Will Darren McFadden Return As The Starter?

[KJJ]

I never said Randle was good in the first part of the season.

I just know the offensive line wasn't as good early as it was late.

Never said you did and if you took it that way you took it wrong. We're not going to accomplish anything here but a waste of each others time. We've covered this enough let's wait and see what the Cowboys do at RB in the coming weeks and months.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Romo does what he does tries to extend plays it's made him what he is. He's taken a lot of sacks not as many as some like Roethlisberger. If he keeps breaking his collarbone or something else causes him to miss games he'll be done because he can't be counted on.

Sometimes it's better to run or throw it away.

He
Just
Won't
Do
It!

 

[KJJ]

Romo got hurt because of Romo.

One reason he got hurt was because his number one receiver was out and our other WRs didn't step up. In the opener Romo got burned by his WRs resulting in 2 INT's forcing him to have to complete passes to his backs all game. Dunbar was our leading receiver after week 2.

 

[KJJ]

Sometimes it's better to run or throw it away.

He
Just
Won't
Do
It!

Read my previous post about his WRs. And as far as running, Romo is not a "runner" that's a good way for him to get killed.

 

[KJJ]

Our WRs didn't do a very good job getting open this season. It was a problem with Romo in there and with our backups. Dez wasn't right all season even in the opener he didn't look very good. He wasn't in very good condition after missing preseason which led to him having to go to the locker room for an IV.

 

[Nightman]

One reason he got hurt was because his number one receiver was out and our other WRs didn't step up. In the opener Romo got burned by his WRs resulting in 2 INT's forcing him to have to complete passes to his backs all game. Dunbar was our leading receiver after week 2.

Butler, Cole and Witten were all in the same area on that fateful play and that threw the timing off.

Dunbar was sent to the opposite flat so there was no RB to pick up the pressure.

It should have been an immediate throw, 2 defenders were covering 3 guys, but Romo pulled it down and then he fumbled it. The PHI jerk then put his whole weight on Tony instead of going for the loose ball.

 

[rpntex]

He didn't earn it he got the job by default with the loss of Dunbar and Randle. We entered the season with 3 backs and he was the sole surviver. I don't want to make it sound like McFadden did a terrible job he did play well in some games and ran hard but the consistency wasn't there. It seemed like after a big game he emptied his tank and had nothing left the following week. After an impressive game vs the Giants in week 7 he did very little the following week in a big game against Seattle only averaging 3.2 a carry on 20 carries. With the Cowboys leading 12-10 with around 8 minutes left on a 3rd and 2 McFadden got taken down for a one yard loss resulting in a punt and Seattle proceeded to eat up most of the clock and kicked a FG to beat us. After a 117 yard performance vs Philly in week 9 McFadden was DREADFUL vs Tampa the following week rushing for only 32 yards on 17 carries averaging 1.9 a carry.

The Seattle and Tampa losses really put a dagger in our season neither team was playing very well and both were winnable games but the lack of a running game greatly contributed to those losses. McFadden wouldn't have averaged 4.0 a carry if it wasn't for the final 3 games where we were just playing out the schedule against 3 other teams that had nothing to play for. The Jets and Bills were done and Washington had the division wrapped up. In the games that mattered when the season was still in the balance McFadden wasn't consistent. Anyone who thinks our running game was sufficient this past season and wants to continue with McFadden as our bell cow must have really enjoyed our 4-12 season.

The lack of consistency in our running game played a part in it. Randle wasn't consistent either after a big first half vs Atlanta he had negative rushing yards in the second half which greatly contributed to that loss. In the OT loss to NO Randle averaged 2.4 a carry and McFadden averaged 3.1. We had little running game in the opener but escaped with a win off the arm of Romo. We must run the ball more consistently next season or we'll struggle to go 500 and Romo won't last the season.

I think we're talking semantics here, but McFadden has definitely earned it. He has earned the right to be the lead back until someone takes the position from him. Whether that happens in training camp, in the regular season, or not at all – it's his until someone supplants him. His performance in 2015 has earned him that much.

 

[rpntex]

That's a pretty good drop-off and the rankings don't tell the whole story. We held onto the ball MUCH longer in 2014 than this past season due to being so poor on 3rd and short and not having an effective passing offense. Our D got scored on pretty quick in some games which put our offense right back on the field. We also gave up a KO return for a TD that put our offense right back on the field so time of possession rankings can be misleading. Keeping your defense fresh is important even if you have a solid defense. Even a good defense gives up plays when they're tired. Fatigue can make any defense crumble. The passing offense would have sucked regardless if we had Murray but I'm convinced would have run the ball better especially on 3rd and one.

Much longer?

Dallas' average TOP in 2015 was 31:13. In 2014, it was 32:07. How can you can that MUCH longer?

 

[hornitosmonster]

Not if we can land Miller. It would be a nie 1-2 punch (Miller and McFadden)

 

[KJJ]

I think we're talking semantics here, but McFadden has definitely earned it. He has earned the right to be the lead back until someone takes the position from him. Whether that happens in training camp, in the regular season, or not at all – it's his until someone supplants him. His performance in 2015 has earned him that much.

McFadden is the best back we have right now so he'll be the starter until we find someone better. The Cowboys will be pressing their luck if they bank on him going another entire season injury free. If they can't come up with a better option than McFadden they'll look to go with a more solid rotation to reduce his carries to try and keep him healthy.

 

[KJJ]

Much longer?

Dallas' average TOP in 2015 was 31:13. In 2014, it was 32:07. How can you can that MUCH longer?

That's a bigger difference than it appears because it can equate to several more plays each week that your defense doesn't have to spend on the field. Our average TOP in 2014 was 32:07 compared to 29:01 in 2013. That averaged out to about 13 fewer plays our defense was on the field in 2014 compared to 2013.

 

[KJJ]

I think we're talking semantics here, but McFadden has definitely earned it. He has earned the right to be the lead back until someone takes the position from him.

When he had challengers this summer he ended up our 3rd down back to start the season. In the opener both Dunbar and Randle got more touches than McFadden and the injuries to Dunbar and Randle gave McFadden an opportunity. Dunbar had 21 receptions in the first 3 games until he was injured while McFadden only had 3 receptions over that period. Once Dunbar and Randle went down he had no challengers forcing him to take on the load not only as a runner but as a receiver.

We were adding backs during the season that were having to learn our offense so only an injury was going to unseat McFadden. He had some good games and some bad games it was a mixed bag. If the Cowboys want to be a championship team they have to do better than McFadden as their lead back. If we want to keep Romo healthy next season and win consistently we can't afford games where our lead back is averaging 2.7, 3.1 and 1.9 a carry forcing Romo to have to win those games.

 

[Sydla]

When he had challengers this summer he ended up our 3rd down back to start the season. In the opener both Dunbar and Randle got more touches than McFadden and the injuries to Dunbar and Randle gave McFadden an opportunity. Dunbar had 21 receptions in the first 3 games until he was injured while McFadden only had 3 receptions over that period. Once Dunbar and Randle went down he had no challengers forcing him to take on the load not only as a runner but as a receiver.

We were adding backs during the season that were having to learn our offense so only an injury was going to unseat McFadden. He had some good games and some bad games it was a mixed bag. If the Cowboys want to be a championship team they have to do better than McFadden as their lead back. If we want to keep Romo healthy next season and win consistently we can't afford games where our lead back is averaging 2.7, 3.1 and 1.9 a carry forcing Romo to have to win those games.

You mean like when Murray averaged 2.6 ypc in the key season ending games/wins against Philly and Indy? It wasn't all peaches and cream for Murray last year either, especially in some key games. He averaged only 3.7 ypc in that debacle on T-giving as well.

It's also a bit disingenuous to not at least acknowledge that it was probably tough running in games this year against good teams when there's no threat from the QB and WR.

IMO, I think McFadden can well be the lead back behind this OL with a competent QB and get this team to the SB. My fear would not be in his skill but rather his health. Last year was the first year he seemed really healthy in a long time. I'd worry that last year would be our lucky year healthwise and he's revert to nicked up McFadden in 2016.

 

[KJJ]

Sometimes it's better to run or throw it away.

He
Just
Won't
Do
It!

Romo would have never become the player he has if he decided to just pull down the ball and run every time he didn't see what he wanted or just threw it away. It's his ability to extend plays with Houdini escapes that's enabled him to pull off some of the great plays he has. What he does has made him one of the most productive, consistent QBs over the past decade. On the play vs Philly where he broke his collarbone you can't put it on him he really had no chance they were on him pretty quick. Same thing on the Carolina play hard to put it on Romo. The blame goes on the Cowboys for putting him out there when his collarbone wasn't fully healed it didn't take much to re break it.

 

[Alohawg1]

I hate the empty backfield.

 

[KJJ]

You mean like when Murray averaged 2.6 ypc in the key season ending games/wins against Philly and Indy? It wasn't all peaches and cream for Murray last year either, especially in some key games. He averaged only 3.7 ypc in that debacle on T-giving as well.

It's also a bit disingenuous to not at least acknowledge that it was probably tough running in games this year against good teams when there's no threat from the QB and WR.

IMO, I think McFadden can well be the lead back behind this OL with a competent QB and get this team to the SB. My fear would not be in his skill but rather his health. Last year was the first year he seemed really healthy in a long time. I'd worry that last year would be our lucky year healthwise and he's revert to nicked up McFadden in 2016.

Why point to those games when we won them? Murray only had 3 down games all season in 2014 and they came late in the season when he was wearing down from a franchise record number of carries. McFadden's poor games came in critical games some earlier in the season when he should have been fresh from not receiving many carries. Our inability to run the ball contributed to those losses. Murray never averaged less than 4.1 a carry in the first 11 games of the 2014 season while McFadden averaged under 4.0 a carry in 8 of his first 12 games in 2015. It took 12 games before Murray averaged under 4.0 a carry in 2014 despite defenses trying to stop him.

McFadden had 2 games this past season where he didn't even average 2.0 a carry. Murray only had 3 games in 2014 where he averaged under 4.0 a carry and those games came late in the season. Despite Brandon Weeden playing a very good game vs an 0-3 NO team McFadden averaged only 3.1 a carry on 10 carries which contributed to that loss. Weeden had a 105.6 passer rating in that game and got us into OT on a last ditch length of the field drive. The poorest game McFadden had all season was against a bad Bucs team that went 6-10 resulting in their head coach getting fired. On 17 carries McFadden averaged only 1.9 a carry.

I'm not going to pin some of the bad games McFadden had on our QB or WR situation because even in some of the games Romo and Dez played he didn't produce. He didn't start producing consistently until the final 4 weeks when our season was done and we were playing with Kellen Moore the final 3 weeks. When the games still mattered he didn't produce consistently especially in short yardage situations. According to some now a great OL isn't enough for him to produce he needs a competent QB. When he had a competent QB this season he played one solid game.

 

[rpntex]

That's a bigger difference than it appears because it can equate to several more plays each week that your defense doesn't have to spend on the field. Our average TOP in 2014 was 32:07 compared to 29:01 in 2013. That averaged out to about 13 fewer plays our defense was on the field in 2014 compared to 2013.

That 0:54 difference from 14 to 15 equates to 2 or 3 plays per game. I don't think I'd define 2 or 3 as "several", but you can if it makes you feel better about your argument.

 

[KJJ]

It's also a bit disingenuous to not at least acknowledge that it was probably tough running in games this year against good teams when there's no threat from the QB and WR.

No one ever used his QB and WR situation in Oakland as the reason he only averaged 3.3 a carry his final 3 seasons there. Most on this board were pointing to his OL as the problem he wasn't producing even going as far as to blame his OL for his injuries. If you listen to some of the brainiacs on this board McFadden would put up 1500+ behind our OL if he started and stayed healthy. If you told Cowboy FANS that McFadden would start and receive a "career high" in carries AND stay healthy the entire season they would have had his rushing total much higher than 1089 yards and 3 TD's.

 

[KJJ]

That 0:54 difference from 14 to 15 equates to 2 or 3 plays per game. I don't think I'd define 2 or 3 as "several", but you can if it makes you feel better about your argument.

Anything more than 2 is "several" you might not define it that way but the dictionary does. Two to three plays per game over a 16 game schedule can mean the difference between winning and losing a few games.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Romo would have never become the player he has if he decided to just pull down the ball and run every time he didn't see what he wanted or just threw it away. It's his ability to extend plays with Houdini escapes that's enabled him to pull off some of the great plays he has. What he does has made him one of the most productive, consistent QBs over the past decade. On the play vs Philly where he broke his collarbone you can't put it on him he really had no chance they were on him pretty quick. Same thing on the Carolina play hard to put it on Romo. The blame goes on the Cowboys for putting him out there when his collarbone wasn't fully healed it didn't take much to re break it.

Never said every time.
Extending plays/drives requires running sometimes.

Ok, extend one play by holding ball too long.niss 12 games = brilliant.
At least if he runs he can give himself up. Holding ball too long = sitting duck with HUGE BASS target on hisself!!!