Stop Terrell Owens, Win The Game

by Brandon on Sep 18, 2008 10:13 PM CDT in Analysis Comment 12 comments

This article is from last week and discussed the effect WR Terrell Owens will have on the game last Monday night against Philadelphia:

When the Cowboys routed the Eagles 38-17 in Week 9 last season, Owens caught 10 passes for 174 yards. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson didn't blitz much in that contest; he dropped extra defenders into zones and tried to roll the coverage to stop Owens. The plan backfired, and Owens found plenty of soft spots to exploit.

I didn't watch all of the Monday night game, so I don't know what Jim Johnson was doing, but Philadelphia managed zero sacks and Owens caught 3 passes for 89 yards and 2 TDs. Obviously whatever Philadelphia was doing on Monday didn't work. There was a lot going on in that game, but Owens was one of the big reasons why Dallas won on Monday.

The announced plan is to shut down Owens with CB Al Harris. The Packers tried the same thing last season, and that was a complete disaster. Defensive coordinator Bob Sanders tried moving Harris around to stay on Owens at all times and he had 156 yards receiving and 1 TD.

Hopefully they decide against doing it again this season. One big reason why they don't have to rotate Harris on Owens all game long is that CB Charles Woodson will play on Sunday night. Last season, he missed the game with a toe injury.

Dallas can still do a lot of damage on offense with Romo and Barber, TE Jason Witten seperated his shoulder on Monday but appears to be playing right through the pain. But maintaining a constant pass rush on Romo and finding a way to cover up Owens might be the key to victory.

Poll

Can The Packers Stop Terrell Owens?

Yes, Harris and Woodson Will Shut Him Down

11 votes

No, They Can Only Hope To Contain Him

118 votes

129 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 12 comments

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Comments

Offensively we should be all about the ball control passing game

keep the Cowboys offense off the field while simultaneously forcing Greg Ellis and Demarcus Ware to not lean so far forward in their two-point stances. We can’t score with these guys, we’re not there yet. It’ll be tough running the ball because the D-line of the Cowboys played well, and Zach Thomas was fantastic. Pacman Jones can be thrown at, especially when having to play zones, but he’ll only be there in Nickel packages. I didn’t think Pat Watkins was particularly good monday night, but he’s not really a downgrade from Roy Williams.
As far as defense goes, its a scary thought thinking how much this game hinges on Al Harris. The good news is, it looks like the pass rush will be present during the game this early in the season, instead of being non-existent in the game last year, late in the season. As I said in earlier post, Flozell Adams is good, but he looked beatable by Trent Cole on Monday night.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

by jobe on Sep 19, 2008 12:56 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

TO

Actually, Owens only had one big catch early in the game and was a complete non-factor in the second half.

Considering how badly Harris performed last year against big physical receivers (TO, Burress), I am hopeful they give him some help on Owens. Of course, when you do that, you leave Witten open, and he was the one who gutted the Eagles in the second half of that game.

You’re not going to stop the Dallas offense – there are too many weapons. The key seems to me to stop Barber and Jones first and then get enough pass rush to disrupt Romo and force him into a few turnovers.

This game is going to be a shootout – we need the offense to perform better than it did last year.

by Packschmid on Sep 19, 2008 6:15 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Owens is only one guy

I would argue that the game can be won without stopping TO. Last year, TO had some big plays for score, but the midfield gains and devastating third down conversions came from Barber and Witten. TO doesn’t get his opportunities (as I recall) without ‘grunt’ work by the others.

It's called "playing the percentages."

by hilbelink on Sep 19, 2008 12:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That is because TO is used to open up the field

regardless if he gets the ball thrown his way. The iggles game is a good example of how in the 1st half they tried to cover him one on one and he had two scores off 3 completions. In the second half they had to bracket TO and that led an open middle for Witten and helped take out a couple of defenders against the running game which helped the Barbarian.

Felix the Cat, no its Uncle Felix!!!

by cowboy78 on Sep 19, 2008 2:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

easier said than done

There isn’t a CB or DB in the NFL that can cover T.O. one on one, yes he’s that good. If the Packers plan on covering him with Harris on an island, they will lose for sure.

You’ll have to double him and take your chances with Witten down the seam, good luck with that as well.

BTW, we also have 2 pretty good RBs in MB3 and Felix ‘The Cat" Jones who can do severe damage to a defense. Bottom line is that if you don’t pressure Romo, you’ll lose, if you do, you have a shot, its as simple as that.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 19, 2008 3:10 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm a little curious

how the Cowboys plan on covering our receivers? Who is gonna be on Jennings, Driver, Jones, Nelson, Martin, Donald Lee, etc? Their secondary got pretty lit up on Monday night.

Can't pitch Gagne in rain. He’s like the B-2 bomber of baseball.--TheJay

by verno329 on Sep 19, 2008 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm not sure if throwing the ball almost 40x and.....

having 280 yrds and 1td passing is getting “lit up” i haven’t looked at the stats on the packers lions game but it looked like you had your problems in the secodary as well……that’s not to say that you guy’s won’t be able to throw against us because you will, it’s just that you have to convert on 3rd downs and score td’s instead of field goals in the red zone….i can’t wait for this game, a loss by either team won’t matter all that much…..they’re both good teams. and as for covering your receivers we’re going to do the best we can with what we got…

I don't need a compass to know which way the wind shines....

by hashishkabob on Sep 19, 2008 6:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

All I'm saying

is that I believe the Packers have the best receiving corps in the league yet people act like the Cowboys are the only team that has weapons on offense.

Can't pitch Gagne in rain. He’s like the B-2 bomber of baseball.--TheJay

by verno329 on Sep 19, 2008 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Red Sox, Cowboys, Celtics

Imagine me giving you a middle finger

by jobe on Sep 21, 2008 1:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I remember right., the Cowboys sent TO in motion last year, sometimes snapping the ball as he was passing the slot receiver. It kept Harris from bumping him at the line.

Frankly I’d rather see Woodson cover TO. He’s a little craftier and might be able to bait Romo, where Harris is more of a bump and cover guy.

I think I would blitz a little extra and focus on stopping the run. I know everyone likes the idea of shutting down TO but I think you let him get his 10 catches for 100 yards, just try to keep him in front of you and don’t give up the big plays and touchdowns.

by grant76 on Sep 19, 2008 3:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm a Cowboys fan.

With all due respect, if Owens gets 10 catches, he will have closer to 200 yards and there’s no way the Packers win. He’s the most dangerous guy on the field for either team, and the Packers will need to double him and take their chances with everyone else. All you have to do is look at the Cowboys at the end of the season and in the playoffs when he was injured, compared to the rest of the season. Can Dallas win without T.O.? Maybe, but they really don’t want to.

by Baked Potato Soup on Sep 20, 2008 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's to hoping

Last season TO had some huge plays, but hopefully this year the Packers will be able to minimize his success. Harris should be able to do a decent job containing TO if he isat his best. However, if Harris doesn’t bring his A-game this could be a hard game to watch.

But enough bad thoughts, knock on wood and all that.

by mikehendo on Sep 21, 2008 12:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs