Thoughts on Offense vs Titans

[xwalker]

1. Doug Free - His pass blocking has regressing. I posted multiple times in the off-season about how they helped him last season with the RG keeping a closer than normal spacing with Free. It appears that they're not doing it this season, possibly because the RG is a Rookie.

Free had pass blocking issues against the Titans, Niners and in the preseason against the Dolphins.

2. The offense did manage to make some plays with Dez off the field. It's good to see that they have many offensive weapons.

3. Is Murray that good or is it the OLine? Randle gashed them some before going out of the game. Dunbar wasn't consistent, but did gash them some.

4. Witten looks the same to me. He hasn't looked fast in years and it doesn't look any different this year.

5. IMO, T. Williams looks good. I've seen some criticism of him, but the nature of the 2nd outside WR is such that he will run a lot of routes that help setup other players to get open. He has terrific effort as a blocker.

6. I see and hear significant worry about Romo having lost his arm strength, but I just don't see it. What I see is that his "feel" is the issue. He appears to play to error on the safe side. His throws that were short were "safe" if they were too short but would have been in danger if thrown too long. He was right on with some throws that couldn't be short like some near the sidelines.

I didn't see how he could have done much better on the ball that went over Witten's head in the flat and was nearly picked off. There was on outside rusher directly between Romo and Witten. If the ball is thrown lower it is likely blocked as that defender was jumping. IMO, Witten could have taken a couple of steps back while the ball was in the air, but didn't.

The best example of Romo's feel being off was a pass to Dunbar that was thrown way to hard. Dunbar was about 5 yards from the Line and Romo threw it way to hard. That's not a lack of arm strength, but a lack of "feel".

There was an ugly throw when Romo rolled right, but that just appeared to one where he didn't have a good grip on the ball. He's done that on occasion in the past. I don't think he has overly big hands.

A couple of balls that were a little short had an interesting trajectory. One where the receiver was near the right sidelines was particularly interesting. The ball had a pronounced nose down trajectory as it was nearing the receiver. I've noticed a few QBs that throw a nose down type ball even when they are throwing the ball really hard (Andrew Luck) while other QBs throw a nose up ball on all throws. Romo said in the preseason that he made some changes that he thought were going to make him better. I wonder if he has made some intentional mechanical change in this throwing motion which combined with rust has screwed up his "feel" for distance.

 

[CATCH17]

I disagree about Romo.

His feet look sluggish and his passesare floating.


He did however make a couple of throws that gave me some hope. He gunned a pass to Dez across his body to pick up a first down.

Another play he gunned it to Cole Beasley on an out.

Overall though I would say our passing game looks very vulnerable to mistakes right now and needs a lot of cleaning up.

 

[Staubacher]

Rewatching the game I saw 3 or 4 throws from Romo that I would classify as poor. Really not a bad percentage from normal. He zipped quite a few on the first two possessions and again in the 2nd half. In a game where all he had to do was not throw it away he kept his decisions and throws safe for the vast majority of it.

I think all this hand-wringing is premature and unwarranted. He improved from Game 1 to Game 2 and I believe that will continue. He will never be in his late 20s prime again but he can still win a lot of games for us under center if our running game and defense do their part like they have so far.

 

[hornitosmonster]

I think Romo will be ok. I think he is rusty and a little gun shy

 

[speedkilz88]

I didn't see how he could have done much better on the ball that went over Witten's head in the flat and was nearly picked off. There was on outside rusher directly between Romo and Witten. If the ball is thrown lower it is likely blocked as that defender was jumping. IMO, Witten could have taken a couple of steps back while the ball was in the air, but didn't.

My problem with that play is that he changed it (likely a run play) when he saw blitzers. He went from under center to shotgun and moved Murray to his side.

 

[Future]

His feet look sluggish and his passesare floating.

He did however make a couple of throws that gave me some hope. He gunned a pass to Dez across his body to pick up a first down.
.

That second sentence is exactly why we should know it isn't a purely strength or physical issue. He's not super decisive right now, and when you have doubt, that translates into how you physically perform.

I'd compare throwing a pass to like a three point shooter. When a guy is confident, the release is quick, movements are crisp, and the results are generally good. But even the best shooters, when they are struggling and aren't decisive, will miss a lot. It's the same thing with Romo. Physically, nothing necessarily changes, but a lack of being decisive slows everything down and makes you look a bit slower and the results to suffer.

 

[Idgit]

Good stuff.

I think we're seeing a concerted effort to take sacks if a play isn't there. Especially in blitzing situations where there's not much time to unload the ball. I can live with that just fine. His footwork does look off to me. Both in throwing, and in evading the rush. I think it was the first sack we gave up on Sunday where Free was beat and Tony tried to circle around outside the containment with is eyes downfield like we've seen him do so many times. But the timing and the elusiveness wasn't there, and he got caught and dragged down. Great play by the DE, but still one we've seen Tony embarrass guys on in years past that he can't do right now.

 

[Doomsday101]

Good stuff.

I think we're seeing a concerted effort to take sacks if a play isn't there. Especially in blitzing situations where there's not much time to unload the ball. I can live with that just fine. His footwork does look off to me. Both in throwing, and in evading the rush. I think it was the first sack we gave up on Sunday where Free was beat and Tony tried to circle around outside the containment with is eyes downfield like we've seen him do so many times. But the timing and the elusiveness wasn't there, and he got caught and dragged down. Great play by the DE, but still one we've seen Tony embarrass guys on in years past that he can't do right now.

True at time but even in the past Romo has not always been able to get away. I think it is a bit unfair to take 1 play and have people use that as clear proof of anything. If Romo had never been sacked before like that then sure but truth is he does not always get away. DE got on him quick as Free pretty much wiffed on the block

 

[Idgit]

True at time but even in the past Romo has not always been able to get away. I think it is a bit unfair to take 1 play and have people use that as clear proof of anything. If Romo had never been sacked before like that then sure but truth is he does not always get away. DE got on him quick as Free pretty much wiffed on the block

Yeah. He was probably dead to rights, even in his prime on that play. But he did still look sluggish. Admit it...you thought so, too, didn't you?

I'm concerned about Romo, but, overall, I think what we're seeing is a guy getting himself back into football shape after back surgery. I expecting him to be playing a lot better, overall, three or four weeks from now. Right now, I feel like we can beat teams by running and only throwing when we have to, and teams just can't stop the running game so it doesn't matter all that much. I want to get to where it feels like we can beat them both running and throwing and it's a pick-your-poison kind of thing. It doesn't seem to me like we're at that point right now.

But I"m not complaining. The defensive play has been a pleasant surprise, and it's offset some of the early limitations we've seen in the passing game. And I'm not one to throw dirt on a QB's career after two games, either. I just think what we're seeing is not yet what we're used to seeing or what I was expecting from Tony to start the year.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

1. Doug Free - His pass blocking has regressing. I posted multiple times in the off-season about how they helped him last season with the RG keeping a closer than normal spacing with Free. It appears that they're not doing it this season, possibly because the RG is a Rookie.

Free had pass blocking issues against the Titans, Niners and in the preseason against the Dolphins.

2. The offense did manage to make some plays with Dez off the field. It's good to see that they have many offensive weapons.

3. Is Murray that good or is it the OLine? Randle gashed them some before going out of the game. Dunbar wasn't consistent, but did gash them some.

4. Witten looks the same to me. He hasn't looked fast in years and it doesn't look any different this year.

5. IMO, T. Williams looks good. I've seen some criticism of him, but the nature of the 2nd outside WR is such that he will run a lot of routes that help setup other players to get open. He has terrific effort as a blocker.

6. I see and hear significant worry about Romo having lost his arm strength, but I just don't see it. What I see is that his "feel" is the issue. He appears to play to error on the safe side. His throws that were short were "safe" if they were too short but would have been in danger if thrown too long. He was right on with some throws that couldn't be short like some near the sidelines.

I didn't see how he could have done much better on the ball that went over Witten's head in the flat and was nearly picked off. There was on outside rusher directly between Romo and Witten. If the ball is thrown lower it is likely blocked as that defender was jumping. IMO, Witten could have taken a couple of steps back while the ball was in the air, but didn't.

The best example of Romo's feel being off was a pass to Dunbar that was thrown way to hard. Dunbar was about 5 yards from the Line and Romo threw it way to hard. That's not a lack of arm strength, but a lack of "feel".

There was an ugly throw when Romo rolled right, but that just appeared to one where he didn't have a good grip on the ball. He's done that on occasion in the past. I don't think he has overly big hands.

A couple of balls that were a little short had an interesting trajectory. One where the receiver was near the right sidelines was particularly interesting. The ball had a pronounced nose down trajectory as it was nearing the receiver. I've noticed a few QBs that throw a nose down type ball even when they are throwing the ball really hard (Andrew Luck) while other QBs throw a nose up ball on all throws. Romo said in the preseason that he made some changes that he thought were going to make him better. I wonder if he has made some intentional mechanical change in this throwing motion which combined with rust has screwed up his "feel" for distance.

Youre right about Romo. I rewatched the tape and he played well. He was excellent on 3rd downs . He looks much better than last week . He has made a ton of progress from last week. I don't get the bickering either.

 

[Doomsday101]

Yeah. He was probably dead to rights, even in his prime on that play. But he did still look sluggish. Admit it...you thought so, too, didn't you?

I'm concerned about Romo, but, overall, I think what we're seeing is a guy getting himself back into football shape after back surgery. I expecting him to be playing a lot better, overall, three or four weeks from now. Right now, I feel like we can beat teams by running and only throwing when we have to, and teams just can't stop the running game so it doesn't matter all that much. I want to get to where it feels like we can beat them both running and throwing and it's a pick-your-poison kind of thing. It doesn't seem to me like we're at that point right now.

But I"m not complaining. The defensive play has been a pleasant surprise, and it's offset some of the early limitations we've seen in the passing game. And I'm not one to throw dirt on a QB's career after two games, either. I just think what we're seeing is not yet what we're used to seeing or what I was expecting from Tony to start the year.

I thought Tony looked over protective of the ball which would not be surprising given the week he had vs 9ers. I thought in the 2nd half Romo was out there making the plays including and 18 yard pass on the run to Dez on a 3rd and 15. I think if back was giving him problems he would not be showing improvement in the 2nd half after taking 3 sacks in the 1st half.

 

[Zordon]

2nd most sacked QB so far. I think it's a combination of Free being Free, Romo losing elusiveness, and Romo being a little skiddish. I think there are times when he can stand strong and make a throw but he drops his eyes when he feels the rush. I saw 3-4 times in last night's game where Luck stood strong in the pocket amongst immense pressure and delivered a throw when I know Romo under the same circumstances would have laid down.

 

[conner01]

looks to me like romo is rusty from not playing much at all in the pre season and probably a bit gun shy after the game last week. i also think his conditioning is a bit off. he looked better this wekk and we shall see in the weeks to come. if in fact those are the issues he should continue to improve each week so time will tell
if it is the back then it should get worse as the season goes on

 

[jazzcat22]

Will take a few more games, hopefully after Rams game he will be much better / shape / mentally ready. He will need it for the Saints game.
Maybe people, and I did too, bought into the stuff, hey, game one he will be fine, like flipping a switch. Proven to be not so true.
I didn't expect him to be romo from 2 years ago, as I thought he was off last year too, since game 1. but I thought he would have been better than has shown too.

Will see how much he improves Sunday.

 

[CCBoy]

I disagree about Romo.

His feet look sluggish and his passesare floating.


He did however make a couple of throws that gave me some hope. He gunned a pass to Dez across his body to pick up a first down.

Another play he gunned it to Cole Beasley on an out.

Overall though I would say our passing game looks very vulnerable to mistakes right now and needs a lot of cleaning up.

Feet speed? Now, how many of the passes from Tony Romo are from a shotgun, or with a three to five step drop? Are his patterns generally shorter in length, or deep? That will tell you a lot about time for release...

All of that can be adjusted at the discretion of the offensive coordinator, as the Cowboys did to elevate Troy Aikman with the arrival of Norv Turner.

 

[CowboyGil]

I think Romo looked like his usual self on that TD drive in the second half after the Titans scored the way he decisively led the offense down the field to score.

 

[wileedog]

I saw 3-4 times in last night's game where Luck stood strong in the pocket amongst immense pressure and delivered a throw when I know Romo under the same circumstances would have laid down.

Given Romo's age, back and our backup QB situation, I'm ok with Romo not taking those hits just to get one pass off.

 

[LatinMind]

1. Doug Free - His pass blocking has regressing. I posted multiple times in the off-season about how they helped him last season with the RG keeping a closer than normal spacing with Free. It appears that they're not doing it this season, possibly because the RG is a Rookie.

Free had pass blocking issues against the Titans, Niners and in the preseason against the Dolphins.

2. The offense did manage to make some plays with Dez off the field. It's good to see that they have many offensive weapons.

3. Is Murray that good or is it the OLine? Randle gashed them some before going out of the game. Dunbar wasn't consistent, but did gash them some.

4. Witten looks the same to me. He hasn't looked fast in years and it doesn't look any different this year.

5. IMO, T. Williams looks good. I've seen some criticism of him, but the nature of the 2nd outside WR is such that he will run a lot of routes that help setup other players to get open. He has terrific effort as a blocker.

6. I see and hear significant worry about Romo having lost his arm strength, but I just don't see it. What I see is that his "feel" is the issue. He appears to play to error on the safe side. His throws that were short were "safe" if they were too short but would have been in danger if thrown too long. He was right on with some throws that couldn't be short like some near the sidelines.

I didn't see how he could have done much better on the ball that went over Witten's head in the flat and was nearly picked off. There was on outside rusher directly between Romo and Witten. If the ball is thrown lower it is likely blocked as that defender was jumping. IMO, Witten could have taken a couple of steps back while the ball was in the air, but didn't.

The best example of Romo's feel being off was a pass to Dunbar that was thrown way to hard. Dunbar was about 5 yards from the Line and Romo threw it way to hard. That's not a lack of arm strength, but a lack of "feel".

There was an ugly throw when Romo rolled right, but that just appeared to one where he didn't have a good grip on the ball. He's done that on occasion in the past. I don't think he has overly big hands.

A couple of balls that were a little short had an interesting trajectory. One where the receiver was near the right sidelines was particularly interesting. The ball had a pronounced nose down trajectory as it was nearing the receiver. I've noticed a few QBs that throw a nose down type ball even when they are throwing the ball really hard (Andrew Luck) while other QBs throw a nose up ball on all throws. Romo said in the preseason that he made some changes that he thought were going to make him better. I wonder if he has made some intentional mechanical change in this throwing motion which combined with rust has screwed up his "feel" for distance.

Free struggled in the first couple of series vs the titans and then was solid the rest of the game. He hasnt regressed, he's the same.He's just an average RT. Ill say he's better then last yr. And i will say that Free was on the side of a very good passrushing side. Casey and Morgan play the left side. Which is worlds better than the right side in the titans defense.

And on Romo, my dislike for him aside, he is on the decline. And IMO its probably best for the Cowboys that he is. Because they can rely more on their strength, the running game. He doesnt have the movement to escape he had even last yr. He doesnt have the zip on his throws. And you can tell he just doesnt trust himself to get the ball into certain spaces. He's had open guys and is looking right at them and will pass on the attempt. While i dont think Romo is what he was even last yr, i like the gae he played sunday and that was safe. He took what he was given and let the OL and Murray lead the way.