CFZ The Offensive Line

[StarOfGlory]

Let's take a closer look at one part of our team. Tyler Smith, Matt Farniok, Tyler Biadiaz, Zack Martin, Terence Steele. Our offensive line. How did they do?

Shout out to Connor McGovern. He was injured in the 1st quarter and didn't have to see the field for this debacle. Should get a MRI today. Probably a high ankle sprain. Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko, your time is now. Maybe get Jason Peters ready--now!

The line looked good in the first quarter and most of the second. Notable, Tampa played a very basic scheme early on. After that, well...

Tyler Smith. I posted last week that he should get the start at LT. Some of you agreed, some of you didn't. I feel vindicated for at least one game. He made a few rookie mistakes. One penalty, one sack, but he held his own against a very good front. He continually was able to ride his rusher beyond Dak and held up almost the entire night at the point of attack. His footwork needs work, but he clearly has the talent, quickness, and strength to play the position. He showed good arm extension in pass protection. I don't think anyone can be disappointed in his first game. I don't want to jump the gun, but I believe we have a winner in Smith.

Matt Farniok. Looked okay early on, but once Tampa started to run stunts and delayed blitzes in the second half, was clearly outmatched. He looked outright confused on some plays. He looked like he was in position much of the night but was simply not good enough to get the job done. Better in run blocking than pass protection. Showed no cohesiveness with the unit on several plays. Was pushed back a number of times and stoned on run blocking a bit too much in the second half.

Tyler Biadiaz. Much like Farniok, looked okay early on, but once Tampa started to run stunts and delayed blitzes in the second half, was clearly outmatched. This is not good, as he has to make calls at the LOS. The problem here is Dak must recognize changes and make those calls if Biadiaz doesn't see or understand what's happening. He didn't do a good job of that (unlike Brady). Was blown back on a number of plays. Couldn't pick up stunts with any consistency, like Farniok. Poor blitz recognition, allowing Dak to get hammered on a number of plays.

Zack Martin. Poor guy. He was his usual one day to be HoF self. Consistently beat him man at the point of attack and help up in pass protection. Did his best to help Biadiaz and Steele. One play in particular caught my attention. Zack was blocking his man and helping Steele when a LB delayed blitzed up the middle. Biadiaz was blocking the same man as Farniok and didn't react to the blitz. Martin, already engaged, shoved his man into Steele, peeled off his block and tried his best to cover the hole. He just missed being able to chip the blitzer, and frankly, if he did, it would have been a great Baldy breakdown moment showing again how damn good Zack is. Now Dak gets a bit of blame here. Smith did his job on this play, as the edge rusher was pushed far to the left. Dak couldn't step up to the left because Farniok and Biadiaz were getting destroyed. Dak could have gone right, as Steele was actually holding his opponent. I assume the ref didn't throw a flag out of pity. So, Dak decides that the best course of action was to step back--staying in the path of the blitzer. Yeah, didn't work out so well.

Terence Steele. Three false starts. One hold. Another false start and two holds not called. Subpar arm technique, footwork, and situational awareness. I will be generous and say he is a work in progress. I don't want to comment any more.

A special shout out to our moving turnstile, Tony Pollard. At least throw yourself at someone's feet. You might get lucky and slow down the rusher for half a second.

This line at the moment is best suited for run blocking. It worked early on. Why did our expensive RB only get 10 carries????

I am frustrated.

 

[chicago JK]

I will need to wait until the Bob Sturm's of the world write their reports. It appears Dallas was in max support quite a bit and the Buccs were totally fine with that and dropping people into coverage. Not that hard to protect the QB when you keep everyone in and the other team isn't sending the house. Tough to make plays though when you only have 2-3 guys in routes and the other team is dropping defenders back into coverage though.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

I don't think the line was that bad outside of Steele and the stupid penalties.

They were better than expected at least.

 

[Sydla]

It was important to also bring back McCarthy's buddy Philbin to coach the OL this year after the abysmal performance put in during the 2021 season.

You literally could not have scripted a worse offseason for the OL if you tried. How do you come out of the 2021 season saying the OL was not good enough and we need to fix it and then literally not sign on FA offensive lineman?

That's absurd.

 

[Sydla]

I don't think the line was that bad outside of Steele and the stupid penalties.

They were better than expected at least.

Stop. They were not good. I get you want to lay all of this on Dak but the OL has issues. And it's not going to get better. Farniok and Biadasz aren't good enough. Steele might be a problem long term. The one bright spot other than just Martin being Martin was the Tyler Smith played OK. So maybe we have a LT and a RG.

That's it.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

Stop. They were not good. I get you want to lay all of this on Dak but the OL has issues. And it's not going to get better. Farniok and Biadasz aren't good enough. Steele might be a problem long term. The one bright spot other than just Martin being Martin was the Tyler Smith played OK. So maybe we have a LT and a RG.

That's it.

They weren't that bad. I'm not saying they were great, but they were much better that I expected them to be.

Zeke was average over 5 years per carry for crying out loud.

 

[Runwildboys]

I will need to wait until the Bob Sturm's of the world write their reports. It appears Dallas was in max support quite a bit and the Buccs were totally fine with that and dropping people into coverage. Not that hard to protect the QB when you keep everyone in and the other team isn't sending the house. Tough to make plays though when you only have 2-3 guys in routes and the other team is dropping defenders back into coverage though.

It's sad when you can give the QB all day to throw the ball and he still makes poor decisions. I fell off the Dak train hard. He looked completely lost and desperate.

 

[Whirlwin]

It's sad when you can give the QB all day to throw the ball and he still makes poor decisions. I fell off the Dak train hard. He looked completely lost and desperate.

He looked as bad as ever seen him last night. I saw receivers running down the sidelines wide-open. And he went into mediate. Let’s hope Cooper Rush Can step up

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

He looked as bad as ever seen him last night. I saw receivers running down the sidelines wide-open. And he went into mediate. Let’s hope Cooper Rush Can step up

You think he's the 2nd best QB in the NFL only behind Russell Wilson though.

 

[Whirlwin]

I feel bad for the Defense, we finally have one. Read a great an office, a great on defense, we can’t get the two together

 

[jazzcat22]

They weren't that bad. I'm not saying they were great, but they were much better that I expected them to be.

Zeke was average over 5 years per carry for crying out loud.

They were better than I thought they would be also. Not great, which we already knew that. But certainly not horrible.
Maybe once Peters gets in there. 1st game played, as the stupidity of no preseason game play, they may settle down. But still will not be great.

Zeke looked good as well. Schultz looked good, and Noah Brown did also. The rest of the offense, not so much.

 

[shabazz]

It's sad when you can give the QB all day to throw the ball and he still makes poor decisions. I fell off the Dak train hard. He looked completely lost and desperate.

The man was sacked just 2 times. The play when he threw the pick was one where he had a ton of time in the pocket. My biggest concern has been the FOs resistance to signing a game ready backup at the Qb position……we’ll see how Rush works out.

 

[thunderpimp91]

All things considered, I thought the Oline gave us the best result possible. They struggled late in the game, but they were overmatched and once it became a 16 point game the Tampa front seven went to straight rush mode. This oline needs games to be close, and needs the threat of the run to be there. This Cowboys team is built to keep games close, play defense, and be multi dimensional. Multi score comebacks will be really tough for this group with or without Dak.

Really liked what I saw out of Smith. I still feel better about him at G for this season w/ Peters at LT, but i'm certainly more open minded after last nights performance.

Biadasz looks to be right where he left off last season. You see things that give you hope he can be a really good C, but he looks limited at the same time. Its odd.

Steele I think we chalk up to a bad game. Not ready to throw in the towel just yet, but he is looking like he may be the new Connor Williams.

As far as Tony Pollard goes I think we all just witnessed why we keep getting Zeke....even when he only has one good leg. Pollard the runner I like, Pollard the pass protector just got exposed.

 

[Jarntt]

I thought the OL did OK even though we kept TEs in to help on pass protection. Why Moore went away form the run so early I don't understand. Zeke looked good early on and we were moving the ball on the ground. Penalties of course killed us but in a low scoring first half I saw no reason to stop running...but we did. I thought all 5 did well against a tough TB DL in the run game and held up well in pass protection until the 4th Qtr. They weren't the greatest, but we didn't lose because of the OL

 

[Mcsports]

Let's take a closer look at one part of our team. Tyler Smith, Matt Farniok, Tyler Biadiaz, Zack Martin, Terence Steele. Our offensive line. How did they do?

Shout out to Connor McGovern. He was injured in the 1st quarter and didn't have to see the field for this debacle. Should get a MRI today. Probably a high ankle sprain. Josh Ball and Matt Waletzko, your time is now. Maybe get Jason Peters ready--now!

The line looked good in the first quarter and most of the second. Notable, Tampa played a very basic scheme early on. After that, well...

Tyler Smith. I posted last week that he should get the start at LT. Some of you agreed, some of you didn't. I feel vindicated for at least one game. He made a few rookie mistakes. One penalty, one sack, but he held his own against a very good front. He continually was able to ride his rusher beyond Dak and held up almost the entire night at the point of attack. His footwork needs work, but he clearly has the talent, quickness, and strength to play the position. He showed good arm extension in pass protection. I don't think anyone can be disappointed in his first game. I don't want to jump the gun, but I believe we have a winner in Smith.

Matt Farniok. Looked okay early on, but once Tampa started to run stunts and delayed blitzes in the second half, was clearly outmatched. He looked outright confused on some plays. He looked like he was in position much of the night but was simply not good enough to get the job done. Better in run blocking than pass protection. Showed no cohesiveness with the unit on several plays. Was pushed back a number of times and stoned on run blocking a bit too much in the second half.

Tyler Biadiaz. Much like Farniok, looked okay early on, but once Tampa started to run stunts and delayed blitzes in the second half, was clearly outmatched. This is not good, as he has to make calls at the LOS. The problem here is Dak must recognize changes and make those calls if Biadiaz doesn't see or understand what's happening. He didn't do a good job of that (unlike Brady). Was blown back on a number of plays. Couldn't pick up stunts with any consistency, like Farniok. Poor blitz recognition, allowing Dak to get hammered on a number of plays.

Zack Martin. Poor guy. He was his usual one day to be HoF self. Consistently beat him man at the point of attack and help up in pass protection. Did his best to help Biadiaz and Steele. One play in particular caught my attention. Zack was blocking his man and helping Steele when a LB delayed blitzed up the middle. Biadiaz was blocking the same man as Farniok and didn't react to the blitz. Martin, already engaged, shoved his man into Steele, peeled off his block and tried his best to cover the hole. He just missed being able to chip the blitzer, and frankly, if he did, it would have been a great Baldy breakdown moment showing again how damn good Zack is. Now Dak gets a bit of blame here. Smith did his job on this play, as the edge rusher was pushed far to the left. Dak couldn't step up to the left because Farniok and Biadiaz were getting destroyed. Dak could have gone right, as Steele was actually holding his opponent. I assume the ref didn't throw a flag out of pity. So, Dak decides that the best course of action was to step back--staying in the path of the blitzer. Yeah, didn't work out so well.

Terence Steele. Three false starts. One hold. Another false start and two holds not called. Subpar arm technique, footwork, and situational awareness. I will be generous and say he is a work in progress. I don't want to comment any more.

A special shout out to our moving turnstile, Tony Pollard. At least throw yourself at someone's feet. You might get lucky and slow down the rusher for half a second.

This line at the moment is best suited for run blocking. It worked early on. Why did our expensive RB only get 10 carries????

I am frustrated.

Excellent break down.
Farinok gave half effort and just half his body on one play which allowed Dak to be hit when throwing. Lamb appeared wide open on a deep post route.

 

[jnday]

I don't think the line was that bad outside of Steele and the stupid penalties.

They were better than expected at least.

The stupid penalties have been drive-killers for the last couple of decades. Don’t make excuses for yourself.

 

[phildadon86]

They weren't that bad. I'm not saying they were great, but they were much better that I expected them to be.

Zeke was average over 5 years per carry for crying out loud.

The line was much better in run blocking than pass protection last night. Come on now. Be unbiased for once lol. Martin was the only guy on the line who didnt get abused at some point last night.

 

[Gorgon]

It was important to also bring back McCarthy's buddy Philbin to coach the OL this year after the abysmal performance put in during the 2021 season.

You literally could not have scripted a worse offseason for the OL if you tried. How do you come out of the 2021 season saying the OL was not good enough and we need to fix it and then literally not sign on FA offensive lineman?

That's absurd.

THIS

The whole Dak can play/ can't play issue is one thing, but the $$ that they gave him and Zeke (whom everyone seems to have forgotten bout) was mind-numbing in retrospect. We have two players who stat-wise were good for 200 total yards consuming, what, half our roster pay?

This team was at its best when we had Martin, a healthy Smith, Frederick, Collins (or someone else) and the guard we didn't pay (sorry, can't remember his name). Overall, your QBs and RBs stay healthier, all your stats improve.

I'M NOT TELLING ANYONE HERE ANYTHING THEY DON'T KNOW---but those two contracts for Zeke and Dak have utterly hollowed out the team. Oh, and Mr. No-Sacks Lawrence.

 

[JBS]

I don't think the line was that bad outside of Steele and the stupid penalties.

They were better than expected at least.

Yeah, I would agree. They were serviceable. It’s not the OLs fault the offense scored 3 points.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

The OL coach needs to go but it doesnt matter because the whole organization needs to be cleaned out from top the bottom but it will never happen.