Cowboys vs. Chargers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Dallas
The preseason premiere of the 2015 edition of the Dallas Cowboys got off to a rough start, and despite some quality individual performances, the team was never able to pull itself back into the contest.
The first offensive series for the Cowboys brought with it the first major turning point, as Brandon Weeden failed to handle a Travis Frederick shotgun snap, sparking a mad dash for the ball, which the Chargers won, taking possession at the Dallas 34-yard line. A mere six plays later, Chargers running back Danny Woodhead took a Rivers handoff eight yards for a touchdown.
A few series later, after Dustin Vaughan had taken over at quarterback, the Cowboys mounted a scoring drive of their own, going 76 yards on seven plays, highlighted by a big-time 3rd-and-17 conversion on a deep in route thrown from Vaughan to Devin Street and capped by a five-yard touchdown run from Gus Johnson.
Following the next Chargers possession, which featured a nice tackle-for-loss by rookie linebacker Damien Wilson on third down to force a punt. Undrafted free-agent rookie Lucky Whitehead lined up deep and made a nice 20-yard return, before being tackled by three Chargers, and despite his best efforts to cover the ball, Whitehead fumbled, and the ball was recovered by the Chargers, giving them another possession in Cowboys territory.
A few series later, Branden Oliver capped the first-half scoring, running it in from 10 yards out to give San Diego a 14-7 halftime lead.
As the teams dug further into their depth charts, the scoring slowed in the second half, featuring only a 52-yard field goal from Nick Novak that extended the Chargers lead to the final margin of 17-7.
In spite of the turnovers, and the loss, there are many positive developments that can be taken from the game.
Position Grades for the Dallas Cowboys
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | C+ |
| WR | B- |
| TE | B |
| OL | D |
| DL | B+ |
| LB | C |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | B |
Quarterback: Both Dustin Vaughan and Jameill Showers played well at times on Thursday night. Facing significant pressure from the San Diego front seven, Vaughan was able to escape the clutches of defenders and deliver big-time throws to Devin Street and others.
Running Back: Neither Gus Johnson nor Lache Seastrunk showed anything that would make coaches change their minds in regards to who will get the lion's share of the running back duties. Although, Johnson did show solid patience and vision on both his touchdown run and his 10-yard scamper in the second quarter.
Wide Receiver: Both Terrance Williams and Devin Street performed admirably, but Lucky Whitehead fumbled on the kick return, and the remaining young receivers struggled to build up much momentum and secure important passes late in the game.
Tight End: Gavin Escobar had four catches for 47 yards, and Geoff Swaim contributed a couple of catches.
Offensive Line: Neither Doug Free nor Tyron Smith suited up for this game, John Wetzel and Darrion Weems started in their place, and neither acquitted themselves admirably despite Weems playing most of the game at left tackle. The running game never truly got rolling, and Weems, in particular, struggled with the players San Diego was able to bring on the edge. If Weems is indeed set to become the Cowboys' new "swing tackle," he'll have to prove in the next three preseason games that he can step in and effectively protect Tony Romo.
Defensive Line: Randy Gregory, Lavar Edwards and Jack Crawford all registered sacks in the game, and other members of the group, such as Davon Coleman and Tyrone Crawford, were disruptive against both the run and pass.
Linebackers: Damien Wilson made a couple of very nice plays, but overall the tackling was spotty from this group, particularly Jasper Brinkley, who was in position to make at least one tackle for loss in a big situation, but he missed the tackle without really coming close to finishing the play.
Defensive Backs: This group was highlighted by cornerback Corey White, who broke up several passes and never seemed to be caught out of position, no matter who the Chargers lined up to face him. First-round pick Byron Jones, who played corner in the first half and safety in the second, allowed a few completions but was able to make solid tackles and prevent big plays against him.
Special Teams: Whitehead's fumble, backup punter Tom Hornsey's poor kicking performance and the coverage units surrendering multiple lengthy returns added up to a poor night from the special teams, although Lucky Whitehead did have a nice return himself on a kickoff just before the end of the first half.
Coaching: It is difficult to truly judge coaching in a preseason game, as coaches are not faced with the same strategic decisions throughout the game as they may be in the regular season. However, choosing to hold out their top veterans, as well as getting plenty of players the opportunity to show themselves, warrants this evaluation.
Important Note No. 1: The Injuries
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The primary objective of a team in any preseason game is to get through the game without suffering any serious injuries.
Coming out of the Cowboys/Chargers matchup, the Cowboys have two notable injuries.
"Cowboys RB Gus Johnson has shoulder injury, TE James Hanna has MCL sprain that could force him to miss a little time
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 14, 2015"
With Mike Fisher and others continuing to report that Joe Randle, Lance Dunbar and Darren McFadden will all return to the practice field when the team gets back to work, it seems as though the Cowboys are in a decent position to absorb Johnson's injury.
However, Hanna could be tough to replace as he is a core special teams player in addition to his role on offense as a blocker and receiver. The Cowboys must hope that rookie seventh-round draft pick Geoff Swaim will be able to step into Hanna's role, or that Gavin Escobar has improved himself as a blocker enough to handle additional work as a blocker until Hanna can return.
Important Note No. 2: Lucky's Resilience
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When Lucky Whitehead was stripped of the ball at the tail end of a 20-yard punt return in the second quarter, many people echoed this sentiment from Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
"Lucky Whitehead won't make the team losing a fumble on a punt return. He was the favorite to win the job.
— Charean Williams (@NFLCharean) August 14, 2015"
However, the next time he got the opportunity to get his hands on the ball, Lucky did not disappoint, taking the Chargers kickoff just before halftime and returning it 38 yards to get the Cowboys in position to attempt an unsuccessful drive for a last-second field goal. This type of resilience exemplifies Jason Garrett's approach of focusing on the task at hand and likely garnered respect from Whitehead's teammates.
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Quote No. 1: Garrett Emphasizes Ball Security
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The Cowboys finished 10th in turnover margin in the NFL in 2014 at plus-6, and the below quote from head coach Jason Garrett to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram makes it clear that Garrett believes his team will need to repeat its efforts in protecting the ball in order to achieve the same level of success in the 2015 campaign. Garrett said:
"The stuff we need to work on is obvious. The first unit did a good job on the initial drive on offense. They made a critical fourth down. And the next play we snap the ball though the quarterbacks hand. They take over in the red zone with a chance to go in and score the touchdown. It’s about the ball the ball the ball. We didn’t take care of it there. We had another one on a punt return. It was a pretty decent return. The ball comes out at the end of the that. We gave them two opportunities inside the 50 yard line. You can’t make those mistakes in this league.
"
Quote No. 2: Weeden on the Botched Snap
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Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News, Brandon Weeden said:
"I was going to throw the slant over to my right, and Travis snaps it back there pretty good. It just went through my hands. It was coming in pretty good, and I didn’t catch it. It was a disaster after that. I just need to make the catch.
"
Weeden taking responsibility for missing the snap is a good thing. He clearly looked up toward the route he wanted to throw before he had the ball in his hands, which took his eye off the ball and caused him to mistime his catch. These types of things don't happen often in the NFL, especially with a quality center like Travis Frederick. Hopefully, the Cowboys won't have to worry about this issue again in 2015.
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