Comes down to running the football and stopping the run

[Blackrain]

It's about moving the chains

It doesn't matter how you do it a precision short passing game a great running game but you also need a quarterback who will run for the first down if he has open real estate in front of him like Dak used to.

Not saying you have to be Jackson or hurts but you can't hold the ball spending an eternity reading the defense with open ground in front of you.

This just leads to offensive line penalties and gets you behind the chains in unmanageable down and distance situations that negate your option to run and make you one dimensional.

 

[starfan1]

If you can't stop the run, you will not win in the playoffs. No more complicated than that.

Yep and has been the main culprit for our early exits

 

[Blackrain]

On defense we will see if we did enough is Ridgeway going to be the answer. At least it's an attempt to stop the run.

The eagles on the other hand went all in and took Jordan Davis so we can see where their head is at.

We play them twice a year so it will be easy to see who made the best decision.

Kind of boils down to Smith versus Davis and who wins that battle

 

[McKDaddy]

The more things change, the more they stay the same ....

It takes less overall offensive talent to be a running team. And the talent is easier to find. Problem is teams that want to stop the run can also find that talent. Anything can be shut down.

You still have to be able to make defenses pay for overloading to stop the run. Ie, you still have to have some balance.

So, you sorta end up back where you started. Game has shifted some but overall it's still the same.

 

[kskboys]

Rams in the Super Bowl - 23 Rushes, 43 Yards for 1.8 Yards a carry

Bengals in the Super Bowl - 20 Rushes, 79 Yards for 3.9 Yards a carry

So... yeah running is important....

Both teams were excellent at stopping the run. That is one of the primary reasons why they were there. Think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kskboys]

but still yet, the QB ran and ran well and the team over all was #1 running team in the league....everyone drools over Jackson and his running, yet finds fault with Hurts and his running.

I don't drool over either, but Jackson is an absolute freak running the ball in the open field. He has rare ability. Hurts is not close to the same caliber runner.

 

[blueblood70]

It's sort of a conundrum to start off with "I know this is a pass happy league"...and then say "must stop the run!".

And I get it. Normal games....especially for m any like us playing catch up!...passing stats can get skewed. During the big time tough games...you control the clock and the line of scrimmage....and do NOT get behind by a large margin. That is the run game.

we lost by 6..also a conundrum?? it wasn't close? show me the last playoff game we lost by more then 8 points..
best to get lead, then control the game...

that typically the issues and that not on dak and really the run game that on the defense is it not? i mean SF game our defense allowed 4 straight scores. almost all of the past playoff games it was the defense that truly cost us game last drives ire Rogers etc or them allowing 4 scores out of the box but then jumped off side in the 2nd half extending drives..
sure dak and company needs faster starts get soem leads but cant do that with defense still not getting it done early..the rams game 2nd qtr our defense got ran over only lost by 8 on the road..

games are always close..i cant remember the last time we lost by more then a score going way back....we are losing as team both sides and coaching. But the gaps not that big.. 14 penalties killed the SF game.period.

 

[dckid]

I know that this is now a pass happy league but if we want to make some noise in the playoffs and make a run for the Lombardi, it comes down to our ability to run the football and to stop the other team from being able to run it. A strong run game opens up the ability to pass and keeps the other defense off-balance. San Franciso used their running game to pound us into submission in the playoffs. We need to be able to do that to our opponents.
Tyler Smith, Ferguson and Ridgeway should help us to that end. Not sure if we did enough or if there are free agents still out there that could aid in this cause. I think that a healthy Gallimore also helps a ton. What say you? Should we focus on the run or the pass to get to the next level?

I think its more about stopping the run and pressuring the QB. The running the ball narrative is correct but it seems like the teams that are great at running, can't pass.
Give me Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Herbert, Watson, Brady at QB and a stout defense.

 

[Floatyworm]

AND look @ our key personal...Zeke....trash....and a 5th and 6th round pick to anchor the middle on defense...should tell you our priorities.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I don't drool over either, but Jackson is an absolute freak running the ball in the open field. He has rare ability. Hurts is not close to the same caliber runner.

oh, I fully agree. Jackson is special runner. but Hurts can/did run and has to be accounted for that....he contributes to the running game, which makes them dangerous. if he can improve his passing just slightly, they are a tough team to deal with and I think just by addition of Brown, they are better passing team.

 

[kskboys]

Yep and has been the main culprit for our early exits

Beyond frustrating that Jerry won't even try to fix it. Change that, Jerry is so dense he doesn't even understand what is wrong.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

we lost by 6..also a conundrum?? it wasn't close? show me the last playoff game we lost by more then 8 points..
best to get lead, then control the game...

that typically the issues and that not on dak and really the run game that on the defense is it not? i mean SF game our defense allowed 4 straight scores. almost all of the past playoff games it was the defense that truly cost us game last drives ire Rogers etc or them allowing 4 scores out of the box but then jumped off side in the 2nd half extending drives..
sure dak and company needs faster starts get soem leads but cant do that with defense still not getting it done early..the rams game 2nd qtr our defense got ran over only lost by 8 on the road..

games are always close..i cant remember the last time we lost by more then a score going way back....we are losing as team both sides and coaching. But the gaps not that big.. 14 penalties killed the SF game.period.

I am sorry...I am totally unsure what you are asking me or what your objection is. There's nothing I said that contradicts your comment.

 

[blueblood70]

I am sorry...I am totally unsure what you are asking me or what your objection is. There's nothing I said that contradicts your comment.

Its a statement..im not asking anything but you say keep games close show me games in the playoffs that we weren't close??even playing poorly, 14 penalties we lost by 6 had shot i the last minute..many playoff games all the way back to Romo were lost by less than 1 score..

we are playing close games and not having our A-game. so apparently we are not getting behind by large margins. We are in all these games..we need faster starts, get leads and then the run game comes into play..

But it the team issues creating this not one group or one player..the mistakes can be sprinkled all around including coaches. Tighten up few of these issues and we win these games.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Heard a stat from last season:
Zeke ran an average of 1 yard before coming into contact with a defender.
The O line obviously needs more physicality.
Zeke, admittedly, was lacking explosiveness
As well.

And the fact that he cant do much else other then dive up the middle. Doesnt have the speed to get outside. So all they have to do is guard the inside running lanes.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Its a statement..im not asking anything but you say keep games close show me games in the playoffs that we weren't close??even playing poorly, 14 penalties we lost by 6 had shot i the last minute..many playoff games all the way back to Romo were lost by less than 1 score..

we are playing close games and not having our A-game. so apparently we are not getting behind by large margins. We are in all these games..we need faster starts, get leads and then the run game comes into play..

But it the team issues creating this not one group or one player..the mistakes can be sprinkled all around including coaches. Tighten up few of these issues and we win these games.

Ah I see you missed my point then. I was talking specifically playoffs....how many have we been in again?

My point is about winning games....and we have many games we fall far behind early....lose our balance and typically running game..

I also never blamed it on any one thing. I'm talking about losing the running game when you are behind by a big margin. That's it...that';s all I am saying. Not sure why you are trying to make something else of it.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

And the fact that he cant do much else other then dive up the middle. Doesnt have the speed to get outside. So all they have to do is guard the inside running lanes.

Here we go again. Why do people ignore what's right in front of their face?
As zeke runs past and through defenders all over the place:

 

[noshame]

The defenses are exploiting our QBs limitations. It has to be overcome. Everything else will follow, time of possession, balanced attack.
Wins will happen.

 

[CouchCoach]

I am not certain that running the ball is crucial to winning but stopping the run is.

 

[dckid]

It's about moving the chains

It doesn't matter how you do it a precision short passing game a great running game but you also need a quarterback who will run for the first down if he has open real estate in front of him like Dak used to.

Not saying you have to be Jackson or hurts but you can't hold the ball spending an eternity reading the defense with open ground in front of you.

This just leads to offensive line penalties and gets you behind the chains in unmanageable down and distance situations that negate your option to run and make you one dimensional.

The problem is all the points that are being made are valid but don't put a square peg in a round hole.
The Bucs dont ask Brady to run for first downs, it's idiotic. The issue is Dak is who he is. An average QB who is paid well beyond what is usefulness is to the organization.
He was the best value at QB in the league from 2016-2020, even when he go the franchise tag of 30 million or something. His cost per year was like 6 million.
As soon as they signed him to the stupid contract that value went down the drain.

We can talk about run game and stopping the run... Everything in the league boils down to a game of inches.
To me it's about having great front lines. The arc of success over the past 25 years is having a dynamic QB, pass to win and have a defense that can get stops. It's very simple.

Every once in a rare while you will win a SB with a team that is imbalanced.
Broncos with Manning in 2015
Ravens in 2000
Bucs in 2002 with Brad Johnson
You could say Eli in 2007 & 11 but he was a competent guy as much as I hate to admit it.... Better than the three examples I listed above.

The Rams won by sacrificing the future, no draft picks all in on veterans. A prolific passing game, and a strong pass rush.
Their running game was non existent...
A tangent:
If Marino was in this era, the ownership group would have been smart enough to surround him with the right talent to compete.
I never saw Prime prime Marino, but his arm and release were second to none. I am still blown away by him throwing 48 TD's in 1984. To me that is a better accomplishment than Manning, Brady, Mahomes surpassing it in the modern era.

all of the above could have been covered by the Emperor has no clothes, and Jerry's ego is the biggest obstacle to this organization's success on the field. Period Full stop

 

[blueblood70]

Here we go again. Why do people ignore what's right in front of their face?
As zeke runs past and through defenders all over the place:

right they have selective memory

up until zeke got those two injuries the back with the pylon and the knew he was doing Zeke like things..5.1 YPC the first 7 games or so..id say that pretty good for washed up no talent overpaid back LOL