[Editor’s note: For every week of the 2008 season, former Broncos G.M. Ted Sundquist will give a scouting report for three of the most compelling games of the week. After the game, he’ll break down what happened. Here’s his maiden voyage. We’re glad to have him.]
Two teams with high playoff aspirations square off for the first time since 2004 and dare I say that Week 1 is already a must win game for one of them? Dallas went through the preseason seemingly disinterested until they woke up in the first half against Houston in Week “Pre-Three” with twenty points from their first unit offense.
Cleveland on the other hand limped through with a 0-4 record, losing both their starting QB to a concussion and any confidence the defense might have built from last season’s 10-6 campaign. Now with back-to-back home games against the Cowboys and division rival (if not favorite) Pittsburgh, the Browns must find a way to get back on the winning track (quickly).
Cleveland must seize the initiative and take control of the ground game early. Jamal Lewis had a rebirth of sorts in 2007, rebounding for 1,304 yards over 15 games, but more importantly adding almost a full yard to his per-carry average. Behind Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach on the left side, Lewis and the rest of the Browns’ running game pounded out over 5 yards per carry.
Cleveland needs to stay on schedule and keep the chains moving. Their offense was one of the more consistent and successful units when faced with short yardage on third down. The front five OL combination is more than capable of holding their own against a Dallas defensive line that was one of the League leaders in short yardage situations.
KEY #1 will be the play of OC Hank Fraley on Cowboy NT Jay Ratliff. The Browns prefer to pound Lewis’s 245 pound frame off their guards and Fraley’s ability to cutoff Ratliff either direction is paramount to establishing ultimate ball control. However if Ratliff can control the inside and force Lewis to bounce out, the Cowboy defense will swarm to the ball and put Cleveland in longer yardage situations.
This is just what Dallas wants to do, force Cleveland to drop back and throw with a QB that missed most of the last month due to a concussion. He’ll also be looking to his primary receiver, Braylon Edwards, who was out almost all of preseason himself with a foot laceration. The two practiced together for the first time in several weeks on Wednesday. The Cowboys slapped 46 sacks on their opponents in ’07, OLB’s Greg Ellis and DeMarcus Ware look to pick up where they left off, then roll in Anthony Spencer (if he’s able to play) and look out. Joe Thomas should lock down Anderson’s blind side, the pressure lies on Kevin Schaffer’s ability to hold back the rush from the right.
And that’s KEY #2. At 6’ 5” and 320 lbs, Shaffer is a massive presence, his length alone will more than hold up against that of Ellis and Ware’s. He’s also an ironman of sorts, having started 71 of his last 72 games. But the rangy athleticism of both these players can give OT’s fits and their ability to counter move like a basketball Forward to the hoop can keep a player guessing and off balance. Couple that with the inside power moves of DE’s Marcus Spears and Chris Canty, and you can quickly see why the Cowboys 3-4 defense is so adept at pressuring the passer.
Cleveland needs to put together some multi-play drives, improving upon its mediocre ball control from ’07 to keep the Dallas big-play offense off the field. The Cowboys look to strike big and in a hurry. Dallas was among the League leaders in passing plays over 20 yards, quick scoring drives under 4 plays and total points. The flipside is that they were also frequently faced with numerous three-and-out drives.
Not much more can be said about the Tony Romo to Terrell Owens combination. T.O.’s size, strength and leaping ability have made him the standard by which most teams measure their big receivers. Dallas will test the Cleveland secondary early and often. Look for DC Eric Wright to get the task of locking down on T.O. and up-and-comer Brandon McDonald working on #2 WR Patrick Crayton. McDonald emerged as one of the most reliable young DB’s in the Browns secondary in ’07.
KEY #3 may lie in stopping TE Jason Witten. With injury hampering WR Sam Hurd, Witten could be split out to take advantage of his outstanding reliability as a playmaking receiver. His 1,145 yards were only second to KC’s Tony Gonzalez for TE’s. Excellent size and speed make him a difficult match up for either a DB or LB. If Romo can get hot, Dallas will be difficult to handle. The Cowboys were undefeated when passing for over 300 yards last season. But if Cleveland can force some inconsistency in a Dallas offense that was plagued at times with just that, they’ve got a chance.
The Cowboys have traditionally set out to establish the lead with a strong, big-play passing game, then follow up running the ball behind the likes of OG Leonard Davis and OT Marc Colombo. Dallas tends to get right-handed when running effectively between the tackles. The Browns have looked to shore up their own 3-4 front with the addition of NT Shaun Rogers.
KEY #5 will be the availability of kick and punt returner Josh Cribbs for the Browns. Cribbs has been overshadowed by the scoring ability of Chicago’s Devin Hester, but he may very well be the best kickoff returner in the NFL. The Browns led the League in overall KOR average in ’07 and were top 5 in returns over 20 yards.
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bleedsorangeandbrown, a Head Coach, on 9/5/08 at 9:12 am
This guy can write all year as far as I am concerned.
Good stuff…
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
Art Vanderlay, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 9:32 am
Keys 1 and 2 are up front, now that’s a real football breakdown. A refreshing break from the sensationalized skill player analysis all the mass media outlets recycle. good stuff.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
pats suck, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 9:37 am
Second that bleedorangeandbrown. Pats suck but Ted does not.
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Rating: 2.6 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
askrenes, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 9:54 am
What’s this shi–err… sorry, it’s a reflex. Good article.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
Pack Fan In Maine, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 9:57 am
I was happy to begin reading PFT about 18 months ago (a pre-Vick rumor that Michael Turner was coming to GB). At the time, I enjoyed the sarcastic insights and a willingness to take a stand for (or against) anyone or anything NFL related. In short, it was a nice break from ESPN, and subsequent writers have only made the website better.
With Ted Sunquist providing analysis, the transformation is now complete… or at least more complete than it was a few days ago. Sunquist’s analysis is what everyone else is lacking: information for fans with a deeper understanding of the game. Sure, Parcells and Da Coach have cluttered ESPN for years, and Mariucci has done the same for NFL Network, but they have never provided this kind of analysis. To be fair, discussing the trenches in detail probably makes for boring TV for the rank and file (otherwise a show like NFL Matchup wouldn’t have a pre-dawn show in parts of the U.S.), but to the few and faithful this is an excellent addition.
Thanks to all that made it possible.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
TrueN0rth, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 10:02 am
Great stuff. Looking forward to the GB-Min breakdown which must surely be on tap this week.
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hatch, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 10:11 am
Awesome analysis - this guy can break down every single game in the league for all I care. I wish there more sources like it out there.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
pats307, a Water Boy, on 9/5/08 at 10:14 am
Good stuff. I’d like to see a postgame wrapup too.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
Shabuti, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 10:35 am
Wow. Just wow.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
RJS, a Water Boy, on 9/5/08 at 10:46 am
Good stuff.
Florio’s habit of twisting articles to suit his own end, i.e. creating controversy where there is none in order to generate site traffic is starting to get tedious. This is the perfect antidote.
Excellent work Mr. Sunquist.
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Rating: 3.4 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
gwizyadig, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 10:50 am
What? Not a word about Adam Jones and his punt/kick-returning abilities? How can you leave him out? I’m sure he’ll be a little rusty, but he’s always a threat
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
tombackus, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 10:53 am
i’m conflicted… I loved this breakdown, but I hate anyone and anything associated with the Cheating-ass Donkeys… hmm… I guess I’ll just think of Ted as a PFT man.
Nice job.
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
Pea Tear Griffin, a Hall of Famer, on 9/5/08 at 10:56 am
Good stuff. This is the kind of the stuff that the “Worldwide Leader” *cough* should be getting, and the kind of stuff that keeps me addicted to this place. Bravo PFT!
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sjb12681, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 11:10 am
Florio-
I dont know what pictures you have of Ted Sunquist in what would have to be a VERY compromising situation, but keep it in a safety deposit box in Switzerland. This guy is on point so far!
Keep it up
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Rating: 4.8 / 5 with 5 rating(s)
pmulry, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 11:21 am
Kudos PFT. Good work on getting solid content on the site that can’t be found elsewhere. Keep it up.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
mmerkin, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 11:37 am
Candid: Wasn’t wholly impressed with Ted’s personnel moves in Denver, but loved his breakdown and will read all 3, every week.
Good work.
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Cdiggy, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 12:18 pm
Good Frickin’ Stuff, Man….I look forward to Ted’s recap and future game breakdowns. Mike, whatever sexual favors you are doing to, I mean for this guy, please keep it up (Pun intended). I’m hooked!
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Ca_Viking, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 12:35 pm
Very much enjoyed the analysis, for a change a analysis that wasn’t all fluff, unlike Fox, ESPN, NBC, and ESPN Jr(ABC).
Florio, great move lining up Ted.
At this rate, Mr. Florio, you may end up being the best site for football, period!
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
antithysys, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 12:35 pm
Great article and insight.
Only thing I would question: It seems that the tone is from what Cleveland has to do to win. Almost as if Dallas is a force and the keys are all in what needs to happen to beat them. There are no keys to what Dallas has to do to win.
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Keyser Soze, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 12:41 pm
I agree. Good break down, just good information on the match-up on hand. What a change.
Florio’s style is what reeled me in to PFT. But this is nice addition.
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One3, a Water Boy, on 9/5/08 at 1:02 pm
When’s the Raiders - Broncos matchup….THAT will be interesting coming from Ted.
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Kaotic, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 1:02 pm
Good analysis. Very entertaining read. Only thing is, Hank Fraley will most likely be going against Tank Johnson most of the time at NT instead of Jay Ratliff. Might be some rotation there, but Johnson looks likely to start.
Nice addition to the site. Looking forward to more from Sundquist.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
mpritc1019, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 1:10 pm
i hope he does the Panthers vs Chargers game! This is cool!
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
HowDoYouHavetheTime, a Passionate Fan, on 9/5/08 at 1:11 pm
I’ve been looking for this kind of analysis for a while, its tremendous! Can’t get it from the usual outlets, espn, si, even nfl.com. Love the breakdowns of the linemen, that’s where it all starts. Great stuff. Ted, you need your own site where you can breakdown all the weeks matchups. Sorry Florio, this stuff just doesn’t seem to belong here, its too real compared to your usual fare of arrests, stupid photos, team bashings and rumor-mongering.
Still can’t understand why Ted is on PFT at all.
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Rating: 1.25 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
Gerald Keefer, a Cheerleader, on 9/5/08 at 1:37 pm
Kudos to PFT for getting a great analysis of what to look for in the Browns/Cowboys game. This is good thing for PFT and a big thank to you guys and Ted Sunquist for making this happen.
After last night and the horrid announcers treating the game like a soap opera and actually missing the beginnings of multiple plays because we’re looking at some hammy announcers or some coach on a sideline… this is just what the doctor ordered.
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Rating: 4.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)