“Here Goes Nothing” #2
Okay, here goes nothing. The Dallas Cowboys. They’ve been regarded as america’s team for a very long time and have tons of fans that are extremely passionate about the team. But they have a problem. Their roster is stacked with talent. They have Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Randall Cobb, Michael Bennett, Antwaun Woods, Byron Jones, Jason Witten, Jaylon Smith, and Robert Quinn among others. They are in first place in the NFC. But they’re 6-7. They are below .500 and they aren’t doing anything about it. They have a top 10 running back in the entire NFL yet they’ve attempted 497 passes this year to only a measly 352 rushing attempts. Here’s some stats for you. In 2016, when the Cowboys ran the ball to Ezekiel Elliott a total of 322 times, he gained 1631 yards and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. This year, at only 246 rushes through 13 games, he still has managed to pick up 1071 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. They run the “Air Coryell” offense, which is an offense driven by pass and trying to keep the defense on their heels by attempting to move the ball down field at a high rate. They have a 65% completion percentage but at 59%, over half the plays their offense runs are pass plays. I can understand this for a team like the Falcons, who don’t have as strong of an established run game, but for the Cowboys? They have Ezekiel Elliott and a top 5 offensive line. I don’t think Jason Garrett realizes how dominant his team would be if they just gave the ball to Zeke more often. They would be a force, and I’m actually willing to say they could be a top team in the NFC power rankings. By no means am I a Cowboys fan, I hate the team. But the potential that this unit has is undeniable. Now yes, they technically have the number one passing offense in the NFL, but that’s in large part due to the amount of pass plays that they run. It would be difficult to not have the stats they have when you run as many pass plays as they do. Jerry Jones isn’t leaving until he dies because he’s definitely not going to sell the team any time soon. But if he’s going to stay here he needs to take control and do what needs to be done.
First things first, Jason Garrett needs to be fired. I think their offensive coordinator is fine but if he doesn’t fit with the new coach they find, they can get rid of him too. They need to change the offensive scheme from the “Air Coryell” to something more like the option, where they can still utilize their passing attack regularly but they get the run more involved to have a more consistent offense. Dak is an athlete and can run, so get him to. But most importantly, get the ball to Zeke. They could switch up their defensive format a little and maybe switch to more of a Flex alignment to get their line more involved and use the talent on it to it’s potential. I don’t think the Cowboys are a bad team. I think they are poorly managed in game and outside of the game. The team has been the definition of average for years under Garrett and that’s just not going to cut it anymore with the potential this roster has. They will likely make the playoffs still but the Eagles are creeping up on them. An Eagles win this week would put them at the same record as the Cowboys, albeit the Cowboys will have the head to head advantage. The bottom line is, revamp your coaching staff, and utilize the talent on your team to its full potential. Then your team will be more competitive and possibly even a real threat. That’s all.
Source for Stats:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/2019.htm
Source for Offenssive Schematics:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/874704-option-offense-in-the-the-nfl-definitely#slide5
Source for Defensive Schematics:
https://www.dummies.com/sports/football/defense/types-of-football-defenses/#slide-6
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