New Offensive Wrinkles, perhaps some shades of 95-96 Packers?

[JohnnyHopkins]

I have been hearing about all of the new offensive looks that the Boys are working on in the OTAs. Since it was an era that Garrett played in and a team that the Cowboys played a lot of meaningful games against, could they have taken a long offseason look at the formations deployed by the 95-96 Packers teams? I know the offensive disciplines are different (GB ran a West Coast scheme), but perhaps Garrett would be smart to review how they deployed their two TE set that they ran so well. Very similar skill players:

• QB - Romo (GB had Favre in his MVP prime) -
• TE - Witten and Bennett (Packers had Keith Jackson and Chmura)
• WR - Williams and Crayton/Austin (Packers had Brooks and Antonio Freeman.)
• RB - Barber, Jones, Choice (GB had Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens)

Man, come to think of it, how could Dallas not hire Holmgren next season if this team underperforms again?

 

[Apollo Creed]

You mean Robert Brooks at WR.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

You mean Robert Brooks at WR.

You are correct sir! Fixed.

 

[Alexander]

Interesting theory.

 

[Rampage]

getting ready for Holmgren early huh

 

[JFlgn]

Garrett has his roots in Norv Turner's offense which is actually one of the first true "west coast" offenses (learned from Don Coryell) before Bill Walsh tweaked it for a weak-armed, but accurate QB in Joe Montana.

I'm just saying that since Garrett is rooted in the west coast offense, it isn't a stretch to suggest that he looked at a west coast with predominantly two tight sets.

I can't wait to see what the offense does this season. It should be fun to watch, but I'm really excited to see the crazy coverages and blitzes Wade will finally be able to run.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Garrett has his roots in Norv Turner's offense which is actually one of the first true "west coast" offenses (learned from Don Coryell) before Bill Walsh tweaked it for a weak-armed, but accurate QB in Joe Montana.

I'm just saying that since Garrett is rooted in the west coast offense, it isn't a stretch to suggest that he looked at a west coast with predominantly two tight sets.

I can't wait to see what the offense does this season. It should be fun to watch, but I'm really excited to see the crazy coverages and blitzes Wade will finally be able to run.

I can't wait. Garrett has some of the most dynamic players in the game on offense. Wade will not only have a greatly upgraded secondary but a unit that is getting much more familiar with his scheme. We've got so many players primed to have breakout years that 44-6 is already becoming a distant memory in my mind. But I always like to end everything with the contingent - if we stay healthy.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Not really...

 

[Ren]

wish we'd stop trying to find an identity in other teams and make our own

 

[Alexander]

wish we'd stop trying to find an identity in other teams and make our own

We might not be. But nearly every offense is cannibalized from somewhere. I have more of an issue trying to make players do what others have done.

Either you draft to the system as a general rule and make that the driver behind what you (like say Pittsburgh or the Niners used to) or you mold the system around what you have and reinvent as you go. You don't try to make the players do something they aren't that good at.

I actually think we could transition easily into that Packer persona if Holmgren came in. All of our parts have that kind of skillset.

In the meantime, I agree, I hope we aren't doing what amounts to stealing an old playbook and copying that. We've seen that before when Zimmer tried to take the Dungy Tampa-Two and run it in Dallas.

 

[dogunwo]

We might not be. But nearly every offense is cannibalized from somewhere. I have more of an issue trying to make players do what others have done.

Either you draft to the system as a general rule and make that the driver behind what you (like say Pittsburgh or the Niners used to) or you mold the system around what you have and reinvent as you go. You don't try to make the players do something they aren't that good at.

I actually think we could transition easily into that Packer persona if Holmgren came in. All of our parts have that kind of skillset.

In the meantime, I agree, I hope we aren't doing what amounts to stealing an old playbook and copying that. We've seen that before when Zimmer tried to take the Dungy Tampa-Two and run it in Dallas.

Our defense was ok during that time, it just bottomed out when other teams realized the players in the scheme sucked

 

[BAT]

I actually think we could transition easily into that Packer persona if Holmgren came in. All of our parts have that kind of skillset.

I don't think so. The 2 offensive schemes, not to mention vernacular, are very different and as closely as our skill personnel might mirror one another, the biggest difference is the most important position group:


OL


Holmgren would have to scrap nearly EVERY player on the current OL, with the exception of Kosier. That means getting rid of THREE pro bowlers. Neither Flo, Gurode or Bigg would be very effective in a zone down blocking scheme. May not even suit Columbo either.


I don't see Austin as a great Walsh type receiver. And Neither Hurd or Crayton are especially great after the catch. Walsh WRs need to be big AND have effective RAC ability.

 

[jobberone]

Garrett has his roots in Norv Turner's offense which is actually one of the first true "west coast" offenses (learned from Don Coryell) before Bill Walsh tweaked it for a weak-armed, but accurate QB in Joe Montana.

I'm just saying that since Garrett is rooted in the west coast offense, it isn't a stretch to suggest that he looked at a west coast with predominantly two tight sets.

I can't wait to see what the offense does this season. It should be fun to watch, but I'm really excited to see the crazy coverages and blitzes Wade will finally be able to run.

Paul Brown is the real origin of the WCO. Walsh was his asst. Brown is the Godfather of a very large coaching tree. Garrett is a proponent of the vertical passing game and more of an Air Coryell guy.

I don't think so. The 2 offensive schemes, not to mention vernacular, are very different and as closely as our skill personnel might mirror one another, the biggest difference is the most important position group:


OL


Holmgren would have to scrap nearly EVERY player on the current OL, with the exception of Kosier. That means getting rid of THREE pro bowlers. Neither Flo, Gurode or Bigg would be very effective in a zone down blocking scheme. May not even suit Columbo either.


I don't see Austin as a great Walsh type receiver. And Neither Hurd or Crayton are especially great after the catch. Walsh WRs need to be big AND have effective RAC ability.

A huge difference here. Nice post. I do think Austin could be very good in the WCO.

 

[khiladi]

I have been hearing about all of the new offensive looks that the Boys are working on in the OTAs. Since it was an era that Garrett played in and a team that the Cowboys played a lot of meaningful games against, could they have taken a long offseason look at the formations deployed by the 95-96 Packers teams? I know the offensive disciplines are different (GB ran a West Coast scheme), but perhaps Garrett would be smart to review how they deployed their two TE set that they ran so well. Very similar skill players:

• QB - Romo (GB had Favre in his MVP prime) -
• TE - Witten and Bennett (Packers had Keith Jackson and Chmura)
• WR - Williams and Crayton/Austin (Packers had Brooks and Antonio Freeman.)
• RB - Barber, Jones, Choice (GB had Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens)

Man, come to think of it, how could Dallas not hire Holmgren next season if this team underperforms again?

Note regarding the hype:

When Dallas stumbled in 2007, prior to the play-offs, the Cowboys spoke about new wrinkles they were implementing and they would be revealed in the play-offs. No show... In 2008, when the Cowboys offense was stumbling, the offense spoke about new wrinkles, and those wrinkles if implemented, ended up being things like TO lining up in the back-field...

 

[khiladi]

I can't wait. Garrett has some of the most dynamic players in the game on offense. Wade will not only have a greatly upgraded secondary but a unit that is getting much more familiar with his scheme. We've got so many players primed to have breakout years that 44-6 is already becoming a distant memory in my mind. But I always like to end everything with the contingent - if we stay healthy.

Wait... we didn't have those same dynamic players last year? I thought we were going to try and run the ball?

 

[speedkilz88]

Paul Brown is the real origin of the WCO. Walsh was his asst. Brown is the Godfather of a very large coaching tree. Garrett is a proponent of the vertical passing game and more of an Air Coryell guy.

The Don Coryell offense was originally called the WCO, a reporter mixed it up and called Brown's offense(Walsh's version) WCO instead and its been called that ever since.