NFL.com: Dallas' Secret Weapon? Fourth-round pick could change offense

[Carson]

Switzer will get 5-7 snaps a game. All will be jet sweeps to him like Lucky!

I kid I kid

 

[risco]

Yeah, interesting read! When the stars line up like they have, it seems, for the Cowboys, human intervention can screw it all up.

 

[cowboyblue22]

my question is does the hc and the staff have the ability to take advantage of him I guess we will see they could never quite figure out the two tight end offense they were trying to copy from the pats

 

[conner01]

No way Garrett takes Witten off the field, it's a moot point

You aren't going 4 receivers every down
But mixing it in is a good concept
The real key to getting the 4 on the field is 3rd and short because teams will blitz that formation.
Witten will get his snaps and witten won't be complaining when those snaps are less than he has had through out his career
But we also have rico so I could see two TE a lot too. Easier to run the ball and if rico can become a impact player then really opens up play action

 

[BARRYRAY]

In my day they called this the run and shoot.Also note we don't have to protect the elderly Romo as much so max protection my not be needed.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

No way Garrett takes Witten off the field, it's a moot point

Way if the Joneses intervene.

 

[CATCH17]

Reminds me of all the 2 TE talk for years.

Question is, will this staff have to guts to actually be creative and do something this different on offense cause of present personnel.

We won't see much creativity with this staff but I think Switzer can fit what they already do.

Just mirror what Beasley does on the opposite side when they are both on the field.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Open up the field for Zeke!!!

 

[robbieruff]

Reminds me of all the 2 TE talk for years.

Question is, will this staff have to guts to actually be creative and do something this different on offense cause of present personnel.

Agreed. The fear is they just plug him into the Lucky Whitehead roll and stop there.

 

[Verdict]

No way Garrett takes Witten off the field, it's a moot point

Unfortunately you are probably correct. Witten is a high priced progress stopper at this point in his career. I will say this though, if you need 10 yards on third down you can rest assured that it is almost certain that Witten will make a catch for a 9 yard gain.

 

[gimmesix]

It really has less to do with Switzer and more to do with the offensive system and the personnel we use in it.

I want to think all of this hype about Switzer is true, but I will need to see it happening. We heard all about how the dreaded two-TE attack was going to terrorize defenses with first Bennett, then Escobar. Saw the same things.

What we can realistically expect of Switzer is for him to take Lucky's role in the offense. I think anyone expecting more than that is expecting too much.

Dallas didn't draft a diminutive receiver/return man in the fourth round with the idea that this would change the offense to a four-receiver set. Now, if he's good, maybe we'll see an uptick in the number of four-receiver sets we use.

 

[robbieruff]

Unfortunately you are probably correct. Witten is a high priced progress stopper at this point in his career. I will say this though, if you need 10 yards on third down you can rest assured that it is almost certain that Witten will make a catch for a 9 yard gain.

Lol. Well I will say this - going 4 WR does not preclude us from having Witten in the game...particularly since we usually go single RB in those formations. Really the debate will not be Witten vs Switzer but Witten vs Butler. I still think the old man commands more attention and can therefore attract some of the defense's focus. That should only help the wideouts in my view. And it the D commits an LBer to cover Witten when we spread them out, he still can cause a lot of problems...even if it looks like he's running on a treadmill half the time. Plus...he's blocking is an added bonus that allows us to run out of the formation should we look to cross the defense up.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

Lol. Well I will say this - going 4 WR does not preclude us from having Witten in the game...particularly since we usually go single RB in those formations. Really the debate will not be Witten vs Switzer but Witten vs Butler. I still think the old man commands more attention and can therefore attract some of the defense's focus. That should only help the wideouts in my view. And it the D commits an LBer to cover Witten when we spread them out, he still can cause a lot of problems...even if it looks like he's running on a treadmill half the time. Plus...he's blocking is an added bonus that allows us to run out of the formation should we look to cross the defense up.

Your not adding it up right, we can have only 11 guys on the field. In that set we got 5 OL, Dak, Zeke, and 4 WRs (Dez, Twill, Beas, Swit). That means Witten isn't on the field. You would have to bench either one of those WRs (Swit) or Zeke to get Witten on the field.

Bottom line, Witten needs less snaps anyway. Will the coaches do it is the question.

 

[Direwolf63]

..."I love Witten, but he doesn't scare defenses any more," a former NFL defensive coordinator told me. "If they went to more four-receiver stuff with Switzer and Beasley on the field, it would cause more problems for defenses from a matchup standpoint."

I suggested this a week or 2 ago and was roasted for it.

I think the team has to use this lineup on some 3rd downs. Not all of them. This creates a lot of problems for defenses.

 

[Verdict]

Lol. Well I will say this - going 4 WR does not preclude us from having Witten in the game...particularly since we usually go single RB in those formations. Really the debate will not be Witten vs Switzer but Witten vs Butler. I still think the old man commands more attention and can therefore attract some of the defense's focus. That should only help the wideouts in my view. And it the D commits an LBer to cover Witten when we spread them out, he still can cause a lot of problems...even if it looks like he's running on a treadmill half the time. Plus...he's blocking is an added bonus that allows us to run out of the formation should we look to cross the defense up.

Witten is a marginal blocker at this point in his career. He is a savvy pass catcher but he isn't a threat to score from very far out. I don't hate Witten. I just think we are way over paying him and his skills have eroded to the point that he has limited effectiveness.

It does piss me off that the Cowboys coaches seem to let him play anytime he wants to as if he has earned the right to do whatever the **** he wants to do. I think if Witten wanted to play QB for Dak for 10 plays per game I think Garrett would let him do it because he has somehow earned that right. It's maddeningly stupid.

 

[robbieruff]

Your not adding it up right, we can have only 11 guys on the field. In that set we got 5 OL, Dak, Zeke, and 4 WRs (Dez, Twill, Beas, Swit). That means Witten isn't on the field. You would have to bench either one of those WRs (Swit) or Zeke to get Witten on the field.

Bottom line, Witten needs less snaps anyway. Will the coaches do it is the question.

Thx. Pre-coffe math obviously. Lol.

 

[Direwolf63]

They'll be doing more 5 receiver sets w Switzer and zeke getting the reps. Jason isn't getting off the field. He's been tony and now daks safety. Idc if defensive aren't scared of Jason but he always gets open. He's a hall of famer. respect him.

And theres the problem right there.

Sitting Jason Witten on the occasional 3rd down is NOT a lack of respect. To say it is is just silly.

Even Jerry Rice became a part time player at the end of his career.

The coaching staff needs to do whats best for the team.

 

[robbieruff]

Witten is a marginal blocker at this point in his career. He is a savvy pass catcher but he isn't a threat to score from very far out. I don't hate Witten. I just think we are way over paying him and his skills have eroded to the point that he has limited effectiveness.

It does piss me off that the Cowboys coaches seem to let him play anytime he wants to as if he has earned the right to do whatever the **** he wants to do. I think if Witten wanted to play QB for Dak for 10 plays per game I think Garrett would let him do it because he has somehow earned that right. It's maddeningly stupid.

I understand your sentiments. And yes he has certainly lost a step. I still think his leadership and locker room presence is part of that paycheck. He will be a tremendous influence on these young guys and that could be worth a bit of overpay on my view - in terms of his dwindling ON field production. Let's hope the old man surprises us with a throwback year.

 

[Gameover]

You aren't allowed to like Switzer. Risen will be here to tell you why before long.

People value that morons opinion?

 

[Bardley1985]

I would put Switzer in the back field and have Dak move him to the weakest point on the field. I wouldn't line him up in the second slot. The ability to pick and choose which side to put him on could be deadly. Do a drag across the field beside dez and open up that side for Zeke to get a easy pass in that direction!