Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Tom Brady continues to be open and honest about the fact that the Patriots’ 10-1 record is in large part a testament to the team’s defense while discussing the ways that
Tom Brady continues to be open and honest about the fact that the Patriots’ 10-1 record is in large part a testament to the team’s defense while discussing the ways that
Tom Brady continues to be open and honest about the fact that the Patriots’ 10-1 record is in large part a testament to the team’s defense while discussing the ways that
Tom Brady continues to be open and honest about the fact that the Patriots’ 10-1 record is in large part a testament to the team’s defense while discussing the ways that
The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense.
The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense. Seattle secured a winning record for the eighth consecutive season and can take the division lead if the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) lose to the Green Bay Packers (8-2) on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from the game.
Defense holds firm and totals five turnovers
The defense had a solid day even without Jadeveon Clowney, limiting the Eagles offense on Sunday. In addition, they had five total turnovers that were crucial to that accomplishment, often setting Seattle up in field goal range. The tackling was generally strong and the defensive backs mostly provided great coverage on their respective assignments, notching two interceptions off of Carson Wentz. They gave the offense multiple opportunities to put points on the board. However…
Missed opportunities on offense
The offense failed to capitalize on most of the chances given to them by the defense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had three drops, including a brutal one on a surefire touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. After Quinton Jefferson recovered a fumble and took it deep into Philadelphia territory, the Seahawks turned a first and 10 into a first and 20 with back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties. This turned into a third and 25, leading Wilson to throw his third interception of the season. They did enough to win the game, but the missed opportunities were plentiful and Seattle cannot afford them later in the season.
Rashaad Penny shows improvement
Penny had his best game in quite some time, recording 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. That TD came on the longest run of his career, a 58-yard run. It was also the longest rushing score for Seattle in the past three years. After being outshone by Chris Carson for most of the season, Penny came through when his team needed him to. This game could be a momentum shift in the season for the much-maligned second-year running back, and he will likely receive more carries going forward. Seattle could certainly use bigger contributions from Penny, so hopefully he builds on this.
Chris Carson fumbles twice in a row
Carson had a pair of egregious fumbles on back-to-back plays, the second of which Philadelphia recovered. The second one may have been attributed to Wilson as a botched handoff, but Carson was still at least partially to blame for not securing it. His ball-security issues continue to hamper the Seahawks offense. On top of that, he only had 26 rushing yards on eight carries. This, combined with Penny’s solid day, could give Carson less playing time for the remainder of the season.
Russell Wilson turns in a hot-and-cold performance
Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was the victim of a few unfortunate drops, most prominently by Metcalf. However, it was not the best game by Wilson’s lofty standards. His interception was a bounce to Rodney McLeod off a solid play by Ronald Darby. His touchdown pass to Malik Turner off a trick play was a thing of beauty, but he took quite a few sacks in crucial moments and his 75.4 passer rating is his lowest since the Seahawks’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore. In the end, Wilson did enough to win and his performance shows how high his standards have become after largely playing at an MVP-caliber level through the first ten games.
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Baltimore Ravens safety Earl Thomas says Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien questioned his will to keep playing football during free agency.
The Houston Texans had money to spend in the 2019 free agency period. They also had a need at safety after watching Tyrann Mattieu, Kareem Jackson and Andre Hal (retirement) leave the team.
Fortunately, one of the best safeties of the decade, Earl Thomas, became available. Quarterback Deshaun Watson took notice of that, as the two share the same agent, suggested to Bill O’Brien that the team sign the Texas native with a Hall of Fame resumé.
O’Brien didn’t seem too interested.
On a call with Thomas, O’Brien questioned the safety’s will to still to play football.
“He was at the rodeo at the time,” Thomas told Dan Pompei of The Athletic. “Our conversation was not what I thought it was going to be. It was him not believing I still wanted to play football.”
It wasn’t as if O’Brien didn’t have some questions about Thomas. After all, the Super Bowl champion safety broke his left leg in Week 4 of the 2018 season. It was the second time in the past three seasons that his season had ended with a broken leg. Signing Thomas to the Texans would mean spending some of the offseason rehabilitating the injury while the 30-year-old integrated with the team.
Eventually, Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens to the tune of $55 million over four years. The Texans chose the affordable Tashaun Gipson, who signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal, shortly after they lost out on retaining Mathieu, who signed a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts with a finals score of 66-3 to improve to 10-1 on the 2019 regular season. This game was a true test of the Alabama offense without Tua Tagovailoa on the field. Redshirt-Sophomore …
The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Western Carolina Catamounts with a finals score of 66-3 to improve to 10-1 on the 2019 regular season.
This game was a true test of the Alabama offense without Tua Tagovailoa on the field.
Redshirt-Sophomore quarterback Mac Jones stepped up big time in place of Tagovailoa, completing 10 of 12 pass attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns, all while not turning the ball over.
The freshman younger brother of Tua, Taulia Tagovailoa, also got to take some snaps at quarterback.
He completed two of three pass attempts for a single touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The passing attack turned out to be the most successful method of production as the Alabama offense totaled 310 yards and four touchdowns.
Devonta Smith continues to shine in his Junior season and make a strong case for being a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, today he reeled in four receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
Jaylen Waddle also got in on the action as he had three catches for 101 yards and a single touchdown that highlighted his breakaway speed along the sideline.
The running game also proved to be effective as Najee Harris had 14 carries for 66 yards, one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.
While Harris remains the star of the Alabama backfield, a young face made a strong appearance late in the game.
Freshman Keilan Robinson had eight carries for 92 yards and a touchdown in his brief appearance against the Catamounts.
The defense had another impressive outing as they were able to bring in four interceptions, two a piece for Xavier McKinney and Jared Mayden.
Overall, Western Carolina’s offense was held to 179 yards, 112 in the air and 67 on the ground.
This was a game many anticipated Alabama would walk away with a win, but the true test will be n the Crimson Tide’s final regular season game of the year as they’ll travel to Auburn and take on the Tigers, a game that will have some hefty playoff implications.
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C.J. Mosley has missed nine games this season with a groin injury, but he’s hopeful he can return this season.
The Jets surprisingly decided against putting linebacker C.J. Mosley on injury reserve after he reaggravated a groin injury five weeks ago, but now Mosley believes he could play this season, possibly in Week 14.
Mosley received injections of platelet-rich plasma to help heal his injured groin this week. Those shots, he said, give him a “50-50” chance to play again this season.
“If I can do anything to avoid ending my season, I’m going to try it,” he said on Friday, per ESPN. “I’d rather do that than cut my body open. That was the thinking on that.”
The Jets gave Mosely a five-year, $85 million contract last offseason in the hopes he could strengthen the core of their defense. He played well in Week 1 against the Bills, but suffered a groin injury midway through the game. When he returned and reinjured himself in the Week 7 loss to the Patriots, the Jets said he could theoretically return in five-to-six weeks. Heading into what would be his fifth week of rehab, Mosley said he’s running again and hopes to get on the practice field soon.
While it may seem pointless for Mosley to risk a second aggravation in what is a lost season for the Jets, the linebacker feels it’s his responsibility as a captain to play. That’s a well-intentioned sentiment but looks more and more unlikely as the season progresses. Even Adam Gase remains at worst skeptical and at best noncommittal about Mosley’s return.
“We’re just kind of going through that process and see where it takes us,” he said. “I don’t really know the answer to that.”
Ultimately, it will come down to Mosley’s rehabilitation over the next few weeks. Mosley is positive but realistic when it comes to his availability in the few weeks left in the season. He said he’ll get surgery if his injury doesn’t heal over the next two weeks.
“I’m trying to do everything I can to avoid surgery and play,” he said. “Worst-case scenario: I’ll have to get surgery if next week doesn’t go well.”
The Houston Texans defense earned their fair share of gold stars from their 20-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts Thursday night at NRG Stadium.
The Houston Texans defense may not have had the big stats in the form of takeaways, but holding the Indianapolis Colts down in the club’s 20-17 win at NRG Stadium Thursday night was a great way to start the final six games of the regular season.
There are plenty of gold stars to hand out and some red marks as well. Here are the grades from the victory that improved Houston’s record to 7-4 on the year.
Houston had J.J. Watt the first time they played the Colts in Week 7 and were able to corral the Indianapolis run game, but failed to touch quarterback Jacoby Brissett as he was dropped once. How would they ever generate pressure on Brissett without Watt?
The Texans defensive line was still unable to get to Brissett with just one sack to show for it, but they did produce four quarterback hits. Defensive ends Carlos Watkins and Brandon Dunn had four tackles and three tackles respectively, and defensive tackle D.J. Reader had two tackles and a quarterback hit.
Indianapolis mustered 175 rushing yards, and Marlon Mack’s fill-in, Jonathan Williams, produced 26 carries for 104 yards. Regardless, the Texans’ defensive line held forth at the end of the game to preserve the Houston victory.
Previewing Sunday’s showdown between Dak Prescott and Tom Brady, outsmarting Bill Belichick, and cashing in on Dak’s pregame dance moves.
So much to discuss as Sunday’s showdown draws ever nearer. The Cowboys look like they’ll be dealing with a surprise scratch in the middle of the defense, while there’s plenty of talk about the two quarterbacks this game will feature. Everyone is trying to predict what Patriots coach Bill Belichick will or won’t do, and what the Cowboys should or shouldn’t do in this one… all while one of the player units in Dallas suggests it’s all just business as usual.
All of that, plus an early look ahead at running back contracts and unrestricted free agents for 2020, breakdowns of both the Dallas offense and defense, and the perfect holiday gift for the Cowboys fan who’s still trying to learn “How to Dak.” That’s ahead in this edition of News and Notes.
Updating Thursday night’s big news, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is expected to miss Sunday’s matchup with New England.
“Vander Esch’s injury flared up in practice, which led to an MRI. He will have another MRI in three weeks, according to a source,” reports ESPN’s Todd Archer. Also citing sources, Archer says the second-year star is now considered “week-to-week.”
Longtime veteran Sean Lee will take over for Vander Esch as the team’s weakside linebacker. Joe Thomas is slated to move into Lee’s spot on the strong side, but he has missed two practices this week with an illness.
–TB
Metrics nerds, get your popcorn ready. Travis Somers presents all kinds of graph goodness in this look at the two quarterbacks who will lead their teams against one another at Foxboro Stadium on Sunday.
Come for the visual eye candy of data plotted out on an X/Y grid and all the pretty colors; stay for the eye-opening conclusion about how the Cowboys’ young star actually compares to the most decorated passer in league history.
–TB
Not much else to say here but watch the reverence (second vid) the Patriots head coach has for the Cowboys QB ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
SUPER IMPRESSIVE: #Patriots coach Bill Belichick asked about Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
Calls him "super impressive," says his poise, accuracy stand out. @ABC6 pic.twitter.com/whhJQwO7HE
— Nick Coit (@NCoitABC6) November 20, 2019
— KD
As a San Francisco kid who grew up during the 49ers’ dynasty of the 1980s and saw Dwight Clark make “The Catch” in person as a four-year-old, Tom Brady was perhaps genetically hardwired to hate America’s Team.
“I’ve really not liked the Cowboys since coming out of the womb,” the Patriots quarterback said this week.
“They’ve actually had a great, winning organization, and have got a lot of great players in their history,” Brady said. “Guys that I, just as a Niner fan, you know — you play the Cowboys and every time they’d hand it to Emmitt Smith, it’d be a 5-yard gain. And you’d pull your hair out.”
Brady is 4-0 in his playing career against Dallas.
–TB
For all the hype and hoopla surrounding Sunday’s showdown with the New England Patriots, the guys in the trenches say they’re approaching this week’s game like any other.
Loved Travis Frederick's answer this week on Cowboys Hour about changing their mentality for the Patriots compared to any other team they face…..
Him & Zack were awesome, here's the full show: https://t.co/NO7yQwAyTB pic.twitter.com/MbRCQdXvvV
— Taylor Stern (@TayStern) November 21, 2019
On the Miller Lite Cowboys Hour, offensive linemates Zack Martin and Travis Frederick dispelled any notion that they’re changing their mentality for Week 12 simply because they’ll be squaring off against the defending Super Bowl champions.
–TB
“Take away what they do best,” they say. Well, no one’s better at it than New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who has been making winning look easy for going on two decades. The Cowboys offense will present a unique challenge in Foxborough, but here’s a look at what has made things in New England so different for so long.
–TT
The Patriots do just about everything well, but if there’s a weakness to be found, it may in Tom Brady’s performance when under duress.
Connor Livesay writes: “Heading into last week’s matchup against the Eagles, Tom Brady ranked 28th in yards per attempt (4.0), 27th in passer rating (47.9), a 4:3 TD:INT ratio, and is only completing 34% of his passes when under pressure.”
Harassing Brady will be of critical importance, but only if the Cowboys can do it without sending too many blitzers. That’s because one of Brady’s strengths is utilizing screen passes to backs James White, Rex Burkhead, and Sony Michel… and unfortunately, stopping the screen attack hasn’t been something the Dallas defense has excelled at in 2019.
–TB
A comparison between two of the best runs in NFL history, the Dallas team that garnered the “America’s Team” moniker and the Bill Belichick version of the New England Patriots. There’s a trip down memory lane, an NFL record that’s on the brink, and a look at the animosity that the two teams’ success has wrought over the years.
–TT
Given the Patriots knack for shutting down the thing that’s working best for their opponent, it’s fair to say that keeping wideout Amari Cooper in check will be a priority for the New England secondary. That unit “has been outstanding, ” team staff writer David Helman notes, “anchored by strong play from Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty, and nabbing 19 interceptions on the year.”
Cooper himself, though, thinks that strategy is a double-edged sword. “We have a lot of guys that can make plays, so if they try to take me away and just focus on me, I don’t think that’d be the wisest approach,” he said. “You saw what Gallup and Cobb did last week, going for over 100 yards. If they do try to take me away, we have other guys that can make plays.”
Amari Cooper was asked if it helps him to have as capable a No. 2 WR as Michael Gallup to help him get favorable coverage.
He didn’t appreciate it 😂 pic.twitter.com/lL6H4XCYqX
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) November 21, 2019
–TB
Joey Ickes breaks down a favorite New England technique for negating an opponent’s primary receiver and offers a pair of strategies that Kellen Moore could use in response.
The entire article is worth the read, but one of those tactics has been screamed at the TV by every Cowboys fan out there at some point this season: let Dak Prescott use his running ability.
The second ploy involves a few names that the casual fan- and hopefully the Patriots- might not expect. And a former New England assistant confirms that this particular plan of attack hits one of Belichick’s personal bugaboos.
–TB
Ezekiel Elliott’s is among the running backs’ deals examined in this piece by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, and the results aren’t pretty. Elliott is very good, but he hasn’t recaptured that dynamic play that he flashed throughout his rookie season when he took the league by storm. This year, the new rookie in town, Tony Pollard, has made the Cowboys more efficient when he spells Elliott. Caveat: sample size.
Elliott isn’t holding the Cowboys back by any means, but they have actually been slightly more efficient on offense with backup Tony Pollard on the field than him. Elliott has been on the field far more frequently, but the offense has generated 0.21 points of additional expected points per play with Pollard on the field and 0.17 points with Elliott in the lineup.
–TT
A team’s record has the capacity to make the general NFL fan either overestimate or underestimate a team on that fact alone. This is certainly the case with the Dallas Cowboys, whose offense is as good as any in the league. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and quarterback Dak Prescott have their half of the team rolling in terms of explosive plays and third down conversion. That and more in Bob Sturm’s weekly breakdown of the offense.
–TT
It takes two to tango, and in Week 11 the defense failed to hold up their end of the bargain. As explosive as the offense has been, the defense let a backup quarterback match them in that regard. That kind of performance is the exact opposite of the “bend but don’t break” approach that’ s been preached for years in Dallas.
–TT
The Cowboys dominate this list of upcoming free agents with five players listed on it. Two of them, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, are guaranteed to continue their careers in Dallas, but the others on the list have futures that are up in the air, including one of the newest members of the team.
–TT
Nobody knows how to push their brand quite like Jerry Jones. First, it was the “Zeke Who?” shirts that poked fun at the owner’s perceived slight of Ezekiel Elliott during the star running back’s holdout. Then it was the fun the team had with the black cat who appeared during the Week 9 win over the Giants, even putting him on the stadium’s video screen during player intros the following week.
Now it’s Cowboys Nation’s ongoing love affair with quarterback Dak Prescott’s pregame warmup routine.
You saw @EzekielElliott do it last Sunday. Now it's YOUR turn to join the @dak Dance craze that's sweeping through #CowboysNation!
Pick up this EXCLUSIVE new #DallasCowboys How to Dak tee now!
Men's: https://t.co/LKTWsjnGK2
Women's: https://t.co/oji69v8Bbd pic.twitter.com/jHddaoC64R— Cowboys Pro Shop (@CowboysProShop) November 21, 2019
The 100% cotton tee is available in all sizes for both men and women, and features the above graphic on the back. On the front, the Cowboys star and Prescott’s jersey number appear above the left breast. The shirt sells for $24.99.
–TB
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The Cowboys have a tough task ahead of them in solving an all-time great defense. Here are a couple of tips they should act on.
The Dallas Cowboys’ offense, led by Dak Prescott, leading the league in total DVOA and top-3 in both passing and rushing DVOA, are quite simply, the most efficient and potent offense in the NFL. Their opponent on Sunday afternoon, the New England Patriots’ defense, lead the NFL in defensive DVOA, and have posted historically great performances all season. On Sunday in Foxboro, that unstoppable force, meets that immovable object, and the resulting collision is sure to be epic.
By now everyone knows Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be looking for any and every possible edge he can create to give his team an advantage and an opportunity to win, and that one of his key tactics in doing so is to focus his entire scheme on taking away his opponent’s ability to use their primary play-maker on offense.
The Patriots primary coverage is Cover-1, which is man coverage on each eligible receiver, with a single safety in the deep middle of the field. Assuming a four-man rush, with five defenders covering eligible receivers, and a middle of the field player, that leaves one “extra” defender.
Belichick will deploy this defender in a number of ways to create confusion for his opponent and to give his defense flexibility.
One of his favorite ways to deploy this extra defender, to take away an opponent’s primary receiver, is what he calls “One-double”.
This call, made famous by a pre-game interaction between Belichick and former Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocino will be followed by the jersey number of the primary receiver, in Ochocinco’s case, “One-Double 85” which instructed the Patriots secondary to double cover Ochocinco, no matter where he lined up in the formation.
In this case, the extra defender is used to double cover the single wide receiver on the backside of the offenses 3×1 formation.
This shot shows the potential flexibility of “One double” where the call adjusts to double the No. 2 receiver on the trips side, by having the extra defender roll to the middle of the field so that the near side safety can bracket the ID’d receiver.
Any sane observer would expect Belichick to use this call to double cover Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper. But Belichick has another weapon at his disposal to try to slow down Cooper, and that is corner back Stephon Gilmore, who in his time with the Patriots has been perhaps the best man coverage corner in the NFL.
So while there are likely to be snaps where Cooper is double covered, there will be other snaps where Belichick plays Cover-1 and deploys that extra defender in other ways. He could be deployed as a “Rat” in the underneath areas, with orders to cut off any short crossing routes.
Or he could roll to the middle of the field and allow the near side safety to cover one of the trips side receivers while another defensive back blitzes into the back field.
Or he could come down and take responsibility for the running back out of the backfield, allowing the linebacker to attack the pocket.
When you combine the flexibility of their Cover-1 package, with the dominance they exhibit in Cover-0 the Patriots’ man coverage schemes are enough to stifle almost any offense.
So what can Kellen Moore, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense do to counter the schemes they’ll see from New England on Sunday?
The first key is the same as it should be against any man-coverage heavy team, use Prescott’s legs.
Prescott is extremely effective as a runner, and the Cowboys offense, and chances of winning improve when he uses his legs. Belichick coached teams have often struggled with quarterbacks who can run, likely as a result of the amount of man coverage they play, and their only loss of the season was to the most mobile quarterback in the league, Lamar Jackson, who ran 16 times for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Ravens 37-20 win over the Patriots in Week 9.
Prescott is not likely to run 16 times, but if he is able to use his legs to convert a few key third downs, or is able to escape from pressure and turn a few negative plays into a positive ones, it could make the difference in a win or a loss for the Cowboys.
The second key, and one that will make the most difference for the offense, will be the play of the Cowboys secondary weapons. You can count on Belichick to have a plan for guys like Cooper, and Ezekiel Elliott, and even Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb and Jason Witten.
So for the Cowboys to win, they will need significant contributions from secondary weapons like Blake Jarwin and most importantly Tony Pollard.
The reason why is quantified in an interview with former Belichick assistant Pepper Johnson. Where Johnson discussed what bothers Belichick from a schematic standpoint.
“Bill never likes two running backs. He never liked playing against two skillful running backs. It’s a problem because he can’t really cover them with his different combination of coverages with the secondary. The linebackers have to get them. And you need good linebackers.”
The Patriots linebacking core, featuring Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Kyle Van Noy are an elite and versatile group, but using two running backs, especially those with skill sets like Elliott and Pollard, provides the opportunity to create easy completions in the passing game.
In the Cowboys bye week, this space talked about Kellen Moore’s use of multiple running backs to attack defenses and how it would be a key in the second half. This game is the reason why.
If Moore can use Pollard and Elliott in a variety of ways to create issues for the Patriots coverage rules in their man coverage package, the two runners should be able to prosper on Sunday, and give the Cowboys a chance to come out of Foxboro with a W.
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Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris is on pace to total career highs in tackles and sacks under new coach Vic Fangio.
Denver Broncos defensive end Shelby Harris is having a career year at just the right time. Harris (6-2, 290 pounds) is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020 and his 2019 stats will partially determine how much he earns on his next contract.
Harris has totaled 36 tackles through 10 games, which is three tackles shy of a career high. After notching three sacks on Sunday, Harris now has four sacks on the year, just 1.5 sacks shy of his career high of 5.5 sacks.
Harris has benefited from an in-season position switch. He started the year as a nose tackle but was moved to defensive end in Week 5. Harris is better suited to play as an end and he’s taking advantage of the switch.
“He’s just playing good,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said of Harris on Nov. 18. “I think he’s feeling more comfortable playing within the defense. He had some good opportunities [Sunday] with the way the plays played out.
“He had the nice caused fumble on the one sack where he came from the blindside. He’s just been playing better. If you keep playing good, the opportunities come.”
Harris will earn $3.095 million this year before free agency in 2020.
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