xwalker
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The Cowboys offense has quit doing the things that were successful in that game.
In the Denver game they:
Had multiple runs with Romo in Shotgun. Had multiple passes with Romo under Center. This made run/pass unpredictable. In recent games they almost always pass when in shotgun and almost always run when Romo is under Center.
They threw long passes. In recent games, not only have they minimized the number of long passes, but they have minimized the number of deep routes that they run.
They ran multiple slant routes. They’ve gotten away from the slant route in recent games. In one recent game, I only saw one slant route.
They ran routes that were conducive to Yards After the Catch. In recent games they run many stop routes and short routes in the flat towards the sideline.
The ran route combinations that they’ve quit running in recent games. In many recent games the short middle of the field is completely vacant on many plays. This is the area where it’s the shortest path between the receiver and the QB. The sideline routes require a longer throw to gain the same yardage.
I think that some of it is an overreaction to the INT at the end of the Denver game. With Romo now helping with the gameplan, it appears they have tried to remove any possibility of his throws being undercut and intercepted. Keeping routes out of the short middle of the field and avoiding slant routes would minimize the possibility that Romo does not see a LB or other defender. I’m sure it’s not as easy to see players in that short middle area for a 6-2 QB as it is for tall QBs like Payton Manning, but it appears they’ve gone to the extreme to avoid it.
I have no idea why they are so predictable in run/pass based on the Shotgun formation. You can see defensive players abandoning coverage to play the run before the ball is even out of Romo’s hand on the hand-off. The few times that they passed with Romo starting under Center in recent games, they’ve had receivers open and have made a couple of big plays; however, in some games they’ve literally only thrown one or two passes from this formation. It might have even been zero in one game.
In the Denver game they:
Had multiple runs with Romo in Shotgun. Had multiple passes with Romo under Center. This made run/pass unpredictable. In recent games they almost always pass when in shotgun and almost always run when Romo is under Center.
They threw long passes. In recent games, not only have they minimized the number of long passes, but they have minimized the number of deep routes that they run.
They ran multiple slant routes. They’ve gotten away from the slant route in recent games. In one recent game, I only saw one slant route.
They ran routes that were conducive to Yards After the Catch. In recent games they run many stop routes and short routes in the flat towards the sideline.
The ran route combinations that they’ve quit running in recent games. In many recent games the short middle of the field is completely vacant on many plays. This is the area where it’s the shortest path between the receiver and the QB. The sideline routes require a longer throw to gain the same yardage.
I think that some of it is an overreaction to the INT at the end of the Denver game. With Romo now helping with the gameplan, it appears they have tried to remove any possibility of his throws being undercut and intercepted. Keeping routes out of the short middle of the field and avoiding slant routes would minimize the possibility that Romo does not see a LB or other defender. I’m sure it’s not as easy to see players in that short middle area for a 6-2 QB as it is for tall QBs like Payton Manning, but it appears they’ve gone to the extreme to avoid it.
I have no idea why they are so predictable in run/pass based on the Shotgun formation. You can see defensive players abandoning coverage to play the run before the ball is even out of Romo’s hand on the hand-off. The few times that they passed with Romo starting under Center in recent games, they’ve had receivers open and have made a couple of big plays; however, in some games they’ve literally only thrown one or two passes from this formation. It might have even been zero in one game.
