So what happened to the Dallas Cowboys' '12 personnel' package?

[TheDude]

Time for Andre Smith to get some playing time. Hanna and Escobar are a waste in this current offense.

He played a snap or two......totally blew one blocking assignment I saw on the all 22

 

[Zimmy Lives]

He played a snap or two......totally blew one blocking assignment I saw on the all 22

Seriously? I missed the game.

Time to draft another TE!

 

[Jenky]

We need more TEs.

 

[dallasdave]

The way the Cowboys get penalties I first thought this had to do with having 12 men on the field at once .

 

[Stash]

Thus far, another 2nd round pick wasted and the running game inevitably suffers as a result.

I feel Murray had his best games running the football during the short Tony Fiametta era at fullback.

I've always preferred to have one to aid in the running game than this 4 TE nonsense that has never worked.

 

[BlueStar22]

Hanna and Escobar arent strong blockers.

 

[BlueStar22]

As do I, but I am fascinated by how good the no-name TE on the Broncos became once Manning took over as QB.

He can't block for ish either.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

When the Cowboys run the "12" offense, they can't run the ball because they bring all the defense into the box and can't block anyone. It also hasn't worked because common sense would tell you that the best way to attack with 2 TEs is up the seams and to the middle of the field. Garrett's offense calls for 95% of pass plays to go outside the hash.

The best offense for the Cowboys is 3 WRs and spreading the defense out, with one RB and Romo under center. It allows running lanes for Murray, play action, and more space for the WR to operate.It doesn't mean you can't use your TEs. You can still motion the TEs wide, once you see the defense ready for the "12." package.

But there is little to no creativity in the game plans and this offense. Its like they use the same game every week, with no adjustments. Attacking the middle of the field is an after thought and I wish one of these mediots would ask Garrett about it.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Escobar was a big, rangy player who was a better pass catcher than a blocker.

Still is.

 

[xwalker]

They do run the 12 package. The TEs don't have to be in tight for it to be considered the 12. Sometimes 1 of them is split out wide. They primarily use Hanna as the 2nd TE and he probably averages about 12 plays blocking and 2 plays running pass routes. Escobar gets 2 or 3 snaps per game and has appeared to be open on some occasions but the ball does not come his way. Romo has not thrown to him since the interception that lost a game. If the ball had been 1 foot higher, Escobar probably makes the catch.

Andre Smith was a physically superior blocker over all 3 of the other TEs in the preseason, but his problem is knowing who to block. Against the Lions he had 2 snaps. One was a pass route and the other was intended to be a block but he hesitated on who to block and ended up blocking nobody.

Last year they used OT Parnell as a blocking TE at times. He even ran a short pass route once.

Witten: He is a good blocker relative to other pass catching TEs; however, he has his share of failed blocks.

Hanna: His best asset is his 4.43 speed, but they normally have him blocking which is not his strength; although, he does know is assignments and attempts to block the correct defender. His blocking is effective at times but he is often overpowered. Most pass routes are short dump off types; although, he did pick up about 10 yards on 1 play in the last game. Should be able to beat most LBs on deeper pass routes but is never given the opportunity.

Escobar: Rarely asked to block. In pass routes he is not super fast off the line, but his top speed is really good. He might have the best "hands" on the team as a receiver and can high-point the ball, but has had very few opportunities.

Andre Smith: Physically is a terrific on-the-line blocker. Knowing his assignments might be an issue. Also, was never used as a move TE (Hanna's primary responsibility) in the preseason.

Parnell: The most talented player on the team that is not playing, IMO. Is much stronger than Free and can physically dominate in the running game. Is also very quick and athletic. Can be overly aggressive causing a missed block on occasion. If Hanna is going to block 12 times and run two 3 yards pass routes per game, they might as well use Parnell in that position.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

With Beasley and especially Williams, our WR group is much better than our TE group. Pretty simple.

In a sad way, I guess you have to give our coaches a little credit for not forcing Escobar into the lineup when he doesn't deserve it, because any decent high school coach gets players win and not magical formations. That's why it was dumb to tout this lineup before Escobar had even touched down in Dallas.

 

[9darter]

They do run the 12 package.

...

Awesome post, xwalker. Thanks for taking your time.

 

[Alexander]

In a sad way, I guess you have to give our coaches a little credit for not forcing Escobar into the lineup when he doesn't deserve it, because any decent high school coach gets players win and not magical formations. That's why it was dumb to tout this lineup before Escobar had even touched down in Dallas.

I would like to give them credit, but there is no doubt in my mind that they were completely on-board with drafting Escobar. That tells me that they felt he could be inserted right away. That misevaluation is very troubling. Nobody drafts a player in the second round they think is several years away. The fact they can realize now they made a mistake is not all that comforting to me.

 

[DeaconMoss]

Its a secret weapon. We are not going to use that package until later in the year when we go on a playoff run.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I would like to give them credit, but there is no doubt in my mind that they were completely on-board with drafting Escobar. That tells me that they felt he could be inserted right away. That misevaluation is very troubling. Nobody drafts a player in the second round they think is several years away. The fact they can realize now they made a mistake is not all that comforting to me.

Well, that's what I meant to say... Any decent coach would play his best players and not compound a mistake by forcing an inferior player into the lineup. But the bar is pretty low around here sometimes.

 

[xwalker]

Awesome post, xwalker. Thanks for taking your time.

Thanks.

 

[junk]

When the Cowboys run the "12" offense, they can't run the ball because they bring all the defense into the box and can't block anyone. It also hasn't worked because common sense would tell you that the best way to attack with 2 TEs is up the seams and to the middle of the field. Garrett's offense calls for 95% of pass plays to go outside the hash.

The best offense for the Cowboys is 3 WRs and spreading the defense out, with one RB and Romo under center. It allows running lanes for Murray, play action, and more space for the WR to operate.It doesn't mean you can't use your TEs. You can still motion the TEs wide, once you see the defense ready for the "12." package.

But there is little to no creativity in the game plans and this offense. Its like they use the same game every week, with no adjustments. Attacking the middle of the field is an after thought and I wish one of these mediots would ask Garrett about it.

The best play I saw from Escobar was where he was a decoy motioned out wide which drew a corner with him and freed up, I think Dez, underneath against a LB.

 

[junk]

Well, that's what I meant to say... Any decent coach would play his best players and not compound a mistake by forcing an inferior player into the lineup. But the bar is pretty low around here sometimes.

That is one of my biggest complaints about the offense in Dallas under Garrett. It doesn't seem very creative. Good coaches find ways to adjust to make the most of the talents of their players.

I think there could be schemes/plays that make better use of both Harris and Escobar.

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

Emergence of Williams and Beasley > Escobar+Witten as a duo.

 

[ilykdrama]

TDTWill happened to the 12 package. Witten has been a non factor, Escobar clearly needs time to develop and TWill has punished other defenses for doubling Dez. I'm fine with no 12 package as long as TWill is good for 1 TD a game and Beasley can get 7 yards a catch.