The Official Dallas Cowboys 2023 Season Thread
- Thread starter BlueHeffner
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BlueHeffner
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VegetasHairline
Veteran
Dak Prescott and the offensive starters did not play in any of the Dallas Cowboys’ three preseason games. The Cowboys also did not practice against another team in training camp. So, there remains a lot of questions about just how different Dallas’ “Texas Coast” offense will look now that head coach Mike McCarthy is calling plays and Brian Schottenheimer is the offensive coordinator. The uncertainty also makes for an increased interest in exactly how the Cowboys’ offense will operate when they open the season at the New York Giants on Sept. 10.
To get more perspective, we reached out to Tim Jenkins. He was an undrafted rookie free-agent quarterback for the St. Louis Rams in 2013 when Schottenheimer was the team’s offensive coordinator. Jenkins also played for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. Over the last decade, Jenkins has been coaching football at his Jenkins Elite academy, which has 10 locations across the country.
Here is what Jenkins said in a recent phone conversation:
On Schottenheimer saying the Cowboys will keep about 70 percent of the offense the same, and the difficulty of making that type of offensive adjustment in one offseason:
What I tell everybody is the reason he says 70 percent the same is because the NFL is 70 percent the same. You turn on anyone’s tape, you’re seeing the same concepts. It doesn’t really matter who. We can also say, “I’m a West Coast guy. I’m an Air raid guy.” When you get to the NFL, there’s really only so many ways you can attack the field from the fact that the hashes are so darn tight.
The kicker for a quarterback is that other 30 percent. Because it’s brand new, I’m willing to bet that there was a marriage from a terminology standpoint (Note: McCarthy has talked about adjusting to the terminology Dallas had been using to keep players on the same page.) I’ve watched a couple episodes of that Netflix show for the quarterback and Kirk Cousins was very honest from his perspective on the terminology changes and how that affects a quarterback. Knowing how verbiage-heavy (Schottenheimer) is, that’s going to be one of the harder things. I’m guessing that’s going to be more of a challenge for (Schottenheimer) than it is going to be for Dak. The verbiage side is what makes it the hardest in that first year to kind of merge these things. … When you’re talking about a quarterback like Dak, I think he’s going to study as much as humanly possible. So if anyone’s going to be caught up, it’s going to be him.
On the importance of footwork in this offensive change:
When Schottenheimer talks about feet, he should be able to see the progression in your feet. Let’s say Dak is in the shotgun, he’s going to take a three-step (drop). He puts his right foot back, which kind of convolutes things a little bit, but if we’re talking traditional West Coast, your left foot is back, you take your three-step, one, two, three, by the time that foot hits the ground, my eyes are on my No. 1 receiver in a pure progression where it is one, two, three no matter the coverage. His foot is going to hit the ground, his eyes are going to be on one. If that ball doesn’t come out, what you’re going to start to see from Dak and all the Cowboys’ quarterbacks now is, “Hey, I’m going to reset to two. If the ball doesn’t come out, I’m going to reset to three.”
(Schottenheimer) used to always talk about, “I should see your progression in your feet.” … For example, if you sent me a video of Dak and he’s repping one of (Schottenheimer’s) favorite plays when I was in St. Louis, which is F-ship, where the No. 2 receiver has a ship route, the No. 3 receiver has a shallow, the backside guy is on a comeback. If you said, “What play is he running?” and you filmed Dak, you should be able to tell. I can see him set to the ship, boom, there’s a hard reset, he’s looking at the shallow, another reset and he’s to the comeback, and then you’ll see a slight climb before he gets to his back. That’s what he’s talking about when he talks about the quarterback’s feet in a West Coast offense. It really is beautiful. … The pocket will get messy kind of with those five- and seven-step drops, which is where you’ll see Dak move around a little bit more. But when you talk about trying to cut down a guy’s turnovers, the easiest way for a quarterback is to clean up what he’s processing, and Schottenheimer is going to do that because everything is well defined.
To get more perspective, we reached out to Tim Jenkins. He was an undrafted rookie free-agent quarterback for the St. Louis Rams in 2013 when Schottenheimer was the team’s offensive coordinator. Jenkins also played for the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. Over the last decade, Jenkins has been coaching football at his Jenkins Elite academy, which has 10 locations across the country.
Here is what Jenkins said in a recent phone conversation:
On Schottenheimer saying the Cowboys will keep about 70 percent of the offense the same, and the difficulty of making that type of offensive adjustment in one offseason:
What I tell everybody is the reason he says 70 percent the same is because the NFL is 70 percent the same. You turn on anyone’s tape, you’re seeing the same concepts. It doesn’t really matter who. We can also say, “I’m a West Coast guy. I’m an Air raid guy.” When you get to the NFL, there’s really only so many ways you can attack the field from the fact that the hashes are so darn tight.
The kicker for a quarterback is that other 30 percent. Because it’s brand new, I’m willing to bet that there was a marriage from a terminology standpoint (Note: McCarthy has talked about adjusting to the terminology Dallas had been using to keep players on the same page.) I’ve watched a couple episodes of that Netflix show for the quarterback and Kirk Cousins was very honest from his perspective on the terminology changes and how that affects a quarterback. Knowing how verbiage-heavy (Schottenheimer) is, that’s going to be one of the harder things. I’m guessing that’s going to be more of a challenge for (Schottenheimer) than it is going to be for Dak. The verbiage side is what makes it the hardest in that first year to kind of merge these things. … When you’re talking about a quarterback like Dak, I think he’s going to study as much as humanly possible. So if anyone’s going to be caught up, it’s going to be him.
On the importance of footwork in this offensive change:
When Schottenheimer talks about feet, he should be able to see the progression in your feet. Let’s say Dak is in the shotgun, he’s going to take a three-step (drop). He puts his right foot back, which kind of convolutes things a little bit, but if we’re talking traditional West Coast, your left foot is back, you take your three-step, one, two, three, by the time that foot hits the ground, my eyes are on my No. 1 receiver in a pure progression where it is one, two, three no matter the coverage. His foot is going to hit the ground, his eyes are going to be on one. If that ball doesn’t come out, what you’re going to start to see from Dak and all the Cowboys’ quarterbacks now is, “Hey, I’m going to reset to two. If the ball doesn’t come out, I’m going to reset to three.”
(Schottenheimer) used to always talk about, “I should see your progression in your feet.” … For example, if you sent me a video of Dak and he’s repping one of (Schottenheimer’s) favorite plays when I was in St. Louis, which is F-ship, where the No. 2 receiver has a ship route, the No. 3 receiver has a shallow, the backside guy is on a comeback. If you said, “What play is he running?” and you filmed Dak, you should be able to tell. I can see him set to the ship, boom, there’s a hard reset, he’s looking at the shallow, another reset and he’s to the comeback, and then you’ll see a slight climb before he gets to his back. That’s what he’s talking about when he talks about the quarterback’s feet in a West Coast offense. It really is beautiful. … The pocket will get messy kind of with those five- and seven-step drops, which is where you’ll see Dak move around a little bit more. But when you talk about trying to cut down a guy’s turnovers, the easiest way for a quarterback is to clean up what he’s processing, and Schottenheimer is going to do that because everything is well defined.
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VegetasHairline
Veteran
On the offense getting the ball out quicker:
There are a lot of times in football, and I know this is going to sound funny, where quarterbacks who are in a system for a while that is not well defined will actually pass up their first progression when he’s open. (Schottenheimer) is not going to let that slide. I can vividly remember getting mf’d for not throwing to Tavon Austin on an F-ship when he’s my first progression and he was there. That’s something he’s not going to let slide. His first progression there, boom, the ball is out, and that’s when he’s going to come out and say we’re getting the ball out quicker, when in reality what he’s talking about is the first available option, whether it’s the first progression, second progression, third progression, we’re not passing those guys up.
On McCarthy saying early in training camp that the biggest change will be the protection in the passing game:
The challenge I saw is from the mental side of it, because a lot of these protections change based on the front. If they have scat right, which is four man down, we’re going to block the will (linebacker), that’s what the O-line is going to account for, the back is going to scan mike (linebacker) to sam (linebacker), and all of a sudden they cloud our center, we’re going to jam out of it. They have a lot of built-in checks that those guys up front need to be able to handle — Dak has to handle because he’s the one who has to be up there communicating what he wants, getting them in the right situation. So, mentally I think is going to be the biggest hurdle.
On McCarthy wanting to get the play call into Prescott as quickly as possible, and what that means in terms of putting more on his plate:
Dak can go up there and see there’s 23 seconds left on the play clock, he can start his cadence and see those safeties rolling and say they’re going to kill, kill and get to their Cover-3 beater and now they can gash them. It’s one of those things where it is harder up front. You have to master the system. You have to be comfortable with everything verbiage-wise you’re spitting out of your mouth in the huddle.
Simultaneously, if you get to that point it is so much better for you as a quarterback because now it’s up to me to get us into the right play. … When you know you’re in that environment, you’d rather at least have it be on you to make sure we’re getting into the right play, especially on those third-and-criticals. That’s why I think the system is going to be way more friendly to Dak. There are going to be plenty of situations where you see he kills something and then if he still gets to a checkdown quickly, he probably made the wrong adjustment. There’s not a lot of defense left for the quarterback if we put all this on your plate and you’re still not getting it done — that’s a bigger issue. But to me, the most valuable thing you can do as a franchise is find out what this dude can be. Because it’s either he is our guy for the rest of time or we got to start moving on. I think that’s the value when you have a system when it puts everything on the quarterback.
On the Cowboys’ wide receivers talking about all being on the same page:
(The West Coast offense) is easier to learn if their learning style is exact. A lot of receivers have great feel. The feel position in that offense is really only the slot receiver. You hear Julian Edelman talk about it now on podcasts about running the juke route or when he wasn’t exact, where as everybody else on that field had to be exact, otherwise when the F receiver has all these options on the juke route we’re going to have two people in the same spot. I think it’s better for a receiver as long as they’re willing to accept that we’re here to be exact and the reason is because we’re going to have an explosive offense. A lot of that comes down to how the OC communicates and how the QB communicates.
On why the West Coast offense has been around so long and had success:
Because it’s exact. The best thing you can do is rep things perfect, because the second those stadium lights come on, there is nothing like actual game day and how fast it is. There’s nothing like knowing exactly what you’re supposed to do in a game that moves at light speed when those lights come on. That’s also why I think you see most quarterbacks have some of their best years coming from it. It’s not a knock against other offenses. … Dak is made in a very prototypical manner for who is successful in the NFL. He’s an accurate passer, he can drive the ball down the field, he’s athletic enough to move around. He has all the making and that’s why I think he’s going to be super successful in the West Coast. Dak is going to lean into it and if he does that and takes advantage of it, he’s going to get in and out of the right play calls, but also statistically, we’re going to see it being one of his better years.
There are a lot of times in football, and I know this is going to sound funny, where quarterbacks who are in a system for a while that is not well defined will actually pass up their first progression when he’s open. (Schottenheimer) is not going to let that slide. I can vividly remember getting mf’d for not throwing to Tavon Austin on an F-ship when he’s my first progression and he was there. That’s something he’s not going to let slide. His first progression there, boom, the ball is out, and that’s when he’s going to come out and say we’re getting the ball out quicker, when in reality what he’s talking about is the first available option, whether it’s the first progression, second progression, third progression, we’re not passing those guys up.
On McCarthy saying early in training camp that the biggest change will be the protection in the passing game:
The challenge I saw is from the mental side of it, because a lot of these protections change based on the front. If they have scat right, which is four man down, we’re going to block the will (linebacker), that’s what the O-line is going to account for, the back is going to scan mike (linebacker) to sam (linebacker), and all of a sudden they cloud our center, we’re going to jam out of it. They have a lot of built-in checks that those guys up front need to be able to handle — Dak has to handle because he’s the one who has to be up there communicating what he wants, getting them in the right situation. So, mentally I think is going to be the biggest hurdle.
On McCarthy wanting to get the play call into Prescott as quickly as possible, and what that means in terms of putting more on his plate:
Dak can go up there and see there’s 23 seconds left on the play clock, he can start his cadence and see those safeties rolling and say they’re going to kill, kill and get to their Cover-3 beater and now they can gash them. It’s one of those things where it is harder up front. You have to master the system. You have to be comfortable with everything verbiage-wise you’re spitting out of your mouth in the huddle.
Simultaneously, if you get to that point it is so much better for you as a quarterback because now it’s up to me to get us into the right play. … When you know you’re in that environment, you’d rather at least have it be on you to make sure we’re getting into the right play, especially on those third-and-criticals. That’s why I think the system is going to be way more friendly to Dak. There are going to be plenty of situations where you see he kills something and then if he still gets to a checkdown quickly, he probably made the wrong adjustment. There’s not a lot of defense left for the quarterback if we put all this on your plate and you’re still not getting it done — that’s a bigger issue. But to me, the most valuable thing you can do as a franchise is find out what this dude can be. Because it’s either he is our guy for the rest of time or we got to start moving on. I think that’s the value when you have a system when it puts everything on the quarterback.
On the Cowboys’ wide receivers talking about all being on the same page:
(The West Coast offense) is easier to learn if their learning style is exact. A lot of receivers have great feel. The feel position in that offense is really only the slot receiver. You hear Julian Edelman talk about it now on podcasts about running the juke route or when he wasn’t exact, where as everybody else on that field had to be exact, otherwise when the F receiver has all these options on the juke route we’re going to have two people in the same spot. I think it’s better for a receiver as long as they’re willing to accept that we’re here to be exact and the reason is because we’re going to have an explosive offense. A lot of that comes down to how the OC communicates and how the QB communicates.
On why the West Coast offense has been around so long and had success:
Because it’s exact. The best thing you can do is rep things perfect, because the second those stadium lights come on, there is nothing like actual game day and how fast it is. There’s nothing like knowing exactly what you’re supposed to do in a game that moves at light speed when those lights come on. That’s also why I think you see most quarterbacks have some of their best years coming from it. It’s not a knock against other offenses. … Dak is made in a very prototypical manner for who is successful in the NFL. He’s an accurate passer, he can drive the ball down the field, he’s athletic enough to move around. He has all the making and that’s why I think he’s going to be super successful in the West Coast. Dak is going to lean into it and if he does that and takes advantage of it, he’s going to get in and out of the right play calls, but also statistically, we’re going to see it being one of his better years.
VegetasHairline
Veteran
QB coach: Why Cowboys' offensive changes will lead to one of Dak Prescott's best seasons
Is the West Coast offense and Dak Prescott the right partnership? One QB expert thinks big things are ahead for the Cowboys' QB.
theathletic.com
He loves the word “I”.
darealvelle
Real Talk
Mark Schlereth rips Jerry Jones over Trey Lance trade: ‘Cowboys will never win s–t’
Mark Schlereth did not hold back about how he felt about Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
nypost.com
Bboystyle
Bang Bang Packers gang!
Yall gotta face Rodgers in week 2, when will that nitemare end??First and foremost, Rip to the gawd Gil Brandt
Now that we got that out of the way, The Dallas Cowboys embark on another season of the Dak Prescott era (year 8). This off-season, the front-office decided to be way more active in upgrading the roster.
Notable Roster Moves:
Acquired Stephon Gilmore via trade (5th rounder)
Acquired Brandin Cooks via trade (5th and 6th)
Drafted a true NT in the first round
Bushed the Cowboys 3rd all-time leading rusher
And last but not least, acquired Trey Lance for a fourth rounder from the 9ers. The last time the Cowboys made a significant trade with our rival (Charles Haley) it directly led to the Cowboys winning 3 Super-Bowls
While Trey does need time to develop, the truth of the matter is….nikkas is tired of Dak b
The front-office has gave this nikka everything his supporters say he didnt have.
-Kellen no Moore
-A true #2 in Cooks
-2 elite corners and a run-stuffer at DT to complete the defense
-More control over the offense
The expectation is Super Bowl or Bust. If Dak gets to the Divisional once again turns into Taysom Hill w a black daddy, Trey needs to be given the reigns
@dtownreppin214 @Primetime21 @Codeine Bryant @lightskin jermaine @*DalMem* @darealvelle @L. Deezy @DaPresident @Thegospel @Ethnic Vagina Finder @Estarossa @smitty22 @Surreal @Spade @Broad Street Bully @Buggsy Mogues @who_better_than_me @Trill McClay @Dallas' 4 Eva @DallasTxRep @DALLASMAVERICKS @BigE214 @LurkMoar @CaughtInTWebb @Rell84shots @R.U.L.E. @West Coast Avenger @El Coupeacabra @DosCadenaz @duckbutta @Slimkid07 @VegetasHairline @MalaKai @Grifter @Weaver31 @lamont614 @ld707070 @Reign X @L68 @Ashyneezz @DTXwavey_02 @Dr. Narcisse @WestS1de @FooFighters @IsThatBrothaMouzone? @twan83 @Sonny Corinthos @Buckeye Fever @Dwight Howard @Track4daKid @Nitro Tuggle @93 til @jay211 @Jerz @Reggie @Bboystyle @kevm3 @satam55
Did he forget who is the Quarterback of his team?
Or is he already planning on going the DeMarcus Ware route.
El Coupeacabra
Diamond Teeth Samurai
*takes a shot of vanilla crown*
15-3, sweep the division, Super Bowl appearance
15-3, sweep the division, Super Bowl appearance
BigE214
Future GOAT
Get you some regular Crown like ya grand daddy use to*takes a shot of vanilla crown*
15-3, sweep the division, Super Bowl appearance
darealvelle
Real Talk
Mark Schlereth rips Jerry Jones over Trey Lance trade: ‘Cowboys will never win s–t’
Mark Schlereth did not hold back about how he felt about Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones.
Ex Jets head coach Eric Mangini actually explains that head coaches dont have no say really on shyt. One of team owners told him he needs to pass the ball more on a team that 22nd in rushing defense and they lost because of it.
HollywoodP
#LongLive24 #TMC America's Team, Lakeshow, & ASU
Crown Apple>>>Vanilla Crown*takes a shot of vanilla crown*
15-3, sweep the division, Super Bowl appearance
13-4
