Dak and the players didn't execute

[RustyBourneHorse]

You can keep finding blame all you want but more of this is to do with the defense in the 1st place the lack of a physical run game made US1 dimensional and that first interception from what I can see after watching it three times is cooks got interfered with and it wasn't called we get used to the no calls but that's OK but don't blame Prescott for something that was pass interference not once he hit and ran through cooks and grabbed his shoulder and used that leverage to pull himself into the football that's how that defensive back intercepted that ball it was not a bad throw whether you think he looked him down or not...

The second interception from what I understand from listening to some of the feedback which is hard to tell who's right who's wrong but Prescott is now in a timing based offense just like Troy Aikman threw 144 interceptions in and sometimes you let the ball go thinking your receivers going to run a specific route into a specific area and when they don't that's the kind of pick six is that gonna happen I don't remember if it was CD lamb or whoever it was but he also dropped three passes and then you had the miscommunication on the pick six that was all Prescott the lamb so you can make excuses for the players on the fringe but you don't know where that was supposed to go and who was supposed to do what...

And again it's easy to sit back and blame the quarterback I get that but we had one-dimensional football and an offensive line well at times looked OK they were not doing their jobs long enough for us to break a maximum coverage zone waiting for dudes to get open...

Why can't we just stop the venting and the crazy who was to blame and it was one giant turn of a game for the entire team.... The team laid an egg the team didn't play well can you all understand team is not spelled quarterback.. And even if the offense somehow played better if they played like they did in Seattle we still probably lose this game we couldn't stop the run we couldn't stop the pass we couldn't stop the scoring I mean literally they scored it felt like almost every damn time they had the football and not three we're talking about 7 that defense looked like they were playing 11 on 7 that means they're offense look like they're dudes were so wide open if Prescott was on the Packers team we win this game He also wins the game...

The game plans and the circumstances to what the oppositions quarterback gets to play in in these playoff games are completely different than what Prescott Romo got to play with I mean I'm not making excuses I'm telling you what I'm seeing it looked like practice out there at times dirt we're running the ball into giant holes that weren't filled until they were eight yards up field and the same thing with a lot of the receiving there was at least 8 plays I saw dudes that were so open it looked like a scrimmage...

So if you wanna just say if they haven't played a little bit better we made the game closer but we still lose by 10 I guarantee that that defense never allows us to play catch up... Kind of similar to the NFC championship game the first year with Barry switzer yeah the players screwed up they got us down 21 nothing but they never could catch up they lost by 10 points...

It is what it is the team just flat out played bad from the top to the bottom coaches players I mean how we can blame the whoever sets up the locker room maybe they're responsible for all the sicknesses this year maybe they didn't clean up well I don't know it was a bad game the bad ending to the season as usual but everyone trying to give their opinion on what went wrong just use the word,

team failure

It is, and I have a thread I'm going to write tomorrow on the defence.

 

[doomsday9084]

This is from the OP. The film doesn't start pre snap but if you were to see it, they start in a 2 high safety look.

Dak's read progression is:
1. Look for safeties and blitz pre snap
2. Depending on where they were, look left or right and read high low
3. Pass to the guy who coverage dictates

If you watch the video, Dak has already turned his head away from the safeties and is reading the nickel back. The left safety is already running from his high look to low zone. Dak sees outside leverage on CeeDee running a slant and makes the correct throw . . . right to a safety who shouldn't have been there.

GB was doing this for the entire first half. They would show one look pre-snap and then sprint into another defense after the snap. Most of the time, Dak picked it up and was caught looking around for a 3rd or 4th option, which creates a "deer in the headlights" perspective.

There is a reason teams do not do this all the time. Its dangerous as hell. If the PLAYCALLER realizes its going on, he can torch a defense that is effectively out of position to start the play. McCarthy never realized it was going on and continued to call the same vanilla plays, leaving Dak and the offense out there on an island to improvise.

I won't even get into defense. I'll say it again. That was the worst coaching job I have ever seen in any sport in my decades of watching.

 

[OGSixshooter]

Dak always takes the blame. He never blames his teammates. Where have you been all of these years?

So he's a BS artist who just says whatever, you eat it up and then point and sputter when we don't do the same? I mean...when does it end?

 

[America's Cowboy]

This is from the OP. The film doesn't start pre snap but if you were to see it, they start in a 2 high safety look.

Dak's read progression is:
1. Look for safeties and blitz pre snap
2. Depending on where they were, look left or right and read high low
3. Pass to the guy who coverage dictates

If you watch the video, Dak has already turned his head away from the safeties and is reading the nickel back. The left safety is already running from his high look to low zone. Dak sees outside leverage on CeeDee running a slant and makes the correct throw . . . right to a safety who shouldn't have been there.

GB was doing this for the entire first half. They would show one look pre-snap and then sprint into another defense after the snap. Most of the time, Dak picked it up and was caught looking around for a 3rd or 4th option, which creates a "deer in the headlights" perspective.

There is a reason teams do not do this all the time. Its dangerous as hell. If the PLAYCALLER realizes its going on, he can torch a defense that is effectively out of position to start the play. McCarthy never realized it was going on and continued to call the same vanilla plays, leaving Dak and the offense out there on an island to improvise.

I won't even get into defense. I'll say it again. That was the worst coaching job I have ever seen in any sport in my decades of watching.

Spot on! It's what I've been saying all this time. The playcalling and designs set our QB and WRs up for failure. Thank you for properly explaining it. I wish everyone would read and understand your comment.

Great post!

 

[Creeper]

Dak is not responsible for the loss although he carries a lot of responsibility for the loss. The two INTs pretty much sealed the game. Even if Dallas went into half time down 14-0, they were better off than 27-0 after the two INTs.

However, What about the other 34 points, or 5 TDs?

Its the defense too.

Every time GB had the ball on their own side of the field what happened? They hit a big pass to get out to the Cowboys side of the field because no one covered a receiver in the middle of the field. Of course the dagger in the heart was the long pass to the TE for a TD when nobody covered him. Love threw the pass off his back foot and it was a duck tossed up like a punt. The TE waited for eternity for the ball to come down to him and yet there was still no Cowboy in the vicinity! Just imagine if someone was with even 10 yards. He could have drifted over and contested that underthrown catch, maybe even intercepted it. Or maybe Love wouldn't have thrown it and taken the sack. Are those plays by the defense not the same as Dak's INTs? To me they are just as bad. And there were more of them. They gave GB momentum and field position, just like INTs. One was just like a pick 6. Yet Dak gets all the blame.

This was a complete team loss. No one with the exception of maybe Jake Ferguson did their jobs. Putting it all on Dak, or Micah, or CeeDee is just frustration talking.

This team needs some defensive held, as has been the case for year. This team let themselves go into the playoffs with basically 1 LB on the roster. The DC decided to play zone against a QB who plays poorly against Man coverage and clearly his own player were not prepared to play that coverage which is why so many receivers were open all over the field. I think 75% of this loss goes to Dan Quinn and it would be hard to convince me I am not right.

I don't have an issue with the Cowboys running the ball a little more. The Packers are not good against the run either. Running the ball effectively opens up other things, including play action. But the Cowboys can't run block. That has nothing to do with Dak either.

The two biggest problems with the Cowboys going into this game were they can't run the football, and they can't stop the run. Both problems showed up in this game and neither one has anything to do with Dak. We need to stop hating on our best players and put the blame where it lies. Jerry. He is the GM and he puts the players on the field.

 

[JoeKing]

I'm going to be controversial and say that Mike McCarthy didn't call a bad game. Dak Prescott played a poor game. Dak and the players didn't execute. I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for this, but watch the tape on the game.

I'm going to start with the interceptions. Firstly, another poster was showing the interception to Jaire Alexander. On that play, Dak stares down the intended receiver. If you watch the angle and if Dak were to have gone through his progressions, you'd see CeeDee Lamb wide open on a corner route. That was a good play call ruined by Dak's poor decision making.

Secondly, here's the pick six play (). Dak completely forced this to Lamb. Look on the bottom of the screen. At no point does he look at Ferguson. If he does, that's a big gain. In fact, given that Ferguson only has that CB behind him, there's a chance that could've been a TD.

Now, for some of the blame going to other players, here's the play to CeeDee Lamb early in the game.

If you watch at about the 1:23ish spot, you'll see the play I'm talking about. The route is good. The ball is a little too far, and Lamb misses it. This play and the interceptions shifted momentum at the worst times. Usually, if there's a blowout, there are a few plays where you can see the momentum swing to where it can't be regained until it's too late. This is one of those games.

As I watch the tape more, the more that I see why Mike was brought back. He actually called a decent game, despite the score. As you watch the replay of the game, the players on offense didn't execute. Mike was calling plays that Dak was comfortable with for most of the season. Dak, for whatever reason, defaulted to his rookie form. The defence, on the other hand, is a subject for another thread.

 

[doomsday9084]

Spot on! It's what I've been saying all this time. The playcalling and designs set our QB and WRs up for failure. Thank you for properly explaining it. I wish everyone would read and understand your comment.

Great post!

This gets kind of theoretical here but team sports like football are kind of a rock, paper, scissors affair. Virtually every strategy has an effective counter. Maybe if your players execute perfectly they can overcome bad strategy but you are setting yourself up to fail with it.

A simplistic example would be if a defense was stacking the box. 5 men on the line, 3 behind for 8 in the box. That's really hard to run against. If an opponent is running 8 in the box and you keep calling run plays, you are a moron as a playcaller. You should be doing play action and taking deep shots because you know your WR's are 1 on 1 with no top help. Maybe with a super O line and RB you can get away with running into an 8 man box sometimes but its not good strategy.

GB's defense was being set up to beat the short timing throws that Dallas uses as a staple. Its the bread and butter of their offense. By extending the read time needed, you screw up the blocking scheme, the read progression and the route trees. There are OBVIOUS counters to this. Play action, routes with double moves, etc. Teams don't normally do what GB was going because its dangerous. McCarthy never took advantage of it.

I'll be honest AC, I'm not nearly as optimistic about the team for next year as you are. Dallas is a talented group, IMHO but coaching is a huge factor. Dallas simply does not believe in this rock-paper-scissors aspect of in game strategy. McCarthy sounds very much like Garrett in this regard. They just think you can line up and do your thing and overpower or out-execute your opponent. That just doesn't fly very often in the NFL.

 

[doomsday9084]

I just want to rant more about this play. Look at what the receivers do. You had ALL FOUR receivers run 4 yard routes. If GB runs the coverage that they did . . . Dak really doesn't have much else. There is no real high low option. The play is designed for Dak to throw it quickly and if he doesn't . . . then what?

I kind of wonder if GB was somehow figuring out what Dallas was going to run. GB has the perfect defense called for this play. If you go to 2 seconds in, you will see that they were in a 5 across short zone with 4 receivers running into exactly those spaces. Maybe the CB's had some deep responsibility as they weren't as tight but regardless, when talking rock paper scissors, Dallas did paper here and GB did scissors.

 

[blueblood70]

It is, and I have a thread I'm going to write tomorrow on the defence.

You can do a write up on how Jordan loves sat for three years as 1st rounder learning ,has apparently a strong run game ,and a good defense and better coaching staff and somehow threw 2 interceptions and his coach all they needed what to line up for a field goal, I don't remember but on 1st and 10 you're throwing the football and Jordan love makes the mistake hmm play calling issues situational football mistakes. Sound familiar?? add in dropped INT and penalties.. i thought this was just a dallas cowboy culture issue.hmmm .

while our beloved and much hated all at the same time quarterback gets ripped apart but as a 4th rounder was ROTY won 13 games and would have won that game against green bay if he had a good defense..2018 defense ... 2021 team failures but defense had some hand in it..2022 more team failures, 2023 Mostly defense team failure but blame the QB lmao..

where is this strong run game good ph.... line and defense for our quarterback??? you know the ravens team allowed 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! easy to play loose when you have d like that and an offense centered around the run game..but sure LJ is better right? mvp right , umm no Purdy has Deebo and Cmac and great D great staff, doesn't need to run.. lots of free flowers being given out to these people who are on BETEER teams.


where's Daks??

sorry but i'm putting this more on the coaching gameplans, adjustments and the GM/scouts for not recognizing this earlier and Getting it fixed.. players didn't execute lots of dropped passes, miscommunications on offense and D well that was giant TURD! need those MLBers we saw all playoffs for sure..ie RSmith, warner, Greenlaw, and that dude in GB who dropped that INK. Seems like a ball magnet..

So, yes coaches are top blame IMO they have to utilize what they have and create a scheme and GP to counter lack of talent and vs the opponent.. these weaknesses have showed up since week 5 and they haven't fixed it. all collapsed and that gb was a reminder of every weakness getting exposed! .

no matter how well that O might have been able to pay that D lost us the game.. ie Seattle 2.0(we escaped at home with win but!!!) but in a playoff game that gets you beat needing to be in shootout to win ..ughh!

just look around at the rest of the playoff teams, how those defenses have run games from many teams keep games closer..