Hogs Haven
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Jerry Jones might believe the Cowboys still have much to play for, but with Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury, things seem bleak in Dallas as a hot Eagles team comes to town. What are your thoughts on how the rest of Dallas’ season will unfold?
Sando: Jones will continue to maximize the spotlight and profits, his top priorities. The team will miss the playoffs, and there will be much speculation about a potential coaching change, which will keep the team in the news. If this sounds a little cynical, it is. I’ve gotten to a point where analyzing this franchise can seem repetitive and futile. What is Jones striving for here?
Keefer: As far as I’m concerned, it’s fait accompli in Dallas this season. Prescott’s injury will only expedite the result that was already coming. Even if he were healthy, this team doesn’t have the firepower to go on a late-season run. The offense is too one-dimensional and the defense far too inconsistent to hang with the better teams in the NFC: the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, Eagles, 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. The disappointments of this year — and the playoff losses of the past several years — are damning indictments on Jones’ stubborn approach. This organization needs a new voice at the top. And it’s not getting one anytime soon.
Counter bash is a variation of counter, so let’s talk about counter first!
Counter involves two players pulling across the formation and usually, this is the offensive tackle and guard. Teams will sometimes mix it up and use someone else to pull across the formation (such as a H-back or slot receiver), but the Eagles don’t have this issue, as they have extremely athletic offensive linemen. If you ever see it called something like ‘GT Counter’ that just means the guard and the tackle are the ones pulling. When looking at a counter run, I always focus on the two pullers first.
One of the pullers (usually the first) will try to move one of the defensive linemen toward the sideline in order to create a gap where the other puller can run through. The running back will then follow the second puller. The rest of the linemen will all be down blocking and therefore, the two pullers will be moving in the opposite direction to them, hence the term ‘counter’. The Eagles often pull the left tackle and left guard because Mecki Becton at right guard is unbelievable at down blocking. He is so big and you can use that size to create a huge lane and you don’t want him pulling too often.
Teams with a mobile quarterback often run counter read...
