Twitter: OC Kellen Moore addresses run game vs Bucs

[TheMarathonContinues]

I do.. Specifically TWO MORE after the two minute warning after the long completion to Lamb.. We threw it twice, got a holding on one of them and ran it once. As a result of an incomplete pass we saved Tampa a timeout. Run it all three times there you eat up at least another 40 seconds of clock and both Tampa timeouts. So instead of using 30 seconds in that situation and letting Tampa off the hook with a timeout in their back pocket we would have used closer to 1:10 and left them with none, which again would have made that 10 second runoff after their penalty their death knell.

You're assuming that if they had ran it they would've had success despite them not having much at all that night....

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

You guys can't have it both ways. You can't say well they should've ran more without acknowledging that the fact that they passed was why they were even in the game to begin with. If you change the game plan they get beat down by the Buccs.....

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

…...not necessarily, but the way to keep teams "honest", you can't become one-dimensional. We need some "dogs" to ensure we don't always adjust to a team's strengths as opposed to becoming a better, well-rounded team.....we need to dictate the way a game is going to go. All I'm saying. I understand the Buc secondary was the weak link, but our inefficiencies show as we get in the red zone, as the field shortens. And this is something I haven't seen KMoore get good at, to be called "phenomenal", a guru, or get a pass each week.

What was there to keep honest though? The offense was on fire. They offense screwed up in the red zone. You want to keep the defense honest so you can do some damage against them. The damage was done their defense couldn't stop their offense.

We have issues in the running game. We had them last year and we had them in week 1. I don't know if its going to be a issue that plagues us all year but this offensive line does not run block nearly as well as they pass block. They haven't in a few years.

 

[Doomsday101]

The Cowboys had three holding calls on passes and none on runs.. You do the math..

it was a short pass to Zeke, not exactly a deep ball and holding happens on running plays just as well. Dallas is trying to pick up yards to put us in a better position to kick the FG, greg was not exactly having a great game.

 

[BAT]

Yards are yards except in the red zone, because goal is not yards per se but POINTS.

Have to be able to punch it in down there and that requires run blocking and rushing to be in sync. That does not happen if passing 60 times.

Versus TB, I've no problem with the pass heavy game plan but the red zone inefficiency is worrisome.

 

[RonnieT24]

You're assuming that if they had ran it they would've had success despite them not having much at all that night....

This is a false perception. Zeke only had two carries for 0 yards and one for -1. On the rest .. I believe he had 4 runs of 4 yards, one for 3 yards, two for 2 yards on 3rd and short and one for 13. The point of all that is to say that on most of his carries he got positive yardage. Generally without great blocking. And Lamb went out of bounds at the Bucs 34 yard line. We ended up gaining a net 4 yards on the three plays we ran.. The pass plays got a net of 0 yards, because of the holding, while the run play got 4. I'm sorry but at that point in the game it was time to run the ball. Not because we thought it was going break for a 30 yard TD but because we needed to eat up as much clock as possible before giving the ball back to that guy..

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

And I don’t think the almost anybody are qualified as OC’s , it’s more to it than just seeing names on paper roster, and think it’s a done deal with anyone else.
How often has it been regurgitated that the best coaches know how to place their best players in the best position to excel ?

It’s been too many coaches that they think they can and are qualified ..and they are not.
Just ask Scott Linehan, ..or Jason Garrett.

I’d prefer not want to be re-taking such risks again. And we may have to in the near future, if other NFL teams are indeed interested to chance Kellen as their HC.
Kellen isn’t perfect and he has his faults, but does his strengths outweigh his faults ?

He needs improvement in a few areas, but he also brings some substance that contribute to help making this offense that much more formidable, imo.

With the yards are yards commend, I took as a brush off.

as mentioned...almost anyone can create yards.....and I fully agree that "best coaches know how to place their best players in the best position to excel"...
the facts are IMHO, that Moore didn't put the team and players in best position to succeed. he lacks the experience in managing the game properly, ala inside the redzone and in late 4th quarter. he does have strengths, but not sure if it out weighs his faults at this point yet. he is still learning and making mistakes and in the meantime its costing us games. much like Garrett I believe he got elevated too quickly which is actually hurting his growth.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Dallas did that with both RB and WR, Dallas ran screens. However that is not running the ball. I want to run the ball but I do not want to get back into a situation where we run 1st down 2nd down and stuck in 3rd and long. Running effectively I get but running to say we ran the ball x number of times is meaningless if we are not producing. TB was not a team you want to force the run. I do think this coming game vs LA Chargers will see Dallas run the ball a lot more than vs Tampa. I think who we plan and how they are lining up on defense makes a big difference, we know 12 run plays called in the tampa game were changed at the line of scrimmage but even that is done based on the formations that Dak sees at the line.

screens to RBs are almost (not 100%) like a long handoff to RBs....its pushing the ball to the edge, trying to get the RBs in space. and I want to run the ball but not linehan predictable to run is 75% of the time on first downs, with the same play...sometimes, knowing your passing game is effective, you run the ball, to make sure that the defense respects the run and doesn't just drop 7 in coverage that takes away passing lanes. you have to make the run call at the right time and catch them napping as they say... I wasn't just referencing the run game against tampa, where we did get away from screens and they were working, but Moore does tend to get away from the run, which sometimes takes a bit to get established and allow the RB and OL to find a rythm. right now there doesn't seem to be a balance to cowboys offense. doesn't seem to be a rythm....if we take what the defense gives, then defense will dictate what they want to give.....

 

[quickccc]

as mentioned...almost anyone can create yards.....and I fully agree that "best coaches know how to place their best players in the best position to excel"...
the facts are IMHO, that Moore didn't put the team and players in best position to succeed. he lacks the experience in managing the game properly, ala inside the redzone and in late 4th quarter. he does have strengths, but not sure if it out weighs his faults at this point yet. he is still learning and making mistakes and in the meantime its costing us games. much like Garrett I believe he got elevated too quickly which is actually hurting his growth.

If Blake Jarwin makes that edge block at the 3 yard line on 3rd and goal, instead of that horribly weak, rag doll of a block, ..then Zeke easily strolls in untouched for a critical TD,.. instead of having to rely on a FG, .. we were already in position to succeed, but certain players did not allow us to have that chance. . .

i don't see the Garrett- Kellen comparisons, as In just three seasons Kellen's offense is already proving to as quite advanced as Garrett's in several senses.
Same rhythm tine based related but multiple motion and formations, huddle pace and route designs and the way he presents those elements to a defense is way ahead
of what we saw from Garrett's offense.

 

[Doomsday101]

screens to RBs are almost (not 100%) like a long handoff to RBs....its pushing the ball to the edge, trying to get the RBs in space. and I want to run the ball but not linehan predictable to run is 75% of the time on first downs, with the same play...sometimes, knowing your passing game is effective, you run the ball, to make sure that the defense respects the run and doesn't just drop 7 in coverage that takes away passing lanes. you have to make the run call at the right time and catch them napping as they say... I wasn't just referencing the run game against tampa, where we did get away from screens and they were working, but Moore does tend to get away from the run, which sometimes takes a bit to get established and allow the RB and OL to find a rythm. right now there doesn't seem to be a balance to cowboys offense. doesn't seem to be a rythm....if we take what the defense gives, then defense will dictate what they want to give.....

I understand that I also know Dallas had no issue moving the ball. the game plan by Moore gave Dallas a very good chance of winning in a game that no one was giving us a chance. Dallas in that game threw several quick hitters to the outside they ran screen. They managed 9 of 17 in 3rd downs. I felt Moore knew his opponent and directed the offense based on that knowledge. If he continue to adjust game plans based on those factors I think we will a lot more game than we lose.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

If Blake Jarwin makes that edge block at the 3 yard line on 3rd and goal, instead of that horribly weak, rag doll of a block, ..then Zeke easily strolls in untouched for a critical TD,.. instead of having to
rely on a FG, .. we were already in position to succeed .

i don't see the Garrett- Kellen comparisons, as In just three seasons Kellen's offense is already proving to as quite advanced as Garrett's in several senses.
Same rhythm tine based related but multiple motion and formations, huddle pace and route designs and the way he presents those elements to a defense is way ahead
of what we saw from Garrett's offense.

we were in position to succeed but proceeded to grab defeat from jaws of victory.....that was either a bad play call for the personnel grouping, or wrong personnel grouping for the play call. there is no ifs, buts or thens....everyone, I mean everyone knows Jarwin can't block, so calling a play that isolates Jarwin on a saftey in space is the wrong play call....this is not Madden NFL...this is real NFL and a coach should fully know his players strengths and weaknesses. Jarwin is not a blocker of any type.....his OC should know that....we have seen that over and over again with Jarwin...who btw, has been out of football for a year as well

if he had Schultz and perhaps Pollard on that play, it would have been the right grouping for that call. pollard has more speed than zeke, so running to the outside would have given him an edge and schultz is a much better blocker....as a matter of fact, I would have put Noah Brown instead of Jarwin, since Noah is much better blocker in space.

so no, that was a bad call for who was on the field...... he didn't put the team and his players in a position to succeed....he put Jarwin in a position to fail and he did.

Kellen has to prove his worth, inside the redzone and in the end of 4th quarters. he is not proved that he is any good in those areas.....

perhaps he is not as bad as garrett, but dont' forget garrett produced some top offenses as an OC, both in scoring and total output......

 

[ondaedg]

100% Correct. Fans have been screaming for a coach to make adjustment and not go with a "this is what we do" kind of gameplan. I thought it was brilliant and it kept us in the ballgame.

Right. We don't come into a game and say "well this week I feel like running the ball... Let's game plan it and stick to it!" That's bonkers. You put a game plan together that gives you the best chance to move the ball and score points against your opponent taking into account their strengths and weaknesses. Noone should care how we do it as long as we do it. Mission accomplished.

 

[RonnieT24]

Right. We don't come into a game and say "well this week I feel like running the ball... Let's game plan it and stick to it!" That's bonkers. You put a game plan together that gives you the best chance to move the ball and score points against your opponent taking into account their strengths and weaknesses. Noone should care how we do it as long as we do it. Mission accomplished.

Aint no "mission accomplished" if you lose.. You play to in the ball game.. Not to look good losing. If you lose then you go study what you could have done differently. That's just how it works..

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I understand that I also know Dallas had no issue moving the ball. the game plan by Moore gave Dallas a very good chance of winning in a game that no one was giving us a chance. Dallas in that game threw several quick hitters to the outside they ran screen. They managed 9 of 17 in 3rd downs. I felt Moore knew his opponent and directed the offense based on that knowledge. If he continue to adjust game plans based on those factors I think we will a lot more game than we lose.

we had no issue moving the ball between the 20s....where there is more space to operate and players can improvise a little more....
we did play well, better than expected, but almost winning is not winning. believe me, I didn't give us a chance, but a chance we had and we blew it. that is my concern. not the loss....are we going to make similar mistakes in managing the game...if we don't fix that, not much may matter....

and we did run several (I believe either 3 or 4) screens...and it worked, but then we stopped and I believe the last one was eary 3rd quarter....

Moore mismanaged the game inside the 20 and end of 4th quarter....similar to last year and the year prior. that has to get fixed for this offense to be truly dominant.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

If they would have ran the ball more, Zeke would have injured both their starting tackles. He would then crushed their spirits and ran for 366 yards. Every one would have been saying, Zeke had a leap year against the Bucs.

 

[ondaedg]

Aint no "mission accomplished" if you lose.. You play to in the ball game.. Not to look good losing. If you lose then you go study what you could have done differently. That's just how it works..

Since this is a Kellen Moore thread and he controls the offense then I would say mission was for the most part accomplished. Sure there's always improvements that can be made especially with their red zone efficiency but for the most part we were pretty good offensively with a QB who hasn't played in 11 months coming off a horrific injury. If this was a Mike McCarthy conversation then I would agree with you.

 

[Doomsday101]

we had no issue moving the ball between the 20s....where there is more space to operate and players can improvise a little more....
we did play well, better than expected, but almost winning is not winning. believe me, I didn't give us a chance, but a chance we had and we blew it. that is my concern. not the loss....are we going to make similar mistakes in managing the game...if we don't fix that, not much may matter....

and we did run several (I believe either 3 or 4) screens...and it worked, but then we stopped and I believe the last one was eary 3rd quarter....

Moore mismanaged the game inside the 20 and end of 4th quarter....similar to last year and the year prior. that has to get fixed for this offense to be truly dominant.

Redzone need to be improved and executed better I would not argue that. I don't think it is Moore mismanagement I think it is poor execution. I'm not satisfied in the least with losing this past game but I think a lot of good things came out of this game that this team can build on and yes some things need to be addressed and improved on. As for last year before Dak went Down Dallas was towards the top of the league in redzone, after Dak went down we fell towards the bottom.

 

[quickccc]

we were in position to succeed but proceeded to grab defeat from jaws of victory.....that was either a bad play call for the personnel grouping, or wrong personnel grouping for the play call. there is no ifs, buts or thens....everyone, I mean everyone knows Jarwin can't block, so calling a play that isolates Jarwin on a saftey in space is the wrong play call....this is not Madden NFL...this is real NFL and a coach should fully know his players strengths and weaknesses. Jarwin is not a blocker of any type.....his OC should know that....we have seen that over and over again with Jarwin...who btw, has been out of football for a year as well

if he had Schultz and perhaps Pollard on that play, it would have been the right grouping for that call. pollard has more speed than zeke, so running to the outside would have given him an edge and schultz is a much better blocker....as a matter of fact, I would have put Noah Brown instead of Jarwin, since Noah is much better blocker in space.

so no, that was a bad call for who was on the field...... he didn't put the team and his players in a position to succeed....he put Jarwin in a position to fail and he did.

Kellen has to prove his worth, inside the redzone and in the end of 4th quarters. he is not proved that he is any good in those areas.....

perhaps he is not as bad as garrett, but dont' forget garrett produced some top offenses as an OC, both in scoring and total output......

And then what happened when opposing teams saw more film on Garrett .. on Linehan.... and forced them to counter and make in-game adjustments, they could not respond, '
they came with the same ole ,,, same ole, with only all they know ...and we eventually paid the price for it.

There was no variations, no expanding or extension, ..same ole plays, same designs, same routes, and formations, same tendency, which became more simplistic and predictable,
and easier to defense. Then you're opposing teams smirk and taunt how we became easier to sniff out and defend, ..then we are hearing complaints from our own players
how bland and simple our offense is and easier to clue in on.

And if its' gets to a point where i cannot trust my personnel to perform and certain player(s) are more limiting this team, then it's probably best to upgrade to a more
complete player where i'm equally secured with both pass and run and don't have change out or limited myself to a soft, one dimensional buffed up WR – trying to perpetrate a TE.

 

[SackMaster]

IMO, the ONLY thing that our offense failed to do is score at least 1 more TD from the RedZone.

I would hate to go back to the Parcells days when he would run it 3 times and punt for no other reason other than looking to "establish the run".

Hell, between TBs run d and pass d, we attacked their weakness. I don't know how you complain about that.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

This is a false perception. Zeke only had two carries for 0 yards and one for -1. On the rest .. I believe he had 4 runs of 4 yards, one for 3 yards, two for 2 yards on 3rd and short and one for 13. The point of all that is to say that on most of his carries he got positive yardage. Generally without great blocking. And Lamb went out of bounds at the Bucs 34 yard line. We ended up gaining a net 4 yards on the three plays we ran.. The pass plays got a net of 0 yards, because of the holding, while the run play got 4. I'm sorry but at that point in the game it was time to run the ball. Not because we thought it was going break for a 30 yard TD but because we needed to eat up as much clock as possible before giving the ball back to that guy..

Those carries are good to you? You said he “only had” like it was productive…the run game sucked.