Just my thoughts on the offense in the opener

[brymatt94]

• I really believe the performance started with the fumble by Murray on the first drive. Momentum is a real thing in sports and that turnover led to the unraveling for the offense.
  
• That being said, Romo's picks were on him in my opinion. He is one of my favorite players over this last decade and will be until he retires. He has his one or two poor performances a year and I hope he just needs to get his groove back. However, today seemed different, he looked stiff and obviously hesitant to just let it spin. It's no surprise that at his age he can't escape the pocket and make something out of thin air as well as he used to. I will always have faith in him and if the Cowboys are going to do anything this year, he needs to be at least above average.
• The running game was what we hoped for and expected. The line did a good job beating their man on the line of scrimmage first (which is essential in run blocking) before they got up to the linebackers. Aside from the fumble, Murray was a workhorse.
  
• The play-calling itself was balanced and closer to what everyone was screaming for last season.
• Pass blocking was average. At times it looked like they couldn't give Romo two seconds and at others it seemed like he couldn't find anyone open or like I mentioned before, he was scared to just throw it.
• Dunbar started off in the role we all expected and performed well, but then seemed to disappear. Now, I can't speak for the coaches but they shouldn't be afraid to just take a chance and give him more reps.
• No Escobar. It felt like the first time I saw him was late in the game in the red-zone when Romo tried for him at the corner of the end-zone. It seems this offensive coaching staff is extremely comfortable with their 11-Personnel but once again, take some chances!

I am never going to judge a season until the team either makes the playoffs or are eliminated from contention completely. Fans thought the sky was falling for this team a month before the draft. For the ones who expected this, this loss is all the confirmation they need, and I feel sorry for those that won't really enjoy the season week to week. For the ones who stay even-keel, this will only be a blemish on a season long experience that like always will have both triumphs and heartbreaks. Regardless, I'm glad I have my Cowboys back.

 

[Tabascocat]

What's troublesome is....the same trends reared their ugly heads. It did start out looking different, Dunbar was used, some different formations, etc but they still passed when they should run and vice versa.

Romo went back to staring at receivers, mostly Witten, or forcing passes to spots where he had no business doing so. Until the coaches and/or Romo learn how to get everyone involved, it will not be much better than what it has been.

I watched several other games today and they all felt different than our offensive game-plan. There is a rhyme and reason to others but it seems like we just wing it and hope for the best. If something doesn't go right, it is abandon time and draw up plays in the dirt. Our offense is still too slow even when they are trying to score fast. The play-clock is still an issue.....

We can't seem to be able to utilize 5 or 6 different players on offense, it is usually only 2 or 3...at best. Yet, I will not give a final judgement on this offense until at least week 5. We should know by then if the offense has really improved.

Today was an anomaly, can't give an honest opinion because were down so fast and whatever game-plan we had, had to be changed.

 

[mmohican29]

What's troublesome is....the same trends reared their ugly heads. It did start out looking different, Dunbar was used, some different formations, etc but they still passed when they should run and vice versa.

Romo went back to staring at receivers, mostly Witten, or forcing passes to spots where he had no business doing so. Until the coaches and/or Romo learn how to get everyone involved, it will not be much better than what it has been.

I watched several other games today and they all felt different than our offensive game-plan. There is a rhyme and reason to others but it seems like we just wing it and hope for the best. If something doesn't go right, it is abandon time and draw up plays in the dirt. Our offense is still too slow even when they are trying to score fast. The play-clock is still an issue.....

We can't seem to be able to utilize 5 or 6 different players on offense, it is usually only 2 or 3...at best. Yet, I will not give a final judgement on this offense until at least week 5. We should know by then if the offense has really improved.

Today was an anomaly, can't give an honest opinion because were down so fast and whatever game-plan we had, had to be changed.

To be fair- most teams don't overburden themselves with "so many offensive weapons". There are a few teams that do- and do it well- (Saints, Falcons, Patriots, Broncos), but there are other teams that have a core of three or four money players who get it done (Niners, Seahawks, Bears).

We are the Wal-Mart of football teams. Everythings made of (in) China, Something for everyone, but not everything on the shelf (including the QB) is of the quality the package indicates.

 

[brymatt94]

What's troublesome is....the same trends reared their ugly heads. It did start out looking different, Dunbar was used, some different formations, etc but they still passed when they should run and vice versa.

Romo went back to staring at receivers, mostly Witten, or forcing passes to spots where he had no business doing so. Until the coaches and/or Romo learn how to get everyone involved, it will not be much better than what it has been.

I watched several other games today and they all felt different than our offensive game-plan. There is a rhyme and reason to others but it seems like we just wing it and hope for the best. If something doesn't go right, it is abandon time and draw up plays in the dirt. Our offense is still too slow even when they are trying to score fast. The play-clock is still an issue.....

We can't seem to be able to utilize 5 or 6 different players on offense, it is usually only 2 or 3...at best. Yet, I will not give a final judgement on this offense until at least week 5. We should know by then if the offense has really improved.

Today was an anomaly, can't give an honest opinion because were down so fast and whatever game-plan we had, had to be changed.

I agree with everything you said. I just think sometimes the coaches call the game scared. There were a couple of deeps shots, one of which was an awesome grab by Harris but they definitely need to mix it up.

 

[Tabascocat]

I agree with everything you said. I just think sometimes the coaches call the game scared. There were a couple of deeps shots, one of which was an awesome grab by Harris but they definitely need to mix it up.

I think they call it scared as well, more afraid of making mistakes and playing it safe.

Awesome grab by Harris or more like sheer luck on that floating duck Romo threw? heh

 

[bysbox1]

The problem with today's game was this. San Fransisco played:

With no Navaro Bowman.
With no Aldon Smith
With both starting corners out.
Starting Nose Tackle out.
Starting Offensive Tackle out.
Offensive Guard (Alex Boone) sitting on the sideline after a long holdout.

And they still man handled us, thanks in no part to Romo's picks.

How is this team going to play when they run into a team with their full compliment of starters? I would not necessarily dismiss this as an anomaly. I know it's only week one, but this looks like the same old team we have seen over the past 3 years.

 

[Zman5]

I agree with everything you said. I just think sometimes the coaches call the game scared. There were a couple of deeps shots, one of which was an awesome grab by Harris but they definitely need to mix it up.

Romo sucked tonight. Play calling wasn't that bad. On his first int, playaction was working and had the whole SF LB's shift to one side and TWill was wide open running the post route. Romo went to Dez instead where all the coverage was being shift to.

On his second int, playaction worked again and had the LB sucked in and D. Harris was open right behind them. Once again Romo throws it to Witten being double covered.

Both should have been TDs if Romo had made the right read.

 

[Sampson]

Agreed. Offense looked good. Romo looked horrible. His decision making was bad (understatement). He's got to throw the ball away rather than just toss one deep and pray. Hopefully he changes this immediately. He had plenty of people open.

 

[CrownCowboy]

We are still an undisciplined football team that commits too many penalties and turns the ball over.

We had the ball inside the 10 twice and did not run the ball.

Tony had a bad game and that will happen for any player. I was encouraged by the defense and how they played overall.

The bottomline is that we were not ready to play, plain and simple. When you turn the ball over that much and commit penalties that is a reflection of the coach and it really is that simple.

 

[Idgit]

The bottomline is that we were not ready to play, plain and simple. When you turn the ball over that much and commit penalties that is a reflection of the coach and it really is that simple.

It's really not. It's a reflection of the decision making of the QB today. A QB who's shown to be a very good decision maker, generally, overall. The penalties are nothing more or less (I don't believe, but I'd be happy to see evidence to the contrary) than we see every single opening week around the league. We saw a lot of the same from the 49ers, too, and there's no doubt they've got a very good coach on their sideline.

 

[JoeKing]

This team continues to be it's own worst enemy. Turnovers and penalties thrive on gameday for the Cowboys and that will always be a recipe for disaster. It seems almost a certainty we the fans will have to endure yet another inferior campaign of week to week subpar performances by our team. With week 1 in the books, the overall performance by the Cowboys is not acceptable and left little to look forward to in the weeks to come.

 

[Idgit]

This team continues to be it's own worst enemy. Turnovers and penalties thrive on gameday for the Cowboys and that will always be a recipe for disaster. It seems almost a certainty we the fans will have to endure yet another inferior campaign of week to week subpar performances by our team. With week 1 in the books, the overall performance by the Cowboys is not acceptable and left little to look forward to in the weeks to come.

SF was 11-80. We were 10-72, if anyone cares to stop talking about the excessive penalty situation. We got beat because we turned the ball over, didn't take it away enough, and we allowed a defensive touchdown. It's very simple.

 

[MRV52]

When your running the ball like we did down the field, why in the world would we throw it down at there end zone. Play calling was a joke today and it cost us.

 

[JoeKing]

SF was 11-80. We were 10-72, if anyone cares to stop talking about the excessive penalty situation. We got beat because we turned the ball over, didn't take it away enough, and we allowed a defensive touchdown. It's very simple.

Okay, the penalties weren't the predominate problem this game... turnovers were. It's still more a result of mistakes rather than being outplayed.

 

[waving monkey]

What's troublesome is....the same trends reared their ugly heads. It did start out looking different, Dunbar was used, some different formations, etc but they still passed when they should run and vice versa.

Romo went back to staring at receivers, mostly Witten, or forcing passes to spots where he had no business doing so. Until the coaches and/or Romo learn how to get everyone involved, it will not be much better than what it has been.

I watched several other games today and they all felt different than our offensive game-plan. There is a rhyme and reason to others but it seems like we just wing it and hope for the best. If something doesn't go right, it is abandon time and draw up plays in the dirt. Our offense is still too slow even when they are trying to score fast. The play-clock is still an issue.....

We can't seem to be able to utilize 5 or 6 different players on offense, it is usually only 2 or 3...at best. Yet, I will not give a final judgement on this offense until at least week 5. We should know by then if the offense has really improved.

Today was an anomaly, can't give an honest opinion because were down so fast and whatever game-plan we had, had to be changed.

Scott Lineman is a high caliber OC. He'll work this out. There are good offensive players on this team.
I didn't expect a win today when I first saw the schedule.

 

[CCBoy]

It's really not. It's a reflection of the decision making of the QB today. A QB who's shown to be a very good decision maker, generally, overall. The penalties are nothing more or less (I don't believe, but I'd be happy to see evidence to the contrary) than we see every single opening week around the league. We saw a lot of the same from the 49ers, too, and there's no doubt they've got a very good coach on their sideline.

I saw a little filled with himself quarterback yesterday. Tony has earned a stick with him view by his strength of past. But he still badly missed open targets in and near the Red Zone. He was flat on his throws to secondary role players, such as badly overthrowing Escobar near the goal area. The 'non-quarterback,' Colin Kaepernick, who didn't score during the Exhibition games, didn't have much problem with the Dallas defense.

Obviously, Tony yesterday, on deep patterns, couldn't have hit water if tossing a football from a boat...when it mattered.

Tony wasn't game ready this time, and it seemed he favored his back as well. I wonder how it is today?

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

This team continues to be it's own worst enemy. Turnovers and penalties thrive on gameday for the Cowboys and that will always be a recipe for disaster. It seems almost a certainty we the fans will have to endure yet another inferior campaign of week to week subpar performances by our team. With week 1 in the books, the overall performance by the Cowboys is not acceptable and left little to look forward to in the weeks to come.

I agree. Today Tony was the goat. Next week it will be somebody else. That's how these Cowboys are. Not one person is responsible from week to week.

 

[CrownCowboy]

It's really not. It's a reflection of the decision making of the QB today. A QB who's shown to be a very good decision maker, generally, overall. The penalties are nothing more or less (I don't believe, but I'd be happy to see evidence to the contrary) than we see every single opening week around the league. We saw a lot of the same from the 49ers, too, and there's no doubt they've got a very good coach on their sideline.

It is that simple in our case. When you see a team do the same things over and over again for years, it's easy to pinpoint what part of the problem is. Jason Garrett didn't have his team ready to play yesterday, and that is the case more times than not. When your team is that careless with the ball and has that many penalties, it's a sign that the head coach doesn't have his team prepared. Nevermind the gameplan, which is also another area that Garrett has no clue how to construct which was evidenced by his need to want to throw the ball when he gets inside the 10 or even 5 yard line.

Tony had a bad game, granted. And as I stated, every player is going to have those kind of games. I think it got magnified for him because it was opening day and of course he plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

We are not a disciplined football team. We had a false start penalty before we even snapped the ball to open the game yesterday. I believe we had double digit penalties yet again, combined with the turnovers. Tony did make bad decisions, but when your team is inside the 5 yard line or it's goal to go in the situations we were in yesterday, you run the ball. Garrett shouldn't let Romo change plays in certain situations and those were examples of that right there that cost us.

Teams normally take the mentality of their head coach. Nobody takes responsibility here because this kind of stuff keeps happening and does not get corrected.

 

[canters]

I thought Tony looked confused by the SF coverages, wihch goes back to him and the coaching.

The Oline should get better down the road.

IF Tony does not have any more of the games like yesterday, and the D plays as well as it did yesterday against a healthy SF offense, thing can be and will be OK. The sky might not be falling.

 

[Idgit]

It is that simple in our case. When you see a team do the same things over and over again for years, it's easy to pinpoint what part of the problem is. Jason Garrett didn't have his team ready to play yesterday, and that is the case more times than not. When your team is that careless with the ball and has that many penalties, it's a sign that the head coach doesn't have his team prepared. Nevermind the gameplan, which is also another area that Garrett has no clue how to construct which was evidenced by his need to want to throw the ball when he gets inside the 10 or even 5 yard line.

Tony had a bad game, granted. And as I stated, every player is going to have those kind of games. I think it got magnified for him because it was opening day and of course he plays for the Dallas Cowboys.

We are not a disciplined football team. We had a false start penalty before we even snapped the ball to open the game yesterday. I believe we had double digit penalties yet again, combined with the turnovers. Tony did make bad decisions, but when your team is inside the 5 yard line or it's goal to go in the situations we were in yesterday, you run the ball. Garrett shouldn't let Romo change plays in certain situations and those were examples of that right there that cost us.

We had fewer penalties for fewer yards than the team that beat us. And I'm sorry, but I'm not blaming the coach for Tony's bad reads yesterday. What amount of preparation do you really think would have avoided those two bad throws into coverage?

And, no, you don't automatically run the ball every play from inside the five. The receiver was open on the pass that was called. The QB just plain missed him. I think the world of Tony, but he's got to play better than that if we're going to win a football game.