Ideas on how to run the ball

[nalam]

How many points do you think we should score against a top team. 30, 40, 50, 100? What's your number?

One more than our D allows ,

kidding aside , I was answering the question about 3 Tds in the end , but for 1st 3 quarters , we had issues in getting scoring positions, 2 redzone visits we converted ( our home RZ conversion rate is healthy) . If we had no problem moving the ball , then we should have gotten closer to scoring more times ( of course one FG try the dam..n kicker missed )

 

[Clove]

One more than our D allows ,

kidding aside , I was answering the question about 3 Tds in the end , but for 1st 3 quarters , we had issues in getting scoring positions, 2 redzone visits we converted ( our home RZ conversion rate is healthy) . If we had no problem moving the ball , then we should have gotten closer to scoring more times ( of course one FG try the dam..n kicker missed )

Factor in penalties.

 

[john van brocklin]

Fact, the Cowboys run game has been declining to an abysmal showing yesterday for just 12 rushes. Neither RB looked good and those two PB OL looked very mediocre. The others looked worse.

This is not about my ideas on how to improve this but you X's and O's guys because I have no football coaching experience.

Without the run game, they are done in the playoffs. Even pass teams need a semblance of a run game in the playoffs.

I do not know if this is even fixable. Neither the OL or RB's look good when they do want to stick with the run. It just looks broken and even AZ missing four starters on their defense knew that.

Rex Ryan stated the obvious "they were good when they were running the ball, they've got to get back to running the ball". But the ex coach didn't offer any suggestions on how to go about doing that.

I have doubts this can be fixed with this roster but I do not know for sure. They did run the ball better earlier in the season with these same OL and RB's and the same OC.

Is this fixable now or do they have to wait until the off season?

Run the ball wide!!!

 

[Verdict]

Fact, the Cowboys run game has been declining to an abysmal showing yesterday for just 12 rushes. Neither RB looked good and those two PB OL looked very mediocre. The others looked worse.

This is not about my ideas on how to improve this but you X's and O's guys because I have no football coaching experience.

Without the run game, they are done in the playoffs. Even pass teams need a semblance of a run game in the playoffs.

I do not know if this is even fixable. Neither the OL or RB's look good when they do want to stick with the run. It just looks broken and even AZ missing four starters on their defense knew that.

Rex Ryan stated the obvious "they were good when they were running the ball, they've got to get back to running the ball". But the ex coach didn't offer any suggestions on how to go about doing that.

I have doubts this can be fixed with this roster but I do not know for sure. They did run the ball better earlier in the season with these same OL and RB's and the same OC.

Is this fixable now or do they have to wait until the off season?

The OL is playing pretty poorly. I even saw Tyron’s man running free with Dak in his sights. This OL is in trouble. Better rent an OL coach.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

You have to mix it up in order for the run to work correctly. You have to run inside, outside, sweeps, tosses and misdirections. If you run it up the A gap every time you'll end up shooting yourself in the foot.

Moore's creativity in the run game is the culprit. Or should I say lack of creativity.

 

[nate dizzle]

Quit running 90% out of shotgun and get back to downhill, smash-mouth football. Give Zeke a FB. Said it before, Zeke is a power back at this stage of his career. His ability to get around the outside has pretty much vanished, but he can still hammer away on a defense between the gaps. Let him soften them up and then unleash Pollard later in the game.

 

[DuncanIso]

Trade for Craig Reynolds (who?) of the Lions. He rushed for 112 yards on the Cardinals.

I don't see any fixes coming at this point of the season. Cowboys need to take a long look at their linemen and the people coaching them, this offseason.

yes.

quit hiring big Mikes buddies to be coaches.

 

[Blackrain]

I think at this point in the season Dak has to run the ball more if we want to win games in the postseason . Our old line is what it is not getting any healthier or more talented.

Zeke's warranty is up and the tread is gone off his tires we can always watch the eagles this week as they pound our defensive line that is designed to Rush the passer.
I'm sure they'll give us a few ideas on how to run the ball as they do it better than anybody else in the NFL at this point

 

[DuncanIso]

O-Line coach needs to go. Honestly if I was the HC I would have no problem doing it now right before the playoff.. This guy can’t coach these particular players. We are worse now then before he came in. To many penalties. That’s coaching. Run outside and set up toss and pitch plays. Off tackle runs work for us. Every week if we hit the outside slot and don’t go right up the gut we get yards but Moore goes right away from it. He is Linehan all over again. If he left after this year I won’t cry. I would just know if I play him I can bring heat on the qb all day.

Philbin is big Mikes buddy from Green Bay.

 

[DuncanIso]

Bring Jarwin back in. Not better than Shultz. But gives us a stable 2 TE line up Dak is comfy with. Run off tackle and pitch or toss slash sweep plays. We always run up the gut because they expect it. Time to get back to using it as our Offense..

Only problem is our O-Line has no discipline and that’s all coaching. This Line coach has to know he should be gone. We are no longer aggressive..

I keep thinking we have just put it on the shelf until playoff time. Just gonna bring it out and suddenly run outside. Wishful thinking. I am afraid that they just paid a RB money only to use him to block and go straight to a passing team that don’t really have the O-Line or maybe even the QB to do it. We are supposed to have the WR to do it but only when we run the ball does the passing game work.. Time to get balanced and I would stick with it win lose or draw on Saturday.. Force the issue..

Marc Colombo …

 

[atlantacowboy]

Well, I could but then I would lose whatever respect I have here now. And I am barely hanging onto that as it is.

I try to be upfront, there are a lot of members here with a lot more X's and O's knowledge than I will ever have. I tend to lean to the human side of the game.

There's this "they've got to get back to running the ball" phrase repeated over and over by every analyst but never any concrete ideas to do that. Do we think McC, Moore, Prescott, the OL and RBs and the defense don't want them to do that? I don't think the coaching staff got to the Star today and all looked at each other and exclaimed "hey, we've got to get back to running the ball"!!!

They're playing the #1 run team in the league Saturday night, maybe they can give them some ideas?

The Eagles are #1 in the league rushing b/c that's what their QB does. They don't have any pro bowl caliber rbs. They commit to the run b/c Jalen Hurts can't read a defense to save his life and isn't accurate with the football. But, he can run option all day. They have no ideas for us. We have 2 rbs that would start in their backfield that we do not maximize.

. We need to use Pollard a lot more and stop giving up on the run after a few Zeke dives into the middle of the defense. You remember Emmitt Smith. Many games he would have 15 carries for 40 yards going into the 4th quarter and then just explode for a few big runs. That only happened b/c those offenses were committed to run the ball ALL GAME. We have the OL to do this and play this way. But, I guess the OC and QB get bored handing the ball off.

This much I know......... Dak Prescott isn't going to pass us into a super bowl.

 

[glimmerman]

Marc Colombo …

I think he went to the giants with JG.

 

[RonnieT24]

I think he went to the giants with JG.

He was fired after reportedly coming to blows with Joe Judge..

 

[glimmerman]

He was fired after reportedly coming to blows with Joe Judge..

Pick him up.

 

[RonnieT24]

Pick him up.

I would.. He revitalized our line play in 2018 after the Paul Alexander experiment was aborted. We went back to power football and ran the ball a lot better after the bye that year. The running game was also still pretty good in 2019 with him as oline coach.. But McCarthy was allowed to bring Philbin in and it has not come close to looking that good except for the nice 5 game stretch this year. One wonders if that was just bad run defenses or good run blocking? Maybe a little of both..

 

[glimmerman]

I would.. He revitalized our line play in 2018 after the Paul Alexander experiment was aborted. We went back to power football and ran the ball a lot better after the bye that year. The running game was also still pretty good in 2019 with him as oline coach.. But McCarthy was allowed to bring Philbin in and it has not come close to looking that good except for the nice 5 game stretch this year. One wonders if that was just bad run defenses or good run blocking? Maybe a little of both..

I starting to think MM and Moore don’t even care about the run game. They run only up the gut and just because they have to. 12 run attempts. And had a few decent ones and one long one called back. But they were primed to pop that long run, you just have to keep plugging. Always like that. 2 yards 1 yard 4 yards a loss.. boom 40 yards. But we go down by 3 points and abandon it. And MM seems ok with it. Just like being ok with leaving his buddy at O-Line coach, bring in Colombo and let him do the job as a assistant..

 

[RonnieT24]

I starting to think MM and Moore don’t even care about the run game. They run only up the gut and just because they have to. 12 run attempts. And had a few decent ones and one long one called back. But they were primed to pop that long run, you just have to keep plugging. Always like that. 2 yards 1 yard 4 yards a loss.. boom 40 yards. But we go down by 3 points and abandon it. And MM seems ok with it. Just like being ok with leaving his buddy at O-Line coach, bring in Colombo and let him do the job as a assistant..

Yeah people watch highlight shows and think that teams are just popping 70 yard runs left and right and think "hey why don't we do that?" They never stop to look and see that those teams ran the ball 35 times.. 30 of which went for 3-4 yards of less but they stayed with it and eventually popped one. Yes you will occasionally see some team miss a bunch of tackles early and a guy will house one in the first quarter. But those are rare.. Most big runs come late in the game after the cumulative effects of all the body blows in the form of shorter runs takes all the starch out of a defense. Moore and McCarthy don't get this simple tenet of football.. and it really has me worried about our future.

 

[glimmerman]

Yeah people watch highlight shows and think that teams are just popping 70 yard runs left and right and think "hey why don't we do that?" They never stop to look and see that those teams ran the ball 35 times.. 30 of which went for 3-4 yards of less but they stayed with it and eventually popped one. Yes you will occasionally see some team miss a bunch of tackles early and a guy will house one in the first quarter. But those are rare.. Most big runs come late in the game after the cumulative effects of all the body blows in the form of shorter runs takes all the starch out of a defense. Moore and McCarthy don't get this simple tenet of football.. and it really has me worried about our future.

Moore was Linehans boy. And Linehan was like JG and would abandon a run game. MM is all about stats and things so why don’t he see when we run for 100 yards we win.. run it 30 times a game..

 

[buddieluver]

I don't care what level he goes to.. so long as he goes. I think he's a smart guy and a brilliant offensive mind.. But what he is NOT is a great game day play caller.. McCarthy needs to take that away from him .. hopefully next year..

I see a bigger problem if Moore is gone and that’s Douglas Keith Nussmeier getting the job.

 

[Chuck 54]

If the other team is scoring on every possession and you are falling behind, I can accept only 12 rushing attempts. But in a close game, which this was, you have to run the ball more. Let the OL work themselves into a zone. We didn’t run the ball enough for them to even get a feel for what the defenders will do to try and get off blocks. Zeke’s biggest run was called back on the TE holding. That holding had nothing to do with the success. That defender was trying to pull away, but he wasn’t going to make the play, so Shultz has to know to let him go. Players are taught to grab the jersey or shoulder pads just like Shultz and our tackles did on calls, but you also then move your feet to get between the defender and runner. If you don’t, then you must let go when the defender starts to pull away and you feel it in your hands.

The linemen are also learning every game what will be called and what they can get away with. You have to keep running the damn ball. If you want playaction to work, you need to go with a run play on 3rd down and 5-7 every game. You either get the first down because they pass rush, or you punt, or you do it in territory when you know you’ll go for it on 4th down, but you have to run some on third down. If you don’t, 3rd down playaction is ignored, and teams play the run earlier.

With our two running backs, there is seldom an excuse to not run the ball 12-15 times in the first half alone of a close game. Defenses don’t have to respect the run vs Moore. They know that he will drift to mostly passes regardless of success, score, or anything else. We definitely have garbage at center, but you still need to run the ball.