Offense better than you think

[Idgit]

They just can't seem to connect on deeper throws, which I think would open it up even more. Either Dak misses a wide open guy or he just can't deliver a catchable ball. At the beginning of the Falcons game, Gallup has his man beat and Dak air mails him by 5 yards.

He's got to start connecting on some of this stuff or good defenses are just going to continue to squat on the short stuff/run game.

Yep. Or there are passes like the one Austin dropped where they're catchable, and we just can't pull it in. Cooper's been overthrown while wide open a couple of times. Not including that sweaty ball throw that Dak whiffed in PHI where Amari broke Darby he turned him around so bad.

You're right: they have to get that worked out. It'd add a much-needed dimension to this offense.

 

[Jake]

Hopefully they will learn....

The Cowboys are 5-5, also known as .500 ball. That's consistent with their record over the last 22 years, during which time they haven't sniffed any sort of championship game. Some folks aren't ready to get excited because we've done so in the past only to be disappointed. Others, like you apparently, start doing cartwheels the moment the Cowboys manage to win 2 in a row to get back to .500. It seems you haven't learned from the past 22 years.

I'm a Missourian at this point - the Cowboys need to show me. All of the bluster from Jerry and some fans isn't going to move me because been there, done that. If this team actually does something beyond what they have done the past 22 years, I'll be as excited as anyone. Until then, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

 

[morat1959]

Lol. Such pathetic comments on several threads. For the past 2 weeks, y'all were saying Garrett, Dak and this team could not beat such high powered teams like the iggles and falcons. Now that the Cowboys destroyed them, here comes more "let's see what they do in 10 days against the Saints?"

Always excuses, instead of accepting, crediting, jumping on board and supporting.

“destroyed them”...lol!

 

[morat1959]

The Cowboys are 5-5, also known as .500 ball. That's consistent with their record over the last 22 years, during which time they haven't sniffed any sort of championship game. Some folks aren't ready to get excited because we've done so in the past only to be disappointed. Others, like you apparently, start doing cartwheels the moment the Cowboys manage to win 2 in a row to get back to .500. It seems you haven't learned from the past 22 years.

I'm a Missourian at this point - the Cowboys need to show me. All of the bluster from Jerry and some fans isn't going to move me because been there, done that. If this team actually does something beyond what they have done the past 22 years, I'll be as excited as anyone. Until then, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

Well sai! The koolaid tase terrible these days.

 

[morat1959]

We're ranked 28th in passing yards per game.

At the bottom of the league. And the teams we're down there with actual have excuses, rookie and injured quarterbacks. We have none.

It's great that we've managed to win these past two games, it really is. But it doesn't erase the very real problems and liabilities that still exist with this team.

Fandom is great and all, but I'll never understand why some people feel the need to let it override their sanity and their ability to see the truth.

Well said!

I would argue it’s worse than we think. ATL is a bad defense that is getting worse each week with injuries. And Philly’s D is a dumpster fire as well. Dallas is a lower tier offense despite playing nothing but mediocre to bad defenses. I think many have been lulled into a false sense of security thanks to two road wins against teams with recent success but who in 2019 will probably picking in the 20s come Spring.

Great points! The optimist will see this in the upcoming weeks.

 

[Corso]

Well sai! The koolaid tase terrible these days.

Football never tastes terrible.
Even when we suffer a crud season, we still miss it in the offseason.
Be honest.

Rooting for your team feels terrible.

Football, the Game, is a wonderful thing. Chess with real humans doing things real humans do.

 

[Ken]

The Cowboys are 5-5, also known as .500 ball. That's consistent with their record over the last 22 years, during which time they haven't sniffed any sort of championship game. Some folks aren't ready to get excited because we've done so in the past only to be disappointed. Others, like you apparently, start doing cartwheels the moment the Cowboys manage to win 2 in a row to get back to .500. It seems you haven't learned from the past 22 years.

I'm a Missourian at this point - the Cowboys need to show me. All of the bluster from Jerry and some fans isn't going to move me because been there, done that. If this team actually does something beyond what they have done the past 22 years, I'll be as excited as anyone. Until then, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

Hey...more power to you.

I am enjoying every game and loving the improvement from one of the youngest teams in the league.

We are not winning the super bowl this year but we very well can win the division and a playoff game. With how young we are and how much money we have next year...it could really set up up for next year.

Or we could keep harping on negatives and hope for the worst and blow the whole thing up and start over...rather not do that.

 

[Stash]

Well said!

 

[Stash]

Hey...more power to you.

I am enjoying every game and loving the improvement from one of the youngest teams in the league.

We are not winning the super bowl this year but we very well can win the division and a playoff game. With how young we are and how much money we have next year...it could really set up up for next year.

Or we could keep harping on negatives and hope for the worst and blow the whole thing up and start over...rather not do that.

Can we just blow up Garrett and Linehan and let everyone else survive?

 

[Jake]

Hey...more power to you.

I am enjoying every game and loving the improvement from one of the youngest teams in the league.

We are not winning the super bowl this year but we very well can win the division and a playoff game. With how young we are and how much money we have next year...it could really set up up for next year.

Or we could keep harping on negatives and hope for the worst and blow the whole thing up and start over...rather not do that.

Show me where I "hope for the worst" in my post - it isn't there.

Hope is all I have at this point. I've enjoyed the last 2 wins and hope to see a 3rd on Thursday. But I'm not going ignore flaws in the name of "hope" just to make myself feel better.

I'm not confident Jerry has found the winning formula with JG and Dak but I'm willing to be proven wrong. That hasn't happened yet so, as I said, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

 

[AlienBoy]

Again, just look at the Atlanta game.

We ran for over 130 yards. Had zero turnovers. Won time of possession at nearly 32 minutes for that game. Converted 54% of our 3rd downs. Dak completed 69% of his passes. In other words, we were pretty damn efficient in that game, the recipe that many here are calling for.

And yet we managed 22 points against a bottom third of the league defense. Or 26 points if you want to look the other way on Cole's dropped TD.

The offense is just not as good as people had hoped it would be and even when things go pretty much to script, we still struggle to score consistently.

Yet the #3 offense only scored 19 and lost? Just a matter of perspective.
https://i.postimg.cc/wjJH8d9T/basher-Commanders.gif

 

[xwalker]

Maybe it’s just frustration because Garrett and/or Dak have clawed their way out of the dumpster, at least temporarily and I get that but I am shocked at this forum the last two days.

Why is there so much hate directed towards our offense after Sunday’s performance?

First let’s break down some numbers...

The Falcons defense, prior to Sunday’s game, was allowing about 28 points a game. We scored 22, even the most pessimistic fan can admit that our offense played good enough for 5 additional points with the Beasley drop and the missed PAT. 27 points puts us on par with what the Falcons typically give up and that number is also in the same ballpark of our 2016 offense.

We were 7/13 on 3rd down which is also a huge improvement. We also did not turn the ball over. Falcons have recorded an interception in 7 of their 9 games before they played us. Obviously we would like to get back to the point where we can trust Dak not to throw interceptions but at this point, we are looking for improvement and 1 over the last 5 games is just that.

Now...I am sure I’ll hear some complaining about check downs and lack of big plays.

I get that...but I also believe the team made a decision to play that way. The only way the Falcons were going to beat us is by throwing the football to their big play receivers. The goal was to control the flow of the game which our offense and especially our defense did well. Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb combined for 7 receptions and 2 scores the week before..once Deion Jones was listed as out, a game plan emphasizing the short passing game seemed like a good option. Even the most brilliant offensive minds would agree to that.

Now I get that there will be a time when we need more than 22 or maybe even 27 points. Most of us thought it would have been against the Falcons. I am making no wild predictions of offensive greatness or fantasy football worthy performances from anyone not named Zeke but that is just not how this offense is designed...maybe you hate it and that’s okay.

My observations from the game were that the offense looked a lot like 2016. The game flowed through Zeke and Dak managed the game. The offense didn’t turn the ball over, concerted 3rd downs and “closed the game” when it came time. The fact is we are a run first team that is playing good defense. This is not an exciting or flashy offense BUT....when they are playing up to their potential and Linehan doesn’t cal the plays like a HS coordinator, they are very efficient and compliment the defense nicely.

It's seems that teams that have good defenses and hold the opponents to below average points per game also don't tend to score above average points per game with their own offense.

It definitely seems that Garrett coaches to score just enough to win and considers attempts to get points above that as extra risk.

They ran a RB dive into the middle of the line 3 times before attempting that final kick.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Maybe it’s just frustration because Garrett and/or Dak have clawed their way out of the dumpster, at least temporarily and I get that but I am shocked at this forum the last two days.

Why is there so much hate directed towards our offense after Sunday’s performance?

First let’s break down some numbers...

The Falcons defense, prior to Sunday’s game, was allowing about 28 points a game. We scored 22, even the most pessimistic fan can admit that our offense played good enough for 5 additional points with the Beasley drop and the missed PAT. 27 points puts us on par with what the Falcons typically give up and that number is also in the same ballpark of our 2016 offense.

We were 7/13 on 3rd down which is also a huge improvement. We also did not turn the ball over. Falcons have recorded an interception in 7 of their 9 games before they played us. Obviously we would like to get back to the point where we can trust Dak not to throw interceptions but at this point, we are looking for improvement and 1 over the last 5 games is just that.

Now...I am sure I’ll hear some complaining about check downs and lack of big plays.

I get that...but I also believe the team made a decision to play that way. The only way the Falcons were going to beat us is by throwing the football to their big play receivers. The goal was to control the flow of the game which our offense and especially our defense did well. Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb combined for 7 receptions and 2 scores the week before..once Deion Jones was listed as out, a game plan emphasizing the short passing game seemed like a good option. Even the most brilliant offensive minds would agree to that.

Now I get that there will be a time when we need more than 22 or maybe even 27 points. Most of us thought it would have been against the Falcons. I am making no wild predictions of offensive greatness or fantasy football worthy performances from anyone not named Zeke but that is just not how this offense is designed...maybe you hate it and that’s okay.

My observations from the game were that the offense looked a lot like 2016. The game flowed through Zeke and Dak managed the game. The offense didn’t turn the ball over, concerted 3rd downs and “closed the game” when it came time. The fact is we are a run first team that is playing good defense. This is not an exciting or flashy offense BUT....when they are playing up to their potential and Linehan doesn’t cal the plays like a HS coordinator, they are very efficient and compliment the defense nicely.

Then you forget 2016.

 

[robjay04]

Then you forget 2016.

Nope.

Beasely catches the touchdown, we score 27 points, on par with 16 and converted on third down. We didn’t turn the ball over and Zeke dominated the game.

Sounds like 2016 to me.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Nope.

Beasely catches the touchdown, we score 27 points, on par with 16 and converted on third down. We didn’t turn the ball over and Zeke dominated the game.

Sounds like 2016 to me.

If, if, if...…………….This line is nowhere as dominant. NO witten. Not the same. Not close.

 

[Swagger]

Amari Cooper was wide open on that pass to the sideline late in the game? I recall Ryan throwing the ball to a cowboy, yet I don't recall Dak throwing the ball to a Falcon.
Dak needs to work on his game when he is under pressure, but if you give him a clean pocket, his throws are right on par with other good qbs. Is he top 2-3 QBs in the game right now? No, i'm not saying that. But he isnt bottom 10 either, much less bottom 2-3. With our offensive scheme, no QB would come here and throw for 350 yards a game.

in 2015, romo averaged 221 yards per game
in 2014, romo averaged 247 yards per game
Romo had one year where he averaged 300 yards per game, and his career is around 250.

The year that Romo had 300 yards per game, he also had 19 interceptions with a rating of 90.5 and the cowboys were 8-8..

It's like comparing apples to oranges re: #9

A bit of context is required.

In 2012 the Cowboys' running game was the worst in team history. The defensive line was decimated by injuries. The current Cowboys defense is night and day compared to those of the other teams you mention. So I think it's fair to state that Romo had to do far too much through the air and didn't have much of a supporting cast.

I have not seen clear evidence of Prescott being able to win a game through the air. I haven't brought #9 into the argument but for those who want to judge him, well he had a running game in 2014 with a below average defense and averaged 70% passing completion, 34 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. In my view that is the level required at QB if we are to reach a Superbowl with this team. I'm not saying Romo should come back as that ship has sailed just that you look at the NFL these days and you simply need a QB who can win a game through the air - even Nick Foles was able to do this in the NFC Championship game and the Superbowl but then he had shown glimpses that he could do this in the past.

Drew Brees had a couple of seasons where he struggled until they fixed the O-Line, gave him a running game and some sort of defense.

The point is that Prescott has a lot of help, more than a lot of people claim - we have a very good defense and it was pretty good last season, the O-Line is still very good, the running game is excellent, he has had Bryant and now has Cooper as WR1. He should be producing quality week in and week out, he is in his third season now after all.

The Team was of a play off calibre last season but we didn't make the play offs and in my view that was mostly on the QB.

This is definitely a play off team this season at the bare minimum.

 

[Romotil45]

Maybe it’s just frustration because Garrett and/or Dak have clawed their way out of the dumpster, at least temporarily and I get that but I am shocked at this forum the last two days.

Why is there so much hate directed towards our offense after Sunday’s performance?

First let’s break down some numbers...

The Falcons defense, prior to Sunday’s game, was allowing about 28 points a game. We scored 22, even the most pessimistic fan can admit that our offense played good enough for 5 additional points with the Beasley drop and the missed PAT. 27 points puts us on par with what the Falcons typically give up and that number is also in the same ballpark of our 2016 offense.

We were 7/13 on 3rd down which is also a huge improvement. We also did not turn the ball over. Falcons have recorded an interception in 7 of their 9 games before they played us. Obviously we would like to get back to the point where we can trust Dak not to throw interceptions but at this point, we are looking for improvement and 1 over the last 5 games is just that.

Now...I am sure I’ll hear some complaining about check downs and lack of big plays.

I get that...but I also believe the team made a decision to play that way. The only way the Falcons were going to beat us is by throwing the football to their big play receivers. The goal was to control the flow of the game which our offense and especially our defense did well. Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb combined for 7 receptions and 2 scores the week before..once Deion Jones was listed as out, a game plan emphasizing the short passing game seemed like a good option. Even the most brilliant offensive minds would agree to that.

Now I get that there will be a time when we need more than 22 or maybe even 27 points. Most of us thought it would have been against the Falcons. I am making no wild predictions of offensive greatness or fantasy football worthy performances from anyone not named Zeke but that is just not how this offense is designed...maybe you hate it and that’s okay.

My observations from the game were that the offense looked a lot like 2016. The game flowed through Zeke and Dak managed the game. The offense didn’t turn the ball over, concerted 3rd downs and “closed the game” when it came time. The fact is we are a run first team that is playing good defense. This is not an exciting or flashy offense BUT....when they are playing up to their potential and Linehan doesn’t cal the plays like a HS coordinator, they are very efficient and compliment the defense nicely.

Go to youtube and watch the Rams Chiefs game highlights. Honestly ask yourself can Dak make the throws that Goff and Mahomes make ? That's the reason so many are frustrated they realise Dak cant make those throws and frankly its depressing. Guys like Goff and Mahomes are real NFL QBs the fact that we have a bus driver is depressing. Brain paint pointed out we are 28th in passing. No we are not better than I thought,

 

[Jarv]

Our team is playing over their head right now...Were .500 with an offense with various rankings in the later 20's.

This is due to the defense playing better than anything we have had in years. Seems like the new coach has really helped on D.

I like our personnel on offense, outside of the QB. Give me a new HC, OC and let's get some QB talent in here, then we'll have a nice QB competition next off season.

Teams get better and worse so quickly these days as far as quality of teams (outside of NE). Our 3-5 year process collapses upon itself while other teams can win a Superbowl and get bad, then good again in the same window...lol

 

[McKDaddy]

If you have watched any of the elite teams this year, it is simple to see that this offensive scheme with this QB is light years from being an acceptable offense in 2018.

You put an average to above average QB at the helm with a staff that would take notes from McVay, Payton, Reid, etc., & although I still don't believe we would be as dynamic on offense as some, the overall team talent would then have a chance against the elite teams. Til then, you have almost zero chance of beating one of them much less getting thru the playoffs & SB against the best.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Cole Beasley would disagree about the no touchdowns. He should have caught that!

oh sorry, 202 yards and 1 TD.....if Beasley would have caught that....still not impressive