Runs on 1st & 10 (2014 v 2015)

[percyhoward]

Still scratching my head how everyone believes the running game was even close in production to last season.

It wasn't close in production, but most people can read an average, and realize that's just a matter of the team not having enough late leads to match last year's attempts. They don't blame the running game for that.

To me, the impressive thing is that this year's running game somehow managed to be as efficient as last year's, given the state of our pass offense. That's not so confusing, is it?

 

[BAT]

It wasn't close in production, but most people can read an average, and realize that's just a matter of the team not having enough late leads to match last year's attempts. They don't blame the running game for that.

To me, the impressive thing is that this year's running game somehow managed to be as efficient as last year's, given the state of our pass offense. That's not so confusing, is it?

Not confusing at all, just do not agree with the conclusion, running game was not comparatively as productive as last season, especially in the red zone. Efficiencies are nice but the bottom line will always be production.

McFadden/Randle was comparative to Murray in efficiency but not close in production. And that's even with Romo and/or Dez on the field.

Just as in revenue management, tracking trends are helpful, but the bottom line is was there more revenue than last year. In the case of 2015, the answer was a resounding "no".

 

[percyhoward]

Efficiencies are nice but the bottom line will always be production.

That isn't even a running game issue. Given an equal number of rushing attempts, production would have matched last year's. Given a higher number of attempts, it would have exceeded it.

Plays while leading
2014: 427
2015: 243

We could have easily found an extra 100 rushing attempts if we'd played with more leads. We had 8 fewer rushing TD this year than last, and 21 fewer passing TD. With even an average pass offense, we probably get enough attempts to match last year's total of attempts. Since the average is the same, that means we also match last year's production.

Make sense?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

How many 1,000 yard rushers are left in the final 5 teams (Den & Pitt are still playing as I post this)?






None.

Maybe it's the running game and not the running back?

Hmm.

If the Cowboys spend a 1st round pick on running back I'll snap.

 

[plasticman]

And now, a statistic that epitomizes the difference between 2014 and 2015 and leaves no doubt as to exactly what happened:

2015
Average rushing yards when winning-3.49 24th place
Average rushing yards when losing-4.7 13th place
Carries when winning-115
Carries when losing-169

2014
Average rushing yards when winning-4.4 5th place
Average rushing yards when losing-5.32 1st place
Carries when winning-243
Carries when losing 169

This season the Cowboys only ran the ball well when nobody cared, especially the opponent's defense. However, when it came crunch time and the Cowboy running game was needed in order to run the clock and keep opponents of the field they were a dismal failure.

This year the Cowboys ran the ball in the 4th quarter 33% of the time compared to 54% last season. Opponents knew the Cowboys had to pass in order to come from behind so McFadden and the rest of the running game took advantage of pure garbage time. In fact, opponents were so grateful that the Cowboys were willing to assist them by running down the clock with time consuming running plays that there wasn't a lot of inspiration to take them down.

During the 4th quarter opponents DB's were so busy trying to pad their stats with the 4th quarter INT's that they didn't have a lot of motivation to tackle, that was the LB's job

Again, this season was flushed down the toilet the instance Jerry Jones decided to destroy the new triplets by not signing the best multi-purpose back on the planet in 2014.

 

[BAT]

How many 1,000 yard rushers are left in the final 5 teams (Den & Pitt are still playing as I post this)?






None.

Maybe it's the running game and not the running back?

Hmm.

If the Cowboys spend a 1st round pick on running back I'll snap.

This was Jerry's argument when he refused to pay Emmitt. Jerry said it was the QB and not the RB that influenced SB wins. Emmitt changed all that.

Jerry made the exact same mistake last season, except there was no Jimmy Johnson to force him to change his stance. Emmitt was not considered to be the best RB at that time either but he was the best fit for the team.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

This was Jerry's argument when he refused to pay Emmitt. Jerry said it was the QB and not the RB that influenced SB wins. Emmitt changed all that.

Jerry made the exact same mistake last season, except there was no Jimmy Johnson to force him to change his stance. Emmitt was not considered to be the best RB at that time either but he was the best fit for the team.

Look up whom the Cowboys played those first two games of that season when Emmitt was out.

Finally to suggest the talent gap between Murray and McFadden is the same as the gap between Emmitt and Lassic is laughable.

 

[BAT]

Look up whom the Cowboys played those first two games of that season when Emmitt was out.

Finally to suggest the talent gap between Murray and McFadden is the same as the gap between Emmitt and Lassic is laughable.

Not speculating about something as subjective as "talent", I am only comparing production and fit. The gap between 1,800 yards and 1,000 yards is not significant to you?

Even the greatest rusher in the entire history of the NFL, Emmitt Smith, had a season as prolific as Demarco Murray in 2014.

 

[percyhoward]

And now, a statistic that epitomizes the difference between 2014 and 2015 and leaves no doubt as to exactly what happened:

2015
Average rushing yards when winning-3.49 24th place
Average rushing yards when losing-4.7 13th place
Carries when winning-115
Carries when losing-169

2014
Average rushing yards when winning-4.4 5th place
Average rushing yards when losing-5.32 1st place
Carries when winning-243
Carries when losing 169.

Kinda strange to suggest that how well you run the ball (or how well you do anything, for that matter) somehow matters less when you're behind than it does when you're ahead.

I do like the idea of filtering out "garbage time," however. That would actually make sense.

Excludes 4th qtr, margin >two scores
2015
381 rushes, 1833 yards (4.8)
2014
466 rushes, 2213 yards (4.7)

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Not speculating about something as subjective as "talent", I am only comparing production and fit. The gap between 1,800 yards and 1,000 yards is not significant to you?

Even the greatest rusher in the entire history of the NFL, Emmitt Smith, had a season as prolific as Demarco Murray in 2014.

Nope.

Not significant at all.

The 2014 team had 466 rushing yards more than the 2015 team, and the 2015 team had virtually nothing at QB and was playing from behind most of the season, so the running game had far fewer chances to "fatten" the total.

Very few league leading rushers win the SB... go ahead and look it up.

And this year not a single 1,000 runner will be playing next weekend.

 

[percyhoward]

The gap between 1,800 yards and 1,000 yards is not significant to you?

First of all, even if you take Murray himself, playing in that same offense, and gave him 150 fewer carries, that would knock 700 yards off his total. Now the gap is about 100 yards.

By the time you put Murray in this offense, put McFadden in that offense, and then give him an extra 150 carries, where do you think that puts them?

 

[percyhoward]

This season the Cowboys only ran the ball well when nobody cared, especially the opponent's defense.

Opposing defenses must have found tie games especially boring.

2015
124 rushes, 684 yards (5.2)
2014
95 rushes, 384 yards (4.0)

 

[MichaelWinicki]

First of all, even if you take Murray himself, playing in that same offense, and gave him 150 fewer carries, that would knock 700 yards off his total. Now the gap is about 100 yards.

By the time you put Murray in this offense, put McFadden in that offense, and then give him an extra 150 carries, where do you think that puts them?

He'd still be comparing Murray to Emmitt Smith.

 

[StarBoyz83]

Oline was a shell of itself last year in run blocking.

 

[percyhoward]

He'd still be comparing Murray to Emmitt Smith.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Oline was a shell of itself last year in run blocking.

You're kidding right?

Considering they were 9th in the NFL in rushing yards per game and 6th in the NFL in average yards per carry.

That doesn't scream "shell" to me.

In addition the running game had to endure the 27th ranked passing game (yards per game) in the NFL, so it's not like defenses had to respect the pass.

 

[StarBoyz83]

You're kidding right?

Considering they were 9th in the NFL in rushing yards per game and 6th in the NFL in average yards per carry.

That doesn't scream "shell" to me.

In addition the running game had to endure the 27th ranked passing game (yards per game) in the NFL, so it's not like defenses had to respect the pass.

Not kidding at all. Didn't see the oline from last year at all in the running game.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Not kidding at all. Didn't see the oline from last year at all in the running game.

OH-kay.

 

[Alexander]

We still appear to be examining and sniffing the corpse, looking for positives.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

We still appear to be examining and sniffing the corpse, looking for positives.

Well some parts are fit for transplant... others... they go right in the incinerator.