CFZ We have completed 36% of the season. Patterns are developing

[Pass2Run]

1. The defense is lining up offsides a lot. There have been several penalties related to that and several times where it looked like a Cowboy player was lined up in the neutral zone. That’s just lack of focus.

2. DQ went from appearing almost invincible as a defensive coordinator to mortal just like every other DC.

3. Tyron is so done and has been for three years. It’s time to relegate Tyron to backup duty. Zack Martin is no longer the best guard in the league either. OL in general looks pretty iffy.

4. Running game looks poor. It’s hard to say why but it looks like several things are out of whack here. Pollard is part of that but not all of it.

5. The entire team seems to be acting like it is pressing too hard and as a result the final product is worse, not better.

6. On defense we could use better corner play (from Lewis and Gilmore) and some help at linebacker. I didn’t think that Diggs would make THIS much difference on defense all by himself.

7. You see an occasional play from Tank, but you don’t see his name called as often as you would expect for a guy with his cap hit.

8. M. Smith is a year away right now. Hankins is way overplaying his contract numbers.

9. I still think the defense can be elite. They just need to stop pressing and be assignment sound.

10. I’m remaining open minded on MM the play caller. At times he looks pretty bad, but this team could make any play caller look bad.

11. What happened to the MM run routes that we ran earlier this year? It’s like hey it worked, let’s never run them again.

12. If we are going to win with Dak at QB consistently, Daknis going to have to run the ball, intentionally about 5-6 times per game to keep defenses honest. QB runs demoralize a defense.

13. If Dak runs the ball more, maybe it opens up the running game via the backs.

14. Glad to see they are finally incorporating Cooks into the game plan.

Excellent post, my friend.

 

[Robster8989]

We are reminded every week that the NFL is extremely unpredictable. Most fans look at the schedule when it is released and immediately declare the wins and losses the Cowboys will have for the upcoming season. As if nothing has changed in the off-season. Every week the NFL reminds us that this is a very fluid and unpredictable league.

After last night’s gritty win vs the chargers, the Cowboys have completed approximately 36% of the season. Think about that. 64% of the season lies in front of us. And although we are still trying to figure out what this team is and can be, we can see some patterns developing. The key word is developing because every team develops as the season progresses.

Here are some patterns I see with Cowboys (and other rivals) so far- good and not so good.

• The Cowboys best side of the ball is their defense. And it is not a great defense…yet. Still developing some young players.
• The offense is struggling to find its rhythm. But remember, this is a NEW offense and it appears to me the players are still trying to figure it out. But it’s time to step up.
• The Cowboys running game so far has been anemic. Is it the OL? The RBs? Both?
• The Cowboys have found a reliably outstanding kicker in Brandon Aubrey.
• The Cowboys have a penalty problem. (No the refs are not “out to get us”) The lack of discipline is a real problem.
• Opposing offenses have found ways to negate Micah Parsons at times. Can Dan Quinn find ways to respond?
• The eagles are 5-1 but they have problems too. Jalen Hurts has thrown 7 interceptions (3 more than Dak) and they have some mounting injuries.
• The Cowboys are still trying to figure themselves out. This is a different team than last year.

We have completed 36% of the season. This team (and all NFL teams) are evolving and developing. Don’t look at the rest of the schedule and pick wins and losses. None of us know what is going to happen. And that makes it very entertaining!

There are lots of other patterns. What are some you see?

Great post Bob.
I'll add a few observations from last night:
-I saw 2 very middle of the road teams, and I'm glad we came out on top, but neither team left me too impressed.
-This week in the NFL reminded us of the parity that exists (Any given Sunday, lol), so IMO, there is still hope.
-I think Herbert is a bit overrated. He is not in the Burrow/Mahomes level, not even close.
-The Cowboys have a discipline issue, leading to way too many penalties. That need to be cleaned up.
-Our OLine is just not that good. Not nearly as good as many had hoped. I watched the Bills game on Sunday and I really watched Torrence (and McGovern). They are good run blockers. McG is what he is, an average NFL Olineman, and Torrence made some mistakes, but he has real power in the run game. I really wanted him in the 2nd round. I thought he and Tyler Smith on the left side would be a powerful combo.
-Our receivers are average. CeeDee is good, nice to see Cooks get involved, but we really need a big, physical WR who can create separation off the LOS (think Davonte Adams type, and no, I don't see us trading for him, it's just that this anemic West Coast, MM offense needs a guy who can create an instant mismatch off the LOS, and we do not have that player on the team). Claypool for a 7th might have been something I looked at, he could be that type.
-We continue to use Pollard incorrectly, though it was nice to see us get him involved more in the passing game. I wish we had drafted a big RB to platoon with Pollard. Rico is not bad and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him as the Tackle to Tackle runner. And that is no dis on Pollard. He is a one of the 2 dynamic playmakers on the team (CeeDee), we just need to get him the ball in space more. He had the big play last night, and nearly ha a TD later. I want to see more of him isolated on LBs. He is a mismatch on a LB.
-Watching the first TD with Keenan Allen, amazing what pre snap motion can do, don't you think MM?
-Glad we came out on top. 4-2 with the bye coming up, just a game behind the division leaders.

 

[JustChip]

MM went for it on the Dak touchdown run. That was +4 points for MM there. But we also went for it on 4th down when we were knocking on the door and turned it over on downs so that’s -3 right there. +1 realized points over expected points on those two drives. Garret would have taken the two field goals.

I like MM’s aggression but there are times you just take the points and put pressure on the other team. Based on game flow the Cowboys should have taken the +3 points instead of turning the ball over on downs. Not due to the result (which we didn’t know at the time the 4th down play would fail) but three points is critical there.

I had no issue going for it on 4th down and I’m a “take the points” guy. I did have an issue with the called play. The tush push is just strength on strength with all the beef packed in.

The Eagles are successful in very large measure because of their personnel. Other teams that run it aren’t near as successful.

I’d prefer they had run a normal sneak where there some some chance of a gap to get 18”. Or a lead fullback run play. Maybe this was a set up for a fake later.

 

[Rayman70]

Or if Bland doesn’t blow a gift wrapped pick 6.

exactly. Heck, he dropped 2 really. He usually catches anything that hits his hands, better than MG does lol

 

[conner01]

We are reminded every week that the NFL is extremely unpredictable. Most fans look at the schedule when it is released and immediately declare the wins and losses the Cowboys will have for the upcoming season. As if nothing has changed in the off-season. Every week the NFL reminds us that this is a very fluid and unpredictable league.

After last night’s gritty win vs the chargers, the Cowboys have completed approximately 36% of the season. Think about that. 64% of the season lies in front of us. And although we are still trying to figure out what this team is and can be, we can see some patterns developing. The key word is developing because every team develops as the season progresses.

Here are some patterns I see with Cowboys (and other rivals) so far- good and not so good.

• The Cowboys best side of the ball is their defense. And it is not a great defense…yet. Still developing some young players.
• The offense is struggling to find its rhythm. But remember, this is a NEW offense and it appears to me the players are still trying to figure it out. But it’s time to step up.
• The Cowboys running game so far has been anemic. Is it the OL? The RBs? Both?
• The Cowboys have found a reliably outstanding kicker in Brandon Aubrey.
• The Cowboys have a penalty problem. (No the refs are not “out to get us”) The lack of discipline is a real problem.
• Opposing offenses have found ways to negate Micah Parsons at times. Can Dan Quinn find ways to respond?
• The eagles are 5-1 but they have problems too. Jalen Hurts has thrown 7 interceptions (3 more than Dak) and they have some mounting injuries.
• The Cowboys are still trying to figure themselves out. This is a different team than last year.

We have completed 36% of the season. This team (and all NFL teams) are evolving and developing. Don’t look at the rest of the schedule and pick wins and losses. None of us know what is going to happen. And that makes it very entertaining!

There are lots of other patterns. What are some you see?

Some of the oline issue is likely so many guys have played on that oline so far
Moving Micah around more might help some. They pick a weak spot but the problem is a weak spot isn’t weak if you double and triple the defender. Last night on multiple plays Micah was tripled. But his play was more impactful that the stat sheet shows since it sometimes leaves others in single blockage and forces throw aways and rushed passes even when he doesn’t get home

 

[ChronicCowboy]

10 wins is looking good for this team. I can’t imagine they’ll improve enough on offense to be a contender late in the season.

 

[Rayman70]

Great post Bob.
I'll add a few observations from last night:
-I saw 2 very middle of the road teams, and I'm glad we came out on top, but neither team left me too impressed.
-This week in the NFL reminded us of the parity that exists (Any given Sunday, lol), so IMO, there is still hope.
-I think Herbert is a bit overrated. He is not in the Burrow/Mahomes level, not even close.
-The Cowboys have a discipline issue, leading to way too many penalties. That need to be cleaned up.
-Our OLine is just not that good. Not nearly as good as many had hoped. I watched the Bills game on Sunday and I really watched Torrence (and McGovern). They are good run blockers. McG is what he is, an average NFL Olineman, and Torrence made some mistakes, but he has real power in the run game. I really wanted him in the 2nd round. I thought he and Tyler Smith on the left side would be a powerful combo.
-Our receivers are average. CeeDee is good, nice to see Cooks get involved, but we really need a big, physical WR who can create separation off the LOS (think Davonte Adams type, and no, I don't see us trading for him, it's just that this anemic West Coast, MM offense needs a guy who can create an instant mismatch off the LOS, and we do not have that player on the team). Claypool for a 7th might have been something I looked at, he could be that type.
-We continue to use Pollard incorrectly, though it was nice to see us get him involved more in the passing game. I wish we had drafted a big RB to platoon with Pollard. Rico is not bad and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him as the Tackle to Tackle runner. And that is no dis on Pollard. He is a one of the 2 dynamic playmakers on the team (CeeDee), we just need to get him the ball in space more. He had the big play last night, and nearly ha a TD later. I want to see more of him isolated on LBs. He is a mismatch on a LB.
-Watching the first TD with Keenan Allen, amazing what pre snap motion can do, don't you think MM?
-Glad we came out on top. 4-2 with the bye coming up, just a game behind the division leaders.

yes 2 middling teams, but 1 that has everything needed if we can clean things up and get healthy. The other team has severe issues within the staff. We have the staff, we just need to get healthy and have clean games. I think we will. The good teams can do this and win at the same time. I think we will be very formidable in December. Remember, defense travels well late in the year. This style MM wants to play with requires little margin for error. But if we can right the ship, we will string together a late run at the right time. We will lose about 4 games more but be right there laying in the weeds. I don't see 12 wins this time.

 

[Rayman70]

10 wins is looking good for this team. I can’t imagine they’ll improve enough on offense to be a contender late in the season.

Yeah Ive always said around 10 as well. Even before the year. Thats fine if we get hot late in the year. I'd be surprised if we win more.

 

[JustChip]

exactly. Heck, he dropped 2 really. He usually catches anything that hits his hands, better than MG does lol

Gallup reminded me last night of Williams. He wasn’t catching with his hands, instead going basket armed and body catching. He did it 3 times, the first time on the missed TD. A WR that doesn’t use his hands to catch is very suspect. Funny thing is I’ve never really noticed that before last night.

 

[Roland]

The offensive line IS the issue with the entire offense. PERIOD. PRINT IT....hear this, it isn't Mike McCarthy's play calling. He realizes the shoddy play, thus flags, mistakes with the line, so he is calling the game according to that, trying to minimize the errors, until we get it corrected. I think he was masterful last night getting sure points. Now, if we can clean that stuff up, guess what, we will be able to open up the playbook more and our running game will be better. Right now this line is banged up and still regaining their sea legs and chemistry. This bye came at a great time and we managed to get a win in the process. Gritty wins matter and it teaches the young guys that u don't always need to win pretty and score 1000 points. MM did the right thing. BTW, if MG catches a perfect pass from Dak, we win by more.If JT don't make a dumb play along with the refs blowing a flag, we might win by 2 scores. This was a sloppy game and we can clean up some things. But the play calling wasn't the issue, execution at times,

I agree the OL is struggling big time. Not sure if they are as bad as they appear thou. Havent played together as a unit much, learning a new scheme and some conservative calls all fall into the mix. We did take some shots downfield, which is something I have been hoping to see. And it was close gritty win which should help booster confidence. Hopefully we take this time to open up the play book another notch. And clean up those penalties. The homer in me is really hoping that this is MM's version of crawl, walk, run plan. 1/3 of the season in, We have just passed the crawl phase and are sitting at 4-2. After the bye I hope to see the walk phase which puts us somewhere around 8-4. Then the run phase to the end of the regular season which puts us peaking at just the right time=playoffs. As for last night, both teams left points out there. However, I do think play calling and execution were both to blame. For once I think this is a decent time for our bye.

 

[ArtClink]

We are reminded every week that the NFL is extremely unpredictable. Most fans look at the schedule when it is released and immediately declare the wins and losses the Cowboys will have for the upcoming season. As if nothing has changed in the off-season. Every week the NFL reminds us that this is a very fluid and unpredictable league.

After last night’s gritty win vs the chargers, the Cowboys have completed approximately 36% of the season. Think about that. 64% of the season lies in front of us. And although we are still trying to figure out what this team is and can be, we can see some patterns developing. The key word is developing because every team develops as the season progresses.

Here are some patterns I see with Cowboys (and other rivals) so far- good and not so good.

• The Cowboys best side of the ball is their defense. And it is not a great defense…yet. Still developing some young players.
• The offense is struggling to find its rhythm. But remember, this is a NEW offense and it appears to me the players are still trying to figure it out. But it’s time to step up.
• The Cowboys running game so far has been anemic. Is it the OL? The RBs? Both?
• The Cowboys have found a reliably outstanding kicker in Brandon Aubrey.
• The Cowboys have a penalty problem. (No the refs are not “out to get us”) The lack of discipline is a real problem.
• Opposing offenses have found ways to negate Micah Parsons at times. Can Dan Quinn find ways to respond?
• The eagles are 5-1 but they have problems too. Jalen Hurts has thrown 7 interceptions (3 more than Dak) and they have some mounting injuries.
• The Cowboys are still trying to figure themselves out. This is a different team than last year.

We have completed 36% of the season. This team (and all NFL teams) are evolving and developing. Don’t look at the rest of the schedule and pick wins and losses. None of us know what is going to happen. And that makes it very entertaining!

There are lots of other patterns. What are some you see?

Great post! Late in the 3rd quarter they showed the penalties and it was 6/75 vs 7/73 or something close to that and I realized the refs are keeping things even (but the refs missed some calls too - on both sides). Either way it was a much needed win.

 

[Rayman70]

the line has been in flux all year and we are just barely getting the best 5 healthier. Takes a while to mesh in synch. It affects everything we wanna run on offense. Thats why the offense has been kinda choppy.

 

[Kingofholland]

We are reminded every week that the NFL is extremely unpredictable. Most fans look at the schedule when it is released and immediately declare the wins and losses the Cowboys will have for the upcoming season. As if nothing has changed in the off-season. Every week the NFL reminds us that this is a very fluid and unpredictable league.

After last night’s gritty win vs the chargers, the Cowboys have completed approximately 36% of the season. Think about that. 64% of the season lies in front of us. And although we are still trying to figure out what this team is and can be, we can see some patterns developing. The key word is developing because every team develops as the season progresses.

Here are some patterns I see with Cowboys (and other rivals) so far- good and not so good.

• The Cowboys best side of the ball is their defense. And it is not a great defense…yet. Still developing some young players.
• The offense is struggling to find its rhythm. But remember, this is a NEW offense and it appears to me the players are still trying to figure it out. But it’s time to step up.
• The Cowboys running game so far has been anemic. Is it the OL? The RBs? Both?
• The Cowboys have found a reliably outstanding kicker in Brandon Aubrey.
• The Cowboys have a penalty problem. (No the refs are not “out to get us”) The lack of discipline is a real problem.
• Opposing offenses have found ways to negate Micah Parsons at times. Can Dan Quinn find ways to respond?
• The eagles are 5-1 but they have problems too. Jalen Hurts has thrown 7 interceptions (3 more than Dak) and they have some mounting injuries.
• The Cowboys are still trying to figure themselves out. This is a different team than last year.

We have completed 36% of the season. This team (and all NFL teams) are evolving and developing. Don’t look at the rest of the schedule and pick wins and losses. None of us know what is going to happen. And that makes it very entertaining!

There are lots of other patterns. What are some you see?

All fair observations. Hopefully the offense gets rolling again, but last night reminded me I didn't miss Kellen Moore.

 

[Bobhaze]

Great post! Late in the 3rd quarter they showed the penalties and it was 6/75 vs 7/73 or something close to that and I realized the refs are keeping things even (but the refs missed some calls too - on both sides). Either way it was a much needed win.

And I found it interesting how many penalties I saw they could have called on us but didn’t. Saw at least twice where an edge defender had to be lined up offsides or dangerously close to it. And I also saw a blatant holding penalty on us they didn’t call when punting out of our end zone. I don’t remember who the punt protection blocker was but it was one of the best tackles I saw all night.

If Mac and his staff don’t get the stupid penalty stuff addressed it’s going to cost us a game which could also mean playoff seeding, etc. Tired of seeing people complain about the refs. It’s the players! Lining up off-sides is Middle School level stupidity and lack of discipline. An undisciplined team does not win playoff games.

 

[Bobhaze]

All fair observations. Hopefully the offense gets rolling again, but last night reminded me I didn't miss Kellen Moore.

Lol. He’s nothing special.

 

[DuncanIso]

Offense:
McCarthy installed a run based WCO and yet we lack the go to RB. TP is definitely a quality back but has no one to spell him. Dowdle runs hard but still looks lost half the time.
I wish they'd trade for a RB like James Connor. We need a complete, tough back that can wear down a defense.
The OL isn't very good. OC getting beaten up and we aren't settled. Run game was thrashed and we ate 4 sacks.
We can't rely on Dak to save us every week. 1 mistake by him and we lose that game.

Defense:
We miss Diggs as anyone would.
Young LBs (Clark/Bell) look good. We are so fast with them on the field.
Have to play smarter. I accept the shots on a QB as its worth 15 yards to take those shots IMO. But lining up onsides is middle school stuff.

ST:
Kicker is aces.
Punt returner hates guys around him and refs aren't protecting his space. Might be time to send in a new punt returner.

Good time for Bye week. Get healthier and get ready for the colder weather games where Big Mike should have an advantage.

You are way off on the OL.

We have scrubs at RB.

What do you expect to happen?

They can’t even pass block.

 

[Bullflop]

Today's version of the Dallas Cowboys is strictly a work in progress with new coaches and a new offensive scheme to adjust to. They seem to me to be fairly likely to improve with better familiarity being established. Let's be prepared for whatever may occur in the ongoing future.

 

[CCBoy]

Very good post!

What I see is an offense that was put together based on Kellen Moore's offense, which is designed to attack.

While the idea of being a "run first, lean on the defense" team sounds good, I think the mistake the Cowboys made was in trying to become that without realizing the team configuration is not designed for it at the moment.

You saw last night when the Cowboys started attacking, the Chargers defense started hesitating more like most teams usually do against offenses.

It is not always about being successful when you attack but making the defense have to account for it.

The 49ers have a great defense, but we made their job easier by trying to play it safe which allowed the defense to attack all game. Of course once the score got out of hand, the Cowboys then started attacking more but the 49ers knew it was coming because they no longer had a choice.

McCarthy's offense may work great once the Cowboys get the right players, but he may need to revert to some of Kellen Moore's attack offense, especially early in the game, to keep the defenses from stacking the line and the flat.

This points to being able to stay in front of momentum. That is all in starting early on offensive production.

 

[CCBoy]

Today's version of the Dallas Cowboys is strictly a work in progress with new coaches and a new offensive scheme to adjust to. They seem to me to be fairly likely to improve with better familiarity being established. Let's be prepared for whatever may occur in the ongoing future.

The strength of the offensive line is completely in development through this season. They now are solid, but not yet again a strength and true stabilization against top teams or just a purely physical fighting team. This may be an issue in the off season, but this year should stabilize fuller when all tools are developed and become factors.

 

[CCBoy]

You are way off on the OL.

We have scrubs at RB.

What do you expect to happen?

They can’t even pass block.

Crap, they are a good group and the potential will STILL develop.