DQ Report, Week 5 - The Shanahan Clinic
Cowboys run into a team that had a perfect plan for Quinn's Cover 3.
There was nothing enjoyable about Sunday for Dan Quinn and his defense.
They were pretty certain that this could not happen to them. They were wrong. The opponent who they thought they were prepared to face showed them how far away they are from dealing with the best in the business and being able to do something about it.
And, yes, Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers were the best in the business on Sunday.
It is time to ignore his draft position, his boyish face, and slight build. It is time to simply put on the tape and give him the nod of approval. It is time to consider that the industrial draft complex may have missed big. Because 2022’s Mr. Irrelevant put on an aerial show against DQ and his men that looked like an unfair fight. Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, or Peyton Manning could not have spun it better than we saw on Sunday.
As someone who watched him at Iowa State, this feels as unlikely as picking the right lottery numbers. The Senior Bowl didn’t invite him and 32 teams universally agreed this QB-starved league didn’t need to waste a pick. Not until they were starting to take down the stage decorations. It’s hard to believe this would be where the 49ers would end up with Purdy.
But, if you didn’t walk away from that game on Sunday night completely convinced that he fits that offensive schemed, then you are even more stubborn than me. I give in. Purdy appears to be the best QB Kyle Shanahan has had to work with since Matt Ryan was league MVP in 2016.
Look at this destruction:
If you want to consider the biggest beatdowns that Dan Quinn’s defense has ever taken, this one is easy. Jacksonville was pretty bad last December, but it wasn’t like this. This was a 40/400 game — 40 points and 400 yards with yards everywhere and even a suggestion of give-up by the end.
I suppose we give them some points for trying to stay alive in the first half long enough for the offense to get going, but overall, with just one sack and just one takeaway, we cannot shield the defense from their share of the spanking.
The 49ers were running free downfield and every first down run felt like a quick +8.
The stretch from 13:26 in the second quarter when the 49ers started their fifth drive until the 13:59 mark of the fourth quarter when they finished their 10th drive, the Cowboys defense had suffered a stretch of five touchdowns against in six drives.
In less than two quarters of football, that stretch of defensive malfunction brought back memories of Monte Kiffin and Mike Nolan’s worst days: 33 plays for 284 yards, which is nearly 9 yards per play against. Fifteen first downs. Five touchdowns.