Turkey Day Shootout!

Ehsan Azad

Turkey Day Shootout

                It’s that time of the year again Cowboys fans. The weather is cooler, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the scents of Grandma’s pies are in the air. Thanksgiving is finally here, which means food, family and more importantly football. And the NFL schedulers have given the fans a feast this year when they pitted the hated Washington Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys in a Thanksgiving afternoon showdown. Before the season started, this looked like a normal gimmie game for the Cowboys, but recent events have made this the Game of the year for both teams.

RGIII! That name is haunting Cowboys fans today because he has become the real deal. The rookie QB is having a sensational season and leading resurgence for Washington. Forgot that he is the future of the franchise, he is the franchise in the present. This guy can flat out play with the best of them. He is coming off a near perfect game when he threw for four TDs and only one incomplete pass.  ON the season he has only 3 picks and has an outstanding QB rating of just 101! For a rookie, he is playing way out of his mind.  How does he do it? Well he is first one of the most athletic individuals in the NFL. Either with his blazing speed or his terrific arm, he can beat you in multiple ways, making him a nightmare for defenses. He might not have a lot of weapons around him, but he does make his teammates better when he is at QB. For the Cowboys D to have a chance to stop him, they need to apply a corral method with him. Simply blitzing him won’t get the job done, so you must have defenders not bite on his movements and contain him in the pocket. The Cowboys secondary will have to step up and give the pass rush some time to make Griffin make some bad decisions, something clearly he doesn't do.  Key player on Defense will have to be Brandon Carr. Santana Moss is the only threat they have at wide out, so if he can make sure he is shut down; it makes the pass rush much more lethal.

On offense, the Cowboys have all the talent in the world. That is if you don’t count the offensive line. As I mentioned in earlier blogs, Jerry Jones has failed his team by not protecting his QB. With Tyron Smith doubtful for the game, the O line could be in the worst shape possible. Three quality starters out of the lineup and the replacements that you saw gave up seven sacks will most likely be back again. Good thing the Redskins are just as battered on the defensive front. Their best pass rusher was lost for the season, but Stephen Bowman is still there and he is no cake walk. Luckily, there is a silver lining for the Cowboys. The Redskins secondary is one of the worst in the league. They have given up a bunch of big plays this season, and that could give Romo a chance to win. If Garrett can get some extra blockers in to protect Romo, it will give him enough time to pick the defense apart with two of the most explosive receivers in the game. Look for Dez Bryant to continue to rack up some big number.

                So, this Thanksgiving fill up on stuffing and turkey, and for a treat you will see the oldest rivalry in sports become renewed. But, don’t worry; Cowboys don’t make you lose your dinner. Cowboys win 35 to 24.