As an act of sacrifice and devotion to my loyal readers, I watched every play of the Cowboys’ crushing 17-9 loss to San Francisco in Saturday’s preseason opener. The starting running back was none other than rookie Tony Pollard, who is coming off one of the most remarkable weeks in training camp history. When Stephen Jones joined the TV broadcast in the third quarter, he was raving about Pollard’s four carries for 16 yards and reminding us Tony’s basically a five-tool player.
Here are my quick-hitting observations from Saturday’s action:
• The first-team offense looked pretty smooth. I got a kick out of Stephen saying he thought Kellen Moore was in a great “rhythm” with his play-calling. That rhythm kept getting interrupted in the red zone, but let’s not make too much of a Cooper Rush-led delegation. Dak Prescott looked comfortable against the Niners’ second-team defense. I loved watching Michael Gallup come back to the ball, in part because Scott Linehan didn’t care for those type routes. Tavon Austin needs to keep his feet on those short routes and try to use his speed and quickness. That had to be a huge moment for Travis Frederick, despite it being a preseason game. This offense will get quite a boost if he’s truly back to full strength. Tight end Blake Jarwin played a lot of snaps in this game because the Cowboys are thin at that position. He’s decisive with his routes and he looks faster this year. If Jason Witten will allow Jarwin to get a few targets, he’ll make the most of them. The Cowboys may have finally identified Witten’s heir apparent.
• The tackling by the cornerbacks was excellent early in the game. Jourdan Lewis made a nice tackle in the open field, and then Anthony Brown did the same. Chido Awuzie made a tremendous play on the ball down the field and also made a nice stop near the line of scrimmage. Those three players seem to be flourishing while Byron Jones works his way back from injury. Safety Kavon Frazier got run over by rookie Jalen Hurd out of Baylor on the Niners’ first touchdown. Former Ohio State defensive back Tyvis Powell just arrived at Cowboys camp, and it showed. Hurd overwhelmed him on another touchdown. And the Niners’ starting quarterback from last season, C.J. Beathard, continued to pick on Powell. He did make a really nice play on the ball late in the game.
• I thought Cedric Wilson looked good in the first half. Backup quarterback Cooper Rush kept going to Wilson, who made some nice grabs in traffic. He took a big hit on a play where the defender was ejected for hitting a defenseless receiver. If he can come back from what appeared to be a possible concussion, Wilson has a chance to be the fifth or sixth receiver. Jon’Vea Johnson has had some nice moments in camp, but he dropped two passes Saturday. He did have three catches for 30 yards, but that inconsistency could get him cut. Stephen Jones said on the broadcast the Cowboys loved 49ers rookies Jalen Hurd and Deebo Samuel in the draft. Well, maybe he should’ve drafted one of them. Or maybe we can just keep this love affair with Pollard going. Heck, Gil Brandt compared the guy to Lenny Moore last week.
• The good news is that Brett Maher made three field goals Saturday. But he missed a 35-yarder wide right. This guy is shaky right now, and the Cowboys have to explore other options. He seems to be in a bad spot mentally. The Cowboys will be watching these other kickers closely. Paging Dan Bailey.
• The undrafted rookie Luke Gifford from Nebraska was having a really nice game when he suffered a nasty ankle injury. He had already come back immediately from a dislocated finger early in camp to make a great impression. He had an interception after Kerry Hyder, a former Texas Tech great, pressured the quarterback. The former Aggies great Donovan Wilson had a nice interception in the second half. He’s known as a big hitter. But you have to love how he tracked the football. Anyone who gets a takeaway in this defense has to be taken seriously.
• Dorance Armstrong is a second-year player out of Kansas who’s quietly having a nice camp. He stood out to me in some of the individual drills and he took that to the field Saturday. I loved watching him swoop in and nail a running back at the line of scrimmage. He gets off the ball quickly and uses his hands really well. Jalen Jelks the rookie out of Oregon also caught my eye. He’s long and lean, which reminds me of the type defensive ends the Giants always coveted. He stayed around the quarterback a lot Saturday, which is a great sign. I generally think it’s a bad sign for anyone that wears No. 74 in the preseason because that number belongs to the great Bob Lilly. But Jelks may hang around for awhile with how thin the Cowboys are at defensive end. He won’t keep that number, though.
• Mike Weber is the running back who showed the most burst Saturday. There’s something weird about a No. 40 running back that I can’t quite identify, but I like the way he bounced off tackles. He’s no Lenny Moore, but he’s not bad.
• It’s the preseason for goodness sakes. I didn’t see anything glaring. I’m here for you, though.
