I think the Cowboys will be rebuilding more than most think

[BrassCowboy]

You can question whatever ranking system you want, but how can you argue the raw #’s and say the o-line was bad at creating holes?

4.8 yards per carry as a team was 5th best in the NFL. Honest question....how does that equal having a bad o-line that didn’t create holes? We’re talking about a 449 attempt sample size. The only logical argument I can think of is that it’s a # skewed by long runs. Except the cowboys had 13 runs of 20+ yards, which was tied for 14th in the league. So maybe you could say that the o-line didn’t block the 2nd level well to create big plays? But personally I say that was on Zeke and his hold out. Of those 13 runs of 20+ yards Pollard had 5 in only 86 carries. Zeke had a whopping 4 in 301 carries.
Hmmm...makes me wonder if our diva RB that spent his off season in Cabo just wasn’t explosive enough this year? Because he had 15 carries of 20+ yards behind the same o-line (minus Fred) in 2018.

Also, Tyron Smith missed 0 games in 2019 because of a back injury.

I appreciate you going out of your way with the research needed to make this reply, and yeah on paper the stats look ok. What I saw watching the game is Zeke hitting a bunch of brick walls. And yeah like you said the difference in Zeke between his running in his rookie year and last year, talk regression.

I can't pinpoint it. I will say this and it is controversial: we could of saved 90 million and just kept Pollard. He doesn't struggle like you said with finding yards

 

[JBond]

For some reason there is a rampant group think on this board that the o line isn’t good. It’s pretty fascinating

We have a good oline when healthy but to pretend there are not some issues is silly. I do not expect big changes personnel wise, but I want to get back to a scheme that puts the opposing Dline on the ground, especially on run plays. Go rewatch some 2016 games. Two or three Dline players were on the ground before Zeke hit the line/hole. That 2016 line was special. Three additional years of wear and tear on our key lineman have taken a toll. Still like the group as a whole and hope the new coaching/scheme makes us less predictable.

 

[JBond]

I think we can ride with the O-line for another year, but on defense? Keep Quinn and rebuild away.

I hope we find a way to keep Quinn. Quinn and Tank can be special with the right scheme. Moving both around and using a bit of creativity would be fun to watch.

 

[JBond]

Wait what the hell did you just type?!?!? Stats don’t justify arguments??? That’s 1 of the single dumbest things I’ve ever read in my life. So I’m supposed to just take your word for things?? Wow, this is is a new 1.

So the failed season is because of...?

What do the stats tell you? Why did the Cowboys fail? I am just trying to learn. I would appreciate it if you could post the stats that explain why it was a disaster of a season.

Thanks. : )

 

[tm1119]

So the failed season is because of...?

What do the stats tell you? Why did the Cowboys fail? I am just trying to learn. I would appreciate it if you could post the stats that explain why it was a disaster of a season.

Thanks. : )

8-8 is certainly disappointing, but hardly a disaster. We needed a couple bounces/calls to go our way to be 10-6 and comfortably in the playoffs. That could certainly be put on coaching. Certainly not the offensive lines fault, how someone could come to that conclusion is beyond me.

But if you want my honest assessment why we couldn’t win a few more games it would be a combo of turnover differential and special teams. The cowboys had a -1 differential, the only playoff team to have a negative differential was the other lowly NFC east team the Eagles. And then there was our crappy special teams that consistently hurt us with field position, including missed FG’s.

Those are the types of reasons a good team underperforms, not the offensive line that was a catalyst to a top 5 running attack and allowed the 2nd fewest sacks.

 

[jterrell]

I'm gonna dress this one up a little bit and try to make the reading a little easier. I think the Cowboys are going to find that they will be deeper into a rebuild than even they planned for.

• The offensive and defensive lines both need work. The offensive line is showing weakness, and will inevitably be adjusting to new blocking schemes under McCarthy. New blood and beef will be needed fast if the Cowboys want to count on having Ezekiel Elliot's big contract pay dividends.
• The defensive line needs beef and depth. With running backs like Saquan Barkely, Derrick Henry, and our own Ezekiel Elliott, teams cannot rely on smaller, faster linemen and speedy linebackers to stand up to the pounding an offense committed to the run can dish out. While McCarthy has used great players such as Clay Matthews at linebacker, he is not one to allow his defensive line to be pushed around.
• With Sean Lee likely retiring and Jaylon Smith not completely dependable at linebacker, this group will need work, too.
• Stephen Jones is a proponent of using younger guys in the secondary rather than keeping higher paid veterans because of the NFL's agreement with the players that allow for them to be paid less. This has been a staple of the Cowboys salary cap management for years. Don't look for that to change, as the Cowboys seem focused on offensive contracts in the offseason and a total of 23 unrestricted free agents.
• Kai Forbath was a late addition, and while he looked good in limited opportunities, the Cowboys are nowhere near set at the kicker position. There will inevitably have to be a competition for the job.

The situation with Dak Prescott has the Cowboys in a pickle. Prescott's play hasn't justified the top money he is wanting, and with his contract expired he will likely receive the non-exclusive tag. And teams like Tampa Bay might very well jump at the opportunity to sign him. Jamis Winston is pretty much in the same situation, having failed to show that he is the guy in Tampa. Indianapolis is likely looking, too.

• No one expects Dak to leave Dallas, but contract issues still make this a possibility.
• I think the Cowboys MUST go after Case Keenum or Marcus Mariota and solidify the quarterback position. Then they can deal with whatever issues Dak's contract creates with security at the position.
• The Cowboys have a need for a burner at receiver that can change the game and dictate coverages that open up the game for the rest of the Cowboys receivers.
• Jarwin appears to be the best young tight end, but the Cowboys will need depth and will likely add a couple to the mix.
• How McCarthy approaches the run game will likely mean changes in personnel. I look for him to add a receiver/running back that can throw defenses off their game.

I think the Cowboys have their hands full for this off season, as the new schemes and philosophy of McCarthy's vision for the team inevitably create changes.
It will be interesting to see how in depth these changes affect the team, and McCarthy will want to remain competitive:
Because the NFL will most assuredly not miss the opportunity for a ratings bump by scheduling the Cowboys vs the Packers early in the season on a Sunday night.

This is the type of post that makes people dumber.

1. The OL is largely signed with massive costs to release or move on from guys. The cheaper OL are simply too good a contract value to move on from. The OL is here to stay. If anything they shift guys around.
2. Everyone knows the DL will be altered dramatically.
3. Dak isn't going to be tagged as anything but exclusive. To even think otherwise is dumb. No top 20 QB would be treated any differently.
4. Again the secondary is obviously changing. They have 3 starters hitting free agency and the worst safety corps in the league.
5. McCarthy took the job largely BECAUSE of Dak.Coaches realize the QB is the key piece and go from there.
6. LB concern is Sean Lee's age and LVE's health. Jaylon has zero to do with it.

None of what you typed is actually saying anything.
This was just another chance to double down on your dumb dumb Dak isn't good nonsense.

You should have gotten more spankings as a kid.

 

[Future]

2nd best at Run blocking? Not sure how they calculate that, but this oline is not creating any holes for the running game. Very bad in fact.

I do presume this may be all scheme problems so it is nice to see Columbo gone and new coach in.

That being said, we can't ignore T. Smith and his back problems forever

First column. Literally the second-best run blocking group in the league.
https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol/2019

They run into negative fronts all the time, there's never going to be a ton of big holes like that.

 

[Future]

I appreciate you going out of your way with the research needed to make this reply, and yeah on paper the stats look ok. What I saw watching the game is Zeke hitting a bunch of brick walls. And yeah like you said the difference in Zeke between his running in his rookie year and last year, talk regression.

I can't pinpoint it. I will say this and it is controversial: we could of saved 90 million and just kept Pollard. He doesn't struggle like you said with finding yards

Zeke hits brick walls and struggles to find yards because defenses load the box against them, and the offense doesn't adjust. It has to be the worst offense in the league at running into negative fronts.

Anyone who thinks the offense wouldn't have a dropoff with Pollard as the lead back is pants on head crazy, and has no appreciation for the way that Zeke runs. Lots of the 2-3 yard gains he gets are 0 or negative for almost every other back in the league.

 

[tm1119]

Zeke hits brick walls and struggles to find yards because defenses load the box against them, and the offense doesn't adjust. It has to be the worst offense in the league at running into negative fronts.

Anyone who thinks the offense wouldn't have a dropoff with Pollard as the lead back is pants on head crazy, and has no appreciation for the way that Zeke runs. Lots of the 2-3 yard gains he gets are 0 or negative for almost every other back in the league.

Doesn’t add up...
“In 2019, Zeke has run against eight or more defenders in the box just 18.04 percentof the time. During his rookie season, when Elliott led the league in rushing yardage (1,631 yards), that percentage was up to 28.88.”
https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/th...9/dallas-cowboys-ezekiel-elliott-slowing/amp/
That was as of week 11, for the whole season it was 19.27...not an abnormally high # at all.
https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/rushing



You’re creating a narrative in your head that isnt true at all. I’m not saying Pollard is better then Zeke. I’m saying Zeke didn’t have the same juice in his step in 2019 as he did in previous years...likely due to his lack of an off season.

It’s also not an uncommon thought that Zeke wasn’t himself

 

[Future]

Doesn’t add up...
“In 2019, Zeke has run against eight or more defenders in the box just 18.04 percentof the time

7 is the new 8, b/c the Cowboys are primarily in 11 personnel.

A loaded box means more defenders than blockers, and the Cowboys run into that constantly.

 

[tm1119]

7 is the new 8, b/c the Cowboys are primarily in 11 personnel.

A loaded box means more defenders than blockers, and the Cowboys run into that constantly.

7 in the box is a standard defensive alignment. We’re really moving the post that far back now? We should only run against sub packages?

And also it was the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL running against 7+ at very similar rates...and the Cowboys every other year of Zeke’s career. I’m sure it was pure coincidence that Zeke was least effective breaking long runs the same year he held out though . Zeke left a lot on the bone in 2019.

 

[BrassCowboy]

7 is the new 8, b/c the Cowboys are primarily in 11 personnel.

A loaded box means more defenders than blockers, and the Cowboys run into that constantly.

I respect your defending Zeke,and since we already paid him I am not advocating cutting or benching him for Pollard, but it is a little obvious that he has lost a step and is not nearly as quick as he was his rookie year. I think if he loses 15 - 20 pounds, may help his game

I do believe they need to keep finding ways to use Pollard more, he is quicker and is a good pass catcher

 

[Future]

7 in the box is a standard defensive alignment. We’re really moving the post that far back now? We should only run against sub packages?

And also it was the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL running against 7+ at very similar rates...and the Cowboys every other year of Zeke’s career. I’m sure it was pure coincidence that Zeke was least effective breaking long runs the same year he held out though . Zeke left a lot on the bone in 2019.

Nickel isn't a sub package, it's base, just like 11 isn't a sub package. 11 personnel means you have 3 WRs, so only 6 run blockers in the box - generally. 8 in the box is relative to traditional 21 packages.

If the Cowboys are running against 7 personnel the same as other teams, that means they're running into negative fronts more than other teams, because they use 11 more than almost anybody.

 

[Future]

I respect your defending Zeke,and since we already paid him I am not advocating cutting or benching him for Pollard, but it is a little obvious that he has lost a step and is not nearly as quick as he was his rookie year. I think if he loses 15 - 20 pounds, may help his game

I do believe they need to keep finding ways to use Pollard more, he is quicker and is a good pass catcher

The idea that Zeke has lost a step is ignoring the context of how he's used. I don't know if he's lost a step or not, but it's impossible to tell with the system that they've run. People want to compare him to Kamara, McAffrey, but he's not used the same way. Give him the ball in space and then evaluate. That never happens, with any type of consistency, so it's impossible to say that he's lost anything.

I agree that they should get Pollard more involved, but that has nothing to do with Zeke.

 

[Joe Realist]

its a process

 

[Whyjerry]

Jerry's been rebuilding for 25 years. It takes an incompetent GM a long, long ("never") time to get that rebuild right. The team has a good OL. Star skill guys. Lots of overpaid, overhyped morons on defense. There is talent there. I think they need direction and a couple tweaks - DT, TE, S, CB depth, and LBs that want to and can fill a gap. That can be done this offseason.

 

[tm1119]

Nickel isn't a sub package, it's base, just like 11 isn't a sub package. 11 personnel means you have 3 WRs, so only 6 run blockers in the box - generally. 8 in the box is relative to traditional 21 packages.

If the Cowboys are running against 7 personnel the same as other teams, that means they're running into negative fronts more than other teams, because they use 11 more than almost anybody.

No they don’t
https://www.sharpfootballstats.com/personnel-grouping-frequency.html

 

[Stash]

I'm gonna dress this one up a little bit and try to make the reading a little easier. I think the Cowboys are going to find that they will be deeper into a rebuild than even they planned for.

• The offensive and defensive lines both need work. The offensive line is showing weakness, and will inevitably be adjusting to new blocking schemes under McCarthy. New blood and beef will be needed fast if the Cowboys want to count on having Ezekiel Elliot's big contract pay dividends.
• The defensive line needs beef and depth. With running backs like Saquan Barkely, Derrick Henry, and our own Ezekiel Elliott, teams cannot rely on smaller, faster linemen and speedy linebackers to stand up to the pounding an offense committed to the run can dish out. While McCarthy has used great players such as Clay Matthews at linebacker, he is not one to allow his defensive line to be pushed around.
• With Sean Lee likely retiring and Jaylon Smith not completely dependable at linebacker, this group will need work, too.
• Stephen Jones is a proponent of using younger guys in the secondary rather than keeping higher paid veterans because of the NFL's agreement with the players that allow for them to be paid less. This has been a staple of the Cowboys salary cap management for years. Don't look for that to change, as the Cowboys seem focused on offensive contracts in the offseason and a total of 23 unrestricted free agents.
• Kai Forbath was a late addition, and while he looked good in limited opportunities, the Cowboys are nowhere near set at the kicker position. There will inevitably have to be a competition for the job.

The situation with Dak Prescott has the Cowboys in a pickle. Prescott's play hasn't justified the top money he is wanting, and with his contract expired he will likely receive the non-exclusive tag. And teams like Tampa Bay might very well jump at the opportunity to sign him. Jamis Winston is pretty much in the same situation, having failed to show that he is the guy in Tampa. Indianapolis is likely looking, too.

• No one expects Dak to leave Dallas, but contract issues still make this a possibility.
• I think the Cowboys MUST go after Case Keenum or Marcus Mariota and solidify the quarterback position. Then they can deal with whatever issues Dak's contract creates with security at the position.
• The Cowboys have a need for a burner at receiver that can change the game and dictate coverages that open up the game for the rest of the Cowboys receivers.
• Jarwin appears to be the best young tight end, but the Cowboys will need depth and will likely add a couple to the mix.
• How McCarthy approaches the run game will likely mean changes in personnel. I look for him to add a receiver/running back that can throw defenses off their game.

I think the Cowboys have their hands full for this off season, as the new schemes and philosophy of McCarthy's vision for the team inevitably create changes.
It will be interesting to see how in depth these changes affect the team, and McCarthy will want to remain competitive:
Because the NFL will most assuredly not miss the opportunity for a ratings bump by scheduling the Cowboys vs the Packers early in the season on a Sunday night.

You lost me from the jump on this one. The offensive line may be a bit below past standards, but it doesn't need work. Of all the places they need to invest resources, this is not one.

 

[Proof]

One of the best posts I've read.
Those that pull out stats to justify their arguments need to read this.
As a matter of fact, this should be posted on the forum heading.

ehh, this is dumb. stats are a critical piece of analysis. and in the case of an offensive line are a much more effective measure of success than skill positions. you're just wrong.

 

[Future]

No they don’t
https://www.sharpfootballstats.com/personnel-grouping-frequency.html

Uh, why'd you filter for Rush? The whole point is that you're supposed to change the call at the line.

They use it less than I thought, relative to other teams, but it doesn't really change the point.