Can Moore remember to do less?

[Future]

. I want to see the offense create doubt not go one way or the other in being predictable

Fine, me too. But this is the opposite of being a smashmouth team, which is my original point.

 

[Silver Surfer]

.... Zeke still has a head the size of a smart car behind 225 pounds of ferocity.....

And a brain the size of a pea. Until the man's decisions off the field stop jeopardizing his ability to appear on it, the words "smart" and "Zeke" should not appear together in a sentence..... in any context.

 

[Doomsday101]

Fine, me too. But this is the opposite of being a smashmouth team, which is my original point.

I think there are points in a game to be able to play smash mouth is a benefit but I agree I want the offense to be able to effectively attack in the air and on the grounds, to keep defense guessing.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

Dak is gonna carry Kellen Moore to greatness

Only thing Dak will carry is Kellen Moore head to the Dak-extinction trophy case......you know where Romo,Dez,Linehan,and our passing game,Red-Zone offense,etc etc are displayed.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I've now read enough, heard enough, and even seen enough to get fully behind the Kellen Moore appointment. That now makes perfect sense to me, and I think it's a smart move. Perhaps brilliant move.

The stories of him as a recruit with his own legitimate playbook he'd written; the accolades from those in Detroit; his lineage with a successful coach for a father and a brother in the business; the praise from players like Zeke, Witten, Dak, and others....it sounds less risky by the minute.

Moore is one of those dudes that sees the game in multidimensional form, and eats and breaths the nuances of how to disguise plays and create mismatches. A young Andy Reid with Xs and Os in his eyes at all times who probably wears out the video system at The Star daily.

The Cowboys are gonna look very different this year. That in itself is desperately needed because even with the fair share of wins, the games have grown stale. Mostly the offense, which wasn't so much "predictable" as it was just too much the same for too long. It simply doesn't explode often enough.

Not that football has been reinvented in young Moore's mind. The plays he'll call have been run in the NFL thousands of times before, but combinations of routes and alignments will make it seem different anyway, at least in these parts. There are only so many ways to execute a run or forward pass.

In fact, the true challenge for Moore will often be to just remember to dial it in. This is still the best dang smash-mouth football team in the NFL, and Zeke still has a head the size of a smart car behind 225 pounds of ferocity. The draft suggests they intend to do just that with a new sidekick for Zeke and more beef for the beef truck. The moves made say run the dadgum ball, but can Moore remember that when the air game is working effectively?

Much like Reid, or Sean Payton, or Mike Martz, or any coach who basks in his "offensive guru" celebrity image, it can be hard at times to just call the right play instead of the "me" play. That certainly has gotten the best of Reid, Payton, and Martz over the years, whose egos are bigger than the franchises they've presided over.

We've got to hope that the aw-shucks Rain Man persona Moore exudes is for real, and that he doesn't get eaten up by the public enamor of his genius after a couple of inspiring outings. Reid, Payton, and Martz have out-thought themselves more times than I can count.

There's absolutely no doubt the passing game desperately needs a freshness to give Dak more comfort and time to make the throws he likes. Dak's effusive praise of Moore hints that it will. Guys like Jarwin and Gallup will likely become far more prominent in the offense immediately. Pollard could be a very interesting component, too.

But what most floored me was Zeke's gushing over Moore. That honestly surprised me, just like it did Michael Irvin. Moore and Zeke couldn't be more different dudes, and I would have thought those personalities would just pass in the halls with nary a glance.

But when Irvin openly questioned the hiring of Moore, Zeke stopped him in his tracks and delivered my most favorite quote of the offseason: “After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott, I kind of did a 180 on it. One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said … ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”

If the players are that excited, then I'm that excited. How can you not be? That alone could stop this up-and-down trend from season to season we've watched unfold for years.

Still, it's critical for Moore to remember what this team is, and what it centers around. There's an advantage to being one of the very few physical run teams in the NFL because most defenses are built fast and small to deal with Reid and Payton. Very few are built to stand up to Dallas' offensive line and Zeke Elliott. That has to remain the identity.

Finding the proper balance will be the key to getting this offense out of the mud and scoring as its talent level says it should. If so, Dallas is right in the thick of it all this season. For real.

The master stroke of it all, unbelievably, could be behind that familiar teenaged blank stare that we didn't think twice about until now.

I think he will be a good coach, but this is the NFL, you have to take your lumps and we hope he learns quickly. he is got a learning curve as an OC, specially a first time OC. I tink he will add his flavor to the offense and as you said, there are only so many ways to do a run or forward pass, so its the pre-snap motions and combination of routes that are key as well as game day play calling. I think he is smart enough to do play designs, scheme, etc. and I expect to see success early on as DCs won't have much tape on this new offensive scheme, but how he does in games 10-16, once there is tape and how DCs will adjust. his game day play calling will be key and he will be taken to school by some DCs. how he adjusts and learns, is going to be critical in our success second half of the year. so I am excited, but I am also tempred in my expectations and excitement.

 

[xwalker]

I've now read enough, heard enough, and even seen enough to get fully behind the Kellen Moore appointment. That now makes perfect sense to me, and I think it's a smart move. Perhaps brilliant move.

The stories of him as a recruit with his own legitimate playbook he'd written; the accolades from those in Detroit; his lineage with a successful coach for a father and a brother in the business; the praise from players like Zeke, Witten, Dak, and others....it sounds less risky by the minute.

Moore is one of those dudes that sees the game in multidimensional form, and eats and breaths the nuances of how to disguise plays and create mismatches. A young Andy Reid with Xs and Os in his eyes at all times who probably wears out the video system at The Star daily.

The Cowboys are gonna look very different this year. That in itself is desperately needed because even with the fair share of wins, the games have grown stale. Mostly the offense, which wasn't so much "predictable" as it was just too much the same for too long. It simply doesn't explode often enough.

Not that football has been reinvented in young Moore's mind. The plays he'll call have been run in the NFL thousands of times before, but combinations of routes and alignments will make it seem different anyway, at least in these parts. There are only so many ways to execute a run or forward pass.

In fact, the true challenge for Moore will often be to just remember to dial it in. This is still the best dang smash-mouth football team in the NFL, and Zeke still has a head the size of a smart car behind 225 pounds of ferocity. The draft suggests they intend to do just that with a new sidekick for Zeke and more beef for the beef truck. The moves made say run the dadgum ball, but can Moore remember that when the air game is working effectively?

Much like Reid, or Sean Payton, or Mike Martz, or any coach who basks in his "offensive guru" celebrity image, it can be hard at times to just call the right play instead of the "me" play. That certainly has gotten the best of Reid, Payton, and Martz over the years, whose egos are bigger than the franchises they've presided over.

We've got to hope that the aw-shucks Rain Man persona Moore exudes is for real, and that he doesn't get eaten up by the public enamor of his genius after a couple of inspiring outings. Reid, Payton, and Martz have out-thought themselves more times than I can count.

There's absolutely no doubt the passing game desperately needs a freshness to give Dak more comfort and time to make the throws he likes. Dak's effusive praise of Moore hints that it will. Guys like Jarwin and Gallup will likely become far more prominent in the offense immediately. Pollard could be a very interesting component, too.

But what most floored me was Zeke's gushing over Moore. That honestly surprised me, just like it did Michael Irvin. Moore and Zeke couldn't be more different dudes, and I would have thought those personalities would just pass in the halls with nary a glance.

But when Irvin openly questioned the hiring of Moore, Zeke stopped him in his tracks and delivered my most favorite quote of the offseason: “After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott, I kind of did a 180 on it. One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said … ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”

If the players are that excited, then I'm that excited. How can you not be? That alone could stop this up-and-down trend from season to season we've watched unfold for years.

Still, it's critical for Moore to remember what this team is, and what it centers around. There's an advantage to being one of the very few physical run teams in the NFL because most defenses are built fast and small to deal with Reid and Payton. Very few are built to stand up to Dallas' offensive line and Zeke Elliott. That has to remain the identity.

Finding the proper balance will be the key to getting this offense out of the mud and scoring as its talent level says it should. If so, Dallas is right in the thick of it all this season. For real.

The master stroke of it all, unbelievably, could be behind that familiar teenaged blank stare that we didn't think twice about until now.

The Boise St. Offense (and the McVay Rams offense) are not really wiz-bang tricked up schemes. It's not a Chip Kelly offense, not a run and shoot and not a "spread" offense per se.

It's about changing up the details. They don't have to deceive the entire defense. Often just deceiving 1 defender is enough.

There is also a big focus on the run game. Think of what the west coast offense did with pass routes and apply that to run blocking (i.e. Get the defense out of position moving horizontally {no, I don't mean just Zone Blocking} ).

There is going to be massive speculation about the Cowboys offense with Moore as OC. Most of it will be wrong. Even when the games start many people won't get what they changed other than the obvious of more motion.

 

[kskboys]

Great post however didn't they say the plays aren't changing (only they'll be executed differently)?

While there are some players I don't care for, I think executing them might be a bit extreme.

 

[kskboys]

I hope he works out but on the other side-
why didnt Detroit do anything with him or inquire when he was just a qb coach
Gruden just rebuilt a whole team (and has that video where he claims he's so great) but he didnt even inquire about availability.
I really didnt see anything when he was the qb coach.

again I hope he works out but not jumping on this bandwagon yet

The kid is 30.

 

[Bullflop]

Like some of us have mentioned already, I'm not kidding myself into thinking that Moore's initial attempts to find success with Dallas and will come into play seamlessly. It probably won't proceed seamlessly until he's had sufficient time to iron out the wrinkles that are bound to appear. Anytime newly established methods are introduced, allowances must be made for familiarity to be realized.

Those of us who expect things to proceed in a seamless manner are very likely in for a disappointing introduction into his services. I think we'd best be prepared for a period of adjustment and should ready ourselves to exercise patience as Moore's newly established adjustments progress and are ultimately executed capably by the talent at hand. Remember, patience is a virtue. The lack of it is a curse!

 

[noshame]

Call plays and avoid patterns.
Don't abandon the run when it working flawlessly, just because it's your philosophy to pass at all costs....Scott
This offense has all the pieces to be epic.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I've now read enough, heard enough, and even seen enough to get fully behind the Kellen Moore appointment. That now makes perfect sense to me, and I think it's a smart move. Perhaps brilliant move.

The stories of him as a recruit with his own legitimate playbook he'd written; the accolades from those in Detroit; his lineage with a successful coach for a father and a brother in the business; the praise from players like Zeke, Witten, Dak, and others....it sounds less risky by the minute.

Moore is one of those dudes that sees the game in multidimensional form, and eats and breaths the nuances of how to disguise plays and create mismatches. A young Andy Reid with Xs and Os in his eyes at all times who probably wears out the video system at The Star daily.

The Cowboys are gonna look very different this year. That in itself is desperately needed because even with the fair share of wins, the games have grown stale. Mostly the offense, which wasn't so much "predictable" as it was just too much the same for too long. It simply doesn't explode often enough.

Not that football has been reinvented in young Moore's mind. The plays he'll call have been run in the NFL thousands of times before, but combinations of routes and alignments will make it seem different anyway, at least in these parts. There are only so many ways to execute a run or forward pass.

In fact, the true challenge for Moore will often be to just remember to dial it in. This is still the best dang smash-mouth football team in the NFL, and Zeke still has a head the size of a smart car behind 225 pounds of ferocity. The draft suggests they intend to do just that with a new sidekick for Zeke and more beef for the beef truck. The moves made say run the dadgum ball, but can Moore remember that when the air game is working effectively?

Much like Reid, or Sean Payton, or Mike Martz, or any coach who basks in his "offensive guru" celebrity image, it can be hard at times to just call the right play instead of the "me" play. That certainly has gotten the best of Reid, Payton, and Martz over the years, whose egos are bigger than the franchises they've presided over.

We've got to hope that the aw-shucks Rain Man persona Moore exudes is for real, and that he doesn't get eaten up by the public enamor of his genius after a couple of inspiring outings. Reid, Payton, and Martz have out-thought themselves more times than I can count.

There's absolutely no doubt the passing game desperately needs a freshness to give Dak more comfort and time to make the throws he likes. Dak's effusive praise of Moore hints that it will. Guys like Jarwin and Gallup will likely become far more prominent in the offense immediately. Pollard could be a very interesting component, too.

But what most floored me was Zeke's gushing over Moore. That honestly surprised me, just like it did Michael Irvin. Moore and Zeke couldn't be more different dudes, and I would have thought those personalities would just pass in the halls with nary a glance.

But when Irvin openly questioned the hiring of Moore, Zeke stopped him in his tracks and delivered my most favorite quote of the offseason: “After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott, I kind of did a 180 on it. One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said … ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”

If the players are that excited, then I'm that excited. How can you not be? That alone could stop this up-and-down trend from season to season we've watched unfold for years.

Still, it's critical for Moore to remember what this team is, and what it centers around. There's an advantage to being one of the very few physical run teams in the NFL because most defenses are built fast and small to deal with Reid and Payton. Very few are built to stand up to Dallas' offensive line and Zeke Elliott. That has to remain the identity.

Finding the proper balance will be the key to getting this offense out of the mud and scoring as its talent level says it should. If so, Dallas is right in the thick of it all this season. For real.

The master stroke of it all, unbelievably, could be behind that familiar teenaged blank stare that we didn't think twice about until now.

Well said, and I'm glad the players seem to have bought in already. That is key.

 

[ItzKelz]

Everything is speculation even with the players seemingly buying into the Moore Betta Offense. How will Kellen actually call a game is the real question regardless of what type of plays he comes with.

 

[Risen Star]

I've now read enough, heard enough, and even seen enough to get fully behind the Kellen Moore appointment. That now makes perfect sense to me, and I think it's a smart move. Perhaps brilliant move.

Well then you're easily influenced by off-season fluff. What the hell has he done to call this a potentially brilliant move? Give a good sound bite during OTAs?

He's an unknown and frankly the need for a new OC as the answer to all our problems is fan nonsense anyway. With this QB, the OC is screwed. You're going to want to replace Moore too. Just give it time.

 

[percyhoward]

Volume of passes is irrelevant. The whole point of being "smashmouth" is being a possession-based, grind-it-out style of offense. That means being risk-averse and mitigating mistakes, which means dumbing everything down.

They throw the ball 30+ times a game anyways.

Most people don't realize that we were already throwing the ball more often than the league average as a part of our normal offense through 3 quarters. The percentage of our plays that were runs only went up in the 4th quarter compared to other teams because we were involved in more close games late than most other teams, so we weren't forced to be one-dimensional (pass on every down).

After the trade for Cooper:
play selection, qtr 1-3
Dallas: pass 60.4%, run 39.6%
NFL avg: 57.8%, run 42.2%

Even counting the entire game, we still threw the ball more than the league average. And yet, many refer to Dallas as a "run-first" team. More accurately, this is a conservative (thru 3 quarters anyway), ball control offense that is successful at getting into scoring position and terrible at punching it in.

After the trade for Cooper
(NFL rank)
TOP per drive 1st
plays per drive 1st
yards per drive 7th
% of drives that reach red zone 7th
red zone TD% 29th

 

[jazzcat22]

Eternal optimist never change . Get in there and sell. The rest of us will wait and see the results before getting excited.

And some will buy it but they should have the return receipt ready.
I have my hand on my wallet though, just not out of my pocket and opened.. As I am more optimistic than pessimistic.

The outcome, you don't lose anything. It is either the same old stuff, or turns out to be a great investment. Depending if one is happy with making the playoffs or wants it all.

Me, I want to see it in TC though it will still be vanilla, but we should get some glimpses. I just want them to play the starters enough to get in the reps. And not wait until the 1st game when they are still working on things. Actually the 1st 3 or 4 games.
But from what I read and seen so far, it seems to be on the upside.

I guess everyone must be happy to make the playoffs, then win the division. Then go from there. Not get to the NFCCG will be a big let down, but let's get there 1st as we all know that. But I won't be concerned with that until we make the playoffs.

 

[jazzcat22]

Well then you're easily influenced by off-season fluff. What the hell has he done to call this a potentially brilliant move? Give a good sound bite during OTAs?

He's an unknown and frankly the need for a new OC as the answer to all our problems is fan nonsense anyway. With this QB, the OC is screwed. You're going to want to replace Moore too. Just give it time.

Maybe it is not what he has done yet, but what he has to work with.

 

[jazzcat22]

And a brain the size of a pea. Until the man's decisions off the field stop jeopardizing his ability to appear on it, the words "smart" and "Zeke" should not appear together in a sentence..... in any context.

You do not know how smart he is or isn't.
But statement like these tell me a lot about some people.

 

[jazzcat22]

Everything is speculation even with the players seemingly buying into the Moore Betta Offense. How will Kellen actually call a game is the real question regardless of what type of plays he comes with.

Game plans and in game adjustments. We can think he can be a good OC or not from what we read and seen so far.
Yes, agree, we need to see how he handles the actual games.

Supposedly he will have Nussmeir there to help, as he was an OC before. As well there are enough coaches on this staff with years of experience. Which was said, they will all work together to put together game plans and such.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I've now read enough, heard enough, and even seen enough to get fully behind the Kellen Moore appointment. That now makes perfect sense to me, and I think it's a smart move. Perhaps brilliant move.

The stories of him as a recruit with his own legitimate playbook he'd written; the accolades from those in Detroit; his lineage with a successful coach for a father and a brother in the business; the praise from players like Zeke, Witten, Dak, and others....it sounds less risky by the minute.

Moore is one of those dudes that sees the game in multidimensional form, and eats and breaths the nuances of how to disguise plays and create mismatches. A young Andy Reid with Xs and Os in his eyes at all times who probably wears out the video system at The Star daily.

The Cowboys are gonna look very different this year. That in itself is desperately needed because even with the fair share of wins, the games have grown stale. Mostly the offense, which wasn't so much "predictable" as it was just too much the same for too long. It simply doesn't explode often enough.

Not that football has been reinvented in young Moore's mind. The plays he'll call have been run in the NFL thousands of times before, but combinations of routes and alignments will make it seem different anyway, at least in these parts. There are only so many ways to execute a run or forward pass.

In fact, the true challenge for Moore will often be to just remember to dial it in. This is still the best dang smash-mouth football team in the NFL, and Zeke still has a head the size of a smart car behind 225 pounds of ferocity. The draft suggests they intend to do just that with a new sidekick for Zeke and more beef for the beef truck. The moves made say run the dadgum ball, but can Moore remember that when the air game is working effectively?

Much like Reid, or Sean Payton, or Mike Martz, or any coach who basks in his "offensive guru" celebrity image, it can be hard at times to just call the right play instead of the "me" play. That certainly has gotten the best of Reid, Payton, and Martz over the years, whose egos are bigger than the franchises they've presided over.

We've got to hope that the aw-shucks Rain Man persona Moore exudes is for real, and that he doesn't get eaten up by the public enamor of his genius after a couple of inspiring outings. Reid, Payton, and Martz have out-thought themselves more times than I can count.

There's absolutely no doubt the passing game desperately needs a freshness to give Dak more comfort and time to make the throws he likes. Dak's effusive praise of Moore hints that it will. Guys like Jarwin and Gallup will likely become far more prominent in the offense immediately. Pollard could be a very interesting component, too.

But what most floored me was Zeke's gushing over Moore. That honestly surprised me, just like it did Michael Irvin. Moore and Zeke couldn't be more different dudes, and I would have thought those personalities would just pass in the halls with nary a glance.

But when Irvin openly questioned the hiring of Moore, Zeke stopped him in his tracks and delivered my most favorite quote of the offseason: “After speaking this weekend with Ezekiel Elliott, I kind of did a 180 on it. One of the things Zeke said, he said, ‘Michael, this kid is smart.’ He said he’s smart, and I think the most important thing he said … ‘He’ll listen to us. What we see on the field, he’ll listen and incorporate it in the game plan.'”

If the players are that excited, then I'm that excited. How can you not be? That alone could stop this up-and-down trend from season to season we've watched unfold for years.

Still, it's critical for Moore to remember what this team is, and what it centers around. There's an advantage to being one of the very few physical run teams in the NFL because most defenses are built fast and small to deal with Reid and Payton. Very few are built to stand up to Dallas' offensive line and Zeke Elliott. That has to remain the identity.

Finding the proper balance will be the key to getting this offense out of the mud and scoring as its talent level says it should. If so, Dallas is right in the thick of it all this season. For real.

The master stroke of it all, unbelievably, could be behind that familiar teenaged blank stare that we didn't think twice about until now.

All this team really needed to get back to a great offense was a healthy and top 5 Oline. The fact that Moore is coming in with modern concepts and deception will be the icing on the cake. Play action, run routes, crossing patterns, deep throws...………………..all things we didn't see enough of under Garrett and linehan should be pushed up to modern usage.

I expect the passing game to hit the next gear.

 

[CowboyRoy]

You do not know how smart he is or isn't.
But statement like these tell me a lot about some people.

If you cant tell how dumb Zeke is at this point then you aren't very smart yourself.