5 Biggest Offensive Improvements

[Tovya]

You're so on point with this. To me, the biggest addition to our O is Hudson Houck taking over our oline, he's outstanding and our oline will be better then last year. With HH coaching our oline I look for our running game to be extremely better then last years oline. I see MB3 and FJ having big years...

Mansta's comment led me to an interesting thread thought...

What are you guys opinions on the 5 top improvements on offense this year? My opinion is....

(1) Julius Jones leaving Dallas, and Marion Barber finally getting the official nod at #1

(2) Tony Romo's 2nd full season... more maturity at the QB spot.

(3) Jason Garrett's 2nd full season as the OC... he has plenty to prove so that he becomes the 'Boys next head coach.

(4) The "should-be-returning" of Terry Glenn as a deep threat (of course his health and ability to come to terms with Jerry are "ifs"

(5) The continued maturity of the rest of our receiver corp...



What's your opinion?

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

I think you are missing some key ones:
The addition of Felix Jones. Seeing some 2 back sets.
Bennett/Curtis will be a better catch passing threat then Fasano.
Hudson Houck....better run game.

 

[Maxmadden]

(1) Julius Jones leaving Dallas, and Marion Barber finally getting the official nod at #1

I'm not so sure JJ leaving makes us automatically better. Now MB is forced to carry the ball more and there is no guarantee Felix or Choice can pick up the blocking assignments.

I don't think MB can carry the ball 25 times a game and be effective the whole year. But we will see.

 

[Tovya]

I think you are missing some key ones:
The addition of Felix Jones. Seeing some 2 back sets.
Bennett/Curtis will be a better catch passing threat then Fasano.
Hudson Houck....better run game.

Well, there are obviously more than 5, I just said opinions on the top 5.

I didn't add Felix Jones in there because I haven't even seen him in training camp yet to get excited about him. I think he'll be a great compliment, but that's only gut feeling, and therefore based on emotion rather than fact.

 

[The Panch]

The change of O-line coach. Our run blocking wasnt anything to be proud of last year.

 

[Tovya]

The change of O-line coach. Our run blocking wasnt anything to be proud of last year.

Yeah I think this will be a big factor in Barber's success this year as well.

 

[CATCH17]

Another year of learning how to get the ball into Owens hands.

His 1st year here we tried to make him fit the offense.

Garrett made the offense fit him. We ran a lot more quick slants, drags, and other routes that fit his style of play.

He is going to be really tough to stop, again, this year.

The change of O-line coach. Our run blocking wasnt anything to be proud of last year.

Its not nearly as bad as you think it was either.

 

[Eddie]

All these are assumptions:

- we have no clue how Marion is going to do as the feature back. Let's not anoint him an instant upgrade quite yet.

- Tony Romo and Jason Garrett getting an additional year to build their skills is NOT considered an upgrade. It's a progression not an upgrade. An upgrade is when a change has been made.

- Bennett over Fasano is not a given. Fasano may have fallen out of favor with the coaching staff, but it's not a given that a 2nd round rookie will outperform him in his first year.

I think we improved on our 13-3 team, but it may not necessarily translate into more wins ... it'll hopefully mean at least one playoff win.

Improvements:

- our 2ndary is solid. No more Reeves to pick on.
- Felix Jones will be a factor.
- Hudson Houck will improve our OL play ... one which sent 3 to the Pro Bowl.
- Zack Thomas should be an upgrade over Akin Ayodele. But I really don't expect a 12 year old vet to have that much of an impact other than leadership.

 

[leeblair]

Mansta's comment led me to an interesting thread thought...

What are you guys opinions on the 5 top improvements on offense this year? My opinion is....

(1) Julius Jones leaving Dallas, and Marion Barber finally getting the official nod at #1

(2) Tony Romo's 2nd full season... more maturity at the QB spot.

(3) Jason Garrett's 2nd full season as the OC... he has plenty to prove so that he becomes the 'Boys next head coach.

(4) The "should-be-returning" of Terry Glenn as a deep threat (of course his health and ability to come to terms with Jerry are "ifs"

(5) The continued maturity of the rest of our receiver corp...



What's your opinion?

Unless Felix Jones can fill Julius Jones' shoes, JJ leaving will hurt us. It hurt us in the playoff game worse than it helped.

Everyone looks at Barber's stats in the game, and thinks it was the right choice; but if you look at the big picture, Barber taking over number one killed our running game.

Yeah, he did great for one quarter- but after that 1st quarter, he averaged 2.5 yards per carry for the rest of the game. So, we didn't have a running game when we needed it most- in the third and fourth quarter- where Barber and his fresh legs could usually break the back of the defenses who were worn out by then. This game, however, Barber was worn out before the defense was. It was a stupid move by Wade Phillips, in my opinion.

Time will tell, but Barber will likely be termed as a 'bust' when he has to carry the load for 6 or 7 games in a row- because he won't be able to sustain with the way he uses energy on every run. He is a great change of pace, to come in and run when the defense has lost a step. However, I think many will learn a hard lesson of how valuable JJ was to this team in wearing the defense down through the first half of games. It's not always about stats- but 4 quarter breakaway runs are the product of 1st and 2nd quarter runs that might not gain much, but take their toll on defenses as they come back from halftime.

The single biggest improvement to our offense was the acquisition of Leonard Davis, signifying the commitment Dallas made to controlling the line of scrimmage.

Romo's second season, while a success in the regular season, was also marked by growing pains as he learned to deal with defenses that planned for him.

After that, the acquisition of Felix Jones does come into play. Many think he was the better of the two runners between he and McFadden, and he certainly has the freshest legs to begin his pro career. If he can do what JJ did- carry the load for the first half, and not make mistakes- then his youth will give us what we had in JJ, but for an additional 4 or 5 years.

And, I think what will give us a big boost is the maturity that Jason Garrett hopefully gains as an offensive coordinator- if he learns from his mistakes of last year.

I am also looking forward to Sam Hurd and Miles Austin having a bigger role in the offense, and hopefully Stanback will be the boost we think he will.

I'd like to see Crayton traded. I don't have much faith in him, and I think Hurd is really number two- and we do need to employ Austin more simply to take the pressure off of T.O. on the deep ball.

 

[Eddie]

^^ I agree on the assessment on MB3. I'm not sure if he can hold up that type of violent running for 16 games.

I won't be surprised if he and Choice are the 1/1A backs with Felix Jones complementing them.

 

[leeblair]

I think Crayton should be a backup at best- used like Kelvin Martin was for us. He could come in on third down, and give us a target that was formidable as the third guy.

It will be a huge boost to put Hurd and Austin- and hopefully Stanback in the games on a regular basis. Hurd has shown that he can be a great possession reciever, and can still take it to the house if he gets the chance.

Putting Austin in regularly would put more pressure on opposing cornerbacks, and it would wear them down eventually - making a change of pace like Crayton much more effective.

I'll be surprised if Terry Glenn goes all season, and I really think they should use him sparingly-just to keep him exercised- until the playoffs, and then use him more.

 

[Tovya]

Unless Felix Jones can fill Julius Jones' shoes, JJ leaving will hurt us. It hurt us in the playoff game worse than it helped.

Everyone looks at Barber's stats in the game, and thinks it was the right choice; but if you look at the big picture, Barber taking over number one killed our running game.

Yeah, he did great for one quarter- but after that 1st quarter, he averaged 2.5 yards per carry for the rest of the game. So, we didn't have a running game when we needed it most- in the third and fourth quarter- where Barber and his fresh legs could usually break the back of the defenses who were worn out by then. This game, however, Barber was worn out before the defense was. It was a stupid move by Wade Phillips, in my opinion.

Time will tell, but Barber will likely be termed as a 'bust' when he has to carry the load for 6 or 7 games in a row- because he won't be able to sustain with the way he uses energy on every run. He is a great change of pace, to come in and run when the defense has lost a step. However, I think many will learn a hard lesson of how valuable JJ was to this team in wearing the defense down through the first half of games. It's not always about stats- but 4 quarter breakaway runs are the product of 1st and 2nd quarter runs that might not gain much, but take their toll on defenses as they come back from halftime.

No way. Barber is going into this season knowing that he's #1 and not as the split at #1, and the offensive line will be preparing for him to be the #1 when they practice the playbook in training camp.

New contract, assurance of being the #1, and another year of experience will make this a big year for him.

Romo's second season, while a success in the regular season, was also marked by growing pains as he learned to deal with defenses that planned for him.

Right, but he threw for 36 touchdowns in year when the league was ready for him. He didn't do much different than what he did in his 10 starts in '06, and teams still couldn't contain him (playoffs aside of course).

Another season under his belt, another training camp to prep... no reason to think he won't tear it up again this year.

After that, the acquisition of Felix Jones does come into play. Many think he was the better of the two runners between he and McFadden, and he certainly has the freshest legs to begin his pro career. If he can do what JJ did- carry the load for the first half, and not make mistakes- then his youth will give us what we had in JJ, but for an additional 4 or 5 years.

I think Jones was the better back watching the two of them last year, so I think we made the right choice in not trading up in the draft.

But don't think that he's gonna be carrying the load the first half. He is gonna be the 20/80 back... he'll get 1 in 4 or 5 carries, and Barber is going to get the rest.

And, I think what will give us a big boost is the maturity that Jason Garrett hopefully gains as an offensive coordinator- if he learns from his mistakes of last year.

We most certainly agree on this one. Garrett has a lot to prove this year (not that he didn't do that last season) but we all know he stuck around because Jerry told him he's being groomed to take over as the HC of America's Team.

I'd like to see Crayton traded. I don't have much faith in him, and I think Hurd is really number two- and we do need to employ Austin more simply to take the pressure off of T.O. on the deep ball.

No way on this one. Crayton is gonna come out this year... he was by no means a bust last year. He's just young and needs the chance to work into his role. He is only getting disrespect because when T.O. went down, he wasn't ready to pick up the slack... but tell me who could fill T.O.'s shoes outside of a Randy Moss or Chad Johnson? No one on the Cowboys, but Crayton will be very good in the near future.

 

[The Panch]

Its not nearly as bad as you think it was either.

With as much hype as our O-line got last year, it was as bad I think.

 

[Hostile]

1. The O-line is returning all 5 starters. That cannot be under estimated in importance. Chemistry together on the O-line is crucial.

2. The return of Hudson Houck should mean a more physical run blocking scheme.

3. Improvement across the board at RB. I believe Barber can handle the load and I believe Felix and Tashard will play better than Julius and Tyson did.

4. Jason Garrett and Tony Romo have had a taste of what they can do. Even Terrell Owens has hinted that Garrett's tweaks to what was already scary are a huge improvement.

5. Either the return of a healthy Terry Glenn or we will pull the trigger and trade for a WR opposite Owens.

 

[links18]

5 biggest offensive improvements? Seems like it is hard to come up with 5 known improvements, never mind rank 5 of the biggest improvements. The offensive line is the same, the QB is the same. We traded a known negative in Julius "pile magnet" Jones for 2 rookies, so big unknown there. The WRs are more or less the same. Glenn's situation is uncertain and after Crayton the others are all unknown quantities. We traded a mediocre disappointing TE in Fasano for another unknown in Bennett. So, hard to come up with many areas in which we know for a fact we have improved. A lot of potential but still a lot of unknowns. I can tell you the 5 biggest area where we need to improve though:

1. More consistent run game
2. Add a WR option opposite TO
3. Gurode needs to get a grip on the shotgun snaps
4. Cut down on penalities
5. Come out of the gate firing and not wait to the 3rd quarter to put it all together.

If you had to pin me down, I suppose the biggest improvement we have made on offense would be a change of philosophy with the new/old offensive line coach and deleting Fasano giving a chance for Tony Curtis to show what he can do ( a far more dynamic player in my opinion that Fasano). In fact, now that I think about it, I am a little concerned with the youth and inexperience we now have on offensive. Outside of TO, Barber, Romo and the O-Line, everyone is either young, inexperienced or unknown at this point.

 

[CATCH17]

With as much hype as our O-line got last year, it was as bad I think.

I agree that it is overhyped. Especially when people say its the best in the league.

But it is one of the top 5 units in the NFL and they controlled the Line of Scrimmage in a lot of ball games last year.

They put together some dominant performances last year and I dont look at the Oline as any kind of weakness what so ever.

The addition of Leonard Davis over Marco Rivera took this group to another level.

 

[leeblair]

Still, the offensive line failed to open holes for the run game consistently.

They were the best pass blocking line in the league.


However, opening up the vertical run game during the season was challenging, at best.

I think the o-line committed to controlling the line of scrimmage. That doesn't mean they are a good run blocking group.

They can hold the line, and let everyone in the backfield run around. But, they didn't do a good deal of damage opening up any holes until the playoff game- and that was because the Giants went pass defense early on- getting fooled by the Cowboys run game.

 

[Tovya]

1. The O-line is returning all 5 starters. That cannot be under estimated in importance. Chemistry together on the O-line is crucial.

2. The return of Hudson Houck should mean a more physical run blocking scheme.

3. Improvement across the board at RB. I believe Barber can handle the load and I believe Felix and Tashard will play better than Julius and Tyson did.

4. Jason Garrett and Tony Romo have had a taste of what they can do. Even Terrell Owens has hinted that Garrett's tweaks to what was already scary are a huge improvement.

5. Either the return of a healthy Terry Glenn or we will pull the trigger and trade for a WR opposite Owens.

Excellent list...

 

[CATCH17]

Still, the offensive line failed to open holes for the run game consistently.
They were the best pass blocking line in the league.


However, opening up the vertical run game during the season was challenging, at best.

I think the o-line committed to controlling the line of scrimmage. That doesn't mean they are a good run blocking group.

They can hold the line, and let everyone in the backfield run around. But, they didn't do a good deal of damage opening up any holes until the playoff game- and that was because the Giants went pass defense early on- getting fooled by the Cowboys run game.

Ok but this is the NFL.

Professional defenses are going to take away the run. Thats just the way it is.

And they absolutely had games where they opened a lot of holes during the season.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Mansta's comment led me to an interesting thread thought...

What are you guys opinions on the 5 top improvements on offense this year? My opinion is....

(1) Julius Jones leaving Dallas, and Marion Barber finally getting the official nod at #1

(2) Tony Romo's 2nd full season... more maturity at the QB spot.

(3) Jason Garrett's 2nd full season as the OC... he has plenty to prove so that he becomes the 'Boys next head coach.

(4) The "should-be-returning" of Terry Glenn as a deep threat (of course his health and ability to come to terms with Jerry are "ifs"

(5) The continued maturity of the rest of our receiver corp...



What's your opinion?

1. Your reasoning is flawed. You assume that Barber will be the only one carrying the rock, as we say in the semi-pro leagues. Barber, I hope, will get plenty of rest with Felix and Choice pounding the lines.
2. Doesn't everybody, including defensive ends, mature? Tony does not live in a universe where only he gets wiser and more skilled.
3. All coaches have plenty to prove. Even if he turns in stats like last season that is plenty good to become Jerra's head coach.
4.You mention Glenn returning and then wring your hands about his injuries/knee. I sense lots of apprehension, so in that case it does not appear to be an improvement here, either.
5. See No. 2,