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The Dallas Cowboys finished second in scoring in 2007, Jason Garrett’s first year as offensive coordinator. New England finished first that year. Since that time, New England has finished at, or near the top almost every year. Dallas, meanwhile has earned a reputation for racking up yards but not enough points.
In 2012, the Cowboys finished sixth in total yards but only 15th in points. Here are 10 stats that should improve in 2013, thus freeing up Dallas’ playmakers to score many more touchdowns this fall:
10-Play Drives: Dallas was dead last, due to horrible play along the offensive line. Dallas should field a revamped line, featuring a new guard, a new center and possibly a new right tackle. A better line will help maintain longer drives with a balance of runs and passes.
Giveaways: What do bad lines do? Put pressure on the QB. Dallas ranked 25th, but should reduce giveaways this year with a better line and more running plays.
Penalties: Dallas ranked 30th. Penalties will decline with better overall play up front.
Rushing Plays Called: Dallas ranked 30th, yet again. Drafting Joseph Randle, together with fixes along the line and Bill Callahan calling the plays, should greatly improve this number.
Yards Per Play in Red zone: Dallas ranked 28th. More double and triple tight end sets in the red zone will double-bind defenses and make both running and passing for touchdowns easier.
Yards Per Play: Dallas ranked 11th. This may improve dramatically with the emergence of Dez Bryant, better play by the line, the drafting of Terrance Williams and the emergence of Dwayne Harris. In years past, Miles Austin’s hamstring issues and DeMarco Murray’s injuries have but a big damper on the Cowboys offense. This year, more depth throughout the offense should keep things rolling even when key players miss time.
Times Sacked: Dallas finished 15th, only because of Romo’s ability to scramble. Put a Manning brother or Tom Brady behind that line and they don’t survive the season. A better line will reduce the number of sacks and negative plays in general.
Explosive Plays: Dallas ranked 16th. This was largely due to Romo’s magical ability to buy time. But on many occasions he didn’t get the opportunity to scramble. With Bryant, Austin, Harris, Williams, Murray and Hanna, Dallas has six receivers that run at or below 4.5 in 40-yard dash times; the average weight for this group is roughly 220 pounds. There are very, very few teams who boast that many size/speed receivers with the potential to go the distance on any play. Improvements on the offensive line will give Romo more time to get through his reads. And the sheer number of big-fast-strong receivers Dallas deploys will lead to more broken tackles and big gains.
Offensive Points Scored: Dallas ranked 15th, which is under performing, given that they finished sixth in total yards--a pattern all too familiar to Dallas fans. Two tight end sets and the quandary they put defenses into, combined with line improvements and the upswing in explosive plays, should boost scoring substantially.
Time of Possession: Dallas ranked 13th, with an average of 30:33. Playoff teams averaged 30:37. This isn’t a bad number at all, especially when you consider how often they shot themselves in the foot and the fact they ranked dead-last in 10 play drives. And don’t forget how many injuries the defense suffered last year, making it tough for them to get off the field. We know Dallas plans to run the ball more and plans to utilize more tight ends. Both of these things will lead to longer drives and more of a ball control offense. I don’t see things swinging too far in that direction though, because Dallas will also possess tremendous quick-strike capability with Bryant, Austin, Harris and Williams.
Each of these ten stats were cited in an excellent article by Bob Sturm, which you can read on his blog here.
New England's Woes
New England has suffered a double blow to it’s starting tight end group. Rob Gronkowski will start the year on the disabled list and Aaron Hernandez is under investigation for his possible role in a murder. Things don’t look good at this point for Hernandez. Additionally, the Patriots lost Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd to free agency. The expectation is that Belichick will move to more of a ball control offense than in years past. New England finished seventh in the league in rushing and first in rushing touchdowns last year. I’m certain they will find viable targets for Brady, but chemistry is going to be an issue in the passing game for most of the season. Look for New England to lean more on the running game and to drop significantly in points scored.
It may not be a bold prediction to project New England finishing out of the top five in scoring this year, given all of their off season troubles. But it does require some optimism to project Dallas as a top-five scoring team, given the evolving nature of their line.
None the less, preseason is the time for optimism. Dallas can’t help but improve their line, given how obvious its problems were. Having Bill Callahan calling the plays should help enormously as well. Callahan is well acquainted with these linemen. He will decide who the starting five will be on opening day and he will know their capabilities and limitations. Having this knowledge informing his play-calling should be a boon to the offense.
With all of the play-makers Dallas will field this year, I see them finishing behind Peyton’s Broncos and Drew Brees’ Saints at the number three position in points scored. If Dallas' defense can stay healthy, the Cowboys could surprise a lot of people in 2013.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
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In 2012, the Cowboys finished sixth in total yards but only 15th in points. Here are 10 stats that should improve in 2013, thus freeing up Dallas’ playmakers to score many more touchdowns this fall:
10-Play Drives: Dallas was dead last, due to horrible play along the offensive line. Dallas should field a revamped line, featuring a new guard, a new center and possibly a new right tackle. A better line will help maintain longer drives with a balance of runs and passes.
Giveaways: What do bad lines do? Put pressure on the QB. Dallas ranked 25th, but should reduce giveaways this year with a better line and more running plays.
Penalties: Dallas ranked 30th. Penalties will decline with better overall play up front.
Rushing Plays Called: Dallas ranked 30th, yet again. Drafting Joseph Randle, together with fixes along the line and Bill Callahan calling the plays, should greatly improve this number.
Yards Per Play in Red zone: Dallas ranked 28th. More double and triple tight end sets in the red zone will double-bind defenses and make both running and passing for touchdowns easier.
Yards Per Play: Dallas ranked 11th. This may improve dramatically with the emergence of Dez Bryant, better play by the line, the drafting of Terrance Williams and the emergence of Dwayne Harris. In years past, Miles Austin’s hamstring issues and DeMarco Murray’s injuries have but a big damper on the Cowboys offense. This year, more depth throughout the offense should keep things rolling even when key players miss time.
Times Sacked: Dallas finished 15th, only because of Romo’s ability to scramble. Put a Manning brother or Tom Brady behind that line and they don’t survive the season. A better line will reduce the number of sacks and negative plays in general.
Explosive Plays: Dallas ranked 16th. This was largely due to Romo’s magical ability to buy time. But on many occasions he didn’t get the opportunity to scramble. With Bryant, Austin, Harris, Williams, Murray and Hanna, Dallas has six receivers that run at or below 4.5 in 40-yard dash times; the average weight for this group is roughly 220 pounds. There are very, very few teams who boast that many size/speed receivers with the potential to go the distance on any play. Improvements on the offensive line will give Romo more time to get through his reads. And the sheer number of big-fast-strong receivers Dallas deploys will lead to more broken tackles and big gains.
Offensive Points Scored: Dallas ranked 15th, which is under performing, given that they finished sixth in total yards--a pattern all too familiar to Dallas fans. Two tight end sets and the quandary they put defenses into, combined with line improvements and the upswing in explosive plays, should boost scoring substantially.
Time of Possession: Dallas ranked 13th, with an average of 30:33. Playoff teams averaged 30:37. This isn’t a bad number at all, especially when you consider how often they shot themselves in the foot and the fact they ranked dead-last in 10 play drives. And don’t forget how many injuries the defense suffered last year, making it tough for them to get off the field. We know Dallas plans to run the ball more and plans to utilize more tight ends. Both of these things will lead to longer drives and more of a ball control offense. I don’t see things swinging too far in that direction though, because Dallas will also possess tremendous quick-strike capability with Bryant, Austin, Harris and Williams.
Each of these ten stats were cited in an excellent article by Bob Sturm, which you can read on his blog here.
New England's Woes
New England has suffered a double blow to it’s starting tight end group. Rob Gronkowski will start the year on the disabled list and Aaron Hernandez is under investigation for his possible role in a murder. Things don’t look good at this point for Hernandez. Additionally, the Patriots lost Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd to free agency. The expectation is that Belichick will move to more of a ball control offense than in years past. New England finished seventh in the league in rushing and first in rushing touchdowns last year. I’m certain they will find viable targets for Brady, but chemistry is going to be an issue in the passing game for most of the season. Look for New England to lean more on the running game and to drop significantly in points scored.
It may not be a bold prediction to project New England finishing out of the top five in scoring this year, given all of their off season troubles. But it does require some optimism to project Dallas as a top-five scoring team, given the evolving nature of their line.
None the less, preseason is the time for optimism. Dallas can’t help but improve their line, given how obvious its problems were. Having Bill Callahan calling the plays should help enormously as well. Callahan is well acquainted with these linemen. He will decide who the starting five will be on opening day and he will know their capabilities and limitations. Having this knowledge informing his play-calling should be a boon to the offense.
With all of the play-makers Dallas will field this year, I see them finishing behind Peyton’s Broncos and Drew Brees’ Saints at the number three position in points scored. If Dallas' defense can stay healthy, the Cowboys could surprise a lot of people in 2013.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...