Wildcard Weekend: Packers at Cowboys

[Mike FF Today 608]

Inactives - 

Packers: WR Malik Heath, RB AJ Dillon, CB David Long Jr., S Benny Sapp III, LB Brenton Cox Jr., T Caleb Jones

Cowboys: WR Jalen Brooks, LB Tyrus Wheat, OT Matt Waletzko, CB Eric Scott, DL Viliami Fehoko, OT Asim Richards, QB Trey Lance

Line: DAL -7.5
Total: 51.5

Christian Watson is a gametime decision but not expecting much from him even if he does play.

[Mike FF Today 608]

Christian Watson is active.

[polecatt 403]

I see playoff Dak is back!

[polecatt 403]

I've never seen a QB that chokes as bad as Dak

[jrokh 569]

This is hilarious! Awesome too…

[Mike FF Today 608]

Romeo Doubs: 4-102-0 in first half.

Packers: 20, Cowboys 0

[easilyscan 559]

Did you hear about Dak Prescott’s new career as a chef ?

He’s great at tossing the pigskin & salads.

[Mike FF Today 608]

Correction…

Packers 27, Packers 0 

 

[Nomad99 410]

BB is on Travelocity right now, booking a ticket......

[Mike FF Today 608]

That will be 3 rushing TDs for Aaron Jones today...

[Mike FF Today 608]

Cowboys defense getting smoked in this game. 

[Mike Honcho 4,039]

Just wow.

[easilyscan 559]

How bout dem Cowboys!

Sorry cowboys fans, but It had to be done.

 

[RareN64Dream 9]

29 minutes ago, Mike FF Today said:

Cowboys defense getting smoked in this game. 

I am guessing not having Trevon Diggs doesn't help. But, I didn't watch the game. I wonder how Micah Parsons did or how much he got double team "blocked".

[polecatt 403]

I see Dak is gonna pad his stats in garbage time, make it look like he had a decent game, when in reality, he's been complete trash

[Bills04 46]

Ha, ha.  McCarthy getting HIS pink slip, tomorrow!

[TBayXXXVII 2,117]

13 hours ago, RareN64Dream said:

I am guessing not having Trevon Diggs doesn't help. But, I didn't watch the game. I wonder how Micah Parsons did or how much he got double team "blocked".

Diggs hasn't played since Week 2. 

[RareN64Dream 9]

27 minutes ago, TBayXXXVII said:

Diggs hasn't played since Week 2. 

Yeah, I know. Just was basically saying he could have helped, possibly.

[Ray_T 591]

3 hours ago, RareN64Dream said:

Yeah, I know. Just was basically saying he could have helped, possibly.

he is a shutdown corner.   having him would have made the defense better.

but in the end I really think the issue is Dallas was not well prepared to play.  Green bay Jumped on them and there was no fight until it was garbage time.  

[listen2me 23 1,544]

On 1/15/2024 at 12:16 PM, Ray_T said:

he is a shutdown corner.   having him would have made the defense better.

but in the end I really think the issue is Dallas was not well prepared to play.  Green bay Jumped on them and there was no fight until it was garbage time.  

No he isn't.   What on earth are you talking about?  Didn't Diggs give up the most yardage of anyone in the league a year or 2 ago?  Thats not a shutdown CB.  

Far from it.  

[polecatt 403]

On 1/14/2024 at 5:52 PM, easilyscan said:

Did you hear about Dak Prescott’s new career as a chef ?

He’s great at tossing the pigskin & salads.

That's what I heard, but when I ordered some, my food ended up at someone else table

[polecatt 403]

7 hours ago, listen2me 23 said:

No he isn't.   What on earth are you talking about?  Didn't Diggs give up the most yardage of anyone in the league a year or 2 ago?  Thats not a shutdown CB.  

Far from it.  

He did two years ago when he had 11 interceptions, but last season he was one of the best.

He's more of a ballhawk but he's turned into a good cover CB too

[listen2me 23 1,544]

1 minute ago, polecatt said:

He did two years ago when he had 11 interceptions, but last season he was one of the best.

He's more of a ballhawk but he's turned into a good cover CB too

I read over last 3 years he has given up more yardage and tds than any CB.  (Obviously not this year).  He did improve on those given up stats last season over the prior.  

Thats not shutdown.  A risk reward me type player with ball skills.  

Pro Football Focus graded him as the 42nd-best cornerback among 118 qualifiers in 2022. That was the best ranking in his brief career.

His coverage numbers (tracked by PFF) also fall short of the top tier corners, and are league average in terms of completion rate and yards per attempt allowed.

[Ray_T 591]

19 minutes ago, polecatt said:

He did two years ago when he had 11 interceptions, but last season he was one of the best.

He's more of a ballhawk but he's turned into a good cover CB too

this.

but it is admittedly a double edged sword.  there are times when he has given up big plays going for the INT.   in general when you try to jump the route, if you are not successful the WR is in position to make a lot of yards because the DB is chasing after the ball and not in position to make the tackle.

but it has gotten to a point with the high INT count that QBs are a little wary to throw it his way.

[polecatt 403]

24 minutes ago, listen2me 23 said:

I read over last 3 years he has given up more yardage and tds than any CB.  (Obviously not this year).  He did improve on those given up stats last season over the prior.  

Thats not shutdown.  A risk reward me type player with ball skills.  

Pro Football Focus graded him as the 42nd-best cornerback among 118 qualifiers in 2022. That was the best ranking in his brief career.

His coverage numbers (tracked by PFF) also fall short of the top tier corners, and are league average in terms of completion rate and yards per attempt allowed.

Okay, but there's no other defensive players coming close to forcing 11 turnovers in one season either.

Like I said, he's a ballhawk, not necessarily a shutdown CB.

[polecatt 403]

14 minutes ago, Ray_T said:

this.

but it is admittedly a double edged sword.  there are times when he has given up big plays going for the INT.   in general when you try to jump the route, if you are not successful the WR is in position to make a lot of yards because the DB is chasing after the ball and not in position to make the tackle.

but it has gotten to a point with the high INT count that QBs are a little wary to throw it his way.

Yeah, it's essentially why teams quit throwing at Deion. They risked a pick 6 when they threw his way. Not necessarily that he locked everyone down perfectly.

Not saying he's Deion, but 11 interceptions in one season is special. Hell, I remember when the Cowboys couldn't force that many turnovers in a season.

[Ray_T 591]

4 minutes ago, polecatt said:

Yeah, it's essentially why teams quit throwing at Deion. They risked a pick 6 when they threw his way. Not necessarily that he locked everyone down perfectly.

Not saying he's Deion, but 11 interceptions in one season is special. Hell, I remember when the Cowboys couldn't force that many turnovers in a season.

agreed.   

certainly when a team is on the verge of losing and they need a big play, thats when they look his way.  maybe with a double move hoping to shake him when he jumps on the initial cut.

but his presence adds a new element to the D that makes the Defense a bit scary at times.

[listen2me 23 1,544]

36 minutes ago, polecatt said:

Okay, but there's no other defensive players coming close to forcing 11 turnovers in one season either.

Like I said, he's a ballhawk, not necessarily a shutdown CB.

Right but if you have to rely on picks while giving up massive TD plays....are you shutdown?

How many times is Diggs going to pick off 5 passes in a season let alone 11?

I think we agree.  

[listen2me 23 1,544]

52 minutes ago, Ray_T said:

this.

but it is admittedly a double edged sword.  there are times when he has given up big plays going for the INT.   in general when you try to jump the route, if you are not successful the WR is in position to make a lot of yards because the DB is chasing after the ball and not in position to make the tackle.

but it has gotten to a point with the high INT count that QBs are a little wary to throw it his way.

A double edged sword is not a shutdown CB.  A shutdown CB makes a QB not want to throw his way.  Not give up the most TDs and yardage of any CB in the league.  

[listen2me 23 1,544]

39 minutes ago, polecatt said:

Yeah, it's essentially why teams quit throwing at Deion. They risked a pick 6 when they threw his way. Not necessarily that he locked everyone down perfectly.

Not saying he's Deion, but 11 interceptions in one season is special. Hell, I remember when the Cowboys couldn't force that many turnovers in a season.

No Deion was a shutdown CB with elite coverage skills.  

Keep banking on all these picks each year.  He will break the record in no time.  

Spoiler: hes not

[listen2me 23 1,544]

How many picks Bland have this year?  

Didn't stop a first year starting QB with by far the youngest pass catchers in the league to torch he and Gilmore.  

[Gepetto 988]

Daron Bland (Diggs replacement) is FIRST TEAM ALL PRO 

They only select two.

The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro team selected by a national panel of 50 media members:

Cornerbacks — DaRon Bland, Dallas; Sauce Gardner, New York Jets

 

Losing Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs, whose 18 career interceptions since 2020 are tied for the second-most in the NFL, was a big blow for the Dallas Cowboys defense, but second-year cornerback DaRon Bland has seamlessly transitioned to playing outside corner in 2023.

Bland led the NFL with 9 interceptions on the 2023 season.

Cowboys' DaRon Bland breaks NFL single-season pick-six record with fifth of 2023; CB called 'inspirational'

Bland has the most single-season pick-sixes in NFL history

 

Daron Bland 2023 pff grade is 90.4   A pff grade of 80 is great. I rarely see a grade of 90.

[listen2me 23 1,544]

7 hours ago, Gepetto said:

Daron Bland (Diggs replacement) is FIRST TEAM ALL PRO 

They only select two.

The Associated Press 2023 NFL All-Pro team selected by a national panel of 50 media members:

Cornerbacks — DaRon Bland, Dallas; Sauce Gardner, New York Jets

 

Losing Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs, whose 18 career interceptions since 2020 are tied for the second-most in the NFL, was a big blow for the Dallas Cowboys defense, but second-year cornerback DaRon Bland has seamlessly transitioned to playing outside corner in 2023.

Bland led the NFL with 9 interceptions on the 2023 season.

Cowboys' DaRon Bland breaks NFL single-season pick-six record with fifth of 2023; CB called 'inspirational'

Bland has the most single-season pick-sixes in NFL history

 

Daron Bland 2023 pff grade is 90.4   A pff grade of 80 is great. I rarely see a grade of 90.

Not sure how much INTs skew thr rating.  But he looked pretty blah to me.  Mid round 23 year olds eating him. 

Bland and Diggs are overrated.  

[Ray_T 591]

On 1/18/2024 at 5:46 AM, listen2me 23 said:

Not sure how much INTs skew thr rating.  But he looked pretty blah to me.  Mid round 23 year olds eating him. 

Bland and Diggs are overrated.  

Bland is only 24 years old.   hes still on an upward trajectory in terms of his gameplay.   Given how early it is in his career, the kid has a bright future if he can keep his life pointed in the right direction.    Diggs is also a fairly young man (only 25)

these guys are going to get better and there is no doubt that having all the DB's healthy makes it tougher for the opposing QB's to find room to throw the ball.

dont get me wrong.  the Dallas D Needs to grow still.    They didnt look great in their last playoff game when it counted.   but they are getting the playoff experience against top tier teams.

Part of the problem in Dallas (admittedly) is they seem to have a very easy schedule nearly every year.   They seem to Beat up those subpar perennial non playoff teams to the point where they really rack up their stats but still dont perform at a high level against the playoff calibre teams. (at least not that often) 

I'm not inclined to sugar coat this but Dak is now on the wrong side of 30.  we have been talking about his potential for some time but hes been short on performance come playoff time.  Hes getting to the point where he Needs to step up and be better.    I think the defense will likely be ok at least for the next couple of years.   After that, its hard to say where this team will go, but I dont see much more than a team that is good enough to make the playoffs every yea.   I do not think they are a true contender for a superbowl.

[listen2me 23 1,544]

52 minutes ago, Ray_T said:

Bland is only 24 years old.   hes still on an upward trajectory in terms of his gameplay.   Given how early it is in his career, the kid has a bright future if he can keep his life pointed in the right direction.    Diggs is also a fairly young man (only 25)

these guys are going to get better and there is no doubt that having all the DB's healthy makes it tougher for the opposing QB's to find room to throw the ball.

dont get me wrong.  the Dallas D Needs to grow still.    They didnt look great in their last playoff game when it counted.   but they are getting the playoff experience against top tier teams.

Part of the problem in Dallas (admittedly) is they seem to have a very easy schedule nearly every year.   They seem to Beat up those subpar perennial non playoff teams to the point where they really rack up their stats but still dont perform at a high level against the playoff calibre teams. (at least not that often) 

I'm not inclined to sugar coat this but Dak is now on the wrong side of 30.  we have been talking about his potential for some time but hes been short on performance come playoff time.  Hes getting to the point where he Needs to step up and be better.    I think the defense will likely be ok at least for the next couple of years.   After that, its hard to say where this team will go, but I dont see much more than a team that is good enough to make the playoffs every yea.   I do not think they are a true contender for a superbowl.

They can and should improve fot a bit.  But as of now they don't seem very shutdown.  They seem to take chances.  A guy like Diggs isnt going to pick off 10 balls a year.  

QBs play a long time.  30 is prime age for a QB.  Dak is Dak.  He will put up some numbers and fool people then revert back to what hes always been. 

Bland had 9 picks go look where most of them came.   Washington.  NYGs.  And other bad teams.

Cowboys beat up bad teams then get beat by good teams generally.  

A true contender?   They do this all the time after a good regular season.  They have shown us all what they are.   

[weepaws 2,460]

4 hours ago, listen2me 23 said:

They can and should improve fot a bit.  But as of now they don't seem very shutdown.  They seem to take chances.  A guy like Diggs isnt going to pick off 10 balls a year.  

QBs play a long time.  30 is prime age for a QB.  Dak is Dak.  He will put up some numbers and fool people then revert back to what hes always been. 

Bland had 9 picks go look where most of them came.   Washington.  NYGs.  And other bad teams.

Cowboys beat up bad teams then get beat by good teams generally.  

A true contender?   They do this all the time after a good regular season.  They have shown us all what they are.   

A coach like the Hoody could have been a positive influence.