Blogging The Boys
Think of the most insane roller coaster you have been on in your life. Imagine if you didn’t have any handlebars and were strapped in by the seatbelts you find on a standard school bus. That is what it felt like watching the Dallas Cowboys win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
The game was filled with drama and storylines from start to finish. The offense seems to be humming, with Dak Prescott finding a spark in his connection with George Pickens. On the other hand, the pass defense had significant vulnerabilities, allowing Russell Wilson to turn back the clock and burn the Dallas defenders for 450 passing yards. Not to mention the pass rush needs to find their closer in a hurry.
At the end of the day, what matters most is Brian Schottenheimer’s first victory as a head coach and adding one to the win column. There is just a lot to take away from a game that ended with 77 combined points.
When Micah Parsons was in Dallas, any time a play needed to be made to close out a game, he would be the most likely to force an incompletion, record a sack, or force a fumble.
Since he’s no longer with the Cowboys, someone has had to step up and fill in as the team’s closer, someone who they can rely on to win the game when things are close. Brandon Aubrey has become the team’s new Mariano Rivera.
It’s an advantage for Schottenheimer to know that his offense can score three points within 30 seconds if they need to. All they need is a decent kickoff return, run one play that gives them a first down that brings them close to midfield, and they will already be within field goal range for Aubrey.
For most teams that are down three with 25 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, it feels almost impossible to even get past midfield. However, when the Cowboys were down three in the same circumstances, it felt possible due to the confidence the team has in their kicker. That confidence starts with Aubrey himself in a conversation Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated had with Schottenheimer.
Before Sunday’s game, Schottenheimer and Brandon Aubrey were discussing the line-to-make for field goals against the Giants, inside AT&T Stadium. Aubrey said if the offense got to the 50, he’d be fine—meaning he was comfortable kicking field goals from 67 or 68 yards out. “I’m like, What?” Schottenheimer said. “He said, No, seriously, the 50 and we are just fine.”
Having a weapon like Aubrey is something 30 teams can only dream of having in their arsenal (Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers has shown he can boot the ball similarly to Aubrey). All the front office has to do now is make him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Don’t think that will happen? Todd France of Athletes First...
