Imagine a cloudy day with some gray storm clouds. You
take your child out to the playground because it’s been cloudy all day. A few
drops fall but it’s nothing to concern yourself with. Then after being at the
playground for about 45 mins the sky opens and a down pour begins. That’s how
it feel right now as a Cowboys fan. All season we looked up and saw the grey
storm clouds, but we went outside anyways. We knew Zeke was getting suspended because
the NFL always wins, there are only so many courts to appeal to. The slight
drizzy started in the Falcons game when we were willing to chalk that up as a
bad game. Then the sky opened up and all hell broke out in the Eagles game. The
Cowboys are in the middle of a storm and they don’t have the coaching staff to
rescue this team.
Why does it appear that everyone knew Zeke Elliot was being
suspended but the Dallas Cowboys? When the suspension came down this past
summer, the first thought was that he was getting a raw deal. Regardless of how
you felt about the suspension personal, anyone with his or her right mind knew
that Elliot was going to serve a suspension. Let me remind you, the suspension
came in the summer. It is now November and the Cowboys look lost! How? You’ve
three months to prepare for losing Elliot and this is what we get. Twenty-two
points in 3 games? Three 20+ point losses? A team that appears to have quit in
a protest to Zeke being suspended? The answers to these questions escape me and
I can’t begin to attempt to answer them. The owner comes out and says the team
isn’t that good. The Coach is on the sideline clapping for players that can’t
tackle, block, throw, catch, or any other fundamental skill required to play
football. I’m just as confused as the next Cowboys fan and I’m not typing this
blog to help answer any questions. I typing this blog because I have to get
these thoughts out my head and off my chest.
Dak Prescott hasn’t regressed! So all you Dak haters that
want to be right about is ability to win without Zeke or post 300 yard passing
games, stop it! Dak isn’t the type of quarterback that will throw for 300
yards, 3 touchdowns, on 40 pass attempts. That isn’t his game and it isn’t the
game plan of the Cowboys coaching staff. I’m not surprised that Dak is struggling,
I’m surprised that he hasn’t taken over the game on the field and start playing
some backyard football. Dak is constantly under pressure. Should he climb the
pocket more, yes. How much good would that do? This Cowboys offense hasn’t made
one adjustment to not playing with Zeke. The running game has still been effective
over this three game span, but the passing game is lacking creativity. Defenses
aren’t trying to stop the run because they know the Cowboys will have to pass
the ball. Defenses are pressuring Dak with four players, they aren’t blitzing!
The Cowboys offensive line isn’t keeping four rushers off their quarterback.
The most concerning issue is the offensive design.
I’ve been saying all year that the Cowboys have a boring
offensive play design. Much of that has to do with the personnel they have
available to them. There are schematic changes that can be made to take better
advantage to the personnel. I’ve been watching football for 22 years. I’ve seen
many different offensive schemes that have been successful in the NFL, some
gimmick offenses that haven’t worked, and everything in between. If you look
throughout the NFL you see will see a ton of different schematic concepts being
deployed to create ideal situations for the playmakers. I take the Eagles for
example. The Eagles have taken some things off Carson Wentz’s plate in order to
speed the game up for him and maintain the ability to change out the personnel.
A lot of what Philly is doing is two route reads, hi low concepts, and they
give Wentz the option to run in every play call. That’s called keeping it
simple. When things are simple, you give the quarterback options on the play
and you can put anybody in on the formation and get results. It’s also easy to
make in game adjustments with plan A isn’t working.
Other teams are utilizing the short passing game as an extension
of the run game. Every team in the league has the ability to use a sprint out,
or roll out but the Dallas Cowboys. The sprint out changes the launch pad for
the quarterback, creates passing lanes down the field, and gives the quarterback
the ability to adlib. The Cowboys want to use the bootleg, which creates all
the same situations, but needs an effective run game. The Cowboy’s issue lately
has been protecting the quarterback. One way to do that is to get the
Quarterback out the pocket and get the ball out his hand as quickly as
possible.
Another creative way to get the ball out on the perimeter
in the hands of a play maker is in the screen game. It baffles me that the
Cowboys are one of the worst screen teams in the league. Even when Zeke was
playing I was crying for a screen game. The screen is the best way to get the
ball out the hands of the quarterback and into the hands of a playmaker. Speaking
of playmakers, why did they draft Ryan Switzer again? If he wasn’t brought in
to be used then they should have taken a defensive player with that pick.
Switzer is a perfect candidate for a screen pass. He is quick, has good speed and
tough. Can we stop trying to hand him the ball on end arounds? Switzer can be used out the backfield, in the
slot, and from out wide in the screen game. If they’re going to keep throwing
to Dez in the Flats, put some blockers out there for him on a bubble screen. Did
we forget that Dez scored on a bubble screen against the Redskins that was
called back. The Cowboys have the personnel to run a screen game but they aren’t
calling screen plays.
The last suggestion that I have to get more creative is
more pre snap motion. Motion inside receiver out and outside receivers in. The
idea is to create one on one matchups with your playmakers. No Dez can’t blow
past anyone but he can out physical most corners. Get him in one on one
situations with motions by clearing out his side of the field with motion.
Bring a receiver across the formation and get him the ball on the run. Every
team does this in the league expect the Cowboys. It’s hard to watch this
offense because it doesn’t even look like a competent NFL offense. Receiver
aren’t getting open, the quarterback it throwing up prays, the offensive line
is getting used, and the run game is having little to no impact. The biggest
problem is that the coaching staff refuses to make adjustments. Well as of now,
I’m refusing to change my position.
Until
this team wants to play some football, I’m checking out. I can’t watch Dak continue
to get drilled every game. I won’t continue to watch Terrance Williams and Dez
Bryant drop passes. I refuse to watch them motion Switzer across the field and
fake an end around. Only to actual give him the ball for a negative play. Or what
about the 10 plus bootleg plays, that everybody watching the game knows is
coming? It makes perfect sense to have three tight end formations and never
throw to any of them! I can’t watch this team throw up all over a season that
had promise because one player is suspended.
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