It’s Not the Play Calling
Posted: October 27, 2005 @ 1:22 pm
“No, I don’t.”
That was Parcells’ quick dismissal of a logical question:
Do you think your offensive game plan was too conservative (in Seattle)?The correct answers would have been:
“Yes, I really screwed up.
“I should have turned loose Sean Payton with the game plan.
“We needed to be more aggressive on offense.
“It was foolish not to trust Drew Bledsoe and his receivers.
– Randy Galloway, Ft Worth Star-Telegram
“Cowboys Need to Learn Scoreboard Separation”
“Look, he’s a young player, fellas. I told you we were going to have a few problems, so when they happen don’t act like you’re surprised.”
– Bill Parcells on rookie RT Rob Petitti’s play
Which of these stubborn men is right?
The tapes do not lie. They say it’s Parcells.
A perception has taken hold, in the press and among much of the fandom, that the game plans have swung wildly from week to week. That Parcells wants to win every game 16-13. That he has, for some inexplicable reason, shackled OC Sean Payton. That if the coaching staff would only laminate the Eagles game plan and make it their permanent template, the Cowboys would be 6-1 or 7-0 and on the the shortcut back to glory.
What if I told you they had run the same general game plan the past three weeks? You might not believe it, but the tape doesn’t lie. And the game tapes say it’s so.
Eagles 1st Half
Passes: 27
Runs: 19
Pass attempts of 15+ yards: 6
Runs of 8+ yards: 3
Giants 1st Half
Passes: 22
Runs: 14
Pass attempts of 15+ yards: 5
Runs of 8+ yards: 3
Seahawks 1st Half
Passes: 19
Runs: 18
Pass attempts of 15+ yards: 5
Runs of 8+ yards: 6
The percentages of passes are greater than the percentages of runs in all three games. In the first two, Dallas went with a roughly 60/40 pass-to-run ratio. In the second game it was closer to 50/50. But the number of down-the-field pass attempts stayed constant in every game, meaning the Cowboys were just as aggressive in their philosophy against New York and Seattle. The increased ratio of runs may have been an adjustment to the fact that Dallas was running better that day than it had in the previous two games.
So why did Dallas have 27 points against Philly, but only seven against New York and Seattle?
“Because they were so predictable,” the critics will probably say. “Fox ran a graphic showing Dallas runs 65% of the time on first down.”
Don’t believe every statistic you read. Or at least try to contextualize them:
Philadelphia 1st half
1st down passes: 11
1st down runs: 10
New York 1st half
1st down passes: 9
1st down runs: 8
Seattle 1st half
1st down passes: 9
1st down runs: 9
That’s an ideal mix, one that shows good self-scouting. The Cowboys are roughly 50/50 in their first down runs and pass calls, making them anything but predictable in their tendencies.
I can point to another set of factors that are clearer indicators of why Dallas didn’t score early. Factors that deal with execution:
Eagles 1st half
Sacks allowed: 0
Turnovers: 0
Penalties: 2
Plays run: 46
Giants 1st half
Sacks allowed: 2
Turnovers 3
Penalties: 1
Plays run: 36
Seahawks 1st half
Sacks allowed: 2
Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 2
Plays run: 37
When you give up early sacks, you kill drives. When you give the ball away, you kill drives. There is a direct causal relationship between those miscues and plays run. And when you don’t have the ball, you can’t put it in the end zone. Sacks and turnovers have cost Dallas the equivalent of one long scoring drive in each of the last two first halves.
The tape doesn’t lie. The offensive philosophy has not changed. Unfortunately, the Cowboys’ efficiency has.
Comments
165 Responses to “It’s Not the Play Calling”
Rafael Vela
Good gob again, our offence is not that good period, so go ahead and blame the line. If the line is the problem lets just not play anymore games because its not going to get a whole lot better. The whole offence unit is a problem. The line is not a new problem its time to get over it and move on to something that can be changed this season. We can’t get a big time player this year either so the only thing that can change is adjustments to the game plans.
I completely disagree. I think the efficiency of the line depends on the improvement of Rob Petitti and improved play from the centers. And why would you think that they’re not going to improve?
The defense gave up seven long TD passes in the first four games. They’ve been money the last three. Did they throw up their hands and say, Keith Davis and Bradie James suck, he’s not going to get better, let’s work on some crazy blitz packages because that’s the only option open to us?
No, James has gone from a bust to one of the team leaders in three short weeks. Why would you think that a guy like Petitti or young guys like Tucker, Johnson and Gurode can’t do the same?
Damn,
Right on…glad someone is able to see that things arent so different as people make them out to be.
Although we may not be 6-1 or 7-0, at least i can say I am enjoying seeing the team grow week by week. It is such a big difference frm previous years but seems like everyone is so bent on rapid improvements. Unfortunately, life is perfect and neither are the Cowboys but part of being a fan is watching your team grow (or even go from a 1-15 season to super bowls to 6-10 seasons to whereever we are going now). I do, however, sometimes criticize them for their mistakes but sometiems it seems people take it so far. That whole Randy Galloway column……just wow…just makes me glad sometimes that these people arent in charge of the game…we would so be in for a rude awakening.
Anyways, great job on your analysis.
Rafael Vela
The D has had one bad game as a unit. Unlike some people I know the D will give up plays its just how it is. The offence has been up and down ( down the last two games) I just tired of hearing after every lost its the o line fault. When it is deeper then that. The line can improve this year but it wont get fix this year. The line is going to be a problem but after 7 games its time to adjust and look at other things. I’m not the one down on the o line or blame the line after a lost here……We don’t have the worst line or even close to the worst ling in the NFL so its has to be other things too.
Rafael-Why would you expect any quality analysis from Galloway? He sounds like he’s on the sauce every day(must be from the MNF school). As for the other folks that find the play calling too conservative maybe we should open it up like Houston does and see how durable Bledsoe is. I’m not of the school that they’ve called a perfect game or that I wouldn’t have opened it up but I’m not at Valley Ranch everyday in the to see how the players are developing and what they are doing well each week. This whole discussion reminds me of the Brett Favre commercial where he walks around second guessing everyday people on hairstyle, double bagging groceries etc. If these critics could do it any better they would be on the sidelines somewhere getting paid $4mil a year to do it. This isn’t Madden football; this is real life. Let’s see these people put their paycheck on the line and see how they call plays then.
I have questioned BP for constantly shuffling the O-line in preseason which prevented them from gelling and getting in sync; however, if I could do it better I wouldn’t be where I’m at.
Rapheal,
Once again you separate the wheat from the chaff and show - with factual proof - why the Cowboys are where they are. I wish I had half your techinical football expertise. You take apart a game lke you are a professional scout on the team payroll and I am glad that I found this site.
aw,
How come you have such a difficult time with the fact that our O line play - two rookies basically - is at the bottom of our offensive woes?
We have two rb’s - JJ and MBIII - who are NFL starter material. We have a above average WR core. Our TE’s are all world - blocking and/or pass catching - and our QB is a Vet who has proven that he will perform given a few seconds to throw.
What is the missing link here?? We have two very inexperienced tackles on the team and they are having growing pains and need help and that is why we aren’t 6-1 or 5-2.
I like your passion on Football matters, but this time I don’t get your angle.
Rafael
Do you have the same run/pass breakdown for the second half of those games?
“I just tired of hearing after every lost its the o line fault. When it is deeper then that. The line can improve this year but it wont get fix this year. The line is going to be a problem but after 7 games its time to adjust and look at other things.”
Prove it, aw. You say it over and over again. Offer some proof.
And yes, I did criticize the line after a loss. Because the Seattle game in on them, for the most part. But you’re projecting your damnation of them on me. Just because I said they sucked doesn’t mean I think they’re gonna stay that way. You’re the one making that terminal diagnosis.
ramac,
Not off the top of my head, but I’ll venture that the run/pass ratios in all three games are reversed, going to a 60/40 run mix. In the Eagles game to grind down the half and protect a lead, and in the Giants and especially the Seattle game to protect the QB from the seive-like protection.
I of course meant “going off the top of my head….”
If the O line does not do its job, the offense fails. simple as that.
I do not know why some just cannot figure that out.
IT ALL STARTS WITH THE LINE.
Mr. Vela,
Nice job again. Your analysis is consistently more thorough and insightful than all of the Dallas-area sports writers combined. With that said, I would have liked to see 1st or 2nd down play-action passes after the two turnovers deep in Seattle territory. Also, more screens should slow down a pass rush if the screens are effective, but Dallas didn’t seem to want to run those anymore after a penalty killed a big gain.
Still, its hard to argue with your overall conclusions.
The more I hear from the likes of Galloway the less I listen.
If play calling was the answer, then the best computer geek would win each week. Ah, but the NFL is stocked with human beings, not video-game characters.
The powerhouse Cowboys of the mid 90’s ran the same plays over and over, very predictable, and beat the snot out of just about everyone because of execution. Seems like a guy named Lombardi stressed execution also.
Rafael, how would you rate the job offensive line coach Tony Sparano is doing developing our young guys? How much impact does veteren leadership from Allen and Rivera influence the younger players?
Rafael:
Great analysis, there’s another stat, but one that I can’t find and that’s QB pressures and I don’t need to be a PhD in Math to know that QB pressures tend to change schemes. And it really changed things, before Flozell we saw Bledsoe looking for Glenn or Crayton deep every once in a while, at Seattle I only saw that twice, if I’m wrong please correct me, but it really hasn’t changed the passing game, Parcells still wants the ball in the air and the stats you cited show that, but it’s more of 5 - 20 yard passes now.
And I guess that by now we should all quit giving this type of explanations, it’s obvious that we’ll always find guys that don’t understand stats and keep saying the same things over and over.
I think Parcells problem is not in conservative game plans (your numbers are solid evidence that they aren’t), but rather in going too conservative in specific situations. In both cases where the Cowboys had the ball in the red zone late in the Seattle game, they chose to run on first and second down. That lead to obvious passing situations on third down. If any one of those four running plays is a play action pass instead, I think the Cowboys would’ve had a much better chance of getting a touchdown, and putting the game out of Seattle’s reach.
James H:
As Rafael cited also in another post, the OLine might have been coached a lot at QB protection, taking some time off run blocking, that’s understandable seeing the type of running game Dallas had early in the season, now I think that the OLine is working a 50-50, as it should be, and it shows, the running lanes are getting bigger. Now pass protection’s having some problems, but you can also figure that Seattle had 18 sacks in 6 games and of the 5 sacks they made on Sunday 2 were allowed by Johnson and Rivera, the other 3 are expected, considering especially that Petitti was being left alone more that in previous times and Tucker playing for the 1st time at LT. We can expect that Petitti will have more problems, especially while being left alone, Tucker might gave up a sack every game, but we shouldn’t expect the same from the guys in the center of the line, with the exception of Allen, who’s solid, bu not great. Johnson and Rivera need to step up and show what they’ve shown in the past and what we know they’re capable of accomplishing.
Excellent breakdown Rafael! You can’t dispute the facts. I have (almost) no problem with the game plan so far. I have felt all year our execution is a direct reflection on how our offensive line plays. I have not felt like the line has played that great all year with the exception of the Eagles game.
The only problem I had with the play calling last week was I would have liked to see us be more agressive in the red zone utilizing playaction on 1st down and running on 2nd down, instead of run, run, pass. Bill has been known to try and make the other team pay after turnovers, but in this case he was ultra conservative. Then I thought it was unwise to suddenly be aggressive instead of conservative by throwing on third and long in our own territory with the clock running in the 4th Quarter. I felt thats the place to be conservative and run the ball and play for overtime.
Other than that I think our playcalling is fine and is effective when our offensive line plays a solid game.
We can only hope that those guys can get their act together soon, and all will be well. I hope!
Rafael
Was it the O-line fault Bledsoe had two picks??? Was it the o-line fault we didn’t put up more points against Washington? 0 sacks that game. Was it the o-lines fault we only put up 13 points against Oak? The O-line is not that bad and yes they can get better. We have a qb that can’t avoid sacks and buy extra time. We have a rb that has yet put up a good game against a good teams. And has looked avenge at best in all but three games he has played. I don’t want to hear what he was on this way to against Philly or what he would have done against Seattle. You can give me all his numbers but most of those number come from three great games. We don’t have a #1 WR not every team has one. Just like the D need the offence to put up more point or at least try to put a game away when the D give them a short field to work with. The line need needs help from the play calling and the other player until they start playing better.
AlanTdot
The poor play of the line is part of the problem but its been a problem from the jump so its time a find a way to help the line.
Great analysis Rapheal.
aw,
if you’re going to contend with rafael’s argument that the cowboy’s play calling over the last three weeks isn’t conservative then don’t bring up games that go beyond the past three weeks. out of those three games rafael is referring to, he washington or oakland isn’t included. after all of these quality statistical breakdowns rafael has provided, why do u still not understand our o-line is the peril to our game and not the play calling? what do you need to clear your judgement? cliffnotes for rafael’s blog? okay, i’ll try and break it down:
cliffnotes for rafael’s blog:
cause - cowboys lose to another nail biter. this time, it’s against seattle.
effect - popular perception especially voices who are quick to judge without accurately researching the matter, otherwise affectionately referred to as mediots say parcells has gone to conservative play calling.
cause - rafael researches the game combing each play with a reliable, professional football analysis machine, i.e. tivo or similar recording device.
effect - he learns the first three halves of our last three games (philadelphi, new york and seattle) are all fairly equally in proportion to pass vs. run including first down play calling.
cause - althoug popular perception isn’t privy to rafael’s blog, we privelaged ones saw rafael’s revelation, which quickly transformed our blame from play calling to our offensive line.
effect - contrary to the rest of us, you still adamently argue that the blame falls on parcell’s play calling and recite washington and oakland, both of which are outside the games in question.
but it’s okay because hopefully with these cliff notes, you can get it. either that or you just like to bash on parcells and you’re you’re really not who you say you are, but rather jimmy johnson and are just jelous that dallas as reemerging as a powerhouse again and doing it without you.
Raf,
What your analysis ignores is that while there may be the same mix of pass to run plays, not every reciever has been an option in every game. With the decline in Petitti’s play and the addition of Tucker as our LT, the RB’s and Witten have had to handle more blocking duties. That in and of itself makes it easier for defenses when they only have 1 or 3 WR to worry about.
*sorry meant to say 1 or 2 WR to worry about.
problem child
Did the line make Bledsoe throw two picks?? I haven’t bashed BP. The offence as a unit is not getting it done not just the line. We had four turnovers against NY the line didn’t turn the ball over. BP said it himself the snap wasn’t a problem until Bledsoe got here.
Did the O line throw two picks? If the QB has to throw before he wants to due to poor protection then yes the O line helped throw two INT’s.
Did you watch the replay of the snap that never hits Bledsoe’s hands? Yes the O line (center) helped with that too!
If the RB’s are not having great games is it because they don’t want to run or are there no holes?
Not protecting the QB = INT’s and turnovers.
Not opening holes = poor running.
aw,
What we do know about Bledsoe is that when he isn’t given time he
a) locks onto one reciever and.
b) tends to hold on to the ball and take a sack.
I am sure Raph had a stat that showed that Bledsoe has less than four or five seconds to throw the ball vs Seattle and against Philly, he had six seconds and more.
There are QB’s in the league who can remain unaffected by pass rush pressure and getting hit, but there aren’t many - Maybe Four and two of them are going to the HOF - and as BP says they don’t sell them at the 7 eleven.
Bledsoe is what he is, a vet QB leader who will blow you to pieces if he gets some reliable protection - 1 maybe 2 sacks a game.
a lot of good points made here, but the bottom line is, a four teams in the NFC east have 4 wins, we have one extra loss due to an extra game played. the other teams will beat each other up over the next few weeks and when the smoke clears, we will be on top.
We beat Philly, new york and pretty had our way with washington (all bet the W of course), so who’s to say we can’t take them again. Hell, we usually play all three teams better ON THEIR TURF!.
Funny thing about perception, it is only as bad or good as the last game played!
ENJOY THE RIDE GUYS
Oh, one more thing, The offense starting opening some big running lanes in philly, and have continuted to do so. Can’t wait to see what JJ will do with those holes….he didn’t have them the first few games.
I’m not disappointed in the way we played the last game. If we have a reliable FG kicker those games are wins.
rmac
If you dont want to throw it then dont throw it.
The snap, take it up with BP he said it.
There are holes.
The real goat last sunday isn’t bledsoe, it’s cortez. We’da beat Seattle if not for cortez. The O-line, rookies notwithstanding, is good, the D is great- and when Jones gets back in the game- hopefully vs Philly, then we’ll be on the way to a wild card or the division…
Brent,
Bledsoe gets a piece of the blame for locking into TGlenn and throwing into dbl coverage with 10 seconds left. Yeah he was happy foot Drew cause of the pressure, but that throw wasn’t what you expect from a vet.
Aw,
I agree with you. It’s not the OL fault, ok they might give a sack or two here and there. Drew is in his half season in play, and you can tell he’s beginning to slack off. The interception at the end of Seattle’s game is Drews fault. He will slowly start declining the second have of this year. Hey, when the Cowboys hired him, they knew he is not a mobile QB and he hangs on to the ball too much. BP has to start passing more and hope “Happy Feet” Drew can start off like he did the first 5 or 6 games and get his rythm back. Happy Sailing!
Dallas Dan,
Yes the int at the end of the game was Drews fault.
The rest of your post barely rises above conjecture.
I don’t see how you can agree with AW, as he always tries to back up what he says with more than
“He will slowly start declining the second have of this year.”
What is that? Why will he decline? Why bother to put untested supposition on this site? Shouldn’t you be out raking the leaves or something? Washing the car?
Really perhaps you need to stick to just reading the occasional post and then chip in with a GOOOOOOO COWBOYS!!!!!!! every other week or so.
the Randy Galloway suggestion that:
“I should have turned loose Sean Payton with the game plan” is right as I have repeatedly opined in this blog.
BP’s solution (which Rafael endorses) is “efficiency” — i.e. this is a player problem not a coaching problem. The fact is the play calling and player performance is a simbiotic relationship (each is dependant on the other) I happen to believe more can be changed from the coaching perspective than the player perspective.
I don’t think the pass / run percentage accurately captures the problem or identifies the play calling. I say that when BP asked his team about opening up the offense prior to the Eagles game, BP was really positing the question (albeit unspoken) “Do you guys want me to fully implement Sean Payton’s offense?” I believe Payton was given new inspiration and added incentive in the offensive game plan.
Maybe I’ll go with “efficiency” answer too but also apply it as between Bill Parcells and Sean Payton. Efficiency would be letting Sean — uh, how did Mr. Galloway say it — “turn loose Sean Payton with the game plan.” That would be “efficient” and not conservative — even if only from Bill Parcell’s point of view.
Did anyone see this?
Allen went after Cortez again?
from the dc.com website.
” Nearly lost in Seattle’s drizzle was Allen trying to pull a repeat, to say nothing of Cortez’ head from his shoulders. A study of the game tape on the fated missed field goal will show Allen making his block, raising his head after the kick to watch it sail wide, pounding the turf in anger and anguish and confronting Cortez again! In San Francisco, teammate Jason Witten intervened to pull Allen away. Sunday, a Seahawk happened to pass between Allen and Cortez, and maybe something everyone and no one wanted to see.”
When the commentators in the booth laugh and joke and say’Watch,the Cowboys will run this play”(and they did) we have a predictability problem.The Philly game was like it was because Philly didn’t expect us to come out slinging like we did.Even Bledsoe said BP should open it up more this morning on 103.3,I feel that a more innovative(and less predictable) gameplan would help immensely.
AlanTdot
that was funny. lol
Look at this sad numbers our O-line is allowing our offence to put up…..
–Dallas has recorded at least 300 yards in six of its seven games this year. The Cowboys have recorded more than 350 yards in four of the last six games. –Dallas has made more trips into the opponents’ red zone (27) than any other NFC team. Only AFC clubs Cincinnati (29) and Indianapolis (27) have been inside the opposition 20-yard line as-much-or-more than Dallas. The Cowboys have scored touchdowns on 13 of their 27 trips inside the 20.
–The Dallas offense has turned the ball over 12 times in seven games. Seven NFC teams have committed fewer turnovers.
–Dallas is the only NFL team to have three running backs with at least 125 yards rushing on the year: Julius Jones (407), Tyson Thompson (161) and Marion Barber (126).
footballoutsiders.com (which does a bunch of really cool, nonstandard stats) has the Dal Oline ranked 21 (bottom 1/3). The overall offense ranks 16 (top 1/2). I wonder if the columns/complaints are because Dallas leads the league in # rushes?
At the press conf. BP was asked something like ‘why can’t you guys close this out’. meaning get further ahead rather than losing close games in the last two mins. And he replied ‘Maybe we’re not that good.’ I found that reply shocking but maybe he has a point that the team is young and still learning.
I was listening to a interview with Dan Campbell, in which he said there were “shots” in the game plan. They actually ran those plays, but there wasn’t enough protection from the line. While Flozell wasn’t playing up to expectations he is still better than Tucker. Also, they were able to offer backfield help to Petiti with Adams in the lineup. It’s hard to take a 5 yard drop with no protection.
Hi Everybody!
First of all, wow - Galloway, just turn in your press credentials. You just got schooled, and unless you want to go watch tape and can come back with a coutner argument, don’t say another word.
(was this the guy who showed up late at training camp eating hot dogs and wiping mustard from his mouth with press releases, or is Oiler Troll confused like he is liable to be?)
Back to the team and the matter at hand - let’s go into the way-back machine and consider Bledsoe as an outgoing Patriot. Billichick’s staff thought Tom Brady was a better keep because Brady saw more of the whole field and dumped the ball off more often than Bledsoe. Brady did not instinctively force things deep as Bledsoe allegedly does.
Question: is there a clear indication that when rushed, Bledsoe will heave it long and make mistakes more frequently (or is the answer so obvious that the question need not be asked)?
OT
sharkz
You hit it as a predictability issue. If we can identify why we are more predictable, then we can work towards solving the problem. Is “efficiency’ making us more predictable? No. In fact, the so-called efficiency answer thumbs its nose at predictability and says “here we come but you cant stop it” So if BP and Rafael are correct, this offense will stay in that same range of predictability but will prevail because the players will execute or execute better. We’ll see….
Random Thoughts:
Randy Galloway is an opinionated idiot, who is still mad because Jerry ran Jimmy off. He is a Jimmy loyalist, since Jimmy called his show to make his famous “brass ones” prediction before that San Fran playoff game. He is waiting for Parcells to fail, so he can run Jimmy’s proxy “I told you so” for him.
Randy’s job is to generate ratings and sell papers, and he succeeds if others talk about him. I move we ban everything he writes or says from the site, although with everything Skip Clueless writes or says. Only real, grounded opinions need be heeded, certainly not rantings.
It’s not either-or, between the line and coaching. Could the line’s woes be corrected or minimized through better coaching? Who knows, but the team personnel is not changing until next spring, so we should all hope for improvement due to better coaching. If not, this season could get bleak.
Is the play calling obvious at times? Yes. Should the Cowboys have beaten Seattle anyway? Absolutely. Whose fault is it? The whole team’s. Every one of them was capable of making one more play, and the game would never have come out like it did if any one of them had.
Football is won at the line of scrimmage. Good lines impose their will on the other team’s lines. I really don’t need statistics to tell me this line is not very tough, and hasn’t been all year. I haven’t seen a push yet when the other team knew it was coming, which is the mark of a great line and great team. This is currently neither, although some of the pieces are coming into place for one.
The Cowboys won the defensive line of scrimmage until the final two or three minutes, and lost the game. The defensive backs covered well until the last few minutes, then suddenly didn’t and lost the game. The offensive line won the line of scrimmage until they got into the red zone, then failed and lost the game. Bledsoe threw well enough to win until the last few seconds, then thrw a stupid pass and lost the game. The runners ran hard, but fumbled and lost the game. The deep snapper played well until it was action time, then didn’t, and lost the game. Special teams players left early on punt coverage, drew penalties, and lost the game. The kicker sailed a gimme wide left, and lost the game.
Have I forgotten anybody?
It was a team loss. By my reckoning, given the team’s makeup, they were due two in the first half to teams they should have beaten, and this was their second. If they quit losing to teams they should beat, they still go 10-6 and make the playoffs, as the consensus predicted.
Get over it.
I’m no expert, but it seems to me like we need to get a little creative in solving our problems at tackle, but leave those guys in so they get experience & get better.
It’s difficult to assist both tackles at once, in the same play. But, perhaps we should, at least sometimes, work with less of the field from L to R. For example, a few more outside runs and then help the tackle on the side we’re running to with the TE/H-Back or FB. An occasional screen to the left or right might be wise as well to slow down the rush a little. Bledsoe is not the most mobile QB in the world, but he can move … maybe some half-rolls to the side getting help might give another quarter/half second. Shovel pass in the interior as the defensive ends fly past our tackles? Something … we have to slow down the rush & we can’t do it on both sides at the same time.
We may just have to wait for the tackles to get better and Jones to come back - a good running game will slow it down a bit. But, my hope is Parcells & co. can get a little creative (no, I don’t mean trick plays).
Dylan
aw:
First off, those sad numbers you mentioned, aren’t sad, you know? But there’s a catch, efficiency in the red zone began to erode after the 3rd game, Dallas was the number 1 team at efficiency in the red zone in those first 3 games, then they began to crumble. Why? Bledsoe hasn’t thrown an interception in the red zone. So you take the answer of your liking, I’m sticking with the evidenced problem of the OLine.
On another subject, those lost exchanges from Johnson to Bledsoe, after looking replays of the exchanges, every one of them showed Johnson hitting with the ball his left thigh, twice the ball went rolling from there, the other one went into Bledsoe’s hands in a bad angle. But, of course, you can blame Bledsoe, objectivity is a subject exposed by the free speach one.
Dylan:
I think that Dallas can survive, and definitely play better, with the game plan followed in the last games. But they do need a better play from the center of the line, when your tackles allow sacks, you better not allow sacks from the middle, at Seattle Johnson and Rivera allowed 2. The 3 allowed by Tucker and Petitti are expected.
mmmm…interesting point. I’m sold
Well, as far as Tucker & Petitti, you also have to factor in the pressures & penalties, not just sacks ….. and the running back drops for a loss. It is significant … I’m about to rewatch the game to make sure I’m not misremembering (good George W. sounding phrase), but I believe there were a number of plays beyond the sacks that were stuffed in one way or another from misplay by the tackles. Previously, we were able to help Petitti consistently and we played well. Two is just too much to protect.
So, my point is, the tackles are the biggest problem and we should consider at least some play changes to compensate.
I don’t know what the hell is going on with the center of the line, Parcell needs to kick some ass on those guys as far as I can tell.
Dylan
Well, Al Johnson is technically a 2nd year player, because he missed his first year because of injury. So maybe he has the famous sophomore slump
Rafael really breaks it down. Who needs CowboysPlus!
Wasn’t much of a breakdown if you ask me. He glossed over some very obvious points to fluff Parcells.
I haven’t read the whole thread, so sorry if this is redundant but it looks to me like A Johnson is just getting pushed into the backfield too much. Alot of the pressure on Bledsoe that last few games has been right up the middle b/c of this.
Also it has been very frustrating the last few games because while it doesn’t seem like we’ve run the ball too badly in general, we haven’t been able to run in short yardage situations at all. Mick on DC.com pointed out the problem with rushing touchdowns but its the same deal with 3rd and 1, etc. Any thoughts on this?
Also, why not have Thompson run outside once in a while with that speed?
If anyone reads 1st and 10 with John Clayton, I like the points he makes. He says that although in the preseason our team looked worse, our team has flourished. Our D is playing great and our 3 losses are extremely winnable games.
ANyone have any updates on JJ?
jk,
running outside isn’t as easy as it may seem in the preseason against scrubs. NFL starting LB’s are very fast, and what you saw out of TT in the preseason doesn’t mean it will translate to what he can do against first team defenses.
Two things:
1. With their first pick in the first round, the Dallas Cowboys select 6′3″ 215lb, Free Safety and Nickel Back from the great state of Virginia, former Virginia Tech Hokie, Jimmy Williams.
8 years later, football knowitalls will say this was the lynchpin move that concreted one of the greatest defenses in pro football history. Why on earth would you ever pass against that D? And how are you going to run?
2nd pick, also from God’s country and the great state of Virginia, OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson and a trade up to nab LB Ahmad Brooks. (these two are more wishful thinking)
2. AW, what’s your point? You spend a lot of space on these pages writing, but there are precious few specifics in your posts.
There’s something not right on offense - it’s not the offensive line - but there’s something wrong you just can’t put your finger on? You don’t know what it is. You’re not sure, but you’re sure that the ingredients are wrong - but it’s NOT the offensive line.
Try providing specifics when you endlessly counter sound arguments. Break down the elements of each play that you approve of, and you disprove of. Speaking in generalities and painting your opinions with a broad brush hint at you having only a meagre grasp of Xs and Os - not that any of us are Jim Walsh, especially me, and I don’t mean to badmouth your obvious enthusiasm for the game and the Cowboys. it’s just that every 4th post on this blog is your contrary opinion, and it’s not that i disprove of being contrary, it’s just that you’ve never provided anything other than a fan’s gut feeling and emotion from a perspective that’s 30,000 feet above the details. Which is more than Randy Galloway provided in his recent article, by the way. If you think of it, it’s hilarious that he’s criticizing Parcell’s game management ability. It’s like telling TS Eliot that his rhymes suck.
Joey,
Parcells is a nervous man. He’s constantly paranoid. I think his glass half empty approach sometimes is a detriment. To his credit I’ve seen him back off of that in public this year, and is trying hard to instill confidence in this team. Whether you think Parcells calls a good game or not, the truth is we have a first year starter at LT and one at RT and that’s not a good thing to have on your hands.
Rafael wants to say well if an ISLB can do it why not start offensive tackles? The “Mike” LB is a little less important than keeping you QB standing up, and a little easier to do.
On 3rd and 1, they should use the 5 linemen(Tucker, Allen, Johnson, Rivera, Petitti) both tight ends(Campbell and Witten), and use Spears and Gurode, as double fullbacks(or mobile guards), one back(Barber, Thompson, Thomas, or Jones) and Bledsoe. If one of the 5 interior offensive linemen is pushed back, or loses his block, Spears or Gurodel could aim at the loose defender. The defence could counter with 8 linemen and 3 linebackers, but a quick pass from Bledoe to Witten could spoil that counter move.
Or, Bledsoe could be replaced by a 3d fullback(maybe Noll), to add more mass in front of a single running quarterback(Barber apparently can pass, too)
I get to type down these crazy ideas, because I can’t be fired, and the media can’t criticize me.
I enjoy Randy Galloway’s writings, but we need to realize that he has an agenda here. He has been on Parcells over Bill’s ‘bus driver’ statement ever since he made it. Galloway misses no opportunity to play up the importance of the quarterback, irrespective of any circumstances regarding game situation or how the quarterback is actually playing.
Randy Galloway will always fault Bill Parcells if Parcells’ offense does not prominently feature the quarterback in every game, especially if they happen to lose it.
While the offensive line was certainly a major problem against Seattle, there are/were other factors — Bledsoe had an off game; Julius Jones was missing, allowing the Seahawks to play more deep zones, figuring that our running backs wouldn’t beat them by themselves. [I'm going to leave the kicker out of this discussion, since he is gone.]
When Jones was in the lineup, defenses concentrated on him, keeping 8 defenders in the box, which allowed Bledsoe and Glenn to return to Pro Bowl status. With Jones out, our opponents can back off the line. They will continue to do so, until either Jones returns or one of our other running backs begins to take advantage and really gouges a defense or two.
As much as I was impressed by the job Marion Barber did against Seattle, I doubt if he scares any teams yet. Certainly, no team worries about Anthony Thomas at all. With Tyson Thompson, you do have a threat with the ball. But the Cowboys don’t trust him at all in any pass-blocking situations. If I were the defensive coordinator for an opponent, I would put 9 on the line as soon as Tyson enters the game and tell everyone to go where he goes. In the last two games, Thompson has come in for one series in each. In each of those series, he carried the ball on every play, except one time when he was the primary receiver. If Thompson could only improve to acceptable in that (pass-blocking/blitz-pickup) area, he might be what we need to keep defenses honest.
As for Bledsoe, [I've said this before, so forgive me here] he needs protection. When he gets it, he is as good (or better) than any quarterback in the NFL. When he doesn’t get good protection, not only is he somewhat less mobile than Michael Vick (and maybe the Washington Monument), but he tends to make poor decisions with the ball. In this last game, it also looked like his accuracy was off. I don’t know if that was because he was feeling pressure, anticipating pressure, or just having an off day.
I believe that getting Julius Jones back will solve some of our problems. The coaches will also have to figure out the best way to implement protection schemes that give Bledsoe the time he needs to hit his receivers. That can be problematic, since giving more pass protection automatically reduces the number of receivers we can send out into patterns. We can also hope, as Rafael suggests, the these young linemen improve as the season progresses.
Some have asked why the Cowboys went away from their more open game plan in the second half. Well, duh!
Look! When a team loses a close game, everything gets doubly scrutinized. Everybody has an opinion as to why we lost, and who was to blame. Well, since we DID lose, they might be right. Maybe if we had kept the offense open, or even opened it up more, we would have won. That theory cannot be disproved, because it didn’t happen that way, and we lost.
However, I defy anyone to look at those first-half statistics, which the Cowboys coaching staff undoubtedly did, and argue logically (that is, without recourse to the final outcome) that with the offensive line getting whipped on a regular basis, with Bledsoe seemingly off his game, with the Seattle defense playing back, taking away most deep chances, with the Cowboys in the lead, in the rain, on the opponent’s field, with the defense having a great day; that the Cowboys should have called more pass plays (which hadn’t been working), instead of running plays (which had been working).
aw,
You might have a point about the snaps prior to the Seahawks game. I really don’t know. But you can hardly blame Bledsoe for a snap which slipped out of Johnson’s hand and never had a chance to get back to the quarterback.
Uh! Parcells said that BEFORE the Seattle game.
The ball was wet, and it slipped. After that play, Johnson asked for a new ball on every other play.
That one is on Johnson, and there is no way anyone can argue around it.
Ah, Cash and his fluffing.
Dude, aside from revealing a serious porn addiction, you really need to find some new material. Yours is lame.
Cash,
Who said I wasn’t taking receivers and routes into account? The packages they’ve given Petitti are no more severe than they were earlier in the season. He’s gotten chip help from Campbell or Witten or a back all season. The Cowboys have been able, most of the time, to send four out on routes. Sometimes, if it’s a three step drop, they send them all.
As with AW, prove it. Since it’s such an “obvious” point that I’m missing, I’m sure you can do it.
cash,
It’s not so much that those preseason defenders were slow scrubs. After all, not everyone who plays in the second half of a preseason game is slow. Actually, they could be faster than the starters, but lacking in other areas. It’s more that they were unprepared for Thompson’s speed. I don’t care how fast your linebackers are, when you have a player with Thompson’s speed, the defense has to split those linebackers out wider, or risk being turned.
There actually was a sweep called for Thompson this last game. It looked like the defender had the angle on him, but Thompson easily ran around him for a 10-yard gain.
Alantdot,
“He will slowly start declining the second have of this year.â€Â
What is that? Why will he decline? Why bother to put untested supposition on this site? Shouldn’t you be out raking the leaves or something? Washing the car?
To answer your question why he will decline is because he’s known to do that. Haven’t you noticed he’s throwing more interceptions and he’s panicking more? Take a look at him all these years and you’ll find out why he will decline.
My maid rakes the leaves and washes my care for me, thank you!
You can’t tell me if i can put untested supposition or not. I’m just telling you that’s the way i think will happen, if you don’t like my post, move on to the next one. Happy Sailing!
Rafael,
Very nice breakdown of the play calling.
I think some of the worse execution has come on screen plays. Effective screen passes can deter a good pass rush, and its paramount that the O-linemen stop holding defensive linemen away from the play. The big plays are there with the screens!! The players just have to execute!! .. The screen mixed in with Julius’ draw play can cause opponent’s defensive linemen fits. A definate deterant to an aggressive pass rushing team.
But hey guys this team is very young. Lets hope they can fix some of these problems in their execution. They have been in every game, and beat up on the “best team the NFC has to offer”. Not bad for a group of rookies and second year players finding their places. If they can just keep improving, then this thing can be special … “SUPER” even!! … This is a huge game, coming off an upsetting loss. So lets show them we are behind them and blow the lid off Texas Stadium this weekend!!
LETS GO COWBOYS!!!!!
football is a crazy game in that it can get quite complicated if you want it to be…game plans are about exposing weaknesses and creating a favorable matchup…thats all it is…sometimes I think calling plays is overrated…like another guy said earlier Landry ran the same plays again and again and execution was the key…he forced his receivers to run strict patterns, coached line technique mercilessly etc…when Staubach was out of the pocket he’d have a heart attack!…points only meant everyone was doing exactly what they were supposed to do and the results reinforced his demand for perfection…when a receiver was out of position by 2 feet yet made a spectacular grab…he’d take that guy to task over the 2 feet!…in general I like Paytons game altho a few times a game it’s too conservative…for me I always want to attack the end zone…anyone remember how many times Aikman would go deep as soon as he got to mid field on the first possesion of the second half!…boom!…anyway the coach has to feel out the game and see what works and for that reason alone I like an aggressive call…I like that busted half back option…it’s a killer when it works same for the old flea flicker…rolling pockets would help out Bledsoe…shovel pass…whatever…lowtech works…I just dont think 4 wideouts to run the ball fools too many people…it’s power and execution every time and thats on the O line no question…in the air I like to see them go to Witten sooner and more often…nobody can cover him for long…I liked crayton for the same reasons everyone else does…an Irvin like willingness to fight for the ball and open for him is just a few inches…our RBs are plenty good enough maybe even stars…Barber reminds me of a smaller Dickerson sometimes with speed and power and will punish the tackler…I’m not sure how much they miss Jones but I dont miss him at all!…it’s all on the line tho so to speak….and Cortez killed us…big leg but it flew all over the park…kickers control momentum…I’ll take numbers over distance any day…sorry I’m so windy
If the line blocks for Bledsoe he eats you up. If they do not he won’t. Simple as that.
Raf,
Your analysis is revealing and should put to bed any notion these guys are scared of calling risky plays. They simply understand the strengths and weaknesses of their own players and their opponents and devise plays to take advantage. Simple as that.
As BP has repeatedly stated, this is a game of execution. If the plays called had been executed we would have won every game — but what team cannot say that?
I think he really means - there are several plays (the best example being the missed field goals in Seattle and Washington) that should have been executed, no excuses. If they had we would not be having these discussions.
Our talent level is such that if we some reasonable level of execution, not perfect execution, we will fare very well this season. Not many teams can say that.
Sorry for the last paragraph, should have read:
Our talent level is such that with some reasonable level of execution, not perfect execution, we will fare very well this season. Not many teams can say that.
if we lose this one…we are officialy done.
“Wasn’t much of a breakdown if you ask me. He glossed over some very obvious points to fluff Parcells.”
Cash,
could you elaborate a little bit on this?
Dallas Dan,
My maid washes the car? My maid washes the car?
That’s what you come back with?
” He’s throwing more interceptions..”
Yes, I too can type NFL.com and get statistics, but WHY is he throwing more interceptions?
Your next point - “Take a look at him all these years and you’ll find out why he will decline..” - sounds like something I wrote when I didn’t do my homework and wrote an essay while walking to school in Grade Five.
Yes, you are right that I can’t tell you what to post, but I sure can tell you that your post is unsubstanciated supposition. And boring.
By the way, tell your mom/maid to give the pinto an extra coat of wax.
….my maid washes the car. meh…
Cash,
I agree, his analysis was black and white and I don’t see any patronizing of BP going on. Why don’t you explain what you mean?
Seems like Mr. Cash above is getting dogged quite alot for disagreeing with the BP / Rafael party line (sorry that may a bit inflammatory) that with his actual analysis
So now we go from analyzing the game to analyzing the analyzers? This blog is getting complicated…
linus,
I am not trying to dog Cash, I just want to know what he thinks has been overlooked. He makes good points and I want to see what this one is.
AW,
thanks for giving us some stats to chew on. Looking at those stats I understand your arguement. I don’t necessarily agree, but thats what makes this site fun.
EricR
Go Cowboys!!!
…that’s funny.
Joey2zs
Time and time again I have said the problem is the whole offence not just the line. Yes again read what I wrote the line is a problem but its not the only problem. The line is not that bad but when you have a qb that can’t avoid a sacks, so it looks worst. We don’t have a true playmaker that we can count on at the end of the game. We haven’t had a running game that can get the tough yards in a long time here. Was the line a problem last year or the year before that.
Rafael Vela
Question is play calling just about the number of pass/rushes or maybe can it be when you call those plays too? Numbers can be miss leading.
“As with AW, prove it.” Read my post we have be inside the 20 more then any other team in the nfc team we put up yards so does the line play bad at certain times??? The bottom line is the line is not a new problem, I expect to have problems with the line as does BP.
Mr. Bill
You are right about the bad snaps.
AlanTdot et al
My take: Cash was taking the angle that this blog isn’t about Rafael or being pro-Rafael / con-Rafael. I happen to think that Rafael or whoever gives his or her analysis should welcome a critique. They do. I just dont think we can expect every critique to be a term paper thesis. Mine sure aren’t.
My humble opinion is that, at least on these issues, Rafael is taking the BP party line — he is advocating the Bill Parcell’s analysis. And it is thorough and well thought out. I can’t touch the analysis BP and company may be right — I hope they are. But still, I do disagree. I think the offensive woes fall first on the coach — and then the relationship between the offensive coordinator and head coach.
Here’s the question that somebody can help me with (maybe you have but I don’t see it): What changed after BP had his pre-Eagle game revelation? Run / pass percentage? Apparently not according to Rafael’s and others stats. But yet there was a change — or was there? Was the supposed Eagle offensive change in name only? Was the reason we prevailed against the Eagles was not the offensive change in strategy but because of the early offensive success? i.e efficiency?
Wow! A loss to a playoff team and everyone gets testy. Me, too.
You want OLine stats? Our line has allowed the 9th most sacks. And the 6th worst yards per rush.
I agree with Rafael that the line is the main problem, but there ARE others:
* TT can’t be trusted to pass block, so when he’s in the game they have to run almost every play. That becomes predictable fast, but it’s TT’s fault. Or JJ, if you blame him for his injury. Or AT if you blame him for being old.
* TE Dan Campbell is now a great stud blocker but a poor receiver. He has 1 catch this year for 5 yards; last year he had just 2 for 16. So when he is in the game, defenses rarely respect him as a threat. One less thing to slow down their reads means everyone else is easier to defend.
* Bledsoe rarely throws to a single-covered Witten. Hope this changes, because it means defenses don’t have to spend an extra man doubling him. That would have taken one more man away from run support or deep coverage.
Here’s one that I expect to see over the next few games: Price’s blocking on running plays is not as good as Crayton’s, resulting in fewer successful runs outside the tackles to that side.
remnant……..
I think you are right on about Witten. Few LBs or Safeties match up well against Witten. If the Safety helps the LB than a WR should be open deep…….say uh Terry Glenn?
I don’t understand how the same guy that lit up Ben Coates isn’t utilizing Jason Witten. While he has catches and yards he is open more often than not. Maybe he needs to be an arrogant arse and write a book called…….Just give me the Damn Ball………or pick a fight with his QB.
Either way Jason Witten is not being utilized the way he should be, the way Parcells did last year……..or the way he did with Coates, Bavaro and others.
Witten like Novacek or Cosby is that guy that will get you first downs……..TDs……..and make the Defenses pay for doubling up a Glenn or a KJ or a Price. How many times did even old Vinny find Witten. Troy was loving Novacek back in the day. Novacek kept so many drives alive even on 3rd and 15 he seemed to find 16 yards for a first……….I don’t understand why Drew is not using Witten more. I mean I ain’t against hitting TG, KJ or PP but Witten is the guy that I see open or single covered the most and he has good hands and a big target……..
Hey Payton, Parcells and Bledsoe………..give Jason some more touches and watch the Defense start to double him……….like last year when he still had catches and yards……….then you can really open up TG or PP deep!
Patrick Crayton is a loss but not as big a loss as TG was last year. At least we got Price and I think Copper can play WR also. I do agree he was a good blocker and a great punt returner. I wonder if TNew would have gotten a chance this week if Henry was 100% any word on if he is playing or not. We need him Arizona has three of the best young WR in the league. They also have a very respectable passing attack. I hope the boys ain’t looking at them lightly cuz while we are all hoping to be 6-3 after the Eagles game Monday night………we best not be letting cards clip our plans. They always play Dallas tough.
First, kudos to Rafael and the rest of you guys a little - this is a great web site and I really appreciate the quality of the analysis. (I was going to say fluff Rafael, but I was afraid you’d all get the wrong idea - since I’m a cowboy fan from SF!)
Second, I think overall we all have to be pleased with the way the season is shaping up. We’re just frustrated because we’ve lost three ultra-close games for pretty obvious reasons - we never had a decent kicker, our best running back has missed three games, and we’re a very young team that has had a few execution problems.
That said, the O-line definitely needs to improve and if it can’t I think we need to go to more max protect pkgs on passing downs. However, do you think our WRs can get enough separation consistently in those situations. That is something else that has been bugging me. I would also like to see more play-action in running situations. And finally, could Bledsoe just look for friggen Witten everytime they are inside the 10!!!!!!
Hey Cowboy fans.
I agree with the play calling to a degree!
The packer in the late 60`s won three championships with a total of 16
offensive plays in the playbook. Now granted defensive schemes are much more complex today but it is really about execution. If every player executes thier role in an individual play it is almost impossible to stop.
If you have an excellent running game like Dallas in the 90`s on let`s say 3rd & 2, your going to run the ball. You know it, the other team knows it & everyone in the stands know it. But you still convert it, why , execution.
C`mon penalties have killed us. Poor line play & bad blocking have killed us. There are a lot of rookies & free agents on this team so what did we expect. They will grow & next year they will be dominate, especially on defense. As I said yesterday the NFC is waiting for one of these teams to step up this year. if the offense can start playing mistake free ball they have a great shot ! Like I said when you get a turnover on the other teams
9 yard line you cannot walk away with no points.The play calling did not cost them this game.Execution did. Have patience they will get better, maybe enough over the next few weeks to make a run at the playoffs.
AW,
You question Rafael’s analysis, but then prove his point. You state Dallas has been inside the “red zone” more than any other NFC team. Well when you can’t get rushing TDs inside the 20 yard line, especially when you have been there so many times .. that falls back on the offensive line. In the 1990s, when the Boys were dominating inside the “red zone”, most of the credit belonged to the O-line. Well if the O-line gets the credit for dominating inside the “red zone”, don’t you think they should also shoulder the blame for being so unproductive there too? .. Now I don’t think Rafael is saying ALL of the blame belongs to the offensive line, but bad QB/C exchanges, holding away from the action that killed nice big chunks of yards, not being able to run on short distance situations and inside the “red zone”, and allowing drive stopping sacks way too often … all adds up to poor line play. Again I’ll will go to something Troy Aikman often states, “You can have Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or Peyton Manning throwing the ball, but if the offensive line fails to give the QB time, he won’t be successful in the NFL.” .. Another point to consider is that the Cowboys’ offensive linemen have blown a number of screen plays this year. Being a good screen team will keep defensive linemen honest. There is no reason to hold on a screen pass!! If a team throws the kitchen sink at Bledsoe, and a little pass goes for a huge gain, teams are far less likely to keep blitzing the Boys. If Dallas could execute the screen play properly and consistantly, their opponents will be forced to respect that ability to make big plays off a little short pass. This type of play calling intends to deter defensive linemen to pinning back their ears and rushing the QB. Yet, the offensive linemen’s lack of execution of the screen has canceled out the good play calling.
Have you considered the formations and downs the passes are thrown on?
I’d be curious to know if we threw more long passes on first and second down, out of three reciever sets, in the Philly game than in all the others.
The numbers seem to match up but I wonder if that’s because in the other games we are throwing long passes because we have third and long after running conservative plays on first/second downs.
I don’t think we’ve been good at screens for years.
EricR
How do they get to the red zone so is the line only playing poor in the red zone? In the red zone there needs to be better line play, better play calling and someone needs to step up and make a play.
jk-sf
you are right.
EricR:
You forgot holding penalties as another of the OLine troubles in the red zone.
aw:
Define better play calling in the red zone.
Define the player that needs to step on in the red zone.
With the problems in the OLine and the short field, in the passing game the receivers and TE’s need to shake themselves of the shadows, that takes time and if the OLines doesn’t fulfill then play calling doesn’t work in passing plays. Now in the running game, again in the short field, Defenses stack from 6 to 7 guys at the line, if the OLine doesn’t give enough push, then the wall doesn’t open up, so play calling also fails.
About the players stepping up, well, JJ needs to step up, TT needs to learn to block, Barber and Thomas are what they are, but they also need the Line to open lanes and to keep them open for the RB to go through, if they open the lanes and they crumble when the RB is still there, as we’ve been seeing in several 1 and 2 yard runs, then that’s the OLine fault also. And what else can you ask from the receiving corps, Witten has been catching almost everything thrown his way, even with double coverages, Glenn and Keyshawn have facing double coverages at times too and the have some pretty good numbers, Crayton came down injured and Price is a good speedster which still is up to show us the money. You can’t ask much more.
But I would still like from you to amaze us with your thoughts. I know that you would like TO on our team, even when Glenn is over him in yards. I know that you would like to have Michael Vick, even when he’s been sacked 15 times, even with all the movility he has. So amaze us with your knowledge.
EricR
No, te line is not playing poor only in the Redzone, it’s just that when you’re closer to the Endzone you have less room to work with and the Defense has less room to cover, so the o-line has to give an extra effort to Run-block (Safeties and Lb closer to the line) or to Pass-Block (Safeties and LB closer to the WR)
That’s why you notice more the poor O-Line play in the RedZone.
Chandus
Yes I would take TO over glenn, TO is a