Will the market follow suit?

[ConceptCoop]

The Cowboys are winning with the running game in the era of the passing game. They're doing it with a rookie QB and a well below average pass rush - in a time where QB and pass rush are billed as the be all and end all. Don't get me wrong, Dak has been great for a rookie. But he's been put in a position to be great, and that's a big part of his success. The formula looks so obvious, now that it's working: Put together a running game that can't be stopped, and everything else falls into place. But it's not obvious; the Dallas Cowboys are a minority of one. Will the league follow suit? Will we see centers, guards, and RBs become more valuable on the market? Will the running back by committee trend slow, as teams look to establish an real advantage, rather than get by? Will teams spend less money on WRs, to invest more up front?

We've seen the Steelers change the market - the DE/LB hybrid is an NFL staple today. We've seen the Patriots change the market - everyone wants the next Welker and Gronk. Teams are throwing money at pass rushers trying to emulate the Broncos, or even the Giants of a few years ago.

In a copy cat league, is the current Cowboys formula a passing trend or paradigm shift?

 

[Doomsday101]

The Cowboys are winning with the running game in the era of the passing game. They're doing it with a rookie QB and a well below average pass rush - in a time where QB and pass rush are billed as the be all and end all. Don't get me wrong, Dak has been great for a rookie. But he's been put in a position to be great, and that's a big part of his success. The formula looks so obvious, now that it's working: Put together a running game that can't be stopped, and everything else falls into place. But it's not obvious; the Dallas Cowboys are a minority of one. Will the league follow suit? Will we see centers, guards, and RBs become more valuable on the market? Will the running back by committee trend slow, as teams look to establish an real advantage, rather than get by? Will teams spend less money on WRs, to invest more up front?

We've seen the Steelers change the market - the DE/LB hybrid is an NFL staple today. We've seen the Patriots change the market - everyone wants the next Welker and Gronk. Teams are throwing money at pass rushers trying to emulate the Broncos, or even the Giants of a few years ago.

In a copy cat league, is the current Cowboys formula a passing trend or paradigm shift?

Seahawks have leaned on the run quite a bit in getting to the SB. Great RB will be paid Peterson in Minn is a great back. Fans get this notion that RB have little value way I see it, great players are going to get paid big money regardless of the position they play. I think you are pay for the greatness not the position.

 

[ConceptCoop]

Seahawks have leaned on the run quite a bit in getting to the SB. Great RB will be paid Peterson in Minn is a great back. Fans get this notion that RB have little value way I see it, great players are going to get paid big money regardless of the position they play. I think you are pay for the greatness not the position.

Good point, but the Seahawks were kind of a fluke, in that they had a dominant defense and running game. The credit for their success was largely placed on that defense. If teams were trying to copy that model, the resources would be invested in the defense first.

Of course guys like Peterson will get paid. As will the likes of McCoy, Charles, and Johnson. But, on the whole, the market is more down on the RB than it's ever been. Will that change any?

 

[Dhragon]

The Cowboys are winning with the running game in the era of the passing game. They're doing it with a rookie QB and a well below average pass rush - in a time where QB and pass rush are billed as the be all and end all. Don't get me wrong, Dak has been great for a rookie. But he's been put in a position to be great, and that's a big part of his success. The formula looks so obvious, now that it's working: Put together a running game that can't be stopped, and everything else falls into place. But it's not obvious; the Dallas Cowboys are a minority of one. Will the league follow suit? Will we see centers, guards, and RBs become more valuable on the market? Will the running back by committee trend slow, as teams look to establish an real advantage, rather than get by? Will teams spend less money on WRs, to invest more up front?

We've seen the Steelers change the market - the DE/LB hybrid is an NFL staple today. We've seen the Patriots change the market - everyone wants the next Welker and Gronk. Teams are throwing money at pass rushers trying to emulate the Broncos, or even the Giants of a few years ago.

In a copy cat league, is the current Cowboys formula a passing trend or paradigm shift?

Everyone is tailoring their defenses to stop the pass nowadays. We are simply going against the grain to take advantage of that. If more teams start to do the same, defenses will change to counter and we'll lose that huge advantage so let's hope it does not become a trend.

 

[skinsscalper]

The Cowboys are winning with the running game in the era of the passing game. They're doing it with a rookie QB and a well below average pass rush - in a time where QB and pass rush are billed as the be all and end all. Don't get me wrong, Dak has been great for a rookie. But he's been put in a position to be great, and that's a big part of his success. The formula looks so obvious, now that it's working: Put together a running game that can't be stopped, and everything else falls into place. But it's not obvious; the Dallas Cowboys are a minority of one. Will the league follow suit? Will we see centers, guards, and RBs become more valuable on the market? Will the running back by committee trend slow, as teams look to establish an real advantage, rather than get by? Will teams spend less money on WRs, to invest more up front?

We've seen the Steelers change the market - the DE/LB hybrid is an NFL staple today. We've seen the Patriots change the market - everyone wants the next Welker and Gronk. Teams are throwing money at pass rushers trying to emulate the Broncos, or even the Giants of a few years ago.

In a copy cat league, is the current Cowboys formula a passing trend or paradigm shift?

It's a valid question but lacking one critical qualifier: A Super Bowl win. All of the teams you mentioned changed the paradigm by actually winning a championship. Until Dallas does that, their way, I don't think you'll see a large shift in the way that teams build themselves. It IS a copycat league but, really, how many teams have duplicated (or even tried to) what the Pats, Steelers, or Broncos and Giants had done in the past?

Football on it's basic level isn't that complicated (the nuances can be, however) but it really boils down to one thing: Dominance in the trenches. Whether it's offensive or defensive and very few teams have been dominant on both sides (92 Cowboys is the last one I remember but there may have been a couple more). There's no right or wrong way to go about it just a matter of preference and team identity. Lately, strong defensive play has been the key. The past few SB Champs have been defense dominant (with the exception of the Pats who were O dominant with a respectable defense). The Falcons, this season, are on fire and are doing it with a break neck Offense and are actually playing solid defense the past few weeks.

Good post, man. Nice to start the day "thinking".

 

[perrykemp]

Need to see playoff success from this recipe for anything to be altered to any great extent.

 

[Trouty]

Everyone is tailoring their defenses to stop the pass nowadays. We are simply going against the grain to take advantage of that. If more teams start to do the same, defenses will change to counter and we'll lose that huge advantage so let's hope it does not become a trend.

The only way you see a league-wide copycat changing of scheme/drafting philosophy, to taylor to a run first, heavy Oline attack, is if we win it all.

Until our scheme/identity wins a Super Bowl, the league will copycat the winning formula (meaning the formula that wins superbowls). Ergo, a team predicated on strong defense first. That's what has been winning it all lately. That's what you have seen since Seattle won theirs (defense)... Denver (defense), Minnesota -- who many have pegged as favorites (defense). Even NE is a defensive-led team (especially the year they won).

If Dallas wins it all with a strong Oline and stud rusher, then you'll really start to see a shift in scheme/drafting philosophy across the league.

Yes, there's teams in the league that seem to be taking a page out of our book (Bills, for example -- but even they are a defensive led team, but Ryan has said he wants to win on the ground). But a counterpoint could be a team like the Jets, while they have failed defensively, tried to model their team as a defensive-led team heading into the 2015-2016 season. Giants this last offseason another example (tho, they've always identified as a defensive led team) of a team going full-bore defense.

Anyways, we win it all, and they're will be an avalanche of copy cats. Too bad our Oline is once in a lifetime good, so good luck drafting a Martin, Smith, and TFred and a Zeke, rest of the league Lol

 

[Doomsday101]

Good point, but the Seahawks were kind of a fluke, in that they had a dominant defense and running game. The credit for their success was largely placed on that defense. If teams were trying to copy that model, the resources would be invested in the defense first.

Of course guys like Peterson will get paid. As will the likes of McCoy, Charles, and Johnson. But, on the whole, the market is more down on the RB than it's ever been. Will that change any?

They had a dominate defense for sure. I think Jason wants his team to be balanced where defense can't key on one element. I suspect teams will come into games vs Dallas loading the box early to take away the run and Cowboys will have to show and have shown they can pass the ball very effectively. It just keeps defense from pinning their ears back and coming after the QB.

While some do not find the run all that important I think any team who can run and show balance is a very dangerous team. I know that strategy helped the Cowboys win Super Bowls and it still can

 

[YosemiteSam]

The game has always been won at the line of scrimmage. (OL and DL) What the Cowboys are doing is finally falling in line with what works. They haven't invented any new scheme.

 

[Trouty]

Need to see playoff success from this recipe for anything to be altered to any great extent.

Agreed, Perry.

 

[jazzcat22]

Need to see playoff success from this recipe for anything to be altered to any great extent.

Yes was going to post this, or something like it.
This style mat get you to the playoffs, and that is all you can ask for to a point. Getting to the playoffs.
But also need to have success in the playoffs.

Win the SB then teams will copy. Get to the playoffs regular, then teams may copy. However, still need that overall team and need that somewhat dominate defense too. Then I would feel more confident of being a SB contender. But we are getting there.

 

[ConceptCoop]

The game has always been won at the line of scrimmage. (OL and DL) What the Cowboys are doing is finally falling in line with what works. They haven't invented any new scheme.

They haven't invented anything new. But in today's NFL, it is certainly different. The team drafted a RB 4th overall when their offense appeared to be a strength and their defense a major weakness. That's not standard NFL thinking. 4 of their last 6 first round draft picks have been spend on the offensive line or a RB. They're bucking trends, and now that it's working with a rookie QB and without their top 10 WR, I think some teams would be wise to take note.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

This is such a copy cat league. Of course it will. Even when the Cowboys invested in the offensive line......I think someone might've done it before them.....maybe it was the Titans who had 3 1st rounders? Not going to act like the Cowboys re-invented the wheel but at the same time no one took notice it seems until they saw Demarco lead the league in rushing.

Some teams just can't run the football effectively to do it.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

The game has always been won at the line of scrimmage. (OL and DL) What the Cowboys are doing is finally falling in line with what works. They haven't invented any new scheme.

No, but the Cowboys are doing it different. The Cowboys are using their offensive line and using time of possession to help out their defense and defensive line. And in return they signed a bunch of defensive linemen and try to keep them fresh by rotating them throughout the game.

Its far bigger than just "winning at the line of scrimmage".

 

[Yakuza Rich]

It's a copycat league, so I wouldn't be surprised.

As a football statistical analyst, I've been saying for years that fellow football statisticians undervalue the running game because they don't account for injuries and time on the clock. History says that defensive players are more than twice as likely to get injured as offensive players. So, by developing a high scoring run offense, you can keep your offense on the field...those are the players that are less likely to get injured. And keep your defense off the field which are the players more likely to get injured.

The rub is getting an efficient offense. That's part of the advantage of the hurry up schemes as they can run the ball, but score a bit more quickly. That's why they work in college...they prevent superior teams from getting into a game with a lower amount of possessions and keep inferior opponents in the game.

The thing now with teams is that they are into big data. And more of big data is trending towards biostatistics and finding ways to keep players healthy. It will come down to finding the optimal number of plays played, time clock used and actual time on the field that, I would think, be of interest to teams.

The issue here might be the tight ends. We've got 2 pretty good blocking TE's and if Hanna returns to form, then we have 3 very good blocking TE's. TE's in the college game are not really around the past few years, either as receiving TE's or blocking TE's.




YR

 

[YosemiteSam]

No, but the Cowboys are doing it different. The Cowboys are using their offensive line and using time of possession to help out their defense and defensive line. And in return they signed a bunch of defensive linemen and try to keep them fresh by rotating them throughout the game.

Its far bigger than just "winning at the line of scrimmage".

No, these are concepts that have been around forever. Seattle's offensive style? Dallas of the 90s used to rotate DL like mad. All this stuff has been done before.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

No, these are concepts that have been around forever. Seattle's offensive style? Dallas of the 90s used to rotate DL like mad. All this stuff has been done before.

No one is saying its never been done before. But in a passing league its rare. Most teams do like the Giants did and invested 200 million to improve their defense. The Cowboys instead invested in a running back and offensive line to improve their defense. And its working. And our offense is NOTHING like Seattles.

 

[RS12]

No because most teams are not going to allocate the necessary resources to the O Line and RB positions.

 

[Sarge]

I will bet good money the league doesn't copy our pass rush.

 

[erod]

Defenses got small and fast to deal with the spread passing offenses. That leaves them vulnerable to the power running game.

So yes, I think a return to power football is cycling back.

As is the value in a bellcow running back.