Chuck 54
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If you want to win a SB or even to play in one, you have to have answers for what your opponent or mother nature or situational football throws at you in the postseason when 1 loss ends your season.
Offense
This Cowboys team has talent at many spots, but on offense, this team cannot run the ball with any consistency. Is it mainly because we are not powerful at center? Is it because we don’t have an inside power grinder who can churn out 3 yard carries when the opponent knows we are going to run? Is it scheme? I think Mike really wants to run the football, but the reality is that Dallas was for the most part a one dimensional team, even against weak opponents. Defenses didn’t fear our run game. We had no power game and never had a RB break 100 yards.
All the good teams ran at will on our defense. Why did we beat the Lions? It wasn’t the reporting eligible penalty; it was because they forgot they were a running team against a defense that can’t handle it.
Think what you want about the owner, the coaches, the QB. This team will never reach a SB until they can pose a serious threat running the ball and develop strength up the middle of the defense with LBs who can stop the run game. In a playoff game against a good team, if you cannot run effectively, 1 sack, 1 inc pass, 1 dropped ball, 1 missed block, 1 tipped ball can be the end of a drive and the difference between points and punting. When you are one dimensional on offense, living by the passing game, and one dimensional on defense, hanging your hat on rushing the QB and forcing turnovers, that is NOT a recipe for success in the playoffs when you are not only facing well-rounded, talented teams, but when so many situations can arise where you must be able to run the ball and stop the run for many different reasons.
In my opinion, all other issues aside, this team is not built correctly for success in the playoffs.
Offense
- Opponent has a stout run defense but vulnerable secondary or you fall behind significantly, or you face one of the top defenses and must be balanced so they can’t load up to take away what you do well, or you lose your best RB to injury, you must be able to pass consistently.
- Opponent has a strong secondary but vulnerable front 7, the field is sloppy, you are on the road with a loud crowd, your best receiver is injured, it’s raining or snowing, opponent is blitzing a lot or playing man most downs with 2 safeties over the top, or you are pinned down at your end or in the red zone, or you need to burn the clock at the end of either half, or you face one of the top defenses and must be balanced so they can’t load up to take away what you do well, or the game takes a nasty turn and you need to slow things down and regroup, you must be able to run the ball consistently and use your RB in the pass game, not just as an extra blocker.
- Opponent has a good run game or a stud power back and a great play action game or a suspect QB, or has shown the discipline to run down after down when successful, or an injury to a key receiver, or just a limited offense and wants to keep the game close, or or has the lead in the fourth quarter, or the weather conditions are bad, you must be able to stop the run with your front 6-7, especially the interior.
- Opponent, like Dallas this year, lives by the pass and can get hot with it, or the pass game is simply their strength, you still must be stout up the middle and shut down the run, making them one dimensional…never give them something extra that also makes play-action effective. Shut down the run game without using safeties and pulling them out of coverage.
- Pass rush? When you have speed on the outside with an effective pass rush, being stout up the middle is even better because you push the pocket and move the QB off his spot towards your speed guys while not allowing the QB to step up in the pocket, not allowing the QB to escape the pocket because the DTs are not undersized guys trying to get to the QB and losing their lanes.
This Cowboys team has talent at many spots, but on offense, this team cannot run the ball with any consistency. Is it mainly because we are not powerful at center? Is it because we don’t have an inside power grinder who can churn out 3 yard carries when the opponent knows we are going to run? Is it scheme? I think Mike really wants to run the football, but the reality is that Dallas was for the most part a one dimensional team, even against weak opponents. Defenses didn’t fear our run game. We had no power game and never had a RB break 100 yards.
All the good teams ran at will on our defense. Why did we beat the Lions? It wasn’t the reporting eligible penalty; it was because they forgot they were a running team against a defense that can’t handle it.
Think what you want about the owner, the coaches, the QB. This team will never reach a SB until they can pose a serious threat running the ball and develop strength up the middle of the defense with LBs who can stop the run game. In a playoff game against a good team, if you cannot run effectively, 1 sack, 1 inc pass, 1 dropped ball, 1 missed block, 1 tipped ball can be the end of a drive and the difference between points and punting. When you are one dimensional on offense, living by the passing game, and one dimensional on defense, hanging your hat on rushing the QB and forcing turnovers, that is NOT a recipe for success in the playoffs when you are not only facing well-rounded, talented teams, but when so many situations can arise where you must be able to run the ball and stop the run for many different reasons.
In my opinion, all other issues aside, this team is not built correctly for success in the playoffs.
