Stephen Jones: We Will Be Running The Ball More

[slomoxn]

Where have we heard that before?

 

[SportsGuru80]

Prove it on the field....

 

[CCBoy]

If one actually looks at the fan disgust, he can also discern despair when the cause of not being able to run in short yardage, not being on concepts or play selection by coaches, but lack of talent to execute.

Recently the team had a group of overpriced and declining linemen, who due to cap complications, had to be rebuilt over a four year period of time. Not ineptitude by any one on staff...the price of redevelopment had to be paid, despite cap problems.

 

[visionary]

You need to be able to run the ball in the red zone to take pressure of your pass offense, because pass defense has the advantage of a smaller field to cover. You need to be able to move the chains and eat clock when protecting a lead late in the game, and running is the safest way to do that. You need to mix in some runs early to keep the defense honest, and make play action more effective.

You do NOT need to meet a quota of so many rushing attempts per game.

Now this is a great post

Bottom line is that you need to be able to run effectively in running situations.... when the defense knows you will run

That is difficult anyway but becomes even more difficult when your team has a pass first mentality..... tough to just flip that switch

 

[Setackin]

Heard this before...

 

[Risen Star]

would that be 24 years now of experiance?

It's impressive the way he's managed to stay alive to achieve that feat.

 

[Risen Star]

Where have we heard that before?

And when we stop hearing it from the owner and/or owner's son, we'll be making real progress.

 

[Dodger12]

It's impressive the way he's managed to stay alive to achieve that feat.

Yeah, I like how that works. And it's amazing that in all this "experience," these dolts have had the benefit of seeing what worked and a strategy that built a dynasty. They've seen the importance of dominating lines of both sides of the ball and have reaped it's benefits. They've seen what a quality HC can do for your team. And yet they get away from what experience should have taught them works. They want to do it their way.

On the flip side, their "experience" should have also taught them what hasn't worked. Crazy trades and wasted draft picks that didn't pan out, drafting for back-ups, etc. Yet they still go back to the well that has given them minimal results. So what the hell is the value of all this "experience" everyone keeps talking about?

 

[Risen Star]

Yeah, I like how that works. And it's amazing that in all this experience, these dolts have had the benefit of seeing what worked and a strategy that built a dynasty. They've seen the importance of dominating lines of both sides of the ball and have reaped it's benefits. They've seen what a quality HC can do for your team. And yet they get away from what experience should have taught works. They want to do it their way.

On the flip side, their "experience" should have also taught them what hasn't worked. Crazy trades and wasted draft picks that didn't pan out, drafting for back-ups, etc. Yet they still go back to the well that has given them minimal results. So what the hell is the value of all this "experience" everyone keeps talking about?

Experience matters when you're hired on merit and must perform to keep the job. When you get the gig via nepotism and merely need to exist to hold onto it, experience becomes meaningless.

 

[starfrombirth]

He does overall although I have no idea what he knows about Xs and Os; probably a lot. He doesn't call plays so he can only repeat what he's told or hears. I think they do want to run the ball. They just need to do it a bit more or just be very efficient with it.

I agree about the x's and o's of the game, he might not be a head coach caliber but then again neither are most of us. As far as talent goes tho, he has seen first hand from best to worst and probably has a REEEAAAALL good idea about who has good arm talent, leg talent, hand talent, coverage skills, etc, etc. He also has sat in on the meetings where they've discussed plan of action and team philosophy. He's most likely been part of the SWOT analysis of the teams and been part of the many discussion about why we have and have not run more and in what situations and why we lost when we were so freakin far ahead. He's also been sitting next to JJ when announcers ask about why we weren't running it more during the game and got to hear what was said in reaction to those comments. He's been part of the Monday a.m. meetings with JJ and JG and got to hear JG explain. I would be willing to bet money I don't have that the running game was the number 1 discussion this offseason and to hear people talk like Steven has zero knowledge of the process is ridiculous. Wouldn't you agree?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Yet they still go back to the well that has given them minimal results.

I don't think that is true. We are drafting better and not handing out those stupid contracts any more. Clearly the last couple of years has shown a change in philosophy most are embracing.

 

[Muhast]

The frustrating thing in the past is that when we say this, the following game we force feed the run game for two or 3 series, and then go right back to pass mode.

Its never a balance of the two. Seems like we decide, this is a rushing series or a passing series. Hopefully Linehan changes that

 

[Dodger12]

Experience matters when you're hired on merit and must perform to keep the job. When you get the gig via nepotism and merely need to exist to hold onto it, experience becomes meaningless.

Just wait until Spalding Jones runs some facet if the organization and the super fans around here come back to tell us he grew up around football and spent his winters in personnel meetings and the draft room soaking up tidbits of knowledge and learning from his dad and granddad. Yes sir, it's great to be a Jones family member where "experience" is defined as being part of the bloodline.

 

[jobberone]

I agree about the x's and o's of the game, he might not be a head coach caliber but then again neither are most of us. As far as talent goes tho, he has seen first hand from best to worst and probably has a REEEAAAALL good idea about who has good arm talent, leg talent, hand talent, coverage skills, etc, etc. He also has sat in on the meetings where they've discussed plan of action and team philosophy. He's most likely been part of the SWOT analysis of the teams and been part of the many discussion about why we have and have not run more and in what situations and why we lost when we were so freakin far ahead. He's also been sitting next to JJ when announcers ask about why we weren't running it more during the game and got to hear what was said in reaction to those comments. He's been part of the Monday a.m. meetings with JJ and JG and got to hear JG explain. I would be willing to bet money I don't have that the running game was the number 1 discussion this offseason and to hear people talk like Steven has zero knowledge of the process is ridiculous. Wouldn't you agree?

I couldn't agree more.

 

[jobberone]

The frustrating thing in the past is that when we say this, the following game we force feed the run game for two or 3 series, and then go right back to pass mode.

Its never a balance of the two. Seems like we decide, this is a rushing series or a passing series. Hopefully Linehan changes that

It does appear that way at times. I don't know what the defense is doing to dictate that or is the play calling really that bad. I tend to shy away from thinking the coaches are stupid but occasionally I do wonder.

 

[jobberone]

Just wait until Spalding Jones runs some facet if the organization and the super fans around here come back to tell us he grew up around football and spent his winters in personnel meetings and the draft room soaking up tidbits of knowledge and learning from his dad and granddad. Yes sir, it's great to be a Jones family member where "experience" is defined as being part of the bloodline.

That's a bit over the top. I do agree the organization is built around the family but lots of businesses are. While is was given the job he's been around awhile which means he's had to learn. How well he applies it could be an issue for sure. One day some will get to see. Maybe I'll still be around.

 

[Dodger12]

I don't think that is true. We are drafting better and not handing out those stupid contracts any more. Clearly the last couple of years has shown a change in philosophy most are embracing.

I keep hearing that but it's certainly not definitive by any means and open to debate. The Claiborne draft was only 2 short years ago and that whole draft class has some serious question marks. And I would expect a team to hit on it's first round picks. But I value the draft by what they do in the later rounds to build depth. We've drafted OL because of an extreme need caused mainly by missing on linemen in the later rounds and the GM not seeing the value of OL and DL. And you can raise some questions with Lee and Romo's extensions, especially based on their health issues.

We believe that Jerry has finally drafted better because he's giving some attention to the OL that he neglected for years. That attention was grounded in desperation, not some change in draft strategy.

 

[Dodger12]

That's a bit over the top. I do agree the organization is built around the family but lots of businesses are. While is was given the job he's been around awhile which means he's had to learn. How well he applies it could be an issue for sure. One day some will get to see. Maybe I'll still be around.

I don't think that's over the top at all. That's the primary defense of Jerry and his son, that they've been around football for "X" number of years. I don't think that qualifies as "experience" in the sense that they haven't practiced or worked in the field for which they oversee and manage. Had Stephen worked his way up in the scouting department as an apprentice (for lack of a better word), reviewed film and helped build a draft board to gain his experience, then I would agree with you. Same with Spalding. Many family businesses operate where the children learn from the ground up before they take over the reigns. Not so in Dallas.

 

[jobberone]

I don't think that's over the top at all. That's the primary defense of Jerry and his son, that they've been around football for "X" number of years. I don't think that qualifies as "experience" in the sense that they haven't practiced or worked in the field for which they oversee and manage. Had Stephen worked his way up in the scouting department as an apprentice (for lack of a better word), reviewed film and helped build a draft board to gain his experience, then I would agree with you. Same with Spalding. Many family businesses operate where the children learn from the ground up before they take over the reigns. Not so in Dallas.

What do you think these guys do? They sit with the coaches and scouts and look at film as part of their player acquisition side of their job. You can't do that and not learn. The question is how much did they learn, from whom, and how are they applying it. You can wonder if they could have risen to their present position the old fashioned way but it doesn't matter in the end. I'm not a huge fan of Jerry or Stephen although I see the pros and cons of each in my own way. I'm not a fan of nepotism either but its everywhere. I'm not defending them as I don't care about being right or wrong and I don't have any skin in the game.

I'm just saying you can't rub elbows with those guys and not learn something. They aren't stupid although I agree in retrospect it appears that way at times.

All 32 teams in the NFL at present are represented by three coaches: Parcells, Marty, and Walsh. They in turn are part of trees themselves. If they weren't directly descended from a tree they learned (actively and indirectly) from guys like Landry, Shula, Lombardi and even Paul Brown the father of the modern tree. It appears Parcells talked to Landry a fair amount. All that filters to the bottom and in this case to the FO side. That doesn't make them coaches at all but they aren't in a vacuum either.

 

[Alexander]

We believe that Jerry has finally drafted better because he's giving some attention to the OL that he neglected for years. That attention was grounded in desperation, not some change in draft strategy.

I will take this point one step further. No Romo back concern, Martin is probably not a Cowboy.