Time to throw the ball! Last year start of season vs. this year. Night and Day

[LarryCanadian]

I was just thinking of this, and how quickly the pocket collapsed on Bledsoe early in the season last year.

This year, Romo has a lot more time. This is part Romo being elusive and able to move around and make things happen, but there is more to it than that.

Our oline is not getting pushed back so the pocket isn't collapsing. I think the FB and RB have been doing better in blitz pick up. TE's are blocking well. There are lanes for Romo to escape into that weren't there in prior years for Dallas QB's.

Now the benefit to this is fairly obvious. TO, being in the middle is able to get seperation, which he didn't have time to do often last year. Apparently we are more a "timing" offense this year, but I think this is a falsehood. There is a bunch of improvising going on because our receivers are getting open. TO was stuck on the sidelines last year and not nearly as open as he is now. He is being used much for effectively this year. Now teams might adjust, but I'm loving it.

What really makes me salivate is that if Terry Glenn comes back (healthy) with his speed, which (again only if Terry Glenn is pretty healthy) he is even more of a deep threat than Owens is. Terry Glenn is going to get open deep with the amount of time Romo has been getting and buying for himself in the pocket. This will make our offense deadlier than it already is playing. Teams will have to worry about the deep threat. So far we haven't been getting all these long pass plays by outracing DB's, we've been dominating the middle and making YAC. With Glenn we add an outside and deep threat to the mix. That is exciting, if he isn't grinding bone on bone with that Bobby Orr like knee he's sporting now.

Anyway, this is a totally different look offense, and Romo is doing great finding guys that are open. The amount of time he has is a huge part of that though.

Larry

 

[superpunk]

Good points.

I'd also like to say that the importance of returning 4 starters along the offensive line for the first time in....forever....and significantly upgrading the talent at the one position we replaced cannot be overstated. Their blitz pickup is unbelievable, and that only comes together with time as a unit.

Continuity, baby.

 

[Clove]

We are an explosive group I'll tell ya. One thing I would like to see Garrett NOT do. Just as Rack was saying in the game day thread, you don't need to play action all the time, just simply drop back and pass it.

I don't think they believed half of the play-actions we ran.

 

[ringmaster]

I was just thinking of this, and how quickly the pocket collapsed on Bledsoe early in the season last year.

This year, Romo has a lot more time. This is part Romo being elusive and able to move around and make things happen, but there is more to it than that.

Our oline is not getting pushed back so the pocket isn't collapsing. I think the FB and RB have been doing better in blitz pick up. TE's are blocking well. There are lanes for Romo to escape into that weren't there in prior years for Dallas QB's.

Now the benefit to this is fairly obvious. TO, being in the middle is able to get seperation, which he didn't have time to do often last year. Apparently we are more a "timing" offense this year, but I think this is a falsehood. There is a bunch of improvising going on because our receivers are getting open. TO was stuck on the sidelines last year and not nearly as open as he is now. He is being used much for effectively this year. Now teams might adjust, but I'm loving it.

What really makes me salivate is that if Terry Glenn comes back (healthy) with his speed, which (again only if Terry Glenn is pretty healthy) he is even more of a deep threat than Owens is. Terry Glenn is going to get open deep with the amount of time Romo has been getting and buying for himself in the pocket. This will make our offense deadlier than it already is playing. Teams will have to worry about the deep threat. So far we haven't been getting all these long pass plays by outracing DB's, we've been dominating the middle and making YAC. With Glenn we add an outside and deep threat to the mix. That is exciting, if he isn't grinding bone on bone with that Bobby Orr like knee he's sporting now.

Anyway, this is a totally different look offense, and Romo is doing great finding guys that are open. The amount of time he has is a huge part of that though.

Larry

That's the scary part when TG, gets back with the speed he has to get deep it's going to be very difficult for any defense to deal with especially the second half of the season.

 

[sago1]

Yes, but you can never tell that the Red Baron has in mind later in the game or in next week's game, etc. Some times a play or a fake today is the basis of several other offshots down the road.

 

[big dog cowboy]

With a better O-line and better QB I would be highly disappointed if this years start wasn't better than last year.