10UP: The almost unused personnel package that is going to be big for the Cowboys in 2018

[waving monkey]

Jason Witten achieved near-iconic status with the Dallas Cowboys. Heck, maybe that is understating it. Among his many achievements, one that stands out is the 197 consecutive games he played in, the record for tight ends. He was a real iron man, and to have missed only one game (in his rookie season) to injury is remarkable, especially for a player who saw plenty of contact.

And it wasn’t just that he didn’t miss games. He was on the field for nearly every offensive snap, especially in the latter years of his career. It was a testament to his drive and his firm belief that the team always had a better chance with him out there.

However, that may not have been the case as his production began a slow but steady decline in recent years. Having a tight end on the field means you have to leave another player, usually a wide receiver, on the bench. It also was one of the most predictable aspects of the Dallas offense, and predictability has been seen as a flaw for the Cowboys, especially last season.

But Witten is now gone. And while he certainly leaves a void behind, his move into broadcasting also opens up a new opportunity for the staff to use something they were basically unable to while Witten was with the team and apparently able to dictate his own use to the coaches.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...is-going-to-be-big-for-dallas-cowboys-in-2018

 

[dsturgeon]

I am all for it.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

 

[JeffG]

I’m not sure I believe that losing a future Hall of Famer is a good thing, because it somehow opens up the playbook and allows you to play without a TE.

If this is actually true, what an awful (yes, yet another) indictment of this coaching staff and offensive scheme.

 

[Ddisco22]

Jason Witten achieved near-iconic status with the Dallas Cowboys. Heck, maybe that is understating it. Among his many achievements, one that stands out is the 197 consecutive games he played in, the record for tight ends. He was a real iron man, and to have missed only one game (in his rookie season) to injury is remarkable, especially for a player who saw plenty of contact.

And it wasn’t just that he didn’t miss games. He was on the field for nearly every offensive snap, especially in the latter years of his career. It was a testament to his drive and his firm belief that the team always had a better chance with him out there.

However, that may not have been the case as his production began a slow but steady decline in recent years. Having a tight end on the field means you have to leave another player, usually a wide receiver, on the bench. It also was one of the most predictable aspects of the Dallas offense, and predictability has been seen as a flaw for the Cowboys, especially last season.

But Witten is now gone. And while he certainly leaves a void behind, his move into broadcasting also opens up a new opportunity for the staff to use something they were basically unable to while Witten was with the team and apparently able to dictate his own use to the coaches.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...is-going-to-be-big-for-dallas-cowboys-in-2018

Let's you know that the coaches well have to change most of the playbook (hopefully). JW was a huge part of the running game, probably more than receiving.

 

[AdamJT13]

"But the 10 package is one that is used a lot by other teams, especially on obvious passing downs."

Really? Which other teams use it "a lot"? I've been checking, and I have yet to find a single team that used it even twice per game last season. Not the Saints, not the Eagles, not the Patriots, not the Packers, not the Falcons, not the Chiefs, not the Chargers, not the Rams or any other supposedly "creative" offense I've checked.

 

[DasSchnitzel]

Been saying this since he retired. Too good to take off the field even when you wanted to. I think Dak will profit from it.

We knew it would be tough on the offense when he finally hung it up. At least we've got options.

 

[Roadtrip635]

It seems like such a cop out to say, that Witten is gone we can now use different formations. It's on the coach to use different formations and give different looks, using a single player's retirement is ridiculous.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

It seems like such a cop out to say, that Witten is gone we can now use different formations. It's on the coach to use different formations and give different looks, using a single player's retirement is ridiculous.

Exactly, and it causes me to lose trust in the coaching staff hearing this.

 

[GORICO]

Jason Witten achieved near-iconic status with the Dallas Cowboys. Heck, maybe that is understating it. Among his many achievements, one that stands out is the 197 consecutive games he played in, the record for tight ends. He was a real iron man, and to have missed only one game (in his rookie season) to injury is remarkable, especially for a player who saw plenty of contact.

And it wasn’t just that he didn’t miss games. He was on the field for nearly every offensive snap, especially in the latter years of his career. It was a testament to his drive and his firm belief that the team always had a better chance with him out there.

However, that may not have been the case as his production began a slow but steady decline in recent years. Having a tight end on the field means you have to leave another player, usually a wide receiver, on the bench. It also was one of the most predictable aspects of the Dallas offense, and predictability has been seen as a flaw for the Cowboys, especially last season.

But Witten is now gone. And while he certainly leaves a void behind, his move into broadcasting also opens up a new opportunity for the staff to use something they were basically unable to while Witten was with the team and apparently able to dictate his own use to the coaches.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/201...is-going-to-be-big-for-dallas-cowboys-in-2018

yep 10 package and still hand off to Zeke again and again and again...and then bring in Bo-Scar-Face and continue to ground and pound and punish and then a few downfield shots until opposing D just gives up....that is what i hope for..what will really happen?....guess we find out

 

[DasSchnitzel]

It seems like such a cop out to say, that Witten is gone we can now use different formations. It's on the coach to use different formations and give different looks, using a single player's retirement is ridiculous.

I think that's true if they wanted him off the field and he refused but they didn't.

That was the problem, he's not the best fit for what they're trying to do now or in a given situation, but if you replaced Witten with a receiver last year, it probably had to be Switzer, right? So Switzer could have done some cool things underneath with Cole, but ask yourself honestly: would you rather have Switzer out there or future hall-of-famer Witten?

You're chained to using Witten because even if it limits your options, he's better, even when limited, than the alternative.

Beyond that, why does it surprise anyone that the play book changes when the players change? Y'all want to run the same TE-centric system with Swaim?

 

[Roadtrip635]

Exactly, and it causes me to lose trust in the coaching staff hearing this.

I love Witt and he's a HOFer, but it's the responsibility of the coaching staff to develop these other TEs too. It comes down to the coaches became comfortable and complacent with what they know.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I love Witt and he's a HOFer, but it's the responsibility of the coaching staff to develop these other TEs too. It comes down to the coaches became comfortable and complacent with what they know.

Not only that, but they have to utilize all weapons, regardless of age, that they put on the field. You want to play these players? Create a system. Trouble is, our coaches don't have much creativity.

 

[DasSchnitzel]

I love Witt and he's a HOFer, but it's the responsibility of the coaching staff to develop these other TEs too. It comes down to the coaches became comfortable and complacent with what they know.

The other TEs probably practiced as much or more than Witten. If you're being honest, it's nearly impossible to tell Witten to sit on gameday because you want to develop Swaim. Witten is a hall of famer and Swaim isn't. What else could they do?

 

[Roadtrip635]

I think that's true if they wanted him off the field and he refused but they didn't.

That was the problem, he's not the best fit for what they're trying to do now or in a given situation, but if you replaced Witten with a receiver last year, it probably had to be Switzer, right? So Switzer could have done some cool things underneath with Cole, but ask yourself honestly: would you rather have Switzer out there or future hall-of-famer Witten?

You're chained to using Witten because even if it limits your options, he's better, even when limited, than the alternative.

With that line of thinking, why would they ever pull Zeke out of a play? He is far and away our best player, why use Alf instead of Zeke? Sometimes it's beneficial to pull a player for a breather, or give the defense a different look, maybe get a backup a couple snaps just for experience and better assess their development. I don't want those backups in at a critical point, but there are times it can be done and would be beneficial for the team's growth.

 

[DasSchnitzel]

With that line of thinking, why would they ever pull Zeke out of a play? He is far and away our best player, why use Alf instead of Zeke? Sometimes it's beneficial to pull a player for a breather, or give the defense a different look, maybe get a backup a couple snaps just for experience and better assess their development. I don't want those backups in at a critical point, but there are times it can be done and would be beneficial for the team's growth.

Of course they don't play every snap, I didn't say they should. That's not my logic at all. Clearly players need breathers and you need change ups.

Those reps are the exact reps Swaim got this year and others like him at every spot but QB. He gave witten breathers, was a change of pace at TE, came out in multi-TE sets, special teams. That's all built into his 2017 snap count that you said wasn't good enough.

I asked you what more they could do and you just told me what they did. If you're arguing they could have had more snaps like that, now we're getting into the conversation of how many snaps per game is a hall of famer spending on the sidelines.

How many snaps should a healthy and ready-to-go hall of famer sit on the sidelines per game in your opinion so that we can play preseason for a series, experimenting with Switzer or Swaim?

I'll tell you what. I think we can meet in the middle here because I'd be inclined to agree with you if we were talking about a good receiving option actually pushing Witten for snaps and is a clear replacement. But our next receiving options were 4th round picks at best, not pushing for snaps really when they saw the field.

 

[DasSchnitzel]

It could just be a difference of opinion but in my mind, every snap matters too much to worry about whether your roster is developing fast enough. On game day, my decisions are in the here and now, and they stay that way unless I've got a big lead or a huge deficit in the 4th. I've got plenty of time to worry about roster building when I'm not facing a team as desperate to win as mine.

 

[Roadtrip635]

Of course they don't play every snap, I didn't say they should. That's not my logic at all. Clearly players need breathers and you need change ups.

Those reps are the exact reps Swaim got this year and others like him at every spot but QB. He gave witten breathers, was a change of pace at TE, came out in multi-TE sets, special teams. That's all built into his 2017 snap count that you said wasn't good enough.

I asked you what more they could do and you just told me what they did. If you're arguing they could have had more snaps like that, now we're getting into the conversation of how many snaps per game is a hall of famer spending on the sidelines.

How many snaps should a healthy and ready-to-go hall of famer sit on the sidelines per game in your opinion so that we can play preseason for a series?

A HOFer in their prime is one thing, Witt from the last couple seasons is a different matter. Witt wasn't exactly tearing it up and getting the younger players involved would be beneficial to the whole team. As far as how many snaps, I don't have a exact number, it would come down to how they perform and the game situations. It may have even helped Witt and get him a few extra snaps rest.

 

[DasSchnitzel]

A HOFer in their prime is one thing, Witt from the last couple seasons is a different matter. Witt wasn't exactly tearing it up and getting the younger players involved would be beneficial to the whole team. As far as how many snaps, I don't have a exact number, it would come down to how they perform and the game situations. It may have even helped Witt and get him a few extra snaps rest.

That's fair. Also my bad, I heavily edited my post after first submission. Was hoping I'd finish before you replied but you caught me partway through.

Anyone else have a bad habit of doing that? You submit a post and then try to fix a typo and then a word choice and then a paragraph and now you've written a book and changed your main point twice. This time it spanned two whole posts!

Just me? Probably.

 

[Roadtrip635]

That's fair. Also my bad, I heavily edited my post after first submission. Was hoping I'd finish before you replied but I guess not.

Anyone else have a bad habit of doing that? You submit a post and then try to fix a typo and then a word choice and then a paragraph and now you've written a book and changed your main point twice. This time it spanned two whole posts!

Just me? Probably.

I understand, I like and respect Witt and it's not about bashing him, but more about the team. It's not just beneficial to get the other TEs some experience, but to give defenses some looks that don't include Witt, different looks give them something new to consider and defend. We gotta give other players a chance from time to time to show what they can do, or we'll never know. Instead we find ourselves in this situation of players with next to no real game experience and no real knowledge of how they will perform. Other WRs don't have Witt's experience, but they do bring quickness and speed that Witt was lacking.