Hard Knocks Life Vol. 3-Will the Defense be up to Par(sons)- ‘21 Cowboys Season Thread

[Buggsy Mogues]

If it's a stick route against man the receiver would normally be working away from the defender. I do think he expected him to work inside. It's a miscommunication more than a bad throw. Those are plays Rodgers/Adams or Brady/Gronk don't miss. They are always where they expect the other to be. Dak and Amari aren't on the same page there. Ultimately I put the blame on the QB in miscommunications like this.

 

[Bboystyle]

Let me know when you get to the part that is intended to make sense.

The part where u blame everyone else for your teams issues. How lame and loser shyt u gotta be on blaming other teams and refs lol. That why team has like 3 playoff wins the last 25+ years?

 

[BlueHeffner]

 

[darealvelle]

Get Amare involved early in the game and stop fukking around! 100 million dollar decoy my ass.

 

[BlueHeffner]

The fanbase and players gotta stop blaming penalties

 

[Spade]

Pathetic.

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Bird's eye view of the play that earned Dak a death stare from Amari.

It’s routes like that which makes it easy for teams to stop this offense.

4 WR all running the same route and same distance. No angles, no nothing.

 

[Codeine Bryant]

 

[Buggsy Mogues]

Boggles my damn mind.

 

[darealvelle]

Congrats to him!

 

[lightskin jermaine]

The fanbase and players gotta stop blaming penalties

I think the players and coaches let the penalties dwell on them instead of using it as fuel. It seemed like once they got a few bad calls, they went into a mental shell and never snapped out of it.

Off topic, Kellen Moore needs to dead all these WR screens.

It’s routes like that which makes it easy for teams to stop this offense.

4 WR all running the same route and same distance. No angles, no nothing.

Jason Garrett type route concepts

 

[BigE214]

I changed my avi but never tag under it. Free Gallup

 

[BigE214]

It’s routes like that which makes it easy for teams to stop this offense.

4 WR all running the same route and same distance. No angles, no nothing.

You can literally see it during the game. I’m yelling why is Dak holding the ball and the next breath is why are all the WRs next to each other - tf

 

[Trill McClay]

Anybody got this?

Spoiler: Part 1

We certainly hoped that the undefeated month of December and the laugher vs. Washington for Christmas dinner was a sign that the Cowboys were emerging from their prolonged offensive slump. They have (had) almost all of their pieces in place and now the simple hopes of taking a beat-up Arizona defense to task on Sunday seemed a reasonable goal.

But, now we know better.

Their first offensive performance of 2022 was putrid. There is simply no other nice way to say it.

Dallas ran the ball for its second-lowest total (45 yards) in the Dak Prescott/Ezekiel Elliott era. The worst effort on the ground was another demoralizing loss in Denver early in 2017. We thought they had left that long behind, but right when the Cowboys were attempting to fight to the end for the top seed in the NFC, they play a battered Arizona defense that limits them to 2.6 a carry.

This is where we must explain the point of “establishing the run” because it is often an unpopular idea in today’s modern football enthusiast’s mind.

To me, the point is more about making a defense’s day more difficult than it is about the value of a running game on the surface. I realize that many, including Troy Aikman, will tell you that it has many more utilities and effects and I will often take it from people like him as truth, but I still feel that we need to end at a similar place that admits a yard is a yard. A passing yard and a rushing yard both consist of 36 inches no matter how it is achieved. If an average run is about four yards and an average pass is about seven yards, that should tell you what helps you get down the field more efficiently.

If you destroy a team on the ground, you might get 160 or 180 yards in a game. But, 180 yards of total offense is poor. Nobody can run their way to success without the passing game still consisting of 70 percent of the total yield.

But, here is why you do want to “establish the run.” You do it to get the deployment of the defensive troops allocated to the line of scrimmage. Why? Because the more players the defense needs to stop those plays, the fewer your passing game is required to navigate. The easiest way to defend a team is telegraph your intentions and to make it one-dimensional. This is why a balanced attack makes everything easier. It makes pass protection easier and you better believe it makes a quarterback’s job easier.

Which is where the Cowboys currently find themselves.

They have a reputation of running the ball. They pay their offensive line an enormous amount of money. They consider it a massive part of the team’s mission statement. They are a physical team that wants to quickly show you its teeth and then the rest of the game plan falls into place far more easily.

Right now, it isn’t happening at all. Here are four runs showing how pitiful it was Sunday.

 

[Trill McClay]

Spoiler: Part 2

1Q – 12:50 – 1st and 10 – E.Elliott up the middle to DAL 45 for -1 yards (C.Jones).

Spoiler: video clip

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/01/04093551/1Q-12-50-1-10-46.mp4?_=1

First-and-10 with Prescott under center is a very run-heavy look. Cowboys look like they want to run duo right at the Cardinals and get double teams on both defensive tackles. Elliott should be able to find space right behind that physical effort. But, as you can see, Chandler Jones (55), disposes of Dalton Schultz quickly and Elliott is brought down for a quick loss. To ask Schultz — who is barely 240 — to deal with Jones at 265 and a generational edge player is not something I would try often. Dallas clearly disagreed.

1Q – 4:45 – 3rd and 1 – E.Elliott left tackle to ARZ 40 for -1 yards (C.Peters).

Spoiler: video clip

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/01/04093546/1Q-445-3-1-39.mp4?_=2

Here is third-and-1 and the Cowboys are in a variation of 13 personnel, but the third tight end is actually Connor McGovern (66). The only receiver is CeeDee Lamb and he is deep behind Prescott and Elliott. On this play, the Cardinals shift right before the snap and totally blow up the Cowboys’ run responsibilities and Tyler Biadasz is on the ground. From here, Corey Peters (98) runs over Zack Martinwho is not holding any leverage against the huge man. Now, the Cowboys have Elliott lined up as the fullback and think they should be able to get one yard with that play, but Elliott doesn’t really have a chance. The point of attack seems fine, but Peters is able to side-swipe the whole thing.

3Q – 4:01 – 1st and 10 – E.Elliott right tackle to DAL 26 for 1 yard (Z.Collins).

Spoiler: video clip

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/01/04093541/3Q-401-1-10-25.mp4?_=3

This is the very important second drive of the second half and this is a drive-starter play from the Dallas 25. The Cowboys need to put something together here as the game is slipping away. They are in 12 personnel, but the Cowboys will run to the weak side (away from the double tight ends). The motion of Schultz helps them get Jones (55) blocked on the front side. But, Isaiah Simmons (9) is able to shoot inside and turn Elliott to a cut-back. When he does, it is right into Zaven Collins (25), who is shutting the back door. Connor Williams is supposed to get him blocked, but he is clearly held by Michael Dogbe (91), which prevents that. Definitely a missed call, but I am not sure Elliott would have much space anyway.

4Q – 11:06 – 1st and 10 – E.Elliott up the middle to DAL 35 for -1 yards (C.Jones).

Spoiler: video clip

https://cdn.theathletic.com/app/uploads/2022/01/04093535/4Q-1106-1-10-36.mp4?_=4