DMN: BLOG: Does Tony Romo throw to his tight ends too often?

[big dog cowboy]

Nobody around here is complaining how much Tony Gonzalez is being targeted.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Romo has to, because our receivers don't get a lick of separation. So why throw a 18 yard out with a guy on someones hip, when you can hit Witten for 8 almost like clockwork.

It also doesn't help when the defense starts to know your tendancies, and Romo isn't able to liberally spread the ball around the field because our guys don't get much separation.

The Steelers game was an example of that, watch that film again - outside of Roy being naked wide open in the end zone b/c of a blown coverage, they shut our guys down.

Owens dissapears in games like that because defenses trust that their guys can erase our other receivers man to man.

But this was last year, with no Felix Jones, a banged up Roy Williams, a really really banged up Tony Romo, and an injured Miles Austin.

So next year I expect RBs to get a nice chunk of those, especially with Felix back and Choice's dynamic abilities. I can't wait to see us finally run a successful screen to Felix and watch him cruise.

So in the end, Romo throws to his TEs because he trusts them/him. I don't know if I can say the same for 81 or 11 last year.

 

[DallasEast]

http://i356.***BLOCKED***/albums/oo4/DallasEast1701/TEreceptions3.jpg

If the question of how often both Aikman and Romo targeted their main tight ends, I wonder if a debate would begin brewing about the humongous 4% gap between the former combo's best year of connecting together and the latter combo's hookups from last season?

 

[cowboyschmps3]

He's does a good job i mean if it were a bad thing and we weren't getting completions....we have witten and bennett and we are getting good outcomes so aslong as we score and move the chains its all good....

 

[EPL0c0]

They actually have to be opened, something they've struggled at, hey I can throw it to 5 different guys that aren't opened.

Also doesn't help to throw passes that are high or thrown when the "Go-To Guy" doesn't realize that he's the "Go-To Guy" on a particular play...

 

[Alexander]

http://i356.***BLOCKED***/albums/oo4/DallasEast1701/TEreceptions3.jpg

If the question of how often both Aikman and Romo targeted their main tight ends, I wonder if a debate would begin brewing about the humongous 4% gap between the former combo's best year of connecting together and the latter combo's hookups from last season?

Irvin was Aikman's "go to", not Jay Novacek. Jay was the "security blanket".

Witten is both to Tony Romo.

 

[Jimz31]

I wouldn't have a problem with him throwing to the TE's 100% of the time if the defense couldn't stop it. The WR's need to get open more if they want the ball.

Does he throw to the TE's too much....who freakin' cares if it's working? You throw to the open guy.

 

[Clove]

I wouldn't have a problem with him throwing to the TE's 100% of the time if the defense couldn't stop it. The WR's need to get open more if they want the ball.

Does he throw to the TE's too much....who freakin' cares if it's working? You throw to the open guy.

Problem was, the defenses could stop it.

 

[EPL0c0]

Irvin was Aikman's "go to", not Jay Novacek. Jay was the "security blanket".

Witten is both to Tony Romo.

And...Aikman did it while going to and winning a Super Bowl... Romo did it while failing to make the playoffs.

 

[Jimz31]

Problem was, the defenses could stop it.

Which is why I said "if".

It really doesn't matter and all of this stuff is just reaching.

A TE or a RB coming out of the backfield if a QB's safety net. Especially for a young QB. Novacek was Aikman's safety net....no problem with a QB going to the TE. They are out in a pattern and open....you throw to them if nobody else is.

Next thing you know, they'll do revisionist history on Emmitt Smith and wonder did he get the ball too much.

 

[amuze]

I see no problem with Romo's tendency to pass to the TE's. In fact, I think it's a good thing since it makes opposing defenses be a little more honest.

 

[AdamJT13]

Problem was, the defenses could stop it.

Romo had a 66.9 percent completion rate when throwing to Witten, and he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt when throwing to Witten.

He had a 74.1 percent completion rate when throwing to Bennett, and he averaged 10.5 yards per attempt when throwing to him.

Those numbers mean that defenses did a terrible job stopping Romo from throwing to his tight ends.

 

[TwoDeep3]

What is missed in this lumbering wander down stats lane is this. The TE position is conventionally a safety value for the QB when the WRs are covered. Although a terrific TE like Witten will have plays called for him. And his ability to beat the linebackers in the middle of the field offers him more opportunities as defenses try to shut down the home run threat in TO.

Which brings up the question. Now that we don't have a guy that can take it to the house, will defenses roll double coverage to Witten and take away the sure bet Dallas possesses?

This theory about Romo throwing too much to the TEs is an off-season article based on the need for something to write about when the news is a little sparse.

Next we will be getting into the favorite colors of the defensive front seven, or Flozell Adams' favorite Conway Twitty Album.

OK Flo, with or without Loretta Lynn?

 

[Bleu Star]

I thought Witten took responsibility for that pick six during the Steelers game by runniing the wrong route?

He did.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

Romo had a 66.9 percent completion rate when throwing to Witten, and he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt when throwing to Witten.

He had a 74.1 percent completion rate when throwing to Bennett, and he averaged 10.5 yards per attempt when throwing to him.

Those numbers mean that defenses did a terrible job stopping Romo from throwing to his tight ends.

That had to hurt.

 

[Bleu Star]

Romo had a 66.9 percent completion rate when throwing to Witten, and he averaged 7.9 yards per attempt when throwing to Witten.

He had a 74.1 percent completion rate when throwing to Bennett, and he averaged 10.5 yards per attempt when throwing to him.

Those numbers mean that defenses did a terrible job stopping Romo from throwing to his tight ends.

Bennett is going to be ridiculous. Hopefully we can keep them both for awhile.

 

[LeonDixson]

I thought Witten took responsibility for that pick six during the Steelers game by runniing the wrong route?

And, how do we know that the designed plays ARE for targeting Witten?

If Witten moves the chains...go to him all day if you need to until the other team can stop it.

I read on this forum that either Brad Sham or Babe Laufenberg described what happened on that play and that Tony was right in throwing to Witten.

As I reall the explanation, it went something like this: The play was designed to go to Witten as the primary receiver and the Cowboys got the defensive look they had hoped for. Further Witten got off the line and was probably going to be open. So Tony knew where the ball should be going.

But two things happened to cause the INT. First, Columbo (I think) let a pass rusher get by him almost untouched. The rusher was in Tony's face almost imediately. That is not the time to take a look at other receivers. Your options are to eat it or throw it to your primary receiver. So he threw it to where Witten was going to be.

Sadly, the second thing happened. Witten slipped coming out of his break so he was not where Tony expected him to be. Now the ball may have been a little high, but if Witten had not slipped he would probably have caught it anyway. At the least he could have gotten a hand on it and deflected it.

Anyway, that is the way I remember the explanation and it made a lot of sense to me. It's too bad that Witten slipped and stupid Columbo didn't do his job. Somehow, all that most fans and all DMN writers can figure out is that Tony was being careless with the ball.

 

[fan62]

I would bet that 15% of the throws to Witten were because he was the safety valve when defenses were in his face. If you want to give credit for the number of catches Witten caught - give to our lousy pass blocking OL.

Tony was injured because of lousy blocking and was scared to death,the rest of the season, because he had less than a two seconds to get rid of the ball most of the time and ended up on his back more times than not.

 

[landryscorner]

Yes and i'll tell you why it hurt him last season...

you got your far receivers, TO(had) and whoever else
and you got your underneath stuff, witten, barber, jones whoever
is scurring around down there...
Romo first reads the TE's which is usually witten when he should be
looking first at the coverage of the receivers and how wide open they are..

why you ask, well Romo and just about any other quarterback has a better chance of getting the ball out in time, if you first do your long reads first, thennn go to your underneath stuff...seems to me like ROmo was doing this backwards, and yes probably had to do with witten and how comfortable he feels throwing at him, I mean if witten is open he's open but how many Ints did we see go his way when trying to throw into double or triple coverage near witten???

 

[alancdc]

I think yes he does, yet I can see why he has locked onto them. I would like to see Whitten catch 60-70 with the other opportunities going to WR down the field, or even Jones out of the backfield.