How to Fix the Offense

[JonJon]

So we all should have figured out by now that the offensive line is the main thing holding the team back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that anything is going to change with the offensive line anytime soon. The best we can do for the time being is find a way to help the offensive line out so that the offense can once again produce points at a satisfactory rate.

I want to hear from the great minds out there: What are some ways that the Cowboys can help improve the offense?

Here's my idea:

Spread offense. It seems like teams are stacking the line to stop the run and also get to Romo quickly when he drops back to pass. Also, opposing CB's are playing press on our receivers with safety help over top, so unless the receivers can beat the press and get into their route quickly enough, Romo usually doesn't stand a chance unless he performs a Houdini escape act.

The spread offense could force teams to take some of their players off the line which could give Romo a little more time to make reads and find open receivers. It might also create some match-up advantages. I would like to see Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, and Harris in the spread more often. Shotgun is another good formation. Maybe the team can even go 5-wide like the Packers and Saints do at times. Just trying to think of ideas... Any others?

Edit: I could also see that benefiting the running game. We have been successful with the draw play in the past but I don't recall seeing it as much this year.

[Frozen700]

-Spread Formations....... 4-5 WR's

-More of a West Coast Style offense. All these timing based routes, call for time!

-Bunch Formations.... When teams want to man us up a lot, and jam, help or WR's out and bunch them.

-More Variety.....More Motions, Dez or Miles In the Slot more, little quick hot routes

-Spread formation for running the ball. Get the defense from out the middle, and Let Murray use his skill, and vision to get up out of there. If they show blitz even when spread out, you Audible and hit the hot/quick route, or go for the big play.

[Frozen700]

Also, what we need to do is sometimes is

Show 1 look at the LOS....then everybody just shift out or around, make the D adjust, or catch them in something that will work against them.

[Gameover]

Bench the starting QB!

[jblaze2004]

we need to beat people with our formations. Our formations are some of the simpliest in the nfl. You would think we had a rookie back up QB. Less audibles and more formations/formation shifts. We barely run bunch sets, 4 wide and etc.

[JonJon]

Originally Posted by Frozen700

-Spread Formations....... 4-5 WR's

-More of a West Coast Style offense. All these timing based routes, call for time!

-Bunch Formations.... When teams want to man us up a lot, and jam, help or WR's out and bunch them.

-More Variety.....More Motions, Dez or Miles In the Slot more, little quick hot routes

-Spread formation for running the ball. Get the defense from out the middle, and Let Murray use his skill, and vision to get up out of there. If they show blitz even when spread out, you Audible and hit the hot/quick route, or go for the big play.

I really like the motions idea. Chicago ate us alive with that because they were able to get Marshall on our safeties. It doesn't seem like we setup our players for advantages like that often enough. I also like the spread as a run formation idea. It seems like Murray could finally get some lanes to run through. Once he gets open field, his natural abilities can take over and lead to some big gains.

Originally Posted by Frozen700

Also, what we need to do is sometimes is

Show 1 look at the LOS....then everybody just shift out or around, make the D adjust, or catch them in something that will work against them.

Not sold non this idea much though. It seems like our players would just confuse themselves and lead to a false start.

[JonJon]

Originally Posted by jblaze2004

we need to beat people with our formations. Our formations are some of the simpliest in the nfl. You would think we had a rookie back up QB. Less audibles and more formations/formation shifts. We barely run bunch sets, 4 wide and etc.

I really wonder how much we use those formations because it seems like it can work. Maybe someone with the know-how can post how often those formations are used.

[Star4Ever]

Originally Posted by Gameover

Bench the starting QB!

I don't want to speak for the OP, but I highly doubt he was wanting terminally stupid answers.

[JonJon]

Originally Posted by Star4Ever

I don't want to speak for the OP, but I highly doubt he was wanting terminally stupid answers.

This. Any other QB in the NFL would look just as bad or probably even worse behind this O-line. It's because of Romo's agility and awareness that the O-line hasn't given up more sacks.

Now back to the intent of the original post....

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Originally Posted by Gameover

Bench the starting QB!

Yes let's bench a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback for a guy who couldn't beat out Tim freaking Tebow.

Brilliant idea.

[Gameover]

Originally Posted by Cowboys&LakersFan

Yes let's bench a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback for a guy who couldn't beat out Tim freaking Tebow.

.

not true

how is peyton doing in denver?

[CowboysFaninDC]

Originally Posted by JonJon

So we all should have figured out by now that the offensive line is the main thing holding the team back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that anything is going to change with the offensive line anytime soon. The best we can do for the time being is find a way to help the offensive line out so that the offense can once again produce points at a satisfactory rate.

I want to hear from the great minds out there: What are some ways that the Cowboys can help improve the offense?

Here's my idea:

Spread offense. It seems like teams are stacking the line to stop the run and also get to Romo quickly when he drops back to pass. Also, opposing CB's are playing press on our receivers with safety help over top, so unless the receivers can beat the press and get into their route quickly enough, Romo usually doesn't stand a chance unless he performs a Houdini escape act.

[View Full Quote]The spread offense could force teams to take some of their players off the line which could give Romo a little more time to make reads and find open receivers. It might also create some match-up advantages. I would like to see Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, and Harris in the spread more often. Shotgun is another good formation. Maybe the team can even go 5-wide like the Packers and Saints do at times. Just trying to think of ideas... Any others?

Edit: I could also see that benefiting the running game. We have been successful with the draw play in the past but I don't recall seeing it as much this year.

its very simple. execute. not just the OL, but the rest of them as well. we have had too many drops. make some damn plays.

also, outside of a few new plays that can get added here and there, you can't change offisive philosophy in the middle of the season. it takes years for an offense to come together. QB and WRs getting on the same page. making the same reads, etc. we saw a great example this past week when Dez ran the wrong route because he didn't have the same read as Romo. now you want to go to a spread offense!!

that's not who we are.

we can probably go to a 3 or 4 WR set, but that means you lose blockers and with our OL sucking up the joint, that means less people back there blocking. Romo wouldn't get much more time. when the OL can hold the man in front of them, then it doesn't matter what offense you run. it will work.

and did I say execute. the plays have been there, but the players (witten, dez, austin, KO, felix, romo) aren't making the plays.

[btcutter]

Originally Posted by JonJon

So we all should have figured out by now that the offensive line is the main thing holding the team back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that anything is going to change with the offensive line anytime soon. The best we can do for the time being is find a way to help the offensive line out so that the offense can once again produce points at a satisfactory rate.

I want to hear from the great minds out there: What are some ways that the Cowboys can help improve the offense?

Here's my idea:

Spread offense. It seems like teams are stacking the line to stop the run and also get to Romo quickly when he drops back to pass. Also, opposing CB's are playing press on our receivers with safety help over top, so unless the receivers can beat the press and get into their route quickly enough, Romo usually doesn't stand a chance unless he performs a Houdini escape act.

[View Full Quote]The spread offense could force teams to take some of their players off the line which could give Romo a little more time to make reads and find open receivers. It might also create some match-up advantages. I would like to see Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, and Harris in the spread more often. Shotgun is another good formation. Maybe the team can even go 5-wide like the Packers and Saints do at times. Just trying to think of ideas... Any others?

Edit: I could also see that benefiting the running game. We have been successful with the draw play in the past but I don't recall seeing it as much this year.

Bring in Gruden or Cowher.

[jday]

I actually blame play calling more than the offensive line. Jason Garrett is stubbornly sticking to offensive plays that are predicated on having a good offensive line. In my view, the Cowboys need to move to a run 'n' gun / westcoast hybrid. I know many of you out there hate the dink and dunk approach, but the plays have to exercise your players strength, otherwise you get the results that we've seen: embarrassing. Garrett's plays have a tendency to take way to long to develop. And let's face it, Romo just simply does not have that kind of time to wait on routes. He needs to take a 3 step drop and get rid of the football.

The run has failed even more than the pass. Why? Because Garrett does not know how to develop a running game. Running straight forward on the strongside over and over as a general rule is not going to build an effective run game. You have to switch up the types of runs and Garrett very rarely does anything different than having Demarco run into the backs of his C/G/OT two yards behind the line of scrimmage.

[CowboysFaninDC]

Originally Posted by jday

I actually blame play calling more than the offensive line. Jason Garrett is stubbornly sticking to offensive plays that are predicated on having a good offensive line. In my view, the Cowboys need to move to a run 'n' gun / westcoast hybrid. I know many of you out there hate the dink and dunk approach, but the plays have to exercise your players strength, otherwise you get the results that we've seen: embarrassing. Garrett's plays have a tendency to take way to long to develop. And let's face it, Romo just simply does not have that kind of time to wait on routes. He needs to take a 3 step drop and get rid of the football.

[View Full Quote]The run has failed even more than the pass. Why? Because Garrett does not know how to develop a running game. Running straight forward on the strongside over and over as a general rule is not going to build an effective run game. You have to switch up the types of runs and Garrett very rarely does anything different than having Demarco run into the backs of his C/G/OT two yards behind the line of scrimmage.

I had to laugh after I read the first sentence. is there any offense that's based on a bad OL? seriously!!! that's your line.

and in your expert opinion, we should change offense in the middle of a season to a run & gun.

and when was the last time the run & gun worked in the NFL?

when was the last time an offense worked without a decent OL?

btw, most teams run to the strong side. its called that because most teams run to the side of a TE. because of the strong blocker. that's why most teams put their pass rushing DE on the weak side. etc. etc. but all of that probably just went right over your head.

the running plays work because the linemen block. I don' tcare how you design running plays, if the OL doesn't block, you go nowhere.

unbelievable.