Things I have Learned ... the Falcons at the Cowboys

The Counselor is IN:

Things I have Learned ... the Falcons at the Cowboys.

1) WR Miles Austin is for real and appears to be on the same page with Tony Romo. No one was for sure what his future fantasy value would be after the great game two weeks ago in Kansas City, 250 yards and 2 touchdowns, because he broke out against the Chiefs. Today Austin had 171 yards and 2 touchdowns against a much tougher Falcons team and proved himself. This is a surprise after his lackluster training camp and preseason.

2) RB Michael Turner looks a step or two slower than last year. This is not surprising. He had a great year last year with 376 carries. This is a classic case of too many carries in one season. Any time you have a back over 350 carries, he is in danger of hurting his future. If it is over 370, it is almost a guarantee.

3) The Dallas running game of Barber, Jones, and Choice was adequate at best. The run blocking looked below average for most of the game. The running game which was constantly referenced as the new focus of this offense seems to be more of an afterthought until they were ready to run the clock with a big lead in the 4^th quarter.

4) QB Matt Ryan had the deer in the headlight look for most of the game. The Cowboys brought a lot of pressure and Ryan never developed a groove. With enough pressure, he can be shaken at this point in his career.

5) The Dallas Defense was aggressive and opportunistic. They have 3 turnovers and 4 sacs. They were in the face of Ryan all day and appeared to disrupt him. The Cowboys Defense was prepared for Michael Turner, 18 carries for 50 yards, and Matt Ryan, 19 of 35 with 2 TDs and 2 Interceptions. They were not prepared for running of Jason Snelling, 7 carries for 68 yards. The Cowboys defense appeared to have a difficult time adjusting to Snelling and his running style. Snelling had a great game for a back up running back.


6) WR Roy Williams does not appear to be on the same page with Tony Romo. There were several plays where Williams ran a different route than what Romo expected. He only had one catch for 16 yards but was targeted 5 times.

7) TE Tony Gonzalez was a great addition to the Falcons. Gonzalez made a few key catches and demonstrated why he is a future Hall of Famer.

8) WR Patrick Crayton responded in the game to being demoted from the starting line up. He was 2 catches for 9 yards but one of those catches was a great adjustment in the end zone for a key touchdown. He also had a 73 yard punt return.

9) Atlanta’s Defense gave up 426 yards this week. They did not play great against a Cowboys’ offense which got in a groove in the second quarter. They had no answer for Austin and had trouble pressuring Romo.

10) QB Tony Romo had a monstrous day. He went 21 for 29 attempts, 3 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He had a passer rating of 141.6. It will be interesting to see if Romo can keep up the good games or if he will continue to be hot and cold.

11) The Dallas Cowboys came into this game looking to prove that they could beat a good team that has a winning record. This team appears to play at the level of their opponent which is detrimental as they play down to the level of a bad opponent.

Those are a few things I learned from the Falcons @ the Cowboys.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things I have Learned ... Giants at the Cowboys.

The Counselor is IN:

Things I have Learned ... Giants at the Cowboys.

1) QB Tony Romo looked much more comfortable in Dallas than he did in Pittsburgh. He was able to stand in, scramble, and make some great passes.

2) The Giants appear to be missing both Jacobs at Running Back and Burress at Wide Receiver.

3) The Cowboys Defense appears to becoming masters of the pressure on the quarterback. Eli was sacked and pressured all night.

4) The Giants Defense can also get after the Quarterback also. Romo was hit several times including a sac for a safety.

5) The Dallas secondary is banged up but performed very well. Newman has two interceptions and is starting to look like a Pro Bowler. Rookie CB Scandrick looked very impressive in coverage all night.

6) QB Eli Manning looked like a deer in the headlights. The Cowboys’ blitz appeared to have shaken him.

7) Cowboys RB Choice ran the ball well with the limited play of Barber.

8) The Achilles heel of the Cowboys has been penalties. The continued this trend in this game. If they want to make the playoffs and actually win a playoff game, then they will need to stop these penalties.

Those are a few things I learned from the Giants at the Cowboys.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things that I have learned... Bucs vs. Packers

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Bucs vs the Packers.

1) The Bucs defense is back to their old selves. They were flying around the field, making plays, and hitting the snot out of the Packers.

2) WR Greg Jennings is past the title of emerging stud and holds the title of Stud Wide for the Packers. He is now the main target for Rogers. Driver is no longer number 1 on the list.

3) The Packers' defense is good but they can not win games alone.

4) The combination of running styles of Graham and Dunn is a great balance. Dunn is too old to carry the load alone but he is a great change of pace with his speed.

5) QB Aaron Rogers did not have a great game but had moments of brilliance. He looked like a fist year starter in this game. He did flash is potential and big play ability before he was injured.

6) Green Bay's running game was pitiful against a tough Tampa Bay defense. The Packers need to be able to run the ball so Rogers is not killed by the blitz or presses too hard.

7) Even though Tampa was able to run the ball, they kept throwing the ball and making mistakes. Griese was not impressive. They need to be able to run the ball to set up the passing game. They almost blew the game because they did not have confidence to run the ball like they should.

Those are a few things I learned from the Bucs vs the Packers game.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from the Seahawks vs the Rams

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Seahawks vs the Rams.

1) QB Hasselbeck appears to be comfortable with his mishmash group of wide receivers after a couple of weeks. Even with all the injuries, the Seahawks are still a pass happy offense.

2) The Rams coaching staff don't appear to know how to use Steven Jackson. They continue to try sweeps and pitches with a up the middle pounding back. Jackson is better at dives and off tackle runs than a sweep.

3) The Rams offensive line is a mess. I already knew this but this game drove home this point.

4) The Seahawks are not as bad as they looked the first two weeks. But I am sure that they are not as good as they looked this week.

5) The Rams are as bad as they have looked the last two weeks. It will be a long season for Rams fans.

6) RB Julius Jones is better than I thought he was last year with the Cowboys. He is a decent fantasy match up starter because of the weak NFC West.

7) It stinks to live out of the area of your team and to live where you get Rams games every Sunday.


Those are a few things I learned from the Cowboys vs the Eagles game.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things that I have learned... Cowboys vs Eagles

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Cowboys vs the Eagles. This was the Cowboys' home opener and the final game at Texas Stadium on Monday Night Football. I was able to attend this game at Texas Stadium.

1) The Cowboys defense is vulnerable to high octane offenses like the Eagles. The pass happy offense with a speedy nimble runningback like Westbrook almost scored at will against the Dallas Defense.

2) The Eagles Offensive line can dominate. They were able to give a ton of time for McNabb to pass the ball.

3) 35 year old WR Terrell Owens is still a touchdown machine. He is a great route runner and an over all stud wide receiver. He now owns second place on the all time receiving touchdown list (only behind Jerry Rice).

4) QB Donavan McNabb is truly healthy. He has not been this healthy in years. You can see it in his ability to move around, throw accurate passes, escape the rush, and run when needed.

5) QB Tony Romo is a very exciting quarterback. He makes mistakes like interceptions and fumbles but then come right back out gun slinging. He is fun to watch.

6) 29 year old RB Westbrook continues to be a stud. He does not appear to be losing a step.


Those are a few things I learned from the Cowboys vs the Eagles game.



The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned...Redskins vs. Giants

The Counselor is IN:

Things I Have Learned... from the Redskins vs. the Giants. This was the season opening game with the world champs verses a divisional rival.


1) QB Eli Manning continues to lead his team in playoff fashion in the first half. The rest of the game he managed it but did not look nearly as sharp.

2) QB Jason Campbell is not as developed as I thought he would be in the early season. At times he looked like a rookie on the field. He would focus on just one receiver and hold onto the ball way too long. He never threw the ball past the first down marker on third down.

3) I thought the Giants Defense would have lost a step with some key lost players. This was not the case tonight. They brought the pressure against Campbell very successfully.

4) RB Brandon Jacobs ran like a Mac Truck. He kept his wheels turning and ran people over. He moved piles for yards down the field.

5) RB Clinton Portis looked good in the second half. I was surprised to hear that he just had his 27th birthday. I thought he was much older than that. I am sure I thought that because he has been injured so often.

6) WR Plaxico Burress is now healthy. He looked really good in this game. Amazing what signing a big contract can do to motivate you.

7) The Redskins Defense is not good enough to make up for how bad the Washington offense is.


Those are a few things I learned from the Redskins vs. the Giants game.


The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from 2008 playoffs week 3.

Things I Have Learned... from 2008 playoffs week 3

Here are my thoughts from both playoff games.

The Counselor is IN:

1) Never rely on a DVR and decide to see a movie with a couple of friends during the playoffs. I came home to find the DVR signal all messed up. I missed all of Chargers/ Patriots game. I did watch the movie Cloverfield as a consolation.

2) Green Bay in January is not where I would want to play. It is a huge home field advantage.

3) WR Plaxico Burress is finally healthy and he is a stud Wide Receiver. He is becoming a truly elite receiver.

4) On top of the weather, benches and helmet stands without the heat working on the Giants sidelines is a huge advantage.

5) WR Donald Driver (the old man of the Packers' receiving corps) is still a good wide out with good speed. A 90 TD catch was proof of it.

6) QB Eli Manning has finally lived up to his potential. He is making a lot of good reads and passes. He has become the leader of the Giants. He is Super Bowl bound. It begs one question: What shadow?

7) Penalties will kill you. Green Bay Penalties gave the Giants a touchdown. The Giants had their own big penalties that lead to a touchdown. Neither team can make these kinds of mistakes and expect to beat the Patriots.

8) Special teams plays were big in this game. Forty yard kick off returns give you great field position.

9) RB Ahmad Bradshaw continues to impress me. He is a great change of pace for the bruiser Jacobs. He is quick and hard to catch.

10) There is nothing like overtime in the playoffs. An intercept of Favre leads to Tynes finally making a big kick for the Giants to win.

11) I would never have believed that the Giants would win the NFC but that is why they play the game.

12) Congratulations to the Patriots and Giants. I am going to say something that a Cowboy fan should never have to say, "Go Giants!". (Yuck- That was a bad taste!)

Those are a few things I learned from 2008 playoffs week 3.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from 2008 playoffs week 2.

Things I Have Learned... from 2008 playoffs week 2.

Here are my thoughts from all 4 playoff games.

The Counselor is IN:

1) Green Bay has great composure. They did not fall apart when they fell behind 14 to nothing. Favre historically has pressed in situations like this. You expect a young team to panic when you are down early.

2) Seattle could not put away the Packers when they got the early lead. The Seahawks are still a really good team. The snow and cold appeared to be affecting them much more than it was the Packers.

3) The Packers have a very effective running game. This is a change from earlier in the season. Ryan Grant ran for 201 yards with an average 7.4 yards per carry and 3 touchdowns. A two dimensional Packer team is very scary.

4) 2nd Year WR Greg Jennings is becoming a stud. He appears to have taken over as the go to guy for Favre.

5) QB David Garrard reminds me of Brett Favre and Tony Romo. He knows how to move away from defenders and senses their presence. He makes moves to buy time for his receivers to get open.

6) The Patriots Offensive linemen are studs. After giving up an early sac they did not give up another one all game. They did this against a really good Defensive line that continued to sac and harass Big Ben the week before. The line also opened some huge holes for Maroney.

7) QB Tom Brady proved to me why he was the MVP of the NFL. He was 26 catches for 28 passes with 262 yards and 3 touchdowns.

8) New England has a running game. Most of the year they have not ran the ball. Saturday night they were able to develop their run game spectacularly with 22 carries for 122 yards and a rushing touchdown.

9) QB Philip Rivers is coming into his own. He is finding his WRs since Gates is slowed down with injury. Chambers and Jackson are good WRs that stepped up their play for this game. He had three touchdowns in this game.

10) QB Peyton Manning is amazing at adjusting the play at the line. He can read the defense and change the play for protection and routes.

11) Good backups win the game. With L.T. and Rivers out, Volek and Turner were able to fill in and lead this team to a victory.

12) Charger's defense is very opportunistic. They took away 14 points from with goal line interceptions.

13) WR Anthony Gonzalez has developed into a nice Wide Receiver for the Colts during the season. He received more playing time during the season than expected when Harrison was out with injury. They have a great receiving corps with Harrison, Wayne, and Gonzalez.

14) RB Marion Barber III is coming into his own. He started for the first time and he ran people over.

15) QB Eli Manning is starting to come out of his brother's shadow. The drive with 48 seconds left in the half was executed beautifully.

16) LB DeMarcus Ware is a monster. I already knew this but it is just reinforced with every Cowboy game I watch.

17) RB Bradshaw is a lighting fast player for the Giants. He is not a replacement for Tiki but he does make it easier for the Giants to deal for the loss of Tiki and his explosiveness.

18) The Cowboys forgot to run the ball at the second half. The run was working greatly in the first half but then forsaken it in the second half.

19) The Giants defense stepped up with injuries and pressured Romo. He was hardly touched in the first half but spent much of the second half on his back.

Congratulations to the Giants, Packers, Patriots, and Chargers. I will be spending the rest of the month in mourning for my Cowboys.

Those are a few things I learned from 2008 playoffs week 2.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from Jaguars vs. Steelers

Things I Have Learned... from Jaguars vs. Steelers.

The Counselor is IN:

1) Dreadlocks can make you out of bounce according to Al Michaels. It is a part of your body.

2) Jacksonville's Maurice Jones Drew and Fred "Used to have Glass Legs" Taylor are a great running back combination. They can run the ball, inside, outside, run kicks back, and catch passes for scores. But they did not run well the ball in the 4th quarter.

3) QB Ben Roethlisberger is missing the threat of "Fast" Willie Parker. Ben has been gunslinging much more often this year but now he does not have effective use of the play action passes with Davenport which he did with Parker. Without effective play action, the Jaguars have been effectively blitzing the QB and sacking him and causing interceptions.

4) Both Defenses can get after the QB. They bring various looks and blitzes that cause havoc in the backfield. Both would give Tom Brady, who does not like to be hit, some problems in the playoffs.

5) The Steelers’ Receivers are a very good group. TE Health Miller is a solid short yardage guy. Former Super Bowl MVP WR Hines Ward is a great slot receiver that runs like a WR and hits lit a Fullback. WR Santonio Holmes is a fast young receiver that is coming into his own. WR Cedrick Wilson is a fine 3rd Wideout.

6) A wide receiver grabbing someone's face mask constitutes defensive pass interference. Is that new this season?

7) The Steelers has displayed a lot of heart coming back from a big deficit of 18 points. The Jags displayed a lot of heart to come back and win after the Steelers’ surge.

8) Jaguars QB David Garrard can scramble with the best of QBs in the league. He made some amazing runs tonight. No scramble was bigger than the 4 and 2 run for 32 yards.

9) The swamp land from several weeks ago dried up in Pittsburgh. It no longer looks like Florida on Hines Field.

Those are a few things I learned from the Jaguars vs. the Steelers game.

Congratulations Jaguars on your victory.

The Counselor is OUT:

Things I Have Learned... from Falcons vs. Saints

Things I Have Learned... from Falcons vs. Saints. These are two teams that I have not covered this season.

The Counselor is IN:

1) New Orleans Coach Sean Payton is not afraid to take chances. He is very aggressive. Sometimes he is not very smart about when to be aggressive.

2) QB Chris Redman appears to be a good QB for the Falcons at this time. He made some really nice plays. They have a lot of needs on this team.

3) QB Drew Brees appears to be back to Pro Bowl level. He is a level headed quarterback than can make some plays with his arm and legs. He had over a 116 QB Rating tonight.

4) Atlanta's Owner Arthur Blank appears to be a class act. He was great when asked about the Michael Vick prison sentence. I loved how he discussed his team and his commitment to it.

5) WR David Patton is much better a wide receiver than I thought. He had a great night.

6) The Falcons do not appear to have a rushing game. Warrick Dunn is in the twilight of his career. Jervious Norwood has not lived up to his preseason hype.

7) WR Marques Colston is a stud in the red zone. This second year wide receiver is the main threat near the goal line for the Saints.

Those are a few things I learned from the Falcons vs. theSaints game.

The Counselor is OUT: