Did our play calling become more conservative in the 3rd quarter?

[glimmerman]

I counted at least 4.. Fortunately there's a reason why guys who run 4.4 end up playing DB.. and it's usually because they can't catch. There were two outs to CD and Brown that should have been picked and the one swing pass to Pollard that also could have been. Then there was one over the middle that went through the defender's hands.. Rush has a "good enough" arm when he is decisive but he does not possess that cannon that can flick the ball at 100 mph to a receiver at the last instant when he sees it. His eyes showed him openings that his arm couldn't capitalize on.

Still to the OP's point I think the play calling did go conservative in the second half but I think how Rush was throwing the ball might have had something to do with that. Dude was not slinging it with any confidence really until the drive that Schultz fumbled on. People harping on the diminished effectiveness of the running game miss the point.. Cincy knew they had to be more stout against the run so they gave it more attention in the second half. But the Cowboys STILL had to run the ball to set up their play action game as well as to keep the defense from teeing off. So even though they probably only averaged about 3 yards a pop on the ground in the second half I was glad to see them still using it. Now if we could just quit with the stupid toss sweep to the short side of the field with nobody blocking the playside DE. Zack Martin aint winnin no footrace with pretty much any DE in the league so asking him to get out in front and take that DE is just a bad play design. And it hung poor Zeke and Pollard out to dry every time but one.

Bingo. If it’s a 8 man front you still run it. Use 12 or 13 formation and lead block and let Elliot try to run through it.. One missed tackle and there is no one back there to catch him..

 

[RonnieT24]

Bingo. If it’s a 8 man front you still run it. Use 12 or 13 formation and lead block and let Elliot try to run through it.. One missed tackle and there is no one back there to catch him..

This is why not having a fullback on the roster is just stupid. Put a fullback in front of Zeke to root the filling linebacker out of the hole and you are going to give the defense big problems no matter how many they put on the line. Making Zeke stand back there and wait for stuff to develop is all well and good but what if nothing develops? What if the TE whiffs on the backside DE ( which happened about 100 times last season) and helps Zeke take the handoff. It does look like we have gotten a little better in that regard with the youngsters we have this year.. but it still shows up from time to time. I'd much rather we let Zeke hit the line downhill.. Reader really abused Biadasz and Farniok much of the game.. especially in the second half.. There just wasn't a lot of running room inside and because they had so many guys up playing the run the outside stuff was shut off too.

 

[BigDPlayer]

I was able to watch the first half and the 4th but missed the third. Did our play calling become more conservative? Did the Bengals make half time adjustments?

Just trying to figure out why we moved the ball so well in the first half only to get shutdown for the third quarter and most of the 4th.

I was screaming PLEASE no more outside fringe passes!! End of the half and start of the third it was just rinse and repeat on a play that almost got picked off twice, maybe 3 times?!

Down the middle or slants were the bread and butter. Maybe those edge passes were a setup for the middle field domination plays? Either way, cardiac Cowboys indeed!!

 

[CowboyRoy]

Kellen Moore got conservative but yet got away from running the ball again. Had some head scratcher plays, as in low % success rate plays.
However, the Bengals seemed to have the ball the entire 3rd quarter.

They did exactly what you wanted!!!

they featured your hero. He fell flat on his face as predicted and we were nearly shut in the 2nd half.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I was able to watch the first half and the 4th but missed the third. Did our play calling become more conservative? Did the Bengals make half time adjustments?

Just trying to figure out why we moved the ball so well in the first half only to get shutdown for the third quarter and most of the 4th.

Moore decided to run zeke and it back fired completely. Punt, punt, punt……

 

[CowboyRoy]

This is why not having a fullback on the roster is just stupid. Put a fullback in front of Zeke to root the filling linebacker out of the hole and you are going to give the defense big problems no matter how many they put on the line. Making Zeke stand back there and wait for stuff to develop is all well and good but what if nothing develops? What if the TE whiffs on the backside DE ( which happened about 100 times last season) and helps Zeke take the handoff. It does look like we have gotten a little better in that regard with the youngsters we have this year.. but it still shows up from time to time. I'd much rather we let Zeke hit the line downhill.. Reader really abused Biadasz and Farniok much of the game.. especially in the second half.. There just wasn't a lot of running room inside and because they had so many guys up playing the run the outside stuff was shut off too.

Lol…..zeke was doing bad yesterday it was hurtful to watch. Zeke actually sucks now.

zeke shoukd be playing FB or not at all.

 

[blueblood70]

I was able to watch the first half and the 4th but missed the third. Did our play calling become more conservative? Did the Bengals make half time adjustments?

Just trying to figure out why we moved the ball so well in the first half only to get shutdown for the third quarter and most of the 4th.

yes Bengal's made adjustments
seemed like it but 3rd down % dove mostly because of their defense made adjusts and shut the run game down..took while to get it back but schultz lost fumble made it look worse. That fumbled created the need for the last drive and FG..we were in FG range and moving and he made the game tough.

it wasn't Moore getting overly conservative more so the defense just caught up for bit,.

 

[JBS]

Anytime the defense gets the best of the offense - the play caller got conservative lololol. This isn’t a dig at the OP, it’s a dig at the people that are saying KM got conservative lol. Y’all are clueless.

 

[jazzcat22]

They did exactly what you wanted!!!

they featured your hero. He fell flat on his face as predicted and we were nearly shut in the 2nd half.

When you aren’t on the field as much in the 2nd half, anyone will be shut down.
Man learn football.

 

[Runwildboys]

I would have loved to see more play action on 1st/2nd down. I can appreciate staying stubborn to the run, but it was clear that Cincinnati was selling out to stop the run 2nd half, and force this offense into 3rd and long situations.

Kellen Moore seems exactly like the guy you want on your sideline instead of the opposing sideline, but you also don't want him to be in charge. It's almost like if you've ever had a conversation with a brilliant person who just has zero ability to read non verbal cues that is exactly what I think happens with KM. He is a brilliant football mind, but struggles to adapt in the moment. You want an OC who thinks 3 steps ahead of defenses, but Kellen seems to be a week behind more often than not. I'd love to see him stay on as OC, but someone else take a try at calling plays.

It's like he needs an assistant to tell him what the defense is doing to counter his plays.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Kellen Moore got conservative but yet got away from running the ball again. Had some head scratcher plays, as in low % success rate plays.
However, the Bengals seemed to have the ball the entire 3rd quarter.

Bengals had adjusted by stacking the line and putting 9 men in the box on early downs.

 

[Bigrandrn]

I counted at least 4.. Fortunately there's a reason why guys who run 4.4 end up playing DB.. and it's usually because they can't catch. There were two outs to CD and Brown that should have been picked and the one swing pass to Pollard that also could have been. Then there was one over the middle that went through the defender's hands.. Rush has a "good enough" arm when he is decisive but he does not possess that cannon that can flick the ball at 100 mph to a receiver at the last instant when he sees it. His eyes showed him openings that his arm couldn't capitalize on.

Still to the OP's point I think the play calling did go conservative in the second half but I think how Rush was throwing the ball might have had something to do with that. Dude was not slinging it with any confidence really until the drive that Schultz fumbled on. People harping on the diminished effectiveness of the running game miss the point.. Cincy knew they had to be more stout against the run so they gave it more attention in the second half. But the Cowboys STILL had to run the ball to set up their play action game as well as to keep the defense from teeing off. So even though they probably only averaged about 3 yards a pop on the ground in the second half I was glad to see them still using it. Now if we could just quit with the stupid toss sweep to the short side of the field with nobody blocking the playside DE. Zack Martin aint winning no footrace with pretty much any DE in the league so asking him to get out in front and take that DE is just a bad play design. And it hung poor Zeke and Pollard out to dry every time but one.

Yup, noticed that too… when Rush throws those out routes he is too slow and should be throwing the ball earlier like as the wr is breaking and not after when the db can break on it and pick it.

 

[CowboyRoy]

When you aren’t on the field as much in the 2nd half, anyone will be shut down.
Man learn football.

Buddy, anyone that still thinks zeke is better than pollard is like a running joke right now.

they fed zeke and we punted like 4 times. Lol

he was so bad it was commical. Then they would let in pollard and he would hit a 50 yard run or a 20 yard run.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Players still have to execute. Doesn't help when Zeke is running into the back on his lineman and Schultz is fumbling the ball.

That fumble turned the game around and made it close. Almost losing it. Wasn't even a big hit, just carrying it loosely.

 

[jazzcat22]

Buddy, anyone that still thinks zeke is better than pollard is like a running joke right now.

they fed zeke and we punted like 4 times. Lol

he was so bad it was commical. Then they would let in pollard and he would hit a 50 yard run or a 20 yard run.

So last week Pollards horrible 1.3 YPC was Moores fault.
This week Zeke’s few not so good carries is not Moores fault.

All bad play calls.
Your double standards as usual on your part.

 

[RonnieT24]

So last week Pollards horrible 1.3 YPC was Moores fault.
This week Zeke’s few not so good carries is not Moores fault.

All bad play calls.
Your double standards as usual on your part.

Yeah on the season Zeke is averaging almost a full yard per carry more than Pollard (4.2 to 3.4) .. and that's while doing far more of the dirtywork inside. But as Zoners here have been telling me for three years.. it's ypc that matters.. so the back with the better ypc is the better back.. right? I mean that's what we been hearin ever since Pollard showed up. Has the standard changed and nobody sent me the memo?

 

[75boyz]

I was able to watch the first half and the 4th but missed the third. Did our play calling become more conservative? Did the Bengals make half time adjustments?

Just trying to figure out why we moved the ball so well in the first half only to get shutdown for the third quarter and most of the 4th.

It's been beaten like a dead horse already but I'll say it one more time.

IF Dalton doesn't lose that fumble and we score 3 or 7 there, I believe that changes the entire momentum and how the game could have been played differently from that point on.

And a more comfortable win.

jmo

 

[Flamma]

I was able to watch the first half and the 4th but missed the third. Did our play calling become more conservative? Did the Bengals make half time adjustments?

Just trying to figure out why we moved the ball so well in the first half only to get shutdown for the third quarter and most of the 4th.

Yeah, Dallas was very conservative in the 2nd half. But used up some clock in the process. I think they didn't totally trust Rush.

But Cinci were their own worst enemy with that 9 minute drive. Yeah they tied the game, but Dallas went back on the attack and there was no time left for the Bengals.

 

[SixFiveCowboy]

Yesterday showed me a couple things one is that KM can call his script but once he's outside them first set of scripted plays he is in over his head. Secondly if Sean Payton is indeed the next head coach we have the talent on this team to do damage if the right man is calling the offense. Because Parson is going to be a force for years to come if we get someone that can capitalize on offense when he and that defense gets the ball back for them it's on.

 

[RonnieT24]

Yeah, Dallas was very conservative in the 2nd half. But used up some clock in the process. I think they didn't totally trust Rush.

But Cinci were their own worst enemy with that 9 minute drive. Yeah they tied the game, but Dallas went back on the attack and there was no time left for the Bengals.

I think they made the right call in not trusting Rush frankly. He went through a stretch there in the second half where the balls were lazy and hanging. Like he was not sure of where to go with the ball and he came perilously close to throwing a pick 6 3-4 times. It had a very Nooch feel to it at times.. Thankfully he was able to pull it back together to win the game.