How to Fix the Offense

[JonJon]

So we all should have figured out by now that the offensive line is the main thing holding the team back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that anything is going to change with the offensive line anytime soon. The best we can do for the time being is find a way to help the offensive line out so that the offense can once again produce points at a satisfactory rate.

I want to hear from the great minds out there: What are some ways that the Cowboys can help improve the offense?

Here's my idea:

Spread offense. It seems like teams are stacking the line to stop the run and also get to Romo quickly when he drops back to pass. Also, opposing CB's are playing press on our receivers with safety help over top, so unless the receivers can beat the press and get into their route quickly enough, Romo usually doesn't stand a chance unless he performs a Houdini escape act.

The spread offense could force teams to take some of their players off the line which could give Romo a little more time to make reads and find open receivers. It might also create some match-up advantages. I would like to see Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, and Harris in the spread more often. Shotgun is another good formation. Maybe the team can even go 5-wide like the Packers and Saints do at times. Just trying to think of ideas... Any others?

Edit: I could also see that benefiting the running game. We have been successful with the draw play in the past but I don't recall seeing it as much this year.

 

[Frozen700]

-Spread Formations....... 4-5 WR's

-More of a West Coast Style offense. All these timing based routes, call for time!

-Bunch Formations.... When teams want to man us up a lot, and jam, help or WR's out and bunch them.

-More Variety.....More Motions, Dez or Miles In the Slot more, little quick hot routes

-Spread formation for running the ball. Get the defense from out the middle, and Let Murray use his skill, and vision to get up out of there. If they show blitz even when spread out, you Audible and hit the hot/quick route, or go for the big play.

 

[Frozen700]

Also, what we need to do is sometimes is

Show 1 look at the LOS....then everybody just shift out or around, make the D adjust, or catch them in something that will work against them.

 

[Gameover]

Bench the starting QB!

 

[jblaze2004]

we need to beat people with our formations. Our formations are some of the simpliest in the nfl. You would think we had a rookie back up QB. Less audibles and more formations/formation shifts. We barely run bunch sets, 4 wide and etc.

 

[JonJon]

-Spread Formations....... 4-5 WR's

-More of a West Coast Style offense. All these timing based routes, call for time!

-Bunch Formations.... When teams want to man us up a lot, and jam, help or WR's out and bunch them.

-More Variety.....More Motions, Dez or Miles In the Slot more, little quick hot routes

-Spread formation for running the ball. Get the defense from out the middle, and Let Murray use his skill, and vision to get up out of there. If they show blitz even when spread out, you Audible and hit the hot/quick route, or go for the big play.

I really like the motions idea. Chicago ate us alive with that because they were able to get Marshall on our safeties. It doesn't seem like we setup our players for advantages like that often enough. I also like the spread as a run formation idea. It seems like Murray could finally get some lanes to run through. Once he gets open field, his natural abilities can take over and lead to some big gains.

Also, what we need to do is sometimes is

Show 1 look at the LOS....then everybody just shift out or around, make the D adjust, or catch them in something that will work against them.

Not sold non this idea much though. It seems like our players would just confuse themselves and lead to a false start.

 

[JonJon]

we need to beat people with our formations. Our formations are some of the simpliest in the nfl. You would think we had a rookie back up QB. Less audibles and more formations/formation shifts. We barely run bunch sets, 4 wide and etc.

I really wonder how much we use those formations because it seems like it can work. Maybe someone with the know-how can post how often those formations are used.

 

[BourbonBalz]

Bench the starting QB!

I don't want to speak for the OP, but I highly doubt he was wanting terminally stupid answers.

 

[JonJon]

I don't want to speak for the OP, but I highly doubt he was wanting terminally stupid answers.

This. Any other QB in the NFL would look just as bad or probably even worse behind this O-line. It's because of Romo's agility and awareness that the O-line hasn't given up more sacks.

Now back to the intent of the original post....

 

[CATCH17]

Simplify and increase the pace of the offense.

If you need to make an adjustment then do it but for the most part get up to the line and run the play and throw in a little no huddle when you have caught them in a bad formation.


Also get Hanna ready because he could be lethal in a hurry up style.

 

[Doc50]

Why not pass first and run second?

If our OL can't consistently run-block, then why not run only as a diversion, just to keep the D honest?

This would not be nouveau ground-breaking strategy. It's been successfully done.

 

[kevinhickey]

Draft Offensive linemen.

 

[Boys122]

Improve the OL which won't be this year, buy the wr's some velcro gloves. Teach Dez how to run a route, very doubtful.

If we can't run how are we going to pass? This is a HUGE process right, Jason?

 

[Numbers921]

Stop calling pass plays that take 18 years to develop.

 

[Stash]

I would change the 'pacing' of this offense, adding in more 'quick-hitting' plays.

What happened to the quick-slants we used so effectively against the Giants in week one?

Your offensive line is struggling in pass protection, shorten the routes and the drops to help compensate and let your big, physical receivers use their size and strengths to their advantage.

And get guys like Beasley more playing time to use their quickness and wiggle to quickly challenge opposing defenses.

Rebuild this offense from the ground up with more quick-hitters and then incorporate more down-the-field stuff when production allows it.

At this point, I think this offense has a very predicatable, deliberate, drawn-out pace.

I would starte by changing that pace.

 

[Sampson]

Stop calling pass plays that take 18 years to develop.

:clap2:

 

[JonJon]

I would change the 'pacing' of this offense, adding in more 'quick-hitting' plays.

What happened to the quick-slants we used so effectively against the Giants in week one?

Your offensive line is struggling in pass protection, shorten the routes and the drops to help compensate and let your big, physical receivers use their size and strengths to their advantage.

And get guys like Beasley more playing time to use their quickness and wiggle to quickly challenge opposing defenses.

Rebuild this offense from the ground up with more quick-hitters and then incorporate more down-the-field stuff when production allows it.

At this point, I think this offense has a very predicatable, deliberate, drawn-out pace.

I would starte by changing that pace.

I agree with this. We have some very good YAC receivers with Bryant and Austin. Even Harris has produced YAC in the few opportunities he has had. We don't seem to do that enough. It's like our team is allergic to 6-7 yard routes. But those are the easier to complete and don't take forever to develop, and also keeps the chains moving. I hope we see more of this.

 

[Hoofbite]

Dallas needs to move Tony around and get him outside the pocket. It's amazing how infrequently they roll him out considering what he has done when the play breaks down and he's outside the pocket.

 

[odog422]

What happened to the quick-slants we used so effectively against the Giants in week one?

IMO we went into that game believing we would be hard pressed to block their DL, so the offense was structured to deliver exactly what you're calling for here - quick hits.

What we know now (and lots of us felt before the season started) is that if an opponent's DL has a pulse, it'll cause us fits. I think your recipe is precisely what this offense needs. Start with the small successes and then take your shots. But never completely get away from what got you started. Another trait of the Garrett play-calling era, IMO.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

So we all should have figured out by now that the offensive line is the main thing holding the team back. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that anything is going to change with the offensive line anytime soon. The best we can do for the time being is find a way to help the offensive line out so that the offense can once again produce points at a satisfactory rate.

I want to hear from the great minds out there: What are some ways that the Cowboys can help improve the offense?

Here's my idea:

Spread offense. It seems like teams are stacking the line to stop the run and also get to Romo quickly when he drops back to pass. Also, opposing CB's are playing press on our receivers with safety help over top, so unless the receivers can beat the press and get into their route quickly enough, Romo usually doesn't stand a chance unless he performs a Houdini escape act.

The spread offense could force teams to take some of their players off the line which could give Romo a little more time to make reads and find open receivers. It might also create some match-up advantages. I would like to see Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, and Harris in the spread more often. Shotgun is another good formation. Maybe the team can even go 5-wide like the Packers and Saints do at times. Just trying to think of ideas... Any others?

Edit: I could also see that benefiting the running game. We have been successful with the draw play in the past but I don't recall seeing it as much this year.

its very simple. execute. not just the OL, but the rest of them as well. we have had too many drops. make some damn plays.

also, outside of a few new plays that can get added here and there, you can't change offisive philosophy in the middle of the season. it takes years for an offense to come together. QB and WRs getting on the same page. making the same reads, etc. we saw a great example this past week when Dez ran the wrong route because he didn't have the same read as Romo. now you want to go to a spread offense!!

that's not who we are.

we can probably go to a 3 or 4 WR set, but that means you lose blockers and with our OL sucking up the joint, that means less people back there blocking. Romo wouldn't get much more time. when the OL can hold the man in front of them, then it doesn't matter what offense you run. it will work.

and did I say execute. the plays have been there, but the players (witten, dez, austin, KO, felix, romo) aren't making the plays.