After Further Review: Packers vs. Cowboys

Ross will provide a few observations every Monday afternoon following a Packers game based on a few viewings of the condensed version of the game on NFL GamePass.  While this might not be the All-22 camera deep dive that might be more "educational", it should provide a conversation point for the rest of the week.

Be sure to follow me this week @RossUglem . As soon as the All-22 is available via game pass I'll be doing a "Vine Run" on this game.  People really got a kick out of it after the Vikings and Giants games.  

In a run of very good games, that was the best game I've ever seen Micah Hyde play.  He was Honey Badger-esque.  Hyde is not only the glue that has held the secondary together during the "run the table" stretch, he's possibly the player that's held the defense together.  Yes.  The sack was a big play.  Yes.  The INT was a film room play that only smart football players make.  

Beyond that, though, Hyde was sensational for the entire afternoon.  He was largely charged with the control of Cole Beasley with Gunter following Dez Bryant around.  Beasley was a wrecking ball when Dallas won the game in Green Bay.  He managed just 45 yards on four catches.  Hyde is an underrated blitzer.

I can't stop laughing at that Ketnrell Brice hit.  I know some, especially old white guys in Wisconsin will get mad at him for "hot dogging" after that hit because it resulted in a first down, but it set a tone that the defense was not a joke.  It wasn't a great defensive performance by Green Bay, but it wasn't an embarassment either.  They had to know their offense was going to be in the mid 30s.  They held the opponent under that.

Kentrell Brice, you gotta catch that.

This was the best Montgomery has looked on the ground since Chicago.  I really think he could have been more of the gameplan, but Rodgers and McCarthy had made a clear decision to sling the ball around.  Montgomery will definitely be a weapon in the offense moving forward if he can clean up his act in pass protection.  It's very understandable that he struggles in that area.  Really, it is.  He was a multiple "weapon" in college and came into the Packers program as a wide receiver.  With that said, the offensive line is playing so well in the pass protection game that they need to be supplemented by competent play from the blitz pickup athletes.  Montgomery needs to be one of those guys.  

The Packers wouldn't be playing in the NFC Championship game if Ted Thompson hadn't signed Jared Cook this offseason.  So many will talk about the poor defense and the lack of defensive backs on the Packers during their poor start.  While the defense needed to play better and had a lot to do with why the Packers lost some of those games, they also were missing Jared Cook.  Cook had an absolute monster game against the Cowboys in the box score on Sunday.

Even if that didn't always happen, though, Green Bay was very good in games in which he at least contributed.  Cook's presence requires defensive attention in the same way that Jermichael Finley did.  That's a different wrinkle than Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo had been able to provide.

Here's an unpopular opinion: Ezekiel Elliot is a really good player.  He's the best back in the league.  I'm not sure Dak Prescott is special.  He seems to me to really be a product of playing behind the best offensive line in football, throwing to a hall of fame tight end and a hall of fame caliber wide receiver and playing with the fear of Elliot occupying defenses (he's actually kinda everything Minnesota has needed all these years).  He, himself, though, not an elite talent.

This was also Kenny Clark's best game in a Packer uniform.  Everyone will talk about the stop on the Ezekiel Elliot screen, and that was a very impressive play for a man his size, but Clark was part of a larger defensive effort all afternoon long.  Green Bay wouldn't have won this game without decent play from their defensive line.  It's no secret that Green Bay is struggling in the back end.  When Morgan Burnett left the game that became an even bigger issue.  The front four bent, but they did not break.  KC had a lot to do with that.

David Bakhtiari is the most important non-Rodgers Packer.  He just is.

I thought Geronimo Allison did a lot of nice things considering the absence of Nelson.  It's interesting to watch a guy like Allison who, when compared to Jeff Janis, is so limited athletically develop the play making abilities that Janis has never been able to capture.  I have no problem with Janis being a 6th receiver that you can run reverses with and continue to be one of the top gunners in on the planet, but boy, it didn't take Allison long to jump him on the pass catching depth chart

This game was not officiated very well.  Either way, to be honest with you.  There were just a lot of misses.

That was a hell of a move by Richard Rodgers.  It takes a bit to get him open deep, and for him to cook Sean Lee like that was pretty awesome.

Bryan Bulaga really did a good job on Irving.  That's an up and coming strong-side pass rusher and BB basically shut him out.  He and Bakhtiari are the best pass blocking tackle tandem in the league.  That's a good thing to have in this league.

Is it just me or does the package with Spriggs as the sixth offensive lineman almost never work?  I've actually been pleasantly surprised with his work wherever he's had to fill on on the offensive line.  I think he projects to an above average player eventually.  He apparently just can't play tight end.  His missed block that set up the really long field goal Crosby made (the first one), was not a great look.

Can they re-sign Cook already?

Finally, Aaron Rodgers.  He's the best QB I've ever seen play.  I am not going to go back and watch Sammy Baugh or Johnny Unitas or eve Joe Montana.  I don't need to.  He's unbelievable.  The throw to cook was not human.  It is so difficult as a quarterback to throw the ball when you are running away from your dominant hand.  That ball traveled 40+ yards in the air on a flick of the wrist.  It was catchable by a margin of error of about four inches.  In a final four in which nobody has a great defense, Rodgers is the biggest gun.  Is that going to be enough?

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Ross Uglem is a staff writer for Cheesehead TV. He can be found on Twitter @RossUglem 

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Comments (75)

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Point-Packer's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:15 pm

Jarred Cook. Sign the man now. Good god is he a hell of a weapon for ol #12.

Speaking of weapons, Mason Crosby. Here's to TT for sticking with one of the most clutch playoff kickers of all time.

Agree re: Spriggs. That formation never seems to work.

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Lphill's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:15 pm

1. Rodgers not losing
the ball on the blindside sack , game over if he did.
2. The Perry pass deflection on 3 rd down which then the Cowboys had to take the field goal.
Both plays game changers.

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Amanofthenorth's picture

January 17, 2017 at 02:07 am

i didn't watch it live and i could tell by the clock that there would not be overtime... when I saw the blind side hit I knew it was fumble and TD return...but somehow AR held on...think that is an even more anxious way to watch a game..

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Bearmeat's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:28 pm

what a great win! 2 more guys!!

Last team with the ball wins Sunday!

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pooch's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:34 pm

To much credit to Teddy for signing Cook It took M.M to come out and publicly plead to sign a big tight end

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Since'61's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:45 pm

The play with Spriggs doesn't work because the defense knows what coming. If they are going to use that formation they need to pass out of it or roll out with or do something different. I didn't have a problem running the ball on that down to force Dallas to use a timeout but not that run. Run between the Guards or fake the handoff and let Rodgers rollout with the option to run or pass. Rodgers on the bootleg has been effective. Do something to confuse the defense. That play call could have cost us the game but Crosby bailed out MM and the Packers big time with his 56 yard FG. Beyond that Rodgers and the offense were very effective on 3rd downs. I realize that we're hurting in the secondary but our DBs can't be giving 10-15 yard cushions. It's just too much with the quality of QBs and receivers at this level. Go Pack Go! Thanks, Since '61

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Packer_Pete's picture

January 16, 2017 at 04:55 pm

Cook makes plays and doesn't run his mouth as Finley did. Therefore he's far better in my book...

this was a team effort, albeit some players on the roster are great or even special. But even the young guys on the team fought at least - with the notable exception of Randall.

Overall I couldn't be happier. Tough task next week, but there is a chance. GO PACK GO!

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Patric Moncada's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:52 pm

Cook is as appreciative as anyone at the opportunity. He has seen playing with a bad QB, or average QBs... Never tasted playoffs. He is not taking this for granted, and I think him and Rodgers are developing a relationship. I mean, I wouldn't let someone call me Cookie (that's what I heard from Rodgers in post-game press conference anyways) unless we were friendly.

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Bearmeat's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:56 pm

I think there's more than a chance. I think we should be the favorites. Look, they have the more well rounded offense. But (as freaky as this is to say) our defense is better. Their D is even worse than the Boys D. They have one pass rusher, no healthy corners worth a damn. They can't stop the run.

They may lay 40 on us. But we'll drop a 50 burger on them. As many as it takes.

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Donster's picture

January 17, 2017 at 06:41 am

They lost Adrian Clayborn with a torn bicep against Seattle. That will hurt them. My concern is they have great speed at the LB positions.

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dobber's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:00 am

True, but remember that Seattle has really good speed at LB and the Packers made them look silly.

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cheesehead1's picture

January 17, 2017 at 12:07 pm

You're right on about Cook. Finley had far too many drops, not very consistent.

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cheesehead1's picture

January 17, 2017 at 12:08 pm

You're right on about Cook. Finley had far too many drops, not very consistent.

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carusotrap's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:02 pm

Give Jared Cook all the money.

And we all know the odds of that are only about 60/40 in favor. Ted may deserve credit for that, but this season has been rife with weird, stubborn personnel moves (or lack of moves). When you have to play a game with no RBs and are moving safeties to CB, something's not right. Yes, injuries, but even when healthy, that D is pretty weak at S and CB.

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Oppy's picture

January 16, 2017 at 09:46 pm

Burnett/Dix is considered one of the better tandems at S in the league.

Throw in Brice/Hyde, I think there's decent depth at S as well.

CB right now is definitely thin. Losing Sam Shields changed everything.
If Randall was on #2 and Gunter/Rollins were playing nickle/dime, this defensive backfield would look completely different.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 08:38 am

Well said Oppy. Losing Sam Shields was the key. Injuries to the remaining CBs also hurt. Randall's poor play has further complicated the situation. If he could play like a 1st rounder, we could compete in the secondary.

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Oppy's picture

January 17, 2017 at 03:45 pm

To be fair, Randall has been injured most of the season as well. He's been playing while still recovering from leg injuries. about 24 hours before the Dallas game, he showed up on the injury report for an unspecified foot injury again. If I had to venture a guess, probably one of those types of strains that occurs when parts of your body are being taxed trying to take the load off of other parts of the body that are still hurt/healing. I have a feeling Randall has been in a vicious cycle of compensation injuries and re-aggravation for much of the season. Only way we'll really know is if we see him play at a whole different level after he gets a week to rest before the superbowl :) :)

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DrealynWilliams's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:16 pm

On Montgomery:

"I really think he could have been more of the gameplan."

I totally agree. It's why I still don't believe we've seen anything close to the Pack's full Offensive potential yet. It's just something else to have in the holster.

I seen a play from the Falcons (vs Seahawks) that I thought was pretty damn good that resulted in a TD pass to the RB. I could see Ty doing this and causing all types of problems for a Defense. Let me go find the highlight...

EDIT:

https://youtu.be/h6aiv5D7DVw?t=4m16s

Has anyone seen a play like this before? I'm used to seeing the RB hook, cut-in/cut-in, flare, wheel route...etc. I've never seen this.

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White92's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:11 pm

Spriggs in as the 6th lineman is what made the TD to Cook so brilliant. The whole stadium expected the run. A few more like that and maybe the run from that formation becomes more effective.

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4zone's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:13 pm

On the re-signing of Cook, I believe we will be in the neighborhood of $40M + under the cap depending on the increase of cap and what happens to Shields. this should be more than enough to re-sign any of our own guys we want and possibly an impact FA. Getting rid of Sitton was a great move looking back now. Banked a lot of cash towards this year's cap. Will be an interesting off season.

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zoellner25's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:16 pm

Love every point in this story, esp this one:

"This game was not officiated very well."

Adams gets jersey ripped off twice and no call? WTF?

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

January 17, 2017 at 01:23 am

Most fans see the bad calls or no calls that go against their team, but not vice versa. So, did you see the sleeper hold Lang put on Irving (from behind, no less) on the pass from AR to Cook to set up the game-winning FG? Obvious, blatant, offensive holding. Here are some links (10:26 on the you tube; scroll down on the twitter for a better still frame shot of it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBuW3TmVe30
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/820799734969311232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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croatpackfan's picture

January 17, 2017 at 03:07 am

You are right. There was so many mistakes that hurts a lot both teams...
But, as I was basketball referee once in my life, I can tell you something. Referees can make a huge number of the mistakes with no important influence on game result, but also they can put themselves into the hole of bad officiating with influence on game outcome.
How is that?
When you are make decision as referee on the way that just do not pay attention to some things (so you will not call the faul) during the whole game and same for both teams, you may officiate bad, but you do not influence on the outcome of that game. But when you do not call some obvious calls first against one team and later compensate on the other you are badly influence on the flow and outcome of the game...
As I correctly remember, there was 3 obvious holding penalties on Davante Adams only, which led, directly or indirectly, to punts. If those calls were made, Packers might be run away with score in the first half that it would kill the game completely.
And regarding offensive call you were mentioned, I think you are right. It was hold. But taking in the consideration that Cowboys OL was holding during the whole game (especcially Clay) with no calls, I take that "miss" as officiating criteria. That criteria was implementing through the whole game...

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fthisJack's picture

January 17, 2017 at 07:36 am

i thought the reffing was a lot better than i have seen during the year. i actually like it when the refs stay out the game and let the players play instead of throwing flag after flag for ticky tac BS.

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Tundraboy's picture

January 17, 2017 at 06:35 pm

Totally agree. Even one of the the Adams non calls would have likely put the game so far out reach that even Skip the ass wouldn't be bragging about how proud he was that his cowboys fought back to tie. Lol

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Pack88's picture

January 17, 2017 at 07:49 am

You have to watch the whole play NO HOLDwhat so ever; I'm not a homer its just fact!!! watch all 1.2 seconds of that block not a screen shotand it is no penalty. You can grab the jersey if you let go immediately Jf anything Doug Free got three or 4 gifts! Don't get me started on the undressing of Adams or the blatant hold on Cobb!
Pack88

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dobber's picture

January 17, 2017 at 08:56 am

Welcome to being the home team -- and a league favorite -- in the NFL.

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Spock's picture

January 17, 2017 at 08:36 am

TGR,
Thanks for that 2nd link. I scrolled down further on it and the "Official Packer's Bandwagon Form" on it made my, um, human half literally LOL!

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ironman3169's picture

January 16, 2017 at 05:38 pm

Is it just me, or does Kentrell Brice make anyone catching a ball in his neighborhood pay? Love watching him lay the wood!

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Slim11's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:11 pm

That hit reminded me of Desmond Bishop.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

January 16, 2017 at 09:09 pm

A clean hit too.

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croatpackfan's picture

January 17, 2017 at 03:08 am

But it installed fear in Beasley and because of that it was awesome hit!

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

January 17, 2017 at 07:10 am

Right, it's hard to lay the wood cleanly which it why jerks resort to cheapshots.

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Slim11's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:14 pm

On another site, Randall Cobb reportedly said the last pass to Cook was "drawn in the dirt." Rodgers made it up!

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Lphill's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:35 pm

yes ironman3169 Brice is a thump-er no cheap tackles reminds me of Bigby.

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Colin_C's picture

January 16, 2017 at 06:50 pm

1. Love watching my man Brice play. Of all our UDFA's this year, he's got the brightest future. Crazy high ceiling if he keeps developing.
2. Hawkins seemed to hold up pretty well in coverage. I only recall one catch he gave up, but it was still tight coverage. Much closer than Randall or Rollins would have been.
3. Will this Cook signing go down as Woodson-like? At this point it wouldn't surprise me.
4. I think Gunter will match up better against Julio than Dez.
5. I love Monty, but Michael needs to get more snaps. His speed is unmatched.

Go Pack Go!

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Flow49's picture

January 17, 2017 at 12:57 am

Even though Beasley made a big play it was hard not to get jacked up over that hit. Haven't seen one of our safety's hit like that in awhile. Beasley didn't do much over the middle after that... coincidence?

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:47 am

Agree with pretty much everything you said until Julio Jones. Jones is better than Dez and Dez schooled Gunter. Despite Gunter's best effort and battling, he just isn't ready for these monsters. He will need help over the top as we did with Odell Beckham. Of course, that takes running stopping support out of the box. Pick your poison.

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holmesmd's picture

January 16, 2017 at 08:26 pm

Michael's quickness & speed could be lethal on turf. He & Monty need to get after it against ATL.. Why the heck didn't CM even get one carry against DAL. I don't give a crap about pass pro, speed kills. Get the guy on the field and either hand off or short pass him into the offensive equation. I promise you, ATL will have no answer if they do. Go Pack! Great win!

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Colin_C's picture

January 16, 2017 at 08:54 pm

Arod probably gives a crap about pass pro :-) I agree though, CMike needs more touches.

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pacman's picture

January 16, 2017 at 10:58 pm

I'm on the fence about CM. Here's a snippet from the Milwaukee Journal recap: "Michael is an accident waiting to happen on kickoff returns. Intelligence and stability are important qualities in that position. Michael muffed a catch Sunday, panicked and got out only to the 6. In previous games he has caught kickoffs above his head. It would be somewhat surprising if he plays again for the Packers. Something’s missing."

And pass protection is certainly important for a AR GB running back.

Seems like next years probables are Lacy and Monty. Does CM fit in? He's shown spurts of speed but nothing too consistent.

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Amanofthenorth's picture

January 17, 2017 at 02:11 am

i'm going to try to quell my excitement regarding July for a few more weeks..

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Donster's picture

January 17, 2017 at 06:50 am

I think you will see CMike in the backfield against Atlanta due to his quickness, and Atlanta's speed at LB. And you won't see him on KO returns.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:06 am

Christine Michael has speed and skill - no doubt. He must bring a high level of risk to not be in the game plan. The kick return was unfortunate and probably not the rule for CM. McCarthy and the coaches must see things in practice that give them cause for keeping his involvement down. It is unfortunate because the Packers have long missed speed in the backfield, exactly what CM brings.

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Bohj's picture

January 16, 2017 at 09:19 pm

RE: Our secondary. I know we have bashed this to death. But let's look at the reality here. 1) Randall was questionable with a foot injury. Pretty sure he's been battling injuries all year...and the only reason he has been playing is because our number 1 corner is an UFA. Our number 2 corner is either a safety or an UFA and our number 3 corner is either a safety or UFA. If Shields never gets hurt, I doubt Randall is even playing through these injuries. 2) Our D was playing well and holding until Burnett got injured. And then....there went game plan number one almost entirely. On that injury, we lost middle of the field coverage in his hybrid Iinebacker role. We lost help over the top for Dez. And any Witten coverage we would have had.
3) That Oline. That is one motha of a stout Oline. No pass rush got home all year. Dak hardly got pressured or sacked or forced throws for int's all year. Our pass rush did not help our devastated secondary.
People see bloodbath for our D next week. I see an emboldened D where the pass rush starts getting home and we force some mistakes. I see Gunter playing the game of his life. A better foot from Randall. And a Burnett holding down some TE routes. If we can stop Dallas for two whole quarters.....we can stop ATL.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:29 am

We hope that an injury explains Randall's play because he is easily the weakest of our ragtag secondary. Regardless of his physical state, he doesn't appear set at the start of plays and he is way off the line and his assignment throughout the play. But the part that bothers me most is his looking around after the completion as if to say "where was my help" or "who blew the coverage". Gunter on the other hand battles one on one with pro bowlers and NEVER gives his teammates that accusatory eye.

Sorry Randall is weak and should be on the bench.

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croatpackfan's picture

January 17, 2017 at 03:38 am

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Pack88's picture

January 17, 2017 at 07:54 am

Ross I agree I think Prescott has the presence to be a good QB but only #21 and that O line make him look great! Minnesota wore him out and the Giants did as well. We will see but I wouldn't buy a gold jacket just yet! Last half of the season was so so for him! tape is out there
Pack88

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:15 am

The raves for Prescott were over the top because of the success of that offense and in particular that O-line. But give credit to the rookie who played with poise and stood toe-to-toe with Rodgers. He brought them back and made the throws down the stretch to get them even.

It would be scary to see what a team with Rodgers behind that O-line and a RB like Elliott looks like.

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marpag1's picture

January 18, 2017 at 06:57 am

Agreed. Some idiot over at CBS wrote an article about how Prescott "outplayed" Rodgers, and the dude had virtually nothing to go on except passer rating. PASSER RATING!! LOL. That's how football morons evaluate QB play.

If I'm Dallas, I'm out of my mind thrilled about Dak Prescott. But there is no way in hell any sane minded person can say that DP outplayed AR. The accuracy, the crazy velocity, the quick release, all while throwing on the run, against his body, etc, the ability to buy time and extend plays, or to draw teams offside or catch them with 12 guys.... sorry, Cowboy fans, but Prescott is not even close to that.

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MarkinMadison's picture

January 17, 2017 at 08:43 am

Aaron Rodgers IS the best QB I've ever seen play, and I watched Joe Montana.

Jared Cook says, "Show me the money!"

I've been pleasantly surprised at how well Bakh and Bulaga have held up this year. I thought Bakh was a top-10 tackle when they signed him in the off-season. I probably undervalued him. I love Bulaga but it is hard for him to stay healthy. Hopefully Spriggs can add 5-10 in the weight room this year, because the odds of Bulaga staying healthy a full season are not good. Heck, I'm still wondering how Bakh is going to be this week.

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dobber's picture

January 17, 2017 at 08:53 am

Look at Spriggs in the picture at top of this page. The guy looks like a TE the way he's built.

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MarkinMadison's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:46 am

He is so freaking long through the torso I think it makes him look weaker than he is. He put up 31 on the bench at the combine (same as Linsely, who is almost 1/2 foot shorter), so he is not weak. Probably why he could do spot duty at G. But man, I think when this guy ages and fills out a little bit he is going to be a great one.

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holmesmd's picture

January 17, 2017 at 11:06 am

Good point. I will say that there is a point of no return for length regarding lineman.Its all about leverage and being able to drop your anchor. This is especially true for interior lineman and why Springs will have difficulty ever playing G or C. He can get away with being so long at T but he will need to still add considerable bulk to reach his full potential. I think he will be a very solid T in another year or 2. Go Pack!!

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zeke's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:53 am

I always thought of Bakhtiari as the serviceable guy you would always be trying to replace. Very happy to have been wrong. Like, way wrong.

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marpag1's picture

January 18, 2017 at 06:55 am

Me too... exactly. Who on the team has improved himself as much as Bakh? And I don't see why he can't get even better.

MAJOR KUDOS to Thompson for signing him at a very reasonable price.

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zeke's picture

January 18, 2017 at 08:20 am

Sometimes it seems like the professionals who evaluate players for a living know more about football than I do.

Just sometimes, though.

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cuervo's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:02 am

Those of you that don't think Prescott is a top tier QB, I have to wonder what game you were watching. he's extremely accurate and he doesn't turn the ball over, for a rookie that's better than most by a longshot. Will he ever be in Rodgers or Brady's league, probably not but he'll be in the next tier, if he's not there already.

It was great win, but Dallas is going to be a force in the NFC for the next number of years...don't kid yourself.

We basically have to score on every possession against Atlanta, because our defense won't be able to stop them...our back end is put together with bailing wire and duct tape. How we have gotten this far is a testament to the coaching staff.

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MarkinMadison's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:49 am

I tend to agree. A lot of people pooh-poohed Russel Wilson his first few years too. Look at where he sits in QB rating. Give Prescott a few years to develop. He's more likely to end up a larger version of Wilson than he is to wash out like Kaepernick.

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zeke's picture

January 18, 2017 at 08:25 am

At least Kaepernick revolutionised the QB position before he washed out. I think I read that here somewhere, anyway.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:55 am

Totally agree. If Dallas fixes their defense they will have a juggernaut. We can only hope that Jerry Jones keeps meddling in affairs and messes everything up for a long time to come.

Funny how a good or great O-line is part of the picture when it comes to assessing a QB. You only have to look at Seattle to see what a weak O-line does for a pretty good QB.

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lebowski's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:10 am

My kingdom for a couple good linebackers. The flash-in-the-pan career of Desmond Bishop was the only time in the last 20 years we've had a linebacker who punishes.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:20 am

All our ILB remind me of A.J. Hawk

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lebowski's picture

January 17, 2017 at 10:19 am

seems to be an organizational constant

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Finwiz's picture

January 17, 2017 at 11:10 am

Brian Noble - beyond 20 years though, so doesn't count I guess.

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Oppy's picture

January 17, 2017 at 07:25 pm

Ryan, Martinez, and Thomas aren't a bad bunch.

Jake Ryan in particular has been impressive this season.

Desmond Bishop was good, but imo, not quite the beast he was made out to be.

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lebowski's picture

January 17, 2017 at 10:01 pm

Those three are a decidedly average group right now. Will they improve? Hopefully. But right now they strike fear into absolutely no one.

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Oppy's picture

January 19, 2017 at 07:04 pm

I disagree on Ryan. He's quickly turning into a very good ILB.

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MarkinMadison's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:50 am

Zeke is a beast. Bell is a complete back right now.

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Razer's picture

January 17, 2017 at 09:57 am

Oh man, to have LeVeon Bell. His vision and quickness is something to watch.

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Koosh's picture

January 17, 2017 at 01:29 pm

You guys are spewing so much crap in here!

Cook is amazing, but so far, has done no where near what Finley did. Dropped the ball and was inconsistent? His first couple years? His last 2, he cleaned that up. I bet you guys are still calling James Jones butter fingers from before his 14 TD season!

Finley was a B.E.A.S.T. Cook is pretty close. Just not the strength/speed/quickness of Finley. Cook needs a bit more Eddie Lacy to his step to match 'ole 88.

Randall, as one guy mentioned is playing through injuries....allllll year.

I fear we(fans) might be taking this game for granted. We just played a team led by 2 rookies who haven't really played in like 3 weeks. Playoff football is different.

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Finwiz's picture

January 17, 2017 at 01:44 pm

I disagree completely - Finley was overrated because he talked a good game in the press, but didn't back it up on the field. I remember far too many drops due to lack of focus, particularly in pressure situations. Cook was known to drop a few as well, but so far it hasn't seemed to be a significant problem. I think Cook is a bit faster and seems like more of a team guy. Right now I'd take Cook.

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croatpackfan's picture

January 18, 2017 at 03:01 am

Finwiz, I 'd take Cook, too. Finley is out of football and has scary neck injury. So, there is no match. I'd take Cook!

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TommyG's picture

January 19, 2017 at 03:47 am

I invite you all, and just for fun, to go and search the podcast world for the post game Cowboy fans podcasts. Oh the anguish! Side note: pay attention for their take on the refs as well.

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