Garrett Addresses Clock Management On Final Scoring Drive vs. Packers

[Tabascocat]

#1 priority - score a TD
#2 priority - make them use their last timeout

You have to focus on the above two and only those. The down and distance dictated a run there from Zeke or Dak. If a pass had to be thrown, then a screen or something with a high probability of not stopping the clock.

The worst possible play there would be the fade or any pass into the endzone. This was not 3rd and goal or 3rd with the marker at the one here.

The situational awareness of our coaches is astounding and it is something that keeps coming up. Dallas should have learned this from the playoff game, fool me once...........

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

#1 priority - score a TD
#2 priority - make them use their last timeout

You have to focus on the above two and only those. The down and distance dictated a run there from Zeke or Dak. If a pass had to be thrown, then a screen or something with a high probability of not stopping the clock.

The worst possible play there would be the fade or any pass into the endzone. This was not 3rd and goal or 3rd with the marker at the one here.

The situational awareness of our coaches is astounding and it is something that keeps coming up. Dallas should have learned this from the playoff game, fool me once...........

I'm sure we'll see it again later on in the year. Our coaches never learn from their mistakes.

 

[aria]

I mentioned that Dak could have went down at the one. In hindsight would have been masterful play if he did, but I am not throwing Dak under the bus for scoring. Just understand a pass play is not the right call in this situation. It wasn't even the right pass play to call where your chances of completing it is minimal and risky. Throw a slant or something safer if you are going to throw it.

I understand a pass play isn't ideal but we I still think it's wrong to place this all on JG. I don't care who is qb'ing or how bad the defense is, no team should be able to move down the field that fast. To me, in order, that's on

1) Jerry and the front office
2) Marinelli
3) Garrett

 

[aria]

10 yard line, two time outs, one minute left is more than enough time to score a TD. To try to argue otherwise is just trying to muddy up the waters with all these bizarre scenarios that lets' Garrett/Linehan off the hook there.

Yes, my issue is with the 2nd down play call. I don't have an issue with scoring at that point as long as the play call was smart taking into account the various variables at play. So if on 2nd and 2, they hand it to Elliott and he scores, that's most likely, in a bizarre way, a bad break because you've left a ton of time on the clock for Rodgers.

But when you call a pass play that has a high percentage of falling incomplete, that's a boneheaded call in that situation when you have a QB on the other sideline who you've seen shred you late in games and that the play in question has the highest probability of not working out in your favor.

This entire thread, and many others, are nothing but muddying the waters.

 

[Diehardblues]

It's not the only reason we lost.

But it was clearly a factor. And no, we could have ran more time off the clock if we didn't opt for a stupid, low percentage pass that has a high probability of being incomplete.

Maybe a factor.

If we don't convert on 3rd down , they use their last time out to set up a potential game ending 4th down play and why the priority is to score above all else in that situation.

 

[MiddleStar]

"Too cute" was thinking you could score and then stop Aaron Rodgers and the offense you hadn't stopped the entire second half. This defense creates zero turnovers and always play soft zone even when a FG could tie or beat you. It was a terrible decision to leave such an important game in the hands of your pathetic defense.

That is the other aspect of the drive that isn't getting discussed. Even when we scored, we either kicked the XP to go up by 3 or go for 2 and be up 4. The smart thing to do was to kick the XP, which we did. But all that did was allow GB to kick a FG to tie us. Did you really want to go to OT at that point? Even more reason to milk the clock as long as you can. With 30 seconds left and only needing a FG to tie, I would still take AR in that situation against almost any team.

I am not blaming Dak for not kneeling. I can see why he would do it, but the coaches need to tell him to NOT score. Kneeling is counter intuitive for a player, it is up to the coaches to explain it to him.

 

[Chuck 54]

Let's say we ran on second down, GB called timeout, then we ran on 2nd down and Dak gave the ball to Zeke to keep the clock running, then we got stopped and never scored. I wonder if all the fans crying about the pass on 2nd down (trying to get a TD) and crying about Dak should have gone down at the 1 because of #12 on the other side....I wonder how many disappointed fans espousing these scenarios would have come on here and said, "It's disapointing to lose the game down there inside the 10 after a 9 minute drive, but at least Garrett finally showed he knows what he's doing with clock management."

Not a damn one, that's how many. Blaming the head coach and clock management, whether you liked the call on 2nd down or not, is absolutely stupid. You have a 3 point lead, which means the other team will never go for it on 3rd down on your side of the 50, yet you let them score a TD in less than a minute. That is 100% on the defensive coordinator, but mostly on the players who missed tackles on the running back and let him get out of bounds, the DE's and LBs who allowed Rodgers to get out of the pocket when he had no one open and run for a first down into TD territory, again getting out of bounds, and a secondary that couldn't get the job done with the game on the line.

 

[CCBoy]

exas – Did the Cowboys leave too much time for Aaron Rodgers in the final minute and change Sunday?

The answer, clearly, was yes after Rodgers drove the Packers 75 yards in 1:02 for the deciding touchdown in a stunning 35-31 comeback win at AT&T Stadium.

Monday, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett emphasized the offense did its best to play keep-away from Green Bay’s star quarterback on its final scoring drive of the game, but not above the top priority: erasing a four-point deficit.

“The objective in the situation is to score a touchdown first,” Garrett said, “and you try to bleed as much time off the clock as you can in that process.”

Quarterback Dak Prescott executed an 11-yard zone-read run for a touchdown with 1:13 remaining to put the Cowboys ahead, 31-28. The score capped a 17-play drive that ate 8:43 off the clock.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2...ock-management-final-scoring-drive-vs-packers

Hint: tell Garrett that if it's too hot in the kitchen...get out. If one needs to protect away from an opponent, you aren't good enough to beat him, and must gamble to a real advantage. Not an abstract good feeling.

 

[MRV52]

I understand a pass play isn't ideal but we I still think it's wrong to place this all on JG. I don't care who is qb'ing or how bad the defense is, no team should be able to move down the field that fast. To me, in order, that's on

1) Jerry and the front office
2) Marinelli
3) Garrett

In the end the defense is at fault. You have to stop them or at minimal let them get only 3 so you can extend it to OT. Marinelli is not getting a pass in this game he failed.

 

[gmoney112]

Let's say we ran on second down, GB called timeout, then we ran on 2nd down and Dak gave the ball to Zeke to keep the clock running, then we got stopped and never scored. I wonder if all the fans crying about the pass on 2nd down (trying to get a TD) and crying about Dak should have gone down at the 1 because of #12 on the other side....I wonder how many disappointed fans espousing these scenarios would have come on here and said, "It's disapointing to lose the game down there inside the 10 after a 9 minute drive, but at least Garrett finally showed he knows what he's doing with clock management."

Not a damn one, that's how many. Blaming the head coach and clock management, whether you liked the call on 2nd down or not, is absolutely stupid. You have a 3 point lead, which means the other team will never go for it on 3rd down on your side of the 50, yet you let them score a TD in less than a minute. That is 100% on the defensive coordinator, but mostly on the players who missed tackles on the running back and let him get out of bounds, the DE's and LBs who allowed Rodgers to get out of the pocket when he had no one open and run for a first down into TD territory, again getting out of bounds, and a secondary that couldn't get the job done with the game on the line.

Yes, because the only option other scoring only then, was to somehow magically let 1:20 off the clock while having 2 timeouts without scoring.

 

[CCBoy]

This entire thread, and many others, are nothing but muddying the waters.

No, that is called a discussion. One doesn't have to agree with everything. But don't insult a constructive process...participate beyond name calling.

 

[Sydla]

Maybe a factor.

If we don't convert on 3rd down , they use their last time out to set up a potential game ending 4th down play and why the priority is to score above all else in that situation.

This "priority" to score argument some of you are losing loses it's luster when you realize the play call in play isn't exactly a high percentage play. In fact, if the priority is you absolutely have to score there, it would seem to me that calling one of the lower probability pass plays wouldn't fit into that line of thinking.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

LOL.

Yes, the coaches failed in giving their young QB a play that allows him to opt into a fade pattern.

My god, the lengths you will go to in order to not have to question the coaching staff.

I just blame Maranelli in that post...is he not part of the coaching staff lol

 

[Diehardblues]

This "priority" to score argument some of you are losing loses it's luster when you realize the play call in play isn't exactly a high percentage play. In fact, if the priority is you absolutely have to score there, it would seem to me that calling one of the lower probability pass plays wouldn't fit into that line of thinking.

I'm not arguing it was a high percentage play.

 

[cowboyblue22]

And what if you don't scare? Garrett is a moron would be all over this site.

its pretty much all over this site and all over the national media sites anyway no way you leave Rodgers that much time or you wll get the results they got just like the playoff game garrett is out of his league he is a college coach or high school coach

 

[CCBoy]

I just blame Maranelli in that post...is he not part of the coaching staff lol

When it comes to tackling, it's not a matter of discerning alternatives...BUT CENTER OF MASS!

 

[Sydla]

Let's say we ran on second down, GB called timeout, then we ran on 2nd down and Dak gave the ball to Zeke to keep the clock running, then we got stopped and never scored. I wonder if all the fans crying about the pass on 2nd down (trying to get a TD) and crying about Dak should have gone down at the 1 because of #12 on the other side....I wonder how many disappointed fans espousing these scenarios would have come on here and said, "It's disapointing to lose the game down there inside the 10 after a 9 minute drive, but at least Garrett finally showed he knows what he's doing with clock management."

Not a damn one, that's how many. Blaming the head coach and clock management, whether you liked the call on 2nd down or not, is absolutely stupid. You have a 3 point lead, which means the other team will never go for it on 3rd down on your side of the 50, yet you let them score a TD in less than a minute. That is 100% on the defensive coordinator, but mostly on the players who missed tackles on the running back and let him get out of bounds, the DE's and LBs who allowed Rodgers to get out of the pocket when he had no one open and run for a first down into TD territory, again getting out of bounds, and a secondary that couldn't get the job done with the game on the line.

First of all, anyone suggesting Dak should have fallen at the one is being silly. You can't just stop yourself from scoring an easy TD at that point.

The issue here is the fact that in that situation, while you need to score, you also need to manage the game situation. They did a horrendous job of that by opting on 2nd down into one of the least successful pass plays historically.

I am really surprised people can't see this.

 

[aria]

In the end the defense is at fault. You have to stop them or at minimal let them get only 3 so you can extend it to OT. Marinelli is not getting a pass in this game he failed.

Agreed. One caveat, I don't like his style of defense to begin with but he has jack sheet to work with. In that sense I almost feel bad for him. Management put him in a horrible spot. The overall talent isn't even average, it's below average to sucks, there's only so much he can do.

I hate prevent but would you trust any of our secondary man to man? That's a 5 second TD waiting to happen against most teams. Probably get away with it against the 9'ers.

 

[Sydla]

I just blame Maranelli in that post...is he not part of the coaching staff lol

I should have been more specific....... the offensive coaching staff which includes Garrett.

 

[Diehardblues]

First of all, anyone suggesting Dak should have fallen at the one is being silly. You can't just stop yourself from scoring an easy TD at that point.

The issue here is the fact that in that situation, while you need to score, you also need to manage the game situation. They did a horrendous job of that by opting on 2nd down into one of the least successful pass plays historically.

I am really surprised people can't see this.

No doubt managing the clock is an important ingredient and I'd say with a drive consuming over 8 minutes did an excellent job in the situation but scoring is the priority. Without the score everything else is irrelevant.