From: mas@aero.org (Marcus A.Shaw)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Dallas vs. SF, N*iced* Notes
Date: 21 Jan 1993 20:48:13 GMT
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aerospace.aero.org

The good news gets better.  As you ALLLL know by now, Dallas is the NFC
representative in the Hyperbowl.  Here are my feelings (and observations)
from this week's triumph over the all too familiar 49'ers.

* Emmitt Smith was not "shut down" in the first quarter.  Granted, the
  Cowboys did not use him but 3 times (for -1 yards), but that (including
  the plays that were called to him) was part of the plan to "set-up" the
  49'ers D.  Watch the film.

* The clock management of the Cowboys at the end of the first half went
  largely unnoticed by John "maddening" and Pat Slumberall.  While the
  49'ers had the ball, deep in Cowboy territory with about 1:45 left,
  the Cowboys called all 3 of their timeouts.  They did this since the
  9'ers had a first and near goal and would finish their series one
  way or the other.  The Cowboys, by calling timeouts, got the ball
  back with 50+ seconds to play and had a realistic shot at a FG at the
  end of the half.  If they had not called the timeouts, the 49'ers would
  have kicked the FG with no time on the clock....  Very nice clock
  management.

* Aikman threw a "too short" long pass again in this game, his only attempt
  at the deep ball.  I still say he has trouble with that pass (more than
  most QB's and more than with most other passes), but he was definitely
  on in the Philly game.  In that game, the 3 perfect long passes he threw
  (2 to Harper, one incomplete, one to Irvin) were better than ANY single
  long pass he has thrown all season.  No exageration necessary!!

* Two Cowboys defensive ends, Charles Haley and Chad Hennings were limited
  to the same number of tackles (1).  Granted, Hennings got his on ST.
  I add this only to show that Haley had 1 tackle, no assist, and no sacks.
  He was far from the terror that was promised when Dallas picked him up,
  although he has played exactly like a player that they gave up a #2 and #3
  for.  His fame in the league has been very valueable to opening pressure,
  but I don't think that John Madden can afford to heap praise on this
  player much longer.  The SF OT handled him like a side of beef.  By the
  by, PFW did a survey of the leagues top DL, and here is where DC players 
  finished:
 
  Among Ends:  Tolbert (13), Haley (15), Jeffcoat (23)
  Among Tackles: Casillas (7), Maryland (9), Lett (25)

  Please notice that the NFL players and GM's surveyed think more of Tolbert
  than of Haley!  I know he has been a catalyst this year, but he gets far
  more credit than he deserves despite his "QB pressures" stat.... and this
  from a guy who "really had something to play for".... pshawwwww

* The stats in the game were so even is is eerie.  Questions I have for
  the 49'ers following the game are (and comments):

  - does Ricky Watters look great or what?  The only thing is that he should
    fumble the ball 2-3 times PER game with the way he carries the ball.  The
    people I was watching the game with wondered why he was so upset after he
    fumbled.  I could tell it was coming, and all the talent that he has will
    go for naught if he keeps carrying the ball like a paperback book...
    He is also possibly the most insecure and immature RB.  More should be
    made of the fact that he was a REAL rookie, a player with flash,
    power, talent, and not a lot of poise.... Awwwww, did you fumble the
    ball rook?  Did you cost your team the game?  Maybe...., but DONT CRY!
  
  - is that why the 49'ers didn't run him much in the middle part of the 
    game?  He should have been the offenssive focus if they felt comfortable
    with him.  He made the Dallas defenders miss, something that most other
    SF player's couldn't do.

  - why didn't the 49'ers roll-out Young more and give him designed running
    plays more often?

  - why didn't the 49'ers go up top again after the big success early was
    erased.  A 5 step drop is used for throwing the bomb, the 7 step drops
    Young was using were giving the dallas pressure time to rush.  3 and
    5 step drops to the sidelines would have proven deadly vs. corners that
    don't intercept many passes.

* the field was great, as I thought it would be.  If the NFL has a week and
  a ton of money to throw at a problem, it will be solved to some extent.  
  My friend was wondering why they didn't just put a tent over the field and
  drain it from the edges where the runnoff would be?  Fans could have bee
  used to dry the inside....

* Did the 49'ers look tight?  did Dallas look calm?  WOW!

* Will the Cowboys ever have to play catchup again?  Seeing them play D
  with 2-5:00 to play to sew up the game is nice, but it seems rather like
  fantasy to think they can continue these defensive stops without giving
  up some kind of points.  Can the offense come back?  the question still
  lingers.

* in THIS game.... 
  Novacek over Jones
  Smith over Watters
  Johnston over Rathman (both did have a drop)
  Harper over Taylor
  Martin over Sherrard (both were almost non-factors except for the TD)
  Aikman over Young (no INT's, one bad throw!)
  Dallas's OL over SF OL (who was better late in the game?)
  
* A critical injury for the 49'ers was the loss of DeLong at LB.  The
  run defense (and the entire LB corps) was never the same.   

* Almost as critical for the Cowboys was the loss of K. Smith.  Holt has
  lost it and Smith's absense was keenly felt.  The 49'ers do know how to
  go for the weak spot, much as Dallas went after Andre Waters in Philly
  (to Novacek).  We never saw Andre in pass coverage again, did we?

* Saxon's punting is in question on the net, but i have an interesting
  point.  He has always been a 41-43 yard gross avg. punter, with good
  touch inside the 20.  He has, however, for his entire career, been 
  a CHOKER in big game situations.  I have personally seen him shank kick
  after kick when the game was on the line, and then come back and improve
  his average later when the game was decided.  I have only seen him hit
  a good kick in a crucial situation once or twice, and I am not exagerating.
  Maybe he fit in well on the 3-13, 1-15 teams, but I am of the opinion
  that one of MY favorite Cowboys is folding under the pressure of the big
  game.  Watch him.  For extra credit, find a formula for how bad his kick
  will be based on the game situation.  He is uncannily consistent.

* Finally, it was reported that on Harper's long pass and run, Irvin was
  supposed to run that pattern.  However, the pattern that Harper was   
  supposed to run (a 10 yard hook), had gotten wide open earlier in the 
  game.  Irvin waved Harper off of his pattern and switched routes with
  him, hoping to get the ball vs. the SF zone and break a big one.  Instead,
  Harper saw the man-to-man coverage and knew that he was in the go-to
  pattern.  He made the play and he said that he hoped that "Irvin had
  a good view of me running down the field in the clear".  That's what
  greed will get you!  :-)

nuff for now....

*ice*


Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro