Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans: Week 5 Game Plan, What To Watch for Dallas
During the preseason, I formulated two separate articles called “What to Watch” and “DOs and DON’Ts for Dallas” as game previews for the upcoming contests. During the regular season, I will combine these two features into a single, more all-inclusive article known as a “Game Day Manifesto.” You’ll be able to find the Manifesto category under the GameDay tab above.
This week’s Manifesto also contains my game plan for how Dallas can beat Tennessee this Sunday.
Now on to this week’s Manifesto.
What To Watch for Dallas vs. Tennessee
How will the Cowboys’ defense attack a rather one-dimensional Titans' offense?
The Broncos did a fair job in exposing the lack of diversity of the Titans’ offense. Chris Johnson and Vince Young combine to form the league’s top rushing attack, but that’s all they have. Young is a subpar pocket passer and receivers Nate Washington, Justin Gage, and Kenny Britt are, well, bad (relatively speaking, of course).
So how will the Cowboys attack Tennessee? There’s really two schools of thought here. They can sit back in safe coverages while still maintaining an aggressive, run-first attitude, or they can blitz early and often, knowing that it will be difficult for Young to beat them with his arm. Let’s see what Coach Phillips has in store.
Will the Cowboys approach this game as if their backs are against the wall?
It’s quite obvious the Cowboys play their best when they believe they are the “underdog.” Well, they are going to be favored to win this game. It will be crucial that they remember they are still just 1-2 and a loss could be debilitating. If their mind-set is that of an underdog, they should be fine.
Will Kyle Kosier, Jason Witten, and Dez Bryant all be ready to roll?
Kosier and Witten both sprained their MCLs last week, while Bryant is suffering from a multitude of ailments. It looks as though all three will be ready to go for Dallas, though, which would give the team a big boost.
If only one of these players could play for Dallas, however, I would actually take Kosier. Witten and Bryant are superior players, but there is more depth at both tight end and wide receiver than left guard. The drop-off from Kosier to Holland is rather large, in my view.
Can DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer dominate what is perhaps the league’s top offensive tackle duo in Michael Roos andDavid Stewart?
Roos and Stewart are tremendous tackles and really the cornerstones of the Titans’ rushing offense. It takes a dominant offensive line to run the ball effectively when the other team knows it is coming, and Tennessee has the ability to do just that. Ware and Spencer will need to maintain a run-first mentality this week, which should be no problem. If they can do that and force the Titans to throw the football, they should be able to eventually put some pressure on Young.
Will Dallas spy Vince Young?
The Cowboys may opt to designate a player (such as safety Gerald Sensabaugh, for example) as a “spy” on Young. That player would simply shadow Young’s movements and make sure he doesn’t get far on the ground, allowing the defense to play man coverage without worrying about the cornerbacks running all the way downfield.
I personally don’t like using a spy. It really limits the defense’s flexibility and many times the spy isn’t even as athletic as the player he’s trying to shadow. Instead, the Cowboys would be better off playing sound, yet aggressive defense.
DOs and DON’Ts vs. Tennessee
DO blitz up the middle.
As I stated above, Roos and Stewart are two of the NFL’s best offensive tackles. Tennessee is still strong in the middle of their offensive line, but there is definitely a drop-off. The Cowboys may be able to exploit it by running some innovative blitz packages right at the Titans’ guards at center. Plus, Ware and Spencer are usually capable of holding down the fort outside.
DON’T worry about anyone other than Chris Johnson and Vince Young (running).
The Cowboys’ defensive philosophy will be insanely simple: stop the Titans’ rushing game. That’s it. Of course, that’s easier said than done. While I do think the Cowboys should blitz up the middle when they bring extra defenders, I also believe the team would benefit from limiting their blitzes in general. They can still put extra defenders in the box to stop Johnson and Young, and playing a little more zone coverage than usual will make it easier for the defense to diagnose Young’s scrambles.
DO run quite a few play-action passes.
Tennessee’s run defense is stout—they’ve allowed just 92.0 yards per game despite playing run-oriented teams like the Steelers and Jets. I’ve watched two of their games on film, and while their secondary is certainly talented, the mind-set of the defense seems to be to stop the run first, particularly early in the game.
The Cowboys may be able to take advantage of that by running some play-action passes. As always, early success on the ground will aid in effectively completing that task.
I also think the Cowboys should take some shots down the field following play-action looks. Jason Garrett seems to be trying that more often this year, as 25 percent of the team’s 24 play-action passes have been thrown 15+ yards.
Want to know how radically different the Cowboys’ play-action approach is from last season? Check out these numbers. Through three games, Dallas has attempted one less pass of 20+ yards off of a play-action look as all of last season!
