all opponents are going to have a roster that is as unremarkable as the Raiders, but with games remaining against teams that may have packed it in by the time of the December meeting (Green Bay and Washington), the Cowboys are now properly positioned to go grab that NFC East divisional title with a 3-1 or even a 2-2 December record.

There is plenty of work to do, but to win 5 of their last 7 (that Detroit loss really smarts) they have built some pretty valuable momentum and will likely add Sean Lee back to the defense in time to go to Chicago in 10 days time.

At this time of year, you want to be in the playoff hunt and have a reasonable level of health on your side.  It appears that as of this particular moment in the ever-changing NFL universe, the Cowboys can place a check-mark next to both of those boxes.

Cross your fingers that this continues from the start of the holiday season until the end of it.