Fix this and things get better

[kskboys]

Hell ya,, this game is still football,, RBs still matter, more than ever even.
KC was in a position to take a luxury pick in CEH..
RBs are still as viable and important as WRs in this league, and no team in this league doesnt understand that, just the uneducated that believe you can load up on WRs and ignore having talent at RB..

The sad part is that it's been proven beyond any doubt that the running game is extremely valuable, but they ignore the evidence and still insist on the running game being worthless.

 

[kskboys]

I suggest that Dallas score on every possession, then I guarantee we keep it close.

That's what we already do!!!!

 

[G2]

It's the defense, plain and simple.

Besides the general fact that the linebackers and secondary are par at best, they are cursed against catching INT's. Passes literally hit them in the hands and they find ways to drop them.
Over and over and over.

 

[12+88=7]

Hard to believe, our Cowboys have played 180 minutes of football in 3 games, yet have only had the lead for 13 of those 180 minutes. This has a big influence on how you are able to play.

For everyone criticizing the playcalling and not running the ball enough, it’s pretty hard to use the ground game effectively when you’re down 2-3 scores in the second half of games. And the passing game has actually been very good, enabling us to come back to take the lead in both the Atl and Sea games. In fact, the Cowboys had TD drives of 94 and 89 yards against Sea in the second half.

So here’s the fix-

• Score first- or at least don’t fall two scores behind in the first qtr.
• Win the turnover battle.

Sure it’s easier said than done, but for everyone mad at the playcalling, again it’s hard to assert your running game when you’re down two scores in the second half.

The first 15 minutes of Sunday’s game with Cle will determine a lot of how this team will be able to put its best foot forward. Falling behind two scores always cuts your game plan in half.

If you breakdown the first three games,

In the LA game the defense got gashed early with the different motions and movement from the LA offense. Dallas was able to adjust and basically shut them down the rest of the game. Too bad the offense came up short at the end. Should have been a win.

Against Atlanta the offense committed 4 turnovers in the 1st quarter which resulted in 20 points off turnovers. The special teams kicked in a failed 4th down for another 3 points for 23 points off turnover in total. Dallas was lucky on the onside kick. Should have been a loss.

Against Seattle Dallas started out slow again, but were going to go into halftime leading. But an interception lead to a TD. Then on the first play of the 2nd half Prescott fumbled leading to another TD. In less than 1 minute of game time the offense made TWO major turnovers which swung the game to Seattle. Those two turnovers and a safety added to 16 points off turnovers. Add two missed extra points and Dallas having to go for two points because of these misses the result was actually 3 points missed. All this would've resulted in Dallas attempting a FG at the end instead of having to score a TD. All in all I thought Dallas would lose this game.

As you can see even though the offense has moved the ball and scored points, but they have cupability in all three games. Blame the defense if you wish, but don't absolve the offense from any blame.

The net result is Dallas is 1-2 with three home games coming up versus Cleveland, New York, and Arizona. Hopefully Dallas will enjoy some home cooking and come out of this 4-2.

 

[Doomsday101]

And it's not always a bad call, Zeke dropped an easy screen pass where he had a wide open field to run, but you gotta catch the ball before you can run it. Zeke's usually pretty good at receiving, maybe he took his eyes off the ball or got too excited when he saw all the open field! The slip in the end zone is a freak thing, if he'd not slipped very doubtful the safety would have happened.

Just one of those things, maybe they got it all out of their system...

I agree, Zeke was looking upfield before he was securing the ball, that is basic football they teach at an early age, look the ball in before looking upfield. He normally is good at it but not this past game. I will just say overall I am fairly pleased with offense. This past game Dallas had 3 possession from inside the 10 and yet marched down the field and scored. What we need is this defense to play at a decent level, they don't need to be the 85 Bears they just need to play better than they are and start getting some turnovers to help out the offense. This offense can score, you start forcing some turnovers we can start building leads

 

[LACowboysFan1]

I agree, Zeke was looking upfield before he was securing the ball, that is basic football they teach at an early age, look the ball in before looking upfield. He normally is good at it but not this past game. I will just say overall I am fairly pleased with offense. This past game Dallas had 3 possession from inside the 10 and yet marched down the field and scored. What we need is this defense to play at a decent level, they don't need to be the 85 Bears they just need to play better than they are and start getting some turnovers to help out the offense. This offense can score, you start forcing some turnovers we can start building leads

What's encouraging is that the defense has had chances at ints, they just dropped them, seems like last year the chances weren't there. One int could have made a huge difference in the Seattle game, I think they will come eventually...

 

[Doomsday101]

What's encouraging is that the defense has had chances at ints, they just dropped them, seems like last year the chances weren't there. One int could have made a huge difference in the Seattle game, I think they will come eventually...

I agree. Secondary looked a bit better in the 2nd half as they did in the alt game but just played so poorly in the 1st half of both games. I see some positives but not enough, this unit has to get things going for 4 full qrts. That falls to Nolan and his staff and players using their free time to put in work going over film be it at the facility or at home but these break downs need to be corrected.

 

[Stash]

Hard to believe, our Cowboys have played 180 minutes of football in 3 games, yet have only had the lead for 13 of those 180 minutes. This has a big influence on how you are able to play.

For everyone criticizing the playcalling and not running the ball enough, it’s pretty hard to use the ground game effectively when you’re down 2-3 scores in the second half of games. And the passing game has actually been very good, enabling us to come back to take the lead in both the Atl and Sea games. In fact, the Cowboys had TD drives of 94 and 89 yards against Sea in the second half.

So here’s the fix-

• Score first- or at least don’t fall two scores behind in the first qtr.
• Win the turnover battle.

Sure it’s easier said than done, but for everyone mad at the playcalling, again it’s hard to assert your running game when you’re down two scores in the second half.

The first 15 minutes of Sunday’s game with Cle will determine a lot of how this team will be able to put its best foot forward. Falling behind two scores always cuts your game plan in half.

Based on his statements before the start if the season, that's exactly what McCarthy had been hoping and planning to do. But, as you said, you have to seize control early to dictate anything and we haven't been able to do that yet.

If we can, I think future games will then 'snowball' into huge wins, where the run game and defensive pass rush compliment the passing game.

 

[VACowboy]

Grind the ball. MM and or Moore abandoned the run last week. He said he wanted to score as fast and often as they could. Sounds great if you stop the other team and pull out to a big lead. But we need to establish and keep them honest. We can run out of passing formations. Elliot had a bad game. Well actually so did Pollard, but we have to keep pumping it. Would have been nice last week when we got a lead if we could have started wearing them out with running down there throats. Our O-Line isn’t what it had been, but we can still run with a power back.

I couldn't disagree more. We were averaging under three yards a carry. And you're right. The OL isn't the dominating force it used to be. Running the ball more would just have meant our power back slamming into the Seattle D, third and long and three and out. We were not going to keep up with Seattle on the scoreboard by running the ball.

Even if you assume that we'd have made multiple 90-yard drives with run-heavy play-calling the defense wasn't going to stop Seattle. So we hold the ball longer. So Seattle gets fewer possessions. That just means we get fewer possessions too and lose 27-20 instead of 38-31.

As long as the defense is terrible I think the team's choices are to play ground and pound to hide the defense or turn the offense loose to score more than the defense gives up. The Cowboys spent the last decade being a "running team," playing ball-control offense, and I'm more than ready to see the Cowboys leave conservative Jason Garrett-style football behind and try something else.

That hasn't translated into more W's so far but we're three games into a year with a new HC who had no offseason with his team. I think the team will learn the new schemes and get better as they play, but I also think that as long as the defense is giving up yards, the special teams is making tons of mistakes and opposing offenses are punting from the 50 when they aren't scoring, the Cowboys are going to continue facing long fields, and I think that's a big reason the Dallas O is racking up yards but not the points to match.

 

[gjkoeppen]

Hard to believe, our Cowboys have played 180 minutes of football in 3 games, yet have only had the lead for 13 of those 180 minutes. This has a big influence on how you are able to play.

For everyone criticizing the playcalling and not running the ball enough, it’s pretty hard to use the ground game effectively when you’re down 2-3 scores in the second half of games. And the passing game has actually been very good, enabling us to come back to take the lead in both the Atl and Sea games. In fact, the Cowboys had TD drives of 94 and 89 yards against Sea in the second half.

So here’s the fix-

• Score first- or at least don’t fall two scores behind in the first qtr.
• Win the turnover battle.

Sure it’s easier said than done, but for everyone mad at the playcalling, again it’s hard to assert your running game when you’re down two scores in the second half.

The first 15 minutes of Sunday’s game with Cle will determine a lot of how this team will be able to put its best foot forward. Falling behind two scores always cuts your game plan in half.

What you said has a lot of truth in it but the Cowboys weren't losing and the first Elliott run was for 8 yards but his next 3 were no gain, loss a yard and no gain. The point is the Cowboys run game can't always be relied upon even when the Cowboys aren't losing.
.
.

 

[CouchCoach]

3 games in and we still don't know how McC would coach with a lead. I'd like to know that.

He's a lucky man because offensively he has a team built to play with the lead or play catch up. He doesn't have the defense to prevent the opposition from taking charge from the beginning and forcing him into a tactical situation.

I think we got a glimpse of his strategy in LA but the last two games, it's been all tactics and he's been coaching under fire from the get go. I do not think in the game plan objectives in the last two games he had "have the QB average 52 attempts". Only Mike Leach has that as an objective.

 

[CouchCoach]

I'd like to see them run the ball more but there are two problems with that.

One, it's a Welcome Wagon OL whereas the strength of the team used to be the OL, it is now the weakness.

Two, the DC's prefer to put the Cowboys in a passing situation because in the last two games, it's been 104 attempts with only 4 TD passes and they'll take a 1 for 26 ratio all day. In his defense, the QB has rushed for TDs so it is not all on him.

The Cowboys have yet to dictate terms to the opposition, the way they have to play is being directed by the other team. They must begin to use their strategy and not be tactics reliant.

So far, the Dallas Cowboys are a counter puncher and the issue is they may have to continue to be that because of their defense. They cannot rely on this defense if they do get in the lead.

And let's be fair, this is an offensively built team. How could any team built that way overcome losing their best 2 LB's and CB's? Take that off any D and watch them play.

 

[817Gill]

+1.......best way to hide a leaking defense is on the sideline and keep it fresh. Never been one to criticize coaches game plan but I didn't understand the logic of getting into a shoot out with Russell Wilson. Especially with our D......

Not necessarily saying I agree with the strategy, but I at least can see the reasoning.

1. We knew Russell would score and that our defense was not ready to contain him.
2. Seattle has a good run defense and was loading the box all game. Mike knows they would make Elliott the focal point because the normal plan would be establish the rush against Russ.
3. We can pass the ball and score points, especially against a bottom rate pass defense like Seattle. This is also Mike’s bread and butter, pass offense.

McCarthy was probably thinking, let’s try to go out swinging instead of trying to run head first into a dominant rush D. Shoot the strategy might have just worked if it wasn’t for turnovers and usual undisciplined play on both sides. Game was definitely winnable.

 

[TwentyOne]

Hard to believe, our Cowboys have played 180 minutes of football in 3 games, yet have only had the lead for 13 of those 180 minutes. This has a big influence on how you are able to play.

For everyone criticizing the playcalling and not running the ball enough, it’s pretty hard to use the ground game effectively when you’re down 2-3 scores in the second half of games. And the passing game has actually been very good, enabling us to come back to take the lead in both the Atl and Sea games. In fact, the Cowboys had TD drives of 94 and 89 yards against Sea in the second half.

So here’s the fix-

• Score first- or at least don’t fall two scores behind in the first qtr.
• Win the turnover battle.

Sure it’s easier said than done, but for everyone mad at the playcalling, again it’s hard to assert your running game when you’re down two scores in the second half.

The first 15 minutes of Sunday’s game with Cle will determine a lot of how this team will be able to put its best foot forward. Falling behind two scores always cuts your game plan in half.

Teams focus on zeke first and let dak try to beat them. He cant. That was our biggest problem last year and it is again this year.

Sure the defense doesnt look good. But lets be honest. They held their own against atlanta were it was the offenses fault for the early big lead by the falcons. And against seattle it was again the offense that gave away 3 ball positions in bad field positions.

We played a very offensive gameplan against seattle. And look what happend. Errors dont come by accident. In sports players usually make more errors when the opponent is better than they are and so force them to play at 100% all the time.

Thats the case with Prescott right now. And of course its the same with our OL and the whole defense.

This is a not a good and not even an average team. You can find ideas how it should go so we could win. But believe me, try something else and the oposing team still will win. Just because we are bot good enough.

Or do you have the feeling this team would have won if we were lets say 14-0 leading in the first quater ? I dont. I would have the feeling: they will give that lead away.

Same with the last drive by prescott. Do you have the feeling ok we got this? No,i dont. I had the feeling we gonna lose this game when we kicked the FG and left enough time on the clock to let wilson drive down the field. Because i know he can do this on aregular basis. I dont have that with prescott.

You usually have that feeling when you know what to expect from a player or team. Because you whatched him for a long timeand know what he is able to do on a constant basis.

 

[glimmerman]

I couldn't disagree more. We were averaging under three yards a carry. And you're right. The OL isn't the dominating force it used to be. Running the ball more would just have meant our power back slamming into the Seattle D, third and long and three and out. We were not going to keep up with Seattle on the scoreboard by running the ball.

Even if you assume that we'd have made multiple 90-yard drives with run-heavy play-calling the defense wasn't going to stop Seattle. So we hold the ball longer. So Seattle gets fewer possessions. That just means we get fewer possessions too and lose 27-20 instead of 38-31.

As long as the defense is terrible I think the team's choices are to play ground and pound to hide the defense or turn the offense loose to score more than the defense gives up. The Cowboys spent the last decade being a "running team," playing ball-control offense, and I'm more than ready to see the Cowboys leave conservative Jason Garrett-style football behind and try something else.

That hasn't translated into more W's so far but we're three games into a year with a new HC who had no offseason with his team. I think the team will learn the new schemes and get better as they play, but I also think that as long as the defense is giving up yards, the special teams is making tons of mistakes and opposing offenses are punting from the 50 when they aren't scoring, the Cowboys are going to continue facing long fields, and I think that's a big reason the Dallas O is racking up yards but not the points to match.

We had the number 1 Offense last year and went 8-8. And that was airing it out with Dak over 5000 yards passing. This year is on course for over 6000. All I am saying is keep Elliot rolling so that we can run it late in games. We need the option. Either way that can translate to a win works for me. But at the end of games teams know we are passing the ball. Being able to run gives us a different option. I see is getting rid of Elliot as a few years go by. The league is going to passing it. Had been for years. I just like being able to run that rock and seeing him get 5 per carry. But until this O-Line gets healthy it will be airing it out and the occasional pick. But crap man we are having games that our ST is screwing up and RB is fumbling.

 

[Jake]

Same as last season.....hence the 8-8
Here you go Colin pretty much makes the same case...

I'm always fascinated how defense and special teams are never part of the equation. Score 10 points, Dak's fault, score 31 points, Dak's fault...7 years ago...score 48 points, Romo's fault.

Every loss is the QB's fault, no matter how it happens. Some of you boys are either lazy, agenda-driven, don't really understand football, or all of the above.

 

[glimmerman]

Glim I hear you, but with so many OL injuries, I don’t think it’s that easy. Sea stuffed the run game last week. When you’re down 2 scores it’s hard to grind it out.

We have to keep teams in check. They know who he is and if they take it lightly they will be chasing him down. Keep them watching for it. That’s why our play action is so good. We don’t use that as much as we should either. Just saying.. lol.

 

[glimmerman]

That could easily be the case.

When Jerry first ran Jimmy off, I couldn't really believe what I was seeing. For years, I really didn't believe Jerry could be that bad. And now, man I tell ya, if you don't believe he's a terrible GM, you're either having brain issues or are in some sort of weird denial.

He is trying to let people run the show now. But if we keep losing it’s only a matter of time before he sticks his head in it again.

 

[sunalsorises]

Yeah those 6-0 leads when you owned TOP and dominated the first half were amazing when the other team would run the two minute offense right before the half and lead 7-6.............

Don't forget and get the ball back to start the second half and add 7 more.

 

[sunalsorises]

huh?

Garrett teams were kings of slow first halves.

I felt like the part of the game Garrett could script usually went OK. Dallas usually started with the ball, had a 7-minute drive, kicked a field goal (once in a while scored a TD) and then did nothing for the rest of the half.