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Pitch, leftHits field goals of 30 and 51 yards. Down the middle of the uprights.
Oh. I guess that's not the rookie that's fired up everyone's loins yesterday afternoon. Although, we shouldn't take Bailey for granted. Remember, the Cowboys had about a half dozen kickers in camp and never once did anyone feel like Bailey was the frontrunner. Seems like they were looking for excuses to cut him then.
Come week 1, he's your kicker and he can't miss.
But this isn't about Bailey. It's the running back out of the other Oklahoma school.
DeMarco Murray rushed for what had to be the easiest 253 yards in the history of the NFL in a 34-7 win over the St. Louis Rams.
That is a single-game record for the Dallas Cowboys. And it included the second-longest run from scrimmage -- first quarter, 91 yards -- following Tony Dorsett's 99-yard run 25 years ago.
As soon as Murray broke that big run, I knew immediately the reaction: Bench Felix Jones, start Murray. Logical. The elation of a 91-yard-run which has been as rare as Halley's Comet can get a fan to think all number of things.
What tempered any enthusiasm is the fact that the Cowboys beat up on one of the worst teams in the league, the 0-6 Rams, who were without Sam Bradford and other important players. Thus, Murray rushing for 253 doesn't translate. The idea is that Jones would have done the same thing against the Rams.
I disagree.
I would have given Jones a 55 percent chance of getting tackled on the 91-yard run, mainly by that last guy in the secondary that Murray wound up criss-crossing by juking toward the left sideline. Jones would have been tackled there. I can't explain it and I have no proof of tendency or anything. But how many times have we seen Jones in the open field get tackled by a guy in the secondary. Yes, it was a nice run, but elite running backs make that guy miss, break a tackle or simply run away from him. I think Jones is very talented. I just don't think he has that vision and patience to wait for a defender to overrun his tackle or hit that hole that's open for a half second.
Yes, Murray abused a bad Rams team. However, it's not like the Cowboys have gone up against world beaters:
Team NFL Rank-Rushing Defense
New York Jets 26
San Francisco 49ers 2
Washington Redskins 17
Detroit Lions 28
New England Patriots 8
There's little to no difference in the offensive line here. The only change was Montrae Holland -- a guy applying to Home Depot a week ago -- starting at right guard. Otherwise it was Doug Free, Phil Costa, Kyle Kosier and Tyron Smith.
Jones' high game was 114 against Washington. He faced two of the worst rushing defense (Jets, Lions) and couldn't do a thing with an arguably better offensive line than what Murray did with a back-up and two rookies.
Heck, even Phillip Tanner looked good.
I'm not saying that Jones is a bust and Murray needs 25 carries a game. I do think there's a running back controversy and if Jones is out for much longer, he might come back as a second-string back. That may or may not be a bad thing.
Grades:
Quarterback -- B
See, quarterbacks look a shitload better when there's zero pressure to make a pass for 14 yards every third down. To give Romo a little credit, for the first five games, he's been forced into bad situations where he has to pass because A) the yardage/down demand it; and B) the Cowboys can't run. When the Cowboys run, it takes all the pressure off Romo. The Cowboys had eight total third downs. They committed just six penalties for 30 yards. Romo was never put into a position to fail, just succeed.
Running Back -- A+
See above. By the way, Tashard Choice needs to go away. He might be hurt. But I think his bag is empty.
Wide Receiver -- A
Opinion: Dez Bryant reminds me of a former Dallas Cowboys great. But not a No. 88. Try No. 81. That spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I first thought it when Romo had his troubles this year and Bryant went to the media pleading his support for the quarterback. Then the hissy fits and theatrics. The smallish injury drama (although the former No. 81 was never hurt). Then yesterday when Murray peeled off the 91-year run, there's our No. 88 running past the defenders "escorting" the back to the end zone. Or was he merely attempting to make it into the highlight reel? Terrell Owens did the same thing while he was here. By the way, how useful is Laurent Robinson as a No. 3 receiver? He catches the ball. Check!
Tight End -- B
Very quietly, Jason Witten passed Ray Berry, Drew Hill and Don Maynard on the all-time catches list. He's now in the top 50 all time. He'll catch Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome within the next two weeks. He'll more than likely catch Drew Pearson, Tony Hill, Oz and Jackie Smith in yardage this season. As of yesterday, he eclipsed Bob Hayes, by two yards.
Offensive Line -- B+
I thought the interior of the line -- Holland, Kosier, Costa -- played remarkably well. I know Doug Free was beat badly on one sack. I didn't hear Chris Long's name at all, so I only assume Tyron Smith took care of business on the right side. Smith will be on the left side next season. Mark that down.
Defensive Line -- B+
Take away his big run, Steven Jackson ran 17 times for 30 yards. Probably the best they've looked all year, especially Jay Ratliff, who spends more time disappearing than he does appearing.
Linebackers -- C+
Solid. Nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, one way or the other. Certainly not bad.
Secondary -- A
You know, I don't think I've heard one thing about the secondary this season. We keep waiting for them to get burned week in and week out and it never happens. I think it starts with the safeties Abram Elam and Gerald Sensabaugh, who I think have had tremendous seasons. They tackle well, I don't remember a pass play where they were just completely clueless and they've gotten their hands on some loose balls and wayward passes. They went from slowing down Tom Brady to dominating A.J. Feeley. For whatever that's worth.
Special Teams -- A
I think the Cowboys' special teams has been the secret to the relative success they've had this year. They are top 10 in kickoff coverage and top 15 in punt coverage. The longest punt return they've allowed is 20 yards. Never since Bill Parcells was here have opponents' field position flipped flopped. Add in Dan Bailey and special teams have been spectacular.
Coaching -- A
No upset here. The Cowboys did something they haven't done in a long, long time. They blew out a bad team. One week after giving the mighty Patriots a good fight, they blew the doors off a bad Rams team. Sometimes you can judge a team's ability on how they kill bad teams as compared to how they fare against good teams. The Cowboys are not elite or even second tier. But they are better than 50 percent of the league. You can build on that.
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