Two keys for success in Dallas

[Manster68]

This is the quiet time of the season. Is time dragging slow for you too?

At 5:15 PM CDT we have 1942 hours until kickoff in San Diego. Hey, at least we broke under 2000 on Monday.

Anyways, thinking about what Dallas needed to do in the offseason to be competitive, TWO specific areas automatically came to mind. Now, of course, there are many areas that could use upgrading, but these two stuck out like sore thumbs in my mind.

1. PASS RUSH
2. RUNNING GAME

1. PASS RUSH: With today's rules, the secondary is going to be cannon fodder regardless who is back there. I wonder how McAlister and Reed would fare if they had the Cowboys front seven last season?

The point is - PASS RUSH has taken on importance in monumental proportions as long as there continues to be rules where the defense ends up handcuffed. No secondary player was immuned from getting torched last season in the NFL. The ones that were torched the least had the more dominant front seven pressuring the quarterback.

Therefore, I am thrilled how Dallas addressed the front seven the way they did this offseason. I am very confident Dallas' secondary will show vast improvement. This will especially be true in the second half of the season when the rookie defensive linemen mature.

2. RUNNING GAME: A blind man could see it in a minute. Eddie George ran with a piano in his pants. A consumate professional, Eddie's injuries just did him in. Dallas fans were hoping against hope for an O.J. Anderson type resurgence. As it turned out, when Julius was injured in Week 2 against the Browns, defenses keyed on the passing game and Dallas stopped scoring.

Julius Jones gives many a Cowboy fan hope, and for reason. He showed a burst that Cowboy fans have not seen since Tony Dorsett, and we felt like a virgin on prom night.

Now, Parcells and Jerry Jones adds the experienced A-Train and promising rookie Marion Barber. Something tells me that Dallas will not have the productivity plummet in the running game like it did last season.

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Add to these TWO keys with addressing both the secondary and offensive line, and you can see where Dallas fans are truly GEEKED for this upcoming season.

Do not know where Dallas will end up, but I do know one thing. As of right now, looking at the schedule, I do NOT see any game that is a sure loss.

I am highly confident that this will not be a repeat of last season.

 

[Hollywood Henderson]

Good stuff...
Lots of issues that will be interesting to see how they turn out this year for sure.

I got a certain funny feeling when JJ took that awesome carry for the overtime win TD vs the Seahawks... I thought for sure JJ was going to be something special then...Just such vision & instincts...That I had seen in many games with Notre Dame...

But I have been suprised by his speed, he didn't look that quick at ND...
Lets see how it pans out...

I think if teams have to FEAR JJ...Bledsoe could "look" All Pro with Witten, Key, Glenn & the others...Play action fakes and then bone crushing blocks i the running game could wear teams down by the 2nd half like days of old...

I think we have the type of offense now that we could be VERY effective in a ball control offense, but mixing up the calls...

Obviously how the D comes together is my vital "key"

I want DOOMSDAY back and I think were taking steps in the right direction...
I keep thinking...SPECIAL season!

 

[Manster68]

Obviously how the D comes together is my vital "key"

I want DOOMSDAY back and I think were taking steps in the right direction...
I keep thinking...SPECIAL season!

IMO that is all hinged on the PASS RUSH!

 

[smashmouth]

I'm I agree with you both. The pass rush is so important; a great pass rush could turn you into an instant Super Bowl contender. A ball control offense is always the key. When you can run the ball or just the threat of great runner can mess with a defenses psyche.

GETTING AFTER THE QB
1. Sacks
2. Fumbles
3. Interceptions
4. False Starts
5. Nervous QB play
6. Incompletions

RUNNING THE BALL
1. Softens the secondary
2. Move the chains
3. Tires a defense out
4. Keeps the opposing offense off the field
5. Prevents interceptions
6. Opens up the play-action
7. Opens up the deep threat.

So we have the parts to have a strong team IMO

 

[twa]

Line play....We have the talent behind them,but in the trenches is where this season WILL be determined.

And it is looking GOOD. :crossed:

 

[ravidubey]

OK, let's say from a Devil's Advocate position that the pass rush is a vital component of the team, wouldn't that imply that the passing game of the opponent (and thus every team including Dallas) is the most important aspect of the offense to stop?

This further implies that the passing game is the most important thing on offense to succeed, not the running game. If it were truly the running game, wouldn't stopping the run be the #1 priority and not rushing the passer? Something to consider.

 

[burmafrd]

We have been tough against the run- but no pass rush will kill you. Just does it faster then not being able to stop the run. Controling the ball- by running- keeps THEIR O on the bench- you have control of the game. Show me a coach that does not prefer it that way and I will show you one that has never won it all. Pass Rush keeps them from ever catching up.

 

[twa]

Personally the rush defense is the more important,however once you force a passing you must be able to bring pressure WITHOUT the blitz to be effective.
The running game controls the tempo and the clock....not to mention wears a D out.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

Line play....We have the talent behind them,but in the trenches is where this season WILL be determined.

And it is looking GOOD. :crossed:

No way to disagree with this. The keys to our succes in the 1990's, sure it was the triplets, but if you really look at it. The offensive and defensive lines dominated teams. I didn't live in this era, but Mick's been talking about the year we had 3 guys with 10+ sacks. So look at any era when we had very good teams, the Hosses did their job. Plain and simple.

Pass rush has been our weakness since we lost Haley. We still haven't found anyone who's even come close to half of what he could do. 3 1st round draft picks on guys who were supposed to be but never were.

The Pats showed us in the SB that pass rush is the most important part of a succesful defense. They had rookies playing out there in the secondary, and they looked good.

 

[smashmouth]

OK, let's say from a Devil's Advocate position that the pass rush is a vital component of the team, wouldn't that imply that the passing game of the opponent (and thus every team including Dallas) is the most important aspect of the offense to stop?

This further implies that the passing game is the most important thing on offense to succeed, not the running game. If it were truly the running game, wouldn't stopping the run be the #1 priority and not rushing the passer? Something to consider.

I'll give you that; you do have to stop the run. That aspect is extremely important. The question is which would you prefer? Personally I think that teams like the air ball best and try to eat up big yards on the pass. However; if the opposing team can run the ball, you really do have a problem against the pass because you don't know what's coming. If they keep running off 7 and 8 yards that will completely demoralize your team.

It's just so sad seeing QB's sit back there all day long, hitting receiver after receiver just eating up chunks of yards. If you have a team in 3rd and 7, and they keep popping you for 8 or 10 or 15 yards, you just can't have that.