Misplaced Linehan Rage

[aaev84]

I dislike Garrett and Linehan as much as the next fan (if not more in the case of Garrett), but has anyone given thought that the offense (particularly the passing game) is oversimplified and predictable as a byproduct of the QB?

The reality is we don't have a guy with arm talent back there that's comfortable sitting in the pocket, making his progressions and throwing receivers open.

Instead, our passing game is stripped down to predominantly quick reads, comeback routes where a receiver is running to a spot waiting for the ball.

I would also add if your QB has to be rolled-out or use PA to try to create throwing windows and separation for receivers so your QB can feel comfortable making a throw, you're severely handicapping your offense.

I want Garrett and Linehan gone today, but replacing him doesn't make Dak more accurate, poised or savvy.

Two things can be equally true: 1) Garrett and Linehan are part of the problem and 2) Dak is not the answer

Definitely. It's my personal feelings on it. Everyone had their gripes with Romo, and it was brought up in the past from what I remember with Romo... but not to this degree at all. Romo was fantastic pre snap and in his reads and delivery. Dak is simply not it. I know people have a tendency to stick with their guy but it's a serious issue with Dallas. The true elephant in the room imo.

 

[Gator88]

No, they had a better stat collector. We need a better QB. One who can actually win big games, like Troy or Roger. Not some Rudy Ruettiger over-achieving choker.

Even Troy himself admitted he was the lesser QB. Troy's teams did win big games when when he had a supporting cast that dwarfs anything seen since. His teams didn't win any big games when his supporting cast deteriorated to the same level that Dallas has had to deal with since Jerry has been running things.

 

[VACowboy]

Romo had a mastery of the offense and the uncommon ability to read defenses and adjust.

His best and most efficient seasons were in his 30s when he was far less mobile.

And how much better could Romo have been in an offense that didn't strap both hands behind his back?

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

If JJ is serious about keeping Dak then they better change the scheme.

Right-O dear boy. Garrett's playbook is completely wrong for Dak. I've been saying this for ages. It's why I've said for ages that we should fire the offencive coaches, and replace them with a Reid-style coach who knows how to use Reid's playbook. That would be best for Dak as he was compared to McNabb coming out of college. Additionally, with how many running QBs like Tua will be coming out soon, that is an offence that we need. This offence is built for it. The tricky bit is that Garrett's playbook is designed for a 90s Cowboys offence, rather than gearing the playbook for Dak's strengths. Reid has been successful because he equipped his playbook to fit Mahomes. Former Cowboys OC Norv Turner has been BRILLIANT in tailoring the playbook for Cam Newton. Thus, the Panthers look almost like their 2015 selves. I could go on. Unless you have Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, coaches MUST tailor their offence for their QB.

 

[charron]

Dak has received plenty of coaching and it's just not ever going to change for him. Throwing has never, ever been his strength. Everything was perfect in 2016 and now when he has to win with his arm we fail. linehan needs to be fired now. The OC needs to utilize Daks feet more to help him open up the offense, more play fakes to zeke, etc to help.

 

[TruBluSince1982]

Micky is a goofball... He just said the Cowboy's did in fact pass the ball more than they ran it on first down.

Does he understand why? Yes this is only because we went completly pass happy in the 2 min drill at the end of the half and when we were down by two scores with only minutes left. Good Lord Micky C'mon

That is also coincidentally, when we were moving the ball..

 

[glimmerman]

Right-O dear boy. Garrett's playbook is completely wrong for Dak. I've been saying this for ages. It's why I've said for ages that we should fire the offencive coaches, and replace them with a Reid-style coach who knows how to use Reid's playbook. That would be best for Dak as he was compared to McNabb coming out of college. Additionally, with how many running QBs like Tua will be coming out soon, that is an offence that we need. This offence is built for it. The tricky bit is that Garrett's playbook is designed for a 90s Cowboys offence, rather than gearing the playbook for Dak's strengths. Reid has been successful because he equipped his playbook to fit Mahomes. Former Cowboys OC Norv Turner has been BRILLIANT in tailoring the playbook for Cam Newton. Thus, the Panthers look almost like their 2015 selves. I could go on. Unless you have Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, coaches MUST tailor their offence for their QB.

I wish they would do this. Especially if he is actually going to extend his contract.

 

[ClintDagger]

I dislike Garrett and Linehan as much as the next fan (if not more in the case of Garrett), but has anyone given thought that the offense (particularly the passing game) is oversimplified and predictable as a byproduct of the QB?

The reality is we don't have a guy with arm talent back there that's comfortable sitting in the pocket, making his progressions and throwing receivers open.

Instead, our passing game is stripped down to predominantly quick reads, comeback routes where a receiver is running to a spot waiting for the ball.

I would also add if your QB has to be rolled-out or use PA to try to create throwing windows and separation for receivers so your QB can feel comfortable making a throw, you're severely handicapping your offense.

I want Garrett and Linehan gone today, but replacing him doesn't make Dak more accurate, poised or savvy.

Two things can be equally true: 1) Garrett and Linehan are part of the problem and 2) Dak is not the answer

I think JG & SL need to go. But I do agree that Dak is such a liability that he makes others around him look worse than they really are. That includes his coaches, OL, and WRs.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I wish they would do this. Especially if he is actually going to extend his contract.

My thinking is that it won't likely be more than a 1 year extension, unless they plan to gear his contract for in the event he becomes the backup, which is precisely why he was drafted. He just happened to be really good in 2016, which elevated him to a starter. I'm more than happy to let him continue to start, but it must be with a new scheme. I don't think Garrett fits Dak, and I'm CERTAINLY not of the mind to give him and Linehan the keys to a new QB. I'm not saying Reid's the perfect coach, but his schemes are what this team needs, and I want us to reach either the Chiefs or Eagles coaching staffs to acquire a proper Reid-style coach. Will they? Who knows.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I think JG & SL need to go. But I do agree that Dak is such a liability that he makes others around him look worse than they really are. That includes his coaches, OL, and WRs.

Here's my thoughts on this. I can't really tell how much of this is really on Dak. Yes, his decisions must be better. Forcing the ball to Cooper was COMPLETELY wrong. That is one of those situations in which Bill Parcells would have lit him up when he got back to the sidelines, and I actually sort of doubt that he makes if Parcells were here. As for holding onto the ball too long, I dunno if that's all on Dak, but I think that the play designs should be better. It's why I think the better choice would be to give Dak 1 year under a Reid-style coach, and see what he does. Extend him for 1 extra year if you wish to allow him to become a backup. However, this would be a way to determine if it's scheme or if there's even more on Dak than I thought. Romo struggled with Garrett's playbook, and he was a HOF-caliber player, so what chance does a 4th rounder have with Garrett's offence?

 

[Cowboys22]

I dislike Garrett and Linehan as much as the next fan (if not more in the case of Garrett), but has anyone given thought that the offense (particularly the passing game) is oversimplified and predictable as a byproduct of the QB?

The reality is we don't have a guy with arm talent back there that's comfortable sitting in the pocket, making his progressions and throwing receivers open.

Instead, our passing game is stripped down to predominantly quick reads, comeback routes where a receiver is running to a spot waiting for the ball.

I would also add if your QB has to be rolled-out or use PA to try to create throwing windows and separation for receivers so your QB can feel comfortable making a throw, you're severely handicapping your offense.

I want Garrett and Linehan gone today, but replacing him doesn't make Dak more accurate, poised or savvy.

Two things can be equally true: 1) Garrett and Linehan are part of the problem and 2) Dak is not the answer

Dak is never going to be a QB in the mold of Brady, Rodgers, Brees, or Aikman but go look at the three wins this year and tell me what you see. The gameplan in those three wins was totally different than the five losses. In the three wins, they let Dak do the things he does best and he easily led the team to a win. Now, tell me why the coaches have decided to install a totally different gameplan in the five losses asking Dak to be something he is not. Then ask yourself who’s really at fault, the player who is being misused or the coach who stubbornly will not bend his offense to suit his QB?

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

Why would a HC try to make Dak a QB he isnt?

Why would Garrett try to play on Dak's weaknesses ? Try to exploit Dak's weaknesses ?

Its like icing your own kicker .

----
Garrett is truly a pioneer of the sport ; an offensive guru .

 

[Grevus]

I'm fine getting rid of the offensive coaches but they didn't exactly make coaching decisions to have their two top WRs completely disappear, go into the season with 4 TEs when none of them are starting quality and then lose the OL captain. You can put the OL technique problems on Alexander however.

You can put the red zone pick on Dak and that was a disaster, but the biggest issue yesterday was the defense basically never stopped the Titans on 3rd down. You can't beat a college team that way and TN converted almost every single 3rd down that wasn't a sack by the Dallas DL. The Titans converted 11 - 14 3rd down attempts when the NFL average is around 40%

I agree, but there are games that it sometimes happens. There are plenty of games were good defenses just don't play well. If our offense could have capitalized on some of the early turnovers, this would have been a different game, so I'll give a little pass to the defense. My issue is every week except one, the offense is trash. Extremely predictable and simple. Even the announcers were killing us last night on the 1st down running plays. Dak has issues, but the offensive scheme isn't doing him any favors. It's embarrassing to be a fan right now.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Why would a HC try to make Dak a QB he isnt?

Why would Garrett try to play on Dak's weaknesses ? Try to exploit Dak's weaknesses ?

Its like icing your own kicker .

----
Garrett is truly a pioneer of the sport ; an offensive guru .

Exactly what I'm saying. Norv Turner is currently proving that would be a better HC than Garrett by virtue of the fact that he's tailored the Panthers offence to fit Newton. Norv didn't expect Newton to be Philip Rivers. He geared the Panthers offence to fit Newton so that Newton could play like 2015 Newton. Garrett is trying to force Dak to be Aikman. Dak is NOT that style of QB. I don't know how much more obvious it can be for Jerry to see. Maybe Dak isn't the answer. I can't say for sure yet. What I do know is that Garrett is NOT the answer for the styles of QBs that are typical in the draft. Even Herbert uses his legs.

 

[gmoney112]

I'm on record hating this offense, so I wont get into that too much. Dak is one of the most efficient QBs in the league off playaction. Youd think we had a play action based offense, since teams focus on Zeke a lot, but we don't. Did you know Goff falls out of the top QB conversation when he's not using playaction? But when he does, he's great, and that's why the Rams use it a ton. It's being used a ton across the league this year.

We also don't use nearly enough motion. Or misdirection, even though we're usually efficient when putting players like Beasley in motion. The route concepts are also just nothing like the Rams, Chiefs, even the Bears implement. And the creativity around Zeke is pretty maddening, which boils down to route design and clear outs against specific defenses so you can get your playmakers the ball in the open field.

We have 2 choices though, since we brilliantly traded our first rounder.

We can either keep the staff, sign a vet, or pick up a guy in the 2nd or 3rd and wait until 2020.

Or, we can gut the offensive staff and draft BPA, maybe take a QB in the middle rounds, and see if we can salvage Dak before we move and get someone in 2020.

Cooper is a fine player, but the move was shortsighted imo given the questions we have.

 

[gimmesix]

No because the offense was bland and basic with Romo as well.

Linehan took that offense and handed the ball of more in it.

And I believe handing the ball off more was pretty much mandated by the Jones after seeing that running Murray could actually help Romo to not have to carry everything offensively on his shoulders.

Garrett was happy with his pass-first, run-if-I-have-to scheme that wasn't good enough to win, so we went to a run-predictably, pass-because-I-either-have-to-or-because-we-should-run-on-this-play scheme.

Linehan "enhanced" Garrett's playbook, but wasn't allowed to scrap it. So I do think some of the rage against Linehan is misplaced and belongs to Garrett, but not that the scheme is being dumbed down for Dak.

 

[ClintDagger]

Here's my thoughts on this. I can't really tell how much of this is really on Dak. Yes, his decisions must be better. Forcing the ball to Cooper was COMPLETELY wrong. That is one of those situations in which Bill Parcells would have lit him up when he got back to the sidelines, and I actually sort of doubt that he makes if Parcells were here. As for holding onto the ball too long, I dunno if that's all on Dak, but I think that the play designs should be better. It's why I think the better choice would be to give Dak 1 year under a Reid-style coach, and see what he does. Extend him for 1 extra year if you wish to allow him to become a backup. However, this would be a way to determine if it's scheme or if there's even more on Dak than I thought. Romo struggled with Garrett's playbook, and he was a HOF-caliber player, so what chance does a 4th rounder have with Garrett's offence?

I think Dak is a lost cause because IMO you can’t teach pocket presence or read anticipation. But, with that said I think what you are saying is likely to happen. A new staff comes in and they give it at least a year to see if they can make something of Dak.

 

[CyberB0b]

I dislike Garrett and Linehan as much as the next fan (if not more in the case of Garrett), but has anyone given thought that the offense (particularly the passing game) is oversimplified and predictable as a byproduct of the QB?

We had similar issues with Romo. That's why he had so many comebacks. That's why he changed the play all the time "kill, kill, kill". He had to modify the offense to actually make it work. Dak ain't Romo.

 

[Aviano90]

Even Troy himself admitted he was the lesser QB. Troy's teams did win big games when when he had a supporting cast that dwarfs anything seen since. His teams didn't win any big games when his supporting cast deteriorated to the same level that Dallas has had to deal with since Jerry has been running things.

He was being nice. Tony Romo would never, ever win the big game even with the perfect team. He was a small game QB only. He even said the biggest game of his career was a preseason game. Troy was a SB caliber QB.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I think Dak is a lost cause because IMO you can’t teach pocket presence or read anticipation. But, with that said I think what you are saying is likely to happen. A new staff comes in and they give it at least a year to see if they can make something of Dak.

I reckon that to be the right choice. Firstly, we don't have a 1st rounder sadly, so we're not likely to get a high QB (though, Thornson of Northwestern wouldn't be a bad 3rd round option). So that sort of does force the next coach to see what we have in Dak. If he's a lost cause, then no worries. Do what we need to do to get Tua in 2020 if that's the case. If Dak returns to his 2016 form, then we found the solution.