Galloway & Company: Jason Garrett

[cowboyjoe]

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/dallas/play?id=7320930
Jason Garrett attempts to offer an explanation of what happened at the end of Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

[28 Joker]

Randy Galloway,

You are absolutely right about your question in regards to giving Felix Jones the ball more in this game. Thank you for pointing that out. Dallas should have challenged the Cardinals and made them stop a hot Felix Jones (6.0 YPC) in that game. Felix Jones looked really good running the football, and Murray was obviously struggling. The coaches should really look at themselves in the mirror and go check the stat sheet of Jones' game against Arizona last year (16-77 4.8 YPC).

Felix Jones' speed and quickness has given the Cardinals some problems the last 2 games at Arizona. Jones demonstrated this on his 69 yard kickoff return, too. Are we talking about 5 sacks and a bomb happy game if Felix Jones gets the football in his hands in the running game? The Cardinals never had to stop him, because the Dallas coaches did it for them. That is very questionable, imo. Where did Felix Jones play? SEC Run the football, Coach Garrett. This isn't the Big 12.

5 rushes in the second half...I agree with that, too.

Felix Jones 6-36 6.0 YPC LG 11

I like Bryan Broaddus, and I thought he was a Felix Jones guy, too. Hey, Broaddus, when I cited Bucky Brooks (in regards to Felix Jones' "outstanding vision") I wasn't taking a shot at you. I was just citing an analyst who wasn't in the Dallas media; he just happened to be a former NFL scout, which makes it even better.

Bryan, I agree with you about Newman in this game. It was one of his worst ever, imo. I'd get in his face and challenge him this week. That effort isn't going to cut it. I'd make him mad. You would see an angry Newman this week. Newman would get the Pat Summitt treatment this week.

I strongly disagree with you on Felix Jones' pass protection. Jones is one of the best pass protectors at that position in the game according to PFF. I"ve watched Jones' pass protection consistently, and it has been very, very good for a while now. Ask London Fletcher. Jones sure looked fine to me in that area, as he always does. Jones cut a few guys in that game, but Murray was doing that, too. Romo has to get rid of the football. He can't hold it too long. In fact, the announcer in the game actually called Murray out one time for bad protection on one play.

Second, I don't know how you can justify not feeding Jones the rock when he's averaging 6.0 YPC and almost broke his last rush of the game (an 11 yard run on 3rd and 1). Again, Jones put up a 16-77 game at Arizona last year.

DeMarco Murray has seen his YPC significantly decline over the last three games.

25-73 (2.9 YPC) Redskins

22-87 (3.9) Dolphins

Inside the Dolphins game:

Before Murray did a very good job of rushing for 27 yards on his last 5 rushes, the Dolphins had held him to 17-60 (3.5 YPC)

12-38 (3.2) Cardinals

Does rush efficiency mean anything? Murray has impressed with the number of times that he can carry the ball, but Jones only needs 12-13 rushes to destroy a team. (See Felix's 14-115 8.2 YPC against Washington, with LeRon Landry by the way, and heavily stacked boxes). Washington was lucky that wasn't a 14-133 game for Jones, because that bogus hold on Bennett (according to Gruden) cost Jones 18 yards. Jones' 17 touch, 155 total yard game was the best game by a Dallas running back this year. In fact, when Jones had a better offensive line in 2008 and 2009. he destroyed teams in the single digit rush range. I'd only take Tyron Smith out of this current bunch, and that is a layup call. Kosier obviously would be at LG.

Come on Broaddus, Felix Jones hung 136 total yards on the Giants last year on 17 touches (71T) and has a 7-96-1 (13.7 YPC) LG 56 game against them, in 2009, on his resume and you don't want to give him the football? Wow.

I don't want to hear the excuses for DeMarco Murray, because Felix Jones had to play with a done Leonard Davis and Mark Colombo and McGee at QB and no Dez Bryant and Gronkowski at FB at the Cardinals last year. Jones still put up a very, very good game, a game that Murray would get credit for, by the way.

If you take the football completely out of Felix Jones' hands in the running game, you are negating your fastest, most explosive player on offense. Jones should rush that football at least 12-13 times per game (within his proven extremely explosive and extremely productive rush range). Good luck to the Cowboys winning this division if they don't do that, by the way.

@ Arizona L

[28 Joker]

By the way, against Washington, the second time, Jones' first two rushes went for 6 and 9 (7.1 YPC), and he never got another carry (in the first half) until a 3rd and 17 give up draw (had no chance). Jones was listed as limited in practice, so I gave the Cowboys a pass.

Why didn't the Cowboys run the same plays (for Jones) that worked for Jones in that game or this game? I can use that logic for Jones, too. Jones had a very good inside run and outside run (toss play) against Washington the second time around.

By the way, the draws looked open in this game, and Dallas appeared to pass several times when the numbers appeared to favor them in the box. I know Jones picked up 7 yards on one draw.

If the Cowboys don't run the zone bend (wind back play or "flash play" or zone leak play) play that Jones destroyed Washington on against the Giants, I'm going to be upset. Felix Jones needs to be carrying the football on that play.

Denver ran it on Dallas in 2009.

Philadelphia stole it in 2009 and ran it against Dallas. McCoy has absolutely destroyed the Cowboys on this play during his last 2 games against them. If Dallas cant' learn to stop it, there needs to be some people replaced. Period. That is unacceptable. The Eagles are running the same blasted play, and in 2010, with 4 minutes left, that was absolutely embarrassing. Then, they came back and did it again this year.

Seattle saw the Eagles/Cowboys tape and used Marshawn Lynch and ran all over Dallas and Philadelphia with the play.

Dallas used this play for Felix Jones, and he destroyed Washington in September.

If the Cowboys don't use Felix Jones to punish the Giants and Eagles with this play, someone has some splainin to do....This play helped Jones absolutely destroy Washington's 9 and 10 man stacked fronts, and the Giants and Eagles should be very vulnerable to this play. Lynch has already roasted the Eagles on it this year, destroyed them.

For the love of football, please run it for Felix Jones.

[RoyTheHammer]

Rush efficiency most certainly means alot.

That's why Murray, with his 5.5 ypc, plays more.

[28 Joker]

Bryan Broaddus, I know you know this, but....

If you go back and look at Jones' 29 yard run against Washington, the Redskins had 10 people within 3.5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Jones juked their safety and got him out of position before he even exploded through an inside hole. That was the zone bend. Jones' 40 yard run (his 13th rush of the Redskins game) saw 9 in the box, and that was the zone bend, too. Jones torched Washington outside to the left (40), up the middle (29), and outside to the right (24) on the very same play. The degree of difficulty was very, very high for Jones in this game, too. Heavily stacked boxes...Dez Bryant with one leg, Robinson's first game, no Miles Austin, Romo with busted up Ribs...

This was absolutely the best game by a Cowboys running back this year, and Garrett called it Jones' best game as a Cowboys player.

Again, Felix Jones is an extremely explosive, extremely efficient football player who only needed 14 rushes to hang 115 yards on Washington, and they were lucky that it wasn't 14-133. They can thank the official for that saved 18 rushing yards. That penalty cost Dallas at least 3 points.

In fact, go back and look at Felix Jones' most explosive runs in Dallas. You will see heavily stacked boxes and heavy run sets on the football field.

Felix Jones' longest rush of his career (73T), against a divisional opponent and in the playoffs by the way and not against the 33rd (I mean 32nd ranked rush defense), saw 9 in the box and an A gap run blitz. Colombo completely missed his guy, too.

[RoyTheHammer]

It really is telling when you have to reference one game 20 times to try and make an argument for a guy because that's the only game he's played very well in all year.

[28 Joker]

Rush efficiency most certainly means alot.

That's why Murray, with his 5.5 ypc, plays more.

Put Jones' play in context this year and Murray's play in context. I've put it out there. You can ignore it if you want to do so.

When Jones had Tony Fiammetta in that first Redskins game, Jones exploded. In fact, Jones' great feet set up Fiammetta's TKO of two Redskins players (40 yard run) before Jones made a great cut two yards behind the line of scrimmage. When Murray didn't have to face LeRon Landry, the Redskins held him to 2.9 YPC. Washington's coaches feared Felix Jones more than Murray and for good reason. It is documented from two different sources. Jones put up a 12-70 ( 5.8 YPC) (117 total yard game) against Washington in 2010, and he didn't have Tyron Smith or 4 new offensive line position changes. So, I don't want to hear any excuses for DeMarco Murray from the media or fans. Leonard Davis cost Felix Jones two long TDs last year, alone. (Chicago and Houston).

I don't want to hear about Murray running against 8 man fronts now, because Jones hung 10-99 on Washington's 8 or more man fronts. The severe adverse conditions occurred in that game for Jones. Jones has been running against stacked boxes since Arkansas and for 4 years in Dallas.

Jones ran under severely more adverse conditions @ Arizona last year than Murray had this year and still put up 16-77 (4.8 YPC) last year. Jones clearly out played Murray against Arizona this year, and Jones' 6.0 YPC pretty much told the story.

I'd like to see Murray play with one hand tied behind his back (with Colombo and Davis) like Jones did last year. Jones averaged 4.44 YPC and tallied 498 rushing yards on 112 rushes during the last 8 games of 2010. Much of that running was done inside, too. If Murray ran 22-83 against the Colts, he'd get a parade thrown for him.

Just give Felix Jones Tyron Smith last year, and his rushing total goes up. Replace Davis with Kosier and his rushing total goes up, too.

So, I don't want to hear about Murray not having Fiammetta now. Jones didn't have him either against Arizona, and he put up 6.0 YPC and deserved the football more in the running game.

Seattle is a good run defense. That was Murray's best game, imo. It was also, by far, Dallas' best run blocked game of the year, too.

Rams
Bills
Eagles (suspect version)

Those teams' run defenses are putrid to very bad, but again, Murray earned his yards.

Arizona is giving up 4.0 YPC, but Murray only had 3.2 YPC in that game. Again, Jones ran under the same conditions and averaged 6.0 YPC and worse conditions last year and averaged 4.8 YPC.

Murray's last 59 rushes have yielded 3.35 YPC (59-198).

Meanwhile, some of our delusional fan base doesn't want a now healthy and very rested Felix Jones to ever touch the football in the running game, again. It is what it is...

Ignore it if you want to do so...

Have to love the excuses for DeMarco Murray.... some fans and some media

Felix Jones sure didn't get that "benefit of the doubt" last year when he ran hard and extremely good behind an old, done, significantly deteriorated 2010 offensive line.

How many o-line changes were there this year?

So, don't tell me about Murray not having Fiammetta. Jones didn't have him against the Cardinals, and he outplayed Murray. Jones played under much more severe conditions last year than Murray ever had to endure this season.

[RoyTheHammer]

Murray had games with 4 yards or more per carry against 2 of the top 6 rushing D's in the NFL, Felix has only had 2 games all year over 4 ypc, not against top 10 rushing D's either.

Murray 5.5 ypc all year long

Felix 4.1 ypc

Murray is playing more. Makes sense.



PS- Like i've said before, i very much agree that Felix should touch the ball more, and that he is an explosive weapon that this team should be utilizing, right up there with Dez and Miles.. but you simply go too far in trying to defend him and i have to bust balls for that, lol. He should get more touches, but Murray has proven to be a very reliable back as well as a guy who can make the big play too. He deserves the touches he's getting. Hopefully next year we can upgrade the interior OL and these guys will both be busting off big gains left and right.

[28 Joker]

Actually, the 9 men in the box on Jones' 73T (Eagles playoffs) were within 3.5 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Jones' 29 yard run against Washington this year saw 10 men in the box, with the safeties at 7 yards deep, just behind the linebackers. Jones made three men miss with his great speed.

My fault. I knew that.

[28 Joker]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8229b11e/Jones-hits-his-stride

40 yard run Jones (zone bend)

http://www.nfl.com/player/felixjones/931/profile

Here the 117 people can see Jones' 29 yard run against the Redskins. LOL (zone bend, again)

See Jones use his outstanding vision and great feet to juke the Redskins saftey and turn on the jets and explode through an inside hole and make three Redskins miss.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d8159f2e2/Wild-Card-Can-t-Miss-Play-Jones-record-setting-run

The longest rush in Cowboys playoff history (73 yard bomb) 9 Eagles stacked in the box, within 3.5 yards of the line of scrimmage. A gap blitz...Colombo misses his block. Felix Jones hits the seam in the hole at full speed. 1-800-SEEYA