Interesting Nuggets of Info on Offensive Scheme Last Season

charron

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Thats not what it's saying at all. Dak can stand in the pocket and throw but when every receiver is running the same route over and over it allows defenses to easily defend our offense. Just Look at the Philly game when Dak and Cooper went off.......it was from changing the route. Dak threw the ball just fine.

Before anybody says it no I'm not saying he is the greatest at throwing fromthe pocket but he can do it efficiently.

That is his weakest part of his game. He is an average passer when playing like a traditional guy. Right now teams dare us to let dak beat them, they ain't scared of him but rest assured they terrified of the zeke monster which would work to daks strengths letting him run RPO's and play action fakes along with more varied route combo's.
 

charron

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Makes you wonder, doesn't it? About Garrett saying Linehan would be back for this season right after that playoff game. That would mean Garrett was approving how Linehan was calling the games or maybe even directing it?


he said they hadn't talked about anything else. At that point linehan was still on the team. No reason to say linehan wouldn't be back when he hadn't been let go yet. Heck i'm not sure garrett has the authority to fire the water boy at this point.
 

sean10mm

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This isn't surprising, but it's just so dumb on a basic level that it just boggles my mind.

Run and pass are supposed to be complementary,because if you're good at one it makes the other team's defense overcompensate, so it's easier to do the other thing too. The basic idea is as old as the forward pass. Yet somehow Garrett and Linehan don't seem to grasp this on even the most basic level of "Run Zeke a lot, so you can then fake running to Zeke a lot, to make it easier to pass."

I often complain about how Garrett just wants to party like it's 1992, but with 21st century rules and players, and how that's just dumb on a basic level. But actually I was wrong, Garrett is stupider than that, because even in the 1990s everybody knew that if you were running the ball well you should do lots of play-action to catch the defense wrong-footed.
 
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Like many have said. Asking Dak to stand in the pocket and make a play (traditional QB) is asking for failure. He's not that guy.

I don't think he's ever been given a fighting chance with Linehan's route tree. Dak can pass just fine from the pocket. Just give this offense less predictable formations (no more 2 & 3 TEs on first and second down), incorporate pre-snap motion and shifts to keep the D off balance, and run some damn vertical seem routes with TE's and slot WRs (like we did in week 17 with Jarwin against the Giants), not just comebacks and crossers. When we start confusing and threatening opponent's safeties, it's going to open the box for Zeke and result in the some big plays.
 

fansince68

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I blame Garrett..

We were bland and basic before Linehan ever got here and at least he figured out how to run the ball.
Actually it was the previous O line coach that was the catalyst behind the run game. I forgot his name. He is the O line coach for the skins now.
 

beware_d-ware

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I'm not even surprised. Watch the film on 3rd and long - defenses just call zone and have their DBs camp out right at the sticks. They know where the ball's going.
 

817Gill

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OP buried the lead of the article...........

Empower Kellen Moore to make deep systemic changes to the offense
We're starting here because honestly, if the Cowboys don't do this, the other suggestions we're making are largely irrelevant. If Dallas is going to have Moore merely replace former offensive coordinator Scott Linehan as a play-caller without also allowing him to dramatically reinvent the team's offensive schemes, there was really no point to having made the switch from one to the other.

Over the past few years, Linehan mixed some of his own schemes with the principles head coach Jason Garrett has had installed since he became the team's offensive coordinator back in 2007. Garrett himself said prior to last season that his offense borrows heavily from what Norv Turner ran when he was the Cowboys' offensive coordinator. To be clear, that last happened in 1993. It's safe to say the league has changed a whole lot in the ensuing 26 years.
Went straight to the meat of the article lol
 

817Gill

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I think our percentages for play action and presnap motion will both rise. Our PPG will too. How much do you think is reasonable?
I think it’s very reasonable, the talent is there, it’s just a matter of maximizing it. One of the main functions of being a coach is putting your players in the best position possible to succeed. From starting BJ at FS to ignoring Dak’s strengths, this team has been surprisingly successful despite clear coaching ignorance.

If KM can make these obvious changes, there’s no logical reason this team doesn’t improve on every offensive statistic. Barring major injuries of course
 

817Gill

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I think the deep issues in game-planning and play calling make it quite obvious Dak has the potential to and will improve.

If KM can make these simple changes, not only will Dak’s stats improve, but his confidence and being able to play to his strength will also be “eye-test” visible as well.

More KM and less JG is looking more and more like the key to unlocking a SB season.
 

Floatyworm

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Fans have been saying these exact same things for more than a year well into Daks second season and its embarrassing jerry didnt dump Linehan far sooner.

What does that tell you???? Linehan didn't trust Prescott's accuracy....and I don't blame him. How many times have we seen Dak miss wide open people?

Now your asking Dak to hit timing patterns down the field???? Good luck with that. :laugh:
 

CowboyRoy

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https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...their-chances-of-reaching-super-bowl-liv/amp/

The first subtitle is where the info is.

Yes this is some of the stuff we already know but it’s May and interesting to get some numbers and data behind it. Gives us an idea of how Linehan has held Dak back.

“Far too many of the Cowboys' passing-down snaps last year involved them spreading the field with three receivers and a tight end, all of whom ran identical comeback routes to the sticks. It was predictable and incredibly easy for defenses to cover. Linehan's lack of creativity most often manifested itself in Prescott having to throw into tight coverage far too often. Last year, 17.7 percent of his passes were thrown into tight coverage, per NFL.com's NextGen Stats, a figure that ranked 29th out of 38 qualified quarterbacks. Prescott also threw short of the sticks by an average of 1.5 yards per pass, which ranked 28th out of the same group of 38 players.

The Cowboys also had Prescott throw just 11 passes on RPO (run-pass option) plays last season, per Sports Info Solutions, a figure that is frankly embarrassing given Prescott's obvious strength with RPO schemes. He averaged 9.5 yards per pass on those throws, which allow him to combine his skill at play-fakes, quickly reading defenses, and using his legs and athleticism to make plays on the perimeter if necessary. The Cowboys don't need to do this on every snap, but a considerable increase is certainly called for.

Prescott should also just be throwing after a play-action fake more often in general. Given the strength of the Cowboys' run game and opposing defenses' obvious inclination to stop Ezekiel Elliott, it should not be surprising that Prescott has been a far more efficient passer on play-action plays (where he is one of the best in the league) than on straight drop backs (where he is merely average) throughout his three-year career. Consider the following figures, per Pro Football Focus.

Prescott PA No PA
Comp
238 737
Att 349 1,178
Comp % 68.2% 62.6%
Yds 3,090 7,786
YPA 8.85 6.61
TD 19 48
INT 2 23
Rtg 111.6 87.2
% Passes 22.9% 77.1%

Again, the Cowboys don't need to be calling a play-action pass on every drop back, but 23 percent is far too low. They should be among the league leaders in play-action rate, up near teams like the Rams, who like the Cowboys base their entire offense around the versatile contributions of a star running back.”

More nuggets past this point like using more pre-snap motion (only used 36% of the time, tied for 24th in the league), but I’m not going to copy and past the whole article haha

Yep and this is the Clappy the Clown cookie cutter, conservative scheme. Worst scheme I have EVER seen. Took him 6 years to figure out what play action was. And he still doesn't use it enough.
 

CowboyRoy

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Jerry says Moore has a free hand,i find that hard to believe but i am willing to see if he implements a new scheme in TC.

There is absolutely no way that there will be a new scheme. I highly doubt Moore is going to come in red hot and toss everything out the window. Not a chance. What will probably happen is he will make a few tweaks and add some stuff here and there. He doesn't want to screw up, he probably wants to kiss some butt, and doesn't want to step on too many toes.
 

CowboyRoy

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Dak is an efficient player.

Im against paying Dak but acting like Dak is a bad player is ridiculous. He's good.

A scheme change would go a long way for our entire offense but I do not trust them to actually implement it as long as Garrett is here.

With how effective Zeke is and Dak's ability to run we could really be a team that is impossible to defend but we have chosen to basically tip our hand to the defense every play and just hope our guys are better then theirs.

The fact our team has done as well as they have with the minimalistic coaching we have had shows how good this roster really is.




For me.. I always think back to the Washington game Dak's rookie year. That was the best I think I've ever seen him and our offense look in a game that we didn't totally outmatch our opponent.

Dak was better in his rookie year because the players around him were better. Oline was top notch and he had people to throw to. hasn't had that the last two years until Cooper arrived.
 

817Gill

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What does that tell you???? Linehan didn't trust Prescott's accuracy....and I don't blame him. How many times have we seen Dak miss wide open people?

Now your asking Dak to hit timing patterns down the field???? Good luck with that. :laugh:
Obviously you didn’t read the articles and just came to bash Dak, how someone could defend Linehan is beyond me lol. Here’s a direct quote on the article since you have a tough time clicking links and reading,

“It would be nice if "making sure defenses have to worry about defending more areas of the field" extended to allowing Prescott to throw deep more often -- or perhaps pressuring him into doing so, if the reason he hasn't been so far is due to his own reluctance rather than just the scheme. Prescott has been one of the most efficient deep passers in the NFL since he entered the league, but he rarely ever tests defenses with those types of throws. Passes that traveled at least 20 yards in the air have accounted for only 9.4 percent of his attempts during his career, even though he has a 115.9 passer rating on such attempts, per Pro Football Focus. “

Prescott 20+ Yds
Comp
53
Att 143
Comp % 37.1%
Yds 1,871
YPA 13.08
TD 18
INT 3
Rtg 115.9
% Passes 9.4%


The “Dak can’t hit an open receiver” argument is so lazy and made with selective memory. Sure he misses and it looks bad sometimes, but he misses about as much as any other qb, just might look a little uglier. His statistics, especially those I’ve posted, all point to him having above average accuracy despite an outdated scheme.
 

cern

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Out of absolute necessity and just plain common sense, the offensive game plan must change. Garrett will probably resist somewhat as he did with callahan, but I think Stephen will quash the mini rebellion swiftly.
 

Alexander

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Out of absolute necessity and just plain common sense, the offensive game plan must change. Garrett will probably resist somewhat as he did with callahan, but I think Stephen will quash the mini rebellion swiftly.
What makes you think he wants to overrule Garrett?
 

Floatyworm

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Obviously you didn’t read the articles and just came to bash Dak, how someone could defend Linehan is beyond me lol. Here’s a direct quote on the article since you have a tough time clicking links and reading,

“It would be nice if "making sure defenses have to worry about defending more areas of the field" extended to allowing Prescott to throw deep more often -- or perhaps pressuring him into doing so, if the reason he hasn't been so far is due to his own reluctance rather than just the scheme. Prescott has been one of the most efficient deep passers in the NFL since he entered the league, but he rarely ever tests defenses with those types of throws. Passes that traveled at least 20 yards in the air have accounted for only 9.4 percent of his attempts during his career, even though he has a 115.9 passer rating on such attempts, per Pro Football Focus. “

Prescott 20+ Yds
Comp
53
Att 143
Comp % 37.1%
Yds 1,871
YPA 13.08
TD 18
INT 3
Rtg 115.9
% Passes 9.4%


The “Dak can’t hit an open receiver” argument is so lazy and made with selective memory. Sure he misses and it looks bad sometimes, but he misses about as much as any other qb, just might look a little uglier. His statistics, especially those I’ve posted, all point to him having above average accuracy despite an outdated scheme.

Actually when he misses...It costs us points...big difference.

Don't get me wrong....I'm glad to see change. Something had to change. But that is the quandry isn't it? Linehan didn't trust Prescott's accuracy....so he tried to work with what was provided to him.

Now we are going to get to the real problem here...aren't we? When Prescott continues to make bad decisions....miss wide open targets...don't say you weren't warned. It's coming people. We are a championship caliber team without a QB. Go figure..:(
 

cern

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What makes you think he wants to overrule Garrett?
In 2015, when the cowboys went 1-11 without romo, Stephen was the only person to call out the coaching staff. His power continues to increase. Dak over Tony despite Jerry saying Tony would get his job back after recovering. Then dez shown the door even after Jerry saying he'd be a cowboy in 2018. These are major regions contrary to jerry's comments. Stephen has his own vision of how things need to be done. Part of that vision is the need for a new offense. As we've seen with dez, Stephen does not share jerry's love of ambiguity. Players and coaches need to take his words seriously. He will not tolerate any abrogation from Garrett.
 
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