News: ST: Cowboys have to ‘open up the playbook’ for Dak, analyst says

[SDCowboy]

We just have to adjust to what teams are doing. They are pressing and blitzing. Doubling up Dez, sending pressure and playing a short zone forcing Dak to search, while the blitz gets loose and takes him out. What Dak has to do is attack the deep middle of the defense right away. We may have to come out throwing against Tampa. Hit the deep middle, hit the deep out, and hit the bomb. If the coaching staff has the balls to do this, we'll call off the dogs and unleash Zeke. Dak Prescott is a very coachable person and will do what the coaches ask.

The lack of adjustments in the playcalling, especially against the blitz, is what I find troubling going forward.

 

[Deep_South]

Not one ever said this. Dak was named starter because at that point he won 7 or 8 games in a row including vs Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Even Romo admitted you can't yank him after that. No one said he has command of the huddle better than a 10 year pro

Yes, but when Romo said that his body language suggested that Negan and Lucille were standing there watching him just off-camera.

 

[LocimusPrime]

Yes, but when Romo said that his body language suggested that Negan and Lucille were standing there watching him just off-camera.

Neegan will get his. Trust me

 

[Clove]

The lack of adjustments in the playcalling, especially against the blitz, is what I find troubling going forward.

The easiest thing to beat but we've had trouble for years beating it. Why no designed roll outs? Reverse screens, quick hitches, more deeps in one on one's with Butler? Butler is better than Williams at those.

And on first downs, we need 6 yards.

 

[StylisticS]

The easiest thing to beat but we've had trouble for years beating it. Why no designed roll outs? Reverse screens, quick hitches, more deeps in one on one's with Butler? Butler is better than Williams at those.

And on first downs, we need 6 yards.

The funny thing is in weeks prior, Dak has shown the ability to actually beat the blitz on those quick hitches or slants. Linehan went into a shell.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

It wouldn't hurt..

It could. What if it exposes the plays we CANT run well and defenses then adjust accordingly.

Right now we have a very conservative game plan. Our defense doesn't get turnovers Bc they play safe. Keep everything in front of them. Don't gamble on routes. Don't bait the qb. They really don't even go for strips when they have a guy stacked up and I think it's all intentional. They have so many resources invested In The running game and it's so consistent you can usually pencil in x amount of first downs and TOP. And it's worked for dak as he's a savant in the film room so he doesn't make many mistakes and they've bleed teams to death.


I think the phrase "they've figured dak out" is a little void of complete thought. But I would say we're seeing what made him a fourth round pick. Touch and accuracy. Catchable passes. Things that lead to big plays and enable the wr to catch and run.

 

[DandyDon1722]

So we are using a reduced playbook for Dak?

I thought the reason he was starting over Romo is because he can make every read, make every throw, make every audible, and has full command of the entire playbook better than Romo. Isnt that why he beat Romo out, because he is better than Romo?

I don't ever recall Romo needing a reduced playbook or that we needed to open up the playbook for Romo.

I'm 100% positive you are being facious but just in case you aren't and some people actually thought that --

Well - if anybody ever thought Dak as a rookie had better command of the playbook than Romo....

That's flat out embarrassing.

 

[khiladi]

So we are using a reduced playbook for Dak?

I thought the reason he was starting over Romo is because he can make every read, make every throw, make every audible, and has full command of the entire playbook better than Romo. Isnt that why he beat Romo out, because he is better than Romo?

I don't ever recall Romo needing a reduced playbook or that we needed to open up the playbook for Romo.

Garrett wouldn't allow Romo in game planning. That was forced by Jerry after the 2013 contract, which started the change away from Garrett.

So basically Romo was bailing us out on the fly for years..

 

[khiladi]

Both things are correct

Dak is better as a rookie than Romo was

Romo is the better QB right now

Let's see what happens this Sunday before we make a decision

Romo was arguably the best QB on this roster as a rookie as far as training camp reports. That's why he was kept while Jerry was fawning over Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson and Drew Henson. Parcells would alway play his veterans and kept Romo away as long as he could, while he gave him more time.

 

[khiladi]

No, I'm not being funny. His passer rating (which is a flawed stat anyway) is built off of throwing short passes to wide open receivers created by scheme. The article suggests opening up the playbook and "pressuring" the safeties. Relatively speaking that would require skills that are not his strength. He is not a pure passer like an Andrew Luck/Peyton Manning prospect.
There is more to being a QB than throwing the ball of course. Much more. But I wouldn't even rank Dak in the top 25 of the league in throwing skill. He's just a dink and dunk guy. Any improvements in the passing attack will have to come from scheme, not the QB slinging the ball around like Drew Brees.

Sometimes he throws amazing, but he's wildly inconsistent. He has that one laser to Dez across his body in the red zone a couple weeks back while running to the right sideline over the CB to the outstretched arms of Dez.

But I see what you see in that he's not a true passer. He's not a dunk and dunk though per my own criteria and he's very smart. He's in between dink and dunk and a pure passer.

 

[theogt]

It's not about the plays being called, it's about executing the plays being called.

 

[khiladi]

No, he beat out Romo because ...
1.) Romo was injured
2.) Dak has played relatively mistake free football up until the Giants game. There's a correlation between turnovers and winning. It's not surprising that Dak's turnovers (his first mulitiple interception game) occurred in a game we loss. Eli turned the ball over too. We would have been even if Bailey had made that field goal before the half.
3. We were winning.

I don't think they should switch to Romo. But if Dak has another multiple interception game, and we lose, the reason he has started over Romo won't be as strongly in his favor.

Bailey, Collinsworth was saying before the kick, that pre-game Bailey told them his distance on FG kick was about 53 yards in this weather and from that side they were kicking, it could possibly be a yard or two more.

Bailey is so precise, even his estimate on the distance of the miss was right.

And to note, the blocking on the last Dak pass to set up the FG was stonewalling I think 6 rushers. Giants ceded the middle of the field and were playing around that distance.

 

[Oh_Canada]

These are the sort of issues you face when your quarterback is good at many things, but throwing a football isn't one of them.

Haha...Romo threw three picks last time out so I guess he can't throw either.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Your comment that I was responding to was you don't remember Tony ever having to have a reduced playbook. That's because Tony was never the starter as a rookie. Do I have to explain that to you?

Everybody, except you apparently, knew I was referring to Romo of today and not Romo of 14 freaking years ago.

Maybe I went to fast for you so I will go slower this time...............which is better, Dak with a reduced playbook or Romo?

As far as we all know, Romo doesn't use a reduced playbook but Dak apparently does, so the question is who do you play right now. Notice we are not comparing Romo of 14 years ago to Dak as a rookie, we are comparing Romo of today to Dak as a rookie.

You still with me or I am going to fast again? So to repeat, which is better Dak as a rookie or Romo as a 14 year vet? No time travel, worm holes, Star Trek transporters, or flux capacitors are being used to bring Romo of 14 years ago forward to today. We are comparing Romo of TODAY with Dak of TODAY and which is better.

I seriously don't know how to explain it any more basic than this.

 

[Beast_from_East]

I'm 100% positive you are being facious but just in case you aren't and some people actually thought that --

Well - if anybody ever thought Dak as a rookie had better command of the playbook than Romo....

That's flat out embarrassing.

So we are intentionally playing the QB with an inferior command of the playbook..............got it.

My bad, I thought we were actually trying to win a SB this year...........I didn't realize this was a "lets train the new guy" year.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

It's December. We are headed to the playoffs. There is talk of taking Romo out of mothballs.
What could possibly go wrong?

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

He's struggling to make reads quickly and these numbskulls think the answer is opening the playbook up and putting more on his plate to figure out?

This is asinine.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I have a suspicion this is a very crucial time in Dak's career. How he responds to his first real adversity at this level will tell us a lot about him.

He's been up and down since the Philly game, and the Cowboys are fortunate to only have 2 losses. A lot of players have come into the league, had a nice streak, then disappeared. Hopefully, he isn't one of them.

I don't but it would explain a lot of the trepidation Prescott fans have over a possible switch.

Dak already has enough film to improve his game greatly as team have thrown a lot at him. The main issue is that he needs to work on his mechanics. He dips his elbow which causes the ball to sail and his footwork goes in the toilet when he's under pressure. It's why he gets so inaccurate under pressure real or not.

What he needs to do is rep dropbacks and pressure thousands of time. Unfortunately, he cannot do that if he is installing a new gameplan every week. It's why we are not seeing any improvement and there is a real danger of the jump throws and poor base will become a habit that needs to be broken.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The lack of adjustments in the playcalling, especially against the blitz, is what I find troubling going forward.

You don't see receivers breaking off hot routes? Really? Or you just assuming that because your pet cat cannot find anyone open that they must never happen?

That is actually one of Romo's strengths is that he anticipates blitzes based on formation and game situations and makes sure those adjustments happen.

 

[DandyDon1722]

So we are intentionally playing the QB with an inferior command of the playbook..............got it.

My bad, I thought we were actually trying to win a SB this year...........I didn't realize this was a "lets train the new guy" year.

You mis-understood me.

I completely agree with you - what I was saying is I cannot believe some people actually think Dak has a better command of the playbook than Romo as a rookie.