Calvin Watkins, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Upon Further Review: Tyron Smith's struggles

After the Dallas Cowboys' 31-21 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday we present our weekly Upon Further Review.

1. We’re not sure what the grades are for Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, if he gets anything more than a C the grader might get reviewed. He allowed a few hurries and committed one holding penalty on Sunday. Smith was met on the sidelines by offensive line coach Bill Callahan after one series and the pair went over hand placements. Smith is a talented player but he’s seen better days. The offensive line deserves praise for the solid season it's had, but three penalties to the group, wasn't a positive.

2. Where has Terrell McClain been? It seems the injury bug has allowed the defensive tackle to play in four games on the season. In his first full game, 21 defensive snaps, he had his best efforts of the season. He finished with three tackles and two tackles for loss. Eli Manning, who isn’t the fastest quarterback on the planet, does do a good job of anticipating pressure to get away from defenders. McClain almost had two sacks on Manning on Sunday.

3. The Cowboys are not trying to replace tight end Jason Witten, because to be honest, he’s an elite player. Gavin Escobar is making the case that he’s the future at the position. Escobar isn’t going to be noted as a blocker because of his long slender arms and thin upper body. He’s bulked up in the offseason under the strength and conditioning staff to add muscle. He’s still getting stronger but his best skills are suited for running pass routes. Of the three times he was targeted, two of the throws went for touchdowns.

4. In the first seven weeks of the season the Cowboys used blitzes off the edge with corners such as Orlando Scandrick and then would use a linebacker, Bruce Carter and Justin Durant, to blitz up the middle. There weren’t a lot of blitzes on Sunday. Manning used a three-step drop to get rid of the ball quickly. To combat it, the Cowboys elected to play more coverage down the field forcing him to hold the ball longer. It also gave the four-man pass rush a chance to get after him. While the Cowboys didn’t get any sacks, they did provide some quality pressures.

5. After the Giants cut a two-score game to 28-21 in the fourth quarter, the smart play for the Cowboys was to run the ball. Yet, Tony Romo threw the ball twice, 10-yard and 13-yard completions to Dez Bryant. These plays were short and sweet, nothing way down the field where the risk for an incompletion or an interception could cause the momentum of the game to turn. In years past, the Cowboys might have thrown a deep ball here, instead they stuck with Bryant on short throws and DeMarco Murray to close the game with his runs. It led to a Dan Bailey, 49-yard field goal, pushing the lead to 10 at the end.

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