In exploiting deep middle, Cowboys' passing attack has room to grow

[CCBoy]

The Cowboys haven’t been regularly exploiting the middle of the field. Prescott’s most profitable passes have come down the sideline while his performance in the middle is significantly below average.

Under Kellen Moore, the Cowboys often targeted the tough throws down the sidelines. It fit his general scheme and philosophy and was a way for Prescott to show off his passing ability. Those are the tough throws where average and below average QBs can’t survive.

Yet, the most profitable portions of the field, the intermediate-to-deep middle, are just begging to be exploited against split-safety looks. It’s not as if the Cowboys weren’t trying it, it’s just those passes in the middle typically require better personnel and more effective play design.

Sumer Sports discovered since those middle plays often take more time to develop (these aren’t all straight “go” routes), having time in the pocket is paramount...

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/li...ddle-cowboys-passing-attack-has-room-to-grow/

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Actually, we use to attack it quite a bit when Beasley was here. In fact, something Dak liked about him.......is that he was always open as he would put it.

 

[CCBoy]

Reid D Hanson

@ReidDHanson

An area where the good QBs separate from the average QBs is in deep passes on the boundary. But if the Cowboys want to elevate as an offense, they need to turn their attention to the middle of the field. This typically falls on play-calling




12:31 PM · Jun 12, 2023

 

[CCBoy]

As long as the TE group can carry their weight in 2023, there’s no reason to think the Cowboys can’t be better at attacking the NFL’s most vulnerable areas of the secondary.

While deep sideline passes are a QB talent issue, middle of the field passing requires strategy. It has to be a team effort, and up until now, that hasn’t appeared to be a strategy in Dallas.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/li...ddle-cowboys-passing-attack-has-room-to-grow/

 

[irishline]

Reid D Hanson
@ReidDHanson

An area where the good QBs separate from the average QBs is in deep passes on the boundary. But if the Cowboys want to elevate as an offense, they need to turn their attention to the middle of the field. This typically falls on play-calling


12:31 PM · Jun 12, 2023

It sure does fall on play-calling. All I see from this chart are no (few) crossing patterns, no inside slants, etc. etc. Something we pretty much knew.

 

[noshame]

This guy's clueless

 

[Risen Star]

Wow Cowboyswire is trash.

 

[CCBoy]

McCarthy’s has a pedigree for leading a top offense, having a hand in seven top five units while a coach of the Green Bay Packers. The talent is there for the Cowboys led by Prescott, but it remains to be seen how it all comes together in a new scheme, a new coordinator, and a new play caller.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/lists/cowboys-offense-2023-potential-issues/?itm_source=parsely-api

 

[CCBoy]

No shame and Risen Star...just give it rest on your topic trolling.

Your rush to hinder or distort actual and valid following...stinks!
Instead of forcing other fans to follow the bounding insult, contribute more than an insult, or just stay off a real thread's attempts at the cause of this site - DISCUSSION. Not vain insults doing nothing for football.
If you guys want something equally intelligent but not crap...here you go:

They say that in Texas it is so hot, that the trees are whistling for the dogs!





This article is just going over what the team already has done for itself during this very off season.

Every team in the NFL does this very same analysis and the very same reasoning process.

What is being provided is education as well as highly functional on just the process that is true to the Cowboys.

A standard is being set to truly understand and judge this season and is worth seeing for a fan's own judgements and ability to understand from an informed view.

 

[CowboyRoy]

The Cowboys haven’t been regularly exploiting the middle of the field. Prescott’s most profitable passes have come down the sideline while his performance in the middle is significantly below average.

Under Kellen Moore, the Cowboys often targeted the tough throws down the sidelines. It fit his general scheme and philosophy and was a way for Prescott to show off his passing ability. Those are the tough throws where average and below average QBs can’t survive.

Yet, the most profitable portions of the field, the intermediate-to-deep middle, are just begging to be exploited against split-safety looks. It’s not as if the Cowboys weren’t trying it, it’s just those passes in the middle typically require better personnel and more effective play design.

Sumer Sports discovered since those middle plays often take more time to develop (these aren’t all straight “go” routes), having time in the pocket is paramount...

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/li...ddle-cowboys-passing-attack-has-room-to-grow/

More defensive design I would say. With Zeke running the ball, no need for defenses to stack the box or even worry about the run. So they flood that passing zones in nickel over the middle of the field and force you to throw outside where its more difficult. Or make you throw underneath where they can hammer you. Play action is where you exploit the middle of the field and you need a good run game for that.

 

[CCBoy]

More defensive design I would say. With Zeke running the ball, no need for defenses to stack the box or even worry about the run. So they flood that passing zones in nickel over the middle of the field and force you to throw outside where its more difficult. Or make you throw underneath where they can hammer you. Play action is where you exploit the middle of the field and you need a good run game for that.

Play action works well with speed outside, traps, misdirection and plainly overloading on a straight inside run. Making completions consistently down range passing then keeps the linebackers on their heels and cost time in reactions. That improves blocking efficiency. The Cowboys have some very quick and elusive runners that can blow opportunity out of the water as well. Screens blocked and wide open are great with this as well. Passing success beyond ten yards has to be real, although, for that to been seen as a norm for the team.

More than 2.5 seconds goes to the advantages for Dak and his receivers...

 

[nalam]

Actually, we use to attack it quite a bit when Beasley was here. In fact, something Dak liked about him.......is that he was always open as he would put it.

that is because he doesnt trust the WRs unless they show visible separation, if you recall in 2016 , he was known for not turning the ball over ( but enjoyed a peak Zeke and OL run blocking resulting in good run game )

As he evolved more as QB ( when he got paid)he was expected to throw open the WRs and make yards in chunks. But that requires good WRs , quick and know how to get open as his accuracy is a average. with Amari running good routes and getting open , also pre injury Gallop doing well , Ceedee in slot worked good. But last year , no Amari , Gallop wasnt Gallop and only CD , who wasn’t as good as some elite WRs to get open which resulted in Ints. that results in lot of underneath throws which are not as productive ( Schultz)

i hope Gallop improving this year and addition of Cooks will result in a better Dak , also big Mac using the middle with TEs and RBs , resulting in short throws and YAC with blockers .

If this is combined with good run game ( Better RBs and OL improved run blocking ) we could have a better offense which can hang with better defenses like SF, Philly etc.

 

[CCBoy]

Tyron Smith at LT, Tyler Smith at LG, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at RG, and Steele at RT - if that stays together, Dak should strongly get his time for passing plays and holes opened for the run game.

When injury after injury befell the Cowboys offensive line in 2022, the team had to get creative. They moved players in an out of their optimal positions. Players rotated and different combinations were tested. By yearend, the Dallas line was a shell of its former self. The running game was ineffective and the pass protection was untrustworthy.

The Cowboys offense ground to halt because the damage sustained to the offensive line was too big to overcome. It’s a situation Dallas clearly hopes to avoid in 2023. The Cowboys have made a determined effort to mix and match linemen throughout offseason activities. It’s a formula they intend to continue into training camp in an quest to make the offensive line as antifragile as possible.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/20...g-an-antifragile-line/?itm_source=parsely-api

Nassim Taleb, economist/mathematician/philosopher, has literally written the book on becoming antifragile. While fragile items (like the Cowboys offensive line in 2022) break under pressure, antifragile ones get stronger from it.

It’s the difference between breaking a glass vase and breaking a bone. The glass vase is fragile and once broken, will never be as strong as it once was. The broken bone will actually heal up stronger than ever before.

Testing their reserve tackles like Matt Waletzko and Josh Ball inside at guard helps them achieve that goal. Mixing and matching Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith shows what the optimal lineup can be. Finding out who can be a back-up at multiple positions and what combinations are the most effective will allow them to handle unforeseen injuries and set them on the path for resiliency.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/category/2023-season/

 

[beware_d-ware]

The deep middle ball is arguably the toughest throw in the NFL. That's when open windows at release can shut the fastest before the ball arrives.

Dak's not a good anticipator, so I don't blame KM for shying away from them. Especially since KM was still willing to challenge deep, unlike say a certain Princeton graduate.

 

[CCBoy]

The deep middle ball is arguably the toughest throw in the NFL. That's when open windows at release can shut the fastest before the ball arrives.

Dak's not a good anticipator, so I don't blame KM for shying away from them. Especially since KM was still willing to challenge deep, unlike say a certain Princeton graduate.

Here, the sidelines were best throws by Dak as he had an element of protection that was an actual physical barrier to enhance a throwing advantage. Center of field requires time in pocket a play developmentally receiver or just very top shelf speed and a move.