Zach Martin is real MVP of this team

[Wood]

Cowboys' NFL Rank
Conversion Percentage by Run
2011-2013
Short Yardage 21st
Goal Line 15th

2014 (games 1-8)
Short Yardage 4th
Goal Line 1st

This turnaround in the first half of the season is what changed the way defenses play our offense. Without this improvement in short yardage and goal line situations that earned the respect of defenses, we wouldn't have the opportunities for big plays in the passing game that we have now.

The high level of performance by the OL in the running game is the key to it all. There couldn't have been any change to a ground-based attack without it.

thank you. A football mind understanding it.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I'm really glad we got him instead of shazzier!!

 

[SDCowboy]

thank you. A football mind understanding it.

The guy is great, but there is a difference between recognizing how good he is and thinking he's the team's MVP.

 

[RS12]

Love Martin but "come on man".

 

[percyhoward]

thank you. A football mind understanding it.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Martin's the MVP. I just disagree with the idea that running the ball more is what made this a better team. That's looking at it backwards. The team got better first, and Martin is a part of that.

 

[RS12]

What is a bigger drop off, Martin to Berny, or Romo to Weeden.

 

[lane]

What is a bigger drop off, Martin to Berny, or Romo to Weeden.

have not seen enough of weeden yet.




























i kid.

 

[xwalker]

I actually saw DTs adjust to FredBeard this year. If they could go chest-to-chest with him - he was having trouble at times anchoring. If he gets his arms extended he excels. Smith was better in '13 than he was in '14. From what I saw it was Martin and Leary who really took big steps forward. Martin was best guard I watched this year. Many of us under-valued the guard spot as you usually don't draft guards early. Martin has changed my mind entirely about the position because as we saw the guard position was main reason for this team going to playoffs.

I spend an excessive amount of time watching and re-watching the OLine. To me the #1 thing was the commitment to running game.

This OL scheme with a large amount of Zone Blocking requires a large number of carries to function properly. They have many runs that don't really do much, but they use the repetition to get defenses guarding against one thing and then come back with something else. Some games they'll repeatedly run the zone stretch left with only moderate success and then they'll throw in an occasional power blocking run to the right. The defenders will get themselves out of position trying to get a jump to the left and then that power run right will gash them. The details and intricacies of the running game, especially the zone blocking scheme are vast. Sometimes the OL and the RB are keying on things as simple as a defender taking 1 additional step in one direction from when they ran a particular play the 1st time to the next time.

When I mention Fred being a 2nd year player, it's not just his own ability, but he makes the line calls and in the running game what he sees and calls can make a big difference.

This being the 3rd year with Callahan's scheme is also helpful. It takes time to fully implement the Zone Scheme and they run more than just zone. They continually throw in a new wrinkle here and there.

The difference in a big gain and a minimal gain in the running game is often just a matter of a few inches. A defender gets his head to one side of the OLineman or he doesn't and that just enough difference on some plays.

I don't want to take anything away from Martin because his performance as a rookie has been amazing; however, attributing all differences between 2013 and 2014 to him would be an exaggeration.

 

[percyhoward]

To me the #1 thing was the commitment to the run game.

Cowboys' NFL rank
Avg Rush, 1st Down
2012 - 30th
2013 (games 1-8) 16th
2013 (games 9-16) 3rd
2014 - 1st

The OL's improvement preceded the shift toward a more ground-based attack, and basically made it possible.

 

[sillycon]

I think adding Martin just made the offensive line more complete. If you think of the offensive line as a single entity, then yeah in my opinion, that's the MVP. That said, it's a team sport. You need the guy to make the throws too...

 

[Dale]

I hate to be the guy who straddles the fence on this issue, but I think this debate highlights why our offense is as successful as it is. And frankly, it reminds me all too much of the '90s.

We're where we are because of the league's leading back, the league's most efficient quarterback and a dynamic receiver. Oh, and the league's top offensive line just so happens to be leading the way.

Weaken the offensive line and watch Murray's numbers drop. Take away Dez and watch our red-zone efficiency drop. Remove Romo and watch the passing efficiency diminish. Remove Murray and watch the holes opened up by the line seemingly shrink.

The parts are great, but the sum of the parts is even better.

 

[percyhoward]

Note how the first-down run average gradually improved in 2013 (30th to 16th to 3rd) even without a commitment to the run. Play calling didn't make the OL better -- player acquisition did.

1st Down Run/Pass
2012: 41.3% / 58.7%
2013 (games 1-8): 46.1% / 53.9%
2013 (games 9-16): 43.0% / 57.0%
2014: 69.5% / 30.5%

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

LOL. Zach Martin has been great. But let's don't start overrating the kid. There's about 5 or 6 guys i'd go to before I get to Zach Martin in regards to who should be mvp on this team.

 

[VACowboy]

I wouldn't go so far as to say Martin's the MVP. I just disagree with the idea that running the ball more is what made this a better team. That's looking at it backwards. The team got better first, and Martin is a part of that.

The OL is certainly better than it was a year ago and that certainly makes the team better, but the 2014 Dallas Cowboys are also better because they run the ball more. No one will ever convince me that had Murray stayed healthy and the team been more committed to the run last year that they'd not have been better too. Of course, part of that whole equation is the defense, which I mentioned in my first post and is also an obvious difference.

 

[percyhoward]

The OL is certainly better than it was a year ago and that certainly makes the team better, but the 2014 Dallas Cowboys are also better because they run the ball more.

The team is more successful because the OL's improvement affords us the luxury of being able to run the ball more. We started running more after the running game got better.

There is no way we could have afforded to run the ball 70% of the time on first down in 2012 or 2013.

When you trace the improvement on first down from 30th to 16th to 3rd in the NFL by the end of 2013, you can see that play calling had nothing to do with it. We actually ran less as we got better at it.

 

[BAZ]

OP you da real MVP

 

[xwalker]

Note how the first-down run average gradually improved in 2013 (30th to 16th to 3rd) even without a commitment to the run. Play calling didn't make the OL better -- player acquisition did.

Cowboys' NFL rank
Avg Rush, 1st Down
2012 - 30th
2013 (games 1-8) 16th
2013 (games 9-16) 3rd
2014 - 1st

It seems as if it was neither player acquisition or play calling. They improved from 16th in the 1st half of 2013 to 3rd in the 2nd half of 2013. That indicates to me that it was player development, not player acquisition. I would guess that 1st time NFL players Leary and Fred improved from game 1 to game 9. Even Bern appeared to improve as he was healthy for the first time since he came to Dallas (he had a lingering injury issue coming out of training camp that year and had multiple injuries all of 2012).

The combination of adding Martin and Linehan's play calling only improved this stat from 3rd to 1st.

 

[DFWJC]

thank you. A football mind understanding it.

Those are great numbers, but I guarantee that "football mind" in no way thinks Zack Martin is the MVP of the Dallas Cowboys.

I think we all agree he's been great though.

 

[Doomsday101]

Those are great numbers, but I guarantee that "football mind" in no way thinks Zack Martin is the MVP of the Dallas Cowboys.

I think we all agree he's been great though.

True, I will say this about Martin as a rookie he has gone out and earned respect not based on prior season he came in day 1 and has been outstanding in his play and has been a big help in run and pass protection

 

[percyhoward]

It seems as if it was neither player acquisition or play calling. They improved from 16th in the 1st half of 2013 to 3rd in the 2nd half of 2013. That indicates to me that it was player development, not player acquisition. I would guess that 1st time NFL players Leary and Fred improved from game 1 to game 9. Even Bern appeared to improve as he was healthy for the first time since he came to Dallas (he had a lingering injury issue coming out of training camp that year and had multiple injuries all of 2012).

The combination of adding Martin and Linehan's play calling only improved this stat from 3rd to 1st.

Player development depends in large part on player acquisition anyway. Whether you improve the personnel by developing them or replacing them, it's still personnel that's at the center of this. Not play calling, which only changed in reaction to their performance.