Why Can't Dallas Run Inside?

[TequilaCowboy]

Nope.

No excuse for inside Olinemen to not be able to create any holes or running lanes.

They don't fire out. Instead, they stand straight up, thus losing any leverage and getting stonewalled at the line of scrimmage or pushed back. It happens every single week. That falls on the Oline Coach. Philbin needs to go. Clearly, he is not making this Oline improve on their technique or run blocking whatsoever. Even in pass protection, they are standing straight up. Not good. No leverage, thus getting beat 1-on-1. We see the results. Kills our running attack and affects our passing.

Agree completely, the Oline does not have the tough run mentality or will to knock their man back on running plays....struggle even against backups. The Dline does have the mentality and that is what a line should have, impose their will on the player in front of them. Having Zeke running on one leg does not help either.

 

[StuckMojo]

I don’t remember any RBs have much luck inside the last 6 or 7games.

 

[fansince68]

It is definitely our OL. Against a team with smaller athletic DTs, we can run inside. But McGregor, Biadasz, and Martin are NOT a powerful group at all…..period. You put them against some 325-335 DTs, and they are not capable of rooting them out, not even with a double team. Our center and left guard are completing to see who’s the worst OL on the team. Get Williams back in there and we still won’t be rooting the big guys out, but you will immediately see more blocking at the second level and better pulling and screens.

And more holding penalties.....

 

[Cmac]

It is baffling that the OL gets a "pass" on their continued poor execution. This Board blames the RBs (mostly Zeke) and gets enamored by a TPollard run that masks the issue, and the problem continues to exist. Outside of Martin and an injured TSmith.......the OL play, coupled with KMoore plays is horrendous at times. Don't forget the drive-killing penalties, and don't forget the drive-killing plays called, that we see EVERY game. Again, the OL as a whole, is SOFT.

 

[Zekeats]

Maybe because teams know how to beat us. Bottle up the run and play man press outside and force Dak to win over the top.

 

[John813]

The LG and center are the weak links. And while Martin is still a great guard, I think he isn't that superhuman level talent anymore.
Starting RB has a hurt knee
And Moore has the creativity of Jason Garrett when it comes to run design plays

 

[Montanalo]

If we can use an OL as a FB, why not line Parsons up as a RB. Not for the whole game, just a play or two.

Of course, this is a tongue-in-cheek comment, but imagine how the Parson's legend would grow if he scored an offensive TD.

You can do it!!

 

[glimmerman]

Well I know the wft is tough in the middle. They were missing the edge rushers but the middle is there strength. We still picked up a few first downs up the middle on short yards. And we also had a new or newer RB. I do think we need to get another RB.

 

[G2]

When you bring in every linemen on the roster, it sort of illustrates a run.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Is it the guard/center play? I know Martin and Tyron are in the top 5 of PFF's best graded o-linemen but why can't the run game seem to get going inside with any back? No holes? Is Martin playing as well as he usually does? Even when they had multiple extra o-linemen in and Williams at FB they still couldn't do squat. How much would moving Williams back to LG help?

We have the worst center/LG combo in the league.

 

[Echo9]

No, he means the snap that Biadaz rolled back to Dak. The fumble was caused by Dak getting tripped up by Biadaz as well.

The one that rolled back to Dak was touched by a defender and was called as an off sides. Heard that on the Break.

 

[CWR]

Simple 5 guys can’t block 6. Until Dak shows he beat someone with his arm defenses will continue to play the run.

Lawd, show me the break down. Yall keep saying this without actually backing it up. They aren't loading the box anymore than before. Teams aren't going to put big numbers in the box when we have Coop, Lamb and Gallup out there, UNLESS we start gashing them.

 

[JBond]

I have said this for years. When you are playing against a strong interior make them run and chase to wear them down. Tosses outside, more off tackle runs etc. Wear out the big guys. I am seeing some poor technique also. Poor technique and the lack of creativity in the run game is not a combo for success.

 

[Romo_To_Dez]

I believe the OL hasn't been good at run blocking for at least a month now. A lot of blame goes to Zeke when it shouldn't. Because as I said in the game threads the OL is not opening up enough holes for him. It's not he is running into walls most of the time Kellen Moore calls for a run up the middle.

 

[RonnieT24]

I'd say....RB.....Elliott never bounces a run to the outside....always looks for the first contact. But I did notice something the other day....rarely do you see the Cowboys O-line...double team a guy...and just blow them off the line. It's more of a 1 on 1 zone blocking scheme....Zeke just doesn't explode to the line anymore....he just kind of dances around looking for a seam....then lowers his head and gets what he can. Which explains why Pollard is getting more yards....@ least he is keeping his eyes open...and he's looking for daylight....and willing to bounce a play to the sideline.

Dude you could not be more wrong about this. Pollard has 89 yards between the 31 yard wildcat play against the Chiefs and the toss sweep against the Saints.. Both of those were designated outside plays. In neither case did he bounce anything outside. Aside from 89 yards on those two plays he has 68 yards on 22 carries. Which is actually lower than Zeke over that three game stretch. Now give him credit for making those two plays but as I will repeat until they put me in a box, you cannot build consistent offense on 3 ypc hoping for a big play every 20 carries or so. You need closer to a consistent 4-5 yards a pop .. which is what you get with a healthy Zeke.. Hell even on one leg he was over 4 ypc until the late game carries against the 11 man fronts.

Still your analysis of the blocking scheme is spot on.. We zone block rather than drive block. This scheme depends on the line to slide step to one side in unison and hope that a hole will open up along the defensive front. This is why Zeke no longer attacks the line at 100 mph. He's supposed to wait for that hole to open up.. then hit it.. Unfortunately not only does that hole almost never come, but DCs have identified that they can send a guy backside to blow up the play because with it being a shotgun handoff it's basically a standstill and an unblocked guy can sprint into the backfield and get to our guys before they even get out of the starting blocks. I hate it for Zeke because he's a downhill one cut back who can absolutely punish a defense if you give him a head of steam. The plays we run now are absolutely better suited for Pollard and I have been saying that for at least two years. I think if you go back and look at when we were rolling you would find a lot more of the runs were out of the deep back set.. For whatever reason, we don't do much of that any more.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Maybe because teams know how to beat us. Bottle up the run and play man press outside and force Dak to win over the top.

Again literally opposite of what the WFT did...you can not say it into existence....

 

[Denim Chicken]

 

[Creeper]

We have a star RB that should not be on the field and our center can’t seem to get it going. High snaps all day yesterday. They should be opening holes but I am wondering about our O-Line coach..

Speaking of which, how come Washington got away with interfering with the snap of the football? On the play that Dak picked up the ball from the ground and threw a completed pass, the DT clearly slapped at the ball just before Biadasz was about to snap it causing the errant snap. Biadasz actually stood up and signaled to the refs as if the penalty should have been called but it wasn't. Was there an explanation from the league for that non-call?

 

[IslandCowboy]

Center and LG aren't great and our RBs suck.

 

[Loso86]

Is it the guard/center play? I know Martin and Tyron are in the top 5 of PFF's best graded o-linemen but why can't the run game seem to get going inside with any back? No holes? Is Martin playing as well as he usually does? Even when they had multiple extra o-linemen in and Williams at FB they still couldn't do squat. How much would moving Williams back to LG help?

Been saying all year that the C and LG position was going to hurt us