Return of the Dak

[Pantone282C]

He did a better than adequate job of doing just that his first year.

 

[Hawkeye19]

Enjoyed the OP... I think the wins come next year for these reasons:

1. Zeke playing pissed off
2. OL healthy and deeper
3. Best LBer depth and talent in years
4. Kris Richard and Sanjay Lal
5. Less drama and distractions

Dak is a young QB that has limitations. That said— he has shown he can win with competent pieces around him. I think he will have a strong bounce back year and that the revamped WR corps will force innovation within the passing game which will create more unpredictability in our offense.

In short— this is a “prove it” year— and I think the whole team steps up.

 

[jday]

Dak has typically been good at spreading the ball around, I'm not that down on the WRs. Yeah, it helps to have "the guy" out there, but we can get the job done with unselfish play.

I think we'll see a lot of guys catching balls, and Dak returns to being a highly efficient, low TO guy. I also think we may use his feet a bit more, especially in 3-4 WR sets.

I also expect to see him make better line calls, RPOs, take advantage of mismatches, etc.

All we need is for him to be highly efficient and keep TOs low, which has kinda been his MO. If you can win the passing differential battle and TO battle on top of this run game, you can beat anyone.

Enjoyed the OP... I think the wins come next year for these reasons:

1. Zeke playing pissed off
2. OL healthy and deeper
3. Best LBer depth and talent in years
4. Kris Richard and Sanjay Lal
5. Less drama and distractions

Dak is a young QB that has limitations. That said— he has shown he can win with competent pieces around him. I think he will have a strong bounce back year and that the revamped WR corps will force innovation within the passing game which will create more unpredictability in our offense.

In short— this is a “prove it” year— and I think the whole team steps up.

Great response! Thank for taking the time to read and the kudos!

If you follow trends, you know there is yet another reason to expect good things from this young team in the upcoming season:

The Cowboys are being strongly doubted by the local and national media. For some, that can be frustrating to watch and listen as they downplay the Cowboys in the Power Rankings and target specific groups such as the receivers and tight ends as the worst in the league. But I've learned to love it and lick my fingers following every doubters rant because I know this team will work like they've haven't earned anything yet. If they were paper champs, as they were last year, some of the players might not work as hard. But there are no laurels to rest on coming into this season, so you can expect the Cowboys collectives best punch in every game.

That best punch may not result in a win for the Cowboys, but at least it will be entertaining...and as I pointed out in the OP, for me, it's not about the destination but the journey. If the Cowboys at the very least remain competitive, I'll be happy, come what may.

 

[casmith07]

Great read, @jday.

I think Dak will do much better this year, along with the team as a whole. The entire Zeke drama last year really weighed on the team at large. I think they’ll be in better spirits this year and I also think OL play will be improved, which will be a big deal. That game against the Falcons was like a war crime.

 

[casmith07]

oh, and I also think Rico Gathers is going to be pretty doggone good.

 

[xwalker]

Time is a fickle mistress; just when you need her the most she is not there. She steals your days and years while you are not watching. The only answer is to pay attention to her every moment of every day, only then you will never miss her.


~ Unknown ~


As the smoke clears in the aftermath of yet another tumultuous offseason for our beloved Cowboys, we now enter the black hole of the NFL calendar year. For some, it will be a blissful respite from the drama and manufactured news, as they put on blinders and ear-muffs to the various media outlets desperately trying to climb to the top of the news pile and reclaim relevance. For others, it is a long arduous walk through an unforgiving blistering-hot desert, with the oasis (that was the NFL draft) slowly but surely shrinking in the rearview and the slow trickle of news resulting from OTA’s we see up ahead in the distance is a mere mirage compared to the cold thirst-quenching and refreshing drink that is the Regular NFL Season.


For those who relate to the latter condition, the next few months will be spent trying to decide what the Cowboys will be when the team returns to the field. Will they regret cutting Dez? Will Leighton Vander Esch live up to the (more often than not, unfair) expectation of being a first round pick? Will the Cowboys regret not pulling the trigger on sending this year’s second round pick to Seattle for Earl Thomas? Will Connor Williams, the ET consolation prize, return the Cowboys offensive line to its 2016 glory? Will Zeke Elliott be in good physical shape and ready to carry this franchise when it’s time to report to camp?


Many of you reading this at this moment very well may think you already have all the answers to the above questions and yet, I suspect were I to turn this contribution into a poll, I seriously doubt all of your answers would be the same. And so, we collectively must turn those cases over to the greatest detective of all time…time. The truth will be known in a matter of months…time will certainly see to it.


But there is one series of questions still rattling around in my head that I am not quite ready to abandon to that fickle mistress:


Was 2016 Dak an aberration? Can he get his 2016 mojo back? Will the Cowboys coaches be able to tailor their scheme to Dak’s apparent strengths and finally break free of their uncreative predictable shackles? What will that look like? And what receivers will emerge as the top trio?


At the moment, I feel like I have more answers than questions regarding the defense. For me, it all boils down to whether or not Sean Lee can stay healthy. If he does, the Cowboys will be a top 10 defense and potentially a serious contender in the NFL. If he doesn’t, they will regress to the bottom 10 pulling down our time-tested hopes with them. Pretty simple. And, no, we can’t count on LVE this soon to save the day in Lee’s absence; even had the Cowboys been able to land the best linebacker in this year’s draft, asking a rookie to replace what Lee represents would be effectively asking way too much.


As such, I honestly don’t have high hopes for the conclusion to this upcoming season, as it were, but I would like to know if it will at least be an entertaining ride; the journey trumps destination for me. I don’t need no stinking championships to validate my time spent as a fan; but, at the end of the day, if the Cowboys cannot at the very least make a competitive contest of it, chances are I will find something better to do with my time. And unless Dak answers the above questions that pertain to him in the affirmative, there’s a pretty good chance Cowboys football this year will be rendered 2015 unwatchable once again.


I found it to be truly fascinating that Jerry was so candid with reporters recently when asked what decided him on taking Connor Williams over the mysterious defensive player they also considered taking with their second round pick this year (the word on the grapevine suggest that player was Jessie Bates III FS). Jerry pointed to the Falcons game from last season…the game that changed not only the complexion of the entire season, but clearly impacted Dak beyond the confines of the final whistle.


It is certainly difficult to blame Dak; he was sacked 10 times, 6 of which by the same player Adrian Clayborn. Ultimately the blame falls on the coaches, but I suspect the owner also recognizes that considering the lack of an adequate replacement for Tyron Smith, some of that blame spills over on the front office. And so, the Cowboys addressed the offensive line in every way they possibly could picking up two solid backups in Free Agency and addressing the starting Left Guard position with the aforementioned Connor Williams.


But I suspect, it will take more than fixing holes in the offensive line to repair the damage that was done on that nightmare of a day. In the games that followed, the Cowboys faithful witnessed a different Dak; a Dak that reminded us of the quarterback carousal of 2015…a dink & dunk Dak. It was pretty clear he had lost all faith in his protection up front and, for the lack of a better description, was simply playing scared.


“You gotta learn to drive with the fear, and there ain’t nothing more (blankety blank) frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car….If you’re calm, that wonderous big cat will be calm too. But if you’re scared, that beautiful death machine will do what God made it to do; namely, eat you with a smile on its face.”


~ Reese Bobby ~


I couldn’t help myself. As I watched this very real psychological phenomenon manifest itself in Dak’s play following that Atlanta game, I could not help but make the Ricky Bobby connection. Dak caught a bad case of “the fear,” and try as he might, he could not shake it off.


Being fresh out of cougars and access to Dak’s mode of transportation, I haven’t the slightest idea how to cure what ails Dak. Perhaps, similar to Christopher Walken’s tried and true cure for fevers, more Bell Cow (Zeke) might just be what the doctor ordered.


And you can bet that will certainly be a big part of the solution in the early going of the season, but at the end of the day, there will be teams that are capable of taking Zeke away and when that happens, the onus will be on Dak to make them pay…and for the benefit of the game film future opponents will study, he must make them pay dearly or it is Goodnight Irene to yet another season.


But, just in case it takes longer than training camp and preseason for Dak to get his deep ball back, the Cowboys front office purchased a little extra insurance in the form of one Tavon Austin. After all, there really is nothing wrong with dink & dunk as a schematic concept; Peyton Manning largely took the Broncos to the Super Bowl with this version of offense due to having completely lost his deep ball arm strength. But if you are going to run that style of offense, you have to have weapons who can create underneath and in space. That, in short, is the epitome of Tavon’s game.


Furthermore, you need good down-the-field blockers at the WR/TE position. If there is any trait that the skill position on the Cowboys share, that is fortunately one of them. Considering the length I’m pushing here, I won’t pull out the scouting reports, so you will have to either check for yourself or take my word for it, but every player currently on the 53 playing for the offensive side of the ball, as a general rule, is described as a “willing (if not skilled) blocker.”


In summation, if you can’t beat em’ deep, the logical step is to do everything within your power to make your short-to-intermediate game deadly. Zeke, Austin, and Beasley could be a three-headed monster for this franchise, if the Cowboys coaches would simply use that muscle that has atrophied with disuse: their imagination.


The last question: What three receivers will be the lead dogs in the receiver room?


All of them!


The Cowboys are moving away from the tired and antiquated notion of needing a #1 receiver to draw coverage. In its stead, they are granting Dak an offensive system that will be very much like the offensive scheme he ran at Mississippi State. This is pure conjecture on my part, but rather than have a clear 1 – 3 receiver, I suspect the Cowboys will instead allow the situation to dictate the tools they will use.


“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”


~ Abraham Maslow ~


Getting every offensive weapon involved in a given game pays dividends not only within the game but also in the games that follow. The Cowboys have an opportunity to complicate for the opposition that pertinent question every defensive coordinator asks in the week leading up to Sunday: Who should we take away?


Of course, Zeke will top their list…but with the Cowboys offensive line, there is only so much a defense can do. Sure, they can stack the box and slow him down, but when they do, that will make Dak’s job easy. If you can add to that quandary a true pick your poison scenario on every single play, your offense has within its grasp the ability to keep the opposition on their heels and guessing for the entirety of the game.


Imagine, if you will, a quick-paced offense with no-huddle sporadically sprinkled in, that relentlessly cycles Williams, Beasley, Austin, Hurns, Gallop, Brown, and Thompson in and out of the rotation showing a myriad of different looks and using those players in a plethora of different ways. Visualize an empty set that features Zeke and Austin in opposite slot positions, stacked up next to Beasley in the next slot and Hurns outside of him, with Gallup or Terrence operating on the opposite outside position. Dak can motion Zeke or Austin behind him and hand the ball off or use that presnap (of a sort) or postsnap playaction, to create space on the perimeter. Envision that notorious goaline-and-short situation where the opposition is stacked to take away Zeke up the middle: Zeke dots the “i” behind Dak. Flanking Zeke to the side is Austin. Noah Brown, in consideration of his height is lined up on the outside with Beasley situated between the TE with his hand on the ground next to Tyron Smith. Dak can survey the defense presnap to determine the Mike, set his blocking assignments and post snap decide rather or not to hand it to Zeke going up the middle, toss it to the side as Austin darts for the pylon, or fake both, then sprint towards the weak side based on the defenses response.


There is literally an innumerable amount of ways to get this collection of receivers involved and I suspect the Cowboys will be stealing a page out of Marinelli’s defensive line rotation book to make just that happen.


Granted, none of the above works, if Dak can’t metaphorically figure out a way to drive calmly with a cougar as his passenger. But with a healthy and unsuspended Zeke lined up behind him, a new and improved offensive line in front of him, and receivers particularly adept at running routes, down the field blocking and being where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be, the front office has given him every opportunity and tool possible to prove it.


So, I'm back up in the game
Running things to keep my swing
Letting all the people know
That I'm back to run the show
Cause what you did you know was wrong
And all the nasty things you've done
So baby listen carefully
While I sing my comeback song.

~ Mack Morrison ~

What do you think we will see upon the Return of the Dak?

The reports I saw said Justin Reid would have been the pick if Connor Williams was gone.


I thought Broaddus and crew confirmed it.

https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/co...-justin-reid-2018-nfl-draft-second-round/amp/

 

[xwalker]

@jday
It has been shown in multiple ways that Dak was much better than fans believe:

@percyhoward stats
here to see more:
https://cowboyszone.com/members/percyhoward.995/

Prescott
when both Smith & Martin took most or all of offensive snaps (11 games)
1 sack every 29 dropbacks
212 of 338 2464 yd 21 td 6 int 98.0

remaining 4 games (not counting last game in Philly)
1 sack every 8 dropbacks
79 of 122 681 yd 0 td 7 int 55.4
15+ yard targets


(2016-17) Prescott to...
Bryant 26 of 75 (35%) 678 yd 5 td 3 int 74.2
others 47 of 88 (53%) 1249 yd 10 td 2 int 127.1

(2013-14) Romo to...
Bryant 30 of 75 (40%) 982 yd 7 td 3 int 101.9
others 52 of 108 (48%) 1415 yd 14 td 2 int 126.1


Prescott 2017
with all 5 OL playing most of game
212 of 338 2464 yd (7.3 ypa) 21 td 6 int 98.0
without
79 of 122 681 yd (5.6 ypa) 0 td 7 int 55.4

 

[CCBoy]

Im not sure if you understand what veteran production is..I understand what you are saying, just not sure why you are so positive everything is wonderful, when 23 years of experience is leaving..

I believe this will be a good thing in the TE position because it should make the Cowboys Integrate the other tightends..But I dont see it being a not miss a step transaction..It almost never is..

Throw it to somebody else. THATS hilarious..

Three Wr are left on the team from last year...TWILL, BEASLEY, Noah Brown

PLAYER REC YDS YDS/REC LONG TDS

Terrance Williams 53 568 10.7 56 0
Cole Beasley. 36 314 8.7 54 4
Noah Brown 4 33 8.3 14 0
Geoff Swaim. 2 25 12.5 18 0

Now..Tell me how the cowboys are going to replace 1300 yards and 11tds between Dez And witten..Ill wait!

By getting select receivers into one on one situations where the Cowboys newly precise routes gain advantage. The yards will be there, as well, when double teams are forced by Austin and Beasley, getting Hurns and Gallup single coverage by cornerbacks.

Now, Dak gets to work his own open receiver, instead.

 

[xwalker]

Time is a fickle mistress; just when you need her the most she is not there. She steals your days and years while you are not watching. The only answer is to pay attention to her every moment of every day, only then you will never miss her.


~ Unknown ~


As the smoke clears in the aftermath of yet another tumultuous offseason for our beloved Cowboys, we now enter the black hole of the NFL calendar year. For some, it will be a blissful respite from the drama and manufactured news, as they put on blinders and ear-muffs to the various media outlets desperately trying to climb to the top of the news pile and reclaim relevance. For others, it is a long arduous walk through an unforgiving blistering-hot desert, with the oasis (that was the NFL draft) slowly but surely shrinking in the rearview and the slow trickle of news resulting from OTA’s we see up ahead in the distance is a mere mirage compared to the cold thirst-quenching and refreshing drink that is the Regular NFL Season.


For those who relate to the latter condition, the next few months will be spent trying to decide what the Cowboys will be when the team returns to the field. Will they regret cutting Dez? Will Leighton Vander Esch live up to the (more often than not, unfair) expectation of being a first round pick? Will the Cowboys regret not pulling the trigger on sending this year’s second round pick to Seattle for Earl Thomas? Will Connor Williams, the ET consolation prize, return the Cowboys offensive line to its 2016 glory? Will Zeke Elliott be in good physical shape and ready to carry this franchise when it’s time to report to camp?


Many of you reading this at this moment very well may think you already have all the answers to the above questions and yet, I suspect were I to turn this contribution into a poll, I seriously doubt all of your answers would be the same. And so, we collectively must turn those cases over to the greatest detective of all time…time. The truth will be known in a matter of months…time will certainly see to it.


But there is one series of questions still rattling around in my head that I am not quite ready to abandon to that fickle mistress:


Was 2016 Dak an aberration? Can he get his 2016 mojo back? Will the Cowboys coaches be able to tailor their scheme to Dak’s apparent strengths and finally break free of their uncreative predictable shackles? What will that look like? And what receivers will emerge as the top trio?


At the moment, I feel like I have more answers than questions regarding the defense. For me, it all boils down to whether or not Sean Lee can stay healthy. If he does, the Cowboys will be a top 10 defense and potentially a serious contender in the NFL. If he doesn’t, they will regress to the bottom 10 pulling down our time-tested hopes with them. Pretty simple. And, no, we can’t count on LVE this soon to save the day in Lee’s absence; even had the Cowboys been able to land the best linebacker in this year’s draft, asking a rookie to replace what Lee represents would be effectively asking way too much.


As such, I honestly don’t have high hopes for the conclusion to this upcoming season, as it were, but I would like to know if it will at least be an entertaining ride; the journey trumps destination for me. I don’t need no stinking championships to validate my time spent as a fan; but, at the end of the day, if the Cowboys cannot at the very least make a competitive contest of it, chances are I will find something better to do with my time. And unless Dak answers the above questions that pertain to him in the affirmative, there’s a pretty good chance Cowboys football this year will be rendered 2015 unwatchable once again.


I found it to be truly fascinating that Jerry was so candid with reporters recently when asked what decided him on taking Connor Williams over the mysterious defensive player they also considered taking with their second round pick this year (the word on the grapevine suggest that player was Jessie Bates III FS). Jerry pointed to the Falcons game from last season…the game that changed not only the complexion of the entire season, but clearly impacted Dak beyond the confines of the final whistle.


It is certainly difficult to blame Dak; he was sacked 10 times, 6 of which by the same player Adrian Clayborn. Ultimately the blame falls on the coaches, but I suspect the owner also recognizes that considering the lack of an adequate replacement for Tyron Smith, some of that blame spills over on the front office. And so, the Cowboys addressed the offensive line in every way they possibly could picking up two solid backups in Free Agency and addressing the starting Left Guard position with the aforementioned Connor Williams.


But I suspect, it will take more than fixing holes in the offensive line to repair the damage that was done on that nightmare of a day. In the games that followed, the Cowboys faithful witnessed a different Dak; a Dak that reminded us of the quarterback carousal of 2015…a dink & dunk Dak. It was pretty clear he had lost all faith in his protection up front and, for the lack of a better description, was simply playing scared.


“You gotta learn to drive with the fear, and there ain’t nothing more (blankety blank) frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car….If you’re calm, that wonderous big cat will be calm too. But if you’re scared, that beautiful death machine will do what God made it to do; namely, eat you with a smile on its face.”


~ Reese Bobby ~


I couldn’t help myself. As I watched this very real psychological phenomenon manifest itself in Dak’s play following that Atlanta game, I could not help but make the Ricky Bobby connection. Dak caught a bad case of “the fear,” and try as he might, he could not shake it off.


Being fresh out of cougars and access to Dak’s mode of transportation, I haven’t the slightest idea how to cure what ails Dak. Perhaps, similar to Christopher Walken’s tried and true cure for fevers, more Bell Cow (Zeke) might just be what the doctor ordered.


And you can bet that will certainly be a big part of the solution in the early going of the season, but at the end of the day, there will be teams that are capable of taking Zeke away and when that happens, the onus will be on Dak to make them pay…and for the benefit of the game film future opponents will study, he must make them pay dearly or it is Goodnight Irene to yet another season.


But, just in case it takes longer than training camp and preseason for Dak to get his deep ball back, the Cowboys front office purchased a little extra insurance in the form of one Tavon Austin. After all, there really is nothing wrong with dink & dunk as a schematic concept; Peyton Manning largely took the Broncos to the Super Bowl with this version of offense due to having completely lost his deep ball arm strength. But if you are going to run that style of offense, you have to have weapons who can create underneath and in space. That, in short, is the epitome of Tavon’s game.


Furthermore, you need good down-the-field blockers at the WR/TE position. If there is any trait that the skill position on the Cowboys share, that is fortunately one of them. Considering the length I’m pushing here, I won’t pull out the scouting reports, so you will have to either check for yourself or take my word for it, but every player currently on the 53 playing for the offensive side of the ball, as a general rule, is described as a “willing (if not skilled) blocker.”


In summation, if you can’t beat em’ deep, the logical step is to do everything within your power to make your short-to-intermediate game deadly. Zeke, Austin, and Beasley could be a three-headed monster for this franchise, if the Cowboys coaches would simply use that muscle that has atrophied with disuse: their imagination.


The last question: What three receivers will be the lead dogs in the receiver room?


All of them!


The Cowboys are moving away from the tired and antiquated notion of needing a #1 receiver to draw coverage. In its stead, they are granting Dak an offensive system that will be very much like the offensive scheme he ran at Mississippi State. This is pure conjecture on my part, but rather than have a clear 1 – 3 receiver, I suspect the Cowboys will instead allow the situation to dictate the tools they will use.


“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”


~ Abraham Maslow ~


Getting every offensive weapon involved in a given game pays dividends not only within the game but also in the games that follow. The Cowboys have an opportunity to complicate for the opposition that pertinent question every defensive coordinator asks in the week leading up to Sunday: Who should we take away?


Of course, Zeke will top their list…but with the Cowboys offensive line, there is only so much a defense can do. Sure, they can stack the box and slow him down, but when they do, that will make Dak’s job easy. If you can add to that quandary a true pick your poison scenario on every single play, your offense has within its grasp the ability to keep the opposition on their heels and guessing for the entirety of the game.


Imagine, if you will, a quick-paced offense with no-huddle sporadically sprinkled in, that relentlessly cycles Williams, Beasley, Austin, Hurns, Gallop, Brown, and Thompson in and out of the rotation showing a myriad of different looks and using those players in a plethora of different ways. Visualize an empty set that features Zeke and Austin in opposite slot positions, stacked up next to Beasley in the next slot and Hurns outside of him, with Gallup or Terrence operating on the opposite outside position. Dak can motion Zeke or Austin behind him and hand the ball off or use that presnap (of a sort) or postsnap playaction, to create space on the perimeter. Envision that notorious goaline-and-short situation where the opposition is stacked to take away Zeke up the middle: Zeke dots the “i” behind Dak. Flanking Zeke to the side is Austin. Noah Brown, in consideration of his height is lined up on the outside with Beasley situated between the TE with his hand on the ground next to Tyron Smith. Dak can survey the defense presnap to determine the Mike, set his blocking assignments and post snap decide rather or not to hand it to Zeke going up the middle, toss it to the side as Austin darts for the pylon, or fake both, then sprint towards the weak side based on the defenses response.


There is literally an innumerable amount of ways to get this collection of receivers involved and I suspect the Cowboys will be stealing a page out of Marinelli’s defensive line rotation book to make just that happen.


Granted, none of the above works, if Dak can’t metaphorically figure out a way to drive calmly with a cougar as his passenger. But with a healthy and unsuspended Zeke lined up behind him, a new and improved offensive line in front of him, and receivers particularly adept at running routes, down the field blocking and being where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be, the front office has given him every opportunity and tool possible to prove it.


So, I'm back up in the game
Running things to keep my swing
Letting all the people know
That I'm back to run the show
Cause what you did you know was wrong
And all the nasty things you've done
So baby listen carefully
While I sing my comeback song.

~ Mack Morrison ~

What do you think we will see upon the Return of the Dak?

Independent Analysis (not connected to Cowboys):
2017
Dak 2nd in accuracy on passes of 16+ yards.

2017
Dak 1st in tight window accuracy.

 

[CCBoy]

I read my stuff endlessly so it is a good thing I have a talent for it...otherwise I would bore myself to sleep.

I understand how it may appear...but if you read closely, I am acknowledging all the potential pitfalls throughout the op.

Or have you not actually read it yet?

jday, a fine read for the OP for a thread. Thanks, and was some fun read.

 

[xwalker]

Time is a fickle mistress; just when you need her the most she is not there. She steals your days and years while you are not watching. The only answer is to pay attention to her every moment of every day, only then you will never miss her.


~ Unknown ~


As the smoke clears in the aftermath of yet another tumultuous offseason for our beloved Cowboys, we now enter the black hole of the NFL calendar year. For some, it will be a blissful respite from the drama and manufactured news, as they put on blinders and ear-muffs to the various media outlets desperately trying to climb to the top of the news pile and reclaim relevance. For others, it is a long arduous walk through an unforgiving blistering-hot desert, with the oasis (that was the NFL draft) slowly but surely shrinking in the rearview and the slow trickle of news resulting from OTA’s we see up ahead in the distance is a mere mirage compared to the cold thirst-quenching and refreshing drink that is the Regular NFL Season.


For those who relate to the latter condition, the next few months will be spent trying to decide what the Cowboys will be when the team returns to the field. Will they regret cutting Dez? Will Leighton Vander Esch live up to the (more often than not, unfair) expectation of being a first round pick? Will the Cowboys regret not pulling the trigger on sending this year’s second round pick to Seattle for Earl Thomas? Will Connor Williams, the ET consolation prize, return the Cowboys offensive line to its 2016 glory? Will Zeke Elliott be in good physical shape and ready to carry this franchise when it’s time to report to camp?


Many of you reading this at this moment very well may think you already have all the answers to the above questions and yet, I suspect were I to turn this contribution into a poll, I seriously doubt all of your answers would be the same. And so, we collectively must turn those cases over to the greatest detective of all time…time. The truth will be known in a matter of months…time will certainly see to it.


But there is one series of questions still rattling around in my head that I am not quite ready to abandon to that fickle mistress:


Was 2016 Dak an aberration? Can he get his 2016 mojo back? Will the Cowboys coaches be able to tailor their scheme to Dak’s apparent strengths and finally break free of their uncreative predictable shackles? What will that look like? And what receivers will emerge as the top trio?


At the moment, I feel like I have more answers than questions regarding the defense. For me, it all boils down to whether or not Sean Lee can stay healthy. If he does, the Cowboys will be a top 10 defense and potentially a serious contender in the NFL. If he doesn’t, they will regress to the bottom 10 pulling down our time-tested hopes with them. Pretty simple. And, no, we can’t count on LVE this soon to save the day in Lee’s absence; even had the Cowboys been able to land the best linebacker in this year’s draft, asking a rookie to replace what Lee represents would be effectively asking way too much.


As such, I honestly don’t have high hopes for the conclusion to this upcoming season, as it were, but I would like to know if it will at least be an entertaining ride; the journey trumps destination for me. I don’t need no stinking championships to validate my time spent as a fan; but, at the end of the day, if the Cowboys cannot at the very least make a competitive contest of it, chances are I will find something better to do with my time. And unless Dak answers the above questions that pertain to him in the affirmative, there’s a pretty good chance Cowboys football this year will be rendered 2015 unwatchable once again.


I found it to be truly fascinating that Jerry was so candid with reporters recently when asked what decided him on taking Connor Williams over the mysterious defensive player they also considered taking with their second round pick this year (the word on the grapevine suggest that player was Jessie Bates III FS). Jerry pointed to the Falcons game from last season…the game that changed not only the complexion of the entire season, but clearly impacted Dak beyond the confines of the final whistle.


It is certainly difficult to blame Dak; he was sacked 10 times, 6 of which by the same player Adrian Clayborn. Ultimately the blame falls on the coaches, but I suspect the owner also recognizes that considering the lack of an adequate replacement for Tyron Smith, some of that blame spills over on the front office. And so, the Cowboys addressed the offensive line in every way they possibly could picking up two solid backups in Free Agency and addressing the starting Left Guard position with the aforementioned Connor Williams.


But I suspect, it will take more than fixing holes in the offensive line to repair the damage that was done on that nightmare of a day. In the games that followed, the Cowboys faithful witnessed a different Dak; a Dak that reminded us of the quarterback carousal of 2015…a dink & dunk Dak. It was pretty clear he had lost all faith in his protection up front and, for the lack of a better description, was simply playing scared.


“You gotta learn to drive with the fear, and there ain’t nothing more (blankety blank) frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car….If you’re calm, that wonderous big cat will be calm too. But if you’re scared, that beautiful death machine will do what God made it to do; namely, eat you with a smile on its face.”


~ Reese Bobby ~


I couldn’t help myself. As I watched this very real psychological phenomenon manifest itself in Dak’s play following that Atlanta game, I could not help but make the Ricky Bobby connection. Dak caught a bad case of “the fear,” and try as he might, he could not shake it off.


Being fresh out of cougars and access to Dak’s mode of transportation, I haven’t the slightest idea how to cure what ails Dak. Perhaps, similar to Christopher Walken’s tried and true cure for fevers, more Bell Cow (Zeke) might just be what the doctor ordered.


And you can bet that will certainly be a big part of the solution in the early going of the season, but at the end of the day, there will be teams that are capable of taking Zeke away and when that happens, the onus will be on Dak to make them pay…and for the benefit of the game film future opponents will study, he must make them pay dearly or it is Goodnight Irene to yet another season.


But, just in case it takes longer than training camp and preseason for Dak to get his deep ball back, the Cowboys front office purchased a little extra insurance in the form of one Tavon Austin. After all, there really is nothing wrong with dink & dunk as a schematic concept; Peyton Manning largely took the Broncos to the Super Bowl with this version of offense due to having completely lost his deep ball arm strength. But if you are going to run that style of offense, you have to have weapons who can create underneath and in space. That, in short, is the epitome of Tavon’s game.


Furthermore, you need good down-the-field blockers at the WR/TE position. If there is any trait that the skill position on the Cowboys share, that is fortunately one of them. Considering the length I’m pushing here, I won’t pull out the scouting reports, so you will have to either check for yourself or take my word for it, but every player currently on the 53 playing for the offensive side of the ball, as a general rule, is described as a “willing (if not skilled) blocker.”


In summation, if you can’t beat em’ deep, the logical step is to do everything within your power to make your short-to-intermediate game deadly. Zeke, Austin, and Beasley could be a three-headed monster for this franchise, if the Cowboys coaches would simply use that muscle that has atrophied with disuse: their imagination.


The last question: What three receivers will be the lead dogs in the receiver room?


All of them!


The Cowboys are moving away from the tired and antiquated notion of needing a #1 receiver to draw coverage. In its stead, they are granting Dak an offensive system that will be very much like the offensive scheme he ran at Mississippi State. This is pure conjecture on my part, but rather than have a clear 1 – 3 receiver, I suspect the Cowboys will instead allow the situation to dictate the tools they will use.


“I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.”


~ Abraham Maslow ~


Getting every offensive weapon involved in a given game pays dividends not only within the game but also in the games that follow. The Cowboys have an opportunity to complicate for the opposition that pertinent question every defensive coordinator asks in the week leading up to Sunday: Who should we take away?


Of course, Zeke will top their list…but with the Cowboys offensive line, there is only so much a defense can do. Sure, they can stack the box and slow him down, but when they do, that will make Dak’s job easy. If you can add to that quandary a true pick your poison scenario on every single play, your offense has within its grasp the ability to keep the opposition on their heels and guessing for the entirety of the game.


Imagine, if you will, a quick-paced offense with no-huddle sporadically sprinkled in, that relentlessly cycles Williams, Beasley, Austin, Hurns, Gallop, Brown, and Thompson in and out of the rotation showing a myriad of different looks and using those players in a plethora of different ways. Visualize an empty set that features Zeke and Austin in opposite slot positions, stacked up next to Beasley in the next slot and Hurns outside of him, with Gallup or Terrence operating on the opposite outside position. Dak can motion Zeke or Austin behind him and hand the ball off or use that presnap (of a sort) or postsnap playaction, to create space on the perimeter. Envision that notorious goaline-and-short situation where the opposition is stacked to take away Zeke up the middle: Zeke dots the “i” behind Dak. Flanking Zeke to the side is Austin. Noah Brown, in consideration of his height is lined up on the outside with Beasley situated between the TE with his hand on the ground next to Tyron Smith. Dak can survey the defense presnap to determine the Mike, set his blocking assignments and post snap decide rather or not to hand it to Zeke going up the middle, toss it to the side as Austin darts for the pylon, or fake both, then sprint towards the weak side based on the defenses response.


There is literally an innumerable amount of ways to get this collection of receivers involved and I suspect the Cowboys will be stealing a page out of Marinelli’s defensive line rotation book to make just that happen.


Granted, none of the above works, if Dak can’t metaphorically figure out a way to drive calmly with a cougar as his passenger. But with a healthy and unsuspended Zeke lined up behind him, a new and improved offensive line in front of him, and receivers particularly adept at running routes, down the field blocking and being where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be, the front office has given him every opportunity and tool possible to prove it.


So, I'm back up in the game
Running things to keep my swing
Letting all the people know
That I'm back to run the show
Cause what you did you know was wrong
And all the nasty things you've done
So baby listen carefully
While I sing my comeback song.

~ Mack Morrison ~

What do you think we will see upon the Return of the Dak?

Also for 2017.

Dak completion % on passes over 20 yards:
Target Butler 67%
Target Dez 21%

Dak all passes (any distance)
Not to Dez: 67%
To Dez: 62%

 

[CCBoy]

Beasley was suppressed, twill scored no tds, and Noah had five catchez last year, and the rest have not played a down in a Cowboys uniform..Conner as well..I think he will integrate in..Im sure the new ofensive line coach will handle up, but we havent seen anything yet...

Id allow a little reality..

Also, the more this new unit plays together, the better they will become. As young as they are, that is a bit mystifying following let down seasons following two top winners in the NFC years.

 

[CCBoy]

I hope Dak gets right with ball, But he was right when the oline was solid, Elliot was busting arse and the Dcords in the Nfl didnt have much tape on him..

I Like Gallup, and i believe Maybe a combo platter of Hearns, Gallup, and Beasley, With a smattering of Other guys have a chance to at least provide some offense, if Conner is as good as stated, and smiths back doesnt explode...Again...

If LINEHAN doesnt get another case of the stupid and Gives Swaim and Rico a chance to get some production down the middle, It could get interesting..

These are positive, but it could just as easily melt in front of us..

Im hoping Richards helps the defense..But this teams identity is ball control offense, winning Top, and power running in the NFL..Maybe defense will come to the game this year, it wont make any difference if the offense doesnt regain form in a meaningful way..

That is the truth..

If answers is a beef, then how does this defense look towards forcing some punts in each game?

 

[jday]

The reports I saw said Justin Reid would have been the pick if Connor Williams was gone.


I thought Broaddus and crew confirmed it.

https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/co...-justin-reid-2018-nfl-draft-second-round/amp/

Yeah, it being Jessie Bates is what I heard from a moderately reliable source...but not as close to the team as Broadus, so I'd lean towards believing Broadus.

 

[jday]

@jday
It has been shown in multiple ways that Dak was much better than fans believe:

@percyhoward stats
here to see more:
https://cowboyszone.com/members/percyhoward.995/

Prescott
when both Smith & Martin took most or all of offensive snaps (11 games)
1 sack every 29 dropbacks
212 of 338 2464 yd 21 td 6 int 98.0

remaining 4 games (not counting last game in Philly)
1 sack every 8 dropbacks
79 of 122 681 yd 0 td 7 int 55.4
15+ yard targets


(2016-17) Prescott to...
Bryant 26 of 75 (35%) 678 yd 5 td 3 int 74.2
others 47 of 88 (53%) 1249 yd 10 td 2 int 127.1

(2013-14) Romo to...
Bryant 30 of 75 (40%) 982 yd 7 td 3 int 101.9
others 52 of 108 (48%) 1415 yd 14 td 2 int 126.1


Prescott 2017
with all 5 OL playing most of game
212 of 338 2464 yd (7.3 ypa) 21 td 6 int 98.0
without
79 of 122 681 yd (5.6 ypa) 0 td 7 int 55.4

I've seen the stats and if the ol is back, I imagine Dak will be too!

 

[jday]

Independent Analysis (not connected to Cowboys):
2017
Dak 2nd in accuracy on passes of 16+ yards.

2017
Dak 1st in tight window accuracy.

I've seen those stats as well but honestly I'm less inclined to buy the direct correlation in accuracy to tight window throws because sometimes tight windows can by a symptom of inaccuracy (such as an underthrown ball) and/or poor timing, to say nothing of having a collection of receivers that struggle to separate.

 

[jday]

Also for 2017.

Dak completion % on passes over 20 yards:
Target Butler 67%
Target Dez 21%

Dak all passes (any distance)
Not to Dez: 67%
To Dez: 62%

Just so there's no confusion:

I think Dak will be much better this year with this group of receivers than what he was in his first two years. I thought I intimated as much in the op. There will be no lead dogs (outside of Zeke), so Dak cam simply do what he did in college and throw to whomever is open.

 

[jday]

Great read, @jday.

I think Dak will do much better this year, along with the team as a whole. The entire Zeke drama last year really weighed on the team at large. I think they’ll be in better spirits this year and I also think OL play will be improved, which will be a big deal. That game against the Falcons was like a war crime.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read and the kudos!

 

[waving monkey]

Good write up.

I honestly don't know what to expect. We could be a 12 win team or we could be a 6 or 7 win team.

Either way, I will still be here watching and posting.............win or lose.

At the end of the day, its just a sporting event and nothing more. Too many people tie their happiness to how their favorite sports team is doing, which is actually a very stupid thing to do since you have no control over the outcome of a sporting event.

 

[ItzKelz]

After reflecting on the performance of Dak last season it was after the Atlanta game when Dak started seeing ghost. Hopefully the experience ends up being a good thing for him. Heck it was for Troy and if Dak has 50% of Troys mental toughness he may end up having a season closer to 2016 than 2017. Fingers crossed.