USAToday: How Dak Prescott's limitations hindered Moore's play-calling

[erod]

I may not be understanding this article.
So we are to think that Dak can take the snap from center, fake the handoff, and then throw the ball but if you take the faking of the handoff away suddenly he can’t throw the ball?

this is beyond dumb. Unless I am missing it.

and why would a QB take the snap and not go play action when your RB will almost always freeze the defenders?

The fake is designed to create a hole in the defense, and often the primary read is a predetermined throw.

Without the fake, you have to read coverages in action and look defenders off with your eyes.

It's quite different.

 

[Tangle_Foot]

Well there goes our Super Bowl hopes

 

[OmerV]

OMG, the sensitivity...I was being sarcastic....and now its turning into a political Dak debate of lovers vs. haters.... relax....

you react this way and talk about sensitivity? OMG ...lol

I asked a question, and it's a reasonable one, not an "OMG" emotional one. I truly do think this "lover" and "hater" rhetoric is mostly pretty silly, and the attitude that goes with it is a huge impediment to reasonable discussion on sites like this.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

The title of the article was How Dak Prescott's limitations hindered Moore's play-calling. And the following was included in the article …

This obvious limitation (not being able to execute a traditional three or five-step drop from under center) in Prescott’s arsenal is a significant impediment to any coordinator’s quest for unpredictability.

yeah, I read more than the title and ignore the writers opinions.....and I deduce my own opinion. I know the writer perhaps was trying to implicate Dak, but in looking through the stats, it was trying to connect the two and didn't do a good job..... what stood out to me more than anything was the offensive predictability and tendencies. if as an offense about 1/3 to 1/2 our plays are from under center and in 90% of those we run...then that's a tendency....as a defensive coordinator, playing against dallas I am driving that with my front 7 all week. and it feels like in the 90's. we telegraphed what we were going to do but we were so good in executing that it couldn't be stopped.....

 

[DC Cowboy]

I wonder if this is true? if yes, then that makes the offense predictable and limits what you can do.

no, this is not a Dak bash thread, but I am sure DakLovers will take it that way...but it may explain some of the predictability of our offense....

"....
allas quarterback Dak Prescott took 18 snaps from under center and 39 in the shotgun. Prescott has been in the shotgun more snaps than under center in every game so far this season, but there has been much more balance in previous games (32-34 against the Giants, 32-36 in Washington, and 32-39 versus the Dolphins.)

The real issue with how the formations are utilized is not so much whether they are in the shotgun more than under center, or vice-versa, but whether it becomes obvious that the offense is going to run from under center and pass from the shotgun.

Former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was justly criticized for being too predictable. He almost always called passing plays from the shotgun and called mostly running plays when the quarterback was under center...…

...
The most glaring trend detected is that Prescott is rarely asked to drop back and pass after taking the snap from under center.

In 44 games, he has never dropped back and passed after taking the snap from under center more than three or four times in game. When he was a rookie, it was sometimes never and often only once a game...…"


https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/20...zjKCFzoy4CYONCLRjCBjpkBp_lLNxT_Qb4iBnOudx_Lpk

Peyton Manning was always in the shotgun, so what is the point here?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

you react this way and talk about sensitivity? OMG ...lol

I asked a question, and it's a reasonable one, not an "OMG" emotional one. I truly do think this "lover" and "hater" rhetoric is mostly pretty silly, and the attitude that goes with it is a huge impediment to reasonable discussion on sites like this.

wait, I said something, you reacted to it.....who is sensitive?

btw, I agree, the lover, hater rhetoric is silly....

 

[charron]

found this since several people have asked

https://www.sharpfootballstats.com/snap-rates--shotgun-v-under-center--off-.html

 

[OmerV]

yeah, I read more than the title and ignore the writers opinions.....and I deduce my own opinion. I know the writer perhaps was trying to implicate Dak, but in looking through the stats, it was trying to connect the two and didn't do a good job..... what stood out to me more than anything was the offensive predictability and tendencies. if as an offense about 1/3 to 1/2 our plays are from under center and in 90% of those we run...then that's a tendency....as a defensive coordinator, playing against dallas I am driving that with my front 7 all week. and it feels like in the 90's. we telegraphed what we were going to do but we were so good in executing that it couldn't be stopped.....

I appreciate that you were ignoring the opinions. I wish more people would read the articles as you have and not go by the headlines or the sensationalized opinions.

I agree the discussion about tendencies is worthwhile, although I believe the writer may have somewhat exaggerated the importance of it. But anything that helps the team be a little less predictable is worthy of consideration.

 

[ItzKelz]

so is DakLover, created on this forum.... and I am posting on this forum.....and I have been called a Dak hater...on this forum....

Only means something on this site. When you go up to any random Cowboys fan that you've never met before and asked them do they support Dak? The typical response is.....

 

[G2]

How does this compare to other QBs?

 

[OmerV]

wait, I said something, you reacted to it.....who is sensitive?

btw, I agree, the lover, hater rhetoric is silly....

If merely responding to a comment indicates a person is overly sensitive, then every post in every thread ever created indicates a person is oerly sensitive except the OP.

Anyway, that conversation is about as silly as the lover, hater rhetoric, so i'm cool with letting that drop. lol

 

[G2]

I appreciate that you were ignoring the opinions. I wish more people would read the articles as you have and not go by the headlines or the sensationalized opinions.

I agree the discussion about tendencies is worthwhile, although I believe the writer may have somewhat exaggerated the importance of it. But anything that helps the team be a little less predictable is worthy of consideration.

Not to mention that the writer admitted to not having data from the last 8 games of last season. Sort of relevant.

 

[xwalker]

I wonder if this is true? if yes, then that makes the offense predictable and limits what you can do.

no, this is not a Dak bash thread, but I am sure DakLovers will take it that way...but it may explain some of the predictability of our offense....

"....
allas quarterback Dak Prescott took 18 snaps from under center and 39 in the shotgun. Prescott has been in the shotgun more snaps than under center in every game so far this season, but there has been much more balance in previous games (32-34 against the Giants, 32-36 in Washington, and 32-39 versus the Dolphins.)

The real issue with how the formations are utilized is not so much whether they are in the shotgun more than under center, or vice-versa, but whether it becomes obvious that the offense is going to run from under center and pass from the shotgun.

Former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was justly criticized for being too predictable. He almost always called passing plays from the shotgun and called mostly running plays when the quarterback was under center...…

...
The most glaring trend detected is that Prescott is rarely asked to drop back and pass after taking the snap from under center.

In 44 games, he has never dropped back and passed after taking the snap from under center more than three or four times in game. When he was a rookie, it was sometimes never and often only once a game...…"


https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/20...zjKCFzoy4CYONCLRjCBjpkBp_lLNxT_Qb4iBnOudx_Lpk

The article does not really make sense.

Play-action is a snap from Under Center.

The writer is trying to skew shotgun passing vs under-center passing by separating play-action from non play-action under-center snaps.

Most teams pass more from shotgun than from under-center.


With regards to the Saints game, here are 4 or the first 5 passes from shotgun:
3rd & 10
2nd & 9
2nd & 9
3rd & 9

They are going to use shotgun on 3rd & long for certain and probably on 2nd & long also because they want to avoid the pass rush as much as possible.

Game situations often dictate play calls and play formations.

 

[OmerV]

Not to mention that the writer admitted to not having data from the last 8 games of last season. Sort of relevant.

Yep, plus the biggest argument was based on Dak in 2016 when he was a 4th round rookie being thrust into the starting role unexpectedly and had to adjust to the NFL and a new offensive style on the fly.

 

[Sydla]

I am confused by the title of this post. Is it Dak's limitations that caused this or is it just a situation where we fell into patterns in terms of the play calls? Because how does Dak's limitations make us less likely to throw from under center?

 

[blueblood70]

if 90% of the time you are under center, you run "run" plays, then it makes you predictable.

it didn't say you don't run from shot gun.....

thats not on Daks skillset IMO..thats play caller issue.. Daks been under center this many year they are past having that as issue.. its the way a lot of NFL offenses are run being heavy in the shotgun...

if this is the case where its showing run then they should use that against the next few teams and make sure Daks throwing a lot more with PA and RPOs out from under center and more runs from shotgun..im sure they are discussing this in the meeting rooms..

I hate to break this news to you, its not news to the coaches, not if the Saints somehow used it to gain an advantage..they have scouts, people who do nothing but break down game film., and then coaches take tis info and make adjustments,.

if you and the place who found this info have it, the FO does for sure..all I know is the rams playoff hgame and this game the Dline lived in our backfield, some bad blocking but maybe they 100% knew a run was coming and keyed on zeke all night..they will fix it..

 

[Toruk_Makto]

This is the fault of the coaches if you ask me.

Unless I can see numbers that show Dak is less effective under center when he does pass.

To me this screams that the offense could use play action with him under center and really have some success if the coaches would make it happen.

I also think that’s being under center is a bit of a dying art. More and more offenses are operating almost strictly out of the shotgun. For better or worse....

That's not how it works.

When you play action or take snaps under center it speeds up the processing that a qb needs to do.

Let's just say reading the field has never been Dak's strong suit.

 

[Ranching]

Garrett sucks!

Not nice!!! Garrett blows!!!

 

[G2]

That's not how it works.

When you play action or take snaps under center it speeds up the processing that a qb needs to do.

Let's just say reading the field has never been Dak's strong suit.

Do you have our play action numbers? I ask because I've seen more recently than before.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Not to mention that the writer admitted to not having data from the last 8 games of last season. Sort of relevant.

oooorrr conveniently left out...why would he not have that data but has data from all other games, hmmmm