Cowboys-Buccaneers Gameday Running Blog

Welcome to the Cowboys-Buccaneers Gameday Running Blog!  I came up with a pretty good format last season, and I’m sticking with it this season.  I will be posting at regular intervals.  There will be a pregame post with my thoughts running up to the game, followed by updates after each quarter in which I’ll tally up some stats and post them along with my thoughts.  Let’s get started after the jump!

Pregame Wrap-up

The Cowboys first team has looked pretty good during the preseason, generally having no problems marching down the field.  It’s hard to judge by the preseason, though.  Tampa Bay, on the other hand, seems to be in a bit of disarray offensively.  They have a new head coach this year, just fired their OC and are starting Byron Leftwitch at QB.  Leftwich looked OK last year when he got on the field in Pittsburgh, but he’s about as mobile as the Washington Monument.  That’s not a good thing when you have Demarcus Ware and friends coming at you all day.  Either way, this should be a great game.  We’re 15 minutes away from kickoff, so buckle in….

First Quarter In-Game Updates

-Oh god, no, Demarcus Ware hit Kellen Winslow wrong and has left the game.  We’ll see if he comes back in….

-The Bucs just drove into field goal range, but Sensabaugh blocked the punt and Mike Jenkins recovered, running it all the way back to the Bucs 48 yard line.

-Ware’s back in.

First Quarter Wrap-up

End of the first quarter and the Cowboys are up 6 – 0 after driving into field goal range twice.  The offense looks a little sloppy, needing to call a timeout early in the first because they weren’t lined up.  Tampa looks better than expected, but then so does the Cowboys D.  The best play was of course the blocked punt which set the Cowboys up for their second field goal of the game.  The second quarter is underway….

Second Quarter In-Game Updates

- Bucs drove it in for 7, Boys 6 – Bucs 7

- False-Start Flozell just pretty much ruined a Dallas drive with an unnecessary roughness penalty.

- Tony Romo is off today, throwing very inaccurately.  He’s also not throwing to Roy Williams, who has been wide open on a couple plays.

- 42 yard catch and run by Miles Austin for a TD, 13 – 7 Cowboys.

First Half Wrap-up

Leftwich started out the quarter making some good throws under pressure, and the Bucs were able to drive down the field.  Cadillac Williams had a couple great plays, punching it in for a touchdown.    The extra point made it 7 – 6 Tampa Bay.  Bad for the ‘Boys, but way to go Cadillac.  He’s gone through a lot, with injuries in both knees over the past two years.

Marion Barber broke out a 22 yard run on the first play of the Cowboys’ next drive to the Dallas 39, but ultimately the drive broke up thanks to Ronde Barber, who seems to be the only person on the Bucs’ defense, since he seems to make every play.

Later on, the Cowboys were punting and a Buccaneer ran into McBriar, drawing a penalty and giving the Cowboys 4 more downs.  Romo has been making some pretty bad throws all game, but he was able to hook up with Witten over the middle on this drive for a 20 yard gain.  Dallas had a pretty cool trick play, run-around type thing that saw Crayton making a first down, but it was called back because of an unnecessary roughness penalty by Flozell Adams.  Then on 2nd and 20, Romo overthrew Miles Austin who was wide open and uncovered on the left side of the field. The Cowboys couldn’t convert on 3rd and 20 and had to punt.

The Bucs went 3 and out, and the Cowboys got good field position on the punt, starting at the Dallas 44.  Gaines Adams gave the Cowboys a free first down with an offsides penalty, after which Tony Romo finally connected with Miles Austin on the right sideline, who had a beautiful run into the end zone.  Dallas 13 – Bucs 7 with 42 seconds left in the half.

Leftwich came out and threw a deep pass to Michael Clayton for a 47 yard gain with 7 seconds left, but the clock then ran out.  The Cowboys started walking in, but the refs called it and reset the clock to 7 seconds.  There was then a booth review of the play, but the play stood.   Mike Jenkins is looking pretty poor in coverage, I’m sad to say, looking a little confused at times.  I was always a proponent of Scandrick being the starting guy all on his own.  Anyway, the Bucs were in field goal range, but the attempt missed.  That makes Tampa Bay 0 for 2 on field goal attempts as the half came to a close with the Cowboys in the lead.

Halftime Stats:

Romo: 8 of 15 for 115 yards and 1 TD
Barber: 6 carries for 43 yards
Jones: 4 carries for 22 yards
Choice: 2 carries for 10 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards
Witten has 3 catches for 47 yards, Austin has 1 catch for 42 and Williams has 2 catches for 20 yards.

Leftwich: 8 of 12 for 180 yards and 0 TD’s
Williams: 8 carries for 77 yards, 1 TD
Clayton: 2 catches for 51 yards
Bryant: 2 catches for 29 yards
Ronde Barber has 1 sack.
Buccaneers Defense has no sacks and 1 interception.

The Cowboys have 188 total yards, the Buccaneers have 231.

Third Quarter In-Game Updates

- It has started raining buckets in Tampa Bay after the game started out in an inferno of heat and humidity.

- Romo hooked up with Roy Williams for 66 yards and a TD.

- Crayton kicked a muffed punt out of bounds, drawing a 10 yard penalty (this ain’t kickball)

- Interception by Jenkins nullified by penalty by Sensabaugh

Third Quarter Wrap-up

The Bucs started a drive but fizzled to open the second half, and the punt went out of bounds at the 21.  It started raining heavily, but that only seemed to last for a couple of plays.  Gotta love that Florida weather.

On the ensuing drive the Cowboys picked up a first down and then Romo finally hooked up with Roy Williams, who broke a tackle and ran free into the end zone for a 66 yard play. 20 – 7 Cowboys.

The Cowboys seem to have woken up at halftime.  The defense stuffed the Bucs for another 3 and out.  Unfortunately, the punt was muffed by Terence Newman and then Patrick Crayton came in and kicked it out of bounds instead of covering it up or hitting it out of bounds with his hands.  That drew a flag and a 10 yard penalty, so the Cowboys started at the 14 and proceeded to go 3 and out.

Later, Jason Witten picked up a first down for the Cowboys with an 18 yard reception.  It did no good, though, because after Romo was nearly intercepted twice, the Cowboys had to punt.  Derrick Ward came out and had some monster runs, breaking about 10 tackles on one of them, gaining the first down both times.  Then Leftwich threw a he floater that was intercepted by Mike Jenkins, but that was called back due to a penalty by Sensabaugh.

Ward got another first down, then Clayton caught a Leftwich pass and was NAILED by Gerald Sensabaugh, but still managed to stay on his feet.  It was Sensabaugh who got the worst of it, though, as he had to be helped off the field as the third quarter came to an end.

Fourth Quarter In-Game Updates

- TD Tampa Bay, nullified on challenge

- TD Tampa Bay on the next play

- Oh, yeah LOOOONG TD to Crayton

- Barber pirouettes into the end zone off a Roy Willams block

Post Game Wrap-up

The Bucs seem to have given up on Cadillac Williams for the game, as Derrick Ward has been making some monster plays for Tampa Bay.  Leftwich threw a pass to Stroughter (?) which was ruled a touchdown, but the film showed he was down at the 1 and it was called back after a Cowboys challenge.  All for naught, though, as Derrick Ward punched it in on the next play, making it 20 – 14 Cowboys.

The next Cowboys drive, if you can call it that, lasted 2 plays.  A run for no gain by Felix Jones, followed by the longest completion of Tony Romo’s career as he found Crayton WIDE OPEN on the right sideline.  Crayton subsequently took it all the way into the end zone, for a total of 80 yards.  27 – 14 Cowboys.

The Bucs weren’t going down easily, though, coming back and driving to the Dallas 26.  Choosing to go for it on 4th, they lost the possession when Kellen Winslow dropped a pass wide open in the flat.

It looked like the Cowboys were going to try and run some time off the clock until Romo caught up with Crayton for another 44 yard play.  Romo has set a new career high for passing yards in only 16 completions for 353 yards.  A few running plays later, Marion Barber pirouettes into the end zone off a Roy Williams block.  34 – 14 Cowboys, and this one seems to be in the bag with 3:57 left to play.

The Bucs once again came back and drove the length of the field, scoring on 4th and goal to make it 34 – 21 Cowboys with 1:28 left to play.  After the Cowboys ran out the clock, the game came to an end.

Postgame Stats:

Romo: 16 of 27 for 353 yards and 3 TD (Career Record)
Barber: 12 carries for 70 yards, 1 TD
Jones: 6 carries for 22 yards
Choice: 2 carries for 10 yards, 2 catches for 6 yards
Crayton: 4 catches for 135 yards, 1 TD
Witten had 5 catches for 71 yards, Austin had 1 catch for 42 and Roy Williams had 3 catches for 86 yards, 1 TD.

Leftwich: 25 of 41 for 276 yards and 1 TD
Cadillac Williams: 13 carries for 97 yards, 1 TD
Ward: 12 carries for 62 yards, 1 TD

The Cowboys had 462 total yards, the Buccaneers had 450.

Final Score

Dallas 34 – Tampa Bay 21

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Gameday, Gameday Running Blog, NFC East, tampa bay

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