2014 Offense Minus Dez and Murray

[perrykemp]

Call me crazy but I see this as the ultimate experiment for JG, Linehan, and Romo.

1 game into the 2015 season and the offense looks VERY different than the 2014 team that went 12-4 with Dez Bryant and Demarco Murray. 50%+ of the production from last year is gone.

We are going to see what this team is made of.

My personal prediction is that Dez comes back somewhere around game 9 and the the Cowboys go 6-2 or maybe even 7-1 in the interim.

It going to be intriguing however.

 

[Dale]

A lot of times when a star player gets hurt, you hear of it being an opportunity for the other guys. How, in the end, the team may be better off because when the star player returns, he returns to a team with players that have learned to take on bigger roles and prove to themselves they are capable of accomplishing things they didn't previously know they could achieve.

That's certainly the case here.

Can Beasley emerge as a legitimate top-of-the-line slot receiver? Can Dunbar emerge as a premier pass-catching back? Can Williams emerge as something more than just a deep-threat, complementary receiver? Can Escobar emerge as something more than a backup lost in the shadows?

I'd argue the talent is there for each player to do just that. But when you've got Witten, Dez and -- in the past -- DeMarco stealing touches, supplementary players are only going to be able to carve out a supplementary role.

Like you said, it's going to be intriguing. There's a chance Dez returns to a much better team than the one he left.

 

[gimmesix]

Can Beasley emerge as a legitimate top-of-the-line slot receiver? Can Dunbar emerge as a premier pass-catching back? Can Williams emerge as something more than just a deep-threat, complementary receiver? Can Escobar emerge as something more than a backup lost in the shadows?

I think Beasley is the key. He could be on his way to becoming the top receiving target with Williams complementing that.

 

[KJJ]

Can Escobar emerge as something more than a backup lost in the shadows?

The loss of Dez gives Escobar an opportunity to be the redzone/endzone threat. When he was drafted I felt the only way he could make an impact was as a endzone threat with his size/height. The Cowboys now have an opportunity to get him involved in the passing game because Twill will be covered by top corners and Witten is likely to get doubled up.

 

[31smackdown]

This could very well be like the Romo of old that would use 7 different receivers and strictly be going to the best option based on defense, which is kind of what they do now, but basically trigger a force to Dez every time he is one on one and they try to get him into one on one matchups. Now it's probably more Dunbar, Randle, McFadden and Bease getting mismatched on LB's with some play action over the top to Williams. This feeds into the running game by forcing more DB's on the field. I anticipate this being a very New England looking offense while Dez is out.

 

[Gaede]

We should still get yds, no problem.


We're gonna miss Dez in the red zone though. Unless Escobar can step up

 

[DallasEast]

A lot of times when a star player gets hurt, you hear of it being an opportunity for the other guys. How, in the end, the team may be better off because when the star player returns, he returns to a team with players that have learned to take on bigger roles and prove to themselves they are capable of accomplishing things they didn't previously know they could achieve.

That's certainly the case here.

Can Beasley emerge as a legitimate top-of-the-line slot receiver? Can Dunbar emerge as a premier pass-catching back? Can Williams emerge as something more than just a deep-threat, complementary receiver? Can Escobar emerge as something more than a backup lost in the shadows?

I'd argue the talent is there for each player to do just that. But when you've got Witten, Dez and -- in the past -- DeMarco stealing touches, supplementary players are only going to be able to carve out a supplementary role.

Like you said, it's going to be intriguing. There's a chance Dez returns to a much better team than the one he left.

Fantastic post.

I hope no one writes off Devin Street yet. He was under the gun (and microscope) in unexpected spot duty last night. Bryant's injury gives him a chance to shine. Street will only get limited opportunities but he can make the most of them. I hope to see him make some tough catches across the middle and shorten some down-and-distance situations in the middle of the field because there are too many other goto options in the red zone to depend on Street. It's chances like these that separate men from the boys. I have my fingers crossed for Street.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

The RB's accounted for right at 50% of the Offensive yards. Does it really matter if they were handed the ball by Tony or caught a 2 yard pass from Tony? The fact is the RB contributed a great deal and will have to be accounted for, just like Murray was last year. The real test to me, is now that Dez is out, how to maintain that balance. We will be facing 8 to 9 man fronts until the WR prove they can beat 1 on 1. I look for Dallas to be in more 11 personnel and spread the D out to increase the running lanes and force them to take a safety out of the box.