Mincey’s Bonehead Move
Jeremy Mincey was critically stupid last night, getting baited into a personal foul by Ereck Flowers after a play that set up 3rd and short.
Giants got an automatic first down and continued to march down the field. It didn’t end up being a factor – thanks to a no-call illegal contact on Barry Church in the end zone on 3rd and goal – but Mincey has to control himself, because that boneheaded move almost started Dallas’ season at 0-1.
Running Game
I wasn’t particularly thrilled what I saw from any of the Running Backs. Lance Dunbar was fine as a Richie Anderson-type of receiving threat but I was otherwise underwhelmed. I believe Joseph Randle performed slightly better than Darren McFadden, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
Sophomore Rushman
I need to re-watch the game, but DeMarcus Lawrence stood out to me. There was a moment on the final Giants drive where he got airborne leaping over a blocker and allowed Jennings to bust a big run, but he was getting some good pressure.
I expect he’ll start finishing those hurries off in no time.
Romo’s Still Got It
I’m going to miss Tony Romo when he’s gone. What a performance down the stretch.
The Perennial Cowboy
I’m going to miss Jason Witten when he’s gone. He is so automatic in situations like last night.
Receiving Threat Diminished
Losing Dez Bryant hurts a lot.
I’m not sure how the Cowboys respond to this in terms of roster moves (Perhaps AJ Jenkins is given a shot) but one thing is for sure: Terrance Williams and Devin Street need to step up. T-Will as a number 1 option, and Devin Street with a much heavier workload.
Beasley, I don’t believe, is required to adjust as much as these two are.
Setback For Gregory
Losing Randy Gregory is also a painful one. 4-6 weeks seems like a particularly long time to be sidelined with a sprained ankle, so I’m wondering if he can’t work his way back after 2 or 3 weeks. Time for Ryan Russell to step up and fill that void.
Vanilla Pass Attack
Even without Dez Bryant, the Cowboys passing game cannot afford to be that vanilla moving forward. Dinks and dunks with a suspect Running Back committee is not a recipe for success.
When watching the All-22 footage later, I’ll be interested to see what the Giants were doing in coverage since Romo seemed to have little interest in trying anything past the first down marker.
Taking A Look Elsewhere
I think Christine Michael will be active next week. The Cowboys need to see if he’s a better option in the rotation than any of the other three.
Giants Done, Eagles To Come
I predicted during training camp that the Cowboys would lose the 2nd game of the season against the Eagles; I still think that holds true.
It’s difficult to beat your biggest division rival both times and seeing how I don’t think there’s any way the Cowboys lose DeMarco’s return to AT&T Stadium in November, next week’s game is one I have in the loss column. However, last night’s gutty win has me hopeful that they may pull out a victory next week… just haven’t come all the way around yet.[td_smart_list_end]
You can follow Bobby Belt on Twitter at @SportsByDallas and listen to him on Cowboys Cast every week at Listen.CowboysCast.com.
