A Downward Trend
Before December, the Cowboys averaged 28.7 points a game. In the three December games they have averaged 16.7, down 42%.
Previously, they also averaged .66 (two thirds) turnovers a game. They have tripled their turnover rate in December to 2.00.
The Cowboys have increased their penalties per game in December by over 20%, from 6.3 per game to 7.7 while the number of opponent penalties have remained virtually the same.
The Cowboys success was due based in part to dominating the time of possession where they ranked #1 during the first three months. In December they are merely pedestrian and ranked #13. They lost an average of 4 minutes of offense a game.
Before December, 62.7% of their scoring drives were TD's rather than field goals. in December, only 38.5% were TD's.
Why? How the Cowboys Can Reverse These Trends
When other teams are beginning to assert themselves and peak in December, the Cowboy's offensive productivity is declining. Two reasons are obvious, teams knew very little about Dak and Zeke, They now do a better job game planning. In addition, the two most productive elements, Dak and Zeke are rookies. Prior to this season they were used to a schedule of 11 to 12 games. To go all the way, they will play 20 NFL games. they are not acclimated to this length of a season.
The Cowboys need to increase the weapons in their arsenal and the next two games would be a perfect opportunity. Yes, you continue to play Dak and Zeke but they should make every effort to integrate McFadden into the gameplans going forward. Mcfadden provides a quality alternative.
Convert McFadden to Fullback
There is another option, a pretty exciting one......Make McFadden the fullback and put Zeke and him both in the game together. It could help to alleviate the fact that the TE position has not been as productive as in the past. It would provide a more powerful running style by the offense. McFadden is also a very capable receiver.
This would not be the first time the Cowboys converted a quality RB to a FB. In fact, Landry did it several times, very successfully.
Duane Thomas was converted to FB to be in the same backfield as Calvin Hill in 1971 with 3 games left in the regular season. Just as soon as they did that, the Cowboys productivity went off the charts, they averaged a combined 6.1 yards a carry for almost 500 yards in those three games. The team scored a combined 129 points in those three games, an average of 43 points a game.
In 1975, the Super Bowl year of the Dirty Dozen, the leading rusher was Robert Newhouse who gained 930 yards in a 14 game season. Two years later the Cowboys drafted Tony Dorsett. They converted Robert Newhouse to FB and they established a running game that propelled them into the next two Super Bowls.
When your FB is a legitimate running threat, as well as both being capable receivers, defenses must respect this. It also takes wear and tear off your RB and produces a blocker at the direct point of attack. With the aging of Witten and the injuries to Hannah and Swaim, as well as Escobar being practically invisible, now would be the time to implement this and give defenses something else to worry about.
Find a Way Not to Waste an Elite Skill Set
There is also an opportunity to do something that normally would not be considered advantageous, however, the Cowboys are built like none other in the NFL:
Without warning, you could insert Romo for a drive. His skill set forces teams to gameplan him differently but that would be extremely difficult if they didn't know when he would be utilized. It would confuse opponent defenses. They could not concentrate on defending against the style and attributes of a single QB.
We all speak about the game being a team sport, what rules say you can't use two quarterbacks? How many teams have two starting QB's capable of playing at a high level. Why can we not benefit from this rare opportunity? Dak is the starter, but Romo comes in for a drive. Maybe he comes in for two, Maybe none. The point is that HC's must respect this and gameplan it which limits their ability to concentrate in another area.
I'm not talking about rotating them, Dak is the starter. But if you rest a RB for a drive, perhaps use a different one for a changeup, why not do the same at QB if you realize there will not be a measurable drop in talent and productivity. It could be at any time in the game, two minute warning before halftime, first drive after halftime, 2nd drive of the game, whatever..
By creating a more diverse set of weapons, by including multiple skill sets, the opponent must dedicate a finite amount of time to a larger variety of weapons, diluting their preparation for each. Even if the Cowboys do it only once, the mere possibility must not be discounted by an opponent.
Regardless, the Cowboys must address their recent drop in offensive production, the answer shouldn't be hugging a bench for 60 minutes, the more, the merrier.
. 2 games left and we're talking about a decline. A decline is what happened to Romo in 2007. Let the next two games play out before we start this ********.
