Should Dowdle be the starter?

[kskboys]

Why do yall still get caught up into who starts? The running backs share snaps. Dowdle needs more carries. Pollard Needs more carries. Luepke needs more carries. See how easy it is. Neither RB is getting enough opportunities, then add in that the bulk of Pollard's opportunities are coming between the tackles when he's better on the edges we should be asking why the runners aren't being used correctly.

Because the guy that starts pounds on the D. Kinda obvious, dude.

 

[kskboys]

I see running back by committee coming up in our near future, maybe not in the Giants game, but after that when it's really close. Jones didn't find us our bruiser in free agency, so it looks like we got to make it happen with what we've got.

That's what we're already doing.

RB by committee is what teams are forced to do when they can't find a decent starter. It's not the desired thing.

 

[kskboys]

In general, RBs are the least important part of the run game equation.

The most important part is having a competent scheme and playcaller. You could have a 2 TE front with the seven studliest blockers in the league, but if the defense has loaded an 8 man box and the linebackers are just staring down the run, you aren't going to get anywhere.

Then, you need to have blockers with enough talent to move the guys in front of them. Just based on past track record, I think the Cowboys have the horses to do this. They haven't been getting push, but I blame the scheme like above.

Then, if the scheme is setting up favorable situations, and the OL is opening holes, then the RB is the problem if he's not seeing the holes or breaking tackles.

Pollard hasn't been as explosive as in the past, but he's not missing holes like Trent Richardson or just laboring through them like 2022 Zeke. I don't think he's the problem, and likewise, switching to Dowdle won't fix anything.

Yeah, that's been the mantra going around amongst media spewers. However, it's been derailed quite a bit. Several teams are being talked about as needing more talent at RB. You're simply not going to move the ball consistently w/ JAG RB's.

 

[RonnieT24]

Lol. When I was 11 and playing my 3rd year in Pop Warner, there was an RB on the 'Wolfpack Red' team that looked like he was 16. Tall and heavy, our offensive lineman would jump to the side and try to tackle him to avoid getting trucked by the kid, obviously never bringing him down. I loved to hit other kids. I played LB when we played them and got a few tackles on him, but he blasted me every time I got in front of him to try an wrap him up. It was quite unpleasant. I think they scored on every possession and never threw a pass, and why would they?

People who never played real tackle football will have this go right over their heads. Some guys just bring a load with them every time they hit you. And over time it's just human nature to not want to be hit like that over and over. Even the toughest fighter gets tired of being hit in the face eventually. And if he's not smart enough to stop it on his own, his body will do it for him by going unconscious! LOL!

 

[RonnieT24]

Yeah, that's been the mantra going around amongst media spewers. However, it's been derailed quite a bit. Several teams are being talked about as needing more talent at RB. You're simply not going to move the ball consistently w/ JAG RB's.

Yeah remember most of the media spewers are QBs and linemen.. LOL! People need to get off this notion that you can plug any joe blow behind a good line and he will challenge for the rushing title. The Titans line is as good as it has ever been but now that Henry is a little older suddenly he's not averaging 125 yards a game anymore. And when they plug in his backup THEY don't seem to be able replicate what Henry did at his peak. Weird how the diminution of skill leads to reduced production. People screamed for three years that "Pollard is better than Zeke" and "Pollard would challenge for the rushing title if we just get rid of Zeke." No you don't need a superstar at RB to win a title. That much is proven.. but it has also been proven that having a superstar at RB is a really good thing to have provided you are really good everywhere else.

 

[Kolemmitt]

No, but I feel like Dowdle, or even Luepke, should be getting more of the in-between-the-tackles runs, keeping Pollard more fresh to be a "weapon," like last year.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

are you talking about a different extremecowboyszone.com? Most here wanted him to be the starter

Correct. There were only a few that said otherwise and they got crucified.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Yeah remember most of the media spewers are QBs and linemen.. LOL! People need to get off this notion that you can plug any joe blow behind a good line and he will challenge for the rushing title. The Titans line is as good as it has ever been but now that Henry is a little older suddenly he's not averaging 125 yards a game anymore. And when they plug in his backup THEY don't seem to be able replicate what Henry did at his peak. Weird how the diminution of skill leads to reduced production. People screamed for three years that "Pollard is better than Zeke" and "Pollard would challenge for the rushing title if we just get rid of Zeke." No you don't need a superstar at RB to win a title. That much is proven.. but it has also been proven that having a superstar at RB is a really good thing to have provided you are really good everywhere else.

You remember last year...quite well I am sure.

"Tony will be great he can block just fine." (Watch Steele get blown up and see who standing back there with his thumb up his behind.)

"Backs are a dime a dozen"

Those guys are on extreme radio silence now.

 

[kskboys]

Correct. There were only a few that said otherwise and they got crucified.

I think it was more than a few, but the Polly lovers were loud and obnoxious and insulting.

 

[buybuydandavis]

And not even trying to draft a RB w/ some power.

That was my hope.
Get a big bruiser of a RB to pass block and run between the tackles, while putting Pollard in motion to go wide or go out on routes. My preferred formation is 2WR, 1TE, 1RB/WR, 1RB/FB/TE. I'd rather have a team with a little more run balance, and multiple run threats on the field at the same time.

I like him, but Luepke is still clearly a bargain basement version of RB/FB/TE.

But given the poor production out of Gallup and Cooks, Luepke might still give us the best 5 on the field. Getting Pollard out of the box may give him a little more juice.

Cooks is such a disappointment. 7 figures for 5.7ypt. Ouch.
Last year it was Gallup and Schultz for 20+mil. This year it's Gallup and Cooks.

Meanwhile, "too expensive" Amari at 20mil just keeps on being a strong #1. 9.8 ypt this year. Pair that with Lamb at 11.4.
2 WRs you really need to double across your top 4 CBs. Dominant.

Some defense is going to wise up and put their top 2 CBs on Lamb all day long and strangle our offense.

 

[Cowboys4FL2022]

That position has to be addressed in the draft but with no 4-6 picks, doesn’t leave a lot of room to do much.

I believe thats when guys like lewis , armstrong, gallup would be able to get us back some of them day 3 picks back somehow in the draft next year

 

[Motorola]

Last half of the Cowboys' 2023 schedule --- per game
Pollard - 10 rushes max \ 4-5 pass attempts
Dowdle - 12 - 13 carries \ 2 pass attempts
Luepke - 5 attempts \ 2 targets
WRs - Cooks, Turpin, Lamb - in that order - combine for 2-3 rushes

 

[DuncanIso]

That's what we're already doing.

RB by committee is what teams are forced to do when they can't find a decent starter. It's not the desired thing.

We all saw this as a huge problem when Zeke left.

 

[DuncanIso]

Yeah remember most of the media spewers are QBs and linemen.. LOL! People need to get off this notion that you can plug any joe blow behind a good line and he will challenge for the rushing title. The Titans line is as good as it has ever been but now that Henry is a little older suddenly he's not averaging 125 yards a game anymore. And when they plug in his backup THEY don't seem to be able replicate what Henry did at his peak. Weird how the diminution of skill leads to reduced production. People screamed for three years that "Pollard is better than Zeke" and "Pollard would challenge for the rushing title if we just get rid of Zeke." No you don't need a superstar at RB to win a title. That much is proven.. but it has also been proven that having a superstar at RB is a really good thing to have provided you are really good everywhere else.

Truth!

 

[DuncanIso]

No, but I feel like Dowdle, or even Luepke, should be getting more of the in-between-the-tackles runs, keeping Pollard more fresh to be a "weapon," like last year.

Tony has a bad leg.

He’s never going to be the same.

His YPA is down by over a yard.

 

[kskboys]

Tony has a bad leg.

He’s never going to be the same.

His YPA is down by over a yard.

He's being used completely different. He's not meant to be used like this.

 

[Cebrin]

Though I don't see Pollard as an every down back, a big part of the problem to me is that our OL is just not moving guys much at all. This isn't the same line that it used to be.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

pollard needs to step it up.

The question should be: are O line coach mikey Solari and RB coach Jeff Blasko up to their jobs? I suggest those two chaps coordinate better or get out.

 

[DuncanIso]

The question should be: are O line coach mikey Solari and RB coach Jeff Blasko up to their jobs? I suggest those two chaps coordinate better or get out.

They don’t have a RB.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Doesn't matter who the starter is. Zeke, Pollard, Dowdle or somebody else.

If the blocking isn't there no back is going to get great yardage/tds. Just look at Emmitt's stats - 4 years with ypc of 4.3 or better from 1990-1995, after 1995 when guys like Stepnoski and other members of the Great Wall left, and after Erik Williams got hurt in the car accident, Emmitt never got above 4.2 ypc.

If the current lineup on the o-line can stay together, then the blocking should improve a bit.

We'll see...