Interesting OL Stat...

[jterrell]

JT, how many rushing TD would you expect from a team that had 33 passing TD?

What would be an acceptable number, IOW?

I don't have a number because that's not a factor for me at all.
I would be concerned about scoring when we got into the red zone and PPG.
I'd also have goals for 3rd down % and 4th down %.

If you want some pretty co-efficient you could say 33 passes, 11 rushes... 44 total. But I'd take 46 passing and 0 rushes over that. OR 46 rushes and 0 passes. I care about total points not how we got them.

Dallas was one of the top teams in the league last year at time of possession. They ran the ball to good results in yardage. And achieved a fair amount of first downs via run. The only running metrics they failed at were in total number of rushes and in rushing TDs. I've never seen a team have a goal around rushing TDs. My high school ran the veer and ALL we did was run but we just had total TDs, PPG and 3rd down percentage as goals on the wall.

The only reason to have balance is to help you score more or eat more clock. If you are already eating clock and scoring not sure why anyone would focus on a stat like TD rushes....

I'll certainly grant you that lots of smart folks are spouting the OL upgrade option. I also see that we did not leave people happy with our play along the interior OL most of the season... but we had young guys plugged in and were rebuilding the OL. We have a cornerstone LT in Tyron Smith. We have a coveted young OT in Doug Free. We aren't going to have 5 studs along the OL. We hired a new, highly touted OL coach and signed one of the best pure blocking FBs in football. Not sure how much more we need to do at the blocking group(altho i wouldn't have been too mad at paying MBennett 2.5 mil). Especially, since there were very few OL complaints with a healthy DeMarco Murray last year. And all in all Tony Romo wasn't sacked or even hit more than other top QBs.

I have learned as a Coach that when you are just a kind of middle of the road team all the areas gain a spotlight and seem to be the issue. Dallas needs to simply be better. Better coverage makes the points we do score look larger. Better pass rush makes the coverage look better. Better run game makes the defense better. It all flows together.

 

[jterrell]

I'm pretty sure that Laurent Robinson burned Amukamara in the first Giants meeting. I know he was a first rounder but I don't recall his play being that good, do you have stats? The Giants made a huge difference with their pass rush especially the interior (Linval Joseph & Canty).


I believe Dallas' woes do stem from the poor rushing attack. Although the YPC were good, you could also look at CIN rushing stats behind Livings and you will be surprised by that number. My point is that the poor rushing attack allowed defenses to key in on the pass more than the run which made the offense predictable in the red zone.

Prince was strong for them late in the year when it mattered.
The Giants sucked most of the year though, I will gladly give you that.
Week 17 we didn't smoke Prince at all.

Young guys get better. The Giants let Aaron Ross walk and expect Prince to step up in year 2. We probably should have some faith in Nagy and Arkin.

End of the day you only have so much ammo and if you waste it shooting rats, the zombies will get you for sure

 

[percyhoward]

Percy my friend you are looking at it in a box and not in game context

There is nothing about each individual game that would prevent an extra 10 touchdowns from adding up to an extra 70 points.

 

[percyhoward]

I would be concerned about scoring when we got into the red zone and PPG. If you are already eating clock and scoring not sure why anyone would focus on a stat like TD rushes....

Because 11 teams scored more TD than we did. On offense. That includes 4 teams that didn't even make the playoffs. The Jets and Vikings scored more TD on offense than the Cowboys.

We were 20th in red zone TD percentage, and 15th in PPG. Go ahead and be concerned.

I'd take 46 passing and 0 rushes over that. OR 46 rushes and 0 passes. I care about total points not how we got them...I've never seen a team have a goal around rushing TDs.

Fine. Then let's say 38 total offensive TD (12th in the NFL) isn't good enough and we need more TD, period.

We can either try to become the first team in the history of the league that ever scored 40 passing TD with 5 rushing TD, or we can acknowledge that there is a real problem with only scoring 5 rushing TD, and work on trying to get that number up around 15 and see what happens.

 

[iceberg]

Because 11 teams scored more TD than we did. On offense. That includes 4 teams that didn't even make the playoffs. The Jets and Vikings scored more TD on offense than the Cowboys.

We were 20th in red zone TD percentage, and 15th in PPG. Go ahead and be concerned.


Fine. Then let's say 38 total offensive TD (12th in the NFL) isn't good enough and we need more TD, period.

We can either try to become the first team in the history of the league that ever scored 40 passing TD with 5 rushing TD, or we can acknowledge that there is a real problem with only scoring 5 rushing TD, and work on trying to get that number up around 15 and see what happens.

if we could have stopped 6-7 td's along the way it wouldn't have mattered.

 

[Risen Star]

We can either try to become the first team in the history of the league that ever scored 40 passing TD with 5 rushing TD, or we can acknowledge that there is a real problem with only scoring 5 rushing TD, and work on trying to get that number up around 15 and see what happens.

Yeah, that was a pretty ridiculous statement you were responding to. The more balanced you are, the more potent your offense.

I'm at a loss if fans of this team don't see how bad we are up front and how that has everything to do with why we can't win.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Todd Archer pointed this out tonight.

Phil Costa is currently the 2nd longest tenured Cowboy on the offensive line.

That's some serious churnage in two years.

Who's the 1st?

 

[iceberg]

Yeah, that was a pretty ridiculous statement you were responding to. The more balanced you are, the more potent your offense.

I'm at a loss if fans of this team don't see how bad we are up front and how that has everything to do with why we can't win.

i'm at a loss why so much is placed on the offense when our defense gave late TD after late TD.

 

[Risen Star]

Who's the 1st?

Doug Free.

The elder statesman of the OL these days. At least in terms of being a Cowboy.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

Doug Free.

The elder statesman of the OL these days. At least in terms of being a Cowboy.

Wow we have ourselves one very, very young OL.

 

[Risen Star]

i'm at a loss why so much is placed on the offense when our defense gave late TD after late TD.

The two worst ranked defenses last year were New England and Green Bay. They had no problem competing. Did they win it all? No. Only one team can, but they were right in the mix.

I'd love a better defense. I'll think we'll get that to some degree simply by having an offseason to install for Rob. But this team is close on offense and can be the 2011 Patriots or Packers with a legitimate offensive line.

 

[iceberg]

The two worst ranked defenses last year were New England and Green Bay. They had no problem competing. Did they win it all? No. Only one team can, but they were right in the mix.

I'd love a better defense. I'll think we'll get that to some degree simply by having an offseason to install for Rob. But this team is close on offense and can be the 2011 Patriots or Packers with a legitimate offensive line.

i'm not gonna go micro-analyze to suit my stupid statements.

i'll let them stand on their own. >g<

but to continue to harp on the offense when from what i saw did good enough to go into the playoffs and see our D give up last drive, game losing TD's all the time - that hurt.

if the D could have done a better job, this would have been a very different year.

but hey, that doesn't coincide with bagging on romo.

 

[percyhoward]

if we could have stopped 6-7 td's along the way it wouldn't have mattered.

Of course.

We were 12th in offensive TD scored, and 12th in offensive TD allowed. We need to improve on both sides of the ball.

That argument was about whether there was room for improvement on the offensive side. There is.

 

[Risen Star]

Wow we have ourselves one very, very young OL.

We do, but Free's not the oldest. He's just been here the longest. Nate Livings is the oldest.

 

[Doomsday101]

It works until you get to the red zone, where we ranked 20th in TD percentage.

Which leads to FG that is a 4 point loss everytime we can't get in.

 

[iceberg]

Of course.

We were 12th in offensive TD scored, and 12th in offensive TD allowed. We need to improve on both sides of the ball.

That argument was about whether there was room for improvement on the offensive side. There is.

never said there wasn't. i've been wanting an OL overhaul since bledsoe was here. i ranted and raved my hairy hiney off that year and annoyed exponantially more than i normally do.

good to see the group catch up.

 

[Risen Star]

i'm not gonna go micro-analyze to suit my stupid statements.

i'll let them stand on their own. >g<

but to continue to harp on the offense when from what i saw did good enough to go into the playoffs and see our D give up last drive, game losing TD's all the time - that hurt.

if the D could have done a better job, this would have been a very different year.

but hey, that doesn't coincide with bagging on romo.

If you can dominate one side of the ball, you can contend for championships in today's NFL. We were far closer on offense than defense at the start of the offseason. That should have been the focus. To complete that side of the ball, protect your aging franchise QB, bring back an actual running game and hope we can do enough on defense to win it.

 

[iceberg]

If you can dominate one side of the ball, you can contend for championships in today's NFL. We were far closer on offense than defense at the start of the offseason. That should have been the focus. To complete that side of the ball, protect your aging franchise QB, bring back an actual running game and hope we can do enough on defense to win it.

again, i've been wanting to overhaul our line long before it came to be in vogue. i'm happy as hell to see us address it last and this year. i see a lot of homework in our OL signings so far and am not gonna worry about their unspectacular past fans harp on and hope that homework pays off for us.

but all this "we need more rushing TDs!" - duh. but is that why we didn't make the playoffs? to me, no. giving up TDs to lose the game at the last minute had far more to do with it.

 

[Bluestang]

Prince was strong for them late in the year when it mattered.
The Giants sucked most of the year though, I will gladly give you that.
Week 17 we didn't smoke Prince at all.

Young guys get better. The Giants let Aaron Ross walk and expect Prince to step up in year 2. We probably should have some faith in Nagy and Arkin.

End of the day you only have so much ammo and if you waste it shooting rats, the zombies will get you for sure

Do you have Prince's stats from the last month of the season? I could be wrong here but I don't just remember Prince being that good. Ross and Webster were the two main guys and Amukamara was 3rd guy coming in nickel from what I remember.



I still think the Giants secondary was average but held up better because they could run zones behind there 4-man rush and get pressure. Anytime you can do that your defense has the edge.

BTW Aaron Ross was pretty awful too:
67.9 % Completion Rate
Gave up a Total 811 Yards
Gave up 102.8 QB Rating

He was top 10 in the bottom of cornerback metrics.

 

[Risen Star]

again, i've been wanting to overhaul our line long before it came to be in vogue. i'm happy as hell to see us address it last and this year. i see a lot of homework in our OL signings so far and am not gonna worry about their unspectacular past fans harp on and hope that homework pays off for us.

but all this "we need more rushing TDs!" - duh. but is that why we didn't make the playoffs? to me, no. giving up TDs to lose the game at the last minute had far more to do with it.

Unspectacular past fans harp on? You mean a player's resume?

What, we shouldn't consider their resume if it's negative and your favorite team just signed him?

Does this apply to all the fans who harped on Carr's resume when we signed him? Or do resumes suddenly mean something then?

There is no bigger reason why the Cowboys aren't playoff contenders than the play of their offensive line. It's simply a crime to continue to have Romo waste his career playing behind such crap.

Yeah, they addressed it. Like I addressed my broken windshield wiper by tying a string to it.