Establishing the Run

[Hostile]

It hasn't been easy this season. Part of it undoubtedly is the youth and lack of cohesion on the OL. Part of it is the weapons we have for receiving the football and our HC's love of the air attack. Part of it is the unsettled RB position and whether Felix Jones is a primary RB or a complimentary RB.

An unrecognized part of it is the Run Defenses we have faced too. Currently the Jets are #9 against the run allowing only 88 yards per game. The 49ers are #1 allowing only 54.5 yards per game.

Now without a doubt our inept 64 and 45 yard efforts have contributed to their success. That is undeniable. As of right now, this team is 31st in rushing yardage, leading only Seattle. We are dead last in yards per carry at 2.3 per effort.

Not good enough.

Monday it does not get any easier. Washington is #8 in the NFL against the run, allowing only 84 yards per game. If we reach their average we exceed ours. How sad is that?

More than at any time this season we need to do exactly that I think. It is the best way I can think of to keep Orackpo and Company off of Tony Romo.

I think we need our FB to step up, and we need one of the RBs, I assume it might be Choice if Felix is a no go with his shoulder, to step up and make the Defense pay.

I don't want us to do what the 49ers did and bring in 7 O-Linemen, but I would like to see us run some sweeps and some traps both. If it isn't working we can always go back to Air Garrett. We know it works. We have to make sure the run does too.

 

[juck]

Zone blocking a bit. These Olinemen are mobile.

 

[ZeroClub]

An effective running game would be great.

However, given the current state of the OL and RBs, it is difficult to be optimistic that the running game is going to improve much any time soon. ... obviously the Cowboys have gotta keep on trying to run it from time to time, if only to help sell play action passes.

My hope is that the team gets its screens and quick, short passing game working (dink and dunk). I think there's a much better chance of getting these working effectively (as opposed to the running game).

 

[CCBoy]

It might be a good week to go strong double and triple tight end, with a fullback. Then use some play action...as Holley showed some old bites on the running game can create long plays for Dallas too.

I'm definitely in favor of pounding the Commander defense, and with some good doses of both Murray and Tanner. I think they are primed for this very mission right now.

 

[juck]

UIts not just the oline either. Our Rbs arent very good as purely running thru tackles and finding holes. Choice may be the best at it. I wouldnt mind seeing tanner. What would it hurt?

 

[Nav22]

I'll be honest - I don't care about establishing the run. Not in today's NFL and not when we have a QB that is among the elite in a pass-happy league.

I don't know the exact statistics, but I've read from a few sources that in today's NFL there is no correlation between a successful run game and winning football games. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be awesome to have confidence that a run play on 3rd and 1 will move the chains. But if we start the Commanders game passing on 8 straight plays, I won't mind that we didn't "establish" the run.

We don't need Romo to go playaction a ton. And bad players bite on playaction regardless of how successful or unsuccessful your run game has been that day. See Romo to Holley.

 

[adbutcher]

Hos, where do we rank in terms of run attempts? To run the ball we have to have a commitment to it and not give up on it after a few negative runs.

I am not sure Garrett even is emphasizing the run in his game planning. When I look around the league their is a lot of teams who are imbalance towards the pass. The problem is our attempts has been paltry at best. I think it will get better as the season progresses, it just take a good game to catapult us towards the middle of the pack.

I think Red and the league in general is de-emphasizing the run.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

An effective running game would be great.

However, given the current state of the OL and RBs, it is difficult to be optimistic that the running game is going to improve much any time soon. ... obviously the Cowboys have gotta keep on trying to run it from time to time, if only to help sell play action passes.

My hope is that the team gets its screens and quick, short passing game working (dink and dunk). I think there's a much better chance of getting these working effectively (as opposed to the running game).

Felix is a very good RB and we still have Choice and Murray so im not sure what you think the "state of the RB's" is.. but we have the OL to be able to run block effectively, you just have to vary the playcalling a bit. Im really not happy with what i've seen from JG so far in that area.

 

[Hostile]

Hos, where do we rank in terms of run attempts? To run the ball we have to have a commitment to it and not give up on it after a few negative runs.

I am not sure Garrett even is emphasizing the run in his game planning. When I look around the league their is a lot of teams who are imbalance towards the pass. The problem is our attempts has been paltry at best. I think it will get better as the season progresses, it just take a good game to catapult us towards the middle of the pack.

I think Red and the league in general is de-emphasizing the run.

17th most attempts with 48. That's 24 per game.

 

[lcharles]

Get Demarco Murray more involved. And also let Tanner have a shot. So far Choice has shown nothing.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

Get Demarco Murray more involved. And also let Tanner have a shot. So far Choice has shown nothing.

Im all for this as well.

 

[adbutcher]

17th most attempts with 48. That's 24 per game.

It is still early but I still like Red's approach. The OL needs some seasoning so when called upon they can take over a game when the passing is not working, which is typically during the latter part of the season.

 

[zrinkill]

Im all for this as well.

Me too

 

[CCBoy]

I'll be honest - I don't care about establishing the run. Not in today's NFL and not when we have a QB that is among the elite in a pass-happy league.

I don't know the exact statistics, but I've read from a few sources that in today's NFL there is no correlation between a successful run game and winning football games. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be awesome to have confidence that a run play on 3rd and 1 will move the chains. But if we start the Commanders game passing on 8 straight plays, I won't mind that we didn't "establish" the run.

We don't need Romo to go playaction a ton. And bad players bite on playaction regardless of how successful or unsuccessful your run game has been that day. See Romo to Holley.

With only POSSIBLY a single #1 receiver going to show for the game, Dez Bryant...you really think a lot of triple receiver sets are going to be shown by Jason Garrett?

 

[jblaze2004]

It might be a good week to go strong double and triple tight end, with a fullback. Then use some play action...as Holley showed some old bites on the running game can create long plays for Dallas too.

I'm definitely in favor of pounding the Commander defense, and with some good doses of both Murray and Tanner. I think they are primed for this very mission right now.

this....

That was one of the first times i seen us run a proper play action pass that lead to a big play.

Goes to show you if you run more than you can hopefully slow down the pass rush and that then opens your playbook up.



I would love for garrett to use some no huddle offense too. Keeps the defense winded and off balanced.

 

[followthestar]

The biggest factor I've seen since JG took over the offense is his prediliction for the passing game. The lack of draw- and screen-type plays called is curious also, and we SHOULD be good at it. In summing it up though, he may just be keeping it vanilla until he has a better grasp of what the young OL is made of. I don't think its that we can't run, I think its that we don't want to or need to, and that's a reflection of how JG approaches the game. He was a QB after all...

 

[Aven8]

Get Demarco Murray more involved. And also let Tanner have a shot. So far Choice has shown nothing.

:signmast: This

 

[Zimmy Lives]

A running game is important if only to keep the offense unpredictable. I think the number of runs per game is more important than YPC.

As someone else already mentioned, a very good QB (see P. Manning, Brady, Rivers, etc.) can utilize whatever receiver is on the field. I think Romo is a very good QB and he will make the most of what he has available.

Of course, if Romo goes down then it's curtains which is why it's important to at least attempt to run the football. The defense has to be kept guessing.

 

[CATCH17]

Zone blocking a bit. These Olinemen are mobile.

We saw a bit of this in the pre-season.

I can't imagine having Demarco Murray and not trying to get him out on the edge. That was his strength in college.

 

[jobberone]

There just isn't a dominating run team in the NFL now. And with people throwing for 500 yds a game I'm not certain that's the way to play anymore.

However, you still need to be able to take control of a game at times and convert short yardage. I cringe when I see us on the one yard line and Romo is in the shotgun.

I worry when we need to control the clock and can't run the ball well.

Running still matters a lot just not what it once was.