Rams D Diary 4/16 - Dallas Cowboys (30 Sept.)

At this point, the Rams should be at least 2-1, maybe 3-0 if things swing our way.  A solid season-opening win over the Panthers, a morale-exploding victory over the Niners, and a walk in Tampa bring us to the sports franchise I hate more than any other in the entire world: the Dallas Cowboys.  It's difficult for me to even write the team name.  They are an embarassment to my hometown, and a festering sore on the face of sports.

Dallas' offensive Offense:

 - QB - So have you heard about this Romo guy?  The last NFL game I was able to see live was the final preseason game before last year.  The Cowboys played the Vikings and lost.  I was pleased.  Romo did hint at his eventual succession to starter when, lined up in the shotgun, he chased a bad snap as it bounced twice off the turf, scooped it up in stride, and fired a pass 25 yards or so down field to pick up a first.  Bledsoe's hold on the starter position was officially thin.  Like 1-ply thin.  In any case, Romo has a lot to show this season.  After all the hype, he was the face of the Cowboys' playoff loss last year, fairly or not.  Behind him, is Brad "I'll play until I'm 60" Johnson.  I can't watch Brad Johnson play quarterback.  It's insulting.  Matt Baker (2nd year out of UNC) or Isaiah Stanbeck (rookie from Washington) should be the failsafes.

 - RB - Solid 1-2 punch with Julius Jones and Marion Barber, III.  I wish I was the third.  It's fun to say.  Barber is creeping on Jones' established spot, and will get most of the third down and goalline handoffs, but Jones is still capable of gaining yards.  Ty Thompson as a third back is negligible.  Oliver Hoyte , the 2nd year FB out of NC State, will probably start.  Lousaka Polite is also available at FB.  In all, not a bad running game, but not the most dangerous either.

 - WR/TE - This is where Dallas is most dangerous.  Terell Owens & Terry Glenn headline a solid WR corps.  Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, and Jerheme "My Mama Can't Spell Jeremy" Urban will provide extra options.  Essentially, the group includes two top tier WRs, and a lot of young guys who can cause trouble.  At TE, Jason Witten looks to affirm his status as a top TE, but Anthony Fasano is a solid blocking-TE, so he will warrant some snaps if pass blocking is poor, which it well could be.

 - OL - Herein lies the hole in the Dallas O.  37 sacks with Bledsoe (who, while slow, gets rid of the ball early enough to avoid a huge sack total) and Romo (who is mobile and tricky) is too many.  Andre Gurode is a decent center, but no beast, and he's shown trouble with shotgun snpas.  Leonard Davis was a good pickup at RG because Kyle Kosier at LG is beatable.  The 'Boys hold enough depth at G (Cory Procter, Joe Berger, Jim Molinaro) to offset any injuries or poor play at G.  The tackles are sub-par.  Marc Colombo and Flozell "I have the most ghetto first name of all-time" Adams are mistake-prone.  Edit that: not mistake-prone, just mistake-friendly.  They seem to enjoy making mistakes.  Flozell is a stange one.  Third-round pick James Marten could see significant time this year when the Colombo/Adams pairing falters.  Wade Phillips has his hands full with this group.  Actually, he has his hands full with TO, so I don't know what he has full with his O-line.  Best NFL Name for Pop Culture References: O-Line coach Tony Sparano.  That's close enought to Tony Soprano for me.  Does that make Terell the equal to Chris Moltisanti?  Is Wade Phillpis Uncle Junior?  Jerry Jones is Carmela.  No arguments.

Matchups!  Who wants a matchup?!

Key matchups:

1.) Wade Phillips vs. Bill Parcells - Once the Tuna left the organization, I guess the team decided it was time to unload.  Instead of blaming their inability to make successful plays, they blast the coach.  This is a team who was a chip shot away from the 2nd round of the playoffs.  If the Boys had made it to the 2nd round, I would be surprised if anyone was complaining.  Hell, Parcells might still be around.  In any case, Phillips has to distinguish his style from Parcells.  Not hard to do, but the Cowboys are whiny children in a world of men.  The recipe for successful Cowboys coach in the modern era requires a tablespoon of actual football coaching, a teaspoon of on-air personality, and 3,000 quarts of babysitting ability.  Why coaches want this job is beyond me.

2.) Carriker vs. pre-season St. Louis fans - Tell me you're not expecting Carriker to be huge for us this year.  My optimism forces me to envision sacks, run-stopping smashes, and swim moves aplenty.  Against Dallas, he has a serious challenge in stopping the run and containing a mobile QB.  Sure, La'Roi "I am the Wah" Glover, Claude Wroten, and Clifton Ryan will play too.  Maybe more than Carriker.  But in the middle of camp, all I think about is Carriker standing over Romo's bloody jersey letting out a primal scream in the middle of Texas Stadium.  I wish I was in Dallas for this game.  (P.S., the final game of the 2005 season when the Rams beat the Cowboys as both missed the playoffs was a very enjoyable experience for me.  I sat in the 3rd row behind the STL bench.  If we could've won that game to squeeze into the playoffs and keep the Cowboys out, I might have passed out.

3.) Terell Owens & Terry Glenn vs. ? - This is the final game Fakhir Brown will miss due to his suspension.  It is also the one out of those four in which we will miss him the most.  Say what you will about him as a person, TO is a phenomenal WR.  Short game, deep threat, red zone, route running, hands, awareness, size.  The guy has it all.  I have no idea how we match up against this combo (I didn't include Witten in this, but he makes coverage even more difficult), but I think this will decide the game.  I expect both teams to put up points, and I think limiting the big plays and red zone success will be the determining factor.

4-0 going into week 5?!  I think so.  If it happens this year, we will all be on the playoff bandwagon, myself included.  Here's to hoping to a perfect start going into Week 5 at home against the Cardinals.