Simple Lessons from the playoffs

Blast From The Past · Jan 21, 2020

Bobhaze said:
Football is actually a pretty simple game. The 4 teams in the two championship games this weekend gave us a consistent reminder about the simplicity of the game- the teams that win are the ones that have these consistent qualities game in, game out:

They can block well.

They can tackle well.

They are physically and mentally tough.

Obviously you have to have some talent. So add talent to the three qualities above and you have a chance to be a team that wins in the playoffs.

Look at what the Niners have done so far in the playoffs- in the divisional win against the Vikes and the blowout of the pack in the NFC championship yesterday, they ran the ball 89 times for 471 yards. They only threw the ball 27 times! Defensively they made crisp open field tackles consistently. They look physically tough as nails.

And the chiefs surprised me twice with their mental toughness. Down 24 points in the divisional round then down 10 in championship game...no big deal. They were mentally tough as nails.

So my fellow Cowboys fans...ask yourself honestly...when was the last time our Dallas Cowboys could block well, tackle well, and show mental and physical toughness when the chips are down? Maybe 2014? But that team never got out of the divisional round. (When our fans scream about screwed in the Dez call, which we were, they fail to realize there were sill 4 min left in that game. But our defense couldn’t stop the pack from running out the clock.) I know this- those 70s and 90s teams were as tough as boot leather. I’m tired of looking at soft Cowboys teams.

This offseason as we look at who draft, who to keep and who to let go or cut, and who to sign as a FA- just remember that yeah, all that stuff is important. But the first thing this team needs is some football fundamentals. Blocking, tackling and toughness.

The teams that are winning these days have it. And we need start getting some more of that if we are ever going to get back to being playoff relevant again.

Also speed kills. Nice post Bob

Reverend Conehead · Jan 21, 2020

The 49ers showed a tough, grind-it-out running game that the Vikings could not stop, despite having a pretty good defense. If your running game is a threat to get first downs, even when you have a lead, you're really tough to beat.

Section446 · Jan 21, 2020

ThatJerryKid said:
3 of our top alpha dogs are Dak, Zeke,and DLaw and yet these are the guys everybody on here *****es about....

Nothing "alpha" about them. Nobody overrates their own players like we do, if any of the three were on the Browns, you wouldn't even know that they were in the league.

Bobhaze · Jan 21, 2020

Future said:
The only thing we've learned from this playoff is that the AFC is garbage, the NFC isn't much better, and you don't need a run game to win.

Blocking and tackling comes and goes. The only thing you can consistently rely on in the NFL is scheme.

Completely disagree. Scheme doesn’t block or tackle. It certainly is effective WHEN you can block and tackle. Scheme alone is not enough.

Miller · Jan 21, 2020

My biggest take away over the weeks is that I enjoy Ds that take it to the other team. Most of the good teams have them.They are aggressive. They have a pack mentality flying to the ball. They are relentless. When I watched our D this year I felt like we were always on our heels. We were taking the punch, not delivering it. Soft.

Future · Jan 21, 2020

Bobhaze said:
Completely disagree. Scheme doesn’t block or tackle. It certainly is effective WHEN you can block and tackle. Scheme alone is not enough.

Right.

But there's no such thing as a team that blocks and tackles at the same level every single week. You have to have a scheme to compensate for when players don't have their A game. That has been the biggest problem in the Garrett era.

foofighters · Jan 21, 2020

Bobhaze said:
Football is actually a pretty simple game. The 4 teams in the two championship games this weekend gave us a consistent reminder about the simplicity of the game- the teams that win are the ones that have these consistent qualities game in, game out:

They can block well.

They can tackle well.

They are physically and mentally tough.

Obviously you have to have some talent. So add talent to the three qualities above and you have a chance to be a team that wins in the playoffs.

Look at what the Niners have done so far in the playoffs- in the divisional win against the Vikes and the blowout of the pack in the NFC championship yesterday, they ran the ball 89 times for 471 yards. They only threw the ball 27 times! Defensively they made crisp open field tackles consistently. They look physically tough as nails.

And the chiefs surprised me twice with their mental toughness. Down 24 points in the divisional round then down 10 in championship game...no big deal. They were mentally tough as nails.

So my fellow Cowboys fans...ask yourself honestly...when was the last time our Dallas Cowboys could block well, tackle well, and show mental and physical toughness when the chips are down? Maybe 2014? But that team never got out of the divisional round. (When our fans scream about screwed in the Dez call, which we were, they fail to realize there were sill 4 min left in that game. But our defense couldn’t stop the pack from running out the clock.) I know this- those 70s and 90s teams were as tough as boot leather. I’m tired of looking at soft Cowboys teams.

This offseason as we look at who draft, who to keep and who to let go or cut, and who to sign as a FA- just remember that yeah, all that stuff is important. But the first thing this team needs is some football fundamentals. Blocking, tackling and toughness.

The teams that are winning these days have it. And we need start getting some more of that if we are ever going to get back to being playoff relevant again.

your 1-3 all deal with leadership attributes. Which I translate into proper football coaching.

morasp · Jan 21, 2020

The 49s running game is the combination of scheme and execution. It's a tweaked version of Mike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme that used to make nobody day two and three running backs into hall of famers. The biggest take away I had from the 49s/Packers game was the intensity and level of passion the 49's played with. They were like a freight train from the opening play on. Other than the first Eagles game or the Rams game that was the biggest thing missing from the Cowboys players this year.

Blackrain · Jan 21, 2020

Have to disagree here schemes come and go They change with who you are playing and the mismatches you are trying to create . Blocking and tackling are the Basis of the Game they take EFFORT !!! A good coach that can get maximum effort every week gives you a good chance to win .

jterrell · Jan 21, 2020

There is nothing new under the sun in football.
1 team in SB has the best QB in football with the best TE in football and the fastest WR corps to boot. They outscore teams easily and have no issues trailing as the 2 minute offense is their base offense.
Their mental toughness is .." LOL your QB is supposed to beat our QB> hahahah losers."

San Fran has the beat defense.
Just a nasty pass rush and very solid play on all 3 levels of defense then they play a style that maximizes that by running the football and picking spots to pass. They break teams with their defense and ST.

This is essentially what has been known for 30 years.

HungryLion · Jan 21, 2020

Future said:
Right.

But there's no such thing as a team that blocks and tackles at the same level every single week. You have to have a scheme to compensate for when players don't have their A game. That has been the biggest problem in the Garrett era.

agreed. Plus they have to gameplan what players you are expecting to block and tackle other players.

A good coach can recognize when their player isn’t capable of blocking another teams player consistently, because the other teams player is just better. So they devise a gameplan to minimize the impact of that or provide the needed help to their player.

same goes for covering another player, or needing to get past another player to rush the passer, etc.

Garrett and co. Have been horrible at that.

jazzcat22 · Jan 21, 2020

Bobhaze said:
Great point. The owners only show up and talk when the trophies are presented.

So they come in and take all the credit then. :muttley:

LocimusPrime · Jan 21, 2020

willia451 said:
They also look faster.

Better. Stronger. Faster. What are we missing?

Lol not much brother

LocimusPrime · Jan 21, 2020

Blackrain said:
Have to disagree here schemes come and go They change with who you are playing and the mismatches you are trying to create . Blocking and tackling are the Basis of the Game they take EFFORT !!! A good coach that can get maximum effort every week gives you a good chance to win .

Yes sir. Like in basketball, rebounding is mostly effort

Jake · Jan 21, 2020

jazzcat22 said:
So they come in and take all the credit then.

Only Dallas seems consumed by that topic.

I haven't heard Bob Kraft bemoaning not getting enough credit for the Patriots success. He let's the people he hired do their jobs and they all get the reward.

75boyz · Jan 21, 2020

RS12 said:
I saw two simple lessons. First of all the 49ers might be the best in the trenches both sides of the ball. This of course is where the vast majority of games are decided. Lesson two is Tennessee like many teams out there is not built to play from behind. And like many teams out there should not pay big money to a middling QB. Sound familiar?

Your inference is duly noted and spot on. But even more weird and equally compelling is the fact that Garropolo only threw 8 times but whose team completed the same mission Tannehills team couldn't.
The Superbowl will be a true study in contrasts regarding these teams.

irving · Jan 21, 2020

75boyz said:
Your inference is duly noted and spot on. But even more weird and equally compelling is the fact that Garropolo only threw 8 times but whose team completed the same mission Tannehills team couldn't.
The Superbowl will be a true study in contrasts regarding these teams.

You are spot regarding the contrasting styles of these two teams. The Chiefs strength is their offense and more to the point their quarterback. The Niners are excellent on both lines as well as on special teams. They also run the ball very well. It will be fascinating to watch this game play out.

Reverend Conehead · Jan 21, 2020

This is a book-worthy thread. Thanks to the OP and all who have participated.

Hook'em#11 · Jan 21, 2020

Bobhaze said:
Football is actually a pretty simple game. The 4 teams in the two championship games this weekend gave us a consistent reminder about the simplicity of the game- the teams that win are the ones that have these consistent qualities game in, game out:

They can block well.

They can tackle well.

They are physically and mentally tough.

Oh, no way, It's schemes. And scheme this, scheme that. Gotta have a tricky scheme. The other team can't know what you're doing.

Couldn't possibly be that the fundamentals of football have been missing in Dallas this past season? Could it.

By the way Hayes. I agree with you.

Bobhaze · Jan 21, 2020

Hook'em#11 said:
Oh, no way, It's schemes. And scheme this, scheme that. Gotta have a tricky scheme. The other team can't know what you're doing.

Couldn't possibly be that the fundamentals of football have been missing in Dallas this past season? Could it.

By the way Hayes. I agree with you.

Scheme is a support mechanism for the fundamentals you play with. Talent+ Good Coaching +Good Football Fundamentals + Good Scheme + mental and physical toughness = Winning. That’s a pretty good formula for success. Scheme alone is not enough.

Simple Lessons from the playoffs

Blast From The Past

Well-Known Member

Reverend Conehead

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Section446

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Bobhaze

Miller

ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS TEXASFROG

Future

Intramural Legend

foofighters

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morasp

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Blackrain

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jterrell

Penguinite

HungryLion

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jazzcat22

LocimusPrime

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LocimusPrime

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Jake

Beyond tired of Jerry

75boyz

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irving

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Reverend Conehead

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Hook'em#11

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Bobhaze