Why the absence of a running game matters

[ArtClink]

1. Packers (612 yards, 204 yards per game, 5.5 ypc) 2-2 like us
2. Ravens (610 yards, 203 ypg, 5.9 ypc) hmm also 2-2
3. Eagles (502 yards, 167 ypg, 5.0 ypc) Also 2-2
4. Lions (489 yards, 163 ypg, 4.8 ypc) havent payed 4th game yet
5. Commanders (461 yards, 154 ypg, 4.8 ypc)
6. Saints (459 yards, 153 ypg, 4.4 ypc) 2-2

Look I'm with you we we need to get something going with our run game but let's be real like I said up there most of those teams are also two and two their run game is not helping them be better at the moment...

so yeah let's hope they get it going let's hope Mike McCarthy can figure it out let's hope bringing up Dalvin cook will get us up a couple notches but let's not cream all over these teams they're all two and two like us, outside of the commanders, who I'm not ready to buy yet but I'm wondering if the run games are bloated when you have a running quarterback like the commanders do and also the Ravens??

I think they're counting all runners because whenever I look it up online like in the NFL for rushing yards the quarterbacks are all in there so that's kind of a unbalanced way of looking at it..

I'm not sure how much jalen hurts is running right now but that's nice we could use a stronger run game but how does it help us in the past??

we had DeMarco Murray had one of the best ever seasons in the NFL didn't do anything in the playoffs again got beat by the Packers we had Ezekiel Elliott in his prime his rookie year one of the best rookie years ever got beat by the Packers in the playoffs, weren't they one and done on those??

but we've had some great running games it has not helped us in the playoffs it's more of the offensive line in the scheming isn't getting the dogs when I look over at the 49ers but you didn't put up there CFC goes out back up who I've never heard of has a couple back-to-back 100 yard games if I remember right there back up receiver no one thought would do anything had a better game than Brandon iuke I mean literally Jennings is tearing it up I mean this is what happens when your scheme is better and part of that is the run scheme they don't do anything with it this is mostly on Mike McCarthy this isn't about bringing in a premier running back because I don't know if Emmett Smith could do anything with this particular line in this particular scheme with this particular play calling I'm putting it all Mike McCarthy to get this **** fixed.

I guess you missed the Seattle Detroit game last night where two great offenses leveraged top shelf RBs and demonstrated the great disparity in RB talent between Detroit & Seattle vs the Dallas trash heap last in the NFL RB room. I guess you missed the low number of passes Goff had to mk because they have a great off line and top shelf, speedy RBs. Are you on Jerry’s payroll or do you just oppose every fact and opinion BobHaze posts? And the all bold text really made an impact. Might I suggest all-caps for your next flight of fantasy?

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

What are you talking about? Still don't know what it means w/ that jumble you typed. LOL. Are you ESL?

Are you kidding? AAV = Average Annual Value. It is the number you were using.

 

[Creeper]

Balanced offense is not a new concept. They knew running the football was an issue last year. Their answer was to sign Zeke, let Pollard walk.

Jerry let the roster go in the offseason for a reason. The reason escape me but I would still love to know the answer.

Let me pose this question. McCarthy is in the last year of his contract. He's gone next year I am sure. But what if Jerry signed a few players and actually made the Cowboys a better team? What if McCarthy won 12 games again this year and maybe advanced to the NFCC game? or even the Super Bowl? How does Jerry not re-sign Mike McCarthy?

Is it possible Jerry did nothing in the offseason to ensure McCarthy's team would struggle so Jerry could avoid looking foolish by letting him a walk after a successful season? Maybe I am way off here, but I think Jerry really wants Belichick to coach his team I can imagine Jerry thinking Belichick and Micah Parsons would be unbeatable. Parsons would be Belichick's Tom Brady on defense in Jerry's mind.

I just cannot comprehend anyone in the Cowboys front office thinking that after last season that this team is better than last year's.

 

[Bobhaze]

Balanced offense is not a new concept. They knew running the football was an issue last year. Their answer was to sign Zeke, let Pollard walk.

Jerry let the roster go in the offseason for a reason. The reason escape me but I would still love to know the answer.

Let me pose this question. McCarthy is in the last year of his contract. He's gone next year I am sure. But what if Jerry signed a few players and actually made the Cowboys a better team? What if McCarthy won 12 games again this year and maybe advanced to the NFCC game? or even the Super Bowl? How does Jerry not re-sign Mike McCarthy?

Is it possible Jerry did nothing in the offseason to ensure McCarthy's team would struggle so Jerry could avoid looking foolish by letting him a walk after a successful season? Maybe I am way off here, but I think Jerry really wants Belichick to coach his team I can imagine Jerry thinking Belichick and Micah Parsons would be unbeatable. Parsons would be Belichick's Tom Brady on defense in Jerry's mind.

I just cannot comprehend anyone in the Cowboys front office thinking that after last season that this team is better than last year's.

Excellent summary and logic. I’m hard pressed to understand why this FO made a conscious choice to not have an off season of improving this roster. It was a choice - not financial handcuffs as they continue to lie to their fan base about.

What galls me equally is the realization that JJ and SJ are perfectly willing to throw away whole seasons just because they can. You could even argue they are ok to write off a whole decade as evidenced by Jerry’s foolish infatuation with Jason Garrett, whose teams made the playoffs three times in a decade.

I firmly believe the only reason JJ kept McCarthy was because he didn’t want to have to pay him if he fired him. That makes no sense financially when you can burn cigars with the billions he has. And it makes less football sense hanging a HC and staff over a Cliff expecting that to be some kind of motivation. It doesn't work that way.

The Jones boys write their own narratives and expect us to buy it. I don’t.

 

[blueblood70]

I guess you missed the Seattle Detroit game last night where two great offenses leveraged top shelf RBs and demonstrated the great disparity in RB talent between Detroit & Seattle vs the Dallas trash heap last in the NFL RB room. I guess you missed the low number of passes Goff had to mk because they have a great off line and top shelf, speedy RBs. Are you on Jerry’s payroll or do you just oppose every fact and opinion BobHaze posts? And the all bold text really made an impact. Might I suggest all-caps for your next flight of fantasy?

I mean do I need to remind you, to look at the time and day stamp and the fact that I posted this before those games were played I mean is that that hard to recognize??

and I'm just telling you I understand that something's broken that needs to be fixed but I think it's more schematically broke than it is player broke it's more mindset broke meaning to play calling I remember him right before the season Mike McCarthy goes that we're gonna make the running game work because we're gonna stick to it we're gonna commit wasn't that the word we're gonna commit to it no matter what not what they're doing I'm betting if you gave Rico dowdo 17 carries a game every game no matter what figure out a way to get him the ball 17 times mix in the other guys another 17 times that we would be way up that list because most of these teams I'm watching some of these players and they're around 4 yards per carry most games or 4.2 they're not writing new history they're just using two or three backs and the better backs get more carries and they just give them the ball all game...

So yes it's important to fix the run game but I don't think it can be fixed with a player I don't think Derrick Henry or Montgomery or any of these other players that you all keep talking about we should've got with fixes because the scheme is broken both the blocking scheme the game plans the play calling using the right player for the right play call it's all broken yes I agree it's broken but a player in a trade I don't think it's gonna fix it somebody needs to punch Mike McCarthy in the face and wake him up and tell him you're not sticking and committing to the run game you're committing run game suicide you're putting it all on your players instead of helping your players offensively be better by schematically getting them better opportunities to succeed...

 

[Eightneight]

I'm in the camp of "the FO has sabatoged this season intentionally". I'm unsure why but the lack of activity in the off season is really unexplainable.

 

[gtb1943]

Pretty convenient to leave the two teams who are 4-0, a team who is 3-0, and a team who is 3-1 off of your list. Four of those teams are also propped up by rushing QBs. Almost like it's a meaningless point.

As always, passing game success is what matters.

for those living on fantasy island...

 

[gtb1943]

What are you talking about? Still don't know what it means w/ that jumble you typed. LOL. Are you ESL?

he throws around obscure analytic type numbers that really say nothing

 

[ArtClink]

I'm in the camp of "the FO has sabatoged this season intentionally". I'm unsure why but the lack of activity in the off season is really unexplainable.

They went out of their way to torpedo this season. Too bad they don't answer to anyone...

 

[Chuck 54]

Jerry failed in the off season….fact. We plugged in new rookie starters at the two most important positions on the OL. That’s okay, but behind that young, aging (Martin), and recovering (Steele) line, Jerry rolled out Dak and Lamb and expected the two of them to take the pressure off the defense by moving the ball and putting up big points. Lamb and Dak both need two things to make that happen, a running back and a speed guy, both who can make plays.

No Henry, no Barkley, no bevy of other starting free agent backs that are doing great this year. Even Pollard, in an off rushing game last year, posed a big play threat for the defense that created room for Ferguson, Lamb, and others.

Every year fans hate Jerry during the free agency period, but he usually comes through with second tier guys who help the team. This year he did nothing to help the offense, nothing.

 

[kskboys]

Are you kidding? AAV = Average Annual Value. It is the number you were using.

Ah. I'm not into salary cap details. However, what I do know is that the average annual amount of a salary matters. It's not about one season, it's about how much you're paying in general.

 

[glimmerman]

Why are they not bringing Cook up. Is he not that great. If he was then you would think he would be on the field helping the running game..

 

[kskboys]

I'm in the camp of "the FO has sabatoged this season intentionally". I'm unsure why but the lack of activity in the off season is really unexplainable.

Until you add up the salaries of the top players.

Get this: Cap hits for 2025:

Dak: 89 mil
Lamb: 35 mil
Parsons: 21 mil
Steele: 18 mil
Diggs: 14 mil
Martin: 10 mil
Donavon Wilson: 8 mil
Hooker: 7 mil
Those are the top ones. 202 mil. For 8 players. And that doesn't count DLaw at 8 mil who is in a void year. Not sure what they'll do w/ that.

And then we have a host of players who are making 1-4 mil. 26 players to be exact. That's 35 -40 mil or so. And then we have to sign draftees and FA's. Mazi is making 3.6 mil, imagine what we'll have to pay next year's first.

 

[thunderpimp91]

This evidence does not exist. Dropback EPA is the only metric that correlates to winning. Here's the top 10 through 2022 and 23

1. SF
2. KC
3. BUF
4. DAL
5. DET
6. MIA
7. PHI
8. CIN
9. GB
10. JAX

That's basically all of your good teams. Pretty simple.

I would fully agree that passing EPA and to some extent defensive EPA again the pass are the most consistent ways to identify good teams. That said though how many of the teams with excellent passing success have been able to play off their run games? Dallas in 2023 was pretty one dimensional, Cincinnati has been one dimensional, but without looking it up I would think those other teams probably have have had pretty good success running the football to fulfill some of those football cliches in staying ahead of the chains, moving them on 3rd and short, and setting up the play actions.

The end result you're looking for are those air yards, but its a lot easier to do that when you have a run game to fall back on as well.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

I would fully agree that passing EPA and to some extent defensive EPA again the pass are the most consistent ways to identify good teams. That said though how many of the teams with excellent passing success have been able to play off their run games?

The end result you're looking for are those air yards, but its a lot easier to do that when you have a run game to fall back on as well.

Probably just DET and PHI - but PHI is an anomaly (like BAL would be) because they use the QB run option.

If you don't have a passing game that can't throw when the run game isn't there, you do not have a good offense.