Balance?

[Viper]

This is the first year in a long while since the offense has not been the problem. I’ve always been of the mind set, the offense needs to sustain drives to keep the defense fresh. This year we can point to the defense as being the problem. They consistently give up long drives. The appalling aspect of this defense is it’s many failures on third and long. When you constantly fail on third and long, your defense spends valuable time on the field.

This brings me to my point. The defense isn’t giving the offense the time it needs to click. TO complains that he isn’t involved enough. The defense isn’t giving the Offense time to involve him. It’s hurting our offensive game plan. We fall behind quickly, the coaches panic because they don’t have faith the defense can stop anyone. Our running game suffers. This gives our opponents a fresh defense late in the game. While our defense is gasping.

This team lacks balance. Your thoughts?

 

[CaptainQuint]

All of our 1st round draft choices from the past 8 years have been spent on defense. I expected our offense to struggle, but to be rescued routinely by our all-star defense, which has ranged from reliable to outstanding over the past 4 years. I can't explain what happened to them.
I will say I suspect a team that keeps drafting ONLY defensive players with high round picks.

 

[Viper]

My belief, this defense is too slow for this scheme.

 

[DipChit]

Certainly theres something to be said for that Viper but the offense has to do a better job with it's first few posessions regardless.

Remember in the middle of the year we went like 5 games in a row without scoring in the 1st quarter. Now we're kinda back to that again.

Against the Eagles no matter how bad the D was it was only 16-7 after 3 quarters. The other day we were shut out in the first quarter again. Had like 2 punts and only one 1st down.

It would be one thing if our offense just sucked in general like in '03. But we have the personnel now.

How bout the Carolina game? We were down 14 quick and only had the ball like 7 more times in the game. But we scored on like all but one or 2 posessions. Against the Eagles we had 6 posessions before they scored more than 16. But we only got the 1 TD.

In other words the offense could help the defense some too... by having more extended drives and scoring early themselves.

 

[Viper]

Certainly theres something to be said for that Viper but the offense has to do a better job with it's first few posessions regardless.

Remember in the middle of the year we went like 5 games in a row without scoring in the 1st quarter. Now we're kinda back to that again.

Against the Eagles no matter how bad the D was it was only 16-7 after 3 quarters. The other day we were shut out in the first quarter again. Had like 2 punts and only one 1st down.

It would be one thing if our offense just sucked in general like in '03. But we have the personnel now.

How bout the Carolina game? We were down 14 quick and only had the ball like 7 more times in the game. But we scored on like all but one or 2 posessions. Against the Eagles we had 6 posessions before they scored more than 16. But we only got the 1 TD.

In other words the offense could help the defense some too... by having more extended drives and scoring early themselves.

Excellent point, would you say we are just abandoning the running game too early. It just seems to me, this offense plays catch up way too often. It does seem like Romo takes awhile to warm up, he’s much better in the second half.

 

[DipChit]

Excellent point, would you say we are just abandoning the running game too early.

I mighta said that a few weeks ago but by now I'm just pretty much convinced we cant get a running game going early in games no matter what.

The other day once again Jones carries were for 0, 1, 3, 3, 2, 10, 3, 1, 2 and 0. Doesnt matter whether thats his fault, the lines fault or whatever combination thereof. That creates a lot of 2nd and 3rd and Longs. I realize incomplete passes do too of course.

Still I'd just go with more 3 and 4 WR sets..since Romos strength seems to be finding the open guy.. but lately any time it's just a 2 WR set and a TE going out, I'm not so sure there often is one. Especially since D's dont have any fear of our running game and dont have to committ an extra guy in the box.

Plus the pocket seems to breakdown just as quickly even if we keep extra guys in to block. It only takes 1 guy getting beat to totally hurry the QB. But with more options to go to that cant all be doubled I'm confident that Romo could get one of them the ball.