Even the biggest Cowboys fans has to recognize that the Cowboys have an uphill battle to fight on Sunday vs the Eagles. As much as it pains me to admit, Philly is the best team in football this year. They have a dominating defense lead by a vicious defensive front. Most teams (Cowboys included) struggle to generate a solid defensive line rotation. They have one or two players that can ball and then two other solid players. The Eagles have four legit starters that could star on any team on the league. Then the have a 1st round rookie that would probably be the best pass rusher on any other team. Chris long is great in run support and does enough to create push in the passing situations. That's six guys that Philly can trot out on the field and wreck a game plan.
I can count Sundays lost against the Falcons as a bad game. It was the first game without Zeke. Tyron Smith didn't play, and losing Sean Lee was the straw the broke the camel's back. My biggest issue is that Jason Garrett actual thinks that he can lose an all pro running back, left tackle and not make any changes. Chaz Green isn't Tyron Smith, so don't leave him on an Island. When he shows you that he can't hold his side of the field down, give him help. I don't blame Chaz Green for not being Tyron Smith, there is only one Tyron Smith in the league. It's impossible to run any kind of offense with your QB getting pressured on 35% of the plays. I don't want to kill any one person, or place blame at the feet of any one person because that was a team loss. The question is how to stop the bleeding?
First things first accept that this is a different team without three all pro players. This Cowboys team is a shell of itself without Sean Lee, Tyron Smith and Zeke Elliott! Once we accept that collectively as Cowboys nations we can better work on a solution.
Before Zeke began serving his suspensions he accounted for 33% of the Cowboys offensive production. Zeke’s ability to make things happen and grind down defenses covered up a ton of holes on this Cowboys team. It's not going to be easy trying to replace that kind of production but it's possible. This team has to change from a power run, one cut running scheme to a more finesse one. They’re going to have to run out of the passing sets. This will give Dak the option to change runs to passing plays and not have to throw the ball to tight ends and fullbacks. When Zeke is one the field this offense can get away with the big, power formations because there is a legit threat of a run game. Without Zeke teams won’t respect the run and will force Dak to throw to those same tight ends and fullbacks in order to move the chains. There is also a threat of play action, which is what the Cowboys offense is predicated on. If the Cowboys show passing sets then the defense has to counter with pass defending personnel. That will allow the Cowboys to face a weaker box, and smaller defenders.
Zeke doesn't need gaping holes to make things happens but this offensive line is capable of creating gaping holes. Morris needs gaping holes to run through because he isn't the athlete Zeke is and he doesn't posses Zeke’s power. Alfred Morris does have the ability to make things happen in space and he can pick up the three to four yards necessary to maintain positive down and distances. What has to change?
If you’re going to use the power sets, then It's time to use the fullback! Alfred Morris would benefit from a lead blocker because it would give Morris a marker to read and cut off. Chaz Green was terrible in pass protection but he is better at run blocking. Using the fullback and motioning the tight end will help tilt the box in the Cowboys favor. In order to run on this Eagles front the Cowboys are going to have to get their best blockers, Zack Martin and Travis Frederick, in one on one situations so they can create cut back lanes for Morris. The only way to do that is buy using the fullback. The Cowboys have to run the ball to protect their defense. Going against the 2nd highest scoring offense in the league places major emphasis on protecting that defense.
Another approach is the read option. This is the least favorable option because Dak isn't a running QB. Dak is Athletic but he doesn't have the power of a Cam or Wentz. If the Eagles get good penetration or he makes a bad read the Cowboys are behind the chains. The read option will slow down the pass rush and help the Cowboys on getting outside. If the Cowboys can't block this Eagles defensive ends, then leave them unblocked and read them. This will force them to slow down and think, which gives Dak an extra half second to make that guy miss of get out the pocket. Another positive for using the read option is that it's great for play action and the ball is always in front the quarterback, making it easier to pull the trigger quickly. The Eagles front is going to the a load for the Cowboys offensive line so they will need to try everything to move the ball. Using the read option will freeze linebackers because they have to read run first. If the Cowboys can freeze those linebackers they can get Wide receivers across the middle of the field and get the ball out Dak’s hand quickly. The biggest drawback to using the read option is that the quarterback is exposed. The last thing the Cowboys need is Dak getting hurt. This game is important enough that they may be desperate enough to put Dak at risk.
I completely expect the offense to show up better than they did on Sunday, but what about that defense? I'm tired of hearing that the Cowboys can only play defense when Sean Lee is on the field. I know Lee is a great player, but damn. He has been injured for most of his career. There is a bigger issue going on with the scheme if you don't have a backup plan for a guy that is often injured. This defense has to make some major adjustments if the Cowboys want to make a playoff run
Comments
Post a Comment