KENNETH CONNOR
HARRISBURG, PA
What are some of the things Dallas' tough but a bit undersized corners can do to combat the size of Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall? We saw what Megatron did against Dallas.
Nick: That's a good point. The first thing they can do is get healthy. Morris Claiborne would be nice to see in this game. He's not exactly the most physical of corners, but he does have good size and athletic ability. And really it's all about technique when the ball goes up in the air. Sometimes it's better to play the man and not the ball, if it's a ball you're not going to get. Guys like Webb and Scandrick, and even Carr for that matter, have faced bigger receivers before. They have to be sound in their technique.
David: On top of what Nick said, hopefully J.J. Wilcox's athleticism can help the defense on the back end. Wilcox was injured during the Cowboys' ill-fated meeting against Megatron. I don't think he's good enough in coverage to lock down either Chicago receiver, but having him available to rotate with Heath could make a difference in how much attention they're able to pay to one side of the field. On top of that, the return of Sean Lee should free up Barry Church to play a larger role in pass coverage.
JOHN BUDNIK
ANCHORAGE, AK
Not much has been said about Ronald Leary's play this season since taking the starting left guard position. Maybe that's a good [embedded_ad] thing, but just how well has he played so far?
Nick: Yeah, I think overall it's a pretty good thing. Now he's struggled at times, especially with some penalties. Leary leads the team with eight penalties and also has a team-high four stalled drives because of penalties. But as Travis Frederick gets the attention for being a rookie, he's at least played center. This is Leary's first year to play in the NFL and first year ever to play guard.
David: As Bryan Broaddus pointed out earlier today in his Scout's Notebook, the Cowboys are averaging 6.6 yards per carry when they run between Tyron Smith and Ronald Leary. That says volumes to me about the play of the young guard. His struggles with drawing flags can't be forgotten, as Nick pointed out. But all-in-all, you have to feel pretty good about the left side combo of Smith, Leary and Frederick going forward.
