NFL Week 4 thread

The 49ers defense gets some credit for that.

 

I know we've seen this show from Dallas a lot over the past few years, where they look like world-beaters in September, then they get to December and Tony Romo remembers he's Tony Romo. But, man, they sure looked like a complete football team built for the long haul Sunday night.

 

Patriots miss Scarnecchia more than they realize. Trading Logan Mankins isn't the sole reason why the O-line is a mess.

They also made a mistake in thinking Danny Amendola could replace Wes Welker... and if all it took to keep Wes was $12 million over two years, they should have done it.

As for the defense, it looked better than it really is because it faced a terrible Oakland Raiders and a flash-in-the-pan Matt Cassel.

The Patriots' destiny this season is to limp to a division title, get no first-round bye, then be one and done.

 

That defense still sucks.

 

Success at running the ball makes any team look very good, better than the other parts of its game would justify.

 

Actually, they usually don't start looking like world-beaters until November.

Dallas' biggest issue is that its defense, which is already playing way over its head, is ridiculously thin. If that defense holds up through the end of the season, Marinelli deserves to be coach of the year.

 

BTW, if you're old enough to remember Tom Landry's Dallas teams, this was pretty cool:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24731229/cowboys-offensive-line-honors-tom-landry-with-victory-formation-shift



I've never been a fan of the Cowboys, but as an old fart who remembers the way their linemen always stood up before going into their stance back in the day, I thought that was a really nice touch.

 

What makes Dallas interesting is that their o-line has been awesome. A good running game can help mask a shoddy defense. That doesn't make them a contender, but there is so much parity in the league right now you can't exactly dismiss them.

As much as Jones deserves the criticism he gets, he's done a pretty good job building on the offensive side of the ball. There are a couple pieces on D, but they still need a bunch of help there to be a legit contender.

 

Wonder if he's still pissed at his son for taking a guard over Johnny Football.