MM admits they didn't commit to the run

[ElGatoGrande]

If only it was this simple.

My favorite from last year is the team successfully reaching 3rd and short yardage with the game on the line and then Dak throws a fifty-freaking yard bomb out of bounds. He's addicted to the big plays and has a warped idea on when to take the shots.... like, every other play.

 

[75boyz]

Personally, I think you are making sweeping generalizations about Dak based on trying to run with a broken line and a broken RB, penalties and a horrible scheme.

This year the RBs are healthy and the line is MUCH improved in run blocking.

I know this may be shocking to a lot of you but they upgraded their OL with Steel and anyone at LG. I will also say that in the run game, Tyler has been exponentially better than Tyron maybe ever was.

Other than that, this mythical "Dak checks out of runs too much" theory is bogus with 0 evidence.

So the beat writer's revealing of Dak audibling out of 40% or more of the run plays called in a game last year and the ensuing multi page post that followed here a week or so ago is zero evidence?

Got it.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

McCarthy also likely knows he is on the hot (or at least warm) seat this season, so he is probably being more involved with the offense than he was last year.

I suspect that if the offense struggles through the first half of the season, we may see him get even more involved the offensive game planning and possibly even calling some plays through Moore or directly himself in games.

This^^^

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Mike McCarthy has only been top 10 in rushing attempts once and it was 2000 his first year as an offensive coordinator.

Bingo! No question Zeke is not the same back he was in 2016 but his attempts are way down. When you look at MM tenure with Packs, it was easy putting the ball in Roger's and letting him do his thing. He didn't need a lot of rushing attempts, but Dak needs balance.

 

[fivetwos]

Was it not true when I read that defenses were baiting Dak into changing to a pass play by stacking the box, then backing into zone after the snap?

If so, there needs to be a counter adjustment, no?

 

[noshame]

Interesting debate.

But in the end it’ll come down to what coach Jerry thinks is best.

Do any of you actually trust him to not stick his nose in and “suggest” what’s going to work best?

Sorry, but I don’t.

Well he did last year when he announced Zeke was going to carry the ball between the tackles often blabla

 

[fivetwos]

Bingo! No question Zeke is not the same back he was in 2016 but his attempts are way down. When you look at MM tenure with Packs, it was easy putting the ball in Roger's and letting him do his thing. He didn't need a lot of rushing attempts, but Dak needs balance.

At this point in the season, he still has a nice burst and is a load to bring down.

Like anyone else, he needs to be used correctly. That body with a head of steam is what would wear down defenses, but they insist on giving him a handoff from the shotgun while he is flat footed.

That sweep on 3rd and 12 last week was a thing of beauty. As if I was watching a different team.

I just don’t know if our staff just isn’t good at using players to their strengths vs certain influences that may come from above.

 

[CATCH17]

Pollard needs to start drives. That’s a big problem right now.

Zeke is not the type of guy who gets the offense going. Pollard is.

 

[fivetwos]

Well he did last year when he announced Zeke was going to carry the ball between the tackles often blabla

I don’t mind Jerry wanting to be involved. I don’t LIKE it, but whatever.

I just don’t see why he feels like he has to tell the world what we want to do or not do. It’s as if he has to validate his involvement.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

It's still not that simple it disrupts everything within 10 yds of the LOS. If you do not force defenses to cover the whole field you're screwed.
Thats why when Dak was moving around in 2016 everything worked,
Dak in the pocket is no good. Period.
You do not need to decommit to the run, just throw behind the defense ONCE IN A WHILE and you'll have a running game.

Neither I...nor anyone else said other wise. But of COURSE you cannot "decommit" to the pass...especially a long ball now and then. Just to keep the honest if nothing else.

 

[Stash]

My opinion is that while they talk about a commitment to the running game, the playcaller(s) have long abandoned it at the first opportunity. If they get down by one score or more, they feel too much pressure and feel the only way they can get back in the game is to pass. They lack patience.

 

[GINeric]

First drive against Tampa was run heavy and successful up until Kelmo called some stupid double reverse. From there it was all passing and zero effectiveness.

And this is why I said Moore is one of the dumbest coordinators in the league. What coordinator would stop doing the things the opponent can't stop???

 

[Acceptablename]

Not sure if this has been posted. I haven't seen it. Confirms what many have known/suspected.

"“We talked about this in training camp,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We needed to run the ball better. More importantly, we needed to get more attempts at the plate. We needed to stay committed to it. I think we’ve definitely done that the last two weeks.”

The thing I'd like to know is why were they not committed? Some say Jerry wants Dak featured because of...well...40 million reasons. But Zeke is his boy too.

"McCarthy said being balanced has been the team’s winning formula as the run game has allowed Rush to operate with clean pockets in the passing game while also chewing up the clock to keep their defense off the field and rested.

“It starts with running the football,” McCarthy said."

Duh.

"But the Cowboys like the current distribution and remain cautious about wearing Pollard down, considering he has never carried a full load at running back going back to high school."

Yep.

"The best part about it as the Elliott and Pollard each other’s biggest fans, allowing the Cowboys to use them in tandem and interchangeably at a moments noticed:

This is something I have been saying. Pollard had been coming in a predictable times. Zeke raises his hand. Or 3rd series. Even if the same defense is out there...they know pretty much where to try to defend each RB. Now...not so much.

"Elliott is good with it because believes it’s the best way for the Cowboys to win.
And that’s all he cares about.
“All I’m worried about is winning football games and going to chase that ring,” Elliott said. “Do what we’ve got to do. We stay committed to the run and we keep getting those attempts, I think we’ll be successful.”

Good team mates!

Full article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/dallas-cowboys-stick-cooper-rush-095500046.html

Was the Oline protecting the first game

 

[conner01]

Not sure why they always keep saying, and even fans here on the forum, that it is so simple.... just run the dammmm ball. Well you can't just run the ball if the defense decides to put 8 men in the box and stuff your run. You have to be able to throw intermediate routes consistently and deep routes as well. Get the DBs back more than 10 to 15 yards off the LOS. Then your OL and TE can deal with the front 6 or 7. Rush has done that well. Setting up a decent run game. Dak needs to do the same, and not go to his check downs and short passes almost like handoffs. He has the whole defense playing him within 10 yards of the LOS. Of course you can't run like that. Committing to the run would be dumb.

You can only keep running the ball if the run is working
You can’t just pound it twice and have 3rd and 8 all day
The last 2 weeks we’ve ran the ball effectively so we could keep running it
It’s

 

[BAT]

Jason Peters is good to block close to the line of scrimmage where he doesn't have to move much, but if you ask him to pull or go downfield, forget about it because he will get exposed due to his size and age. That is where the younger and more mobile/athletic Farniok is better.

Or the younger more talented and more powerful Tyler Smith.

Tyler Smith is the best pulling guard on the team. Bar none.

But barring a move of Tyler to LG, Peters is the obvious upgrade over Farniok, we all saw clearly vs Giants. The run blocking immediately paid explosive dividends while the pass blocking was also elevated.

The difference between Farniok and Peters was just night and day.

Farniok is good and getting better but Peters next to Tyler is absolutely the right choice.

 

[BAT]

McCarthy always admitting things he really should not be admitting.

Situational awareness has always been a problem with this guy.

Not sure if this has been posted. I haven't seen it. Confirms what many have known/suspected.

"“We talked about this in training camp,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “We needed to run the ball better. More importantly, we needed to get more attempts at the plate. We needed to stay committed to it. I think we’ve definitely done that the last two weeks.”

The thing I'd like to know is why were they not committed? Some say Jerry wants Dak featured because of...well...40 million reasons. But Zeke is his boy too.

"McCarthy said being balanced has been the team’s winning formula as the run game has allowed Rush to operate with clean pockets in the passing game while also chewing up the clock to keep their defense off the field and rested.

“It starts with running the football,” McCarthy said."

Duh.

"But the Cowboys like the current distribution and remain cautious about wearing Pollard down, considering he has never carried a full load at running back going back to high school."

Yep.

"The best part about it as the Elliott and Pollard each other’s biggest fans, allowing the Cowboys to use them in tandem and interchangeably at a moments noticed:

This is something I have been saying. Pollard had been coming in a predictable times. Zeke raises his hand. Or 3rd series. Even if the same defense is out there...they know pretty much where to try to defend each RB. Now...not so much.

"Elliott is good with it because believes it’s the best way for the Cowboys to win.
And that’s all he cares about.
“All I’m worried about is winning football games and going to chase that ring,” Elliott said. “Do what we’ve got to do. We stay committed to the run and we keep getting those attempts, I think we’ll be successful.”

Good team mates!

Full article: https://www.yahoo.com/news/dallas-cowboys-stick-cooper-rush-095500046.html

 

[BAT]

Mike McCarthy has only been top 10 in rushing attempts once and it was 2000 his first year as an offensive coordinator. Kellen Moore also did it once in 2019 his first year as an offensive coordinator. It's surprising to me how that team didn't finish better than 8-8. They started 3-0, had a top 10 offense and defense, but lost a lot of close games that probably came down to coaching and defenses inability to make plays at critical moments.

Bottom line neither head coach or offensive coordinator have ever been run heavy guys, so as much as they talk about it I don't know if it's something they can actually commit to regularly.

THIS^^^^

 

[MapleLeaf]

Not sure why they always keep saying, and even fans here on the forum, that it is so simple.... just run the dammmm ball. Well you can't just run the ball if the defense decides to put 8 men in the box and stuff your run.

If you want to commit to the run you have to run against stacked boxes. Audibling out of them consistently lets the defence figure you out quickly and then you get remarks like, "We knew what plays they were going to run before they did them."

If you want to commit to the run you need to develop blocking schemes that win more than hat on hat affairs. Motion, down blocks that can lug defenders or take out two defenders with one o-lineman need to be developed.

If you want to commit to the run you have to have lineman who can do the job...as a unit. Complex and unique blocking schemes to spring lanes open. Great communication on the line that diagnoses the defences alignments and predicts tendencies and where gap weakness is likely to occur.

I hope MM, Philbin and Moore can figure this out, and adjust as opposing teams shift to negate the running game.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I once again...reiterate......think about what it means to "commit to the run".

I don't think it means you suddenly become a singular run first ....run only ....offense.

Of COURSE one of the things you invest in....is a blocking o-line. We went a couple years never addressing Tyron Smith. We lost Fred and took us a coupel years to recover from that. IS that normal NFL operations? {shrug}...I dunno.

Seems to me we went away from it too gun shy. Throw a couple runs up the clogged middle just for giggles. THAT is NOT committing to a run game.

We MIGHT be starting to do it this year....while STILL passing. And mixing up our great RB's. Took us long enough.

 

[fivetwos]

And this is why I said Moore is one of the dumbest coordinators in the league. What coordinator would stop doing the things the opponent can't stop???

Maybe one whose boss says that he “wuhd rally lahk tuh sey” Dak have those passing stats so he doesn’t look like an idiot for giving him 40 million a year.

Very possible.