erod
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Let's try this again, one more time.
There never was supposed to be a Fiametta or Vickers. Barber and Felix were supposed to be running in a one-back offense with Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett as starting tight ends. Fullbacks were a "meh" position that you didn't need to carry unless you had a special-teams demon worth taking a spot.
The "12" offense - one back and two tight ends - was supposed to be the base offense the day Bennett was drafted. His complete knuckleheaded, lackadaisical weirdness and apathy threw a frustrating wrench into that plan.
The theory behind this offense is interesting. "They say", defenses can't effectively blitz against a 12 offense, nor can they disguise blitzes well, because with two tight ends, the defense is in a more reactive mode by default. The key is to have two decent blocking tight ends that are significant threats in the passing game.
In effect, this offense forces defenses to play you straight up, and with adequate weapons, it really takes the teeth out of the defense, even top defenses, because they can't attack like they want to. It's relatively easy to beat blitzes with two receiving tight ends and good receivers; hence, defenses don't do it as much.
It also makes it - supposedly - easier to run the football because your spreading out the linebackers and making them easier to read.
Sounds like a good way - along with drafting a center - to ease the pass rush on Romo. We're all for that, I'm sure. A more balanced running game and more predicatable pass rush...sign us up.
For reference, New England does this. New Orleans does as well, although they go three-wide more often than the Patriots.
It makes oodles of sense here when you think about it. Much like Brady and Brees, Tony Romo is very good at defeating a blitz, especially when you only bring one. And if you bring two blitzers, one or both of the tight ends should be wide open, as well as a slanting receiver. The defense is just begging to give up a big play.
Conversely, with a fullback, a defense can put tremendous pressure on an offense to identify a blitz package and block it perfectly. Even if you block it right only 2/3 of the time, you're asking for trouble. And swing passes often don't get you the five yards that a quick hitch from your tight end can against the blitz. The bailout options are fewer.
In the 12 offense, it's relatively easy for the QB and tight ends to read a blitz quickly and beat it before it has a chance to get to the QB, especially if this is the base offense and they are constantly working from this formation in practice. Brady does this brilliantly, so teams stay at bay most of the time.
Enter Gavin Escobar and a bulked up James Hanna. Neither are known as good blocking tight ends, but if they can get them to "reasonable" soon enough, and make sure they can read blitzes, we'll hopefully see the reduction in pass rush. Both are smart, i.e. not Marty B.
As an added bonus, it takes the blitz read largely off of Dez Bryant. He's improving rapidly, but I still don't trust him on read routes. He's cost Romo a ton of interceptions over the past few seasons. Now he can commit more to his assigned route and let the blitz reads happen in the background.
The theory is sound...in theory. We'll soon see.
In effect, it says that not only are we getting a new defense this year with the Kiffin/Marinelli 4-3, we're getting a new offense, too. Even if it's the offense we were supposed to have a long time ago.
If nothing else, the team already feels very different than the same-ole-same-ole we've been watching for years. That alone has me intrigued, and bolsters my growing confidence that this will be a dangerous playoff team come January.
There never was supposed to be a Fiametta or Vickers. Barber and Felix were supposed to be running in a one-back offense with Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett as starting tight ends. Fullbacks were a "meh" position that you didn't need to carry unless you had a special-teams demon worth taking a spot.
The "12" offense - one back and two tight ends - was supposed to be the base offense the day Bennett was drafted. His complete knuckleheaded, lackadaisical weirdness and apathy threw a frustrating wrench into that plan.
The theory behind this offense is interesting. "They say", defenses can't effectively blitz against a 12 offense, nor can they disguise blitzes well, because with two tight ends, the defense is in a more reactive mode by default. The key is to have two decent blocking tight ends that are significant threats in the passing game.
In effect, this offense forces defenses to play you straight up, and with adequate weapons, it really takes the teeth out of the defense, even top defenses, because they can't attack like they want to. It's relatively easy to beat blitzes with two receiving tight ends and good receivers; hence, defenses don't do it as much.
It also makes it - supposedly - easier to run the football because your spreading out the linebackers and making them easier to read.
Sounds like a good way - along with drafting a center - to ease the pass rush on Romo. We're all for that, I'm sure. A more balanced running game and more predicatable pass rush...sign us up.
For reference, New England does this. New Orleans does as well, although they go three-wide more often than the Patriots.
It makes oodles of sense here when you think about it. Much like Brady and Brees, Tony Romo is very good at defeating a blitz, especially when you only bring one. And if you bring two blitzers, one or both of the tight ends should be wide open, as well as a slanting receiver. The defense is just begging to give up a big play.
Conversely, with a fullback, a defense can put tremendous pressure on an offense to identify a blitz package and block it perfectly. Even if you block it right only 2/3 of the time, you're asking for trouble. And swing passes often don't get you the five yards that a quick hitch from your tight end can against the blitz. The bailout options are fewer.
In the 12 offense, it's relatively easy for the QB and tight ends to read a blitz quickly and beat it before it has a chance to get to the QB, especially if this is the base offense and they are constantly working from this formation in practice. Brady does this brilliantly, so teams stay at bay most of the time.
Enter Gavin Escobar and a bulked up James Hanna. Neither are known as good blocking tight ends, but if they can get them to "reasonable" soon enough, and make sure they can read blitzes, we'll hopefully see the reduction in pass rush. Both are smart, i.e. not Marty B.
As an added bonus, it takes the blitz read largely off of Dez Bryant. He's improving rapidly, but I still don't trust him on read routes. He's cost Romo a ton of interceptions over the past few seasons. Now he can commit more to his assigned route and let the blitz reads happen in the background.
The theory is sound...in theory. We'll soon see.
In effect, it says that not only are we getting a new defense this year with the Kiffin/Marinelli 4-3, we're getting a new offense, too. Even if it's the offense we were supposed to have a long time ago.
If nothing else, the team already feels very different than the same-ole-same-ole we've been watching for years. That alone has me intrigued, and bolsters my growing confidence that this will be a dangerous playoff team come January.
