Everyone should have the Bills miracle game behind them by now. We all spent all day rejoicing and discussing the game with fellow fans, coworkers, and rival fans, but its time to hunker down for the Cowboys biggest test in several seasons – The New England Patriots.
The players will be at full speed today, practicing and breaking down the Patriots. Wade Phillips is 3-1 alltime against Bill Belicheat, and he’s seen first hand what the Patriots bring to the table offensively.
You want to talk about being the masters of halftime adjustments, look no further than Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett. They bring a one-two punch, and you can bet these coaches WILL have their players well prepared. This game will come down to execution and turnovers. I expect a close game all the way through.
One thing I do not see the Cowboys doing is the whole “fast start” thing. That’s hasn’t been Cowboys football all year round, and its overrated as far as I’m concerned. Don’t try to fix something that’s working perfectly. The Cowboys tried the fast start against the lowly Bills and it backfired bigtime, it just about cost us the game, and we never recovered from the 1st quarter debacle. The Cowboys defense will slow down the Patriots offense, and the Cowboys offense will play their game. Play the way we’ve had success in the past; meaning, don’t rush for the quick points, stay composed. Let the Patriots show what they are doing in the first half, and in the second half, drop the boom on them.
Browns and Bills showcased weaknesses
The Browns may have layed out a blueprint to stopping Randy Moss and running on the Pats defense.
Jamal Lewis: Pats’ Weakness Is Run Defense
It’s too bad Jamal Lewis left Sunday’s game against the Patriots just as soon as he entered it. He broke off an 11 yard run on the team’s first play from scrimmage, but came out after the play with a foot injury. His X-rays during the game came out negative, so he’s scheduled to have an MRI today to determine the extent of the injury. Here’s my favorite part about Jamal missing the game:
Lewis said the injury was “disappointing, because I kind of felt like we could’ve had a big day running the football on them. That’s kind of where their weakness pretty much is, I feel. But things didn’t work out that way.”
Well, we’ve already seen the Browns stop Randy Moss, and now we’re hearing that New England’s weakness is their run defense, too? Seems like they have everything figured out. Household name Jason Wright finished up the game for Cleveland rushing for 59 yards on 15 carries, which could be worse, but certainly wasn’t great. Though I don’t think much of Lewis, they sure would be better off with him healthy. The Browns kept him out of the game for precautionary purposes, so we’ll see how this plays out — it would be a big hit to the Browns running game if he’s seriously hurt. (Fanhouse)
I think we will work off the success the Browns had on limiting Moss, and add our twist to it; however, we will have to do a good job on Stallworth and Welker, both are capable WRs. The part about the Pats run defense is intriguing.
As for the Cowboys, the Bills did their homework, clearly, they were WELL prepared, it was scary at times. Their DBs blanketed our receivers, and there wasn’t much breathing room. I think this may have showed that we’re running the same plays with great frequency because they worked well in the previous four games, but the Bills had it pegged it seemed like. What does this mean? It means, Garrett will need to drop the extended playbook on the Patriots. We cannot afford to be predictable, there needs to be some fresh plays and formations for this game, but stick to the bread and butter.
Overall, the Patriots are the bullies of the NFL right now, and the Cowboys will be on a mission to dethrone them. In my mind, we beat the best offensive team in the Colts last year, and we can definitely do the same against the Patriots this weekend. I’m amped, Cowboys Nation should be amped, and the Patriots better be ready for war.
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