CFZ Has the front office done enough to fix run game?

[Cowboyny]

Big difference between Tyron and Tyler coming out. Tyron's biggest issues as a prospect were his play weight 285 at USC, and the fact that he only played RT at USC. Which didnt really matter since he was going to start his career here at RT.

Tyron wasnt raw as a blocker. I don't remember anything about his foot work being messy. But I remember that played like one of the top RT's from his first game here. I dont really see them as comparable prospects

I have a slight photographic memory, was better when I was younger, here is a few quotes I found online about Tyron and his poor footwork entering the league:

It's become a staple of the Dallas Cowboys' training camp. Long after his teammates have retreated to the locker room, first-round draft pick Tyron Smith remains on the field working on his footwork with veteran offensive line coach Hudson Houck.

On this day, Houck was working on a simple but important correction that involves the way that Smith kicks away from the line in pass protection and the placement of his feet -- mainly his left foot and the positioning of it when he gets into the engaging area of the defender. The correction that Houck was making is that Smith tends to slide his left toe out and roll on his heel, which throws his positioning off. Houck wants him to keep his foot straight as he slides back so he is better able to adjust on the rusher, thus putting him in a better position to engage and complete the block.

 

[Cowboyny]

They desperately needed some fresh legs at RB and didn't get them, which doesn't really matter because 21 wouldnt be benched anyway.....

Neither will the $11 million TE who habitually whiffs on run blocks

If the question is if drafting a rookie guard is enough to improve the run game, my answer is....maybe, but doesn't much matter because it's clear to me that they still want to feature Prescott as a passer.

My hope for this year revolves around the defense taking another step forward because I'm very worried about the offense.

Everything I heard this offseason was about fixing the trenches, running the ball and stopping it. I don't think fresh legs was the issue last season for either back, they both were playing hurt. As for Shultz, with the addition of Ferguson they can play more double TE's and allow Shultz to be more of a receiver then a blocker.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Everything I heard this offseason was about fixing the trenches, running the ball and stopping it. I don't think fresh legs was the issue last season for either back, they both were playing hurt. As for Shultz, with the addition of Ferguson they can play more double TE's and allow Shultz to be more of a receiver then a blocker.

I agree as long as they dont try to feed Zeke 20+ times a game. I think its time to admit he cant handle that over a full season.

 

[DanA]

I think we'll see a different run game this season.

Last season I felt like we had limited success with inside zone runs because the CW/TB combination at LG/OC lacked the ability to move people, it meant holes for inside zone runs only ever really opened up behind Zack Martin, and that made things predictable. It got worse once Zeke hurt his PCL and wasn't able to get the same yard after contact. We did look a whole lot better on stretch zone and power scheme runs because we could put CW into backside blocks where his movement, feet and position are more important. I think that's why Pollard was so successful in comparison to Zeke.

This season I think it will be different. IMO we will now have runs behind Tyler and Tyron Smith as a real threat on inside zone runs and Zeke will be able to use his vision and short area quickness to get to the right hole. It's going to help us sell play action and we should convert more of the short-yardage and goal line plays that we were struggling with in the 2021 season. On the flipside I don't think Tyler Smith will be as effective as Connor Williams reach blocking and getting outside his man on backside blocks. He's a pretty good athlete but Connor Williams had great technique that will take Tyler Smith a bit of time.

 

[kskboys]

On D, comes down to Ridgeway. Yes, he was a noted run stopper. However, he has a bad habit of rising at the snap. This gives the leverage to the OL. If he can stay low, he could be the answer.

 

[john van brocklin]

We all witnessed how the run game disappeared in the 2nd half of the season. Teams started to used extra men in coverage and dared the Cowboys to beat them on the ground against light boxes, which they couldn't do. Without a run game and balanced attack, our offense went from being elite to being more of a middle of the pack threat.

There are many things we can point to, Zeke playing hurt and the coaches refusing to sit him down. Reshuffling the OL due to injuries, especially to Tyron Smith. League high penalties committed, Dak not fully healthy and refusal of taking off due to it. Moore playcalling was also a big part of the problem.

In my opinion, fixing the ground attack and becoming more balance was the team's #1 offseason priority. Question is, have they done enough to fix this weakness?

-Both Zeke/Pollard should be more healthy this season. Zeke has been one of the most durable backs since he was drafted. He may not be a homerun back no longer, but still should have plenty of juice to hurt teams on the ground.

-The draft additions of both Tyler Smith and Jake Ferguson were made to help the run game out. Smith is a legitimate power guard who has the ability to move players in the run game and is athletic enough to reach block on the move. The hope with Ferguson is that he is a better inline blocker then Shultz was last season, which will allow more 12 personnel and Shultz to play more to his strengths as a pass catcher.

-Is Terrence Steele a downgrade over Collins at RT? What we do know is that the team was undefeated when he filled in for Collins due to the suspension. Our run game was at it's peak during that stretch.

-What about the penalties? Tyler Smith was a penalty machine on the college level. The hope is that his move from Tackle inside he will do less reaching in space. He needs to work on better hand placement, but his character suggests he won't be mentally weak like Connor Williams. Him next to Biaz, should help alleviate the lack of strength with our center position.

-Tyron's Smith health. To the team's credit they have drafted tackles in back to back years to develop for the future. Question is, will one of them be ready to spot start when Tyron goes down again. Think the wise decision would be find a stop gap, bridge veteran swing tackle.

-Will MM have more influence with the playcalling this season? Reportedly he is going to get more involved. They must do a better job with what type of runs they call and sticking with it.

The answer is a resounding NNNOOO !!!
They lose 2 starters off their Oline and draft a project Olineman in the 1st round.
They sign no Olinemen in free agency.
They get a Major FAIL.
I don't understand their inaction.
The planets are gonna have to align for even a chance at success:
1.The first rounder can start day one and play well.
2. Steele can be a quality right tackle.
3. Smith will miss no games. Something he has not done in several seasons.
4. No other Olinemen will get injured or miss games.
We have zero quality reserves at this time if they do.
So no, the broken run game probably is not fixed, or at least not fixed for the entire season
as Smith could go down at any moment.

 

[DanA]

On D, comes down to Ridgeway. Yes, he was a noted run stopper. However, he has a bad habit of rising at the snap. This gives the leverage to the OL. If he can stay low, he could be the answer.

I kind of disagree with this. I think it's down to everyone on the front seven and we should really be better across the board.

• Lawrence should play more and is a very good run defender
• Odigizuwa, Golston, and Bohanna should see second year improvements in strength and technique
• We have more depth at RDE with Armstrong, Fowler, and Williams
• Gallimore should be better if he can stay health
• LVE is a year further away from the neck injuries and seemed to get better as the season wore on
• Micah should see 2nd year improvement (in theory, but hard to imagine a player doing much better)
• Clarke if he gets on the field could be an impact player late season
• Ridgeway/Bohanna are an option to sell out against the run

There's a lot of little improvements that could/should happen to make us better overall defending the run.

 

[fivetwos]

Everything I heard this offseason was about fixing the trenches, running the ball and stopping it. I don't think fresh legs was the issue last season for either back, they both were playing hurt. As for Shultz, with the addition of Ferguson they can play more double TE's and allow Shultz to be more of a receiver then a blocker.

'They were playing hurt' is a fine reason/excuse for last year, but they are betting on it not happening again as Elliott gets older and has even more miles on him.....and Pollards injury tends to be recurring in nature.

But as I said already, they are stuck with Elliott for another year and act like that's a great thing, so he is the guy anyway.

Smith may be fine despite Philibin being his teacher, but it's not realistic to expect him to be Quinton Nelson from day one. I'm not sure that's a huge factor though, as he will likely be serviceable right away.

Overall the biggest problem is Moore, who doesn't seem to mind letting the defense know when a run is coming, just like his teacher.

I have very high hopes for the defense under Quinn, but until Jerry's fingerprints come off of the offense, namely Moore out of the building and he finally doesn't force an OC on his HC, and bringing in someone who isn't a yes man about the idea of featuring Prescotts arm.......I don't expect much.

 

[kskboys]

I kind of disagree with this. I think it's down to everyone on the front seven and we should really be better across the board.

• Lawrence should play more and is a very good run defender
• Odigizuwa, Golston, and Bohanna should see second year improvements in strength and technique
• We have more depth at RDE with Armstrong, Fowler, and Williams
• Gallimore should be better if he can stay health
• LVE is a year further away from the neck injuries and seemed to get better as the season wore on
• Micah should see 2nd year improvement (in theory, but hard to imagine a player doing much better)
• Clarke if he gets on the field could be an impact player late season
• Ridgeway/Bohanna are an option to sell out against the run

There's a lot of little improvements that could/should happen to make us better overall defending the run.

Possibly, but we won't be good against the run until we have competence at the NT position. The other parts were already there. Since you disagree, show me a good run stopping team w/o that dude in the middle.

To this point, BO has been a rotational JAG type player.

 

[kskboys]

'They were playing hurt' is a fine reason/excuse for last year, but they are betting on it not happening again as Elliott gets older and has even more miles on him.....and Pollards injury tends to be recurring in nature.

But as I said already, they are stuck with Elliott for another year and act like that's a great thing, so he is the guy anyway.

Smith may be fine despite Philibin being his teacher, but it's not realistic to expect him to be Quinton Nelson from day one. I'm not sure that's a huge factor though, as he will likely be serviceable right away.

Overall the biggest problem is Moore, who doesn't seem to mind letting the defense know when a run is coming, just like his teacher.

I have very high hopes for the defense under Quinn, but until Jerry's fingerprints come off of the offense, namely Moore out of the building and he finally doesn't force an OC on his HC, and bringing in someone who isn't a yes man about the idea of featuring Prescotts arm.......I don't expect much.

Man, and I had such high hopes for KMO.

I still think he's salvageable, but he desperately needs tutoring on how to run the ball. And if Jerry and BigM can't see this, then it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[atlantacowboy]

In order to improve the run game, I believe Jerry is paying a local church to pray over the health of Zeke.

 

[jazzcat22]

Bring back Scott Linehan over Moore...problem fixed....or at least better than what it is now....

 

[75boyz]

'They were playing hurt' is a fine reason/excuse for last year, but they are betting on it not happening again as Elliott gets older and has even more miles on him.....and Pollards injury tends to be recurring in nature.

But as I said already, they are stuck with Elliott for another year and act like that's a great thing, so he is the guy anyway.

Smith may be fine despite Philibin being his teacher, but it's not realistic to expect him to be Quinton Nelson from day one. I'm not sure that's a huge factor though, as he will likely be serviceable right away.

Overall the biggest problem is Moore, who doesn't seem to mind letting the defense know when a run is coming, just like his teacher.

I have very high hopes for the defense under Quinn, but until Jerry's fingerprints come off of the offense, namely Moore out of the building and he finally doesn't force an OC on his HC, and bringing in someone who isn't a yes man about the idea of featuring Prescotts arm.......I don't expect much.

Yep, I believe you answer a lot of the OP's original questions/concerns here.

I have a BIG left tackle concern.

I agree with your coaching staff concerns and will add that I hope Philbin can maximize left tackle QB protection out of this current depth chart.

Because Tyron will miss games. Just a matter of how many.
Ball and Tyler Smith as left tackle options can't surely be the back up plan.

Vet swing tackle still to be signed I would think.

If not, I mean...smh, lol.

 

[DanA]

Possibly, but we won't be good against the run until we have competence at the NT position. The other parts were already there. Since you disagree, show me a good run stopping team w/o that dude in the middle.

To this point, BO has been a rotational JAG type player.

I agree with that, I've wanted us to spend on a 1T for some time, I just think we'll be better this season with it driven by organic improvement mostly rather than a specific player. Bohanna was a bit of a JAG as a rookie but he surely will be a better JAG as a 2nd year player and he played something like 30% of snaps last season so had a decent sized role.

I'm not sure the 2015 Broncos had "that dude" in the middle either. Sylvester Williams was decent but I think it's fair to say that defense was driven by Ware, Miller and a fantastic backfield. Still a good team against the run though.

 

[fivetwos]

Yep, I believe you answer a lot of the OP's original questions/concerns here.

I have a BIG left tackle concern.

I agree with your coaching staff concerns and will add that I hope Philbin can maximize left tackle QB protection out of this current depth chart.

Because Tyron will miss games. Just a matter of how many.
Ball and Tyler Smith as left tackle options can't surely be the back up plan.

Vet swing tackle still to be signed I would think.

If not, I mean...smh, lol.

I agree on Tyron, but I think they did all they could do for now, as in prioritizing the LG draftee also have LT potential long term, and also drating Waletzko, who looks like a LT to me.

One of the bigger questions for me is what happens if/when Tyron misses time....do they move Steele over or use Tyler at LT?

We REALLY need to not find that out, and if we must, hopefully not early in the season.

 

[Cowboyny]

'They were playing hurt' is a fine reason/excuse for last year, but they are betting on it not happening again as Elliott gets older and has even more miles on him.....and Pollards injury tends to be recurring in nature.

But as I said already, they are stuck with Elliott for another year and act like that's a great thing, so he is the guy anyway.

Smith may be fine despite Philibin being his teacher, but it's not realistic to expect him to be Quinton Nelson from day one. I'm not sure that's a huge factor though, as he will likely be serviceable right away.

Overall the biggest problem is Moore, who doesn't seem to mind letting the defense know when a run is coming, just like his teacher.

I have very high hopes for the defense under Quinn, but until Jerry's fingerprints come off of the offense, namely Moore out of the building and he finally doesn't force an OC on his HC, and bringing in someone who isn't a yes man about the idea of featuring Prescotts arm.......I don't expect much.

You can make an argument that they could potentially be less predictable. They could have the ability to play more double TE sets, along with running the football on both sides, rather then just behind Martin.

 

[atlantacowboy]

I agree with that, I've wanted us to spend on a 1T for some time, I just think we'll be better this season with it driven by organic improvement mostly rather than a specific player. Bohanna was a bit of a JAG as a rookie but he surely will be a better JAG as a 2nd year player and he played something like 30% of snaps last season so had a decent sized role.

I'm not sure the 2015 Broncos had "that dude" in the middle either. Sylvester Williams was decent but I think it's fair to say that defense was driven by Ware, Miller and a fantastic backfield. Still a good team against the run though.

Broncos played a 3-4 with Williams at NT. They had no weaknesses. Every starter was solid and above NFL average for their position. Dallas too often throws out JAGS who barely belong on the field. No where is that more evident than the DT position. We easily have a bottom 3 DT rotation which creates a very exploitable weakness and its been their for years.

 

[xwalker]

We all witnessed how the run game disappeared in the 2nd half of the season. Teams started to used extra men in coverage and dared the Cowboys to beat them on the ground against light boxes, which they couldn't do. Without a run game and balanced attack, our offense went from being elite to being more of a middle of the pack threat.

There are many things we can point to, Zeke playing hurt and the coaches refusing to sit him down. Reshuffling the OL due to injuries, especially to Tyron Smith. League high penalties committed, Dak not fully healthy and refusal of taking off due to it. Moore playcalling was also a big part of the problem.

In my opinion, fixing the ground attack and becoming more balance was the team's #1 offseason priority. Question is, have they done enough to fix this weakness?

-Both Zeke/Pollard should be more healthy this season. Zeke has been one of the most durable backs since he was drafted. He may not be a homerun back no longer, but still should have plenty of juice to hurt teams on the ground.

-The draft additions of both Tyler Smith and Jake Ferguson were made to help the run game out. Smith is a legitimate power guard who has the ability to move players in the run game and is athletic enough to reach block on the move. The hope with Ferguson is that he is a better inline blocker then Shultz was last season, which will allow more 12 personnel and Shultz to play more to his strengths as a pass catcher.

-Is Terrence Steele a downgrade over Collins at RT? What we do know is that the team was undefeated when he filled in for Collins due to the suspension. Our run game was at it's peak during that stretch.

-What about the penalties? Tyler Smith was a penalty machine on the college level. The hope is that his move from Tackle inside he will do less reaching in space. He needs to work on better hand placement, but his character suggests he won't be mentally weak like Connor Williams. Him next to Biaz, should help alleviate the lack of strength with our center position.

-Tyron's Smith health. To the team's credit they have drafted tackles in back to back years to develop for the future. Question is, will one of them be ready to spot start when Tyron goes down again. Think the wise decision would be find a stop gap, bridge veteran swing tackle.

-Will MM have more influence with the playcalling this season? Reportedly he is going to get more involved. They must do a better job with what type of runs they call and sticking with it.

• La'el had size/power but was actually not a very good run blocker.
  • He made too many mistakes, especially when he was required to block on the 2nd level.
  • It does not matter how much power an OL has if he blocks left when he should block right.
  • i.e. The blocker must get between the defender and the ball carrier.
  • La'el far too often was on the side of the defender opposite of the ball carrier.
  • This often ended up with La'el powering the defender straight into the RB.

• Steele, despite a lack of experience, was a technically better run blocker.
  • The issue in 2021 was that he had to play a significant number of games at LT.
  • He is far better at RT than LT in both pass blocking and run blocking.
  • He played RT in college and with the Cowboys in 2020.
  • This season somebody else will play LT is Tyron is out.

• I don't think Connor Williams was mentally weak.
  • His issue was lack of anchor strength.
  • He was actually very good on the mental aspects of picking up and passing off blitzing/stunting defenders.
  • He was a very good 2nd level run blocker.
  • If he had been playing between prime years Tyron and Frederick, he would have been good enough.
  • The issue is that coaches can't scheme around a lack of power at both LG and OC, especially in games with an inexperienced LT.

• Tyler Smith will make Biadasz or whoever plays OC better.
  • A power blocker with a lack of technique will have less at OG in the NFL and that LT in college.
  • Any player will struggle at LT if they don't have excellent technique regardless of physical ability.
  • Oddly, Connor Williams best games were against Aaron Donald. CW has uber quick feet and Donald is only about 285 pounds.
  • Tyler Smith has quick feet, but technique issues will be more of a challenge vs quickness than vs power.
  • That should be OK because Biadasz, similar to CW is decent vs quickness. He just can't handle power.

• I think Tyron Smith has a chance for his healthiest season in a long time.
  • After going in IR in 2020, he finally had the back/neck surgery that Doctors recommend about 5 years ago.
  • He didn't have any back/neck issue in 2021. His ankle was the issue and that was because a player fell on it while he was blocking.
  • He played 100% of the snaps in the playoff game which means he should be 100% coming into training camp.
  • The 2020 surgery probably limited him in the weight room during the off-season.
  • i.e. He was healthy coming into camp in 2021 but maybe not 100% in terms of strength.

• LT Backup
  • I don't think they'll move Tyler Smith in 2022 unless all other options fail.
  • I think Josh Ball will be the 1st option.
  • There reason SJ said Ball would compete at RT was twofold.
  • 1: He needs experience at RT if he is going to the swing tackle. He had a lot of reps in college at LT but no experience at RT.
  • 2: McCarthy likes backup players to feel that they have a chance to win a starting position.
  • He would only play LT if Tyron is injured but has a legit opportunity to compete with Steele at RT.

• Waldo
  • It seems unlikely, but they managed in 2020 with UDFA Steele at RT.
  • The issue is that Waldo is the 6-8, 312 pound version of Tyler Smith.
  • Terrible technique at LT in college was very aggressive with above average physical ability.

• Aviante Collins
  • They kept him all season (on the practice squad).
  • This is about his 4th year hanging around the NFL.
  • He was undersized when drafted (6-4, 295) but ran the 3rd fastest forty ever for an OLineman and had 34 reps on the bench.
  • If they can get starts from rookie UDFA in 2020, it is always possible they can get something out of this type of player.

• Isaac Alarcón
  • They played him at LG in the preseason.
  • Physically, he looked the part of an NFL OLineman.
  • How much skill/technique/awareness has he been able to develop.
  • They get another year of exemption for him if they don't activate him from the practice squad.

• Free Agent or Trade
  • If they're not comfortable with the options at swing tackle during camp, there will be options to acquire a veteran.
  • There are always veterans that make too much that get cut prior to the season.
  • Often an older starter that is going to be replaced by a high draft pick.
  • The Bears signed Jason Peters mid-August of 2021 for 1.75M on a 1 year deal.
  • That's what the Cowboys paid Ty Nsekhe last season. The Cowboys paid Cam Fleming 2.7M average per in 2019 & 2020.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

No. Kellen Moore isn;t fired yet.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Elliott has come out of the gate noticeably strong each of the last two seasons, then was clearly banged up around halfway each time.

IMO that's about the nature of the position and the amount of wear and tear on him overall.

I wouldn't anticipate that getting better as he gets older.

I think involving Tony more...in specifically designed and "surprise" ways....having a more formidable stable o-line...and better run scheme ...

will help zeke's health and production.

The guy has given up his body many many times over helping the oline protect Dak.....as well as having to avoid missed blocking assignment. FIx the run game in general....zeke is good to go.