Why our offense has struggled lately

[RonnieT24]

Overconfident vs the Cards and Denver's D was too good for us. That's regardless of our defensive woes, which are massive.

I will disagree mildly here. I think the defensive shortcomings (putting it mildly) are creeping into the heads of everybody on the offensive side of the ball. That includes the coaching staff. I think guys are trying to "make a play" or "provide a spark" when they really need to just settle down and play football. I think it has also crept into the play calling. Going for it on 4th down almost at the drop of a hat when 3 points would be just fine for a team with a normal defense. I think the burden of having to score 35 points or have no chance is weighing on everyone. Hopefully the defensive reinforcements take some of that pressure off. Only time will tell.

 

[RonnieT24]

2019 IIRC, KC defense was terrible. And who's talking about winning it all? We're talking lifetime 2-5 in the playoffs lifetime.

You don't recall correctly.. The 2019 Chiefs defense was 17th in yards but more importantly 7th in scoring. So they bent but didn't break. Nothing wrong with that if you can make it work. Which they obviously did.

 

[Relayer]

The guy in KC doesn't, nor does the guy in Buffalo, who hasn't been given half of what he needs

To be fair, those guys are are the best and Dak's not. Too bad he gets paid like he is. But even a guy like Mayfield whose offense has been decimated by injuries. And Mayfield does get paid to his ability, IMO.

 

[Relayer]

I will disagree mildly here. I think the defensive shortcomings (putting it mildly) are creeping into the heads of everybody on the offensive side of the ball. That includes the coaching staff. I think guys are trying to "make a play" or "provide a spark" when they really need to just settle down and play football. I think it has also crept into the play calling. Going for it on 4th down almost at the drop of a hat when 3 points would be just fine for a team with a normal defense. I think the burden of having to score 35 points or have no chance is weighing on everyone. Hopefully the defensive reinforcements take some of that pressure off. Only time will tell.

Sorry, I'm not blaming the defense for the offense vs the Cards. I'm not saying that the defense doesn't suck, it obviously does, but "defensive shortcomings creeping into everyone's heads" is just an excuse. Not that what you say would have no effect, but we've all seen this movie over and over. Even with good defenses, when Quinn was here for example, the offense has turtled against good defenses.

 

[Relayer]

You don't recall correctly.. The 2019 Chiefs defense was 17th in yards but more importantly 7th in scoring. So they bent but didn't break. Nothing wrong with that if you can make it work. Which they obviously did.

I was talking overall, not just 2 stats. We were 5th in points in 2023. But all I here is how bad we were against the run (16th). In 2019 the Chiefs were (26th) against the run. We can pull individual stats, but I don't think that accurately tells the story.

 

[Relayer]

Just reaffirmed that I'm a homer.

What I took from this is that Dak is #27 in Bad Throws; #31 in Bad Throw %; #4 in On Target throws & #17 in On Target %. Not sure why he's middle of the road on On Target %, but I can live with it.

The Cowboys are #17 in drops & #22 in Drops %.

Right. not 3rd.

 

[Chuck 54]

One of the most common questions we have as fans centers around the idea, “What happened to our offense?”, especially if it started strong and then has a fade. Or the common misconception that most “bad plays” are just “bad play calling”.

The Cowboys offense started out the year on a tear, averaging over 30 points a game and with our bad defense, the offense carried the team’s chances to win and compete for a playoff spot.

But in the last two games vs the broncos and cards, the offense has averaged 21 points per game and the defense averaged giving up 35 points per game. The offense has seemingly been unable to maintain their ability to out score people, and the defense has been bad all year.

Why is this offense struggling?

Well despite the easy targeting of the HC and his play calling, the QB, or the injuries we’ve had, it really boils down to these common issues most NFL teams face:

• Defenses are catching up. As the season progresses, most defensive coordinators are able to get a better handle on how to stop your offense. They learn through film study what an offense does well, doesn’t do as well, then tries to take away what you do well.
• Execution matters more than anything in playcalling. Quite simply, if one or more offensive players blow a block or run the wrong route, the play will likely not work. Sure there are bad calls but many calls don’t work because of a blown assignment more than just a poor play selection.
• The Cowboys OL has struggled lately. The OL has had several injuries and done well at times, struggled in others. Even the great Tyler Smith has struggled lately with a nagging injury and he has a whopping 7 penalties called. Terance Steele has allowed 25 pressures and 4 sacks. Tyler Guyton has given up 29 pressures, 2 sacks and 5 penalties.

The Cowboys still have a good offense. Pretty obvious that defensive coordinators have sold out trying to take away Javonte Williams and the running game. Dak MUST play better when defenses take away the run game.

It’s not uncommon for offenses to struggle more at midseason once DCs have had time to study tendencies and adjust. Now it’s time for our offense to make some adjustments.

Our OTs, despite Guyton’s improvement, are below NFL average standards. Our TEs who play the most are bad blockers. If we don’t want Crosby to wreck our game plan, they better have Spann-Ford doubling him with Steele regularly.

 

[Captain-Crash]

First person who says it's dak goes straight to my ignore.

 

[RonnieT24]

Sorry, I'm not blaming the defense for the offense vs the Cards. I'm not saying that the defense doesn't suck, it obviously does, but "defensive shortcomings creeping into everyone's heads" is just an excuse. Not that what you say would have no effect, but we've all seen this movie over and over. Even with good defenses, when Quinn was here for example, the offense has turtled against good defenses.

Yeah but when Quinn was here the defense also turtled against good offenses for the most part. Especially if said offense was willing to commit to the run. Beyond that you can certainly disagree but the offense put up well over 350 yards against the Cardinals and the only reason they didn't score more was fumbles from guys trying to do too much, penalties from .. hell I don't know where those come from and play calling in the red zone. Schotty's refusal to play bully ball in the red zone with all the beef we have up front is absolutely inexcusable. Any time we have first and goal the mindset absolutely needs to be hammer it in on the ground. Not drop back and open ourselves up to the blown assignment sack or a holding penalty.

 

[America's Cowboy]

First person who says it's dak goes straight to my ignore.

It's...

 

[Relayer]

Who decides what is a positive or negative post? Has anyone been appointed to decide that? Who cares anyway? This is an opinion forum.

Which means it’s not about positive or negative. It’s about all of us having the right to post our opinions without being harassed for them. Disagreement is good on an opinion forum. It’s what makes this place interesting.

But disagreement with an opinion is totally different than telling someone their opinion is negative, unacceptable, or accusing someone of being a “hater”, or not being a fan. Just because I disagree with someone doesn’t mean I should automatically think they aren’t a fan or are a hater.

Rock, always feel free to disagree with my opinions. But it’s tiresome to have a fellow fan tell another fan over and over and over that their opinion is negative or that it is not what a real fan does. If you don’t understand the difference between disagreeing and calling someone a hater I can’t say anything else.

I agree. We should avoid labeling people haters or fanboys. It doesn't mean that they aren't. But it's not very polite behavior on a public forum. Better off posting why you disagree.

 

[Relayer]

Our OTs, despite Guyton’s improvement, are below NFL average standards. Our TEs who play the most are bad blockers. If we don’t want Crosby to wreck our game plan, they better have Spann-Ford doubling him with Steele regularly.

We don't seem to adjust. If we have a guy who's getting beat we just keep lining him up and watch him fail.

 

[Relayer]

Yeah but when Quinn was here the defense also turtled against good offenses for the most part. Especially if said offense was willing to commit to the run. Beyond that you can certainly disagree but the offense put up well over 350 yards against the Cardinals and the only reason they didn't score more was fumbles from guys trying to do too much, penalties from .. hell I don't know where those come from and play calling in the red zone. Schotty's refusal to play bully ball in the red zone with all the beef we have up front is absolutely inexcusable. Any time we have first and goal the mindset absolutely needs to be hammer it in on the ground. Not drop back and open ourselves up to the blown assignment sack or a holding penalty.

I agree with our woes, all of them. And yes, I agree we shouldn't be trying to pass to score when we have 1st and goal. It's almost like we're trying to feed Dak instead of taking the layup.

 

[Spottswoode]

Stats and AI...lie.

Stats don’t lie…people do. Stats are just the use of mathematical tools on a data set to achieve an objective outcome.

Whether misused, misquoted, misinterpreted, or made up, the fault is human error or bias, not statistics.

 

[Captain-Crash]

It's...

 

[Redsfan_83]

To be fair, those guys are are the best and Dak's not. Too bad he gets paid like he is. But even a guy like Mayfield whose offense has been decimated by injuries. And Mayfield does get paid to his ability, IMO.

Josh does it with awful coaching too boot, Patty has Andy. Imagine if he had our coaching staff? According to many on here, though, Dak is the best and it's sacrilege to mention others

 

[Relayer]

Josh does it with awful coaching too boot, Patty has Andy. Imagine if he had our coaching staff? According to many on here, though, Dak is the best and it's sacrilege to mention others

Allen's coaching definitely holds him back. And GM. 6 TDs yesterday! And it just looked like typical Allen.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Stats don’t lie…people do. Stats are just the use of mathematical tools on a data set to achieve an objective outcome.

Whether misused, misquoted, misinterpreted, or made up, the fault is human error or bias, not statistics.

I can't argue with that one bit. As long as there's good metrics.

In math, business, life, the 'zone..., it's what you do with the data you have.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

To be fair, those guys are are the best and Dak's not. Too bad he gets paid like he is. But even a guy like Mayfield whose offense has been decimated by injuries. And Mayfield does get paid to his ability, IMO.

The bucs had cooled off quite a bit..as you say....a lot of injuries.

Yesterday Mayfield ran a run option, handed it off up the middle..and blocked a DT. We've also seen him upfield blocking.

That's the kind of QB that can inspire the other guys.

 

[pansophy]

I know...and I am sorry.... i can't possibly go through the entire litany of problems each and every single time I talk about Dak.

Yeah look I don’t think he’s the best player in the league and he is overpaid for what he is. But as far as bad contracts go for the Jones this one is acceptable at least. It’s the most important position and he is productive.

I think Romo was a better QB, certainly a better improviser, but I never heard Jones or anyone else say he was the best leader they had been around, if you believe Jones, so there is also that. Micah is probably a better player, but the fact that he wasn’t a leader is likely a factor in why Jones got talked into trading him.

I just don’t think he is the reason why we aren’t having success. He is right below the A level QBs and that should be good to enough to win even if we are overpaying him a bit. Imagine being the Jaguars or Browns.