CFZ The Offensive Line

[Kingofholland]

I thought overall the offense line played well and wasn't the reason we lost this game. It was a good start for Tyler Smith going against a very good pass rusher.

 

[Miller]

 

[Floatyworm]

This line managed to get our QB knocked out for half the year...in 3 quarters.

That should tell you everything you need to know...

 

[PurpleHaze22]

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.

Don't be surprised if Smith moves back to G and Peters Starts at tackle next week.

 

[Mobinvans]

Line was fine….Dak was not

 

[Creeper]

I thought Farniok played pretty well all things considered. It is not unusual for a makeshift line to struggle with stunts and blitzes. One thing I like about Faniok is he plays up to the whistle. He is always looking to block someone. I think he will improve the more he plays. I did not see him get bulldozed by Vita Vea or Hicks the way we saw Biadasz and Connor Williams get shoved around last year.

I thought the Cowboys OL struggled with stunts and twists in the preseason too. It is something they need to get cleaned up. But remember, Tyron was supposed to be playing LT and Tyler Smith was supposed to be playing LG.

I don't know what happened to Dak since 2016 but he takes too long to make a decision. Then he throws inaccurate passes. After the first drive last night, Dak looked awful.

 

[Sydla]

I thought Farniok played pretty well all things considered. It is not unusual for a makeshift line to struggle with stunts and blitzes. One thing I like about Faniok is he plays up to the whistle. He is always looking to block someone. I think he will improve the more he plays. I did not see him get bulldozed by Vita Vea or Hicks the way we saw Biadasz and Connor Williams get shoved around last year.

I thought the Cowboys OL struggled with stunts and twists in the preseason too. It is something they need to get cleaned up. But remember, Tyron was supposed to be playing LT and Tyler Smith was supposed to be playing LG.

I don't know what happened to Dak since 2016 but he takes too long to make a decision. Then he throws inaccurate passes. After the first drive last night, Dak looked awful.

Farniok is a backup.

Please let's not convince ourselves that we have solutions here. We don't. We have a HoF RG. We have a promising LT.

That's it. The rest are just JAGs and frankly a competent GM would admit that the other three OL spots are completely up for grabs this offseason and need improvement.

 

[JD_KaPow]

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.

To answer the last question first, it's hard to get a lot of carries when you're constantly going 3-and-out.
Second drive: starts with a 7-yard run followed immediately by a false start, so now it's 2nd-and-7. They chose to pass there (perfectly reasonable), incomplete, 3rd-and-7, 3-and-out.
Third drive starts with a 1-yard run, followed by two passes, 3-and-out.
Fourth drive starts with a nice pass, but OPI makes it 1st-and-20. They ran on that play but the drive was dead in the water already.
The first drive of the second half began with 2 nice runs, then a pretty swing pass out to Pollard called back because Biadasz was downfield, and then another run, but a sack killed the drive.
After that, they were down 3 scores and running out of time.
I know people want them to run on every single play, but the offense was pretty balanced for 2.5 quarters: it was just bad.

The OL is bad, not average, not adequate, bad. Bad OL guys will hold up on most plays, so you can always say, "hey, they looked pretty good there," but the difference between a good OL guy who has a couple bad plays a game and a bad OL guy who has a bad play every drive, is immense. Martin is the only guy out there who should be starting at his position right now (I'm optimistic Smith will get there eventually).

Combine a bad OL with a pathetic excuse for a WR corps and you get what you saw last night. I'm not defending Dak: he was pretty terrible too; the problems seemed to get to him, which isn't what you like to see from your franchise QB. On the first drive, he was super-sharp, hitting guys in tight windows. But it all went off the rails eventually. But no team could put together a competent offense against a decent opponent with the OL and WR groups we put out there.

That said, it's time for Moore to go. There was no semblance of an offensive plan (a few gadget plays isn't a plan) last night.

 

[Sydla]

Hahahaha

I think at some point people are gonna realize Philbin is a problem too.

 

[BAT]

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.

Philbin is str8 garbage.

 

[BAT]

Not good news.

Peters needs to be on the field.

Someone needs to coach this unit.

 

[JoeKing]

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.

Let's not take a look at our O-line that played against the Bucs and say we did. We will see a different 5 guys on our O-line and one of them better be Jason Peters. Put him at LG. Steele can play better so, while I acknowledge he had a bad game, I give him another chance. Tyler Smith had a good game at LT so that young man, I'm proud of. He is earning my respect.

 

[Brooksey]

Let's be real the line played great. Tyler Smith was lights out, Farionok let up the sack not Tyler, two sacks from Pollard and one great blitz got by Zach Martin.

The problem is Dak Prescott, he's got the yips, it's over

 

[BAT]

I thought Farniok played pretty well all things considered. It is not unusual for a makeshift line to struggle with stunts and blitzes. One thing I like about Faniok is he plays up to the whistle. He is always looking to block someone. I think he will improve the more he plays. I did not see him get bulldozed by Vita Vea or Hicks the way we saw Biadasz and Connor Williams get shoved around last year.

I thought the Cowboys OL struggled with stunts and twists in the preseason too. It is something they need to get cleaned up. But remember, Tyron was supposed to be playing LT and Tyler Smith was supposed to be playing LG.

I don't know what happened to Dak since 2016 but he takes too long to make a decision. Then he throws inaccurate passes. After the first drive last night, Dak looked awful.

Farniok was simply abused by Vea. The best option at LG is Tyler Smith.

With Peters at LT.

 

[BAT]

Tyler needs to play LG this season and figure out mental side in off season.

Rush him to fast is unnecessary. Especially with the hack Philbin as his coach.

 

[BAT]

If Tyler did not have to deal with stunts, twists, blitzes and passing off defenders he would absolutely dominate mano a mano in the trenches.

Cannot wait to see him run block entire game vs Bengals.

 

[john van brocklin]

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.

Thanks, did Tyler get much help from TEs and RBs chipping?

 

[john van brocklin]

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.

I think I fell off with you.
All off season to work on his game,
And he looked the worst I can remember.
Can't understand it.
He's regressing and not improving.
Sad, because we are financially tied to him.

 

[RS12]

When Zack retires/leaves unless there is a major infusion of talent things really gonna get ugly. I will say last night the line exceeded my incredibly low expectations though.

 

[Verdict]

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.

Yeah, I think Tank could have just laid down, smoked a cigarette the entire game and wrote a novel while the rest of the team was playing and possibly made as many tackles as he made last night.

I remember ONE pressure from Tank that seemed like a decent play by him. The rest was pretty much crickets.

He is still getting paid to get sacks. How many did he get last night?