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

[CCBoy]

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.

When Diggs returns next season the secondary will be very top shelf.

The offensive line is a good one. Four of the starters are challenged at present, but are and will continue to improve as well. Age in two of the starters is something of a factor, but will be plenty strong at the point that all is on the line.

The addition of a physical linebacker and the return of the current IR, will give the ability for the defense to be very top shelf. I like both Bell and Clark also.

Game focus is an area that McCarthy has to get on top of, here and now. That is the basis of his future as the top Leader.

 

[jterrell]

When Diggs returns next season the secondary will be very top shelf.

The offensive line is a good one. Four of the starters are challenged at present, but are and will continue to improve as well. Age in two of the starters is something of a factor, but will be plenty strong at the point that all is on the line.

The addition of a physical linebacker and the return of the current IR, will give the ability for the defense to be very top shelf. I like both Bell and Clark also.

Game focus is an area that McCarthy has to get on top of, here and now. That is the basis of his future as the top Leader.

DB group is very solid but if Diggs is back at 100% it will be great.
It's been great the last 2 years for the short periods it had everyone healthy.

OL needs to get some scheme help and stop pulling so much. Double at point of attack and drive to 2nd level.

LB is solid but these are lighter weight guys so power run could give us an issue with LVE out.

Mac was like 4-0 to start his career when he did weird focus things like crushing watermelons. I'm a little worried this offense is dated but not worried about much else with him. Guys do play hard for him.

 

[ArtClink]

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.

Agree 100%. The penalties are on the players and the coaches.

But only losers complain about the officiating but there’s no shortage of fans here that claim we would have actually won a Div playoff game if not for the refs. The same idiots that think Dez caught the ball in Green Bay (yes he did catch and yes the refs blew that call) with 0:01 sec on the clock when it was actually ~4:58 left. But our defense couldn’t mk a stop so …

 

[75boyz]

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.

Great and accurate summary.

 

[75boyz]

Mike needs to take a good hard look at the offense. In order for us to be a defense first team, we have to be somewhat successful at controlling ToP. That means running the ball. As you stated, what's the problem? our line, RB's or both? At some point, we are going to have live and die by Dak if we cannot figure that out.

Outstanding response to the OP with added insight.

Totally agree man.

 

[75boyz]

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?

Pre snap motion is abysmal or when it is used, its predictable as hell to any grade school DC to diagnose.

Trips, bunch and 3 x1 receiver concepts are static, not dynamic from week to week.

I find myself consistently knowing pass plays pre-snap from my couch based on formation alignment of the receivers.

McCarthy shows no diversity/change to his use of these core principles.

Same thing was said about his offense by players at his last job he got fired from.

It pisses me off I know the plays.

The run game?
All 5 linemen fell off a cliff in performance and took Pollard with them all in one year's time?
Lol. Highly unlikely.

Imo, however they're constructed, McCarthy, Schott and Solari need to do better barn analysis.
Or something.
Heck, anything at this point cuz they're all 3 failing miserably at run game playcalls/scheme.

 

[CCBoy]

Pre snap motion is abysmal or when it is used, its predictable as hell to any grade school DC to diagnose.

Trips, bunch and 3 x1 receiver concepts are static, not dynamic from week to week.

I find myself consistently knowing pass plays pre-snap from my couch based on formation alignment of the receivers.

McCarthy shows no diversity/change to his use of these core principles.

Same thing was said about his offense by players at his last job he got fired from.

It pisses me off I know the plays.

The run game?
All 5 linemen fell off a cliff in performance and took Pollard with them all in one year's time?
Lol. Highly unlikely.

Imo, however they're constructed, McCarthy, Schott and Solari need to do better barn analysis.
Or something.
Heck, anything at this point cuz they're all 3 failing miserably at run game playcalls/scheme.

Parsons doesn't fit the mold of the former Elliott who's shoes he is filling nor has the blocking reached the point to expand yet another direction. They have been studying the directions through the entire off season to now. Kind of like a General discovering in the battlefield that there are in addition, terrorists to contend with as well. Battle forged is a functional term, but forged in fire and came out steel is relevant. The in season adjustments have to be a team element to support. The ability to adapt has to be trained and leadership highly involved in scheme and player keys.

 

[LysleE]

I think Dallas’ offensive scheme is predicated on the defense getting a lead; this allows Dak to be a game manager and play within himself. This is effective against the 2nd and 3rd tier teams, but seemingly falters when playing the top-tier teams. I’m hoping some of these issues will be addressed or mitigated during the season…but with JJ running the show it’s doubtful. This team has had some of these same issues for years.
- Inconsistent and poor play by the OL
- Still having issues with penalties
- Poor red zone scoring
- Poor OL depth
- No consistency in the run game
- WRs seem to have a hard time gaining separation against better teams
- Play calling is conservative and simplistic; no motion to give Dallas’ playmakers free releases
- Rarely stretch the field despite getting a WR in free agency that can do that; this allows opponents DBs to sit on shorter routes
- Diggs injury causing Dallas to play more zone scheme; making it easier for teams to run the ball with safeties playing deeper
- Parsons is being neutralized against better teams
- Still have a porous run defense

 

[blueblood70]

Mike needs to take a good hard look at the offense. In order for us to be a defense first team, we have to be somewhat successful at controlling ToP. That means running the ball. As you stated, what's the problem? our line, RB's or both? At some point, we are going to have live and die by Dak if we cannot figure that out.

That might be true in most cases when there’s normal games being played but the defense themselves has shot themselves in the foot they are ruining time of possession for the entire team

I’m betting if you look over the last three games they have more penalties more penalty yards and extended more drives putting themselves back out on the field and being tired more than the offenses responsible for that


The fact is in my opinion those two losses 55% it could be put straight on the backs of the defense they have been bad in those two games they’ve been inconsistent and some of the other ones just as much of the offense and I’m sick of hearing about the offense, they are hurting themselves as much as anyone else that’s on Dan Quinn game plans execution lotta players are out of position, they look like they’re playing hero ball they’re trying to get sacks, interceptions, big hits they’re trying to get over the line too quick

I mean the pre-snap penalties the late hits ,the flagrant fouls ,does have to stop this is a team issue not a offense , team, they need to clean a whole Lotta stuff up. The fact is in my opinion those two losses 55% it could be put straight on the backs of the defense they have been bad in those two games they’ve been inconsistent and some of the other ones just as much the offense and I’m sick of hearing about the offense ,

they are hurting themselves as much as anyone else that’s on Dan Quinn game plans execution lotta players are apposition they look like they’re playing hero ball they’re trying to get socks interceptions big hits they’re trying to get over the line too quick I mean the pre-snap penalties the late hits the flagrant fouls does have to stop this is a team issue not a offense,they the TEAM need to clean a whole Lotta stuff up