How do they fix the run game

[SteveTheCowboy]

And if Pollard turns into another Barber after he's the starter, bet we won't hear a peep out of him....

Let it be known i LIKE Tony Pollard. I am just not convinced he can get beat up like we have demanded of Zeke.

I agree about drafting a replacement RB. Fine. But you better dam well fix the o line and commit to a real running game like NFL teams especially NFC East...are SUPPOSED to do.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

OH GREAT Marion Barber clone? SUPER BOWL BABY!!!!!!!!

Wait what, a Barber who "can bang and like it"???

Since when has Zeke not liked to bang? He loves it, IF he's "lost a step" it's because he has banged himself down.

What team is that guy watching anyway, sure as heck ain't the Cowboys.

 

[eromeopolk]

Will Zeke and Pollard be healthy next year? Also the OL could use some new faces. I’m just not sure how they can fix the run game in one offseason. I think they need a mid round RB and an early OL pick for starters. I also think Ceedee will have to transform into a monster WR next year.

The defense needs some help too so can they fix all this? I guess I would build in the trenches, but it seams to work better if there is an off-season theme like fix the run game or the defense. What would you do? I suppose I would go OL, DL, RB, LB.

Call a run play.

Call a run play more than once in a set of downs.

Call a run play on 3rd down.

Call a run play on 1st down.

Don't call a run play on 2nd down when you threw on 1st down with no success.

When all else fails, call a run play.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Call a run play.

Call a run play more than once in a set of downs.

Call a run play on 3rd down.

Call a run play on 1st down.

Don't call a run play on 2nd down when you threw on 1st down with no success.

When all else fails, call a run play.

If you dont put the penalties in between all these it doesnt really line up with last season...just saying.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Wait what, a Barber who "can bang and like it"???

Since when has Zeke not liked to bang? He loves it, IF he's "lost a step" it's because he has banged himself down.

What team is that guy watching anyway, sure as heck ain't the Cowboys.

Wait what?

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

If you dont put the penalties in between all these it doesnt really line up with last season...just saying.

You aren't wrong.

The problem is WHY? Jerry?

 

[morat1959]

Get a QB that opposing defenses have to respect. That will open up the running game.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Move La'el Collins to LG.
Move Steele to RT.
Replace Biadasz with Matt Farniok at C.
Keep Zack Martin at RG.
Keep developing Connor McGovern as backup swing G.
Keep Tyron Smith at LT.
Resign Ty Nsekhe on another 1 year deal to backup LT.
Keep developing Josh Ball as swing T.

Draft a G/T in mid rounds...
ie...Kentucky T Darian Kinnard in Round 3/4...move Kinnard to Guard and let him become another Kevin Gogan inside.


And draft another huge T in Round 6/7...
Minnesota T Daniel Faalele



PS: Get a much better Oline Coach who knows what he's doing.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Get a QB that opposing defenses have to respect. That will open up the running game.

No. Fix the Oline.

 

[Buzzbait]

New guard and center. Focus on the run game. Get a new fresh back late in the rounds to develop. Quit running out of shotgun. Run more toss plays. Make a commitment.

All the above, but especially replacing LG and C.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Call a run play.

Call a run play more than once in a set of downs.

Call a run play on 3rd down.

Call a run play on 1st down.

Don't call a run play on 2nd down when you threw on 1st down with no success.

When all else fails, call a run play.

Yep, with the way all teams use algorithm's and tape, you have to mix up your approach...then again ,and this is my gripe with KM, he probably isn't confident with our Offense (that inc Dak and especially Zeke and the O-Line) and so becomes more conservative with the play calling.

Unfortunately, for Moore, his job is to get the best out of the players he's got, not get the best out of his fancy plays (and then dumb down to basics when they don't work)

 

[charron]

Philip Lindsey seemed more a change of pace, situational type,
More he was force to play, the more he became exposed, he had the speed for the edge, but was he any good between the tackles and how many snaps could he handle ..then came a few injuries, then from Denver to Houston..and then ....

Don't know about forced he beat out the 2 guys they drafted and he was starting.

 

[Bobhaze]

1. Improve OL in draft and FA.
2. Release Zeke.
3. Draft a RB in rounds 3-5.
4. Pair Pollard with that RB.

 

[charron]

If you look at zeke's history..and say even Emmitt Smith.....they might get 40-50 yards in the first half. In the second half they get 100+.

You can't just leave the game plan...you HAVE to commit to the run. I watched Brady in tampa run a 1;30 offense (not a 2 minute)....he handed off a couple times. The announcers said he did that because you STILL have to run the ball even in this situation. Even the likes of TOm Brady knows that.

That is "commitment to the run"

WE...on the other hand, run 3 straight delay handoffs up the clogged middle, when Dak is literally tripping over center's foot BEFORE handing off.... for 6 net yards...and claim our running game doesn't work let's pass the rest of the game Zeke sucks.

If that is our run "scheme" than yes...Zeke does suck and is a waste. Might as well pay a rookie to suck.

Tony" He's proof if we get RB in space AWAY from the clogged middle and get a couple O-linemen out there blasting people....success! TD's even. And yet still....our BRILLIANT OC puts Tony on the bench to keep on passing.

MAddening.

I agree to an extent. The reason they did well late was because they ran successfully early. If you can average 4+ a run you are in so much better shape on 3rd down. But if you are only getting the 2-3 yards a carry that is unsustainable giving you longer 3rd downs and making you 1 dimensional. Early in Zeke's career he was better, the OL was dominant we could run in 9 man box's to pickup 4 guaranteed. Times are different now. Neither are the same and the 1 guy who could help was regulated to 3 carries a game regardless of him breaking a 40 yard run on one of those carries.

 

[fivetwos]

1. Improve OL in draft and FA.
2. Release Zeke.
3. Draft a RB in rounds 3-5.
4. Pair Pollard with that RB.

Can't do #2.

It's not just a moderate dead money situation, it's unbearable....

A pre June 1 release would 30 million in dead cap money as well as a minus 12 million net cap savings....so it costs the same to cut him or keep him.

A post June 1 designation would be 18 million of dead money this year and 12 in 2023 with zero net savings this year.

That could be somewhat worked around with a trade, but his 12.5 million is already guaranteed, so who is giving up an asset plus paying him that salary?

Not cuttable, not tradeable. Worst structure of all time.

 

[RonnieT24]

I get your thing for Zeke, yes great RB but.......he has lost a step and we can all see it. Pollard doesn't help with his quicks next to Zeke's lack of it.

Remember Marion Barber, we need somebody like him, a guy who can bang and likes it. That's not Zeke.

Offensive line got Zeke a 4.2 average, that is all ya need, 4 and 4 is 8., third and 2....bingo!

We need this,...

You keep wanting to turn a football discussion into a feel fest. Zeke was second in the NFL in rushing and averaging 5.3 yards per carry before he got hurt and was on pace for over 1600 yards. Whether he has lost a step or that Pollard is quicker is immaterial to me. I'm about winning.. and Zeke plays winning football. WHEN the OC calls his number. The team wins 80% of its games when he gets it 20 times. He goes over 100 a similar percentage. This aint rocket surgery.. Kid's a good football player.. They need to use him as such and quit turning him into a 220 pound fullback. If they get another good football player to replace him then fine.. I will root for that player.. As long as Zeke is our back.. I'm 100% behind helping him be the best he can be.. and 10-12 carries a game 90% of which are right up the gut (where this no blocking more often than not) isn't doing that. I am firmly of the mind that this OC could have Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton as his backs and he would still throw it 70% of the time. Zeke aint the problem..

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I agree to an extent. The reason they did well late was because they ran successfully early. If you can average 4+ a run you are in so much better shape on 3rd down. But if you are only getting the 2-3 yards a carry that is unsustainable giving you longer 3rd downs and making you 1 dimensional. Early in Zeke's career he was better, the OL was dominant we could run in 9 man box's to pickup 4 guaranteed. Times are different now. Neither are the same and the 1 guy who could help was regulated to 3 carries a game regardless of him breaking a 40 yard run on one of those carries.

I guess you;d have to define "successfully early".

It would seem we have observed that differently. We seem to be complaining about Zeke's 3 yards....but that's actually pretty good "early". You can't not give him the ball later on because of that. You are missing out on 8-10 yard runs later on.

It's how almost any power run RB/team works. We don;t do that...for a variety of reasons...but I assure you it ain;t all zeke like some....er.....critics... think. See Ronnie for details.

 

[RonnieT24]

Stop pretending Zeke is an elite RB. It’s killing them. And will likely continue to kill them until he’s no longer on the team. Can’t have a bloated way over paid contract dictating touches.

Why do people keep saying stuff like this? Zeke averaged like 12 carries a game over the second half of the season. On what planet is this treating him like he "is an elite RB?" And maybe you can explain how his 5-6 carries a half getting 3-4 yards a pop are "killing them" any worse than 3-4 incomplete passes and a sack or two?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Will Zeke and Pollard be healthy next year? Also the OL could use some new faces. I’m just not sure how they can fix the run game in one offseason. I think they need a mid round RB and an early OL pick for starters. I also think Ceedee will have to transform into a monster WR next year.

The defense needs some help too so can they fix all this? I guess I would build in the trenches, but it seams to work better if there is an off-season theme like fix the run game or the defense. What would you do? I suppose I would go OL, DL, RB, LB.

yes, fix the OL. fix the center. fix the LG and we have to look for the next LT....smith has been injured every year in the past few years and its going to continue.

oh, yeah and committ to the running game and be a little more creative....we telegraph our runs and if the defense knows that, they can stop it.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

You keep wanting to turn a football discussion into a feel fest. Zeke was second in the NFL in rushing and averaging 5.3 yards per carry before he got hurt and was on pace for over 1600 yards. Whether he has lost a step or that Pollard is quicker is immaterial to me. I'm about winning.. and Zeke plays winning football. WHEN the OC calls his number. The team wins 80% of its games when he gets it 20 times. He goes over 100 a similar percentage. This aint rocket surgery.. Kid's a good football player.. They need to use him as such and quit turning him into a 220 pound fullback. If they get another good football player to replace him then fine.. I will root for that player.. As long as Zeke is our back.. I'm 100% behind helping him be the best he can be.. and 10-12 carries a game 90% of which are right up the gut (where this no blocking more often than not) isn't doing that. I am firmly of the mind that this OC could have Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton as his backs and he would still throw it 70% of the time. Zeke aint the problem..

My problem with the zeke.....er...critics (like Bob haze) is that we have a lot of dysfunction on this offense....regardless of PFF BS stats.

Run scheme, run play calling, and lack of real commitment to it (not just calling the plays....but practice and discipline (like holding calls on long runs)...are all severely problematic, IMHO of course.

If I observed those WEREN'T any issue, and zeke struggled....I'd have no problem calling for Zeke's demise. As long as I DO observe that...I'm not.

These same people calling for Zeke's head make all kinds of excuses for Dak....it's the blocking it's the limited passing scheme, it's dropped footballs, zeke is fat. Everyone and everything BUT Dak.

This is not a knock on Dak...but he does struggle just as much as everyone else. Assess him the same critical way.