The Dallas Cowboys have had a tough three weeks to start the 2018 season. I think that’s putting it lightly. This offense has been god awful. It’s to the point where it’s hard to watch Cowboys games. I would like to see them look like a competent team at some point this season. It would be nice to see them fly up and down the field the way other teams in the league do. Seeing Dak have 4 seconds to allow these WRs time to uncover would be nice, but it just doesn’t work like that in Dallas. The Cowboys are out coaching themselves and it’s infuriating.
How does a team that prides itself on running the ball get a great day from its star running back and still only muster 13 misley points? He only had 16 carries that's how. Zeke averaged 7.9 yards against the Seahawks and only had 16 carries. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry for the entire season and hasn’t seen 20 carries in a single game yet. Chris Carson carried the ball 32 time for 102 yards. Aside from some mental lapses in that Seattle game the defense was playing decent.. There wasn’t a reason to stop running the ball. Seattle forced feed their run game even with the success Wilson had throwing the ball. The Cowboys want so bad for Dak to be an elite QB that throws the ball 35 times, completes 70% of those passes for 300+ yards and three touchdowns. Wake up, that’s not the formula for winning football games. In the fourth quarter the Cowboys unveiled a personnel grouping that I think will changed their offense for the best moving forward.
Late in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were driving we saw a personnel grouping that feature Rob Smith and Zeke on the field at the same time. Dak faked a hand off to Rob Smith and hit Zeke in the flat. The pass was on the short side of the field and for some strange reason Zeke was too close to the sideline to make anything happen. Zeke has got to do a better job of understanding where he is on the field. This concept is exactly what the Cowboys need to get the offense going. If defenses want to focus on Zeke then move him around the formation. As the game progressed we saw Zeke get motioned out the backfield and again was targeted in the flats.
Using Rob Smith and Zeke at the same time does two things. It offers two options in the run game and takes guys out the box because they don’t know how Zeke is going to be used on the play. If the Cowboys go with Zeke and Smith or Zeke and Austin on the field at the same time, defenses can’t focus on Zeke. The Cowboys can use Zeke as a decoy in the run game and throw swing passes to either Smith or Austin out the backfield. I hope they use the long side of the field when doing these types of plays. After forcing the defense to account for Austin and Smith as receivers out the back field then Zeke should see some soft fronts and feast.
Seeing as though Smith and Austin are also good running options. The Cowboys could motion Zeke out, fake the ball to either of them, and then hit Zeke on swing passes. This is a great way to freeze a defense and give Dak safe short passes to get a rhythm going. After giving the defense looks with the running backs then you can throw in shovel passes, the triple option, screen passes to either guy, or just designed QB runs. This is what playing football is all about. It’s chess match! The team that is able to get it’s best players the ball is usually the team that wins the game.
Another reason to use the personnel grouping of Tavon, Rob Smith, and Zeke is because they get those wide receivers off the field. I'm tired of seeing the replays of all these receives locked up on simple spacing plays. The cowboys tried the double slant concepts and Dak’s throwing contested passes. They’ve tried comeback routes and the receivers aren’t separating from the defenders. Geoff Swain seems to be the only person consistently creating space. He is a catch the ball and go down type of player. Swaim isn’t breaking big plays or making spectacular catches. Who else is waiting on all the route running abilities that Allen Hurns was supposed the bring to the offense? It doesn’t appear that Jacksonville is missing this dude. Let’s try putting more backs on the field and taking some of these receivers off the field. I would even be more inclined to use Gathers and Jarwin with the grouping of Zeke and Smith or Zeke and Tavon.
Football is a game of chess! If you don’t have the physical talent to beat teams then you must out scheme them. Lucky for the Cowboys they have three talented running backs. Two of which (Zeke and Tavon) can blow the roof off a defense. Rob Smith can run outside and inside, taking some of that pounding off Zeke. Using Smith inside to crash a defense will leave one on one opportunities for Zeke and or Tavon. This team has to try something new in order to get this offense going. I know this sound like some college spread option concept, but it’s the best way to simplify things for Dak, and get the ball to your best players. Let’s face it the Cowboys best players are behind the line of scrimmage. It’s time to use Dak in the running game, Rob Smith in the running game, Tavon in the run and pass game and Zeke in the run and pass game. The definition of insane is doing the exact same thing over and over and expecting different results. They can’t continue to trust this offensive line to protect Dake while he waits on these average wide receivers to uncover. Give the defense something to think about and do it with heavy running back personnel groupings.
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