The Problem on Offense is our Playcalling and Predictability

[ware1manarmy]

You can call play action but who is to say that they can execute that either. Blaming Garrett and something as nebulous as 'playcalling' just doesn't do much for me. I think trying Parnell at RT and signing Holland to play RG would do much more than a couple more play action passes.

this is the smartest thing I read all week

 

[JD_KaPow]

13 of 24 on first downs? Where did you get that stat from?

We'll the stats I see here is that we only got 14 first downs. Thus we ran 13 out of 14 first downs which is an extremely high number and a high level of predictability running on first down.

Uh, no.

Every drive starts with a first down play. Those plays are not listed in the first downs gained number that you cite.

You know, it's not hard to actually look up the numbers (although I admit it is easier to just make them up).

 

[dallasdave]

Do something different

 

[ConstantReboot]

Uh, no.

Every drive starts with a first down play. Those plays are not listed in the first downs gained number that you cite.

You know, it's not hard to actually look up the numbers (although I admit it is easier to just make them up).

You want facts? Ok lets compare.

The Cowboys ran the ball on first down 12 times for a negative 8 yards.

On first down we passed the ball 12 times for a total of 67 yards. We had 4 incomplete passes and -3 in yardage passing. 67 yards divided into 12 is a little over 5 yards per. play.

5 yards average on 1st down is a lot better than negative yardage from us running it on 1st down you think? Not with Garrett. He had us trying to run the ball even when we were in the 4th quarter.

I'm for running the ball. But when you can get yardage out of it why didn't we try and pass? Why do we have to stick with our plan even though it wasn't working? And leading with the run did not work at all throughout the game.

If it weren't for the INT by Lee and that long punt return by Bryant we would have lost the game.

Sure there are other factors like the sacks, penalties, and turnovers that really hurt us. But the overall problem with our offense being predictable again. If we mixed it up a little more on 1st down I believe we could have scored more.

You don't try and run the ball as many times as we did on 1st down when its not working. Especially when you know that Tampa was torched by the Giants for over 500 yards.

Garrett's playcalling is too predictable and too vanilla. The whole scheme needs a makeover. If we don't fix it expect more low scoring games like the Bucs and Seattle game.

 

[JD_KaPow]

You want facts? Ok lets compare.

The Cowboys ran the ball on first down 12 times for a negative 8 yards.

On first down we passed the ball 12 times for a total of 67 yards. We had 4 incomplete passes and -3 in yardage passing. 67 yards divided into 12 is a little over 5 yards per. play.

5 yards average on 1st down is a lot better than negative yardage from us running it on 1st down you think? Not with Garrett. He had us trying to run the ball even when we were in the 4th quarter.

Okay, first of all, we've come quite a ways from "they ran over 90% of the time on first down" and "they followed every big play with a run up the middle," so good, that's progress.

Secondly, we did run on 7 out of our first 10 first downs. That means we passed on 9 of the next 14 first downs. So the idea that things didn't change doesn't quite hold water.

Sure there are other factors like the sacks, penalties, and turnovers that really hurt us. But the overall problem with our offense being predictable again. If we mixed it up a little more on 1st down I believe we could have scored more.

How can you mix it up more than 12 runs and 12 passes? How is that predictable? When we pass a lot more on first down, everyone complains that we're not "balanced" and we don't "stick with the run". I'm not defending that view, just pointing out that Garrett gets attacked no matter what he calls.

You don't try and run the ball as many times as we did on 1st down when its not working.

We did against the Giants, and eventually it started working. Hindsight is 20/20.

Also, maybe there's another reason we ran so much. Maybe Garrett didn't want to get Romo killed.

 

[StylisticS]

I think the line is the bigger part of the problem. But I made this comment in the gamethread on Sunday that Garrett has no idea on how to run the football. All the run plays were basically the same against TB. No tosses, no sweeps. Just draws or hand it off up the middle for 2 yards at the most. I see no creativity on running the ball.

 

[Doc50]

Mabe our line is so poor that they have been limited to just a few techniques.

I would agree that that unpredictability is a friend of offensive football --
a friend that I've not seen around here for a while.

It also seems logical that JJ-the-promoter should hire a GM to focus solely on those responsibilities, while JG-the-head-coach should hire an OC to concentrate only on the offense.