Anyone study tape that can say what’s happened to the offense?

[Rockport]

It’s beyond clear that the offense is not what it was several weeks ago. What I’m wondering is, are we (or other teams) doing anything differently?

My initial instinct was that teams were taking away the big play and daring us to dink and dunk. Indeed, I saw more check downs last week than I’ve seen in a long while. But it also seems clear that the separation isn’t the same. Just about every pass is contested.

Or maybe it’s Dak that needs to pick his game up. We seen him miss throws, but that sort of thing happens. What I’m trying to say is that contested throws seem like a QB thing as much as a receiver thing. I say this because when I watch really terrible QB’s, they very often throw to contested guys. In others words, they’re making the wrong decisions.

And of course, the running game has also suffered. Is that the key? Are teams stopping the run without stacking the box (leaving more guys in coverage)? I don’t know, but many seemed to scoff at the idea that the broncos found the formula. But it’s seems more plausible that this is indeed what happened,

Offensive line not playing well is the issue.

 

[CoachD]

O-line is doing a horrible job opening holes and there is nothing there for either Zeke or Pollard to run through especially between the tackles.

 

[shabazz]

I reviewed it this morning.

Everyone's playing well except Prescott.

He said still the best on the team at “commanding the huddle”......

 

[shabazz]

Offensive line not playing well is the issue.

...in the running game, yes.....in pass protection they are solid. Dakota is the 26th least QB sacked in the league, as in less than 2 per game

 

[Risen Star]

Offensive line not playing well is the issue.

You've got a great eye for the game, bro.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

You've got a great eye for the game, bro.

 

[Doomsday]

I don't have the all-22 but it looked like Dallas is running a lot of deep routes that are taking too long to develop to me on the few replays I saw where I could see the entire field.

Can someone confirm this? Seems like they have very few hot routes or Dak just isn't reading the defense very well but hard to tell without seeing everything going on.

 

[Vtwin]

Dak was asked this question after the Raiders game.

Slightly paraphrased but pretty close, he said.

The running game is not working and the passing game is slow. This allows defenses to focus on the passing game because the running game is not working. Therefore, we can not play complimentary football.

https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/dak-prescott-postgame-week-12-lvvsdal

 

[BourbonBalz]

I don’t need to study tape. Two issues. Injuries and the OL has been terrible, especially run blocking. Our run game has gone in the crapper due to lack of blocking so the pass game has had too much pressure on it as a result. Get the run game going again and the offense will look like it did weeks ago. Penalties have also contributed to stalled drives.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

I'd love to see how often the saints stacked the box. I don't buy that for a second. They can't simultaneously stack the box and be glued to those wide outs.

You can if you are either stopping a run or putting pressure on the QB. When you only have to cover for a few seconds it takes away the longer passes and we end up with the quick underneath stuff.

 

[Risen Star]

Don't be jelly.

 

[SFloridaCowboy]

It is very simple. The O-Line is not dominating the point of the attack. Thye are not busting open holes. They are not busting open lanes for the running backs.Demarcus Murray had open holes blown open for him virtually every play. Same for Zeke his rookie year. The OLINE is now being whipped by every team at the point of attack. I hate Philbin the coach. He may be the cause due to a different scheme of blocking.

The great Cowboy teams of the late 60's and 1970's and in the 91-96 period, could run against anyone, even if they were number 1 or 2 against the run. A great OLINE dominates against everyone, just as a great pitcher can dominate a high average hitting team.

Change the blocking scheme and start f..ing blow defenders backwards as would Larry Allen, Nate Newton, and Erik Williams. This team is being complacent with a piss poor performamnce now for many weeks from the OL. This has slowed down the offense and made the team look weak. It seems every team can stop the Boys' running game.

 

[xwalker]

It’s beyond clear that the offense is not what it was several weeks ago. What I’m wondering is, are we (or other teams) doing anything differently?

My initial instinct was that teams were taking away the big play and daring us to dink and dunk. Indeed, I saw more check downs last week than I’ve seen in a long while. But it also seems clear that the separation isn’t the same. Just about every pass is contested.

Or maybe it’s Dak that needs to pick his game up. We seen him miss throws, but that sort of thing happens. What I’m trying to say is that contested throws seem like a QB thing as much as a receiver thing. I say this because when I watch really terrible QB’s, they very often throw to contested guys. In others words, they’re making the wrong decisions.

And of course, the running game has also suffered. Is that the key? Are teams stopping the run without stacking the box (leaving more guys in coverage)? I don’t know, but many seemed to scoff at the idea that the broncos found the formula. But it’s seems more plausible that this is indeed what happened,

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/cowboys-rushing-yards-vs-wins.489165/

When the Cowboys struggle to run the ball, then the pass rush intensifies and they have to resort to the short passing game.

In studying game footage, on many short passes where Dak has a pass rusher in his face, a WR gets open downfield about 1 step later.
- It is often the WR that Dak looked at just before making the short pass to someone else.
- i.e. Just a fraction of a second more time and Dak would not have to dump it off on a short pass.

Pollard has been better than Zeke in most games this season. Pollard is only limited by his limited snap count on offense.
- Note: He not only plays ST as the Kick Returner, but also plays some snaps on kick/punt coverage units.

 

[KJJ]

I think the root of our offensive struggles is our OL. The struggles all began when Tyron starting missing games. We had to rotate players which hurt our continuity upfront. We started rotating Connor Williams and Connor McGovern. Both have been inconsistent. Terrence Steele struggled at LT. Collins hasn’t played very well since he returned. We’ve had some issues in pass protection and our running game has disappeared. Not being able to run the ball consistently has really hurt our offense and it’s affected Dak’s play. Also Dak hasn’t looked real sharp since he injured his calf. Our offense is the main reason the team has faded. We’re having too many three and outs and we simply haven’t been consistent. It’s resulted in less points and the defense has been on the field more.

 

[shabazz]

Offensive line not playing well is the issue.

You've got a great eye for the game, bro.

It’s more than a great eye....it’s what they call 2nd level analysis. Hours of pouring over game film and decades of football strategy and game planning at a professional level is the foundation. It’s generational ability and we are blessed to have one here in our humble forum.

 

[Creeper]

Excellent post - especially the BOLD - and yes I have definitely noticed, I was thinking someone got a hold of the playbook. ; )

BTW - Happy Birthday.

Thanks but I wish they would start going backwards!

 

[Captain-Crash]

Connor Williams hasn't got enough playing time. he was the team leader in the huddle. dak doesn't know where to throw the ball since Big C is out.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

Thanks but I wish they would start going backwards!

Just turned 60 - I know exactly what you sayin...

My favorite saying - "Youth is wasted on the young". I knew what it meant when I was young but you truly dont feel the weight of those words til you get old.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

Déjà vu as we started like gangbusters 3-0 and ended 8-8.
Look at the opponents and pretty much understand this is how a Dak-Friendly offense performs.
Beating up on mostly dog teams pretty much.....
Nothing changes as if the opponents have a winning record we are losing!


2019
Regular Season




WK DATE OPPONENT RESULT W-L HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
1 Sun, Sep 8
vs New York
W35-17 1-0 Prescott 405 Elliott 53 Gallup 158
2 Sun, Sep 15
@ Washington
W31-21 2-0 Prescott 269 Elliott 111 Smith 74
3 Sun, Sep 22
vs Miami
W31-6 3-0 Prescott 246 Elliott 125 Cooper 88
4 Mon, Sep 30
@ New Orleans
L12-10 3-1 Prescott 223 Elliott 35 Witten 50
5 Sun, Oct 6
vs Green Bay
L34-24 3-2 Prescott 463 Elliott 62 Cooper 226
6 Sun, Oct 13
@ New York
L24-22 3-3 Prescott 278 Elliott 105 Austin 64
7 Mon, Oct 21
vs Philadelphia
W37-10 4-3 Prescott 239 Elliott 111 Cooper 106
8 BYE WEEK
9 Tue, Nov 5
@ New York
W37-18 5-3 Prescott 257 Elliott 139 Cooper 80
10 Mon, Nov 11
vs Minnesota
L28-24 5-4 Prescott 397 Elliott 47 Cooper 147
11 Sun, Nov 17
@ Detroit
W35-27 6-4 Prescott 444 Elliott 45 Gallup 148
12 Sun, Nov 24
@ New England
L13-9 6-5 Prescott 212 Elliott 86 Cobb 86
13 Thu, Nov 28
vs Buffalo
L26-15 6-6 Prescott 355 Elliott 71 Cooper 85
14 Fri, Dec 6
@ Chicago
L31-24 6-7 Prescott 334 Elliott 81 Gallup 109
15 Sun, Dec 15
vs Los Angeles
W44-21 7-7 Prescott 212 Pollard 131 Austin 59
16 Sun, Dec 22
@ Philadelphia
L17-9 7-8 Prescott 265 Elliott 47 Gallup 98
17 Sun, Dec 29
vs Washington
W47-16 8-8 Prescott 303 Elliott 122 Gallup 98
Preseason

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Is there a website that I can go back and watch the games?

Yes. And it is free. Any week you want and any game you want. Full versions and condensed. We need a poster who can post the All-22 video. One poster gave us one game on defense, I think. It was cool. Wish someone would post the All-22 every week.

https://nflreplay.net/

@Reality Maybe in the future you could add ALL-22 video available after the game for Legion of Fans members to view. Just an idea.