Deep Threat WRs and Kellen Moore's Offense

[Mr_437]

Hoping we drop some deep passes early in the season and get opposing defenses out of run blitzes and have to respect our deeper stuff. That would change our Offense and give us a great dynamic.

So right! Great running game paired with a play action deep ball passing game is dangerous.

DAL started off last season with a bomb to Tavon vs NYG, but after Tavon got hurt it was like the deep threat was gone and restricted the passing game. Fast forward to this year this team may have 2 or 3 deep threats.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

There was a rash of articles this week that Dak's deep ball is looking sharper. Huge, if true.

Huge if true is right. This is Dak's fourth year in the same offense so we get to see the real Dak this year. Meaning what we get this year in his TD per season, his completion percentage his yards per game, is what he will be the rest of his career. Give or take.

 

[Mr_437]

Just rewatched the week 17 game against the Giants. Jarwin had three TD's in that game. So there is a part of me that hopes Witten is not a starter. Jarwin can stretch the field and is a threat in the redzone.

The connection between Dak and Gallup should be better this year too. So we should do better this year in the redzone.

I'm with you on this one. I watched PHI, NYG, SEA and LAR... I really liked what the TEs were doing, but Jarwin was turning into a threat.

I think this staff should be mindful of Jarwin's skill set and limit Witten's snaps...it would be different if the guy didn't have a strength far exceeding #82...like Shultz game is similar to Witten, so give Witten most of those reps. However, I think Shultz may be a better blocker.

 

[percyhoward]

None of those stats say anything about the effectiveness of our deep balls. 20 yards isn't "deep" by my standards, and a 20 yard TD doesn't mean a pass, and it doesn't even mean a pass 20 yards downfield even when it is a pass.

You're missing the forest for the trees. The objective of an offense isn't to complete as many deep passes as possible, it's to move the ball and score points. And that has nothing to do with how many yards we consider to be a "deep" pass. After trading for Cooper, this offense moved the ball but couldn't finish drives.

When you ignore the red zone, and instead call the deep ball the "fundamental problem" with the offense, you're putting more emphasis on something we need to do more often than on the main thing that we don't do well at all. The debate is yards vs. points. What difference does it make if we move up from 7th in yards to 3rd or 4th? Or from 2nd in TD scored from outside the red zone to 1st? Maybe a point per game?

Offenses don't rely on 40+yard TD passes to score points, and no offense makes a living that way. Five teams led the NFL with 7 such plays last year. The Cowboys had 5 such plays, putting them in the top 10. We had 8 TD passes of 30+ yards, which was also top 10. And that's for the whole season, not just since Cooper's arrival.

Top 10 in yards (with Cooper), top 10 in long TD passes. Bottom 5 in the red zone.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

In the Cowboys Superbowl years they had a speed guy #80 and a big body #88. So we are now missing that big body 50-50 ball guy, that excels in the redzone. Speed is only half the battle. IMO.

Still got to score in the redzone.

I think Gallup is that guy personally. May be Hurns too.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

None of those stats say anything about the effectiveness of our deep balls. 20 yards isn't "deep" by my standards, and a 20 yard TD doesn't mean a pass, and it doesn't even mean a pass 20 yards downfield even when it is a pass.

I think you are getting caught up in espn highlights. Teams don’t throw deep balls all game. That’s not what this offense is it should be.

 

[GMO415]

So far DC.com staff are saying his offense creates separation and an open receiver. There's no mention of a deep threat. I think we're gonna see pick plays and lots of Y and RB drags

 

[GMO415]

His offense sounds as if it's 6-8 different variations to the same formation. The defense won't be able to prepare for something they think they saw on film. Hence, so long predictability.

 

[kskboys]

You're missing the forest for the trees. The objective of an offense isn't to complete as many deep passes as possible, it's to move the ball and score points. And that has nothing to do with how many yards we consider to be a "deep" pass. After trading for Cooper, this offense moved the ball but couldn't finish drives.

When you ignore the red zone, and instead call the deep ball the "fundamental problem" with the offense, you're putting more emphasis on something we need to do more often than on the main thing that we don't do well at all. The debate is yards vs. points. What difference does it make if we move up from 7th in yards to 3rd or 4th? Or from 2nd in TD scored from outside the red zone to 1st? Maybe a point per game?

Offenses don't rely on 40+yard TD passes to score points, and no offense makes a living that way. Five teams led the NFL with 7 such plays last year. The Cowboys had 5 such plays, putting them in the top 10. We had 8 TD passes of 30+ yards, which was also top 10. And that's for the whole season, not just since Cooper's arrival.

Top 10 in yards (with Cooper), top 10 in long TD passes. Bottom 5 in the red zone.

Agree.

Too much highlight watching. No team completes a high percentage of deep balls. And when a team focuses on that, it gasses the D.

 

[kskboys]

I think you are getting caught up in espn highlights. Teams don’t throw deep balls all game. That’s not what this offense is it should be.

Yup.

Chain moving is much more important.

 

[Brax]

I think you missed with three million news articles where Dak Prescott called him a genius and said he was a huge factor in his rookie season going so well. Kellen Moore has be talked about as highly intelligent and a future coach going back to his High School career.

Isn't Dak the same guy who said the Cowboys didn't need a number 1 receiver. I am not questioning his intelligence or if he might make a good coach , one you have the other we all need to wait and see. Just about all of those "3 million articles" and the Dak quote are after he was made OC, my point is what did you see as a QB coach and SL assistant, if your honest you didn't see a lot. Everyone needs to wait and see but you being a homer have already jumped on KM bandwagon led by Jerry the head ringmaster in the circus known as the Dallas Cowboys. Funny offensive genius that you have anointed him as didn't get any calls from the rest of the NFL sense all those 3 million articles, Dak and all his buddy's say he going to be a great coach. I hope you are right and the new secret KM via Boise state offense will be all the talk this season and Dak excels the only difference is I will wait to see it as I don't live in a fantasy land . After 23 years your still falling for Jerry's bill of goods.

 

[Brax]

From our 15 to their 35, just a flick of the wrist....

accuracy it can't be taught,

 

[Skybox22]

I disagree. They actually didn't have a speed guy that was worth anything. That was the biggest problem with the offense.

If they could grind it out and keep it close, they would overcome them with power in the 2nd half. But if they were down big and they had to start winging the ball....……….that 90's team was stuck. Aikman threw one of the worst deep balls I have ever seen. Who was going to get deep? Maybe Harper on occasion?

Aikman could throw a 30 yard out on a rope, but a touch deep ball that floated nice?...…………..not so much.

Omg, really? He threw a beautiful deep ball. Videos eveywhere. He had great touch on deep balls.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Isn't Dak the same guy who said the Cowboys didn't need a number 1 receiver. I am not questioning his intelligence or if he might make a good coach , one you have the other we all need to wait and see. Just about all of those "3 million articles" and the Dak quote are after he was made OC, my point is what did you see as a QB coach and SL assistant, if your honest you didn't see a lot. Everyone needs to wait and see but you being a homer have already jumped on KM bandwagon led by Jerry the head ringmaster in the circus known as the Dallas Cowboys. Funny offensive genius that you have anointed him as didn't get any calls from the rest of the NFL sense all those 3 million articles, Dak and all his buddy's say he going to be a great coach. I hope you are right and the new secret KM via Boise state offense will be all the talk this season and Dak excels the only difference is I will wait to see it as I don't live in a fantasy land . After 23 years your still falling for Jerry's bill of goods.

He said he didn’t need a number one..he didn’t say he can win with nothing but number 3 and 4 receivers.

 

[percyhoward]

Agree.

Too much highlight watching. No team completes a high percentage of deep balls. And when a team focuses on that, it gasses the D.

The average team attempted 551 passes last year. Of those, only 7 traveled more than 15 yards in the air and gained at least 40 yards. Only 14 (that's still less than one per game) traveled that distance and gained at least 30 yards.

Dallas was at about the league average, with 7 and 15 of those passes, respectively. With defenses focusing on Elliott, we should throw those passes more often, and the numbers could easily be doubled. But even then, we're talking about a very small percentage of total passes (1.2 and 2.5%).

 

[TheSkaven]

We could definitely take more deep shots and be even better at scoring from farther out on the field, but 75% of the TD scored in this league are scored from within the red zone. We didn't have any problem moving the ball between the 20s, as we were top 10 in TOP per drive, plays per drive, and yards per drive. The #1 problem of this offense in 2018 was the red zone. That's got nothing to do with the deep ball.

This is a great analysis - I felt like we moved the ball well last year but kicked too many field goals, and you just cited the stats that prove it.

It helps when you have Zeke to get you in 3rd and short. But those rushing yards are harder the closer you get to the goal line.

Kellen needs to fix the red zone offense. Period. If he does that, mark my words, this is a top 4 offense.

 

[Kaiser]

Just about all of those "3 million articles" and the Dak quote are after he was made OC,

So you don't read any news about the team, don't know what you are talking about and call everyone else a homer.

Got it.

 

[Kaiser]

It helps when you have Zeke to get you in 3rd and short. But those rushing yards are harder the closer you get to the goal line.

That was such a big part of the first 24 games of Dak's career and such a big problem for the 16 games following that (pre Amari Cooper). Half the drives got 6 yards on first down and Linehan's scheme was built off that. When defenses sold out against the run everything would start with a 2nd and 7, which is an entirely different thing.

 

[Kaiser]

So far DC.com staff are saying his offense creates separation and an open receiver. There's no mention of a deep threat. I think we're gonna see pick plays and lots of Y and RB drags

But most of the articles are talking about how much speed they have brought in with guys like Jon'Vea Johnson, Reggie Davis, Devin Smith, etc. IMO the key isn't so much the perfectly executed 60 yard TD pass, its the fact the safeties have to account for the deep ball and it creates space for Zeke and whatever Kellen Moore is going to do with his short and intermediate game.

 

[tyke1doe]

Harper ran as an anchor in college. The anchor is known to be the fastest of the relay team. I dont know his 40 time but he was sold as being fast.

He also was a high jumper.

I knew he ran track. But he appeared slow on the field. Maybe it was an illusion.