Bobhaze
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This afternoon I heard Warren Sharp, one of the most respected offensive minds in the NFL on Dallas radio station “The Ticket” being interviewed by Bob Storm. It was very insightful to say the least (Here’s a link to Sharp’s website-https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/)
Sharp is often a consultant to NFL teams using stats and trends to improve offensive performance. He had some fascinating points and ideas on how the Cowboys can improve their performance on offense. Here were some of his major points describing some of the Cowboys offensive problems and how to fix them:
In short:
1. Be more aggressive, especially in the 3rd qtr. (Don’t get so conservative with a lead)
2. Throw deep more.
3. Let Dak run more, especially in red zone.
4. Throw to Zeke more on 1st down.
5. Run less predictable plays from standard formations.
I hope Garrett lets Kellen Moore have the freedom to do these changes. Otherwise, expect another frustrating year on offense.
Sharp is often a consultant to NFL teams using stats and trends to improve offensive performance. He had some fascinating points and ideas on how the Cowboys can improve their performance on offense. Here were some of his major points describing some of the Cowboys offensive problems and how to fix them:
- The Cowboys became way too conservative in the 3rd qtr, especially when they had the lead. They ran the ball on first down nearly 60% of the time, and were usually facing 2nd down and long way too often. He recommends passing more on 1st down, especially in the second half to keep defenses honest. He also said throwing a pass to Zeke on first down was a statistical strong play that Linehan rarely called last year.
- Improving FIRST DOWN playcalling. The Cowboys had THE most predictable offense on first down in the NFL, especially when they had the lead. Sitting on a lead, especially a less than two score lead can kill your momentum and it gives the opponent the edge on being aggressive. The days of being conservative with the lead have become old fashioned. (A real sad trademark of Garrett coached teams)
- Be more aggressive. Throw deep more, especially on first down. Defenses against us typically stack the box and don’t respect any kind of deep threat. Even if you don’t convert a deep ball, two positives can happen- a PI call or if nothing else, the defense now knows you might try to go over the top and may back off a little on the run.
- Red zone improvement? Utilize Dak more as a runner. Dak has been the second best red zone runner in the NFL the past two seasons. Because Zeke is expected to run the ball inside the 10, Sharp said running Dak way more than they have in the red zone keeps defenses more in their heels, especially if Dak is a frequent runner.
- Give defenses more wrinkles in their standard formations. The Cowboys have been extremely conservative in the type of plays they run in certain formations. For example, when running 4 wide and 1 back, they almost always throw, which is fairly predictable. How about running the ball there more? Or with the empty backfield 5 wide sets, how about running a QB draw?
In short:
1. Be more aggressive, especially in the 3rd qtr. (Don’t get so conservative with a lead)
2. Throw deep more.
3. Let Dak run more, especially in red zone.
4. Throw to Zeke more on 1st down.
5. Run less predictable plays from standard formations.
I hope Garrett lets Kellen Moore have the freedom to do these changes. Otherwise, expect another frustrating year on offense.