3 Under-Appreciated Problems with Cowboys offense

[T-RO]

1. Witten keeps playing...but with banged-up wheels, he's not as effective.
If Jason pulls himself out of the lineup for even a play...it's a big deal. And we've seen that a few times in the past 4-5 weeks. The guy can hardly walk when you see him on the sidelines. I hate to remind anyone, but he is getting older...and those injuries seem to come with greater frequency and heal slower.

2. Beasley is the kind of target that is an "acquired taste" for a quarterback. The guy is jittery quick and he is still getting open...but our two backup quarterbacks rarely utilize him. I'd suggest that because of his diminutive size...he presents a small target. That doesn't seem to bother Romo, but I can see it bothering lesser quarterbacks. And his precise routes likely require precise timing that comes with a lot of preseason reps.

3. Dez doesn't create a lot of separation. Even when he isn't faced up against a monster like Sherman, Dez isn't the kind of receiver that creates a lot of space. What makes Dez special is that he doesn't need space. He can out-physical cornerbacks and make catches anyway. But think about how good Romo is at that back shoulder throw and at lofting the ball where Dez is comfortable. Again...they've built up a lot of chemistry. The backups haven't had the time/reps to develop that rapport.

In summary with the injuries to Jason and Dez, the lack of chemistry and practice reps...and the well-noted predictability of our offense....it's not surprising we've struggled.

 

[Doc50]

Witten is one good hit from being done. That's most likely why Escobar wasn't shopped for trade.

It's painfully obvious how much chemistry there was between Romo and his 3 top receivers, and how the small windows and anticipation throws are just not going to happen with your average NFL back up.

 

[sureletsrace]

Fantastic points, @T-RO.

 

[Alexander]

1. Witten keeps playing...but with banged-up wheels, he's not as effective.
If Jason pulls himself out of the lineup for even a play...it's a big deal. And we've seen that a few times in the past 4-5 weeks. The guy can hardly walk when you see him on the sidelines. I hate to remind anyone, but he is getting older...and those injuries seem to come with greater frequency and heal slower.

Still an outstanding blocker. What are you going to do? Sit a savvy player for an uncoordinated klutz like Escobar?

 

[Alexander]

Witten is one good hit from being done. That's most likely why Escobar wasn't shopped for trade.

You have to be right. Could not be that we simply are doing with him exactly what we did with Bennett, hang on for dear life because we think he has "potential". Certainly could not be because nobody has the desire for trading for a one dimension receiving TE that cannot get open even when he does get opportunities.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

It is a touchy subject to be "critical" of Witten on this forum. But I also think it is a touchy subject to look at him "critically" over at Valley Ranch. And that is NOT good

Is he a great guy? Yes! Is he a great player? Yes! Is he bound for the HOF? Yes! But I cannot think of another player in the NFL that has played as many snaps, with the same team, that has had less success when it comes to winning! Does not mean it is Wittens fault that this team does not win. But in the NFL....no one achieves the tenure he has a achieved, with very little in the win loss column to show for it. That is just how it is. At some point...if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. That is just how it is. Especially for a non-QB.

And because of our inability to look at Witten "critically", we have had three 2nd round talents come aboard...and produce next to NOTHING for this team....yet 2 have gone on to be Productive elsewhere. And I have been on record often saying that we let a real "talent" go when we lost/could not coach up Bennett. Bennett is Gronk lite. He was a devastating blocker. He was downright physical and nasty. In fact, our GM is on record stating that if Bennett put on some weight, he could be a Pro Bowl LT. He was a load to bring down. And he was a playmaker. Fasano also had some very good moments in KC. Escobar...he looks like an undrafted rookie at this point, yet we spent a 2nd rounder on him. Keep in mind....up until a few years ago, this team would not even spend a 2nd rounder on OL....and during that same window we drafted TE, after TE, after TE. It is downright embarrassing! For what we got and what we asked of a 2nd TE...we should have been using a 5th round pick. The first time we spent a 2nd rounder on a 2nd TE.....and got nothing out of him...I passed it off as "the draft is not always perfect". But we did it again...and we are doing it again. And at this point...I am convinced the organization is just screwing the minds of the fanbase. I am totally numb to it at this point.

Jason Witten can no longer run through or past a zone....which compresses the middle of the field....where he likes to work. He has little to no YAC...which means he won't catch the ball short of the sticks and find a way to get to the sticks. It is just painful to watch this team become so reliant on a weapon that is NOT explosive. I have often said...does it not dawn on fans/coaching staff....that Witten is the guy the defense "wants" to catch the ball....because he is much easier to corral? Does not diminish who he is and what he provides. He is a guy that can move the chains on 3rd and short and he is effective in the run game. But he is featured in this offense like a "savior" of this offense. Again, let me repeat, for all the posters waiting to run me out of town on a rail...he is a future HOFer. But it is LONG overdue that this team started giving some of his snaps to a more explosive player....because he makes an already slow offense....even more pedestrian. Which makes Dallas far to easy to defend!

 

[Alexander]

It is a touchy subject to be "critical" of Witten on this forum. But I also think it is a touchy subject to look at him "critically" over at Valley Ranch. And that is NOT good

Is he a great guy? Yes! Is he a great player? Yes! Is he bound for the HOF? Yes! But I cannot think of another player in the NFL that has played as many snaps, with the same team, that has less success when it comes to winning! Does not mean it is Wittens fault that this team does not win. But in the NFL....no one achieves the tenure he has a achieved, with very little in the win loss column to show for it. That is just how it is. At some point...if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. That is just how it is. Especially for a non-QB.

And because of our inability to look at Witten "critically", we have had three 2nd round talents come aboard...and produce next to NOTHING for this team....yet 2 have gone on to be Productive elsewhere. And I have been on record often saying that we let a real "talent" go when we lost/could not coach up Bennett. Bennett is Gronk lite. He was a devastating blocker. He was downright physical and nasty. In fact, our GM is on record stating that if Bennett put on some weight, he could be a Pro Bowl LT. He was a load to bring down. And he was a playmaker. Fasano also had some very good moments in KC. Escobar...he looks like an undrafted rookie at this point, yet we spent a 2nd rounder on him. Keep in mind....up until a few years ago, this team would not even spend a 2nd rounder on OL....and during that same window we drafted TE, after TE, after TE. It is downright embarrassing! For what we got and what we asked of a 2nd TE...we should have been using a 5th round pick. The first time we spent a 2nd rounder on a 2nd TE.....and got nothing out of him...I passed it off as "the draft is not always perfect". But we did it again...and we are doing it again. And at this point...I am convinced the organization is just screwing the minds of the fanbase. I am totally numb to it at this point.

Jason Witten can no longer run through or past a zone....which compresses the middle of the field....where he likes to work. He has little to no YAC...which means he won't catch the ball short of the sticks and find a way to get to the sticks. It is just painful to watch this team become so reliant on a weapon that is NOT explosive. I have often said...does it not dawn on fans/coaching staff....that Witten is the guy the defense "wants" to catch the ball....because he is much easier to corral? Does not diminish who he is and what he provides. He is a guy that can move the chains on 3rd and short and he is effective in the run game. But he is featured in this offense like a "savior" of this offense. Again, let me repeat, for all the posters waiting to run me out of town on a rail...he is a future HOFer. But it is LONG overdue that this team started giving some of his snaps to a more explosive player....because he makes an already slow offense....even more pedestrian. Which makes Dallas far to easy to defend!

No offense, but I think this is a long rant without a lot of substance. I feel pretty good about how Witten is viewed by his peers and especially the opposing coaches. They know he makes this offense run and has to be accounted for, especially when Romo is playing.

Tony Gonzalez could not run past a zone near the end either. Still did not make him some old horse that needed to be shot behind the barn.

Escobar with twice as much athleticism as Witten has using a walker on the field does not matter. He's an uncoordinated klutz who could not sit down underneath a zone and make an inviting target to save his life.

Blame the structure if you are complaining about Witten's inability for YAC. I can guarantee you he's running the route the way the play is designed.

 

[visionary]

1. Witten keeps playing...but with banged-up wheels, he's not as effective.
If Jason pulls himself out of the lineup for even a play...it's a big deal. And we've seen that a few times in the past 4-5 weeks. The guy can hardly walk when you see him on the sidelines. I hate to remind anyone, but he is getting older...and those injuries seem to come with greater frequency and heal slower.

2. Beasley is the kind of target that is an "acquired taste" for a quarterback. The guy is jittery quick and he is still getting open...but our two backup quarterbacks rarely utilize him. I'd suggest that because of his diminutive size...he presents a small target. That doesn't seem to bother Romo, but I can see it bothering lesser quarterbacks. And his precise routes likely require precise timing that comes with a lot of preseason reps.

3. Dez doesn't create a lot of separation. Even when he isn't faced up against a monster like Sherman, Dez isn't the kind of receiver that creates a lot of space. What makes Dez special is that he doesn't need space. He can out-physical cornerbacks and make catches anyway. But think about how good Romo is at that back shoulder throw and at lofting the ball where Dez is comfortable. Again...they've built up a lot of chemistry. The backups haven't had the time/reps to develop that rapport.

In summary with the injuries to Jason and Dez, the lack of chemistry and practice reps...and the well-noted predictability of our offense....it's not surprising we've struggled.

If you're saying Romo is MUCH better than our back ups and covered up the deficiencies of this offense

Then I will agree with you

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

No offense, but I think this is a long rant without a lot of substance. I feel pretty good about how Witten is viewed by his peers and especially the opposing coaches. They know he makes this offense run and has to be accounted for, especially when Romo is playing.

Tony Gonzalez could not run past a zone near the end either. Still did not make him some old horse that needed to be shot behind the barn.

Escobar with twice as much athleticism as Witten has using a walker on the field does not matter. He's an uncoordinated klutz who could not sit down underneath a zone and make an inviting target to save his life.

Blame the structure if you are complaining about Witten's inability for YAC. I can guarantee you he's running the route the way the play is designed.

Gonzalez also did not finish his career with the same team he started with. Eventually, they moved on.

And you are actually making my point about the YAC. If Witten is running the route as designed...then the EXPECTATION is that he can catch, turn and/or break a tackle and get to the sticks. Happens every Sunday all around the NFL. So since he cannot do that, why not let someone else try. And this issue is bigger than this season...this has been the case for some time now.

 

[Doc50]

Still an outstanding blocker. What are you going to do? Sit a savvy player for an uncoordinated klutz like Escobar?

Although Escobar has not been successful in our system, there is not any opinion among professional scouts that he is an uncoordinated klutz.

 

[Future]

Still an outstanding blocker. What are you going to do? Sit a savvy player for an uncoordinated klutz like Escobar?

Witten hasn't been a good blocker this year.

 

[Alexander]

Witten hasn't been a good blocker this year.

So let's dump him for a worse blocker.

Makes sense.

 

[Future]

So let's dump him for a worse blocker.

Makes sense.

I never said that, but at this point I doubt Esco is much worse than Witt as a blocker, and Hanna is very good.

What I would say is that since we are so crappy at running behind 2 TEs, we probably shouldn't do that anymore.

 

[links18]

Although Escobar has not been successful in our system, there is not any opinion among professional scouts that he is an uncoordinated klutz.

Our FB is a Clutts.

 

[Alexander]

If you're saying Romo is MUCH better than our back ups and covered up the deficiencies of this offense

Then I will agree with you

I just think there are people just grabbing at anything to rationalize their disbelief that this offense has fallen apart. Even to the point of blaming a player that is one of our first and frankly only threat in some games and making him out to be a liability.

If they wanted to move on from Witten next year, fine. But I fail to understand that even if we could magically conjure up the greatest TE RAC machine ever that it would matter with the state of the offense right now.

 

[Alexander]

I never said that, but at this point I doubt Esco is much worse than Witt as a blocker, and Hanna is very good.

Witten could not be a worse blocker than Escobar if he tried. It was proven when Hanna was out that he is very good. So when you are saying if Escobar is better or equal to Witten, why was this an issue when Hanna was out?

What I would say is that since we are so crappy at running behind 2 TEs, we probably shouldn't do that anymore.

That is a more valid point, but we should do what? Run a spread with little stains like Beasley and Whitehead trying to beat press? Oh, I know, let's split Escobar out wide and create this "mismatch" thing I keep hearing but never ever see when he does get the opportunity.[/quote]

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

With Weeden and Cassel, teams are not afraid to cover our outside WR's with single man coverage because they know they either won't throw outside the hashes (Weeden) or because we will throw late without any zip on it (Cassel). The knoe the guys that could do something against them are Witten and Beasley so they play coverage designed to clog the middle and make it less of an option. So we end up with dumpoffs to the backs....first Dunbar and now McFadden. It's not hard to figure out.

Witten on one leg is better than Escobar but I still don't understand how they can't figure out a way to get Hanna's speed into mismatches with linebackers. Possibly the fact that Hanna has had an ankle injury that has lingered since preseason.

Tony Romo's abilities would be putting a lotta lipstick on the pig so to speak.

 

[Future]

Witten could not be a worse blocker than Escobar if he tried. It was proven when Hanna was out that he is very good. So when you are saying if Escobar is better or equal to Witten, why was this an issue when Hanna was out?

b/c they are both bad...

That is a more valid point, but we should do what? Run a spread with little stains like Beasley and Whitehead trying to beat press? Oh, I know, let's split Escobar out wide and create this "mismatch" thing I keep hearing but never ever see when he does get the opportunity.

[/quote]
Whatever we did against Seattle, averaging nearly 7 ypc with only 1 TE in the game.

 

[T-RO]

Witten is one good hit from being done. That's most likely why Escobar wasn't shopped for trade.

It's painfully obvious how much chemistry there was between Romo and his 3 top receivers, and how the small windows and anticipation throws are just not going to happen with your average NFL back up.

Yup. I like your key words, "small windows" and "anticipation." Those do only come with chemistry. And chemistry only comes with time and experience.

 

[T-RO]

Still an outstanding blocker. What are you going to do? Sit a savvy player for an uncoordinated klutz like Escobar?

Sooner or later Witten does have to start take some reps on the bench. There is no arguing that. The only question is: is it time yet? If I were coaching I'd try to start easing into the transition soon.