Romo/Linehan Part 2

[Galian Beast]

I think what is going unheralded this offseason is the fact that this is Linehan's second year with us. Being able to retain him was huge, and I think he brings even more to the table with essentially the same offensive cast as last year (minus Murray obviously).

Something I'd like to point towards is Romo's second half of the season with Linehan and further removed from his surgery.

In the second half of the season Romo had a QB rating of 125.3.... compared to 103.6 in the first half.

He only threw 3 interceptions in the second half of the season, compared to 6 in the first half. This even more impressive when you consider he had 19 touchdowns in the second half compared to 15 in the first half.

He also only took 12 sacks in the second half compared to the first where he took 17.

His completion percentage jumped from 68.2 percent to 72 percent.

In general I'm stunned people aren't making more out of the year Romo had last year.

 

[daveferr33]

Romo should have been league MVP.

 

[Bullflop]

Romo and Linehan may be going steady by now . . . sure hope Candice doesn't get jealous. I kid -- they've obviously been good for each other in both instances -- they're blossoming & ongoing love affairs, lol.

 

[DenCWBY]

I figure Romo was 2 plays away from becoming Elite class (top 3) of QB's last year. Both plays we're out of his control (fumble by Murray in GB and the non catch call on Dez). If those plays would have gone the other way, Romo would be doing much more than Pizza Hut commercials in the offseason. However that's the way it goes in the NFL. As a QB, your basically only as good as your playoff success and although a late comer, Romo has a chance this year to set things right ONLY if the team is healthy (mentally and physically) and they stick to the run game.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

In general I'm stunned people aren't making more out of the year Romo had last year.

You are stunned?

Were you also Missing when many people were saying he should have been the league MVP?

I am stunned that you are stunned.

 

[Crown Royal]

If you paid attention, our play calling was hyper predictable last year. We were just so bloody good at execution that it didn't matter.

1st Down - power or zone run to pick up at least 3 yards.

2nd Down - Empty backfield shotgun when it is 7 yards or less to go. With a YP/A of 7 yards, Romo is just as likley to throw for the first down as we are to run for it, so force the defense to defend the entire field with little pressure on the passing game (a short pass is just as a good as a long one so long as it brings in the down and distance).

3rd Down - If 2nd down was 100%, 3rd down doesn't exist. If 2nd down got us to within 3 yards, line up in a power set but with options and threat of play action. If 2nd down was unsuccessful, remain in shotgun or single back and go for first down.


The key is that we were so bloody good on 1st and 2nd down that the very last scenario seldom happened....and when it did, Romo was fantastic again (I think 2013 was his worst year on 3rd down, but luckily it looks like that was an aberration).


I would like to see some more variation on 2nd down myself, but this was so darned effective I can't complain.

 

[DogFace]

I figure Romo was 2 plays away from becoming Elite class (top 3) of QB's last year. Both plays we're out of his control (fumble by Murray in GB and the non catch call on Dez). If those plays would have gone the other way, Romo would be doing much more than Pizza Hut commercials in the offseason. However that's the way it goes in the NFL. As a QB, your basically only as good as your playoff success and although a late comer, Romo has a chance this year to set things right ONLY if the team is healthy (mentally and physically) and they stick to the run game.

Totally agree. The Super Bowl this year will put him in that category.

 

[jazzcat22]

If you paid attention, our play calling was hyper predictable last year. We were just so bloody good at execution that it didn't matter.

1st Down - power or zone run to pick up at least 3 yards.

2nd Down - Empty backfield shotgun when it is 7 yards or less to go. With a YP/A of 7 yards, Romo is just as likley to throw for the first down as we are to run for it, so force the defense to defend the entire field with little pressure on the passing game (a short pass is just as a good as a long one so long as it brings in the down and distance).

3rd Down - If 2nd down was 100%, 3rd down doesn't exist. If 2nd down got us to within 3 yards, line up in a power set but with options and threat of play action. If 2nd down was unsuccessful, remain in shotgun or single back and go for first down.


The key is that we were so bloody good on 1st and 2nd down that the very last scenario seldom happened....and when it did, Romo was fantastic again (I think 2013 was his worst year on 3rd down, but luckily it looks like that was an aberration).


I would like to see some more variation on 2nd down myself, but this was so darned effective I can't complain.

The 90's teams with Emmitt had basically 3 or 4 running plays they used more than any other.
But also they were so darn good, it worked.
Defenses knew what was coming, but they couldn't stop it.

The lead draw was their bread and butter, and the slant to Irvin.....no one could stop it. Or not stop it on a consistent basis.

 

[Crown Royal]

The 90's teams with Emmitt had basically 3 or 4 running plays they used more than any other.
But also they were so darn good, it worked.
Defenses knew what was coming, but they couldn't stop it.

The lead draw was their bread and butter, and the slant to Irvin.....no one could stop it. Or not stop it on a consistent basis.

The wham play in the 90s was novocaine. How many times did a defender think they had the hole plugged only to get pinned by either a pulling guard or Moose?

God that was beautiful.

 

[JBell]

Romo clearly wasn't healthy in that first game with SF.

Definitely skews the #'s since his stats were atrocious in that game.

 

[jday]

I think what is going unheralded this offseason is the fact that this is Linehan's second year with us. Being able to retain him was huge, and I think he brings even more to the table with essentially the same offensive cast as last year (minus Murray obviously).

Something I'd like to point towards is Romo's second half of the season with Linehan and further removed from his surgery.

In the second half of the season Romo had a QB rating of 125.3.... compared to 103.6 in the first half.

He only threw 3 interceptions in the second half of the season, compared to 6 in the first half. This even more impressive when you consider he had 19 touchdowns in the second half compared to 15 in the first half.

He also only took 12 sacks in the second half compared to the first where he took 17.

His completion percentage jumped from 68.2 percent to 72 percent.

In general I'm stunned people aren't making more out of the year Romo had last year.

Great post!

As for why Romo's contribution is not getting the attention it deserves, that is likely due to most people hinging last year's success on Demarco Murray's production. The truth is, though, both players production are linked; Romo would not have been nearly as productive were it not for the running game and Demarco would not have had close to the year he had, if the Cowboys did not have a viable passing game that was a threat to the opposition.

 

[tyke1doe]

I think what is going unheralded this offseason is the fact that this is Linehan's second year with us. Being able to retain him was huge, and I think he brings even more to the table with essentially the same offensive cast as last year (minus Murray obviously).

Something I'd like to point towards is Romo's second half of the season with Linehan and further removed from his surgery.

In the second half of the season Romo had a QB rating of 125.3.... compared to 103.6 in the first half.

He only threw 3 interceptions in the second half of the season, compared to 6 in the first half. This even more impressive when you consider he had 19 touchdowns in the second half compared to 15 in the first half.

He also only took 12 sacks in the second half compared to the first where he took 17.

His completion percentage jumped from 68.2 percent to 72 percent.

In general I'm stunned people aren't making more out of the year Romo had last year.

Who are the "people" you're referring to? Many here thought Romo should have won league MVP. I know I was a supporter. He was beaten out by Aaron Rodgers, whom everyone figured would get the league MVP, especially after he received major hype for playing on a bad leg.

Interestingly enough, I was having a conversation with a co-worker, who is a Packers fan. And he was telling me about a new meme about Romo.

I said to him, you know what was interesting about this playoff season even though the Cowboys lost? Few, if any, placed the blame on Romo. This is the first playoff season I've not heard any criticism thrown Romo's way after a playoff loss. Even he agreed with me.

Romo played great last year. And I think him guiding a Cowboys team who many, including myself, thought would be no better than a 6-10 to a 12-4 record and into the divisional playoff game was better than Rodgers guiding his favored team to the NFC Championship Game.

But that's just how I see it.

 

[AzorAhai]

Who are the "people" you're referring to? Many here thought Romo should have won league MVP. I know I was a supporter. He was beaten out by Aaron Rodgers, whom everyone figured would get the league MVP, especially after he received major hype for playing on a bad leg.

Interestingly enough, I was having a conversation with a co-worker, who is a Packers fan. And he was telling me about a new meme about Romo.

I said to him, you know what was interesting about this playoff season even though the Cowboys lost? Few, if any, placed the blame on Romo. This is the first playoff season I've not heard any criticism thrown Romo's way after a playoff loss. Even he agreed with me.

Romo played great last year. And I think him guiding a Cowboys team who many, including myself, thought would be no better than a 6-10 to a 12-4 record and into the divisional playoff game was better than Rodgers guiding his favored team to the NFC Championship Game.

But that's just how I see it.

You must have forgotten the "Why not just go for the 1st down" crowd. He caught some flak for even throwing the 4th and 2 deepball.

 

[ConstantReboot]

3rd Down - If 2nd down was 100%, 3rd down doesn't exist. If 2nd down got us to within 3 yards, line up in a power set but with options and threat of play action. If 2nd down was unsuccessful, remain in shotgun or single back and go for first down.

The key is that we were so bloody good on 1st and 2nd down that the very last scenario seldom happened....and when it did, Romo was fantastic again (I think 2013 was his worst year on 3rd down, but luckily it looks like that was an aberration).

I would like to see some more variation on 2nd down myself, but this was so darned effective I can't complain.

That is why I believe Dallas wanted Murray in there for 3rd and short situations most of the time. The defense had to defend both the run and the pass because of the threat of Murray running the ball. This is what I don't understand with Linehan sometimes. Why remove Murray and put in someone like Dunbar during these 3rd and short situations.

When Murray is out of the lineup they know its a pass coming even though its for short yardage.

Will the current runningbacks we have on the team be able to force defenses to adjust like what Murray did? That I'm not sure and I have my doubts about it. Hopefully that will be the case when we have McFadden in there on those situations.

 

[Wolfpack]

Its amazing what a running game will do for a quarter back. I hope they stay the course with that and the loss of Calahann doesn't disrupt the running game and let the offense fall back into the 65%+ shotgun.

 

[Clove]

I figure Romo was 2 plays away from becoming Elite class (top 3) of QB's last year. Both plays we're out of his control (fumble by Murray in GB and the non catch call on Dez). If those plays would have gone the other way, Romo would be doing much more than Pizza Hut commercials in the offseason. However that's the way it goes in the NFL. As a QB, your basically only as good as your playoff success and although a late comer, Romo has a chance this year to set things right ONLY if the team is healthy (mentally and physically) and they stick to the run game.

There were other plays in that game Romo didn't make to put them in a do-or-die situation. If you handle your business early through out the game, then you won't rely on luck to win.

 

[demirji22]

I think what is going unheralded this offseason is the fact that this is Linehan's second year with us. Being able to retain him was huge, and I think he brings even more to the table with essentially the same offensive cast as last year (minus Murray obviously).

Something I'd like to point towards is Romo's second half of the season with Linehan and further removed from his surgery.

In the second half of the season Romo had a QB rating of 125.3.... compared to 103.6 in the first half.

He only threw 3 interceptions in the second half of the season, compared to 6 in the first half. This even more impressive when you consider he had 19 touchdowns in the second half compared to 15 in the first half.

He also only took 12 sacks in the second half compared to the first where he took 17.

His completion percentage jumped from 68.2 percent to 72 percent.

In general I'm stunned people aren't making more out of the year Romo had last year.

When your comparing Romos first half of the season with the second half of the season,
it would be nice to see how the numbers compare if you remove the 49ers game from the first half of the season and the eagles game from the second half of the season.
He was obviously not healthy in those two games and may skew the numbers a little.

 

[tyke1doe]

You must have forgotten the "Why not just go for the 1st down" crowd. He caught some flak for even throwing the 4th and 2 deepball.

I guess that crowd was drowned out by the "Dez CAUGHT IT" crowd.

But that's not a lingering complaint. I barely hear that criticism now.

 

[AzorAhai]

I guess that crowd was drowned out by the "Dez CAUGHT IT" crowd.

But that's not a lingering complaint. I barely hear that criticism now.

It's pretty clear who the Romo haters are now. Anyone who still talks negative about how good he really is will never be swayed. He could win 3 SBs and h still wouldn't get any credit from them. I honestly expect it from other teams fans, but Cowboys fans that do this are just football idiots.

 

[tyke1doe]

Even though I criticized Romo in the past, I've always said he was a very good quarterback. Give him a running game, and he'll be dangerous. We FINALLY did that last year, and as he ages, he's going to need a running game even more, ala, John Elway later in his career.
And I think the running game has given him more confident and made him more of a leader. That's why he goes to Dez Bryant on the 4th and 2 play. I don't fault that call one bit.
The ball was thrown were it needed to be. The catch is made or the call is made (no need for debate, just covering my bases), and everyone is describing Romo's brassness.
I'm excited to see what he and this offense and defense can do.
I think he'll eventually win a league MVP. Possibly this year.