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Maybe, just maybe, play caller Scott Linehan has figured out how to maximize the Cowboys' offense.
It starts with putting Dak Prescott on the move whether he's running or throwing from a moving pocket. It means being stubborn with the run and regularly giving Ezekiel Elliott a minimum of 20 carries.
And it means making Michael Gallup and Cole Beasley the focus of the passing game.
Do that on a regular basis and this Cowboys' offense — dysfunctional and ineffective much of the season — might just score enough points to complement their defense and win enough games to get into the playoffs.
Linehan found a blueprint Sunday in the Cowboys' shocking 33-point win over Jacksonville and its top-rated defense and collection of stars.
They scored a season-high 40 points. Prescott had 265 yards in total offense — 183 passing and 82 rushing — while throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Beasley had a season-high nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Dallas amassed 23 first downs and converted a season-high seven-of-17 third-down. They rushed for 206 yards and kept the ball for more than 38 minutes.
With receiver Tavon Austin expected to miss several weeks with a groin injury, the Cowboys have even fewer playmakers, which means Linehan must maximize the ones he still has.
Prescott had runs of 10, 17 and 28 yards against Jacksonville. The 17-yard run, a read option around left end, resulted in a touchdown. The other two runs were scrambles.
Prescott had 19 runs of 10 yards or more last season, and 12 as a rookie. His athleticism makes him a weapon Linehan must prioritize.
The quarterback can help by being patient with his reads in the pocket but running when no one is open. Three or four yards is obviously better than a sack or an incompletion.
"We have to continue to aspire to do that. It's going to depend on who we're playing and how they defend us," Linehan said. "I think some teams will say, 'You're not running your quarterback,' or they'll try.
"From the called runs, zone reads, any of those kinds of plays to the off-schedule plays he can make with his feet, I think we can continue to get production from him not only as our quarterback in the passing game but using his legs at times in the run game."
Getting the ball to Gallup and Beasley should also be a priority.
Gallup had a 27-yard reception on the Cowboys' first drive last week that led to points. He also had an apparent 17-yard touchdown catch overturned by replay, negating a nifty catch.
He's getting better every week, and he's responding to the criticism the coaches have given him about his inability to consistently make contested catches.
Beasley runs the best routes on the team and has the best hands. In a 19-16 overtime loss to Houston, Beasley caught one pass for eight yards.
Ridiculous.
Against Jacksonville, he had receptions of 15, 17, 18 and 21 yards to go over 100 yards for the first time in 44 games.
Jacksonville tried to cover Beasley man-to-man instead of double-teaming him and he took advantage of it. Most teams double him and because Linehan rarely sends him downfield, it becomes easy for him to be neutralized.
In the past, Beasley has gotten frustrated. This season, he's determined to work through it.
"I can't get into a game to where I'm thinking too much, or else I won't play as well. I've gotten into that before after the '16 season and I think the beginning of last season. That kind of messed with me a little bit.
"That's probably been the biggest change for me this year," he said. "I owe a lot of that to (new receivers coach) Sanjay (Lal) and the mentality that he's brought into that room. You get satisfaction out of winning your routes whether the ball comes or not."
Elliott knows the importance of getting Beasley involved in the offense. The more plays made in the passing game, the more teams have to back off their safeties and linebackers, which means Elliott has more room to run.
Last week you saw him in rare form," running back Ezekiel Elliott said. "You could see the look in his eyes, you could tell the way he was running his routes that he was just in a rhythm.
"I don't think it mattered who was guarding him at that point. He was definitely in a zone."
Now, it's a matter of whether Beasley and the Cowboys' offense can do it again.
Photo Credit: NBC 5 Sports
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Continue reading...
It starts with putting Dak Prescott on the move whether he's running or throwing from a moving pocket. It means being stubborn with the run and regularly giving Ezekiel Elliott a minimum of 20 carries.
And it means making Michael Gallup and Cole Beasley the focus of the passing game.
Do that on a regular basis and this Cowboys' offense — dysfunctional and ineffective much of the season — might just score enough points to complement their defense and win enough games to get into the playoffs.
Linehan found a blueprint Sunday in the Cowboys' shocking 33-point win over Jacksonville and its top-rated defense and collection of stars.
They scored a season-high 40 points. Prescott had 265 yards in total offense — 183 passing and 82 rushing — while throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. Beasley had a season-high nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Dallas amassed 23 first downs and converted a season-high seven-of-17 third-down. They rushed for 206 yards and kept the ball for more than 38 minutes.
With receiver Tavon Austin expected to miss several weeks with a groin injury, the Cowboys have even fewer playmakers, which means Linehan must maximize the ones he still has.
Prescott had runs of 10, 17 and 28 yards against Jacksonville. The 17-yard run, a read option around left end, resulted in a touchdown. The other two runs were scrambles.
Prescott had 19 runs of 10 yards or more last season, and 12 as a rookie. His athleticism makes him a weapon Linehan must prioritize.
The quarterback can help by being patient with his reads in the pocket but running when no one is open. Three or four yards is obviously better than a sack or an incompletion.
"We have to continue to aspire to do that. It's going to depend on who we're playing and how they defend us," Linehan said. "I think some teams will say, 'You're not running your quarterback,' or they'll try.
"From the called runs, zone reads, any of those kinds of plays to the off-schedule plays he can make with his feet, I think we can continue to get production from him not only as our quarterback in the passing game but using his legs at times in the run game."
Getting the ball to Gallup and Beasley should also be a priority.
Gallup had a 27-yard reception on the Cowboys' first drive last week that led to points. He also had an apparent 17-yard touchdown catch overturned by replay, negating a nifty catch.
He's getting better every week, and he's responding to the criticism the coaches have given him about his inability to consistently make contested catches.
Beasley runs the best routes on the team and has the best hands. In a 19-16 overtime loss to Houston, Beasley caught one pass for eight yards.
Ridiculous.
Against Jacksonville, he had receptions of 15, 17, 18 and 21 yards to go over 100 yards for the first time in 44 games.
Jacksonville tried to cover Beasley man-to-man instead of double-teaming him and he took advantage of it. Most teams double him and because Linehan rarely sends him downfield, it becomes easy for him to be neutralized.
In the past, Beasley has gotten frustrated. This season, he's determined to work through it.
"I can't get into a game to where I'm thinking too much, or else I won't play as well. I've gotten into that before after the '16 season and I think the beginning of last season. That kind of messed with me a little bit.
"That's probably been the biggest change for me this year," he said. "I owe a lot of that to (new receivers coach) Sanjay (Lal) and the mentality that he's brought into that room. You get satisfaction out of winning your routes whether the ball comes or not."
Elliott knows the importance of getting Beasley involved in the offense. The more plays made in the passing game, the more teams have to back off their safeties and linebackers, which means Elliott has more room to run.
Last week you saw him in rare form," running back Ezekiel Elliott said. "You could see the look in his eyes, you could tell the way he was running his routes that he was just in a rhythm.
"I don't think it mattered who was guarding him at that point. He was definitely in a zone."
Now, it's a matter of whether Beasley and the Cowboys' offense can do it again.
Photo Credit: NBC 5 Sports
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Continue reading...
