Donnerstag, 25. Dezember 2008

Anatomy of a Play: Ravens run wild in Dallas



Le'Ron McClain put away Dallas for good with a late TD as the Ravens won in the Texas Stadium finale

"I've never seen that happen in a ballgame, where you had two runs like that. ... That absolutely crushed you."

Those words were uttered by Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, who has been on an NFL sideline since 1976. You might think a guy like that has seen everything over the course of his 32 years in the game, but last Saturday, in a game critical to Dallas' playoff hopes, Phillips was introduced to something new -- back-to-back rushing touchdowns of over 75 yards.

In our "Anatomy of a Play" segment this week, we break down the two runs that spoiled the Cowboys' final game at Texas Stadium.

There were four minutes remaining, and Dallas had just cut Baltimore's lead to two points. If the defense could get a stop, the offense would have an opportunity to win the game.

Everyone knew the Ravens would run the ball in an attempt to run time off the clock. Up to that point, the Dallas run defense had been stout, holding Baltimore's rushing attack to just over 3 yards per carry. But on the first snap of the drive, Willis McGahee broke through the line, nearly untouched, and raced 77 yards for a touchdown.

The Ravens used an unbalanced run formation that featured three offensive tackles. That forced Dallas to shift its defensive line, leaving both Jay Ratliff and Marcus Spears faced with double-teams. The nose tackle Ratliff, accustomed to double-teams, was able to hold his ground; defensive end Spears, not accustomed to double-teams, was blown off the line of scrimmage.

This not only created a hole for McGahee, but disrupted the path of linebacker Bradie James. James was unable to escape the scrum, and as a result, never laid a hand on McGahee.

Safeties Keith Davis and Ken Hamlin were the last line of defense, but because McGahee was able to get through the hole unabated, both Davis and Hamlin were caught too far in and they had no angle to make the play. Hamlin was able to get an arm on McGahee, but was unable to slow him down. The Ravens' lead was back to nine points.

Things were just getting started. Baltimore's one-play, 18-second drive gave Dallas plenty of time to score again. Tony Romo's touchdown pass to a hobbled Jason Witten whittled the Baltimore lead back to two. Again, if the Dallas defense could get a stop, the offense would have an opportunity to win the game. And again, everyone in the building knew Baltimore would run the ball.

It was like déjà vu all over again. The play call was different, but the result was the same. The Cowboys stacked the line with 10 men in the box, while Baltimore again employed three offensive tackles. Dallas' Spears, James and Hamlin again were exposed, and the Ravens again broke a long touchdown run. This time it was Le'Ron McClain, whose 82-yard scamper was the longest in Texas Stadium history. It just so happened to be the one that turned out the lights with a loss.

Like the previous play, Spears was blown off the line of scrimmage, providing the hole for McClain. The hole grew bigger when fullback Lorenzo Neal pancaked Bradie James. The soon-to-be 38-year-old has blocked for a 1,000-yard rusher in 11 straight seasons (this year he may have to settle for having three backs with over 450 yards). Neal's crushing block sent the 245-pound James to the turf. The only thing in the way for McClain was Hamlin, but the powerful second-year rusher tossed him aside with a stiff arm and sprinted 82 yards to the end zone.

This season the Cowboys have yielded 109 yards per game, but in the final two running plays in their stadium's history, they allowed 159 yards. It was the final chapter in Texas Stadium history, but not in Dallas' season. A win this Sunday and the Cowboys' season will continue.

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