I want to run the ball vs the 49ers, but we can beat them by passing

[RonnieT24]

We SHOULD be able to beat ANYONE with our passing game!

But we can't beat anybody just dropping back and passing every down. Certainly not any playoff teams.. Playoff defenses are too good for you to just lien up and do one thing over and over and beat them. You have to be versatile and be able to attack different ways.. The more ways you threaten them the better. I firmly believe the main reason the running game has struggled as bad as it has over the past 8 weeks is we keep running pretty much the same play over and over.. Shotgun handoff left, shotgun handoff right, shotgun handoff middle. Back when we were diverse in our running attack.. using tosses, jet sweeps, traps et al the running game was the best in the game.. As I've said many times, there has been more than one reason for the fall off.. injuries to Zeke and Tony, injuries and shuffling up front.. but IMHO the main issue has simply been calling run plays like we got Larry Allen, Nate Newton and Ray Donaldson in the middle of our line. Hint.. we don't.. so we aint plowin through people.. we gotta run around them.. My hope is that Moore has been trying not to put those edge running plays on tape too much down the stretch and the plan is to unleash them in the playoffs.

 

[kskboys]

But we can't beat anybody just dropping back and passing every down. Certainly not any playoff teams.. Playoff defenses are too good for you to just lien up and do one thing over and over and beat them. You have to be versatile and be able to attack different ways.. The more ways you threaten them the better. I firmly believe the main reason the running game has struggled as bad as it has over the past 8 weeks is we keep running pretty much the same play over and over.. Shotgun handoff left, shotgun handoff right, shotgun handoff middle. Back when we were diverse in our running attack.. using tosses, jet sweeps, traps et al the running game was the best in the game.. As I've said many times, there has been more than one reason for the fall off.. injuries to Zeke and Tony, injuries and shuffling up front.. but IMHO the main issue has simply been calling run plays like we got Larry Allen, Nate Newton and Ray Donaldson in the middle of our line. Hint.. we don't.. so we aint plowin through people.. we gotta run around them.. My hope is that Moore has been trying not to put those edge running plays on tape too much down the stretch and the plan is to unleash them in the playoffs.

They were showing some team the other day running the ball, and it was amazing seeing guys trapping and pulling w/ lead blockers and all.

My biggest question is, do we really not have anyone smart enough in the org to call the play design out?

 

[RonnieT24]

They were showing some team the other day running the ball, and it was amazing seeing guys trapping and pulling w/ lead blockers and all.

My biggest question is, do we really not have anyone smart enough in the org to call the play design out?

I desperately want to believe the more creative run plays are part of what Moore has been holding back for the playoffs.. You have to question how wise it was to lose winnable games while not using some of our best plays but it is what it is.. I think the coaches know they have been far too vanilla running the ball for about 10-12 weeks.. They could have secured the #1 seed had they taken a different approach.. but let's face it.. for most of the season they were least 2 games out of that #1 seed to playing for it like it was going to fall into your lap didn't make mush sense either. The good news is we got about 72 hours before we find out if the strategy worked.

 

[fansince68]

It's very difficult to beat ANY team if you only do one thing on offense. The Cowboys don't need to run for 200 yards but they do need to keep running the ball.. even if it's only 2-3 yards a pop because the offense is structured around play action passing and if you don't run at all the defense doesn't have to honor the play fake and the second level defenders can get really deep drops on you and take away the seam routes and in cuts... leaving you a dump off to a TE or a back as your only viable options. We also need to run some place other than between the damn guards. Slamming Zeke or Pollard into a 2000 pound mass of humanity (because we don't get any movement up front) is a recipe for failure.. We HAVE to attack the edges of their defense..

Agree, short passes and Dak (quickly) giving up on a crumbling pocket and RUN and SLIDE to get the 1st down and or keep the drive alive added to your stragety should make the Cowboys victorious.

 

[RonnieT24]

Agree, short passes and Dak (quickly) giving up on a crumbling pocket and RUN and SLIDE to get the 1st down and or keep the drive alive added to your stragety should make the Cowboys victorious.

Yeah I am already on record predicting about 40 yards rushing and a rushing TD for Dak.. I really think he lets it all hang out now that the playoffs are here.. I think he has been fighting with himself about running all season.. which was understandable coming off the injury he did as well as the knowledge of what he means to this team. I really think though that internal battle as much as anything was responsible for the "slump." He was out there thinking and hesitating instead of just playing football. That's all about to change..

 

[fansince68]

Yeah I am already on record predicting about 40 yards rushing and a rushing TD for Dak.. I really think he lets it all hang out now that the playoffs are here.. I think he has been fighting with himself about running all season.. which was understandable coming off the injury he did as well as the knowledge of what he means to this team. I really think though that internal battle as much as anything was responsible for the "slump." He was out there thinking and hesitating instead of just playing football. That's all about to change..

I certainly hope the change happens for Dak. The hesitation thats causing passes completed and incompleted passes to be behind the receiver can be a problem. I can predict the 49ers will flood the middle zone, giving up the stuff on the fringes in the flats etc. Slugos, hitches, outcuts will be there. This is gonna be a great game. I hope our coaches are stratagizing as much as we are.

 

[garyv]

The Rams only had 6 yards rushing, vs the Whiners, in the 1st half, but moved the ball passing and scored 17 points. The Tennessee Titans struggled to run the ball, vs the Whiners, and still beat them with 1 healthy receiver.

We moved the ball up and down the field mostly passing the ball vs an excellent NE defense. Vs a healthy and talented Tampa Bay defense, we didn’t even try to run the ball, and moved the ball up and down the field with the pass. Offense definitely did enough to win that game!

My point: Though I would really like to be able to run the ball down SF’s throat. That may not happen with our run blocking vs their run defense. Moore would need to come up with some new, and improved, run schemes to help us run the ball. That is a possibility!

More likely though is for us to be able to pass the ball successfully vs the Niners D. The Niners D, in general, likes to play zone, and rush the passer with 4 lineman. Sometimes, of course they blitz. Their D line is excellent vs the run, but just good vs the pass. We need to take advantage of this and pass the ball a lot! Like Tennessee we might need to keep in extra blockers to slow down their pass rush. Tennessee was very successful keeping in extra blockers to give Tannehill extra time to pass the ball.

We may struggle to run the ball vs the Whiners, but if the O line gives Dak a clean pocket, with the help of Moore’s blocking schemes( Max protect and just send out 3 receivers at times ), we have the potential to move the ball consistently through the air and score a lot of points( 30 or more ).

There are many ways to win a football game. This may be the way for our offense.

Here is the thing I believe Cedric Wilson and Pollard will be solid in this game but truth in speaking we should be
ablw with Dak, Cooper, Lamb and Wilson to exploit their secondary

 

[kskboys]

Yeah I am already on record predicting about 40 yards rushing and a rushing TD for Dak.. I really think he lets it all hang out now that the playoffs are here.. I think he has been fighting with himself about running all season.. which was understandable coming off the injury he did as well as the knowledge of what he means to this team. I really think though that internal battle as much as anything was responsible for the "slump." He was out there thinking and hesitating instead of just playing football. That's all about to change..

I too thought it was mental w/ Dak. Interesting idea as to why.

 

[RonnieT24]

Here is the thing I believe Cedric Wilson and Pollard will be solid in this game but truth in speaking we should be
ablw with Dak, Cooper, Lamb and Wilson to exploit their secondary

Sure they can.. But not if Dak doesn't have time to throw.. which he won't if we don't make the 49ers respect the run. I'm not one who believes in some magic number = automatic win but I know that if these team only runs the ball 8 or 9 times in the first half it will be behind and will convince itself that it can't run in the second half.. And will be on its way to losing despite some really good stats in the passing game..

 

[kskboys]

Sure they can.. But not if Dak doesn't have time to throw.. which he won't if we don't make the 49ers respect the run. I'm not one who believes in some magic number = automatic win but I know that if these team only runs the ball 8 or 9 times in the first half it will be behind and will convince itself that it can't run in the second half.. And will be on its way to losing despite some really good stats in the passing game..

Yup. Stats in the passing game is not what wins.

Oh, the yearly reminder. The NFL passing yardage leader has NEVER won the super bowl.

 

[Ranched]

I watched Dak toss for 403 yards & three touchdowns when the run game wasn’t working. Difference is, the 49ers don’t have Tom Brady & we’ll have Zack Martin.

 

[RonnieT24]

I too thought it was mental w/ Dak. Interesting idea as to why.

It was never more evident than the play on which he fumbled against AZ.. There was a lane there immediately and if he had just taken off full bore in search of the first down he gets there with ease and slides. When he hesitated at the line of scrimmage before taking off it allowed Simmons (who had been almost de-cleated by Zeke) to work back and get him (and the ball) from behind.. What scares me about this is remembering what happened to Donovan McNabb when he listened to all the criticism about how he "couldn't beat you from the pocket" and put a governor on himself to stop running. Now McNabb was never as good a passer as Dak has become but he was obviously a better runner.. And like Dak his legs were a big part of his game.. Dak who refuses to run is not as much of a threat to defenses as Dak who refuses to be denied...