Screens: Saints and Philly's bread and butter play evades Garrett's playbook

[CATCH17]

Dallas does not have the players. It also takes a certain type of offensive lineman to run effective screens. Dallas can run a few screens a game and they do, but I don't think they have the lineman to be a heavy screen team.

I disagree.. Adams and Davis are the only guys who struggle to get out on their blocks and even they aren't terrible.


With the way teams blitz us we should be running it as many times a game as philly.

 

[Nightshade]

its so annoying when people say we are holding back for some reason or another. its just idiocracy. we go out there giving 100 percent every game. i will never understand the theory "oh we're waiting for the saints to unleash our secret weapon larry allen coming out of retirement to lead block for tashard choice who will get 75 percent of the carries" like ***

I don't think the team is holding back. I KNOW the players are giving everything they have on every play.

I just think the Dallas Cowboys have the personel to do what Philly and the Saints have been doing.

Felix should be burning our opposition out of the backfield and in screen plays just as Brian Westbrook does. In fact, I fully expected this when the year began.

I don't know why these plays aren't being used more to attack blitzing defenses. The agility of our Offensive linemen isn't a good enough reason as I believe they're comparable to the Saints and Eagle linemen.
I mean come on. Shawn and Stacy Andrews???!!!. These nimble linemen Don't seem to worry Andy Reid. (AND yes I know they're out but they were supposed to start)

 

[Idgit]

I don't think the team is holding back. I KNOW the players are giving everything they have on every play.

I just think the Dallas Cowboys have the personel to do what Philly and the Saints have been doing.

Felix should be burning our opposition out of the backfield and in screen plays just as Brian Westbrook does. In fact, I fully expected this when the year began.

I don't know why these plays aren't being used more to attack blitzing defenses. The agility of our Offensive linemen isn't a good enough reason as I believe they're comparable to the Saints and Eagle linemen.
I mean come on. Shawn and Stacy Andrews???!!!. These nimble linemen Don't seem to worry Andy Reid. (AND yes I know they're out but they were supposed to start)

Do you not see the linemen whiffing on simple stunts up the middle? Or Flozell double-teaming the DT and letting the blitzing corner in scott-free? Or our backs struggling to rotate to pick-up ILBs who come on delays? If we could execute (and execution--not playcalling--has been the real 'problem' on offense) simple blitz protections in the pocket, I'd be a lot more comfortable seeing how we do the same with pulling linemen.

 

[JD_KaPow]

However, the quick pass to the RB in the flat is a no brainer. Yet, the Cowboys very rarely use it. Used a not-so-quick pass to Barber in the flat that went for about 40 yds vs. Oak. Never saw it again after that.

That's probably because the Raiders never ran the "empty out one entire side of the field" defense after that.

 

[Doomsday101]

The Owner says that it's crucial to get the ball into Felix's hands. It seems pretty straight forward that Felix, Marty B, Tashard Choice and even Marion Barber would be killer on the screen play.

Defenses around the league focus on blitzing Romo before he can get the ball downfield to the Cowboy receivers going out on intermediate routes.

The little bubble screen to Ogletree was extremely effective.

All of these factors simply CRY OUT for a great deal more screen plays.

We have the players, we have the technology. What's stopping our "brilliant" OC Jason Garrett from running the plays that have made the Saints and Philly so successful?

Any insight would be very much appreciated.

Garrett does have the screen in the playbook and we have ran screens to RB, WR and TE. We may not run them as much as some but we must be doing something right given we are the 4th rated offense only behind the Colts, Saints and Pats and rated higher than the great Philly team you are pointing to. Their offense is so great they can't pick up short yardage

 

[BAT]

I would like to see more bubble screens to Miles and Felix. The only bubble screen I saw Austin's way resulted in a TD.

 

[EPL0c0]

It's something I've been saying since last year.. Garrett needs to use Felix/Barber/Choice in the passing game more, be it screens, slants, deep passes, etc whatever... I see other teams seemingly unafraid to line up their RBs as pass catchers. Garrett seems to not like doing this

 

[joseephuss]

I disagree.. Adams and Davis are the only guys who struggle to get out on their blocks and even they aren't terrible.


With the way teams blitz us we should be running it as many times a game as philly.

Two guys make up 40% of the line. That is fairly significant. Gurode is better, but not by much. I agree that they are not bad, but it just isn't their strength. It also isn't what they are accustomed to doing. It is kind of difficult to suddenly become a screen oriented team so late in the season. They will continue to run some screens, but they won't be a screen team. At least not this season. That is the kind of thing that takes work during mini-camps, training camp and pre-season to develop.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Dallas does not have the players. It also takes a certain type of offensive lineman to run effective screens. Dallas can run a few screens a game and they do, but I don't think they have the lineman to be a heavy screen team.

Kosier and Free would be great on screens

even Leonard Davis can move around

I'd do screens to the right side if I'm Garrett

'tellus would be lethal on the screen, that's at least 5 yards a pop, cuz he's so tall, that he falls down and gets 5 yards

 

[Nightshade]

Do you not see the linemen whiffing on simple stunts up the middle? Or Flozell double-teaming the DT and letting the blitzing corner in scott-free? Or our backs struggling to rotate to pick-up ILBs who come on delays? If we could execute (and execution--not playcalling--has been the real 'problem' on offense) simple blitz protections in the pocket, I'd be a lot more comfortable seeing how we do the same with pulling linemen.

Who would you say are our best and worst linemen? Kozier seems to be our most versatile. Free seems to give the team a little more versatility on the right side now that he's in there.

 

[Nightshade]

Garrett does have the screen in the playbook and we have ran screens to RB, WR and TE. We may not run them as much as some but we must be doing something right given we are the 4th rated offense only behind the Colts, Saints and Pats and rated higher than the great Philly team you are pointing to. Their offense is so great they can't pick up short yardage

The team's offense might be rated 4th but when they've faced tougher blitzing defenses they get bogged down in a one dimensional game plan. I like the versatility Phily's screens and pass catching running backs add to their offensive game plan. That's why I mention them. I hate Philly just as much as anyone on here.

I saw the game between the Pats and New Orleans. Payton attacked that 3-4 D with multiple looks that included a number of effective screens. I liked the confusion this caused with the Pats D. I know these plays are in Garrett's playbook. I'm just wondering if they could be used more to break up some of the problems our Offense has been experiencing.

Some of the responses here have been enlightening and are much appreciated.

 

[Idgit]

Who would you say are our best and worst linemen? Kozier seems to be our most versatile. Free seems to give the team a little more versatility on the right side now that he's in there.

Best and worst lineman overall? Or to utilize on screens? We *should* be made for screens. All of our backs can catch, we've got a smart QB who's mobile and can look off defenders, and Kosier, Davis, and Gurode (and now even Free) are all mobile linemen who can pull and theoretically block in space. Like I said, I'd like to see us run screens even more, but I don't really blame Garrett for not running them at the expense of other plays when we haven't exactly shown we can keep the pocket clean.

The thing is, when you have an offense as flexible as ours is, the plays you do run come at the expense of plays you could run, so it's very easy to second guess after the fact. Especially if you're not particularly worried about being intellectually honest about how effective the offense has been to begin with.

 

[CF74]

Without getting into the (ridiculous and tedious) debate about JG's merits as a coordinator, what chance does the guy have, honestly, when our fans are going to criticize him for 1. not running plays that don't work more often and 2. running plays that have been demonstrated to work too often?

If this drives you nuts, then you've got issues.

Because one play is blatantly obvious where as the other involves a little trickery. I mean c'mon, teams see Choice in the Razorback and they automatically know he's going to run up the middle. Wow big surprise there. The amazing thing is that our line is so good we still manage to get something out of it, at least the 1st time we run it that is.

As far as the screen is concerned Felix has been the only back in memory to make a huge play off of it, specifically the Green Bay game...


Issues? Yeah I obsess over this team to much...:laugh2: