It’s the details that make the difference

[stiletto]

Really? You can’t coach players not to jump early? I know a ton of coaches who would disagree with that.

Yes, of course all NFL teams have problems with pre-snap penalties. But saying that doesn’t matter is just crazy to me. To me having a stupid pre-snap penalty is the same as poor execution like a RB not protecting the ball while running, a lineman missing a key block, a center calling out the wrong protection package, any player forgetting the audible code, a defensive player lining up offsides…they are all sloppy inattention todetails that can literally cause you to lose a game.

That’s not a myth.

Absolutely kills drives and most noticeable against teams with good defensive fronts, or at least with players better than your OLinemen. It 100% matters.

 

[Cowboys5217]

I agree that Holding calls are certainly subjective. But false starts, delay of game, lining up offsides, illegal shifts….those are what I’m mostly referencing. As well as executing plays with precision.

Yeah, but you try to downplay the bias that has definitely been happening to Cowboys via the refs. And you try to hide it underneath pre-snap penalties as if that excuses ref bias. It does not, and we also don't appreciate the little insult you embedded in your response "for you refs are against us" snide comment.

 

[Bobhaze]

Yeah, but you try to downplay the bias that has definitely been happening to Cowboys via the refs. And you try to hide it underneath pre-snap penalties as if that excuses ref bias. It does not, and we also don't appreciate the little insult you embedded in your response "for you refs are against us" snide comment.

I believe NFL officiating is often very poor. I do not believe they are against the Cowboys. Have they made bad calls against us? Yes. Have they failed to call several holding calls on players against Parsons? Yes. Do I believe there is some kind of organized conspiracy to cheat the Cowboys by the NFL? No I do not.

You are free to have differing opinions.

 

[lukemartin79]

The most frustrating aspect of watching the Cowboys this year is how many times sloppy play kills drives or poor execution at a critical moments can be the difference between winning and losing.

For me its been very frustrating watching the D play good, but the O doesn't, or the other way around. Its been rare to have them both firing on all cylinders in the same game. When they have - we get to see one helluva team. Its just been too rare

 

[Brax]

Wow. Ok. So attention to those details that cause false starts, offsides, delay of game, etc don’t really matter? Well Mac I’m just going to agree to disagree witcha brother.

The refs are out to get Dallas why can’t you see that. You just have grin and laugh , have a nice New Year

 

[Bobhaze]

The refs are out to get Dallas why can’t you see that. You just have grin and laugh , have a nice New Year

Explain your reasoning here. Just curious. What evidence indicates that the refs are out to “get us” as opposed to just not very good?

 

[CCBoy]

The most frustrating aspect of watching the Cowboys this year is how many times sloppy play kills drives or poor execution at a critical moments can be the difference between winning and losing.

Give them a focus point...every single game, be the first team to accomplish a game changing play.

 

[Brax]

Explain your reasoning here. Just curious. What evidence indicates that the refs are out to “get us” as opposed to just not very good?

Bob read that again it was in jest as related to your last reply. I think the whole ref thing is just fans being dumb

 

[CCBoy]

Explain your reasoning here. Just curious. What evidence indicates that the refs are out to “get us” as opposed to just not very good?

Type of penalties when in game action there is supposed to be specialized ability to determine distance as well with holds. They are dominantly focused around the movement of the ball. Penalties in the secondary and where focus already is, is easier. Interior calls aren't really being articulated unless injury is additionally included.

 

[Bobhaze]

Bob read that again it was in jest as related to your last reply. I think the whole ref thing is just fans being dumb

Lol. My bad.

 

[Robster8989]

In a league where the talent margins are much thinner than in college football, details matter a ton. The difference between a good team and a great team is often in the details. Like penalties and poor execution at critical moments. That is especially true in close games where one play can be the difference in winning and losing.

In the Cowboys 5 losses this year, sloppiness and a lack of attention to details have been a big contributor to those losses.
Here are a few examples:

• The Cowboys are 2nd in the league with 108 penalties. (For the “refs are against us“ crowd, we have been the beneficiary of 96 penalties)
• The Cowboys are 3rd in pre-snap penalties which is the first indicator of undisciplined play.
• In the Arizona loss, the Cowboys had 13 penalties, 4 of which were pre-snap.
• In the critical loss to the eagles in the game at Philly, in that last drive with a chance to win, we had a false start and amazingly, a delay of game penalty, both in the red zone.
• In the 2 pt loss to the dolphins loss last week, the handoff fumble at the goal line on the first drive was a poorly executed play. Again - Lack of attention to details.
• Also in the 3rd qtr of Mia game, on a critical 3rd and 11 from the Mia 25, Dak scrambled for a first down at the Mia 11. Was called back because of an illegal shift where Lamb was called for moving right before snap. We ended up with a FG there instead of a first and ten from their 11. Again, small details matter.

As we approach the playoffs, being sharp, focused, making the execution of every play with precision is often the difference between winning and losing. If we can just tighten up the details, we’re a much better team. That’s a big if.

Great post as always Bob.
I'd love to see the statistics of how these dumb penalties affect a team's ability to win.
Like in baseball, those analytics are avaiable. Batting average difference between a first pitch strike and a fist pitch ball etc.
I wonder the staticstics on starting a drive 1st and 10 vs 1st and 15 etc. Or the % of success converting a 3rd and 3 vs a 3rd and 8?Stuff like that. How many possessions does it cost a team? How many points etc.

We seem to commit so may pre sanp penalties, but also just dumb penalties, unnecessary stuff.
The Bills game for example. On their frist drive, we stopped them on 3rd down, they were going to have to settle for 3 points, but DLaw just unnecessarily shoves Allen to the groud, right in front of the official. How often does the home team get that call? 90% of the time? So we give them first and 10 and they get 7. That penalty cost us 4 points.
Williams roughing the punter. Again, the D held and forced a punt, then just a stupid play gives them a first. They scored on that and made the game 14-0. We never recovered.

We seem to commit more than our fair share of both pre snap and unnecessary penalties, and it costs us.Just a lack of discipline.

 

[Diehardblues]

Great teams find ways to win . Our team this era seems to find new ways to lose. And sometimes in ways we’ve never seen before.

 

[cowboyblue22]

The most frustrating aspect of watching the Cowboys this year is how many times sloppy play kills drives or poor execution at a critical moments can be the difference between winning and losing.

the thing this team lacks is the heart of a champion until they get that are doomed to be average at best

 

[Jake]

Yeah, but you try to downplay the bias that has definitely been happening to Cowboys via the refs. And you try to hide it underneath pre-snap penalties as if that excuses ref bias. It does not, and we also don't appreciate the little insult you embedded in your response "for you refs are against us" snide comment.

Only 4 teams have benefitted from more penalty yardage against their opponents than the Cowboys. Plug that one into the "ref bias" calculator. It doesn't add up.

"Ref bias" claims are selective. Only parts of the equation that fit the narrative are included in the equation. Anything that doesn't is dutifully ignored.

That's what happens when "the refs" become a convenient excuse in games that don't go our way.

 

[Bobhaze]

Only 4 teams have benefitted from more penalty yardage against their opponents than the Cowboys. Plug that one into the "ref bias" calculator. It doesn't add up.

"Ref bias" claims are selective. Only parts of the equation that fit the narrative are included in the equation. Anything that doesn't is dutifully ignored.

That's what happens when "the refs" become a convenient excuse in games that don't go our way.

I remember my coaches growing up as a kid always emphasizing, “Complaining about the refs is for losers”. Had a basketball coach who made any player run if they complained about a call or non-call during a game.

Times have changed. Watching little league, middle and high school games these days, it’s amazing how many parents go completely ballistic over a “bad call” an umpire or ref makes against their kid. I’ve seen parents completely lose their cool and dignity over a call they think is unfair. Life is not always fair. Thinking human officials are capable of that or worse, thinking they become part of some conspiracy to screw your team is sad.

I understand why fans complain about refs. That’s just what fans do. However I don’t understand seeing these Cowboys players complaining about it and occasionally even McCarthy. It‘s just a bad habit to do it in public. Because it implies they don’t control their own destiny.

IMO it’s ok to rally the locker room behind the scenes with an “us against the world” theme. That can galvanize a team because it’s all about what WE as a team can do. Complaining about the refs implies the refs are in total control of a team’s destiny.

 

[75boyz]

When I read the OP's title the first word that comes to mind is coaching.

Still hard for me to grasp how this HC openly said in his offseason presser his intention to run the damn ball and rest the defense and fail so miserably. He even hires an OC whose background is in the running game and a new veteran OL coach who's resume is chock full of a variety of run schemes.

Massive fail on this lack of attention to detail.
This lack of attention to detail in an effective run game renders us blatantly one dimensional and thus spells disaster for any type playoff level success expectation.

I have zero confidence in this trio to get this run game figured out in time.
Or at all for that matter.

Here we are at game 16 of the season and the run game still appears to be some mismatch of random inside and outside attempts with no fluidity/cohesion to them.

Add to that the lack of situational awareness of what type run play to call and when to call it is still non-e xistent.
And I thought that's part of the reason we fired the last guy.

EXTREME improvement in run game coaching would solve a LOT of team problems to me, Bob.
That's the detail that's been most overlooked imo.

 

[CCBoy]

In a league where the talent margins are much thinner than in college football, details matter a ton. The difference between a good team and a great team is often in the details. Like penalties and poor execution at critical moments. That is especially true in close games where one play can be the difference in winning and losing.

In the Cowboys 5 losses this year, sloppiness and a lack of attention to details have been a big contributor to those losses.
Here are a few examples:

• The Cowboys are 2nd in the league with 108 penalties. (For the “refs are against us“ crowd, we have been the beneficiary of 96 penalties)
• The Cowboys are 3rd in pre-snap penalties which is the first indicator of undisciplined play.
• In the Arizona loss, the Cowboys had 13 penalties, 4 of which were pre-snap.
• In the critical loss to the eagles in the game at Philly, in that last drive with a chance to win, we had a false start and amazingly, a delay of game penalty, both in the red zone.
• In the 2 pt loss to the dolphins loss last week, the handoff fumble at the goal line on the first drive was a poorly executed play. Again - Lack of attention to details.
• Also in the 3rd qtr of Mia game, on a critical 3rd and 11 from the Mia 25, Dak scrambled for a first down at the Mia 11. Was called back because of an illegal shift where Lamb was called for moving right before snap. We ended up with a FG there instead of a first and ten from their 11. Again, small details matter.

As we approach the playoffs, being sharp, focused, making the execution of every play with precision is often the difference between winning and losing. If we can just tighten up the details, we’re a much better team. That’s a big if.

Hard work and momentum with rhythm turns that around every time, when early in a game. Focus on first game changer and being successful.

Much easier when the offensive tackles do their jobs and for 2.5 seconds as well.

As to ref calls, there is no way to do the wrong thing...that applies to the refs as well! I don't turn my head....that shows a lack of ethics.

 

[CCBoy]

Great post as always Bob.
I'd love to see the statistics of how these dumb penalties affect a team's ability to win.
Like in baseball, those analytics are avaiable. Batting average difference between a first pitch strike and a fist pitch ball etc.
I wonder the staticstics on starting a drive 1st and 10 vs 1st and 15 etc. Or the % of success converting a 3rd and 3 vs a 3rd and 8?Stuff like that. How many possessions does it cost a team? How many points etc.

We seem to commit so may pre sanp penalties, but also just dumb penalties, unnecessary stuff.
The Bills game for example. On their frist drive, we stopped them on 3rd down, they were going to have to settle for 3 points, but DLaw just unnecessarily shoves Allen to the groud, right in front of the official. How often does the home team get that call? 90% of the time? So we give them first and 10 and they get 7. That penalty cost us 4 points.
Williams roughing the punter. Again, the D held and forced a punt, then just a stupid play gives them a first. They scored on that and made the game 14-0. We never recovered.

We seem to commit more than our fair share of both pre snap and unnecessary penalties, and it costs us.Just a lack of discipline.

Players are still allowed to not show up during games with hard work. Pay check plays, especially at offensive tackle.

 

[noshame]

In a league where the talent margins are much thinner than in college football, details matter a ton. The difference between a good team and a great team is often in the details. Like penalties and poor execution at critical moments. That is especially true in close games where one play can be the difference in winning and losing.

In the Cowboys 5 losses this year, sloppiness and a lack of attention to details have been a big contributor to those losses.
Here are a few examples:

• The Cowboys are 2nd in the league with 108 penalties. (For the “refs are against us“ crowd, we have been the beneficiary of 96 penalties)
• The Cowboys are 3rd in pre-snap penalties which is the first indicator of undisciplined play.
• In the Arizona loss, the Cowboys had 13 penalties, 4 of which were pre-snap.
• In the critical loss to the eagles in the game at Philly, in that last drive with a chance to win, we had a false start and amazingly, a delay of game penalty, both in the red zone.
• In the 2 pt loss to the dolphins loss last week, the handoff fumble at the goal line on the first drive was a poorly executed play. Again - Lack of attention to details.
• Also in the 3rd qtr of Mia game, on a critical 3rd and 11 from the Mia 25, Dak scrambled for a first down at the Mia 11. Was called back because of an illegal shift where Lamb was called for moving right before snap. We ended up with a FG there instead of a first and ten from their 11. Again, small details matter.

As we approach the playoffs, being sharp, focused, making the execution of every play with precision is often the difference between winning and losing. If we can just tighten up the details, we’re a much better team. That’s a big if.

On point

Although as we get closer to the big games we seem to regress.
Anyway this playoff is MM last at bat.