Zeke’s numbers versus the 49ers: 31 Rushing Yards

[CowboyFrog]

IMHO these things do not get overlooked by the players in the locker room. Fat Collins comes in out of shape and "injured" and fails drug tests and bribes people but at the first possible moment he gets his job back. Zeke is a blob and can hardly roll out of bed but he gets to be the "lead dog". Gregory is a tool for 5 years then overnight he is a pass rushing monster. It's good to be one of Jerrys special little baby boys.

Not that the head clown will do it, but at this point trade or cut every player/coach that was in the fox hole with JG at anytime...MM can go also. It all look like the same disease to me.

 

[RonnieT24]

No I do not.. I just simply believe that he gets so caught up trying to come up with a brilliant passing play call and remembers at the last minute with the clock winding down that "hey I have not called a run in over an hour" and sends in the delay handoff up the middle.. I think that's his fallback run play call. It happens.. when I was the OC for my high school team it happened to me all the time.. So much crap would be flying around.. I'd be running down the sidelines trying to see what the down and distance was (you know no 70 foot screen in a high school stadium) and trying to get my QB's attention (no radios in the helmets either) and even though there was no play clock I knew time was moving so I'd just send in my favorite good safe play.. Now I am in no way comparing calling plays for some high school in California to the NFL.. those guys are a lot better at it and do it far more quickly than I ever could.. but the principles remain the same.. and they have more going on around them than I ever did..

I should also add that in addition to Moore just 'remembering' that he has not called a running play that McCarthy probably nudges him in the side from time to time about running the ball as well.. And since running the ball was the furthest thing from his mind Moore just pulls the "delay handoff up the middle" out of his anal orifice. He is NEVER standing there on the sideline thinking of brilliant "running" plays.. It's not in his DNA.. That's not his fault.. he is who he is and it will be successful against lesser teams because we have some guys on this offense who can flat abuse lesser players even when Moore's play calling stinks.. Dak bails him out by shaking off rushers 10-15 times a game.. or Zeke blocks two free runners on the blitz!!! Zeke drags the two guys who met him in the backfield forward for 1-2 yards or Pollard bounces it outside and gets 4-5 yards.. Cooper runs an amazing route to get open.. Lamb or Gallup or Wilson makes an amazing catch after Dak drops a dime to get the ball to them.. Too often our guys are having to be Superman for the plays to succeed.. It was that way under Garrett as well for the most part.. but the Supermen were younger.. except for Witten of course..

 

[beware_d-ware]

We'll see what Zeke looks like at the beginning of next year. At the start of 2021, he was healthy and looked the best we've seen him in years. Then he injured his knee vs New England and looked like a carcass.

Why we were still out there feeding him 10+ carries a game on a torn PCL is baffling to me... he's being a total liability right now, bench him and let him heal.

 

[FiveSuperBowls]

But Zeke can block!

 

[TheHerd]

Why would we have a running scheme which blocks linebackers? Aren't RBs supposed to make multiple unblocked linebackers miss?

 

[TheHerd]

8 of Zeke's 12 rushes were right up the middle.. He averaged > 5 ypc on his outside runs.. as did Pollard.. but Moore doesn't WANT to run the ball so he runs it inside where there is no blocking and then uses that abject failure to justify not going to the run more. The first run play up the middle where not one but TWO defenders are in the backfield before Zeke gets the ball is all we need to know about what's going on with the line play.. Whether it be coaching or personnel.. whatever it is, if it doesn't get fixed this team will not be consistent on offense.. Period.

This is so cynical, but I've thought this a lot. Especially after looking at the scheme on that first play.

 

[Avery]

Zeke has one more year here and then he's a cap casualty.

You don't pay any RB top-tier money or you're gearing yourself up for disappointment. McCaffrey, Kamara, Cook, none of them have performed up to their contract. Even Henry's YPC this year was pretty pedestrian before he was injured.

Rotate them out like oil filters. The day's of running a guy for 10-12 years are gone.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Why would we have a running scheme which blocks linebackers? Aren't RBs supposed to make multiple unblocked linebackers miss?

Thier Dt's were eating 2 O-lineman all night anyone should know that gets your RB a date with sevral LB's on a run play.

 

[G2]

We need healthy RBs but more importantly we need someone to run a competitive offensive scheme. When Dallas runs for 100 or more they were 11-0 this season. There's no balance and there's no excuse.

 

[Cmac]

I mean how do they sit in the film room and watch all these unblocked defenders knifing into our backfield and keep calling those plays? WANTING it to fail is the only explanation that makes sense.. and of course it makes NO sense.. The inability of Moore, Philbin, McCarthy, whoever to recognize this all season has to be the biggest epic fail of the decade. "Hey guys just do better" seems like all we got from our coaches.. We ran the same doomed plays over and over .. well not really over and over.. more like a few times and then after they failed the first few times went straight it to all pass mode.. I honestly don't know if I can watch another season of this, man. Please somebody hire Kellen Moore away and put us out of this misery.. Please Dear Lord I do not ask for much..

Spot on!

 

[blueblood70]

Zeke’s numbers versus the 49ers:
31 yards.
2.6 YPC.
Longest run was 9 yards.

If you discount the ridiculous Dak run at the end that ran out the clock, our team rushed for 60 yards (3 YPC).

Winning teams: Bucs ran for 100, Rams for 140, Bills for 174, Chiefs for 106.

Guess how many yards the losers had aside from us? Eagles (one of the top running teams during the season) had 95, Cardinals had 61, Steelers had 56, Raiders had 103 (it was actually a close game, go figure).

The pattern here is obvious. Teams that commit to rushing the ball AND successfully run the ball are shown to control the outcome of games. This is not a QB thread (we don’t need another QB thread here), he has zero control for OL blocking schemes and the performance of the running backs. It’s obvious we need to make changes here:

• Replace Moore or our OL coach. Our blocking schemes have been atrocious.
• Zeke has to split at least 50/50 with Pollard. He’s not a star anymore.
• Draft OL high: Center or Guard.

I don’t think we need to “rebuild” our offense completely. Just focus on the trenches and keep improving there so we can dictate the pace of games. If we can’t find an elite QB in the draft we’ll at least have some success with our current bus driver.

half right making this about zeke is insane its the other things you mentioned not just zeke

zeke was fine before his knee injury and before the OL dropped off cliff and before MOORE ignored the run game.

 

[TheHerd]

Thier Dt's were eating 2 O-lineman all night anyone should know that gets your RB a date with sevral LB's on a run play.

But that play show the C was not even trying to block the MLB who was directly in the hole we were trying to run into. No one was assigned to him apparently. You can't convince me that is a well designed running play.

 

[G2]

Why would we have a running scheme which blocks linebackers? Aren't RBs supposed to make multiple unblocked linebackers miss?

I believe that was our first offensive play of the game. I don't know how an offensive line can fail that badly. I blame the coaching. Even Smith was whiffing on blocks throughout the season.

 

[CowboyFrog]

But that play show the C was not even trying to block the MLB who was directly in the hole we were trying to run into. No one was assigned to him apparently. You can't convince me that is a well designed running play.

No it's not for sure, Doogie Howser OC is not what he seemed to be.

 

[RonnieT24]

We'll see what Zeke looks like at the beginning of next year. At the start of 2021, he was healthy and looked the best we've seen him in years. Then he injured his knee vs New England and looked like a carcass.

Why we were still out there feeding him 10+ carries a game on a torn PCL is baffling to me... he's being a total liability right now, bench him and let him heal.

He actually injured that knee when that guy landed on his right leg tackling him out of bounds.. I can't recall if it was the Panther game or the Giants game.. but the coaching staff and trainers all need to be taken to task for not sitting him immediately when it happened. It was a disservice to him, to the fans and to the team for them to keep sending him out there like that.. and it really makes me wonder just how bad Tony Pollard must look in blitz pickup in practice for them to send that guy out there more than him..

 

[Creeper]

I don't know how many more plays they ran like this but it is clear there was something very wrong with the blocking on this play. So much went wrong on this play. Martin literally buries his guy and Biadasz goes over to help him. And he mostly whiffs. In the meantime, no one blocks the LB. Same thing with the left side. Williams actually is in position to seal the DT to the outside but Tyron Smith for some reason comes from the left and drives the DTs into the hole! He actually defeated Connor Williams' block!

How this play should have worked. Martin buries the DT as he did. Biadasz goes straight ahead and just gets in the way of Fred Warner. Connor Williams seals the DT from the hole and Tyron Smith takes out the other LB. Zeke has to hit the hole quicker so #57 is not a factor. It might also have been possible that Connor Williams screwed up. Maybe he was supposed to chip the DT over to Tyron then go get the LB. Maybe it was he who messed up. Whatever the case this looks typical of the Cowboys OL blocking. Notice no one is heading downfield to block? Maybe this is why the Cowboys can't get past 3 yards when they run it.

When I see this play, I am wishing they had a FB leading the way. It reminds me of how they used to block for Emmitt only Moose would be there to wipe out the MLB.

 

[CowboyFrog]

I don't know how many more plays they ran like this but it is clear there was something very wrong with the blocking on this play. So much went wrong on this play. Martin literally buries his guy and Biadasz goes over to help him. And he mostly whiffs. In the meantime, no one blocks the LB. Same thing with the left side. Williams actually is in position to seal the DT to the outside but Tyron Smith for some reason comes from the left and drives the DTs into the hole! He actually defeated Connor Williams' block!

How this play should have worked. Martin buries the DT as he did. Biadasz goes straight ahead and just gets in the way of Fred Warner. Connor Williams seals the DT from the hole and Tyron Smith takes out the other LB. Zeke has to hit the hole quicker so #57 is not a factor. It might also have been possible that Connor Williams screwed up. Maybe he was supposed to chip the DT over to Tyron then go get the LB. Maybe it was he who messed up. Whatever the case this looks typical of the Cowboys OL blocking. Notice no one is heading downfield to block? Maybe this is why the Cowboys can't get past 3 yards when they run it.

When I see this play, I am wishing they had a FB leading the way. It reminds me of how they used to block for Emmitt only Moose would be there to wipe out the MLB.

Its a horrible scheme...just is.

 

[Dale]

If you discount the ridiculous Dak run at the end that ran out the clock...

If only it were that easy. Been trying for days to pretend that play never happened.

 

[morasp]

By that logic they should let Lamb be the ball carrier he averaged 5 yards per carry.

 

[RonnieT24]

Its a horrible scheme...just is.

Which is why Philbin and Moore need new home addresses... These players are being setup to fail..