DMN Blog: Grounding out the running game

[WoodysGirl]

2:29 PM Tue, Nov 17, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Todd Archer/Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips

The Cowboys ran the ball a season-low 14 times Sunday at Green Bay. The last time they hosted Washington, they ran it 11 times. The Cowboys lost both games.

There weren't many opportunities to run it against the Packers in the second half after Green Bay took a 10-0 lead but that was not the case earlier. The Cowboys have the No. 8-ranked running offense but it has been hit-or-miss in recent weeks.

"I think we've got to run it more," Tashard Choice said. "Sometimes it's just the situation but that's our biggest strength on our football team offensively is running the football. We've got to get back to it like at the beginning of the season, which we will. They've got to feed Barber. They've got to feed Felix and when I can sneak in and get myself a crack in there then I can do my thing."

Choice and Jason Witten said what would help would be a better on first downs to avoid second- or third-and-long situations. Penalties have also kept the down-and-distances longer than playcallers would like at times.

"Early in the year it was kind of establishing the brand, something we talked about being a team that imposes their will with three good backs and a strong line," Witten said. "We haven't done a good job with that and we've kept ourselves in bad situations where you can't run it. We've just got to get back to doing those little things and be in positive situations down and distance wise."


Comments (6) Leave comment | E-mail entry

 

[SLATEmosphere]

Wow. Jason Garrett. Your hear that?

Run the damn ball. What a concept!

 

[Rampage]

everybody is calling Garrett out cause he cost us the game.

 

[Everlastingxxx]

Choice and Witten, what a bunch of mouth breathers...what do they know?

 

[brickman]

Wow. Jason Garrett. Your hear that?

Run the damn ball. What a concept!

Great idea!

 

[kramskoi]

...wow...Crayton, Wade Phillips...now Choice and Witten...Garrett's going to find himself on the outside of the equation if his inexplicable gameplans/playcalling continues...shades of last year when Romo got his shot in at Garrett...

 

[SLATEmosphere]

everybody is calling Garrett out cause he cost us the game.

And I love it.

 

[CF74]

This is such a foreign concept.:donthear:

 

[Dough Boy]

Choice and Witten, what a bunch of mouth breathers...what do they know?

I wish those two would just shut up and play football.

 

[craig71]

2:29 PM Tue, Nov 17, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Todd Archer/Reporter Bio | E-mail | News tips

The Cowboys ran the ball a season-low 14 times Sunday at Green Bay. The last time they hosted Washington, they ran it 11 times. The Cowboys lost both games.

There weren't many opportunities to run it against the Packers in the second half after Green Bay took a 10-0 lead but that was not the case earlier. The Cowboys have the No. 8-ranked running offense but it has been hit-or-miss in recent weeks.

"I think we've got to run it more," Tashard Choice said. "Sometimes it's just the situation but that's our biggest strength on our football team offensively is running the football. We've got to get back to it like at the beginning of the season, which we will. They've got to feed Barber. They've got to feed Felix and when I can sneak in and get myself a crack in there then I can do my thing."

Choice and Jason Witten said what would help would be a better on first downs to avoid second- or third-and-long situations. Penalties have also kept the down-and-distances longer than playcallers would like at times.

"Early in the year it was kind of establishing the brand, something we talked about being a team that imposes their will with three good backs and a strong line," Witten said. "We haven't done a good job with that and we've kept ourselves in bad situations where you can't run it. We've just got to get back to doing those little things and be in positive situations down and distance wise."



Comments (6) Leave comment | E-mail entry

It appears to me Witten is being accountable instead of making excuses.

Craig

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Man you have to stick with the running game, I wears down the opponent over time, Garrett you dummy!

 

[CF74]

No!!! Go Long!!!

 

[Doomsday101]

Man you have to stick with the running game, I wears down the opponent over time, Garrett you dummy!

Yes it can you also have to produce, running and getting little to nothing gets you nothing. Committing penalties forcing 2nd an long and 3rd an long also plays a factor. I'm all for a balanced attack by the offense and think Dallas would have had to chance to be more balanced had we been able to pick up 1st downs a bit more often instead we squandered opportunities though out the game to get drives going

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Yes it can you also have to produce, running and getting little to nothing gets you nothing. Committing penalties forcing 2nd an long and 3rd an long also plays a factor. I'm all for a balanced attack by the offense and think Dallas would have had to chance to be more balanced had we been able to pick up 1st downs a bit more often instead we squandered opportunities though out the game to get drives going

You don't have to produce all the time, the point of the ground attack is to wear your opponent down, you never saw the Cowboys of the 90's completely abandon the running game, it sets up everything else.

 

[Doomsday101]

You don't have to produce all the time, the point of the ground attack is to wear your opponent down, you never saw the Cowboys of the 90's completely abandon the running game, it sets up everything else.

You need to produce some of the time and they weren't doing that add to that we put ourself in long yardage situations where running was not going to convert it to a 1st down. As i said I want to see us run to be balanced in our attack I also want to see plays that were there for the taking to be made and should have been made so that we do have the oppertunity to get drives going and we did not do that.

 

[Rampage]

Yes it can you also have to produce, running and getting little to nothing gets you nothing. Committing penalties forcing 2nd an long and 3rd an long also plays a factor. I'm all for a balanced attack by the offense and think Dallas would have had to chance to be more balanced had we been able to pick up 1st downs a bit more often instead we squandered opportunities though out the game to get drives going

it gives your defense a rest at the very least. also penalties happen more in the passing game than running game.

 

[casmith07]

Commanders game prediction: Garrett over-runs the ball, and people clamor for the pass.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

it gives your defense a rest at the very least. also penalties happen more in the passing game than running game.

Great point as well...

 

[Vegas_Cowboy]

I guess we can add Choice and Witten to the list of people that clearly didn't pay attention to the game on Sunday. Man, that list sure does seem to be growing.

 

[Doomsday101]

it gives your defense a rest at the very least. also penalties happen more in the passing game than running game.

It gives your defense rest if you are picking up 1st downs and moving the ball. If you run it 3 time and punt you are not giving them any more rest than you would from passing the ball. As for penalties we have gotten ample holding penalties on running plays.

I'm not opposed to running believe me I want to see balance. I don't want to be a run on 1st, 2nd pass on 3rd and punt team. I want to see Dallas mix things up between run and pass I'm not interested in exact numbers of run/pass but do like seeing us being fairly balanced. From what I saw this game was not about running it was about poor execution and too many mistakes. Pack were beating us up front on the passing plays as well as the running plays. I know it was pointed out the avg per carry thing is that avg consisted of the 1st couple of runs after that we were not getting much at all on the ground when we did run.