Going into the game, I expected a loss to the Vikings. That said, there is no animosity and shock associated with these grades. I also don't feel the need to offer any crappy excuses, which is not my style. Overall, I was more disappointed in how the Cowboys defeated themselves than how the Vikings did it. The fact that the Vikings scored 35 is nothing new or surprising, although I think Dallas could have held them to a little less. I do think our offense played better than the 17 points indicated, as we probably took off a good 10-17 points ourselves. Regardless, we were beaten by a better team and have some work to do, especially on defense where we have to do something different against a Browns team that made the Ravens D look suspect. Offensive Line: C- The line really did a good job for most of the game. The Vikings defense provided little pressure on Vinny, which led to his gaudy stats. Not a lot of rushing yards, but that?s what happens when you get behind. The loss of two starters by the third quarter lessened their effectiveness. They were easily a B or B- if you take away the stupid penalties. Between several false starts and holding penalties, they cost us some good drives. Running Backs: C- Eddie George had a couple fair runs but a couple not so good. I was disappointed to see Julius Jones still too injured to dress. I think he is the key to our running game. Rashard Lee only carried the ball a few times, but he made the most with the few. He gets high marks for the way he ran. Richie Anderson did OK playing his utility role, but he spit up a costly fumble in the red zone that took points off the board during a good drive. He too was injured in the fourth. Wide Receivers: A- The trio of receivers played well, making some good catches in traffic and stretching out for many. They held on to the ball despite some vicious shots. They also did a good job of working their way to the holes in the Vikings zones. Tight ends: D Whitten disappeared for too long in the first half, and was out of the game quite a bit in the second half when they went to more 3 and 4 receiver sets. Quarterback: B Curbing my enthusiasm with the B, Vinny really proved that he still can throw the ball by putting it up 50 times. He was very effective, although he had plenty of time most of the time. I thought he should have aired it out a little more to stretch the field, but maybe he was following a game plan that worked rather well for the most part. Defensive line: F No pressure and no sacks. Had good run defense penetration, but didn?t wrap anyone up. If they can?t get more pressure from their front four, it will be a long season. Linebackers: D They were kept pretty busy?.too busy. But a couple of blown coverages cost them points and momentum in a big way. Defensive backs: D The lack of pass rush saved this from being an F. Dallas decided to double up Moss with CB Hunter and S Dixon. They did a decent job for the most part, limiting him to very few catches and yards, although he scored two short TDs. Roy Williams had to play centerfield, which was a waste of his talent. Newman was on an island by himself covering whoever was the other receiver, and he had a sub-par day. Special Teams: C Mixed bag here, so I should have split them out. Kick/punt coverage teams were good. Punts were good. We desperately need someone who can kickoff past the 10. Cundiff can hit the field goals, but a bad snap cost us 3 points, and Cundiff?s imitation of Garo Yepremian was embarrassing. Rashard Lee had a great kickoff return, although I question his decision to level Morten Andersen rather than juke him for the TD, although they eventually got one on that drive. Coaching: D Surprisingly, lots of question marks here for me. Kudos for driving for a TD with 30 seconds left in the first half rather than kneel down. I question the schemes they ran in many situations. I certainly would have dressed Julius Jones. They punted the ball with 5 minutes left being down by 3 scores ? which pretty much tells the team you have given up. Grade drops to a F if they don?t look for a veteran DB this week.
You guys were actually triple teaming Moss a good part of the time...thus Culpepper connected with 9 different receivers. So out of 6 DB's in certain situations, as many as 3 were dedicated to one receiver. Your special teams were better than you give them credit for. Although I agree that Lee should have ran around Morten Anderson. The man is 44 years old, do you really think he's going to be able to do anything other than slow you down? Run by him...he won't catch you. We'll see if Vinny can consistently put the ball up 50 times...that could be a problem down the road as his age catches up with him.
Run looked pretty good to the left, but for some reason, Dallas kept trying to run right. What was up with that? I'd have pounded it to the left until the Vikes LB's started cheating left, then boom, break one off to the right.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Rube Cred)</div><div class='quotemain'>Run looked pretty good to the left, but for some reason, Dallas kept trying to run right. What was up with that? I'd have pounded it to the left until the Vikes LB's started cheating left, then boom, break one off to the right.</div> You are exactly right. After the Rashard Lee kickoff, Lee ran four straight times and into the end zone. They were typically off of the left side right over Larry Allen. Had the Vikings not responded quickly with another touchdown, I think you would have seen more of the left side. Unfortunately, the passing game had to kick into high gear, and any consistent running game was toast.
