CCBoy
11-09-2011, 09:49 PM
Dallas Cowboys 2011 Midseason Review: Offense
by rabblerousr
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011/11/9/2548170/dallas-cowboys-2011-midseason-review-offense
As Cowboys fans, we embarked upon this season with more uncertainty than we had at any time since 2005: how would the team fare after 2010's epic collapse and the phoenix-like resurgence? Which, if either, represented the "real" Cowboys? What would be the ramifications of offensive line and defensive overhauls (of both personnel and philosophy in both cases)? Would Dallas make the playoffs? Finish around .500? Pick in the top ten of the 2012 draft? An eloquent case could be--and was--made for each of these outcomes.
Now that we find ourselves at the midpoint of the season, I'm not sure which, if any, of these has become any more or less certain. After five games, the Cowboys could well have been 0-5 or 5-0. Since then, they have jumped off the "4 our fewer points" train and enjoyed some more decisive scores--but haven't always been on the positive end of the drubbings. So, what do we know about this team? I'm not sure we can assess the team using something so concrete as criteria. Instead, I'll offer a version of "Rabbie's midseason awards." Today, I'll look at the offense; later in the week, I'll apply the same categories to the "D."
Who makes them go: At this point in the season, this answer is the same as its been since Tony Romo took the offense's reins in 2006: the quarterback who boasts the best YPA in the modern era. However, this number had been declining since 2007--a decline that correlates pretty clearly to that of the offensive line and the ability of the running game to keep safeties in the box and focused on their run keys. With the emergence of DeMarco Murray and the outside-the-tackles running attack, the answer to this question might change by season;s end--or it might help Romo to underscore the above response more emphatically. It should be fun to watch....
by rabblerousr
http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011/11/9/2548170/dallas-cowboys-2011-midseason-review-offense
As Cowboys fans, we embarked upon this season with more uncertainty than we had at any time since 2005: how would the team fare after 2010's epic collapse and the phoenix-like resurgence? Which, if either, represented the "real" Cowboys? What would be the ramifications of offensive line and defensive overhauls (of both personnel and philosophy in both cases)? Would Dallas make the playoffs? Finish around .500? Pick in the top ten of the 2012 draft? An eloquent case could be--and was--made for each of these outcomes.
Now that we find ourselves at the midpoint of the season, I'm not sure which, if any, of these has become any more or less certain. After five games, the Cowboys could well have been 0-5 or 5-0. Since then, they have jumped off the "4 our fewer points" train and enjoyed some more decisive scores--but haven't always been on the positive end of the drubbings. So, what do we know about this team? I'm not sure we can assess the team using something so concrete as criteria. Instead, I'll offer a version of "Rabbie's midseason awards." Today, I'll look at the offense; later in the week, I'll apply the same categories to the "D."
Who makes them go: At this point in the season, this answer is the same as its been since Tony Romo took the offense's reins in 2006: the quarterback who boasts the best YPA in the modern era. However, this number had been declining since 2007--a decline that correlates pretty clearly to that of the offensive line and the ability of the running game to keep safeties in the box and focused on their run keys. With the emergence of DeMarco Murray and the outside-the-tackles running attack, the answer to this question might change by season;s end--or it might help Romo to underscore the above response more emphatically. It should be fun to watch....