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IRVING – They talked about it in the offseason. They talked about it during the draft, rookie camp, minicamp, training camp and the preseason.
And on Monday they talked about it some more.
So when will all that talk about committing to the running game actually result in the Dallas Cowboys committing to the running game?
That was the big question facing the team coming off its disappointing 17-16 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After producing a franchise-worst 1,265 rushing yards in 2012 to finish 31st in the league with a 79.1-yard average, the Cowboys swore they would ground it out more this season. But after gaining just 124 yards through eight quarters in 2013, those promises appear to be just empty talk.
Things got so bad Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium that Dallas (1-1) finished the game with 19 straight pass plays even thought it trailed by just one-point entering the fourth quarter. Facing a Chiefs defense that often loaded eight along the line of scrimmage, the Cowboys finished with 37 rushing yards on just 16 attempts, including two Tony Romo scrambles and a lateral to rookie Terrance Williams in the red zone.
“Obviously, we want to have more balance, not only more balance at the end of the game but more balance throughout the game,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We have to run the ball more than 16 times and we have to be able to run it throughout the game. We just simply have to do a better job of that.”
But can they do it when arguably the most powerful man at Valley Ranch not named Jerry Jones is Romo? The quarterback, who received the richest contract in club history in March, attempted 42 passes against the Chiefs, marking the second straight week he’s attempted 40 or more.
“In some of the no-huddle situations, he was making those calls,” Garrett said of Romo changing at the line of scrimmage the call coming in from offensive coordinator Bill Callahan to pass plays. “Again, we simply have to do a better job simply calling more runs and having balance.
“…If you run the no-huddle, you can still run the football. We have to make sure we do that.”
DeMarco Murray hopes Garrett turns his talk into action. With the St. Louis Rams (1-1) coming to AT&T Stadium this weekend, one of the more popular storylines is the franchise-record 253 yards Murray amassed when the teams met in Arlington his rookie season of 2011.
“We didn’t run it enough,” Murray said Sunday. “It’s something the coaches are going to have to talk about and discuss…You got to be a balanced offense to win games.”
Murray’s comments found Garrett’s ears.
“He’s been a good football player for us,” Garrett said. “We simply have to recommit to running the football and make sure we practice it and make sure we take it to the game. And he’s a big part of our running game. We’ve played our best offensive football around here when he’s been a big part of what we’re doing. So we’ve just got to get it going.”
Indeed, the Cowboys are 6-0 when Murray tops 100 yards. When he logs at least 20 carries, they are 8-0.
“Obviously we haven’t run the ball as well as we wanted to run it in the first couple of weeks of the season,” Garrett said. “We just need to work on it. I don’t know how else I can say this. Offensive line, we have to get better. Tight ends, we got to get better. Receivers, we got to get better. Runners, we got to get better. We got to call more (run plays). We have to do a better job as coaches. So, it’s a total commitment to do it better and everybody has a piece in it.”
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And on Monday they talked about it some more.
So when will all that talk about committing to the running game actually result in the Dallas Cowboys committing to the running game?
That was the big question facing the team coming off its disappointing 17-16 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
After producing a franchise-worst 1,265 rushing yards in 2012 to finish 31st in the league with a 79.1-yard average, the Cowboys swore they would ground it out more this season. But after gaining just 124 yards through eight quarters in 2013, those promises appear to be just empty talk.
Things got so bad Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium that Dallas (1-1) finished the game with 19 straight pass plays even thought it trailed by just one-point entering the fourth quarter. Facing a Chiefs defense that often loaded eight along the line of scrimmage, the Cowboys finished with 37 rushing yards on just 16 attempts, including two Tony Romo scrambles and a lateral to rookie Terrance Williams in the red zone.
“Obviously, we want to have more balance, not only more balance at the end of the game but more balance throughout the game,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We have to run the ball more than 16 times and we have to be able to run it throughout the game. We just simply have to do a better job of that.”
But can they do it when arguably the most powerful man at Valley Ranch not named Jerry Jones is Romo? The quarterback, who received the richest contract in club history in March, attempted 42 passes against the Chiefs, marking the second straight week he’s attempted 40 or more.
“In some of the no-huddle situations, he was making those calls,” Garrett said of Romo changing at the line of scrimmage the call coming in from offensive coordinator Bill Callahan to pass plays. “Again, we simply have to do a better job simply calling more runs and having balance.
“…If you run the no-huddle, you can still run the football. We have to make sure we do that.”
DeMarco Murray hopes Garrett turns his talk into action. With the St. Louis Rams (1-1) coming to AT&T Stadium this weekend, one of the more popular storylines is the franchise-record 253 yards Murray amassed when the teams met in Arlington his rookie season of 2011.
“We didn’t run it enough,” Murray said Sunday. “It’s something the coaches are going to have to talk about and discuss…You got to be a balanced offense to win games.”
Murray’s comments found Garrett’s ears.
“He’s been a good football player for us,” Garrett said. “We simply have to recommit to running the football and make sure we practice it and make sure we take it to the game. And he’s a big part of our running game. We’ve played our best offensive football around here when he’s been a big part of what we’re doing. So we’ve just got to get it going.”
Indeed, the Cowboys are 6-0 when Murray tops 100 yards. When he logs at least 20 carries, they are 8-0.
“Obviously we haven’t run the ball as well as we wanted to run it in the first couple of weeks of the season,” Garrett said. “We just need to work on it. I don’t know how else I can say this. Offensive line, we have to get better. Tight ends, we got to get better. Receivers, we got to get better. Runners, we got to get better. We got to call more (run plays). We have to do a better job as coaches. So, it’s a total commitment to do it better and everybody has a piece in it.”
Continue reading...